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Brian Lehrer leads the conversation about what matters most now in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.
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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 Julie 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.
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I, COMMAND THAT LATINO VOTERS ARE CONSERVATOR - GENIUS ACT PARTY AND ARE MENTEES OF ALTERNATE ELECTORS ALIKE AND THE PRO-TESTS AS WELL AS DENIMSTRATIONS ALIGN THE NEXT PHASE OF GOALS WITH THE GROUPS SCHEDULES AND CREDENTIALS.
Brian the best!
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Teachers and healthcare workers have some of the highest resignations, cause it's impossible for them to work remote or improve their work/life balance. Those industries need to offer something, like a standard 4-day work week or much higher wages!
what the actual f
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Are we a country of norms instead of laws, or are we a country where politicians avoid enacting laws that could conceivably be used against them and their colleagues? (Senators can trade stocks using insider information?!? The 45th prez might not face the music RE kids in cages because "we need to move on"?!?!?) Thank you, Brian & Co., for this segment that's most worthy of contemplation.
Sharon Lee literally said nothing useful. When asked how to get people to stop congregating in parks she responded talking about healthcare workers are doing well wearing masks. When asked about a possible rent forgiveness she dodged it and talked about ordering masks 2 weeks from now would be different than 2 weeks ago (no shit). BK pres sounded great speaking about educating communities and a soft approach to avoid coming off as a police state. Queens Pres should not have even answered the phone. Telling everyone everywhere that they should all wear masks. Jesus Christ lady get it together.
hey Brian, love the show. to this guest, a newborn baby in the UK had been found to have the virus.
They talk about the BQE, not the BQX.