The Brian Lehrer Show

Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn borough president, Claire Valdez, NYS assembly member (37th district, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Maspeth, and Ridgewood), union organizer and artist, and Julie Won, New York City council member (district 26), discuss the key issues in their campaign to be the Democratic nominee in New York's 7th Congressional district.

Photo: An election ballot box is seen at a polling site in upper Manhattan where people cast their vote for the 2020 U.S Presidential Election, in New York City, United States on November 03, 2020. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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New York City's unemployment rate is higher than it was before the coronavirus pandemic, and job growth has stalled. James Parrott, senior fellow and senior advisor at the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School, talks about factors contributing to these economic concerns.

Photo: A 'help wanted' advertisement is displayed in Manhattan on January 09, 2026, in New York City. The Labor Department reported on Friday that employers added 50,000 jobs in December, bringing the unemployment rate down to 4.4% (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Ben Rhodes, contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, co-host of Pod Save the World, an advisor to former president Barack Obama and the author of All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches (Random House, 2026), talks about his new book that tells the history of the United States and its central conflicts through public speeches, from Benjamin Franklin to Donald Trump.

Photo: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to supporters during his farewell speech at McCormick Place on January 10, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images)

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Christina Norman, chief creative officer at The Moth, and Juan Rodriguez, senior manager, community engagement at The Moth, talk about their new workshop for potential storytellers, related to their new project with the National September Memorial and Museum for the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

The Moth & The 9/11 Memorial & Museum Information Session, virtual, June 10 at 7pm.

Photo: The Corn Moon rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan as the Tribute in Light is tested ahead of the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York City on September 8, 2025, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn via Getty)

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

Ask the Mayor  (First) | Queer Saints (Starts at 30:16) | New Slang (Starts at 51:45)

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