The Brian Lehrer Show

Every Tuesday evening through May 4th, The Greene Space and the non-profit advocacy organization Worth Rises are holding virtual panel discussions about the business side of the prison industry, asking: who profits when people get put away? We're previewing those discussions with a weekly segment here on The Brian Lehrer Show. Mass incarceration is not only a racial justice and civil rights issue—it is also an investment issue. Bianca Tylek, Worth Rises’s executive director, and Elizabeth Parisian, assistant director of research and strategic initiatives at American Federation of Teachers (AFT), talk about how our money—from pension funds to retirement accounts—is tied up in the prison industry, and whether there’s anything we can do to take control and change course. EVENT, 7pm: Sign up for Tuesday's live virtual panel discussion HERE.

Anna Sale, host of the WNYC Studios podcast Death, Sex & Money and author of the book Let's Talk About Hard Things (Simon & Schuster, 2021), talks about her new book and shares how to have conversations about tough subjects like grief, mortality, identity, income and heartbreak and what happens when we really talk it out.

After the mayor announced the city would reopen fully by July, Governor Cuomo (along with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut) said yesterday the state would reopen almost fully by mid-May. Ben Yakas, arts and culture editor for Gothamist and WNYC, talks about what this means for businesses and gatherings in New York.

Gov. Cuomo announced 24-hour subway service will resume on May 17. Jose Martinez, transportation reporter for The City, talks about this news, plus his recent story on the push for underground bathrooms - which have been closed since the early days of the pandemic - to be reopened.

With new variants circulating around the United States and a continued vaccine hesitancy among some, Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times reporter focusing on science and global health talks about how the U.S. may never reach herd immunity against the COVID-19 virus.

Maya Wiley, 2021 mayoral hopeful, legal analyst and a university professor at the New School, talks about her plans for the City's economy, both in recovering from the pandemic losses and in addressing pre-existing inequality.

Eugene Daniels, a Politico Playbook author and White House correspondent, and Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University, host of the podcasts "What's In It For US" and "FAQNYC," politics editor at The Grio and author of Black Ethnics (Oxford University Press, 2013), talk about the first 100 days of Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House.

Today marks the start of Teacher Appreciation Week. So, as this tumultuous year winds down, listeners call in to share their appreciation for their — or their children's — teachers, who have worked so hard and done so much to help their students through the year.

Anemona Hartocollis, national correspondent for The New York Times covering higher education, explains why more diverse freshmen classes are being accepted at schools like Harvard, Cornell and NYU. With waived test scores and essay questions on racial justice, admissions are looking more equitable this year. 

Listeners call in to share why they've changed jobs during the uncertainty of the pandemic.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about her work in the Senate, and particularly her work on the Armed Services committee. Plus, the Biden/Harris 'first 100 days, and more.

Census data revealed Puerto Rico lost almost 12% of its population since the last count. Alana Casanova-Burgess, host of WNYC and Futuro Studio's La Brega and producer for WNYC Studios, talks about the conditions that led to so many people leaving the island, and listeners who moved to the mainland call in to talk about why they did and where they went.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio takes calls from listeners and discusses this week in NYC, including the plan to fully re-open the city by July 1, the prospect of adding new busways and the budget he proposed for the coming year.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. An Open Streets War (First)| New York's Census Reckoning (Starts at 25:35) | India's Coronavirus Crisis (Starts at 48:42) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-20th, including parts Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn) talks about his proposed gun legislation and other state issues.