The Brian Lehrer Show

James Traub, veteran journalist and the author of True Believer: Hubert Humphrey's Quest for a More Just America (Basic Books, 2024), talks about the legacy of Hubert Humphrey and the 1968 Democratic convention and election year versus this year's. 

Kamala Harris once called for a ban on fracking, but on the campaign trail this time around her tone has shifted. Ben Geman, energy reporter at Axios, talks about the Democratic presidential nominee's positions on fracking and the politics of it all.

Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine  columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, recaps the first night of the Democratic National Convention, including several speeches by New Yorkers, including Gov. Hochul, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hillary Clinton, and President Biden's headlining speech.  Plus, Sue Altman, Democratic candidate for congress in New Jersey's 7th district, joins Brian briefly to talk about her race against one-term Republican incumbent Tom Kean, Jr.

As our centennial series continues,  Michael Kazin, professor of history at Georgetown University, editor emeritus of Dissent and the author of several books, including What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party (FSG, 2022), reviews the past century of Democratic conventions and presidential candidates.

Katy Tur, anchor of MSNBC's Katy Tur Reports and the author of books including Rough Draft (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2023),  and Luke Russert, host and creative director of MSNBC Live and author of the memoir Look For Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself (Harper Horizon, 2023),  talk about the latest national political news, as the Democratic National Convention is about to kick off in Chicago, plus discuss MSNBC's new live in-person events.

A city initiative known as “Operation Padlock to Protect” has shut down more than 900 illegal cannabis shops across the city since it launched in May. Caroline Lewis,  health care reporter for WNYC/Gothamist discusses the crackdown, where to buy legal weed, and takes cannabis questions from callers. 

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.Walz's Climate Record (First) | Ask Governor Murphy: August Recap (Starts at 41:24) | 100 Years of 100 Things: The Jersey Shore (Starts at 01:10:45)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

For this "Summer Friday" we've put together some of our favorite conversations this year:Ali Velshi, MSNBC host and chief correspondent and the author of Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy (Macmillan, 2024), shares the story of his grandfather's work with Gandhi and Mandela and how their influence continues in his generation.Jack Turban, M.D., director of the Gender Psychiatry Program and assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of Free to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity (Atria, 2024), talks about the science, the medicine and the politics surrounding gender identity in children and teens.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.Every year, 50 teenage girls representing each state in America descend on Alabama to compete for large scholarship checks in the Distinguished Young Women program. Shima Oliaee, host and creator of "The Competition," creator of Pink Card, co-creator of Dolly Parton's America and founder of Shirazad Productions, discusses her new podcast, "The Competition", which follows these young women on their two-week journey and offers a peak into what it's like to be a teenage girl in America today. These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here:A Family Heritage of Social Justice (May 17, 2024)Kids & Gender Identity (Jun 12, 2024)Kids & Gender Identity, Part Two (Jun 24, 2024)The Protests that Set the Stage (Jun 21, 2024)What "The Competition" Says About Teenage Girlhood (May 3, 2024)

Jay Chang, member of the K-Pop groups B.D.U and One Pact, and participant in Build Up, shares his story of growing up in New Jersey, moving to Korea to become a K-Pop idol, and returning back to New Jersey on tour with his group B.D.U.

Amy Maxmen, PhD, public health correspondent and editor at KFF Health News, talks about the latest data on the spread of avian flu, what monitoring is underway, and the current state of public health preparedness.