The Brian Lehrer Show

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about the latest national political news, including how the president is choosing which reporters cover him as part of the White House press pool, tense negotiations with Ukrainian President Zelensky and more.

The city has implemented a new math curriculum called "Illustrative Math" and not all teachers are fans. Jessica Gould, WNYC/Gothamist reporter, talks about how the roll out is going, and how officials hope it will improve dismal math scores.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Navigating student loans under the new Trump administration (First) | What Trump's 'America First agenda' means right now (Starts at 26:20) | 100 Years of the Academy Awards (Starts at 54:55)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

John Nichols, national-affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine and the author of, with Sen. Bernie Sanders, It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism (Crown, 2023), talks about today's planned protest boycotts and other responses by those opposed to the early Trump administration actions.

As our centennial series continues and with Sunday's Oscar ceremony, Michael Schulman, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears (Harper Collins, 2023), takes us through the decades of Best Picture winners and what they tell us about their time.

Prison guards at upstate New York prisons have walked off the job in an illegal strike to protest working conditions, and a state law that restricts solitary confinement. Jimmy Vielkind, New York State issues reporter for WNYC, reports on what the corrections officers are demanding, conditions for inmates inside the prisons and the tentative deal the state and the union have reached to end the strike.

U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (D NJ 6th), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, talks about the budget passed by House Republicans that he says will "take health care away from millions of Americans."

Jonathan Friedman, managing director of U.S. free expression and education programs at PEN America, discusses their new analysis of the 4,000 books banned in schools during the 2023-2024 school year.

Jackie Faherty, astrophysicist and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, talks about the rare alignment of the planets, many visible without a telescope.

Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, recently announced a major shift to the newspaper’s opinion section, saying that it would now advocate for “personal liberties and free markets." Paul Farhi, former reporter at The Washington Post, where he reported on the news media for 13 years, explains what the new directive means and walks through the history of opinion editorials and their purpose.

George Packer, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021), offers analysis of what he calls President Trump's "might makes right" strategy, and the decimation of the United States' soft power through the destruction of USAID.

Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City, running for governor in the June primary, talks about his run to be the Democratic nominee for governor and the issues the matter to Jersey City and the state at large.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, including the fallout from the DOJ's interference in his corruption case, plans to close the Roosevelt Hotel as a migrant shelter and the latest campaign news.

Rachel Feintzeig, writer based in Connecticut, talks about her recent New York Times guest essay "Why You, Too, Need a Nemesis" as listeners share how they've drawn inspiration from proving someone wrong about them.

Jacob Bogage, Congressional economics correspondent at The Washington Post, andJoseph Rosenberg, senior fellow at the Urban Institute's Tax Policy Center, offer analysis of the Republicans budget plan, how it may or may not advance President Trump's legislative agenda and what it might mean for his tax cuts.

Charlotte Cowles, financial advice columnist for The Cut,offers advice for federal student loan borrowers who are navigating the complicated system, especially as President Trump threatens to shut down the Department of Education, and key components of former President Biden's student loan relief plan are tied up in court.

The price of a dozen eggs is surging throughout the New York area. Dionne Searcey, New York Times reporter, reports on how bird flu is causing the sticker shock on eggs, how different types of businesses are dealing with the cost and how New Yorkers are finding deals. Plus listeners share their tips on where to find affordable eggs and whether the prices are causing them to change up how eggs fit into their diets.

Listeners share their memories of Christo & Jeanne-Claude’s “The Gates” which transformed part of Central Park with orange banners twenty years ago this month, plus other art projects that changed their view of public spaces.

Lisa Friedman, reporter covering climate policy and politics at The New York Times, discusses moves made by the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency administration, Lee Zeldin, including the administration's attempts to claw back President Biden's funding for "green energy" infrastructure and more.

Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, and Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today Wellness reporter, discuss moves made by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including a recent vow to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule and SSRIs.

Listeners call in to share what their favorite Wikipedia page is, niche or highly trafficked, and share a little-known nugget of knowledge, a humorous edit or anything else.

As our centennial series continues, Jacoby Adeshei Carter, philosophy professor at Howard University, director of the Alain Leroy Locke Society, author of African American Contributions to the Americas’ Cultures: A Critical Edition of Lectures by Alain Locke (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) and co-editor of Philosophizing the Americas (Fordham University Press, 2024), talks about the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on American culture.

Tim Padgett, WLRN Americas Editor covering Latin America, the Caribbean and their key relationship with South Florida, and Saraya Wintersmith, reporter covering Boston City Hall for GBH News and is the host of the “What Is Owed?” podcast, preview WNYC's evening public radio station special "Haiti On The Line," which examines the history of the country and the current news that the Trump administration recently ended deportation protection for 500,000 Haitians in the United States.→ HAITI ON THE LINE: A live call-in radio special about the crisis in Haiti. Listen live at WNYC.org or at 93.9 FM/AM 820 tonight, Monday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

Andy Kim, U.S. Senator (D NJ), talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Analysis from Elie Mystal as a judge deliberates Mayor Eric Adams' future (First) | Richard Stengel, Former Under Secretary of State during the Obama administration, on Trump's pivot away from European allies and towards President Vladimir Putin's Russia (Starts at 35:47) | The best political sketches so far in SNL's 50-year history (Starts at 1:06:10)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has several holdouts in his own party on the budget blueprint he wants to put on the House floor in the coming days. Meredith Lee Hill, Congress reporter for POLITICO covering GOP leadership, breaks down the beleaguered House budget and the Republicans pushing Johnson not to slash SNAP benefits and Medicaid.

