The Brian Lehrer Show

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)

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. This weeks topics include: how the Adams administration communicates with the press and public, mayor Adams' reaction to comptroller Brad Lander launching a primary campaign against him, another sexual misconduct lawsuit against Adams' advisor, Tim Pearson, and more.

Continuing our centennial series, Eddie Glaude Jr., Princeton professor and the author of several books, including Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own (Crown, 2020) and We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For (Harvard University Press, 2024), talks about the life and legacy of James Baldwin, who would be 100 years old on August 2.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on polls that show young men under 30 are skewing increasingly conservative, while young women are much more likely to vote for Democrats. Listeners call in to talk about how that dynamic has showed up in their dating lives.

Rob Jackson, a leading earth scientist at Stanford and chair of the Global Carbon Project, shares a hopeful vision for tackling the climate crisis. He emphasizes the need to restore atmospheric greenhouse gas levels to pre-industrial norms, shifting focus to reducing methane emissions. Jackson discusses innovations in sustainable steel production and highlights innovative strategies in agriculture to cut methane from rice and cattle. He advocates for revolutionary societal changes, drawing inspiration from past successes in environmental action.

New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera (D-2, East Village, Gramercy Park, Kips Bay, Lower East Side, Murray Hill, Rose Hill) talks about the mayor's emergency order that delays implementation of Local Law 42, just days before it would have gone into effect, that would have capped solitary confinement, among other things.

After a tumultuous Supreme Court term that included the presidential immunity opinion and reporting that showed Justice Thomas received undisclosed gifts and favors from a GOP megadonor, President Biden has proposed changes to the court, including term limits and a code of ethics. Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and host of the podcast, "Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal," and author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (New Press, 2022), offers legal analysis of the reforms, and talks about how much of a long a shot it is that any of this would make it through Congress. 

Brittany Kriegstein, WNYC/Gothamist breaking news reporter focusing on crime and gun violence, shares her reporting on the same few New York City blocks that see the most shootings year after year.

Joan Walsh, The Nation's national affairs correspondent and the co-author of Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power, and Wealth in America (The New Press, 2023), and Christopher Cadelago, California bureau chief at Politico, talk about the latest national political news, with a focus on Vice President Kamala Harris's biography as she locks up the Democratic nomination for president.