Media outlets are paring down their staff of arts critics. Listeners call in to share if they still do rely on the opinion of critics, and if not, where they find out about movies, music and theater.

Julia Ioffe, founding partner and Washington correspondent of Puck, a new media company, offers analysis of how Zelensky's meeting with President Trump went, plus discusses her reporting on how the MAGA world views Israel, and how that could affect US policy toward Israel's war in Gaza.

Charles Stile, political columnist at The Record/northjersey.com, talks about the latest news regarding New Jersey's governor's race between Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill.

Michael J. Coren, "Climate Coach" advice columnist for The Washington Post, discusses his latest column on how plastic "turf" is causing uproar amongst athletes and climate activists.

Listeners call in to share their tips for how to be a good house guest; and listeners who frequently host guests at their houses share what they appreciate from their guests.

Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on how the story of Peanut the squirrel has upended the work of New York's Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as how the Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, could work with state lawmakers if he is the city's next mayor.

William Cohan, co-founder of Puck News and author of many books, including Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon (Penguin Random House, 2022) , talks about the many ways President Trump is interfering in big U.S. businesses, and why Wall Street is worried he'll come after big banks the way he did big law firms and elite universities.

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of the forthcoming book The Queen and Her Presidents (Harper/Collins April 2026), talks about the latest national political news, including the aftermath of President Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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

Squalid Conditions at ICE's Manhattan Facility (First) | Selling Eternal Life (Starts at 31:50) | The Politics of Jerry Garcia (Starts at 1:00:35)

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

For this "Summer Friday" we've put together some of our favorite conversations this year:

• John Cassidy, staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI (Macmillan, 2025), talks about his new book that traces the roots of criticism of today's global capitalism to its beginnings.
• From our centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Eric Dean Wilson, Queens College writing instructor and the author of After Cooling: On Freon, Global Warming, and the Terrible Cost of Comfort (Simon & Schuster, 2021), walks us through the promise of air conditioning of the past 100 years -- how it relieved people of warming temperatures and how they have eventually contributed to climate change.
• Black lung had largely been eradicated by the end of the last century. Now, the disease has reemerged in coal country, and federal cuts threaten at-risk miners. Kate Morgan, Pennsylvania-based freelance journalist, talks about her reporting on black lung for the New York Times.
• Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and host of the podcast, Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal, and author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America (The New Press, 2025) talks about the ten laws he calls a "Bill of Wrongs" - like felony murder and immunity for gun manufacturers.

These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity and the original web versions are available here:

The Long History of Critiquing Capitalism (May 12, 2025)

100 Years of 100 Things: Air Conditioners (Jul 24, 2024)

How Black Lung Reemerged (Jun 24, 2025)

Elie Mystal's List of Laws that Need to Go (Mar 27, 2025)