The Brian Lehrer Show

Matteo Wong, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about his latest reporting on artificial intelligence, including the potentially dangerous mistakes some of the biggest companies have made. => "It May Be Time to Panic About AI" (The Atlantic, August 12, 2026) Illustration by wildpixel via iStock/Getty Creative Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Now that budget season is over, NYC Comptroller Mark Levine offers his view on the health of the city's finances, plus talks about his view on the housing affordability crisis, the city's pension fund and more. New York City Comptroller Mark Levine speaks during the annual New York State Financial Control Board meeting on August 12, 2026 in New York City. Levine was joined by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, State Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli and other board members as they discussed the state's budget. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/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 a 3-part series on the divisions within political movements, Eric Blanc, assistant professor of Labor Studies at Rutgers University, author of several books including We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big (University of California Press, 2025), and author of the Substack newsletter LaborPolitics.com, talks about what's dividing members of the Democratic Socialists of America, as the party is having a moment. Photo: New York City Democratic Socialists (NYC-DSA) hold a rally in Union Square marking the start of a campaign to tax the rich and win universal childcare on November 16, 2025, in New York City, United States. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu 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.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Should Democrats Bring 'Woke' Back? (First) | Who is Running Venezuela? (Starts at 28:30) | Public Shaming as Public Policy (Starts at 50:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.   Photo: Marcia Fudge with Stay Woke Vote t-shirt in 2018. (Marcia Fudge, Public domain, 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.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is publicly sharing the process of freezing her eggs, all while people are speculating about her plans to run for higher office. Annie Karni, congressional correspondent for The New York Times and co-author (with Luke Broadwater) of Mad House: How Donald Trump, Maga Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby and a Man with Rats in his Walls Broke Congress (Random House, 2025), talks about how women are reacting and how this might connect to her political future. Photo: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks to reporters near the House steps after a series of votes at the U.S. Capitol on July 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is running against incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul for governor of New York, and a new poll shows the county executive is just ten points behind the governor. Jimmy Vielkind, New York State Issues reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Bahar Ostadan, Nassau County government reporter for Newsday, talk about the state of the race, including the role President Trump is taking as he and Blakeman are scheduled to attend an event together on Long Island. Photo: Garden City, N.Y.: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is formally named the GOP candidate for New York State Governor as the New York Republican State Committee Nominating Convention in Garden City, N.Y. on Feb. 11, 2026. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM 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.

End-of-life doulas are becoming an increasingly common part of how Americans approach death, helping people to navigate the dying process outside of traditional medical care. Alexandra Schwartz, staff writer at The New Yorker and co-host of the Critics at Large podcast, talks about the rise of death doulas, what they actually do, and why more people are rethinking how they want to die. And Virginia Chang, Ph.D., end-of-life doula and author of Preparing For End of Life For Dummies (Wiley 2026), talks about her approach to her work. Photo: Pauline Ramsey is on hospice care through Heartland Hospice. She has pancreatic cancer. Her nurse is Carly Bond and her aide is Nadege Filsaime. (Susan L. Angstadt via MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle & Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Summer's wrapping up, but if your PTO is high and your budget is low, you can still make the most of it here at home. Hannah Frishberg, culture reporter for WNYC/Gothamist, shares some of the best ways to have an epic staycation in New York City. Photo: People relax at a man-made beach during a heat wave in Manhattan on July 02, 2026, in New York City. (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.

