The Brian Lehrer Show

Siddhartha Sánchez, executive director of the Bronx River Alliance, and CP, local resident and member of the group Mothers on the Move, talk about why they are against state-led plans to repair and widen the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Robert Moses-designed highway that has harmed residents' health for decades, and what they propose the state does instead. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images: Cars and trucks move to enter the Cross Bronx Expressway, a notorious stretch of highway in New York City that is often choked with traffic and contributes to pollution and poor air quality on November 16, 2021 in New York City.

Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, talks about the work that Amnesty International does to advance the rights of women and girls worldwide, including in Afghanistan, Malawi, Gaza, China, Iran and more. (Photo by STAN HONDA / AFP) (Photo by STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)

Pat Kiernan and Jamie Stelter hosts of the Spectrum News NY1 show "Mornings on 1" and the new digital show 'Morning People', talk about their new show, plus some of the local news they've got their eyes on.   photo: Likely view from upper floors of the Time Warner Center in Manhattan, looking east (sookie from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Christiane Amanpour, chief international anchor and host of CNN's "Amanpour" and PBS' "Amanpour & Company," talks about the latest news on the war with Iran. Photo: Women members of Iran's Red Crescent society stand near smoke plumes from an ongoing fire following an overnight airstrike on the Shahran oil refinery in northwestern Tehran on March 8, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)  

Last month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani went to Washington to pitch President Donald Trump on providing federal funds to build a huge housing development on top of Sunnyside Yard. David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, discusses what Queens politicians and residents think about the idea, and how sentiment on the plan has changed since former Mayor de Blasio first floated the idea. Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images: Subway trains of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, which operates in New Jersey, are seen in the Sunnyside railroad yard in the Queens borough of New York on February 27, 2024. 

Listeners weigh in on whether they'd prefer to stay on daylight saving time, or standard time permanently, or whether they are fine with the status quo of changing the clocks. Plus, they talk about how the time change affects them personally. (Photo By Jesus Hellin/Europa Press via Getty Images)  

Writer Craig Welch talks about his New York Times Magazine feature, "Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?" and ways to reduce the risk of this particular injury. Photo: Two New Jersey high school girls' soccer teams play out a competitive match. Credit: K.M. Klemencic/Wikimedia Commons

Sabrina Siddiqui, national politics reporter at The Wall Street Journal, talks about the latest developments in the war with Iran, including the question of regime change and U.S. goals in the war.   Photo: Thousands of people carrying Iranian flags, gather at Enghelab Square to express support for Mojtaba Khamenei, who has become Iran's new supreme leader following Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran on March 9, 2026. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. The Anthropic-Pentagon Standoff (First) | Vaccine Hesitation & Misinformation (Starts at 17:30) | Wild NYC - Spring is Coming (Starts at 33:00 ) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.   Photo: Trout Lily, a NYC woodland wildflower that blooms in early spring. (Marielle Anzelone)

During Ramadan, Sohaira Siddiqui, executive director at the Al-Mujadilah Center and the host of the podcast "More Muslim", talks about the diversity of the Muslim community in New York and around the world. Photo: Mayor Mamdani attends Taraweeh prayers in Staten Island. Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

Data centers are booming and taking the blame for spiking power costs because of how energy intensive they are. Rosemary Misdary, WNYC and Gothamist science reporter, talks about what Gov. Hochul says she plans to do to reign in the costs to consumers.   Image: Data center infrastructure in the United States, November 2025 (DOE — NREL, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Caitlin Dickerson, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about her reporting on a mixed immigration status family who felt the risks of staying in the U.S. were too great, and moved to Mexico. Plus Rachel Cruz and Irvi Cruz talk about why their family made the decision to move to Mexico, where Irvi is originally from. Photo credit: Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., references a DHS advertising campaign while questioning DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during the House Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security," in Rayburn building on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Lydia DePillis, New York Times reporter covering the American economy, talks about how the war with Iran could affect the economy at home, as issues with oil prices, supply chains and the massive cost of the war begin to pile up. Photo credit: Natasha Chebanoo on Pexels.

