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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:

How Viktor Orbán's Defeat is Reverberating in the White House Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

Eli Stokols, White House and foreign affairs correspondent at Politico, talks about the politics of Viktor Orbán's election defeat and the implications for the White House and MAGA world.
Photo: Viktor Orbán. Credit: European People's Party via Wikimedia Commons.

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What Options for Essential Plan Coverage? Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

After federal funding cuts, the state is raising income eligibility for the Essential Plan health insurance program, potentially excluding about 450,000 New Yorkers from the coverage. Caroline Lewis, health care reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society and co-founder of the Health Care for All New York Campaign, talk about efforts to get more coverage and the options from those who have been cut.

photo: In medical office on Johnson Street, new medical district, New Orleans 22 October 2025 (Infrogmation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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White-Collar Workers Unite! Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

Noam Scheiber, New York Times reporter focusing on white-collar workers and the author of Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2026), talks about the conditions leading young college-education workers to lead unionization efforts.

Photo: Attendees cheer at the ''Union Now'' rally in New York City, United States, on April 12, 2026. The event features Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Organizers state the rally is planned to support union power and unite labor leaders. (Photo by Matthew Hoen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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What's Your Superpower? Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

People often say they have a "superpower," which is really just something they're very good at. Listeners call in to share what their superpower is.

Photo: A cosplayer poses as Dr. Strange during New York Comic Con 2023 - Day 4 at Javits Center on October 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for ReedPop)

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How Trump's Self-Depiction as Jesus Lands With Christians Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

In a now-deleted social media post, President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus. He has also recently attacked Pope Leo XIV. Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, has said that the pope should "be careful" when talking about theology. Robert P. Jones, president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute, and author of the Substack newsletter Redeeming Democracy and the forthcoming book Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy (St. Martin's, 2026), talks about the range of responses from Christians.

Photo: An AI-generated image depicting President Donald Trump as Jesus Christ, which Trump shared to social media on April 12, 2026. (Credit: @realDonaldTrump/Truth Social via Wikimedia Commons)

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NYS Budget Sticking Points Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

The New York State budget is about two weeks late. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on what the sticking points are, including car insurance reform and Gov. Kathy Hochul's desire to roll back a climate law, among others, plus the governor's proposed tax on "pied-à-terres."

Photo: Gov. Kathy Hochul appears at a press conference with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 20, 2026. (Credit: Maryland Governor's Office via Wikimedia Commons)

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The Allegations Against Rep. Eric Swalwell Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

Explosive reporting in the San Francisco Chronicle made public sexual assault allegations against California Representative (and erstwhile candidate for governor) Eric Swalwell. Jane Manning, director, Women's Equal Justice and former sex crimes prosecutor, explains why the Manhattan DA is investigating him, and how this case may shed light on what she says are New York's antiquated sexual assault laws.

Photo: U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) departs the U.S. Capitol Building after a series of votes on March 05, 2026 in Washington, DC. Credit: Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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The Queen & the Presidents Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

Queen Elizabeth II interacted with American presidents from Truman through Trump. Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of The Queen and Her Presidents (HarperCollins, 2026), relates her history with U.S. leaders throughout her reign.
Photo: Queen Elizabeth II (L) arrives with U.S. President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle Obama and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (R) in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace ahead of a State Banquet on May 24, 2011 in London, England. Credit: Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

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The Push for Junk Food Warning Labels in New York State Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

As federal food safety oversight weakens, Mary Basset, public health physician, former New York City Health Commissioner and New York State Health Commissioner, and professor of practice of health and human rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses her push to get Albany to pass three bills that would expand nutrition warning labels at chain restaurants statewide and crack down on junk food ads targeting kids.

Photo: The logo of a salt shaker, meant to warn consumers of high sodium content in food, appears on an Applebees menu on December 1, 2015 in New York City. The new sodium warning is the result of a city-wide law effecting restaurants with 15 or more locations and lets consumers know that an item has 2,300 milligrams of sodium or more in it. Restaurants must have the logo on their menu starting today. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

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Pre-Tax Day Advice Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

As Tax Day approaches, Tara Siegel Bernard, personal finance reporter for The New York Times, talks about the changes to the law that taxpayers should know and offers advice to procrastinators.

Photo: A calculation for tax which include income tax and other taxation. Credit: stevepb via Wikimedia Commons.

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