The Brian Lehrer Show

Robin Wright , contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker , talks about what might come next for Iran after its Supreme Leader was killed in an Israeli air strike, as the war continues to widen and the country remains divided politically.   photo: Pedestrians pass a portrait of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 2, 2026 in central Tehran, Iran. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,...

After Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of sex crimes in Florida in 2008, plenty of prominent people remained friendly with him. Lisa Miller , domestic correspondent for The New York Times Well section, offers analysis of why no one seemed to speak up when they witnessed his concerning and even criminal behavior. Photo: Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images: New protest art referencing...

Derek Guy , menswear writer and editor at Put This On, popular on social media as "the menswear guy," talks about the essentials of how to build a wardrobe. Part of our short series on personal style. Photo: Portrait of American attorney & former US Attorney General Elliot Richardson (1920-1999) in his office, Washington DC, November 1987. (Photo by Janet Fries/Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast...

Francesca Chambers , White House Correspondent for USA Today  who covers foreign policy, talks about the Trump administration and Israel's strikes on Iran and what may come next as the war spills out across the Middle East. Photo: Trump announcing American-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. Credit: Donald J. Trump on X/Twitter via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).   Hosted by Simplecas...

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Unpacking Trump's Voting Proposals from the State of the Union (First) | Finding Your Style: Getting Offline  (Starts at 20) | ICE at Columbia  (Starts at 35) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here . Photo credit: Protestors take part in anti-ICE rally outside Columbia University after f...

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is broadcast media history.   Photo: Edward R. Murrow lived here (blue plaque), Westminster (Matt Brown, CC BY 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.

Historian Anne Applebaum , staff writer at The Atlantic ,  host of their podcast " Autocracy in America " and author of Autocracy Inc . (Penguin, 2024) and offers her analysis of how President Trump and his administration are seeking to control elections, as well as science and culture, and why.   photo: "I Voted" sticker worn on lapel of fuzzy winter coat, shot during the November 2025 election i...

Avery Trufelman , host of the podcast Articles of Interest, talks about her work digging into the interesting historical and cultural questions about what we wear. Part of a short series about personal style. Photo: Well-dressed in a camouflage jacket and a cream v-neck sweater, Milan Fashion Week Menswear Spring/Summer 2025, June 15, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)...

WNYC's Public Song Project invites musicians to incorporate works of art that have entered the public domain into new compositions. All of It producer Simon Close  shares more about the project and how they are hoping musicians will participate. For more information, click here .   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of persona...

After a Columbia student was detained by agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Mayor Mamdani said he spoke about it to President Trump, and she was released. Arya Sundaram , WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering race and immigration, reports the latest on the news. Plus, Brigid Bergin , senior political correspondent for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the mayor's surprise trip to the Wh...

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is Black History Month. Photo: Carter G. Woodson memorial on RI Ave at 7th NW in Washington, D.C. by David from Washington, DC, CC BY 2.0. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Again, this year, we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, directors Sara Khaki , and Mohammadreza Eyni  talk about their film "Cutting Through Rocks." Photo: Still from "Cutting Through Rocks" courtesy of the guests. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pe...

As part of a short series about finding your personal style, Emilia Petrarca , author of the fashion and style newsletter Shop Rat, talks about how getting offline and going outside changed the way she thinks about fashion and style.  Photo: Evi Wave is seen wearing an oversized puffer jacket in soft pink and taupe-grey clogs in soft suede from Birkenstock, December 3, 2025 in Duesseldorf, Germany...

Jessica Gould , education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about why a funding threat from the Trump administration means some immigrants won't be able to get commercial driver licenses, and how this will affect school bus drivers in New York City. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

Ruth Marcus , contributor to The New Yorker , former columnist for the Washington Post and the author of Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover (Simon & Schuster, 2019), comments on the Supreme Court's tariff's decision and other political news—and the state of journalism in the aftermath of mass layoffs at Jeff Bezos' Washington Post . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz com...

Emmy Liss , executive director of the Mayor's Office of Child Care, talks about the deadline for families to apply for 3K/Pre-K and the mayor's plans for expanding child care options, generally. (Photo by: Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adver...

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is media history. Photo: Valentine's Day Cupcakes / Stephanie Clifford, Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why WNYC and Gothamist digital producer James Ramsay aspires to be the kind of person who wears hard-soled shoes. This the first segment in a short series about finding your personal style. → NYC used to be a hard-soled shoe town. Could I be part of a revival? Photo: Well-dressed in burgundy corduroy trousers and black leather loafers with silver metal bit hardware. Milan Fashion Week - Menswear F...

Ari Berman , national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones , offers analysis of President Trump's State of the Union address, especially his talk of voter fraud and push to pass the SAVE act. Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kenn...

Marc Morial , president and CEO of the National Urban League, concludes our three-part Black History Month series with a look at current efforts to end DEI initiatives and rewrite museum exhibit information.   photo: Smithsonian National African American Museum  by John Brighenti from Rockville, MD, United States, CC BY 2.0 , via / Wikimedia Commons ) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See...

In early February, the EPA repealed the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, a landmark regulatory move reversing the determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health. Pat Parenteau , emeritus professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School and former EPA regional counsel under President Ronald Reagan, explains what happens next, including the many challenges the Trump administration i...

Taylor Jung , digital producer and reporter for Epicenter NYC, offers tips on how to stay safe and be a good neighbor during the aftermath of the blizzard.   Photo: Snow, Touro College (320 West 31st Street), 31st Street and 8th Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, 27 February 2010.  credit: Jazz Guy from New Jersey, United States, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company....

Brittany Kriegstein  and David Brand , reporters for WNYC and Gothamist, discuss the aftermath of the blizzard, including what's up and running and what is not, plus how the city managed to get vulnerable people to safety so far.   photo: Cars are seen buried under snow on Lincoln Avenue on February 24, 2026 in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City.  (...

Again, this year, we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, David Borenstein, documentary filmmaker, talks about his film "Mr Nobody Against Putin."    photo credit: Pavel Talankin, courtesy of Kino Lorber Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data f...

Listeners call in to talk about what they will be watching for at President Trump's State of the Union address tonight. Photo: President Trump delivering last year's State of the Union address. Credit: The White House 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.