The Brian Lehrer Show

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 what some have deemed a humanitarian crisis in Midtown.

Ernesto Londoño, Midwest correspondent for The New York Times based in Minnesota, provides a full biography of Minnesota governor turned Democratic vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz. 

The canonization of the first millennial saint has sparked calls for a queer saint. For some, Father Mychal Judge, New York City Fire Department chaplain and the first certified 9/11 casualty, is at the center of these calls. Antonio Pagliarulo, writer and author of The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery & Magic of the Quiet Curse (Weiser Books, 2023), makes the case.

In the past decade, millions of Americans made the switch from cigarettes to vaping in hopes of avoiding the worst smoking-related illnesses. In the process, many who never smoked cigarettes have found themselves addicted to nicotine without strong guidelines on how to quit. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, FSAHM, professor of pediatrics/adolescent medicine at Stanford, and founder/director of the Stanford REACH Lab, explains how we got here and shares medical advice on how to quit vaping.

Bill McKibben, environmental activist, founder of Third Act and author of many books, most recently The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened (Henry Holt and Co., 2022), talks about why he hopes Gov. Hochul will sign a bill passed by the New York State legislature earlier this year that would require fossil fuel companies to pay for damages associated with climate change. Plus, he talks about how climate activists are feeling about the presidential election, now that Kamala Harris is on the top of the Democratic ticket.

Justin Wolfers, professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, talks about the stock market sell-off, the latest jobs report, how to gauge the health of the economy, and why he thinks the stock market "is a bit like a toddler."

Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), talks about Kamala Harris's choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, and listeners weigh in with their thoughts. 

Governor Hochul's pause on congestion pricing has left transit improvement projects in the lurch. Ana Ley, transportation reporter for the New York Times, discusses how officials are coping with the upheaval that's come with the loss of projected revenue. 

For our ninth thing in our centennial series, Ian MacAllen, Italian-American food expert and author of Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022), covers the history and development of a beloved New York City food: pizza. 

As Joe Biden knows, stepping away from a high-powered job can be a difficult decision to make. Charley Locke, freelance writer, discusses her reporting on why some people put retirement off, and listeners weigh in.→ Retirement Gets Harder the Longer You Wait