The Brian Lehrer Show

Post-COVID, New York state and city officials have enacted a range of measures and tax breaks to speed up the conversion of old office buildings into new apartment complexes. David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist discusses the latest, including an extreme structural failure that recently happened at Pfizer's former headquarters in Midtown. Plus, Peter Varsalona, principal and building design group team leader at RAND Engineering & Architecture, talks about office-to-residential conversions, additions to existing buildings and the engineering considerations involved.  

Photo: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani briefs the media with NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and New York City Emergency Management Department (NYCEM) officials on a Structurally Compromised Midtown Building on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

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As the NATO summit is underway, Drew Hinshaw, senior reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and Joe Parkinson, chief, world enterprise team at The Wall Street Journal, share their reporting on the changing relationship between Europe and the USA under President Trump, especially in light of complications from the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

Photo: ANKARA, TURKIYE - JULY 8: U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, President of North Macedonia Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attending the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit pose for a family photo at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkiye, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by Binnur Ege Gurun Kocak/Anadolu via Getty Images)

 

 

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NPR recently reported on a University of Michigan study that found that more than half of parents track their young adult children's locations. Listeners call in to share whether they do this or not, and if they do, if they think the benefits outweigh the potential costs.

Photo: Australia, Queensland, Brisbane Central Business District, Ann Street Asian girl daughter man father woman mother family smartphone ignoring each other absorbed in. (Photo by: Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

 

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Astead Herndon, host and editorial director at Vox, talks about the state of the midterm elections, including the fallout in Maine after an ex-girlfriend accused Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner of rape, a tight senate race in Michigan and more.

Photo: BLUE HILL, MAINE - JUNE 9: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at his Primary Election event on June 9, 2026 in Blue Hill, Maine. Platner is the presumptive Democratic nominee and will face incumbent Sen. Collins (R-ME) for Maine's U.S. Senate seat in the general election. (Photo by CJ Gunther/Getty Images)

 

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Michael Lange, New York City based writer, researcher, strategist, and political organizer, digs into the demographics of who voted for the DSA candidates in New York City's June primary, both for Congress and for state legislative offices, and what it tells us about political power in New York.

Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Congressional candidate Claire Valdez speaks during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at Kings Theater on June 18, 2026 in New York City. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joined Mayor Zohran Mamdani ahead of next week's primary, and the start of early voting on Saturday, as the pair campaigned for Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who are challenging incumbents in Democratic primary contests. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

 

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