The Brian Lehrer Show

Long lines that snake down entire blocks or more are not an uncommon site in New York City. Listeners call in to share when they've waited on a really long line, what it was for and whether it was worth it.

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

Danny Nguyen, reporter at Politico covering national politics and policy, shares his reporting on how DOGE is continuing its work in the federal government even though Elon Musk is reportedly leaving Washington to focus on his businesses.

Natalie Wynn, creator of the YouTube channel Contrapoints, discusses her work including her latest video titled "CONSPIRACY", in which she delves into the history of conspiracies in American politics, the allure of conspiratorial thinking and how this way of thought negatively impacts democracy.

Grace Rauh, executive director of Citizen's Union, and John Avlon, chair of the Citizens Union board of directors, journalist and former candidate for Congress, talk about the priorities of Citizens Union, including open primary elections and moving local elections to even-numbered years in order to increase voter turnout, and other issues important to the good-government group.

Andrew Lautz, associate director for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Economic Policy Program, talks about the impact of raising the cap on SALT (state and local tax) deductions that benefit many New York and New Jersey taxpayers and what options there are to make up the difference in revenue.

Gerry Shih, Jerusalem bureau chief for The Washington Post, covering Israel, the Palestinian territories and the greater Middle East, discusses the latest news on how Israel is ramping up its attacks on Gaza and more.

As graduation season continues, listeners call in to share the wisdom they heard from a commencement speaker.

Elizabeth Kim, WNYC and Gothamist reporter, and Brigid Bergin, senior political correspondent for WNYC and Gothamist, talk about the latest news from the campaign trail, including Adrienne Adams' criticism of Cuomo on COVID, Eric Adams' statements related to ICE's arrest of a student, and more.

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

U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey, including the arrest of Rep. McIver after an incident at an ICE facility, what President Trump is saying about Putin and Ukraine and more.

As our centennial series continues, Katie Thornton, host of The Divided Dial, a series on WNYC's On the Media, independent journalist, public historian, and Fulbright fellow, talks about the new season of her 4-part series, about the history of shortwave radio.

CUNY recently lost federal funding for more than 70 research grants. Denis Nash, professor of epidemiology at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and executive director of CUNY’s Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, talks about the funding he recently lost on research related to COVID vaccine uptake, plus comments on the changes coming to how the COVID vaccine is rolled out for the next season.

As we observe Memorial Day, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations from the centennial series:Katherine Sharp Landdeck, professor of history and director of Pioneers Oral History Project at Texas Woman's University and the author of The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II (Crown, 2020), talks about American women in the military over the last century.David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about another centenarian, The New Yorker, which published its first issue on February 21, 1925.Phil Brown, University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Health Science at Northeastern University, founder and president of the Catskills Institute and the author of several books, including Catskill Culture: A Mountain Rat's Memories of the Great Jewish Resort Area (Temple University Press, 1998), takes us through the last 100 years in The Catskills -- the hotels, the camps and the people.Sam Barzilay, creative director & co-founder of Photoville, looks at the history of street photography, from the invention of the Leica hand-held 35mm camera which made capturing "the decisive moment" possible, to the challenges presented by AI and smartphone technology of today. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:100 Years of 100 Things: Women in the Military (Apr 30, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: The New Yorker Magazine (Jan 31, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: Catskills Hotels (Aug 14, 2024)100 Years of 100 Things: Street Photography (Apr 22, 2025)

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.100 Years of 100 Things: New York Films (First) | 100 Years of 100 Things: Best Sellers (Starts at 17:31) | Summer Culture Calendar: Classical Music (Starts at 31:42)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations from the centennial series:Mark Mather, demographer and associate vice president for U.S. Programs at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) walks us through the shifts over the past 100 years in U.S. birth rates, followed by changes in U.S. mortality statistics.Julie Suk, a law professor at Fordham University and the author of We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment (Skyhorse Publishing, 2020), reviews the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, from its introduction by Alice Paul in 1923 through its current disputed status, following passage by a 38th state and President Biden's declaration that it's the "law of the land."Liza Donnelly, writer and cartoonist at The New Yorker and the author of Very Funny Ladies: The New Yorker's Women Cartoonists, 1925-2021 (Prometheus, 2022) and the substack "Seeing Things", talks about the evolution of the "New Yorker cartoon" over the magazine's 100-year history.Co-hosts of The Season Pass podcast, Robert Coker, author of the book Roller Coasters: A Thrill Seeker's Guide To The Ultimate Scream Machines (Main Street, 2002) and Douglas Barnes, talk about the history of roller coasters, from the "Golden Age" of 1920's wooden coasters like Coney Island's Cyclone through modern steel "stratacoasters," like the late lamented Kingda Ka, which was recently imploded to make room for something even bigger. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:100 Years of 100 Things: US Population Shifts (Jan 2, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: US Mortality Causes (Jan 6, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: The ERA (Mar 4, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: New Yorker Cartoons (Mar 20, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: Roller Coasters (Apr 11, 2025)

Listeners listen to a short clip of music that was, at one time, at the top of the Billboard charts, and try to "name that tune."

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) talks about her work in Washington, particularly her initial response to Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill', which just passed the House.

Latif Nasser, co-host of Radiolab from WNYC, tells the story of the huge impacts one small discovery made, brought to us by federally-funded scientific research -- and what we might lose as so much of the funding has been cut by DOGE.

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Jordan Lauf, producer for All Of It and its book club, Get Lit with All Of It, recommends some of the books coming out this summer.Some of the books on Jordan's list:Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen (out now) The Antidote by Karen Russell (out now)Flashlight by Susan Choi (out June 3rd) King of Ashes by SA Cosby (June 10th) The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater (June 3rd)A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst (July 8th) Baldwin– A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs (out August 19th) Audition by Katie Kitamura (Get Lit with All Of It selection, May 29)

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, offers his analysis of how the House budget bill that Republicans passed early this morning may affect NYC - in both good and bad ways.

