The Brian Lehrer Show

Though nearly two-thirds of students in New York City's public school system are Black or Latino, just 3% of offers at eight of the city’s specialized schools went to Black students and 6.9% to Latino students. Alex Zimmerman, reporter at Chalkbeat New York, reports on the ongoing issue of segregation at specialized high schools, and how the mayoral candidates say they'd like to tackle it.

Nearly halfway through the summer and NPR is asking... do we have a "song of the summer" yet? Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR Music reporter, breaks down this season's contenders and listeners share their nominations.

U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY15) talks about the latest national political news of the week, as well as the NYC mayoral election, as Congress is in the midst of the August recess.

Franklin Foer, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about his Atlantic feature story on the implications of NASA's reliance on Elon Musk's SpaceX.

A WNYC and Gothamist investigation found that some of the signatures Mayor Adams's re-election campaign submitted for him to be on the ballot this fall as an independent were fake. David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, Clayton Guse, WNYC/Gothamist editor, and Brigid Bergin, senior political correspondent for WNYC and Gothamist, share what they found and what it could mean for the mayor's re-election chances.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Private Insurers Cover Drugs Less Often Now (First) | Fires, Floods, Air Quality & Climate Change (Starts at :24) | 'Cane Sugar' vs High Fructose Corn Syrup (Starts at :59)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Adolfo Carrión, Jr., New York City deputy mayor for housing, economic development, and workforce, talks about the city's newest housing plans and the challenges that remain as the city is dealing with a shortage of affordable housing.

All of It's Public Song Project invites musicians to incorporate works of art that have entered the public domain into new compositions. Simon Close, All of It producer, shares the music created by this year's winners, and previews a concert this weekend in Grand Army Plaza.

After postponements, President Trump's reciprocal tariffs are set and go into effect next week. John Cassidy, staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about where things stand with these tariffs--plus the fed's decision on interest rates and a new jobs report for July.

Epstein experts Vicky Ward, investigative journalist and author of books including Kushner, Inc.: Greed. Ambition. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump (St. Martin's Press, 2019), and Jacob Shamsian, legal correspondent at Business Insider, comb through the extensive history of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes, information about his associates, and recent news involving the Trump administration and this cold case.

As social media has been overtaken by influencers and ads, listeners call in to share how what they see on the various platforms has changed, and how what they post (if they do at all!) has in turn changed.

Sarah Kliff, investigative health care reporter for the New York Times, talks about her new reporting on an uptick in health insurers denying prescription drug claims over the last decade.

Radley Horton, professor of climate at Columbia University's Climate School, connects the dots between hotter temperatures, drenching rains, NYC's air quality alerts and Canadian wildfires.

Texas announced plans for off-cycle redistricting to add GOP seats before the midterm elections. New York State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (D 12th, Astoria, LIC, Sunnyside) and New York State Assemblymember Micah Lasher, (D, AD 69, UWS, Morningside Heights, Manhattan Valley) explain the proposed amendment to the NYS Constitution to require mid-decade redistricting if another state makes that move.

Richard Aborn, President of the Citizens Crime Commission of NYC, discusses the ongoing push for gun control and other policies that could prevent another mass shooting after Monday evening's tragedy in midtown Manhattan.

Listeners who work outside in the heat share tips for how to cope with the high temperatures.

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about his recent trip from Israel, as the country celebrates the recent victory over Iran and confronts the world's condemnation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza."Israel’s Zones of Denial" (The New Yorker, July 28, 2025)

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the mayoral campaign trail, including how the candidates are responding to this week's mass shooting in a Midtown Manhattan office tower and whether public safety will now become a bigger issue, and more.

Brittany Kriegstein, WNYC and Gothamist reporter, reports the latest news of last night's shooting at a Midtown Manhattan office tower.

A sharp uptick in people with side hustles is fueling fears of another recession. Listeners call in to talk about their side hustles and how much more cash they make each month doing them.

