The Brian Lehrer Show

Bill McKibben, environmental activist, founder of Third Act and author of many books, most recently: Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025), discusses his new book, and reflects on his life's work, both as a climate activist and journalist. 

As part of the election series "30 Issues in 30 Days," Mike Hayes, WNYC/Gothamist reporter 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), talks about the issue of too little affordable housing in New Jersey, including court-required efforts to build more, and how the gubernatorial candidates' plan to comply.

Ry Rivard, reporter covering regional infrastructure for Politico, looks at the gubernatorial candidates' positions on climate change and energy policies in New Jersey.

In a new memoir, Yusuf Islam, also known as the singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, writes about how he converted his faith and changed his name after a near-death experience. Listeners call in to share stories of why they changed their name, other than marriage.

Greg Lukianoff, attorney, president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the author of several books on free speech, offers his thoughts on how he says both the political left and right weaponize crackdowns on speech, and why he thinks that is a problem for everyone's rights.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the mayoral campaign trail, including an off-and-back-on-again town hall; growing frustration from some over Sen. Schumer's refusal to endorse Zohran Mamdani; a potential fight brewing over charter schools; and Mayor Adams's comments about bathrooms and gender identity. 

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, explains NYC’s three ballot proposals on streamlining the housing construction process.

Chelsea Cirruzzo, Washington correspondent for STAT News, talks about the White House press conference on autism, acetaminophen, and immunizations, plus the results of last week's meeting of the federal advisory committee on vaccines, and the confusion over federal, state and local public health rules.

Richard Gowan, International Crisis Group's director of UN and Multilateral Diplomacy, shares what to expect at the UN General Assembly, including what President Trump may say in his Tuesday address, the war in Gaza and other crises and the role of the United Nations globally.

In a new memoir, Yusuf Islam, also known as the singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, writes about how converted his faith after a near-death experience. Listeners call in to share what has prompted them to change their faith.

Daniel Di Martino, fellow at the Manhattan Institute whose research focuses on immigration, and Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, debate the issues around sanctuary laws in the New York City mayor's race and the New Jersey governor's election.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.

How Trump May Be Changing the Elections Process (First) | AI in the Job Market (Starts at 51:0 0) | Your Family's 'Secret Language' (Starts at 1:18:00)

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Nate Soares, president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and the co-author (with Eliezer Yudkowsky) of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), talks about why he worries that AI "superintelligence" will lead to catastrophic outcomes, and what safeguards he recommends to prevent this.

A new Siena poll shows a (slight) majority of New Yorkers said the state is on the right track, while 59% of respondents thought the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction. New Yorkers call in to share what they think is going well in the state compared to the rest of the country.

Brooklyn Borough president Antonio Reynoso talks about why he's now supporting the plan to redevelop Brooklyn's Marine Terminal ahead of a pivotal vote on the project.

As the Atlantic Festival takes place in NYC, staff writers and panelists Ashley Parker, staff writer at The Atlantic, former Washington Post White House bureau chief, and Adam Serwer, staff writer at The Atlantic, preview their panels and discuss the latest from the White House particularly the events after the the assassination of Charlie Kirk.