The Brian Lehrer Show

As SNL celebrates its 50th anniversary, Eric Deggans , TV critic for NPR talks, about how they've found humor in American politics over the decades. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, Slava Leontyv , Ukrainian artist, former soldier, and filmmaker, and Brendan Bellomo , film and commercial director,  talk about their film, " Porcelain War ," telling the story of three Ukrainian artists caught up in the Russian invasion, armed with guns, their art and a camer...

Rev. Michael Blake , former state assemblyman, talks about his campaign for the Democratic nomination for NYC Mayor in the June primary. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Presidents Day, as our centennial series continues,  Douglas Brinkley , professor of history at Rice University, a CNN Presidential Historian, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair , talks about the history of U.S. presidents, their exercise of executive power and how President Trump's actions compare. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Historian Jefferson Cowie offers a history White backlash to federal authority (First) | Filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie discuss their Oscar-nominated documentary "Sugarcane" and the long history of abuse at residential schools in Canada (Starts at 22:20) | Shiori Itō, director of "Black Box Diaries," talks ab...

Nancy Solomon , WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dan Goldman, US Representative (D, NY-10), formerly lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of Pres. Trump in 2019 and former assistant US attorney SDNY, responds to President Trump's executive orders, and to the moves by Elon Musk and DOGE to drastically cut the federal work force.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use o...

Antonio Pagliarulo , writer and author of The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery & Magic of the Quiet Curse (Weiser Books, 2023) and the forthcoming The Queer Saints: A Radical Guide to Magic, Miracles and Modern Intercession , tells us about the saint for whom  Valentine's Day is named, and listeners tell us about their secret loves.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, Julian Brave NoiseCat , writer and filmmaker, and Emily Kassie , filmmaker and investigative journalist, discuss their film "Sugarcane" that documents the long history of abuse at one Indian residential school in Canada and the damage to individuals, families and communities fr...

Samantha Max , reporter covering public safety for WNYC/Gothamist, talks about the news that the acting Manhattan U.S. attorney quit rather than comply with the DOJ's request that her office drop the charges against Mayor Adams, and explains the prosecutor's reasoning. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for ad...

As our centennial series continues, Jefferson Cowie , historian at Vanderbilt University and the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power (Basic Books, 2022), reviews the history of white Americans fighting the federal government over civil rights legislation and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com fo...

Kate Shaw , professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny, and a contributing opinion Writer with the New York Times, talks about the constitutional issues at stake with some of the actions taken by the White House. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of perso...

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, Johan Grimonprez , director of "Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat", discusses his film's "fusion of jazz and geopolitics" that touches on colonialism, racism, the 1961 assassination of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba, and a State Department-backed goodwill tour by jazz...

Scott Stringer , former NYC Comptroller, talks about his campaign for the Democratic nomination for NYC Mayor in the June primary. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With the news that President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reverse a federal push away from plastic straws, Judith Enck , founder of Beyond Plastics, professor at Bennington College and former EPA Region 2 administrator, provides the broader state of plastic pollution in the United States, which efforts from former President Joe Biden actually worked and what the current president coul...

This month we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, Shiori Itō , director of " Black Box Diaries ," talks about her film that tells the story of her investigation of her own sexual assault case, credited with starting Japan's #metoo movement.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about o...

The DOJ directed federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop the corruption charges against Mayor Adams. Elizabeth Kim , Gothamist and WNYC reporter, reports on how the mayor is reacting, whether it will affect how City Hall cooperates with the Trump administration, and how the news may shake up the mayoral campaign. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

President Trump has been clear he'd like to dismantle the Education Department. Dana Goldstein , education reporter at The New York Times and the author of The Teacher Wars: A History of America's Most Embattled Profession (Anchor, 2015), reports on how Elon Musk and DOGE have started to do that, and how their plans will affect schools and education. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See p...

At the end of January, the New York State Public Service Commission approved the creation of a new New York City area code. Listeners call in to share what their area codes mean to them as a personal point of pride. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bahar Ostadan , Nassau County politics reporter at Newsday Media Group, reports on the news that Nassau County has authorized its police detectives to work with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants accused of committing crimes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal...

Monica Gorman , managing director at Crowell Global Advisors who served as special assistant to the president for manufacturing & industrial policy under former President Joe Biden, talks about the new 25% tariffs announced by President Trump on steel and aluminum imports, plus the broader trade policy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collect...

Brigid Bergin , WNYC's senior political correspondent, talks about the DOJ memo instructing prosecutors to drop the charges against Mayor Adams. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Since 2012, a total of 23 states have legalized cannabis. Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, author of Addiction: A Very Short Introduction, and a member of the Stanford Network on Addiction Policy, discusses why he thinks legalization has led to more frequent consumption and increased potency, arguing that those factors raise a range of concer...

Susan Page , USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters  (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about the latest national political news, as President Trump enters week four of his second administration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pers...

Kathryn Wylde , president and CEO for the Partnership for New York City, talks about polling on congestion pricing showing its popularity with New Yorkers, as well as the local business climate under the new Trump administration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.