The Brian Lehrer Show

Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for POLITICO, talks about the news that former White House counsel Pat Cipollone will testify before Jan. 6th committee.

The majority of the New York City Council members are new, and are part of a class that is the most diverse and progressive in city history. Over the next year Brian Lehrer will get to know all 51 members. This week, Council member Julie Won (District 26, Western Queens) talks about her priorities for her district, which includes the neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Astoria, and Dutch Kills. On today's '51 Council Members in 52 Weeks,' District 26's @CMJulieWon brought the Sunnyside Arch for her "show & tell" - an iconic image she'd seen in photos before moving here from S Korea at the age of 8: pic.twitter.com/U1T1SRe5qw — The Brian Lehrer Show and A Daily Politics Podcast (@BrianLehrer) July 6, 2022   Catch up with all the interviews here.

Listeners call in to share what patriotism, and patriotic symbols like the American flag, mean to them in an increasingly polarized United States.

Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZero Media, foreign affairs columnist and editor-at-large at TIME magazine, professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and the author of many books, including The Power of Crisis: How Three Threats – and Our Response – Will Change the World (Simon & Schuster, 2022), explains why he thinks responding to some of the biggest crises can actually help improve outcomes, plus weighs in on the latest on the war in Ukraine.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has signed a slate of laws, including the "Stop WOKE Act," that have major implications for state universities. Lori Rozsa, reporter covering Florida for the Washington Post, discusses this legislation and the pushback from academics and experts. → In Florida, DeSantis's plans for colleges rattle some academics

Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of the forthcoming The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022) talks about the latest political news, including President Joe Biden's political wins during the G7 and NATO Summits and the challenges he's facing back at home, like his perceived inaction towards protecting abortion rights.

The lack of easily accessible and clean public bathrooms is a longstanding NYC problem. Listeners call in to trade tips on where to go, and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine talks about a City Council bill that would eventually lead to more public restrooms in the city.

The City has until November to show its action plan can improve conditions at Rikers and avoid a federal takeover. Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction Louis Molina explains the plan and where the DOC goes from here.

Kashmir Hill, tech reporter at the New York Times, discusses the digital privacy implications of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade and heightened abortion restrictions across the country.

For this Fourth of July, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations: Justin Gest, associate professor of Policy and Government at George Mason University and the author of Majority Minority (Oxford University Press, 2022), talks about the demographic trends in the U.S. to 'majority minority' and puts efforts to resist it (like Pres. Trump's attempts to interfere with the 2020 Census) in context. Roosevelt Montás, senior lecturer in American Studies and English at Columbia University's Center for American Studies and director of its Freedom and Citizenship Programs, and author of Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation (Princeton University Press November 16, 2021), argues in favor of a collegiate core curriculum and talks about how the 'Great Books' influenced his life. Curtis Deutsch, professor of Geosciences and the High Meadows Environmental Institute at Princeton University, discusses the dire consequences of unchecked, human-driven emissions for ocean life as laid out in a new report he's co-authored, "Avoiding ocean mass extinction from climate warming." A. J. Jacobs, NPR contributor, contributing editor at Esquire, and the author of The Year of Living Biblically, The Know-It-All, It's All Relative and his latest The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life (Crown, 2022), talks about his new book that tries to puzzle out why we like puzzles and what they do for us. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: America's 'Majority Minority' Demographic Future (Apr 11, 2022) An Ode to The Core Curriculum (Feb 18, 2022) Unchecked Emissions and the Threat of Mass Marine Extinction (May 6, 2022) A. J. Jacobs Puzzles It Out (Apr 25, 2022)

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Advocating for Abortion Rights After the Overturn of Roe v. Wade (First) | Learning Your Heritage Language (Starts at 27:25) | Summer Travel Plans (Starts at 47:10) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

On this Summer Friday, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations: Sara Abiola, executive director of the Tisch Food Center and associate research professor in the department of health and behavior studies at Columbia University's Teachers College, and Pamela Koch, associate professor of nutrition education and faculty director of the Tisch Food Center, talk about policy proposals for meeting the challenge of food insecurity in NYC following the pandemic and their report, "NY Food 2025." Britt Wray, Human and Planetary Health Fellow at Stanford University and author of the new book Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis (Knopf Canada, 2022), talks about how climate anxiety can affect people's decisions on whether to have children, or not. News about climate change tends to be uniformly bad, but Mic has compiled stories that give reason for some hope. AJ Dellinger, impact writer at Mic, shares a bit of climate optimism. Queens is one of the most diverse places on earth. But like a lot of New York City, it's also segregated. Mark Winston Griffith, executive editor of Brooklyn Deep, and Max Freedman, co-hosts of the podcast School Colors, now on NPR's Code Switch, talk about their reporting into a school diversity plan in district 28 in Queens that proved to be hugely controversial. Rhea Ewing, comic illustrator, fine artist and author of Fine: A Comic About Gender (Liveright, 2022), talks about their new book that the many answers elicited from the transgender community to the question "What is gender?". These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: Combatting Post-Pandemic Food Insecurity (Apr 20, 2022) Generational Dread (May 12, 2022) Some Good News Stories About Climate Change (For a Change) (Jun 2, 2022) What Went Wrong With a School Diversity Plan in Queens? (May 13, 2022) Creating 'A Comic About Gender' (Apr 13, 2022)

