The Brian Lehrer Show

U.S Representative (D NY 6) Grace Meng talks about her primary victory, the state of the Democratic party and where birthright citizenship stands after the Supreme Court ruled to preserve it last month. Photo: UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 3: Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., attends a "Women For Suozzi Rally," for former Rep. Tom Suozzi, Democratic candidate for New York's 3rd Congressional District, in Port W...

NYC-DSA co-chairs Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo discuss the chapter's sweeping victories in last month's primary elections, their implications for the future, and their reflections on Mayor Zohran Mamdani's tenure so far. Photo: Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier speaks during the "Our Team, Our Year" Get Out The Vote (GOTV) rally at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, Ne...

Noah Shachtman , contributing editor at WIRED and contributing opinion writer for The New York Times , discusses his investigation into how Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan has surveilled his arenas and compiled databases of high-profile guests, allegedly tracking a trans woman, lawyers and protesters. Photo: NEW YORK, NY - June 30: General views around Madison Square Garden on June 30, 202...

As part of the yearlong series "Wild NYC," Marielle Anzelone , urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Jessica Ware , entomologist and division chair of Invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History and co-founder of Entomologists of Color, talk about the moths, beetles, flies, and butterflies living around us and their role in making the ecosystem...

Ilan Stavans , publisher of Restless Books, professor of humanities and Latin American and Latino culture at Amherst College and the author of A Nation Wrestles with God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands (Restless Books, 2026), talks about the broad spectrum of American religious thought, from Cotton Mather to Lana Del Rey. Photo: KEYSTONE, SOUTH DAKOTA - JULY 03: U.S. President Don...

Post-COVID, New York state and city officials have enacted a range of measures and tax breaks to speed up the conversion of old office buildings into new apartment complexes. David Brand , housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist discusses the latest, including an extreme structural failure that recently happened at Pfizer's former headquarters in Midtown. Plus, Peter Varsalona , principal and buil...

As the NATO summit is underway, Drew Hinshaw, senior reporter at The Wall Street Journal , and Joe Parkinson , chief, world enterprise team at The Wall Street Journal , share their reporting on the changing relationship between Europe and the USA under President Trump, especially in light of complications from the wars in Ukraine and Iran. Photo: ANKARA, TURKIYE - JULY 8: U.S. President Donald Tru...

NPR recently reported on a University of Michigan study that found that more than half of parents track their young adult children's locations. Listeners call in to share whether they do this or not, and if they do, if they think the benefits outweigh the potential costs. Photo: Australia, Queensland, Brisbane Central Business District, Ann Street Asian girl daughter man father woman mother family...

Astead Herndon , host and editorial director at Vox, talks about the state of the midterm elections, including the fallout in Maine after an ex-girlfriend accused Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner of rape, a tight senate race in Michigan and more. Photo: BLUE HILL, MAINE - JUNE 9: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at his Primary Election event on June 9, 2026 in Blue...

Michael Lange , New York City based writer, researcher, strategist, and political organizer, digs into the demographics of who voted for the DSA candidates in New York City's June primary, both for Congress and for state legislative offices, and what it tells us about political power in New York. Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Congressional candidate Claire Valdez speaks during a Get Out the...

As the number of adults who report reading books has declined, Rose Horowitch , staff writer for The Atlantic , argues that we're living in a "post-literate world" and talks about what that means for society. Photo: 28 April 2023, Saxony, Leipzig: Visitors to the Leipzig Book Fair get an overview of the book offerings at the Penguin Random House publishing group's booth. At the spring meeting of t...

Julia Moskin , food correspondent for The New York Times, breaks down her deep dive into how global production of berries has tripled since 2000, becoming the fastest-growing category in American produce, and how that consumer demand is being met by farmers and distributors. Photo: 06 July 2026, Brandenburg, Beelitz: Blueberries are available for pick-your-own at the Jakobs-Hof in Beelitz during a...

