The Brian Lehrer Show

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, and Nancy Jiang, journalism student and summer intern for The City Reporter, talk about the effects of NYC's "K-shaped" economy, with growing numbers of the very wealthy and the people qualifying for SNAP benefits. Plus, Greg explains the current turmoil in the bond market.

Photo: An EBT sign is displayed on the window of a grocery store on October 30, 2025 in the Flatbush neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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John Ourand, sports correspondent at Puck, talks about skyrocketing sports team valuations, a new private equity investment in the Yankees, and the potential 2027 MLB lockout.

Photo: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium on August 9, 2026 in New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

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As part of the yearlong series "Wild NYC," Marielle Anzelone, urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Kelly Vilar, CEO of the Staten Island Urban Center, discuss efforts to add more green spaces to underserved neighborhoods.

Photo: Marielle Anzelone and Kelly Vilar from the Pop UP Forest project they did together at Tompkinsville Park in Staten Island (by Marielle Anzelone)

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

Divisions Within Political Movements: The DSA (First) | Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty (Starts at 34:26) | The Elizabeth Street Garden, and More Housing News (Starts at 1:02:02)

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Photo: New York City Democratic Socialists (NYC-DSA) hold a rally in Union Square marking the start of a campaign to tax the rich and win universal childcare on November 16, 2025, in New York City, United States. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including:

These interviews were lightly polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here:

Elie Mystal on the Supreme Court & the Constitution (July 7, 2026)

Kimberlé Crenshaw's Life and Work (May 11, 2026)

Today's Inequality & NYC's Post-1970s Recovery (July 7, 2026)

Rossana Rosado's Bronx Attitude (July 15, 2026)

Photo: People resting on grass at Sheep Meadow: Central Park, N.Y.C., 1997 (LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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For the first time, China was viewed more positively than the U.S. globally in a recent Pew report. Adam Segal, Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security and Director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program at the Council of Foreign Relations, talks about China's foreign policy and their use of "soft power," with AI tech, and more.

Photo: Tourists visit the Qiansimen Jialing River Bridge at night to view and photograph the illuminated night scenery along the Yangtze River waterfront, August 4, 2026 in Chongqing, China. (Photo by Li Wenming/VCG via Getty Images)

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New York Daily News education and youth issues reporter Cayla Bamberger talks about the results of the DOE's recent survey of NYC public school students and what over 357,000 students think about issues ranging from boredom to safety to vaping. 

Photo: Choir students from New York City public school 22 attend the ceremonial swearing in of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s 112th mayor at City Hall on Thursday January 1, 2026. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Rommel H. Ojeda, senior community correspondent and engagement reporter for Documented, and Ralph Thomassaint Joseph, Caribbean communities correspondent for Documented, talk about how people, communities, and businesses across New York City are feeling the federal immigration crackdown.

Photo: Haitians living in Brooklyn join local politicians and others at an Immigrant Resource Fair and Know Your Rights Event in an area of Brooklyn known as 'Little Haiti' on July 28, 2026, in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Bike thefts spike in summer. WNYC and Gothamist reporter Brittany Kriegstein, talks about the stats and the challenges in preventing having a bike stolen, as listeners share their suggestions.

Photo: A woman rides her bike on a Manhattan street. (Photo by FaceMePLS/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons.)

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Julie Menin, City Council Speaker (D-5, Upper East Side) talks about the latest developments in the City Council and takes calls from listeners, in this debut installment of a new monthly series.

Photo: Speaker Julie Menin and City Council Announce Park-Webster Neighborhood Plan (Photo by Alex Krales/NYC Council Media Unit)

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