The Brian Lehrer Show

New York laws present unique challenges for the prosecution of sex crimes. Santul Nerkar, courts reporter for The New York Times, discusses how these laws exacerbate the already complicated legal case for Cornell's Jane Doe.

Photo: A student walks past Cornell Police headquarters on the Cornell University campus on September 30, 2026, in Ithaca, New York.. (Photo by Spencer Platt via Getty Images)

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Moira Donegan, columnist at Guardian US and co-host of the podcast In Bed With The Right, talks about the Cornell fraternity rape lawsuit, the cycle of outrage and inaction she says follows cases like it, and why they keep happening.

Photo: Photo: Students walk on the campus of Cornell University on September 29, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Photo by Spencer Platt via Getty Images)

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

Nikole Hannah-Jones on Hard School Choices  (First) | Ask Mayor Mamdani (Starts at 24:59) | Millennial Optimism (Starts at 58:23)

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Gov. Hochul announced that she is appointing New York's Attorney General Letitia James to oversee the Cornell sexual assault case that's been headline news. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist talks about why the governor made this move and what comes next.

Photo: Cornell University from atop McGraw Tower looking southeast, 2006. (sach1tb, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons) 

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Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist talks about the relationships that Gov. Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman have with President Trump.

Photo: US President Donald Trump greets New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman on stage as he delivers remarks at the Nassau County Police Academy Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City, New York, on August 14, 2026. (Kent Nishimura via Getty Images)

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New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Tricia Shimamura reflects on her first summer as Parks commissioner and talks about her priorities for the department.

Photo: Washington Square Park sidewalk surrounded with park benches and green landscaping in Washington Square Park in New York City on a rainy spring day. (Boogich via Getty Images) 

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Lindsay Owens, the executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative and the author of Gouged: The End of a Fair Price–and What That Means for Your Wallet (Viking, 2026) talks about the proliferation of "junk fees" and the hidden risks of loyalty programs, plus the use of data and algorithms to hike prices.

Photo: A shopper opens an empty wallet inside a shopping mall, visually representing the financial strain and reduced spending power caused by inflation and rising living costs. (shih-wei via Getty Images) 

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Casey Michael Henry, writer, talks about his recent New York Times Magazine essay on nostalgia for the optimism of millennial culture.

=> "Things Are So Bad, People Are Longing for Cringey Millennial Culture" (New York Times Magazine, Sept. 22, 2026)

Photo: Hipster girl blows big bubble from bubble gum in 2016. (nemke via Getty Photos) 

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Every Thursday from 1 to 2 PM on WNYC, through Election Day, WNYC senior political reporter Brigid Bergin hosts a pop-up local politics call-in show called Who's Running This Place. You can find out more on WNYC.org, and stay tuned to this podcast feed. We'll be sharing Brigid's conversations here every Thursday evening. 

New York Assemblymember Alex Bores discusses his efforts to sound the alarm about the risks that come with the rapid advance of AI technology. Plus, WNYC/Gothamist reporters Jon Campbell, Elizabeth Kim and Jessica Gould share the latest local headlines and analysis, and take your calls about local NYC government.

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Jack Arpey, New York State politics reporter for Spectrum News 1 New York, talks about the issue of utility rates in New York State and what Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman are promising to do to lower costs.

"As politicians squabble over utility rates, how much power does a governor have?" (Spectrum News 1 New York, Sept 17)

Photo: Person adjusting a wall thermostat with dollar sign symbol on the display (Stock image by Zimmytws via iStock / Getty Images Plus)

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