As we close out the second month of the 2024 election year, numerous anti-trans laws have been enacted across the country. Alejandra Caraballo, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School's Cyberlaw Cliniclooks at the latest in anti-trans policies including an executive order in Nassau County that targets young trans women athletes as well as Oklahoma’s anti-trans laws that are under new scrutiny after a 16 year old nonbinary child died a day after an altercation in their school’s bathroom.

Four years ago this week, the first Covid case was diagnosed in New York and people began canceling plans. Listeners call in to share whether their patterns of in-person socializing have shifted, especially since the pandemic began.

Jonathan Martin, senior political columnist at Politico and the co-author of This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future (Simon & Schuster, 2022), breaks down the results of Saturday's Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, where Nikki Haley lost to Donald Trump, plus previews President Joe Biden's primary in Michigan, where opposition to his policies on Gaza face criticism.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, breaks down the latest in New York City housing news, including why NYC Council is joining a lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams over housing vouchers and his reporting on the lack of 2-bedroom apartments in neighborhoods with the most concentration of families.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. AOC on The Green New Deal's Anniversary (First) | New York's Unfulfilled Legal Cannabis Rollout (Starts at 28:30) | Shirley Chisholm's Historic Bid for the Presidency (Starts at 48:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11) talks about U.S. foreign policy, focusing particularly on the war in Gaza and growing tensions between the United States and Russia.  

Robin Hood and Columbia University's Poverty Tracker Annual Report shows more than half of New York City—56%—lives in poverty or is low-income and likely faces challenges to make ends meet. Richard Buery, CEO of Robin Hood and former NYC deputy mayor for strategic policy initiatives, breaks down the reports finding, including how 1 in 4 children are impacted by poverty.

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, writer and director Nisha Pahuja talks about her film "To Kill a Tiger" that tells the story of a family in rural India that decides to fight back in court after the daughter is sexually assaulted. "To Kill a Tiger" is screening at Manhattan's Quad Cinema on W. 13th St. Check out the interviews with all the nominees.  

On the final day of the Presidents' Week mid-winter recess, teachers call in to tell us how they’re doing this year.

Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022), breaks down the latest on Trump's legal woes, Alabama's ruling on IVF and more.  

David Shalleck-Klein, founder and executive director of the Family Justice Law Center at the Urban Justice Center, discusses the class-action lawsuit charging the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) uses coercion, traumatizing families, and is joined by Shalonda Curtis-Hackett, a plaintiff in the lawsuit.  

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, director Mstyslav Chernov, Pulitzer Prize-winning video journalist at The Associated Press and president of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers, talks about his feature documentary, 20 Days In Mariupol, and his experience with his fellow journalists trapped in Mariupol as the Russians invade. Check out the interviews with all the nominees.  

For this Black History Month, Zinga Fraser, assistant professor of Africana Studies and Women's and Gender Studies and director of the Shirley Chisholm Project at Brooklyn College, joins us as we explore the life and legacy of Brooklyn's Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), the first Black woman to be elected to Congress and the first woman and African American to campaign for a major party's nomination for president.

Casey Lewis, author of After School, a trendspotting newsletter about Gen Z and Gen Alpha, talks about her piece in The Cut titled "Tweencore: What the 13-and-under set is shopping for" as tweens who are off from school this week call in and share where they like to shop and hang out in person.

Bill Bradley, former professional basketball player for the Knicks and former U.S. senator from New Jersey, talks about his life, as depicted in a new film about his life airing now on Max called "Rolling Along: Bill Bradley."

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City and co-host of the podcast FAQ NYC, recaps what he talked about at this week's event—including a number of questions about public safety.

Mustafa Akyol, senior fellow at the Cato Institute focusing on Islam and modernity, and the author the forthcoming book The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World (St. Martin's Essentials, 2024), argues that perceived indifference to Palestinian suffering in Gaza is alienating moderates across the Islamic world and has the potential to tarnish the appeal of liberal democratic values in the United States and the West.

For our climate story of the week, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY 14th District) talks about the fifth anniversary of The Green New Deal, its accomplishments so far, and the local and national priorities on climate change ahead of the election.  Plus, other national politics, including why, as a progressive, she's supporting President Biden's reelection.

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, director and producer Maite Alberdi talks about her film, "The Eternal Memory" that connects the individual crisis of an Alzheimer's diagnosis to the societal need to preserve its history through the story of a prominent Chilean couple. → Check out the interviews with all the nominees.  

In a recent essay in Vox, Charley Locke writes that regret can “clarify a disconnect between who we are and who we want to be. And it can show us how to change.” She joins us to share a story about a couple reuniting 30 years after divorce and offer thoughts on how regret can inform our lives.→ What you can learn from regret

Over 61,000 New Yorkers have submitted a claim of EBT fraud since August of last year. Bahar Ostadan, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering the NYPD and public safety, reports on how these thefts are happening and who is targeted. And Jessica González-Rojas, NY Assemblymember (AD-34, Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside) joins us for a few minutes to explain how lawmakers are dealing with the issue.

Jia Tolentino, staff writer at The New Yorker, author of Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion (Random House, 2019), discusses her reporting on the rollout of marijuana legalization in New York, specifically on those who are struggling to capitalize on a state program that promises dispensary licenses and on the seed money to those who have been adversely affected by the drug’s criminalization.

In a presidential election year featuring two presumptive nominees that provoke feelings of ambivalence and fear in segments of the electorate, listeners discuss their favorite presidents -- those that inspired them to vote, engendered feelings of hope for the future, or possessed other qualities they look for in a leader.

Ingrid Robeyns, philosopher, economist and the author of Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth (Astra House, 2024), expands on her idea of "limitarianism" and calls for a cap on extreme wealth.

Idrees Kahloon, Washington bureau chief for The Economist, talks about his recent reporting on the rise of illiberal leaders, plus responses to the death of Alexei Navalny, the Munich Security Conference, Israel and Gaza and 

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. How 2020 Changed Us; (First) | The AIDS Epidemic and Black Communities  (Starts at 33:20) | In Praise of Deep Friendship  (Starts at 1:02:15) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

During Lent, Christians commonly choose a Lenten sacrifice, abstaining from pleasures such as chocolate, sugar, alcohol, or even social media. Listeners observing Lent call in and share what they are giving up.

Russian opposition leader, anti-corruption activist and political prisoner Alexei Navalny has died. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker staff writer and the author of Surviving Autocracy (Riverhead Books, 2020), digests this news and offers analysis as Putin's war in Ukraine approaches its second anniversary.

Eric Klinenberg, professor in the social sciences and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University and the author of 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed (Knopf, 2024), tells the story of New York in 2020 through the lens of seven New Yorkers, and talks about the ongoing effect of that traumatic year. → Eric Klinenberg will talk about the book "2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed" with Columbia history professor Kim Phillips-Fein on Monday, March 4th at 6:30pm at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on 5th Avenue at 40th Street.  

Louisa Chafee, director of the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO), a non-partisan source of information on the budget and economy, talks about their review of the Mayor's preliminary budget and economic forecast.

While history looks back on both Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as revolutionary figures in their own rights, their ideological roots led them to pursue different visions for Black American liberation. 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 The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. (Basic Books, 2020), peels back behind the veneer of history, provides a deeper look at the ideologies they subscribed to throughout their lives, and reflects on how integrationism and Black nationalism have worked out in modern American society.

This month we hear from the makers of the 5 films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, writer and director Kaouther Ben Hania talks about her film which explores the life of a Tunisian mother and her four daughters.     →Check out the interviews with all the nominees.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, plus news that the mayor is suing social media companies over declining teenage mental health, and also being sued by the Legal Aid Society for not expanding housing voucher access to more low-income New Yorkers. 

After last week's news of comments from Special Counsel Robert Hur's report on Biden's age and mental agility hit a nerve, Damon Linker, senior lecturer in political science at the University of Pennsylvania and writer of the Substack newsletter “Notes from the Middleground,” explains his argument expressed in a recently published piece for The Atlantic that "Democrats Should Pick a New Presidential Candidate Now." What would the process for choosing that new candidate could look like? And who might the Democrats be considering?

It's been 130 days since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, which has reignited both violence in Gaza and discourse here in the United States about the relationship between state of Israel and the Palestinian territories. Marc Tracy, New York Times culture reporter, formerly a writer for Tablet, where he covered contemporary Jewish life, and editor of the essay collection, "Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame," discusses how recent events have impacted the way Jewish Americans think about their relationships to Israel, its government, its history, its people, and its treatment of its Palestinian neighbors.

While science doesn't back up the existence of the five love languages, listeners share how they use this particular theory of communication to create harmony within their relationships.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, plus the state of the campaign to replace Senator Bob Menendez and how New Jersey is preparing to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, and Randi Marshall, editorial board writer and columnist for Newsday, talk about the results of the special election between Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip to replace disgraced House member George Santos in New York's 3rd congressional district.

Rhaina Cohen, producer and editor of NPR's Embedded and the author of The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center (Macmillan, 2024), shares stories of people who have made life partners of friends, upending current expectations that spouses would be our closest relationships.

For the first time since 2021, students in New York City are headed back to their virtual classrooms as opposed to their school buildings thanks to a projected Nor'easter heading towards the area. Listeners share how returning to remote learning on a snow day has played out in their households.

Elizabeth Weise, national correspondent for USA TODAY covering climate change and the energy transition, talks about her year-long investigation into why and how communities across the United States are banning wind and solar energy, despite clean energy goals and the consequences of a warming climate.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander talks about his office's forthcoming audit of NYC's housing stock, issues in the city's Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT) program for people with serious mental health conditions, his take on the city's first remote school snow day and more city news.

Listeners call in to share stories of their personal and professional "Super Bowls" - the non-football event they are most excited about, and professionally, the highest achievement in their industry.

Kai Wright, host and managing editor of Notes From America with Kai Wright and Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows, talks about how communities of color struggled with, and eventually reckoned with the HIV and AIDS crisis.

New York City Councilmember Susan Zhuang (District 43, Sunset Park, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Borough Park, Mapleton-Midwood, Homecrest), talks about her district and her priorities as one of four new members of the City Council, including public safety and quality education -- and celebrating the new Year of the Dragon.

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power (Twelve, 2021) and the forthcoming The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), rounds up the latest news from the Biden White House, the campaign trail, and more national headlines.

Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, and Rich Barrabi, co-anchor of "Mornings on News 12" and host of "Power and Politics" on News 12 Long Island, recap News 12 Long Island's debate between Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Pilip, who are in a tight race for a special election to replace George Santos in Congress in New York's 3rd Congressional district, and discuss the major issues at play.

This year's winners of the Lehrer Award for Community Well-Being focus their work on caring for the migrants arriving in NYC from the southern border. Nuala O'Doherty-Naranjo, attorney, community activist and the founder of the Jackson Heights Immigrant Center; Jesus Aguais, president of Aid for Life; and Power Malu, founder of Artists Athletes Activists, talk about their work connecting migrants with the services and the community they need.

Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019,) offers analysis of the oral arguments held at the Supreme Court over Colorado's decision to disqualify Trump from the primary ballot.

Mark Anthony Neal, Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies and Chair of the Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University, offers an abridged history of Black comedy as a tool for activism from Dick Gregory to the present.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Down to the Wire in the NY-3 Special Election (First) | Kwame Alexander on Sharing the Poems (Starts at 43:19) | Black Comedy From Dick Gregory to the Present (Starts at 1:08:59) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Today, we're taking NPR’s Special Coverage of the oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the case of Trump vs. Anderson.   Beginning at 9:30am, Brian is joined by Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Yale Law School fellow and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), to briefly preview the oral arguments the Supreme Court will be hearing over whether former President Trump is ineligible to hold office and appear on the primary ballot in Colorado.

Over the past few years, the trend in society has been to encourage most people to enter therapy. Richard Alan Friedman, M.D., professor of clinical psychiatry and the director of the psychopharmacology clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College, explains why many of us may actually benefit from quitting therapy as listeners share how they knew it was time for them to end treatment.

Kwame Alexander, poet and Emmy-winning producer, author of Why Fathers Cry at Night and editor of This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets (Little, Brown and Company, 2024), talks about the inspiration for, and from, the works collected in his new book.

After a stinging political defeat since the City Council overrode his vetoes on two bills, Mayor Adams is traveling to Albany to ask the state legislature to consider his priorities. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, shares insight and analysis of what's happening within the Adams administration.

Clare Malone, staff writer at The New Yorker, covering politics discusses how the internet, and meme culture, is continuing to having an influence on politics ahead of the 2024 election.→ The Meme-ification of American Politics

A recent Pew Research poll found that 28% of the United States' population of "adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheists, agnostics or 'nothing in particular.”' Furthermore, "'nones' tend to vote less often, do less volunteer work in their communities, and follow public affairs at lower rates than religiously affiliated people do." Listeners who fall into the category of "nones" share how they find community without religion in their lives.

Missy Ryan, Washington Post reporter covering the Pentagon, military issues and national security, talks about the latest on the Israel/Gaza war and ceasefire negotiations, and the Biden response to the attack on U.S. troops in Jordan.

New York City’s landmark emissions reductions law took effect earlier this month. Rohit T. Aggarwala, chief climate officer and commissioner of NYC's Department of Environmental Protection, Simon Mugo, program manager of NYC Accelerator, and Andrew Chintz, financing specialist at NYC Accelerator, which provides free guidance to meet energy efficiency upgrades for buildings, talk about the implementation process so far, how owners can work to retrofit their buildings and what tools are available to them. → For more information about compliance, visit the NYC Accelerator website.

Tom Suozzi, former congressman (D-NY3), talks about his campaign to reclaim his seat in Congress in the special election on February 13.

Elena Schneider, national political reporter at Politico, shares insight and analysis of the results from the weekend's Democratic primary in South Carolina.

This month we hear from the makers of the 5 films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, Bobi Wine, Ugandan politician, singer and actor, and Moses Bwayo, director, talk about the film and Wine's challenge to Uganda's longtime president Gen. Yoweri Museveni.  

There was some multigenerational synergy at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, as an 80-year-old Joni Mitchell performed with 40-something Brandi Carlile, and Tracy Chapman sang her hit song "Fast Car" with Luke Combs, the country artist who had a hit with his cover of it last year. Listeners call in to share their multigenerational music crossover tastes—what their 20- and 30-something kids have turned them on to, and what music "kids" in their 20s and 30s have gotten their parents into.

Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis (Penguin Press, 2024), tells the larger story of the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border through the stories of individuals making the journey from Central America -- and talks about the politics of the current crisis, including the bipartisan compromise just negotiated.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. 'Sustainable' Delivery (First) | Dr. Uché Blackstock on Race and Medicine (Starts at 25:34) | Why An 'Enormous' Natural Gas Export Terminal Got Delayed (Starts at 53:36) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine talks about his proposal to get down more quickly, and other news.

As the City pilots a four-day workweek for certain onsite employees, Vanessa Fuhrmans, deputy bureau chief of Wall Street Journal careers and workplace team, reports on companies who have adopted that system and what makes it successful, and listeners share their experiences with the model.

A hearing this week on kids' online safety became contentious and, at times, emotional as senators from both parties grilled tech CEOs. Will Oremus, technology reporter at The Washington Post, offers a recap and analysis. 

The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York got a big grant that will allow the school to work toward free tuition at a time when the profession is undergoing big changes. Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and philanthropist, and Graciela Mochkofsky, dean at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, contributing writer for The New Yorker and the author of The Prophet of the Andes: An Unlikely Journey to the Promised Land (Knopf, 2022), talk about what this means for the school, individual students and the future of journalism.

Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky, data reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, shares her reporting on the school cafeterias with the most health code violations in New York City, what kinds of transgressions have been documented, as well as kids true thoughts about what their served for lunch.  

Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR science correspondent and the author of Transient and Strange: Notes on the Science of Life (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), talks about her new book that connects our lives to the science around us.

A recent Gothamist article one of the perennial problems of city life: too much noise. We ask listeners for their advice and hacks for coping with noisy neighbors, construction and traffic.→ Making life in NYC less noisy: How to quiet your home→ Noise could take years off your life. Here's How.

House Republicans have begun the process to impeach the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over border policy. Jacqueline Alemany, Congressional investigations reporter for The Washington Post, explains what Republicans are thinking, how they haven't actually presented any impeachable offenses and why Democrats say the GOP is abusing impeachment and using it as a political tool ahead of the 2024 election.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, including why City Council voted to override the Mayor's veto.

Winter blues and reflection during the early weeks of the new year can bring up a feeling of being absolutely stuck in life. Adam Alter, professor of marketing at NYU's Stern School of Business, affiliated professor of psychology at NYU, and author of Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most (Simon & Schuster, 2023), explains why this feeling of being stuck may occur and how to get your life back on a fulfilling track.

Joshua Green, national correspondent for Bloomberg Businessweek and the author of The Rebels: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the Struggle for a New American Politics (Penguin Press, 2024), talks about the rise of the progressive wing of the Democratic party and where it goes from here.

As many organizations cut staff, Paul Farhi, former media reporter at The Washington Post, takes stock of the state of the news media and highlights solutions that Congress might consider soon.→ Is American Journalism Headed Toward an ‘Extinction-Level Event’?

Robinson Meyer, founding executive editor of Heatmap, a new climate-focused media company, breaks down the Biden administration's recent announcement to pause a decision on whether to approve what would be the largest natural gas export terminal in the United States.

John Surico, a regular contributor to Bloomberg CityLab and adjunct professor at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, talks about Mayor Adams's proposed Department of Sustainable Delivery, part of his State of the City address.

Elizabeth Passarella, magazine writer and the author of the essay collections It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway and Good Apple (Thomas Nelson, 2023), discusses the phenomenon of excessively permissive parenting and its connection to gentle parenting, while listeners share how they're balancing discipline with the need to teach their children boundaries and how to work through their feelings.   

Three U.S. service members were killed in Jordan this week, and now some Republicans are proposing that the United States should attack Iran. 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), explains why we even have troops in Jordan and other places in the Middle East at all, and how this is all related to the Israel-Hamas war.

In his State of the City address, Mayor Adams declared social media to be a public health hazard, at the same time that Florida is working on a ban for all teens under 16. Katherine Keyes, professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, talks about what her research has shown on the good and bad effects of social media. Plus, Andrew Gounardes, New York State Senator (D, District 26 - Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, the Columbia Street Waterfront District, Dumbo, Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton, Gowanus, Park Slope, Red Hook, South Slope, and Sunset Park), explains two new proposed state laws that aim to protect anyone under 18 online, including one which would prohibit social media companies from collecting and selling information and another which would curb features like curated algorithmic feeds.

Uché Blackstock, physician, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, and the author of Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine (Viking, 2024), shares the story of becoming, and practicing as, a Black female physician and how race and racism affect healthcare for patients.

Eric Adams, New York City mayor, discusses his administration's work on housing, why they are calling social media a public health hazard and the disagreement with City Council over the "How Many Stops Act."

