The Brian Lehrer Show

For this "Summer Friday" we've put together some of our favorite conversations this year: Kara SwisherBurn Book: A Tech Love StorySusan PageThe Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara WaltersCharan RanganathWhy We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to What MattersMeg JayThe Defining DecadeThe Twentysomething Treatment: A Revolutionary Remedy for an Uncertain AgeFaith HillThe Atlantic These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: Kara Swisher's 'Tech Love Story' (Mar 29, 2024) Politics, and the Life of a Broadcast Trailblazer (Apr 29, 2024) - Part 3 How Memory Works (Mar 7, 2024) A Way Through the Mental Health Struggles for Twentysomethings (May 16, 2024) Searching for Something in Our Childhood Homes (May 23, 2024)

Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent for USA Today, talks about the news from Washington, including President Biden's speech, Netanyahu's visit, the Harris campaign (and the memes propelling it from below).

Matthew Futterman, senior staff writer for The Athletic, the sports unit of The New York Times, previews the start of the summer Olympics which begin this Friday, July 26th, in Paris, France.

Dame Louise Richardson, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, talks about research into and strategies to reduce political polarization in the United States, especially in this fraught election year.

Ben Max, host of the Max Politics podcast and executive editor and program director at New York Law School’s Center for New York City Law, talks about some of the successful policies from the Adams administration and the power struggle with the City Council seemingly playing out in the Charter Review process.

Micah Loewinger is the brand new co-host of WNYC's On the Media. Brooke Gladstone, co-host of WNYC's On The Media and Micah Loewinger talk about their plans for the show and how it might evolve.

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. This weeks topics include: fights over shelters, his support for VP Kamala Harris, and the comparisons he draws between himself and former mayor David Dinkins.

Continuing our centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Eric Dean Wilson, Queens College writing instructor and the author of After Cooling: On Freon, Global Warming, and the Terrible Cost of Comfort (Simon & Schuster, 2021), walks us through the promise of air conditioning of the past 100 years -- how it relieved people of warming temperatures and how they have eventually contributed to climate change.

Chris Crowley, senior writer at Grub Street, discusses the Mr. Fruit stores, a "chainlet" of delis that has amassed a cult following in Brooklyn.

The Secret Service director resigned under pressure after former President Trump was shot during a rally earlier this month. Carol Leonnig, Washington Post national investigative reporter, explains how Secret Service protection works: who gets it, how are they protected, and what went so wrong at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania.

David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, host of the upcoming podcast Master Plan, an investigation into government corruption in the United States, co-creator of the movie Don't Look Up, and former presidential campaign speechwriter for Bernie Sanders, offers political analysis from the left on President Biden's decision to drop out, the Democrats' rallying behind VP Kamala Harris as the new nominee, and how he sees the campaign as a Trump - Harris matchup looks likely.

Ryan Kailath, WNYC/Gothamist arts and culture reporter, talks about the August 3rd deadline for restaurants wanting to continue outdoor dining and why the streetscape will see changes.

The Republican Party has promised to initiate the largest deportation effort in U.S. history if Donald Trump is elected president. Felipe De La Hoz, contributing member of the New York Daily News editorial board and lecturer at New York University's College of Arts and Sciences, offers a look at Trump's plan. → The Supreme Court Just Supercharged the Scariest Part of Trump’s 2025 Agenda

Ahead of the second round of the annual "Subway Series," listeners share who they're rooting for, where their loyalty comes from, and weigh in on the informal map of Yankees vs. Mets territory in the New York area.

During the show, Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first public speech about her presidential bid. Democrats call in share how they are feeling about Biden's exit from the presidential race and his endorsement of VP Harris.

Continuing our centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Michael E. Mann, presidential distinguished professor and director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania and author of several books, most recently,Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis (PublicAffairs, 2023), walks us through the impact that fossil fuels have had on the climate—and the temperature record—of the past 100 years.

Christine Quinn, president & CEO of Win, the largest provider of shelter and supportive services for homeless families in New York City, reacts to the news that President Biden has dropped out of the presidential campaign, especially in her role as a Democratic delegate, and talks about the protests against the homeless shelter in Bensonhurst and other related news.

Bonnie Watson Coleman, U.S. Representative (D, NJ-12), co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, and Adriano Espaillat, U.S. Representative (D, NY-13), react to the news that President Biden has dropped out of the presidential race. Plus, Gabriel Debenedetti, national correspondent at New York Magazine and author of The Long Alliance: The Imperfect Union of Joe Biden and Barack Obama (Henry Holt and Co., 2022) reports on the news from his position as a reporter steeped in Biden world, and Democratic voters call in to share their thoughts and feelings on this huge shakeup to the campaign.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Poverty in Black and White (First) | The City's First Official Trash Can (Starts at 35:37) | "Weird Al" Yankovic Celebrates 10 Years of "Mandatory Fun" (Starts at 1:04:11) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

10 years after his comedy album "Mandatory Fun" became the first comedy album in history to hit number 1 on the Billboard charts, "Weird Al" Yankovic, musician, comedian, and actor, looks back on his career parodying hit pop songs, previews his latest single "Polkamania!", and takes calls from his multi-generational fanbase.