The Brian Lehrer Show

New York State Assembly Member Zohran K. Mamdani (D-36, Queens) talks about his campaign for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City, plus what he'll be focusing on in the next New York State legislative session.

Doctors at four of the city's public hospitals are threatening to strike to protest working conditions, pay and other issues that are part of their stalled contract negotiations. Gray Ballinger, primary care physician at H+H/Queens Hospital Center, explains what's at stake for the physicians, and the largely low-income patients who depend on the public hospitals for care.

The New York City health department's most recent tally of top baby names put Liam and Emma on top. Listeners call in to share what they named their newborns this year, and whether the name landed on the top 10 list, or if they drew from the past or another well to find a unique name for their new baby.

WNYC/Gothamist editor Clayton Guse talks about the start of congestion pricing in Manhattan as listeners react, plus other transit news.

As the centennial series continues, Mark Mather, demographer and associate vice president for U.S. Programs at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), walks us through the shifts in U.S. mortality statistics over the past 100 years.

Homelessness in the United States hit record high in 2024. Jennifer Ludden, NPR national correspondent covers housing and homelessness, and Peter Hepburn, associate director of Eviction Lab and an assistant professor of Sociology at Rutgers University-Newark, explain some of the factors of why the rates increased by double digits.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.NJ Gubernatorial Primary Campaign Kicks Off (First) | Context and a Movie: A Complete Unknown (Starts at 34:0 0) | Previewing All Of It's Public Song Project 2025 (Starts at 52:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

US Representative (D NY3) Tom Suozzi talks about working across the aisle in the Republican-controlled House.

The WNYC show All of It's "Public Song Project" invites musicians to incorporate works of art that have entered the public domain into new compositions. All of It producer Simon Close shares music that well-known artists have already created.

Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program and Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, talks about what to expect for the local economy in 2025.

Voters in New Jersey will head to the polls in June to vote in the gubernatorial primary election. Charles Stile, political columnist at The Record / northjersey.com, offers political analysis of both the Republican and Democratic candidates running to be New Jersey's next governor.

Alissa Wilkinson, movie critic at The New York Times, and Stephen Petrus, director of Public History Programs at LaGuardia and Wagner Archives and co-author of the book Folk City: New York and the American Folk Music Revival (2015), discuss the new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, and reflect on the singer's legacy as portrayed through film.

Molly Ball, senior political correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, discusses the latest in national political news, including the attack in New Orleans and the incoming Congress.

Ben Max, host of the Max Politics podcast and executive editor and program director at New York Law School’s Center for New York City Law, previews New York City's mayoral primary season, as Democratic challengers vie to replace Mayor Eric Adams.

As our centennial series continues, Mark Mather, demographer and associate vice president for U.S. Programs at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), walks us through the shifts in U.S. demographics over the past 100 years.

As 2024 winds down, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations:For the centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Matthew Barton, curator of recorded sound at the Library of Congress, walks us through the history of radio.April's earthquake in New Jersey was likely a natural phenomenon, but earthquakes can be caused by human interventions -- like fracking. For our climate story of the week, Umair Irfan, staff writer at Vox writing about climate change and energy policy, breaks down how fracking and other natural resource extractions have increased the likelihood of earthquakes in the United States.Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of many books, including Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering (Little, Brown and Company, 2024), talks about his new work which follows up on his breakthrough book, The Tipping Point, with a more sobering look at social "epidemics."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. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:100 Years of 100 Things: Radio (July 10, 2024)How Fracking Can Cause Earthquakes (April 9, 2024)Malcolm Gladwell Re-Considers (October 18, 2024)100 Years of 100 Things: The Wizard of Oz (December 9, 2024)

As our centennial series continues, Katie Thornton, a Peabody-winning journalist and public historian, reviews the history of Times Square and its popular New Years celebration.

New year's resolutions are notoriously hard to keep. Adam Galinsky, Columbia Business School professor and author of the forthcoming book, Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others (Harper Business, 2025), shares tips for staying inspired and reaching goals in 2025.

Former President Jimmy Carter died yesterday. In this interview from 2014, he talks to Brian about women's rights and gender equality, religion and power.

Jacqueline Alemany, congressional investigations reporter for the Washington Post, talks about the latest political news out of Washington, including President-elect Donald Trump's recent statements about Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal.