With the next presidential primary taking place in South Carolina, Meg Kinnard, national politics reporter at The Associated Press, writer of their "Ground Game" newsletter and a South Carolina resident, shares her reporting and analysis on the politics of the Palmetto State—including the issues that voters there care most about, and how they feel about the fact that their former governor, Nikki Haley, is on the ballot.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Chaos theory and our political reality (First) | How meat exacerbates the climate crisis (Starts at 30:35) | The polycule: what is ethical non-monogamy? (Starts at 58:25) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Brian Klaas, social scientist, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, professor of global politics at University College London and the author of Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters (Scribner, 2023), connects chaos theory to politics and all aspects of our lives.

Yesterday, Pew Research released a results of a study showing that only 45% of young adults ages 18 to 34 are completely financially independent from their parents. We hear from listeners -- both parents and young adults -- about giving and receiving financial aid within their families, what this aid is used for, how this dynamic affects their relationships, and their aspirations for financial independence in the future.

Adrienne Adams, New York City Council Speaker (District 28, Queens neighborhoods of Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Richmond Hill, and South Ozone Park), talks about the mayor's veto of the council bill to require NYPD documentation of stops and more.

Jelani Cobb, dean of the Journalism School at Columbia University and a staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about the 2024 duPont-Columbia award winners, plus his latest political writing on why Republicans are still debating slavery and the Civil War.

Inspired by a recent piece in Curbed, listeners share why they choose to live in one bedroom apartments with their children.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, shares clips from and analysis of Mayor Adams's "State of the City" speech, where he called focused on housing, crime, the influx of migrants and more.

The past decade of natural disasters has been the costliest ever, and home and auto insurance companies are taking note. Jean Eaglesham, reporter covering insurance for The Wall Street Journal, explains why prices for both insurance categories has shot up and how it's impacting homeowners and drivers.→ Buying Home and Auto Insurance Is Becoming Impossible

Political observers have their eyes on the special election to replace George Santos in New York's 3rd Congressional district in case it serves as a bellwether for November's elections. Abby Livingston, Puck News reporter on political campaigns and Congress, talks about that and shares analysis of media buys and other spending by each candidate and their supporters.

Anya Kamenetz, author of the parenting newsletter "The Golden Hour", The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now (Public Affairs, 2022), and advisor to the Aspen Institute and the Climate Mental Health Network, brings us into the story of a modern day polycule as documented in The Cut while listeners share how they're practicing polyamory in their homes in 2024.

Mortgage interest rates may be coming down some, but they are still higher than recent lows. Ronda Kaysen, real estate reporter for The New York Times, discusses the math homebuyers should take into consideration to make the best decision on buying vs. renting a home, plus the role logistics and emotion play in these decisions, and how the housing market might look in 2024

McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Romney: A Reckoning (Simon & Schuster, 2023), talks about the results from Tuesday's presidential primary in New Hampshire and its implications for the race for the presidency.

New York State's Medicaid budget is one of the biggest in the country. Bill Hammond, senior fellow for health policy at the Empire Center, and Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society and co-founder of the Health Care for All New York Campaign, explain why Medicaid spending is over budget and what all that spending provides for New Yorkers.

U.S. Representative (D, NJ-11) Mikie Sherrill talks about the latest issues at play in Congress, including aid for Israel and Ukraine, the southern border, the potential deal for an expanded child tax credit and more.  

Kenny Torrella, staff writer for Vox’s Future Perfect section and author of Vox's "Meat/Less" newsletter, breaks down the role that meat plays in contributing to the climate crisis, from animals' greenhouse gas emissions to how trees are clear cut to make room for farms, and offers tips on how to incorporate more plant-based food into listeners' diets.

Per the nature of neoliberal capitalism, much of what was once deemed public space is now private, shrinking the possibilities of places to go without spending money and finding community. Listeners share their favorite third spaces, and discuss how these spaces have changed.

Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program and Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, examines the cancelled spending cuts and the mayor's management of the budget. →"How Adams Played City Budget Numbers, Conjuring a Crisis" (The City, 1/17/24)

There are many conflicts happening in the Middle East right now besides the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker and distinguished fellow at Woodrow Wilson Center and U.S. Institute of Peace, offers analysis of the hostilities, how the United States is involved and what else could go wrong.  

Furnishings that used to last for a decade or more are now holding up for just a few years. Rachel Wolfe, reporter covering consumer trends in The Wall Street Journal’s life & work bureau, explains why the quality has gone down, even as prices continue to rise.  

With mayoral control of the schools being debated in Albany again, Clara Hemphill, founding editor of InsideSchools.org and the author of A Brighter Choice: Building a Just School in an Unequal City (Teachers College Press, 2023), talks about its history and the arguments for and against it.

Some may scoff, but many pet owners feel their furry friends are more akin to human family. Katherine Wu, staff writer for The Atlantic, discusses the dynamics of the relationships between people and their pets. → Pets Really Can Be Like Human Family

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. What Americans Want to Say About Race and Identity (First) | Is NYC Avoiding the So-Called 'Urban Doom Loop'? (Starts at 39:10) | Why Your Car is a Rat Haven (Starts at 1:08:30) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Back in 2022, Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, professor of real estate and finance at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, argued New York City might be stuck in what he called an "urban doom loop." Now, he thinks the city may have avoided the the worst of it as tourism has rebounded and workers are returning to the office in decent numbers.  

Listeners who work outdoors call in to share tips on how to keep warm and Nathalia Varela, workplace justice supervising attorney at Make the Road New York, explains how employees can assert their rights for a safe work environment.

Writer E. Jean Carroll is taking former President Donald Trump back to court, this time focusing on what damages, if any, Trump must pay Carroll for defaming her. Andrea Bernstein, journalist reporting on Trump legal matters for NPR, host of "We Don't Talk About Leonard" podcast from ProPublica & On The Media (previous podcasts: Will be Wild and Trump, Inc) and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), breaks down the first two days of the trial and what comes next.

New York City's libraries cut Sunday service after a first round of spending cuts, but Mayor Adams is holding off further cuts for now. Lauren Comito, executive director of Urban Librarians Unite and a manager of a branch library in New York City, talks about the budget back-and-forth and the services beyond books provided by the libraries.

Kai Wright, the host and managing editor of Notes From America with Kai Wright, and Lizzy Ratner, deputy editor at The Nation, discuss their third season of Blindspot, which focuses on the lesser-told stories of the early days of AIDS.  

Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, talks about the latest in the MTA's battle with fare evasion, plus other transit news.

Rats are resilient creatures, and sometimes their will to survive leads them into the machinery of your car. Jason Munshi-South, urban ecologist and professor of biology at Fordham University, explains.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY), talks about her work in Washington, U.S. Middle East policy, funding negotiations, and more.

Sharon Brous, founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a Jewish community based in Los Angeles and the author of The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World (Avery, 2024), draws on the Torah and her work leading a Jewish community to share insights into how to have a meaningful spiritual life, plus reflects on the grief caused by the October 7th Hamas attack, Israel's response and the suffering of Palestinians.  

A. J. Jacobs, host of the new daily iHeart podcast "The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs," NPR contributor, contributing editor at Esquire, and the author of several books including The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life (Crown, 2022), and Greg Pliska, chief puzzle officer for "The Puzzler" podcast, talk about why they think we are in a golden age of puzzles, and quiz listeners on New York-themed puzzle questions. →EVENT:  A.J. Jacobs with Greg Pliska hosts a live performance of The Puzzler on January 31st, 7:00-8:30pm, at the Midnight Theater, 75 Manhattan West Plaza. Guests include Ophira Eisenberg and Wyna Liu.

A bipartisan deal is in the works to expand the child tax credit in a way that would largely benefit low-income families. Dylan Matthews, senior correspondent and lead writer for Vox's "Future Perfect" section, talks about how it would work, how advocates say it would lift children out poverty, the corporate tax cuts that are part of the deal and whether it will pass the divided Congress.

Both Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul have unveiled their new budget proposals. WNYC and Gothamist reporters Elizabeth Kim and Jon Campbell talk about where the two leaders hope to direct spending, the gaps in the city's budget and how much the state will direct toward aiding migrants in the city.

Amber Phillips, Washington Post political reporter and author of The 5-Minute Fix newsletter, breaks down the results of the Iowa caucuses and what they signal about how GOP voters are feeling and the election year ahead.

In 2020, Congress ordered a simplification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which rolled out recently. Ron Lieber, the "Your Money" columnist for The New York Times, breaks down what happened when he filled out the FAFSA for his college-aged child and whether the process really is simplified.

Michele Norris, Washington Post columnist, host of the podcast "Your Mama's Kitchen," former cohost of NPR’s All Things Considered and the author of Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think about Race and Identity (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about her new book that builds on the over half a million submissions to the Race Card Project which invited people to submit six words that summed up their story about race.

After New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy gave their State of the State addresses last week, Marie French, reporter who covers energy and the environment for POLITICO New York, and Ry Rivard, reporter who covers energy, the environment and transportation in New Jersey for Politico, break down how both governors plan to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis in their states.

After Nikki Haley's epic blundering on slavery's role in the Civil War, teachers call in on their day off and talk about how they teach children of all ages about the history of the Civil War.

Richard Rothstein, distinguished fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and a senior fellow (emeritus) at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the author of many books including The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America (Liveright, 2017) and co-author of Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law (Liveright, 2023), and Leah Rothstein, community organizer and co-author of Just Action, talk about their books on segregation, and reflect on Dr. King's legacy.

Wastewater surveillance data suggests a significant COVID surge in the United States. Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, infectious disease physician with a PhD in molecular medicine, researcher at Columbia, Optum chief of the division of Infectious Disease, president of Parasites Without Borders and co-host of the podcast "This Week in Virology," explains the data and discusses the state of the so-called tripledemic.

Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University, Moynihan Public Scholars fellow at City College, CUNY, host of the podcast FAQNYC, host of The Blackest Questions podcast on the Grio, previews the Iowa caucuses, plus discusses New York State's new task force to study reparations. 

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Meeting the Needs of African Migrants in NYC (First) | Leading Growth and Change at CUNY (Starts at 26:45) | The Case for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder with Medication (Starts at 56:41) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

New York City launched the Vision Zero street safety program ten years ago. Alec Hamilton, WNYC's senior producer for Morning Edition, talks about the progress it made and the many challenges that still remain as people continue to be killed or injured on the streets in high numbers, plus listeners weigh in with the intersections they think need safety upgrades.

Rebecca Lewis, senior state politics reporter at City & State NY, and Nick Reisman, Politico New York reporter covering New York state government and politics and co-author of the New York Playbook, compare notes on how Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip are campaigning, and their policy differences, in the special election to replace George Santos in New York's third Congressional district.

South Africa has brought a case to the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing a genocide against Palestinians living in the occupied territories. Julian Borger, world affairs editor at The Guardian, discusses the hearings at the ICJ and why Israel has decided to engage in the debate rather than ignore the accusations entirely.  

Chris Banks, New York City Council member (District 42, East New York, Starrett City, Brownsville, Canarsie, Remsen Village, and East Flatbush), talks about his district and his priorities as one of four new members of the City Council.

Asylum seekers from African nations are flying to Central America and then traveling over land to the U.S. southern border as Europe cracks down on immigration. Amaha Kassa, founder and executive director of African Communities Together, discusses the special needs of African migrants and how his organization is responding to meet them.  

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, where they talked about his "state of the state" address from earlier this week, including plans to attract the generative A.I. industry, and more.

The groundbreaking series 'The Sopranos' premiered 25 years ago. We ask Italian-American listeners from New Jersey to reflect on the show's portrayal of their community.

It's the week before the Iowa caucuses and Donald Trump is still skipping debates. Aaron Blake author, "The Campaign Moment" Newsletter and senior political reporter for The Washington Post, recaps the latest debate between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, Trump's town hall and more campaign news ahead of a big few weeks for the candidates.

John Mogulescu, dean emeritus of the CUNY School of Professional Studies and author of The Dean of New Things: Bringing Change to CUNY and New York City (John Mogulescu, 2023), shares his story of innovation at CUNY and why other public universities should follow his lead.

A civil lawsuit in New York is underway which alleges misappropriation of funds on a grand scale by the National Rifle Association's leadership. Stephen Gutowski, founder of The Reload, an independent publication focused on firearms policy and politics, breaks down the details of the trial and its national implications.  

Now that many of us are living without cable, we’ve grown reliant on the many streaming services available in the market. What once was Netflix and Hulu has now expanded to include more and more platforms — potentially resulting in a bill higher than the cost of cable if not managed properly. Listeners share how they keep track of their streaming services, which ones they’ve cut out, and which they can’t live without.

Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, offer analysis of Governor Hochul's "state of the state" speech.

As many people seek to make lifestyle changes in the month of January, listeners call-in with unhealthy habits and toxic relationships they're seeking to let go of in the new year.

U.S. Army General Paul M. Nakasone, commander, U.S. Cyber Command and director, National Security Agency/chief, Central Security Service, talks about cyber threats from foreign adversaries facing the United States, how these threats play out in international conflicts, AI, election security and more.

In our climate story of the week, Dana Fisher, director of the Center for Environment, Community, and Equity and a professor in the School of International Service at American University and the author of the forthcoming Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action (Columbia University Press, 2024), talks about the role of climate activists in the 2024 presidential race and in combatting climate change in general.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, including how the new 60 day limit on migrant families in shelters is coming up today, as well as the city's budget and more.

Since awards season in Hollywood is now officially underway, listeners call in to recommend a film or television show from 2023 -- or a notable actor's performance.

Luke Broadwater, congressional correspondent for The New York Times, talks about the latest congressional news, including the status of negotiations over border security, upcoming funding deadlines, and more.

Alcohol overuse causes 140,000 American deaths annually. Rachel DuRose, editorial production coordinator at Harvard Business Review and a former Vox Future Perfect fellow, breaks down treatment options and why they are rarely used to treat people who suffer from alcohol use disorder.

John "Janno" Lieber, chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), talks about the work to recover from Thursday's collision and derailment and the disruption to some subway lines, plus other transit news.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Paul Krugman on the national debt (First) | Five essential elements and climate change (Starts at 27:10) | Listener calls on going without alcohol in January (Starts at 57:06) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Jane August, content creator, talks about her Tik Tok series "Jane Visits Every Museum in New York City" and shares some of her favorites among the 106 she's seen already.

Over 60 countries are set to vote in 2024. Ishaan Tharoor, foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post, and the author of the Today's WorldView newsletter and column, ticks through the list and what to expect from a global policy perspective in countries including Britain, India, South Africa, Mexico and the United States.

Saturday marks three years since Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Wendy Weiser, vice president for democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, and Joseph Nunn, counsel in the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, talk about the state of election denialism as the 2024 election nears, and explain how Donald Trump might use the Insurrection Act if he is reelected to tamp down protests or dissent against him.

Grace Ashford, New York Times reporter covering New York State politics and government, talks about the proposals Governor Hochul is rolling out ahead of the State of the State address next week, including on housing, education, health care and more.

The national debt has just surpassed $34 trillion for the first time. Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, New York Times columnist, distinguished professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and the author of (now in paperback) Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), explains how that happened and where inflation may be headed in 2024.

New York State lawmakers are back in Albany for the new legislative session -- with palpable tension among Democrats.  Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, previews the priorities of Gov. Hochul and the legislature, including on housing, education, migrants and more, plus what bills got vetoed from the last session.

Rachel Gutman-Wei, supervisory senior associate editor at The Atlantic asks, "Why does a silly little hyphen make so many people uncomfortable, or unsettled, or even—God forbid—uncomfortable-unsettled?" She joins us to explore what she sees as the American aversion to hyphenated married names.→ The Least Common, Least Loved Names in America

Andre Sayegh, mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, talks about Paterson-related news including how the city's residents with Palestinian roots are feeling about the war in Gaza, plus the city's relaunch of a guaranteed income program, a plan for migrants and how the city is working to deal with the city's flooding issues.

Last year, nearly 41% of adults surveyed in the U.S. reported they were very likely to attempt a sober January. Listeners who have participated in Dry January call in to share what they have gained from taking a month off from drinking and whether it made lasting changes for their relationship with alcohol.

Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post national technology policy reporter, talks about the European Union's AI Act, plus other news involving artificial intelligence.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event and previews Adams' year ahead.

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), brings his analysis of the global ramifications of the Israel-Hamas war, and describes what it might look like if Israel continues to soften its approach, as Biden and others in the international community are urging.

Stephen Porder, associate provost for sustainability and professor of ecology, evolution, and organismal biology at Brown University, co-founder of the radio show Possibly and the author of Elemental: How Five Elements Changed Earth’s Past and Will Shape Our Future (Princeton University Press, 2023), explains how five essential elements — hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus — have changed the climate and the earth, and how we might learn from them to prevent more destructive climate change in the future.

Newsday's Scott Eidler, political reporter, and investigative reporter Paul LaRocco talk about the special election for the House seat in New York's 3rd Congressional district that is up for grabs since George Santos was kicked out of Congress and discuss how both Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip are campaigning.

Listeners call in to share their non-traditional New Year's resolutions.

It's January 2024 and both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary are coming right up. Astead Herndon, New York Times national politics reporter, host of their politics podcast "The Run-Up" and CNN political analyst, offers analysis of where things stand with the presidential election.

Three recent favorites, in case you missed them. 2023 as defined by the words of the year (First) | Errol Louis looks back at the life and legacy of Mario Cuomo  (Starts at 25:35) | Historic firsts in national news (Starts at 1:00:20) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

For our final show in 2023, enjoy these recent favorites: Andrew Seligsohn, president of Public Agenda, talks about his group's project to ensure participation in voting and restore trust in democracy ahead of the 2024 elections. Dave Isay, founder and president of StoryCorps, reflects on 20 years of stories produced by StoryCorps. Larry Buchanan, graphics editor and reporter at The New York Times, talks about the "extremely detailed map" he made of New York City neighborhoods, and what the map, neighborhood names and fuzzy (and sharp!) borders say about, as he writes, "gentrification, displacement, inequality, status." Jill Lepore, professor of American History at Harvard University, staff writer at The New Yorker, host of the podcasts The Last Archive and Elon Musk and the author of several books, including These Truths and her latest, The Deadline: Essays (Liveright, 2023), talks about her latest collection of essays, most of which focused on the relationship between America's past and its polarized present. Don't ask Lydia Polgreen, New York Times opinion columnist and co-host of the “Matter of Opinion” podcast, to go on a walk with you. In a column this autumn, she celebrated the "solitary amble" and laments the "social tyranny" of the walking date or meeting. Polgreen made her case, as listeners responded.   These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions of the interviews are available through these links:  A Plan to Strengthen Democracy in 2024 (Nov. 9) Celebrating 20 Years of StoryCorps (Oct. 23) Where One Neighborhood Ends and Another Begins (Nov. 2) Jill Lepore on the Past and Present, the Personal and Political (Aug. 30) Take A Walk With Me? (Sep 21)

How well did you pay attention to the news in 2023? It’s your chance to prove yourself on this end-of-the-year news quiz. Call in and win a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap if you answer questions correctly about local, national, and international news, plus pop culture, health and science, too. Weekend Edition host David Furst and All Of It's Alison Stewart join Brian to test your 2023 knowledge

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power (Twelve, 2021), rounds up the latest news from the GOP primary campaigns, Biden's White House, and more national headlines.

