The Brian Lehrer Show

Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, shares her reporting on how the city's school bus system has been failing the families who rely on it, and if reform is possible.

One in 10 senior citizens in New York City lack reliable access to affordable and nutritious food. Beth Shapiro, CEO of Citymeals on Wheels, the nation’s largest operation to deliver meals to homebound seniors, discusses the state of elder hunger in the city, the lasting impact of federal funding cuts and the long federal shutdown, what everyday New Yorkers can do to support their elderly neighbors during the holidays.

Philip Bump, MSNOW contributor, author of the "How to Read this Chart" newsletter and the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America (Viking, 2023), talks about the national political news of the week, including President Trump's capitulation on the Epstein files vote, his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and how the president is trying to address inflation concerns.

Uché Blackstock, emergency medicine physician, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, author of LEGACY: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine (Viking, 2024) and a former MSNBC and NBC News medical contributor, talks about how the fight over ACA subsidies may deepen health inequities.

Regina Garcia Cano, Andes correspondent at The Associated Press, discusses the Trump administration's latest escalation against alleged drug boats from Venezuela, as the most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier is expected to reach the waters off the country in a few days in a show of American power.

Kyle Chayka, staff writer at The New Yorker covering technology and Internet culture, discusses how songs generated using artificial intelligence are dominating top music charts and streaming services like Spotify, sometimes without the knowledge of listeners.

=> "That New Hit Song on Spotify? It Was Made by A.I." (The New Yorker, November 12, 2025)

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, talk about the latest political news in the city, including what Mayor Adams is up to in his last few weeks in office, Mayor-elect Mamdani's transition plans, and the congressional primary races that are starting to take shape.

Yinka Adegoke, editor of Semafor Africa, talks about the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa and the U.S. boycott.

Andy Kim, U.S. Senator (D NJ), talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey, including ACA subsidies, the  New Jersey election results, USAID and more.

Listeners who have attended a "Friendsgiving" so far this year call in to share what was on the menu, and where the conversation went - especially if it involved politics. 

John "Janno" Lieber, chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), talks about the latest news from the MTA and working with the incoming mayoral administration.  

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently approved a gas pipeline and delayed the implementation of the All-Electric Buildings Law. Liz Moran, policy advocate for Earthjustice's Northeast office, explains why climate advocates are angry with the governor over these recent moves that they see as giveaways to fossil fuel companies.

Jasmine Gripper and Ana María Archila, New York Working Families Party co-directors, reflect on Mayor-elect Mamdani's win and the WFP role in the election, their policy priorities and next year's primaries.

Eleanor Mueller, congress reporter at Semafor, talks about the latest national political news from Congress, including the shutdown winners and losers, the upcoming vote in the House on the Epstein files and more.

Ilya Marritz, journalist working with The Boston Globe, talks about his new series, The Harvard Plan, in conjunction with The Boston Globe and On the Media, that looks at how the Trump administration has interfered with Harvard, and how it will affect academia and scientific research going forward.

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

COP30 Without the U.S.  (First) | SNAP and the High Cost of Food (Starts at 23:41) | Tributes to the Penny (Starts at 43:57)

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

As Congress debates whether to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage, Hayden Rooke-Ley, lawyer and senior fellow at the Brown University School of Public Health, explains how the infighting is already driving up costs and narrowing networks.

New York City's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani defines himself as a democratic socialist, yet his critics have seized on his leftist identity to paint him as an extremist. Carlo Invernizzi-Accetti, professor of political science and executive director of the Moynihan Center at The City College of New York, and author of 20 Years of Rage: How Resentment Took the Place of Politics (Mondadori, 2024) explains the core principles of the various strains of thought on the left to paint a clearer picture of what Mamdani believes in and how he'll govern as mayor.

The U.S. Mint announced it made its last penny this week, in order to save money. Listeners call in to talk about how they use pennies these days, if at all, plus share their favorite penny-related sayings.

Eli Valentin, assistant dean of graduate studies at Virginia Union University’s Graduate Center in Harlem, contributing writer for City Limits and guest political analyst at Univision, talks about the meaning of the shift many Latino voters made, from voting for Trump in 2024 to voting for Zohran Mamdani and Mikie Sherrill just a year later.

