The Brian Lehrer Show
Brian Lehrer leads the conversation about what matters most now in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.
Episodes
For this "Summer Friday" we've put together some of our favorite conversations this year:
- Hua Hsu, New Yorker staff writer, professor of English at Bard College and author of the memoir Stay True (September 2022), discusses what college students lose when ChatGPT writes their essays for them and what that says about our evolving understanding of the purpose of higher education.
- Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gotha...
With Labor Day around the corner, the end of summer is near. Listeners share what they've checked off their summer bucket list and the last few activities they'll take part in this weekend.
Nick Miroff, staff writer for The Atlantic who covers immigration and the Department of Homeland Security, talks about the changes at the immigration enforcement agency and how the $75 billion budget bump will be spent.
=> "Fast Times at Immigration and Customs Enforcement" (The Atlantic, August 26, 2025)
Allie Volpe, correspondent at Vox, talks about her attempt to discover if we really are getting ruder to each other or if something else is going on.
The Hoboken PATH station shut-down this weekend is just the latest challenge for PATH riders in what's been called its "Summer of Hell." Larry Higgs, the transportation and commuting reporter at NJ.com and the Star-Ledger, shares options for the weekend and talks about the larger transit issues facing New Jersey commuters.
Inspired by a report that the MTA's lost and found isn't working as well as expected, listeners call in with their stories of things they've lost and later found.
Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City and co-host of the podcast FAQ NYC, talks about the latest news in the mayoral campaign including her experience covering mayor Eric Adams after receiving cash in a bag of chips from a former staffer, the culture of "toxic masculinity" amongst the candidates, and Zohran Mamdani's scavenger hunt.
In an executive order on Monday, President Donald Trump directed each state’s National Guard to be prepared to respond to civil disturbances. Dan Lamothe, U.S. military and Pentagon reporter at The Washington Post, breaks down the latest news and what this might mean for cities like Chicago and New York City.
Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom, talks about the news that the NYC DOT approved a pilot program to test Waymo's driverless cars in the city.
Ileana Najarro, reporter for Education Week covering race and opportunity in U.S. schools, and Kate Menken, professor of linguistics and a research fellow at the Research Institute for the Study of Language in an Urban Society at Queens College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and co-editor in chief of the journal Language Policy, discuss the news that the Trump administration has rescinded a 2015 directive standards for E...
Nostalgia for the late '90s and early 2000s is roaringly popular among Gen Z right now. Listeners call in with stories of life before the internet and what it is about that era that younger listeners wish for today, and we hear from Clay Routledge, social psychologist, director of the Human Flourishing Lab at Archbridge Institute and author of Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life (Sounds True, 2023).
...
Two gas pipelines in New York are suddenly back on the table following a revival of talks between President Donald Trump and Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this year. Liz Krueger, New York State Senator (D, WF - 28th, Manhattan's East Side) and chair of the Finance Committee, and Rich Schrader, New York government affairs director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), talk about what's at stake for the environment if the ...
Lydia DePillis, New York Times reporter covering the American economy and Shawn Donnan, Bloomberg News senior writer, talk about the latest economic and tariff news, including U.S. investment in Intel, other deals involving foreign investment in U.S. businesses, and the Federal Reserve.
Inspired by a Business Insider report on Microsoft employees sharing salaries with each other on a massive internal spreadsheet, listeners share their most shocking pay transparency revelations from their workplaces.
In recent years, youth sports have quietly morphed from free community gatherings into a big business, with private leagues and one-on-one trainers capitalizing on a growing impulse to frame a child's athleticism as a ticket to their future. Vox senior correspondent Anna North discusses her article on the subject, headlined "The hidden forces ruining youth sports." Plus, the latest on RFK Jr.'s feud with the American Academy of Ped...
Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic Daily newsletter, talks about national politics, including Democratic messaging strategies, like California Gov. Newsom's efforts to 'troll' Trump on social media.
Ramsey Khalifeh, Gothamist and WNYC transportation reporter, talks about the latest on the MTA's plans to extend the Q to 125th Street.
Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.
How President Trump is Bigfooting Big Business (First) | The Future of Using AI for Therapy (Starts at 27 :30) | Your Late-Summer Weekend Plans (Starts at 52:00)
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The independent Commission on Racial Equity filed a lawsuit against the City over the delays in releasing the racial equity plan, as required by the City Charter. Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies and co-chair of National True Cost of Living Coalition, and Darrick Hamilton professor of economics and urban policy and founding director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at ...
As summer winds down, listeners call in to share how they're spending the weekend and offer recommendations for affordable 'daycations' nearby that don't require a plane ticket.
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