Drawing on his long experience covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dexter Filkins, New Yorker staff writer and author of The Forever War (Knopf Doubleday, 2008), talks about the United States' objectives in the war with Iran. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Steven Levy, editor at large for Wired, breaks down the latest news as the Pentagon is reconsidering its relationship with artificial intelligence company Anthropic, after the company has stated it doesn't want its technology used in autonomous weapons or government surveillance, and explains the way that AI is reshaping national defense. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images: CEO and co-founder of Anthropic Dario Amodei speak onstage during the 2025 New York Times Dealbook Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 03, 2025 in New York City. 

Heidi Sabertooth, a NYC-based singer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer and co-founder of Synth Library NYC, talks about electronic music and the library which is dedicated to giving “equal access to the means of production,” giving access to a wide array of synthesizers and creating a diverse community around it.    Photo: TR-808 Musical instrument Museum, Phoenix, AZ (Bryan Pocius from New York, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is landmarks.   Photo: Jones Beach Water Tower in New York in 2021 (Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Adam Rodman, MD, MPH, FACP, a general internis­­­t and medical educator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he directs AI Programs for the Carl J. Shapiro Center for Education and Research, and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, talks about his recent New York Times op-ed outlining best (and worst) practices for patients wanting to incorporate AI into office visits with their physicians. → Take It From a Doctor: It's OK if Your Medical Advice Comes From A.I.Photo: Stethoscope and Laptop Computer. Source: National Cancer Institute via Unsplash.

U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) explains why he does not support President Trump's decision to go to war with Iran. Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images. A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital Tehran, on March 3, 2026.

Marielle Anzelone, urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Theresa Crimmins, director for the USA National Phenology Network, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, and the author of Phenology (The MIT Press, 2025), introduce the year-long series on local wildlife with a look at signs of spring and what changes in plants and animals will signal the coming season. => We want to see your signs of spring!  Post a picture to your Instagram story; tag @brianlehrershow; and use the hashtag #BLWild and we'll repost them to our Instagram stories this month.  Photo: Trout Lily, a NYC woodland wildflower that blooms in early spring. (This year that might be mid-April). (Marielle Anzelone)

Patricia Nicholson Parker, executive director of Arts for Art, talks about her group, which calls itself "a NYC-based non-profit founded in 1996 focused on promoting and advancing multicultural improvised arts."   Photo:  Photograph of last set of second day of the 13th Vision Festival. From left to right: Billy Bang, Fred Anderson, William Parker and Kidd Jordan, 11 June 2008, (One dead president, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is suburban towns.Photo: Shingle-style coastal house with white picket fence at a quiet street corner in Quogue, Long Island, New York. Source: Lumin Osity/Unsplash.

Lisa Lerer, national political correspondent for The New York Times, talks about the results and issues in the midterm primary elections for senate seats in both Texas and North Carolina.Photo: Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D-TX) speaks at a campaign rally on March 2, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Danielle Villasana/Getty Images)  

Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center, an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the author of Autism's False Prophets (Columbia University Press, 2008) and Tell Me When It's Over: An Insider's Guide to Deciphering COVID Myths and Navigating Our Post-Pandemic World (National Geographic, 2024), talks about the changes to vaccine recommendations and conceptions of public health in the current HHS. Photo by Pablo la Rosa, 10 April 2025, Wikimedia Commons.

Musicians Neel Murgai and Roshni Samlal, artistic directors of Brooklyn Raga Massive, talk about their group, which they say is a "nonprofit musicians' collective that creates cross-cultural understanding through the lens of South Asian classical music." photo: Neel Murgai and Roshni Samlal (courtesy of the guests)

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is NYC neighborhoods. (Photo by cisc1970 CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED)

U.S. Representative Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) offers his take on the war with Iran, the upcoming vote in the House on war powers and more.Photo: An Iranian flag is planted in the rubble of a police station, damaged in airstrikes yesterday, on March 3, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel have continued the joint attack on Iran that began on February 28, resulting in the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)    

Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many nonfiction books and his latest, a novel, A Capital Calamity (Miniver Press, 2024), offers analysis of the war with Iran after President Trump said he was not opposed to boots on the ground and a military leader said more U.S. casualties are expected. Photo: Firefighters work at the scene of an airstrike that destroyed shops and residences on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was confirmed killed after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)  

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is Women's History Month.

Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker, talks about what might come next for Iran after its Supreme Leader was killed in an Israeli air strike, as the war continues to widen and the country remains divided politically.   photo: Pedestrians pass a portrait of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 2, 2026 in central Tehran, Iran. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was confirmed killed after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

After Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of sex crimes in Florida in 2008, plenty of prominent people remained friendly with him. Lisa Miller, domestic correspondent for The New York Times Well section, offers analysis of why no one seemed to speak up when they witnessed his concerning and even criminal behavior. Photo: Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images: New protest art referencing the Epstein files and President Trump was installed on 3rd Street SW along the National Mall. People look at and sign the artwork on Monday, January 19, 2025.

Derek Guy, menswear writer and editor at Put This On, popular on social media as "the menswear guy," talks about the essentials of how to build a wardrobe. Part of our short series on personal style. Photo: Portrait of American attorney & former US Attorney General Elliot Richardson (1920-1999) in his office, Washington DC, November 1987. (Photo by Janet Fries/Getty Images)  

Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent for USA Today who covers foreign policy, talks about the Trump administration and Israel's strikes on Iran and what may come next as the war spills out across the Middle East. Photo: Trump announcing American-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. Credit: Donald J. Trump on X/Twitter via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).  

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Unpacking Trump's Voting Proposals from the State of the Union (First) | Finding Your Style: Getting Offline (Starts at 20) | ICE at Columbia (Starts at 35) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here. Photo credit: Protestors take part in anti-ICE rally outside Columbia University after federal agents detained a student inside a residential campus building in New York City, New York, U.S., February 26, 2026. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is broadcast media history.   Photo: Edward R. Murrow lived here (blue plaque), Westminster (Matt Brown, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)  

Historian Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic,  host of their podcast "Autocracy in America" and author of Autocracy Inc. (Penguin, 2024) and offers her analysis of how President Trump and his administration are seeking to control elections, as well as science and culture, and why.   photo: "I Voted" sticker worn on lapel of fuzzy winter coat, shot during the November 2025 election in St. Paul, Minnesota.  (Funknendai, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Avery Trufelman, host of the podcast Articles of Interest, talks about her work digging into the interesting historical and cultural questions about what we wear. Part of a short series about personal style.Photo: Well-dressed in a camouflage jacket and a cream v-neck sweater, Milan Fashion Week Menswear Spring/Summer 2025, June 15, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)    

WNYC's Public Song Project invites musicians to incorporate works of art that have entered the public domain into new compositions. All of It producer Simon Close shares more about the project and how they are hoping musicians will participate. For more information, click here.  

After a Columbia student was detained by agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Mayor Mamdani said he spoke about it to President Trump, and she was released. Arya Sundaram, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering race and immigration, reports the latest on the news. Plus, Brigid Bergin, senior political correspondent for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the mayor's surprise trip to the White House to meet with the president. Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images: Protestors take part in anti-ICE rally outside Columbia University after federal agents detained a student inside a residential campus building in New York City, New York, U.S., February 26, 2026.

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is Black History Month. Photo: Carter G. Woodson memorial on RI Ave at 7th NW in Washington, D.C. by David from Washington, DC, CC BY 2.0.

Again, this year, we hear from the makers of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for best feature documentary. Today, directors Sara Khaki, and Mohammadreza Eyni talk about their film "Cutting Through Rocks." Photo: Still from "Cutting Through Rocks" courtesy of the guests.

As part of a short series about finding your personal style, Emilia Petrarca, author of the fashion and style newsletter Shop Rat, talks about how getting offline and going outside changed the way she thinks about fashion and style.  Photo: Evi Wave is seen wearing an oversized puffer jacket in soft pink and taupe-grey clogs in soft suede from Birkenstock, December 3, 2025 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Moritz Scholz/Getty Images)  

Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about why a funding threat from the Trump administration means some immigrants won't be able to get commercial driver licenses, and how this will affect school bus drivers in New York City. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)  

Ruth Marcus, contributor to The New Yorker, former columnist for the Washington Post and the author of Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover (Simon & Schuster, 2019), comments on the Supreme Court's tariff's decision and other political news—and the state of journalism in the aftermath of mass layoffs at Jeff Bezos' Washington Post.