The Brian Lehrer Show

Harold Hongju Koh, professor of international law and former dean at Yale Law School and former legal adviser of the U.S. Department of State, talks about President Trump's actions against big law firms that were involved in cases against the president or his businesses.

The Trump administration has seized control over the Penn Station reconstruction project and kicked the MTA out of the process. Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, explains why Trump is so interested in Penn Station and more details about this major building project transfer.

Quinta Jurecic, contributing writer at The Atlantic, fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution and senior editor at Lawfare, offers legal analysis of the Supreme Court's rulings on deportation and the Trump administration's response so far.

Rick Seltzer, reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, talks about the latest news in the escalating fight between Harvard University and the Trump administration, including what the frozen government funds pay for at the wealthy institution, why it matters that Harvard is standing up to the government's demands and more.

Ethan Crenson, president of the New York Mycological Society, talks about the many underappreciated mushrooms dotted on the sticks and branches of New York City.

The New York State budget is now almost three weeks late. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on the disagreements that are holding it up, including changes to the state's criminal discovery laws.

As our centennial series continues, Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of history of education at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of several books, including a new edition of Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools (University of Chicago Press, 2022), looks at the past 100 years of American publicly financed education.

Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, explains his work preserving digital history in the face of fewer companies preserving their web content and the White House directives to take down government web pages. Plus, Annie Rauwerda, who runs the Depths of Wikipedia social media accounts, weighs in.

Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about the reliance of working parents on grandparents for childcare and when it gets to be too much.

Adrienne Adams, New York City Council speaker, talks about her campaign to be the Democratic nominee for NYC mayor and the issues facing the city.

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), talks about the latest developments in the stand-off between a federal judge and the Trump administration over deportations, and other national news.

Jennifer Toh, MD, practicing allergist and immunologist at ENT and Allergy Associates, and member of the executive committee of the New York Allergy & Asthma Society, answers questions about diagnosing and coping with spring allergies.

Anna Louie Sussman, freelance journalist covering gender, economics, health, and reproduction, discusses her three-part series for The New York Times about human embryos, which explores the legal and ethical considerations people have to manage when they create embryos as part of the IVF process.

Andrew Cuomo's campaign has hit some road bumps this week, but recent polls still have the former governor in strong first place. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, explain why Cuomo's campaign didn't receive any matching funds from the New York City Campaign Finance Board this week, who gave him a big check instead, and more of the latest news from the mayoral race.

Hamed Aleaziz, reporter covering the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy for The New York Times, shares his reporting on the Trump administration's immigration policies, including what he and his colleagues at the Times found in their investigation into the deportation of 238 migrants to a prison in El Salvador.

Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, breaks down the headlines from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s so-called "Make American Healthy Again" tour, designed to highlight Kennedy’s plan to fight chronic disease and promote a healthy diet, amid cuts to chronic disease prevention programs and widespread layoffs at the Food and Drug Administration.

Cristiano Lima-Strong, associate editor at Tech Policy Press, offers analysis of the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case against Meta, where they will argue that the social media giant maintained a monopoly after it bought Instagram and WhatsApp.

Allan Wernick, legal advisor to CUNY Citizenship Now! - CUNY's free immigration law service program, offers guidance to tourists, visa-holders and permanent residents with green cards on their rights at the U.S. border.

Samantha Maldonado, senior reporter for THE CITY, where she covers climate, resiliency, housing and development, explains how recent Trump administration cuts to Federal Emergency Management Agency threatens over $300 million in climate resiliency for New York City-specific efforts, plus a new executive order that takes aim at state programs meant to charge polluters in order to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.

Catie Edmondson, congressional correspondent for The New York Times, offers political analysis of the budget blueprints passed by Congress last week, including what tax and spending cuts might look like, and why Republicans were far from united on this.

As our centennial series continues, Dominic Preziosi, editor of Commonweal, talks about the 100-year history of the magazine and American Catholicism, in general.

Andy Phillips, vice president of the Tax Institute at H&R Block in Kansas City, MO, offers advice and answers questions on this day before the deadline to file income tax returns.

Even with a 90-day pause on President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs, Greg David, who covers fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and directs the business and economics reporting program and the Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, argues that local economy—supported in part by Wall Street and tourism—will worsen, and how state and city budgets will respond to the economic turmoil.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson kicks off a new series of interviews with county executives as she talks about her work on maternal health disparities, her State of the Borough address, and other Bronx news, including the impact on The Bronx of Trump administration actions.

As our centennial series continues, Robert Coker, author of the book Roller Coasters: A Thrill Seeker's Guide To The Ultimate Scream Machines (Main Street, 2002) and Douglas Barnes, co-hosts of The Season Pass podcast, talk about the history of roller coasters, from the "Golden Age" of 1920's wooden coasters like Coney Island's Cyclone through modern steel "strata coasters," like the late lamented Kingda Ka, which was recently imploded to make room for a new ride.

William Cohan, financial writer for Puck News and author of many books, including Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon (Penguin Random House, 2022), offers analysis of the latest twists and turns of President Trump's trade war, and how Wall Street is reacting to the chaotic rollout (and rollback) of the tariffs.

