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

AI "Consciousness"  (First) | Professor Julian Zelizer (Starts at 17:56) | Watching the Elizabeth Holmes Documentary (Starts at 29:02)

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Noah Robertson, national security reporter for The Washington Post, shares his reporting on the group of current and former national security officials quietly advising states and members of Congress on how to prepare for possible federal interference in the November midterms.

Photo: People take part in a "No Kings: Vote Early" demonstration in Wilton Manors, Florida, on October 17, 2026. (Giorgio VIERA / AFP via Getty Images)

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California voters will have to decide on Prop 40, which is a one-time tax on billionaires in order to fund healthcare and education. Marisa Lagos, correspondent for KQED’s California politics and government desk and co-host of the show and podcast, "Political Breakdown," talks about the proposal, who is for and against it and the lengths California billionaires have gone to try to sink the tax.

 

Photo: Ultrasound Technologist Mayra Castaneda speaks in front of healthcare workers holding placards in support of the Billionaire Tax during a media briefing in Los Angeles on April 27, 2026. (Frederic J. BROWN / AFP via Getty Images)

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For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today, a mixed bag of questions on the news, politics and the city.

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Several tech leaders recently urged users not to abuse their AI agents, expressing concern for the well-being of bots when they're bullied or disparaged. Alok Jha, science and technology editor at The Economist, unpacks the idea of "AI consciousness," and whether it matters if you're mean to them.

Photo: David S. Soriano, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International via Wikimedia Commons. 

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Each day during this pledge drive, we're talking fall food. As November fast approaches, Carla Lalli, video host and author of several cookbooks, including her latest, "Food is a Feeling" (Clarkson Potter, 2026), shares some of her favorite failsafe Thanksgiving sides, and offers advice on how to delegate. 

Photo: HaJunkiyada, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International via Wikimedia Commons. 

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Every Thursday from 1 to 2 PM on WNYC, through Election Day, WNYC senior political reporter Brigid Bergin hosts a pop-up local politics call-in show called Who's Running This Place. You can find out more on WNYC.org, and stay tuned to this podcast feed. We'll be sharing Brigid's conversations here every Thursday evening. 

Congressional hopeful Claire Valdez talks about her race to represent parts of Brooklyn & Queens, and what it might look like to bring Democratic Socialist priorities to Washington. Then, L. Joy Williams, president of the New York State NAACP, shares her thoughts on the importance of grassroots organizing around issues that impact Black New Yorkers.

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Sam Kessler, Wall Street Journal reporter, talks about the billion dollar profits the president and his family have made in his second term, especially from crypto-related deals.

Photo: Donald Trump reacts at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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Julie Menin, City Council Speaker (D-5, Upper East Side), talks about the latest developments in the City Council and takes calls from listeners in the latest installment of our monthly series.

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For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today, questions about the TV shows The New York Times listed as the best of the century so far.

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Katie Drummond, global editorial director at WIRED, discusses her cover story on Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's widely-acclaimed documentary 'You Can See Everything,' which follows disgraced businesswoman Elizabeth Homes.  

Photo: Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford in 2003 as a 19-year-old to start Theranos, a company now poised to disrupt the medical diagnostic test market. (Photo by Karl Mondon/MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)

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Each day during this pledge drive, we're talking fall food--or in today's case, drinks. Carla Lalli, video host and author of several cookbooks, including her latest, Food is a Feeling (Clarkson Potter, 2026), talks about some of the best seasonal cocktails and mocktails to make when hosting. 

Photo: A cocktail glass garnished with star anise stands alongside autumn pumpkins and seasonal warm drinks on a wooden patio table during golden hour in Krakow, Poland (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Brigid Bergin, WNYC's senior political correspondent, previews the state of the competitive midterm elections in our area as early voting is set to begin in a few days. 


Photo: A sign directs voters to a polling station on the first day of early voting for the midterm elections. (Photo by Tim Evans / AFP via Getty Images)

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Theodore Schleifer, covers billionaires and their impact for the New York Times, talks about the massive amounts of money currently at play in the midterm elections, the billionaires who donate it and how it affects what happens.

Photo: Demonstrators protest against the Trump administration and billionaire class outside the New York Public Library. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today, name five things in a category. 


