The Brian Lehrer Show

Larry Krasner, Philadelphia district attorney, former civil rights and defense attorney, and author of the new book, For the People: A Story of Justice and Power (One World, 2021), talks about his approach to prosecution, as a means to criminal justice reform.

Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, university professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and director of ICAP at Columbia University, talks about the latest COVID news and shares her thoughts on outdoor masking, the safety of travel, case rates and more.

Jami Floyd, senior editor for race and justice at WNYC, offers legal analysis of the Chauvin trial, as the jurors deliberate, plus talks about the makeup of the jury, and the instructions they were given from the judge on how to apply the law to the facts of the case.

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. Today: Private transportation companies that contract with jails and prisons are often paid by the mile, which can incentivize longer routes, avoiding stops and ignoring the critical needs of passengers, which has had deadly consequences in some cases. Bianca Tylek, Worth Rises’s executive director, and Alysia Santo, reporter for The Marshall Project, talk about the business of prison transportation and take your calls. EVENT, 7pm: Sign up for Tuesday's live virtual panel discussion HERE.

Raymond McGuire, former Citigroup executive and mayoral hopeful, takes calls from listeners about his campaign and the issues facing the City.

Philip Bump, national correspondent for The Washington Post, talks about the latest national political news, including the news that President Biden will raise the refugee cap, police gun violence and more national political news.

Steven Mufson, business of climate change reporter at The Washington Post, talks about the role of EVs in meeting the U.S. climate goals, President Biden's proposed boost to the industry in his infrastructure plan, and the practicalities of shifting from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones. Plus, Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish and his newest, The Climate Diet: 50 Simple Ways to Trim Your Carbon Footprint (Penguin Books, 2021), shares his experience with an electric vehicle in Manhattan.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. The Chauvin Trial Continues (First) | Fighting Pandemics Through Global Cooperation (Starts at 29:15) | The Stories Our Clothes Tell (Starts at 57:45) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Robin George Andrews, volcanologist turned science journalist, talks about the eruptions from the La Soufrière volcano on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, and whether scientists predict the worst is over or more destruction is on the way. Plus, Nikkole Decaul, community organizer, on how to help donate supplies to the region.  Please share. #SVGEruption2021 pic.twitter.com/t1FzZWkefR — Oxygen Mas (@OxygenMasSVG) April 9, 2021

Restaurant owners and workers call in to share what reopening has been like and to comment on how dining has changed during the pandemic.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio takes calls from listeners and discusses this week in NYC, including the continuation of Open Streets and Open Restaurants initiatives, crisis housing in the wake of a Jackson Heights fire, and the timeline on reopening NYC government offices.

Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, talks about how corporate America is reacting to legislation that generally restricts voting rights — and what more he thinks they could be doing.

Nilka Martell, founder and director of the community-based non-profit organization Loving the Bronx, and Peter Muennig, professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, discuss a proposal to cap portions of the Cross-Bronx Expressway in favor of new green spaces and housing.

Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine and the author of Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021), answers questions about Covid-19 vaccines and argues for science and not forgetting the pandemic is global in scope.

President Biden announced he will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by or before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, talks about how world leaders and national security experts are reacting to the news.  We're talking about America's withdrawal from Afghanistan with @SangerNYT. Call in if you've been if you’ve been stationed in the region since 9/11 or have family in Afghanistan. How are you feeling about the decision and what comes next? 646 435 7280 — The Brian Lehrer Show and A Daily Politics Podcast (@BrianLehrer) April 15, 2021