The Brian Lehrer Show

U.S. Representative Mondaire Jones (D- NY17,  Rockland County and part of Westchester County) talks about his support of reforming the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation, plus his proposal to add four justices to the Supreme Court.

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 we hear from Councilmember Carlina Rivera on her priorities for District 2, which reaches from parts of the Lower East Side and through the East Village to Murray Hill. As a way to get to know each member we're asking them to bring a "show and tell" from their district, and Rivera "brought" pedestrianized spaces, like the Avenue B Open Street, "when we open streets to people we realize they can their gyms, community centers, restaurants and playgrounds." Rivera pointed to her bill, which the mayor signed in May, which makes Open Streets a permanent DOT program.  We're interviewing all 51 Council Members over the course of the next year. Today we talked to District 2's @CarlinaRivera. At the end of this lightening round we learned the CM has a 30 year old turtle named Freddy. pic.twitter.com/g2jbSCXlSy — The Brian Lehrer Show and A Daily Politics Podcast (@BrianLehrer) January 11, 2022

Craig Spencer, New York City emergency medicine physician and director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, describes the landscape of omicron infection in New York City hospitals, from "incidental infections" to staff shortages caused by doctors and nurses having to isolate after testing positive. →"As an E.R. Doctor, I Fear Health Care Collapse More Than Omicron" (NYTimes, Jan. 10)

Celia Fisher, professor of psychology and director Center for Ethics Education at Fordham University, talks about her research into why parents balk at vaccinating their children against COVID. →"COVID-19 Pediatric Vaccine Hesitancy among Racially Diverse Parents in the United States" (Vaccines, Dec. 27, 2021)  

U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY15) and New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-33) who chairs the Health Committee, discuss the deadly fire that happened in their Bronx districts on Sunday, including relief efforts for the predominantly West African community impacted, as well as what's being done in Washington and Albany on building safety, affordable housing and public health.  

More than 60 people were injured and at least 19 people have died after a space heater sparked an enourmous fire in a high-rise apartment building in the Bronx. Charles Jennings, associate professor of Security, Fire and Emergency Management, and director at the Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies (RaCERS) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), and Jake Offenhartz, reporter for Gothamist and WNYC, talk about what happened and answer listener questions about fire safety best practices. They discuss details on who owns the building and what fire safety elements may have been missing and say what can be done on a city policy and individual level to keep New Yorkers safe in similar high-rise buildings. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg talks about his first month in office and where the office will focus its prosecutions and responds to the new NYPD commissioner's concerns.

Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent, talks about the latest national political news.

This week newly-elected Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman halted mask enforcement for indoor venues, and referred to “home rule” as a justification for defying Governor Hochul’s statewide mask mandate. Richard Briffault, Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, talks about the concept of home rule in the state constitution, and why certain local issues must be decided by the state legislature -- plus, comments on the competing maps submitted by the state's first independent redistricting commission and where that process goes from here.

It's that time of year where outdoor dining has become almost unbearable with temps dipping below freezing. Listeners call-in with their alternate, so-fun-you-forget-it's-cold, suggestions for outdoor activities as omicron cases continue make some people uneasy with indoor hangs.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. How Jan 6th Changed Extremism (First) | This Year's Space Highlights with Neil deGrasse Tyson (Starts at 31:34) |  The United States of Hobbies (Starts at 46:12) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller, former Brooklyn City Council member, talks about his priorities for office as he takes on this new role and talks about the findings of a survey of New Yorkers. → 2021 Public Service Satisfaction Survey (Scribd) from the Center for Urban Research at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York 

Jason Johnson, MSNBC contributor, author, professor of Politics and Journalism at Morgan State University and host of the Slate political podcast A Word … with Jason Johnson, rounds up this week's political news and reacts to speeches from Pres. Biden and Atty Gen. Garland on the anniversary of the attack on the Capitol.

Mayor Adams has been open about having dyslexia and is critical of schools for not being equipped to properly educate students who have the same condition. Shawn Anthony Robinson, reading instructor at Madison College, senior research associate in the Wisconsin Equity and Inclusion Laboratory and co-founder of Doctor Dyslexia Dude, and Susan B. Neuman, professor of Childhood and Literacy Education at the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, explain how dyslexia affects the brain, and the mayor's plan to implement universal screening in public schools.

While some Trump supporting Republicans say their legal plan to decertify the 2020 election was eclipsed by last year's Capitol riot, formal processes limiting elections on the state level -- like possibly cutting Republican primaries -- may be of greater concern.  Amanda Carpenter, columnist at The Bulwark, director of Republicans for Voting Rights, author of Gaslighting America: Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us (Broadside Books, 2018), and former communications director to Texas Senator Ted Cruz, explains the potential future of the Republican party as various actors defending Trump or conservativism or democracy remain divided.