Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin talk about "Free Solo," their feature-length documentary nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary.

"There was absolutely no margin for error, not only on Alex’s part but on ours," says Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, one of the directors of #FreeSolo, a documentary on Alex Honnold's free climb of El Capitan in Yosemite.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) February 14, 2019


"In the end, we decided that we trusted Alex, we believed in Alex, we knew… that he was never going to go up there unless he was 100 percent prepared," says @jimkchin on his film #FreeSolo.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) February 14, 2019


"The film would always have been same film because it was about honoring Alex and this idea of living a life of intention," says Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, on the challenge of filming the potential death of Alex Honnold's free climb for #FreeSolo.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) February 14, 2019

Oscar Docs 2019: Free Solo

Newsmakers meet New Yorkers as host Brian Lehrer and his guests take on the issues dominating conversation in New York and around the world. This daily program from WNYC Studios cuts through the usual talk radio punditry and brings a smart, humane approach to the day's events and what matters most in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.  WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, Death, Sex & Money, Nancy, and many others.

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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.

On Being a Jew Today

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.

New York's New Budget

Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics, professor at Bennington College and former EPA Region 2 administrator, talks about a new effort to keep New York State accountable to reduce single use plastics. Then, listeners call in to share an honest assessment of the single use plastics in their lives.

A #PlasticsChallenge for Albany (and Listeners!)

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.

Brian Lehrer Weekend: Gov. Kathy Hochul; Measures on Tipping and Rat Control; George Takei

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."
 
 

Oscar Docs 2019: Free Solo

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