The Brian Lehrer Show

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President Trump Interferes With a US Suspension in the World Cup Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

After US striker Folarin Balogun was set to miss tonight's game against Belgium because of a red card in last week's game, President Trump called the head of FIFA to intervene and the suspension was suspended. Listeners call in to talk about the play, whether the initial red card was just and what they think of the president's move.

Photo: SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 1:Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 1, 2026 in Santa Clara, United States. (Photo by John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)

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250 Years: Ken Burns; Jon Meacham; Edward Larson; AJ Jacobs Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

For the nation's 250th birthday, some 'Independence-minded' favorites:

Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein, co-directors (with David Schmidt) of "The American Revolution," talk about their 12-part docuseries for PBS on the nation's founding.
Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and the author of American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (Random House, 2026), puts today's political conflicts in the historical context of tensions going back to the country's founding.
Edward Larson, chaired professor of history and law at Pepperdine University and the author of Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025), talks about the change in thinking 250 years ago in the American colonies from British subjects protesting the crown to revolution.
A. J. Jacobs, NPR contributor, essayist, and the author of The Year of Living Biblically, The Know-It-All, It's All Relative and The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning (Crown, 2024), offers his take on "originalism" by living like a "founding father" - tricorn hat and all.

These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here:

Ken Burns on The American Revolution (October 31, 2025)

American Conflicts: As It Ever Was (February 16, 2026)

1776's No Kings (November 24, 2025)

A.J. Jacobs Lives Originalism (May 8, 2024)

image: This is a high-resolution image of the United States Declaration of Independence . This image is a version of the 1823 William Stone facsimile — Stone may well have used a wet pressing process (that removed ink from the original document onto a contact sheet for the purpose of making the engraving). (original: w:Second Continental Congress; reproduction: William Stone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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Trump's Crypto Windfall Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

David Uberti, a reporter covering the intersection of financial markets and the economy for The Wall Street Journal, discusses Trump's 2025 financial disclosures, focusing on the more than $1 billion he made from his crypto businesses.

Photo: Representation of cryptocracy coins with the $Trump meme coin and bitcoin falls roughly 33% since the start of 2026 after months of gains following the 2024 U.S. election. Seen in this photo illustration in Brussels, Belgium, on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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New Jersey News Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Michael Sol Warren, New Jersey reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the latest from New Jersey, including the new state budget and Rep. Kean Jr's return to the public stage.

Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 30: U.S. Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ) (C) arrives at the U.S. Capitol with his wife Rhonda Kean (R) on June 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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1776 and the Worldwide Drive for Freedom Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Pearsall, professor in the Department of History at Johns Hopkins University and the author of Freedom Round the Globe: A World History of the American Revolution (Doubleday, 2026), draws on the ideals in the Declaration of Independence to examine the global revolutionary spirit of 1776.

Photo: 1776, Bonne Map of Louisiana and the British Colonies in North America, Rigobert Bonne 1727 – 1794, one of the most important cartographers of the late 18th century. (Photo by: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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Things to Do on July 4 Weekend Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Hannah Frishberg, WNYC and Gothamist arts and culture reporter, rounds up a slate of festive events to celebrate America's 250th Anniversary this July 4 weekend.

Photo: People watch as fireworks light up the Manhattan skyline during the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks celebration on the East River at Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 4, 2025 in New York. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis / AFP) (Photo by ANGELINA KATSANIS/AFP via Getty Images)

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Andy Byford on the Penn Station Renovation Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Andy Byford, special advisor to the Amtrak Board of Directors for the Penn Station Transformation and former New York City Transit president, talks about the latest effort to renovate Penn Station.

Photo: Exterior view of the renovated Amtrak 7th Avenue and 32nd Street Penn Station ADA Entrance in New York on November 19, 2023. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

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What's in the City's Budget? Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, reports on the budget deal reached by the mayor and city council.

Photo: Handshake agreement on a balanced $125.8 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Council Finance Chair Linda Lee, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget Sherif Soliman and members of the City Council today announce a handshake agreement on a balanced $125.8 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget. City Hall. Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

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New York & American Independence Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Thomas Wermuth, co-founder and director of the Hudson River Valley Institute, chair of Hudson River Valley History at Marist University and Iris De Rode , a Dutch historian specializing in the American Revolution, share some of the untold stories of New York's role in the American Revolution and discuss their book Fire & Freedom: American Revolution in New York (Cornell University Press, 2026).

Photo: An officer oversees the U.S. Army military retreat to New York after the Battle of Long Island in 1776, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). This painting dates to 1899. (Photo by: Ivy Close Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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The Meaning Behind a Rare Printing of the Declaration of Independence Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical, and Nina Nazionale, director of library curatorial affairs and research at The New York Historical, talk about new information researchers discovered about a rare printing of the Declaration of Independence that is now on display at the museum.

Photo: In Congress, July 4, 1776. : A declaration by the representatives of the United States of America, in general Congress assembled, United States. Continental Congress, 1776. (Photo by Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, The New York Historical)

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