The Brian Lehrer Show

Jeff Coltin, a Politico reporter and co-author of the New York Playbook, provides a sharp recap of the NYC mayoral debate featuring Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa. They dive into how each candidate would confront Trump, with Sliwa’s pro-Trump outreach sparking debate. Coltin analyzes concerns over management experience, particularly Cuomo's attacks on Mamdani. Discussions also cover housing policies, Mamdani's Middle East stance, and the candidates' varying degrees of charisma on stage—crucial for reshaping voter perceptions.

Rachel Louise Ensign, economics reporter with The Wall Street Journal, explains the economic forces keeping Americans stuck in their homes and jobs, and how it impacts daily life.

Throughout this membership drive we are talking about the animals we love and care for in our homes -- our pets.  Today, Sam Laroche, manager of Petqua, a pet store on Manhattan's West Side, talks about keeping reptiles as pets and how to help them thrive.

Listeners hear a description of a place in the tri-state area and try to guess where it is.

New Jersey is generally viewed as a state with some of the strongest abortion protections, but Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli has some plans that could change that. Terrence McDonald, editor at the New Jersey Monitor, talks about the parts of both candidates' platforms that could change or strengthen abortion protections in the state.

Andy Kim, U.S. Senator (D NJ), weighs in on the Trump announcement that the Gateway tunnel project is "terminated."

Listeners hear a description of a place in the tri-state area and try to guess where it is.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the mayoral campaign as Election Day is just weeks away.

Throughout this membership drive we are talking about the animals we love and care for in our homes -- our pets.  Today, Elias Weiss Friedman, aka @TheDogist on Instagram, author of This Dog Will Change Your Life (Ballantine, 2025) and host of a new YouTube talk show talks about the dogs he's met and why he thinks they make us better humans.

Brigid Bergin, Gothamist and WNYC senior political correspondent, talks about the proposal that NYC voters will see on this year's ballot that would move local elections to take place during presidential election years.