The Brian Lehrer Show

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

With Vice President Kamala Harris about to name her V.P. pick, Nancy Cook, senior national political correspondent at Bloomberg News, talks about the top contenders to be Vice President Harris' running mate, plus what the latest polls show about the changes in the presidential race. 

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.A hundred years of James Baldwin  (First) | Election integrity as a matter of national security (Starts at 27:50) | New York City etiquette rules (Starts at 57:35)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Fareed Zakaria, a Washington Post columnist and CNN host, discusses historical turbulence and how it informs today’s political landscape. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a distinguished Harvard professor, delves into the complexities of Black identity and self-definition in his new book. Judith Butler, renowned for her work on gender theory, critiques current gender ideologies amidst rising conservative movements. Additionally, Anna Kramer highlights the nostalgia and sustainability of vintage appliances, sparking discussions on longevity versus disposability in modern technology.

Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, discusses her reporting on problems the Campaign Finance Board found in Mayor Adams's 2021 campaign, and how it could affect his re-election campaign.

Sarah Jones, senior writer at the Intelligencer and New York Magazine, discusses J.D. Vance's viral comment that America is run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies." Plus, listeners weigh in on how the trope is being reclaimed. 

Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, CNN political analyst, NPR contributor, and author of several books, and Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law, the author of several books, discuss the new book they co-edited, Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue(NYU Press, 2024), in which experts weigh in on the risks to national security posed by election insecurity. 

 U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) discusses recent developments, including Kamala Harris's campaign, today's prisoner swap with Russia, the latest in the Middle East, working across the aisle on healthcare issues, and more.

Until recently, the nation’s tech capital, Silicon Valley, was seen as a liberal bastion, but the tech billionaires are starting to diverge in their political ideologies. Erin Griffith, New York Times reporter covering tech companies and Silicon Valley, explains what's going on with the infighting and how wealthy tech donors are influencing the 2024 presidential election.

Allie Volpe, senior reporter at Vox, talks about how to learn a new sport at any age.=>"Inspired by the Olympics? You can become an athlete at any age." (Vox.com, July 25)