The Brian Lehrer Show

Damian Woetzel, president of The Juilliard School, talks about his commitment to making Juilliard more accessible and affordable, including an education program the school runs for younger students who come from backgrounds that are underrepresented in classical music.

For several months in 2023, the number of traffic-related tickets issued by New Jersey state troopers dropped dramatically—and crashes almost immediately increased. Tracey Tully, New York Times reporter covering New Jersey, reports on her investigation into why police behavior changed, how it affects traffic safety and the criminal investigation the state AG has launched on the slowdown.

Katie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, offers legal analysis of the settlement between ABC and President-elect Trump, after the latter filed a defamation lawsuit against the news outlet and its anchor George Stephanopoulos, and what effect this and other threats and lawsuits by the president elect might have on the media.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, rounds up the latest housing-related news, including that a real estate group has sued over the new law banning broker fees, disputes over landlords not returning security deposits and more.

The federal government is headed for a shutdown after President-elect Trump and Elon Musk appear to have scuttled a funding deal. Kadia Goba, politics reporter for Semafor, reports on what's going on, and whether there might be a solution to prevent the shutdown.

Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D NY), talks about her work in Washington, including her push for President Biden to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, President-elect Trump's nominations, drones and more.

Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society and co-founder of the Health Care for All New York Campaign, discusses the issue of health insurance claim denials and offers advice to New Yorkers for navigating today's health care system.

The holiday season can be a hard time of year for people who are grieving over friends and family members who have died. Listeners call in to offer personal tributes to their loved ones they lost this year.

As our centennial series continues, Philip Olson, CFP, and Julia Lorenz-Olson, AFC, hosts of Two Cents, an educational PBS digital show about personal finance, look at this century of holiday shopping, as Christmas became more commercial.

Shop Listener is back for the 2024 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out the "experience" gifts their businesses sell ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Gilbert Cruz, editor at The New York Times Book Review, shares the five fiction and five non-fiction books from this year that made it into The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2024.

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 Campaign Finance Board's decision to not provide his campaign matching funds, increased numbers of injuries and deaths due to police chases, and more.

Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, New York Times columnist, distinguished professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and the author of Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), looks back at his time with the New York Times and ahead to the next Trump administration.

As 2024 comes to a close, listeners call in with tributes to their favorite musicians, writers, actors and other public figures who passed away in 2024.

Andrew Tangel, enterprise reporter covering aviation safety and regulation for The Wall Street Journal, breaks down the latest news about the unidentified drones flying over the tri-state area and what the federal response has been so far.

Liz Krueger, New York State Senator (D, WF - 28th, Manhattan's East Side) and chair of the Finance Committee, makes the argument that fossil fuel companies, not taxpayers, should be the ones to pay to clean up the greenhouse gases they released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels, plus other ways New York State legislators are battling climate change.

Brittany Kriegstein, WNYC and Gothamist reporter, shares her coverage of the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, as well as the less reported stabbing death of a migrant teenager near Wall St. earlier this month, plus her experience covering shootings across New York City, to dissect how important a victim's profile is to whether or not justice is served.

After the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive caused public outcry against the health care industry, Rachel Cohrs Zhang, chief Washington correspondent for STAT News, examines what Congress is trying to do to fix a system that many Americans think is broken.

As our centennial series continues, Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University and former press secretary for Governor McGreevey, looks back at a century of the Star-Ledger, once the Newark Star-Ledger, which ends its print edition in February.

Listeners call in to share any news they learned at holiday parties over the weekend...and which topics in the news were the most discussed.

After a contentious City Council hearing on a proposal to license all e-bikes and scooters, Gale Brewer, NYC Council Member (District 6, Central Park, Lincoln Square, Upper West Side, Clinton), talks about the issue and an alternative plan that would focus on commercial e-bikes.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.The Latest From Damascus (First) | Analysis of the Daniel Penny Verdict (Starts at 27:30) | Shop Listener 2024: The Suburbs (Starts at 48:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Radiolab and the International Astronomical Union recently announced the seven finalist names for their Quasi-Moon Naming Contest. Latif Nasser, co-host of Radiolab from WNYC, and Kelly Blumenthal, member of the International Astronomical Union, explain the phenomenon of quasi-moons, and walk us through the possible names rooted in mythology from cultures around the globe.

As our centennial series continues, Valerie Paley, former chief historian at New York Historical, now senior vice president and director of its library, as well as the founding director of its Center for Women’s History, talks about several of NYC's Christmas traditions that date back to the early and mid-20th century, like the Macy's parade and the Rockefeller tree, as listeners share their families' favorites.

