The Brian Lehrer Show - podcast cover

The Brian Lehrer Show

WNYCwnyc.org
Brian Lehrer leads the conversation about what matters most now in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.
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Episodes

A 'New Conservative' Take

Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass and editor of The New Conservatives: Restoring America’s Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry (Simon & Schuster, 2025), offers his take on the Republicans' tax bill, and President Trump's agenda, plus talks about his new book. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 06, 202528 minEp. 1362

The Mayoral Candidates on Education

Alex Zimmerman , reporter at Chalkbeat New York, discusses what the Democratic mayoral candidates said about their plans for public education during this week's debate. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 06, 202547 minEp. 1365

Happiest Place You've Ever Lived

New York City and Minneapolis, Minnesota, recently ranked as the top of the list of being the happiest place to live in the United States. Listeners call in to share the happiest place they've ever lived, whether in a different country, state or borough, and what makes them happy to be there, whether it's proximity, cost of living or something else. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 05, 202512 minEp. 1360

The First Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate

Katie Honan , senior reporter at The City and co-host of FAQ NYC, recaps last night's Democratic mayoral primary debate, which was sponsored by NBC 4 NY, Telemundo and Politico New York. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 05, 202538 minEp. 1359

A Biodiversity Plan for NYC

Marielle Anzelone , urban botanist, ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Kelly Vilar , CEO of the Staten Island Urban Center, offer a "blueprint" for fostering biodiversity in NYC and explain its importance to city life. → New York City Biodiversity Task Force report: OAKS, OUR CITY AND US: A VISION FOR NATURE IN NEW YORK CITY Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 05, 202523 minEp. 1361

Rep. Nadler Talks Department of Homeland Security and More

Jerrold Nadler , U.S. Representative (D, NY-12), talks about an incident last week where one of his staffers was detained by officials from the Department of Homeland Security, and more about his work in Washington. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 05, 202536 minEp. 1358

City Politics: Preview of the First Mayoral Debate; Mamdani Ranked 1st for Working Families Party; The Battle for Asian Voters

Elizabeth Kim , Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the campaign trail, including what she's expecting ahead of the first mayoral debate, the Working Families Party ranking Zohran Mamdani as top pick for mayor, and the battle for Asian voters. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 04, 202523 minEp. 1357

The Senate Takes on the 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

Senators are currently negotiating their version of the so-called "big, beautiful bill." Ursula Perano , senate reporter at NOTUS , and Matt Brown , Associated Press reporter covering national politics, race and democracy issues, explain why some key provisions in the bill are under extra scrutiny, including one that would prohibit state and local governments from regulating AI for ten years. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...

Jun 04, 202546 minEp. 1355

'Teacher By Teacher'

John B. King, Jr. , chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), former U.S. Education Secretary under Pres. Obama, and the author of Teacher By Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives (Legacy Lit, 2025), talks about his memoir, his work at many levels of the education system and the importance of the Education Department. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 04, 202539 minEp. 1356

A Roundtable on the Current State of U.S. Cancer Research

This year's WNYC Health Convening with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation continues with a look at the current state of cancer research in the United States. Sudip Parikh , Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the Science family of journals, and Otis Brawley , professor of oncology at The Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkin and co-editor of The Ca...

Jun 03, 202536 minEp. 1353

100 Years of 100 Things: Cancer Research

Each year the news division hosts the WNYC Health Convening with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as an opportunity for healthcare experts and practitioners to inform WNYC's health reporting. This year, as part of our centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Paul Goldberg , editor and publisher of The Cancer Letter and co-editor of The Cancer History Project, discusses the century of cancer treatment advancements and how the U.S. government played a major part in funding the scien...

Jun 03, 202526 minEp. 1352

Parsing the Facts of Trans Women in Competitive Sports

After a transgender high school athlete won two events at last weekend's California track and field championships, President Donald Trump has threatened to defund the state. Katie Barnes , ESPN senior writer covering the intersection of sports and gender, and author of Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates (St. Martin's Press, 2023), discusses the controversy surrounding trans women in competitive sports, fact-checks ideas the broader public holds about fairness and gender in athletics,...

Jun 03, 202547 minEp. 1354

Monday Morning Politics: Sen. Ernst on Medicaid; Democrats and 2028 & More

Jonathan Lemire , co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC; writer for MSNBC and contributing writer to The Atlantic , talks about the latest national political news, including Sen. Joni Ernst's "we are all going to die" response to constituents' concerns over Medicaid cuts, what's brewing for Democrats regarding the 2028 election and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 02, 202534 minEp. 1351

Countdown to the NJ Gubernatorial Election

Early voting in New Jersey's gubernatorial primary starts Tuesday. Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, offers political analysis of the race and the leading Democratic and Republican candidates. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 02, 202526 minEp. 1350

Are You Ambivalent About Having Kids?

