The Brian Lehrer Show
Summary: Newsmakers meet New Yorkers as host Brian Lehrer and his guests take on the issues dominating conversation in New York and around the world. This daily program from WNYC Studios cuts through the usual talk radio punditry and brings a smart, humane approach to the day's events and what matters most in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, Snap Judgment, Death, Sex & Money, Nancy, Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin and many others. © WNYC Studios
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Podcasts:
Amb. David Scheffer, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues who headed the U.S. delegation to the talks on the International Criminal Court during the Clinton administration, and the author of All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals (Princeton University Press, 2011), talks about war crimes, the calls for charges against Putin, as well as the wider context of international law and the U.S. reluctance to join the International Criminal Court.
Dora Chomiak, president of Razom for Ukraine, talks about what her group is doing to help Ukraine, and what policies they are advocating for the U.S. to implement.
Elizabeth Kim, reporter who covers mayoral power for the People and Power team at Gothamist and WNYC, and Ruby Cramer, senior staff writer for Politico Magazine, talk about the latest city news, including how the mayor is handling this phase in the COVID era, and how he has recently acknowledged at least for some, work from home is here to stay.
U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks (D, NY-5), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, talks about the latest news, especially the latest on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Last Friday marked the first 'vegan Friday,' an Eric Adams initiative to make all New York City public school lunches completely vegan at the end of each week. Jen Chung, executive editor of Gothamist, talks about what she's been hearing from students. Plus, listener lunch reviews, and what does it mean if the vegan mayor eats fish?
The majority of the New York City Council members are new, and are part of a class that is the most diverse and progressive in city history. Over the next year Brian Lehrer will get to know all 51 members. This week, Councilmember Gale Brewer, who chairs the Oversight and Investigations Committee, talks about her priorities for her Upper West Side district, including public safety, age-friendliness, and small businesses. She recommends this book: New York, New York, New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess, and Transformation (Simon & Schuster, 2021). CM @galeabrewer's "Show & Tell" from District 6 is the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument on the mall in Central Park, installed on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment: pic.twitter.com/Rdxh0NEcz6 — The Brian Lehrer Show and A Daily Politics Podcast (@BrianLehrer) February 8, 2022
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez talks about criminal prosecutions in Brooklyn, balancing public safety against over-policing and what he wants to hear from the local, state and federal leaders.
Listeners call in to talk about what they feel unsure about in this age of certainty and political polarization. @BrianLehrer re: ambivalence, on the one hand, I don't think China has the best humanitarian track record, but on the other hand, ours isn't much better (our for-profit prison systems, refugee detention), nor are any of the countries WE support (Saudi Arabia is a great example) — Jordan R (@falkelord) February 7, 2022 @BrianLehrer I'm ambivalent over the Whoopi Goldberg/Holocaust issue. I don't agree with her BUT the collective anger seems misplaced since the conversation over banning books and/or teaching the Holocaust & slavery in 14 states has been ignored — Fred Howard (@bushwickbaby) February 7, 2022 @BrianLehrer re: the ambivalence segment, I am very torn about if or how to engage with the Olympics. The athletes have worked so hard for the opportunity to compete, and I want to support them, but supporting the IOC, China, and sponsors’ transgressions also feels bad. — audragetsatyou (@audragetsatyou) February 7, 2022 I’m becoming more ambivalent on masks. I always wear a mask in public indoor spaces, but I’m torn about whether people should take their own risks. If my elderly parent is 3x vaxed &wears a mask, should I still feel anxiety when I see a indoor unmasked person @BrianLehrer — JG (@ResisterVoter) February 7, 2022 Masks for kids in elementary schools Many are unvaxxed. Some are vulnerable. Staff can be vulnerable. Yet masks ar detrimental to social, emotional, and academic development. — Sha Sha (@francescatututu) February 7, 2022 @BrianLehrer I am ambivalent about IDs to vote. I’m always surprised that I don’t have to show one to vote but I don’t want to disenfranchise but I think it might take teeth out of fraud complaints. — Ben Abelman (@benabelman) February 7, 2022
New Jersey’s original opening date for recreational sales of cannabis is likely going to get pushed back. Caroline Lewis, reporter for WNYC and the Gothamist, joins to discuss what’s behind the delay and which hurdles will need to be overcome to open store doors.
Grace Segers, staff writer at The New Republic, talks about the latest political news including the House passage of a bill to strengthen supply chains, Ukraine response, and the latest on the January 6th investigations.
Geoffrey Cain, senior fellow at the Lincoln Policy Network and author of The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey into China's Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future (PublicAffairs, 2021) talks about the darker issues at play at this year's Olympics including harsh rules around what athletes can say, technology surveillance inside the "Olympic bubble," and the larger context of China's record on human rights.
Mayor Eric Adams hosted President Biden for a summit on public safety this week after the killings of two on-duty police officers. U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat (D, NY-13), who participated in the event, plus Laura Nahmias, senior reporter covering New York City and state politics at Bloomberg News, and Dean Meminger, criminal justice reporter and anchor for NY1 News, talk about the president's trip and the two leaders' visions for combating gun violence.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams talks about his 'Blueprint to End Gun Violence' and his meeting with President Biden. Then listener impressions of Adams' first month in office, and whether he's focusing on issues that matter.
Jobs report numbers are in. Zoe Chance, assistant professor of marketing at Yale School of Management and author of Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen (Random House, 2022), joins to discuss how managers and bosses can work to retain staff and takes calls from listeners who work in management.
Imani Perry, professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the author of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation (Ecco, 2022), shares the insights she gleaned about U.S. history and culture from her travels in the South.
