The Brian Lehrer Show

Margaret Sullivan, columnist at The Guardian and author of the Substack American Crisis, and Isabella Simonetti, media reporter at The Wall Street Journal, discuss the ambiguous future of AI in journalism and how publications are deciding what role the technology should play in their newsrooms.

Michael Sol Warren, New Jersey reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the proposal to hike New Jersey's sales taxes for non-residents during World Cup this summer and updates the status of the state budget.

Photo: The Panini America FIFA World Cup 2026™ Sticker Collection Album Cover for Canada and the United States, unveiled today at MetLife Stadium on December 03, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Panini America)

Jackie Faherty, astrophysicist and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, explains the Artemis II mission, which marks the first time since 1972 that a crewed spacecraft has traveled to the 'lunar neighborhood,' beyond Earth's gravitational sphere of influence. Plus, listeners call in with their questions about the mission, and the future of lunar exploration. 

Photo: NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon. (Credit: NASA, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

President Trump recently said it was "not possible" for the federal government to fund Medicaid and Medicare, despite a White House budget proposal that boosts defense spending to $1.5 trillion. Maya Goldman, healthcare reporter at Axios, unpacks what that means for the millions of Americans who rely on those programs and the states who'll have to fill the gaps.

Photo: Department of Health & Human Services, Washington, D.C., September 16, 2011. Credit: Sarah Stierch via Wikimedia Commons.

Alex Mayyasi, longtime contributor to NPR's Planet Money, and now author of the book,Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (W. W. Norton & Company, 2026), and Mary Childs, a Planet Money co-host, share insights into making decisions on getting and spending money and why markets work the way they do.

EVENT:  You can see Alex and Mary, plus their colleagues at Planet Money, Darian Woods and Amanda Aronczyk, in conversation with Emily Oster, tonight at 92nd Street Y at 7.  Ticket info for in-person or streaming

(cover image courtesy of the...

Nick Reisman, POLITICO Albany bureau chief covering New York state government and politics and co-author of the New York Playbook, discusses the latest in state budget negotiations and the major sticking points, including early pension access for public school teachers and the buffer zones for protestors around religious institutions.

Photo: State Senators Liz Krueger, left, and Thomas O'Mara, right, debate a bill (S9631) that would extend various expiring laws that allow the Department of Motor vehicles to collect certain fees and pay operating costs on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in the Senate Chamber at the Capitol in Albany, N...

Listeners call in on the question, "where do you find meaning, ritual, and the sense that you are part of something larger than yourself outside of a religious context?"

Photo: a book club meeting. Credit: Alex Dos Santos via Pexels.

Sarah Fitzpatrick, staff writer at The Atlantic covering national security and the Department of Justice, discusses the latest news from the U.S. military, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recent firing of the Army’s top officer and more.

photo:  The US department of Defense building is known under the metonym "The Pentagon" due to its shape. (Master Sgt. Ken Hammond, U.S. Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Two of our favorite segments for this week, in case you missed them.

How Gaza and Zionism Are Dividing Synagogues (First) | A Christian Perspective on the Politics of Immigration (Starts at :41)  

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

photo: Jerusalem, old city, historical religious sights (Ahed izhiman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Some politicians have been claiming that a Christian revival is occurring among young Americans. Luis Parrales, staff writer at The Atlantic, breaks down what the data says and listeners call in to share their experiences.

Photo: A large crowd sings and prays together at Together 2016, a Christian revival on the National Mall on Saturday, July 16, 2016, in Washington, DC (by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images).

Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more than a year after participating in protests near Columbia University, discusses what she endured in an ICE detention facility in Texas and speaks about the conditions that she describes as "horrific," joined by her attorney Sarah Sherman-Stokes, a clinical associate professor at Boston University School of Law.

Photo: Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student Leqaa Kordia greets family, friends and supporters at a welcome home rally on March 22, 2026, in Paterson, New Jersey.  (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis vi...

Hannah Frishberg, culture reporter at Gothamist/WNYC, shares her hacks for having a night on the town for less than $20, as listeners share tips of their own. 

photo: Pizza slices at Paulie Gee's Slice Shop - a "Freddy Prinze" on the left, and plain on the right. (Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Greg David, contributor on fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program and Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, talks about the jobs report for March and some related news about the jobs picture for New York City in 2025.

