The Brian Lehrer Show

Last month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani went to Washington to pitch President Donald Trump on providing federal funds to build a huge housing development on top of Sunnyside Yard. David Brand , housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, discusses what Queens politicians and residents think about the idea, and how sentiment on the plan has changed since former Mayor de Blasio first floated the idea. Photo b...

Listeners weigh in on whether they'd prefer to stay on daylight saving time, or standard time permanently, or whether they are fine with the status quo of changing the clocks. Plus, they talk about how the time change affects them personally. (Photo By Jesus Hellin/Europa Press via Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

Writer Craig Welch talks about his New York Times Magazine feature, "Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?" and ways to reduce the risk of this particular injury. Photo: Two New Jersey high school girls' soccer teams play out a competitive match. Credit: K.M. Klemencic/Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collec...

Sabrina Siddiqui , national politics reporter at The Wall Street Journal , talks about the latest developments in the war with Iran, including the question of regime change and U.S. goals in the war.   Photo: Thousands of people carrying Iranian flags, gather at Enghelab Square to express support for Mojtaba Khamenei, who has become Iran's new supreme leader following Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran...

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. The Anthropic-Pentagon Standoff (First) | Vaccine Hesitation & Misinformation  (Starts at 17:30) | Wild NYC - Spring is Coming  (Starts at 33:00 ) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here .   Photo: Trout Lily, a NYC woodland wildflower that blooms in early spring. (Marielle Anzelone) Host...

During Ramadan, Sohaira Siddiqui , executive director at the Al-Mujadilah Center and the host of the podcast "More Muslim", talks about the diversity of the Muslim community in New York and around the world. Photo: Mayor Mamdani attends Taraweeh prayers in Staten Island. Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz....

Data centers are booming and taking the blame for spiking power costs because of how energy intensive they are. Rosemary Misdary , WNYC and Gothamist science reporter, talks about what Gov. Hochul says she plans to do to reign in the costs to consumers.   Image: Data center infrastructure in the United States, November 2025 (DOE — NREL, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, a...

Caitlin Dickerson , staff writer at The Atlantic , talks about her reporting on a mixed immigration status family who felt the risks of staying in the U.S. were too great, and moved to Mexico. Plus Rachel Cruz and Irvi Cruz talk about why their family made the decision to move to Mexico, where Irvi is originally from. => Correction : At 24:45, the guest said that people who traveled back and forth...

Lydia DePillis , New York Times  reporter covering the American economy, talks about how the war with Iran could affect the economy at home, as issues with oil prices, supply chains and the massive cost of the war begin to pile up. Photo credit: Natasha Chebanoo on Pexels. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data fo...

Drawing on his long experience covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dexter Filkins , New Yorker  staff writer and author of The Forever War (Knopf Doubleday, 2008), talks about the United States' objectives in the war with Iran. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pe...

Steven Levy , editor at large for Wired, breaks down the latest news as the Pentagon is reconsidering its relationship with artificial intelligence company Anthropic, after the company has stated it doesn’t want its technology used in autonomous weapons or government surveillance, and explains the way that AI is reshaping national defense. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images: CEO and co-foun...

Heidi Sabertooth , a NYC-based singer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer and co-founder of Synth Library NYC , talks about electronic music and the library which is dedicated to giving “equal access to the means of production,” giving access to a wide array of synthesizers and creating a diverse community around it.    Photo: TR-808 Musical instrument Museum, Phoenix, AZ (Bryan Pocius from New Y...

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is landmarks.   Photo: Jones Beach Water Tower in New York in 2021 (Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0 , 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.

Adam Rodman , MD, MPH, FACP, a general internis­­­t and medical educator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he directs AI Programs for the Carl J. Shapiro Center for Education and Research, and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, talks about his recent New York Times op-ed outlining best (and worst) practices for patients wanting to incorporate AI into office visits with...

U.S. Senator Andy Kim  (D NJ) explains why he does not support President Trump's decision to go to war with Iran. Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images. A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital Tehran, on March 3, 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marielle Anzelone , urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Theresa Crimmins , director for the USA National Phenology Network , associate professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, and the author of Phenology (The MIT Press, 2025), introduce the year-long series on local wildlife with a look at signs of spring an...

Patricia Nicholson Parker , executive director of Arts for Art , talks about her group, which calls itself "a NYC-based non-profit founded in 1996 focused on promoting and advancing multicultural improvised arts."   Photo:  Photograph of last set of second day of the 13th Vision Festival. From left to right: Billy Bang, Fred Anderson, William Parker and Kidd Jordan, 11 June 2008, (One dead preside...

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is suburban towns. Photo: Shingle-style coastal house with white picket fence at a quiet street corner in Quogue, Long Island, New York. Source: Lumin Osity/Unsplash. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lisa Lerer , national political correspondent for The New York Times , talks about the results and issues in the midterm primary elections for senate seats in both Texas and North Carolina. Photo: Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D-TX) speaks at a campaign rally on March 2, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Danielle Villasana/Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm....

Paul Offit , MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center, an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the author of Autism's False Prophets   (Columbia University Press, 2008) and  T ell Me When It’s Over: An Insider’s Guide to Deciphering COVID Myths and Navigating Our Post-Pandemic World  ( National Geographic, 2024), talks about the...

Musicians Neel Murgai and Roshni Samlal , artistic directors of Brooklyn Raga Massive , talk about their group, which they say is a "nonprofit musicians' collective that creates cross-cultural understanding through the lens of South Asian classical music." photo: Neel Murgai and Roshni Samlal (courtesy of the guests) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abo...

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is NYC neighborhoods. (Photo by cisc1970 CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

U.S. Representative Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) offers his take on the war with Iran, the upcoming vote in the House on war powers and more. Photo: An Iranian flag is planted in the rubble of a police station, damaged in airstrikes yesterday, on March 3, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel have continued the joint attack on Iran that began on February 28, resulting in the death of Iran's Su...

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), offers analysis of the war with Iran after President Trump said he was not opposed to boots on the ground and a military leader said more U.S. casualties are expected. Photo: Firefighters work at the scene of an airstrike that destroyed shops and...

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is Women's History Month. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.