The Brian Lehrer Show

Claire Thornton, USA Today breaking news reporter, talks about the calls by pro-Palestinian student protesters for their colleges and universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel.

For National Poetry Month, we open up the phones for listeners to recite lines from their favorite poems.

Nicholas Kristof, opinion columnist for The New York Times and author of several books, including the forthcoming memoir Chasing Hope (Penguin Random House, 2024), shares his critique of how he says President Biden has mishandled the United States' role in Israel's war in Gaza, what he sees as Biden's reasoning, the political implications and what the United States could do moving forward to end the war.

On today's show: 

Erica Orden, Politico reporter, talks about the media diets of the jurors on the Trump "hush money" trial. Plus, she recaps the testimony of David Pecker, the former publisher for the National Enquirer, who talked about that publication's "catch and kill" strategy, which suppressed negative stories about people like Donald Trump. 

Listeners who protested on their college campuses in the turbulent years around 1968 reflect on that time, and share their thoughts on today's young protesters on campuses here in NYC and around the country.

Kate Hidalgo Bellows, staff reporter covering campus health and safety at The Chronicle, reports on how administrations at colleges here in New York and across the country are struggling to respond to ongoing, and growing protests over the Israel-Hamas War.

This Earth Week, Liz Moran, policy advocate for Earthjustice's Northeast office, talks about the ways the new New York State budget does, and does not, address climate change.

As Passover begins, Noah Feldman, Harvard law professor, founding director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law, and the author of To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People (Macmillan, 2024), talks about his new book, inspired by his conversations with his children and even more relevant since 10/7, that tries to define what all Jews have in common.

WNYC / Gothamist Albany reporter Jon Campbell talks about what's in and what's out of the just-approved New York State budget, including housing incentives, zoning changes, limited tenant protections, mayoral control of the schools, and more.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul breaks down the state budget and WNYC/Gothamist's Jon Campbell offers analysis (First) | Council member Shaun Abreu on proposed changes to tipping on delivery apps—and a plan to curb the city's rat population (Starts at 32:15) | George Takei discusses his debut picture book, an age-appropriate personal history a childhood in Japanese American incarceration camps during WWII (Starts at 1:14:35)

If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis, senior minister and public theologian at the Middle Collegiate Church, and author of Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness that Can Heal the World (Harmony, 2021),talks about what's at stake in the upcoming election, the work she and her community are doing to strengthen democracy and how rebuilding is going at Middle Church after a fire in 2020.

Learn more about the Freedom Rising Conference, which aims to "ignite collective empowerment during this election season."

Public school systems have poured large sums of money on tech hardware and software, but do more screens and apps actually help students learn? Jessica Grose, opinion writer at The New York Times, examines some of the downsides of tech's "incursion" into schools.

Burgess Everett, congressional bureau chief for POLITICO, brings the latest headlines from Congress, including the expected reauthorization of the FISA surveillance act, the foreign aid bills moving through Speaker Mike Johnson's Rules Committee, the Democrats' plan to hold the Senate in November, and more national politics.

David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, talks about what he calls the new 'Cold Wars'—emphasis on the 's'—as the U.S., China and Russia vie for dominance.  His new book is New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West (Crown, 2024).

Kathy Hochul, governor of New York (D), talks about this year's just-about-done budget deal, which includes her priorities like housing, cannabis and more. Then, Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC/Gothamist, reacts to the governor's take on her wins in this year's budget.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event.

Toni Lyn Morelli, research ecologist at the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, explains how milder winters in the Northeast are contributing to an explosion of deer populations, which can cause car accidents and increase Lyme disease.

The Federal Education Department rolled out a new FAFSA form that was supposed to make things easier for students, but instead it has been plagued with problems. Erica Meltzer, national editor at Chalkbeat, talks about how the "bungled" rollout of the form has derailed some students' college plans. 

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) talks about her work in Washington, including what may happen next after Iran's strike on Israel, her bill for child care for police officers and more.

George Takei, actor, activist and writer, discusses his debut picture book, My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2024).

