

The Brian Lehrer Show
WNYC
Brian Lehrer leads the conversation about what matters most now in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 22, 2024 • 1h 21min
Brian Lehrer Weekend: Phones in NYC Schools?; Celebrating Harriet Tubman; Summer Wedding Attire
Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Kathy Hochul considers a ban on cell phones in NYC public schools (First) | Tiya Miles on Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People (Penguin Press, 2024) (Starts at 43:15) | A guide to summer wedding outfits (Starts at 1:07:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Jun 21, 2024 • 27min
The Protests that Set the Stage
DW Gibson, journalist and the author of One Week to Change the World: An Oral History of the 1999 WTO Protests (Simon & Schuster, 2024), tells the story of the protests against globalization and their impact on subsequent activism, including today's climate protests.

Jun 21, 2024 • 46min
The Consequential Cases Still Before the Supreme Court
Aziz Huq, professor of law at the University of Chicago and author of the forthcoming The Rule of Law: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2024), offers legal analysis of the Supreme Court's recent opinions on taxes and the First Amendment, and previews the major decisions still outstanding.

Jun 21, 2024 • 11min
Staying Cool in the Hottest of Temperatures
As summer begins and New York feels its first heatwave of 2024, listeners share their tips and tricks for beating the heat and keeping cool as temperatures rise.

Jun 21, 2024 • 26min
A History of the Struggle to Pass NYC's 1986 Gay Rights Bill
Stephen Petrus, director of Public History Programs at LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College and curator of “The Battle for Intro. 2: The New York City Gay Rights Bill, 1971 – 1986", talks about the work he and his students did in putting together a digital exhibit on the New York City Gay Rights Bill, which passed after a long fight between advocates and opponents, and Allen Roskoff, civil rights activist, president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, and the co-author of the nation’s first gay rights bill, recalls his involvement in the bill and the activism that led to its passage.

Jun 20, 2024 • 30min
The Vape Debates
Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes, journalists and podcast hosts, talk about their new podcast "Backfired: The Vaping Wars," about the public health debate over Juul and vaping in general.

Jun 20, 2024 • 13min
Summer Wedding "Mood Boards"
Wardrobe guidance for some weddings is getting increasingly specific, sometimes even including "mood boards" to provide inspiration. Listeners planning -- or attending -- summer weddings call in to share how these new types of dress codes are a factor in their plans.

Jun 20, 2024 • 24min
Advice for Dreamers and Undocumented Spouses
President Biden's latest executive action aims to help DACA recipients, and the undocumented spouses and stepchildren of American citizens. Allan Wernick, senior legal advisor to CUNY Citizenship Now!, CUNY's free immigration law service program, explains in more detail what the orders are meant to do, when they might take effect, and offers advice for callers in those groups.

Jun 20, 2024 • 43min
Confusion Reigns Over Phone Rules in City Schools
New York City schools have a patchwork of rules surrounding phones in class, and students, teachers and parents say they are confused and frustrated. Amy Zimmer, Chalkbeat New York bureau chief, shares her reporting on the issue, and talks about why Gov. Hochul is mulling a statewide ban on phones in schools.

Jun 19, 2024 • 29min
Reporters Ask the Mayor: Masks, Rents, Eid, and More
Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, including a proposed mask ban, the rent hike, Muslim New Yorkers, and more.


