The Brian Lehrer Show

In response to New York's 19th annual “Reasons to Love New York” issue, listeners call in to share their favorite places, things and people outside of New York, including Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and beyond.

Emily Eisner, Fiscal Policy Institute economist, and Andrew Perry, senior policy analyst at Fiscal Policy Institute, dig into their group's report that found that millionaires are returning to the city, and lower- and middle-income folks are leaving -- and what the data say about housing affordability, taxes and more.  

Mortgage rates are high, and housing supply is low, which means buying a home is particularly unaffordable right now. Annie Lowrey, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World (Crown, 2018), explains why this is, and why it may not get better any time soon. →"It Will Never Be a Good Time to Buy a House: Maybe in 2030?" (The Atlantic, Nov. 26, 2023)

On Wednesday, the MTA board voted to approve New York City's congestion pricing plan. Sam Schwartz, former longtime "Gridlock Sam" columnist at the Daily News, former NYC Traffic Commissioner, president and CEO of Sam Schwartz Pedestrian Traffic Management and author of No One at the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future (Public Affairs, 2018), discusses the plan and warns of some of its possible undesirable side effects.

Joseph Zeballos-Roig, domestic policy and politics reporter at Semafor, talks about the latest national political news, including the failed Senate vote to send aid to Ukraine without a border security deal, and the most recent Republican presidential primary debate.  

Rachel Cohen, senior reporter for Vox covering social policy, breaks down her recent reporting, and personal ambivalence, about millennial motherhood, as birthrates in the United States have been declining for the past 15 years.

As part of his new 3-part podcast, Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, looks back at the legacy of the late former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, and how his decisions have reverberated in politics in New York and the country.

Jill Jonnes, author of South Bronx Rising: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of an American City (3rd ed, Empire State Editions, 2022), updates her landmark 1986 account of the South Bronx's rebound from the devastation of the 1970s. A new section of the book traces the rebound into the gentrification era and the pandemic.

Mike Massimino, NASA Astronaut (1996-2014), engineering professor at Columbia, advisor at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, and the author of Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut's Guide to Achieving the Impossible (Hachette Go, 2023), shares his story of overcoming hurdles to become an astronaut (and the first person to tweet from space!).

Sam Jacobs, Time Magazine editor in chief, talks about the magazine's selection of their "Person of the Year" for 2023: Taylor Swift.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Gothamist and WNYC reporters Elizabeth Kim and David Brand recap what he talked about at this week's event, including on their reporting on emails that revealed City Hall "fast tracked" fire safety inspections at high-end Hudson Yards buildings, leaving more modest entities waiting for inspections they had scheduled months earlier.

Jake Sherman, co-founder of Punchbowl News and the co-host of the "Daily Punch" podcast by Punchbowl News, talks about recent Congressional news including foreign aid votes and conditions, and yesterday's hearing with the leaders of three prominent universities on antisemitism.

Nina Lakhani, senior climate justice reporter at The Guardian U.S., breaks down the latest from The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, including a deep dive into the president of the U.N. climate talks Sultan al-Jaber's ties to the fossil fuel industry.

Bill Ulfelder, forester and executive director of The Nature Conservancy in New York, explains why real trees are the ecologically sound choice for Christmas.

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, talks about the magazine's new issue that examines how different a second Trump presidency could be from the first, plus the latest national political news.  

On Sunday, an e-bike caused the Bronx fire that killed one person and left 13 others injured. Keith Powers, New York City Council Member (District 4, Midtown Manhattan and UES), breaks down where and why e-bike lithium-ion battery fires happen and what policies are in the works in New York City to minimize risks.

Louise Norris health policy analyst for medicareresources.org helps listeners understand the pros and cons to Medicare and Medicare Advantage, as they navigate open enrollment.

Kate Shaw, law professor at Cardozo Law School, ABC Supreme Court contributor and cohost of the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast, and, Andrea Bernstein, journalist, host of "We Don't Talk About Leonard" podcast from ProPublica & On The Media (previous podcasts: Will be Wild and Trump, Inc) and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), break down the latest Supreme Court headlines, including the passing of former Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, a case that seeks to limit administrative bodies of power, and the Senate Judiciary Committee's subpoenas of two individuals embroiled in ethics scandals plaguing sitting justices.

Alexis Grenell co-founder of Pythia Public, a political and public affairs firm, columnist for The Nation, explains her objections to how some on the left are approaching the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and where she thinks some criticism veers into anti-Semitism. Plus, a look at the upcoming special election to fill the seat of expelled congressman George Santos.

Charley Locke, freelance writer, talks about why we should all have intergenerational friendships, and our listeners tell us about their own. → You should have more friends of all ages

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their online-only businesses ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

A year ago, mayor Eric Adams unveiled a plan to involuntarily hospitalize those suffering from severe mental illness on New York City streets. Maya Kaufman, healthcare reporter at Politico, discusses her reporting on how this plan has taken shape over the last year.  

Hilla Medalia, documentary filmmaker, talks about her new documentary, "Mourning in Lod," about Israeli and Palestinian families connected through violence but also peace, business, politics and altruism.

