The Brian Lehrer Show

Each year WNYC hosts a "health convening," with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, as an opportunity for healthcare experts and practitioners to inform WNYC's health reporting. This year, the topic is ultra-processed foods and how they affect our health. 

Kevin Hall, Ph.D., former senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discusses his groundbreaking, tightly controlled metabolic ward trials and mathematical models tracking how human bodies respond to ultra-processed foods.

Photo: PRODUCTION - 02 June 2026, Bavaria, Erlangen: A laboratory employee at the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) inoculates a culture medium in a Petri dish with an eyelet as part of a food analysis. The LGL examines around 60,000 samples from the food sector every year for a wide range of parameters. Whether testing for microbial contamination or the composition of food: Official laboratory analysis is a key factor in the early detection of food-related health risks. Photo: Daniel Karmann/dpa (Photo by Daniel Karmann/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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Each year WNYC hosts a "health convening," with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, as an opportunity for healthcare experts and practitioners to inform WNYC's health reporting. This year, the topic is ultra-processed foods and how they affect our health. 

Fang Fang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., cancer epidemiologist and chair of the Division of Nutrition Epidemiology and Data Science at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University discusses her population‑based research on how ultra-processed foods influence cancer prevention, cancer survivorship and long‑term health outcomes.

Photo: Packets of chips are on display at a supermarket in Mumbai, India, on September 7, 2025. (Photo by Indranil Aditya/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Each year WNYC hosts a "health convening," with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, as an opportunity for healthcare experts and practitioners to inform WNYC's health reporting. This year, the topic is ultra-processed foods and how they affect our health. 

David Kessler, MD, former FDA Commissioner, breaks down a citizen petition he filed with the Food and Drug Administration last summer which would, among other things, declare that some of the core ingredients in ultra-processed foods were no longer “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” -- a classification that means ingredients are exempt from strict premarket approval process.

Photo: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website detail, by MarioGuti.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drops in to talk about the Knicks' win and the city's celebrations.

Photo: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani ascends Knicks-themed subway steps (via @NYCMayor/X)

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Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, talks about the latest national and local political news.

Photo: New York Knicks fans celebrate winning Game 4 of the NBA Finals between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, on June 10, 2026 in New York City. Madison Square Garden canceled its planned Game 4 watch party outside the arena after New York Knicks owner Jim Dolan criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch over security requirements for the event. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images)

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On July 1, a new law will go into effect in New Jersey that aims to regulate e-bikes. Larry Higgs, commuting and transport reporter at NJ Advance Media and the Star-Ledger, reports on what riders need to know, the confusion surrounding the new rules and why some advocates are pushing back on the law.

Photo: Row of parked Citi Ebike rentals, Brooklyn, New York, USA. (Photo by: Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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Cory Turner, NPR education correspondent and senior editor, shares what's changing for student loan borrowers on July 1.

=> "July 1 brings big student loan changes. Here's what you need to know" (NPR.com, 6/10/26)

Photo: Students outside the dining hall on the Siena College campus Tuesday Nov. 14, 2017 in Colonie, NY. (Photo by John Carl D'Annibale /Albany Times Union via Getty Images)

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Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times correspondent, talks about the palpable joy and connection in the city during the playoff run and after the Knicks championship win, and what this means for the team's long-suffering fans.

Photo: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 13: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks lifts the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award trophy after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

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

What does it mean that AI companies are scooping up office space in Manhattan? (First) | Why the Trump administration has requested the medical records of trans youths at NYC area hospitals (Starts at 40:10) | What to do in New Jersey if you're here for the World Cup (Starts at 1:15:45)

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As early voting is about to get underway, Rebecca Lewis, state bureau chief at City & State New York, and Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talk about the themes and competitive races in the June 23 primary election, where candidates for congress, state comptroller and various seats in the legislature will be on the ballot.

Photo: The NYS Senate begins the 2017 session of the NYS Legislature begins Wednesday Jan. 4, 2017 in Albany, NY. (Photo by John Carl D'Annibale /Albany Times Union via Getty Images)

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