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The Brian Lehrer Show — News
The Brian Lehrer Show

Brian Lehrer leads the conversation about what matters most now in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.

Copyright: © WNYC

Latest Episodes:

Making Safer Streets Following Three E-Biker Deaths Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Three e-bikers died in hit-and-runs last week in New York City, marking the worst week so far this year for deadly bike accidents. Ben Furnas, executive director of the street safety advocacy group, Transportation Alternatives, discusses their campaign to protect riders and pedestrians from deadly accidents through a range of street safety initiatives.

Photo: Delivery person scooter accident aftermath with Police and Ambulance on Yellowstone Boulevard, Queens, New York. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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When Cannabis Use is a Problem Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Roni Caryn Rabin, health reporter at The New York Times, talks about a new study showing greater numbers of Americans suffering from the effects of cannabis use, as access to, and dosages of, the drug grow.

Photo: Marijuana flowers bloom at a cannabis dispensary in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 18, 2026. (Matt Hunt/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Your Dolly Parton Tributes Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Ann Powers, NPR Music critic and correspondent, talks about the legacy of the country music artist Dolly Parton, and listeners call in to share their tiny eulogies, memories and favorite songs and facts about the late icon, who died this week.

Photo: Dolly Parton attends the opening of Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's new exhibit 'Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker' at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

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Kindergarten Vaccine Opt-Outs Hit a Record High Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent, KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, talks about new CDC data showing kindergartner vaccine exemptions at a record high, and the bipartisan doubts about Dr. Heidi Overton, Trump's nominee to lead the FDA.

Photo: As eight-year-old girl receives a polio vaccine, she watches a closed circuit television broadcast (showing Dr Jonas Salk as he inoculates a boy) of a training telecast for physicians and scientists, New York, New York, April 12, 1955. (PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

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Chronic Flooding in Northeast Queens Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Chronic flooding in Northeast Queens has prompted many residents to leave their neighborhoods altogether. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards discusses what the city is doing to bolster the sewage system and institute safety measures during floods, and unpacks the city's new potential plan to offer buyouts to homeowners in the hardest-hit neighborhoods.

Photo: A flooded intersection in Queens (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency)

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Jill Lepore on the Dangers of the 'Artifical State' Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Jill Lepore, professor of American History at Harvard University, staff writer at The New Yorker, and the author of several books, including The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State (Liveright, 2026), talks about our reliance on data and algorithms and what it means for society and government.

Image: Composite image of Capital Building with binary numbers (TGI/Tetra Images via Getty Creative)

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Iran War Impasse Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Yeganeh Torbati, the Iran correspondent for The New York Times based in Istanbul and co-author (with Bozorgmehr Sharafedin) of Stolen Revolution: Betrayal and Hope in Modern Iran (Doubleday, 2026), reports on the latest developments in the Iran war as the cease-fire expires and Pres. Trump threatens an "economic D-Day."

Photo: Currency exchange office is seen as daily life continues amid persistent tensions between Iran and the United States in the Iranian capital Tehran, on August 24, 2026. US President Donald Trump said he had announced an unprecedented economic D-Day operations targeting Iran and threatened countries supporting the Tehran administration with severe economic consequences. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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NYC's 'K-Shaped' Economy Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program and Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, and Nancy Jiang, journalism student and summer intern for The City Reporter, talk about the effects of NYC's "K-shaped" economy, with growing numbers of the very wealthy and the people qualifying for SNAP benefits. Plus, Greg explains the current turmoil in the bond market.

Photo: An EBT sign is displayed on the window of a grocery store on October 30, 2025 in the Flatbush neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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The Soaring Price of Sports Teams Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

John Ourand, sports correspondent at Puck, talks about skyrocketing sports team valuations, a new private equity investment in the Yankees, and the potential 2027 MLB lockout.

Photo: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium on August 9, 2026 in New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

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Wild NYC - Neighborhoods Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

As part of the yearlong series "Wild NYC," Marielle Anzelone, urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Kelly Vilar, CEO of the Staten Island Urban Center, discuss efforts to add more green spaces to underserved neighborhoods.

Photo: Marielle Anzelone and Kelly Vilar from the Pop UP Forest project they did together at Tompkinsville Park in Staten Island (by Marielle Anzelone)

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