The Brian Lehrer Show

Listeners who used to be famous -- former members of popular bands, child actors -- call in to talk about their old lives...and their new, regular lives and jobs.

Jane McAlevey, organizer, senior policy fellow at the University of California at Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, The Nation's strikes correspondent and co-author of Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Union Negotiations (Oxford University Press, 2023), draws on case studies of recent successful negotiations to offer blueprints for other unions.

On the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Major General Johnny Davis, commanding general of the US Army Recruiting Command and Fort Knox, Kentucky, talks about what he is doing to address what the army says is a recruiting crisis, explains why he thinks the service is a good option for younger Americans and talks about the roots of the low number of new recruits.

Jim Himes, U.S. Representative (D, CT-4), discusses the uncertainty in the banking sector and the latest national-security-related headlines, from Ukraine to Jan 6 and Donald Trump.

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

Practicing physician and contributing writer at The New Yorker Dhruv Khullar assesses the national COVID response three years later (First) | New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik on his new book, The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery (Liveright, 2023)(Starts at 22:00) | Stories of women in the skilled trades (Starts at 48:30) 

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

On today's "Best-of" show, some recent favorites:

Philip Bump, national columnist for The Washington Post and the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America (Viking, 2023), talks about his new book that digs into the data on the baby boom generation and what to expect as its influence wanes...

An anti-abortion group challenged the FDA's approval of one of the drugs used for medication abortions, and access could be affected pending a federal judge's ruling after a hearing in Texas. Sarah McCammon, national correspondent for NPR, reports on the hearing and what's at stake for reproductive rights.

There are some 23,000 unfilled positions across all New York City government agencies and city services are suffering as a result. Grace Rauh, executive director of the recently-formed 5BORO Institute, shares proposals to help New York City solve this staffing crisis.

? Solving the Staffing Crisis—Saving City Government for New Yorkers

As part of Women's History Month, we're sharing stories of the women who moved into traditionally-male professions. Today, Sinade Wadsworth, journey-level carpenter, ambassador council member for Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), and an organizer with the NYC District Council of Carpenters, talks about working as a union carpenter as we hear from other women working in skilled trades, like plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and mechanics.

Aidan Connolly, executive director of Irish Arts Center, talks about how Irish Arts Center marks St. Patrick's Day, with an emphasis on celebrating Irish art, music, dance and literature.