Photo by Josh Marty on Unsplash.

Andy Kim, U.S. Senator (D NJ), talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey.

Photo: Senator Andy Kim. Credit: Senate Photographic Studio.

With the change of seasons, some water species, like eels and horseshoe crabs, go on the move. In this month's visit to "Wild NYC", Marielle Anzelone, urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Chris Bowser, an estuary educator coordinator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservations with Cornell's Water Resource Institute, discuss the waterways and local water migrations -- and how to participate in tracking them.

Hudson River Eel Project

Hudson River Fisheries

World Fish Migration Day

photo: "Glass on Yellow" by Chris...

Despite allowing a Russian tanker to breach the United States' fuel blockade and deliver oil to Cuba, President Trump reiterated his treat to take over the island. What happens next? Jon Lee Anderson, staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about his reporting from Cuba. and Ryan Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News and co-host of the podcast Counter Points, talks about the Nuestra América Convoy, a coalition of organizers that recently delivered humanitarian aid to the Caribbean nation

Photo: Cuba libre, 27 February 2012, 15:20, source cuba libre, author Christopher Michel (1967–)

Reverend Juan Carlos Ruiz, a pastor at Good Shephard Church in Bay Ridge, discusses the political divide over how Christian congregations are using scripture to guide their approach to immigration policy.

Photo: St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 14 July 2012. Credit: MrBrittonJ via Wikimedia Commons.

Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW, writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic, talks about the latest developments in national politics, including the politics of the 'birthright citizenship' case before the Supreme Court.

Photo: An Indiana birth certificate. (Credit: Indiana's Clinton County Health Department)

An April 1st Extra on New York/New Jersey interstate commerce.

...note: This is part of our yearly April Fool's coverage

Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), offers analysis of the oral arguments at the Supreme Court over President Donald Trump's executive order to end "birthright citizenship."

Photo: People demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's expected arrival on April 01, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)

Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the status of budget negotiations and any remaining sticking points.

Photo: A stack of state budget-related bills under review in the New York Senate on April 6, 2021. (Credit: NYS Media Services)

Chabeli Carrazana, economy and child care reporter for The 19th, shares her reporting on the women advocating for women and migrant farmworkers, in light of the explosive allegations that Cesar Chavez, the late leader of the farmworkers' movement, had sexually assaulted women and girls.

Photo: A guest, reflected in a piece by Yreina Cervantez titled, "La Ofrenda" attends the opening of the art show, "DOLORES," at Plaza de Raza in Los Angeles on March 21, 2026. (Photo by Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A.M. Gittlitz, an organizer and writer and the author of Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People’s Team (Astra House, 2026),  looks at the way class and politics and baseball intersect with the story of baseball and of the Mets baseball franchise.

Cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Alister Martin, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, talks about his background and what he plans to prioritize in his new job.

Photo: Alister Martin, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (Credit: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene)

Eyal Press, contributing writer to The New Yorker, shares his reporting on how disagreements over Israel, Gaza and Zionism itself are dividing synagogues, Jewish families and communities across America.

→ At Synagogues, Tensions Are Boiling Over | The New Yorker

Photo: Jewish activists and allies take part in a Passover Seder outside ICE headquarters in New York City to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil and an end to the war on Gaza, April 14, 2025. (Photo by Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Melissa Kirsch, writer of the New York Times newsletter "The Good List," which gives recommendations and inspirations for living a more joyful and meaningful life, and writer of "The Morning" newsletter on Saturday, discusses her newest newsletter and listeners call in about the new things they've tried that are bringing more joy and meaning to their lives.

Photo: A couple reads books outdoors in the Botanical Garden of Medellin, Colombia, on March 20, 2026. (Photo by JAIME SALDARRIAGA / AFP via Getty Images)

As state budget negotiations continue ahead of the April 1 deadline, Carmen Fariña, former NYC Schools Chancellor, argues for a four-year extension of mayoral control of NYC's public schools.

Photo: Mayor Zohran Mamdani visits a public school classroom in March 2026. (Credit: Office of the Mayor)

U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-NJ, author of Stand (St. Martin’s Press, 2026), weaves history, personal stories and current politics into a defense of principles as a way of facing crises.

