Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Ceasefire negotiations over the war in Iran continue, and so do reports of possible escalation. On Today's Show:Kian Tajbakhsh, Iranian-American scholar, visiting professor of international relations at New York University, fellow of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University and former political prisoner, and William Christou, Middle East reporter for The Guardian, break down the latest on U.S.-Iran negotiation efforts, and offers analysis and insight into the state of the war.

After Tuesday's oral arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee on Tuesday, the Supreme Court appears likely to overhaul the way many states count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day but are postmarked before the deadline. On Today's Show:Carrie Levine, editor-in-chief of Votebeat, talks about the impact of that change.

Donald Trump's relationship with the rule of law, and with various investigative bodies has always been tense, at best. On Today's Show:Andrew Weissmann, professor of practice at NYU School of Law, co-host of the podcast Main Justice and and the co-author of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), draws on his experience working with Robert Mueller to reflect on his legacy after his death this past weekend at age 81, and discusses President Trump's recent actions through a legal lens.

Oil prices jumped after overnight attacks on energy facilities in Iran and Qatar. On Today's Show:John Heilemann, chief political columnist at Puck and host of the podcast "Impolitic with John Heilemann, " and senior national affairs analyst for MS NOW, talks about the latest developments in the war in Iran and the Trump-Netanyahu relationship.  

On Today's Show:Daniel Immerwahr, historian, contributing writer at The New Yorker, the Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University and the author of How to Hide an Empire (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019), offers historical context on the war in Iran and Trump's overall foreign policy.

With leadership changes at the Department of Homeland Security, how have conditions changed for migrants in detention centers? On Today's Show:Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis (Penguin Press, 2024), talks about the scale of the U.S. immigrant detention program, health and safety issues and expansion plans, following the firing of DHS Sec. Kristi Noem.

As the war in Iran enters its third week, how have structural changes at the Pentagon impacted the U.S. military apparatus?  On Today's Show:Dan Lamothe, U.S. military and Pentagon reporter at The Washington Post, shares his reporting on the latest U.S. military actions in Iran, especially what's happening in the Strait of Hormuz, and more.

With President Trump's agenda including massive priorities like the SAVE act, and the war in Iran, a look at recent news from Congress. On Today's Show:Burgess Everett, congressional bureau chief for Semafor, talks about the latest news out of Congress this week, including a bipartisan housing bill that passed the Senate, the president's push for the SAVE Act and more.

On Today's Show: David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of The Atlantic daily newsletter, plus author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), offers analysis of how President Trump is changing the way he describes the status of the war with Iran, and why his public statements about it have shifted around so dramatically. Plus, Mohammed Sergie, editor of Semafor Gulf, talks about how the war has affected the Gulf states.  

The war in Iran has economic consequences in terms of the region's oil exports. But how could prediction markets change the picture? On Today's Show: John Cassidy, staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI (Macmillan, 2025), talks about his recent story, "How to Prevent Insider Trading on Trump's Wars" and other news related to the economic repercussions of the Iran war.

As the war in Iran and across the region continues, a renowned global geopolitics analyst weighs in. On Today's Show:Christiane Amanpour, chief international anchor and host of CNN's "Amanpour" and PBS' "Amanpour & Company," talks about the recent social and political history of Iran, and the latest news on the war with Iran.

Prior to today's war in Iran, the geopolitically powerful nation has been on the radar of certain hawkish US lawmakers. On Today's Show:Sabrina Siddiqui, national politics reporter at The Wall Street Journal, talks about the latest news from Washington, especially related to the war with Iran.

The war in Iran could have global implications on trade, including the critical energy market, which draws much of its inventory from Iranian oil. On Today's Show:Lydia DePillis, New York Times reporter covering the American economy, talks about how the war with Iran could affect the economy at home, as issues with oil prices, supply chains and the massive cost of the war begin to pile up.

