The Brian Lehrer Show

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

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about the latest national political news, including how the president is choosing which reporters cover him as part of the White House press pool, tense negotiations with Ukrainian President Zelensky and more. 

The city has implemented a new math curriculum called "Illustrative Math" and not all teachers are fans. Jessica Gould, WNYC/Gothamist reporter, talks about how the roll out is going, and how officials hope it will improve dismal math scores.

Charlotte Coles, a financial advice columnist for New York Magazine's The Cut, dives deep into the chaotic world of student loans under the Trump administration, revealing the complexities borrowers face with evolving policies and service issues. Meanwhile, Michael Schulman, a staff writer for The New Yorker and author of Oscar Wars, takes listeners through a century of Oscar history, discussing the evolution of the Best Picture award and its relevance in today’s streaming landscape. Their insights offer both practical advice and cultural reflections.

John Nichols, national-affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine and the author of, with Sen. Bernie Sanders, It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism (Crown, 2023), talks about today's planned protest boycotts and other responses by those opposed to the early Trump administration actions.

As our centennial series continues and with Sunday's Oscar ceremony, Michael Schulman, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears (Harper Collins, 2023), takes us through the decades of Best Picture winners and what they tell us about their time.

Jimmy Vielkind, New York State politics reporter for WNYC, dives into the illegal strike by corrections officers in upstate New York. He discusses their demands for better working conditions amidst rising violence and the controversial Halt Solitary Confinement Act. Listeners hear about personal accounts from officers’ families, revealing the emotional toll of understaffing. The conversation also touches on the complexities of prison dynamics, particularly in light of recent inmate violence and the state's challenge in restoring order during the strike.

U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (D NJ 6th), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, talks about the budget passed by House Republicans that he says will "take health care away from millions of Americans."

Jonathan Friedman, managing director of U.S. free expression and education programs at PEN America, discusses their new analysis of the 4,000 books banned in schools during the 2023-2024 school year.

Jackie Faherty, astrophysicist and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, talks about the rare alignment of the planets, many visible without a telescope.