Rachel Leingang, Midwest political correspondent for Guardian US, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Teo Armus, reporter for The Washington Post focused on politics, demographics, voters and immigration, offer political analysis of the latest primary election results, including in Wisconsin and Michigan, and what they might signal about the midterms this fall. Photo: Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (C), celebrates with her husband Tom Weber (L) and daughter Siobhan Hellendrung (R) during a primary election-night party at First Avenue on August 11, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the state's primary election. (Stephen Maturen/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 Council member Lincoln Restler (District 33, Greenpoint, Northside Williamsburg, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, Vinegar Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Navy Yard) talks about his bill, which he expects to pass, that will bring back year-round outdoor dining after the Adams administration had heavily restricted it. Photo: People dine al fresco, or open air, in Hell's Kitchen on July 21, 2020 in New York City. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nikki Sapiro Vinckier, PA-C, OB/GYN physician assistant, reproductive health advocate and author of We Deserve More: Why Reproductive Healthcare is Broken--And What You Can Do About It (Jossey-Bass, 2026), explains the symptoms of postpartum psychosis, a rare but serious psychiatric emergency that affects about 1-2 mothers per 1,000 births, as the trial of a Massachusetts mom has brought the condition to the forefront. Plus NSV talks about the overall problems with postpartum health care in the United States. Stock illustration by Lin Shao-hua via iStock/Getty Creative Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Writer, YouTuber and science communicator Hank Green was found to have used AI in his work, disappointing the AI-skeptics in his fanbase. Marina Bolotnikova, senior reporter for Vox's Future Perfect section, talks about one big lesson to come out of the controversy: you need a personal AI policy. Stock illustration by Mikhail Seleznev via iStock/Getty Creative Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Over the past several years, a license-plate tracking company called Flock has partnered with over 40 percent of police departments nationwide, allowing local law enforcement to track people's whereabouts across state lines. Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media, unpacks how officials, including ICE, are using the technology, and why anti-surveillance activists on both sides of the are pushing back against the cameras. Photo: A Flock camera records passersby on July 9, 2026 in Jefferson, Ga. (Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post 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.

Lena H. Sun, Washington Post national reporter focusing on health, provides an update on the nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak and the response from U.S. public health agencies. Photo: Spinach is displayed for sale on shelves at a Target store on July 23, 2026 in Austin, Texas. The cyclosporiasis outbreak, an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, has spread across multiple states and remains under investigation by federal health officials after the first known illness onset was reported in early May. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the steep drop in ELA test scores on last year's state test among city students, and what stakeholders think might be the cause of the decline. Photo: A student in the library reads a book after receiving candy and a red envelope in a cultural celebration of the Lunar New Year at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 on February 02, 2022 in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After a 15 year hiatus, the NYC Department of Sanitation has resumed putting bright green stickers on cars that don't follow alternate-side parking rules. Listeners call in to talk about other examples of public officials using shaming to change behavior, and share some ideas of their own. Photo courtesy of NYC Department of Sanitation 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, talks about proposed e-bike regulations by City Council and the Mamdani administration, as well as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's potential run for higher office in 2028. Photo: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks to reporters near the House steps after a series of votes at the U.S. Capitol on July 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jasmine Green, editorial & audience associate at The Bulwark, offers her take on the word "woke," the evolution of wokeness, and how Democrats might re-claim it from its current status as a mostly pejorative term. Photo: Some protesters hold signs reading ''Stay Woke'' and ''F*** a fascist every day'' during the International Women's Day demonstration in Paris, France, on March 8. (Stefano Lorusso/NurPhoto 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.

Nicholas Freudenberg, professor emeritus of public health at the City University of New York School of Public Health and the author of Fighting for New York: Activism for Health and Social Justice Since the 1960s (Columbia University Press, 2026), talks about his long career advocating for solutions to public health crises in NYC and analyzes the successes of the activists working to improve the health of New Yorkers. Photo: People wait to recieve the Monkeypox vaccine at a mass vaccination site in Manhattan on July 26, 2022 in New York City. (Liao Pan/China News Service 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.

Emily Keegin, photo editor, creative consultant, and author of The New York Times Opinion piece "The Museum of America," walks through her collection of 25 objects that define American life, from Crest Whitestrips to the T-shirt cannon, as listeners add their own to the exhibit. Photo: Director Jorma Taccone of his film “Over Your Dead Body” shoots a t-shirt cannon on stage during the 2026 Beyond Chicago at the Music Box Theatre on April 05, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jon Allsop, contributing writer at The New Yorker, discusses the latest national political headlines and his recent story, "What Does It Even Mean to Be a Moderate?" Photo: DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 04: U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), candidate for the state's open U.S. Senate seat, speaks during a primary night watch party at the Hotel Saint Regis Detroit on August 04, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens is facing Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary to determine who will run against former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in the general election. (Photo by Finn Gomez/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 Leven, executive director emeritus and senior consultant to End of Life Choices New York, and Amy Paulin, New York State Assembly member (D-88, Westchester, including Scarsdale, Edgemont, Eastchester, Bronxville, Tuckahoe, Pelham, Pelham Manor, and parts of New Rochelle and White Plains) and chair of the Assembly health committee, talk about the new law, now in effect, that allows terminally ill New Yorkers with six months or less left to live to end their lives. Photo: ALBANY, NY - JUNE 9: People opposing the Medical Aid in Dying Bill hold signs and line the corridor between the concourse and the Capitol on Monday, June 9, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren/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.

Stephania Taladrid, contributing writer at The New Yorker, offers analysis of all the ways the US, especially Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is involved in running Venezuela as the popular opposition leader María Corina Machado is living in exile, and discusses Rubio's ambitions with regards to Cuba. Photo: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) walks out of the El Arepzo 2 restaurant on February 28, 2014 in Doral, Florida. Rubio and Florida Governor Rick Scott held a meet and greet with the Venezuelan community to discuss the ongoing crisis in Venezuela. (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.

Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, unpacks why so few young people are finding love.  Stock photo by We Are/Getty Creative 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. NYS Sues Kalshi (First) | Wildfires Are Burning Through Europe (Starts at 28:30) | Social Media's Influence on Our Lives (Starts at 1:12:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here. Photo: VIOTIA, GREECE - AUGUST 2: Volunteers battle a wildfire burning near Porto Germeno, 70 kilometres northwest of Athens in the region of Viotia, Greece, on August 2, 2026 (Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu 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.

On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: Each year WNYC hosts a "health convening," with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, as an opportunity for healthcare experts and practitioners to inform WNYC's health reporting. This year, the topic is ultra-processed foods and how they affect our health.  First, Kevin Hall, Ph.D., former senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) , discusses his groundbreaking, tightly controlled metabolic ward trials and mathematical models tracking how human bodies respond to ultra-processed foods. Then, Fang Fang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., cancer epidemiologist and chair of the Division of Nutrition Epidemiology and Data Science at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, discusses her population‑based research on how ultra-processed foods influence cancer prevention, cancer survivorship and long‑term health outcomes. Then, David Kessler, MD, former FDA Commissioner, breaks down a citizen petition he filed with the Food and Drug Administration last summer which would, among other things, declare that some of the core ingredients in ultra-processed foods were no longer “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” -- a classification  that means ingredients are exempt from strict premarket approval process. Plus, Ilan Stavans, publisher of Restless Books, professor of humanities and Latin American and Latino culture at Amherst College and the author of A Nation Wrestles with God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands (Restless Books, 2026), talks about the broad spectrum of American religious thought, from Cotton Mather to Lana Del Rey.   These interviews were lightly polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: What Are Ultra-Processed Foods and What Are They Doing to Us? (June 16, 2026) Ultra-Processed Foods and Colon Cancer (June 16, 2026) Ultra-Processed Foods Policy Proposals (June 16, 2026) American Believers (July 9, 2026) photo: Potato chips and other junk food in Walmart, Wenatchee Washington (Thayne Tuason, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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.

It's been more than 50 years since President Richard Nixon resigned on August 9th over the Watergate scandal. Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former Watergate special prosecutor, co-host of the podcasts "#Sistersinlaw" and "Just the Facts" and the author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President (Henry Holt and Co., 2020), reflects on that time versus today and efforts to downplay the crimes of Watergate. Photo: View of US President Richard Nixon (1913 - 1994) talks on the telephone at his desk in the White House's Oval Office, Washington DC, June 23, 1972. Visible behind him are family photos and a bust of Abraham Lincoln. (Photo by the White House Photo Office/PhotoQuest/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ciarán Donnelly, senior vice president for International Programs at International Rescue Committee talks about the ongoing war and displacement crisis in Sudan, plus Mark Townsend, senior global development reporter at the Guardian and the author of No Return: The True Story of How Martyrs Are Made (Guardian Faber Publishing, 2020), explains the role of the UK and the United Arab Emirates in the conflict. Photo: KHAZAN TUNJUR, JEBEL MARRA, NORTH DARFUR, SUDAN — FEBRUARY 26, 2026: A Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) soldier walks past dead donkeys on the outskirts of a remote village. Residents say a livestock disease has killed animals relied on to transport food, water and firewood. In this isolated, SLA-held area, where many displaced civilians have sought refuge from surrounding violence and remain largely cut off from markets and aid routes, the loss has compounded already severe hardship. (Photo by Giles Clarke/Avaaz 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.