As the news and conversation around the Israel-Hamas war have been front and center for the last couple of months of the year, listeners call in to share some headlines from 2023 that may have slipped our collective minds.

Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program and Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, shares his analysis of how the city's economy will do in 2024, especially as it relates to which jobs and sectors may thrive and which may struggle.

"Rizz." "Authentic." "Hallucinate." Ben Zimmer, linguist, language columnist at The Wall Street Journal and chair of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society, discusses what the words of the year chosen by various dictionaries and groups say about our language and culture, and previews the American Dialect Society's selection process for their word of the year.

For this long weekend, enjoy some of our recent favorite interviews: Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, former Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019, author of To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul (Knopf, 2023), talks about her new book, a manifesto for facing our history and moving forward together. The Fifth National Climate Assessment, a government mandated report on climate change, was released mid-November. Kate Marvel, climate scientist at the environmental nonprofit Project Drawdown and a lead author of the report, breaks down the warnings -- and the climate solutions -- laid out in the assessment. Michèle Lamont, professor of sociology, African and African American Studies at Harvard University, and the author of Seeing Others: How Recognition Works—and How It Can Heal a Divided World (One Signal/Atria, 2023), argues that "recognizing" and dignifying more than material success offers a path out of today's polarization. Carolina Hidalgo, senior producer for WNYC's Radio Rookies, introduces the new class of Radio Rookies while: Christina Adja shares the story she reported about gentrification coming to her neighborhood in the South Bronx; Saldon Tenzin shares her story on her experience of growing up as a first-generation Tibetan and learning to be proud of a home she's never visited; and Fanta Kaba shares her story on how her family found stability in a NYCHA apartment, and how residents are wary as public housing here in the city is changing.   These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions of the interviews are available through these links:  Tracy K. Smith's Manifesto (Nov. 7) A Climate Scientist's Optimism (Nov. 28) Recognition, Dignity and Worth (Sep. 21) Radio Rookies 2023: Gentrification Comes to The Bronx (Sep. 13) Radio Rookies 2023: Learning What it Means to be Tibetan (Sep. 14) Radio Rookies 2023: Changes Coming to Public Housing (Sep. 15)

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Father James Martin, SJ, on the significance of same-sex blessings for Catholics (First) | The winners of our 2023 Best Photo Contest (Starts at 18:55) | The social justice campaigns to make toys more diverse and less gendered (Starts at 36:30) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Masha Gessen, The New Yorker staff writer and the author of many books including Surviving Autocracy (Riverhead Books, 2020) reports after a trip to Germany on how the memory of the Holocaust complicates calls for a cease fire, support for Palestinians, and Zionism and antisemitism. 

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, looks back at 2023, including the year's crime stats, and talks about his office's recent work on mental health and more.  

Rob Goldberg, chair of the history department at Germantown Friends School and the author of Radical Play: Revolutionizing Children's Toys in 1960s and 70s America (Duke University Press, 2023), talks about social justice campaigns to make toys more diverse and less gendered in the 1960s and 1970s, and how those ideals and the toy industry's response connects to what is sold today, and how kids play.

Marjorie Velázquez, NYC Council Member (District 13, East Bronx including Throggs Neck, Pelham Parkway, Morris Park, Pelham Bay, Pelham Gardens, Schuylerville, Country Club, Locust Point, and Westchester Square, as well as parts of Allerton and Van Nest), reflects on her tenure at City Hall and discusses the politics of housing development amid New York's dire housing shortage. The outgoing Council Member's decision to support a housing plan in her district has been cited as a key reason she lost the seat to Republican Kristy Marmorato.

David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, shares which countries are on the IRC's "watchlist," or the countries they determine are most at risk for humanitarian emergencies, and what his group is doing to prepare. Plus: Moses Mboka, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, shares his story of fleeing a war in the DRC (number 10 on the 2024 list) and eventually settling in Denver, where he and his family were helped by the IRC.  

Earlier this week the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump cannot appear on the state's primary ballot, because of his role in inciting the insurrection on January 6, 2021. Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and host of the new podcast, Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal, and author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (New Press, 2022), offers legal analysis of the case, and how the Supreme Court of the United States will approach this, as it will now almost certainly intervene.  

Every year, The Brian Lehrer Show asks you to submit the best photo you took that is sitting on your phone – and every year, you deliver with some truly impressive snaps!  This year, you submitted over 1,000 photos! Our partners at Photoville, along with a special guest judge, documentary photographer and writer Meryl Meisler, picked out their favorites (check out their 'Top 50' gallery), and then Brian and the team joined in to help select three winners to present their photos on the air. Brian speaks with Meryl Meisler and Laura Roumanos, executive director and co-founder of Photoville, about the three winning photos, which you can see below. Plus, hear the winning photographers talk about their submissions. Partner's Note: Photoville will be celebrating it's 13th festival this year with a city-wide celebration in June. Click here to learn more about the festival, as well as this non-profit and their education and public programs. This Year's Winners: Alfield Reeves's "Grandma"   While visiting home (Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa) for my father surprise 60th birthday party I got to spend a lot of time with my family, including my grandmother. So while the family was in the kitchen hanging out and enjoying each others company I capture this candid of her just observing. (Alfield Reeves)     Deborah Seidman's Are you running away from home? Chelsea, Manhattan NY: Taken in September on a side street of Manhattan. Begs the question of running away, homelessness, hoarding. Which one is this? (Deborah Seidman)   Karl Wagenführ's Death Defying Squirrel Out Our 12th Floor Window Hackensack, NJ: One day there was a knock on our balcony door; being as we are on the top (12th) floor of our building, this was odd. Looked out to see a squirrel on our porch trying to get in. It had climbed up our building, balcony to balcony, and was now panicked because it couldn't go any higher, and didn't know how to get down. This photo was snapped as it attempted to climb up from our window to the roof, which it couldn't manage because of the metal flashing to prevent exactly this. I finally had to persuade our panicked guest (with a broom) to go to the corner of the building, where it finally turned around, and climbed down the brickwork all the way to the ground. (Karl Wagenführ)   

Jodi Rudoren, editor-in-chief of The Forward, offers her view of the war between Israel and Hamas from the Jewish-American perspective, and discusses what she learned on a recent reporting trip to Israel.

Haley Sacks, aka Mrs. Dow Jones on TikTok and Instagram and the founder and CEO of Finance is Cool, offers advice on holiday tipping, as callers weigh in.

Hebh Jamal, Palestinian-American journalist living in Germany, discusses her piece titled "A Letter to my Gazan Palestinian Son,” her experiences of anti-Palestinian repression in Germany, and the latest in Gaza.→ A Letter to my Gazan Palestinian Son.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams talks about two bills up for a vote at the City Council on Wednesday.  

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event.

Hein de Haas, professor of sociology at the University of Amsterdam and founding member of the International Migration Institute at the University of Oxford and the author of How Migration Really Works: The Facts About the Most Divisive Issue in Politics (Basic Books, 2023) offers corrections to our mistaken beliefs about human migration and immigration policies that backfire.

The Biden Administration and the Federal Reserve won't say they're taking a victory lap yet, but the recession that many economists predicted seemed inevitable has so far failed to materialize. Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter for The Washington Post, reports on the steps the White House and the Fed took to stave it off, and what might come next for the economy.

Earlier this year, New York State became the first state in the country to ban the use of fossil fuels in new construction, essentially banning gas stoves in future homes. Mariana Simões, climate / environment reporter for City Limits, shares how the fossil fuel industry is fighting back against this ban through legal strategies that have worked in other areas of the United States.  

Pope Francis has authorized priests to bless same-sex couples, stopping short of allowing full marriage rites. James Martin, SJ, a Jesuit priest, editor of Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic resource, consultor to the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication, and author of Come Forth (HarperOne, 2023) and Learning to Pray (HarperOne, 2021), talks about the significance of this step and listeners share their reactions.

George Bodarky, community partnerships and training editor at WNYC, talks about WNYC's "Food Memoirs" series in which New Yorkers share stories behind favorite family recipes and listeners call in to share their own.

Zohran K. Mamdani, New York State assembly member (D, D-36, Queens), discusses his recently introduced bill that would end a property tax exemption for Columbia University and NYU, providing $321 million yearly in funds for CUNY schools.

Gabriel Debenedetti, national correspondent at New York Magazine and author of The Long Alliance: The Imperfect Union of Joe Biden and Barack Obama (Henry Holt and Co., 2022), reports on President Biden's reelection campaign, which despite dismal poll numbers, is full of staffers who feel confident in his chances for 2024.

U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks (D, NY-5) talks about the latest news, including aid packages for Ukraine and Israel, New York redistricting, and more.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Fentanyl in NYC  (First) | Gratuities After Checkout Undercuts Food Delivery Worker Wage Increase (Starts at 27:10) | Holiday Gifting Advice (Starts at 57:30) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC/Gothamist (formerly with the USA TODAY Network), explains why the Court of Appeals threw out the Congressional maps from the last election, how they'll be redrawn and why the new lines are likely to be a major win for Democrats.  

Sapreet K. Saluja, executive director of New York Cares, talks about their coat drive and other volunteer opportunities as callers share their favorite ways to give during the holidays.

Amanda Mull, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about her story exploring whether Amazon's embrace of foreign vendors may have set up competitors like Temu and Shein to succeed.  

Eric Umansky, ProPublica editor-at-large, discusses a six-month investigation into the way police departments around the country "undermined the promise of transparency and accountability that accompanied the body-camera movement."→ How Police Have Undermined the Promise of Body Cameras (ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine)

With Christmas around the corner and Hanukkah wrapping up tonight, the deadline to purchase gifts for your loved ones is fast approaching. Caroline Weaver, founder of The Locavore Guide, a new digital discovery guide to NYC's independent, brick-and-mortar stores, discusses her Holiday Shopping Hotline and gives gifting advice to listeners stuck on what to get for their favorite people.  

Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Ukraine correspondent for The New York Times, breaks down the latest news from Ukraine, where its monthslong counteroffensive failed to retake territory lost to the invading Russian army, and recaps Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's trip to Washington.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, where they talked about the lawsuit against congestion pricing, his wife running for senate and more.

Elie Honig, senior legal analyst at CNN, host of the CAFE podcast "Up Against The Mob," former New Jersey and federal prosecutor and author of Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away with It (Harper, 2023), offers legal analysis of two cases the Supreme Court agreed to hear, on the abortion pill and the law used to charge people with January 6th-related offenses.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event.

Farnaz Fassihi, United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times, breaks down the role that the United Nations is assuming in brokering a ceasefire and other permanent solutions in the war between Israel and Hamas.

New York City Council recently voted to approve Naloxone to be stocked in public schools. Courtney McKnight, clinical assistant professor of epidemiology at the NYU School of Global Public Health, breaks down where fentanyl is commonly found, how Naloxone is administered and what New Yorkers can do to keep themselves -- and their kids -- safe from fentanyl overdose.

Rebecca Carroll, writer and cultural critic, and author of Surviving the White Gaze: A Memoir (Simon & Schuster, 2021), and voice actor Cree Summer preview their work in "In Love and Struggle, Volume 3: The Future is Around Us" at Minetta Lane Theatre this week. More details and ticketing info here.

Nina Lakhani, senior climate justice reporter at The Guardian U.S., breaks down the latest from the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, where a new draft of the core agreement removed a call to phase out fossil fuels.  

Listeners share the games they play at gatherings of family and friends -- board games, card games, charades, new discoveries and perennial favorites -- and why they work for your group.

As a wage increase for delivery workers goes into effect in New York City, Claudia Irizarry Aponte, senior reporter at The City, explains how Uber Eats and DoorDash have dampened the celebratory mood by only allowing customers to tip after checkout.

Miriam Berger, reporter on the Washington Post's foreign news desk, talks about the dire humanitarian conditions on the ground in Gaza, and what U.S. and other officials are doing to urge Israel to change its strategy as the civilian casualty count climbs. THEN, Deepmala Mahla, Chief Humanitarian Officer at CARE, talks about the acute humanitarian needs on the ground in Gaza, where CARE has been working since the late 1940s. Note: Miriam Berger joined us from Jerusalem, not from Washington.

Zellnor Myrie, New York State Senator (D-20th, including parts Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn), Elections Committee chair, talks about the Clean Slate Act, which was recently signed into law in New York State, which seals certain criminal convictions, and other news.

Jacqueline Coley, an editor at Rotten Tomatoes where she co-hosts the "By The Numbers" podcast shares the best new, and classic, holiday movies as listeners weigh in with their favorites.

On Wednesday, the presidents of three top universities testified before Congress about antisemitism on campus, and their responses provoked severe backlash. Michelle Goldberg, New York Times Op-Ed columnist and co-host of "The Argument" podcast goes beyond the soundbites to give context on the line of questioning that led to their controversial responses.

Last week Hunter Biden was indicted on new tax charges. Philip Bump, national columnist for The Washington Post and the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America (Viking, 2023), talks about how the president's son's legal troubles could intersect with the GOP impeachment inquiry—plus more national political news.

Two conversations from the week about Israel, Palestine, the war in Gaza, and Zionism. Behind the DSA's Stance on Israel and Palestine (First) | Political Divides Among Democrats (Starts at 46:45)  If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

In response to New York's 19th annual “Reasons to Love New York” issue, listeners call in to share their favorite places, things and people outside of New York, including Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and beyond.

Emily Eisner, Fiscal Policy Institute economist, and Andrew Perry, senior policy analyst at Fiscal Policy Institute, dig into their group's report that found that millionaires are returning to the city, and lower- and middle-income folks are leaving -- and what the data say about housing affordability, taxes and more.  

Mortgage rates are high, and housing supply is low, which means buying a home is particularly unaffordable right now. Annie Lowrey, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World (Crown, 2018), explains why this is, and why it may not get better any time soon. →"It Will Never Be a Good Time to Buy a House: Maybe in 2030?" (The Atlantic, Nov. 26, 2023)

On Wednesday, the MTA board voted to approve New York City's congestion pricing plan. Sam Schwartz, former longtime "Gridlock Sam" columnist at the Daily News, former NYC Traffic Commissioner, president and CEO of Sam Schwartz Pedestrian Traffic Management and author of No One at the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future (Public Affairs, 2018), discusses the plan and warns of some of its possible undesirable side effects.

Joseph Zeballos-Roig, domestic policy and politics reporter at Semafor, talks about the latest national political news, including the failed Senate vote to send aid to Ukraine without a border security deal, and the most recent Republican presidential primary debate.  

Rachel Cohen, senior reporter for Vox covering social policy, breaks down her recent reporting, and personal ambivalence, about millennial motherhood, as birthrates in the United States have been declining for the past 15 years.

As part of his new 3-part podcast, Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, looks back at the legacy of the late former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, and how his decisions have reverberated in politics in New York and the country.

Jill Jonnes, author of South Bronx Rising: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of an American City (3rd ed, Empire State Editions, 2022), updates her landmark 1986 account of the South Bronx's rebound from the devastation of the 1970s. A new section of the book traces the rebound into the gentrification era and the pandemic.

Jake Sherman, co-founder of Punchbowl News and the co-host of the "Daily Punch" podcast by Punchbowl News, talks about recent Congressional news including foreign aid votes and conditions, and yesterday's hearing with the leaders of three prominent universities on antisemitism.

Mike Massimino, NASA Astronaut (1996-2014), engineering professor at Columbia, advisor at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, and the author of Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut’s Guide to Achieving the Impossible (Hachette Go, 2023), shares his story of overcoming hurdles to become an astronaut (and the first person to tweet from space!).

Sam Jacobs, Time Magazine editor in chief, talks about the magazine's selection of their "Person of the Year" for 2023: Taylor Swift.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Gothamist and WNYC reporters Elizabeth Kim and David Brand recap what he talked about at this week's event, including on their reporting on emails that revealed City Hall "fast tracked" fire safety inspections at high-end Hudson Yards buildings, leaving more modest entities waiting for inspections they had scheduled months earlier.

Nina Lakhani, senior climate justice reporter at The Guardian U.S., breaks down the latest from The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, including a deep dive into the president of the U.N. climate talks Sultan al-Jaber's ties to the fossil fuel industry.

Bill Ulfelder, forester and executive director of The Nature Conservancy in New York, explains why real trees are the ecologically sound choice for Christmas.

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, talks about the magazine's new issue that examines how different a second Trump presidency could be from the first, plus the latest national political news.  

On Sunday, an e-bike caused the Bronx fire that killed one person and left 13 others injured. Keith Powers, New York City Council Member (District 4, Midtown Manhattan and UES), breaks down where and why e-bike lithium-ion battery fires happen and what policies are in the works in New York City to minimize risks.

Louise Norris health policy analyst for medicareresources.org helps listeners understand the pros and cons to Medicare and Medicare Advantage, as they navigate open enrollment.

Kate Shaw, law professor at Cardozo Law School, ABC Supreme Court contributor and cohost of the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast, and, Andrea Bernstein, journalist, host of "We Don't Talk About Leonard" podcast from ProPublica & On The Media (previous podcasts: Will be Wild and Trump, Inc) and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), break down the latest Supreme Court headlines, including the passing of former Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, a case that seeks to limit administrative bodies of power, and the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subpoenas of two individuals embroiled in ethics scandals plaguing sitting justices.

Alexis Grenell co-founder of Pythia Public, a political and public affairs firm, columnist for The Nation, explains her objections to how some on the left are approaching the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and where she thinks some criticism veers into anti-Semitism. Plus, a look at the upcoming special election to fill the seat of expelled congressman George Santos.

Charley Locke, freelance writer, talks about why we should all have intergenerational friendships, and our listeners tell us about their own. → You should have more friends of all ages

A year ago, mayor Eric Adams unveiled a plan to involuntarily hospitalize those suffering from severe mental illness on New York City streets. Maya Kaufman, healthcare reporter at Politico, discusses her reporting on how this plan has taken shape over the last year.  

Hilla Medalia, documentary filmmaker, talks about her new documentary, "Mourning in Lod," about Israeli and Palestinian families connected through violence but also peace, business, politics and altruism.

There's no shortage of discussion when it comes to the left's fissures on Israel. Jeremy Cohan, co-chair of NYC-DSA's steering committee, explains the Democratic Socialists of America's pro-Palestine stance and their involvement in a widely criticized Manhattan protest the day after the October 7th attacks. Plus: JC shares an inside look at how the organization decides upon their policy stances, how they work with endorsed elected officials, and their broader vision for our political future.

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their online-only businesses ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Henry Kissinger has died at 100 years old. 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), examines the diplomat's massive impact on U.S. foreign policy, and addresses his huge failures and many critics, who see him as an immoral war criminal.  

