The Brian Lehrer Show

Joyce Vance, a legal analyst for MSNBC and former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, University of Alabama School of Law professor, and author of the Civil Discourse Substack, and of the new book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable:  A Manual for Keeping a Democracy (Dutton, 2025) talks about the rule of law and offers legal and historical context for the current moment in American history as she calls for citizens to uphold the Constitution.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nick Corasaniti, New York Times reporter covering national politics, with a focus on voting and elections, talks about how both Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill say they would deal with President Trump if they are elected governor, and other ways the president's influence is being felt in the tight race.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rosemary Misdary, WNYC and Gothamist health & science reporter, explains the statewide ballot question about preservation in the Adirondacks and expanding skiing facilities.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New York City voters will see several questions on their ballots that aim to make it easier to build housing. Alec Schierenbeck, executive director of the Charter Revision Commission argues in favor of the measures, and Lincoln Restler, New York City Council member (District 33, Greenpoint, Northside Williamsburg, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, Vinegar Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Navy Yard), explains why much of the City Council is opposed to the changes. Then, Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, shares why his group is opposed to ballot questions 2 through 4.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

30 Issues in 30 Days: ICE in the City  (First) | 30 Issues in 30 Days: The Case for a Free CUNY (Starts at 17:50) | 30 Issues in 30 Days: Climate and Energy Policy (Starts at 33:13)

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julia Ioffe, founding partner and Washington correspondent of Puck and the author of Motherland: A History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy (Ecco, 2025), talks about her new book that delves into the feminist history of Russia and why it offers context for the war in Ukraine.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Samantha Maldonado, senior reporter for THE CITY, offers her takeaways on the mayoral debate and talks about other races on the ballot in NYC.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To wrap up a series on pets, listeners call in to shout out why their dog, cat, rabbit, bearded dragon, fish or any other type of pet is so special.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New York City would not be the first city in America to open a publicly-owned grocery store. Yasmin Tayag, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about how other municipalities have fared in this experiment, Zohran Mamdani's grocery store proposal and the skepticism around it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Throughout this membership drive we are talking about the animals we love and care for in our homes -- our pets. Today, Lyle Cleary, DVM, associate veterinarian at the Center for Avian & Exotic Medicine, @dr.lyle.dvm on Instagram, talks about the challenges of keeping birds as pets and what they need to thrive.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.