The Brian Lehrer Show

Amy Maxmen, PhD, public health correspondent and editor at KFF Health News, talks about the latest data on the spread of avian flu, what monitoring is underway, and the current state of public health preparedness.

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, where they talked about who he will choose to replace Sen. Bob Menendez, his friendship with Tim Walz, electric charging stations for the turnpike and more.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are in a tight race in key swing states. Amy Walter, editor-in-chief of Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, unpacks the latest presidential polling and offers analysis.

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 new FDNY commissioner, migrant encampments, and more.

For the twelfth "thing" in our centennial series, 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.

Carlo Invernizzi-Accetti, professor of political science and executive director of the Moynihan Center at The City College of New York, and author of the forthcoming 20 Years of Rage: How Resentment Took the Place of Politics (Mondadori, 2024), explains the origins of freedom in political rhetoric and how the Harris-Walz ticket is seeking to redefine freedom after the American right carried the mantle as the party of freedom for decades.

Will Leitch, contributing editor at New York Magazine, columnist at MLB.com, and founding editor of Deadspin, recaps the highs and lows of the Paris Olympic games.

Amidst the current loneliness epidemic, listeners call in to tell us whether they live near their friends and how that proximity--or lack thereof--impacts their daily lives.

The number of English language learners in New York City schools is growing, and there's been a slight uptick in poverty among students. Michael Elsen-Rooney, reporter at Chalkbeat New York, takes a look at the shifting demographics in the enrollment data.

Dharna Noor, fossil fuels and climate reporter at Guardian US, talks about Tim Walz's record on climate as governor of Minnesota, and why environmental advocates are mostly pleased with Harris's choice of him as VP.

Alex Shephard, senior editor of The New Republic, talks about the latest national political news, including Trump's VP pick JD Vance's media rounds and more on Harris's VP pick Tim Walz.

For the eleventh thing in our centennial series, Deb Whitcraft, president of the New Jersey Maritime Museum, and Emil Salvini, author of several books on the history of the Jersey Shore and host of "Tales of the Jersey Shore" for NJTV, take us through the larger history of the Jersey Shore as listeners share their memories and stories from the towns and beaches that fit under that giant umbrella of "the shore".

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, delves into new analysis showing new migrants do not pose a threat to employment opportunities for native New Yorkers of color.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Why Nassau County Republicans Ban on Masks in Public (First) | Reluctant to Retire (Starts at 22:20) | Tree Resiliency and Extreme Weather (Starts at 49:15)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

For this "Summer Friday" we've put together some of our favorite conversations this year:Anthony Fauci, M.D., longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, now a professor at Georgetown University in the School of Medicine and the McCourt School of Public Policy, and the author of On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service (Viking, 2024), talks about his life and the public health crises the country faced.Sarah McCammon, national correspondent for NPR and the author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church (Macmillan, 2024), shares her story of growing up within, and leaving, evangelican Christianity, and what her reporting shows of others like her and their impact on American politics and culture.Anne Lamott, author of twenty books, including Bird by Bird and her latest, Somehow: Thoughts on Love (Riverhead Books, 2024), talks about turning 70, and why love has been the answer to the many challenges she's faced in her own life.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, Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Columbia University, cancer researcher, co-founder of MANAS.Ai, and author of several books, most recently, The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human (Scribner, 2022), and Shinjini Kundu, M.D., PhD, fellow physician and computer scientist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Paul Friedman, M.D., chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, discuss how artificial intelligence is currently interacting with healthcare, including AI's role in diagnosing diseases, discovering the building blocks for medication, and cover concerns related to patient privacy and algorithm bias. These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here:Dr. Fauci Looks Back (June 28, 2024)Faith & Politics & Ex-Evangelicals (April 3, 2024)Anne Lamott on Love (May 22, 2024)A Roundtable on A.I. in Health Care (June 18, 2024)

This year, 41 million members of Gen-Z will be eligible to vote for the first time. Erika Weisz, principal behavioral scientist at Murmuration, explains her findings from two reports authored by Murmuration on the civic engagement of this diverse generation, including their opinions on democracy, how political leaders can activate these voters, and which issues are of top priority in the upcoming presidential election.

New York State's Adult Survivors Act brought a flood of lawsuits against the city by women who say they were abused at Rosie's (the women's jail) on Rikers Island. Jessy Edwards, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering incarceration and public safety, reports what she learned about allegations of serial sexual abuse when she looked into the lawsuits, and whether the city has initiated an investigation.