For this extended holiday, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations:For the centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," 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 past 100 years of the influence of Robert Moses on the New York area, which also coincides with the 50th anniversary of Robert Caro's exhaustive biography of Moses, The Power BrokerMitchell Moss, professor of urban policy and planning at New York University's Wagner School, and Rachel Weinberger, Peter W. Herman chair for transportation at Regional Plan Association, talk about the ideas and proposals on how to undo the most harmful parts of Robert Moses' legacy, especially the expressways that have divided and polluted neighborhoods.In another installment in the centennial series, Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of history of education at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of several books, including Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools (University of Chicago Press, September 2022), traces the history of the so-called "culture wars" in public education, from the Scopes trial, to religion in schools, sex ed and the controversies of today over critical race theory, masks during COVID and more.Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World (Hachette Go, 2020) and the forthcoming Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change (S&S/Simon Element, 2025), talks about a study suggesting the current "loneliness epidemic" isn't because of a lack of friends, but a lack of time to spend with them. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:100 Years of 100 Things: Robert Moses (September 18, 2024)Undoing Robert Moses' Legacy (September 20, 2024)100 Years of 100 Things: School Culture Wars (September 23, 2024)Why Loneliness Isn't About Numbers (September 12, 2024)

On this day of many holidays, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations:As part of our centennial series Michael Kazin, professor of history at Georgetown University, editor emeritus of Dissent and the author of several books, including What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party (FSG, 2022) and American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation (Knopf, 2011), traces the history of socialism in America.As our centennial series continues, Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics, university professor at Columbia University, chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute, and author of The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society (W.W.Norton, 2024), reviews the history of American capitalism and the ebb and flow of regulation.John Marks, social entrepreneur, founder of Search for Common Ground and Common Ground Productions, founder and managing director of Confluence International, visiting scholar at Leiden University and the author of From Vision to Action: Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship (Columbia University Press, 2024), talks about his work in conflict resolution and finding common ground.Jim O'Grady, freelance podcast reporter, producer, and editor, talks about how he looks to a Catholic saint for spiritual guidance, and listeners call in to share their favorite saint or other spiritual guide. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:100 Years of Things: American Socialism (October 28, 2024)100 Years of 100 Things: American Capitalism (November 1, 2024)The Business of Peace-Building (October 1, 2024)How Saints Can Help Us Sinners (September 16, 2024)

Recent stories in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post highlight how the impacts of climate change have caused homeowner insurance to skyrocket in some areas. Listeners call in to share how the changing climate has impacted their cost of living.

Listeners of different generations call in to share what they've changed their minds about over the years—whether political or not.

This year, the Lehrer Prize for Community Well-Being will honor people whose work supports transgender children and their families. Listeners call in to nominate the people and organizations making a difference in the lives of trans minors and their parents - medically, socially or in any other way.

As we continue our centennial series, "100 Years of 100 Things", listeners call in with stories passed down through their families from any time in the last century.

As our centennial series continues, Shayla Love, a staff writer at The Atlantic, reviews the history of American interests in 'wellness.'

Listeners dispel the myth that volunteering is time consuming and takes too many resources by sharing the easiest -- or maybe most fun -- ways to volunteer.

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, looks back at 2024 and discusses the recent indictments of alleged shooter Luigi Mangione and mayoral adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin.

Jonathan Lemire, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, breaks down the latest news from Washington, D.C., including what got included in, and cut from, the spending bill that averted a federal shutdown; President-elect Trump's speech in Arizona and remarks on transgender identity; and more.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Navigating health insurance denial claims in New York (First) | The next thing in our 100 Years of 100 Things series: 100 Years of holiday gift shopping (Starts at 24:30) | The winners of our 2024 Best Photo contest (Starts at 37:45)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Every year, The Brian Lehrer Show asks you to submit the best photo you took that is sitting on your phone – and every year, you deliver with some truly impressive snaps! This year, you submitted over 700 photos! Our partners at Photoville, along with a special guest judge, photographer, filmmaker and Bronx-based photo-historian, co-founder of Seis del Sur, Edwin Pagán, picked out their favorites (check out their 'Top 50' gallery), and then Brian and the team joined in to help select three winners to present their photos on the air.Brian speaks with Edwin and Laura Roumanos, executive director and co-founder of Photoville, about the three winning photos, which you can see below. Plus, this year's contest winners, Valerie Ramshur, Zai, and Taylor Mason talk about their winning photos.This Year's Winners:Weight of the World (Zai)"just another day, another display case, and another hour to kill" (Valerie Ramshur) Navy Yards figurine (Taylor Mason)

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.