Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for The Brian Lehrer Show
NewsPoliticsDaily NewsNews Commentary

The Brian Lehrer Show

WNYC

Brian Lehrer leads the conversation about what matters most now in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.

Play
Open in
  • 24 episodes
  • Avg 29 min
  • English

Episodes 24

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • #2690
    Yesterday · 43 min

    World Leaders Gather at the U.N.

    Mark Leon Goldberg, editor-in-chief and publisher of UN Dispatch and host of the podcast "Global Dispatches," previews the UNGA as world leaders gather at the United Nations. Photo: Khalilur Rahman, president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly UNGA, announces the opening of the 81st session of the UNGA at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 8, 2026. (Zhang Fengguo/Xinhua via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2691
    Yesterday · 26 min

    Goodbye Regents Exams?

    New York State is changing high school graduation requirements. Michael Elsen-Rooney, reporter at Chalkbeat New York, explains what is happening to the Regents exams and the unanswered questions that remain about requirements for diplomas. Photo: Algebra I Regents exam practice material is used in math class on Friday, May 15, 2026, at Lansingburgh High School in Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2692
    Yesterday · 27 min

    Climate Week Begins

    Amy Westervelt, climate journalist and host of the Drilled podcast, and author of BROUGHT TO YOU BY: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy (Bloomsbury, 2026), previews the UNGA climate priorities, plus discusses her recent ProPublica investigation into how fossil fuel companies have funded climate research at top universities, and how the same companies have contributed to science misinformation and climate change denial. Photo: Demonstrators carry placards as they take part in a climate protest under the slogan "No 50°C summers!" in Lausanne on September 19, 2026. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2693
    Yesterday · 13 min

    Learning to Drive in New York and New Jersey

    With New York ranked the best state in the country for teen drivers for the third year in a row, and New Jersey coming in third, according to a new WalletHub study, listeners call in to share their stories of learning to drive as a teen, teaching a teen to drive, and where in New York and New Jersey the road test is easiest. Photo: Rear view of car with handwritten sign reading Student Driver, warning other drivers that the person operating the vehicle is learning to drive, Dublin, California, May 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2685
    Friday · 41 min

    Family Sues Texas AG and Doctors Over Abortion Ban

    Shefali Luthra, reproductive health reporter at The 19th, talks about her reporting a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and how states with abortion bans are seeing increasing pregnancy-related deaths.

  • #2686
    Friday · 27 min

    AI and NYC Jobs

    Greg David, who covers fiscal and economic issues for The City Reporter, talks about the effects of AI on NYC's job market and overall economy.

  • #2687
    Friday · 27 min

    How Much Surveillance Are We Comfortable With?

    Willy Staley, story editor at The New York Times Magazine, talks about how the rise of social media and private surveillance technology have started to shift social norms surrounding how we think about privacy.

  • #2688
    Friday · 13 min

    What's in Your Storage Locker?

    David Owen, staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about the business of storage lockers and why so many Americans have them.

  • #2681
    Thursday · 45 min

    How MAGA Has Overtaken Foreign Policy for Personal Gain

    Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, historian and author of Autocracy Inc. (Penguin, 2024), shares her reporting on how influential figures in MAGA world, including private citizens looking for personal gain, and others peddling anti-Democratic values, have become the primary way the U.S. does foreign policy, and are realigning the world order. Photo: USA President Donald Trump speaks as USA Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and USA Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand behind during the press conference at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkiye on July 8, 2026. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2682
    Thursday · 25 min

    The Mamdani Administration's New Vision Zero

    After a spate of hit-and-run deaths earlier this year, the Mamdani administration has released its new Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic fatalities. Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, reports on what's in the plan and how safety advocates are responding. Photo: On September 15, 2026, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces new street safety measures aimed at preventing automobile accidents and pedestrian injuries. (Photo courtesy of City Hall/Office of the Mayor) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2683
    Thursday · 22 min

    A Wall Street Fall

    William Cohan, co-founder of Puck News and author of many books, including Money to Burn: The Unvarnished Truth About Leon Black, Apollo, and the Rise of a New Wall Street (Portfolio, 2026), tells the story of one Wall Street titan's rise and fall and what it says about the larger system. Photo: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on September 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2684
    Thursday · 14 min

    The History of Concrete

    Concrete may be the world's most widely used building material, but it isn't widely considered a stimulating topic of conversation. John Wilson, filmmaker and creator of "How To with John Wilson", discusses his new documentary, "The History of Concrete," about the hidden side of a material that's more fallible than we might think and why we should care. Photo: A scene from THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE, a Magnolia Pictures release. (Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2678
    Wednesday · 24 min

    How the Trump Administration's New 'Public Charge' Rule May Affect Immigrants

    The Trump administration's new "public charge" rule, which is scheduled to go into effect this week, will make it more difficult for immigrants applying for visas and green cards if they have used public benefits like SNAP or Medicaid. Catherine Chen, CEO of the Asian American Federation, talks about what to know, the city's lawsuit to try to stop it and why Asian immigrants will be disproportionately affected. Photo: A sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits is displayed in a Brooklyn grocery store on December 5, 2019 in New York City. (Scott Heins/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2679
    Wednesday · 27 min

    Advice for Democrats

    Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff to Senator John Fetterman and a former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid and the author of Supermajority: How Democrats Can Build Lasting Power (WW Norton, 2026), argues Democrats need a supermajority in Congress and offers advice for achieving it, and suggestions for what legislation to enact if it's achieved. Photo: People watch as U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) appears on a video to endorse U.S. Sen. David McCormick (R-PA) on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center on September 09, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2680
    Wednesday · 10 min

    A Curry Tour of NYC

    Robert Sietsema, veteran restaurant critic and author of Substack newsletter Robert Sietsema’s New York, talks about his recent article in Gothamist on the diversity of curry dishes in New York City as listeners share curry dishes from their home country and their favorite curry spots in the five boroughs. Photo: The spice curry powder in center is made up of, from left, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, mustard, cumin, cayenne pepper and turmeric at Caroline Barrett's home on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 in Delmar, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2673
    September 15 · 1 hr

    AI Doomsday?

    Will Oremus, a staff writer at The Atlantic, discusses the uproar over the warnings of potential threats to humanity from unregulated AI, then Andrew Prokop, senior politics correspondent at Vox, talks about possible government actions to prevent disaster from the purposeful or inadvertent consequences of AI harm. Photo: A person holds an iPhone displaying icons for Copilot, Gemini, Meta AI, Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, DeepSeek, Perplexity and Doubao in a folder titled "Artificial Intelligence" on September 15, 2026, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.(Cheng Xin/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2674
    September 15 · 13 min

    Emmys 2026 Recap

    Daniel Fienberg, chief television critic at The Hollywood Reporter, talks about the big winners, losers, and memorable events from the Emmy Awards. Photo: Mariska Hargitay attends the blue carpet rollout for the 78th Emmy Awards at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, September 10, 2026. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  • #2675
    September 15 · 22 min

    What to Know: Fall Vaccines and Legionnaires' in The Bronx

    Caroline Lewis, health care reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, explains what you need to know about fall vaccines, including flu, Covid and RSV, plus discusses the news that there is a new Legionnaires' cluster in The Bronx. Photo: 12 years and older New Yorkers got vaccinated at the St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Bronx of New York City, United States on June 13, 2021. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Showing 1–20 of 24 episodes