The Brian Lehrer Show

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, talks about the challenge Mayor-elect Mamdani will face as he tries to fulfill his campaign promises while balancing the city's budget.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives is set to return to work after a 54-day hiatus. Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter at POLITICO, talks about the upcoming vote in the House on the funding bill that would end the government shutdown, why some Democrats are furious at their Senate colleagues who broke ranks to cut a deal and more.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has pointed to "sewer socialism"—the early Milwaukee model where socialist mayors treated basic public infrastructure as central to serving working people—as part of the vision that guides him. Listeners call in to tell us which small public-works improvement, in that spirit, would make life better on their block.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, talks about the new hires Mayor-elect Mamdani has announced will be part of his administration, plus the news from Mayor Adams's final days in office.

Paula DiPerna, policy consultant, author of Pricing the Priceless (Wiley, 2023) and co-author of Carbon Hunters: Reflections And Forecasts Of Climate Markets In The 21st Century (WSPC,2025), talks about the history of international cooperation on climate change, and Mark Hertsgaard, journalist and co-founder and executive director of Covering Climate Now, and the author of Big Red’s Mercy: The Shooting of Deborah Cotton and A Story of Race in America (Pegasus, 2024), discuss what to expect from the global climate summit underway in Brazil now that the Trump administration is boycotting.

For Veterans Day, Paul Rieckhoff, independent national security, veterans affairs and political analyst, host of the Independent Americans podcast, founder & CEO of Independent Veterans of America, co-founder of American Veterans for Ukraine, and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), discusses how vets are viewing the changes Pete Hegseth is making to the armed forces, and how well they feel they are being taken care of under Hegseth and the Trump administration.

It's been a few months since schools in New York State started with a new rule: no smart phones allowed. Teachers, parents and students call in to talk about how it's going so far, and what the school day is like without the distraction of cell phones.

Jared Fox, education consultant, former NYC secondary science teacher and the author of Learning Environment: Inspirational Actions, Approaches, and Stories from the Science Classroom (Beacon Press, 2025), guides teachers in taking science education beyond the classroom, drawing on his experience teaching science in Washington Heights.

Listeners call in to talk about their feelings on the Democratic senators who broke ranks to vote with Republicans to re-open the government.

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," discusses the short documentary film she directed, "Women Laughing," about cartoonists at The New Yorker and their artistic processes.

U.S. Representative Tom Suozzi (D NY3) talks about the latest on the longest shutdown in history, how it now might end and the election results.

Ciarán Donnelly, senior vice president for International Programs at International Rescue Committee, breaks down the latest news from Sudan, where the country has been experiencing a civil war since April 2023 amid a power struggle between its army and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Micah Uetricht, editor of Jacobin Magazine, and Susan Kang, associate professor of political science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a commentator on local politics, talk about how the democratic socialist theory of change brought forth Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York City mayoral race, and what to expect from a socialist mayor.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Researcher and strategist Michael Lange on the broad coalition that propelled Zohran Mamdani to victory in the NYC mayoral election (First) | A post-election interview with New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherril (Starts at 46:55) | A.J. Jacobs tries life without A.I. (Starts at 58:30) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Hannah Frishberg, New York City arts and culture reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, shares some non-politics related activities for the weekend as listeners share how they're shifting their attention away from the mayoral race and back to cultural activities or other forms of civic engagement.

Mark Levine, Manhattan borough president and Comptroller-Elect, talks about his election victory, the transition from Manhattan borough president to citywide office, and more.

Toluse Olorunnipa, staff writer at The Atlantic, discusses the latest national political news as Rep. Nancy Pelosi announces her decision to retire from Congress in 2027 and the government shutdown, already the longest in U.S. history, goes on. Photo: The western front of the United States Capitol. The Capitol serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. (Noclip, Public domain, via )

Molly Fischer, staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about her reporting on Costco’s storied company culture and whether it can endure as the company continues to grow.

Michael Lange, New York City-based writer, researcher, strategist, and political organizer, talks about the broad coalition that Zohran Mamdani put together for his decisive win in the New York City mayoral election.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week on the legality of President Trump's tariffs. Aziz Huq, professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School and author of The Rule of Law: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2024), offers legal analysis of the case, and how the justices might be inclined to rule, based on their questions.