EVENT: George Takei and BD Wong will be in conversation at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th St. in Manhattan) TONIGHT (April 16, 2024) at 8 p.m. Details and ticketing information here.

Catherine Christian, former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's office, previews jury selection and the trial of former President Donald Trump in Manhattan.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.

The Art of Listening on Israel and Gaza (First) | Changes to the Census Include People of Middle Eastern and North African Descent (Starts at 37:30) | Gen Z Taking Up Trades (Starts at 58:15)

If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

The Vatican released a new document that detailed what it called 'grave violations' of human dignity, including the struggles of migrants, poverty and war but also gender theory, sex change and surrogacy. Francis DeBernardo, executive director, New Ways Ministry, reacts on behalf of LGBTQ Catholics, and discusses his critique of the church's teachings on issues like this.

The New York State budget was due on April 1st and lawmakers have still not come to an agreement. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on what is reportedly in the budget, the remaining sticking points and whether late budgets are now the norm in Albany.

John Cassidy, New Yorker staff writer and columnist on politics and economics, talks about the better-than-expected jobs report, the worse-than-expected inflation report and how both parties are responding to the perception and reality of the U.S. economy.

Te-Ping Chen, Wall Street Journal work and work culture reporter, talks about her reporting on more young people are going off the college track in favor of the plumbing and electrical trades.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, where they talked about the controversy over the so-called "county line" on ballots, school budget cuts for 140 districts and more.

Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about the change in who's getting hired to baby-sit, no longer a mainstay of teenage girls.

Luke Broadwater, congressional correspondent for The New York Times, talks about the latest congressional news, including the pressure on Speaker Johnson from the right over FISA, spending, foreign aid, and more.

Emily Gould, novelist and writer forNew York Magazine, talks about the secret smoking habits of moms in New York City, plus, listeners expose their own smoking habits -- be it classic cigarettes, vaping, or even marijuana in the age of legalization -- why they hide it from their partners and children, and what lengths they go to to keep their smoking secret.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, including how the NYPD should engage with the homeless on the subway, mayoral control of schools and much more.

Judith Sloan, actor, writer, educator, and radio producer, and Najla Said, actor, writer, and activist, talk about their project called "Imperfect Allies," where they will host live events with a performance, and dialogue among audience members with different perspectives on the violence in Israel and Gaza.

→Information on upcoming events can be found here: https://earsay.org/

The White House says that President Biden’s new student loan forgiveness plan could help 30 million borrowers. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, national higher education reporter at theWashington Post, shares her reporting and unpacks the details.

Listeners talk about their experiences of the total solar eclipse.

Harry Siegel, editor at The City, FAQ NYC podcast co-host, and Daily News columnist, responds to top police brass calling him names after he published critical columns, and talks about the substance of his critiques of the NYPD.

Molly Webster, senior correspondent for Radiolab, previews the eclipse and offers a thought on why the moon deserves credit in this cosmic event.

John Chell, chief of patrol at the NYPD, offers his take on current crime rates, subway safety and explains the department's recent social media strategy, which includes calling out journalists by name.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.

Judith Butler on Gender (First) | Robotaxis on New York City Streets? (Starts at 34:45) | English 'Loan Words' in Your Language (Starts at 57:40)

If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Brian and WNYC host Sean Carlson provide live coverage of the earthquake, including a press conference with Mayor Adams and other officials, calls from listeners all over (including near the epicenter), seismologists Antonios Marcellos (from Hofstra University) and Benjamin Fernando (from Johns Hopkins), and officials including MTA chair Janno Lieber and NYC Commissioner of Emergency Management Zach Iscol. 

In a lawsuit, the state of New Jersey is arguing against congestion pricing, citing environmental concerns. Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, reports on how the state's lawyers presented their case in the courtroom this week, and how likely it seems to derail the toll program's June launch. Plus, a check-in on the state of infrastructure after the tristate area was hit by a magnitude 4.8 earthquake and updates from Governor Kathy Hochul.

