Eli Stokols, White House and foreign affairs correspondent at Politico, talks about the politics of Viktor Orbán's election defeat and the implications for the White House and MAGA world.

Photo: Viktor Orbán. Credit: European People's Party via Wikimedia Commons.

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After federal funding cuts, the state is raising income eligibility for the Essential Plan health insurance program, potentially excluding about 450,000 New Yorkers from the coverage. Caroline Lewis, health care reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society and co-founder of the Health Care for All New York Campaign, talk about efforts to get more coverage and the options from those who have been cut.

 

photo: In medical office on Johnson Street, new medical district, New Orleans 22 October 2025 (Infrogmation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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Noam Scheiber, New York Times reporter focusing on white-collar workers and the author of Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2026), talks about the conditions leading young college-education workers to lead unionization efforts.

Photo: Attendees cheer at the ''Union Now'' rally in New York City, United States, on April 12, 2026. The event features Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Organizers state the rally is planned to support union power and unite labor leaders. (Photo by Matthew Hoen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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People often say they have a "superpower," which is really just something they're very good at. Listeners call in to share what their superpower is.

Photo: A cosplayer poses as Dr. Strange during New York Comic Con 2023 - Day 4 at Javits Center on October 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for ReedPop)

 

 

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In a now-deleted social media post, President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus. He has also recently attacked Pope Leo XIV. Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, has said that the pope should "be careful" when talking about theology. Robert ...

The New York State budget is about two weeks late. Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, reports on what the sticking points are, including car insurance reform and Gov. Kathy Hochul's desire to roll back a climate law, among others, plus the governor's proposed tax on "pied-à-terres."

 

Photo: Gov. Kathy Hochul appears at a press conference with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 20, 2026. (Credit: Maryland Governor's Office via Wikimedia Commons)

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Explosive reporting in the San Francisco Chronicle made public sexual assault allegations against California Representative (and erstwhile candidate for governor) Eric Swalwell. Jane Manning, director, Women's Equal Justice and former sex crimes prosecutor, explains why the Manhattan DA is investigating him, and how this case may shed light on what she says are New York's antiquated sexual assault laws.

Photo: U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) departs the U.S. Capitol Building after a series of votes on March 05, 2026 in Washington, DC. Credit: Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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Queen Elizabeth II interacted with American presidents from Truman through Trump. Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of The Queen and Her Presidents (HarperCollins, 2026), relates her history with U.S. leaders throughout her reign.

Photo: Queen Elizabeth II (L) arrives with U.S. President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle Obama and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (R) in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace ahead of a State Banquet on May 24, 2011 in London, England. Credit: Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

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As federal food safety oversight weakens, Mary Basset, public health physician, former New York City Health Commissioner and New York State Health Commissioner, and professor of practice of health and human rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses h...

As Tax Day approaches, Tara Siegel Bernard, personal finance reporter for The New York Times, talks about the changes to the law that taxpayers should know and offers advice to procrastinators.

Photo: A calculation for tax which include income tax and other taxation. Credit: stevepb via Wikimedia Commons.

 

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Mohamed A. El-Erian, senior global fellow at The Lauder Institute and practice professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, chief economic advisor at Allianz, chair of Gramercy Funds Management, contributing editor at the Financial Times and columnist f...

Steve Zeitlin, founding director of City Lore and author of The Poetry of Everyday Life: Storytelling and the Art of Awareness (Cornell University Press, 2016), and Bob Holman, poet, filmmaker and proprietor of the Bowery Poetry Club, talk about their forthcoming book, Acros...

Vicky Ward, investigative journalist, host of the Chasing Ghislaine podcast and author of books including Kushner, Inc. (St. Martin's Press, 2019) and, with James Patterson, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy (Little, Brown and Company, 2025), talks about Melania Trump's announcement denouncing Jeffrey Epstein and delves into the relationship between the First Lady, Epstein, and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

Photo: U.S. first lady Melania Trump delivers a statement at the Grand Foyer of the White House on April 9, 2026 in Washington, DC. The first lady made a public statement to deny any ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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NYC Council member Tiffany Cabán (District 22, Astoria, Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Woodside and Rikers Island) talks about the Delivery Protection Act, which would regulate "last mile" delivery subcontracting by retail giants like Amazon, and Mayor Mamdani's first 100 days in office.

Photo: An Amazon Prime delivery van parked in Hillcrest, Queens. Credit: Tdorante10 via Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

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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)

If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Photo: Income tax calculations. (Photo by stevepb/Pixabay).

 

 

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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.

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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)

 

 

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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)

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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).

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Lt. Col. Rachel E. VanLandingham, national security law expert and former chief legal advisor for international law at U.S. Central Command, where she advised on operational and international legal issues related to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Eliav Lieb...

Margaret Sullivan, columnist at The Guardian and author of the Substack American Crisis, and Isabella Simonetti, media reporter at The Wall Street Journal, discuss the ambiguous future of AI in journalism and how publications are deciding what role the technology should play in their newsrooms.

Photo Credit: Stephan Röhlvia, CC-BY-SA 2.0

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Michael Sol Warren, New Jersey reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the proposal to hike New Jersey's sales taxes for non-residents during World Cup this summer and updates the status of the state budget.

Photo: The Panini America FIFA World Cup 2026™ Sticker Collection Album Cover for Canada and the United States, unveiled today at MetLife Stadium on December 03, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Panini America)

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Jackie Faherty, astrophysicist and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, explains the Artemis II mission, which marks the first time since 1972 that a crewed spacecraft has traveled to the 'lunar neighborhood,' beyond Earth's gravitational sphere of influence. Plus, listeners call in with their questions about the mission, and the future of lunar exploration. 

Photo: NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon. (Credit: NASA, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

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President Trump recently said it was "not possible" for the federal government to fund Medicaid and Medicare, despite a White House budget proposal that boosts defense spending to $1.5 trillion. Maya Goldman, healthcare reporter at Axios, unpacks what that means for the millions of Americans who rely on those programs and the states who'll have to fill the gaps.

Photo: Department of Health & Human Services, Washington, D.C., September 16, 2011. Credit: Sarah Stierch via Wikimedia Commons.

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