Theodore Moore, vice president of policy at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), joins to talk about how a Staten Island Supreme Court judge declared noncitizen voting, which would have given about 800,000 New Yorkers voting rights in municipal elections, unconstitutional.

Aziz Huq, professor of law at the University of Chicago School of Law and the author of The Collapse of Constitutional Remedies (Oxford University Press, 2021),  and Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), discuss the last two opinions from the Supreme Court, limiting the E.P.A.'s ability to regulate greenhouse gases and allowing the Biden administration to end the Trump "Remain in Mexico" policy, and reflect on this term as a whole.  

Between gun violence, the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, bigotry and other reasons, some Americans say they want to move abroad. Laura Begley Bloom, travel expert and senior contributor at Forbes and Jessica Drucker, consultant who helps LGBTQ folks move abroad and the author of How To Move Abroad And Why It's The Best Thing You'll Do (independently published, 2020), trade tips on how to make that happen, and listeners reflect on the class implications of leaving, and whether they are conflicted about leaving.  

Bill McKibben, environmental activist, founder of Third Act and author of many books, most recently, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened (Henry Holt and Co., 2022), joins to talk about the news from Europe, where the E.U. reached a deal to phase out fossil fuels by 2035, in contrast to the breaking news that the Supreme Court in the United States has with conservative states and fossil fuel companies in curtailing the power of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Listeners share how the ongoing pandemic, stories of flight delays and cancellations, and higher costs at the gas pump and elsewhere are influencing their summer travel plans.

Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D-NY), talks about her work in Washington and last week's momentous Supreme Court decisions.

Michael Kranish, national political investigative reporter for The Washington Post, co-author of Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power (Scribner, 2016), joins to recap Tuesday's January 6th hearing, in which Cassidy Hutchinson, then-principal assistant to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified about what President Trump's inner circle knew.

Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University, host of the podcast "FAQNYC" and author of Black Ethnics (Oxford University Press, 2013), joins to discuss the results of New York's primary election.

Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, the lead litigator in the case, discusses her latest law case which delayed Louisiana's trigger abortion law and how people can get involved locally in advocating for the protection of abortion rights.

Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, talks about the voting and who is on the ballot for governor, lieutenant governor and other offices up for grabs in the New York state primary election, as callers share who they voted for, and why.

Listeners call in to share who they are voting for, and why, for New York primary day in our 'informal, unofficial, thoroughly unscientific' primary day exit poll. 

Maria Carreira, co-founder of the National Heritage Language Resource Center at UCLA and professor emerita of Spanish at California State University, Long Beach, offers tips to listeners who want to learn the language or languages they grew up hearing at home. → How to learn a heritage language | NPR's Life Kit

Babies and toddlers between 6 months old and 5 years old are now eligible for the COVID vaccine. Dr. Mark Horowitz, board-certified family physician, COVID advisor to the City University of New York and the Mark Morris Dance Group, discusses the details of NYC's COVID "Shots for Tots" program and addresses parents' questions and concerns about children's COVID-19 vaccines.

A series of recent Supreme Court cases, including the right to abortion, privileges the religious freedoms of Christians. Micah Schwartzman, professor and the director of the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy at the University of Virginia School of Law, joins to discuss his recent article asking if the same protection applies to people of the Jewish faith.    

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power (Twelve, 2021) talks about the political ramifications of the Supreme Court's earthquake of a decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and more national political news.

On the day before New York's primary election, the three candidates for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of New York, Diana Reyna, Ana María Archila, and the current Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, make their pitches to voters in sequential interviews.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Fixing Penn Station (First) | Lifeguards and Beach Safety In The Rockaways (Starts at 22:50) | Trans Equity And Access (Starts at 46:05) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), offers analysis of today's Supreme Court decision to upend abortion rights and takes listener calls.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-35) talks about how the New York State legislature plans to respond to Thursday's Supreme Court decision that struck down a New York gun law and the right to abortion.

U.S. Representative Tom Suozzi (D NY3, parts of Long Island and Queens), now running for the Democratic nomination for governor, makes his final pitch to voters as he campaigns to be the next governor of New York.

