Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Mayor Bill de Blasio answered questions from listeners and Brian about the protests, police violence, looting and COVID-19 in NYC, and how he's managing a crisis within a crisis. On Today's Show:Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City takes calls from listeners and discusses this week in NYC. 

President Trump has laid the groundwork for sending in the U.S. military in response to unrest over the police killing of George Floyd. We asked veterans what they thought of the idea. Raising issues that ranged from constitutional ideals to difficulties recruiting service members from communities of color, today's callers, like some of the President's current and former military advisers, take issue with militarizing America's streets. On Today's Show:Robert Costa, national political reporter at The Washington Post and moderator of Washington Week on PBS, talks about the latest national news - including the president's handling of the protests, Gen. Mattis' criticism of the president and more. 

Police weigh in on policing protests. Protesters weigh in on protesting the police. And our expert guest weighs in with what the research says about when the two groups meet. On Today's Show:Jamiles Lartey, a New Orleans-based staff writer for The Marshall Project, looks at what research shows works best for policing protests, and when over-policing leads to more violence.

What are the political roots of this country's ongoing racial injustices? And what will be the political impact of this moment? Let's break down where we are, and how we got here. On Today's Show:Dr. Jason Johnson, professor at Morgan State University, political contributor at MSNBC, contributor to The Grio and Sirius XM, and Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University, host of the podcast FAQNYC, politics editor at The Grio and the host of The Aftermath on Ozy , talk about the uprisings happening across the country, and the political ramifications.

Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. The list of unarmed black people killed by the police and other armed white people keeps getting longer.  On Today's Show:Ijeoma Oluo, author of So You Want to Talk About Race (Seal Press, 2019) and the forthcoming MEDIOCRE: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America (Seal Press, 2020) talks about how Americans can have honest conversations about these killings, and race, racism and white supremacy.  

On Monday, a white woman made a racially charged 911 call on a black birdwatcher in Central Park after he asked her to leash her dog. In what has now become an infamous viral video, taken by the birdwatcher, the woman says “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.” On Today's Show: Brian Benjamin, New York State Senator (D, 30th district), argues that false reporting of a crime should be added to the list of charges eligible for hate crime status.  

Our COVID-19 strategy started with containment and then shifted to flattening the curve. As we begin to reopen and learn to live with COVID-19, it's time for a "harm reduction" approach. On Today's Show:Dr. Leana Wen, emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University, contributing columnist for The Washington Post, and former Baltimore Health Commissioner, argues that the United States needs to move to the public health strategy of harm reduction. 

Trump wants his renominating convention to be "a party." But are the roughly 17,000 GOP members who planned to attend OK with taking on those health risks? And could this hurt Trump in North Carolina in November? On Today's Show:Politico reporter Alex Isenstadt talks about President Trump's threats to move the Republican National Convention from North Carolina if the governor can't guarantee the event will be able to move forward at full capacity.

A month after being hospitalized for COVID-19, NYT's Mara Gay is still fighting double pneumonia, and she's got some advice for the country: Don't underestimate this disease. On Today's Show:The New York Times editorial board member talks about her firsthand experience with COVID-19, the patients of color she met who didn't make it, and takes calls about how to ballance Memorial Day traditions against the risks of this pandemic.

We know a lot more now than we did at the beginning of this pandemic, and we know it's going to take a lot more to come out strong on the other side. Is Washington, D.C. up for it? On Today's Show;U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about federal relief, including SNAP benefits and state and local funding for hard-hit areas.