Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Germany, Finland, Taiwan and New Zealand have at least two things in common: women heads of state, and relative success battling the coronavirus pandemic. On Today's Show: Amanda Taub , writer for The New York Times Interpreter column, looks at what we can — and cannot — learn from that information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

From Madison to Atlanta to California, cities and states are starting to re-open, and we asked callers from around the US to report on how their areas are handling slackening anti-COVID measures. On Today's Show: Susan Page ,  USA Today Washington bureau chief, discusses the latest COVID-19 news, the political nature of the debate over masks and shelter-in-place measures, and the latest developmen...

A new documentary is spreading dangerous misinformation about COVID-19. In the age of Trumpian untruth, we explore why, how and with whom these conspiracy theories have taken root. On Today's Show: Adrienne LaFrance , executive editor of The Atlantic , talks about how conspiracy theories are appealing to a growing number of Americans, how the president often amplifies them and why that is a threat...

Amid the COVID crisis, don't forget that it's census year! Today, a history of censuses, all the way back to the Bible, plus listeners' questions. On Today's Show: Andrew Whitby , data scientist and author of The Sum of the People: How the Census Has Shaped Nations, from the Ancient World to the Modern Age (Basic Books, 2020), breaks down the three-thousand-year history of the census and traces th...

What role does testing play in fighting this pandemic? Trump's mixed messages on testing, plus, should people, or their police officers be responsible for enforcing social distancing? On Today's Show: Dr. Mary Bassett, Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, as well as professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, talks about the longstanding health and so...

Joe Biden isn't staying as quiet as you might think. Still, many Dems want to see more of their presumptive candidate. Plus, how good are the alternatives to in-person voting? On Today's Show: Gabriel Debenedetti , national correspondent at New York Magazine, and  Emily Bazelon , staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for...

Congress is slowly inching toward another COVID relief package, and several White House staffers have tested positive for the virus. What's going on in the nation's capitol? On Today's Show: U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice  (D, NY-4, Nassau County) on Congress, the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic, and on the DOJ's decision to drop the charges against Gen. Mike Flynn. Hosted by Si...

Sweden's herd immunity approach to the pandemic sets a seductive example. But other countries should approach with caution. Plus your calls from around the world.  On Today's Show:   Ian Bremmer ,  president of Eurasia Group and Gzero Media, host of the new public television weekly show,   Gzero World , and the author of   Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism   (Portfolio, 2018). Hosted by Simple...

She's the most powerful woman in Washington. On this episode, a look at the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the federal relief bills she's negotiating, how she got where she is, and what's next for her? On Today's Show: Molly Ball , Time  magazine's national political correspondent and the author of Pelosi (Henry Holt and Co., 2020), talks about Nancy Pelosi's life and her leadership during the...

The dean of Harvard's Public Health Institute wants the CDC to be part of the nation's COVID response. So why isn't the Center for Disease Control playing a starring role? Our expert guest talks about the disbanding, and subsequent un-disbanding of Trump's Coronavirus task force, talks about how to re-open the economy, and learns a thing or two about elevators of all things from a particularly ins...

The virus is a virus. It can't discriminate. So why are people of color being hit harder? And how should we think about the inequities playing out in the COVID-19 pandemic? In this episode, we look to the lessons and icons of the civil rights movement. On Today's Show: Peniel Joseph , professor of history and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at...

Most college students didn't expect to spend Spring semester off-campus. Now, amid much uncertainty, higher-ed administrations nationwide are scrambling to plan for the fall semester. On Today's Show: Lilah Burke , reporter at Inside Higher Ed  talks about the varying plans and possibilities and takes calls from parents, educators and students concerned about the upcoming academic year. Hosted by...

Workers at companies like Amazon, Shipt, Instacart and Walmart are walking out Friday to protest working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.  Jane McAlevey , organizer, senior policy fellow at the University of California at Berkeley’s Labor Center, The Nation's strike correspondent and the author of, A Collective Bargain: Unions, Organizing & the Fight for Democracy (Ecco, 2020) talks about...

Joe Biden has promised to tap a woman for his VP pick. But allegations against him by a former staffer are creating a difficult situation for those hoping to share the ticket. 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 Biden, his yet-to-be-se...

Congress is hammering out the details of COVID Relief/Stimulus 4.0. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D NY-8th, Brooklyn and Queens) updates us on those talks, the meatpackers who could strike over a Trump order to keep working, and the latest national political news. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adver...

This is an unprecedented election year in a lot of ways, but that doesn't mean history can't be a good teacher. Today, we look at how Biden is squaring up against Trump for the election in November. On Today's Show: Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, CNN political analyst, co-host of the podcast Politics and Polls, and author of the forthcoming Burning...

If widespread testing is the first step toward getting control over this pandemic, then the second step is contact tracing. But a virus that can spread without symptoms poses special challenges. With sexually transmitted infections, the list of potential contacts is finite, and mostly knowable. With COVID-19, that list would include people who visited the supermarket at the same time as you, peopl...

As New York City announces the results of their first phase of antibody testing, and plans for future phases. So what do we know now, and what's left to learn? On Today's Show: Apoorva Mandavilli , science journalist, frequent contributor to the New York Times , and the 2019 winner of the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Reporting, talks about New York State's preliminary antibody test...

Rather than giving assistance to state, Maj. Leader McConnell says he'd prefer to make states whole by letting them declare bankruptcy. On Today's Show: Sen. Chris Murphy (D CT) , member of the Foreign Relations committee and author of the forthcoming book  The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy (Random House, 2020), discusses the latest relief package, Connecticut'...

President Trump says that he wants to halt parts of the immigration system in response to COVID-19, leaving many in limbo, including those who were on their way to obtaining green cards. On Today's Show: Sayu Bhojwani , founder and president of New American Leaders and the author of  People Like Us: The New Wave of Candidates Knocking at Democracy’s Door   (The New Press, 2018) talks about the pre...

Gyms. Bowling alleys. Tattoo parlors and piercing shops. Barbers and hair and nail salons. Masseuses. If you live in Georgia, some of those establishments could be open for business as early as this Friday. But those tracking COVID-19 say that the Peach State has yet to hit its peak infection rate. As Governor Kemp hastens to reopen, residents of Atlanta are worried about what the consequences wil...

As the infection, hospitalization and death rates begin to plateau in hard-hit New York City, pandemic-adjacent issues -- food security, unemployment and right-wing protests against social distancing measures -- come into clearer focus. On Today's Show: Tom Suozzi , U.S. Representative for NY's 3rd District, an area that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, NY, and member of the House Committ...

On Today's Show: Rep. Max Rose represents a swing district in NYC. Today, he talks about his work responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, both in Congress and on National Guard duty. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

N ew York City is the densest city in the US. The runner up is San Francisco. NYC has more than 10,000 COVID-19 deaths. As of Monday, San Francisco had 15. Not 15,000. Fifteen people. California got hit with COVID-19 first, but they didn't get hit hard. We explore why, and what places like New York can learn from their approach. On Today's Show: As states begin to weigh how to enter people back in...

What does science tell us about the smartest, safest steps to take to restart the country once we start coming down the other side of the flattened curve? And what could life look like during the reboot? On Today's Show: Sharon Begley, senior science writer for STAT News , and author of Can't Just Stop: An Investigation of Compulsions , discusses when it will be safe to relax the COVID-19 lockdown...