Dana Stevens, film critic at Slate.com and a co-host of the Slate Culture Gabfest podcast and the author of Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century (Atria Books, 2022), previews the summer movie season, including the blockbusters everyone will be talking about, and other films she recommends you check out.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the campaign trail, as well as the questions listeners would like Brian to ask at the upcoming mayoral primary debate.

In the wake of Trump's attempts to get the House's new budget bill to pass, Marianna Sotomayor, congressional reporter for The Washington Post where she covers lawmakers and debates on Capitol Hill, offers commentary on the bill's status.

As our centennial series continues, Tina Jordan, deputy editor of The New York Times Book Review, and a co-editor of The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History (Clarkson Potter, 2021), looks at the history of best-selling books and what that says out the past century of American culture.

Listeners try their hand at a quiz about the critters that live in the city.

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Elliott Forrest, midday host of WQXR, reviews some of the classical music highlights of the summer season.

Listeners try their hand at quiz questions about iconic movies set in New York City.

Nina Totenberg, NPR legal affairs correspondent, offers her analysis of the arguments the Supreme Court justices heard last week on birthright citizenship, and nationwide injunctions.

The Republican House spending bill seeks to cut some of the clean energy tax incentives in the former Biden administration’s 2022 climate law. Kelsey Brugger, reporter covering energy and climate politics on Capitol Hill for Politico's E&E News, breaks down her reporting and explains why some Republicans lawmakers are urging leaders to spare credits that benefit clean energy projects in red states.

On Sunday, House Republicans released their package of proposals that would cut federal spending on Medicaid and Obamacare. Frank Pallone, U.S. Representative (D NJ 6th), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, discusses what's in the bill, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says would cause 8.6 million Americans to lose their health insurance.

As our centennial series continues, James Sanders, architect, author, filmmaker, and co-writer with Ric Burns of the PBS series "New York: A Documentary Film" and its companion volume, New York: An Illustrated History (Knopf, 2021) and the author of Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies (Knopf, 2001), talks about the New York seen in films since the beginning of movie-making.

Listeners listen to an iconic or otherwise interesting quote by a famous person in politics or from history and try to guess "who said that?"

New York State's Adult Survivors Act brought a flood of lawsuits against the city by women who say they were abused at Rosie's (the women's jail) on Rikers Island. Jessy Edwards, writer and editor for Hell Gate, and Christopher Werth, senior editor at WNYC and Gothamist focusing on investigations, talk about their reporting on serial sexual abuse at the jail, which was recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting.

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 legal analysis of the Supreme Court decision to continue to prohibit the Trump Administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, and shares her take on how the courts are limiting executive power (or not).

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Adam Feldman, national theater and dance editor and chief theater critic at Time Out New York, talks about the reopening of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park and other summer theater coming up this summer."Free outdoor theater this summer in New York" (TONY, 5/19/25)

In order to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, applicants must pass an oral civics exam. Listeners call in to try their hand at some of the questions on the test, related to American history and geography and symbols.

The Mets and the Yankees -- who both sit at the top of their respective divisions -- will meet for a subway series this week. Gary Cohen, Mets announcer, previews the games, and talks about what it's like calling games for the Mets, currently one of the best teams in baseball.

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Ryan Kailath, WNYC/Gothamist arts and culture reporter, talks about some of the art on view this summer in local museums, galleries and public spaces.

Jonathan Capehart, associate editor at The Washington Post, co-host of the morning edition of The Weekend on MSNBC, contributor, PBS NewsHour and author of Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man's Search for Home (Grand Central Publishing, 2025), talks about his personal new book, which includes stories from his upbringing and his early career at WNYC, plus the latest national political news.

Brian Boucher, contributor for Artnet News and journalist covering the New York art world, talks about how arts organizations are reacting to the Trump administration starting to cut their grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, including the recent setbacks at Newark Airport, a potential NJ Transit engineers strike and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka's ICE arrest.

Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, talks about the latest news from the campaign trails of candidates in the city's June primary election, and previews the debate he'll be co-moderating with Brian on June 12th at 7PM.

In order to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, applicants must pass an oral civics exam. Listeners call in to try their hand at some of the questions on the test, related to what US Citizenship and Immigration Services calls "principles of American democracy" and "systems of government."

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Rossilynne Culgan, Things to Do editor at Time Out New York, tour guide, and the author of Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure (Reedy Press, 2024), talks about some of the fun things to do this summer after dark -- night markets, outdoor movies, and fireworks on the beach, including:Movie Nights in Bryant ParkFilms on the GreenBrooklyn Bridge Park's "Movies with a View"Riverside Park's Pier I Picture ShowRooftop FilmsRooftop CInema ClubIntrepid Free Friday Movie NightsTimeOut NY's list of Night Markets

LaFontaine Oliver, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, talks about the executive order President Trump signed regarding federal funding for public media and what comes next for the NYPR and the broader system.

Chris Murphy, U.S. Senator (D CT), author of The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy (Random House, 2020) talks about his critique of the Trump administration and what he calls a "relentless, coordinated assault" on democracy and the effect of the administration's policies in Connecticut.

In order to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, applicants must pass an oral civics exam. Listeners call in to try their hand at some of the questions on the test, related to what US Citizenship and Immigration Services calls "principles of American democracy" and "systems of government."

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter and Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, talk about the latest news from the campaign trail, including former Gov. Cuomo's campaign finance troubles, the candidates on antisemitism and more.

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Ryan Kailath, WNYC/Gothamist arts and culture reporter, runs through the highlights from the annual SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn! concert lineups.