The Brian Lehrer Show

A Washington Post article explained how most families have a secret language that only they understand, or a "familect" as some linguists call it. Listeners call in to share the words in their family that only they use, which are often conjured in the minds of small children and then used for years down the road.

Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, talks about President Trump's attempts to send National Guard troops into Portland and Chicago, how states are reacting and why a federal judge keeps blocking the plan for Portland.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Christopher Eisgruber, president of Princeton University, talks about issues of free speech (First) | A 30 Issues in 30 Days debate about involuntary hospitalization of New Yorkers with severe and untreated mental illnesses (Starts at 29:48) | Your favored (and least favored) seasons (Starts at 1:17:46)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Sophia Wohl , deputy director of stewardship, environment and planning at NYC Parks Department, talks about Saturday's celebrations of City of Forest Day with events around town, plus offers guidance for caring for the trees and forests near you.=> City of Forest Day events

Giulia Heyward, WNYC and Gothamist reporter, talks about how New York officials are dealing with the Trump administration's attempts to roll back legal protections for the LGBTQ community.

Larry Higgs, commuting and transport reporter at NJ Advance Media, talks about the state of NJ Transit and where the candidates stand on tolls, construction of new transit projects, congestion pricing and more.

Russell Berman, a staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about the New Jersey governor's race and its national bellwether status, plus the latest shutdown news."The Blue State That’s Now a Bellwether" (The Atlantic, Sept 29, 2025)

More young people under the age of 50 are getting diagnosed with early-onset cancers and researchers are trying to figure out why. Nina Agrawal, health reporter for The New York Times, explains what they have found so far, and what is still unknown.

Politico congressional reporter Nicholas Wu talks about the latest on the federal shutdown and other national political news.

Inspired by an article in The Atlantic that shares recommendations for a "happy start to the day," listeners call in to share their morning routines, and explain why it helps them get going; plus Michael Hill, WNYC's Morning Edition host, shares his ultra-early routine.

John Reitmeyer, budget and finance writer at NJ Spotlight News, talks about taxation in New Jersey and where the candidates stand on property taxes, the mansion tax, taxing millionaires, and more.

U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) talks about the government shutdown, U.S. military leadership, and more.

Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights leader, host of MSNBC’s PoliticsNation, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN) and the author of Righteous Troublemakers (Hanover Square Press, 2022), discusses the remaining mayoral candidates after Mayor Adams' withdrawal from the race and the issues of racial justice and inequality. Then, Gothamist and WNYC reporter Elizabeth Kim and Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University, co-host of the podcast FAQNYC and the author of How to Build a Democracy (Cambridge University Press, 2024), talk about the latest news in the mayoral campaign after Mayor Adams's big announcement that he'd be dropping out, plus they discuss what the remaining candidates might do for racial justice.

Christopher Eisgruber, president of Princeton University and the author of Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right (Hachette, 2025), talks about issues of free speech and campus politics at Princeton, and the university's relationship with the Trump administration.

Vanessa Hauc, anchor and director of Noticias Telemundo’s environmental investigative unit, Planeta Tierra, and one of three winners of the Covering Climate Now Journalist of the Year award, talks about her award and her reporting on the climate crisis, focused on solutions that are already happening around the world, plus how the Latino community is one of the most vulnerable to the crisis here and abroad.

Vilas Dhar, president of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Body on AI, talks about the two new institutions created by the United Nations to study and discuss the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence, and his goals for governing this emerging technology so that it serves the public good.

Nick Garber, politics reporter at Crain's New York Business, shares the latest on the competing downstate casino proposals, just after Steve Cohen's Willets Point casino proposal wins approval from its community advisory committee, leaving four proposed casinos to vie for up to three state licenses to be awarded by the state by December 1.

Brian Stettin, senior advisor on severe mental illness for the Office of the New York City Mayor, and Michael F. Hogan, PhD, consultant at Hogan Health Solutions and New York State Commissioner of Mental Health from 2007-2012, debate whether the city and state's policy of involuntarily hospitalizing New Yorkers displaying signs of severe mental illness is humane and effective ahead of the November mayoral election.

As fall has begun (not that you'd know it from the weather around here), listeners call in to share what their most and least favorite seasons are, and why.

Jorge Loweree, managing director of programs and strategy at the American Immigration Council, talks about the changes the Trump Administration has instituted for the H-1B visa program, and what it might mean for foreign workers and the companies that hire them.

Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City and co-host of the podcast FAQ NYC, talks about Mayor Adams' withdrawal from the mayor's race and how that affects the contest.

New York State Senator Jabari Brisport (D, WF, 25th Senate District), chair of Committee on Children And Families, and New York State Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny (R, C, Coney Island, Bay Ridge), talk about Zohran Mamdani's proposal to tax corporations and the 1% in New York State to pay for programs to support working class New Yorkers and the feasibility of passing tax reforms in Albany.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.One perspective on free speech in our politics, from Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression CEO Greg Lukianoff (First) | Environmental activist and journalist Bill McKibben reflects on his life's work (Starts at 25:25) | Listeners on their religious conversions (Starts at 1:03:15)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

On Monday, President Donald Trump warned pregnant women not to take Tylenol, claiming without evidence that it was a cause of autism. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, MD, board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and vice chair of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee of Obstetrics, breaks down what the science says about painkiller use during pregnancy and listeners call in to share how they've been navigating new Trump administration guidelines for pregnant women.

