The Brian Lehrer Show

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., talks about his new book, Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2026). In it, Murphy identifies the underlying crises that have resulted in our current politics and offers solutions that could reinvigorate Americans' sense of the common good. Photo: Cover art for Crisis of the Common Good. (Credit: Macmillan Publishers) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New York State lawmakers are considering the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics, professor at Bennington College, former EPA Region 2 administrator and author of The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late (The New Press, 2025), talks about why she is advocating for its passage and what the bill would do if it becomes law. Photo: A recycling bin in New York City. (Credit: RockyJennifer/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jeffrey Winters, professor of political science at Northwestern University and the director of the Equality Development and Globalization Studies Program at Northwestern’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and the author of The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies (Scribner, 2026), talks about the history of oligarchy, how to fight it, and why it maintains power in a democracy. Photo: Cover art for The Blind Spot. (Credit: Simon & Schuster) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After the Knicks dominant performance in the Eastern Conference Finals, New York fans are feeling an overwhelming sense of exuberance. Listeners call in to share other sporting moments in their lives that brought this feeling—whether with a professional team or at a lower level. Photo: Knicks fans celebrate winning the eastern conference championship against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 25, 2026 in New York City. Credit: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Memorial Day, a new interview on its history, and some recent favorites: Kenneth C. DavisThe World in Books: 52 Works of Great Short NonfictionJodi KantorNew York Times She Said How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work Susan PageUSA Today The Queen and Her Presidents Michael ValdovinosMoral Injuries: When Good Conscience Suffers in a World of Hurt A.M. GittlitzMetropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People’s Team The first interview was recorded for today. The others were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: Advice for Finding Your Life's Work (April 22, 2026) The Queen & the Presidents (April 14, 2026) Moral Injuries on the Battlefield and Beyond (April 24, 2026) A 'People's History' of the Mets (March 31, 2026) photo: Spring Time at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia on April 9, 2024 (Arlington National Cemetery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. National News With Kai and Carter (First) | Hantavirus Fact and Fiction (Starts at 29:48) | How Belief in God Has Changed (Starts at 44:40) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, discusses Mayor Zohran Mamdani's “South of Prospect Plan," which aims to rezone the commercial corridors of McDonald and Coney Island avenues south of Brooklyn's Prospect Park, as well as surrounding blocks, for taller buildings and more housing development. Photo: Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn. (Credit: Jim.henderson/Wikimedia Commons CC BY 3.0) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nahal Toosi, Politico’s senior foreign affairs correspondent and columnist, discusses her latest reporting on how President Donald Trump and his aides have grown frustrated that the U.S. pressure campaign against Cuba, which includes depriving the island of fuel, doesn't seem to be working and what sort of military action might be on the table. Photo: A person waves US and Cuban flags during a "Free Cuba" rally in Miami, Florida, on April 26, 2026, to call for the departure of the Castros and the Communist Party from power in Cuba. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Everlane, the brand built on "radical transparency" and sustainable basics, is reportedly selling to ultra-fast-fashion giant Shein for $100 million. Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion (Penguin, 2012) and The Conscious Closet (Plume, 2019), talks about her piece in The Atlantic, "Everlane, Shein, and the Limits of the Ethical Consumer," on what the sale reveals about so-called sustainable fashion and the limits of ethical consumerism. Photo: A customer checks a tag at the new Shein fast fashion retail at its opening day in the BHV department store in Angers, western France, on February 25, 2026. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julia Moskin, food reporter for the New York Times, talks about New York's proposed ban on potassium bromate, a flour additive that gives New York pizza and bagels their distinct textures—and a possible carcinogen in humans. Photo: ESPN invites fans to get a bite of the NBA action at PopUp Bagels ahead of season tip-off on October 22, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for ESPN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Renita Francois, deputy mayor for community safety, talks about her job leading the newly established Mayor’s Office of Community Safety, focused on violence prevention. Photo: Members of a violence prevention team gather near a hookah lounge where three people were shot dead and 10 others wounded following a shooting at the Taste of the City lounge in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, early Sunday on August 19, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW; writer for MSNOW and staff writer for The Atlantic, talks about the late Barney Frank's advice for Democrats and other national political news of the day, including his analysis of how President Trump is changing as his second term continues, and why he thinks the president's age is less scrutinized than his predecessor's. Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump departs from Air Force One on May 20, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kai Wright, host of the podcast Big Lives, and Carter Sherman, co-hosts of the new Guardian US video podcast Stateside With Kai and Carter, talk about recent stories in the news, including their take on the Supreme Court's voting rights decision, an ICE arrest that turned violent and more. Photo: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents patrol Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport on March 24, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Reshma Ketkar, co-founder of the group We Start Here and the lead organizer for Stories without Borders, talks about the work the group We Start Here does to help people organize fundraising events for organizations that are important to them. Plus, listeners call in to talk about local fundraisers they've worked on, who they are supporting and why. Photo: A donation box at the entrance to the library. At the Fleetwood Area Public Library in Fleetwood, PA Thursday morning January 27, 2022. (Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew Weissmann, professor of practice at NYU School of Law, co-host of the podcast Main Justice and and the author of Liar’s Kingdom: How to Stop Trump’s Deceit and Save America (Little, Brown, 2026), talks about the changes to the legal system needed to preserve US democracy. Photo: Sunira Moses, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gregory Anderson, commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation, talks about his new role, and his department's work in enforcing the composting laws that are on the books. Photo: NYC Compost Project, collection bin, Queens, New York. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kenneth C. Davis, author of Don't Know Much About History and Don't Know Much About Mythology, quizzes listeners on how well they know their American history. Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Meghan Sullivan, professor of philosophy at Notre Dame and founder of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, offers her take on the contemporary context for belief, or doubt, in God as religious affiliation largely declines in the U.S. Photo: Worshippers walk to a station during the Way of the Cross procession over the Brooklyn Bridge on April 03, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Regina Lark, organizer and founder of A Clear Path, offers advice for how to clean out a parent's home, especially when grief is also a part of the picture. Photo: A woman creates piles of cookbooks she planned to purchase during the estate sale at the home of celebrity chef Barbara Lynch. (Photo by Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

CBS has canceled "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." As the show airs its final episodes, Bill Carter, editor at large for LateNighter.com, discusses what its loss says about today's media landscape. Photo: US comedian Stephen Colbert speaks onstage during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles on September 14, 2025. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.