Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Whenever it's time for our clocks to spring forward or fall back, we wind up talking about whether daylight saving time should even exist anymore. On Today's Show:Luke Broadwater, congressional correspondent for The New York Times, talks about the surprise Senate passage of the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent next year and whether the House will follow suit, plus what the data, and history, have to say about making that change.

Last week, amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States announced it was banning all imports of Russian oil and gas. On Today's Show:Bill McKibben, educator, environmentalist, and co-founder of 350.org, and author of several books including Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? (Henry Holt and Co., 2020), talks about why climate activists are saying this is a good time to pivot to a clean energy replacement.

A relatively obscure Harlem music festival in 1969 has been brought into the spotlight with a new documentary exploring its impact. On Today's Show:Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, musician, songwriter, director of "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)," talks about the Oscar nomination for his film, which was put together from long-forgotten footage of 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Rep. Gregory Meeks recently went to Poland's border with Ukraine. On Today's Show:Gregory Meeks, U.S. Representative (D, NY-5) and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, talks about the latest news, especially the latest on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

After Fred Mogul suggested a potential off-ramp for Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine. Today, a State Department official weighed in on that suggestion. On Today's Show:Derek Chollet, counselor of the U.S. Department of State and senior policy advisor to the Secretary of State, talks about the U.S. State Department's view of the conflict in Ukraine.

Its been 15 days since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. What does the global community's roadmap to de-escalation?  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), outlines a potential pathway to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

An update from a member of the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees on the U.S. government's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), talks about her work in Washington and the conflict in Ukraine.

How often do we hear from the judges on the nation's highest court? On Today's Show:Today, a conversation from our archives, featuring the soon-to-retire Justice Stephen Breyer.

We spoke with a renowned author about the legacy of her dystopian work. On Today's Show:Margaret Atwood, author of short stories, essays, and novels, including The Handmaid's Tale, and her latest collection, Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2021 (Doubleday, 2022), talks about her response to Jennifer Senior's take on friendship in middle-age and how things change with friends as we get even older, plus her latest book.

Economic sanctions don't always work. We hear from one long-term Russia-watcher why he thinks the latest sanctions placed on Russia could help end the conflict.  On Today's Show:David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about the latest news from Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion.