The Brian Lehrer Show

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.City Politics: Mamdani's Emerging Opposition; Lander's Congressional Bid (First) | Trump's Effort to Ban State AI Laws (Starts at 40:34) | Shop Listener 2025: Under $50 (Starts at 1:00:24)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Tess Bridgeman, co-editor-in-chief of Just Security, former Special Assistant to the President, Associate Counsel to the President and Deputy Legal Adviser to the National Security Council (NSC) during the Obama administration, and William LeoGrande , professor of government at American University and specialist in U.S.-Latin America relations, discuss the latest Trump administration escalation in Venezuela, where the United States seized several additional oil tankers, and analyze the legality of those moves and the boat strikes against alleged drug cartels.

After years of stalled plans and unfulfilled promises of affordable housing near the Barclays Center, David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on a new plan for housing at Atlantic Yards. 

Gilbert Cruz, editor at The New York Times Book Review shares the five fiction and five non-fiction books from this year that made it into The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2024. 

Jessica Grose, opinion writer at The New York Times, reflects on her family's interfaith holiday traditions, and listeners offer their own.

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), discusses recent Trump administration moves to define The United States' relationship with The European Union and why the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday.

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation and the author of The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last (Crown Currency, 2025), talks about how Wikipedia was able to rely on the "wisdom of the crowd" even as distrust climbed in the larger culture.

Nancy Solomon, host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

If you put down your phone, will you grasp for a book? Jay Caspian Kang, staff writer for The New Yorker, where he writes a weekly column called Fault Lines, discusses his latest story, "If You Quit Social Media, Will You Read More Books?"

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from Mayor-elect Mamdani's transition plans, including a new emerging opposition from influential business leaders and Brad Lander's announcement to run for Congress.

Valerie Trapp, assistant editor at The Atlantic, discusses how grocery self-checkout lines are now often longer than the staffed ones, and listeners call in on when and why they have chosen the self-checkout option.

Tina Nguyen, senior reporter for The Verge and author of the Regulator newsletter, discusses Trump's latest efforts to stop states from regulating AI.

The conservative Supreme Court majority seems poised to allow President Trump to fire the top official on the Federal Trade Commission, expanding presidential power. Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and bestselling author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America (The New Press, 2025), discusses this and other legal news.

Rohan Goswami, business reporter at Semafor, and Katie Campione, senior TV and labor reporter at Deadline, discusses the recent merger talks for Paramount and Netflix to buy up parts of Warner Bros. Discovery, including news of Paramount's "hostile" bid of $108 billion — one of the largest ever.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced that he will end targeted sweeps of homeless encampments and tents as mayor. Dan Rivoli, politics reporter at Spectrum News NY1, discusses the polarized response to this announcement, and what alternative to these sweeps Mamdani has planned instead. 

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health emerita at NYU and the author of many books, including her latest, What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters (North Point Press, 2025), talks about her newly revised classic and how to navigate the food landscape today.

Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out the holiday gifts they sell that are under fifty dollars, for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

David Bier, director of immigration studies and the Selz Foundation chair in immigration policy at the Cato Institute, shares data from the Department of Homeland Security that shows almost three-quarters of people detained by ICE since October do not have any criminal convictions, despite claims from the Trump Administration that they are prioritizing detaining people with violent criminal histories.

Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass and editor of The New Conservatives: Restoring America's Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry (Simon & Schuster, 2025), argues for a new approach to global trade, one based on balance.

Gwynne Hogan, senior reporter for The City, discusses her latest story on how ICE arrested and separated Chinese father from his 6-year-old son during a check-in in late November, plus other local immigration enforcement news.

Do you give only handmade or consumable gifts? Or do you follow the popular strategy of giving kids something they want, need, wear, read, and share? As the holiday season is now in full swing, listeners call in to share their gift-giving strategies.

Two of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Are 'Porch Pirates' Stealing Your Packages? (First) | Mayor Adams' Legacy (Starts 12 minutes in)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Brian Vines, Marketplace Equity Reporter and co-host of the Talking Carts podcast at Consumer Reports, discusses holiday tipping etiquette, and callers weigh in on who to tip and how much.

Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, and NPR reporter Jude Joffe-Block discuss the latest in health-related news, including potential changes to SNAP, the vote changing the hepatitis vaccine recommendation and the latest fight in Washington over extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Chris Bragg, Albany bureau chief at New York Focus, talk about their investigation into foreclosure cases.

Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, former Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019, professor of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and the author of several poetry collections and her latest, Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times (Norton, 2025), talks about her new book, making the case for reading poetry and sharing her own writing process.

As the holiday season kicks into full gear, writer Julia Besonen, freelance writer and contributor to the New York Times, joins us to discuss her article on how package theft made her building band together. Plus, we hear from callers about their own disappearing deliveries.

On Monday, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders joined striking Starbucks workers outside a store in Brooklyn. Claudia Irizarry Aponte, senior reporter at THE CITY, shares her reporting on the labor dispute between Starbucks and New York City employees, the mayor-elect's involvement in the strike, and Rae Shao, a union barista at Starbucks, shares their point of view on the issues at their workplace.

 U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D, NJ) talks about the health care subsidies fight in Congress, the leadership of Sec. Hegseth, and compares his "baby bonds" proposal to Pres. Trump's version.

