The Brian Lehrer Show

The conservative Supreme Court majority seems poised to allow President Trump to fire the top official on the Federal Trade Commission, expanding presidential power. Elie Mystal , justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation  magazine and bestselling author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America  (The New Press, 2025) , discusses this and other legal news. Hosted by Simplecast...

Rohan Goswami , business reporter at Semafor, and Katie Campione , senior TV and labor reporter at Deadline, discusses the recent merger talks for Paramount and Netflix to buy up parts of Warner Bros. Discovery, including news of Paramount’s "hostile" bid of $108 billion — one of the largest ever. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced that he will end targeted sweeps of homeless encampments and tents as mayor. Dan Rivoli , politics reporter at Spectrum News NY1, discusses the polarized response to this announcement, and what alternative to these sweeps Mamdani has planned instead.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...

Marion Nestle , professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health emerita at NYU and the author of many books, including her latest, What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters (North Point Press, 2025) , talks about her newly revised classic and how to navigate the food landscape today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.c...

Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out the holiday gifts they sell that are under fifty dollars, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Bier , director of immigration studies and the Selz Foundation chair in immigration policy at the Cato Institute, shares data from the Department of Homeland Security that shows almost three-quarters of people detained by ICE since October do not have any criminal convictions, despite claims from the Trump Administration that they are prioritizing detaining people with violent criminal histo...

Oren Cass , founder and chief economist of American Compass and editor of The New Conservatives: Restoring America’s Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry   (Simon & Schuster, 2025), argues for a new approach to global trade, one based on balance. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gwynne Hogan , senior reporter for The City, discusses her latest story on how ICE arrested and separated Chinese father from his 6-year-old son during a check-in in late November, plus other local immigration enforcement news. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do you give only handmade or consumable gifts? Or do you follow the popular strategy of giving kids something they want, need, wear, read, and share? As the holiday season is now in full swing, listeners call in to share their gift-giving strategies. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Are 'Porch Pirates' Stealing Your Packages? (First) | Mayor Adams' Legacy  (Starts 12 minutes in) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brian Vines, Marketplace Equity Reporter and co-host of the Talking Carts podcast at Consumer Reports, discusses holiday tipping etiquette , and callers weigh in on who to tip and how much. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julie Rovner , chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, and NPR reporter Jude Joffe-Block discuss the latest in health-related news, including potential changes to SNAP, the vote changing the hepatitis vaccine recommendation and the latest fight in Washington over extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compan...

David Brand , housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Chris Bragg , Albany bureau chief at New York Focus, talk about their investigation into foreclosure cases. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tracy K. Smith , Pulitzer Prize winning poet, former Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019, professor of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and the author of several poetry collections and her latest, Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times (Norton, 2025), talks about her new book, making the case for reading poetry and sharing her own writing proc...

As the holiday season kicks into full gear, writer Julie Besonen , freelance writer and contributor to the New York Times, joins us to discuss her article on how package theft made her building band together. Plus, we hear from callers about their own disappearing deliveries. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data...

On Monday, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders joined striking Starbucks workers outside a store in Brooklyn. Claudia Irizarry Aponte , senior reporter at THE CITY, shares her reporting on the labor dispute between Starbucks and New York City employees, the mayor-elect's involvement in the strike, and Rae Shao , a union barista at Starbucks, shares their point of view on...

 U.S. Senator  Cory Booker (D, NJ) talks about the health care subsidies fight in Congress, the leadership of Sec. Hegseth, and compares his "baby bonds" proposal to Pres. Trump's version. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Remnick , editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about the latest national political news then is joined by: Marshall Curry , documentary filmmaker (including Street Fight, If a Tree Falls, A Night at the Garden), to talk about "The New Yorker at 100," premiering Friday on Netflix. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informatio...

Anna Kodé , reporter covering design and culture for the Real Estate section of The New York Times  joins listeners to talk about the people left behind by our current "Tap-to-Pay society," and why they might still prefer to carry cash while out and about in New York City. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data fo...

Elizabeth Kim , Gothamist and WNYC reporter,  Ben Max , host of the "Max Politics" podcast and program director at New York Law School’s Center for New York City Law, and Jeffery Mays , New York Times  metro politics reporter, weigh in on Mayor Adams' term in office  — what he accomplished, where he fell short of his goals, and how history might view his mayoralty. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

Diane Ravitch , education historian, former research professor of education at New York University, blogger at dianeravitch.net and author of the recent book An Education: How I Changed My Mind About Schools and Almost Everything Else  (Columbia University Press, 2025) , talks about how she went from being an influential advocate for school choice and standardized testing to a promoter of public s...

Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their in-person holiday shopping opportunities (craft fairs, pop-ups, brick & mortar stores) for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide. ==> Submit your information for our Shop Listener online guide at wnyc.org/shoplistener and check out all the entries! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ads...

With Pres. Trump sending mixed signals on extending ACA subsidies, and Republicans split over the issue, Jonathan Cohn , writer at The Bulwark and the author of The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage (St. Martin's Press, 2021), talks about the negotiations and where the conflicts lie. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informati...

Judith Enck , founder of Beyond Plastics, professor at Bennington College, former EPA Region 2 administrator, and author of the new book The Problem with Plastics: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late (The New Press, 2025), discusses her new book which takes a look at how plastic went from being a "marvel of modern science" to a toxic industry that pollutes the environment...

Senator Mark Kelly appeared in a video alongside other veterans now serving in Congress, telling service members, “Our laws are clear: you can refuse illegal orders.” The Pentagon has since opened an investigation and even raised the possibility of recalling him to active duty for potential discipline. Zachary Cohen , senior reporter on the national security beat for CNN, talks about what Kelly sa...