Photo: Stock illustration by MaxMariz via iStock / Getty Images Plus

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Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton, Foreign Policy columnist, NPR contributor, scholar in residence at the Brennan Center for Justice, author of The Long View on Substack and author of many books, including Rumble on the Promenade: The Clash of Justice and Power at the 1964 Democratic Convention (W.W. Norton, 2027), talks about today's political news through his lens as a presidential historian.

Photo: Julian Zelizer attends Authors Night 2025 With East Hampton Library. (Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for East Hampton Library)

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Each day during this pledge drive, we're talking fall food. Today, Carla Lalli, video host and author of several cookbooks, including her latest, Food is a Feeling (Clarkson Potter, 2026), talks about her favorite warming spices and how to use them in creative ways. 


Photo: Hot mulled wine in ceramic pot with spices, orange and autumn leaves over black wooden background. (Photo by: Natasha Breen/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about the national political news of the day, plus the conversations happening soon at The New Yorker festival.

Photo: Jon Stewart talks with David Remnick during The 2025 New Yorker Festival at Webster Hall on October 26, 2025 in New York City. (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for The New Yorker via Getty Images)

 

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Chelsea Cirruzzo, Washington Correspondent for STAT news, talks about how vaccine policy could change, depending on which party gains control of Congress in the midterm elections.

Photo: A woman receives the seasonal influenza vaccine. (NIAID, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic via Wikimedia Commons)

 

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For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is 2026 news oddities.

Stock illustration by MaxMariz via iStock / Getty Images Plus

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Many critics panned the new Tom Cruise climate movie Digger. Jayson Greene, critic and author of the novel UnWorld and Molly Taft, senior writer for WIRED, covering climate change, energy, and the environment unpack why they think might actually be a great climate movie, despite not being a great movie movie.

Photo: Tom Cruise attends the "Digger" Korea Press Conference on October 01, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images for Warner Bros. via Getty Images)

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Each day during this pledge drive, we're talking fall food. Today, Carla Lalli, video host and cookbook author, including her latest, Food is a Feeling (Clarkson Potter, 2026) walks us through how to make a perfect loaf bread with different kinds of fall produce.

Photo by jeffreyw,CC Attribution 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons. 

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Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of The Queen and Her Presidents (HarperCollins, 2026), talks about the challenges of covering the Trump administration, as the president has tried to ban reporters from certain outlets from accessing the White House.

Photo: US Capitol, west side (Martin Falbisoner via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

 

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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 various proposals to reform the Supreme Court, including term limits, ethi...

For this pledge drive, listeners try their hand at a quiz. Today's theme is 2026 news, so far.

Stock illustration by MaxMariz via iStock / Getty Images Plus

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As part of the yearlong series "Wild NYC," Marielle Anzelone, urban botanist and ecologist and the founder of NYC Wildflower Week, and Monica Medina, board member and podcast host of Scientista, former Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and the first U.S. Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources at the U.S. State Department talk about the global biodiversity conference underway this week.

Photo: Guerilla gardening along queens boulevard in tree pit along fence, Queens, New York. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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Each day during this pledge drive, we're talking fall food. Today, Carla Lalli, video host and cookbook author, including her latest, Food is a Feeling (Clarkson Potter, 2026), discusses how to make a cozy and tasty kitchen sink soup. 

Stock photo of Irish Stew or Guinness Stew made in a crockpot or slow cooker. (by sumnersgraphicsinc via iStock / Getty Images Plus)

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

Kate Manne, professor at the Cornell University Sage School of Philosophy, offers her take on the casual misogyny that allows rape culture to thrive (First) | The Left's pleas for Mayor Zohran Mamdani to fire NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch (Starts at 45:00) | The literary legacy of brothers Frank and Malachy McCourt (Starts at 1:10:00)

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

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Maria Ressa, journalist, CEO of the news outlet Rappler, professor at Columbia University and the author of The Fight Back: A Citizen's Guide to Standing Up to Dictators (Harper, 2026) talks about the role of the press and individuals in maintaining democracy, especially in this age of AI.

Photo: Maria Ressa at the book fair Frankfurt 2025 (Jaramo81, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International via Wikimedia Commons)

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Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about how the issue of affordability came up in this week's debate between Gov. Hochul and her Republican challenger, Bruce Blakeman.

Photo: New York Democratic gubernatorial candidate, current Gov. Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman face off in the only scheduled debate ahead of the November New York gubernatorial election at the Spectrum News NY1 studios on October 13, 2026 in New York City. (Anna Connors, Pool via Getty Images)

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