The Brian Lehrer Show

Brad Lander, New York City comptroller, talks about the mayoral primary campaign, his alliance with Zohran Mamdani and the city budget.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.An interview with presumptive Democratic NYC mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani (First) | A 100-year history of the fight for gay rights (Starts at 10:50) | A history of NYC's machine politics and how they played out in the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary (Starts at 40:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, reflects on the diverse electorate that powered Zohran Mamdani's upset win, especially South Asian voters, and what his win indicates about what New Yorkers want and need from their politicians.

Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and host of their legal podcast, "Contempt of Court," author of the New York Times best-seller Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2023), and Bad Law: 10 Popular Laws That Are Ruining America (The New Press, March 2025), offers legal analysis of the final SCOTUS opinions of the term, including on the so-called "birthright citizenship" case and more.

New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif (District 39, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington) talks about her win against a well-funded challenger in a high-profile race, as well as the coalition that voted for Mamdani, plus the policies she thinks resonated with voters.

Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny and a contributing opinion writer with the New York Times, talks about recent Supreme Court decisions including Medina v. Planned Parenthood, which permits South Carolina to deny Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, and another decision from the shadow docket that allows the Trump administration to deport migrants to countries where they have no connections.

Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D-NY), talks about why she's referring to President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" as the "big, beautiful betrayal," comments on New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City mayoral primary race and more.

Will Bredderman, veteran political journalist covering New York City, talks about the history of matchups between New York City political party machines and highly engaged voters and how this dynamic created a victory for the Democratic Socialist assemblymember Zohran Mamdani against former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary race.

President Donald Trump’s order to strike Iran was without first seeking congressional approval. Carol E. Lee, Washington managing editor for NBC News, explains how U.S. presidents have been deploying the military more and more, without congressional authority and reports on the political fallout following that action.

Listeners who voted for Zohran Mamdani call in to share how they are feeling today, and their actual hopes for what he can accomplish if he goes on to become the mayor.

On the day after the primary election, 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: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams (Cambridge University Press, 2024) offer analysis of Zohran Mamdani's likely win, his chances in the general election and the future paths Andrew Cuomo may take after this stunning upset.

The Adams administration announced earlier this week that the plan for affordable senior housing at the Elizabeth Street Garden was dead. David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on how that happened, plus explains why some lawmakers and residents are skeptical of a proposed massive redevelopment - also including affordable housing - at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Red Hook.

Zohran Mamdani, New York State assembly member (D-36, Queens), talks about his big win in last night's Democratic primary election for mayor.

Listeners call in to share who they ranked in the primary election, including in races besides just the mayoral, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, shares her most recent reporting on the election, including the latest on what we know about early voting numbers.

As our centennial series continues, Marc Stein, the Jamie and Phyllis Pasker professor of history at San Francisco State University, director of the OutHistory website, author and editor of many books, including Queer Public History: Essays on Scholarly Activism (University of California Press, 2022) and The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History (NYU Press, 2019), takes us through the history of LGBTQ rights in the US, from the founding of the first, though short-lived, gay rights organization founded in 1924 in Chicago to today.

Listeners call in to share who they ranked in the mayoral primary election, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, shares her most recent reporting on the election, including the various campaigns' "get out the vote" efforts.

Black lung had largely been eradicated by the end of the last century. Now, the disease has reemerged in coal country, and federal cuts threaten at-risk miners. Kate Morgan, Pennsylvania-based freelance journalist, talks about her reporting on black lung for the New York Times.→ How Black Lung Came Roaring Back to Coal Country

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for the area through 8pm Tuesday. Zach Iscol, NYC Emergency Management commissioner, talks about what New Yorkers can do to stay safe.

Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent shares her reporting on the early voting numbers so far, plus listeners call in to react to the mayoral candidate interviews from the first hour of the show.

On the day before the primary election, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, former State Assembly Member Michael Blake, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, State Senator Jessica Ramos, former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, andWhitney Tilson, former hedge fund manager and philanthropist, make their final pitch to voters who haven't cast their ballots yet.

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), discusses the latest news coming out of the Supreme Court, including President Donald Trump's legal battle for control of the California National Guard and more.

First, Bill de Blasio, former mayor of New York City, explains why he does not think Andrew Cuomo should be the next mayor of New York City, plus responds to the New York Times editorial that blamed his administration for many of the city's problems, then New York State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-42) chair of the Kings County Democratic County Committee, offers her reasoning for why she has endorsed Andrew Cuomo to be the next mayor.

Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many nonfiction books and his latest, a novel, A Capital Calamity (Miniver Press, 2024), offers analysis of the Iran-Israel conflict and discusses his recent column appraising the odds of the United States joining the fight

Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, talks about where the mayoral primary candidates stand on issues related to public transportation.

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 results of the gubernatorial primary election, and the latest new on an immigrant detention center in Newark at the center of a fight between New Jersey Democrats and President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court's decided to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for minors in the United States v. Skrmetti case. Jack Turban, MD, MHS, adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist and author of Free to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity (Atria Books, 2024), offers his perspective on the ruling and how it will affect transgender children and their families.

