Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

China's geopolitical military posturing has some international observers, and some members of congress, concerned about the future of China-US relations.  On Today's Show:Susan Shirk, research professor and chair of the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego and the author of Overreach: How China Derailed its Peaceful Rise (Oxford University Press, 2022), shares her analysis of what some are calling a new cold war between the US and China, as officials in both countries trade barbs.

A lot has changed about our political discourse over the past decade.  On Today's Show:Mehdi Hasan, journalist and host of The Mehdi Hasan Show on MSNBC and Peacock and the author of Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking (Henry Holt and Co., 2023), offers pointers for persuading people with winning arguments.

With a recent escalation of legislative and rhetorical attacks targeting trans people, we explore the human ramifications, as well as the politics. On Today's Show:After the alarming anti-trans rhetoric coming out of the Conservative Political Action Conference, which included a call to "eradicate" trans people from "public life", Kate Sosin, LGBTQ+ reporter at the 19th*, focusing on transgender rights, incarceration, politics and public policy, explains how these sentiments are present in state laws throughout the United States.

A local representative brings his updates and analysis on the latest issues of national policy. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) talks about the latest national political news and his priorities including rail safety standards, the SALT tax and more.

For a weekend special, here are some conversations that Brian has had with former president Jimmy Carter over the years. On Today's Show:Just over a week ago, the Carter Center announced that former President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice care. Carter has joined The Brian Lehrer Show a few times since leaving office, and in these excerpts from our archives, he reflects on his faith, on gender equality, and on the role of the United States as a moral leader on the international stage. 

Several headlines in the realm of legal news could have national implications, including federal judges of various political persuasions who could unilaterally set national policy. On Today's Show:Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate covering courts and the law, has reported that a single federal judge in Texas could outlaw abortion pills nationwide. And, in other legal news, Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch testified that some of his network hosts endorsed the stolen election lie. Mark joins us to provide an update on these and other headlines in legal affairs.

A local representative brings us updates and analysis on some of the latest politics from Congress.  On Today's Show:Ritchie Torres, U.S. Representative (D-NY15), talks about Tuesday's committee hearing on U.S./China relations and other Congressional news.

The House of Representatives was designed to scale up with the population of the country. How does the current cap at 435 impact democracy? On Today's Show:As part of a year-long series on ways of improving U.S. democracy, Danielle Allen, Washington Post contributing columnist, a political theorist at Harvard University, where she is James Bryant Conant University Professor and director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics and the author of Democracy in the Time of Coronavirus (University of Chicago Press, 2022) and the forthcoming Justice by Means of Democracy (University of Chicago Press, 2023), proposes expanding the number of members of the House of Representatives.

A look at the latest in climate action targeting banks and other influential economic actors, plus, the first notable snowfall in the Northeast so far this year. On Today's Show:Bill McKibben, environmental activist, founder of Third Act, and author of many books, most recently: The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened (Henry Holt and Co., 2022), joins to talk about how a rapidly warming climate in the Northeast has altered this year's snow economy, and more on the latest climate news.

Why is it important, in terms of policy, that women play a role as legislators in Congress? On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power (Twelve, 2021) and a forthcoming biography of Barbara Walters, rounds up the latest news from Washington.