Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

With the midterms approaching, we look at some key races where climate policy has been an issue for the candidates and their campaigns.  On Today's Show:Maxine Joselow, climate reporter at The Washington Post and author of The Climate 202 newsletter, discusses recent climate news and what a Republican-led or Democratic-led Congress would (or wouldn't) do about the climate crisis.

One of the most prolific reporters to cover Donald Trump both before, and in the White House, discusses her new book about the 45th president's roots.  On Today's Show:Maggie Haberman, senior political correspondent for The New York Times, political analyst for CNN and the author of Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America (Penguin Press, 2022), talks about her new book on the former president.

On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation and author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022), discusses Merrill v. Milligan, the high-stakes Alabama case on racial gerrymandering that the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments for this term.

As parts of Florida and other southern states begin to recover from Hurricane Ian, we look at how the insurance industry is, and isn't, keeping up with climate risks. On Today's Show:Leslie Scism, a news editor for the Wall Street Journal, covering life and property-casualty insurance, joins to discuss how climate change, and the catastrophic damage it's causing to coastal communities, is changing the way home insurance works.

We look ahead at some of the cases that the Supreme Court will hear in its upcoming session, plus a look at the state of the federal judiciary as an institution. On Today's Show:As the new Supreme Court term gets underway, Dahlia Lithwick, senior legal correspondent at Slate, host of their podcast Amicus, and the author of Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America (Penguin Press, 2022), talks about her new book on the women who fought back on the Trump administration's policies and on the major cases before the Court between now and next June.

Years after the Trump administration's family separation policy at the border, Democrats in Congress continue to struggle to come up with a detailed immigration plan. On Today's Show: Caitlin Dickerson, staff writer at The Atlantic, spent 18 months investigating the Trump administration's family separation policy at the border. She joins to discuss her reporting and how immigration, political asylum and the border are playing out as issues today as midterm elections loom.

In the weeks after a woman died in the custody of Iran's 'morality police,' women across the country and around the world have taken to the streets in protest. On Today's Show:Pardis Mahdavi, provost of the University of Montana and the author of Passionate Uprisings: Iran’s Sexual Revolution (Stanford University Press, 2008), who had her own run in with the morality police in Iran, shares her analysis of the protests happening now and what may come of them.

Today, we look at how abortion policy is playing in midterms around the country, and whether the next congress might pursue a nationwide abortion policy, one way or the other. On Today's Show:Leigh Ann Caldwell, Early 202 newsletter co-author and Washington Post Live anchor, joins to break down how candidates for Congress are talking about abortion on the campaign trail.

With abortion up for a referendum in Kentucky, we look at how the politics of abortion in red states has played out since SCOTUS's Dobbs decision.  On Today's Show:Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky and publisher of The Rural Blog and Kentucky Health News, and Caroline Kitchener, national political reporter covering abortion at The Washington Post, discuss how "trigger abortion bans" are playing out across conservative states and how the issue might impact the midterm elections in those states.

With a big week ahead in Washington D.C., we look at a few of the most important things coming up in national politics. 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), talks about the latest news from Washington, including a spending bill that might be held up by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and the upcoming January 6th hearing.