The Brian Lehrer Show

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Nikole Hannah-Jones on Hard School Choices (First) | Ask Mayor Mamdani (Starts at 24:59) | Millennial Optimism (Starts at 58:23)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gov. Hochul announced that she is appointing New York's Attorney General Letitia James to oversee the Cornell sexual assault case that's been headline news. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist talks about why the governor made this move and what comes next.Photo: Cornell University from atop McGraw Tower looking southeast, 2006. (sach1tb, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist talks about the relationships that Gov. Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman have with President Trump.Photo: US President Donald Trump greets New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman on stage as he delivers remarks at the Nassau County Police Academy Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City, New York, on August 14, 2026. (Kent Nishimura 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.

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Tricia Shimamura reflects on her first summer as Parks commissioner and talks about her priorities for the department.Photo: Washington Square Park sidewalk surrounded with park benches and green landscaping in Washington Square Park in New York City on a rainy spring day. (Boogich 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.

Lindsay Owens, the executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative and the author of Gouged: The End of a Fair Price–and What That Means for Your Wallet (Viking, 2026) talks about the proliferation of "junk fees" and the hidden risks of loyalty programs, plus the use of data and algorithms to hike prices. Photo: A shopper opens an empty wallet inside a shopping mall, visually representing the financial strain and reduced spending power caused by inflation and rising living costs. (shih-wei 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.

Casey Michael Henry, writer, talks about his recent New York Times Magazine essay on nostalgia for the optimism of millennial culture.=> "Things Are So Bad, People Are Longing for Cringey Millennial Culture" (New York Times Magazine, Sept. 22, 2026) Photo: Hipster girl blows big bubble from bubble gum in 2016. (nemke via Getty Photos) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every Thursday from 1 to 2 PM on WNYC, through Election Day, WNYC senior political reporter Brigid Bergin hosts a pop-up local politics call-in show called Who's Running This Place. You can find out more on WNYC.org, and stay tuned to this podcast feed. We'll be sharing Brigid's conversations here every Thursday evening. New York Assemblymember Alex Bores discusses his efforts to sound the alarm about the risks that come with the rapid advance of AI technology. Plus, WNYC/Gothamist reporters Jon Campbell, Elizabeth Kim and Jessica Gould share the latest local headlines and analysis, and take your calls about local NYC government. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jack Arpey, New York State politics reporter for Spectrum News 1 New York, talks about the issue of utility rates in New York State and what Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman are promising to do to lower costs."As politicians squabble over utility rates, how much power does a governor have?" (Spectrum News 1 New York, Sept 17)Photo: Person adjusting a wall thermostat with dollar sign symbol on the display (Stock image by Zimmytws via iStock / Getty Images Plus) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At a White House lunch this week, tech executives signed a voluntary safety pact on AI. Gabby Miller, AI and tech congressional reporter at Politico, discusses the details of the agreement.Photo: US President Donald Trump, seated next to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (2L) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (L), speaks during a meeting with technology executives about artificial intelligence, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2026. (Kent NISHIMURA / 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.

Maggie Mertens, journalist, author of Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women (Algonquin, 2024) and host of "The Forecast: Seattle's Weekly Women's Sports Show" on KVRU 105.7FM, talks about her Slate article on the Trump administration's stated goal of "protecting" women's sports, while cutting the staff at the Department of Education that would investigate violations.Photo: Female football players huddling together (Stock image by Rawpixel via iStock / Getty Images Plus) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listeners call in to share how they're talking to their high school and college-aged kids about the alleged gang rape at Cornell University, and all the issues it's bringing up about consent, bystanders and the role of colleges in keeping students safe.Photo: Students walk on the campus of Cornell University a day after on September 30, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike Hayes, WNYC/Gothamist reporter covering New Jersey and the author of The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform (Kingston Imperial, 2023), talks about another key issue from Sunday's debate between U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr and his Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett -- deportations, ICE and the proposed detention center in Roxbury.Image: Debate screenshot via C-SPAN Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps Mayor Mamdani's appearance on the show, plus discusses her story on the revamp of the Hunts Point market that fell apart in the South Bronx, and the mayor's new plan on how to combat antisemitism.Photo: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference to announce a lawsuit challenging the federal government's new public charge rule, which could make it harder for immigrants to obtain green cards if they rely on public benefits, at City Hall in New York City on September 14, 2026. (ANGELA WEISS / 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.