Joshua Mitts, Columbia Law School professor specializing in corporate, business, and transactional law, talks about New York State's suit against the prediction market platform Kalshi for allegedly "running an illegal gambling operation.” ==> "From Iran to Taylor Swift:  Informed Trading in Prediction Markets" (April 6, 2026) Photo: Kalshi's logo is displayed on a smartphone placed on a reflective surface onto which a betting curve is projected in Creteil, France, on March 9, 2026, during a major scandal and a $54 million lawsuit concerning bets related to recent strikes in Iran. (Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto 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.

As summer begins its slow wind down, listeners call in to share what's still on their summer bucket lists. Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 15: A beachgoer sits in the shade under an umbrella at the beach at Coney Island in Brooklyn on July 15, 2026 in New York City. New York City is under an Air Quality Health Advisory as the Canadian and Great Lakes wildfire smoke gradually moves through the area, creating a thick haze in the heat. New York City and much of the East Coast are experiencing temperatures with the heat index over 100 degrees as the region confronts another heat wave. (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.

This week marks the 81st anniversary of the US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist, contributor to The iPaper and the author of many nonfiction books and his latest, a novel, A Capital Calamity (Miniver Press, 2024), recalls the history and discusses the current state of nuclear weapons, especially as it relates to the war with Iran. Photo: People stand along the Motoyasu river as Kagaribi, ceremonial bonfires, are lit in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome to remember the victims on the eve of the 81st anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in Hiroshima on August 5, 2026. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP via Getty Images) / Japan OUT   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's Department of Finance sent letters to thousands of high-value homeowners regarding a so-called pied-à-terre tax, but many of the people who received those letters say these are their primary residences. Kathryn Brenzel, senior political reporter at Crain's New York Business, explains the roll-out, the extended appeal deadline, and the rules for who qualifies. Photo: BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 15: Brooklyn Brownstones in a Brooklyn Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York on April 15, 2016. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amanda Ripley, journalist, conflict mediator and co-founder of Good Conflict and author of several books, including High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out (Simon & Schuster, 2021) talks about her method of conflict mediation, and moderates a conversation among listeners who have different views on whether they are proud or ashamed of the United States. Photo: HOBOKEN, NJ - JULY 3: A thunderstorm moves across the Hudson River into lower Manhattan in New York City as a man holds an American flag in the wind on a pier in the Hudson River on July 03, 2026, in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Photo by 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.

Chico Harlan, global climate correspondent at The New York Times, discusses the wildfires in Europe and the ways climate change is impacting the continent right now. Photo: VIOTIA, GREECE - AUGUST 2: Volunteers battle a wildfire burning near Porto Germeno, 70 kilometres northwest of Athens in the region of Viotia, Greece, on August 2, 2026 (Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu 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.

Dr. Anthony Fauci returned to Congress to testify on his role in the COVID-19 pandemic after Republican Senator Rand Paul released some of Fauci's diary entries from 2020. Chelsea Cirruzzo, Washington correspondent at STAT News, discusses Fauci's testimony and related news.  Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: Former NIH Director Anthony Fauci is sworn in before testifying to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on July 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Fauci was expected to be questioned about his diary entries during his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kathryn Jezer-Morton, writer of The Cut's Brooding newsletter and the author of The Story of Your Life: How Social Media Shapes the Way We Experience Everything (Viking, 2026), talks about her reporting on and experience with the way social media is changing our lives. Photo: BATH, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 29: In this photo illustration a 14-year-old boy holds an iPhone screen displaying various social media and messaging apps on March 29, 2026 in Bath, England. On top row left to right, the logo of social media platform Instagram is seen beside that of Meta's Threads and Facebook. On the middle row from left is the logo of Donald Trump's Truth Social app, next to the logo of social media app TikTok and the logo of Elon Musk's US online social media and social networking site 'X' (formerly known as Twitter). Along the bottom row, left to right is the messaging service WhatsApp, the logo for online video sharing and social media platform YouTube and the logo for the Bluesky app. In the UK, a ban on social media for under-16s has been backed by the House of Lords following the Australian law which aims to stop children under 16 from having social media accounts and social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram potentially being be fined for preventing children younger than 16 from having social media accounts. (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A new private club is slated to open this month at Jacob Riis Park on the Rockaway Peninsula. Dubbed "The Peoples Beach," the park has a long history as an informal gathering place for the LGBTQ community. Liam Quigley, parks and sanitation reporter for Gothamist/WNYC, unpacks the status of the project, whose opening has been delayed several times this summer, including why some beachgoers are unhappy with the plan; plus listeners weigh in with their thoughts on the club and the beach's storied history. Photo: Jacob Riis Park is a seaside park in the New York City borough of Queens Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Despite no real progress, the U.S. war with Iran continues, and according to F. Gregory Gause, professor emeritus at Texas A&M University, author of The International Relations of the Persian Gulf (Cambridge University Press, 2014), it has all been meaningless. Photo: DOVER, DELAWARE - JULY 22: A U.S. Army carry team transports the flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base for military casualties of the war with Iran on July 22, 2026 in Dover, Delaware. U.S. President Donald Trump attend the dignified transfer of Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, Staff Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad and Army Pvt. Isabella Gonzales. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sideya Sherman, director of the Department of City Planning and chair of the City Planning Commission, talks about the department's new report on the demographic makeup of New York City's immigrants, which found that China has caught up to the Dominican Republic as the two leading places where immigrants to the city come from. Photo: NEW YORK, NY - JULY 23: Tom Ellis films on set for the TV show "CIA" in the Chinatown neighborhood of Queens on July 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

