Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

On today's show: Austin Kocher, assistant research professor in the office of research and creative activity in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University, and Substack writer, shares the data he's collected from the Trump Administration's mass deportation policy, particularly the increasing numbers of migrants arrested by ICE and living in detention facilities across the country.

Trump's so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill' would cut clean energy subsidies, and other programs aimed at mitigating climate change. On Today's Show: Zack Colman, Climate and energy reporter for POLITICO, reports on new analysis that show the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act will raise greenhouse gas emissions and scale back U.S. environmental goals.

Over the holiday weekend, political voices across the spectrum, from a Trump advisor to a leading congressional Democrat, weighed in on the national implications of Zohran Mamdani's primary win in NYC. On Today's Show: Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about the latest national political new including the latest on the budget bill and the president's agenda, and more.

Today, the domestic funding bill that President Trump has been pushing through Congress is undergoing a vote in the House of Representatives. On Today's Show: Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent, KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, talks about the House and Senate budget bills and what they would mean for Americans' access to health care.

It's been an impactful term at the Supreme Court this year, with cases impacting many facets of presidential power and checks-and-balances. On Today's Show: Ruth Marcus, contributor to The New Yorker, former columnist for The Washington Post and the author of Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover (Simon & Schuster, 2019), talks about Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and takes stock of the Supreme Court's latest blockbuster decisions.

Now that President Trump's major legislative priorities are before the Senate, we hear how lawmakers are staking their claim on the Republican agenda. On Today's Show: Nicholas Wu, POLITICO congressional reporter, talks about the latest national political news, as the Senate votes on the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" which Congress is aiming to pass by July 4.

Today was another Supreme Court decision day, with tomorrow's decisions expected to drop, marking the end of the current term. On Today's Show: Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast 'Strict Scrutiny' and a contributing opinion writer with The New York Times, talks about the Supreme Court's decision to allow the Trump administration to deport migrants to countries where they have no connections, and other opinions that were dropped today.

Yesterday's primary for the Democratic nomination for the NYC mayor's race yielded decisive success a young, progressive, populist candidate. On Today's Show: Zohran Mamdani, New York State assembly member (D, D-36, Queens), talks about his big win in last night's primary for New York City mayor.

The primary for NYC's mayoral nominees wraps up tomorrow, with close polls and a broad field of Democratic candidates. On Today's Show: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and then NY State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani make their final pitches for voters to rank them first at the ballot box.

With the conflict continuing to develop between Israel and Iran, we consider the role of the United States and President Trump. On Today's Show: Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many nonfiction books and his latest, a novel, A Capital Calamity (Miniver Press, 2024), offers analysis of the Iran-Israel conflict and discusses his recent column appraising the odds of the United States joining the fight.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court's decided to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for minors in the United States v. Skrmetti case. On Today's Show: Jack Turban, MD, MHS, adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist and author of Free to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity (Atria Books, 2024), offers his perspective on the ruling and how it will affect transgender children and their families.

This morning, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for transgender children. On Today's Show: Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny and a contributing opinion writer with the New York Times, discusses the latest news coming out of the Supreme Court, including the latest decision to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for transgender children, the legal battle over the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard in California — currently headed to a federal appeals court — and President Donald Trump's use of "the shadow docket," which has made it so SCOTUS often votes in his favor.

Nations that once relied on USAID funding to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS have been impacted by President Trump's cuts to the program. On Today's Show: Jon Cohen, senior correspondent with Science, reports on how countries that suffer high rates of HIV/AIDS are coping now that USAID funding has dried up, and how local governments, especially in places like Lesotho, are attempting to figure out solutions. Plus, Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, director of ICAP at Columbia University, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, executive vice president of Columbia Global, and lead of the New York City Preparedness & Response Institute, discusses ICAP's HIV/AIDS treatment under the Trump administration.

Over a weekend with many intense headlines, “No Kings Day” protests against the Trump administration took place around the country. On Today's Show: Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker, author of a weekly column on life in Washington and host of the Political Scene podcast, talks about the latest national political news, including the the news from Los Angeles, President Trump's military parade and the "No Kings" protests.

Last night, Brian co-moderated a debate among the Democratic hopefuls campaigning to be NYC's next mayor. On Today's Show: Hear excerpts from the debate that specifically asks candidates how they would respond to those moves by the Trump administration that could impact city life, from federal funding cuts to crackdowns by federal law enforcement on protests.

Tense scenes between protestors and law enforcement agents, both local and federal, have violently clashed. On Today's Show: Gustavo Arellano, columnist for The Los Angeles Times, offers his take on the protests in Los Angeles, the Trump administration's response and how local communities are showing up for their immigrant neighbors.

The U.S. Health Secretary, RFK Jr., announced he was dismissing all the members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee. On Today's Show: Katelyn Jetelina, founder and author of the newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist, talks about what RFK Jr. says are his goals, and what the consequences might be.

CNN's lead DC anchor and chief Washington correspondent shares his analysis of recent news, including the intensifying standoffs between protesters and federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. On Today's Show: Jake Tapper, co-author with Alex Thompson of Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again (Penguin Press, 2025), talks about the latest national political headlines.

President Trump has deployed the National Guard to suppress demonstrations against immigration raids in Los Angeles. On Today's Show: Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and a former Supreme Court clerk, co-host of the podcast "Strict Scrutiny" and the author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2025), offers legal analysis.

Last week, a congressional staffer at a district office was detained by officials from the Department of Homeland Security. On Today's Show: Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D, NY-12), talks about the incident, and more about his work in Washington.