Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

The last of the U.S. military left Afghanistan last night. After 20 years of war and occupation, we look at the cost of the mission, and what it means for those personally invested in it. On Today's Show: U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11) talks about the final Afghanistan withdrawal. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and...

The rise of the delta variant of COVID means that ending the pandemic looks different than it did a few months ago. So when will we know that COVID is behind us? On Today's Show: Ed Yong , staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers science, talks about how the delta variant and vaccine uptake plateauing changed the end game of the pandemic -- and lays out a road map for how and when it will pro...

As the US begins talking about approval for vaccine boosters, the rest of the world is dealing with a supply problem. On Today's Show: Wafaa El-Sadr, professor of epidemiology and medicine and director of the Global Health Initiative at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, talks about the status of getting people vaccinated around the world and why vaccinations elsewhere could prot...

The US military's departure from Afghanistan has consequences for our partners in the region, and globally. What's the rest of the world saying about our withdrawal? On Today's Show: Missy Ryan , national security reporter for The Washington Post, talks about the global pressure on President Biden to extend the Afghanistan evacuation deadline beyond August 31. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz comp...

Democrats moved a joint human-and-physical infrastructure bill through Congress, to the chagrin of moderates who wanted it split into two distinct bills. On Today's Show: U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, NJ-12), vice chair at large of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, talks about the House deal on the budget and infrastructure bills, the Afghanistan withdrawal, and more. Hosted by Simplecas...

Over the weekend at a press conference, President Biden talked about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. His aides spent the rest of the weekend clarifying his remarks. On Today's Show: Susan Page , USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty (Twelve, 2019) and the forthcoming Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of P...

There's no shortage of hot-takes about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. But what does a former State Department official who worked out of Kabul have to say about the situation? On Today's Show: Annie Pforzheimer, non-resident associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Afghanistan until March 2019, and deputy chief of...

With the news that the Biden administration is recommending the CDC approve COVID vaccine boosters, listeners called in to ask an expert what it means for them. On Today's Show: Georges C. Benjamin , MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, discusses the latest COVID news, from the rise in delta variant cases to the distribution of booster shots. Hosted by Simplecast, an A...

With the withdrawal of US troops and the ascent of the Taliban, Afghan women have a lot to lose. So let's make sure we understand what they're facing. On Today's Show: Sarah Chayes, former NPR reporter who covered the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, talks about the recent updates from Afghanistan and what Afghan women are experiencing as the United States withdraws from the country. Hosted by...

As the Taliban takes back the reins of government in Afghanistan, how has the Biden administration's withdrawal plan affected the lives of Afghans who assisted the U.S. military? 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), and Kristen Rouse, presi...

Perdue Pharma is fighting in bankruptcy court to insulate themselves against opioid lawsuits that could cost trillions of dollars. So what does fighting the crisis looks on the street? On Today's Show: Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard , harm reduction outreach worker at a NYC syringe exchange, program director of the DSA's Opioid Overdose Prevention Program and freelance journalist, talk about why fentany...

Former Governor David Patterson took office after Elliot Spitzer resigned in a prostitution scandal. He brings his experience to help make sense of Cuomo's resignation. On Today's Show: David Paterson , former governor of New York, talks about Gov. Cuomo's resignation through the lens of his own experience as New York's governor and his long experience with politics in the state. Hosted by Simplec...

Gov. Cuomo took pains to explain in his resignation speech that he simply didn't know that his behavior was unacceptable. So how far has the #MeToo movement really come? On Today's Show: Rebecca Traister , writer-at-large for New York Magazine and the author of, most recently, Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger (Simon & Schuster, 2018), talks about the toxic workplace that Gov....

There's division among Democrats in Congress over whether the same bill should address both physical infrastructure and human infrastructure. So what are the politics at play? On Today's Show: Rep. Josh Gottheimer , (D, NJ-5), co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, talks about the infrastructure deal and whether the House will take it up, plus other national issues. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi...

July's job numbers are out, but do they really paint a complete picture of the post-vaccine economy, with delta cases rising and unemployment benefits set to expire? On Today's Show: Jeanna Smialek , reporter covering the Federal Reserve and the economy for The New York Times and Lauren Hirsch , New York Times and DealBook reporter covering business, policy and mergers and acquisitions, discuss th...

Lots to cover in Congress these days, including the moderate/progressive split among Democrats, addressing the looming eviction crisis, and the best way to balance the Supreme Court. On Today's Show: Rep. Mondaire Jones , a Congressional freshman, (D-NY17, Rockland County and part of Westchester County), joins to brings the latest news, politics and analysis from the Capitol. Hosted by Simplecast,...

Yesterday's AG report found that all 11 sexual assault allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were credible. Where does he, and the state, go from here? On Today's Show: Gwynne Hogan , reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Karen DeWitt , Capitol bureau chief for New York State Public Radio, talk about what comes next for the governor and what role the state legislature plays. Plus, New York...

Amid rising cases of the delta variant, New York City is re-instating some COVID precautions that it had previously rolled back. What does the science have to say about the policy? On Today's Show: Nsikan Akpan , WNYC's health and science editor, breaks down the science behind breakthrough infections, local pols' decisions not to mandate indoor masking and more COVID news. Hosted by Simplecast, an...

Between the more contagious delta variant, and the need for vaccine boosters possibly on the horizon, the COVID risk calculus has changed. How should we be thinking about safety now? On Today's Show: Leana Wen MD, emergency physician, professor at George Washington University, contributing columnist for The Washington Post, CNN medical analyst, and former Baltimore Health Commissioner and the auth...

We're in the midst of long-term national conversation about policing, crime, race and justice, and we wanted to hear what a career member of the policing establishment thought about it. On Today's Show: Bill Bratton , former New York City police commissioner and the author (with Peter Knobler) of The Profession: A Memoir of Community, Race, and the Arc of Policing in America (Penguin Press, 2021),...

This week, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles said that she wasn't in the right headspace to compete. So what happens when trailblazers, those known for breaking glass ceilings, need a minute? On Today's Show: Candace Buckner , reporter focusing on the intersection of race, gender and diversity issues in the world of sports for The Washington Post, breaks down the intersectional pressures Biles is under...

As Congress begins hearings into the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, the question of whom to hold accountable is front and center. What did we hear at the hearing, and what does it mean? On Today's Show: Washington Post congressional reporter Jacqueline Alemany and national security and law enforcement reporter Devlin Barrett , breaks down the first hearing of the special House committee investigat...

The CDC just rolled back its guidance that vaccinated people could safely go maskless indoors. COVID breakthrough infections are becoming more common as the Delta variant spreads quickly. So how should people be thinking about public health and risk management these days? On Today's Show: Dara Kass , MD, emergency medicine physician at the Columbia University Medical Center, explains why it's happ...

Tomorrow, a congressional panel will convene to begin hearings into the Jan. 6 insurrection. What should we expect from the hearings, and just how bi-partisan is this effort? On Today's Show: Mara Liasson , national political correspondent for NPR, ticks through the biggest political stories from over the weekend and what to watch for in the coming days, including tomorrow's hearings on the Jan. 6...

This year, we've seen flooding on the east coast, wildfires on the west coast, and a late-winter snow storms in Texas that knocked out the power grid. So what's up with the weather? On Today's Show: Adam Sobel , professor at Columbia University, director of Columbia's Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate, host of the podcast "Deep Convection" and author of Storm Surge: Hurricane Sandy, Our Ch...