The Brian Lehrer Show from WNYC f3n6w

Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and a former Supreme Court clerk, co-host of the podcast "Strict Scrutiny" and the author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2025), offers her take on the current Supreme Court, the major decisions coming this term and why she says it's running as “no law, just vibes.”

U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey, including the arrest of Rep. McIver after an incident at an ICE facility, what President Trump is saying about Putin and Ukraine and more.

As our centennial series continues, Katie Thornton, host of The Divided Dial, a series on WNYC's On the Media, independent journalist, public historian, and Fulbright fellow, talks about the new season of her 4-part series, about the history of shortwave radio.

CUNY recently lost federal funding for more than 70 research grants. Denis Nash, professor of epidemiology at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and executive director of CUNY’s Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, talks about the funding he recently lost on research related to COVID vaccine uptake, plus comments on the changes coming to how the COVID vaccine is rolled out for the next season.

As we observe Memorial Day, enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations from the centennial series: Katherine Sharp Landdeck, professor of history and director of Pioneers Oral History Project at Texas Woman's University and the author of The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II (Crown, 2020), talks about American women in the military over the last century. David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about another centenarian, The New Yorker, which published its first issue on February 21, 1925. Phil Brown, University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Health Science at Northeastern University, founder and president of the Catskills Institute and the author of several books, including Catskill Culture: A Mountain Rat's Memories of the Great Jewish Resort Area (Temple University Press, 1998), takes us through the last 100 years in The Catskills -- the hotels, the camps and the people. Sam Barzilay, creative director & co-founder of Photoville, looks at the history of street photography, from the invention of the Leica hand-held 35mm camera which made capturing "the decisive moment" possible, to the challenges presented by AI and smartphone technology of today.   These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: 100 Years of 100 Things: Women in the Military (Apr 30, 2025) 100 Years of 100 Things: The New Yorker Magazine (Jan 31, 2025) 100 Years of 100 Things: Catskills Hotels (Aug 14, 2024) 100 Years of 100 Things: Street Photography (Apr 22, 2025)

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. 100 Years of 100 Things: New York Films  (First) | 100 Years of 100 Things: Best Sellers (Starts at 17:31) | Summer Culture Calendar: Classical Music (Starts at 31:42) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Enjoy some of our favorite recent conversations from the centennial series: Mark Mather, demographer and associate vice president for U.S. Programs at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) walks us through the shifts over the past 100 years in U.S. birth rates, followed by changes in U.S. mortality statistics. Julie Suk, a law professor at Fordham University and the author of We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment (Skyhorse Publishing, 2020), reviews the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, from its introduction by Alice Paul in 1923 through its current disputed status, following age by a 38th state and President Biden's declaration that it's the "law of the land." Liza Donnelly, writer and cartoonist at The New Yorker and the author of Very Funny Ladies: The New Yorker's Women Cartoonists, 1925-2021 (Prometheus, 2022) and the substack "Seeing Things", talks about the evolution of the "New Yorker cartoon" over the magazine's 100-year history. Co-hosts of The Season podcast, Robert Coker, author of the book Roller Coasters: A Thrill Seeker's Guide To The Ultimate Scream Machines (Main Street, 2002) and Douglas Barnes, talk about the history of roller coasters, from the "Golden Age" of 1920's wooden coasters like Coney Island's Cyclone through modern steel "stratacoasters," like the late lamented Kingda Ka, which was recently imploded to make room for something even bigger.   These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: 100 Years of 100 Things: US Population Shifts (Jan 2, 2025) 100 Years of 100 Things: US Mortality Causes (Jan 6, 2025) 100 Years of 100 Things: The ERA (Mar 4, 2025) 100 Years of 100 Things: New Yorker Cartoons (Mar 20, 2025) 100 Years of 100 Things: Roller Coasters (Apr 11, 2025)

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, offers his analysis of how the House budget bill that Republicans ed early this morning may affect NYC - in both good and bad ways.

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Jordan Lauf, producer for All Of It and its book club, Get Lit with All Of It, recommends some of the books coming out this summer. Some of the books on Jordan's list: Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen (out now)  The Antidote by Karen Russell (out now) Flashlight by Susan Choi (out June 3rd)  King of Ashes by SA Cosby (June 10th)  The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater (June 3rd) A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst (July 8th)  Baldwin– A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs (out August 19th)  Audition by Katie Kitamura (Get Lit with All Of It selection, May 29)

Latif Nasser, co-host of Radiolab from WNYC, tells the story of the huge impacts one small discovery made, brought to us by federally-funded scientific research -- and what we might lose as so much of the funding has been cut by DOGE.  

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) talks about her work in Washington, particularly her initial response to Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill', which just ed the House.

Listeners listen to a short clip of music that was, at one time, at the top of the Billboard charts, and try to "name that tune."

Dana Stevens, film critic at Slate.com and a co-host of the Slate Culture Gabfest podcast and the author of Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century (Atria Books, 2022), previews the summer movie season, including the blockbusters everyone will be talking about, and other films she recommends you check out.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the campaign trail, as well as the questions listeners would like Brian to ask at the mayoral primary debate.

In the wake of Trump's attempts to get the House's new budget bill to , Marianna Sotomayor, congressional reporter for The Washington Post where she covers lawmakers and debates on Capitol Hill, offers commentary on the bill's status.

Listeners try their hand at a quiz about the critters that live in the city.

As our centennial series continues, Tina Jordan, deputy editor of The New York Times Book Review, and a co-editor of The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History (Clarkson Potter, 2021), looks at the history of best-selling books and what that says out the past century of American culture.

Nina Totenberg, NPR legal affairs correspondent, offers her analysis of the arguments the Supreme Court justices heard last week on birthright citizenship, and nationwide injunctions.

Listeners try their hand at quiz questions about iconic movies set in New York City.

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Elliott Forrest, midday host of WQXR, reviews some of the classical music highlights of the summer season.