Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

What would it look like if Trump's impeachment trial took place in a courtroom instead of the political circus that is the US Senate? On Today's Show:Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), talks about her reporting on how Big Tech is policing speech and disinformation, the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, and more national political news.

We present America Are We Ready, a national call-in show on Biden's first 100 days. How will you be affected by climate change and climate policy? On Today's Show:Journalist Mark Hertsgaard, executive director of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism initiative, and the environmental correspondent for The Nation, and activist Peggy Shepard, co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, dig into the new administration's climate change agenda and ask how climate change -- and the policies to address it -- are affecting listeners and their neighborhoods.

Parenting is hard enough in normal times. But during a pandemic, it can lead you to a breaking point. Today, we look at those challenges, and how policy might help lighten the load. On Today's Show:Jessica Bennett, editor at large for The New York Times, and Dekeda Brown, autism mom and advocate and founder of the nonprofit Walk One Day In Our Shoes, talk about a new New York Times project called "Primal Scream" which collects diary entries from working mothers across the country on how they're managing life as we enter into the 11th month of the pandemic. Plus, parents call in with their own "primal scream" variants, including primal glasses of wine, and primal hiding-in-the-closet-for-a-moment-of-quiet.  

Throughout his administration, Trump's anti-immigrant policies bordered on cruelty. How is the new President is working to unravel his predecessor's border policy of "family separation?" On Today's Show:Elora Mukherjee, director of Columbia Law School’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, talks about the recent executive orders by President Biden and the impact of the changes on immigration policies and how they're carried out. Plus, a look into why it's so challenging to undo the damage Trump and his acolyte Stephen Miller did to the immigration system.

A little less than a month since Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building, what's being done to hold those who planned the attack accountable? On Today's Show:Katie Benner, Justice Department reporter at The New York Times, talks about where the Justice Department and FBI are in their investigations into the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, whether Trump is culpable for his supporters' actions, and the challenge for Biden's DOJ in pursuing more serious charges like sedition.

Punxsutawney Phil might have the right idea this "Groundhog's Day" to go back to sleep for the rest of a long winter, but Congress, still dealing with the aftermath of the January 6th attack, has a COVID Relief bill on its plate, a GOP House Member whose drawn criticism from Senate Minority Leader McConnell, and an impeachment trial starting next week. On today's show:  Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer, founders of Punchbowl News and co-hosts of its podcast The Daily Punch and the co-authors of The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the future of Trump’s America, weigh in on the latest political news from Washington, D.C.

A group of ten moderate GOP Senators have proposed a smaller COVID relief bill.  But Democrats are split over the lessons of the Obama administration's negotiations with Congress and question whether that's a good faith effort at bipartisanship or a way to make President Biden's call for unity look like empty rhetoric. On Today's Show: Amanda Terkel, HuffPost Washington bureau chief, goes through their proposals and explains why there's a debate over how much negotiating the new administration should do.

Today, a Saturday special. We present America Are We Ready, a national call-in show on Biden's first 100 days. What federal policies would keep us and our families safe from COVID? On Today's Show: Brian is joined by Rose Scott, host of WABE's midday news program “Closer Look” in Atlanta, and their guest, Jayne Morgan, M.D., cardiologist and clinical director of the Covid Task Force for Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, to talk about the Biden plan for vaccine equity, how to stay healthy until you get your shots, the new variants, and more.

One of President Biden's top policy priorities is to address the threat of climate change. So what will those initiatives look like, and what sort of support will he need from Congress to get it done? On Today's Show:Lisa Friedman, reporter at the New York Times covering climate and environmental policy, discusses President Biden's push to address climate change through executive orders and the legislative hurdles that might get in the way of his agenda.

Reddit users sent GameStop's stock price soaring while hedge funds lost billions betting against the video game retailer. What does this hyped-up market manipulation mean for markets? On Today's Show:Hannah Denham, national business reporter on The Washington Post's breaking news team, explains the day traders' impact on stock prices and hedge funds.