U.S. Justice Department attorneys and Mayor Eric Adams appeared before federal Judge Dale Ho, asking that the five federal corruption and bribery charges against Adams should be dropped. Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation and host of their legal podcast, "Contempt of Court," author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2023), and the forthcoming Bad Law: 10 Popular Laws That Are Ruining America (The New Press, 2025), offers legal analysis of the request as Judge Ho continues to deliberate.

A recent AP story focused on people who take naps to help refocus on workdays and callers share if they break for naps and if their employers support that.

Katherine Wu, staff writer for The Atlantic, explains how the Trump administration's cuts to research grants has already — and will continue to — impact scientific progress in the United States.=>"The Breaking of American Science" (The Atlantic, Feb. 14, 2025)

European leaders have called an emergency meeting after President Donald Trump suggested Ukraine is to blame for Russia’s invasion of it. Richard Stengel, former Under Secretary of State during the Obama administration, political analyst at MSNBC and author of Information Wars: How We Lost the Battle Against Disinformation (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2019), breaks down the latest as Trump seemingly pivots away from European allies and towards President Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, breaks down the latest news that President Donald Trump has intervened to halt congestion pricing in Manhattan. 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), talks about the latest national and local political news.

Yoni Appelbaum, historian, a deputy executive editor of The Atlantic and the author of Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity (Random House, 2025), argues that progressive policies have unintentionally restricted mobility in America, making it harder for people to move toward opportunity and reinforcing economic inequality.→ How Progressives Froze the American Dream

Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN senior reporter covering Democratic politics and campaigns across the country, and the author of Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats' Campaigns to Defeat Trump (Viking, 2021), shares his reporting on how voters, interest groups, and unions are frustrated with Democratic politicians in the early weeks of Trump's second term, while Christopher Fasano, former attorney at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and organizing committee member of the NTEU 335, discusses how federal workers are fighting back Elon Musk's gutting of federal agencies.

Robert P. Jones, president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future (Simon & Schuster, 2023), Ryan Burge, associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, research director for Faith Counts, and the author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going (Fortress Press, 2021), and Konstantin Toropin, Military.com's Pentagon correspondent, discuss the overlap and contradictions in the Trump administrations policies toward identity and religious affiliation.

As Mayor Adams faces pressure to step down over allegations of a deal to have his federal corruption charges dropped, Gov. Hochul met with City leaders to discuss his future. Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, and Jimmy Vielkind, New York State Issues reporter for WNYC, talk about the latest developments.

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), recaps the recent Trump administration officials' visits to Europe, where Vice President JD Vance said European leaders should not shun far-right political parties and more.

Benji Backer, founder and CEO of Nature Is Nonpartisan and visiting fellow at The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, offers his right of center take on how to combat climate change, and how he believes he can influence President Trump's energy secretary to be both pro-energy and pro-environment.

As our centennial series continues, Lisa Stulberg, associate professor of the Sociology of Education at NYU, and Anthony Chen, associate professor of sociology and political science at Northwestern University, look at the last century of admission preferences at colleges and universities.

As SNL celebrates its 50th anniversary, Eric Deggans, TV critic for NPR talks, about how they've found humor in American politics over the decades.

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, Slava Leontyv, Ukrainian artist, former soldier, and filmmaker, and Brendan Bellomo, film and commercial director, talk about their film, "Porcelain War," telling the story of three Ukrainian artists caught up in the Russian invasion, armed with guns, their art and a camera.

Rev. Michael Blake, former state assemblyman, talks about his campaign for the Democratic nomination for NYC Mayor in the June primary.

On Presidents Day, as our centennial series continues, Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University, a CNN Presidential Historian, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, talks about the history of U.S. presidents, their exercise of executive power and how President Trump's actions compare.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Historian Jefferson Cowie offers a history White backlash to federal authority (First) | Filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie discuss their Oscar-nominated documentary "Sugarcane" and the long history of abuse at residential schools in Canada (Starts at 22:20) | Shiori Itō, director of "Black Box Diaries," talks about her Oscar-nominated documentary about her investigation of her own sexual assault case (Starts at 39:35)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.

Dan Goldman, US Representative (D, NY-10), formerly lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of Pres. Trump in 2019 and former assistant US attorney SDNY, responds to President Trump's executive orders, and to the moves by Elon Musk and DOGE to drastically cut the federal work force.

Antonio Pagliarulo, writer and author of The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery & Magic of the Quiet Curse (Weiser Books, 2023) and the forthcoming The Queer Saints: A Radical Guide to Magic, Miracles and Modern Intercession, tells us about the saint for whom Valentine's Day is named, and listeners tell us about their secret loves.

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, Julian Brave NoiseCat, writer and filmmaker, and Emily Kassie, filmmaker and investigative journalist, discuss their film "Sugarcane" that documents the long history of abuse at one Indian residential school in Canada and the damage to individuals, families and communities from the century-long practice across the U.S. and Canada.Sugarcane is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

Samantha Max, reporter covering public safety for WNYC/Gothamist, talks about the news that the acting Manhattan U.S. attorney quit rather than comply with the DOJ's request that her office drop the charges against Mayor Adams, and explains the prosecutor's reasoning.

As our centennial series continues, Jefferson Cowie, historian at Vanderbilt University and the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power (Basic Books, 2022), reviews the history of white Americans fighting the federal government over civil rights legislation and 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, talks about the constitutional issues at stake with some of the actions taken by the White House.