The Brian Lehrer Show

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. NYC Health Department Braces for Federal Budget Cuts (First) | REAL ID, for Real This Time (Starts at 27:34) | 100 Years of 100 Things: Women in the Military (Starts at 42:14) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Randy Mastro, first deputy mayor of New York City, discusses the proposals in the $115 billion dollar budget that Mayor Adams announced, including adding seats to free after-school care, and increasing the size of the police force.

Sam Schechner, technology reporter at The Wall Street Journal, talks about his experience of feeling dumber due to relying on artificial intelligence and what he's done to retake his brain.

The Republican House leadership is confronting significant obstacles to passing a sweeping package of the Trump administration's priorities. Kadia Goba, congressional reporter for Semafor, breaks down what's in it and the latest news, including the status of the Trump-backed SAVE Act, which critics say would lead to the disenfranchisement of millions of married women.

Louisa Tatum, Career Services Manager at the New York Public Library, talks about the job and career landscape for people without college degrees—and we'll take calls from listeners who are looking for career advice. EVENT: The New York Public Library is hosting a free job fair and career expo at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building's Celeste Bartos Forum. That's on Friday, May 23, 2025, 10 AM - 3 PM. More information at the link below: https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2025/05/23/nypls-free-tech-job-fair-expo-2025-connect-learn-get-hired Support of WNYC’s coverage of economic mobility and opportunity is provided in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about how the Gates Foundation supports economic mobility and opportunity, visit usprogram.gatesfoundation.org.

On May 7, in order to board a domestic flight or enter a federal building in the U.S., travelers will have to show a form of “REAL ID compliant” identification. Walt McClure, director of public information at NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, breaks down the process to get a REAL ID and how the Department of Motor Vehicles is handling the influx of new applications ahead of the deadline.

Nick Miroff, staff writer for The Atlantic who covers immigration, talks about the behind the scenes negotiations between the Trump administration and the president of El Salvador regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador without due process; plus the latest news on the Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was released from immigration detention.

Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association and a former mayor of Montclair, talks about his campaign to be the Democratic nominee for governor in the June primary and the issues that matter to voters in New Jersey.

As we continue our series about attaining upward mobility without a college degree, Marjorie Parker, CEO and president of JobsFirstNYC, talks about her work on youth and young adult economic and workforce development in New York City. And Jane Martinez Dowling, chief of student pathways at New York City Public Schools, talks about career education initiatives within the NYC Department of Education. Support of WNYC’s coverage of economic mobility and opportunity is provided in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about how the Gates Foundation supports economic mobility and opportunity, visit usprogram.gatesfoundation.org.

As our centennial series continues, Katherine Sharp Landdeck, professor of history and director of Pioneers Oral History Project at Texas Woman's University and the author of The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II (Crown, 2020), talks about American women in the military over the last century.

Blair Corcoran de Castillo, vice president of public sector and policy at Opportunity@Work, and Tony Gherardini, executive director at the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration, talk about how state governments and public agencies are rethinking hiring, training, and credential requirements to open up opportunity for STARs—workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes. Support of WNYC’s coverage of economic mobility and opportunity is provided in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about how the Gates Foundation supports economic mobility and opportunity, visit usprogram.gatesfoundation.org.

Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, and Ramsey Khalifeh, Gothamist and WNYC transportation reporter, share their reporting on how each candidate is approaching a big issue on voters' minds: public safety, crime and homelessness in the subway system.

College decision day is May 1st, but students and their families have a lot more to think about this year than in the past. Listeners call in to share how they're considering where to go to school in the fall given the political firestorm surrounding universities across the United States.

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, offers his assessment of the first 100 days of President Trump's second term, and the opposition that is beginning to form.

Michelle Morse, M.D., interim commissioner of health at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and an internal medicine and public health doctor, talks about the areas where the health department says it will really feel the impact of federal budget cuts, including responding to disease outbreaks, vaccine outreach and more.

Jad Abumrad, composer, musician and storyteller, creator of WNYC's Radiolab, Dolly Parton's America, and More Perfect, a professor of research at Vanderbilt University, and the co-composer and librettist for Port(al), and Dianne Berkun Menaker, Brooklyn Youth Chorus founder and artistic director and co-creator of Port(al), talk about the new site-specific work about the history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. They're joined by chorus member Josie Devlin.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a tentative budget agreement almost one month late. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on where the big policy issues landed, including on a cell phone ban in schools, masks and discovery laws—plus the financial details of the deal.

President Donald Trump recently asked U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to intervene in defense of the Massapequa school district, saying the school should be able to their use of Native American mascots, names and logos. Darwin Yanes, Newsday education reporter, explains the latest on the entrenched battle between the Long Island public school district, the New York Education Department — and now — the president.

As our centennial series continues, Ana Raquel Minian, associate professor of history at Stanford and the author of In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States (Viking, 2024), reviews U.S. detention of immigrants over the past century.

Andy Kim, U.S. Senator (D NJ), talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey. Topics this week include the state of Democracy in the buildup to the midterm elections, tariffs and ceasefire in Ukraine.