Herb Pinder, WNYC's race and justice editor, and Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), analyze the Supreme Court's decision in a major New York gun case -- which struck down a law that put strict restrictions on who can carry a gun in public.

Joan Walsh, The Nation's national affairs correspondent, talks about the latest national political news, including the Supreme Court's opinion on New York's concealed carry gun law.

The Supreme Court is expected to release an opinion in the case West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency soon. Michael Gerrard, professor of law at Columbia Law School and the founder and faculty director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, previews what the case is about and the implications for combating climate change, especially if the court rules against the EPA.

Julie Turkewitz, Andes bureau chief for The New York Times covering Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname and Guyana, joins to talk about Colombia's historic election results, the country's past of conservative politics, and what the election of Gustavo Petro can mean for the future of the country.

Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, and a health and equity advocate, community educator, writer, and leader in the transgender and HIV communities, joins to talk about the unique challenges trans people of color face in comparison to their white peers, such as higher rates of discrimination, lower life spans and wages, and less access to resources.

A string of drownings in the Rockaways have prompted public outcry over the city's decision to not staff the popular beaches while undergoing a federal resiliency project to fix the jetties. Jake Offenhartz, a reporter at Gothamist, joins to discuss the incidents and take your reactions.

Quinta Jurecic, fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, senior editor at Lawfare and contributing writer at The Atlantic, recaps Tuesday's January 6th House hearing that laid out former President Trump's involvement in the plot to overturn the election by enlisting local state officials.

Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, creative writing and law fellow at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), offers analysis of today's Supreme Court news, including the opinion in the case of Maine education vouchers.

  Summer solstice means the return of the day-long festival of music-making all over town. James Burke, executive director of Make Music New York, talks about this tradition and listeners call in and share their musical talents.

Kathryn Garcia, director of state operations for Gov. Hochul, and a former NYC sanitation commissioner and candidate for mayor, talks about Gov. Hochul's latest proposals for revamping Penn Station and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The Supreme Court plans to issue a decision on the so-called "remain in Mexico" case soon, and the 10th anniversary of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was earlier this month. Elora Mukherjee, professor at Columbia Law School and director of Columbia Law School's Immigrants' Rights Clinic, talks about both immigration-related issues and takes calls from DACA recipients.

We're celebrating Juneteenth today with some of our favorite interviews about the holiday and our history: Clint Smith, staff writer at The Atlantic, award-winning poet, and author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America (Little, Brown and Company, 2021), leads listeners through a tour of U.S. monuments and landmarks that explain how slavery has been central in shaping our history, including a visit to Galveston, TX, where Juneteenth originated. Elizabeth Alexander, president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, poet, educator, memoirist and scholar, looks back through American history -- both recent and not -- and asks the fundamental question "what does it mean to be Black and free in a country that undermines Black freedom?" as she wrote in an essay for National Geographic. Harvard professor and Texas native Annette Gordon-Reed discusses her book On Juneteenth (Liveright, 2021), the 2021 creation of the new federal holiday based on the events in Texas and why it's important to study our nation's history. Keisha N. Blain, University of Pittsburgh historian and president of the African American Intellectual History Society, author of Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018) and Ibram X. Kendi, professor in the Humanities and the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, co-editors of Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 (One World, 2021), talk about this moment in Black history and their new collection of 80 writers' and 10 poets' take on the American story. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: Touring America's Monuments to Slavery (Jun 18, 2021) Envisioning Black Freedom (Jun 18, 2021) Juneteenth, the Newest Federal Holiday (Jun 30, 2021) A 'Community History' of Black America (Feb 3, 2021)  

Ahead of Father's Day, listeners call in to reflect on what it means to them to be a dad.

The House committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol presented their evidence on the campaign from former President Trump and his advisors to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to go along with their plan to overturn the election. Ilya Marritz, co-host of the podcast "Will Be Wild" and covers Trump legal matters for NPR, recaps what the committee presented and what it means.

Ibram X. Kendi, professor in the Humanities and the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research and the author of How to Raise an Antiracist (One World, 2022) talks about his new book offering guidance to parents and caregivers.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams now running for the Democratic nomination for Governor, talks about Thursday night's debate and the final days of campaigning before the June 28th primary.

Kai Wright, host of the WNYC's The United States of Anxiety, joins to take listener calls on how they celebrate Juneteenth and Pride month.

John Pfaff, professor at the Fordham University School of Law, shares his analysis of what the recall of San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin means for progressive prosecutors.

Don Levy, director of the Siena College Research Institute (SCRI), and Emily Ngo, NY1 political reporter, talk about Siena's recent poll that found only 29% of New Yorkers think Mayor Adams is doing an "excellent" or "good" job so far. Don Levy talks about the other findings in the poll, which asked people about quality of life issues and whether they approved of the administration's policies.