Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

As anti-COVID measures go, testing and tracing seems to be the best fit for the American psyche. So where's the science, and is there enough capacity for a meaningful testing regime? On Today's Show: Atul Gawande , staff writer for The New Yorker,  surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, argues testing capacity in the United...

After two weeks of conventions, how have the polls responded to the parties' messaging? Today, a look at the numbers, what it means to cover horserace politics meaningfully, and what to expect on Nov. 3. On Today's Show: Amy Walter, national editor at the Cook Political Report and the host of Politics with Amy Walter on WNYC's The Takeaway (on Fridays), talks about the latest 2020 campaign news an...

On Today's Show  U.S. Senator  Kirsten Gillibrand  takes listeners' calls and talks about the news of the day, including her recent visits to local food pantries, plus the latest on the federal relief bills.   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 : A Trump administration order could allow many renters to avoid eviction through Dec. 31.  Judith Goldiner , attorney-in-charge at The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Law Reform Unit, talks about how far the order goes, and answers renter's questions.     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adver...

On Today's Show: U.S. Senator  Chris Murphy (D CT), member of the Foreign Relations committee and author of  The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy  (Random House, 2020), talks about his new book that seeks to explain America's high levels of violence — from our history to today's violence at protests and the police shootings that sparked those protests. Hosted by S...

On Today's Show: Shawna Thomas , content executive at Quibi, talks about the latest national political news, as the Republicans and Democrats have wrapped up their conventions. Plus honoring the legacy of actor Chadwick Boseman, and the historical significance of the day he died, August 28th.          Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collectio...

Four days of televised convention later, the RNC is over. So, we brought together political commentators from across the spectrum to talk about it. On Today's Show: Charlie Sykes , Wisconsin-based editor-at-large of The Bulwark and host of the Bulwark podcast, Juan Williams , journalist and political analyst for Fox News Channel, and  Rebeccah Heinrichs , senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and...

Some national sports teams have decided not to take the field in unsanctioned 'wildcat' labor strikes in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protesters in Kenosha. On Today's Show: William Rhoden , former longtime sports columnist at The New York Times , now a writer for the site The Undefeated , talks about how the players got here, and what their high profile protests could mean for Black Lives M...

Our guest says it's time to call what's happening at the post office what it is: voter suppression. On Today's Show: Derrick Johnson , President & CEO of the NAACP, explains the effect changes the USPS is making have on voter suppression. PLUS, an exchange from the recent congressional hearing between Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Rep. Katie Porter (D, CA-45) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

The immigrant stories featured at the RNC celebrated those who came to the US legally. But most took place under other presidents. Would those stories be the same under Trump? On Today's Show: From plans to build a wall, to calling Mexicans rapists, President Trump has done a lot to anger Latino voters, and yet according to the PEW research center a third of Latino voters still support him. Maria...

What to expect from this week's Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to harp on 'law and order' messages, and to cast doubt on our elections infrastructure. On Today's Show: Aamer Madhani , White House reporter at The Associated Press covering the Trump campaign, talks on what to expect this week coming out of the RNC and a look at the Trump re-election campaign. Hosted by Simpl...

The postal service has been directed to slim down. Ahead of a vote-by-mail election, that could cause problems. The head of USPS will testify about it before Congress on Monday. On Today's Show: U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney  (D, NY-12) talks about her legislation the House will be voting on this weekend that aims to prevent further changes to the USPS during the pandemic, previews the heari...

Anyone who didn't know the Bidens before watching last night's convention events has now received a very thorough introduction. Did they like what they saw? What about after some of the nation's top military brass voiced their support? On Today's Show : Jonathan Capehart ,  member of The Washington Post editorial board and op-ed columnist, host of the “Cape Up” podcast and an MSNBC contributor, br...

Democrats kicked off their convention by taking aim at Trump's handling of the pandemic, and invoked the notion that leadership can be both competent and compassionate. On Today's Show: Asma Khalid , political correspondent for NPR and co-host of "The NPR Politics Podcast," recaps the first night of the Democratic National Convention and previews what's ahead. Plus, listeners who are undecided cal...

This week's Democratic Convention will be unlike any in history. But before this unconventional convention begins, we look at what it means in the context of that history. What's at stake? On Today's Show: As the DNC gets underway,  Dan Rather , former news anchor for the CBS Evening News, president & CEO of "News & Guts" and now author of the Audible Original Dan Rather: Stories of a Lifetime, lo...

Coronavirus has made this a pretty strange election cycle. But with some campaign norms on the chopping block, why not take look at whether debates or conventions are good for democracy? On Today's Show: Elizabeth Drew , long-time journalist and author of  Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixon's Downfall  (The Overlook Press, 2014), and  Molly Ball ,  Time Magazine 's national...

Biden tapped Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first Black woman to appear on a major party ticket. Was it the right choice for the Biden campaign? On Today's Show: Jonathan Swan , national political reporter for Axios, and Jami Floyd , WNYC legal editor, talk about the selection of Sen. Kamala Harris (D CA) as Joe Biden's running mate. Plus, Swan discusses the experience of c...

As workplaces and schools and other public spaces re-open, could good airflow help keep us safe indoors? On Today's Show: Dr. Linsey Marr , the Charles P. Lunsford professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech, discusses what scientists know about how COVID-19 moves through the air and how ventilation could help lower the risk of spread. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company...

After besting Bernie in the primary, Biden has his work cut out for him with young voters. Will they protest at the ballot box? Will his VP pick change minds? On Today's Show: Juana Summers , political reporter for NPR covering demographics and culture, on the latest political news and previews next week's Democratic Convention, Biden's VP pick, and whether young people will even tune in to conven...

What if thinking about race and class in this country isn't enough? What if we considered the distribution of political power in terms of caste instead? On Today's Show: Isabel Wilkerson , Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of  The Warmth of Other Suns and her latest, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (Random House, 2020), argues that beyond race and class, America is structured...

With negotiations stalled in the Senate over the next phase of federal COVID relief, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand talks about what's on the table, and her plan for the post office in a vote-by-mail year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As Congress works on another round of COVID-19 relief, many are looking for them to extend unemployment benefits. But there's a spate of other issues that workers should keep an eye on. On Today's Show: Millions of Americans are unemployed and waiting for the federal government to come to an agreement on the next coronavirus relief bill. Rashad Robinson , president of Color of Change, and Ana Marí...

The federal government let the $600 supplemental unemployment benefit expire earlier this week. We check in on Congress's negotiations, and on listeners who needed that money to get by. On Today's Show: Lawmakers remain at an impasse over what to include in the fifth coronavirus relief bill. Emily Cochrane , reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times , covering Congress talks about wh...

This isn't the first time a President with authoritarian tendencies has sent in federal troops to quash protest and unrest. The last time was May 1, 1971. We look at the parallels. On Today's Show: Lawrence Roberts , investigative journalist and the author of  Mayday 1971: A White House at War, a Revolt in the Streets, and the Untold History of America’s Biggest Mass Arrest (Houghton Mifflin Harco...

There was a lot we got wrong at the beginning of the pandemic. With cases rising around the country, maybe it's time to lock it down again, and take the second chance to get it right. On Today's Show: Dr. Krutika Kuppalli , infectious diseases physician with expertise in emerging infections and biosecurity, talks about the latest COVID-19 news, including what needs to happen to avoid another natio...