The Brian Lehrer Show

Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, senior research scholar in law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution  and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), offers legal analysis of the last cases argued this term.

Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: Reporter interns run from the U.S Supreme Court as opinions are issued on June 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Mullin v. Doe, clearing the way for the Trump Administration to remove protection status and set up deportation for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. The high court also issues opinions in Wolford v. Lopez, Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, and Monsanto Company v. Durnell. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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Nicholas Wu, Congressional reporter at Semafor, talks about the latest from Capitol Hill, including the president's push for the SAVE Act and more.

Photo: UNITED STATES - JUNE 25: Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., speaks during the House Freedom Caucus news conference in the U.S. Capitol urging Senate action on the Save America Act on Thursday, June 25, 2026.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Following up on the rent freeze vote, David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, shares his reporting on the recent tally of rent-stabilized units sitting empty in New York City. 

Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 11: A 'for rent' sign hangs from an apartment building in the East Village neighborhood on May 11, 2026 in New York City. A New York City board that sets the rent for city-subsidized apartments voted last Thursday night to set a preliminary rent adjustment of 0% to 2% for one-year leases and 0% to 4% for two-year leases, angering many of the city's landlords. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, made reducing New York City's high housing costs a key campaign pledge. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Data centers have become the thing Americans on both sides of the aisle love to hate. But Eric Levitz, senior correspondent at Vox, argues that some of the environmental affects are overstated, and that in some areas they may be a net positive for the community. 

Photo: MOUNT CARMEL, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES - 2026/06/23: A yard sign opposing a planned data center is displayed along Route 54 in Mount Carmel Township Northumberland County. In Mount Carmel Township, grassroots opposition has surged as residents display yard signs and demand a multi-year moratorium to protect their community from a massive proposed AI data center campus. The local resistance is driven by severe concerns over potential noise pollution, the industrialization of local land, and a massive strain on the power grid and water supply that could trigger utility rate hikes and local rationing. (Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, senior research scholar in law and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution  and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019)  offers legal analysis of today's Supreme Court opinions, including on mail-in ballots, the ability of President Trump to fire an employee at the Federal Reserve and more.

Photo: The U.S. Supreme Court is seen at dusk on June 6, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

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

10 Years Post-Brexit (First) | How an Alleged Real Estate Scammer Operated (Starts at :21) | Where the Culture Wars Began (Starts at :41)

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Photo: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA., Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Lisa Kashinsky, a national political reporter at POLITICO covering the 2026 midterms and the run-up to the 2028 presidential race, talks about the national implications of New York's Democratic primary results, and whether the wins by candidates endorsed by Mayor Mamdani will carry forward to November.

Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King's Theater on June 18, 2026 in New York City. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joined Mayor Zohran Mamdani ahead of next week's primary, and the start of early voting on Saturday, as the pair campaigned for Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who are challenging incumbents in Democratic primary contests. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Liam Quigley, reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC, talks about the latest efforts to ban carriage horses in Central Park.

Photo: Horse and Carriages in Central Park, Manhattan, as cyclist ride around the parks driveway. New York, USA. 26th March 2013. Photo Tim Clayton (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

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David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the outcome of a vote by the Rent Guidelines Board on whether or not to freeze the rent on one million rent-regulated apartments, which was one of Mayor Mamdani's key campaign promises.

Photo: Supporters hold signs reading Freeze The Rent and Childcare For All during a rally in support of Zohran Mamdani at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn New York on May 4 2025. (Photo by Madison Swart / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by MADISON SWART/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

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Ellen Cushing, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about her reporting on how the American produce aisle is increasingly offering fruits that are sweeter than ever, including Sumo citrus and Cotton Candy grapes.

Photo: 11 March 2026, Hesse, Frankfurt/Main: A clementine lies on a table. Photo: Michael Brandt/dpa (Photo by Michael Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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