The Brian Lehrer Show

The animal shelters in New York are full. There are feral cat colonies around the city. So what do we do? Will Zweigart , executive director of Flatbush Cats, a nonprofit cat rescue group, explains how we got to this point and makes some suggestions for what New York can do about all the cats. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and us...

Carter Sherman , author of The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation's Fight Over Its Future (Gallery Books, 2025), and a reproductive health and justice journalist at the Guardian , talks about the decline in sex and intimacy among young people and what role the internet and hookup culture have played in shaping a generation's new cultural mores. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See...

Amy Nofziger , director of victim support at AARP's Fraud Watch Network, discusses the latest trends on how scammers are tricking people into giving them money and personal information and brings tips on how to avoid scams. 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, offers political analysis of Brian's candidate interview with Zohran Mamdani, and other campaign-related news. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (D-AD36), the Democratic nominee for mayor, makes his pitch to voters as he runs for mayor of New York City. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ARFID is an eating disorder that often presents as extremely picky eating, but that can quickly turn serious. Caitlin Moscatello , author and contributor to New York Magazine , and William Sharp , director, Children’s Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; and associate Professor, Division of Autism and Related Disorders & Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hep...

Elizabeth Kim , Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the campaign trail, as some national Democrats have endorsed Mamdani and others haven't, plus why Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Adams continue to criticize Zohran Mamdani over policing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With Congress on summer recess after passing the big spending bill, GOP representatives are now tasked with defending their legislative records to their constituents. Eleanor Mueller , congress reporter at Semafor, talks about the particularly tough crowd Republican congressman Mike Flood faced on Monday evening and other news coming out of Congress.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See...

Patrick Willingham , executive director of the Public Theater, and Saheem Ali , associate artistic director at the Public Theater and director of the upcoming run of Twelfth Night at the Delacorte Teater, talk about the reopening of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park and the return of Free Shakespeare in the Park. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abo...

Listeners call in to talk about how they have met their significant other in person (as opposed to online), and share their frustrations with dating apps. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Robert Reich , recently retired as Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, Secretary of Labor under Pres. Clinton, a columnist for Newsweek and The Guardian and substack, and the author of several books, including his latest, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America (Knopf, 2025), shares his story and why he thinks his generation 'came up short' and why yo...

A recent expert panel organized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cast doubt on the safety of SSRIs in pregnancy -- sparking backlash from medical institutions and doctors. Lauren Osborne , M.D., vice chair of Clinical Research at the Department of OBGYN at Weill Cornell Medicine and chair of The National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry (NCRP), explains what the science says about ant...

Though nearly two-thirds of students in New York City's public school system are Black or Latino, just 3% of offers at eight of the city’s specialized schools went to Black students and 6.9% to Latino students. Alex Zimmerman , reporter at Chalkbeat New York, reports on the ongoing issue of segregation at specialized high schools, and how the mayoral candidates say they'd like to tackle it. Hosted...

Nearly halfway through the summer and NPR is asking... do we have a "song of the summer" yet? Isabella Gomez Sarmiento , NPR Music reporter, breaks down this season's contenders and listeners share their nominations. 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 Ritchie Torres (D-NY15) talks about the latest national political news of the week, as well as the NYC mayoral election, as Congress is in the midst of the August recess. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Franklin Foer , staff writer at The Atlantic , talks about his Atlantic feature story on the implications of NASA's reliance on Elon Musk's SpaceX. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A WNYC and Gothamist investigation found that some of the signatures Mayor Adams's re-election campaign submitted for him to be on the ballot this fall as an independent were fake. David Brand , housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, Clayton Guse , WNYC/Gothamist editor, and Brigid Bergin , senior political correspondent for WNYC and Gothamist, share what they found and what it could mean for th...

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Private Insurers Cover Drugs Less Often Now (First) | Fires, Floods, Air Quality & Climate Change  (Starts at :24) | 'Cane Sugar' vs High Fructose Corn Syrup  (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 inform...

Adolfo Carrión, Jr., New York City deputy mayor for housing, economic development, and workforce, talks about the city's newest housing plans and the challenges that remain as the city is dealing with a shortage of affordable housing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

All of It's Public Song Project invites musicians to incorporate works of art that have entered the public domain into new compositions. Simon Close , All of It producer, shares the music created by this year's winners, and previews a concert this weekend in Grand Army Plaza. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data...

After postponements, President Trump's reciprocal tariffs are set and go into effect next week. John Cassidy , staff writer at The New Yorker , talks about where things stand with these tariffs--plus the fed's decision on interest rates and a new jobs report for July. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adv...

Epstein experts Vicky Ward , investigative journalist and author of books including Kushner, Inc.: Greed. Ambition. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump (St. Martin's Press, 2019), and Jacob Shamsian , legal correspondent at Business Insider, comb through the extensive history of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes, information about his associates, and...

As social media has been overtaken by influencers and ads, listeners call in to share how what they see on the various platforms has changed, and how what they post (if they do at all!) has in turn changed.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sarah Kliff , investigative health care reporter for the New York Times , talks about her new reporting on an uptick in health insurers denying prescription drug claims over the last decade. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Radley Horton , professor of climate at Columbia University's Climate School, connects the dots between hotter temperatures, drenching rains, NYC's air quality alerts and Canadian wildfires. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.