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located on Long Island, Connecticut and Westchester (& suburbs further north) ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Thousands of new students have joined the New York City school system since asylum seekers started arriving. New York City Council member Shahana Hanif (District 39, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington), also chair of the Committee on Immigration, breaks down how the city is meeting their needs and what more needs to be done.

Sarah Longwell, political strategist, founder of Republican Voters Against Trump and publisher of the "The Bulwark," talks about 2024 politics, including voter opinion heading into early GOP primaries, polarization across and within parties, and the effect of 3rd party candidates on the presidential contest.

Dalia Hatuqa, independent journalist reporting on Israel and Palestine, talks about what life is like for Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7th, including how they are dealing with violence by Israeli settlers, harassment by police and other officials, and the political and historical context of how it came to be like this.

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located in New Jersey ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Last week, the yearlong lookback window allowing adult victims of sexual assault to file lawsuits against their perpetrators closed. Bernadette Hogan, statehouse reporter at Spectrum News NY1, discusses the end of the Adult Survivors Act lookback window, the flurry of cases against high profile characters that came in, as well as efforts to potentially reinstate the law, providing another opportunity for victims to seek justice.  

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, fielding questions from reporters on any topic. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps the mayor's statements.

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located in Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Inflation is easing, but Americans are still pessimistic about the economy. Catherine Rampell, opinion columnist at The Washington Post, political/economic commentator at CNN, special correspondent at PBS NewsHour and a contributor to Marketplace, shares inflation numbers, and some analysis about the disconnect between the economy and how people feel about it.

Gilbert Cruz, Book Review editor at The New York Times, announces The New York Times Book Review's 10 best books of 2023. → To check out the full list, click here.

Kate Marvel, climate scientist at the environmental nonprofit Project Drawdown, and a lead author on The Fifth National Climate Assessment, a government-mandated report on climate change, which was released mid-November, breaks down the warnings — and the climate solutions — laid out in the assessment.

Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D NY), responds to questions about Israel's war in Gaza, healthcare, asylum seekers, and more.

Rosalynn Carter died just over one week ago and memorials and her funeral are being held this week. Jonathan Alter, MSNBC analyst, author of the Substack newsletter "Old Goats," and author of several books, including His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life (Simon & Schuster, 2020), reflects on the former first lady's life and legacy.

Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene introduces a new program that will offer online therapy to New York City teens, and other health-related news.

Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker and distinguished fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and US Institute of Peace, offers analysis of how the cease fire between Israel and Hamas is going, as well as the deal to release both Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located in Brooklyn and Manhattan ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal recaps the latest political news after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. New Limits On New Jersey's Drugged Driving Detection Protocol  (First) | What Deregulation Did to Flying (Starts at 21:53) | Celebrating Those Who've Welcomed Migrants into Our Communities (Starts at 47:03) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

On this day after Thanksgiving, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations: With the "dream" of an ever-brighter economic future now stymied, David Leonhardt, senior writer for The New York Times who writes The Morning, The Times’s flagship daily newsletter and author of Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream (Random House, 2023), traces its history and offers a path to reclaiming it for future generations. Through the story of three North Philadelphia children and drawing on his research, Nikhil Goyal, sociologist and policymaker who served as senior policy advisor on education and children for Chairman Senator Bernie Sanders on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and Committee on the Budget and the author of Live to See the Day: Coming of Age in American Poverty (Metropolitan Books, 2023), shows how poverty limits the lives of U.S. children and offers policy solutions. Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, recounts one family's year-long battle with New York City's Department of Education to help their child receive the specialized instruction required while growing up with dyslexia. Naomi Klein, activist, professor of climate justice at the University of British Columbia, and the author of Shock Doctrine, No Logo, and her latest Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2023), writes about her identity being confused with Naomi Wolf's and how that reflects larger societal trends. Mo Rocca, host of the podcast Mobituaries, a CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and a frequent panelist on NPR’s hit weekly quiz show Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, talks about the new season of Mobituaries, the "death" of the mid-Atlantic accent, and things he wishes would go away. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: What Happened to the American Dream? (Oct 24, 2023) Child Poverty and How to End It (Sept 26, 2023) The Struggle to Get Proper Instruction for Students with Dyslexia in New York City (Oct 23, 2023) Navigating the 'Mirror World' (Sept 12, 2023) Mo Rocca's "Mobituaries" (Oct 27, 2023) 

On the Thanksgiving holiday, we offer this compilation of our summer advice special with Slate's "Dear Prudie".  In this encore presentation, Jenée Desmond-Harris, writer and host of Slate's Dear Prudence podcast and column -- and Brian -- offer advice to listeners struggling with a dilemma, and callers weigh in with their opinions. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: Advice With Slate's Dear Prudie (and Brian): Good Neighbors and Good Friends (August 10, 2023) Advice With Slate's Dear Prudie (and Brian): To Meddle or not to Meddle (August 17, 2023) Advice With Slate's Dear Prudie (and Brian): Grossed Out and Left Out (August 31, 2023)    

Listeners call in to remember those "what I'm thankful for" moments from past Thanksgivings. 

In a surprising turn of events, Argentines have taken a far-right turn in Sunday's presidential election, resulting in the victory of the self-described 'anarcho-capitalist' political newcomer, Javier Milei. Ana Lankes, Latin America correspondent for The Economist, describes the circumstances that led to Milei's victory, what she learned during her three-hour exclusive interview with him before the election, and what lessons we can gather from the results in Argentina a year ahead of 2024.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease fire deal that will release hostages in exchange for a temporary pause in fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners. Allison McManus, senior director for the National Security and International Policy department at The Center for American Progress offers analysis of what else the Biden administration should be doing as the conflict continues and whether the cease fire may be continued.

Carlos Rodriguez, chief policy and operations officer for City Harvest, talks about food insecurity in New York City, and why despite it being a year-round problem, it can be particularly stressful for families around major holidays; plus what policies City Harvest advocates for that they say would help.

Listeners call in to talk about how they imagine disagreements over the war between Israel and Hamas will surface at their Thanksgiving gatherings, and how they plan to diffuse the tension—if that's even possible.

Ganesh Sitaraman, law professor and the director of the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator for Political Economy and Regulation, member of the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee and the author of Why Flying Is Miserable: And How to Fix It (Columbia Global Reports, 2023), argues the deregulation of the airline industry in the 1970s went too far and better public policy can fix the problems with this industry, and others.  

Virtually every projection of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 involves some amount of carbon capture. Shannon Osaka, climate reporter for The Washington Post, talks about why pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is increasingly becoming a priority for the U.S. and how companies are aiming to pull it off.

Sara Morrison, a senior Vox reporter who covers data privacy, antitrust, and Big Tech, talks about the firing and hiring of Sam Altman and government efforts to regulate AI, plus the anti-trust cases against Google, Meta and Amazon.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, where Native Americans helped newcomers from Europe adjust to life in a new continent, listeners call in to shout out organizations and individuals that have helped migrants and asylum seekers from Latin America and elsewhere adjust to life here in New York City and nominate them for the next Lehrer Prize.  

Jelani Gibson, content lead for NJ Cannabis Insider, and a reporter for NJ.com and The Star-Ledger, talks about a recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision that puts new limits on how a controversial method used to determine if someone is driving while high can be used in court.

Justin Brannan, New York City Councilmember (District 43, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach), who is also the chair of the finance committee, discusses the City Council's reaction to the mayor's budget cuts.

Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), talks about the latest national political news, including a check-in on President Biden's reelection bid.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Adam Kinzinger, 'Renegade' (First) | How Hoboken Is Responding to Climate Change (Starts at 30:00) | Your Open Enrollment Questions (Starts at 56:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Laura Nahmias, senior reporter covering New York City and state politics at Bloomberg News, discusses the cuts to services from libraries to the NYPD, in a mid-year adjustment from Mayor Adams.

Dean Obeidallah, comedian and co-founder of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and host of "The Dean Obeidallah Show" on SiriusXM radio, talks about the New York Arab American Comedy Festival 20th anniversary tour and finding ways to laugh in tough times, from the festival's founding in the wake of 9/11 to the conflicts today.

Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic, founder of New York Times initiative Headway, which is focused on big global challenges and paths to progress, and the author of The Intimate City: Walking New York (Penguin Press, 2022), talks about the work Hoboken has done since the flooding during Sandy to handle storm surges and heavy downpours.

Adam Kinzinger, former Illinois congressman (2011 to 2023) who served on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, Air Force veteran, CNN commentator and the author (with Michael D'Antonio) of Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country (The Open Field, 2023), talks about his new book and the current state of the Republican Party.

A meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Joe Biden comes as the relationship between the U.S. and China hits its lowest point in decades. Danny Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute and former diplomat, offers analysis of the summit.

Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the case seeking to restart New York's redistricting process, now back in the hands of the Court of Appeals, plus some of the bills on Gov. Hochul's desk awaiting her signature, or veto.

David Bukszpan, author of Crosswordese: A Guide to the Weird and Wonderful Language of Crossword Puzzles (Chronicle Books, 2023), talks all about crosswords, from their history to how to up your skills in solving them.

It's open enrollment season. Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society and co-founder of the Health Care for All New York Campaign, answers questions from listeners on ACA plans, the different types of employer plans, FSAs, HSAs and more ins and outs of picking the right health insurance plan.

Kathryn Jezer-Morton, columnist for The Cut covering modern family life, talks about her article "Does Anyone Feel Like An Actual Adult?" where she explores feeling out place around other parents and the idea of "adulting."

Reed Abelson, New York Times reporter, talks about the financial challenges of caring for our elders, since the United States does not have a comprehensive system to help pay for long-term care as the population ages.

James Surowiecki, a contributing writer for The Atlantic and the author of The Wisdom of Crowds, talks about the gap between the mostly positive economic indicators and how Americans perceive the state of the economy.

Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program and Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, talks about the economic impact of the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike on the local economy. →"The Actors’ Strike is Over — But Film and TV Production Will Take Months to Recover" (The City, Nov. 9, 2023) 

Listeners call in to share their suggestions for where they like to bring their out-of-town guests - an especially pertinent question as the holiday season is just about upon us.

William Rashbaum, senior writer for The New York Times, talks about his reporting into the FBI's investigation of Mayor Adams' campaign fundraising operations and whether there are illegal connections between donations and the Turkish government.

On Wednesday, the United States announced it will join United Nations guidelines to set up a loss and damage fund due to climate change. Bob Berwyn, science correspondent for Inside Climate News, breaks down what the U.S. will pledge going into the global COP28 climate talks in Dubai.

Raquel Willis, trans activist, host of the new podcast Afterlives: The Layleen Polanco Story and author of the new book The Risk it Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation (Macmillan, 2023), talks about the life and legacy of Layleen Polanco, a young trans woman who died in solitary confinement at Rikers Island in June 2019.

Rajiv Shah, MD, president of the Rockefeller Foundation and USAID administrator from 2009-2015 and the author of Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens (Simon Element, 2023), talks about responding to humanitarian crises, and going for bold improvements.

Eric Blanc, assistant professor of labor studies at Rutgers University, author of several books including Red State Revolt: The Teachers' Strike Wave (Verso, 2019), and We are the Union: How Worker to Worker Organizing Can Transform America (UC Press, 2024) discusses what the SAG and UAW deals signal about workers' power and labor relations.

Susan Glasser, a staff writer at the New Yorker, where she writes a column on life in Biden's Washington and co-anchors a weekly roundtable discussion on "The Political Scene" podcast, and co-author with Peter Baker of The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 (Doubleday, 2022), talks about the latest national political news after the long holiday weekend, including the end of Sen. Tim Scott's bid for the White House, the fallout of last week's 2024 polls, and the pending government shutdown.

Voters in the East Bronx elected a Republican to City Council for the first time in 40 years, defeating one-term councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez. Jonathan Custodio, Bronx reporter for The City, reports on what drove the neighborhoods to Republican Kristy Marmorato, and whether this election signals an enduring shift.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Atlantic writer McKay Coppins talks about his biography of Mitt Romney and the state of the GOP (First) | Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, on a manifesto for moving forward together (Starts at 29:45) | How the issue of abortion affected the outcomes of a few key election races around the country (Starts at 47:22) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.    

As the subways have repopulated post-COVID-19 slowdowns, it seems many of us have forgotten our manners. Ana Ley, metro reporter for The New York Times, and listeners remind us all of the dos and don'ts when it comes to riding the rails in New York City.  

Dave Philipps, New York Times military correspondent and the author of Alpha: Eddie Gallagher and the War for the Soul of the Navy SEALs (Crown, 2021), talks about his reporting on the adverse health effects experienced by troops involved in the U.S. military campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and its historical context.

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power (Twelve, 2021), rounds up the latest news from Washington, including the GOP debate and the pending shutdown.

Billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen announced he's thrown his hat in the ring for one of the three downstate casino licenses New York State will distribute. Nick Garber, politics reporter at Crain's New York Business, talks about what Cohen is envisioning next to Citi Field, the community's concerns and where the state is in its long process to allow three new casinos to open in the city and nearby.

Last Sunday as we wound our clocks backwards once again to give early risers an extra hour of sunlight, The Atlantic published a piece urging us all to "Overthrow the Tyranny of Morning People," highlighting how morning supremacy forces us all to wake up earlier than we'd like. Echoing this sentiment, listeners share their gripes with our culture that centers morning people and how they overcome early mornings in their daily lives.  

Salam Fayyad, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, currently visiting scholar at Princeton University, draws on his political experience to propose a path forward for peace for Israelis and Palestinians.

Andrew Seligsohn, president of Public Agenda, talks about his group's project to ensure participation in voting and restore trust in democracy ahead of the 2024 elections. → Public Agenda's "Democracy Renewal Project" 

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, where they talked about New Jersey's election results, the collapse of the Orsted offshore wind power deal and more.

McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Romney: A Reckoning (Simon & Schuster, 2023), talks about his biography of Mitt Romney and the state of the GOP.

While Hart Island has a reputation for being the burial grounds of New York's unwanted, those laid to rest on the island each have stories and loved ones. Joe Richman, founder and executive producer of "Radio Diaries", discusses the Radio Diaries series "The Unmarked Graveyard: Stories from Hart Island" and Susan Hurlburt, Neil Harris' mother, shares stories of her son Neil Harris Jr., also known as Steven, who was buried on the island.

U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11) talks about election results, new federal funding for the new tunnel under the Hudson River that will speed up work on the Gateway Project, more new funding for Amtrak, humanitarian aid to Israel and Gaza and more news.

Shefali Luthra, health reporter covering the intersection of gender and healthcare at the 19th, talks how the issue of abortion affected the outcomes of a few key election races around the country.

Listeners call in to share who the voted for in local races across New York and New Jersey, then Brent Johnson, political reporter in the Statehouse bureau of The Star-Ledger and NJ.com, reacts to what he hears from New Jersey voters and talks about the races happening across the state, including every member of the state legislature and many school boards positions and Rebecca Lewis, senior state politics reporter at City & State NY, reacts to New York voters and talks about what's at stake in this year's elections.

Andrew Weissmann, professor of criminal and national security law at NYU School of Law, lead prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel's Office and the author of Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation (Random House, 2020), offers legal analysis of the charges against former President Donald Trump in his fraud trial case in New York.

Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, former Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019, author of To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul (Knopf, 2023), talks about her new book, a manifesto for facing our history and moving forward together. →Event:  Tracy K. Smith will be in conversation with Imani Perry on December 7th at 7:00pm at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South.

Marie French, who covers energy and the environment for Politico New York, and Ry Rivard, who covers energy, the environment and transportation in New Jersey for Politico, talk about the challenges to New York and New Jersey's wind energy projects and where they go from here.

Listeners with roots outside of the tri-state area share which contentious elections they're following in their home states, cities, and towns.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news regarding the FBI's raid at the home of one of Mayor Adams' top fundraisers.

Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent at Vox, talks about the latest news out of Israel and Gaza, plus goes into what a one-state solution would look like from both the Palestinian and Israeli perspective, and why specific conflict-related words matter.

Christopher Werth, senior investigations and narrative editor at WNYC and Gothamist, and journalist Karen Shakerdge discuss their new WNYC podcast, Imminent Danger, that tells the story of one doctor who was deemed an "imminent danger" in New York, but went on to practice elsewhere, and the gaps in the safeguards that are supposed to protect patients.  

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold on a lawsuit to keep former president Donald Trump off the ballot (First) | How culture war issues may help conservative candidates on election night in New Jersey (Starts at 12:10) | The New York City Marathon and a 'running renaissance' (Starts at 44:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Kadia Goba, political reporter at Semafor, reports on a busy week in Congress, with the new speaker, a failed attempt by some Republicans to remove Rep. George Santos from office, fights over aid to Israel (at the expense of the IRS) and more.

Elizabeth Dunn, a James Beard Award-winning freelance journalist reporting on the intersection of food, business, and culture and the co-host of the podcast "Pressure Cooker," and Peter Hull, owner of Apple Dave’s in Warwick, NY, talk about the devastating effect of this fall's rainy weekends on New York's pick-your-own apple orchards.

Some NYC voters will have to choose between candidates for judgeships on Tuesday. Rachel Holliday Smith, associate editor for THE CITY, talks about those races and how judges are picked in New York.

Homeschooling, once the domain of Evangelical Christians, has exploded in popularity, even in places like New York City. Peter Jamison, enterprise reporter at The Washington Post, talks about the data he has collected on homeschoolers, and its effect on children and society.

Larry Buchanan, graphics editor and reporter at The New York Times, talks about the "extremely detailed map" he recently made of New York City neighborhoods, and what the map, neighborhood names and fuzzy (and sharp!) borders say about, as he writes, "gentrification, displacement, inequality, status."

U.S. Representative Jim Himes (D, CT-4) talks about the new leader of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson, who was part of Republicans' efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and what comes next...plus other news related to Israel-Hamas and Ukraine.

The New York City marathon is this Sunday. Rob Simmelkjaer, New York Road Runners CEO previews the race, which remains extremely popular with runners and spectators, plus talks about how he thinks we are in a "running renaissance," the fun of watching the runners and more.

On Election Day next week in New Jersey, every seat in the state legislature is up for grabs—as well as many school board positions. Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the Ask Governor Murphy monthly call-in show discusses how culture war issues may help conservative candidates in what will most likely be a low turnout election.

Madina Touré, New York City education policy and politics reporter for POLITICO New York, breaks down the latest as pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian college students clash on campuses around the city and the country.

In honor of Bret Michaels adopting a heroic dog named Bret Michaels, we hear from listeners about people (or animals) they've met with the same exact name as them.

Joan Walsh, The Nation's national affairs correspondent, and, Donald Cohen, founder and executive director of the research and policy center, In the Public Interest, and co-author of Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power, and Wealth in America (The New Press, 2023), lay out 6 ways they say the wealthy and powerful have blocked progress in the U.S.

