The Brian Lehrer Show

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them: The Complicated Reality of Egg Freezing (First) - Luis Miranda's 'Latino Spirit' (28:00) - A.J. Jacobs Lives Originalism (58:00) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Ahead of Mother's Day, Liana Finck, illustrator and author of several books, most recently, How to Baby: A No-Advice-Given Guide to Motherhood, with Drawings (The Dial Press, 2024), discusses her non-parenting “parenting guide” and listeners call in to share what surprised them the most about motherhood.

For the first time since 1803 two broods of cicadas in the Midwest and Southeast are emerging at the same time. Benji Jones, senior environmental reporter at Vox, explains what's going on with the billions of insects buzzing around and the effect they'll have on the ecosystem.

Samuel Stein and Oksana Mironova, housing policy analysts at the Community Service Society, talk about their report that highlights the problem of relying on "Area Median Income" in deciding what qualifies as "affordable housing."

Nicholas Wu, Politico congressional reporter, talks about the latest news coming out of Congress, including the bipartisan vote that kept Mike Johnson as speaker and NYC Schools Chancellor Banks' testimony to a House committee on antisemitism.

A recent New York Times Magazine issue explores retirement, and how life after work brings an unexpected challenges to couples. Listeners call in to share how retirement has impacted the relationships in their lives.

A new report by the City Council found pay disparities between workers of color and women in the municipal work force. NYC Council Member Carmen De La Rosa (District 10, Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill), breaks down the data, plus talks about other council news of the week.

President Biden is staking his legacy, and his reelection campaign, on massive amounts of domestic spending, spurred by the passage of four major laws. But a Politico analysis found billions of dollars Congress approved by passing these bills has not yet been spent. Jessie Blaeser, data reporter at Politico, and Ben Storrow, reporter at Politico's E&E News, explain the delays, and why they are a threat both to the president's legacy and his reelection.

Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and editor, and host of the “Ask Governor Murphy” monthly call-in show recaps her conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Topics this month included a proposed corporate tax to fund NJ Transit, tax relief for seniors, an NJ Turnpike extension and more.

A. J. Jacobs, NPR contributor, essayist, host of the podcast "The Puzzler" and the author of The Year of Living Biblically, It's All Relative and his latest, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning (Crown, 2024), offers his take on "originalism" by living like a "founding father"—tricorn hat and all. →EVENT: A. J. Jacobs talks to NYS Lieutenant Gov. Antonio Delgado at 92Y on Thursday, May 9 at 8pm. Register here.

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), reports on the latest news from Trump's so-called "hush money" trial, including testimonies from Hope Hicks and Stormy Daniels and a warning from the judge.

Brooklyn State Senator Zellnor Myrie is making moves to run against Mayor Eric Adams in the Democratic primary next June. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, explains the latest and recaps Mayor Adams' weekly presser, including his remarks on Columbia University's graduation cancellation and more.

Listeners call in to shout out the teacher they most appreciate, whether it's the person who taught them how to read 40 years ago or the one currently coaching their child through long division.

Luis A. Miranda, Jr., founder of the political consulting firm MirRam, founding president of the Hispanic Federation and the author of Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit that is Transforming America (Hachette Books, 2024), shares his story of his life and work in NYC politics (and as the father of Lin Manuel).

Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, historian and author of the forthcoming Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World (Penguin, 2024) talks about her Atlantic cover story, “Democracy Is Losing the Propaganda War," about the rise of autocracy around the world.

TikTok once embraced the narrative of its algorithm as an all-powerful "secret sauce." Now, that narrative appears to be backfiring as Congress attempts to force a sale. John Herrman, tech columnist at New York Magazine, explains.→ The Secret Weakness of TikTok’s All-Powerful Algorithm | Intelligencer

Roxanne Scott, independent journalist working on a series with the NY Amsterdam News about climate change in Southeast Queens, talks about how St. Albans in Southeast Queens, a majority-Black neighborhood where residents have long complained of neglected infrastructure and services, is dealing with a pest exacerbated by climate change: mosquitos.

Greg David, contributor covering fiscal and economic issues for THE CITY and director of the business and economics reporting program and Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, shares his analysis of where retail is and isn't booming, and what kinds of businesses are setting up shop here, plus comments on what the latest unemployment numbers say about the economy.

Survey data show that Americans are getting more sleep now than they did before the pandemic. Caitlin Gilbert, data reporter at The Washington Post, explains the trends, and how it differs between different groups of people.

Annie Karni, congressional correspondent at The New York Times, talks about the latest national political news of the week, including legislation that recently passed the House on antisemitism, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's latest attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson and more.