The Brian Lehrer Show

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American Culture Shock Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

International fans traveling to North America for the World Cup are experiencing wholesome "culture shock" by discovering everyday American staples like ranch dressing and large supermarket aisles. Listeners call in to share when they've experienced culture shocks, whether as immigrants or moving to another city or region.

Photo: Scotland fans walk on board a boat cruise in Miami ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 group match against Brazil on Wednesday. Picture date: Tuesday June 23, 2026. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)

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New York Primary Day Informal, Unofficial, Thoroughly Unscientific Exit Polls Jun 23, 2026

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Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, talks about the competitive congressional races in New York's primary, and what voter turnout is signaling so far. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the Democratic primary in NY-17, where the candidate that wins will take on Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in the general election in November.

Photo: Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani votes at Frank Sinatra School of Arts in the Queens borough of New York City on November 4, 2025. New Yorkers will pick a new mayor on November 4 after an unpredictable race that has drawn attention from far beyond the largest city in the United States, with President Donald Trump branding frontrunner Zohran Mamdani "a communist." Breakout Democratic Party candidate Mamdani, a naturalized Muslim American who represents Queens in the state legislature, leads former governor and sex assault-accused Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent after losing his party's primary contest to Mamdani. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP) (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

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The Future of FEMA Jun 23, 2026

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Micah Loewinger, co-host of WNYC's On the Media, draws on his reporting from On the Media's series on FEMA to talk about the future of the agency, the Trump administration's new nominee to run it and how a weakened FEMA will affect New Yorkers just as the Atlantic hurricane season is beginning.

Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 30: A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sign is displayed at their headquarters on May 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

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Where the Culture Wars Began Jun 23, 2026

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Isaac Butler, culture historian, critic, podcaster and the author of The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America's Culture Wars (Bloomsbury, 2026) revisits the late 1980s start of the culture wars as the religious right took on the contemporary art world.

Photo: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - August 21: Banned books are chained to a table in "JD Vances Livingroom" at the Hotties For Harris party during the DNC in Chicago, Illinois on August 21, 2024. (Photo by Nick Oxford for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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News From Your World Cup Country Jun 23, 2026

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Listeners call in to share a news story from the country they’re cheering on at the 2026 World Cup.

Photo: An Indian (R) and Nepalese football player (L) vie for the ball during a qualifier match for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 at Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu on March 17, 2015. The teams drew 0-0. AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH MATHEMA (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP via Getty Images)

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Monday Morning Politics: Status of the Iran Deal Jun 22, 2026

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Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist, contributor to The iPaper and the author of many nonfiction books and his latest, a novel, A Capital Calamity (Miniver Press, 2024) offers analysis of what's in the Iran deal, and whether it will even hold up amid on-and-off violence.

Photo: TEHRAN, IRAN - JUNE 18: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â" MANDATORY CREDIT - 'IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signs a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war between Iran and the United States, brokered by Pakistan, at his office in Tehran, Iran, on June 18, 2026. (Photo by Iranian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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How an Alleged Real Estate Scammer Operated Jun 22, 2026

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Catalina Gonella, WNYC and Gothamist reporter, talks about her investigation into an alleged real estate scammer, who allegedly took money from dozens of apartment hunters, and never refunded the deposits even when they didn't get the apartment. Plus, she offers tips on how to avoid real estate scams, and what to do if you think you've been swindled out of cash.

Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 11: An apartment building stands in the East Village neighborhood on May 11, 2026, in New York City. A New York City board that sets the rent for city-subsidized apartments voted last Thursday night to set a preliminary rent adjustment of 0% to 2% for one-year leases and 0% to 4% for two-year leases, angering many of the city's landlords. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, made reducing New York City's high housing costs a key campaign pledge. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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How Media Mega Mergers May Affect Workers Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

Alvaro Bedoya, senior advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project and former FTC commissioner, offers his opinion on how the Paramount - Warner Brothers Discovery mega merger will affect every day people and their jobs, and more on what he calls the pervasiveness of monopolies and their effects in the US today.

Photo: The Paramount Pictures logo is displayed on the water tower in Los Angeles, California, on February 17, 2026. Paramount Skydance attempts a hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. (Photo by Michael Yanow/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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How Fatherhood Changes Men's Brains Jun 22, 2026

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Darby Saxbe, clinical psychologist, professor of psychology at the University of Southern California and author of Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men's Lives (Flatiron Books, 2026) discusses her research on how becoming a father changes men, from their bodies and brain architecture to their hormones and sense of purpose.

Photo: 06 May 2026, Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg: At the inaugural event of the Center for Brain Health at Magdeburg University Hospital, a monitor shows an MRI image of a human brain with the memory region highlighted in color. The new Centre for Brain Health aims to optimize brain performance in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Basic research and concrete help for patients are to be brought together here, according to the University Medical Center Magdeburg at the opening ceremony. Photo: Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa (Photo by Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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Brian Lehrer Weekend: A Health Convening on Ultra-Processed Foods Jun 20, 2026

Show notes

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

[00:00] What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
[29:31] Ultra-Processed Foods and Colon Cancer
[49:27] Ultra-Processed Foods Policy Proposals

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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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