The Brian Lehrer Show

Brian Lehrer hosts special coverage of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inaugural speech, with analysis from Dr. Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University, co-host of the podcast FAQ NYC and the author of How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams (Cambridge University Press, 2024), and Harry Siegel, FAQ NYC co-host, editor at The City and Moynihan Public Scholar at City College. Plus, listeners call in to share their hopes and concerns for the future of NYC. Click here to watch the full event, including the inaugurations NYC Comptroller Mark Levine, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, as well as musical performances, poetry readings and other speeches.

On this New Year's Day:Ahead of the Mamdani swearing-in ceremony, a look back: Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter; 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; and Jeffery Mays, New York Times metro politics reporter, weigh in on Mayor Adams' term in office and what he accomplished, where he fell short of his goals, and how history might view his mayoralty.Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation and the author of The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last (Crown Currency, 2025), talks about how Wikipedia was able to rely on the "wisdom of the crowd" even as distrust climbed in the larger culture.If you put down your phone, will you grasp for a book? Jay Caspian Kang, staff writer for The New Yorker, where he writes a weekly column called Fault Lines, discusses his story, "If You Quit Social Media, Will You Read More Books?" These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:Mayor Adams' Legacy (Dec 3, 2025)Wikipedia Founder on Building Trust (Dec 11, 2025)Is 'Online Reading' Still Reading? (Dec 11, 2025)

During this holiday season, hear some recent favorites:Christopher Eisgruber, president of Princeton University and the author of Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right (Hachette, 2025), talks about issues of free speech and campus politics at Princeton, and the university's relationship with the Trump administration.Seth Berkley, MD, an infectious disease epidemiologist currently advising vaccine, biotechnology, and technology companies; an adjunct professor and senior adviser to the Pandemic Center at Brown University; former CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; cofounded COVAX; founded and served as CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative; and the author of Fair Doses: An Insider’s Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity (University of California Press, 2025), talks about the need for vaccine equity and lessons learned (and ignored) from the COVID pandemic.Clay Routledge, social psychologist, director of the Human Flourishing Lab at Archbridge Institute and author of Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life (Sounds True, 2023) explains why nostalgia for the late '90s and early 2000s is roaringly popular among Gen Z right now and listeners share stories of life before the internet and what it is about that era that younger listeners wish for today.Rachel Louise Ensign, economics reporter with The Wall Street Journal, explains the economic forces keeping Americans stuck in their homes and jobs, and how it impacts daily life.Ilya Marritz, journalist working with The Boston Globe, talks about his new series, in conjunction with The Boston Globe and On the Media, that looks at how the Trump administration has interfered with Harvard, and how it will affect academia and scientific research going forward. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:Princeton President Talks Campus Speech and Politics (Oct 1, 2025)Pandemic Preparedness Alert (Oct 28, 2025)Gen Z Wishes It Were 1997 (Aug 26, 2025)Americans are Economically Stuck (Oct 16, 2025)The Future of Academia (Nov 17, 2025)

During this holiday season, hear some recent favorites:New York City's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani defines himself as a democratic socialist, yet his critics have seized on his leftist identity to paint him as an extremist. Carlo Invernizzi-Accetti, professor of political science and executive director of the Moynihan Center at The City College of New York, and author of 20 Years of Rage: How Resentment Took the Place of Politics (Mondadori, 2024), explains the core principles of the various strains of thought on the left to paint a clearer picture of what Mamdani believes in and how he'll govern as mayor.Joyce Vance, a legal analyst for MSNBC and former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, University of Alabama School of Law professor, and author of the Civil Discourse substack, and of the new book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy (Dutton, 2025), talks about the rule of law and offers legal and historical context for the current moment in American history as she calls for citizens to uphold the Constitution.Jared Fox, education consultant, former NYC secondary science teacher and the author of Learning Environment: Inspirational Actions, Approaches, and Stories from the Science Classroom (Beacon Press, 2025), guides teachers in taking science education out of the classroom, drawing on his experience teaching science in Washington Heights.Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the author of Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy (Thesis, 2025), talks about her new book and explains why she says education protects democracy.Peter Harnik, co-founder of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land and executive producer of the documentary "From Rails to Trails", talks about his work spearheading the movement to convert abandoned railbeds into multi-use trails, 26,000 miles so far, and the new documentary about it, plus listener suggestions for the best places to bike outside the city. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:What is Zohran Mamdani's Political Ideology? (Nov 14, 2025)A Democratic Manifesto (Oct 27, 2025)Reimagining Teaching Science (Nov 11, 2025)Fighting Fascism with Education (Sep 26, 2025)From Railroad to Rail-Trail (Oct 7, 2025) and The Best Places to Bike Outside the City (Oct 8, 2025)

In our annual news quiz, listeners call in to answer trivia questions about the past year in politics, culture, and more.

