The Brian Lehrer Show

The Fordham Tri-State Tick Risk is at 10 out of 10 this summer. Thomas Daniels, research scientist in vector ecology, director of Louis Calder Center in Armonk, the biological field station of Fordham University, talks about what led to the population surge and best practices to avoid picking up ticks outdoors and the diseases they carry.

After the next round of ranked choice voting results came in, Assembly member Zohran Mamdani's lead grew to 12 points, meaning he easily secured the official Democratic nomination. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, reviews the data and talks about what this means for the general election.

Now that we have the full results of last Tuesday's mayoral primary election, Michael Lange, New York City based researcher, strategist, political organizer, and author of the newsletter "The Narrative Wars" on Substack, talks about the coalition of voters that came together to decisively elect assemblymember Zohran Mamdani as the Democratic nominee after correctly predicting the political winds were in his favor despite polling which showed otherwise. 

Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, talks about the House and Senate budget bills and what they would mean for Americans' access to healthcare.

Ruth Marcus, a contributor to The New Yorker and a former columnist for The Washington Post and the author of Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover (Simon & Schuster, 2019), talks about Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and takes stock of what the Supreme Court's latest decisions mean for the identity of the court and the ability of judges to check executive power. 

Right before the full results of New York City's ranked choice voting in the mayoral primary is released, Steven Romalewski, director of CUNY Mapping Service in the Center for Urban Research at The Graduate Center, CUNY, talks about his predictions based on the first choice data.

Patrick McGeehan, reporter for The New York Times covering infrastructure in New York City and surrounding area talks about Gov. Hochul plan for a new nuclear plant upstate.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on Monday's meeting of the Rent Guidelines Board, which resulted in a vote to approve rent increases for stabilized apartments.

Justin Brannan, New York City Councilmember (District 43 - Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach) and chair of the Council Finance Committee, explains what's in the city budget for the next fiscal year, including a pilot program for free child care for children under 2 for low-income families, an extension of library hours at ten branches, and more.

Nicholas Wu, Politico congressional reporter, talks about the latest national political news, including the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" Congress is aiming to pass by July 4th as Congress begins its "vote-a-rama."

The 'Buy Now, Pay Later' option is growing in popularity and now these loans will be a factor in credit scores. Imani Moise, personal economics reporter for The Wall Street Journal, explains how it works, and listeners call in to talk about how they use the services, and whether or not it has been helpful as they manage their finances. 

Susan Dominus, New York Times Magazine staff writer and the author of The Family Dynamic: A Journey Into the Mystery of Sibling Success (Crown, 2025), talks about how siblings - especially in high-achieving families - influence each other almost as much as, or maybe more than, their parents.

Brad Lander, New York City comptroller, talks about the mayoral primary campaign, his alliance with Zohran Mamdani and the city budget.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.An interview with presumptive Democratic NYC mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani (First) | A 100-year history of the fight for gay rights (Starts at 10:50) | A history of NYC's machine politics and how they played out in the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary (Starts at 40:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, reflects on the diverse electorate that powered Zohran Mamdani's upset win, especially South Asian voters, and what his win indicates about what New Yorkers want and need from their politicians.

Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and host of their legal podcast, "Contempt of Court," author of the New York Times best-seller Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2023), and Bad Law: 10 Popular Laws That Are Ruining America (The New Press, March 2025), offers legal analysis of the final SCOTUS opinions of the term, including on the so-called "birthright citizenship" case and more.

New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif (District 39, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington) talks about her win against a well-funded challenger in a high-profile race, as well as the coalition that voted for Mamdani, plus the policies she thinks resonated with voters.

Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny and a contributing opinion writer with the New York Times, talks about recent Supreme Court decisions including Medina v. Planned Parenthood, which permits South Carolina to deny Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, and another decision from the shadow docket that allows the Trump administration to deport migrants to countries where they have no connections.

Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D-NY), talks about why she's referring to President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" as the "big, beautiful betrayal," comments on New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City mayoral primary race and more.

Will Bredderman, veteran political journalist covering New York City, talks about the history of matchups between New York City political party machines and highly engaged voters and how this dynamic created a victory for the Democratic Socialist assemblymember Zohran Mamdani against former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary race. 

President Donald Trump's order to strike Iran was without first seeking congressional approval. Carol E. Lee, Washington managing editor for NBC News, explains how U.S. presidents have been deploying the military more and more, without congressional authority and reports on the political fallout following that action.

Listeners who voted for Zohran Mamdani call in to share how they are feeling today, and their actual hopes for what he can accomplish if he goes on to become the mayor.

