Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

The Supreme Court issued a ruling that will allow a gerrymander in South Carolina to stand, on the basis that it was done for partisan, not racial, reasons. On Today's Show: Ari Berman, voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones and author of Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024), explains how this will affect voters in South Carolina and beyond, and explains the larger voting rights context of the decision.

How have the turbulent periods of the past shaped the present, and what can they tell us about how to move into the future? On Today's Show: Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post columnist, host of CNN’s "Fareed Zakaria GPS," and the author of Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), looks back at other turbulent eras for insights into navigating this one.

Briefing the press, framing the President's agenda, and deciding on the political messaging of a presidency are all part of the job for the White House Press Secretary. On Today's Show: Jen Psaki, former White House press secretary, MSNBC host, and the author of Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World (Simon & Schuster, 2024), offers advice on effective communication in Washington, and beyond.

Why are "grievances" big and small motivating so much of our politics -- on both the left and the right, and what does it mean for democracy? On Today's Show: Frank Bruni, New York Times op-ed columnist and the author of The Age of Grievance (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 2024), discusses.

After reporting from some of the most troubled corners of the earth, our guest discusses the intersection of hope, and journalism. On Today's Show: Nicholas Kristof, opinion columnist for The New York Times and author of several books, including the new memoir Chasing Hope (Penguin Random House, 2024), reflects on his long career covering tough stories, including war, genocide and addiction, and explains how he remains optimistic despite it all.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer and incumbent Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who are vying for the Democratic nomination in New York's 16th Congressional district. On Today's Show: Tara Rosenblum, anchor, host and reporter for News 12, and Chris McKenna, reporter at The Journal News and lohud.com, recap the debate in what Politico called, "likely the most contentious in the nation."

Amid back-and-forth over declined ceasefire terms, we look at the US's position on the conflict in Gaza. On Today's Show: Francesca Chambers, a White House Correspondent for USA Today, talks about the news from Washington and beyond.

Nicholas Wu, Politico congressional reporter, talks about the latest news coming out of Congress, including the bipartisan vote that kept Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House.

President Biden is staking his legacy, and his reelection campaign, on massive amounts of domestic spending, spurred by the passage of four major laws. But a Politico analysis found billions of dollars Congress approved by passing these bills has not yet been spent. On Today's Show: Jessie Blaeser, data reporter at Politico, and Ben Storrow, reporter at Politico's E&E News, explain the delays, and why they are a threat both to the president's legacy and his reelection.

What does it mean that global forces like China and Russia and the domestic MAGA movement are working to discredit democracy? On Today's Show: Anne Applebaum, staff writer atThe Atlantic, historian and author of the forthcomingAutocracy Inc. (Penguin, 2024), talks about herAtlanticcover story, “Democracy Is Losing the Propaganda War," about the rise of autocracy around the world.

Congress has taken on the "complicated" task of legislating antisemitism. Annie Karni, congressional correspondent at The New York Times, talks about the latest national political news of the week, including legislation that recently passed the House on antisemitism, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's latest attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson and more.

The Department of Justice plans to change the way the federal government classifies cannabis, which will loosen restrictions on weed. Natalie Fertig, federal cannabis policy reporter for Politico, reports on the change, including how it will affect people, businesses and research in states where cannabis is legal (and not).

Aaron David​​​​ Miller, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former State Department advisor on the Middle East, and the author of several books, including The Much Too Promised Land: America’s Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace (Bantam, 2008), talks about the current state of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas and the best pathways to peace in the region. Plus, he reacts to President Biden's live remarks on the campus protests.

With pro-Palestinian protests going on in her district, U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11) reacts to the news overnight of police arresting campus protesters, and discusses her priorities related to reproductive rights and the National Defense Reauthorization Act.

How would a moderator handle a potential debate matchup between President Biden and former President Trump in order to make the most of the event for voters? On Today's Show: Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief shares the latest national political news, including the White House Correspondents Dinner and Pres. Biden's agreement to a debate against former President Trump.

Nicholas Kristof, opinion columnist for The New York Times and author of several books, including the forthcoming memoir Chasing Hope (Penguin Random House, 2024), shares his critique of how he says President Biden has mishandled the United States' role in Israel's war in Gaza, what he sees as Biden's reasoning, the political implications and what the United States could do moving forward to end the war.

Melissa Murray, NYU law professor, co-host of the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast and the co-author (with Andrew Weissmann) of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), previews the oral arguments the Supreme Court will hear on former President Trump's immunity case.

One key part of the juror questionnaire in former President Donald Trump's "hush money" trial asked about the prospective jurors' media diets, which showed some interesting responses. On Today's Show: Erica Orden, Politico reporter, recaps what has happened so far at the juror selection and the consequent start of the trial, where David Pecker, the former publisher for the National Enquirer, testified about that publication's "catch and kill" strategy to suppress negative stories about people like Donald Trump.

Jane McAlevey, labor organizer, columnist for The Nation and the author of several books, including (with Abby Lawlor)Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Union Negotiations (Oxford University Press, 2023), reflects on her life's work in organizing and recent wins for labor, and what she sees as crucial for workers to do if they want to continue the positive streak for unions.

As Passover begins, Noah Feldman, Harvard law professor, founding director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law, and the author of To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People (Macmillan, 2024), talks about his new book, inspired by his conversations with his children and even more relevant since 10/7, that tries to define what all Jews have in common.