Drawing on his deep city and state government experience, Dean Fuleihan, future first deputy mayor in the Mamdani administration and former budget director in the de Blasio administration talks about how he intends to help Mayor-elect Mamdani achieve his policy goals.  Then, Laura Nahmias, senior reporter covering New York City and state politics at Bloomberg News, offers political analysis of the role Dean Fuleihan will play in Mayor-elect Mamdani's City Hall.

Jelani Cobb, dean of the Journalism School at Columbia University, a staff writer at The New Yorker, and the author of Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025 (One World, 2025), looks back at recent history and find the threads that connect the era of protests and backlash.

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

As SNAP recipients and many others struggle to afford the cost of food, Karen Yi, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering homelessness and poverty, and Joe Hong, investigative data reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, discuss their reporting on how grocery prices can vary between stores and neighborhoods and how grocery stores fared during the interruption of SNAP benefits. Plus, listeners share their observations of how food prices vary, and tips on how to save money on groceries.

Greg David, contributor covering 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 challenge Mayor-elect Mamdani will face as he tries to fulfill his campaign promises while balancing the city's budget.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives is set to return to work after a 54-day hiatus. Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter at POLITICO, talks about the upcoming vote in the House on the funding bill that would end the government shutdown, why some Democrats are furious at their Senate colleagues who broke ranks to cut a deal and more.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has pointed to "sewer socialism"—the early Milwaukee model where socialist mayors treated basic public infrastructure as central to serving working people—as part of the vision that guides him. Listeners call in to tell us which small public-works improvement, in that spirit, would make life better on their block.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the new hires Mayor-elect Mamdani has announced will be part of his administration, plus the news from Mayor Adams's final days in office.

Paula DiPerna, policy consultant, author of Pricing the Priceless (Wiley, 2023) and co-author of Carbon Hunters: Reflections And Forecasts Of Climate Markets In The 21st Century (WSPC,2025), talks about the history of international cooperation on climate change, and Mark Hertsgaard, journalist and co-founder and executive director of Covering Climate Now, and the author of Big Red’s Mercy: The Shooting of Deborah Cotton and A Story of Race in America (Pegasus, 2024), discuss what to expect from the global climate summit underway in Brazil now that the Trump administration is boycotting.

For Veterans Day, Paul Rieckhoff, independent national security, veterans affairs and political analyst, host of the Independent Americans podcast, founder & CEO of Independent Veterans of America, co-founder of American Veterans for Ukraine, and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), discusses how vets are viewing the changes Pete Hegseth is making to the armed forces, and how well they feel they are being taken care of under Hegseth and the Trump administration.

It's been a few months since schools in New York State started with a new rule: no smart phones allowed. Teachers, parents and students call in to talk about how it's going so far, and what the school day is like without the distraction of cell phones.

Jared Fox, education consultant, former NYC secondary science teacher and the author of Learning Environment: Inspirational Actions, Approaches, and Stories from the Science Classroom (Beacon Press, 2025), guides teachers in taking science education beyond the classroom, drawing on his experience teaching science in Washington Heights.

Listeners call in to talk about their feelings on the Democratic senators who broke ranks to vote with Republicans to re-open the government.

Liza Donnelly, writer and cartoonist at The New Yorker and the author of Very Funny Ladies: The New Yorker's Women Cartoonists, 1925-2021 (Prometheus, 2022) and the substack "Seeing Things," discusses the short documentary film she directed, "Women Laughing," about cartoonists at The New Yorker and their artistic processes.  

U.S. Representative Tom Suozzi (D NY3) talks about the latest on the longest shutdown in history, how it now might end and the election results.

Ciarán Donnelly, senior vice president for International Programs at International Rescue Committee, breaks down the latest news from Sudan, where the country has been experiencing a civil war since April 2023 amid a power struggle between its army and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Micah Uetricht, editor of Jacobin Magazine, and Susan Kang, associate professor of political science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a commentator on local politics, talk about how the democratic socialist theory of change brought forth Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York City mayoral race, and what to expect from a socialist mayor. 

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

Researcher and strategist Michael Lange on the broad coalition that propelled Zohran Mamdani to victory in the NYC mayoral election (First) | A post-election interview with New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherril (Starts at 46:55) | A.J. Jacobs tries life without A.I. (Starts at 58:30)

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

Hannah Frishberg, New York City arts and culture reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, shares some non-politics related activities for the weekend as listeners share how they're shifting their attention away from the mayoral race and back to cultural activities or other forms of civic engagement. 

Mark Levine, Manhattan borough president and Comptroller-Elect, talks about his election victory, the transition from Manhattan borough president to citywide office, and more.