The Brian Lehrer Show

When Mika Brzezinski acted as a political commentator being critical of President Trump for his job performance, he fought back by claiming that she was bleeding badly from a facelift and attacking her looks. Brian asks women listening to weigh in on the double bind by which they feel pressure (from Trump and many others) to live up to high appearance standards, but then get shamed if they do. @BrianLehrer I find the state of female bashing w/ presidential seal of approval incredibly depressing. Like a time warp since the 70's. — Karma Martell (@karmacom) July 3, 2017 @BrianLehrer Have always embraced my gray - often told to "get rid of it" - now have aged into it. That said - look at Trump! The nerve! — Virginia Rietz (@ginzinger) July 3, 2017 yes, even more so in male dominated field. Look "pretty" but shamed for being "high maintenance". Like excuse me, makeup is $$$ — Vy Karra (@kpopvyshi) July 3, 2017

Because of a budget dispute, New Jersey’s state parks and beaches are shut down this holiday weekend (to everyone but Governor Christie and his family). Brian asks how this affected New Jersey listeners and asks their opinion on the dispute over funding between the governor and the Assembly speaker. I live in Jersey City. While the fourth festivities are moving forward, for many LSP is vacation. This is an attack on lower income folks. — Stephanie Daniels (@effyshead) July 3, 2017 @BrianLehrer I don't like Christie, but at least he's showing backbone on an issue that matters. How does this play for gov race? — Seth (@SethHuling) July 3, 2017 @BrianLehrer Avoiding shutting down the beaches on July 4 is what drove the entire plot of JAWS. #beachgate #ChrisChristie #july4thweekend — Sarah Carr-Locke (@LadyJune28) July 3, 2017

During the campaign, Vice President Pence said “I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” Brian asks listeners to share their politics identity list and where “American” shows up on it. Human, American, progressive — ಠ_ರೃ (@bootsybootsyboo) July 3, 2017 1: Human2: Woman3: Mother 4: Teacher5: Child of immigrants https://t.co/ZvfOSNA0WP — Kristin Wald (@kdwald) July 3, 2017 I'm all over the place with everything but for sure I'm American first. — Geoff Feder (@GBILLY) July 3, 2017 @BrianLehrer woman of color, Cosmopolitan, American Progressive — (((ywilchinsky))) (@ynot474747) July 3, 2017 Human African American Jew. Oh, &: graphic designer Progressive straight cis-male... music-loving NPR/PRI/BBC... reader. @BrianLehrer — (((Nicky McCatty))) (@zalel) July 3, 2017 @BrianLehrer I am a citizen of the world, a knowledge seeker, and a gamer in that order. #Equality #videogames — Alec LeToole (@AlecLeToole) July 3, 2017

In case you missed them, hear three of our favorite segments from the week: Senator Al Franken (First) | Increasing Diversity in NYC Public Schools (Starts 37:26) | How to Fall in Love (Starts 1:04:30) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Heath Fogg Davis, associate professor of political science at Temple University and author of Beyond Trans: Does Gender Matter (NYU Press, 2017), provocatively questions the need for gender categories in the law, specifically with ID documents, public restrooms, colleges, and sports. The way we have categorized gender identity is by grouping people in either M or F. But Davis argues that there is a different way to approach gender beyond these two markers. 

On the final day of the TRussia Daily series, MSNBC analyst and Mother Jones Washington bureau chief David Corn answers anything and everything about the Trump and Russia investigation. First up, Corn discusses the latest developments from a Wall Street Journal article implicating a connection between Russian hackers and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. The main question from the article: why was Flynn the point person for the Russian hackers? And when it comes to the investigation, Corn says, something to remember is that, "Collusion isn't the be all, end all here. There are a lot of things that could be wrong besides collusion." So he urges people to not get hung up on that, especially as special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation continues.

Kaiser Health News' chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner talks about the latest in the Republican efforts to "repeal and replace" Obamacare after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell withdrew his first try for revision and a new CBO score. McConnell is in trouble with people from both sides at this point. For conservatives, the bill is not conservative enough. And the moderates are mostly concerned with Medicaid, explains Rovner. McConnell has an extremely narrow path to get to 50 votes. And the President isn't facilitating this getting resolved. 