Ben Max, veteran NYC politics reporter and host of the "Max Politics" podcast, discuses the organized left's failure to identify a progressive challenger to incumbent Eric Adams in the Democratic mayoral primary, now just over a year and a half away.→ The Left Can’t Find Anyone to Challenge Eric Adams

The trial over whether former President Trump is eligible to be placed on the Colorado ballot under the 14th Amendment started Monday. Jena Griswold, Colorado Secretary of State and chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, talks about the lawsuit seeking to bar him and how Colorado and other states are preparing for the 2024 election.

Will Shortz, NPR's puzzlemaster and New York Times' crossword puzzle editor, brings a special word puzzle that include the letters N Y and C.

Listeners call in with their Halloween costume ideas for 2023.

Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, talks about the latest transportation-related news.

Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and a member of the New York Film Critics Circle, shares some of the new movies that he's recommending (including a shout-out for his all-time favorite scary movie for Halloween).

Jordan Lauf, producer for "All Of It" and its book club, "Get Lit with All Of It" shares some of the new books that caught her attention this season.

Stephen Dubner, host of "Freakonomics Radio" and the co-author of the Freakonomics books talks about what he's learned about failure, including how it is related to success.

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, reports on his recent trip to Israel and offers analysis of the Israel-Hamas war.

Listeners call in to try their hand at a New York City history quiz.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter talks about the latest city news and politics from the Adams administration.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. David Leonhardt traces the history of the American Dream and offers a path to reclaiming it for future generations (First) | How natural gas utilities borrowed from the tobacco playbook to downplay the health risks of gas stoves (17:26) | Advice Reprise: With Slate's Dear Prudie and Brian (35:45) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Rose Marina Boubion, freelance audio journalist and WNYC receptionist, shares some of the great Halloween events to catch this season. →Who needs candy? 9 things to do in NYC after dark to celebrate Halloween (Gothamist) →Dog parade season is upon us. Here’s a guide to the best in NYC and NJ (Gothamist)

Peter Sagal, host of NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, quizzes listeners on the week's news.

U.S. Representative Dan Goldman (D, NY-10), formerly lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of Pres. Trump in 2019 and former assistant U.S. attorney SDNY, talks about the new speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson, whom Democrats view as a far-right extremist, and how Congress will function with him at the helm.

Mo Rocca, host of the podcast "Mobituaries," a CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and a frequent panelist on NPR’s hit weekly quiz show Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, talks about the new season of "Mobituaries," the death of the mid-Atlantic or trans-Atlantic accent, and things he wishes would go away.

Bruce Sachais, MD, PhD and chief medical officer for The New York Blood Center, talks about the current need for blood donations, the recent changes that expand donor eligibility to more LGBTQ men, and the safety measures built into the blood donation process.

Jenée Desmond-Harris, writer and host of Slate's Dear Prudence podcast and column, and Brian offer advice to listeners struggling with a wedding-related dilemma, and callers weigh in with their opinions.

Listeners try their hand at questions about New York City subway and commuter train lines and stations.

Elliott Forrest, weekday afternoon host of WQXR, shares some of the classical music and opera offerings to catch this fall.  

Ilya Marritz, fellow at the Nieman Foundation at Harvard, and Andrea Bernstein, author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), are co-reporters of the podcast We Don't Talk About Leonard from ProPublica and On The Media, which dives into the background of the man who has played a critical role in the conservative takeover of America's courts: Leonard Leo.

Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker and joint fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and US Institute of Peace, offers analysis of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, including the wider implications for the region and the world.

Listeners test their knowledge of demographics and population shifts in the tri-state area (and beyond).

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former special assistant to President Donald Trump and his chief of staff, Mark Meadows and the author of Enough (Simon & Schuster, 2023), talks about her new book and her testimony to the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. → Event: See Cassidy Hutchinson in conversation with Alyssa Farah Griffin at the 92NY Center for Culture and Arts on Monday, Oct 30th at 7:30 pm ET. For more information and tickets, click here.

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), talks about the role President Biden sees for the U.S. in the Israel-Hamas war - and offers more military analysis of the days and weeks ahead.

Alison Stewart, host of WNYC's All of It and the author of First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America’s First Black Public High School (Lawrence Hill Books, 2015), shares some of the NYC museum offerings to catch this fall, including shows at the Met Museum, the Whitney, MOMA and the Frick. →Get Lit with All Of It

Election Day is just about two weeks away. Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, explains how to vote (including registering online, early voting, important dates to remember) and what races New York City voters will be voting on.

Vinson Cunningham, staff writer and theatre critic for The New Yorker and co-host of their new podcast "Critics at Large", and the author of the forthcoming novel Great Expectations (Hogarth, 2024), shares some of the NYC theater offerings to catch this fall.

Listeners call in to try their hand at a pop quiz based on The Brian Lehrer Show's climate stories of the week.

Caroline Drees, senior director, field safety and security at NPR, talks about how NPR deploys journalists to war zones or other dangerous places and describes what is going on behind the scenes to try to keep reporters and other staff safe.

With the "dream" of an ever-brighter economic future now stymied, David Leonhardt, senior writer for The New York Times who writes The Morning, The Times’s flagship daily newsletter and author of Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream (Random House, 2023), traces its history and offers a path to reclaiming it for future generations.

Jeff Brady, climate and energy correspondent, shares his reporting on how the natural gas utility companies borrowed from the tobacco playbook to downplay the health risks of gas stoves.

It's membership drive quiz time. Today, New York City History! Listeners call in to try their hand at a New York City history quiz.

Mara Liasson , NPR national political correspondent,  talks about the latest national political news, including how President Biden is trying to influence Israel, the speaker situation in the House and the Republicans in disarray and more.

Dave Isay, founder and president of StoryCorps, reflects on 20 years of stories produced by StoryCorps.

Jessica Gould, Education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, recounts one family's year-long battle with New York City's Department of Education to help their child receive the specialized instruction required while growing up with dyslexia.

John Schaefer, host of WNYC's New Sounds, shares some of the NYC musical offerings to catch this fall.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. The Parking Landscape in NYC (First) | The 'Eldest Daughter Effect' (Starts at 36:20) | What You Should Know About Breast Cancer (Starts at 51:05) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission will no longer limit the number of new licenses for for-hire vehicles on the road, but there's one important caveat: new cars must be electric or wheelchair accessible. Evan Simko-Bednarski, transit reporter at the New York Daily News, unpacks the new rule and its implications as congestion pricing looms.

Listeners call in to share how they plan to pass time on yet another rainy weekend.  

Aziz Huq, professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School and author of the forthcoming “The Rule of Law: A Very Short Introduction," explains what a gag order is, and discusses the gag orders different judges have placed former President Trump under as he faces multiple trials.

Hamas is still holding an estimated 200+ people hostage. Graeme Wood, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Way of the Strangers: Encounters With the Islamic State (Random House, 2016), talks about the group's plan for the hostages, after he obtained an apparently authentic Hamas document that outlines the group's plan.

In the wake of the Hamas attacks, Israel has cut off the water, fuel and electricity that it normally supplies to Gaza. Avril Benoît, executive director of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières in the United States, discusses how hospitals in Gaza are not able function without these critical supplies, like electricity to power hospital generators and clean water for infant formula.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but often, the act of becoming more aware is simplified to sporting a pink ribbon.  Rebecca Weiss, senior listener services associate at New York Public Radio and founder of Bob's Boxes, a 501c3 nonprofit that sends post-mastectomy care packages to women with breast cancer -- and listeners -- shed light on aspects of the experience of the disease that are not often discussed, but patients and survivors of breast cancer wish we all knew.

Long Island's roads are increasingly lethal. Last year, traffic deaths on the island surged to their highest levels since 2015, claiming 243 lives, but enforcement lags. Newsday reporters Arielle Martinez and Lorena Mongelli discuss surging traffic fatalities on Long Island.

Nick Reisman, Politico New York reporter covering New York state government and politics and co-author of the New York Playbook, talks about the political calculations New York's Republican members of the House are making when it comes to who they're voting for in the speaker's race, especially those in districts on Long Island and the Hudson Valley that President Biden won in 2020.  

Peter Beinart,  journalist, commentator and professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, shares his analysis of the Israel-Hamas war, and his hope - however distant it may feel right now - for peace. Plus: he reacts to President Biden's speech from his visit to Israel.

The phenomenon of “The Eldest Daughter Effect” is all over the internet, from X threads and TikTok reels to lengthy conversations on Reddit. Oldest daughters call in to share how the dynamic of taking care of their family members influences the other aspects in their lives from their friendships, to working relationships to romantic relationships.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC/Gothamist, talks about the new report showing one in three New York City households spend half their income on rent, plus the new 60-day limit for migrant families in shelters.

Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, infectious disease physician with a PhD in molecular medicine, researcher at Columbia, Optum chief of the division of Infectious Disease, president of Parasites Without Borders and co-host of the podcast "This Week in Virology," summarizes the findings of two new studies with insights into distinct biological changes in the bodies of people with long COVID.

The price of parking meters is going up in Manhattan (other boroughs will soon follow suit). Henry Grabar, staff writer at Slate and the author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World (Penguin Press, 2023), and Rachel Weinberger, director, research strategy and Peter W. Herman Chair for Transportation at Regional Plan Association, talk about the parking landscape in New York City, including why so many streets have free parking, the amount of drivers fighting for limited spots and their suggested changes to the whole system.

In this week's Climate Story of the Week, Andrew Kruczkiewicz, research scientist, meteorologist and an expert in extreme weather and flooding at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, part of Columbia University’s Climate School, talks about the weekend rainouts and whether climate change plays a role. → NWS Forecast Maps → IRI Forecasts

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about her work in Washington, the U.S. response to the Israel-Hamas war, and more.

Fresh Kills - the former landfill on Staten Island - is now a park. Tom Wrobleski, senior opinion writer at the Staten Island Advance, talks about the history of the dump, how it affected Staten Islanders' perceptions of their home borough and their relationship to the rest of the city. Plus, he reports on the first portion of the park, which just opened.

There is a shortage of the ADHD medication Adderall that has been going on for about one year now, with no end in sight. Listeners who need the medication call in to talk about whether they've been able to source it lately, and those with unfilled prescriptions share how they (or their kids) are coping without it.

Tahani Mustafa, Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group, offers context from the Palestinian perspective to the Hamas attack and Israeli response.

David Smith, Washington bureau chief for The Guardian, talks about the latest national political news, including the speaker election in the House and the United States' response to the Israel-Hamas war.

Krysta Fauria, Los Angeles-based AP reporter covering entertainment, talks about the breakdown in contract negotiations between The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists [SAG-AFTRA], and The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers [AMPTP].

After a woman's TikTok exposing bridesmaids gossiping about a bride went viral last month, CT Jones, culture writer at Rolling Stone, discusses the privacy issues at risk when dirty laundry is aired out for the world to hear.

New York Public Radio recently laid off about 6% of its staff. LaFontaine Oliver, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, talks about the layoffs and other podcast cuts, the state of the budget and the organization's priorities moving forward.

Julia Ioffe, founding partner and Washington correspondent of Puck, a new media company, draws on her Russian-Jewish-American identity to discuss the burgeoning war in Israel and Gaza.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, in which they talked about who might replace Senator Bob Menendez as his legal troubles mount, and more.

Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), talks about the latest national political news, including the chaotic House speaker election, and the U.S. role so far in the war in Israel and Gaza.

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th but we're far too superstitious to talk about it then. Listeners call in to share their "good luck" superstitions and rituals.

Disinformation on the Israel-Hamas war has been spreading unchecked on online social media platforms like X. Wired reporter David Gilbert breaks down what's behind the droves of false reports on the war and why the European Union is giving the site's owner, Elon Musk, an ultimatum to curb it.

Richard Buery, CEO of Robin Hood Foundation and a former NYC deputy mayor for strategic policy initiatives, and Rachel Fee, executive director of the New York Housing Conference, talk about Robin Hood's "deep dive" into the causes of and solutions to housing instability and homelessness.

Alina Adams, runs the NYC School Secrets website and is the author of the e-books, Getting Into NYC Kindergarten and Getting Into NYC High-School, offers advice for families applying to one of the NYC public high schools that require a portfolio or audition.

Ishaan Tharoor, foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post, and the author of the "Today's WorldView" newsletter and column, and Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker and Joint Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and the US Institute of Peace, discuss the United States' foreign policy options related to the Israel-Hamas war, and how they will affect Israelis, Palestinians and Americans.

John "Janno" Lieber, chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) talks about the MTA's resiliency to climate change, and the latest on congestion pricing, accessibility and ridership levels.

An NYPD administrative judge has recommended no disciplinary charges for the two NYPD officers involved in the 2019 shooting death of Kawaski Trawick. That judge said that Civilian Complaint Review Board prosecutors filed the charges too late even as she acknowledged factors outside the agency's control that contributed to the delay. Arva Rice, interim chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, discusses the investigation and the draft decision.

Akilah Johnson, reporter exploring the effect of racism and social inequality on health for The Washington Post, breaks down new reporting that found the U.S. life expectancy is eroding faster than previously thought, due in large part to chronic illness among people between the ages of 35 and 64.

For our Climate Story of the Week, listeners share the ways that their jobs are being affected by climate change or how is their jobs are affecting climate change -- whether they work in a green job, a job that contributes to climate change, or work outside and have felt its effects.

Rami Khouri, Palestinian-American journalist and senior public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut, talks about the attack on Israel and the political context of the violence.

Dan Goldman, US Representative (D, NY-10), formerly lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of Pres. Trump in 2019 and former assistant US attorney SDNY, discusses the latest news from the Middle East following his trip to Israel over the weekend when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack at the country’s border with Gaza, and breaks down how Congress is reacting to the attack and Israel’s consequent war in Gaza.

On a trip to Latin America, Mayor Eric Adams tried to dissuade migrants from coming to New York City. Murad Awawdeh, executive director at the New York Immigration Coalition, discusses the Mayor's trip, the broader response to the arrival of migrants and other related news. And Maria Ponce, executive director of Transnational Villages Network/Red de Pueblos Trasnacionales (La Red), talks about the particular challenges facing indigenous migrants and communities in New York City. 

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 latest news as Israel declares war on Hamas after an unprecedented attack over the weekend.

The second Monday in October is now known in New York City as Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day. Teachers call in to talk about how they have changed their lesson plans over the years since celebrating Christopher Columbus has fallen out of favor.

Gustavo Rivera, New York State senator (D, District 33 in The Bronx) and chair of the Senate Health Committee, and Joyce Rivera, founder and CEO of St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction (SACHR), talk about the role of overdose prevention centers and harm reduction in combatting the opioid crisis in The Bronx and throughout the region.

Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. Representative (D NY-8th, Brooklyn) and House minority leader, talks about the latest national political news as Republicans in the House try to figure out who the next speaker will be and Israel declares war.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. EVs vs. The UAW (First) | Ever Think About the Roman Empire?  (Starts at 29:30) | The Winning New York Sports Team (Starts at 42:15) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Writer and designer Warren Lehrer and poet Adeena Karasick, co-authors of Ouvert Oeuvre: Openings and Touching In The Wake Of The Virus (Lavender Ink Press, 2023), talk about their artistic collaboration that evokes — through poetry and design — the re-opening of the world after COVID-19 shut it down.

Since a faction of far-right Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy as speaker, Luke Broadwater, congressional reporter for The New York Times, talks about the candidates vying to replace him, and what it all means for the next potential government shutdown, and other House business.

Summer Lopez, chief program officer of Free Expression Programs at PEN America and Azar Nafisi, author of many books including Reading Lolita in Tehran and most recently Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times (Dey Street Books, 2022), talk about the jailed Iranian women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi, this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Grace Rauh, executive director of the think tank 5Boro Institute, and Howard Slatkin, executive director at Citizens Housing and Planning Council, talk about the new report from 5Boro for "flexible co-housing" conversions from office buildings.

Walter Isaacson, professor of history at Tulane and the author of several biographies, including his latest, Elon Musk (Simon & Schuster, 2023), talks about his new book.

Barbara Barker, Newsday sports columnist and features writer, talks about the New York sports team that's winning, the Liberty -- now headed to the WNBA finals.

Tom Malinowski, diplomat, McCain Institute senior fellow and former congressman representing NJ's 7th district, reflects on representing the 7th district, current New Jersey politics, and Senator Bob Menendez's impact on U.S. foreign policy.

Carlina Rivera, City Council member (District 2: East Village, Gramercy Park, Kips Bay, Lower East Side, Murray Hill and Rose Hill), talks about work the Council is doing regarding access to Department of Correction records, transparency around deaths in custody and educational programming in city jails including Rikers Island. 

What does the future of America look like? With multiple generations of people descending from immigrants living together in this country, one might say the future looks like a mash-up! As the next artists in residence at The Greene Space, Rebecca Lehrer, co-founder & CEO of "The Mash-Up Americans," and Amy Choi, co-founder and editorial director of "The Mash-Up Americans", introduce their company and preview their upcoming events. →Their EVENTS at The Greene Space

Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR's "TED Radio Hour" and a new limited run podcast series "Body Electric" and Keith Diaz , a certified exercise physiologist and the director of the Exercise Testing Laboratory at Columbia University Medical Center, talk about the new podcast that explores the ways our technologies, from the chair to the PC, have changed our bodies and how to participate in a study to determine how much movement is needed to offset the effects of too much sitting.→For more information about Body Electric and how to participate in the experiment, go to npr.org/bodyelectric.    

Ritchie Torres, U.S. Representative (D-NY15) talks about the deal that avoided a government shutdown and the fallout for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about how Mayor Adams handles both ongoing challenges, like the surge in migrants, and crises like last week's storm and flooding.

U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11) discusses how Congress narrowly avoided a shutdown and what comes next, her call for Sen. Menendez to step down, plus her American Jobs and Competition plan.    

Cat Bohannon, researcher and author of Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution  (Knopf, 2023), uses the latest research into women's bodies to recast the origins of humanity. →Event: Cat Bohannon appears in conversation with Claudia Dreifus at Book Culture (112th and Bway in NYC) at 7pm on Tuesday, October 3rd. 

Donald Trump is in court for a civil fraud trial, facing a lawsuit brought by New York attorney general Letitia James. The suit alleges that Trump exaggerated his assets to the tune of millions. Nia Prater, staff writer covering New York politics for New York Magazine's Intelligencer, explains the ins and outs of the trial—and what's at stake for the former president.

Robinson Meyer, founding executive editor of Heatmap, a new climate-focused media company, breaks down the latest in climate news headlines, including what the rise of electric vehicles might mean for the U.S. autoworkers and the UAW strike.  

The borough presidents of some of the hardest hit neighborhoos, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso talk about the aftermath of Friday's storm.

Julia Longoria, host of WNYC's "More Perfect" talks about "More Perfect's" season as some episodes re-air on WNYC this week, and Steven Mazie, Supreme Court correspondent for The Economist and legal advisor for WNYC's "More Perfect" previews the upcoming term, with cases on guns, the abortion pill and more on the schedule. 

With news of another government shutdown, Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor, breaks down the politics at play with the brinksmanship over shutting down the federal government and what comes next for Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 

A recent TikTok trend of asking men how often they think about the Roman Empire has gone viral. Kevin Feeney, a faculty fellow at New York University who teaches Roman history, breaks down the obsession and explains what Ancient Rome and the United States have in common, and listeners to call in and share why they think about the Roman Empire so much.