Photo: The cover art for Cory Booker's new book, Stand. (Credit: St. Martin's Press/MacMillan Publishers)

On Saturday, 'No Kings' demonstrations nationwide served as a statement in rebuke of President Donald Trump's policies. Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-executive director of the progressive organization Indivisible and an organizer of the 'No Kings' protest, talks about Saturday's protests and takes calls from listeners.

Photo: Protesters hold signs as they participate in a 'No Kings' protest in Manhattan on March 28, 2026 in New York City. This is the third nationwide "No Kings" protest held against the Trump administration. (Credit: Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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

The Great Replacement Theory  (First) | AI in Novels (Starts at 28:20) | Baseball & Life (Starts at 56:00)

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

Christina Fallon, owner of Dream It Done Organizing, offers advice for cleaning and de-cluttering for the new season.

Photo: Clothing items hang in a closet. (Credit: James Cambridge/Wikimedia Commons)

Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, rounds up the latest big stories in education, including new AI guidelines for New York City public schools, digital hall bathroom passes that are collecting data and the mayor's push for mayoral control to be extended for four more years.

Photo: A group of students uses laptops in school. (Credit: Matylda Czarnecka/Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0)

Juries in both New Mexico and California found social media giants to be liable for harm to children. Bobby Allyn, NPR technology correspondent, explains what each trial was about, and what it could signal for the future of companies like Meta and Google.

Photo: A young woman uses a cell phone. (Credit: Conexões Globais/ Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0)

The Senate voted overnight to fund key parts of the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA. Evan McMorris-Santoro, national politics reporter at NOTUS and co-author of the NOTUS daily newsletter, and Mary Clare Jalonick, congressional reporter for The Associated Press and the author of Storm at the Capitol: An Oral History of January 6th (PublicAffairs, 2026), talk about what has to happen next to end the crisis at the airports, the status of the SAVE Act and more.

Photo: Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem greets TSA agents at Miami International Airport on Jan. 31, 2026. (Credit: Tia Dufour...

Gov. Hochul wants to revise the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to exempt smaller housing development projects from the review. Annemarie Gray, executive director of Open New York, a group advocating more housing construction, talks about why housing advocates, and even some environmental groups, support the reforms.

Photo: Views of the Gowanus neighborhood, where dozens of large housing construction projects along the Gowanus Canal on December 24, 2024 in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. (Credit: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Last week, book publisher Hachette canceled the forthcoming U.S. publication of the horror novel “Shy Girl” after it was flagged for sounding like the author used artificial intelligence. Andrea Bartz, novelist, author of The Last Ferry Out (Ballantine Books, 2025), discusses her latest guest op-ed in The New York Times on the controversy and what its like being a writer in the A.I. age.

Photo: Barnes And Noble bookstore in Manhattan, New York, United States of America, on July 5th, 2024. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The St. John's University Red Storm men's basketball team are into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the 10th time in the program's history. Jason Gay, sports columnist at the Wall Street Journal, talks about the long career of St. John's coach Rick Pitino, and Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City, co-host of the podcast FAQ NYC and massive St. John's basketball fan, claims her bragging rights about the team's great season so far. 

Photo: Bryce Hopkins #23 of the St. John's Red Storm drives to the basket during the first half of the 2026 Big East M...

Kian Tajbakhsh, Iranian-American scholar, visiting professor of international relations at New York University, fellow of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University and former political prisoner, and William Christou, Middle East reporter for The Guardian, break down the latest on U.S.-Iran negotiation efforts, and offer analysis and insight into the state of the war.

Photo: A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun shows smoke as it rises from a site targeted by Israeli artillery in the village of Zawtar El Charkiyeh on March 25, 2026. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war...

Lev Facher, addiction reporter at STAT News, reports on how opioid overdose deaths began to fall in mid-2023 and have continued to decline.

Photo: An emergency opioid overdose kit at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. (Credit: Chris Woodrich via Wikimedia Commons CC 4.0)

Christine Quinn, president & CEO of Win, the largest provider of shelter and supportive services for homeless families in New York City, talks about the mayor's seeming turnabout on a campaign promise to expand the CityFHEPS rental assistance program and offers her take on City Hall's approach to addressing homelessness.

Photo: A for-rent sign displayed outside. (Credit: Photos Public Domain/Dipankan001 via Wikimedia Commons)