Alexandra Brodsky, civil rights lawyer and author of Sexual Justice: Supporting Victims, Ensuring Due Process, and Resisting the Conservative Backlash (Henry Holt 2021), unpacks a recent lawsuit against Cornell University alleging the administration of negligence in their investigation and handling of a reported gang rape, and what the Cornell case tells us about the state of Title IX and sexual assault on college campuses.Photo: A student walks on the campus of Cornell University on September 29, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As part of the yearlong series "Wild NYC," Marielle Anzelone, urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Rob Pirani, senior director for Engagement and Policy/Program and director of the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program at the Hudson River Foundation, discuss the wildlife all around the waterfront.Photo: A great egret takes flight during the World Series of Birding, 12 May 2007, in an estuary in Cape May, New Jersey (STAN HONDA/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.

Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor, takes questions from listeners and talks about this week's news in the city. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike Hayes, WNYC/Gothamist reporter covering New Jersey and the author of The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform (Kingston Imperial, 2023) talks about another key issue from Sunday's debate between U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr and his Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett -- Congress and the U.S. role in the Middle East and with Israel.Photo: Protesters against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war in Gaza block a street next to the United Nations (U.N.) on September 24, 2026, in New York City (Spencer Platt 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.

David Gelles, reporter on the New York Times climate team who leads The Times's Climate Forward newsletter and events series, talks about outgoing UN Sec. Gen. António Guterres' efforts to achieve results in combatting climate change. Photo by Xuthoria, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International via Wikimedia Commons. November 20, 2025 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Elizabeth Alexander, president of The Mellon Foundation, poet, educator, memoirist and scholar and the author of Signals Across Vast Distances: Essays and Tales (WW Norton, 2026), talks about the guidance she's found from literature and how the arts can heal political divides.Photo: Elizabeth Alexander attends The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2026 at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 19, 2026 in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Gordon Parks Foundation 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.

Mike Hayes, WNYC/Gothamist reporter covering the New Jersey governor's race and the author of The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform (Kingston Imperial, 2023), talks about a key issue from Sunday's debate between U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr and his Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett.Image: Debate screenshot via C-SPAN Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting and founder of the Center for Journalism & Democracy at Howard University, talks about the personal decisions she made regarding her daughter's education, and what her daughter's years in New York City public schools have revealed about the city's segregated and unequal schools.Photo: Hannah Jones and her daughter walk into the first day of school in 2016. (Screenshot via WNYC/YouTube) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of several books, including his latest, The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic (Little, Brown and Company, 2026), asks why the U.S. suffers from higher rates of gun violence than any other wealthy country.Photo: A display of guns for sale is seen at Coliseum Gun Traders Ltd. in Uniondale, New York on September 25, 2020. (Timothy A. Clary/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.

Downed trees, flooding, lost power: Listeners call in to share how they made out in this weekend's slow-moving nor'easter, as well as how they entertained themselves and the kids while stuck inside.Photo: A nor'easter passes over lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center, seen from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building on September 26, 2026, in New York City. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.30 Issues in 30 Days: Child Care in NYS (First) | Mayor Mamdani's 'Broken Windows' Promise (Starts at 30:19) | The Professionals Cleaning AI Slop (Starts at 56:07)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ishaan Tharoor, global affairs columnist at The New Yorker and Edward Murrow Press Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, talks about this week's UN General Assembly, the meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jingping and President Trump's take on globalism.Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters on September 22, 2026 in New York City. (Chip Somodevilla 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.

WNYC's senior political correspondent Brigid Bergin, host of "Who's Running This Place," and Shoshana Hershkowitz, campaign manager, Empire State Campaign for Child Care, discuss the landscape of child care in New York State, and the policy proposals on the issue that each of the gubernatorial candidates, Governor Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, have put forth.Photo: Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference on Universal Childcare at the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling on March 03, 2026 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago 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.

