The Brian Lehrer Show

Clare Malone , writer at The New Yorker and co-host of the new podcast Still Counting, digs into the results and exit polls of the midterm elections and offers analysis of the national picture, as Democrats win control of both houses of Congress, and several key swing-state governorships.  Photo: Voters enter and exit a polling station during early voting for the midterm election in Hoboken,...

U.S. Representative-elect Brad Lander (D, NY-10) talks about his plans and priorities as the next member of Congress for New York's 10th Congressional district. Photo: Democratic Congressional candidate Brad Lander takes the stage during an election eve rally at Silo on June 22, 2026 in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City.  (Photo by Michael M. Santiago...

U.S. Representative-elect Cait Conley (D, NY-17) talks about her successful challenge to incumbent Mike Lawler and her plans for serving in Congress. Photo: Cait Conley, who is challenging U.S. Representative Mike Lawler to represent New York’s 17th Congressional District, speaks to supporters in Tarrytown, New York. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. S...

U.S. Representative-elect Rebecca Bennett (D, NJ-07) talks about her successful challenge to incumbent Tom Kean, Jr. and her plans for serving in Congress. Photo: New Jersey Democratic Congressional candidate Rebecca Bennett arrives to a rally at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, New Jersey. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswi...

Brigid Bergin , WNYC's senior political correspondent, and Jon Campbell , Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, offer analysis of the election results in New York. Photo: A woman votes at a polling location on Election Day during the midterm elections in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswi...

Jonathan Lemire, co-host of "Morning Joe" on MSNOW; writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic, talks about what the Democrats are planning if the blue wave in Congress materializes, plus what the Trump administration has in store for the post-election time. Photo: Jonathan Lemire attends the 2023 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California on April 2...

Christina Greer, professor of political science at Fordham University, co-host of the podcast FAQNYC , visiting fellow at Brooklyn Org , and the author of How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams (Cambridge University Press, 2024) talks about the races to watch on Election Day, plus checks in on how voting is going. Photo: A voter casts their ballot on th...

Lisa Lerer , national political correspondent for The New York Times, talks about major national trends across House and Senate races.  Photo: Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed speaks to supporters at "Knock Out The Vote Tour" on October 31, 2026 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. El-Sayed, is running against GOP candidate Mike Rogers for the open U.S. Senate seat. (Salwan G...

Madison Fernandez, co-author of POLITICO's New York Playbook and Mike Hayes, New Jersey reporter at WNYC/Gothamist , talk about the local races they've got their eyes on in both New York and New Jersey. Photo: Republican gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman speaks during a press conference on Governor Kathy Hochul's sanctuary policies in front of the New Castle Courth...

Barton Gellman , senior advisor at the Brennan Center for Justice , where he focuses on building safeguards against threats to democracy, talks about our final issue in this election-year series ahead of the midterms: how to count and certify the vote. Photo: Signage directs people outside an early voting polling place at Lynnhurst Recreation Center on October 28, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (...

Jeff Coltin, editor-in-chief of City & State  and Charles Stile, political columnist at The Record / northjersey.com talk about the local Congressional races they've got their eyes on in both New York and New Jersey, from the extemely competitive races in NY-17 and NJ-7 to the lesser known sleeper races. Photo: (L-R) U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), New Jersey Democratic Congressional candi...

Domenico Montanaro, NPR's senior political editor/correspondent, offers analysis of all the chatter of an expected blue wave in this year's midterm elections. Photo: People wait in line to participate in early voting for the midterm elections on October 25, 2026 in Cary, North Carolina. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com fo...

Since 2012, Crash Course has been educating viewers of all ages on everything from science to politics. Kousha Navidar , host at WNYC, co-host of the radio show Climate One , and a host at Crash Course and Meghan Modafferi, Executive Producer of Crash Course, join to talk about their latest series: Big Questions on U.S. Government to help dispel misinformation during the divisive political climate...

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Halloween's History (First) | NYC Marathon Preview  (Starts at 28:30) | Why Birthrates Are Falling  (Starts at 48:00) 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...

In the college context, "diversity" can mean a couple very different things. Neil Gross , sociology professor at Colby College in Maine, and author of What Happened to College?: How Politics Broke Higher Education and What We Can Do to Fix It (Simon & Schuster, 2026) and Natasha Warikoo, professor of Sociology at Tufts University and the author of the book Is Affirmative Action Fair? The Myth...

Ben Max, host of the "Max Politics" podcast and executive editor and program director at New York Law School’s Center for New York City Law talks about the lower profile races ahead of Election Day, including for New York attorney general, comptroller and the Congressional races that are not getting as much attention as those in swingy districts like NY-17. Photo: U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N...

Anna Louie Sussman, New York Times contributing opinion writer and author of Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty talks about her new book that explores, through analysis and personal stories, the reasons for the falling birthrate, especially the effect of "workism," where jobs went from a career to a calling. Photo: Nicole Coomber, a Phd management professor at the...

As listeners share their costume plans, Kenneth C. Davis , author of Don't Know Much About History and Don't Know Much About Mythology, talks about the history of Halloween and of the Greenwich Village parade. Photo by Kenneth C. Davis  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every Thursday from 1 to 2 PM on WNYC, through Election Day, WNYC senior political reporter Brigid Bergin hosts a pop-up local politics call-in show called Who's Running This Place. You can find out more on WNYC.org, and stay tuned to this podcast feed. We'll be sharing Brigid's conversations here every Thursday evening.  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani discusses this years midterm electio...

Jared Bernstein , economist and former United States chairman of Council of Economic Advisers under President Biden, talks about the rising national debt and why candidates are -- or aren't -- discussing it on the campaign trail ahead of election day. Photo: A view of a bus shelter at 18th and K St's NW where a poster and electronic billboard displays the current U.S. National debt per person and...

An ex-cop allegedly shot and killed a driver on the George Washington Bridge in an apparent road rage incident. Samantha Max , reporter covering public safety for WNYC/Gothamist, reports on what prosecutors say happened on the bridge and what is happening in the courts, as the charges have changed a couple times from murder, to manslaughter and back to murder. Photo: A 46-year-old man was fatally...

Anna Louie Sussman , New York Times  contributing opinion writer and author of Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty , talks about her new book that explores, through analysis and personal stories, the reasons for the falling birthrate. Photo: Inside a lab at a clinic in Tbilisi, Georgia, Doctor Jordan from Spain, is doing an artificial insemination into an egg t...

The New York City marathon is this Sunday, and it's the 50th anniversary of the five-borough version of the race. Rob Simmelkjaer, New York Road Runners CEO, talks about how the race has changed over the past half century, and what to know for this year if you are running or cheering. Photo: Runners cross the Verrazano Bridge as they compete in the New York Marathon in New York on November 2, 2025...

Susan Lerner , executive director of Common Cause New York, talks about the ballot initiatives that good-government groups disagree on, plus other information on voting. Photo: Voters fill out their ballots at a polling station in New York City on Election Day, November 5, 2024. (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informa...

Mike Hayes, WNYC/Gothamist New Jersey politics reporter and the author of The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform (Kingston Imperial, 2023), recaps Michael Hill's conversation with New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Photo: New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), casts her vote on November 4, 2025 in Montclair, New Je...