NYBG lost one of its oldest oak trees in this week's storm. Eric Sanderson, vice president of urban conservation at The New York Botanical Garden, talks about why losing just one tree can seriously affect the broader ecosystem, and how the garden is caring for its trees as extreme weather and flooding becomes more common.

Fueled in part by disinformation on social media, the United Kingdom has seen days of rioting and vandalism targeting Muslims, migrants and other minorities. Max Colchester, U.K. correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, discusses the unrest.

For the tenth thing in our centennial series, Laura Weiss, journalist and author of Ice Cream: A Global History (Reaktion Books), gives us the scoop on the history of an iconic summer treat: ice cream, as listeners share their stories.

Nassau County Republicans passed a ban on face coverings in public, with supporters saying it's in response to antisemitic incidents, and Democrats accusing their GOP colleagues of stoking a culture war. WNYC and Gothamist's Charles Lane reports on what he says was a "raucous debate," and what may happen next.

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 what some have deemed a humanitarian crisis in Midtown.

Ernesto Londoño, Midwest correspondent for The New York Times based in Minnesota, provides a full biography of Minnesota governor turned Democratic vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz.

The canonization of the first millennial saint has sparked calls for a queer saint. For some, Father Mychal Judge, New York City Fire Department chaplain and the first certified 9/11 casualty, is at the center of these calls. Antonio Pagliarulo, writer and author of The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery & Magic of the Quiet Curse (Weiser Books, 2023), makes the case.

In the past decade, millions of Americans made the switch from cigarettes to vaping in hopes of avoiding the worst smoking-related illnesses. In the process, many who never smoked cigarettes have found themselves addicted to nicotine without strong guidelines on how to quit. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, FSAHM, professor of pediatrics/adolescent medicine at Stanford, and founder/director of the Stanford REACH Lab, explains how we got here and shares medical advice on how to quit vaping.

Bill McKibben, environmental activist, founder of Third Act and author of many books, most recently The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened (Henry Holt and Co., 2022), talks about why he hopes Gov. Hochul will sign a bill passed by the New York State legislature earlier this year that would require fossil fuel companies to pay for damages associated with climate change. Plus, he talks about how climate activists are feeling about the presidential election, now that Kamala Harris is on the top of the Democratic ticket.

Justin Wolfers, professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, talks about the stock market sell-off, the latest jobs report, how to gauge the health of the economy, and why he thinks the stock market "is a bit like a toddler."

Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), talks about Kamala Harris's choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, and listeners weigh in with their thoughts.

Governor Hochul's pause on congestion pricing has left transit improvement projects in the lurch. Ana Ley, transportation reporter for the New York Times, discusses how officials are coping with the upheaval that's come with the loss of projected revenue.

For our ninth thing in our centennial series, Ian MacAllen, Italian-American food expert and author of Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022), covers the history and development of a beloved New York City food: pizza.

As Joe Biden knows, stepping away from a high-powered job can be a difficult decision to make. Charley Locke, freelance writer, discusses her reporting on why some people put retirement off, and listeners weigh in.→ Retirement Gets Harder the Longer You Wait

With Vice President Kamala Harris about to name her V.P. pick, Nancy Cook, senior national political correspondent at Bloomberg News, talks about the top contenders to be Vice President Harris' running mate, plus what the latest polls show about the changes in the presidential race.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.A hundred years of James Baldwin (First) | Election integrity as a matter of national security (Starts at 27:50) | New York City etiquette rules (Starts at 57:35)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

For this "Summer Friday" we've put together some of our favorite conversations this year:Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post columnist, host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, and the author of Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), looks back at other turbulent eras for insights into navigating this one.Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher university professor and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, host of "Finding Your Roots" on PBS and that author of The Black Box: Writing the Race (Penguin Press, 2024), talks about his new book that examines the history of Black self-definition.Judith Butler, professor at UC-Berkeley and the author of several books, including Gender Trouble and their latest, Who's Afraid of Gender? (Macmillan, 2024), talks about her pioneering academic work on the concept of gender and how fraught, and misunderstood, the topic has become.Appliances are rarely built to last, but many from the past are still as good as new. Anna Kramer, technology and climate journalist, author of the newsletter, "Bite into this," talks about her Atlantic article "KitchenAid Did It Right 87 Years Ago" as listeners call in to share which gadgets and technologies have survived years of use in their homes. These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here:Revolutionary Eras, Then and Now (May 21, 2024)Defining 'Blackness' Through Literature (Mar 22, 2024)Judith Butler on Gender (Apr 4, 2024)Appliances That Lasted (Mar 1, 2024)

Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, discusses her reporting on problems the Campaign Finance Board found in Mayor Adams's 2021 campaign, and how it could affect his re-election campaign.