Yasmeen Abutaleb, Washington Post White House reporter and co-author of the bookNightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration Response to the Pandemic that Changed History (Harper, 2021), offers analysis of the U.S. policy toward Israel and Gaza after President Biden apparently warned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu the humanitarian situation in Gaza had to improve.

Alexander Gates, department chair and professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University and co-author of Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes New Edition (Facts-on-File Inc., third edition, 2006), discusses the preliminary information on New Jersey's 4.8 magnitude earthquake which occurred on Friday morning and was felt in the tristate area.

Skies will dim on Monday as the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. Joshua Winter, physics instructor at BASIS Independent Brooklyn with 20 years experience teaching astronomy topics, offers a short preview of the total solar eclipse after a reaction to today's earthquake.

Listeners who speak a second language call in to share which words in English are commonly used in that language, and what it might say about that culture.

Judith Butler, professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of several books, including Gender Trouble, and their latest, Who's Afraid of Gender? (Macmillan, 2024), talks about their pioneering academic work on the concept of gender and how fraught and misunderstood the topic has become.

Felix Salmon, chief financial correspondent for Axios, host of the Slate Money Podcast and author of The Phoenix Economy: Work, Life, and Money in the New Not Normal (‎Harper Business, 2023), talks about both Reddit and Truth Social going public and what that means for their investors and users.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC/Gothamist, talks about the deal taking shape on housing in the state budget; whether "squatters" are a real and growing issue and a state Court of Appeals decision that might upend NYC's property tax system.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, a journalist for Haaretz and the host of the Haaretz podcast, talks about Israeli response to the deaths of the WCK aid workers, the state of U.S./Israel relations, and other developments in the Israel/Hamas war.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, including analysis of a contentious interview with the Mayor on The Breakfast Club, plus more.

Sarah McCammon, NPR national political correspondent, co-host of the NPR Politics podcast and the author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church (Macmillan, 2024), shares her story of growing up within, and leaving, evangelical Christianity, and what her reporting shows of others like her and their impact on American politics and culture.

Michael Waters, writer and author of the forthcoming book The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024), explores the significance of middle names and what they say about our lives and our values.→ Middle Names Reveal More Than You Think

With Ramadan in full swing, Passover around the corner, and Easter this past weekend, we're in a particularly holy time of year. In light of this, listeners who have reconnected with the religion they grew up with call in and share why they've returned and how they are practicing as adults.

For decades, gun violence has been often associated with urban areas, in politics and in the media. Chip Brownlee, a reporter at The Trace, a non-profit news site covering gun violence, breaks down new data that shows rural areas are more likely to experience gun violence, and the role policies have played in the increase.

New York State Senator Liz Krueger (D, WF - 28th, Manhattan's East Side), chair of the Finance Committee, talks about the NY HEAT act, a bill she sponsored that its supporters say would cut emissions across New York State by pushing people away from natural gas and toward more energy-efficient alternatives.

As Donald Trump's rhetoric grows increasingly more inflammatory, debate surrounding whether or not to use the label 'fascist' heats up as well. Andrew Marantz, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation (Viking, 2019), discusses his latest piece, which explores whether or not Trump is a fascist, and what that label conceals or reveals about his campaign and his supporters.

Austin, Texas, is expected to add more apartment units than any other city in the country this year. Derek Thompson, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of the Work in Progress newsletter, discusses what’s happening in Austin, and what blue cities like New York can learn from it.

Companies that want to test autonomous vehicles on New York City streets have received a major boost as Mayor Eric Adams announced a new permitting program. Sam Schwartz, former longtime "Gridlock Sam" columnist at the Daily News, former NYC traffic commissioner, president and CEO of Sam Schwartz Pedestrian Traffic Management and author of No One at the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future (Public Affairs, 2018), reacts to the news.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.

Congestion Pricing Moves Ahead (First) | The Dark Side of Children's Television (Starts at 28:30) | A 'Funner' Guide to Language Usage (Starts at 52:50)

If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Kara Swisher, tech journalist, host of the podcasts "On with Kara Swisher" and "Pivot" and the author of Burn Book: A Tech Love Story(Simon & Schuster, 2024), tells her story as it overlaps with that of the tech industry, and what's gone right and where it's gone wrong.