Listeners share their stories of obtaining and advancing in white collar, nonmanual professions without a bachelor's degree.

Listeners call in to speak on the weirder sports, games, or competitions that they follow, plus we share some of our favorites.

Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D NY), talks about her work in Washington and more.

As we continue our series about alternative pathways into well-paying careers, Amy Volz, head of workforce innovation at Trane Technologies, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and refrigeration systems company with a focus on climate and sustainability, and Ebony Thomas, managing partner at Grads of Life, a nonprofit that connects top employers with people in the talent pool those employers might have otherwise missed, talk about the proactive steps some employers have taken to embrace candidates who have skills earned through boot camps and other micro-credentialing programs despite no college degree.Support of WNYC’s coverage of economic mobility and opportunity is provided in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about how the Gates Foundation supports economic mobility and opportunity, visit usprogram.gatesfoundation.org.

Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark (D), talks about his campaign to be the Democratic nominee for governor in the June primary and the issues that matter to voters in Newark and across the state.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her April conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, including how President Donald Trump's tariffs might play out in the local economy, how Democrats can reduce red tape to build more affordable housing in New Jersey and much more.

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, offers legal analysis of how the Supreme Court is acting as a check on the president so far (or not), including the Court's recent decisions allowing the Trump administration to continue deporting Venezuelan migrants using a centuries-old law, and other related cases.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, reports on the latest news from the mayoral campaign trail, including whether a coveted endorsement from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could boost one of the progressive candidates enough to beat Andrew Cuomo in the primary election, and more.

Over the next few weeks, The Brian Lehrer Show will offer a series of conversations with and about people who've earned "skills through alternative routes"—including community college, micro-credentialing programs and on-the-job training—and successful livings without a four-year college degree. Today, Audrey Mickahail, senior vice president at Opportunity@Work, a nonprofit working to expand access to career opportunities, and Aaliyah Siddiqi, marketing operations specialist for a Philadelphia pharmaceutical company, talk about alternative routes to professional careers.

WNYC has recently endured layoffs and unfortunately, our colleagues at New Sounds are slated to be part of the most recent round of staff cuts. John Schaefer, host of WNYC's New Sounds, explains how his team is working on the campaign to save New Sounds.For more information, or to donate, click here.

Tiffany Hsu, technology reporter for the New York Times covering the information system, including foreign interference, political speech, and disinformation, shares her reporting on how the Trump Administration is selectively stripping away the public record to favor the president's version of history.

Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, and Reuven Blau, reporter for The City who covers criminal justice and the city’s prison system, recap Vital City's mayoral forum, where the candidates answered questions exclusively on crime and public safety.

Last week thousands of federal employees who work for health agencies like the CDC, NIH and FDA lost their jobs. Selena Simmons-Duffin, health policy correspondent for NPR, reports on what kinds of jobs were cut and where the impact will be felt.

As our centennial series continues, Michael Froman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and former U.S. trade representative in the Obama administration, explores the history of American trade policies and the swings since the early 20th century between free trade and protectionism.

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D, NJ) talks about his record-breaking speech on the Senate floor last week and the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's agenda, Saturday's "Hands Off" nationwide protests and more.

Elaine Godfrey, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about this weekend's protests against the Trump administration, which drew thousands of people in all fifty states. Plus: Listeners share their experiences and why they protested.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Tariff Chaos (First) | When Family Members Believe Conspiracy Theories (Starts at 41:36) | How to Compost in NYC (Starts at 1:05:21)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Mayor Eric Adams made news on Thursday when he announced he'll be seeking a second term as an independent, bypassing the Democratic primary in June. Sally Goldenberg, senior New York editor at Politico, discusses her interview with the mayor, and other developments in the race including Andrew Cuomo's significant lead and progressive candidates' attempts to garner attention in a crowded race.

John McWhorter, Columbia University linguistics professor, host of the Lexicon Valley podcast, opinion writer at The New York Times, and the author of Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words (Avery, 2025), talks about his new book that digs into the cultural and linguistic history of pronoun usage in English and what light that sheds on today's controversies.

The MTA released a new subway map that harkens back to the colorful 70s-era Vignelli version. Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC newsroom, talks about the change.

Global markets are in turmoil after President Trump announced his long-promised tariffs. Kathryn Anne Edwards, economist and economic policy consultant, offers analysis of the market reaction and explains how they will hit consumers' wallets—plus how the overall economy may fare in the weeks and months ahead as other countries respond.

Experts anticipate deep cuts to federal food assistance programs by the Republican-led Congress in this year's budget negotiations set to take place in September. Karen Yi, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering homelessness and poverty, explains how potential cuts will affect 1.8 million New Yorkers, including more than half a million children, who are reliant on SNAP.

Allie Volpe, senior reporter at Vox, talks about some of the common misunderstandings of boredom.→ How to be less afraid of boredom | Vox

Zach Mack, host of Alternate Realities, a series from NPR's Embedded, talks about his three-part podcast on how he spent a year trying to save his father from conspiracy theories.