Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

The powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl is responsible for a continued rise in overdose deaths in New York City and across the country. On Today's Show:Sam Quinones, independent journalist and the author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic and The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, and Courtney McKnight, clinical assistant professor of epidemiology at NYU's School of Global Public Health, talk about the drug and what makes it so life-threatening and resistant to efforts to stem its abuse.

On Today's Show:Shefali Luthra, a healthcare reporter at the 19th, discusses new FDA rules allowing pharmacies to distribute abortion pills, how red states are responding to underground pill movements, and how abortion access has changed in the 50 years since the Roe v. Wade decision.

On the 30th anniversary of Pres. Bill Clinton's inauguration, we explore the the short- and long-term impacts of his tenure. On Today's Show: Eleanor Clift, columnist for The Daily Beast, and David Maraniss, associate editor at The Washington Post, Pulitizer Prize-winning reporter, and the author of several books and biographies, including First in His Class: A Biography Of Bill Clinton (Simon & Schuster, 1995) and his latest, Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe (Simon & Schuster, 2022), discuss the Clinton campaign and the factors leading to his victory.

Thanks to redlining, we know that historically, Black people have faced historical barriers to purchasing property. What about trying to *sell* property as a Black real estate agent? On Today's Show:Colette Coleman, a writer focused on race and equity, discusses her New York Times article "Selling Houses While Black" about the challenges faced, and strategies adopted, by Black real estate agents, who are underrepresented in the profession and earn less than their white counterparts.

With a key fiscal deadline looming over the federal government, we explore how important the national debt actually is. On Today's Show:John Cassidy, staff writer at The New Yorker, explains the economics -- and politics -- of the approaching "debt ceiling".

Gas stoves, versus electric stoves, have sparked some health and safety questions. What's the environmental impact of these appliances, and what are the politics of regulating them? On Today's Show:Somini Sengupta, international climate reporter for The New York Times and lead writer for the Climate Forward newsletter, explains why gas stoves have recently become a political flashpoint, and digs into what the science says about risks they may pose to our health and to the environment.

For this year's MLK day show, we opened the phones for listeners to share their memories and personal experience with the civil rights movements of the 50s and 60s. On Today's Show:Peniel Joseph, Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values, founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of The Third Reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century (Basic Books, 2022), talks about what was accomplished, as well as the inequality that remained unaddressed.

Ahead of MLK day on Monday, we hear from faith leaders who are continuing Dr. King's legacy of anti-racism, today. On Today's Show:Jacqueline Lewis, senior minister at the Middle Church and author of Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness that Can Heal the World (Harmony, 2021), and Joshua Stanton, rabbi at East End Temple in Manhattan, talk about Sunday's MLK Day teach-in "(Re)Building Black and Jewish Beloved Community."

Why do Republicans want to give the IRS less money, and what would it mean for taxpayers across income brackets?  On Today's Show:Catherine Rampell, an opinion columnist at the Washington Post, an economic and political commentator for CNN, a special correspondent for the PBS NewsHour and a contributor to Marketplace, explains why Republicans are trying rescind additional IRS funding, what that funding was intended for, and what might happen if they succeed.

As part of our 'Climate Story Of The Week' series, we review climate change and policy since one year ago. On Today's Show:Now that 2022 has come to a close, Henry Fountain, climate reporter for the New York Times provides an update on climate trends.