The Brian Lehrer Show

As our centennial series continues, Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the author of America Last: The Right's Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictators (Liveright, 2024), looks at the past century of US dealings with authoritarian governments abroad. 

Jim O'Grady,  freelance podcast reporter, producer and editor, tells us why he looks to a Catholic saint in life's difficult moments, and listeners call in to talk about their favorite saints or spiritual guides.→  "You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Live Like a Saint" | New York Times Magazine  

The plan to facilitate housing development in New York City has come to the Brooklyn neighborhood of Windsor Terrace, and a dispute over a proposed pair of 13-story towers has ensured. David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on the debate and its implications for Eric Adams's City of Yes housing plan. 

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Checking in With Haitian Americans  (First) | Chancellor Banks on the New School Year (Starts at 43:00) | September Summer Plans (Starts at 1:24:00)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show, recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, including the Philadelphia 76ers coming to Camden, grouping together school districts to bring down property taxes and much more.

Although we often consider Labor Day to be the end of summer, a recent piece in The New York Times reminds us that September is a summer month (and some argue, the month with the best weather). Given the lovely forecast projected for the next few days, listeners call in with summer plans for this September weekend. 

Ben Lefebvre, Politico energy reporter, and Alan Rappeport, economic policy reporter for The New York Times, follow up on an exchange between the candidates in Tuesday's debate on the issues of climate and energy and manufacturing jobs.

Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder of The Haitian Times, and Michaelle Solages, a New York State Assembly member, tackle the outrage in the Haitian community over recent inflammatory remarks about immigrants. They discuss the damage misinformation causes, particularly in shaping public perceptions of Haitians. The conversation also highlights the resilience of the Haitian American community, their historical struggles, and ongoing contributions to society, emphasizing the need for unity and support in challenging political climates.

Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World (Hachette Go, 2020), explains why the current "loneliness epidemic" isn't because of a lack of friends, but a lack of time. 

After Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France last month, new attention has been placed on the criminal activity taking place on the application. Angus Berwick, reporter with The Wall Street Journal in London, covering cryptocurrencies, financial crime, and markets, delves into his reporting on how Telegram allows for "pedophile rings, identity thieves and drug traffickers" to sell their illicit goods. And Meera Choi, sociology Ph.D. candidate at Yale University researching gender politics and heterosexual refusal in South Korea, offers a closer look at how Telegram users in South Korea have wreaked havoc on the country through the mass dissemination of deepfake videos portraying everyday women.