The Brian Lehrer Show

Listeners try their hand at a quiz with questions about iconic late-night talk show hosts.

Throughout this membership drive we are talking about the animals we love and care for in our homes -- our pets. Today, Anne Levin, executive director of the Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition and co-founder of the Brooklyn Cat Cafe, talks about rats and other small furry creatures as pets.

Adam Gopnik, staff writer for The New Yorker, and author of The Real Work, talks about his one-man play, "Adam Gopnik's New York" in performance at Lincoln Center through Sunday.

Andrew Gounardes, New York State Senator (D, District 26 - Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, the Columbia Street Waterfront District, Dumbo, Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton, Gowanus, Park Slope, Red Hook, South Slope, and Sunset Park), makes the case for a free CUNY system, which he has advocated for in Albany.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Sen. Kim on Gateway Defunding (First) | 30 Issues in 30 Days: Moving Local NYC Elections to Presidential Election Years (Starts at 17:15) | Pets in the City: Cats (Starts at 35:43) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Listeners try their hand at a quiz with questions about city critters.

Charles Komanoff, transit activist and mathematician, and Eric Goldwyn, assistant professor and program director at NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management, debate whether free buses, which are a pillar of Democratic mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani's transportation plan, are the best way to both speed up the notoriously slow bus system and best help New Yorkers struggling with the high cost of living. Plus, they discuss Andrew Cuomo's proposal to shift management of New York City Transit to the city from the state.

Throughout this membership drive we are talking about the animals we love and care for in our homes -- our pets. Today, Maxwell Branch, vice president of community programs at Flatbush Cats, talks about cats and the people who share their homes with them.

Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019) , previews the cases the Supreme Court will take up in its new term, including arguments on a redistricting case they are hearing arguments on this week, and offers analysis of just how much presidential power the court will afford to President Trump in upcoming decisions.

Jeff Coltin, Politico reporter and co-author of the New York Playbook, recaps the mayoral debate between Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.

Rachel Louise Ensign, economics reporter with The Wall Street Journal, explains the economic forces keeping Americans stuck in their homes and jobs, and how it impacts daily life.

Throughout this membership drive we are talking about the animals we love and care for in our homes -- our pets. Today, Sam Laroche, manager of Petqua, a pet store on Manhattan's West Side, talks about keeping reptiles as pets and how to help them thrive.

Listeners hear a description of a place in the tri-state area and try to guess where it is.

New Jersey is generally viewed as a state with some of the strongest abortion protections, but Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli has some plans that could change that. Terrence McDonald, editor at the New Jersey Monitor, talks about the parts of both candidates' platforms that could change or strengthen abortion protections in the state.

Andy Kim, U.S. Senator (D NJ), weighs in on the Trump announcement that the Gateway tunnel project is "terminated."

Listeners hear a description of a place in the tri-state area and try to guess where it is.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the latest news from the mayoral campaign as Election Day is just weeks away.

Throughout this membership drive we are talking about the animals we love and care for in our homes -- our pets. Today, Elias Weiss Friedman, aka @TheDogist on Instagram, author of This Dog Will Change Your Life (Ballantine, 2025) and host of a new YouTube talk show talks about the dogs he's met and why he thinks they make us better humans.

Brigid Bergin, Gothamist and WNYC senior political correspondent, talks about the proposal that NYC voters will see on this year's ballot that would move local elections to take place during presidential election years.

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about the latest national political news, and previews this year's New Yorker festival.