The Brian Lehrer Show

Chart trend

Position in the Politics chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#52#103JunJulAugSep

#47

all-time peak

days in the top 50 since Nov 2024

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Brian Lehrer Weekend: Islamophobia, Measles and Arturo O'Farrill

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Islamophobia, Then and Now (First) | The CDC and Measles Deaths (Starts at 24:58) | Arturo O'Farr

Sep 12
1 h 05 min

9/11, 25 Years Later: City Records

Gale Brewer, NYC Council Member (District 6, Central Park, Lincoln Square, Upper West Side, Clinton), former Manhattan Borough President, and Benjamin Chevat, executive d

Sep 11
27 min

9/11, 25 Years Later: The Far-Reaching Health Effects of 9/11

Rebecca Florsheim, MD, MPH, environmental health physician at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the World Trade Center survivor's clinic, discusses the health effec

Sep 11
28 min

9/11 25 Years Later: Remembering the Ordinary Americans Who Died on 9/11

Mike Kelly, columnist for The Bergen Record / NorthJersey.com and author of After Ground Zero: Everyday Americans and the Unhealed Scars of 9/11 (Bloomsbury, 2026), tells

Sep 11
13 min

9/11 25 Years Later: Your Tributes to Everyday 9/11 Heroes

Listeners call in to pay tribute to the first responders and other people who put themselves in harm's way to save others on 9/11. Photo: A victim of the World Trade Cen

Sep 11
13 min

9/11, 25 Years Later: Hillary Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton, former U.S. senator (D-NY, 2001-2009), first lady, secretary of state and the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party

Sep 11
24 min

FDNY Lessons Learned

Joseph Pfeifer, retired FDNY assistant chief, founding director of the FDNY’s Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness, and the author of Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir

Sep 10
42 min

The City's New Office of Worker Power

Last week, Mayor Mamdani announced the creation of a new "Office of Worker Power." Julie Su, deputy mayor for economic justice, explains what that office will do, and unp

Sep 10
27 min

Constructive Disagreement

Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters (Riverhead Books, 2018) and her latest, The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conf

Sep 10
25 min

Arturo O'Farrill Brings Music to Schools

On this first day of school for NYC public school students, composer, pianist, and bandleader Arturo O'Farrill, also the founder of Belongó, talks about his work to bring

Sep 10
13 min

The New York Governor's Race Heats Up

Jimmy Vielkind, New York State Issues reporter for WNYC, discusses the latest news as Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman attempts to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul to be th

Sep 9
54 min

Immigration Crackdown Shadows Haitian New Yorkers at West Indian Day Parade

Ralph Thomassaint Joseph, Caribbean communities correspondent for Documented, recaps Brooklyn's annual West Indian Day Parade and how the immigration crackdown targeting

Sep 9
18 min

Islamophobia, Then and Now

Asma Khalid, co-host of the BBC's The Global Story and former NPR White House correspondent, talks about the rise in Islamophobia following the 9/11 attacks and how it ha

Sep 9
24 min

Back to School Rituals

Listeners call in to share how heading back to school is going, including any preparatory rituals they observe and kids’ attitudes about going back if they’re old enough

Sep 9
11 min

Tuesday Morning Politics: State of Iran War; Home Stretch to Midterms

Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MS NOW, writer for MS NOW and staff writer for The Atlantic, talks about the latest developments in national politics, includin

Sep 8
44 min

The CDC and Measles Deaths

New York Times science and global health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli talks about the new CDC director's challenge of Pennsylvania's report of two measles deaths in the st

Sep 8
27 min

History of the War on Terror

As we approach the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Peter Bergen, national security analyst for CNN, a vice president at the New America Foundation and the author of

Sep 8
36 min

Labor Day: Working Class; White Collar Unions; Supermarkets; Summer Songs

For Labor Day, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: As the Democratic Socialists of America rack up electoral wins during primary seaso

Sep 7
1 h 49 min

Brian Lehrer Weekend: El Niño; NYC Schools & AI; Jeff Spurgeon

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Extreme Weather and El Niño (First) | Back to School Report (Starts at :30) | Goodbye, WQXR's Jef

Sep 5
1 h 17 min

Summer Friday: Right's Women; West's Mistake; Culture Wars; Post-Literate; Wildflowers

On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: Katie Gaddini, sociologist, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, an a

Sep 4
1 h 49 min

Chart positions

Where The Brian Lehrer Show ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 14, 2026).

#86 ▼ 4 Politics US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Brian is a brilliant interviewer and public intellectual. I no longer live in NYC yet I listen to his show weekly. It allows me to stay informed about the most important policy conversations and ideas. My favorite guest is Elie Mystal. Thank you for exposing me to his incisive and entertaining legal analysis.

nmd2000 · Mar 2025

I’ve been listening to The Brian Lehrer Show for decades, but now it’s even more important to me. It’s a one place that I am sure that what I am hearing is clear, unambiguous, and free of personal prejudice. Brian is infinitely.upbeat, understanding and very, very good at managing calls, particularly those that need stopping or redirecting Brian Lehr is a gem

Lcilight · May 2024

Great show. Brian Lehrer is a top talent. He does a compelling, insightful, and informative show. But the podcast’s release schedule is extremely unreliable. You never know when or if the segments will be available, and they never come out in the order they were aired. Doesn’t the podcast audience deserve the same respect as the on-air and streaming audience?

aceisen · Dec 2023

The latest episode that Brian led so eloquently on migrants in NYC schools is cathartic and marvelously presented — a discussion of the history, energy and process of integrating new immigrants into the city school system. Without diminishing the difficulties, he emphasizes the assets they do bring and our capacity to welcome them. Additionally he played an excerpt from a recent speech by Mayor Adams that is much more welcoming of migrants to NY and more compassionate- a side of him that the local news media does not capture, while also acknowledging the crisis at a national level.

wldavidvreader · Sep 2023

I remember listening to The Brian Lehrer show during the march for Black Lives in 2020 and being impressed at what seemed to be fairly even-handed discussions. I tuned in today (2023-10-26) to listen to a segment with Robin Wright on Israel’s war against the Palestinians and was appalled. At a time when the UN and many international organizations are describing what’s occurring in Gaza as war crimes and likely genocide, Brian and Robin blithely repeated Israel’s proven false talking points, which the Biden administration has also been parroting. For example, Biden stated yesterday that he doesn’t trust the death counts coming out of Gaza. What they didn’t mention is that the US State Dept routinely cites the Palestinian Health Ministry and hasn’t once cast doubt on it. Israel has killed over 7,000 people, including 3,000 children and over 25 journalists. Over 731 entire families have been killed, and 1,700 are currently trapped underneath rubble. Robin would have us think that they’re all human shields. It’s despicable, and our news media is complicit in spreading these lies. For real news, I recommend Democracy Now. I’m done listening Brian.

RA in LA · Oct 2023

I have always been a supporter of government fairness. However, here is a Medicaid practice that is clearly unfair. I don’t believe the general public is aware that home owners who are facing large expenses (like a retirement home) can recover such an expense for their children. Medicaid rules allow the owner to turn over ownership of that home to their children. If the owner of that home passes away within 5years the new ownership is their children’s. As far as I can tell there is no upper level income limitation. This is unfair to those who are in true need.

Don from Morris County · Mar 2025

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.