The Brian Lehrer Show

David Banks, NYC Schools Chancellor, talks about his testimony before the House committee on antisemitism and how NYC public schools are responding to the heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.

Frank Bruni, New York Times op-ed columnist and the author of The Age of Grievance (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about the effect he sees of "grievances" big and small motivating so much of our politics -- on both the left and the right.

Summer brings fun to the cultural calendar. In this membership drive mini-series, we run through some of can't miss things to see and do. Today, Ryan Kailath, WNYC/Gothamist arts and culture reporter, shares some of the big festivals in the parks.

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, inviting questions from reporters on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, summarizes this week's questions and topics, including the police killing of Win Rozario in Queens and more.

Each day during the spring membership drive, The Brian Lehrer Show is inviting listeners to try their hand at quiz questions, this time loosely based on the titles of radio shows that air on WNYC. Today's quiz questions—about New York people, places and things—are inspired by the title "New Yorker Radio Hour." 

Nicholas Kristof, opinion columnist for The New York Times and author of several books, including the new memoir Chasing Hope (Penguin Random House, 2024), reflects on his long career covering tough stories, including war, genocide and addiction, and explains how he remains optimistic despite it all.

Donald Trump's former "fixer" Michael Cohen, took the stand in the former president's hush money trial this week. Andrea Bernstein,  journalist reporting on Trump legal matters for NPR, host of many podcasts including "Will be Wild" and "Trump, Inc." and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), offers analysis and reports on the latest.

No-Mow May has become increasingly popular as a way to help pollinators during springtime. Allyson Chiu, reporter covering climate solutions for the Washington Post gives tips about the best practices—and listeners call in to report on the status of their lawns.

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones discusses the right-wing campaign against civil rights under the guise of colorblindness. Topics include the history and rationale of affirmative action, challenges in achieving a colorblind society, the misuse of colorblindness, the role of historically black colleges in training black doctors, and reflections on affirmative action.

Michael Hill, host of WNYC's Morning Edition, and Mike Hayes, WNYC/Gothamist reporter covering New Jersey, offer analysis of the debate between Democratic candidates for Senate in New Jersey.