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, and Patrick Spauster, City Limits housing and homelessness reporter, talk about Mamdani's proposed rent freeze and Andrew Cuomo's call for means testing for rent-regulated tenants, and the larger question of rent regulation to make housing in NYC more affordable.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the author of Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy (Thesis, 2025), talks about her new book and explains why she says education protects democracy.

The prospect of a government shutdown is growing as Democrats are threatening to not help Republicans on the Hill pass a spending bill by the September 30 deadline. Deirdre Walsh, congressional correspondent for NPR's Washington Desk, talks about the politics of the potential shutdown and related news from Congress.

Bill McKibben, environmental activist, founder of Third Act and author of many books, most recently: Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025), discusses his new book, and reflects on his life's work, both as a climate activist and journalist.

As part of the election series "30 Issues in 30 Days," Mike Hayes, WNYC/Gothamist reporter covering the New Jersey governor's race and the author of The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform (Kingston Imperial, 2023), talks about the issue of too little affordable housing in New Jersey, including court-required efforts to build more, and how the gubernatorial candidates' plan to comply.

Ry Rivard, reporter covering regional infrastructure for Politico, looks at the gubernatorial candidates' positions on climate change and energy policies in New Jersey.

In a new memoir, Yusuf Islam, also known as the singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, writes about how he converted his faith and changed his name after a near-death experience. Listeners call in to share stories of why they changed their name, other than marriage.

Greg Lukianoff, attorney, president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the author of several books on free speech, offers his thoughts on how he says both the political left and right weaponize crackdowns on speech, and why he thinks that is a problem for everyone's rights.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the mayoral campaign trail, including an off-and-back-on-again town hall; growing frustration from some over Sen. Schumer's refusal to endorse Zohran Mamdani; a potential fight brewing over charter schools; and Mayor Adams's comments about bathrooms and gender identity.

David Gelles, reporter on the New York Times climate team and the Times’s Climate Forward newsletter and author of Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away (Simon & Schuster, 2025), talks about New York City Climate Week and the challenge of several developing nations who are facing the challenges of a changing climate without the support of the United States, since the Trump administration withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, explains NYC’s three ballot proposals on streamlining the housing construction process.

Salonee Bhaman, co-curator for "The New York Sari: A Journey Through Tradition, Fashion, and Identity" at The New York Historical and curatorial scholar at the Center for Women's History at The New York Historical, and S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, talk about the exhibition at The New York Historical that shows the cultural and community significance of the sari among immigrant communities in New York.

Chelsea Cirruzzo, Washington correspondent for STAT News, talks about the White House press conference on autism, acetaminophen, and immunizations, plus the results of last week's meeting of the federal advisory committee on vaccines, and the confusion over federal, state and local public health rules.

Richard Gowan, International Crisis Group's director of UN and Multilateral Diplomacy, shares what to expect at the UN General Assembly, including what President Trump may say in his Tuesday address, the war in Gaza and other crises and the role of the United Nations globally.

In a new memoir, Yusuf Islam, also known as the singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, writes about how converted his faith after a near-death experience. Listeners call in to share what has prompted them to change their faith.

Daniel Di Martino, fellow at the Manhattan Institute whose research focuses on immigration, and Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, debate the issues around sanctuary laws in the New York City mayor's race and the New Jersey governor's election.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.How Trump May Be Changing the Elections Process (First) | AI in the Job Market (Starts at 51:0 0) | Your Family's 'Secret Language' (Starts at 1:18:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Nate Soares, president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and the co-author (with Eliezer Yudkowsky) of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), talks about why he worries that AI "superintelligence" will lead to catastrophic outcomes, and what safeguards he recommends to prevent this.

A new Siena poll shows a (slight) majority of New Yorkers said the state is on the right track, while 59% of respondents thought the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction. New Yorkers call in to share what they think is going well in the state compared to the rest of the country.

Brooklyn Borough president Antonio Reynoso talks about why he's now supporting the plan to redevelop Brooklyn's Marine Terminal ahead of a pivotal vote on the project.

Elie Honig, senior legal analyst at CNN, New York Magazine columnist, former state and federal prosecutor and author of several books, including When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ’s Pursuit of the President, From Nixon to Trump (Harper, 2025), explores investigations by the Department of Justice of presidents and other high-ranking officials throughout the years, and how the system may be tested during Trump's second presidency.

As the Atlantic Festival takes place in NYC, staff writers and panelists Ashley Parker, staff writer at The Atlantic, former Washington Post White House bureau chief, and Adam Serwer, staff writer at The Atlantic, preview their panels and discuss the latest from the White House particularly the events after the the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

On Sunday, the television drama "The Pitt," about emergency room healthcare workers at a hospital in Pittsburgh, cleaned up at the Emmys with several major wins. Listeners who work in the healthcare profession call in to share what the series meant to them and how accurately it depicted post-COVID healthcare.

Meghna Philip, director of the special litigation unit at the Legal Aid Society, talks about its call for the department of investigation to look into all cases of deaths in police custody, after a fifth death occurred this year.

Hilke Schellmann, investigative reporter, assistant professor of journalism at New York University, and author of The Algorithm: How AI Decides Who Gets Hired, Monitored, Promoted, and Fired, And Why We Need To Fight Back (Grand Central Publishing, 2024), talks about AI's expanding role in the job hiring process for both applicants and employers—and its implications.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, and Jimmy Vielkind, New York state issues reporter for Gothamist and WNYC and author of the substack "Notes from Jimmy," talk about the latest in the mayor's race, including Gov. Hochul's endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, and a wrinkle in the relationship between comptroller Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani.