The Brian Lehrer Show

Memorial Day; Life Advice; Susan Page; Moral Injuries; The Mets

For Memorial Day, a new interview on its history, and some recent favorites: * Kenneth C. Davis, author of the "Don't Know Much About History" series and most recently, The World in Books: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction (Scribner, 2024), shares the history of how Americans have observed Memorial Day and its history * Jodi Kantor, New York Times investigative reporter, co-author of She Said (Penguin, 2019) and author of How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work (Hachette, 2026), expands on her Columbia University commencement address where she tried to answer the question, “How, in this environment, is anyone supposed to find and start their life’s work?”. * 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. * Michael Valdovinos, a clinical psychologist, veteran, trauma expert and the author of Moral Injuries: When Good Conscience Suffers in a World of Hurt (Harper, 2026), talks about recognizing and healing "moral injuries" that occur not from physical trauma, but from acts that violate the conscience, and are now understood to affect those on the battlefield, and in all walks of life. * A.M. Gittlitz, an organizer and writer and the author of Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People’s Team (Astra House, 2026),  looks at the way class and politics and baseball intersect with the story of the Mets baseball franchise.   The first interview was recorded for today.  The others were lightly edited for time and clarity; the original web versions are available here: Advice for Finding Your Life's Work [https://wnyc.org/story/advice-for-finding-your-lifes-work/] (April 22, 2026) The Queen & the Presidents [https://wnyc.org/story/the-queen--the-presidents/] (April 14, 2026) Moral Injuries on the Battlefield and Beyond [https://wnyc.org/story/moral-injuries-on-the-battlefield-and-beyond/] (April 24, 2026) A 'People's History' of the Mets [https://wnyc.org/story/a-peoples-history-of-the-mets/] (March 31, 2026)   photo: Spring Time at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia on April 9, 2024 (Arlington National Cemetery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. To access the official documents and the unedited interview transcript, please visit our digital archive here ➡️ https://goo.su/bCg2fNd [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/] 📻 This conversation matters. Keep it alive. 🔥 [YOUR CLICK FUELS INDEPENDENT MEDIA — DO IT NOW] [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/]🔥

Brian Lehrer Weekend: National News With Kai and Carter; Hantavirus Fact and Fiction; How Belief in God Has Changed

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. National News With Kai and Carter (First) | Hantavirus Fact and Fiction (Starts at 29:48) | How Belief in God Has Changed (Starts at 44:40) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/brian-lehrer-show-from-wnyc/id73331636?mt=2].     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. To access the official documents and the unedited interview transcript, please visit our digital archive here ➡️ https://goo.su/bCg2fNd [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/] 📻 This conversation matters. Keep it alive. 🔥 [YOUR CLICK FUELS INDEPENDENT MEDIA — DO IT NOW] [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/]🔥

Mamdani's First "Neighborhood-Level" Housing Plan

David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, discusses Mayor Zohran Mamdani's “South of Prospect Plan," which aims to rezone the commercial corridors of McDonald and Coney Island avenues south of Brooklyn's Prospect Park, as well as surrounding blocks, for taller buildings and more housing development. Photo: Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn. (Credit: Jim.henderson/Wikimedia Commons CC BY 3.0 [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en]) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. To access the official documents and the unedited interview transcript, please visit our digital archive here ➡️ https://goo.su/bCg2fNd [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/] 📻 This conversation matters. Keep it alive. 🔥 [YOUR CLICK FUELS INDEPENDENT MEDIA — DO IT NOW] [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/]🔥

Growing Concern Over Military Strikes Against Cuba

Nahal Toosi, Politico’s senior foreign affairs correspondent and columnist, discusses her latest reporting on how President Donald Trump and his aides have grown frustrated that the U.S. pressure campaign against Cuba, which includes depriving the island of fuel, doesn't seem to be working and what sort of military action might be on the table. Photo: A person waves US and Cuban flags during a "Free Cuba" rally in Miami, Florida, on April 26, 2026, to call for the departure of the Castros and the Communist Party from power in Cuba. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. To access the official documents and the unedited interview transcript, please visit our digital archive here ➡️ https://goo.su/bCg2fNd [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/] 📻 This conversation matters. Keep it alive. 🔥 [YOUR CLICK FUELS INDEPENDENT MEDIA — DO IT NOW] [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/]🔥

What the Everlane-Shein Sale Means for the Future of Sustainable Fashion

Everlane, the brand built on "radical transparency" and sustainable basics, is reportedly selling to ultra-fast-fashion giant Shein for $100 million. Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion (Penguin, 2012) [https://bookshop.org/p/books/overdressed-the-shockingly-high-cost-of-cheap-fashion-elizabeth-l-cline/446af09be87cda5a?ean=9781591846543&next=t]and The Conscious Closet (Plume, 2019) [https://www.elizabethclinebooks.com/the-conscious-closet], talks about her piece in The Atlantic, "Everlane, Shein, and the Limits of the Ethical Consumer," on what the sale reveals about so-called sustainable fashion and the limits of ethical consumerism. Photo: A customer checks a tag at the new Shein fast fashion retail at its opening day in the BHV department store in Angers, western France, on February 25, 2026. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. To access the official documents and the unedited interview transcript, please visit our digital archive here ➡️ https://goo.su/bCg2fNd [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/] 📻 This conversation matters. Keep it alive. 🔥 [YOUR CLICK FUELS INDEPENDENT MEDIA — DO IT NOW] [https://digitalmarketingtrendingtop.blogspot.com/]🔥