In light of the recent dress code changes in the United States Senate, Allison Bornstein, personal stylist and author of Wear it Well: Reclaim Your Closet & Rediscover the Joy of Getting Dressed (Chronicle Books, 2023), discusses why what we wear matters, how fashion can act as self-care, and talks about her recent book.

A government shutdown is looking almost inevitable. Aaron Blake, senior political reporter, who writes The Fix at The Washington Post, talks about the politics at play; how politicians and voters are feeling about Senator Menendez, a week after his federal indictment on bribery charges. Plus, he talks about the legacy of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whose death was confirmed this morning.

Manhattan borough president, Mark Levine, provides an update on the heavy rainfall in his borough and across New York City.

Jordyn Holman, New York Times business reporter covering the retail industry and consumerism, and Nick Garber, Crain's New York Business politics reporter, talk about Target's announcement that it will close 9 stores, including the one at the East River and E. 116th St. in Manhattan. The company cited shoplifting as the reason, but does plan to open a new smaller store on 125th St.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Child Poverty and How to End It (First) | College Rankings and Admissions Today (Starts at 31:19) | Big Dog, Small Apartment: Big Problems (Starts at 59:47) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Listeners with large dogs share the difficulties they've experienced while trying to find an apartment that will rent to them, as well as issues they've come across while cohabitating in small spaces with their big furry friends. Plus, listeners who would rather not cohabitate in a building with big dogs share their reasoning.  

Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter for The Washington Post, talks about how the GOP presidential hopefuls address the issues raised by the UAW strike as they meet for a second debate.

Yoav Gonen, senior reporter for The City, recounts what happened when a police officer killed Kawaski Trawick in his apartment in The Bronx back in 2019, and why the NYPD is not recommending any discipline or misconduct charges for the two officers who were involved.

Cameron McWhirter, an Atlanta-based national reporter for The Wall Street Journal and the co-author (with Zusha Elinson) of American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023), and Zusha Elinson, Wall Street Journal reporter covering America’s gun culture and industry, tell the story of America's gun culture through that of the AR-15, a weapon that went from use in Vietnam to leisure and mass shootings.

The unemployment rate for Black New Yorkers remains startlingly and consistently high (12% in May), especially when compared to white New Yorkers (1.3%). Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for The City and director of the business and economics reporting program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and the author of Modern New York: The Life and Economics of a City (St. Martin's Press, 2012), and freelance reporter Safiyah Riddle, who co-reported the story for The City talk about this major disparity, and what policymakers are doing to address it. Plus: Greg explains a New York judge's surprise decision that stripped former President Trump of control of some of his properties.

Susan Dominus, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine explains why many colleges have for years been operating under an unofficial affirmative action policy...for men. Liam Knox, admissions and enrollment reporter for Inside Higher Ed talks about the changes to the U.S. News and World Report's college ranking system, and how it affected where different schools fell on the influential list.

Listeners are call in with the amateur version of late-night monologue jokes about politics -- maybe helping to show why it's a good thing the writers strike is ending.

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of "The New Yorker Radio Hour" talks about this year's New Yorker Festival, and current politics.

Listeners call in to share the drama from their neighborhoods—whether it's over pickleball court space, pet owners not doing their part to keep the streets clean or other local issues.  

Through the story of three North Philadelphia children and drawing on his research, Nikhil Goyal, sociologist and policymaker who served as senior policy advisor on education and children for Chairman Senator Bernie Sanders on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and Committee on the Budget and the author of Live to See the Day: Coming of Age in American Poverty (Metropolitan Books, 2023), shows how poverty limits the lives of U.S. children and offers policy solutions.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander talks about budget cuts, scrutinizing the city's contract with DocGo for administering services to migrants, why he sued Fox on behalf of NYC pension funds, and more local news.

Earlier this month, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a lawsuit against five major oil companies seeking compensation for damages caused by climate change. Blanca Begert, California climate reporter for Politico, where she anchors the California Climate newsletter, explains what's behind the lawsuit and how Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta will proceed.

Ryan Haygood, president & CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, talks about the work of the New Jersey Reparations Council as it convenes its first public session on Tuesday.  Link to public hearings

Jenisha Watts, senior editor at The Atlantic, talks about how she overcame and left behind a traumatic childhood to become a successful journalist who is able to navigate a world very different than what she had known.

Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, talks about the latest MTA news, including that subway ridership reached a seasonal high last week, the MTA's pilot for free rides on five bus lines, changes to OMNY and more.

Susan Glasser, a staff writer at the New Yorker, where she writes a column on life in Biden's Washington and co-anchors a weekly roundtable discussion on "The Political Scene" podcast, and co-author with Peter Baker of The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 (Doubleday, 2022), talks about the latest national political news, including the spending impasse in the House over funding to Ukraine, and how Senate Democrats are asking for New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez to resign amidst corruption charges.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. New York City deputy mayor for health and human services Anne Williams-Isom on the city's response to the arrival of asylum seekers (First) | Peter Hotez on The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning (Starts at 35:35) | Patti Smith previews an upcoming performance at Princeton's McCarter Theater Center (Starts at 1:09:20) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

The third winner of Covering Climate Now's "Journalist of the Year" award, Damian Carrington, environment editor at The Guardian, discusses the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, holding world leaders and fossil fuel companies accountable, as well as important recent climate change stories and how The Guardian covers them, including exposés on so-called "carbon bombs" and "methane bombs."

Patti Smith, singer, songwriter, poet, artist and author, and Paula Abreu, director of special events at McCarter Theater Center, preview Patti Smith's upcoming performance in Princeton, New Jersey - which will include spoken-word poems and music with stories from her life.

Vicki Been, professor at NYU's School of Law and faculty director of NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, talks about Mayor Eric Adams' newly unveiled plan to overhaul New York City's approach to development, tackle the housing shortage, and build 100,000 new homes.

U.S. Representative Andrew Garbarino (R, NY2) talks about his work in Congress, including as a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, as the House Republicans grapple with passing a plan to fund the government without the support of some extreme right members.

Michèle Lamont, professor of sociology, African and African American Studies at Harvard University, and the author of Seeing Others: How Recognition Works—and How It Can Heal a Divided World (One Signal/Atria, 2023), argues that "recognizing" and dignifying more than material success offers a path out of today's polarization.

Don't ask Lydia Polgreen, New York Times opinion columnist and co-host of the “Matter of Opinion” podcast, to go on a walk with you. In a recent column she celebrates the "solitary amble" and laments the "social tyranny" of the walking date or meeting. Polgreen join us to make her case, and listeners respond.→ No, I Don’t Want to Go for a Walk With You

Amanda Burrell, executive producer and correspondent of Al Jazeera English’s series earthrise, explains how activists are turning to the legal system to achieve climate-related goals, and reflects on climate solutions more broadly.

The city continues to struggle to provide housing and care to the many migrants coming here. Anne Williams-Isom, New York City deputy mayor for health and human services, discusses the latest plans for where and how long to house people, the elusive work permits and plans to relocate people to other cities in New York State.

Neal Boudette, Michigan-based New York Times reporter covering the auto industry talks about the economics of the auto industry and what's at stake in the strike.

From the frontlines of the fight against vaccine, and other scientific, misinformation, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, codirector of the Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development, and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine and the author of The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023), offers a framework for separating the politics from the science.

There's a ton of restaurants in New York City. Some are great, others...not so great. Tammie Teclemariam, Underground Gourmet columnist at Grub Street/New York Magazine, shares her expert tips for avoiding bad restaurants so that you can enjoy all the great food this city has to offer.

Manka Behl, senior correspondent at The Times of India and one of three winners of Covering Climate Now's "Journalist of the Year" award talks about her climate reporting, and the start of the UN Climate Ambition Summit, while Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review and chairman and co-founder of Covering Climate Now reflects on the state of climate journalism, including how well the beat is covered in the United States and elsewhere in the world.  

At the start of the pandemic, the oldest members of Gen-Z began graduating college and entering the workforce. Fast-forward to today, many have only experienced working from home or in a hybrid manner. Elizabeth Shwe, assistant producer at WNYC's All Things Considered, shares how Gen-Z has acclimated to the working world while listeners share their own experiences of becoming working adults in a new world or working with Gen-Z team members who never experienced the old way.

Food allergies are on the rise, having doubled in children between 2000 and 2018. Andrew Van Dam, who writes the weekly Department of Data column for The Washington Post, and Christopher Michael Warren, assistant professor of preventive medicine and director of population health at Northwestern University's Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research (CFAAR), crunch the data to show just how prevalent they are and what's behind the uptick in kids and adults alike.

Alleen Brown, climate journalist, talks about "Climate and Punishment," a groundbreaking project for which she and her colleague Akil Harris received a 2023 Covering Climate Now journalism award. The project, which includes stories published by The Intercept, explores the effects of climate change and related disasters on prisons and incarcerated people within them. → Climate and Punishment

On National Voter Registration Day, Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org, talks about registering to vote and issues affecting voter access ahead of 2024 and Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the voting rights and elections program at the Brennan Center for Justice, talks about the voting rights nationally and in New York State.

Sen. Mitt Romney announced he won't run for reelection, citing his age, and urged other older politicians to do the same. Christina Greer, Moynihan Public Scholars Fellow at City College, CUNY, associate professor of political science at Fordham University, host of the podcasts FAQNYC and The Blackest Questions and the author of Black Ethnics (Oxford University Press, 2013), talks about Romney's decision and how much it really had to do with age.

In a recent article for Slate, Fortesa Latifi, journalist based in Los Angeles, California, extolled the virtues of the "Irish Exit" — that's leaving a party without saying goodbye. Fortesa shares her story and listeners call in to share what side of the debate they fall on. 

In honor of Climate Week, Mark Hertsgaard, executive director of the global media collaboration Covering Climate Now and environment correspondent for The Nation magazine, talks about related events in the city, including Sunday's climate march, plus introduces his group's journalism awards, which honor the best climate journalists and their work. Plus: Amy Westervelt, climate journalist and the executive editor of Drilled, a multimedia climate accountability reporting project and one of Covering Climate Now's climate journalists of the year, talks about her work and how it fits into climate coverage.

Katy Schneider, features editor at New York Magazine, reflects on "the pandemic skip," which she describes in a recent essay in The Cut as "the strange sensation that our bodies might be a step out of sync with our minds." → The Pandemic Skip

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Naomi Klein: Navigating the 'Mirror World' (First) | Chancellor Banks on the New School Year (Starts at 33:30) | NY Fashion Week Comes to a Close (Starts at 1:06:30) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

As New York Fashion Week wraps up this week, Vanessa Friedman, fashion director and chief fashion critic of The New York Times, talks about the annual production of glitzy shows and parties, what this fashion week tells us about the industry and about what we wear.  

Carolina Hidalgo, senior producer for WNYC's Radio Rookies, introduces the new class of Radio Rookies while Radio Rookie Fanta Kaba shares her story on how her family found stability in a NYCHA apartment and how residents are wary as public housing here in the city is privatized.

Local Law 97 - which will require buildings in the city to limit carbon emissions - goes into effect next year. Rohit Aggarwala, chief climate officer and commissioner of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, talks about the law, what it means for building owners and tenants, and offers some tips for getting help with compliance.

When Wisconsin voters elected Janet Protasiewicz to the state's Supreme Court, it was seen a victory for democracy in a "democracy desert." So why have Republicans moved to impeach her barely a month into her tenure? Dan Kaufman, journalist and author of The Fall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future of American Politics (W. W. Norton & Company, 2018), discusses this development and offers context. → The Wisconsin G.O.P.’s Looming Judicial Attack

Carolina Hidalgo, senior producer for WNYC's Radio Rookies, introduces the new class of Radio Rookies while WNYC Radio Rookie Saldon Tenzin shares her story on her experience of growing up as a first-generation Tibetan and learning to be proud of a home she's never visited.

Vincent Schiraldi, secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services in Maryland, former commissioner of both the New York City Department of Probation and Correction, co-founder of the Columbia University Justice Lab, and the author of Mass Supervision: Probation, Parole, and the Illusion of Safety and Freedom (The New Press, 2023), drawing on his experience and research, argues for the end of parole and probation which he says do not positively impact incarceration or crime rates.

WNYC reporter and editor Nancy Solomon, host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, where they talked about a dispute over housing refugees, post-pandemic bus service, craft beer legislation, and more news and politics.

Julia Preston, contributing writer for The Marshall Project, talks about why a possible work-permit solution isn't accessible to more asylum seekers, New York City officials' calls for a "decompression" strategy, and news that a federal judge has ruled DACA unconstitutional.→ Migrants Desperate for Jobs Trapped in Asylum Maze

Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, talks about the impact of the migrant influx on the city budget and Mayor Adams' latest calls for department heads to cut 5% in November, January and April.

Carolina Hidalgo, senior producer for WNYC's Radio Rookies, introduces the new class of Rookies while WNYC Radio Rookie Christina Adja shares the story she reported, about gentrification coming to her neighborhood in the South Bronx.

With 2024 congressional contests on the horizon, Jeffrey Wice, adjunct professor and senior fellow at New York Law School where he directs the New York Census and Redistricting Institute, discusses why New York's district maps are being revisited again by the courts.

As the House returns to session, Rep. Kevin McCarthy has ordered an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Annie Karni, congressional correspondent for The New York Times, discusses this development and other headlines in Congressional news.

In this week's Climate Segment of the Week, Rebecca Leber, senior reporter at Vox covering climate change, talks about the Biden administration's cancellation of the remaining Arctic oil and gas leases.

It's been over four months since the Writers Guild of America went on strike, with support from SAG -AFTRA union later. Listeners who are part of the unions, or who are impacted by the strike, call in to share how they are making up for the loss in wages.

Naomi Klein, activist, professor of climate justice at the University of British Columbia, and the author of books including The Shock Doctrine and No Logo, is so often confused with conspiracy theorist Naomi Wolf that she's used this experience as the premise for a new book that explores the blurred identities and destabilizing meanings in our broader politics and culture. Klein speaks with us about her new book Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2023),

NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks talks about the start of the new school year, including the integration of migrant families, class-size limits, and the new emphasis on phonics-based reading instruction.

Listeners call in to share how they honor a loved one they lost on 9/11, whether through an act of service, gathering with family or another tradition.

David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, talks about his recent trip to Ukraine and Poland and the refugee crisis that is a result of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Michael Crane, MD, MPH, medical director of the WTC Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence at Mount Sinai and of the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health, talks about the expanding list of 9/11 health effects and who should, and how to, access benefits.

Carol Rosenberg, New York Times reporter discusses the politics and humanitarian conditions at play at the Guantánamo Bay detention complex, including the news that President Biden rejected a proposed deal by prisoners awaiting trial there for their alleged roles in the 9/11 attacks.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (First) | What Happens to Our Online Returns (Starts at 28:30) | Come For the Mets, Stay For the Food! (Starts at 48:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams discusses the latest headlines, including the city's response to the migrant crisis and more.

Healthy sleep schedules can get out of whack during the summer season. Andrea Petersen, reporter at The Wall Street Journal covering consumer health and author of On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety (Crown, 2017), discusses her latest reporting on how to get it back on track.

Jane McAlevey, organizer, senior policy fellow at the University of California at Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, columnist at The Nation and co-author of Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Union Negotiations(Oxford University Press, 2023), talks about labor news, including the latest on the WGA and SAG AFTRA strikes and the UAW negotiations, and the overall state of organized labor today. →"The NLRB’s Recent Decisions Are Good News for Workers" (The Nation, 9/4/2023) 

New York City's tourist numbers are steadily climbing up, with one noticeable exception. Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and the author of Modern New York: The Life and Economics of a City (St. Martin's Press, 2012), breaks down the tourism numbers and explains why Chinese tourists aren't flocking to the city like they used to.

Listeners call in to share what they think is the role of politics in their children's educations.     @BrianLehrer On a national level, I’d like to see universal free lunch. Aside from any education standard, children need to be fed to succeed — Ellen LaVeyra (@elaveyra) September 7, 2023 @BrianLehrer Just in response to the last call -- Teach for America produces some amazing teachers -- I know some personally. But the resources are simply not there in the schools. It's downright criminal. — Whit Frazier (@whitfrazier) September 7, 2023

It's the first day of school for public school students in NYC. WNYC/Gothamist reporter Jessica Gould and Chalkbeat New York reporter Michael Elsen-Rooney talk about how the City is handling registering the thousands of new students who are part of the wave of migrants coming to the city, and other first day-related news, as listeners share stories of starting school as a new immigrant.

Online shopping increased during the pandemic, and a whole industry has sprung up that takes care of customer's returns—including the ones that can't be resold. David Owen, staff writer at The New Yorker, breaks down what happens to all the stuff we return.

The city made big changes to trash pickup earlier this year and is working on expanding composting collection citywide. Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation, talks about how the changes are going, and if the changes have helped to curb the rat problem yet.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about her work in Washington including her take on Biden vs. New York on the issue of migrants, term limits for politicians and Supreme Court Justices, what she's doing about corruption in politics, and more. 

Charter Spectrum has dropped ESPN, as a dispute between the cable provider and Disney (which owns ESPN) heats up. Alex Weprin, media and business writer at The Hollywood Reporter, explains why the two parties are feuding and what it means for customers who are missing out on this year's U.S. Open.  

Citi Field was named as the winner for best stadium food by USA Today readers! Listeners share their favorite menu items at the stadium and compare it to offerings at other sports arenas and concert venues around the city and country.

Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post economics correspondent, talks about how hybrid on-site/remote work has changed more than where we work, but also when.

Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, infectious disease physician with a PhD in molecular medicine, researcher at Columbia, Optum chief of the division of infectious disease, president of Parasites Without Borders and co-host of the podcast "This Week in Virology," talks about the uptick in COVID cases, as the new school year gets started, plus timing the next booster, new variants, and more.

Franklin Foer, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future (Penguin Press, 2023), talks about his reporting on the Biden presidency.  

June and July this year have been the hottest on record, and 2023 is on track to be the warmest year in recent history. Zahra Hirji, Bloomberg News climate reporter, talks about the environmental and economic impact of rising temperatures attributed to climate change. Excited to be on shortly, talking about this @climate story (shared here with a free gift link): https://t.co/xTiNF2R3qGhttps://t.co/e9lNajsHGz — Zahra Hirji (@Zhirji28) September 5, 2023

Listeners call in with their farm and garden and reports: What fruits and vegetables are you growing or finding at the farmers market? What had great seasons and what got too much heat or rain to thrive?

