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

The NYC Mayoral Candidates on Climate

Julie Tighe , president of New York League of Conservation Voters, and Keanu Arpels-Josiah , climate justice organizer with Fridays for Future NYC, talks about the mayoral candidates' positions on climate change and the environment. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 17, 202539 minEp. 1394

Monday Morning Primary Campaign Politics

Errol Louis , political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, offers analysis of the mayoral primary debate, and talks about the latest news from the campaign trail as early voting is underway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 16, 202550 minEp. 1387

The Rights of Rivers

Robert Macfarlane , a fellow at the University of Cambridge and the author of several books, including Underland and his new one, Is a River Alive? (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025), talks about the new book that questions how we treat rivers through the stories of rivers in Ecuador, India and Canada. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 16, 202510 minEp. 1389

Monday Morning Politics: No More Kings Protests; Minnesota Lawmakers Shot

Susan Glasser , staff writer at The New Yorker and author of a weekly column on life in Washington, and the host of the Political Scene podcast, talks about the latest national political news, including the latest on Los Angeles, President Trump's military parade, the "No More Kings" protests and the politically-motivated shooting of lawmakers in Minnesota. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 16, 202521 minEp. 1390

The Mayoral Candidates Debate About Housing

David Brand , housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, offers analysis of the housing plans the mayoral candidates discussed in last week's Spectrum News NY1 debate. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 16, 202527 minEp. 1388

Brian Lehrer Weekend: New Jersey Results; Gay Restaurants; Mapping the Stars

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. New Jersey’s Gubernatorial Primary Results (First) | The Gay Restaurants That Nurtured LGBTQ Americans (Starts at 45:00) | Mapping the Stars (Starts at 59:00) 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....

Jun 14, 20251 hr 15 minEp. 1391

NYC Mayoral Primary Debate: Traffic and Pedestrian Safety

An extended excerpt from Thursday's debate between the leading Democrats running for the mayoral nomination. In this last section of the debate, the candidates discuss traffic and pedestrian safety. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 13, 202510 minEp. 1386

NYC Mayoral Primary Debate: Cuomo Sexual Harassment and Public Safety

An extended excerpt from Thursday's debate between the leading Democrats running for the mayoral nomination. In the first part of this clip, we hear the candidates discuss Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal, and then we hear them addressing their approaches to public safety. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 13, 202518 minEp. 1385

NYC Mayoral Primary Debate: Cross Examination, Keeping Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers Safe

Extended excerpt from Thursday's debate between the leading Democrats running for the mayoral nomination: First, the candidates direct questions to each other and then they discuss how they will ensure all New Yorkers feel safe, particularly Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers, in the context of the war in the Middle East. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 13, 202529 minEp. 1384

NYC Mayoral Primary Debate: Analysis and Your Reactions

Elizabeth Kim , WNYC and Gothamist reporter, and Brigid Bergin , WNYC and Gothamist senior political correspondent, offer analysis of the mayoral primary debate, which was co-moderated by Brian Lehrer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 13, 202528 minEp. 1382

NYC Mayoral Primary Debate: Trump and Experience

Extended excerpt from Thursday's debate between the leading Democrats running for the mayoral nomination: First, they are asked how they would respond were President Trump to deploy the national guard and marines as he has in Los Angeles and then they are asked about their leadership and experience. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 13, 202525 minEp. 1383

How 1963 Defined the Civil Rights Movement

Peniel Joseph , professor of history and public affairs and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution (Basic Books, 2025), talks about his new book, an examination of the impact of events in 1963 on the struggle for civil rights -- from MLK's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to the assassination of JFK. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswi...

Jun 12, 202520 minEp. 1380

Making Cents of Class-Action Lawsuits

Andy Vasoyan , freelance reporter examining the intersection of technology and culture and former Weekend Edition host at KCLU, talks about his latest writing in WIRED sharing his experiences in joining as many class-action lawsuits as possible, and how you can get involved too. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 12, 202515 minEp. 1381

City Politics: Previewing the Second Debate and Other Races

Gothamist/WNYC reporter Elizabeth Kim previews the second Democratic primary debate and Rachel Holliday Smith , managing editor for The City, talks about the other competitive races in this month's primary, including city council and some of the borough president races. Plus, WNYC All Things Considered host Sean Carlson previews the next installments of "Word from the Curb." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal dat...

