Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Today, a conversation about protecting democratic norms like voting rights in the face of attempts by Trump and his allies to rewrite them. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D, CA-28), who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, talks about his new book Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could (Random House, 2021), in which he looks back at his experience as chief prosecutor in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Plus, the latest news on Capitol Hill as negotiations continue over the Build Back Better agenda.

How does Joe Biden's Catholicism square with his agenda? We talk about that, and other ways the President's beliefs intersect with his political "brand." On Today's Show:Ayesha Rascoe, White House correspondent for NPR, brings the latest national political news, including a preview of President Joe Biden's trip to the Vatican and updates on the infrastructure deal.

The economy isn't in good shape right now, but this Nobel laureate in economics thinks a post-pandemic upturn is just on the way. On Today's Show:Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist, distinguished professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and the author of (now in paperback) Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020) talks about the debt ceiling, the long-term economic picture and more.  

Last night was the second debate in the race for New Jersey governor, but the issues at play aren't unique to the Garden State. On Today's Show:Michael Hill, WNYC Morning Edition host and Nancy Solomon, reporter and editor in the WNYC newsroom talk about the second gubernatorial debate in New Jersey (which Michael moderated), between incumbent Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican.

Much ado has been made about the motivations of Senators Manchin and Sinema. What are they hoping to get out of the game of hardball they're playing with their party's agenda. On Today's Show:Amanda Terkel, Huffington Post's Washington bureau chief, talks about the latest national political news including continuing negotiations in Congress over the debt limit and crucial legislation related to physical and social infrastructure.

As Congress negotiates the childcare provisions of a multi-faceted spending bill, we look at how US policy compares to the rest of the world. On Today's Show:Bryce Covert, an independent journalist who covers the economy and a contributing writer at the Nation, discusses the lack of public spending for early child care and the how the reconciliation package would affect it.

The winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have been announced, and this year the honor goes to two journalists "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression." On Today's Show:Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, discusses the obstacles the journalists faced and this moment in journalism.

The US Department of Education has announced an overhaul of its student loan forgiveness program for public service workers. So who's eligible, and what exactly are they eligible for? On Today's Show:Stacy Cowley, New York Times finance reporter with a focus on consumer issues and data security, discusses the overhaul to a federal student loan forgiveness program that will benefit more than a half-million public service and non-profit workers.

 Over the past week, a whistleblower's revelations about Facebook and an outage that brought the tech giant offline for hours have given Congress some rare bipartisan common ground. On Today's Show: Cecilia Kang, national technology correspondent at The New York Times and co-author with Sheera Frenkel of An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination (Harper, 2021), breaks down the key takeaways from yesterday's congressional hearings on the matter.

How worried should we really be about our national debt, and are the benefits of congressional oversight of the "debt ceiling" really worth the costs of government shutdowns? On Today's Show:Teresa Ghilarducci, labor economist focusing on retirement security, director of the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at The New School, and a senior contributor for Forbes, explains what government shutdown would mean for ordinary Americans.