The Brian Lehrer Show from WNYC
Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.
Avoiding IRS Tax Scams (First) | Planet Money: The Book (Starts at 21:05) | Bloomin' NYC (Starts at 47:54)
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Photo: Income tax calculations. (Photo by stevepb/Pixabay).
Mihir Zaveri, New York Times reporter covering housing, and Brad Greenburg, executive director of the NYU Furman Center, look at Mayor Mamdani's housing policies and accomplishments during his first 100 days in office.
Photo: Mayor Mamdani delivers right to organize materials to tenants in East Harlem. Thursday, March 26, 2026. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
Jeff Coltin, editor-in-chief of City & State, and Timmy Facciola, independent journalist who runs the Substack "Judge Street Journal," recap the debate between the Democrats vying for a shot to take on current Republican Congressman Mike Lawler in NY-17, plus they discuss the biggest local issues, and how this district fits into this year's midterm election politics.
Photo: Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., greets a supporter during a "Back the Blue," campaign rally in Congers, N.Y., on Friday, October 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Haidee Chu, reporter for THE CITY, and James Kaechele, certified master arborist and manager of the Parks Department’s Tree Time program, talk about the trees suddenly in bloom and where to find the best views.
"We Mapped Out Where the Best Spring Blooms Are In NYC" (The CITY)
photo: Riverside Park, April 2022 (Lisa Allison)
Ben Fritz, reporter at The Wall Street Journal, sheds light on the American entertainment industry's recent struggles as studios shoot more and more films and television productions outside the US.
Photo: Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Thomas Wolf via Wikimedia Commons.
Linda Lee, NYC Council Member (District 23, Eastern Queens) and chair of the Finance Committee, talks about the City Council's budget proposals.
Photo: New York City Hall, 9 May 2007 (Momos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
In observation of "Local News Day," Stefanie Murray, director of the Center for Cooperative Media in the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University, talks about the local news picture in New Jersey, and Penda Howell, co-founder, CEO and publisher of New Jersey Urban News in Newark, and Aaron Morrill, founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of the Jersey City Times, talk about their local news organizations and the challenges of covering local issues in NJ.
photo: Newark City Hall, April 2014 (Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Listeners with differing relationships to religion and faith tell us why they do or do not believe in God.
Photo: Holy Cross Church in Frankfurt, Germany. Credit: A. Savin via Wikimedia Commons.
Ishaan Tharoor, foreign affairs journalist at The New Yorker, discusses Trump's approach to Iran, how the White House has 'never fully understood' the war it started, and what it could mean for the success, or failure, of the ceasefire.
Photo: Supporter of pro-Iranian Hezbollah hold pictures of assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, as they shout slogans in front of the office of the Lebanese Prime Minister in Beirut. (Photo by Marwan Naamani/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, talk about Mayor Mamdani's accomplishments and challenges as he approaches 100 days in office.
Photo: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia announce that the City is investing $108 million to upgrade and replace more than 6,700 catch basins over the next decade. Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)
Ahead of the tax deadline next week, Kelly Phillips Erb, tax attorney, senior writer at Forbes, and author of the blog Taxgirl, discusses some of the most common IRS tax scams and offers advice on how to avoid them.
Photo: Income tax calculations. (Photo by stevepb/Pixabay).