Congestion pricing has cleared one of its biggest hurdles, and is now headed to the Federal Highway Administration where it is likely to be approved. Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, talks about which fares made the cut and what comes next.

New York State legislators have left town for the holiday weekend without passing the budget before the April 1 deadline. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on what the sticking points are, and what is likely to make it into the more than $200 billion budget.

Maria Torres-Springer, NYC deputy mayor for housing, economic development and workforce, talks about both the city's plans to combat the housing crisis, and what the city is hoping Albany will include in its budget that will spur more housing construction.

While Nickelodeon has been a staple in family television for decades, peaking in the late 90s and 2000s, the new documentary series "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" recently exposed the abusive working conditions women and children experienced while working for the network. Kate Taylor, senior correspondent at Business Insider, discusses her reporting featured in the documentary.

On Wednesday, the MTA approved new tolls to drive into the busiest parts of Manhattan — including $15 for most passenger cars. Listeners call in to share how congestion pricing will impact them.

Peter Ford, founder of SkyRock Advisors, a port and maritime infrastructure advisor, and a member of the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy advisory board, and Brian Buckman, professional engineer and founder and CEO of Buckman Engineering, discuss the local maritime and bridge infrastructure—how it's built and regulated—and the systems in place to prevent an accident like the collision in Baltimore from happening here.

Josh Gosfield, artist and illustrator, talks about his new zine, The Atlas of Emotions, which maps the inner world emotions.

Laura Davison, politics editor at Bloomberg News, talks about a new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll that shows President Biden seemed to have gotten a bump in some swing states after the State of the Union, and that taxing the rich is a popular position among swing-state voters.

Lee Bollinger, First Amendment scholar, law professor and former president of Columbia University and the co-editor (with Geoffrey Stone) ofRoe v. Dobbs: The Past, Present, and Future of a Constitutional Right to Abortion(Oxford University Press, 2024), and Mary Ziegler, UC Davis law professor and the author of Abortion and the Law in America: A Legal History, Roe v. Wade to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2020) and a contributor to Roe v. Dobbs: The Past, Present, and Future of a Constitutional Right to Abortion (Oxford University Press, 2024), talk about the new book and Tuesday's oral arguments at the Supreme Court to determine access of the abortion drug mifepristone.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, including the shooting death of an NYPD officer, a subway pushing fatality, the public safety infrastructure, a WNYC/Gothamist report on sexual abuse at Rikers Island, and more.

WNYC/Gothamist reporters Samantha Max, who covers public safety, and Jessy Edwards, who covers incarceration and public safety, talk about their investigation into alleged sexual abuse on Rikers Island, which came to light after women filed hundreds of lawsuits due to the Adult Survivors Act.

Early voting for New York's presidential primary is underway. Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, shares information on who can vote, where it takes place, what's on the ballot and how people who want to register a protest vote against President Biden can do so since New York's ballots don't have the "uncommitted" option.

Anne Curzan, University of Michigan professor of English language and literature, linguistics, and education and the author of Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words (Crown, 2024), offers her guide to English usage, where the 'rules' started and how to use them.  Her weekly chats about language on Michigan Public Radio are available as a podcast called “That’s What They Say.”

The New York State budget deadline of April 1st is quickly approaching. Jo Anne Simon, New York State Assembly member (Assembly District 52), talks about several climate-related bills, including one related to fracking and one dubbed the "Stop Climate Polluters Handout Act," plus other legislative priorities.

The CEO of Boeing, Dave Calhoun, announced he will step down this year amid a management scandal. Lori Aratani, reporter covering transportation issues for The Washington Post, breaks down what's going on at the fraught airline company and just how safe it is to fly.

A recent op-ed in The New York Times laments a decline in quality of dating apps. Listeners call in to share what their experience with online dating has been like recently and how they are coping with changes to the algorithms that fuel the apps.

Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent for USA Today, talks about the news from Washington including the United State's shifting policy on a ceasefire for Israel and Palestine, updates about aid to Ukraine, and more.