The Brian Lehrer Show

Vanessa Friedman, fashion director and chief fashion critic of The New York Times, discusses the Saks Global bankruptcy filing to find out what it means for shoppers and vendors, and what it says about the state of retail sales in the city.

Mark Malkoff, comedian and author of Love, Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan’s Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend (Penguin Random House, 2025), talks about his book on Johnny Carson, which focuses on the decade the late-night legend spent hosting the Tonight Show from New York; plus he discusses how Carson invited Jim Henson's Muppets on the show, including an episode hosted by Kermit the frog.

Steven Rodas, environmental reporter for NJ Advance Media, explains why utility costs in New Jersey have spiked over the last several years and the details of Gov. Mikie Sherrill's state of emergency on utility costs.

Robert Kagan, contributing writer to The Atlantic, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and the author, most recently, of Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart—Again (Penguin Random House, 2024), offers his take on how President Trump is trying to rearrange the world order to look more like the 19th century and the dangers that lie ahead if continues to succeed.

Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, talks about an executive order issued by Mayor Mamdani that aims to lower fees for small businesses in the city and more priorities for his group, which looks out for the interests of NYC's restaurants and bars.

As we study up on Greenland, we invite listeners to share what's misunderstood about where they're from.

Roger Leaf, chair of the West Park Administrative Commission, responds to public calls for preservation and offers his perspective on why the Landmarks Preservation Commission should approve a claim of hardship for the West-Park Presbyterian Church. The hardship claim would allow the church's stewards to sell the dilapidated Upper West Side building they cannot afford to maintain.

Sam Levine, commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) talks about his priorities in his new role, including the mayor's executive orders related to plans for "rental rip-off" hearings, banning junk fees and regulating delivery apps, which he says are depriving workers of tips.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill has been inaugurated in New Jersey. 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), talks about what to expect, and the challenges she will face as she begins her term.

Ahead of Thursday's Oscar nominations, listeners call in to share their picks for the major categories, including best documentary. 

Amy Davidson Sorkin, staff writer at The New Yorker, looks back at the first year of Pres. Trump's second term and where we are now in the context of Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today.

Stephen Smith, executive director of the Center for Building in North America, talks about his idea to bring down NYC's sky-high grocery prices -- which is to make it easier to build more grocery stores.

Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter at The New York Times, discusses how 2025 became the worst year for measles in the United States in more than two decades, after a small town in Gaines County, Texas, first reported a cluster of measles cases in unvaccinated children in January.

Listeners call in to answer the question "how cold is it?" And share tips for staying warm and safe.

Matt Steinglass, Europe editor at The Economist, explains the recent news in President Donald Trump's remarks on acquiring Greenland, including that the U.S. will impose tariffs on eight European countries until the U.S. acquires the country, and Europe's response.

Eleanor Mueller, congress reporter at Semafor, talks about the latest national political news of the day including the growing rift between President Trump and Congressional Republicans, the latest on the possible extension of health care subsidies, and more.

Gloria Browne-Marshall, professor of constitutional law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, civil rights attorney, Emmy award-winning writer and author of A Protest History of the United States (Beacon Press, 2025), talks about the exercise of what Dr. King called the American "right to protest for right."

Peniel Joseph, Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values, founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of The Third Reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century (Basic Books, 2022), talks about what was accomplished, as well as the inequality that remained unaddressed.

 Jessie Gómez, Chalkbeat Newark reporter covering Newark Public Schools, talks about what to expect from New Jersey's new governor on education issues.