On the day after the primary election, Gothamist and WNYC reporter Elizabeth Kim and Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University, co-host of the podcast FAQNYC and the author of How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams (Cambridge University Press, 2024) offer analysis of Zohran Mamdani's likely win, his chances in the general election and the future paths Andrew Cuomo may take after this stunning upset.

The Adams administration announced earlier this week that the plan for affordable senior housing at the Elizabeth Street Garden was dead. David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on how that happened, plus explains why some lawmakers and residents are skeptical of a proposed massive redevelopment - also including affordable housing - at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Red Hook.

Zohran Mamdani, New York State assembly member (D-36, Queens), talks about his big win in last night's Democratic primary election for mayor.

Listeners call in to share who they ranked in the primary election, including in races besides just the mayoral, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent,  shares her most recent reporting on the election, including the latest on what we know about early voting numbers.

As our centennial series continues, Marc Stein, the Jamie and Phyllis Pasker professor of history at San Francisco State University, director of the OutHistory website, author and editor of many books, including Queer Public History: Essays on Scholarly Activism (University of California Press, 2022) and The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History (NYU Press, 2019), takes us through the history of LGBTQ rights in the US, from the founding of the first, though short-lived, gay rights organization founded in 1924 in Chicago to today.

Listeners call in to share who they ranked in the mayoral primary election, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, shares her most recent reporting on the election, including the various campaigns' "get out the vote" efforts. 

Black lung had largely been eradicated by the end of the last century. Now, the disease has reemerged in coal country, and federal cuts threaten at-risk miners. Kate Morgan, Pennsylvania-based freelance journalist,  talks about her reporting on black lung for the New York Times.→ How Black Lung Came Roaring Back to Coal Country

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for the area through 8pm Tuesday. Zach Iscol, NYC Emergency Management commissioner, talks about what New Yorkers can do to stay safe. 

Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent shares her reporting on the early voting numbers so far, plus listeners call in to react to the mayoral candidate interviews from the first hour of the show.

On the day before the primary election, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, former State Assembly Member Michael Blake, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, State Senator Jessica Ramos, former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, andWhitney Tilson, former hedge fund manager and philanthropist, make their final pitch to voters who haven't cast their ballots yet.

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), discusses the latest news coming out of the Supreme Court, including President Donald Trump's legal battle for control of the California National Guard and more.

First, Bill de Blasio, former mayor of New York City, explains why he does not think Andrew Cuomo should be the next mayor of New York City, plus responds to the New York Times editorial that blamed his administration for many of the city's problems, then New York State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-42) chair of the Kings County Democratic County Committee, offers her reasoning for why she has endorsed Andrew Cuomo to be the next mayor.

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 Iran-Israel conflict and discusses his recent column appraising the odds of the United States joining the fight

Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, talks about where the mayoral primary candidates stand on issues related to public transportation.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, including the results of the gubernatorial primary election, and the latest new on an immigrant detention center in Newark at the center of a fight between New Jersey Democrats and President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court's decided to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for minors in the United States v. Skrmetti case. Jack Turban, MD, MHS, adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist and author of Free to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity (Atria Books, 2024), offers his perspective on the ruling and how it will affect transgender children and their families.

Carl Hancock Rux, poet, playwright, recording artist, essayist and radio journalist, talks about Lincoln Center's fifth annual Juneteenth celebration, which pays tribute to enslaved people and their use of folklore to survive the trauma of the Transatlantic slave trade.

Juan Manuel Benitez, professor of local journalism at Columbia Journalism School and member of the New York Editorial Board, and Jeffrey Mays, a New York Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall, talks about the broadcast (as well as print and digital) advertisements flooding the zone in the week before the Democratic mayoral primary, many paid for by the deep-pocketed super PAC supporting Andrew Cuomo; plus they discuss how the candidates are reaching out to voters in different demographic groups.

Israel's attacks on Iran have caused destruction that shows no sign of letting up. Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker and distinguished fellow at Woodrow Wilson Center, discusses the conflict and its mounting death toll.

Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny and a contributing opinion writer with the New York Times, discusses the latest news coming out of the Supreme Court, including the court's ruling in a Tennessee case regarding gender affirming care for minors and more.   

With less than a week before primary day, WNYC and Gothamist reporter Elizabeth Kim discusses the latest news from the mayoral campaign trail, including Comptroller Brad Lander's arrest by ICE, Assemblymember Mamdani's decision to hire additional security and what early voters are saying at their poll sites.

As early voting in the Democratic mayoral primary is underway, listeners share their top three issues, and their top candidate or candidates.