The Brian Lehrer Show

Reilly Steel, associate professor of law at Columbia Law School, talks about the ways that businesses interact with politics, especially as it relates to their public support (or lack thereof) of LGBTQ issues during Pride month.

Photo: DimiTalen, LGBT pride flags, Zeedijk, Amsterdam, 2022, Date 2 August 2022, 11:13:15, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons 

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Where do you draw the line? World Cup tickets at MetLife Stadium and Knicks home tickets for the NBA Finals are going for thousands of dollars. Listeners tell us what sporting events they're attending at affordable costs? 

Photo: Fans wait for tickets prior to the start of the game between the Florida Marlins and the New York Mets during their Opening Day game at Citi Field on April 5, 2010. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

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State lawmakers have finally approved a budget; now what? Jimmy Vielkind, New York State issues reporter for WNYC, talks about the work left to do as the Albany session comes to a close, and lawmakers mull over the redistricting process, pricing rules and other big legislative priorities.

Photo: New York State Capitol viewed from the south, located on the north end of the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York (Photo by Matt H. Wade via Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0)

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Nancy Redd, a writer covering health and personal care at Wirecutter,  the product recommendation service from The New York Times, talks about what to look for in choosing the best sunscreen.

Photo: Stock image by fcafotodigital/iStock via Getty Creative

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Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor, takes questions from listeners and talks about the big news in the city, and other issues important to New Yorkers, including trans healthcare, pedestrian safety and childcare.

Graphic by WNYC

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Charles Stile, political columnist at The Record / northjersey.com, offers a preview of the competitive congressional primaries in New Jersey. And Dustin Gardiner, co-author of Politico's California Playbook, previews of the big races in California that voters are deciding on Tuesday, including for governor and mayor of Los Angeles.

Photo: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass greets customers at Pann's Restaurant on June 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of a weekly column on life in Washington and co-host of The Political Scene podcast and the author (with Peter Baker) of The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 (Doubleday, 2022), as well as Evan Osnos, staff writer at The New Yorker, co-host of the podcast "The Political Scene" and the author of The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich (Scribner, 2025), comment on the latest national political news, including the outlook for the 2026 midterm elections.

Photo: James Talarico, Democratic nominee for a closely-watched U.S. Senate race in Texas this year, delivers remarks at a rally in September 2025. (Credit: H. Michael Karshis via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0)

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Arya Sundaram, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering race and immigration, breaks down the latest in New Jersey, including why the mayor of Newark on Sunday announced a partial curfew following repeated clashes near a federal immigration detention center, and Charles Stile, political columnist at The Record / northjersey.com, offers a preview of Tuesday's NJ congressional primaries.

Photo: Police clash with protesters outside the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall, where ICE is housing detained immigrants, on May 30, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Antonio Pagliarulo, writer and author of Queer Saints: A Radical Guide to Magic, Miracles, and Modern Intercession (Weiser Books), talks about the role of saints in people's lives, within the Catholic Church and beyond, and offers his list of saints specifically for the LGBTQ+ community.

Photo: Cover art for Queer Saints. (Credit: Red Wheel/Weiser Books)

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani will be joining the show tomorrow for his inaugural "Ask the Mayor" segment. Listeners call in to share questions they'd like to ask the new mayor.

Photo: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers remarks about the fiscal year 2027 budget in New York City Hall, New York, U.S., May 12, 2026. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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