Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Columbia University has announced it will use a controversial definition of antisemitism on campus, approved by the Trump administration. On Today's Show:Arno Rosenfeld, enterprise reporter at the Forward and author of the Antisemitism Decoded newsletter, talks about the new definition and why some groups don't support it. Plus Katie J.M. Baker, national investigative correspondent for The New York Times, discusses Project Esther, a project of the conservative Heritage Foundation that aims to suppress pro-Palestinian activism and what it labels antisemitism across America.

The senate approved a rescission package of cuts to NPR and PBS along with foreign aid.On Today's Show:LaFontaine Oliver, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, and Sarah Gilbert, president and CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, talk about what comes next, both for larger stations like WNYC and smaller and more rural public radio stations.

President Trump has attempted to signal a change of tune toward Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine.On Today's Show:Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion and democracy activist, plus host of The Atlantic podcast "Autocracy in America," chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative and a vice president of the World Liberty Congress, offers his take on how the United States of America can avoid backsliding into autocracy.

A local Senator shares his thoughts on federal responses to recent flooding in his state, Trump's budget, and foreign relations.On Today's Show:Senator Andy Kim (D NJ), talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey.

On today's show:Immigrants and advocates are alleging that conditions at a lower Manhattan ICE facility are inhumane, including no beds and not enough food. Arya Sundaram, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering race and immigration, shares her reporting on the story and what local elected officials have been able to find out is going on inside.

On today's show: Susan Kang, associate professor of political science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a commentator on state on local politics, defines democratic socialism and analyzes the way the Democratic Socialists of America's New York chapter figured into Zohran Mamdani's campaign in the Democratic mayoral primary. 

Big changes are coming to student loans as a result of President Trump's domestic spending law. On Today's Show:Ayelet Sheffey, senior economic policy reporter at Business Insider, explains how the new law will make it harder for some borrowers to afford medical or law school, and how repayment plans for federal student loans will change.

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.

With the Trump administration's general posture against the Department of Education, we speak with a former official about the DOE's value to local school districts. On Today's Show:John B. King, Jr., chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), former U.S. Education Secretary under Pres. Obama, and the author of Teacher By Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives (Legacy Lit, 2025), talks about his memoir and work at many levels of the education system and advocates for the work of the Education Department.

After a transgender high school athlete won two events at a California track and field competition, President Donald Trump has threatened to defund the state. On today's episode: Katie Barnes, author of Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates (St. Martin's Press, 2023), discusses the rules various leagues have set in place to ensure equity and inclusion and fact-checks some of the broader ideas held by the public about fairness and gender in sport.

A constituent told Sen. Joni Ernst that proposed Medicaid meant that "People are going to die." Sen. Ernst responded: "Well, we all are going to die."On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC; writer for MSNBC and contributing writer to The Atlantic, talks about the latest national political news, including Ernst's comments, what's brewing for Democrats regarding the 2028 election and more.

The Trump administration announced it would "aggressively revoke" student visas for Chinese students who are planning to study in the United States. On Today's Show:Liam Knox, the admissions and enrollment reporter for Inside Higher Ed and author of their Admissions Weekly newsletter, reports on the latest on that plus the dispute between the administration and Harvard over enrolling foreign students.

On today's show: Andrew Lautz, associate director for the Bipartisan Policy Center's Economic Policy Program, talks about the impact of raising the cap on SALT (state and local tax) deductions—and who benefits.

Why does one legal analyst say that the current Supreme Court is operating under a doctrine akin to “no law, just vibes?”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 her take on the current Supreme Court, the major decisions coming this term.

New York City's CUNY system  recently lost federal funding for more than 70 research grants.On Today's Show:Denis Nash, professor of epidemiology at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and executive director of CUNY's Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, talks about the funding he recently lost on research related to COVID vaccine uptake, plus comments on the changes coming to how the COVID vaccine is rolled out for the next season.

Today, we revisit a conversation about the Equal Rights Amendment, and its current status.On Today's Show:Julie Suk, a law professor at Fordham University and the author of We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment (Skyhorse Publishing, 2020), reviews the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, from its introduction by Alice Paul in 1923 through its current disputed status, following passage by a 38th state and President Biden's declaration that it's the "law of the land."

This morning, the House passed a spending bill after many long late nights of negotiations. Now it moves on to the Senate.On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) talks about her work in Washington, and her view of the Trump and GOP budget proposal.

As President Trump attempts to get the House's new budget bill to pass, lawmakers met overnight to pursue amendments that could lead to compromise. On Today's Show:Marianna Sotomayor, congressional reporter for The Washington Post, where she covers lawmakers and debates on Capitol Hill, offers commentary on the bill's status.

On Sunday, House Republicans released their package of proposals that would cut federal spending on Medicaid and Obamacare.On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ6), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, discusses what's in the bill, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says would cause 8.6 million Americans to lose their health insurance.

We unpack SCOTUS's decision to continue to prohibit the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged gang members.On Today's Show:Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), offers legal analysis on how the courts are limiting executive power (or not).

Trump's administration has aimed to pare back federal funding to various parts of civic society.On Today's Show:Brian Boucher, contributor for Artnet News and journalist covering the New York art world, talks about how arts organizations are reacting to the Trump administration starting to cut their grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The federal government is aiming to take steps to reduce public funding to public media sources through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.On Today's Show:LaFontaine Oliver, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, talks about the executive order President Trump signed regarding federal funding for public media and what comes next for the NYPR and the broader system.

A Democratic senator outlines his critiques of the Trump administration, and outlines his prescription for protecting the guardrails of democracy.On Today's Show:Chris Murphy, U.S. Senator (D-CT), author ofThe Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy (Random House, 2020) talks about his critique of DHS and the effect of Trump administration policies in Connecticut.