The Brian Lehrer Show
Brian Lehrer leads the conversation about what matters most now in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 344
- Years Active
- 2025
Summer Culture Calendar: SummerStage & Celebrate Brooklyn!
Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Ryan Kailath, WNYC/Gothamist arts and culture reporter, runs through the highlights from the annual SummerStage an…
100 Years of 100 Things: The NYC Skyline
As our centennial series continues, Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic for The New York Times and the author of The Intimate City: Walking New York (Penguin Press, 2022), talks about the major ch…
What the Film & TV Industry Thinks of Pres. Trump's Tariff Announcement
Last week, President Trump declared on Truth Social that he would place a 100% tariff on movies made outside the United States. Listeners who work in the film and TV industry call in to share what th…
The Facts (and Myths) of Water Fluoridation
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation nationwide. Jessica Steier, DRPH, PMP, CEO of Un…
NJ's Democratic Candidates for Governor Speak
Michael Hill, WNYC Morning Edition host and Briana Vannozzi, anchor for NJ Spotlight News, recap and offer analysis of a conversation between New Jersey's Democratic candidates for governor.
The NYPD Gang Database
Civil rights groups in New York City have filed a lawsuit challenging the NYPD's gang database, which these groups call discriminatory. Meanwhile, City Council and the Adams administration have clash…
300 Years of Critiquing Capitalism
John Cassidy, staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI (Macmillan, 2025), traces the last three hundred years of gl…
SCOTUS End of Term Preview
Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate covering courts and the law, previews the end of the Supreme Court term, plus remembers the late Justice Souter.
100 Years of 100 Things: Yogi Berra
As our centennial series continues, listeners share memories of Yankee great Yogi Berra, who also played for and managed the Mets (about whom he said, "It ain't over 'til it's over").
Charter Revision Ideas
Richard Buery, CEO of Robin Hood and chair of the Charter Revision Commission convened by Mayor Adams, talks about the commission's preliminary report, including a possible change to NYC's primary el…
Brian Lehrer Weekend: A New Pope; Bob Costas; The Music of Celia Cruz
Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.
Who is Pope Leo XIV? (First) | Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas (Starts at 44:20) | Felix Contreras on the legacy of music icon …
Speed Cameras Coming for Bridges and Tunnels
Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about a deal that will allow the MTA to install speed cameras on bridges and tunnels in the city, plus more on how the new budget might aff…
Out of the Box Mother's Day Gifts
With Mother's Day coming up on Sunday, listeners call in to share the best and unique gifts they've received for Mother's Day and suggest gift ideas for last-minute shoppers.
What to Know About Trump's Embrace of Crypto
In president Trump's first administration, he stated that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are "not money". Now, he heads his own crypto company. David Yaffe-Bellany, technology reporter for The Ne…
New Pope, New Era for Catholics
Catholics around the world are getting to know the new pontiff, Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States. David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, and…
Honoring Free Expression
Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, interim co-CEO of PEN America, and Mia Couto, Mozambican author and recipient of this year's PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature, discuss the work of…
100 Years of 100 Things: The Legacy of Celia Cruz
As our centennial series continues, Felix Contreras, host and co-creator of NPR's Alt.Latino, talks about the life and legacy of music icon Celia Cruz, born 100 years ago.
NJ's Republican Candidates for Governor Speak
WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill and David Cruz, senior political correspondent and anchor, and moderator of Chat Box and Reporters Roundtable at NJ Spotlight News, recap and offer analysis of …
Trump Admin's Cuts Hit Universities Hard
Rick Seltzer, senior writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education who writes their Daily Briefing newsletter, talks about the latest news in the fights between Columbia, Harvard and other universitie…
Bob Costas Reflects
Bob Costas, sportscaster and talk show host, reflects on his recent Baseball Digest lifetime achievement award and the state of baseball and other sports today.
=>EVENT: Bob Costas will discuss his w…