Akbar Shahid Ahmed, diplomatic correspondent at The Washington Sun and the author of Crossing The Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza (W.W. Norton, 2026), talks about the Biden administration's support for Israeli attacks on Gaza in retaliation for October 7th.Photo: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on February 8, 2024 in Washington, DC (Nathan Howard 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.

The tri-state region has its eyes on this season's first nor'easter. John Davitt, chief meteorologist for Spectrum News NY1, tells us about the conditions to expect, what makes it a "nor'easter," and how to prepare.Photo: Flash flooding from 4 to 7 inches of rain in Flatbush, Brooklyn on September 29th, 2023. (Wil540 art, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International via Wikimedia) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dan Vicuña, senior director of voting rights and redistricting at Center for Inclusive Democracy, discusses how this year's redistricting efforts may make the midterms elections less representative, and what each party is arguing with respect to redistricting.Photo: Oliver Larkin, Democratic candidate for Congress in Florida's 23rd district, speaks during an emergency town hall that he held to address Florida Republicans' newly approved congressional redistricting map (seen on wall) on May 04, 2026 in Coral Springs, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones, and author of many books, including his latest, How Russia Won: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Fight for America (HarperCollins, 2026), offers analysis of the day's news, including the conspicuous absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin at UNGA, who hasn't attended in over a decade, and his new book that looks at connections between Presidents Trump and Putin.Photo: The Headquarters of the United Nations' United Nations Secretariat Building in Manhattan, New York (Steve Cadman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tim Scheld, retired WCBS news director; adjunct professor Montclair State University and the author of My Front Row Seat (Sunbury Press, 2026), recounts his work leading the WCBS 880 newsroom through major news events, like the Columbine shooting and TWA Flight 800, and offers his take on why responsible reporting remains essential.Book cover art courtesy of Sunbury Press Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listeners, especially graphic designers and lawyers, call in to share their stories of being hired to clean up AI slop that clients have made, how they have been treated in the process and how they think AI will affect the future of their professions.Stock Photo by: elenabs via iStock / Getty Images Plus Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Zachary Roth, managing editor at Democracy Docket, talks about the rules that govern elections: the state of mail-in ballots, laws around voter intimidation, and other issues that are becoming more prominent in election governance across the country.Photo: A polling station in Des Moines, IA on November 8, 2022. (Phil Roeder [Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic] via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amanda Jack, director of policy with criminal law reform at The Legal Aid Society, talks about the rise in low-level NYPD summonses in the latest Mayor's Management Report and what it says about Mayor Mamdani's promise to move away from broken windows policing. Photo: Close up of the NYPD logo on a police car. (Tim Drivas Photography 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.

Sarah Longwell, political strategist, CEO and Publisher of The Bulwark, host of The Focus Group podcast and the author of How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time (St. Martin's Press, 2026), talks about what she's learned from focus groups on building an opposition to MAGA Republicans. Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 29: President Donald Trump and MAGA merchandise is displayed for sale from a vendor near the White House on May 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Anna Sale, creator and host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money and the new video series People Trying, made in partnership with The National Geographic Society, talks about her new series, about how people who work directly with land and water approach climate-related dilemmas, and Shelly Kelly, rancher who runs the Sandhills Task Force in rural Nebraska, discusses her work to manage wildfire risk in a changing landscape in Nebraska.Photo credit: KyLee Kime, STF Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

U.S. Senator (D NJ), Andy Kim, talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey. Photo: Representative Andy Kim, (D-NJ), speaks during a House Small Business Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, (Erin Scott/Bloomberg) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent, KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, talks about how health care policy is playing out in the midterm elections, including which Senate candidates are running on "Medicare for all," and which candidates have different approaches. Stock photo by FatCamera/E+ 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.

Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City Reporter and co-host of FAQ NYC, talks about Mayor Mamdani's meeting with President Trump, plus his first "Mayor's Management Report." Photo: President Donald Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani walk out following their meeting at Gracie Mansion on September 21, 2026, in New York City. (Spencer Platt 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.

To mark the fall equinox, we hear from listeners about what signs they look for to know that fall is starting and summer is ending in New York. Photo: An autumn day in Central Park. (Linda Fletcher [Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International] via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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.

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.

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.