Columbia University Faces The “Prisoner’s Dilemma”

Democrats have enjoyed strong showings in special elections in Florida and a big win in Wisconsin this week, not to mention Sen. Cory Booker's record-breaking speech on the Senate floor.On Today's Show:Katie Glueck, political reporter at The New York Times, offers analysis of Dems' very good week.

The Trump Administration is seeking the death penalty in the case against Luigi Mangione, who allegedly stalked and fatally shot a health insurance executive. On Today's Show:Samantha Max, reporter covering public safety for WNYC/Gothamist, talks about Trump's relationship with capital punishment, and how Mangione's status as a folk hero to some factors into the political equation.

President Trump is reportedly planning to unveil a slate of new tariffs on Wednesday, which he has dubbed "Liberation Day."On Today's Show:Felix Salmon, chief financial correspondent for Axios, host of the Slate Money Podcast, and author of The Phoenix Economy: Work, Life, and Money in the New Not Normal (‎Harper Business, 2023), talks about President Trump's trade policies, and whether new taxes on imports will boost U.S. manufacturing, as the administration hopes it will. 

Over the weekend, there were several developments in the stories about military plans accidentally shared with a journalist, and on Democrats' political priorities in Congress.On Today's Show:Jim Newell, Slate's senior politics writer, breaks down the latest national politics headlines since Friday.

A doctoral student at Tufts University was detained in an arrest that was caught on video and shared widely, and accused of supporting Hamas by the Department of Homeland Security. On today's show: Lindsay Nash, associate and clinical professor of law at Cardozo Law and co-director of the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic, offers legal analysis of this and other arrests of pro-Palestinian immigrants.

Columbia University agreed to the Trump administration's demands in order to restore $400 million dollars in federal funds, leading some faculty members to protest and take legal action. On today's show: David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the forthcoming book The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), reports on the latest in the school's relationship with the administration—and what it might mean for academic freedom at schools across the country. 

Members of President Trump's national security team accidentally texted detailed plans for a military strike to an American journalist, opening the administration up to criticisms about its handling of classified information. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11), a former active duty Navy pilot, talks about the scandal, her work in Washington, and more.

When it comes to bird flu, the nation's top public health official wants to let the infection burn through flocks to identify birds with high immunity.On Today's Show:Apoorva Mandavilli, reporter for The New York Times, focusing on science and global health, discusses the government's approach to bird flu, and why veterinary scientists say that RFK Jr.'s approach will likely cost more than it helps. 

On Friday, Columbia University's administration agreed to demands from the Trump administration over the institution's responses to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Columbia faculty members Joseph Howley, associate professor of Classics, and Ester Fuchs, professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science, weigh in. Then Sarah Brown and Kate Bellows from The Chronicle of Higher Education bring their reporting on the situation at Columbia and at other colleges and universities around the country where Trump has attempted to exercise control over issues including campus speech, DEI and Title IX. 

President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at downsizing the Education Department, leaving many who hold federal student aid with major questions about repayment. On today's show: Annie Nova, who covers personal finance for CNBC, unpacks the latest news about the Ed Department and the predicament for student borrowers.