The Brian Lehrer Show

Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, shares her reporting on the NYC mayoral primary campaign, now in full swing as several new major candidates, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, have entered the race.

As our centennial series continues, Kevin Young, poet, New Yorker poetry editor and the editor of A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker (Knopf, 2025), goes through the history of poetry appearing in The New Yorker, and what was left out.

Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, former New York Times columnist now on Substack, distinguished professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and the author of (now in paperback) Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), offers his take on Pres. Trump's trade policy. 

Throughout this pledge drive, we're ending the show each day with travel tips. Today, Michelle Singletary, personal finance columnist for The Washington Post, offers advice for budgeting for travel to make it affordable and wallet-friendly.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on how the prospect of federal cuts to housing programs may affect New York City, plus other related housing news, on rising insurance costs and security deposits. 

Carolyn Kormann, a dedicated writer for The New Yorker and New York Magazine, dives into the alarming findings of microplastics accumulating in the human brain. She discusses how these tiny particles have been on the rise over decades, highlighting potential cognitive and health risks. Kormann also suggests practical solutions to minimize exposure, like using guppy bags and resisting excess plastic packaging. Her insights urge listeners to become more aware of their environment and take action against plastic pollution.

Every day during this pledge drive, listeners can try their hands at a quiz. Today's topic is American history.

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 former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's entrance into the mayoral primary.

Throughout this pledge drive, Brian Kelly, founder of the travel site The Points Guy and the author of How to Win at Travel (Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 2025), shares advice on how to optimize your travel plans. Today, he shares advice on how to stay healthy when traveling, and how to cope with a fear of flying.

Susan Glasser, a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes a column on life in Washington and co-anchors a weekly roundtable discussion on "The Political Scene" podcast, and co-author with Peter Baker of The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 (Doubleday, 2022), offers analysis, and fact-checking, of President Trump's speech to Congress.