Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

A new book from a pair of renowned investigative journalists documents the turmoil that marked Trump's final weeks in office. On Today's Show:Robert Costa, national political reporter at The Washington Post and co-author, with Bob Woodward, of Peril (Simon & Schuster, 2021), talks about his new book about the shaky transition of power from the Trump to the Biden administration.

A couple of Senate Democrats are playing hardball with some of their party's agenda for this legislative session. Plus, the Senate and House passed a short-term spending bill yesterday, ahead of a midnight deadline which would have shut down the government. On Today's Show:Seung Min Kim, White House reporter for The Washington Post, discusses the latest news and what happens next.

Today, a crucial deadline in Congress for the Democrats' infrastructure bill and other legislative matters. We caught up with a Dem. leader right after a meeting on the day's agenda. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D NY-8th, Brooklyn and Queens), House Democrats chairman, talks about where things stand with the infrastructure bill, the safety net reconciliation bill, the debt ceiling and more as Congress wrestles over President Biden's big agenda items.

With Biden's infrastructure bill center stage in Congress, what could it mean for home health aides and family caregivers? On Today's Show:Ai-jen Poo, co-founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, talks about what substantially more funding could mean for both home health care workers and the people who rely on their services.

With the U.S. rollout of booster shots for vulnerable people, much of the rest of the world is still struggling to get the first dose in people's arms. On Today's Show:Richard Mihigo, MD, MPH, immunization and vaccines development program coordinator at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), makes the case for prioritizing vaccine equity.

It's going to be a busy week in Washington, D.C. From a debate over Biden's immigration approach, to a deadline to pass two major bills, there's a lot to watch for. On Today's Show:Patrick Gaspard, president and chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress and former US ambassador to South Africa, talks about the latest on Haitian migrants and the United States' immigration policy, plus other national political news.

A senior U.S. diplomat to Haiti resigned over what he called the Biden administration’s "inhumane" decision to deport Haitian migrants. On Today's Show:Anu Joshi, vice president of policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, and Tracy Reines, regional director in the resettlement, asylum & integration unit at the International Rescue Committee, talk about the mounting crisis at the southern border.

Climate change has become a politicized issue, from whether or not it's occurring at all, to how it can be addressed. But what if we re-frame the debate around our shared values? On Today's Show:Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist at Texas Tech University, chief scientist of The Nature Conservancy, lead author for the Second, Third, and Fourth US National Climate Assessment, host of the PBS digital series Global Weirding and the author of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2021), talks about how to avoid letting political polarization derail actions, big and small, to address climate change.

Now that the Pentagon has withdrawn from Afghanistan, can they prioritize cybersecurity and combating sexual assault in the ranks? On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about her work in the Senate and the latest on the military's budget and the status of the infrastructure bills.

The Biden Administration announced it will end restrictions on air travel for fully vaccinated foreigners to come to the U.S., starting in November. On Today's Show:Oriana Pawlyk, aviation reporter for Politico, talks about this news and the state of air travel as the pandemic drags on.