Avril Benoît, executive director of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières in the United States, and Katy Crosby, Mercy Corps senior director of Policy and Advocacy, talk about the on-the-ground reports they're receiving on the food and medical crises in Gaza.

Coca-Cola announced it will offers some "cane sugar" offerings in response to pressure from Pres. Trump. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health emerita at NYU and the author of many books, including the forthcoming, What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters (North Point Press, 2025), talks about the chemical differences and perceived differences of the two sweeteners.

Jake Spring, Climate and Environment Enterprise Reporter at The Washington Post, discusses his reporting on why the EPA is proposing to rescind a 2009 legal opinion, referred to as the "endangerment finding", which determined that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare, and justified their regulation.

General Motors' CFO says they won't raise prices despite the tariffs and Pres. Trump announced a new tariff deal with the European Union. Alexandra Svokos, the digital managing editor of Kiplinger, talks about what some economic indicators say about the effects of the new tariffs.

Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the latest steps in, and funding for, implementing a cellphone ban for NYC public schools.

Elaine Godfrey, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about her article on ways to extend the small joys of vacation into daily life, and listeners share their ideas.

Jeffery Mays, New York Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall, offers political analysis of Andrew Cuomo's campaign interview and talks about what Mamdani's success might mean for the influence of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Andrew Cuomo, former governor of New York, makes his pitch to voters as he runs for mayor of New York City as an independent.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Charter Revision Questions Are Set (First) | HRT and the FDA (Starts at 33:36) | The NYPD Cracks Down on Cyclists (Starts at 56:27)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

For this "Summer Friday" we've put together some of our favorite conversations this year:Derek Thompson, staff writer at The Atlantic, author of the "Work in Progress" newsletter and host of the podcast "Plain English," and Ezra Klein, New York Times opinion columnist and host of their podcast, the "Ezra Klein Show," co-authors of Abundance (Simon & Schuster, 2025), discuss their new book that argues limits placed by past generations to protect jobs and the environment are preventing solving shortages today.Bob Costas, sportscaster and talk show host, recent recipient of the Baseball Digest lifetime achievement award, reflects on the state of baseball and other sports today.Katie Barnes, ESPN senior writer and author of Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates (St. Martin's Press, 2023),Katie Barnes, ESPN senior writer and author of Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates (St. Martin's Press, 2023), discusses the controversy surrounding trans women in competitive sports, fact-checks ideas the broader public holds about fairness and gender in athletics, and talks about current rules various leagues already set in place to ensure equity and inclusion. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity and the original web versions are available here:Building Solutions (Mar 18, 2025)Bob Costas Reflects (May 7, 2025)Parsing the Facts of Trans Women in Competitive Sports (Jun 3, 2025)

Emma Wartzman, senior kitchen and dining writer at New York Magazine's The Strategist, offers the latest on "black spatulas" and how and why to avoid plastics around food, during The Strategist's Plastic-Free Kitchen Week.

Speaker Mike Johnson sent members of the House of Representatives home for their August break a few days early in order to avoid a vote on releasing Epstein materials. Annie Karni, congressional correspondent for The New York Times and co-author (with Luke Broadwater) of Mad House: How Donald Trump, Maga Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby and a Man with Rats in his Walls Broke Congress (Random House, 2025), talks about how the years-old story is roiling Republicans and delighting Democrats, and more Congressional news.

Chris Feliciano Arnold, director of the creative-writing program at Saint Mary’s College of California and the author of The Third Bank of the River: Power and Survival in the Twenty-First-Century Amazon (Picador, 2018), talks about his Atlantic article on the threats of denaturalization against citizens not born in the U.S. by the Trump administration and the chilling effect on free speech.

WNYC/Gothamist reporters Stephen Nessen and Paige Oamek talk about the NYPD enforcement push against cyclists violating traffic rules, where the most summonses are issued and why violations often require trips to court.

Adam Platt, features writer and former restaurant critic at New York Magazine, talks about why salt is even more abundant in restaurant food, and often used in unexpected ways."

