Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Explosive reporting in the San Francisco Chronicle  made public sexual assault allegations against California Representative (and erstwhile candidate for governor) Eric Swalwell. On Today's Show: Jane Manning , director at Women's Equal Justice and former sex crimes prosecutor, explains why the Manhattan D.A. is investigating him, and how this case may shed light on what she says are New York's an...

Prompted by unfounded internet speculations, the First Lady made a public statement last week that she had no ties to Jeffrey Epstein. On Today's Show: Vicky Ward , investigative journalist, host of the Chasing Ghislaine podcast and author of books including Kushner, Inc. (St. Martin's Press, 2019) and, with James Patterson, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), ta...

Two days into a ceasefire with Iran, we take stock of how the conflict has reshaped the region's geopolitics. On Today's Show: Ishaan Tharoor , a contributor to The New Yorker , formerly a foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post , discusses Trump's approach to Iran, how the White House has 'never fully understood' the war it started, and what it could mean for the success, or failure, of...

There are limits of conflict jurisprudence and how leaders in the U.S., Israel and Iran think about following, or skirting, the rules about what constitutes 'war crimes.' On today's show: Former Lt. Col. Rachel E. VanLandingham , national security law expert, law professor at Southwestern Law School, and former chief legal advisor for international law at U.S. Central Command, where she advised on...

President Trump recently said it was "not possible" for the federal government to fund Medicaid and Medicare, despite a White House budget proposal that boosts defense spending to $1.5 trillion. On today's show: Maya Goldman , healthcare reporter at Axios, unpacks what that means for the millions of Americans who rely on those programs and the states who'll have to fill the gaps.     Hosted by Sim...

On Today's Show: Sarah Fitzpatrick , staff writer at The Atlantic covering national security and the Department of Justice, discusses the latest news from the U.S. military, including President Trump's revised deadline and some of the risks of the current Pentagon strategy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data f...

Leqaa Kordia , a Palestinian woman who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after participating in protests near Columbia University, was recently released on bond after a year in at the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas.  On Today's Show: She discusses what she endured in the detention facility under conditions that she describes as "horrific," joined by her attorney Sarah...

President Donald Trump spoke to the nation about the war in Iran on Wednesday evening. He said that the war was nearing completion and threatened to bomb Iran "back to the stone ages." On today's show: Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) reacts to those remarks. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Today's Show: Jonathan Lemire , co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW, writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to  The Atlantic , talks about the latest developments in national politics, including President Donald Trump's executive order attempting to change rules for mail-in voting. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of person...

As Passover begins, a look at the divergent views on Israel from within Jewish American communities and families. On Today's Show: Eyal Press , contributing writer to The New Yorker , shares his reporting on how disagreements over Israel, Gaza and Zionism itself are dividing synagogues, Jewish families and communities across America. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com fo...

With all the national and international politics at play, an influential local senator shares his thoughts and takes calls from constituents on the issues. On Today's Show: U.S. Sen. Cory Booker , D-NJ, author of Stand (St. Martin’s Press, 2026) weaves history, personal stories and current politics into a defense of principles as a way of facing crises. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. Se...

The Senate voted overnight to fund key parts of the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA.  On Today's Show: Evan McMorris-Santoro , national politics reporter at NOTUS and co-author of the NOTUS daily newsletter, and Mary Clare Jalonick , congressional reporter for The Associated Press and the author of Storm at the Capitol: An Oral History of January 6th (PublicAffairs, 2026), talk abou...

Ceasefire negotiations over the war in Iran continue, and so do reports of possible escalation. On Today's Show: Kian Tajbakhsh , Iranian-American scholar, visiting professor of international relations at New York University, fellow of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University and former political prisoner, and William Christou , Middle East reporter for The Guardian , break down the...

After Tuesday's oral arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee on Tuesday, the Supreme Court appears likely to overhaul the way many states count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day but are postmarked before the deadline. On Today's Show: Carrie Levine , editor-in-chief of Votebeat , talks about the impact of that change. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adsw...

Donald Trump's relationship with the rule of law, and with various investigative bodies has always been tense, at best. On Today's Show: Andrew Weissmann , professor of practice at NYU School of Law, co-host of the podcast Main Justice and and the co-author of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), draws on his experience working with...

Oil prices jumped after overnight attacks on energy facilities in Iran and Qatar. On Today's Show: John Heilemann , chief political columnist at Puck and host of the podcast "Impolitic with John Heilemann, " and senior national affairs analyst for MS NOW, talks about the latest developments in the war in Iran and the Trump-Netanyahu relationship.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm...

On Today's Show: Daniel Immerwahr , historian, contributing writer at The New Yorker , the Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University and the author of How to Hide an Empire (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019), offers historical context on the war in Iran and Trump's overall foreign policy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about o...

With leadership changes at the Department of Homeland Security, how have conditions changed for migrants in detention centers? On Today's Show: Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis (Penguin Press, 2024), talks about the scale of the U.S. immigrant detention program, health and safety...

As the war in Iran enters its third week, how have structural changes at the Pentagon impacted the U.S. military apparatus?  On Today's Show: Dan Lamothe , U.S. military and Pentagon reporter at The Washington Post , shares his reporting on the latest U.S. military actions in Iran, especially what's happening in the Strait of Hormuz, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adsw...

With President Trump's agenda including massive priorities like the SAVE act, and the war in Iran, a look at recent news from Congress. On Today's Show: Burgess Everett , congressional bureau chief for Semafor, talks about the latest news out of Congress this week, including a bipartisan housing bill that passed the Senate, the president's push for the SAVE Act and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an A...

On Today's Show:  David Graham , staff writer at The Atlantic  and an author of The Atlantic  daily newsletter, plus author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), offers analysis of how President Trump is changing the way he describes the status of the war with Iran, and why his public statements about it have shifted around so dramatically. Pl...

The war in Iran has economic consequences in terms of the region's oil exports. But how could prediction markets change the picture? On Today's Show:  John Cassidy , staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI (Macmillan, 2025), talks about his recent story, "How to Prevent Insider Trading on Trump’s Wars" and other n...

As the war in Iran and across the region continues, a renowned global geopolitics analyst weighs in. On Today's Show: Christiane Amanpour , chief international anchor and host of CNN's "Amanpour" and PBS' "Amanpour & Company," talks about the recent social and political history of Iran, and the latest news on the war with Iran. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for info...

Prior to today's war in Iran, the geopolitically powerful nation has been on the radar of certain hawkish US lawmakers. On Today's Show: Sabrina Siddiqui , national politics reporter at The Wall Street Journal , talks about the latest news from Washington, especially related to the war with Iran. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and...

The war in Iran could have global implications on trade, including the critical energy market, which draws much of its inventory from Iranian oil. On Today's Show: Lydia DePillis , New York Times reporter covering the American economy, talks about how the war with Iran could affect the economy at home, as issues with oil prices, supply chains and the massive cost of the war begin to pile up. Hoste...