Mohamed A. El-Erian, senior global fellow at The Lauder Institute and practice professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, chief economic advisor at Allianz, chair of Gramercy Funds Management, contributing editor at the Financial Times and columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and the author of several books, including Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World (Simon & Schuster UK, 2023), offers his analysis of the latest inflation numbers, and the effect of the Iran war on inflation and the economy more broadly, both in the US and globally.

Photo: Gas prices are displayed at the pump at a gas station in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood in the Manhattan borough of New York on March 31, 2026. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images)

Steve Zeitlin, founding director of City Lore and author of The Poetry of Everyday Life: Storytelling and the Art of Awareness (Cornell University Press, 2016), and Bob Holman, poet, filmmaker and proprietor of the Bowery Poetry Club, talk about their forthcoming book, Across the Great Divides: A Search for Poetry, Soul and Understanding in a Divided Nation (New Village Press, 2027) and about building a shared civic culture with poetry.

Or send  them a poem you’ve written –– or a poem you love –– that mentions the iconic American symbols such as the American flag, the Statue of Liberty or other monuments.

photo: Dancing Yiddish POMO (JimmyShelter95, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Vicky Ward, investigative journalist, host of the Chasing Ghislaine podcast and author of books including Kushner, Inc. (St. Martin's Press, 2019) and, with James Patterson, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), talks about Melania Trump's announcement denouncing Jeffrey Epstein and delves into the relationship between the First Lady, Epstein, and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

Photo: U.S. first lady Melania Trump delivers a statement at the Grand Foyer of the White House on April 9, 2026 in Washington, DC. The first lady made a public statement to deny any ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

NYC Council member Tiffany Cabán (District 22, Astoria, Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Woodside and Rikers Island) talks about the Delivery Protection Act, which would regulate "last mile" delivery subcontracting by retail giants like Amazon, and Mayor Mamdani's first 100 days in office.

Photo: An Amazon Prime delivery van parked in Hillcrest, Queens. Credit: Tdorante10 via Wikimedia Commons.

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

Avoiding IRS Tax Scams (First) | Planet Money: The Book (Starts at 21:05) | Bloomin' NYC (Starts at 47:54)

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

Photo: Income tax calculations. (Photo by stevepb/Pixabay).

Mihir Zaveri, New York Times reporter covering housing, and Brad Greenburg, executive director of the NYU Furman Center, look at Mayor Mamdani's housing policies and accomplishments during his first 100 days in office.

Photo: Mayor Mamdani delivers right to organize materials to tenants in East Harlem. Thursday, March 26, 2026. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

Jeff Coltin, editor-in-chief of City & State, and Timmy Facciola, independent journalist who runs the Substack "Judge Street Journal," recap the debate between the Democrats vying for a shot to take on current Republican Congressman Mike Lawler in NY-17, plus they discuss the biggest local issues, and how this district fits into this year's midterm election politics.

Photo: Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., greets a supporter during a "Back the Blue," campaign rally in Congers, N.Y., on Friday, October 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Haidee Chu, reporter for THE CITY, and James Kaechele, certified master arborist and manager of the Parks Department’s Tree Time program, talk about the trees suddenly in bloom and where to find the best views.

"We Mapped Out Where the Best Spring Blooms Are In NYC" (The CITY)

photo: Riverside Park, April 2022 (Lisa Allison)

Ben Fritz, reporter at The Wall Street Journal, sheds light on the American entertainment industry's recent struggles as studios shoot more and more films and television productions outside the US.

Photo: Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Thomas Wolf via Wikimedia Commons.

Linda Lee, NYC Council Member (District 23,  Eastern Queens) and chair of the Finance Committee, talks about the City Council's budget proposals.

Photo: New York City Hall, 9 May 2007 (Momos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)