Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

The Department of Justice has faced backlash from members of Congress and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein following the release of millions of documents with inconsistent redactions of key names and details. On Today's Show: Vicky Ward, investigative journalist and author of books including Kushner, Inc. (St. Martin's Press, 2019) and, with James Patterson, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), and David Enrich, deputy investigations editor for The New York Times, talk about some of the recent developments in the Epstein case and its growing international fallout. 

Americans faced skepticism at this year's Munich Security Conference, after the break with Europe over Greenland.On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) talks his trip to the Munich Security Conference, how Sec. Rubio's speech was received, and the state of the alliance.

On a day when we celebrate the United States' most important historical leaders, a look at the fights faced by past presidents compared to the present.On Today's Show:Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and the author of American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (Random House, 2026), puts today's political conflicts in the historical context of tensions going back to the country's founding. 

The 'lame duck' nature of Trump's second term means that midterm politics are different than other years for the GOP.On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of the forthcoming book The Queen and Her Presidents (HarperCollins, 2026), talks about the latest national political news, including the pending shutdown at DHS and congressional pushback on tariffs.

Campus politics have been an important part of our modern political discourse.On Today's Show:Lee Bollinger, First Amendment scholar, law professor, former president of Columbia University and the author of University: A Reckoning (WW Norton, 2026), argues that universities are essential to preserving democracy. 

Prescription drug costs are a key health policy issue for both parties. President Trump has recently implimented his approach, which he's billed as "Trump Rx"On Today's Show:Chelsea Cirruzzo Washington Correspondent for STAT News explains what the Trump administration's new prescription drug marketplace aims to do, and who might save money by using it.

The latest Epstein files to be released exposed more embarrassing revelations for more powerful men, including the president of Bard College, the (former) chairman of the law firm Paul Weiss, and one of the owners of the Giants.On Today's Show:Vicky Ward, investigative journalist and author of Kushner, Inc. (St. Martin's Press, 2019) and, with James Patterson, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), and Steve Eder, investigative reporter for The New York Times, talk about what the new emails reveal about how wealthy and powerful people operate. 

President Trump has recently made comments about the integrity of the election system, and floated the idea to 'nationalize' the process.On Today's Show:David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic daily newsletter, plus author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), talks about actions and statements by the president that are raising alarms over election integrity with midterms months away.

How have President Trump's policies shaped the nation's economic outlook after the first year of his second term?On Today's Show:Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, former New York Times columnist now on Substack, distinguished professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and the author of Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), talks about how President Trump's economic policies are affecting investors, and what that could mean for the overall economy.  

One of the Senate Democrats' demands for resuming DHS funding is a ban on the use of masks by ICE agents.On Today's Show:Atlantic staff writer Adam Serwer talks about his essay, "The Real Reason ICE Agents Wear Masks" in which he argues that masking is dangerous "because people who are assured that they won’t face consequences for abusing power almost inevitably do so."