The Brian Lehrer Show

The Brian Lehrer Show

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The Brian Lehrer Show episodes

  • NY Primary Results, Beyond NYC

    Kate Lisa, state politics reporter at City & State New York talks about the New York primary results in districts north of NYC and what they could mean for November, and Larry Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, talks about the Congressional primary results from Long Island, and whether any of the seats will be competitive in the general election. Plus, the Democratic nominee in NY-17, Cait Conley, calls in for a few minutes to preview her general election campaign against Republican Mike Lawler.

    Photo: Senior Advisor to the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Cait Conley speaks to Politico Cybersecurity reporter Maggie Miller during Politico's annual AI and Tech Summit on September 17, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)


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    51 min
  • 10 Years Post-Brexit

    Tom Carter, Britain economics correspondent at The Economist, talks about the economic and political picture in the United Kingdom, a decade after the country voted to leave the European Union.

    Photo: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2026/06/20: A protester holds a Union Jack and an EU flag in Parliament Square during the National Rejoin March, calling on the UK government to rejoin the European Union on the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)


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    21 min
  • From the Synagogue to the Streets

    Sharon Kleinbaum, founder and director of Beacon for Democracy at Union Theological Seminary in NYC, former senior rabbi at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah and the author of With All My Heart: Torah for Our Times (CBST Press, 2026), talks about her work and the change from leading the world’s largest LGBTQ+ synagogue to her new organization and the "Shine the Light" weekly protests for democratic values.

    Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 22: Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum attends a protest to advocate for Israeli democracy and to protest against Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu as he addresses the UN General Assembly at United Nations on September 22, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for New York Protest Movement)


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    25 min
  • Supreme Court Opinions: TPS, Asylum and More

    As the Supreme Court term winds down they are releasing opinions on the hottest button issues. Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and a former Supreme Court clerk, co-host of the podcast "Strict Scrutiny" and the author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2025), offers analysis of today's opinions, including on gun rights, TPS, asylum and the weedkiller Roundup. 

    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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    14 min
  • Primary Day Results

    Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent and Michael Lange, New York City based writer, researcher, strategist, and political organizer, and Debralee Santos, editor-in-chief of The Manhattan Times and The Bronx Free Press, talk about the results from New York's primary election, especially the hotly-contested Congressional races. Plus, Congressional primary winners Claire Valdez and Brad Lander each call in for a few minutes to talk about why they think they won. 

    Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 23: One of the many signs throughout the polling sites informing voters where to go as New Yorkers head to the polls on Primary Day June 23, 2026 in New York City. New Yorkers are voting in a Democratic state primary, which many see as a test for recently elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is seeking to use his popularity to influence the city's congressional delegation by endorsing challengers to two Democratic incumbents. (Photo by Laura Brett/Getty Images)

     


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    55 min
  • CUNY's Chancellor on the Job Market and More

    As graduation season wraps up, Félix Matos Rodríguez, CUNY chancellor, talks about the tough job market new grads are entering and what CUNY is doing to help, funding for the system and more news related to New York City's public system of colleges and universities.

    Photo: Group of Graduates during commencement. Concept education congratulation in University. Graduation Ceremony, Congratulated the graduates in University during commencement. Credit: Rattankun Thongbun

     


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    12 min
  • Inside the Trump White House

    Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, White House correspondents for The New York Times and the co-authors of Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump (Simon & Schuster, 2026) talk about their new book and the inner workings of the Trump White House.

    Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 22: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on June 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump signed two orders on quantum computing. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

     


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    31 min
  • American Culture Shock

    International fans traveling to North America for the World Cup are experiencing wholesome "culture shock" by discovering everyday American staples like ranch dressing and large supermarket aisles. Listeners call in to share when they've experienced culture shocks, whether as immigrants or moving to another city or region.

    Photo: Scotland fans walk on board a boat cruise in Miami ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 group match against Brazil on Wednesday. Picture date: Tuesday June 23, 2026. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)

     


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    14 min
  • New York Primary Day Informal, Unofficial, Thoroughly Unscientific Exit Polls

    Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, talks about the competitive congressional races in New York's primary, and what voter turnout is signaling so far. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the Democratic primary in NY-17, where the candidate that wins will take on Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in the general election in November.

    Photo: Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani votes at Frank Sinatra School of Arts in the Queens borough of New York City on November 4, 2025. New Yorkers will pick a new mayor on November 4 after an unpredictable race that has drawn attention from far beyond the largest city in the United States, with President Donald Trump branding frontrunner Zohran Mamdani "a communist." Breakout Democratic Party candidate Mamdani, a naturalized Muslim American who represents Queens in the state legislature, leads former governor and sex assault-accused Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent after losing his party's primary contest to Mamdani. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP) (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

     


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    58 min
  • The Future of FEMA

    Micah Loewinger, co-host of WNYC's On the Media, draws on his reporting from On the Media's series on FEMA to talk about the future of the agency, the Trump administration's new nominee to run it and how a weakened FEMA will affect New Yorkers just as the Atlantic hurricane season is beginning.

    Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 30: A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sign is displayed at their headquarters on May 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

     


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    18 min

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