The Brian Lehrer Show

Susan Glasser , staff writer at The New Yorker and author of a weekly column on life in Washington, host of the Political Scene podcast, talks about the latest national political news.     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called for a return to the way we used to fly, in terms of dress and decorum. Listeners compare air travel today to when they first flew. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike Hayes , WNYC/Gothamist reporter covering covering the New Jersey governor's race and the author of The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform (Kingston Imperial, 2023) , rounds up some of the latest political news in New Jersey, including the mayoral run-off election in Jersey City, and governor-elect Mikie Sherrill's transition. Hosted by Simplecast,...

On World AIDS Day, Pratik Pawar , Future Perfect fellow at Vox, talks about a new HIV prevention drug the U.S. is making available everywhere except South Africa, the country with the most people living with HIV.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. 20 Years of Freakonomics (First) | Why Bombing 'Drug Boats' Will Do Nothing to Solve America's Fentanyl Crisis  (Starts at 32) | Ten Years of Hamilton on Broadway  (Starts at 59) 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 in...

Looking ahead to the 250th anniversary of the U.S., Jill Lepore , professor of American History at Harvard University, staff writer at The New Yorker , and the author of several books, including We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution (Liveright, 2025), digs into the history of the country's founding document and what it means for the country that it so difficult, but still possible, to...

On this Thanksgiving, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations: Ken Burns , documentary filmmaker, and co-director Sarah Botstein talk about their new, 12-part docuseries on PBS called "The American Revolution," which is being released just ahead of next year's 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Julian Brave NoiseCat , writer, filmmaker and student of Salish art and his...

Stephen Dubner , host of Freakonomics Radio and the co-author of Freakonomics (Harper Collins, 2025) , now in a new 20th anniversary edition, reflects on 20 years of "Freakonomics," its impact and use of data, and talks about what's next. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from Mayor-elect Mamdani's transition plans. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their businesses that sell gifts for the holiday season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

President Trump and his allies are framing recent kidnappings and attacks in Nigeria as Islamic assaults on Christians, even threatening military intervention. NPR international correspondent Emmanuel Akinwotu explains what’s truly behind the violence, how it’s being portrayed in Washington, and why the situation is more complex than a religious conflict.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company...

Ana González , host of WNYC's new podcast (with Yo-Yo Ma) Our Common Nature , talks about the new podcast she hosts where Yo-Yo Ma travels around the country and collaborates with musicians in nature. Plus, they talk about the pictures people have sent in of their favorite places in nature. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use o...

Elizabeth Alexander , president of The Mellon Foundation, poet, educator, memoirist and scholar and the author of The Trayvon Generation (Grand Central Publishing, 2022) , talks about the Mellon Foundation's new grants and funding for literary arts and jazz musicians, and why money for the arts from the nonprofit sector is crucial. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

David Herzberg , professor of history and director of the drugs, health and society program at the University at Buffalo, offers his take on the fentanyl crisis, and why he says President Trump is wrong about almost every aspect of it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael Scherer , staff writer at The Atlantic , talks about his cover story on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , and other news. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hakeem Jeffries , U.S. Representative (D NY-8th, Brooklyn) and House minority leader, offers his take on how the meeting between President Trump and Mayor-elect Mamdani went, and more national political news. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jeffery Mays , New York Times metro politics reporter, recaps Mayor-elect Mamdani's Friday meeting at the White House with President Trump, where the two spoke well of each other and pledged to work together. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton premiered ten years ago and pretty much immediately became a phenomenon. Frank DiLella, Spectrum News NY1 theater correspondent and host of “On Stage”talks about the hit play and its affect on Broadway and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Edward Larson , chaired professor of history and law at Pepperdine University and the author of Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters  (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025) talks about the change in thinking 250 years ago in the American colonies from British subjects protesting the crown to revolution. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

After President Trump and Mayor-Elect Mamdani's curiously friendly meeting this past Friday, listeners call in to share their theories as to why the president was all smiles with New York's incoming democratic socialist mayor, whom the president has called a communist many times in the past. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Climate Advocates Are Angry at Gov. Hochul (First) | The First G20 Summit on African Soil  (Starts at 23) | De-Cluttering Legacies  (Starts at 45) 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 a...

As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, Walter Isaacson , professor of history at Tulane and the author of several books, including his latest, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written (Simon & Schuster, 2025), digs in on a key sentence in the Declaration of Independence and how its reverberated throughout the country's history. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

Jonathan Lemire , co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW; writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic talks about the national political news of the week, including Mayor-elect Mamdani's meeting with President Trump at the White House. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Emily Stewart , senior correspondent at Business Insider, talks about navigating issues  around what to do with all the 'stuff' that boomer parents will be leaving their millennial kids. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Vincent Schiraldi , Pinkerton Foundation visiting fellow and former New York City Commissioner of both the Department of Correction and Department of Probation, argues against trying teenagers as adults and defends New York's "Raise the Age" law against pushback from some elected leaders. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...