The Brian Lehrer Show

David Wasserman , senior editor and elections analyst for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, talks about early indications for the upcoming midterm elections. Photo: An Oklahoma midterm ballot from 2018. (Credit: Okcgunner via Wikimedia Commons CC 4.0) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising...

Michael Sol Warren , New Jersey reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, recaps last week's Ask Governor Sherrill and provides an update on the New Jersey state budget. Photo: Governor Mikie Sherrill. Credit: State of New Jersey, public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. White Collar Workers, Unite!  (First) | The Push for Junk Food Warning Labels  (Starts at 27:40) | Last Mile Deliveries  (Starts at 49:23) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here .   Photo Credit: Todd Van Hoosear, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compan...

Miranda Nazzaro , senior technology reporter for The Hill, talks about her reporting on Anthropic's Mythos model, which is unnerving some big businesses over cybersecurity concerns. Photo: Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, delivers remarks at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. (Credit: TechCrunch via Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

"Fibermaxxing" is the latest social media nutrition trend. Trisha Pasricha , MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, director of the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the “Ask A Doctor” columnist for The Washington Post  and the author of the new book You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong (PRH/Avery, 2026), talks about the major health be...

Mayor Mamdani announced plans this week to expand the pedestrian corridor of the notoriously chaotic Grand Army Plaza, which advocates have been pushing for for years. Liam Quigley , parks & sanitation reporter for Gothamist and WNYC, unpacks the latest announcement, plus digs into the city-wide decline in composting. Photo: A market at Grand Army Plaza pictured in 2003. (Credit: Alex756 via Wikim...

Steven Erlanger , chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe for The New York Times , discusses his reporting on how European leaders are trying to keep the focus on helping Ukraine, even as the war with Iran is diverting attention and resources. Photo: A pro-Ukraine demonstrator raises a sign outside the Finnish Parliament House on April 8, 2022. (Credit: rajatonvimma/VJ Group Random Doctors via Wi...

Sarah Stillman , staff writer at The New Yorker and director of the investigative reporting lab at Yale, discusses her latest reporting on how President Donald Trump, in his second term, launched a series of executive actions that directed immigration enforcement against kids and how children in ICE custody are being harmed. Photo: People protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement as they...

Eliza Shapiro , reporter covering New York City for The New York Times , discusses her series on how New Yorkers afford life in the increasingly unaffordable city and takes listener calls on how they make it work. Photo: Day 287, Money Mug, Taken in Syracuse, New York in 2013 (Michael Scialdone, Wikimedia Commons).  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abou...

Eli Stokols , White House and foreign affairs correspondent at Politico, talks about the politics of Viktor Orbán's election defeat and the implications for the White House and MAGA world. Photo: Viktor Orbán. Credit: European People's Party via Wikimedia Commons. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adverti...

After federal funding cuts, the state is raising income eligibility for the Essential Plan health insurance program, potentially excluding about 450,000 New Yorkers from the coverage. Caroline Lewis , health care reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Elisabeth Benjamin , vice president of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society and co-founder of the Health Care for All New York Campaign...

Noam Scheiber , New York Times reporter focusing on white-collar workers and the author of Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2026), talks about the conditions leading young college-education workers to lead unionization efforts. Photo: Attendees cheer at the ''Union Now'' rally in New York City, United States, on April 12, 2026. The event...

People often say they have a "superpower," which is really just something they're very good at. Listeners call in to share what their superpower is. Photo: A cosplayer poses as Dr. Strange during New York Comic Con 2023 - Day 4 at Javits Center on October 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for ReedPop)     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

In a now-deleted social media post, President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus. He has also recently attacked Pope Leo XIV. Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, has said that the pope should "be careful" when talking about theology. Robert P. Jones , president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute, and author of the Substack newsletter Redeeming Democ...

The New York State budget is about two weeks late. Jon Campbell , Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on what the sticking points are, including car insurance reform and Gov. Kathy Hochul's desire to roll back a climate law, among others, plus the governor's proposed tax on "pied-à-terres."   Photo: Gov. Kathy Hochul appears at a press conference with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in Washing...

Explosive reporting in the San Francisco Chronicle made public sexual assault allegations against California Representative (and erstwhile candidate for governor) Eric Swalwell. Jane Manning , director, Women's Equal Justice and former sex crimes prosecutor, explains why the Manhattan DA is investigating him, and how this case may shed light on what she says are New York's antiquated sexual assaul...

Queen Elizabeth II interacted with American presidents from Truman through Trump. Susan Page , USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of The Queen and Her Presidents (HarperCollins, 2026), relates her history with U.S. leaders throughout her reign. Photo: Queen Elizabeth II (L) arrives with U.S. President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle Obama and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (R) in t...

As federal food safety oversight weakens, Mary Basset , public health physician, former New York City Health Commissioner and New York State Health Commissioner, and professor of practice of health and human rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses her push to get Albany to pass three bills that would expand nutrition warning labels at chain restaurants statewide and crac...

As Tax Day approaches, Tara Siegel Bernard , personal finance reporter for The New York Times , talks about the changes to the law that taxpayers should know and offers advice to procrastinators. Photo: A calculation for tax which include income tax and other taxation. Credit: stevepb via Wikimedia Commons.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our c...

Mohamed A. El-Erian , senior global fellow at The Lauder Institute and practice professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, chief economic advisor at Allianz, chair of Gramercy Funds Management, contributing editor at the Financial Times and columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and the author of several books, including Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World (Simon & Schust...

Steve Zeitlin , founding director of City Lore and author of The Poetry of Everyday Life: Storytelling and the Art of Awareness (Cornell University Press, 2016), and Bob Holman , poet, filmmaker and proprietor of the Bowery Poetry Club, talk about their forthcoming book, Across the Great Divides: A Search for Poetry, Soul and Understanding in a Divided Nation ( New Village Press, 2027) and about b...

Vicky Ward , investigative journalist, host of the Chasing Ghislaine podcast and author of books including Kushner, Inc. (St. Martin's Press, 2019) and, with James Patterson, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy  (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), talks about Melania Trump's announcement denouncing Jeffrey Epstein and delves into the relationship between the First Lady, Epstein, and his co-conspira...

NYC Council member Tiffany Cabán (District 22, Astoria, Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Woodside and Rikers Island) talks about the Delivery Protection Act, which would regulate "last mile" delivery subcontracting by retail giants like Amazon, and Mayor Mamdani's first 100 days in office. Photo: An Amazon Prime delivery van parked in Hillcrest, Queens. Credit: Tdorante10 via Wikimedia Commons.    ...

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Avoiding IRS Tax Scams (First) | Planet Money: The Book  (Starts at 21:05) | Bloomin' NYC (Starts at 47:54) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here . Photo: Income tax calculations. (Photo by stevepb/Pixabay).     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informati...

Mihir Zaveri , New York Times reporter covering housing, and Brad Greenburg , executive director of the NYU Furman Center, look at Mayor Mamdani's housing policies and accomplishments during his first 100 days in office. Photo: Mayor Mamdani delivers right to organize materials to tenants in East Harlem. Thursday, March 26, 2026. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. Hosted by Simplecast, an...