The Brian Lehrer Show

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How European Cities Are Planning For Extreme Heat Aug 18, 2026

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European cities are scrambling to reinvent urban life as summers get hotter and deadlier. Eric Klinenberg, professor of sociology at New York University and the author of Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2015) and 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed (Knopf, 2024), shares his reporting on what cities are doing to adapt to climate change during Western Europe's hottest summer on record--and maybe the coolest yet to come.

Photo: A man walks past a thermometer reading 40 degrees Celsius on June 21, 2026 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Marcelo del Pozo/Getty Images).

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Divisions Within Political Movements: The Democrats Aug 18, 2026

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As part of a 3-part series on the divisions within political movements, David Hogg, founder and president of Leaders We Deserve, co-founder and board member of March for Our Lives, and former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, talks about what's dividing the Democratic Party, from the fallout over the DNC's 2024 autopsy to the primary challenges his group is backing heading into the midterms.

Photo: David Hogg, co-founder of Leaders We Deserve, and Patrick Roath, candidate for Congress (MA-08), walk to join attendees on the Freedom Trail during a "Democracy Walk" at the Boston Common on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Finn Gomez/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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When AI Models Go Rogue Aug 17, 2026

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Matteo Wong, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about his latest reporting on artificial intelligence, including the potentially dangerous mistakes some of the biggest companies have made.

=> "It May Be Time to Panic About AI" (The Atlantic, August 12, 2026)

Illustration by wildpixel via iStock/Getty Creative

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Comptroller Talks Budget, Housing Aug 17, 2026

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Now that budget season is over, NYC Comptroller Mark Levine offers his view on the health of the city's finances, plus talks about his view on the housing affordability crisis, the city's pension fund and more.

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine speaks during the annual New York State Financial Control Board meeting on August 12, 2026 in New York City. Levine was joined by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, State Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli and other board members as they discussed the state's budget. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Divisions Within Political Movements: The DSA Aug 17, 2026

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As part of a 3-part series on the divisions within political movements, Eric Blanc, assistant professor of Labor Studies at Rutgers University, author of several books including We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big (University of California Press, 2025), and author of the Substack newsletter LaborPolitics.com, talks about what's dividing members of the Democratic Socialists of America, as the party is having a moment.

Photo: New York City Democratic Socialists (NYC-DSA) hold a rally in Union Square marking the start of a campaign to tax the rich and win universal childcare on November 16, 2025, in New York City, United States. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Brian Lehrer Weekend: Woke; Venezuela; Public Shaming Aug 15, 2026

Show notes

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

Should Democrats Bring 'Woke' Back? (First) | Who is Running Venezuela? (Starts at 28:30) | Public Shaming as Public Policy (Starts at 50:00)

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Photo: Marcia Fudge with Stay Woke Vote t-shirt in 2018. (Marcia Fudge, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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AOC Goes Public With a Private Decision to Freeze Her Eggs Aug 14, 2026

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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is publicly sharing the process of freezing her eggs, all while people are speculating about her plans to run for higher office. Annie Karni, congressional correspondent for The New York Times and co-author (with Luke Broadwater) of Mad House: How Donald Trump, Maga Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby and a Man with Rats in his Walls Broke Congress (Random House, 2025), talks about how women are reacting and how this might connect to her political future.

Photo: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks to reporters near the House steps after a series of votes at the U.S. Capitol on July 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Bruce Blakeman Takes on Gov. Hochul Aug 14, 2026

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Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is running against incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul for governor of New York, and a new poll shows the county executive is just ten points behind the governor. Jimmy Vielkind, New York State Issues reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Bahar Ostadan, Nassau County government reporter for Newsday, talk about the state of the race, including the role President Trump is taking as he and Blakeman are scheduled to attend an event together on Long Island.

Photo: Garden City, N.Y.: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is formally named the GOP candidate for New York State Governor as the New York Republican State Committee Nominating Convention in Garden City, N.Y. on Feb. 11, 2026. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

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Doulas for End of Life Care Aug 14, 2026

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End-of-life doulas are becoming an increasingly common part of how Americans approach death, helping people to navigate the dying process outside of traditional medical care. Alexandra Schwartz, staff writer at The New Yorker and co-host of the Critics at Large podcast, talks about the rise of death doulas, what they actually do, and why more people are rethinking how they want to die. And Virginia Chang, Ph.D., end-of-life doula and author of Preparing For End of Life For Dummies (Wiley 2026), talks about her approach to her work.

Photo: Pauline Ramsey is on hospice care through Heartland Hospice. She has pancreatic cancer. Her nurse is Carly Bond and her aide is Nadege Filsaime. (Susan L. Angstadt via MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle & Getty Images)

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Staycation In The City Aug 14, 2026

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Summer's wrapping up, but if your PTO is high and your budget is low, you can still make the most of it here at home. Hannah Frishberg, culture reporter for WNYC/Gothamist, shares some of the best ways to have an epic staycation in New York City.

Photo: People relax at a man-made beach during a heat wave in Manhattan on July 02, 2026, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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