As part of WNYC's, The Affordability Project, WNYC reporters Jessica Gould and Paige Cowett are covering the struggle to afford living in Mott Haven, Bronx and Bay Street, Staten Island as costs of living rises. Gould and Cowett talk about a rapidly changing NYC neighborhood they have been covering: Sunset Park, Brooklyn.  What makes Sunset Park an interesting neighborhood to keep an eye on? Home sale prices have increased. Median rents have gone up. And it's the 3rd most crowded neighborhood in the city, which makes it vulnerable to gentrification, explains Gould. More transportation options are on the horizon for the area and hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested to building up the waterfront.  If you’re in Sunset Park, Cowett and Gould want to hear from you. How are the changes in your neighborhood affecting your ability to live or work there? How do you afford New York? Let them know your strategy! Tweet @byjessicagould or @pcowett with the hashtag #affordnyc.

Back in 2015, professional tennis player, James Blake, was "mistakenly" tackled by an NYPD officer in Manhattan over credit card fraud. Blake has taken this opportunity to shine the light on athletes fighting for social justice in his new book, Ways of Grace: Stories of Activism, Adversity, and How Sports Can Bring Us Together(Amistad, 2017). He talks about the ordeal of being arrested and the aftermath that led him to a career in activism. 

On the first day of summer vacation for NYC public school students, concerned parents and advocates discuss the Department of Education's plan to increase diversity in schools. We hear from Naomi Peña, member of District 1's Community Education Council, Natasha Capers, coordinator and parent leader of the New York City Coalition of Educational Justice (CEJ), and Shino Tanikawa, public school parent and chair of the Diversity Committee of District 2's Community Education Council.  There is a long term conversation we can start now about having more integrative housing, which would help foster more diversity in neighborhood schools, explains Tanikawa. Instead of just busing kids to schools outside their neighborhoods, redefining what a "good school" is and promoting diversity in teaching staff could also improve NYC public schools. 

Brooke Gladstone, host and managing editor of WNYC's On the Media and the author of The Trouble With Reality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time (Workman Publishing Company, 2017), talks about how the Trump-Russia investigation is impacting the job of the press in terms of how it is reporting stories and planning coverage. Gladstone raises the question: How can the media cover the big important story of TRussia and cover every other story equally and as well? The daily TRussia developments eat up a lot of media attention. Therefore, environmental news, for example, takes a backseat. But at the end of the day, we need to prevent ourselves from being so easily manipulated by Trump and his efforts to distract the public, says Gladstone. And with all the criticism about outlet's citing anonymous sources and mishandling their coverage of this administration, it can be hard to trust the media in general. But "as a news consumer, you decide who you think uses the best practice," Gladstone explains. 

New York waterways haven't always been known for their cleanliness. But the rivers are cleaner than ever and people are catching their lunch and dinner right off the piers, bridges, and parks.  Alex Vadukul, writer for the Sunday Metropolitan section of the New York Times, guides listeners to the ins and outs of fishing in NYC. In his recent New York Magazine piece, Vadukul informs NYC enthusiasts which fish are safe to eat from our local waterways.  Before you eat what you catch, read this New York State Department of Health fish advisory, that has lots of relevant information on which fish caught in New York City waterways are safe to eat. 

Henry Olsen, a senior fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center, contributor to National Review and Weekly Standard, and author of the new book, The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism (Broadside Books, 2017). He explains that while the GOP often invokes Reagan's legacy, they're overlooking fundamental aspects of Reagan's politics. He loved the working class and even as he moved to right, he accepted and pushed the social safety net. Olsen believes that Republicans need to embrace the heart of Reagan's ideals of fulfilling the New Deal.

In the latest episode of WNYC's podcast Death, Sex & Money, host Anna Sale speaks with many people whose student loan debt has affected their relationships, careers, and families. She'll also talk about the show's ongoing project, Our Student Loan Secrets, that aims to show people that they aren't alone in their struggles to talk about and pay off their debt for higher education. In an episode, one story Sale follows is from "Beth," who graduated law school in 2006 with about $155,000 in student loans. She is currently on track to pay them off, hopefully, by the end of this year. She explains, "I've been paying thousands of month for the past three months... and it comes down to extreme budgeting." But once she pays them off completely, she feels like she'll finally be able to get her life back.

Affordable housing is a very real issue that affects all New Yorkers. And now that the rent freeze is over, rents are going to increase: 1.25% increase for 1-year leases and 2% increases for 2-year leases. So the endless quest for affordable housing goes on.  Laura Nahmias, reporter on City Hall for POLITICO New York, talks about the recent rent guidelines vote and the new proposal to extend housing assistance. She explains, that there's only about 850,000 rent stabilized units in New York City and that's just a small piece of the pie. But there's a new proposal, "Living in Communities" (LINC) that is intended to make the city's rent subsidy programs more effective.