The Brian Lehrer Show

Jeff Coltin , editor-in-chief of City & State , and  Timmy Facciola , independent journalist who runs the Substack "Judge Street Journal," recap the debate between the Democrats vying for a shot to take on current Republican Congressman Mike Lawler in NY-17, plus they discuss the biggest local issues, and how this district fits into this year's midterm election politics. Photo: Rep. Mike Lawler, R...

Haidee Chu , reporter for THE CITY, and James Kaechele , certified master arborist and manager of the Parks Department’s Tree Time program , talk about the trees suddenly in bloom and where to find the best views. " We Mapped Out Where the Best Spring Blooms Are In NYC " (The CITY)   photo: Riverside Park, April 2022 (Lisa Allison) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

Ben Fritz , reporter at The Wall Street Journal , sheds light on the American entertainment industry's recent struggles as studios shoot more and more films and television productions outside the US. Photo: Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Thomas Wolf via Wikimedia Commons. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...

Linda Lee , NYC Council Member (District 23,  Eastern Queens) and chair of the Finance Committee, talks about the City Council's budget proposals. Photo: New York City Hall, 9 May 2007 (Momos, CC BY-SA 3.0 , 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.

In observation of "Local News Day," Stefanie Murray , director of the Center for Cooperative Media in the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University, talks about the local news picture in New Jersey, and Penda Howell , co-founder, CEO and publisher of New Jersey Urban News in Newark, and Aaron Morrill , founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of the Jersey City Times , talk a...

Listeners with differing relationships to religion and faith tell us why they do or do not believe in God. Photo: Holy Cross Church in Frankfurt, Germany. Credit: A. Savin 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.

Ishaan Tharoor , foreign affairs journalist at The New Yorker, discusses Trump's approach to Iran, how the White House has 'never fully understood' the war it started, and what it could mean for the success, or failure, of the ceasefire.  Photo: Supporter of pro-Iranian Hezbollah hold pictures of assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, as they shout slogans in front of the office of the Leb...

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, and Brigid Bergin , WNYC's senior political correspondent, talk about Mayor Mamdani's accomplishments and challenges as he approaches 100 days in office. Photo: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and NYC Department of Environmental...

Ahead of the tax deadline next week, Kelly Phillips Erb , tax attorney, senior writer at Forbes, and author of the blog Taxgirl, discusses some of the most common IRS tax scams and offers advice on how to avoid them.  Photo: Income tax calculations. (Photo by stevepb/Pixabay). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal dat...

Lt. Col. Rachel E. VanLandingham , national security law expert and former chief legal advisor for international law at U.S. Central Command, where she advised on operational and international legal issues related to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Eliav Lieblich , professor of international law at Tel-Aviv University, explain international law as it applies to the war with Iran,...

Margaret Sullivan , columnist at The Guardian and author of the Substack American Crisis, and Isabella Simonetti , media reporter at The Wall Street Journal , discuss the ambiguous future of AI in journalism and how publications are deciding what role the technology should play in their newsrooms. Photo Credit: Stephan Röhlvia, CC-BY-SA 2.0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz...

Michael Sol Warren , New Jersey reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the proposal to hike New Jersey's sales taxes for non-residents during World Cup this summer and updates the status of the state budget. Photo: The Panini America FIFA World Cup 2026™ Sticker Collection Album Cover for Canada and the United States, unveiled today at MetLife Stadium on December 03, 2025 in East Rutherford,...

Jackie Faherty , astrophysicist and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, explains the Artemis II mission, which marks the first time since 1972 that a crewed spacecraft has traveled to the 'lunar neighborhood,' beyond Earth's gravitational sphere of influence. Plus, listeners call in with their questions about the mission, and the future of lunar exploration.  Photo: NASA as...

President Trump recently said it was "not possible" for the federal government to fund Medicaid and Medicare, despite a White House budget proposal that boosts defense spending to $1.5 trillion. Maya Goldman , healthcare reporter at Axios, unpacks what that means for the millions of Americans who rely on those programs and the states who'll have to fill the gaps. Photo: Department of Health & Huma...

Alex Mayyasi , longtime contributor to NPR's Planet Money, and now author of the book, Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (W. W. Norton & Company, 2026), and  Mary Childs,  a Planet Money co-host, share insights into making decisions on getting and spending money and why markets work the way they do. EVENT:  You can see Alex and Mary, plus their colleagues at Planet...

Nick Reisman , POLITICO Albany bureau chief covering New York state government and politics and co-author of the New York Playbook, discusses the latest in state budget negotiations and the major sticking points, including early pension access for public school teachers and the buffer zones for protestors around religious institutions. Photo: State Senators Liz Krueger, left, and Thomas O'Mara, ri...

Listeners call in on the question, "where do you find meaning, ritual, and the sense that you are part of something larger than yourself outside of a religious context?" Photo: a book club meeting. Credit: Alex Dos Santos via Pexels. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sarah Fitzpatrick , staff writer at The Atlantic  covering national security and the Department of Justice, discusses the latest news from the U.S. military, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recent firing of the Army’s top officer and more.   photo:  The US department of Defense building is known under the metonym "The Pentagon" due to its shape. (Master Sgt. Ken Hammond, U.S. Air Force, P...

Two of our favorite segments for this week, in case you missed them. How Gaza and Zionism Are Dividing Synagogues (First) | A Christian Perspective on the Politics of Immigration  (Starts at :41)     If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here .   photo: Jerusalem, old city, historical religious sights (Ahed izhiman, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted...

Some politicians have been claiming that a Christian revival is occurring among young Americans. Luis Parrales , staff writer at The Atlantic , breaks down what the data says and listeners call in to share their experiences. Photo: A large crowd sings and prays together at Together 2016, a Christian revival on the National Mall on Saturday, July 16, 2016, in Washington, DC (by Jahi Chikwendiu/The...

Leqaa Kordia , a Palestinian woman who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more than a year after participating in protests near Columbia University, discusses what she endured in an ICE detention facility in Texas and speaks about the conditions that she describes as "horrific," joined by her attorney Sarah Sherman-Stokes , a clinical associate professor at Boston Univers...

Hannah Frishberg , culture reporter at Gothamist/WNYC, shares her hacks for having a night on the town for less than $20, as listeners share tips of their own.    photo: Pizza slices at Paulie Gee's Slice Shop - a "Freddy Prinze" on the left, and plain on the right. (Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information...

Greg David , contributor on 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 the jobs report for March and some related news about the jobs picture for New York City in 2025. Photo by Josh Marty on Unsplash. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See...

Andy Kim , U.S. Senator (D NJ), talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey. Photo: Senator Andy Kim. Credit: Senate Photographic Studio. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With the change of seasons, some water species, like eels and horseshoe crabs, go on the move. In this month's visit to "Wild NYC", Marielle Anzelone , urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Chris Bowser , an estuary educator coordinator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservations with Cornell's Water Resource Institute, discuss the waterways...