The Brian Lehrer Show

Genia Blaser, director of Hotline at Immigrant Defense Project, and Yasmine Farhang, director of Advocacy at Immigrant Defense Project, discuss President Donald Trump's recent executive order to ramp up the deportation of undocumented immigrants and explain the rights that undocumented individuals have when interacting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander talks about the June primary as he seeks the Democratic nomination for mayor in 2025 as well as the effect on NYC of the new Trump administration, and other NYC news.

Ashley Parker, staff writer at The Atlantic, former Washington Post White House bureau chief, talks about the close relationship between the incoming Trump administration and tech billionaires. "The Tech Oligarchy Arrives" (The Atlantic, 1/20/25)

Will this year be the year you see some experimental theater or finish that crafting project? Listeners share their arts and culture resolutions for 2025.

Jelani Cobb, dean of the Journalism School at Columbia University and a staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about the 2025 duPont-Columbia award winners, plus the inauguration and the Trump administration's expected treatment of journalists.

Russell Contreras, Justice and Race reporter at Axios, discusses President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order revoking decades of diversity and affirmative action practices in the federal government and how it might impact the private sector.

Ahead of the TikTok ban, many Americans moved over to an even more Chinese social media application called RedNote. Steffi Cao, internet culture reporter, explains why she sees this as an opportunity for diplomacy and shares her reporting on how average American and Chinese civilians are getting along.

Jimmy Vielkind, New York State Issues reporter for WNYC, reviews what Gov. Hochul proposed in her $252 billion budget for the state, which now gets negotiated with the legislature.

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. Topics this week include the City's response to early actions taken by the Trump administration, Adams' attendance at Trump's inauguration, Adam's surprise interview on Tucker Carlson, and more.

As our centennial series continues, Paul Bloom, professor emeritus of psychology and cognitive science at Yale University and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and the author of several books, including Psych: The Story of the Human Mind (Ecco, 2023), reviews a century of developments in psychology, psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.

Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council, and Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst, vice president for Global Studies and Fellows at New America and host of the Audible podcast "In the Room with Peter Bergen," offer analysis of President Trump's statements in his inaugural address about taking back the Panama Canal.

Amidst another cold snap this season, listeners share their hacks and hard-won knowledge for keeping warm at work or play during periods of plunging temps and high winds.

Jon Favreau, host of Pod Save America, Offline with Jon Favreau, and co-founder of Crooked Media, and Jon Lovett, host of Pod Save America and co-founder of Crooked Media, round up the latest news from Washington, including how Democrats should, and are, responding the day after President Donald Trump's slew of first day executive orders.

John Wilkerson, a Washington correspondent for STAT who writes about the politics of health care, and Jael Holzman, senior reporter at Heatmap, discuss President Donald Trump's first day in office and his administration's actions regarding health and climate, including on wind farms and the World Health Organization.

Harold Solis, legal director at Make the Road New York, offers legal analysis of President Donald Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship for those born to undocumented parents and the lawsuit brought forth by his organization, the ACLU, and other Civil and Immigration Rights advocacy groups.

On Inauguration Day, Philip Bump, national columnist for The Washington Post and the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America (Viking, 2023), talks about the final moves by President Biden, and what President-elect Trump may do in his first days in office.

For the centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Jacqueline Lewis, senior minister and public theologian at the Middle Collegiate Church, and author of Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness that Can Heal the World (Harmony, 2021), and Jeanne Theoharis, professor of political science at Brooklyn College, and the author of many books on the civil rights and Black Power movements and the contemporary politics of race, reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy, on the day that honors him. Their conversation was part of the WNYC event, "A Burning House" — MLK and the American Experiment at The Apollo Theater, on Sunday, January 19, 2025.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. 100 Years of 100 Things: Partisanship & Inaugural Addresses (First) | 100 Years of 100 Things: The Great Gatsby (Starts at 42:23) | Dry January Amid a New Cancer Risk Report (Starts at 1:22:50) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Zellnor Myrie (D-20th), New York state senator and Codes Committee chair, talks about his mayoral bid as well as the new legislative term in Albany.

Elise Hu, Los Angeles-based journalist and podcaster, former NPR correspondent, offers guidance for helping those affected by the fires in Los Angeles, including how to watch out for scams.