The Brian Lehrer Show

As some Democrats question their alliance with transgender rights, and Republicans, particularly Trump, successfully campaigned on anti-trans sentiments, Kate Sosin, LGBTQ+ reporter at the 19th, focusing on transgender rights, incarceration, politics and public policy, shares how people who identify as trans are bracing themselves for a second Trump presidency.

Outdoor dining season comes to a close next week. Ryan Kailath, WNYC/Gothamist arts and culture reporter, breaks down what happens next for the restaurant industry, including new rules that will take effect starting April 1, 2025.

Daniel Klaidman, investigative reporter for CBS News, former editor-in-chief of Yahoo News and author of Kill Or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), and co-author of Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election (Twelve, 2024), breaks down the megadonors who fueled Donald Trump's campaign for president and what they may want in the next 4 years.

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 Monday's random stabbings, the drought warning, and his relationship with the incoming president.

Zack Colman, reporter covering climate and energy at Politico, talks about President-elect Donald Trump's pick of oil executive Chris Wright to be the secretary of energy and the takeaways from the first week of COP29, the annual climate conference with world leaders.

U.S. Senator (D, NY) Kirsten Gillibrand talks about her reelection, President-Elect Trump's cabinet picks, UFOs, and more.

Listeners talk about how the manage to keep their relationships going despite major political differences and disagreements.

New data show 1 in 8 children in New York City public schools are homeless, a record number. Christine Quinn, president & CEO of Win, the largest provider of shelter and supportive services for homeless families in New York City, talks about the challenges homeless families face, and offers ideas on how to help solve a longstanding problem.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D NY-8th, Brooklyn), the author of, with illustrations by Shaniya Carrington, The ABCs of Democracy (Grand Central Publishing, 2024), talks about the election results, and his new book based on a speech he gave on the House floor last year.

As our centennial series continues, Gideon Rose, adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the former editor of Foreign Affairs and author of How Wars End (Simon & Schuster, 2010) reviews the history of American foreign policy toward the Middle East alongside Rami Khouri, Palestinian-American journalist, senior public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut, nonresident senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington, op-ed contributor Al Jazeera online, and co-author of Understanding Hamas: And Why That Matters (OR Books, 2024).

Chi Ossé, New York City council member (District 36, Bedford Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights), talks about his recently-passed bill that will ban broker fees, long a major financial hurdle that renters have to overcome - and responds to the criticism from the real estate industry.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. How Trump will undo Biden's signature climate law (First) | The impact of the uncommitted movement (Starts at 24:00) | The Gen Z bro media diet (Starts at 48:15) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Katelyn Jetelina, founder and author of the newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist, talks about what may be coming down the road for public health, as President-elect Trump considers giving noted vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and others who have questioned settled science, leading roles in the administration.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has revived the plan to bring congestion pricing to New York City with a $9 base toll. Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC Newsroom, talks about the details of the plan.

Annie Karni, congressional correspondent for The New York Times, talks about the various people President-elect Trump has chosen for top positions, and how Republican leadership is responding to his picks.

Aymann Ismail, staff writer at Slate, talks about his campaign season reporting on Muslim and Arab-American voters, the "uncommitted" movement, and how it affected turnout for Vice President Harris.

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, including how a second Trump administration might impact the state's climate change goals, why cannabis prices are going up and much more.

As our centennial series continues, Richard Haass, American diplomat, former longtime president of the Council on Foreign Relations, senior counselor at the global investment firm Centerview Partners, and the author of The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens (Penguin Press, 2023), reviews the history of American's global influence, from World War I to today.

As Democrats search for the reasons Americans rejected the party in this past election, Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), talks about Harris's loss from her perspective as a scholar of women in politics while Nadira Goffe, associate culture writer at Slate, discusses the reason she sees as the elephant in the room -- Americans were not in favor of having a Black woman as president.

Exit poll data from swing states shows that young men favored Donald Trump 49 percent to 47 percent, while women the same age range favored Kamala Harris by 24 points — the largest gender gap within any age group. Rebecca Jennings, senior correspondent covering internet culture at Vox, explains what media sources young men are consuming online and what led to the split.