For this Labor Day holiday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: Jane McAlevey, organizer, senior policy fellow at the University of California at Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, The Nation's strikes correspondent and co-author of Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Union Negotiations (Oxford University Press, 2023), draws on case histories of successful negotiations to offer blueprints for other unions. In a March 13 op-ed for the Daily Beast, bestselling author Jodi Picoult condemned the removal of several books, including 20 of her own, from a school district in Florida. Many of these challenges were filed by a single person. Jodi Picoult and Suzanne Nossel, PEN America chief executive officer, explain what's at stake as states and local governments continue to ban books. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in February that showed an increase in teenagers struggling with their mental health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared mental health challenges for teens a "national emergency." Ari Fox, psychotherapist and founder and director of Cope With School NYC, discusses one of the more troubling manifestations of youth mental distress: an exponential rise of kids refusing to attend school. Chris van Tulleken, associate professor at University College London and a practicing infectious diseases doctor and the author of Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food (W. W. Norton & Company, 2023), talks about the health effects of eating diets heavy in highly processed foods - which he researched and experimented with on himself. Thom Dunn, staff writer at Wirecutter reporting on home improvement topics, breaks down Wirecutter's recommendations for the best LED bulbs.   These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: Unions that Won (Mar 20, 2023) Bestselling Author Jodi Picoult Warns Against Book Bans (Mar 27, 2023) The Teenagers Are Not Alright: Post-Pandemic School Refusal (May 11, 2023) The Dangers of 'Ultra-Processed Foods' (Jul 26, 2023) The Best LED Recommendations (Apr 11, 2023)  

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Jill Lepore on the Past and Present, the Personal and Political  (First) | NJ Attorney General Talks Parental Notification in Schools and More (Starts at 35:33) | The J'ouvert Experience (Starts at 1:20:59) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Donald Trump was indicted on August 1 in Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith's probe into the former president's 2020 election interference and Jan. 6, 2021.  On this Summer Friday, a special encore presentation of selections from the indictment, plus analysis and listener reactions. First, WNYC host Tiffany Hanssen;  Kai Wright, host of WNYC's Notes from America;  Micah Loewinger, correspondent for WNYC's On the Media; Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, host of its new podcast Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022); and Jill Wine-Banks, MSNBC legal analyst, former Watergate special prosecutor, co-host of the podcasts #Sistersinlaw and IGenPolitics and the author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President (Henry Holt and Co., 2020), take turns reading key passages from the document. Then, Jill Wine-Banks offers analysis of this latest indictment of the former president.   This encore presentation was edited slightly for time and clarity.  The original live presentation is available here: The Third Indictment of Donald Trump: A Reading and Analysis (Aug 4, 2023)

As the new academic year gets started, Liam Knox, reporter at Inside Higher Ed covering admissions and enrollment, talks about the responses from some of the selective colleges and universities to the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action.

In the final installment of a summer advice series, Brian and Jenée Desmond-Harris, writer and host of Slate's Dear Prudence podcast and column, offer advice to listeners struggling with relationship challenges, while callers weigh in with their opinions. Plus, Jenée Desmond-Harris shares her one piece of unsolicited advice.. Letter 1: Dear Prudence,My 50 year old husband has been spending extra time (like hours a day, days per week..) with a barely 18 year old girl, no familial relation but  “they have a common interest” and I am “jealous and how dare you judge me”, however his interests (and this girl) succeed his interest in spending time with his own 16 and 19 year old daughters. Furthermore, this barely 18 year old girl and he are constantly texting each other, sometimes until 2 am. He’s texting her from work, he was texting her from our family vacation…stupid stuff, instagram reels, songs, You Tube videos, but constant texts, flirting, not sexual, but flirting in the fact that he’s obviously always thinking about her, because he’s always texting her…”what’s your middle name?” he asks…not the half of it..- they can go on for three hours straight with the texting…he’s always inviting her on horse rides that are an all day event.. 1-2 hours drive, one way-then 3-4 hour ride, sometimes at night. “I lost both the backs of my earrings when we were wresting” she texts…He takes selfies of him and her on their horse rides (don’t recall selfies of he and his own daughters-very rare!). He buys her energy drinks and other things(?)….”I’ve got something for you”…him…”oh…what might that be?”….her. I’m disgusted. My girls have no idea- they just know he’s never here. He hardly puts his phone down on the counter to charge, he’s taking it to bed with him which he’s always been “against” and has always given me grief about- my phone is my alarm. Nothing new for me but SO new to him. I would hate to think after 20 years of marriage and two beautiful girls, that I am now living with a complete pervert. I don’t know what to do. I’ve found out that he’s  also looking at 18 year old girls on Instagram. GROSS. I am disgusted, I can hardly even look at him, esp in the eyes.    Letter 2: Dear Prudence,  I have been dating a great man, Ethan, for nearly two years. An acquaintance of mine introduced us on a whim, and we hit it off. We have a great relationship, with only one area of tension: his friends. He has a very close group of friends he has known for over a decade, including the person who introduced. These friends see each other infrequently in person but talk on the phone regularly and are very enthusiastic when they do see each other. When we have spent time at group dinners or parties, they all jump in and catch up like old friends, while I awkwardly watch. I am also ten years younger than all of these friends, which means I am not in the stage of life that many of them are. Additionally, these in person encounters tend to become alcohol-soaked celebrations, and Ethan does not drink and all and I drink very little and avoid doing so in situations where I am already uncomfortable. I now expect these sorts of occasions to feel draining and frustrating for me, and I feel alienated and anxious when I think about having to engage with a bunch of people who make me feel like a fly on the wall. How do I push past feeling like an outsider when I'll never be able to overcome the 15 previous years of friendship and comradery that I lack?  

The Adams administration is still struggling to deal with the influx of migrants coming to the city. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, and Jeff Coltin, Politico reporter and co-author of the New York Playbook, talk about how the mayor is handling it, his related conflicts with the state and the Federal government, and more local news. Plus, what's next for Rikers Island?

Jill Lepore, professor of American History at Harvard University, staff writer at The New Yorker, host of the podcasts The Last Archive and Elon Musk and the author of several books, including These Truths, talks about her new collection of essays, The Deadline (Liveright, 2023), most of which focused on the relationship between America's past and its polarized present, as well as the intersection of the personal and political.

With the J'ouvert and the West Indian Day Parade coming up this weekend, Sandra Bell, producer and production stage manager for JouveyFest Collective, CEO of JourneyAgents, and a curator of the exhibit J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience at Lefferts Historic House, and Gail Yvette Davis, retired economist and veteran Carnival participant, talk about J'Ouvert's origins in Trinidad and Tobago and the next exhibit about it in Prospect Park.

The Biden administration announced which drugs that will be part of its price negotiations for patients on Medicare. Jonathan Cohn, senior national reporter at HuffPost, lecturer at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the author of The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage (St. Martin's Press, 2021), talks about how it will work, how it will affect out-of-pocket costs for patients and what could go wrong.

Last Wednesday, Eric Duprey was killed when a plain clothes NYPD officer knocked him off a motorbike by throwing a picnic cooler at his head during what news outlets are saying was a drug bust gone wrong. Bahar Ostadan, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering the NYPD and public safety, reports the latest on the incident, what accountability the officer will face and examines how police pursuits and drug busts are supposed to be conducted.

Greg Sargent, Washington Post columnist, talks about why Republicans love the country singer Oliver Anthony's song "Rich Men North of Richmond," and how policy moves could actually address some of the indignities he sings about.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin talks about the priorities of his office and some recent issues, including parental notification and mental health interventions.

Tom Roderick, educator and activist who retired after 36 years as the founding executive director of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, and the author of Teach for Climate Justice: A Vision for Transforming Education  (Harvard Education Press, 2023), offers guidance for teachers to incorporate climate justice along with climate science.

The spotted lanternfly has returned to New York City and the surrounding area. Jessica Ware, entomologist and associate curator in invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History and vice president of the Entomological Society of America, explains the threat posed by this invasive species, why their numbers seem even larger this year and what to do about them.

As the New York City Department of Sanitation plans to ramp up its fines for restaurants and residential buildings, Sophia Chang, WNYC/Gothamist reporter, breaks down the new guidelines and their deadlines, plus other sanitation-related news.

Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), discuses the latest national political news, including the arrest and mug shot of former President Trump and how GOP candidates use the word "freedom" in their campaigns.

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in Washington on August 28, 1963. William Jones, historian at the University of Minnesota and the author of The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights (W.W. Norton & Co., 2013), talks about the march and listeners share their memories of the day, and we hear that day's speech from march organizer A. Philip Randolph.

Kyle Moore, economist with the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, talks about a new report from EPI that examines the economic impact of Civil Rights-era legislation and where gaps remain.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. New York Times finance reporter Stacy Cowley unpacks changes to the student loan repayment system  (First) | On the sadness of returning home from summer camp (Starts at 29:25) | The nature—and the beauty—of sibling relationships (Starts at 47:50) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and the author of Modern New York: The Life and Economics of a City (St. Martin's Press, 2012), explains why the rent in NYC is still at record highs, despite a lower population and a weaker economic picture than other parts of the country. As temperatures rise, the way children experience summer is changing drastically. Emma Pattee, climate journalist, discusses how the dangers of extreme heat are leading to empty playgrounds, camps moving indoors, tough decisions for parents, and the possible ramifications of severing children's ties to the outdoors. Plus, Aaron Bernstein, MD, MPH, director for the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers advice on how to keep kids healthy in the heat. Peter Singer, philosopher, professor of bioethics at Princeton University, author of Animal Liberation in 1975 and Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed (Harper Perennial, 2023), talks about the new edition of his classic 1975 work, connecting animal rights to crises from climate change to the spread of new viruses. Elizabeth Glazer, founder of the journal Vital City and former director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, talks about indelible NYC summer memories, and shares her thoughts on the state of public safety and criminal justice in the city. These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: Why the Rent is Still So High (Aug 7, 2023) Is It the End of Summer as We Know It? (Aug 1, 2023) Updating Animal Rights (Jun 1, 2023) NYC Summer Memories with Elizabeth Glazer (Jul 5, 2023)

It’s estimated that 25,000 viable organs are wasted each year. Julia Métraux, fellow at Mother Jones covering disability and public health, explains a bipartisan bill to reform the national organ donor network which has now reached President Joe Biden’s desk.

Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Representative (D, NJ-5), co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, argues how New York's congestion pricing will take a toll on his Bergen County constituents. Then, Tom Wright, president and chief executive officer of the Regional Plan Association, explains a measure he's proposing in which New Jerseyans might stand to benefit.

On September 5th, New York City will begin to crack down on rental hosts who haven't registered their units and comply with a long list of rules in the city’s housing code. Cara Eisenpress, senior tech reporter at Crain's New York, reports on how the result will change tourists’ experience of the city and a likely bring a blow to hosts who rely on the additional income.

Lisa Lerer, national political correspondent for The New York Times, talks about Wednesday night's debate among many of the Republicans running for president.

With firefly populations waning, science reporter Sarah Sloat talks about an effort to do a census of the insects across New York and callers share where they're seeing them. →"Fireflies may disappear, so NY scientists are trying to count how many are left" (Gothamist, 8/22/23)

Three school districts recently voted to adopt policies to tell parents if their children show signs of changing their gender identity. Nikita Biryukov, statehouse reporter for NJ Monitor, explains what's behind the policy and why Governor Phil Murphy's administration is suing to stop the districts from enacting those policies.

Jill Wine-Banks, MSNBC legal analyst, former Watergate special prosecutor, co-host of the podcasts "#Sistersinlaw" and "IGenPolitics" and the author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President (Henry Holt and Co., 2020), talks about the Georgia RICO indictments in the 2020 election case, and how these laws have been used in the past, and the rise and fall of Rudy Giuliani, who once utilized RICO to prosecute the mob.

Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economics and director of the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at The New School, joins for a deep dive into retirement: how it's shifted from pension to 401k over the years, been impacted by recent inflation and how to plan for the future.

Last week, a judge in Montana ruled that the state has to take into account climate change mitigation when it weighs future fossil fuel projects. Samantha Maldonado, reporter at The City covering climate and resiliency, and Michael Gerrard, professor of law at Columbia Law School and the founder and faculty director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, discuss what this could mean for New York State, where voters passed a green amendment back in 2021. → What the Landmark Climate Ruling in Montana Means for New York

The BRICS summit is a meeting of major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and now including South Africa. Yinka Adegoke, editor of Semafor Africa, previews the summit and explains how Russia and China in particular are hoping to have a stronger influence on African countries.

Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City and co-host of the podcast FAQ NYC, talks about the latest in news, including housing the influx of asylum seekers, plus she's joined by George Joseph, senior reporter at The City with the investigations team, to discuss their investigation into campaign donations in the 2021 mayoral race.

Angela Chen, journalist, discusses her recent article about the nature of sibling relationships for The Atlantic, "The Longest Relationships of Our Lives." Listeners call in to share how their own sibling relationships have grown, changed, or stayed the same over the course of their lives.

In a few weeks, millions of Americans will start paying on their federal student loans for the first time in three years. In preparation, Stacy Cowley, finance reporter at The New York Times, explains the changes Pres. Biden's administration has made to the system.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC/Gothamist, talks about the new project tracking evictions, on the rise again after a moratorium during the COVID health emergency. "NYC's eviction hotspots: Tracking the 10K removals since moratorium ended" (Gothamist, 8/10/23)  

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power (Twelve, 2021), rounds up the latest news from Washington, including a look ahead to Wednesday's GOP debate in Milwaukee.

Sandra Fox, visiting assistant professor of American Jewish history at New York University, and director of the Archive of the American Jewish Left in the Digital Age, founder and executive producer of the Yiddish-language podcast "Vaybertaytsh: A Feminist Podcast in Yiddish," and the author of The Jews of Summer: Summer Camp and Jewish Culture in Postwar America (Stanford University Press, 2023), talks about missing camp when it's over for the summer -- even if you missed home when it started. '"Campsickness" Is Real and a Sign of Something Special' (NYT, 8/20/2023)

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. The New York congressional map and a 2024 election preview (First) | Advice with Jenée Desmond-Harris, writer and host of Slate's Dear Prudence podcast and column (Starts at 14:26) | Food journalist Mark Bittman on his new project, Community Kitchen (Starts at 59:20) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: In light of Cornel West's third-party presidential bid, Eric Blanc, assistant professor of Labor Studies at Rutgers University, author of Red State Revolt: The Teachers' Strike Wave (Verso, 2019) and the newsletter laborpolitics.substack.com, and a member of NYC Democratic Socialists of America, discusses the state of the American left pre-2016, how its evolved over the last seven years, and his theory for how the left should build power moving forward. We look at the findings of a report that investigates why some teens and young adults in New York City carry guns. The study is by the Center for Justice Innovation based on interviews with more than 100 young people from Crown Heights. Study authors, Javonte Alexander and Basaime Spate, Community Research Coordinators at the Center for Justice Innovation, and Elise White, director of Action Research at the Center for Justice Innovation, walk us through their research. 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), draws on his expertise in nuclear history to discuss whether Christopher Nolan's epic new film Oppenheimer is historically accurate - plus reveals a little-known political controversy within the other big new movie, Barbie. Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City, recently stumbled upon an artichoke parm sandwich (heretofore referred to as "the sandwich") she'd never seen on a menu before, at a small deli in Brooklyn. She talks about the history of the deli and how the sandwich came to be as listeners call in to share a hidden culinary gem. The beautiful work of West African hair braiders can be seen on the heads of many who wander New York City streets. While their work is highly visible, little is heard about the many occupational injuries hair braiders obtain on the job. Houreidja Tall, NYC based freelance journalist, shares her reporting on the often untold stories of hair braiders, their pain, and systemic lack of workplace protections.   These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: The Left's Way Forward (Jul 10, 2023) Why Some Young People Carry Guns (Jul 26, 2023) The History Behind the New Movie 'Oppenheimer' (Jul 25, 2023) 'The Sandwich' and Other Hidden Culinary Gems (Jun 20, 2023) The Physical Toll of Hair Braiding (Jul 26, 2023)  

In the second installment of a summer advice series, Jenée Desmond-Harris, writer and host of Slate's Dear Prudence podcast and column, and Brian offer advice to listeners struggling with a dilemma on whether to meddle in their family members' relationships, and callers weigh in with their opinions. Plus, the writer of last week's dilemma calls in to share what advice he took. First letter: My husband and I are worried about our daughter's relationship. She is 18 years old and in a relationship with another 18 year old girl. They have been together for over a year now but most of the second half of their relationship was a lot of fighting and crying and distress. Our daughter also suffers from depression and anxiety. She is a college student in a very demanding college away from home in another state but her girlfriend is not in college and at home in NYC and not working. Her girlfriend is also suffering from mental health issues. Initially, both my husband and I were very supportive of the relationship but now we feel that it is harmful to our daughter. Recently our daughter had a nervous breakdown which resulted in them almost breaking up but then they decided to restart with new ground rules and better communication strategies.My daughter assures me that she is setting better boundaries now. Also, my daughter is in therapy and this is one of her topics and goals she is working  on with the therapist. We have now told our daughter that we don't want her girlfriend to come over to our house. My dilemma is that obviously we cannot prevent our daughter from seeing her girlfriend but feel very strongly that she is making a mistake and that this will not help her get better in terms of her depression. Finally, we closed the door and insisted that her girlfriend should not come to our house, which may or may not have been a mistake on our end. On the one hand it signals that we don't believe in the relationship to be a healthy one but it also closes a door for future reconnections. We don't want to lose our daughter and we want her to be well. It is very hard to watch her being hurt. Second letter: Dear Prudence: A few months after my mom left my dad in February 2020, I became suspicious of her relationship with her ‘best friend’. I did some light snooping on her phone and found concrete evidence that they were in a relationship. After struggling with this information for a few more months, I confronted my mom and she told me her plan was to keep their relationship secret for the foreseeable future, and to please keep my mouth shut. It's been about two years since then and I’ve had a few conversations with my mom where she's indicated an interest in telling her sister and parents, as well as my younger siblings, but her partner is very anxious about the whole situation and refuses to entertain the idea. My mom has said by the time my sister graduates high school next year she will have to figure out a solution with her partner, but I don’t believe she will. She is extremely conflict avoidant, has told me other things she planned to change about her relationship that never came to fruition, and it is all very reminiscent of my parents divorce, where she bottled up her concerns for years and then abruptly left my dad. I have been quite frustrated at having to keep this secret, especially from my siblings who I feel deserve to know, and I routinely entertain plans to blow her cover. I am feeling more and more confident in deciding to hold my mom to her statement that she will find a solution by the time my sister graduates in the spring, like if she doesn’t tell everyone by then I will, but I’m not sure if this is the right call. Should I do something even sooner? Every day I wait, I hear suspicions from more and more people about the nature of their relationship, including my dad and sister who seem to have bonded over speculating. On the other hand, I’ve kept the secret for this long. Am I really helping anything by forcing her hand? What should I do?

A multibillion-dollar recovery effort is underway in Hawaii following the deadliest fire in the U.S. in over a century. Kaniela Ing, a seventh-generation indigenous Hawaiian from Maui and the national director of climate justice organization Green New Deal Network, discusses how residents now worry that wealthy outsiders will stand to make a profit, and Alana Casanova-Burgess, co-creator, host and producer of the podcast La Brega, from WNYC Studios and Futuro Studios, explains what Hawaii can learn from Puerto Rico’s recovery after Hurricane Maria.

