The Brian Lehrer Show

Andy Byford , special advisor to the Amtrak Board of Directors for the Penn Station Transformation and former New York City Transit president, talks about the latest effort to renovate Penn Station. Photo: Exterior view of the renovated Amtrak 7th Avenue and 32nd Street Penn Station ADA Entrance in New York on November 19, 2023. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty...

Elizabeth Kim , Gothamist and WNYC reporter, reports on the budget deal reached by the mayor and city council. Photo: Handshake agreement on a balanced $125.8 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Council Finance Chair Linda Lee, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget Sherif Soliman and members of the City Council today...

Thomas Wermuth , co-founder and director of the Hudson River Valley Institute, chair of Hudson River Valley History at Marist University and Iris De Rode , a Dutch historian specializing in the American Revolution, share some of the untold stories of New York's role in the American Revolution and discuss their book Fire & Freedom: American Revolution in New York (Cornell University Press, 2026). P...

Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical, and Nina Nazionale, director of library curatorial affairs and research at The New York Historical, talk about new information researchers discovered about a rare printing of the Declaration of Independence that is now on display at the museum. Photo: In Congress, July 4, 1776. : A declaration by the representatives of the United States...

The Supreme Court recently ruled that the Trump administration could end Temporary Protective Status for Haitians and Syrians. Jessica Bansal , TPS counsel for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and the National TPS Alliance talks about what lies ahead for TPS recipients, which includes people from countries other than Haiti and Syria as well, and Macollvie Neel , special projects...

Christina Farrell , commissioner of New York City Emergency Management, runs through what the city is doing to prep for the heat wave, especially how they plan to help the most vulnerable New Yorkers stay safe in the heat, and Samantha Maldonado , senior reporter for The City Reporter, where she covers climate, resiliency, housing and development talks about how to stay safe during the upcoming he...

Asma Khalid , co-host of the BBC's The Global Story, former NPR White House correspondent, talks about their new series looking at the way the US has shaped the world over its 250 years, plus being Muslim in America and the state of the American Dream. Photo: JERSEY CITY, NJ - JUNE 28: The Strawberry Moon rises behind the Statue of Liberty as the sun sets in New York City on June 28, 2026, as seen...

Emily Bazelon , staff writer for The New York Times Magazine , co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, senior research scholar in law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution  and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), offers legal analysis of the last cases argued this term. Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: Reporter interns run fro...

Nicholas Wu , Congressional reporter at Semafor, talks about the latest from Capitol Hill, including the president's push for the SAVE Act and more. Photo: UNITED STATES - JUNE 25: Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., speaks during the House Freedom Caucus news conference in the U.S. Capitol urging Senate action on the Save America Act on Thursday, June 25, 2026.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Image...

Following up on the rent freeze vote, David Brand , housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, shares his reporting on the recent tally of rent-stabilized units sitting empty in New York City.    Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 11: A 'for rent' sign hangs from an apartment building in the East Village neighborhood on May 11, 2026 in New York City. A New York City board that sets the rent for city-su...

Data centers have become the thing Americans on both sides of the aisle love to hate. But Eric Levitz , senior correspondent at Vox, argues that some of the environmental affects are overstated, and that in some areas they may be a net positive for the community.  Photo: MOUNT CARMEL, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES - 2026/06/23: A yard sign opposing a planned data center is displayed along Route 54 i...

Emily Bazelon , staff writer for The New York Times Magazine , co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, senior research scholar in law and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution  and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019)  offers legal analysis of today's Supreme Court opinions, including on mail-in ballots, the ability of President Trump to fire an emplo...

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. 10 Years Post-Brexit (First) | How an Alleged Real Estate Scammer Operated  (Starts at :21) | Where the Culture Wars Began  (Starts at :41) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here .   Photo: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA., Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Sim...

Lisa Kashinsky , a national political reporter at POLITICO covering the 2026 midterms and the run-up to the 2028 presidential race, talks about the national implications of New York's Democratic primary results, and whether the wins by candidates endorsed by Mayor Mamdani will carry forward to November. Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candi...

Liam Quigley , reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC, talks about the latest efforts to ban carriage horses in Central Park. Photo: Horse and Carriages in Central Park, Manhattan, as cyclist ride around the parks driveway. New York, USA. 26th March 2013. Photo Tim Clayton (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswiz...

David Brand , housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the outcome of a vote by the Rent Guidelines Board on whether or not to freeze the rent on one million rent-regulated apartments, which was one of Mayor Mamdani's key campaign promises. Photo: Supporters hold signs reading Freeze The Rent and Childcare For All during a rally in support of Zohran Mamdani at Brooklyn Steel in Brookly...

Ellen Cushing , staff writer at The Atlantic , talks about her reporting on how the American produce aisle is increasingly offering fruits that are sweeter than ever, including Sumo citrus and Cotton Candy grapes. Photo: 11 March 2026, Hesse, Frankfurt/Main: A clementine lies on a table. Photo: Michael Brandt/dpa (Photo by Michael Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an...

Kate Lisa , state politics reporter at City & State New York talks about the New York primary results in districts north of NYC and what they could mean for November, and Larry Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, talks about the Congressional primary results from Long Island, and whether any of the seats will be competitive in the general electio...

Tom Carter , Britain economics correspondent at The Economist , talks about the economic and political picture in the United Kingdom, a decade after the country voted to leave the European Union. Photo: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2026/06/20: A protester holds a Union Jack and an EU flag in Parliament Square during the National Rejoin March, calling on the UK government to rejoin the European Union o...

Sharon Kleinbaum , founder and director of Beacon for Democracy at Union Theological Seminary in NYC, former senior rabbi at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah and the author of With All My Heart: Torah for Our Times (CBST Press, 2026), talks about her work and the change from leading the world’s largest LGBTQ+ synagogue to her new organization and the "Shine the Light" weekly protests for democratic...

As the Supreme Court term winds down they are releasing opinions on the hottest button issues. Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and a former Supreme Court clerk, co-host of the podcast "Strict Scrutiny" and the author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2025), offers analysis of to...

Brigid Bergin , WNYC's senior political correspondent and Michael Lange , New York City based writer, researcher, strategist, and political organizer, and Debralee Santos , editor-in-chief of The Manhattan Times and The Bronx Free Press, talk about the results from New York's primary election, especially the hotly-contested Congressional races. Plus, Congressional primary winners Claire Valdez and...

As graduation season wraps up, Félix Matos Rodríguez , CUNY chancellor, talks about the tough job market new grads are entering and what CUNY is doing to help, funding for the system and more news related to New York City's public system of colleges and universities. Photo: Group of Graduates during commencement. Concept education congratulation in University. Graduation Ceremony, Congratulated th...

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan , White House correspondents for The New York Times and the co-authors of Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump (Simon & Schuster, 2026) talk about their new book and the inner workings of the Trump White House. Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 22: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on June...

International fans traveling to North America for the World Cup are experiencing wholesome "culture shock" by discovering everyday American staples like ranch dressing and large supermarket aisles. Listeners call in to share when they've experienced culture shocks, whether as immigrants or moving to another city or region. Photo: Scotland fans walk on board a boat cruise in Miami ahead of their FI...