Elie Mystal , justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and bestselling author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America (The New Press, 2025), looks back at the recently concluded Supreme Court term. Photo: This photo taken on June 30, 2026 shows the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected U.S. President D...

Robinson Meyer , founding executive editor of Heatmap, talks about the DSA's evolving relationship to the Green New Deal and climate policy in general, as its members keep winning elections in big cities. Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 21: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks to members of the media as she arrives for the last votes of the week at the U.S. Capitol Building on May 21, 2026...

Mason Williams , historian and associate professor at Williams College, and the author of City of Fortune: Inequality and the Making of Contemporary New York (W.W. Norton, 2026), argues that New York's recovery from the 1970s fiscal crisis ushered in an era of deepening inequality. Photo: Pedestrians on the sidewalk pass jewelry stores (Midtown Jewelers and Diamond Center) on West 47th Street in M...

Inspired by Matthew Vines' op-ed in The New York Times titled "I'm Gay, Not Queer. It Matters, " LGBTQ listeners share why they identify with the label "queer" and talk about their relationship to the term. Photo: TOPSHOT - Parade-goers make their way down 5th Avenue during the NYC Pride March on June 25, 2017. The NYC Pride March celebrates its 48th annual parade . / AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY...

Susan Page , USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History (HarperCollins, 2026) talks about the latest national political news, including how the America 250 celebrations went down in Washington, DC, as listeners share how they are feeling about the country today. Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 1: People ride the Freedom 250 Fe...

Jessica Gould , education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the trade-offs facing one school as it seeks to comply with the lower class-size mandates, and how that will play out across the city. Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 02: Principal Alice Hom surveys one of the classrooms at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 in preparation for the upcoming start of school on September 02, 2021 in...

Dave Isay , founder and president of StoryCorps, talks about the new StoryCorps and NPR Morning Edition project called Connect250 , where Americans from different parts of the country will speak to each other for a time capsule of this moment in time. Photo: A young and elderly farmer chatting on the field at sunset - stock photo Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for in...

After US striker Folarin Balogun was set to miss tonight's game against Belgium because of a red card in last week's game, President Trump called the head of FIFA to intervene and the suspension was suspended. Listeners call in to talk about the play, whether the initial red card was just and what they think of the president's move. Photo: SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 1:Folarin Balogun #20 of th...

For the nation's 250th birthday, some 'Independence-minded' favorites: Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein , co-directors (with David Schmidt) of "The American Revolution," talk about their 12-part docuseries for PBS on the nation's founding. Jon Meacham , Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and the author of American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (Random...

David Uberti , a reporter covering the intersection of financial markets and the economy for The Wall Street Journal , discusses Trump's 2025 financial disclosures, focusing on the more than $1 billion he made from his crypto businesses. Photo: Representation of cryptocracy coins with the $Trump meme coin and bitcoin falls roughly 33% since the start of 2026 after months of gains following the 202...

Michael Sol Warren , New Jersey reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the latest from New Jersey, including the new state budget and Rep. Kean Jr's return to the public stage. Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 30: U.S. Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ) (C) arrives at the U.S. Capitol with his wife Rhonda Kean (R) on June 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)   Hosted by S...

Sarah Pearsall , professor in the Department of History at Johns Hopkins University and the author of Freedom Round the Globe: A World History of the American Revolution (Doubleday, 2026), draws on the ideals in the Declaration of Independence to examine the global revolutionary spirit of 1776. Photo: 1776, Bonne Map of Louisiana and the British Colonies in North America, Rigobert Bonne 1727 – 179...

Hannah Frishberg , WNYC and Gothamist arts and culture reporter, rounds up a slate of festive events to celebrate America's 250th Anniversary this July 4 weekend. Photo: People watch as fireworks light up the Manhattan skyline during the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks celebration on the East River at Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 4, 2025 in New York. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis / AFP) (Photo by AN...