The Pentagon is reconsidering its relationship with artificial intelligence company Anthropic, after the company has stated it doesn't want its technology used in autonomous weapons or government surveillance, and explains the way that AI is reshaping national defense. On Today's Show:Steven Levy, editor at large for Wired, breaks down the latest reporting on this story.

The primaries in Texas and North Carolina illuminate some political factors that could be at play in the midterms this November. On Today's Show:Lisa Lerer, national political correspondent for The New York Times, talks about the primary results and issues at play.

Active duty veteran and now member of the House Armed Services committee talks about the parallels between Trump's recent actions against Iran, and the circumstances that led to the invasion and occupation of Iraq.  On Today's Show: Rep. Pat Ryan, U.S. Representative (D, NY-18), offers his take on the conflict, the upcoming vote in the House on war powers and more.

The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leaves many questions unanswered about the future of Iran and the region. On Today's Show:Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker, talks about what might come next for Iran after its Supreme Leader was killed in an Israeli air strike, as the war continues to widen and the country remains divided politically.  

With President Trump's recent moves to federalize certain election regulations, what do we mean by 'voting rights' and 'election integrity?' On Today's Show:Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, historian and author of Autocracy Inc. (Penguin, 2024), offers her analysis of how President Trump and his administration are seeking to control elections, as well as science and culture, and why.  

Recent changes at the Washington Post's newsroom and opinion section point a spotlight at the relationship between owner Jeff Bezos and President Trump. On Today's Show:Ruth Marcus, a contributor to The New Yorker and a former columnist for the Washington Post and the author of Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover (Simon & Schuster, 2019), comments on national politics and the state of journalism.  

During his State of the Union address last night, President Trump singled out a passage about his 'voter ID' proposal as one of the most important priorities for his administration. On Today's Show:Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones, offers analysis of President Trump's State of the Union address, especially his talk of voter fraud and push to pass the SAVE act.

In early February, the EPA repealed the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, a landmark regulatory move reversing the determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health.  On Today's Show:Pat Parenteau, emeritus professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School and former EPA regional counsel under President Ronald Reagan, explains what happens next, including the many challenges the Trump administration is facing from environmental groups, and how the repeal could impact both health and climate change.

Trump's State of the Union address is tomorrow, and with the midterm elections this November, his administration's priorities will be important for the GOP's congressional strategy. On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic, talks about the latest national political news.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration issued a memo directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to detain lawful refugees who have yet to secure permanent U.S. residency.  On Today's Show:Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis (Penguin Press, 2024), discusses the latest news, including his latest reporting on how the agency's bureaucracy works.

An interview between Stephen Colbert and a Democratic primary candidate in Texas's Senate race has put CBS at odds with the FCC. On Today's Show:Scott Nover, media reporter for The Washington Post, discusses the dispute, and the extent to which the Trump administration can use regulatory power to pressure broadcasters. 

The Department of Justice has faced backlash from members of Congress and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein following the release of millions of documents with inconsistent redactions of key names and details. On Today's Show: Vicky Ward, investigative journalist and author of books including Kushner, Inc. (St. Martin's Press, 2019) and, with James Patterson, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), and David Enrich, deputy investigations editor for The New York Times, talk about some of the recent developments in the Epstein case and its growing international fallout. 

Americans faced skepticism at this year's Munich Security Conference, after the break with Europe over Greenland.On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) talks his trip to the Munich Security Conference, how Sec. Rubio's speech was received, and the state of the alliance.

On a day when we celebrate the United States' most important historical leaders, a look at the fights faced by past presidents compared to the present.On Today's Show:Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and the author of American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (Random House, 2026), puts today's political conflicts in the historical context of tensions going back to the country's founding. 

The 'lame duck' nature of Trump's second term means that midterm politics are different than other years for the GOP.On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of the forthcoming book The Queen and Her Presidents (HarperCollins, 2026), talks about the latest national political news, including the pending shutdown at DHS and congressional pushback on tariffs.

Campus politics have been an important part of our modern political discourse.On Today's Show:Lee Bollinger, First Amendment scholar, law professor, former president of Columbia University and the author of University: A Reckoning (WW Norton, 2026), argues that universities are essential to preserving democracy. 