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about the latest national political news then is joined by: Marshall Curry, documentary filmmaker (including Street Fight, If a Tree Falls, A Night at the Garden), to talk about "The New Yorker at 100," premiering Friday on Netflix.

Anna Kodé, reporter covering design and culture for the Real Estate section of The New York Times joins listeners to talk about the people left behind by our current "Tap-to-Pay society," and why they might still prefer to carry cash while out and about in New York City.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, Ben Max, host of the "Max Politics" podcast and program director at New York Law School's Center for New York City Law, and Jeffery Mays, New York Times metro politics reporter, weigh in on Mayor Adams' term in office  — what he accomplished, where he fell short of his goals, and how history might view his mayoralty.

Diane Ravitch, education historian, former research professor of education at New York University, blogger at dianeravitch.net and author of the recent book An Education: How I Changed My Mind About Schools and Almost Everything Else (Columbia University Press, 2025), talks about how she went from being an influential advocate for school choice and standardized testing to a promoter of public schools. 

Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their in-person holiday shopping opportunities (craft fairs, pop-ups, brick & mortar stores) for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.==> Submit your information for our Shop Listener online guide at wnyc.org/shoplistener and check out all the entries!

With Pres. Trump sending mixed signals on extending ACA subsidies, and Republicans split over the issue, Jonathan Cohn, writer at The Bulwark and the author of The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage (St. Martin's Press, 2021), talks about the negotiations and where the conflicts lie.

Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics, professor at Bennington College, former EPA Region 2 administrator, and author of the new book The Problem with Plastics: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late (The New Press, 2025), discusses her new book which takes a look at how plastic went from being a "marvel of modern science" to a toxic industry that pollutes the environment and impacts health, plus tips on how to reduce everyday exposure to plastics.

Senator Mark Kelly appeared in a video alongside other veterans now serving in Congress, telling service members, “Our laws are clear: you can refuse illegal orders.” The Pentagon has since opened an investigation and even raised the possibility of recalling him to active duty for potential discipline. Zachary Cohen, senior reporter on the national security beat for CNN, talks about what Kelly said, why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the probe, and how this all fits into other Pentagon headlines this week, including reports of U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats.

Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of a weekly column on life in Washington, host of the Political Scene podcast, talks about the latest national political news.  

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called for a return to the way we used to fly, in terms of dress and decorum. Listeners compare air travel today to when they first flew.

Mike Hayes, WNYC/Gothamist reporter covering 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), rounds up some of the latest political news in New Jersey, including the mayoral run-off election in Jersey City, and governor-elect Mikie Sherrill's transition.

On World AIDS Day, Pratik Pawar, Future Perfect fellow at Vox, talks about a new HIV prevention drug the U.S. is making available everywhere except South Africa, the country with the most people living with HIV. 

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.20 Years of Freakonomics (First) | Why Bombing 'Drug Boats' Will Do Nothing to Solve America's Fentanyl Crisis (Starts at 32) | Ten Years of Hamilton on Broadway (Starts at 59)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Looking ahead to the 250th anniversary of the U.S., Jill Lepore, professor of American History at Harvard University, staff writer at The New Yorker, and the author of several books, including We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution (Liveright, 2025), digs into the history of the country's founding document and what it means for the country that it so difficult, but still possible, to change.A. J. Jacobs, host of the "Hello Puzzlers" podcast, essayist, and the author of The Year of Living Biblically, The Know-It-All, It's All Relative and his latest, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning (Crown, 2024), reports back on how AI is already woven into daily life with another take on being a "human guinea pig," going 48 hours without using AI.Bill McKibben, environmental activist, founder of Third Act and author of many books, most recently: Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025), discusses his new book and reflects on his life's work, both as a climate activist and journalist.Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change (S&S/Simon Element, 2025), talks about her new book and what she found on her year-long quest to become a "better" person.These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:Jill Lepore on the American Constitution (Sep 16, 2025)A.J. Jacobs Tries Life Without AI (Nov 3, 2025)A Lifetime of Work on Climate Change (Sep 25, 2025)Can We Change Our Personalities? (Mar 12, 2025)   

On this Thanksgiving, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations:Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker, and co-director Sarah Botstein talk about their new, 12-part docuseries on PBS called "The American Revolution," which is being released just ahead of next year's 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.Julian Brave NoiseCat, writer, filmmaker and student of Salish art and history and the author of We Survived the Night (Knopf, 2025), talks about his new book, the story of North American indigenous people through his reporting and his own story, all in the style of a traditional "coyote story."Avery Trufelman, host of the podcast "Articles of Interest," talks about the new season of her podcast, where she explores the link between the U.S. military and the clothes we all wear, like t-shirts, hoodies and other exercise gear.As part of our WNYC centennial series, Kenneth C. Davis, author of the "Don't Know Much About History" series and most recently, The World in Books: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction (Scribner, 2024), reviews the history of the American Thanksgiving holiday and how it has changed over the past 100 years.A Washington Post article explained how most families have a secret language that only they understand, or a "familect" as some lingusts call it. Listeners share the words in their family that only they use, which are often conjured in the minds of small children and then used for years down the road. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:Ken Burns on The American Revolution (Oct 31, 2025)Indigenous Peoples' Story (Oct 13, 2025)The Military's Influence on What We Wear (Oct 21, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: How We Think About Thanksgiving (Nov 27, 2024)Your Family's 'Secret Language' (Sep 15, 2025 and Oct 6, 2025)