The Brian Lehrer Show

Alyssa Katz, executive editor of THE CITY, talks about Tuesday's debate among the Democrats running for NYC Comptroller.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, offers analysis of the Democratic and Republican winners of the NJ gubernatorial primary election, and talks about her new podcast, "Dead End: The Rise & Fall of Gold Bar Bob Menendez," on former Sen. Bob Menendez, who is scheduled to go to prison next week after he was found guilty of corruption.

The U.S. Health Secretary, RFK Jr., announced he was dismissing all the members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee. Katelyn Jetelina, founder and author of the newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist, talks about what RFK Jr. says are his goals, and what the consequences might be.

Jackie Faherty, astrophysicist and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, talks about a new show at Hayden Planetarium that draws on new data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission to map the galaxy and our place in it.→ Encounters in the Milky Way

Callers share their ballot choices in today's New Jersey's gubernatorial primaries.

Paula DiPerna, author of Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets (Wiley, 2023) and board chair of the group Humanity Insured US, responds to Friday's exchange with Oren Cass on the economic impact of climate change vs. the impact on jobs and prosperity.

Jake Tapper, lead DC anchor and chief Washington correspondent for CNN and co-author with Alex Thompson of Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again (Penguin Press, 2025), talks about his new book that looks back at the Democrats' loss in 2024 and how it happened.

Cullen Murphy, editor at large at The Atlantic, discusses his latest article on how the acceleration of privatization across the U.S. government may signal the country's move towards a form of government that resembles the feudalism of the Middle Ages.

President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard to suppress demonstrations against immigration raids in Los Angeles. 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 legal analysis.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, breaks down the key issues as New Jersey voters head to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes for the gubernatorial primaries.

Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about what lawmakers are up to as the end of the legislative session in Albany approaches, including the "Medical Aid in Dying" bill which passed the Assembly and is up for a vote in the State Senate today, plus other news from Albany.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Katie Barnes, award-winning LGBTQ sports journalist, on trans women and girls in sport (First) | A recap of the first NYC mayoral debate (Starts at 47:30) | A 100-year history of Cancer research in the United States (Starts at 1:25:10)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Caroline Haskins, business reporter at WIRED, where she covers Silicon Valley, surveillance, and labor, talks about President Trump's plan to employ the tech company Palantir to compile data on America citizens.

Laura Roumanos, executive director and co-founder of Photoville, talks about this month's Photoville Festival with 80 exhibitions across the boroughs June 7-22, and opening weekend events in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass and editor of The New Conservatives: Restoring America’s Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry (Simon & Schuster, 2025), offers his take on the Republicans' tax bill, and President Trump's agenda, plus talks about his new book.

Alex Zimmerman, reporter at Chalkbeat New York, discusses what the Democratic mayoral candidates said about their plans for public education during this week's debate.

New York City and Minneapolis, Minnesota, recently ranked as the top of the list of being the happiest place to live in the United States. Listeners call in to share the happiest place they've ever lived, whether in a different country, state or borough, and what makes them happy to be there, whether it's proximity, cost of living or something else.

Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City and co-host of FAQ NYC, recaps last night's Democratic mayoral primary debate, which was sponsored by NBC 4 NY, Telemundo and Politico New York.

Marielle Anzelone, urban botanist, ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Kelly Vilar, CEO of the Staten Island Urban Center, offer a "blueprint" for fostering biodiversity in NYC and explain its importance to city life.→ New York City Biodiversity Task Force report: OAKS, OUR CITY AND US: A VISION FOR NATURE IN NEW YORK CITY

Jerrold Nadler, U.S. Representative (D, NY-12), talks about an incident last week where one of his staffers was detained by officials from the Department of Homeland Security, and more about his work in Washington.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the campaign trail, including what she's expecting ahead of the first mayoral debate, the Working Families Party ranking Zohran Mamdani as top pick for mayor, and the battle for Asian voters.

Senators are currently negotiating their version of the so-called "big, beautiful bill." Ursula Perano, senate reporter at NOTUS, and Matt Brown, Associated Press reporter covering national politics, race and democracy issues, explain why some key provisions in the bill are under extra scrutiny, including one that would prohibit state and local governments from regulating AI for ten years.

John B. King, Jr., chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), former U.S. Education Secretary under Pres. Obama, and the author of Teacher By Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives (Legacy Lit, 2025), talks about his memoir, his work at many levels of the education system and the importance of the Education Department.

This year's WNYC Health Convening with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation continues with a look at the current state of cancer research in the United States. Sudip Parikh, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the Science family of journals, and Otis Brawley, professor of oncology at The Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkin and co-editor of The Cancer History Project, and Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, discuss what the impacts of the Trump administration's funding cuts to the National Health Institute have meant to clinical trials, and what a future without government funding to find a cure might look like should the science continue to be underfunded.

Each year the news division hosts the WNYC Health Convening with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as an opportunity for healthcare experts and practitioners to inform WNYC's health reporting. This year, as part of our centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Paul Goldberg, editor and publisher of The Cancer Letter and co-editor of The Cancer History Project, discusses the century of cancer treatment advancements and how the U.S. government played a major part in funding the science for treatment, early detection and prevention.

After a transgender high school athlete won two events at last weekend's California track and field championships, President Donald Trump has threatened to defund the state. Katie Barnes, ESPN senior writer covering the intersection of sports and gender, 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.

Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC; writer for MSNBC and contributing writer to The Atlantic, talks about the latest national political news, including Sen. Joni Ernst's "we are all going to die" response to constituents' concerns over Medicaid cuts, what's brewing for Democrats regarding the 2028 election and more.

Early voting in New Jersey's gubernatorial primary starts Tuesday. Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, offers political analysis of the race and the leading Democratic and Republican candidates.

Listeners who are ambivalent about having kids call in to talk about why they feel that way.

Nicole Gelinas, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, a columnist at the New York Post and the author of the new book, Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car (Fordham Univ Press, 2024), and Dave Colon, reporter for Streetsblog NYC, talk about the mayoral candidates' proposals for making mass transit safe, affordable and reliable and for managing the "chaos" of use of streets by pedestrians, two-wheeled vehicles, and cars.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Contrapoints' Natalie Wynn Deep Dives into the Philosophy of Conspiracies (First) | The Child Care Issue (Starts at :38) | 'Bad Vibes' at the Supreme Court (Starts at 1:08)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

The Trump administration announced it would "aggressively revoke" student visas for Chinese students who are planning to study in the United States. Liam Knox, the admissions and enrollment reporter for Inside Higher Ed and author of their Admissions Weekly newsletter, reports on the latest on that plus the dispute between the administration and Harvard over enrolling foreign students.

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.