I'm Brian Lehrer. This is my daily politics podcast from WNYC Studios. It's Thursday, April 8th.

So if you haven't noticed yet, we have a rising new culture war issue in this country that collides with public health.

Some call it the vaccine passport issue.

Some don't like that term vaccine passport because they say it makes it sound more big brother than it really is.

That it's really about proof of vaccination status, straightforward, or proof of negative COVID test status, straightforward, to get into

certain places like crowded entertainment venues. And guess what? Coming this fall, college,

dorms, and classrooms. Now, Rutgers has become the first university in the U.S. to say it will require proof of vaccination status

for any of its 70,000 plus students who want to return in person. Rutgers plans to fully reopen

all its facilities with that requirement for fall semester. But there's an election for governor

in New Jersey this year, and the presumed

Republican candidate is now making this an issue. It's Jack Sitterrelli. He says in a Facebook post,

the idea that Americans would be forced to carry around a personal health record to attend a ballgame,

see a concert, or go out to dinner is simply wrong.

Governor Murphy is wrong for even having considered it.

Again, that's from Republican New Jersey gubernatorial hopeful Jack Sidorelli.

New York has become the first state to issue a digital vaccine pass.

Governor Cuomo calls it the Excelsior Pass, as many of you already know.

It's just an online way to show you've had a vaccination or a recent negative COVID test,

which you can also prove with your pieces of paper showing that you don't need the

online ID. You do have to show proof of your ID with any of these things. It's now required for

Yankees and Mets games, certain indoor entertainment venues, even wedding halls now allowed to

reopen, can use them to protect the bride, the groom, the guests, the band, even wedding halls now allowed to reopen, can use them to protect the bride,

...