Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

With the Epstein case and the possibility of other powerful abusers still at large, we look at the latest.

On Today's Show:
Jacob Shamsian, legal correspondent at Business Insider, talks about the latest developments in the Epstein saga as several survivors of Jeffrey Epstein urge Congress to act.

We look at how the media, including social media, is part of President Trump's approach to politics.

On Today's Show:
Ben Smith, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Semafor, and the author of Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral (Penguin Press, 2023), shares his analysis for how the president has come for civil servants, and what it might mean for the government bureaucracy in the future.

Congress is returning from its summer recess to a host of issues of national and international importance.

On Today's Show:
U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey as congress returns to work, including his recent trip to Asia, deportations and immigrant detention, further rescission demands, and why he's supporting Zohran Mamdani.

On Today's Show:
Nick Miroff, staff writer for The Atlantic who covers immigration and the Department of Homeland Security, talks about the changes at the immigration enforcement agency and how the $75 billion budget bump will be spent.

In an executive order on Monday, President Donald Trump directed each state’s National Guard to be prepared to respond to civil disturbances

On Today's Show:
Dan Lamothe, U.S. military and Pentagon reporter at The Washington Post, breaks down the latest news and what this might mean for cities like Chicago, Baltimore and New York City.

The left is taking a variety of different, somewhat disjointed approaches to counter-messaging the Trump administration. 

On Today's Show:
Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic Daily newsletter, talks about national politics, including Democratic messaging strategies, like California Gov. Newsom's efforts to 'troll' Trump on social media.

In July, the Justice Department (DOJ) announced it had issued subpoenas to medical providers that had provided gender-affirming care to minors. On today's show: Washington Post reporter Casey Parks discusses one of those subpoenas, which was newly made public, and what it means for transgender healthcare.

Wall Street is reportedly worried that President Trump will come after big banks the way he did big law firms and elite universities.

On Today's Show:
William Cohan, co-founder of Puck News and author of many books, including Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon (Penguin Random House, 2022), talks about the many ways President Trump is interfering in big U.S. businesses
 

The Presidents of Russia and the U.S. will meet in Alaska to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. 

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 upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska to discuss the war in Ukraine.

President Trump is reportedly using federal agencies to beef up law enforcement presence in Washington DC. 

On Today's Show:
David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), talks about the context and implications of Pres. Trump's takeover of policing in Washington, DC, plus other national news.

After many delays and negotiations, most of President Donald Trump's tariffs went into effect last Thursday, August 7th.

On Today's Show:
Eric Levitz, senior correspondent at Vox, break down the latest news, including why Trump’s tariffs, no matter how tough they might be on American pocketbooks, might be very hard to reverse.

One of NYC's most likely mayoral hopefuls has been finding success supporting some extremely left-leaning policies. 

On Today's Show:
Zohran Mamdani, New York State assembly member (D-36, Queens) and the Democratic nominee for mayor, makes his pitch to voters as he runs for mayor of New York City.

With Congress on summer recess after passing the big spending bill, GOP representatives are now tasked with defending their legislative records to their constituents. 

On Today's Show:
Eleanor Mueller, congress reporter at Semafor, talks about the particularly tough crowd Republican congressman Mike Flood faced on Monday evening and other news coming out of Congress. 

With national political issues like the social safety net, immigration, and foreign policy playing out locally in NYC, a local elected weighs in. 

On Today's Show:
U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D, NY-15) talks about the latest national political news of the week, as Congress is in the midst of the August recess.