Carl Hancock Rux, poet, playwright, recording artist, essayist and radio journalist, talks about Lincoln Center’s fifth annual Juneteenth celebration, which pays tribute to enslaved people and their use of folklore to survive the trauma of the Transatlantic slave trade.

Juan Manuel Benitez, professor of local journalism at Columbia Journalism School and member of the New York Editorial Board, and Jeffrey Mays, a New York Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall, talks about the broadcast (as well as print and digital) advertisements flooding the zone in the week before the Democratic mayoral primary, many paid for by the deep-pocketed super PAC supporting Andrew Cuomo; plus they discuss how the candidates are reaching out to voters in different demographic groups.

Israel's attacks on Iran have caused destruction that shows no sign of letting up. Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker and distinguished fellow at Woodrow Wilson Center, discusses the conflict and its mounting death toll.

Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny and a contributing opinion writer with the New York Times, discusses the latest news coming out of the Supreme Court, including the court's ruling in a Tennessee case regarding gender affirming care for minors and more.

With less than a week before primary day, WNYC and Gothamist reporter Elizabeth Kim discusses the latest news from the mayoral campaign trail, including Comptroller Brad Lander's arrest by ICE, Assemblymember Mamdani's decision to hire additional security and what early voters are saying at their poll sites.

As early voting in the Democratic mayoral primary is underway, listeners share their top three issues, and their top candidate or candidates.

Jon Cohen, senior correspondent with Science, reports on how countries that suffer high rates of HIV/AIDS are coping now that USAID funding has dried up, and how local governments, especially in places like Lesotho, are attempting to figure out solutions. Plus, Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, Columbia University professor of epidemiology and medicine and director of ICAP, a global health center at the school of public health, discusses ICAP's work in implementing PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDs Relief) in sub-Saharan Africa, and discusses the future of PEPFAR under the Trump administration.

Marisa Donnelly, PhD, New York correspondent for Your Local Epidemiologist, talks about the various public health policies the mayoral candidates support, and what the mayor can do about public health more broadly.

Julie Tighe, president of New York League of Conservation Voters, and Keanu Arpels-Josiah, climate justice organizer with Fridays for Future NYC, talks about the mayoral candidates' positions on climate change and the environment.

Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, offers analysis of the mayoral primary debate, and talks about the latest news from the campaign trail as early voting is underway.

Robert Macfarlane, a fellow at the University of Cambridge and the author of several books, including Underland and his new one, Is a River Alive? (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025), talks about the new book that questions how we treat rivers through the stories of rivers in Ecuador, India and Canada.

Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of a weekly column on life in Washington, and the host of the Political Scene podcast, talks about the latest national political news, including the latest on Los Angeles, President Trump's military parade, the "No More Kings" protests and the politically-motivated shooting of lawmakers in Minnesota.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, offers analysis of the housing plans the mayoral candidates discussed in last week's Spectrum News NY1 debate.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.New Jersey’s Gubernatorial Primary Results (First) | The Gay Restaurants That Nurtured LGBTQ Americans (Starts at 45:00) | Mapping the Stars (Starts at 59:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

An extended excerpt from Thursday's debate between the leading Democrats running for the mayoral nomination. In this last section of the debate, the candidates discuss traffic and pedestrian safety.

An extended excerpt from Thursday's debate between the leading Democrats running for the mayoral nomination. In the first part of this clip, we hear the candidates discuss Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal, and then we hear them addressing their approaches to public safety.

Extended excerpt from Thursday's debate between the leading Democrats running for the mayoral nomination: First, the candidates direct questions to each other and then they discuss how they will ensure all New Yorkers feel safe, particularly Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers, in the context of the war in the Middle East.

Elizabeth Kim, WNYC and Gothamist reporter, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC and Gothamist senior political correspondent, offer analysis of the mayoral primary debate, which was co-moderated by Brian Lehrer.

Extended excerpt from Thursday's debate between the leading Democrats running for the mayoral nomination: First, they are asked how they would respond were President Trump to deploy the national guard and marines as he has in Los Angeles and then they are asked about their leadership and experience.

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

Andy Vasoyan, freelance reporter examining the intersection of technology and culture and former Weekend Edition host at KCLU, talks about his latest writing in WIRED sharing his experiences in joining as many class-action lawsuits as possible, and how you can get involved too.

Gothamist/WNYC reporter Elizabeth Kim previews the second Democratic primary debate and Rachel Holliday Smith, managing editor for The City, talks about the other competitive races in this month's primary, including city council and some of the borough president races. Plus, WNYC All Things Considered host Sean Carlson previews the next installments of "Word from the Curb."

Gustavo Arellano, columnist for The Los Angeles Times, offers his take on the protests in Los Angeles, the Trump administration's response and how local communities are showing up for their immigrant neighbors.

As Pride month is now in full swing, Erik Piepenburg, journalist and contributor to The New York Times, and author of the new book Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants (Grand Central Publishing, 2025), talks about how LGBTQ-friendly restaurants have nurtured queer Americans and their fight for civil rights.