Listeners who are ambivalent about having kids call in to talk about why they feel that way. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 02, 202510 minEp. 1349

The Mayoral Race & Transportation

Nicole Gelinas , senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal , a columnist at the New York Post and the author of the new book, Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car (Fordham Univ Press, 2024), and Dave Colon , reporter for Streetsblog NYC , talk about the mayoral candidates' proposals for making mass transit safe, affordable and reliable and for managing the "chaos" of use of streets by pedestrians, two-wheeled vehicles, and cars...

Jun 02, 202539 minEp. 1349

Brian Lehrer Weekend: Contrapoints; Child Care; SCOTUS 'Vibes'

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Contrapoints' Natalie Wynn Deep Dives into the Philosophy of Conspiracies (First) | The Child Care Issue (Starts at :38) | 'Bad Vibes' at the Supreme Court (Starts at 1:08) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

May 31, 20251 hr 52 minEp. 1348

The Latest on International Students in the US

The Trump administration announced it would "aggressively revoke" student visas for Chinese students who are planning to study in the United States. Liam Knox , the admissions and enrollment reporter for Inside Higher Ed and author of their Admissions Weekly newsletter, reports on the latest on that plus the dispute between the administration and Harvard over enrolling foreign students. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of ...

May 30, 202543 minEp. 1345

Long Lines of New York City

Long lines that snake down entire blocks or more are not an uncommon site in New York City. Listeners call in to share when they've waited on a really long line, what it was for and whether it was worth it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 30, 202513 minEp. 1346

The Child Care Issue

Child care has become a big issue in the mayoral primary campaign as families with young children continually cite the cost as a major factor in whether they can stay in the City or not. Madina Touré , New York education policy and politics reporter for Politico New York, compares and contrasts the various policies Democratic candidates are pitching to try to help the youngest New Yorkers and their families. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our ...

May 30, 202530 minEp. 1347

DOGE Days Aren't Over

Danny Nguyen , reporter at Politico covering national politics and policy, shares his reporting on how DOGE is continuing its work in the federal government even though Elon Musk is reportedly leaving Washington to focus on his businesses. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 30, 202522 minEp. 1347

Contrapoints' Natalie Wynn Deep Dives into the Philosophy of Conspiracies

Natalie Wynn , creator of the YouTube channel Contrapoints, discusses her work including her latest video titled "CONSPIRACY", in which she delves into the history of conspiracies in American politics, the allure of conspiratorial thinking and how this way of thought negatively impacts democracy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

May 29, 202537 minEp. 1344

A New Leader for Citizens Union

Grace Rauh , executive director of Citizen's Union, and John Avlon , chair of the Citizens Union board of directors, journalist and former candidate for Congress, talk about the priorities of Citizens Union , including open primary elections and moving local elections to even-numbered years in order to increase voter turnout, and other issues important to the good-government group. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of perso...

May 29, 202530 minEp. 1343

SALT Cap Trade-Offs

Andrew Lautz , associate director for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Economic Policy Program, talks about the impact of raising the cap on SALT (state and local tax) deductions that benefit many New York and New Jersey taxpayers and what options there are to make up the difference in revenue. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

May 29, 202544 minEp. 1342

Israel Ramps Up Attacks on Gaza

Gerry Shih , Jerusalem bureau chief for The Washington Post , covering Israel, the Palestinian territories and the greater Middle East, discusses the latest news on how Israel is ramping up its attacks on Gaza and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 28, 202526 minEp. 1341

Nuggets of Wisdom From This Year's Commencement Addresses

As graduation season continues, listeners call in to share the wisdom they heard from a commencement speaker . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 28, 202512 minEp. 1340

City Politics: An ICE Arrest; Cuomo's Nursing Home Legacy; The Campaign Money Trail

Elizabeth Kim , WNYC and Gothamist reporter, and Brigid Bergin , senior political correspondent for WNYC and Gothamist, talk about the latest news from the campaign trail, including Adrienne Adams' criticism of Cuomo on COVID, Eric Adams' statements related to ICE's arrest of a student, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

May 28, 202529 minEp. 1339

'Bad Vibes' at the Supreme Court

Leah Litman , professor of law at the University of Michigan and a former Supreme Court clerk, co-host of the podcast "Strict Scrutiny" and the author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2025), offers her take on the current Supreme Court, the major decisions coming this term and why she says it's running as “no law, just vibes.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information...

May 28, 202543 minEp. 1338

Call Your Senator: Sen. Andy Kim: Rep. McIver's Arrest; Putin and More

U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey, including the arrest of Rep. McIver after an incident at an ICE facility, what President Trump is saying about Putin and Ukraine and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 27, 202542 minEp. 1334

100 Years of 100 Things: Shortwave Radio

As our centennial series continues, Katie Thornton , host of The Divided Dial, a series on WNYC's On the Media, independent journalist, public historian, and Fulbright fellow, talks about the new season of her 4-part series, about the history of shortwave radio. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 27, 202540 minEp. 1336
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