Dana DiFilippo, senior reporter at The New Jersey Monitor, talks about the recent ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court that a Catholic parochial school was allowed to fire a pregnant, unmarried art teacher.

Listeners call in to share the wedding traditions -- or new trends -- that they want to get rid of.

Melissa Korn, higher education reporter for The Wall Street Journal, breaks down her latest reporting on why colleges charge so much for tuition and what they do with that money.

Stephen Fowler, political reporter for Georgia Public Broadcasting and host of the podcast Battleground: Ballot Box, talks about the indictments of former President Trump and 18 others and how they are playing out in Georgia's political landscape.

Debralee Santos, editor-in-chief of The Manhattan Times and The Bronx Free Press, rounds up the biggest local stories in Spanish-language news media, including the latest on New York City's migrant crisis and whether it matters that Mayor Eric Adams hasn't learned to speak any Spanish.

Kadia Goba, political reporter at Semafor, talks about the New York congressional map and what the upcoming 2024 elections mean for the city, state and the country.

Listeners who work in recruitment and hiring share how the colleges and universities attended by job candidates impact hiring decisions.

Elie Honig, senior legal analyst at CNN, host of the CAFE podcast "Up Against The Mob," former New Jersey and federal prosecutor and author of Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It (Harper, 2023), talks about the indictments announced overnight in Georgia against former Pres. Trump and 18 others (including former NYC Mayor Giuliani).

Mark Bittman, food journalist, former NYT recipe columnist, and the author of How to Cook Everything (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008) and other cookbooks, talks about his new project, Community Kitchen, a chain of restaurants that would offer healthy food, from sustainable farms, pay a living wage to its workers and let customers pay what they can.

Christopher Flavelle, climate adaptation reporter for The New York Times, breaks down what the recent devastating fires in Hawaii have to do with climate change.

Listeners call in to share the most interesting political conversations they've had with people who they disagree with.

Idrees Kahloon, Washington bureau chief for The Economist, talks about the latest national political news, including the debate over the economic impact of immigration and the appointment of a special prosecutor in the Hunter Biden case.  

Jennifer Senior, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of On Grief: Love, Loss, Memory (Atlantic Editions, 2023), talks about her September cover story about the practice of institutionalizing children with developmental difficulties, including her maternal aunt. →"The Ones We Sent Away" (The Atlantic, August 7, 2023)

Two years after its shutdown, Indian Point nuclear plant plans to release 1.3 million gallons of water with traces of radioactive tritium into the Hudson River. Patrick McGeehan, reporter for The New York Times covering transportation and infrastructure for the Metro section, breaks down the latest on that plan and why activists are sounding the alarm over safety.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Advice With Slate's Dear Prudie and Brian (First) | What to Do About All the Cats (Starts at 43:16) | The West Indian Roots of Hip Hop (Starts at 1:07:58) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

In a clip from the archives, City Lore founder Steve Zeitlin, record store owner Patricia Chin and DJ Kool Herc talk about the West Indian roots of hip hop, and callers talk about the global influences they hear in the music...plus share their favorite lyrics.

Dave "Davey D" Cook, Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hip-Hop History (Young Adult Edition) (Wednesday Books, 2021), breaks down the party that launched hip-hop as a musical genre, 50 years ago.

Miles Marshall Lewis, pop culture critic, music journalist and author of several book, most recently, Promise That You Will Sing About Me: The Power and Poetry of Kendrick Lamar (St. Martin's Press, 2021), discusses the venues around the city that have fostered a sense of community for hip hop enthusiasts and takes your calls on your old stomping grounds, who you saw there and what it meant to you.

Joycelyn Wilson, assistant professor of hip-hop studies and digital media at Georgia Tech, explains the long relationship between hip hop, its artists, and politics.

City Council recently passed a new bill with rules for outdoor dining. Marjorie Velázquez, NYC Council Member (District 13, East Bronx including Throggs Neck, Pelham Parkway, Morris Park, Pelham Bay, Pelham Gardens, Schuylerville, Country Club, Locust Point, and Westchester Square, as well as parts of Allerton and Van Nest), talks about what it will look like moving forward, and what restaurants will need to do to comply.

Last week, the FDA approved the first ever pill specifically intended to treat postpartum depression. Nicole Cirino, MD, reproductive psychiatrist, chief of division of reproductive psychiatry, professor at Baylor College of Medicine, and Postpartum Support International board member, provides an expert look at Zurzuvae, the new medication which could help the estimated 1 in 8 women in the United States experiencing symptoms of depression after giving birth.

In the first installment of a summer advice series, Jenée Desmond-Harris, writer and host of Slate's Dear Prudence podcast and column, and Brian offer advice to listeners struggling with a dilemma, and callers weigh in with their opinions. First Letter: Dear Prudence (and Brian): I live in a 'luxury' high rise condo in Brooklyn. A few of our neighbors are in the habit of storing various items in our common hallway, ranging from doormats to stacks of empty water cooler jugs to baby strollers. (including one 2 feet from my door) Beyond the fact that they’re unsightly, they represent a violation of NYC's fire code. Not wanting to offend people we see on a daily basis, we notified building management and they have sent a few email reminders to residents, but to no avail. Should I accept this as a fact of life in a building that is not a co-op and therefore lacks a share-holders’ board of rule enforcers or should I somehow escalate my concerns? Second Letter:  Dear Prudence (and Brian): Michael, a friend of mine for over 35 years, is now 67 years old. A shift is taking place: Michael does not have personal conversations with me anymore, instead he speaks to me as if giving a lecture. Loud, forceful diatribes about politics, money, relationships…. He is the EXPERT on all things now. This tendency is relatively new, and I have witnessed this shift gradually over the last few years (especially about politics – and we are both progressive liberals). I want to be supportive of Paul, but I find myself getting sucked into his rants, and these turn into arguments between us, usually over obscure and meaningless facts. Some background: Each of us are now experiencing age-based health issues, along with family stuff like aging parents. I’ve witnessed that he goes on automatic overdrive ramping up any simple talk into an argument. And now I'm avoiding speaking with him about anything. How do I shift these conversations into meaningful personal and heartfelt talks about each of our lives, instead of these 'fact' arguments? We have had so many great supportive conversations over these many years, and I miss them. How do I kindly head off his rants at the pass?  

Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, talks about the latest COVID uptick, plus other city health news.

Former President Donald Trump is facing a slew of legal investigations into his business and political careers -- both at the state and federal levels. Kate Shaw, law professor at Cardozo Law School, ABC Supreme Court contributor and cohost of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, breaks down the latest and where they stand.

Joshua Zeitz, Politico Magazine contributing writer and the author of Lincoln's God: How Faith Transformed a President and a Nation (Viking, 2023), talks about the Progressive-era roots of Ohio's use of referendums, including why they are an important corrective measure for legislatures that do not represent the will of the people, and what the results of the current vote reveal about their future.

Sarah Charlop-Powers, executive director of Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC), discusses a recent report published by the NAC which found that forested urban areas are not an oxymoron -- instead, they are the solution to combatting extreme heat in cities. 

Voters go to the polls today in Ohio to vote on the way they will vote on future initiatives, including November's vote on protecting abortion rights in the state. Rachel Cohen, senior policy reporter at Vox, and Haley BeMiller, state government and politics reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, explain what's at stake in Ohio and nationally.

On Friday, Twitch's most-subscribed streamer, Kai Cenat, was arrested for inciting a riot after a giveaway in Union Square caused chaos among his fans. Jay Peters, news editor at The Verge, explains how Cenat rose to popularity on the platform and what went wrong.

The animal shelters in New York are full. There are feral cat colonies around the city. So, what do we do? Will Zweigart, executive director of Flatbush Cats, a nonprofit cat rescue group, explains how we got to this point and makes some suggestions for what New York can do about all the cats.

Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for The City, director of the business and economics reporting program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and the author of Modern New York: The Life and Economics of a City (St. Martin's Press, 2012), explains why the rent in NYC is still at record highs, despite a lower population and a weaker economic picture than other parts of the country.

Listeners call in to talk about what their church, or other religious congregation, is doing to help migrants who have made their way to the city.

In July, a teen in Nebraska was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to a charge connected to her self-managed abortion. Andrea González-Ramírez, a senior writer covering systems of power at The Cut, explains the details of that case and the implications for future prosecutions of self-managed abortions.

Charlie Sykes, founder and editor-at-large and host of a podcast at The Bulwark, MSNBC contributor and author of How the Right Lost Its Mind (St. Martin's Press, 2017), discusses the politics of former President Donald Trump's latest indictment. 

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Major Challenges Facing the City as Shelters Hit Capacity (First) | What Happens When Speedy Mopeds Crowd Bike Lanes? (Starts at 48:30) | The Debate Over Legacy Admissions (Starts at 1:31:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Jill Wine-Banks, MSNBC legal analyst, former Watergate special prosecutor, co-host of the podcasts "#Sistersinlaw" and "IGenPolitics" and the author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President (Henry Holt and Co.,2020), offers analysis of the latest indictment of former President Donald Trump

Donald Trump has been indicted in Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith's probe into the former president's 2020 election interference and Jan. 6, 2021. WNYC host Tiffany Hanssen, Kai Wright, host of WNYC's Notes from America; Micah Loewinger, correspondent for WNYC's On the Media; Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, host of its new podcast Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022); and Jill Wine-Banks, MSNBC legal analyst, former Watergate special prosecutor, co-host of the podcasts #Sistersinlaw and IGenPolitics and the author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President (Henry Holt and Co., 2020), take turns reading from the document.

Ron Kampeas, Washington bureau chief at news agency, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, discusses how Jewish Americans are reacting to a controversial judicial overhaul by the right-wing Israeli government. The new law severely weakens the Israeli judicial branch, and American Jewish groups have been quick to respond.

A Canadian couple recently went on hunger strike in protest of the noise associated with the explosively popular sport, pickleball. Listeners make their cases for whether pickleball is the perfect outdoor summer activity or the bane of their existence.

The city's shelter system is full as thousands of migrants continue to make their way to New York. Andy Newman, New York Times reporter covering social services and poverty in the New York Metro Region, shares his reporting on the scene outside an intake center at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown, and Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about what the Adams administration is considering to try to find space for everyone looking for a bed.

Gov. Hochul's housing plan, which failed in Albany last spring, has left many working-class New Yorkers vulnerable. Ross Barkan, contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine and a Crain's columnist, discusses why it got so much pushback, and a proposal for how the housing plan could be revived

Andrew Weissmann, professor of criminal and national security law at NYU School of Law, lead prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel's Office and the author of Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation (Random House, 2020), offers legal analysis of the charges against President Trump. Then, Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and author of The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America (Simon & Schuster, 2023), discusses the former president's attempts to subvert American democracy. 

Catherine Christian, former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's office and currently a lawyer in private practice at Liston Abramson LLP, offers legal analysis of Trump's latest indictment, where he was charged with plots to overturn the election he clearly lost.

Natasha Warikoo, professor of Sociology at Tufts University and author of Is Affirmative Action Fair? The Myth of Equity in College Admissions (Polity, 2022), discusses the arguments over legacy college admissions, specifically the recent case brought against Harvard, and how colleges are responding.

An investigation from the nonprofit news organization The City sheds light on groups of real estate speculators who have seized the deeds of Black- and Latino-owned brownstones in gentrifying neighborhoods, evicting tenants and clearing the path for massive house flips. Two journalists at The City, senior reporters George Joseph and Samantha Maldonado, discuss their reporting and what lawmakers could do to curb this predatory activity. → A House Divided: How a Band of Speculators Seized Deeds of Black-Owned Brooklyn Brownstones → The Speculator Bros Ripping Off Heirs and Evicting Tenants Across NYC → 3 Speculators, 119 Homes, 57 LLCs → Little Oversight, Deals Signed in the Dark: How Speculators Cash In When NYC Homeowners Die Without Wills

Alexis Akwagyiram, managing editor at Semafor Africa, discusses the recent coup in Niger, Russia's presence in West Africa, and the wave of coups that have taken place in the region in the last few years.

August is known as France's month off. And Paris becomes much quieter at this time of year, as many flee the city for a monthlong vacation. We ask our listeners the simple question, what would you do with an entire month off?

A bloody crash last week on the Manhattan Bridge bike lane that involved scooters and e-bikes illustrated why cyclists are concerned for their safety. Julianne Cuba, reporter at Streetsblog, reports on the larger issues at play—including why Deliveristas are using mopeds and riding in the bike lanes—and Charles Lane, WNYC and Gothamist reporter, reports on the crash and what advocates are hoping will change.

As temperatures rise, the way children experience summer is changing drastically. Emma Pattee, climate journalist, discusses how the dangers of extreme heat are leading to empty playgrounds, camps moving indoors, tough decisions for parents, and the possible ramifications of severing children's ties to the outdoors. Plus Aaron Bernstein, MD, MPH, director for the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers advice on how to keep kids healthy in the heat.

Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), discuses the latest national political news, from new obstruction charges in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden's 2024 challengers. 

Listeners call in to share what they feel unsure about in this age of certainty and political polarization.

Elisabeth Rosenthal, senior contributing editor at KFF Health News and former ER physician, explains the effects of hospital conglomerates on health care costs and the difficulties in preventing mergers.

Almost one year ago, buses of asylum seekers from Texas arrived at Port Authority in Manhattan. Murad Awawdeh, executive director at the New York Immigration Coalition, reflects on how the city has handled the influx of asylum seekers over the last year and its plans for the future.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, on the recent arrest of a suspect involved in the Gilgo Beach slayings and how New Yorkers are feeling about crime in relation to actual crime numbers (First) | The authors of a new report by the Center for Justice Innovation on why 100 teens and young men in Crown Heights say they carry guns (Starts at 37:30) | The reliability of the power grid as a record heat wave engulfs much of the Southwest and Texas (Starts at 1:04:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: The number of Americans who are part of any organized religion has been dropping for decades, and over the past ten years, dropped by about 11 points.  Ryan Burge, associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, research director for Faith Counts, and the author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going (Fortress Press, 2021), digs into the patterns around the country and explains how the trend might affect presidential politics in 2024 and beyond. Neil Gross, sociology professor at Colby College in Maine, former police officer, and author of Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture (Metropolitan Books, 2023), argues police culture can become more humane and effective using the examples of three departments whose chiefs made it happen -- in Stockton, California; Longmont, Colorado; and LaGrange, Georgia. Katherine Marsh, journalist and author of books for middle-grade readers, including her latest, The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine (Roaring Brook Press, 2023), argues that an unintended consequence of teaching kids critical reading skills is that they read less for fun. Elizabeth Glazer, founder of the journal Vital City and former director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, talks about indicators Vital City is collecting that show whether New York City is safe, vibrant and thriving. Sandra Fox, visiting assistant professor of American Jewish history at New York University, director of the Archive of the American Jewish Left in the Digital Age, founder and executive producer of the Yiddish-language podcast "Vaybertaytsh: A Feminist Podcast in Yiddish," and the author of The Jews of Summer: Summer Camp and Jewish Culture in Postwar America (Stanford University Press, 2023), talks about the origins of sleepaway camps for Jewish kids in the U.S. and their influence on American Jewish culture, as callers share their stories from summer camp.   These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: The Changing Religious Landscape and the 2024 Election (Jun 5, 2023) Case Studies in Humane Policing (Mar 23, 2023) Have We Taken the Fun Out of Kid's Reading? (Apr 10, 2023) Thriving City (Apr 3, 2023) Summer Camps and Jewish Cultural History (May 10, 2023)  

On today's show, we're re-airing some of our favorite recent interviews:  In the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, Julia Preston, contributing writer for The Marshall Project, traces the crisis at the southern border to its roots in America's broken asylum system. Paula DiPerna, special advisor for CDP, the non-profit global environmental impact disclosure platform, and the author of Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets (Wiley, 2023), argues that to avoid the "environmental default" of climate change we need to assign a monetary value for the health of the planet. Ben Smith, editor in chief of Semafor, former media columnist for The New York Times, and the author of Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral (Penguin Press, 2023), tells the story of the progressive roots of digital news at companies like HuffPost and Gawker Media (including his own role as the founding editor in chief of Buzzfeed News) and how it went on to become a force in right-wing politics. The new Peacock show "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning" (based on a Swedish concept, and the book of the same name) is not as morbid as it sounds. Katarina Blom, psychologist, Ella Engström, organizer, and Johan Svenson, designer, explain how and why you should declutter your life.   These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: The Origins of the Border Crisis (June 26, 2023) Pricing Environmental Health (May 30, 2023) The Origin Story of Digital News (May 3, 2023) What 'Swedish Death Cleaning' Is and Why You Should Do It (June 6, 2023)  

The beautiful work of West African hair braiders can be seen on the heads of many who wander New York City streets. While their work is highly visible, little is heard about the many occupational injuries hair braiders obtain on the job. Houreidja Tall, NYC based freelance journalist, shares her reporting on the often untold stories of hair braiders, their pain, and systemic lack of workplace protections.

Peter Coy, New York Times opinion writer covering economics, and Annie Lowrey, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World (Crown, 2018), compare notes on whether a recession is coming, or whether the so-called "soft landing" the Fed was aiming for is happening, as the jobs numbers remain solid and the economy rolls. 

Chris van Tulleken, associate professor at University College London and a practicing infectious diseases doctor and the author of Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food (W. W. Norton & Company, 2023), talks about the health effects of eating diets heavy in highly processed foods - which he researched and experimented with on himself.

We look at the findings of a report that investigates why some teens and young adults in New York City carry guns. The study is by the Center for Justice Innovation based on interviews with more than 100 young people from Crown Heights. Study authors, Javonte Alexander and Basaime Spate, community research coordinators at the Center for Justice Innovation, and Elise White, director of action research at the Center for Justice Innovation, walk us through their research.

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), draws on his expertise in nuclear history to discuss whether Christopher Nolan's epic new film "Oppenheimer" is historically accurate - plus reveals a little-known political controversy within the other big new movie, "Barbie".

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, talks about the recent arrest of a suspect involved in the Gilgo Beach slayings, how New Yorkers are feeling about crime in relation to actual crime numbers, and more news.

A record heat wave has engulfed much of the Southwest and Texas, but while the heat has sparked anxiety about reliability in Texas, utilities in Arizona are unfazed. Matthew Zeitlin, business and energy correspondent at the climate news platform Heatmap News, talks about how Arizona has been able to keep its air conditioners on and whether the transition to cleaner energy will test the state's reliability. Plus: the stakes as New York City risks a shortfall of enough to power over 350,000 homes.

As the city heats up, many New Yorkers look to local public pools and beaches for summer fun and refuge from the sweltering sun. But this summer, safety is a major concern as the city faces a lifeguard shortage, leaving large swaths of beaches closed and unsupervised. Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City, shares her reporting on the lifeguard shortage and its causes.

Maya Wiley, civil rights attorney and president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, talks about the latest national political news, including former President Trump's legal issues, the 2024 presidential campaign and more.