There's no shortage of discussion when it comes to the left's fissures on Israel. Jeremy Cohan, co-chair of NYC-DSA's steering committee, explains the Democratic Socialists of America's pro-Palestine stance and their involvement in a widely criticized Manhattan protest the day after the October 7th attacks. Plus: JC shares an inside look at how the organization decides upon their policy stances, how they work with endorsed elected officials, and their broader vision for our political future.

Henry Kissinger has died at 100 years old. Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many books, including The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (Simon & Schuster, 2020), examines the diplomat's massive impact on U.S. foreign policy, and addresses his huge failures and many critics, who see him as an immoral war criminal.  

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located on Long Island, Connecticut and Westchester (& suburbs further north) ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Thousands of new students have joined the New York City school system since asylum seekers started arriving. New York City Council member Shahana Hanif (District 39, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington), also chair of the Committee on Immigration, breaks down how the city is meeting their needs and what more needs to be done.

Sarah Longwell, political strategist, founder of Republican Voters Against Trump and publisher of the "The Bulwark," talks about 2024 politics, including voter opinion heading into early GOP primaries, polarization across and within parties, and the effect of 3rd party candidates on the presidential contest.

Dalia Hatuqa, independent journalist reporting on Israel and Palestine, talks about what life is like for Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7th, including how they are dealing with violence by Israeli settlers, harassment by police and other officials, and the political and historical context of how it came to be like this.

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located in New Jersey ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Last week, the yearlong lookback window allowing adult victims of sexual assault to file lawsuits against their perpetrators closed. Bernadette Hogan, statehouse reporter at Spectrum News NY1, discusses the end of the Adult Survivors Act lookback window, the flurry of cases against high profile characters that came in, as well as efforts to potentially reinstate the law, providing another opportunity for victims to seek justice.  

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, fielding questions from reporters on any topic. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps the mayor's statements.

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located in Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Inflation is easing, but Americans are still pessimistic about the economy. Catherine Rampell, opinion columnist at The Washington Post, political/economic commentator at CNN, special correspondent at PBS NewsHour and a contributor to Marketplace, shares inflation numbers, and some analysis about the disconnect between the economy and how people feel about it.

Gilbert Cruz, Book Review editor at The New York Times, announces The New York Times Book Review's 10 best books of 2023. → To check out the full list, click here.

Kate Marvel, climate scientist at the environmental nonprofit Project Drawdown, and a lead author on The Fifth National Climate Assessment, a government-mandated report on climate change, which was released mid-November, breaks down the warnings — and the climate solutions — laid out in the assessment.

Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D NY), responds to questions about Israel's war in Gaza, healthcare, asylum seekers, and more.

Rosalynn Carter died just over one week ago and memorials and her funeral are being held this week. Jonathan Alter, MSNBC analyst, author of the Substack newsletter "Old Goats," and author of several books, including His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life (Simon & Schuster, 2020), reflects on the former first lady's life and legacy.

Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker and distinguished fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and US Institute of Peace, offers analysis of how the cease fire between Israel and Hamas is going, as well as the deal to release both Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Shop Listener is back for the 2023 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their brick-and-mortar businesses located in Brooklyn and Manhattan ahead of the holidays, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal recaps the latest political news after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene introduces a new program that will offer online therapy to New York City teens, and other health-related news.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. New Limits On New Jersey's Drugged Driving Detection Protocol  (First) | What Deregulation Did to Flying (Starts at 21:53) | Celebrating Those Who've Welcomed Migrants into Our Communities (Starts at 47:03) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

On this day after Thanksgiving, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations: With the "dream" of an ever-brighter economic future now stymied, David Leonhardt, senior writer for The New York Times who writes The Morning, The Times's flagship daily newsletter and author of Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream (Random House, 2023), traces its history and offers a path to reclaiming it for future generations. Through the story of three North Philadelphia children and drawing on his research, Nikhil Goyal, sociologist and policymaker who served as senior policy advisor on education and children for Chairman Senator Bernie Sanders on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and Committee on the Budget and the author of Live to See the Day: Coming of Age in American Poverty (Metropolitan Books, 2023), shows how poverty limits the lives of U.S. children and offers policy solutions. Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, recounts one family's year-long battle with New York City's Department of Education to help their child receive the specialized instruction required while growing up with dyslexia. Naomi Klein, activist, professor of climate justice at the University of British Columbia, and the author of Shock Doctrine, No Logo, and her latest Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2023), writes about her identity being confused with Naomi Wolf's and how that reflects larger societal trends. Mo Rocca, host of the podcast Mobituaries, a CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and a frequent panelist on NPR's hit weekly quiz show Wait, Wait…Don't Tell Me!, talks about the new season of Mobituaries, the "death" of the mid-Atlantic accent, and things he wishes would go away. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: What Happened to the American Dream? (Oct 24, 2023) Child Poverty and How to End It (Sept 26, 2023) The Struggle to Get Proper Instruction for Students with Dyslexia in New York City (Oct 23, 2023) Navigating the 'Mirror World' (Sept 12, 2023) Mo Rocca's "Mobituaries" (Oct 27, 2023)