Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

With geopolitical tension again flaring up between Russia and Ukraine, we look at the role of the United States and NATO allies in the conflict. 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), discusses the history of NATO and why Russia may go to war over its potential expansion.

We were surprised to learn that illegally transporting guns from one state to another isn't as illegal is it sounds. On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about the latest issues facing the senate and her recent proposals for combating gun violence, expanding community health care, and more.

The Supreme Court once again takes up a challenge to affirmative action in college admissions. On today's show: Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation and author of the forthcoming book Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy's Guide To The Constitution (The New Press, 2022), discusses the news that the Court will revisit the question of affirmative action.

Justice Breyer has announced that he will step down from his Supreme Court seat, paving the way for President Biden to make his first SCOTUS nomination. On Today's Show:WNYC's legal analyst Jami Floyd talks about his legacy on the court and looks ahead to the process to replace him, including her pick for the seat, and discusses implications for the rest of this Supreme Court session that will be Justice Breyer's last.

The new Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin is working to ban so-called "divisive concepts" including 'Critical Race Theory' in the state's schools. On Today's Show: Brian Jones, director of the Center for Educators and Schools at New York Public Library and contributor to Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice (Haymarket Books, 2020) discusses how such a ban might impact curricula, why some misunderstand and reject CRT and the value of including race in school lessons.

What does it mean for the impartiality of the Supreme Court that the spouse of one of its Justices is a conservative activist? On Today's Show:Jane Mayer, chief Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, talks about her new piece on Ginni Thomas, a vocal right-wing activist and the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, and whether her work with interest groups threatens Supreme Court impartiality.

On Today's Show: With hopes of reducing energy emissions, pollution and unethical labor practices in the global fashion industry, a new bill in the state legislature would require large apparel and footwear brands to disclose their environmental impacts and supply chains. One of the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act's sponsors, New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi (D-34) and Maxine Bédat, founder and director of The New Standard Institute, discuss the function of transparency in creating sustainable clothing.   

On Today's Show:Steve Lohr, New York Times technology and economics reporter, talks about recent economic research that points to artificial intelligence as a reason for widening economic disparity.

On the one-year anniversary of Biden's inauguration, we brought together two commentators from both ends of the political spectrum to assess his presidency so far. On Today's Show:Amanda Carpenter, columnist at The Bulwark, director of Republicans for Voting Rights, author of Gaslighting America: Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us (Broadside Books, 2018), and Jamil Smith, senior correspondent at Vox and co-host of the podcast Vox Conversations, discuss the president's accomplishments, challenges and successes, and what comes next.

We asked one of the nation's most influential legal scholars for his insight into the current Supreme Court bench, and some of the other constitutional issues facing this country. On Today's Show:Laurence Tribe, University Professor and professor of constitutional law emeritus at Harvard Law School, discusses the Supreme Court and U.S. democracy.