Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

The pandemic has been hard, and has changed a lot of people's relationships with alcohol. So today, we're talking about the benefits and challenges of getting sober. On Today's Show:Ana Marie Cox, writer, host of the science fiction podcast, "Space the Nation," and author of The Cut's new advice column about sobriety, answers listener questions about drinking and not drinking.

Sunday night's big game took place against a fraught backdrop of allegations of racism in coach and staff hiring, and the first hip-hop halftime show in history. On Today's Show:David Dennis Jr., Senior writer for The Undefeated, and Joel Anderson, staff writer at Slate and a host of the podcast "Slow Burn", talk about the political and cultural backdrop to this year's Super Bowl.

Inflation has been in the news, but how much is it really what's behind rising prices? On Today's Show:Lindsay Owens, the executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic advocacy group, argues that some companies are hiking prices "while hiding behind inflation."

New York and New Jersey have just lifted indoor mask mandates for private businesses. What can the reaction tell us about the polarization around COVID policy? On Today's Show:New York Times reporter Sharon Otterman, who covers health care and the pandemic for the paper's Metro desk, reviews what's changing and when.

Almost 20 years after the Supreme Court affirmed affirmative action, the policy has once again landed before the high court. On Today's Show:Paul Butler, professor at Georgetown Law, the author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men (The New Press, 2017) and a self-proclaimed beneficiary of affirmative action, joins to make his case on why it should be upheld and why others who have benefited from the law should rebut critique that it stigmatizes Black students.

 After TV personality Whoopi Goldberg made a comment about whiteness and Jewish people, we wanted to unravel the complicated ideas around race, racism and Jewish identity. On Today's Show:Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the author of It Could Happen Here: Why America Is Tipping from Hate to the Unthinkable―And How We Can Stop It (Mariner Books, 2022), talks about antisemitism and hate crimes and the danger they pose to American democracy.

In our hyper-partisan times, it's unusual to see the U.S.'s two main political parties come together. But on a few recent issues, they've done just that. On Today's Show:Grace Segers, staff writer at The New Republic, talks about the latest political news including the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics, the U.S. response to Russia's aggression toward Ukraine, and the latest on the January 6th investigations.

The American south plays host to a patchwork of political, ideological, demographic and historical complexities. Complexities that common, simplified 'north/south' narratives fail to grasp. On Today's Show:Imani Perry, professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the author of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation (Ecco, 2022), shares the insights she gleaned about U.S. history and culture from her travels in the South.

A lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores claims that the NFL's hiring practices are discriminatory. On Today's Show:William Rhoden, columnist for The Undefeated and former longtime sports columnist at The New York Times, discusses the lawsuit of former head coach Brian Flores against the NFL and three teams including the New York Giants alleging racism in hiring practices.

What does it mean for free speech and misinformation that Neil Young is leaving Spotify over its support of Joe Rogan's proudly un-fact checked podcast? On Today's Show:Ashley Carman, senior reporter at The Verge and writer of the Hot Pod newsletter, talks about the latest controversy surrounding Spotify and podcaster Joe Rogan, and hears from listeners who have recently left the platform in protest.