Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

In a midterm year, many in the political sphere have ideas about the direction of their party. On Today's Show: Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff to Senator John Fetterman and a former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid and the author of Supermajority: How Democrats Can Build Lasting Power (WW Norton, 2026), argues Democrats need a supermajority in Congress and offers advice for achieving it, and suggestions for what legislation to enact if it's achieved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A recent essay from a leader in the AI industry raised concerns about the threats that this technology poses to humanity. On Today's Show: Will Oremus , staff writer at The Atlantic , discusses the uproar over the warnings of potential threats to humanity from unregulated AI, then Andrew Prokop , senior politics correspondent at Vox, talks about possible government actions to prevent disaster from the purposeful or inadvertent consequences of AI harm. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After the Republican National Convention, have the political conditions in battleground midterm states changed? On Today's Show: Stephen Fowler , political reporter with NPR's Washington desk, and Lisa Lerer , national political reporter for The New York Times , talk about the politics of the midterm elections, after Republicans held a convention. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The September 11th, 2001 terror attacks were an inflection point for New York, and for the United States. On Today's Show: Hillary Rodham Clinton , former U.S. Senator (D-NY, 2001-2009), First Lady, Secretary of State and the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party (2016), reflects on what's been learned in the 25 years since 9/11. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Disaster response around the world can draw on the lessons of 9/11. On Today's Show: Joseph Pfeifer , retired FDNY assistant chief, founding director of the FDNY’s Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness, and the author of Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11 (Portfolio, HC 2021, PB 2026), talks about the lessons learned from the 9/11 response, and the heroes who stepped up that day and after. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today's show: Asma Khalid , co-host of the BBC's The Global Story and former NPR White House correspondent, talks about the rise in Islamophobia following the 9/11 attacks and how it has changed over 25 years. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Friday, Pres. Trump used the phrase "it's small potatoes for us," in characterizing the conflict in Iran. On Today's Show: Jonathan Lemire , co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW, writer for MSNOW and staff writer for The Atlantic , talks about the latest developments in the war in Iran and the president's influence on midterm elections. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amidst rising inflation, ongoing wars in Iran and Israel, and the U.S. national debt climbing to a record $40 trillion, the global bond market is rattled. On Today's Show: Mary Childs , host of the talk show podcast Mary in America, author of The Bond King , and former co-host of Planet Money, explains why bond yields are so high right now and what it all means for the global economy—and for your wallet. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When we talk about the 'cost' of war, how much is about financial costs? How much is about military costs? And what about humanitarian costs? On Today's Show: John Cassidy , staff writer at The New Yorker talks about how analysts, politicians, and every day people are calculating the cost of the Iran War. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Wisconsin is becoming a major hub for AI data centers, and likewise, local advocacy and backlash against them. On Today's Show: Dan Kaufman , journalist and author of The Fall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future of American Politics (W. W. Norton & Company, 2018), reports on the movement against data centers in the state, and how it's turning into a major issue there and nationally ahead of the midterms. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Trump campaign to name things in his image continued this week as he signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario Lake America. On today's show. Politico’s Ottawa bureau chief Nick Taylor-Vaisey talks about this and the escalation in President Trump's trade war with Canada. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do college students need to interact more with those who hold different political views? On Today's Show: Neil Gross , sociology professor at Colby College in Maine and the author of What Happened to College?: How Politics Broke Higher Education and What We Can Do to Fix It (Simon & Schuster, 2026), discusses how political polarization on campuses has grown more pronounced, what the implications are for democracy, and what is being done to counteract it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The cease-fire in the Iran war expires as Pres. Trump threatens an "economic D-Day" in an effort to gain leverage in the conflict. On Today's Show: Yeganeh Torbati , the Iran correspondent for The New York Times based in Istanbul and co-author (with Bozorgmehr Sharafedin) of Stolen Revolution: Betrayal and Hope in Modern Iran (Doubleday, 2026), reports on the latest developments. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the first time, China was viewed more positively than the U.S. globally in a recent Pew report. On today's show, Adam Segal , Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security and Director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program at the Council of Foreign Relations, talks about China's foreign policy and soft power. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As part of a 3-part series on the divisions within political movements, we explore divisions within the conservative movement, through the lens of the Heritage Foundation, a think tank with a number of recent high-profile departures over issues like misogyny and anti-semitism. On Today's Show: Andrew Hale , fellow for international relations, economics, and trade at Advancing American Freedom, talks about the ideological and generational fight inside the think tank behind Project 2025, and what the battle over its direction says about where the Republican Party is headed after Trump. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As we continue our series about internal divisions within different political groups, today, a look at the Democratic Party. On Today's Show: David Hogg , founder and president of Leaders We Deserve, co-founder and board member of March for Our Lives, and former vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee, talks about what's dividing the party, from the fallout over the DNC's 2024 autopsy to the primary challenges his group is backing heading into the midterms. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In part one of a three-part series on the divisions within political movements, a look at the differences between the national DSA party platform and the policies espoused by DSA candidates winning elections. On Today's Show: Eric Blanc , assistant professor of Labor Studies at Rutgers University, author of several books including We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big (University of California Press, 2025), and the Substack newsletter LaborPolitics.com, talks about what's dividing members of the Democratic Socialists of America, as the party is having some electoral success. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Some recent primary elections in the Midwest, particularly Wisconsin and Michigan, have changed the landscape for November's midterms. On Today's Show: Rachel Leingang , Midwest political correspondent for Guardian US, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Teo Armus , reporter for The Washington Post focused on politics, demographics, voters and immigration, offers political analysis of the latest primary election results, including in Wisconsin and Michigan, and what they might signal about the midterms this fall. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Over the past several years, a license-plate tracking company called Flock has partnered with over 40 percent of police departments nationwide, allowing local law enforcement to track people's whereabouts across state lines. On Today's Show: Jason Koebler , co-founder of 404 Media, unpacks how officials, including ICE, are using the technology, and why anti-surveillance activists on both sides of the are pushing back against the cameras. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Over the past decade, the common meaning of the word 'woke' has fluctuated between "social consciousness" and "performative sensitivity." On Today's Show: Jasmine Green , editorial & audience associate at The Bulwark, offers her take on the word "woke," the evolution of wokeness, and how Democrats might re-claim it from its current status as a mostly pejorative term. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.