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
During this holiday season, hear some recent favorites:
- Jelani Cobb, dean of the Journalism School at Columbia University, a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025 (One World, 2025), looks back at recent history and find the threads that connect the era of protests and backlash.
- Irin Carmon, senior correspondent at New York magazine, co-author of Notorious RBG...
Listeners share the best gifts they've ever received and what made them so special.
Listeners offer their picks of what they loved and hated this year in the world of film, literature, podcasting, performance, and more.
Christians call in to share the religious meaning of the holiday for them and what "Christian politics" mean as they come into the spotlight under the Trump administration. Then, listeners tell stories of moments that defined their common humanity with people from different backgrounds.
Listeners share which of their favorite businesses closed in 2025, and shoutout new spots where they plan on becoming regulars.
Derek Kravitz, reporter and deputy editor for Consumer Reports, discusses an investigation into third-party grocery delivery service Instacart's algorithmic pricing experiment.
Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out the "experience" holiday gifts they sell.
Robinson Meyer, founding executive editor of Heatmap, talks about how in the ten years since the Paris Agreement, as he says the "climate story is the China story" now. Plus, Jael Holzman, senior reporter at Heatmap, reports on how the Republican Party has turned fully against renewable energy sources, including offshore wind projects.
Jeff Coltin, editor-in-chief of City & State, talks about Mayor-elect Mamdani's latest deputy mayor appointments, and the inauguration plans.
The flu season has hit and cases are still rising. Michelle Morse, M.D., interim commissioner of health at the NYC Department of Health and an internal medicine and public health doctor, talks about how to stay healthy this holiday season.
As he awaits a court ruling on the Trump administration's attempt to deport him, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian activist, co-founder of the Columbia Palestinian Student Union and former president of the Columbia University Buddhist Association, and his attorney, Nate Wessler, deputy director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, talk about his studies, the state of the pro-Palestinian movement and the prospects of a...
Every year, The Brian Lehrer Show asks you to submit the best photo you took that is sitting on your phone – and every year, you deliver with some breathtaking shots.
This year, you submitted over 700 photos! Our partners at Photoville, along with a special guest judge, journalist, photographer and co-founder of the photo collective Seis del Sur David Gonzalez, picked out their favorites—and then Brian and the team joined in to help...
Philip Bump, MSNOW contributor, author of the How to Read this Chart newsletter and the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America (Viking, 2023), talks about the latest national political news, including the release of the Epstein files, divisions in the GOP and more.
Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.
Meet the Likely New City Council Speaker (First) | IRC on the Countries at Risk in 2026 (Starts at 28:40) | Remembering Rob Reiner (Starts at 1:07:21)
If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.
Pope Leo announced that Ronald Hicks, a Midwesterner, will replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the leader of the Archdiocese of New York. Daniel Rober, associate professor and department chair of the Catholic Studies department at Sacred Heart University, talks about the new archbishop, whom observers have said has a style more akin to the new pope than the outgoing cardinal, and what it will mean for the 2.5 million Catholics he wil...
Yesterday, out-going mayor Eric Adams appointed four members to the Rent Guidelines Board, creating a major obstacle to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's key campaign promise to freeze the rent for rent stabilized tenants. David Brand, housing reporter at WNYC and Gothamist, discusses the Adams appointees, Mamdani's appointment of Leila Bozorg as his housing czar, and reports back on the outcome of several housing bills voted on by the ...
Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW; writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic talks about the national political news of the week, including Vanity Fair's extensive piece about President Trump's closest aides, the administration's blockade on Venezuela and more.
Erik Maza, editor-at-large at New York Magazine discusses some of the reasons to love New York right now, and listeners call in to share their own reasons.
Listeners call in to share what makes a fun office holiday party, and share stories from parties, either from this year or in the past.
James Solomon, mayor-elect of Jersey City, talks about his plans and priorities for when he takes office as mayor of Jersey City this January.
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.