Sarah Jones, senior writer at the Intelligencer and New York Magazine, discusses J.D. Vance's viral comment that America is run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies." Plus, listeners weigh in on how the trope is being reclaimed.

Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, CNN political analyst, NPR contributor, and author of several books, and Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law, the author of several books, discuss the new book they co-edited, Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue(NYU Press, 2024), in which experts weigh in on the risks to national security posed by election insecurity.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) discusses recent developments, including Kamala Harris's campaign, today's prisoner swap with Russia, the latest in the Middle East, working across the aisle on healthcare issues, and more.

Until recently, the nation’s tech capital, Silicon Valley, was seen as a liberal bastion, but the tech billionaires are starting to diverge in their political ideologies. Erin Griffith, New York Times reporter covering tech companies and Silicon Valley, explains what's going on with the infighting and how wealthy tech donors are influencing the 2024 presidential election.

Allie Volpe, senior reporter at Vox, talks about how to learn a new sport at any age.=>"Inspired by the Olympics? You can become an athlete at any age." (Vox.com, July 25)

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. This weeks topics include: how the Adams administration communicates with the press and public, mayor Adams' reaction to comptroller Brad Lander launching a primary campaign against him, another sexual misconduct lawsuit against Adams' advisor, Tim Pearson, and more.

Continuing our centennial series, Eddie Glaude Jr., Princeton professor and the author of several books, including Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own (Crown, 2020) and We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For (Harvard University Press, 2024), talks about the life and legacy of James Baldwin, who would be 100 years old on August 2.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on polls that show young men under 30 are skewing increasingly conservative, while young women are much more likely to vote for Democrats. Listeners call in to talk about how that dynamic has showed up in their dating lives.

In our Climate Story of the Week, Rob Jackson, chair of the Global Carbon Project, a senior fellow at Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment and Precourt Institute for Energy, a professor of earth science at Stanford University, and the author of Into the Clear Blue Sky: The Path to Restoring Our Atmosphere (Simon & Schuster, 2024), offers a hopeful vision for addressing the climate crisis and an argument for redefining our most urgent goals. To repair the climate, he argues, we need to actively restore the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels of greenhouse gases.

New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera (D-2, East Village, Gramercy Park, Kips Bay, Lower East Side, Murray Hill, Rose Hill) talks about the mayor's emergency order that delays implementation of Local Law 42, just days before it would have gone into effect, that would have capped solitary confinement, among other things.

After a tumultuous Supreme Court term that included the presidential immunity opinion and reporting that showed Justice Thomas received undisclosed gifts and favors from a GOP megadonor, President Biden has proposed changes to the court, including term limits and a code of ethics. Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and host of the podcast, "Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal," and author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (New Press, 2022), offers legal analysis of the reforms, and talks about how much of a long a shot it is that any of this would make it through Congress.

Brittany Kriegstein, WNYC/Gothamist breaking news reporter focusing on crime and gun violence, shares her reporting on the same few New York City blocks that see the most shootings year after year.

Joan Walsh, The Nation's national affairs correspondent and the co-author of Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power, and Wealth in America (The New Press, 2023), and Christopher Cadelago, California bureau chief at Politico, talk about the latest national political news, with a focus on Vice President Kamala Harris's biography as she locks up the Democratic nomination for president.

Continuing our centennial series, Kevin Baker, novelist, historian, journalist and the author of The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City (Knopf, 2024), takes us through the past hundred years of baseball in NYC, as listeners share their oral histories."100 Years of 100 Things" is part of WNYC’s centennial celebration. Each week, we’ll take listeners through a century’s worth of history of things that shape our politics, our lives and our world. Topics will include everything from immigration policy to political conventions, American capitalism to American socialism, the Jersey Shore to the Catskills, baseball to ice cream.

Nick Leighton, journalist and host of the podcast Were You Raised By Wolves?, offers a few simple etiquette rules for New York City and listeners share theirs.→ 10 etiquette rules to not be the worst in New York City