Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

On Today's Show: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D CT), member of the Foreign Relations committee and author of The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy (Random House, 2020), talks about his new book that seeks to explain America's high levels of violence — from our history to today's violence at protests and the police shootings that sparked those protests.

On Today's Show: Shawna Thomas, content executive at Quibi, talks about the latest national political news, as the Republicans and Democrats have wrapped up their conventions. Plus honoring the legacy of actor Chadwick Boseman, and the historical significance of the day he died, August 28th.         

Four days of televised convention later, the RNC is over. So, we brought together political commentators from across the spectrum to talk about it. On Today's Show:Charlie Sykes, Wisconsin-based editor-at-large of The Bulwark and host of the Bulwark podcast, Juan Williams, journalist and political analyst for Fox News Channel, and Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and adjunct professor at The Institute of World Politics, recap President Donald Trump's concluding speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention and offer analysis of the four-night event.

Some national sports teams have decided not to take the field in unsanctioned 'wildcat' labor strikes in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protesters in Kenosha. On Today's Show:William Rhoden, former longtime sports columnist at The New York Times, now a writer for the site The Undefeated, talks about how the players got here, and what their high profile protests could mean for Black Lives Matter and racial justice in the United States.

Our guest says it's time to call what's happening at the post office what it is: voter suppression. On Today's Show: Derrick Johnson, President & CEO of the NAACP, explains the effect changes the USPS is making have on voter suppression. PLUS, an exchange from the recent congressional hearing between Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Rep. Katie Porter (D, CA-45)

The immigrant stories featured at the RNC celebrated those who came to the US legally. But most took place under other presidents. Would those stories be the same under Trump? On Today's Show:From plans to build a wall, to calling Mexicans rapists, President Trump has done a lot to anger Latino voters, and yet according to the PEW research center a third of Latino voters still support him. Maria Hinojosa, anchor and executive producer of Latino USA, and the author of the forthcoming Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America (Simon and Schuster, 2020), talks about Trump's popularity among Latino voters, and after "Tio Bernie's" popularity whether Biden can make up lost ground.

What to expect from this week's Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to harp on 'law and order' messages, and to cast doubt on our elections infrastructure. On Today's Show:Aamer Madhani, White House reporter at The Associated Press covering the Trump campaign, talks on what to expect this week coming out of the RNC and a look at the Trump re-election campaign.

The postal service has been directed to slim down. Ahead of a vote-by-mail election, that could cause problems. The head of USPS will testify about it before Congress on Monday. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney (D, NY-12) talks about her legislation the House will be voting on this weekend that aims to prevent further changes to the USPS during the pandemic, previews the hearing she'll chair with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and talks about how mail-in voting issues affected her recent primary win.

Anyone who didn't know the Bidens before watching last night's convention events has now received a very thorough introduction. Did they like what they saw? What about after some of the nation's top military brass voiced their support? On Today's Show:Jonathan Capehart, member of The Washington Post editorial board and op-ed columnist, host of the “Cape Up” podcast and an MSNBC contributor, breaks down highlights from the second night of the Democrats’ virtual convention.

Democrats kicked off their convention by taking aim at Trump's handling of the pandemic, and invoked the notion that leadership can be both competent and compassionate. On Today's Show:Asma Khalid, political correspondent for NPR and co-host of "The NPR Politics Podcast," recaps the first night of the Democratic National Convention and previews what's ahead. Plus, listeners who are undecided call in and explain why.