Jun 12, 202552 minEp. 1378

The View From LA

Gustavo Arellano , columnist for The Los Angeles Times , offers his take on the protests in Los Angeles, the Trump administration's response and how local communities are showing up for their immigrant neighbors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 12, 202522 minEp. 1379

The Gay Restaurants That Nurtured LGBTQ Americans

As Pride month is now in full swing, Erik Piepenburg , journalist and contributor to The New York Times , and author of the new book Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants (Grand Central Publishing, 2025), talks about how LGBTQ-friendly restaurants have nurtured queer Americans and their fight for civil rights. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for ad...

Jun 11, 202514 minEp. 1377

Recapping the Comptroller Debate

Alyssa Katz, executive editor of THE CITY, talks about Tuesday's debate among the Democrats running for NYC Comptroller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 11, 202525 minEp. 1375

New Jersey’s Gubernatorial Primary Results

Nancy Solomon , WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, offers analysis of the Democratic and Republican winners of the NJ gubernatorial primary election, and talks about her new podcast, "Dead End: The Rise & Fall of Gold Bar Bob Menendez," on former Sen. Bob Menendez, who is scheduled to go to prison next week after he was found guilty of corruption. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use ...

Jun 11, 202545 minEp. 1374

RFK Jr. Fires Vaccine Advisory Committee

The U.S. Health Secretary, RFK Jr., announced he was dismissing all the members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee. Katelyn Jetelina , founder and author of the newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist, talks about what RFK Jr. says are his goals, and what the consequences might be. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 11, 202526 minEp. 1376

Mapping the Stars

Jackie Faherty , astrophysicist and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, talks about a new show at Hayden Planetarium that draws on new data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission to map the galaxy and our place in it. → Encounters in the Milky Way Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 10, 202517 minEp. 1373

Climate Change Trade-Offs

Paula DiPerna , author of Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets (Wiley, 2023) and board chair of the group Humanity Insured US , responds to Friday's exchange with Oren Cass on the economic impact of climate change vs. the impact on jobs and prosperity. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 10, 202530 minEp. 1372

Biden and 2024

Jake Tapper , lead DC anchor and chief Washington correspondent for CNN and co-author with Alex Thompson of Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again (Penguin Press, 2025), talks about his new book that looks back at the Democrats' loss in 2024 and how it happened. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 10, 202540 minEp. 1371

What the Next Dark Ages Could Look Like

Cullen Murphy , editor at large at The Atlantic , discusses his latest article on how the acceleration of privatization across the U.S. government may signal the country's move towards a form of government that resembles the feudalism of the Middle Ages. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 09, 202517 minEp. 1368

The National Guard in Los Angeles

President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard to suppress demonstrations against immigration raids in Los Angeles. 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 legal analysis. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for in...

Jun 09, 202521 minEp. 1370

New Jersey’s Gubernatorial Primary Key Issues

Nancy Solomon , WNYC reporter and host of the “ Ask Governor Murphy ” monthly call-in show, breaks down the key issues as New Jersey voters head to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes for the gubernatorial primaries. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 09, 202538 minEp. 1366

End of Session in Albany

Jon Campbell , Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about what lawmakers are up to as the end of the legislative session in Albany approaches, including the "Medical Aid in Dying" bill which passed the Assembly and is up for a vote in the State Senate today, plus other news from Albany. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....

Jun 09, 202533 minEp. 1367

Brian Lehrer Weekend: Trans Women and Girls in Sport; Mayoral Debate Recap; Cancer Research

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Katie Barnes, award-winning LGBTQ sports journalist, on trans women and girls in sport (First) | A recap of the first NYC mayoral debate (Starts at 47:30) | A 100-year history of Cancer research in the United States (Starts at 1:25:10) 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 p...

Jun 07, 20251 hr 52 minEp. 1369

The Secretive Tech Company Working With the Trump Administration

Caroline Haskins , business reporter at WIRED, where she covers Silicon Valley, surveillance, and labor, talks about President Trump's plan to employ the tech company Palantir to compile data on America citizens. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 06, 202524 minEp. 1364

Photography, Everywhere

Laura Roumanos , executive director and co-founder of Photoville, talks about this month's Photoville Festival with 80 exhibitions across the boroughs June 7-22, and opening weekend events in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 06, 202512 minEp. 1363
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