The Tenement Museum is hosting teachers this summer in a program that will provide expertise on how they can effectively teach Black and immigrant history. Annie Polland, president of the Tenement Museum, and Clint Smith, staff writer at The Atlantic, poet and the author of several books, including the forthcoming young readers edition of How the Word is Passed: Remembering Slavery and How It Shaped America (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025), share what they're teaching the teachers, and teachers call in to talk about their experiences teaching history during this fraught time.

Mehdi Hasan, editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo, columnist for The Guardian and former MSNBC host, talks about his experience debating 20 far-right conservatives on the YouTube series "Surrounded," plus news related to the Jeffrey Epstein frenzy, the NYC mayoral race and more.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the mayoral campaign trail, including Mayor Adams' relationship with the border czar Tom Homan, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani's campaign break in Uganda and Andrew Cuomo's social media charm offensive.

Christine Carrig, head of school at Carrig Montessori School in Brooklyn, Substack writer and the writer in residence at the Khora: Maternal and Reproductive Psychology Lab at Teachers College, talks about her article in the Atlantic that argues children get lifelong benefits from helping around the house.

The Texas state legislature has reconvened for a special session and at the behest of President Trump, one of the primary goals is to redraw the state's Congressional map to shore up the Republican majority in the House. Matthew Choi, co-writer of the Early Brief politics newsletter at The Washington Post, explains why this is happening now, and how Democrats - including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, are trying to fight back.

As the FDA considers removing the warning label from hormone replacement therapy for symptoms of menopause, Jen Gunter, MD, an OB/GYN and pain medicine physician and author of The Menopause Manifesto (Citadel Press, 2021) and Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation (Citadel Press, 2024), explains the current science and when the risks outweigh the potential benefits.

Richard Buery, CEO of Robin Hood and chair of the Charter Revision Commission convened by Mayor Adams, talks about the questions related to changing the city's charter that will be on voters' ballots this fall, which will not include a proposal for open primaries.

The indie movie theater in downtown Maplewood, NJ, closed during the pandemic, and wasn't able to re-open -- a fate shared by many small movie theaters as moviegoing habits have changed. Angela Matusik and Lisa Cohen, co-founders of the Maplewood Film Society, talk about their efforts to re-open the theater in Maplewood, and explain why they think independent theaters are crucial spaces in small towns.

Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom, talks about the latest conflict over a bike lane in Brooklyn, plus why Congressman Jerrold Nadler got into a heated back-and-forth with the US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over subway crime.

Brian Stelter, chief media analyst for CNN Worldwide, lead author of the Reliable Sources newsletter and the author of several books, including Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for America (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2024), offers analysis of all the big media stories, including the defunding of NPR and PBS, CBS's cancellation of Stephen Colbert's top-rated late night show, the latest on Jeffrey Epstein and MAGA, and relatedly, President Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal.

Surveys show more women than men are working remotely when they are giving the chance. Te-Ping Chen, Wall Street Journal work and work culture reporter, talks about why that is, and how it might be holding women back in the workplace.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.NYC Teachers' Union Embraces AI (First) | Columbia's Controversial New Definition of Antisemitism (Starts at 31:0 0) | Death and (Estate) Taxes (Starts at 59:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Topics include this year's budget deal, the new mansion tax, soaring electricity bills, and the governor's response to listener's concerns about ICE raids in the state.

Columbia University has announced it will use a controversial definition of antisemitism on campus, approved by the Trump administration. Arno Rosenfeld, enterprise reporter at the Forward and author of the Antisemitism Decoded newsletter, talks about the new definition and why some groups don't support it. Plus, Katie J.M. Baker, national investigative correspondent for The New York Times, discusses Project Esther, a project of the conservative Heritage Foundation that aims to suppress pro-Palestinian activism and what it labels antisemitism across America.

With two All-Star games this week, Barbara Barker, Newsday sports columnist and features writer, discusses WNBA star Caitlin Clark's injury, plus baseball's use of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, or "robo-umps."