The Brian Lehrer Show

Andrea Bartz, novelist who exposed the Shy Girl AI controversy, talks about AI’s impact on fiction and reader trust. Ibram X. Kendi, historian and author, traces the origins and spread of Great Replacement Theory and its links to authoritarianism. The conversation also pivots to how sports teach teamwork, resilience, and honesty in life.

Christina Fallon, owner of Dream It Done Organizing, is a professional organizer who helps households create maintainable systems. She talks about why spring is ideal for building organizing habits. She shares simple rules like Only Handle It Once, ways to tackle overwhelming projects, strategies for sentimental items, and easy donation and resale options.

Jessica Gould, education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, covers NYC schools and policy. She unpacks new AI traffic-light guidelines for classrooms. She explains living guidance and debates over AI benefits versus privacy and energy concerns. She also breaks down digital hall-pass data collection and the push to extend mayoral control.

Juries in both New Mexico and California found social media giants to be liable for harm to children. Bobby Allyn, NPR technology correspondent, explains what each trial was about, and what it could signal for the future of companies like Meta and Google. Photo: A young woman uses a cell phone. (Credit: Conexões Globais/ Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0)

Mary Clare Jalonick, AP congressional reporter and author of Storm at the Capitol, and Evan McMorris-Santoro, national politics reporter and newsletter writer, break down the Senate DHS funding vote and what it actually covers. They discuss looming House action, TSA staffing and airport chaos, the SAVE Act’s voter ID push, and the political calculations shaping the next moves.

Annemarie Gray, executive director of Open New York and veteran land-use professional, discusses proposed changes to SEQRA. She explains how streamlining reviews could speed infill housing, reduce costs, and align housing with climate goals. She also addresses concerns about scope, safeguards to prevent sprawl, and how language can protect local and historic resources.

Andrea Bartz, novelist and essayist known for thrillers like The Last Ferry Out, discusses the Shy Girl controversy and writing amid A.I. She describes how readers and investigations flagged AI-like passages. Short takes cover what AI 'slop' sounds like, why disclosure and trust matter, experiments with ChatGPT mimicking her voice, and ways authors can protect themselves.

Katie Honan, St. John’s alum and reporter who’s a devoted fan, and Jason Gay, Wall Street Journal sports columnist and college basketball commentator. They celebrate St. John’s Sweet 16 run. They debate Rick Pitino’s coaching impact and controversial past. They unpack how the transfer portal and NIL reshaped roster building and team dynamics.

William Christou, Beirut-based Middle East reporter for The Guardian, and Kian Tajbakhsh, Iranian-American scholar and former political prisoner, discuss U.S.-Iran negotiation dynamics. They compare divergent ceasefire plans. They explore Iran’s internal divisions and regional strategies. They talk about Gulf states’ aims and the humanitarian toll in Lebanon.

Michael McRae, StartCare leader focused on local harm reduction and racial equity. Lev Facher, data-driven addiction reporter at STAT News. They discuss the recent drop in opioid overdose deaths. They explore racial disparities, the pandemic’s role, policy versus market forces, China's precursor crackdown, rising stimulant and polysubstance deaths, and lifesaving treatments like buprenorphine and naloxone.