Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

How often do we hear from the judges on the nation's highest court? On Today's Show: Today, a conversation from our archives, featuring the soon-to-retire Justice Stephen Breyer . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We spoke with a renowned author about the legacy of her dystopian work. On Today's Show: Margaret Atwood, author of short stories, essays, and novels, including The Handmaid's Tale, and her latest collection, Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces , 2004 to 2021 (Doubleday, 2022), talks about her response to Jennifer Senior's take on friendship in middle-age and how things change with fri...

Economic sanctions don't always work. We hear from one long-term Russia-watcher why he thinks the latest sanctions placed on Russia could help end the conflict.  On Today's Show: David Remnick , editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about the latest news from Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com...

We check in on the information landscape surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the role of social media platforms in the spread (or not) of misinformation. On Today's Show: Sinan Aral , MIT professor of management, marketing, IT and data science, director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and the author of The Hype Machine (Currency, 2020), offers his perspective on why it...

Is the Bill of Rights strong enough to serve as the basis for reversing centuries of systemic racism? On Today's Show: Elie Mystal , justice correspondent for The Nation and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022), talks about his new book, plus offers analysis of legal news. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for i...

What does the chess Grandmaster-turned-human rights activist and Russia-critic have to say about Putin's geopolitical strategy as the invasion of Ukraine continues? On Today's Show: Garry Kasparov, chairman of the Human Rights Foundation and Renew Democracy Initiative and author of Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped (PublicAffairs, 2015), joins w...

What does the invasion of Ukraine tell us about autocratic leaders like Putin, and about the broader trend toward autocracy around the globe? On Today's Show: Moisés Naím , a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former editor of Foreign Policy magazine and the author of The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century (St. Martin's Press, 2022...

NOTE: This segment was recorded on Thursday morning. President Biden is scheduled to make an announcement this afternoon in response to the situation in Eastern Europe. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine early this morning, what can the rest of the world, and particularly President Biden do? On Today's Show: Philip Bump , national correspondent for The Washington Post, talks about the i...

With Russia continuing its provocative actions on its border with Ukraine, we look to some of the history that Putin cited as a pretext for a possible invasion. On Today's Show: Julia Ioffe , founding partner and Washington correspondent of Puck, a new media company, joins to provide a historical context and breaks down the latest developments. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ads...

Could adding insects to our diets help slow climate change?  On Today's Show: Listeners called in to discuss ways they've changed their diet, with or without insect consumption, to help combat climate change. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With Russian troops amassing at Ukraine's border over the past few weeks, a look at the domestic consequences of the conflict in Eastern Europe. On Today's Show: Susan Glasser , staff writer for The New Yorker, CNN global affairs analyst and co-author, with Peter Baker, of The Man Who Ran Washington: the Life and Times of Jim Baker III (Doubleday, 2020) and Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putin's Russia...

In our 24-hour news-cycle world, it can be a challenge to cover crucial issues like climate change, that occur over long periods of time. On Today's Show: We launch a series of weekly climate coverage, with Mark Hertsgaard , executive director of Covering Climate Now and enviro correspondent of The Nation. He discussed how certain aggressive public policies, if enacted right away, could help mitig...

What can NYC's efforts to address the mental health of homeless people tell us about this nationwide issue? On Today's Show: Andy Newman, reporter for the New York Times who writes about social services and poverty in New York City, and Dr. Anthony Carino , director of psychiatry at CUCS/Janian Medical Care, a healthcare program for people impacted by homelessness talk about the patchwork of psych...

The pandemic has been hard, and has changed a lot of people's relationships with alcohol. So today, we're talking about the benefits and challenges of getting sober. On Today's Show: Ana Marie Cox , writer, host of the science fiction podcast, "Space the Nation," and author of The Cut's new advice column about sobriety, answers listener questions about drinking and not drinking. Hosted by Simpleca...

Sunday night's big game took place against a fraught backdrop of allegations of racism in coach and staff hiring, and the first hip-hop halftime show in history. On Today's Show: David Dennis Jr. , Senior writer for The Undefeated, and Joel Anderson , staff writer at Slate and a host of the podcast "Slow Burn", talk about the political and cultural backdrop to this year's Super Bowl. Hosted by Sim...

Inflation has been in the news, but how much is it really what's behind rising prices? On Today's Show: Lindsay Owens , the executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic advocacy group, argues that some companies are hiking prices "while hiding behind inflation." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...

New York and New Jersey have just lifted indoor mask mandates for private businesses. What can the reaction tell us about the polarization around COVID policy? On Today's Show: New York Times reporter Sharon Otterman , who covers health care and the pandemic for the paper's Metro desk, reviews what's changing and when. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...

Almost 20 years after the Supreme Court affirmed affirmative action, the policy has once again landed before the high court. On Today's Show: Paul Butler , professor at Georgetown Law, the author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men (The New Press, 2017) and a self-proclaimed beneficiary of affirmative action, joins to make his case on why it should be upheld and why others who have benefited from the...

 After TV personality Whoopi Goldberg made a comment about whiteness and Jewish people, we wanted to unravel the complicated ideas around race, racism and Jewish identity. On Today's Show: Jonathan Greenblatt,   CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the author of   It Could Happen Here: Why America Is Tipping from Hate to the Unthinkable―And How We Can Stop It   (Mariner Books, 2022), talks...

In our hyper-partisan times, it's unusual to see the U.S.'s two main political parties come together. But on a few recent issues, they've done just that. On Today's Show: Grace Segers, staff writer at The New Republic, talks about the latest political news including the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics, the U.S. response to Russia's aggression toward Ukraine, and the latest on the Januar...

The American south plays host to a patchwork of political, ideological, demographic and historical complexities. Complexities that common, simplified 'north/south' narratives fail to grasp. On Today's Show: Imani Perry , professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the author of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation (Ecco, 2022),...

A lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores claims that the NFL's hiring practices are discriminatory. On Today's Show: William Rhoden , columnist for The Undefeated and former longtime sports columnist at The New York Times, discusses the lawsuit of former head coach Brian Flores against the NFL and three teams including the New York Giants alleging racism in hiring practices...

What does it mean for free speech and misinformation that Neil Young is leaving Spotify over its support of Joe Rogan's proudly un-fact checked podcast? On Today's Show: Ashley Carman , senior reporter at The Verge and writer of the Hot Pod newsletter, talks about the latest controversy surrounding Spotify and podcaster Joe Rogan, and hears from listeners who have recently left the platform in pro...

With geopolitical tension again flaring up between Russia and Ukraine, we look at the role of the United States and NATO allies in the conflict. On Today's Show: Fred Kaplan , Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many books, including The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (Simon & Schuster, 2020), discusses the history of NATO and why Russia may go to war...

We were surprised to learn that illegally transporting guns from one state to another isn't as illegal is it sounds. On Today's Show: U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about the latest issues facing the senate and her recent proposals for combating gun violence, expanding community health care, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...