Gloria Browne-Marshall, professor of constitutional law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, civil rights attorney, Emmy award-winning writer and author of A Protest History of the United States (Beacon Press, 2025), talks about the exercise of what Dr. King called the American "right to protest for right."

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Peniel Joseph, Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values, founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of The Third Reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century (Basic Books, 2022), talks about what was accomplished, as well as the inequality that remained unaddressed.

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 Jessie Gómez, Chalkbeat Newark reporter covering Newark Public Schools, talks about what to expect from New Jersey's new governor on education issues.

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Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.

Why New York City's Nurses Are on Strike (First) | Exit Interview With NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin (Starts at 34:55) | Betting on Everything (Starts at  1:04:42)

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

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Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019) , recaps this week's news from the DOJ – including the investigation into Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell, the resignation of six prosecutors over the Renee Good shooting, and the recent raid of a Washington Post journalist's home – and offers analysis about what it might say about the state of judicial independence. 

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This week, President Donald Trump responded to a heckler by using profanity. Tom Nichols, a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to the Atlantic Daily newsletter, professor emeritus of national-security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and an instructor at the Harvard Extension School, discusses the recent rise of politicians using profanity when addressing constituents.

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David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about the latest legal turn in the controversial sale of 5,000 rent-stabilized apartments owned by Pinnacle, the current bankrupt landlord, to another company that has a sketchy record of maintaining apartments.

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By threatening to take control of Greenland, President Trump has undermined a once-strong alliance with Denmark. Now, several NATO countries are deploying small numbers of troops to Greenland. Margaret Talbot, staff writer at The New Yorker, reports on anxiety and anger in Denmark and Europe.

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The West Park Presbyterian Church, a 135-year-old Upper West Side landmark, could soon have its landmark protections strip, allowing developers to turn the lot into luxury housing. Mark Ruffalo, award-winning actor and activist, and Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, discuss the community's effort to save the building from the wrecking ball, and hear from callers about their own connections to the space, which has served as an arts and community center for decades.

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Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams is now a cryptocurrency entrepreneur. But his recently launched crypto token—which he claimed would combat antisemitism—crashed almost immediately, fueling scam accusations. Leo Schwartz, senior writer at Fortune, talks about the former mayor's curious venture.

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Laura Jedeed, freelance journalist focused on American conservative and far-right movements and author of the Substack Firewalled Media dot com, talks about the shoddy screenings hopeful applicants to become ICE agents receive, which became clear when she was offered a position after applying at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hiring expo - despite her public profile as a journalist critical of ICE and the Trump administration. 

=> "You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof." (Slate, Jan 13, 2026)

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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is term-limited out and will be replaced by Mikie Sherrill on January 20th. Nancy Solomon, WNYC reporter and host of “Ask Governor Murphy,” offers the final recap of her monthly call-in show.

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At least 1,850 protesters have been killed in a brutal crackdown by Iran's government. Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker and author of several books on Iran, explains the political upheaval and why President Donald Trump has canceled meetings with Iranian officials and encouraged protesters to keep demonstrating, saying that "help" from the U.S. is on the way.

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Jimmy Vielkind recaps the proposals in Gov. Hochul's "state of the state" address, where she focused on affordability, and offers analysis of the speech as the governor is running for re-election.

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Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny, and a contributing opinion Writer with the New York Times talks about the justices' responses to arguments in two cases involving transgender student athletes, plus other Supreme Court news.

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The Queens neighborhood of Astoria has recently elected so many democratic socialists that political observers have dubbed it the "people's republic" and a part of the so-called "commie corridor" (which also includes its neighbors in western Queens and north Brooklyn). Naaman Zhou, member of The New Yorker's editorial staff, talks about the neighborhood's political shift and why its voters are so open to electing socialists.

→ How Did Astoria Become So Socialist?

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Maxine Joselow, New York Times reporter covering climate policy, shares her reporting that found the EPA will no longer measure the lives saved by regulating two air pollutants, and what that might mean for how companies operate, how clean the air is and how it will negatively affect people's health.

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Jonathan Cohen, historian and the author of Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling (Columbia Global Reports, 2025), talks about how prediction markets, where people bet on world events, elections or...almost anything, are rising in popularity, and the risks that may come with these lightly-regulated markets.

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Deirdre Tobias, epidemiologist at Brigham & Women's Hospital and assistant professor in the department of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, talks about the new nutrition guidelines released last week and how they could impact what American health and diets.

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Thousands of nurses from three of New York City's private hospital systems have walked off the job over safety concerns. Nancy Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association, shares details on what her fellow nurses are striking over and what might happen next in negotiations between the union and hospitals.

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Eric Blanc, assistant professor of Labor Studies at Rutgers University and author of the Substack newsletter LaborPolitics.com, talks about how the thousands of volunteers who canvassed during Mayor Mamdani's campaign could be mobilized to help the new mayor achieve his policy goals.

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Matthew Platkin reflects on his time as New Jersey's attorney general, including what are widely viewed as his successes, like reducing gun violence, and some challenges, including in political corruption in the state that's known for it.

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January is a time many commit to reevaluating their relationships with alcohol. Vox correspondent Allie Volpe talks about what's come to be known as Dry January, and listeners check in with us about their alcohol-free first month of 2026.
→  Even Better’s Guide to Drinking Less | Vox

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Katie Rogers, White House correspondent for The New York Times, talks about their interview with President Trump and what he is saying and doing with regards to Venezuela, Cuba, and other national issues.

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Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, talks about Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani's announcement on their proposed universal 2-Care program which would provide free child care for New York City's 2-year-olds, and her work advocating for child care in New York.

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Governor Hochul is backing new legislation aimed at protecting children and teens online. Kris Perry, Executive Director of Children & Screens, unpacks the impact of technology and social media on young people and discuss various legislative efforts to protect kids on the internet.

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Jennifer Wilson, staff writer at The New Yorker covering books and culture, discusses her latest reporting on how prenuptial agreements are being embraced by millennials — including many who don’t have all that much personal wealth to divvy up.

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Rachel Leingang, Midwest political correspondent for Guardian US, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, talks about how Minneapolis is "on edge" after the fatal shooting of a civilian by an ICE agent, which came after weeks of tension between the Somali community and the Trump administration, and Republicans' spotlight of fraud at child care centers in the state.

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Burgess Everett, congressional bureau chief for Semafor, breaks down the responses from Capitol Hill as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle respond to the Trump administration's moves in Venezuela and public musings about purchasing the country of Greenland.

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Stephen Nessen, transportation reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom, talks about the latest transportation news including the results of the first year of congestion pricing, mayor Mamdani's announcement on the McGuinness Boulevard redesign, and more.

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