President Biden has issued pardons and commuted the sentences of hundreds of people -- on the heels of his controversial pardon of his son, Hunter. Meryl Kornfield, politics reporter for The Washington Post, reports on the latest pardons, plus the pressure on the president to issue preemptive pardons ahead of Trump taking office, and President-elect Trump's pledge to pardon people convicted of crimes related to the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

With the end of the year approaching, there are still hundreds of bills in Albany awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature, including one crucial piece of climate legislation. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, discusses the legislative landscape as deadlines draw near.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, including legislation that would prohibit book bans and more.

Shop Listener is back for the 2024 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their restaurants, wine shops, and other businesses selling food and drinks.

Leah Nylen, antitrust reporter for Bloomberg News, breaks down the latest news surrounding a failed merger of two major supermarket chains, and what the future of antitrust enforcement might look like as president-elect Donald Trump considers his pick to replace Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan.

Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, commissioner of the NYC Department for the Aging, and Chris Durrance, documentary filmmaker, director of "Caregiving", talk about the need for more support for caregiving for older Americans and the recent BOOM Conference that sought to address the issues ageism and the need for more support.

Jurors found Daniel Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Samantha Max, reporter covering public safety for WNYC/Gothamist, who was in the courtroom covering the trial. And Tiffany Cabán, NYC Council Member (District 22, Astoria, Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Woodside and Rikers Island), shares legislation she's working on related to mental health care.

The USDA recently announced plans to test milk for bird flu. Amy Maxmen, PhD, public health correspondent and editor at KFF Health News, explains why this is necessary, and what officials know about the spread of the virus and what the U.S. is doing to prevent another pandemic scenario.

As our centennial series continues, and as the shooting of UnitedHealthcare's CEO led to an outpouring of frustration from consumers, Elisabeth Rosenthal, senior contributing editor at KFF Health News, former ER physician and author of An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back (Penguin Press, 2017), breaks down the perception and reality of health care and health insurance in the United States over the last century.

Earlier this month, the top United Nations court opened two weeks of hearings into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change. Nikki Reisch, director of the climate and energy program at the Center for International Environmental Law, explains the hearings so far and what relief they may provide for vulnerable nations.

Listeners call in to share tips on how to survive - and maybe even have fun at - their work holiday parties.

Mohammed Aly Sergie, editor of Semafor Gulf, talks about the latest developments in Syria.

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 not guilty verdict in the Daniel Penny subway chokehold case.

John Cassidy, staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about the latest national economic news, including the jobs numbers, healthcare frustrations and President-elect Trump's pick for Treasury secretary.

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 NYC news, including the deadlocked jury* in the Daniel Penny trial, Mayor Adams's refusal to rule out switching to the Republican party and more. [*Note, this took place before the jury returned a verdict in the Penny trial.]

As our centennial series continues, John Fricke, historian focused on The Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland and the author of The Wonderful World of Oz: An Illustrated History of the American Classic (Down East Books, 2014), talks about the enduring impact of the story of The Wizard of Oz.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.100 Years of 100 Things: Fascism (First) | The 'City of Yes' Plan Passes City Council (Starts at 39:00 ) | 2024's Best Sports Writing (Starts at 1:23:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Shop Listener is back for the 2024 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located on Long Island, and in New Jersey, Connecticut and Westchester (and suburbs farther north) ahead of the holidays for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Felipe Rodriguez, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and former NYPD detective sergeant, offers analysis of the ongoing police investigation into the brazen shooting of a health care executive on a Midtown Manhattan street.

The housing plan known as "City of Yes" has passed the City Council. NYC Councilnember Pierina Ana Sanchez (District 14: Morris Heights, University Heights, Fordham, Kingsbridge) and Dan Garodnick, director of the New York City Department of City Planning, talk about the details of the plan and whether it will be enough to solve the city's housing crunch.

Ilya Marritz, reporter at The Boston Globe, and Hilary Burns, higher education reporter at The Boston Globe, talk about the series "The Harvard Plan", from On the Media and The Boston Globe, which looks at how universities have become embroiled in the culture wars in a new way.

On Wednesday, Supreme Court Justices heard arguments in a case about gender-affirming care for minors. Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny, a contributor with ABC News and a contributing opinion Writer with the New York Times, explains why the court is considering a challenge to a Tennessee law that bars the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

Jane McManus, sports writer, an adjunct professor at New York University at the Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport and the editor of The Year's Best Sports Writing 2024 (Triumph, 2024) and author of the forthcoming The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women's Sports (Temple University Press, 2025), looks back on some of the best writing about sports and athletes this year.

Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post reporter on the International desk covering foreign affairs, and Anthony Kuhn, NPR international correspondent based in Seoul, South Korea, discuss the short-lived martial law order from South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, and the political crisis unfolding in the National Assembly and streets of Seoul.

There will likely be changes to the immigration system under Donald Trump, who has pledged to initiate a mass deportation campaign. Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), speaks to the concerns of immigrants.

As our centennial series continues, David Brooks, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, New York Times columnist, and the author of the book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (Random House, 2023), reviews the history of "meritocracy" in the U.S. and argues that it needs reform.