Prescription drug costs are a key health policy issue for both parties. President Trump has recently implimented his approach, which he's billed as "Trump Rx"On Today's Show:Chelsea Cirruzzo Washington Correspondent for STAT News explains what the Trump administration's new prescription drug marketplace aims to do, and who might save money by using it.

The latest Epstein files to be released exposed more embarrassing revelations for more powerful men, including the president of Bard College, the (former) chairman of the law firm Paul Weiss, and one of the owners of the Giants.On Today's Show:Vicky Ward, investigative journalist and author of Kushner, Inc. (St. Martin's Press, 2019) and, with James Patterson, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), and Steve Eder, investigative reporter for The New York Times, talk about what the new emails reveal about how wealthy and powerful people operate. 

President Trump has recently made comments about the integrity of the election system, and floated the idea to 'nationalize' the process.On Today's Show:David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic daily newsletter, plus author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), talks about actions and statements by the president that are raising alarms over election integrity with midterms months away.

How have President Trump's policies shaped the nation's economic outlook after the first year of his second term?On Today's Show:Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, former New York Times columnist now on Substack, distinguished professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and the author of Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), talks about how President Trump's economic policies are affecting investors, and what that could mean for the overall economy.  

One of the Senate Democrats' demands for resuming DHS funding is a ban on the use of masks by ICE agents.On Today's Show:Atlantic staff writer Adam Serwer talks about his essay, "The Real Reason ICE Agents Wear Masks" in which he argues that masking is dangerous "because people who are assured that they won't face consequences for abusing power almost inevitably do so."

According to government data, at least 3,800 children were detained by U.S. federal immigration forces in 2025 alone, including 20 infants. On today's show: Elora Mukherjee, professor at Columbia Law School and director of its Immigrants' Rights Clinic, talks about what these children and families are experiencing right now.

Across a number of ongoing stories, the Trump administration has taken actions in the name of enforcing certain laws, while seemingly skirting around others. On Today's Show:Andrew Weissmann, professor of practice at NYU School of Law, co-host of the podcast Main Justice and and the co-author of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), offers legal analysis of the news of the day, including the DOJ's release of the rest of the Epstein files, the DOJ's civil rights investigation into the Pretti killing and more.  

The federal budget us under negotiations again, with funding for Trump's controversial DHS playing a key role in negotiations. On Today's Show:Siobhan Hughes, a reporter covering Congress from The Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau, talks about the latest from Congress, and whether a deal or a partial shutdown of the federal government is more likely.

Some members of the GOP are worried about how the Trump administration's actions in Minneapolis could impact the midterm elections later this year. On Today's Show:Russell Berman, a staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about how Republicans in Congress are speaking out against the deportation operation (and the fatal shootings), in a rare intra-party rebuke to President Trump. 

Journalists have spoken to forty-five current and former FBI employees. Many say that leadership is  undermining the agency and making America less safe. On Today's Show:Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast and Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School, and Rachel Poser, features editor at The New York Times Magazine, discuss their reporting on the The Federal Bureau of Investigation under the directorship of Kash Patel.  

As tensions continue in Minneapolis between federal agents and locals, what does the law say about how ICE or CBP are allowed to act?On Today's Show:Michelle Hackman, Wall Street Journal reporter covering U.S. immigration policy, talks about the legality of the tactics ICE agents are using in Minneapolis and elsewhere, including entering people's homes without warrants, and the ways they are dealing with bystanders in the wake of the two recent fatal shootings in Minnesota.

ICE agents shot and killed Alex Pretti during a protest in Minneapolis, and the Trump administration is pushing a version of events that clashes with video evidence. On Today's Show:Reid Forgrave, state and regional reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune, reports on the latest and the community response.

A judge recently ruled that the Staten Island and Brooklyn congressional district now held by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R) should be redrawn.On Today's Show:Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, discusses what that would mean for local representation and, potentially, control of congress.