Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Some soccer fans intend to boycott the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which begins next Sunday in the gulf state nation of Qatar, over concerns about the country's human rights and labor records. On Today's Show: Dan Friedman , writer, digital consultant and former Executive Editor of the Forward, tells us the history of this World Cup and why it matters. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ad...

With Donald Trump officially kicking off his campaign last night, we look at what it means for the Republican party, the conservative movement, and the politics of the 2024 election. On Today's Show: Eliana Johnson , editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon , unpacks the announcement and the early reactions from within the Republican Party. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ad...

Election deniers  — many endorsed by former President Trump  — didn't do so well at the polls last week, and voting was relatively smooth nationwide. On Today's Show: Nick Corasaniti , domestic correspondent covering national politics for The New York Times , talks about the possibility that the threat they posed to democracy is waning or even over. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pc...

With the Senate race in Arizona called, officially delivering control of at least one house of Congress to Democrats, by an extremely tight margin. On Today's Show: Molly Ball , national political correspondent for TIME and the author of Pelosi (Henry Holt and Co., 2020), talks about the weekend's big political news. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abo...

Republicans won four congressional races in New York, even though a national 'red wave' never materialized. On Today's Show: Larry Levy , vice president of Economic Development and Professional Studies and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, and Nicholas Fandos reporter on the Metro desk of The New York Times talk about why Long Island and parts of the...

In the wake of the midterms, we explore why an ballot measure too fight climate change failed in California, and why a different one succeeded in New York. On Today's Show: Voters in New York approved a $4.2 billion dollar environmental bond initiative while voters in California rejected a ballot measure that would have levied a tax on high earners to pay for electric vehicle infrastructure. Blanc...

With the 2022 midterm elections in our rearview mirror, we look ahead at what the next session of Congress will look like, and where our democracy goes from here. On Today's Show: Kai Wright , host of WNYC's Notes From America, Alexis Grenell , columnist for The Nation and the cofounder of Pythia Public, and Charlie Sykes, founder and editor-at-large and host of a podcast at The Bulwark, MSNBC con...

Happy Election Day! Listen to our conversation about what to expect tonight, tomorrow and further into the week as official ballot counts roll in. On Today's Show: Aaron Blake , senior political reporter, writing for The Fix at The Washington Post , joins to discuss the competitive races around the country, and which results might come as a surprise. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See p...

What reforms have there been to curb election-impacting misinformation, and what does the information landscape look like ahead of the 2022 midterms? On Today's Show: Andrea Bernstein , who covers Democracy for ProPublica and contributes to NPR covering Trump legal matters, co-host of "Will Be Wild", and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Powe...

On Today's Show: Julie Rovner , chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News and host of KHN's What the Health podcast, discusses the politics of health care costs and the competing approaches by Democrats and Republicans this midterms season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How different are the two major political parties policy approaches to combatting inflation, one of the key issues in this midterm season? On Today's Show: Jim Tankersley, New York Times White House correspondent with a focus on economic policy, talks about how Democrats and Republicans say they will fight it, and historically, what has worked and what hasn't. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz comp...

What does each of the major political parties think is the right approach to combating poverty? On Today's Show: Chris Howard , Pamela C. Harriman Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William & Mary and the author of Who Cares: The Social Safety Net in America (Oxford University Press, 2022), discusses how Republicans and Democrats approach the issue of poverty and which par...

In New York, where the real estate industry represents a powerful interest group, how are the candidates for governor thinking about affordable housing, and addressing homelessness? On Today's Show: Kathryn Brenzel , senior reporter at The Real Deal, joins to discuss where Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin stand on the issue of affordable housing as Election Day looms. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz c...

As details have surfaced around the invasion of Nancy Pelosi's home by a violent intruder, we ask whether voters will be considering the risk of political violence at the ballot box. On Today's Show: Lisa Lerer , national political correspondent for The New York Times , and Philip Bump , national columnist for The Washington Post , talk about what the polls and reporting are saying as voting for t...

What might updating the United States' Constitution do to our democracy? On Today's Show: Russ Feingold , former U.S. senator, president of the American Constitution Society, and co-author of  The Constitution in Jeopardy: An Unprecedented Effort to Rewrite Our Fundamental Law and What We Can Do About It  (Public Affairs, 2022),   discusses the calls — coming from both the right and the left — to...

Over a decade since the Supreme Court ruled that corporate political contributions constitute free speech,  what has it meant for democracy? On Today's Show: Adam Winkler , UCLA professor of law and author of We the Corporations (Liveright, 2018) and Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America (W. W. Norton & Company, 2011), delves into the impact of so-called "dark money" on our d...

Today, we look at the structure and practices of the Supreme Court, and discuss whether reforms could reshape it in defense of democracy. On Today's Show: Emily Bazelon , staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School, and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Pro...

Election officials around the country have been resigning amid threats and intimidation. What does that mean for democracy? On Today's Show: Dana Milbank , columnist for The Washington Post , discusses the uptick in threats of violence against election official workers, intimidation of voters, and the potential for chaos at the polls on Election Day. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See p...

With the midterms fast approaching, we explore some of the ballot measures that voters around the country are being asked to decide on. On Today's Show: Zach Montellaro , state politics reporter at Politico, covering gubernatorial, legislative and other state-based elections, joins to discuss how Democrats and Republicans are using ballot initiatives and referendums to push policy proposals. Hoste...

How do we make the legislative branch more democratic? On Today's Show: David Daley , senior fellow at FairVote and author of the books  Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count (Liveright 2016) and  Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy (Liveright 2020), discusses the undemocratic nature of the United States Senate and offers solutions to make it more representative of all Ame...

With election districts being redrawn around the country, how do changing electoral boundaries change the politics that come out of those elections?  On Today's Show: Michael Li, senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, talks about the process of redrawing district lines after the census every 10 years and how that process can favor parties and incumbency, or voters. Hosted by Si...

In four swing states, some gubernatorial candidates have indicated that they would have refused to certify Biden's 2020 election win. What might those midterms mean for 2024? On Today's Show: Kira Lerner , democracy reporter at States Newsroom, talks about the four swing states with governors races that could upend the 2024 presidential election. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.a...

How some jurisdictions are making it harder to vote, while others are expanding opportunities to ensure that everyone eligible has the chance to cast a ballot? On Today's Show: Ari Berman , senior reporter at Mother Jones , covering voting rights and author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America , joins our midterm election series to discuss the attack on democracy...

With the midterms approaching, how secure is our election system, non-withstanding the former president's lies about widespread election fraud in 2020? On Today's Show: William Adler, senior technologist in elections and democracy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, joins to discuss when and where election fraud actually takes place, and how it can be prevented and tracked. Hosted by Simpl...

On Today's Show: NPR's Claudia Grisales recaps what was likely the final January 6 hearing by the House Select Committee, and explains where the investigation goes from here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.