In our annual news quiz, listeners call in for some trivia about the past year in politics, culture, and more.

During this holiday season, hear some recent favorites:Jelani Cobb, dean of the Journalism School at Columbia University, a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025 (One World, 2025), looks back at recent history and find the threads that connect the era of protests and backlash.Irin Carmon, senior correspondent at New York magazine, co-author of Notorious RBG (Dey Street Books, 2015) and, most recently, author of Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America (Atria/One Signal, 2025), explores what it means to be pregnant today in America through reporting and personal stories.Marina Lopes, author of Please Yell at My Kids (GCP/Balance, 2025), talks about her story in The Atlantic suggesting American parents look at the way childcare works in Singapore where grandparents are frequently primary caregivers and get paid for the work.Julia Ioffe, founding partner and Washington correspondent of Puck and the author of Motherland: A History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy (Ecco, 2025), talks about her new book that delves into the feminist history of Russia and why it offers context for the war in Ukraine.Liza Donnelly, writer and cartoonist at The New Yorker and the author of Very Funny Ladies: The New Yorker's Women Cartoonists, 1925-2021 (Prometheus, 2022) and the substack "Seeing Things", discusses the short documentary film she directed, "Women Laughing," about cartoonists at The New Yorker and their artistic processes. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:Defining the Decade (Nov. 13, 2025)The Perils of Pregnancy in America (Nov. 6, 2025)Grandparenting as Paid Labor? (Oct. 10, 2025)Russia and Feminism (Oct. 25, 2025)Funny Women of The New Yorker (Nov. 10, 2025)

Listeners share the best gifts they've ever received and what made them so special.

Listeners offer their picks of what they loved and hated this year in the world of film, literature, podcasting, performance, and more.

Christians call in to share the religious meaning of the holiday for them and what "Christian politics" mean as they come into the spotlight under the Trump administration. Then, listeners tell stories of moments that defined their common humanity with people from different backgrounds.

Listeners share which of their favorite businesses closed in 2025, and shoutout new spots where they plan on becoming regulars.

Derek Kravitz, reporter and deputy editor for Consumer Reports, discusses an investigation into third-party grocery delivery service Instacart's algorithmic pricing experiment.

Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out the "experience" holiday gifts they sell.

Robinson Meyer, founding executive editor of Heatmap, talks about how in the ten years since the Paris Agreement, as he says the "climate story is the China story" now. Plus, Jael Holzman, senior reporter at Heatmap, reports on how the Republican Party has turned fully against renewable energy sources, including offshore wind projects.

Jeff Coltin, editor-in-chief of City & State, talks about Mayor-elect Mamdani's latest deputy mayor appointments, and the inauguration plans.

The flu season has hit and cases are still rising. Michelle Morse, M.D., interim commissioner of health at the NYC Department of Health and an internal medicine and public health doctor, talks about how to stay healthy this holiday season.

As he awaits a court ruling on the Trump administration's attempt to deport him, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian activist, co-founder of the Columbia Palestinian Student Union and former president of the Columbia University Buddhist Association, and his attorney, Nate Wessler, deputy director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, talk about his studies, the state of the pro-Palestinian movement and the prospects of a peaceful solution in the region and worldwide.

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 breathtaking shots.This year, you submitted over 700 photos! Our partners at Photoville, along with a special guest judge, journalist, photographer and co-founder of the photo collective Seis del Sur David Gonzalez, picked out their favorites—and then Brian and the team joined in to help select three winners: Soumayan Biswas, Esther Xiang and Lisa Guerriero.Brian speaks with David and Dave Shelley, co-founder and creative producer of Photoville, about the three winning photos. Plus, two of this year's three contest winners, Esther Xiang and Lisa Guerriero collect their bragging rights.

Philip Bump, MSNOW contributor, author of the How to Read this Chart newsletter and the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America (Viking, 2023), talks about the latest national political news, including the release of the Epstein files, divisions in the GOP and more.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Meet the Likely New City Council Speaker (First) | IRC on the Countries at Risk in 2026 (Starts at 28:40) | Remembering Rob Reiner (Starts at 1:07:21)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Pope Leo announced that Ronald Hicks, a Midwesterner, will replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the leader of the Archdiocese of New York. Daniel Rober, associate professor and department chair of the Catholic Studies department at Sacred Heart University, talks about the new archbishop, whom observers have said has a style more akin to the new pope than the outgoing cardinal, and what it will mean for the 2.5 million Catholics he will lead.

Yesterday, out-going mayor Eric Adams appointed four members to the Rent Guidelines Board, creating a major obstacle to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's key campaign promise to freeze the rent for rent stabilized tenants. David Brand, housing reporter at WNYC and Gothamist, discusses the Adams appointees, Mamdani's appointment of Leila Bozorg as his housing czar, and reports back on the outcome of several housing bills voted on by the City Council yesterday.

Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW; writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic talks about the national political news of the week, including Vanity Fair's extensive piece about President Trump's closest aides, the administration's blockade on Venezuela and more.

Erik Maza, editor-at-large at New York Magazine discusses some of the reasons to love New York right now, and listeners call in to share their own reasons.

Listeners call in to share what makes a fun office holiday party, and share stories from parties, either from this year or in the past.

James Solomon, mayor-elect of Jersey City, talks about his plans and priorities for when he takes office as mayor of Jersey City this January.

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 his new podcast where he explores the impact of the former Congresswoman Bella Abzug, locally and nationally, and why she's not more well known. Plus, the latest local political news.

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of the forthcoming book The Queen and Her Presidents (Harper/Collins April 2026), talks about the latest national political news, including President Trump's primetime address, the ongoing fight over ACA subsidies and the Vanity Fair profile of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles that is ruffling MAGA feathers. Then, U.S. Representative Mike Lawler (R, NY-17) talks about the vote on ACA subsidies pushed through by four Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Lawler.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from City Hall and Mayor-elect Mamdani's transition plans.

Eli Dvorkin, editorial and policy director at the Center for an Urban Future, discusses his organization's new report documenting the importance of the creative sector to New York City's economy, the affordability challenges the city's artists are facing, and solutions that would revive the community.

Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of its newsletter Deep Shtetl, about the intersection of politics, culture, and religion, offers analysis of anecdotal and survey data that show a generational divide on antisemitism.

Richard Rushfield, chief columnist at The Ankler, discusses the legacies of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead in their Hollywood home on Monday, and listeners offer their tributes.

David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, shares the countries on the IRC's "watchlist," or the countries they determine are most at risk for humanitarian emergencies, and what the IRC is doing to prepare.

Andrew Chow, technology correspondent at TIME, talks about the choice of the people behind AI for their annual "Person of the Year" selection.

Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out the children's holiday gifts they sell for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.==> Submit your information for our Shop Listener online guide at wnyc.org/shoplistener and check out all the entries!

Peggy Shepard, co-founder & executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and Paul Onyx Lozito, deputy executive director of the Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, talk about the city's report on environmental justice issues, which covers the disparate exposure to pollution and the effects of climate change, and explain the type of community input they are seeking as they begin work on an Environmental Justice NYC Plan.

Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, discusses the latest over the battle in Congress over the fate of the Affordable Care Act

City Councilmember Julie Menin, (D-5, Manhattan's Lenox Hill, Yorkville, Carnegie Hill and Roosevelt Island) talks about her priorities for City Council, as she is about to take over as speaker, and how she foresees her relationship with the incoming Mamdani administration will be.

"Rage bait." "Parasocial." "6-7." Ben Zimmer, linguist, language columnist, and chair of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society, discusses what the words of the year chosen by various dictionaries like Oxford and Dictionary.com, and what the choices say about our language and culture. To submit your nomination for word of the year to the American Dialect Society, go to https://americandialect.org.

Franklin Schneider, writer based in New York City, discusses his recent piece in The Atlantic, "When Did the Job Market Get So Rude?"

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.City Politics: Mamdani's Emerging Opposition; Lander's Congressional Bid (First) | Trump's Effort to Ban State AI Laws (Starts at 40:34) | Shop Listener 2025: Under $50 (Starts at 1:00:24)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Tess Bridgeman, co-editor-in-chief of Just Security, former Special Assistant to the President, Associate Counsel to the President and Deputy Legal Adviser to the National Security Council (NSC) during the Obama administration, and William LeoGrande , professor of government at American University and specialist in U.S.-Latin America relations, discuss the latest Trump administration escalation in Venezuela, where the United States seized several additional oil tankers, and analyze the legality of those moves and the boat strikes against alleged drug cartels.

After years of stalled plans and unfulfilled promises of affordable housing near the Barclays Center, David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on a new plan for housing at Atlantic Yards.

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.

Jessica Grose, opinion writer at The New York Times, reflects on her family's interfaith holiday traditions, and listeners offer their own.

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), discusses recent Trump administration moves to define The United States' relationship with The European Union and why the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday.

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation and the author of The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last (Crown Currency, 2025), talks about how Wikipedia was able to rely on the "wisdom of the crowd" even as distrust climbed in the larger culture.

Nancy Solomon, host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

If you put down your phone, will you grasp for a book? Jay Caspian Kang, staff writer for The New Yorker, where he writes a weekly column called Fault Lines, discusses his latest story, "If You Quit Social Media, Will You Read More Books?"

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from Mayor-elect Mamdani's transition plans, including a new emerging opposition from influential business leaders and Brad Lander's announcement to run for Congress.