James Martin, SJ, a Jesuit priest, founder of Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic resource, editor at large for America Media, and the author of the memoir Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest (HarperOne, 2026) talks about his path to the priesthood, as well as the first American pope. Photo: US priest Father James Martin speaking at the world meeting of families in Dublin, on how the Catholic Church can welcome members of the LGBT community. (Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images 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.

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), and NYC Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, NYC Council Member (District 10, Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill), talk about reports of ICE activity picking up in NYC, as well as a specific incident in Inwood where an observer recording ICE agents was pepper sprayed in the face. Photo: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents patrol the halls as they detain an individual after exiting his immigration court hearing at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on July 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: Ben Rhodes, contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, co-host of "Pod Save the World," an advisor to former president Barack Obama and the author of All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches (Random House, 2026), talks about his new book that tells the history of the United States and its central conflicts  through public speeches, from Benjamin Franklin to Donald Trump. Robinson Meyer, founding executive editor of Heatmap, talks about the DSA's evolving relationship to the Green New Deal and climate policy in general, as its members keep winning elections in big cities. WNYC has been targeted by scammers who posed as hosts, and offered authors interviews -- for a fee (which WNYC would never do). Rachel Tobac, co-founder and CEO of Social Proof Security, and Kenneth Atkins, assistant director of IT and data security at WNYC, talk about how to spot sneaky online phishing scams, and how to deal if you fall for it. Jeffrey Winters, professor of political science at Northwestern University and the director of the Equality Development and Globalization Studies Program at Northwestern's Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and the author of The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies (Scribner, 2026), talks about the history of oligarchy, how to fight it, and why it maintains power in a democracy. Meghan Sullivan, professor of philosophy at Notre Dame and founder of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, offers her take on the contemporary context for belief, or doubt, in God as religious affiliation largely declines in the U.S.   These interviews were lightly polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: Speeches as a Key to American Identity (June 8, 2026) What the DSA's Popularity Means for Climate Policy (July 7, 2026) How to Avoid Sneaky Phishing Scams (May 5, 2026) When Voters Support Oligarchs (May 26, 2026) How Belief in God Has Changed (May 20, 2026)   Photo: Whimbrel on the beach at Fort Tilden beach, Queens. Rare shorebird for this location, 24 September 2021 (Remydee1, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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.

Following a recent cybersecurity breech by OpenAI, in which two of their in-progress models autonomously hacked into the AI company Hugging Face, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are pushing for an "AI Kill Switch" bill in Congress. Brendan Bordelon, AI and tech influence reporter at Politico, discusses Washington's changing approach to AI regulation amid growing concerns over cybersecurity in every sector, and unpacks how tech giants are hoping to guide the shift.  Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, leaves a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on July 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Altman is meeting with lawmakers to discuss artificial intelligence policy ahead of the August 1 deadline for AI leaders to develop a framework to limit AI security threats. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After Stuyvesant high school admitted only 3 Black students for next year, Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast "You Decide," argues it's time to end the use of a single test for admission to NYC's specialized high schools. Photo: New York, NY, USA - March 21, 2021: Main entrance to Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.