Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

A new study in the UK tested the impacts of reducing the workweek to four days. Could that be a workable business model to attract workers in the "Great Resignation" economy? On Today's Show:Niamh Bridson Hubbard, PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Cambridge, and Vanessa Fuhrmans, deputy bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal's careers and workplaces team, discuss the details of the study and what it would take for the US to update it's work culture.

One year since Russia invaded Ukraine, how much has U.S. military aid made a difference in the fighting, and in pushing both parties to negotiate for peace? On Today's Show:Ishaan Tharoor, foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post, joins to discuss President Biden's trip to Ukraine, how it's seen in the West and the latest polling data which gauges Americans' support of how involved the United States should or shouldn't be.

Would the impacts of racism be easier to communicate if we focused on the ways that bias and inequality are bad for everyone?  On Today's Show:Heather McGhee, chair of Color of Change board of directors and the author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together (One World, 2021) and the new edition for young readers, The Sum of Us: How Racism Hurts Everyone (Delacorte Press, 2023) talks about teaching young readers about the issues of equity and racism and building a future that benefits everyone.

It's been a week since hundreds of current and former contributors to the New York Times signed a letter criticizing the paper's coverage of issues affecting transgender people. On Today's Show:Jo Livingstone, critic, contributor to The New York Times and an organizer of NYTLetter.com, and Sabrina Imbler, staff writer at Defector, a worker-owned site, and former fellow for The New York Times, discuss the latest on the open letter to the New York Times, in which over 1,000 contributors have accused the paper of biased coverage of transgender issues.

On Presidents Day, we explore Jimmy Carter's political legacy, and hear excerpts from conversations he's had with Brian since leaving the White House. On Today's Show:Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, CNN political analyst, NPR contributor, and author of several books and co-author with Kevin Kruse of Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past (Basic Books, 2023), talks about presidential history and where it connects to today's news.

It's almost been a full year since Russia launched it's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.  On Today's Show:Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many books, including The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (Simon & Schuster, 2020), offers analysis of where things stand militarily.

Yesterday, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who served as Trump's U.N. Ambassador, announced her presidential campaign. On Today's Show:Andy Shain, a managing editor at The Post and Courier in South Carolina, discusses Nikki Haley's time as South Carolina governor between 2011 and 2017. He also explains how her decisions and politics during her time as governor might shape her presidential run.

What should we make of the recent headlines about possible spy balloons hovering over US airspace? On Today's Show:Jeff Wise, science journalist, explains why the military has been shooting down high-altitude balloons over the United States and how these objects got there in the first place.

A local legislator discusses the progressive approach to criminal justice, and how to enhance public safety without mass incarceration. On Today's Show:Tiffany Cabán, NYC Council Member serving parts of Queens, talks about the progressive caucus's hopes to reduce the "size and scope of the NYPD" and other public safety priorities.

As the week of Biden's State Of The Union comes to a close, we explore the politics of one of the more viral moments from the speech. On Today's Show:Toluse Olorunnipa, Washington Post White House bureau chief and the co-author of His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice (Viking, 2022) talks about how President Biden's performance in the State of the Union speech is landing politically, including his live clash with Republicans over Social Security and Medicare, plus the latest on where federal police reform stands.