Radiolab: Taste and Touch

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) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Elana Schor, senior Washington editor at Semafor, talks about the news out of Washington this week, including how some Republican senators are standing up to President Trump on war powers, the $1.8 billion dollar payout fund and more. Photo: Martin Falbisoner, US Capitol and Grant Memorial, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chair and executive director of the NYC Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) Sarah Sayeed, and the "People's Artist" at the CEC Yazmany Arboleda, talk about this year's round of citywide participatory budgeting for projects in each borough and how and where to vote.   Photo: Paul Stein, Hooping at New York City Dance Parade, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sarah Kliff, investigative health care reporter for The New York Times, talks about her reporting on the booming business of autism treatment clinics, where she found allegations of fraud, and even harm to the children the centers aim to help. Photo: Karen Lajmoraki, L, an instructional assistant, works with Steven Moshuris, R, an autistic student who uses an iPad as a communication device, at Belle View Elementary School on April 11, 2012, in Alexandria, VA. This is an autism classroom where students are using iPads as communication devices and also to work on social skills and conversation. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Co-hosts of WNYC's Radiolab Latif Nasser and Lulu Miller preview their live Tribeca Festival event where they will explore how and why we get goosebumps and how we experience sweetness.   Photo: Kai Oberhäuser memoryonsounds, Microphone (Unsplash), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat (D, NY-13) and challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier, an organizer and activist, discuss the key issues in their campaign to be the Democratic nominee in New York's 13th Congressional district.   Photo: diego_cue, Harlem - New York (NYC) - USA, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New Jersey reporters for WNYC and Gothamist Michael Sol Warren and Mike Hayes recap this month's "Ask Governor Sherrill" call-in show, hosted by Michael Hill, including the discussion on the Delaney Hall ICE facility, this week's primary election results and more. Photo: New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill holds hold a press conference regarding Delaney Hall, located in Newark, N.J., with Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, New Jersey State Police Acting Superintendent Jeanne Hengemuhle, and Deputy Superintendent Lieutenant Colonel David Sierotowicz, at New Jersey State Police Newark Station in Newark, N.J. on Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Office of Governor / Tim Larsen) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Martha Raddatz, ABC News' chief global affairs correspondent and 'This Week' co-anchor and the author of The Hero Next Door: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 2026), highlights the courage and heroism of members of the U.S. military.Photo: Kyle Osterhoudt, U.S. Military Academy, Celebration Time: Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy celebrate as the Army's newest officers during a commencement ceremony at West Point, N.Y., May 24, 2025. For the Class of 2025 Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tweens, teenagers and their parents call to share a language lesson on some of the popular slang of 2026.   Image: TikTok app icon on a mobile phone (Solen Feyissa, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, talks about the latest national political news, including the latest regarding the midterm elections, the Democratic Party's identity crisis and more.Photo: U.S. Senate candidate from Maine Graham Platner speaks during a campaign event at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6859 on May 17, 2026, in Portland, Maine. Platner is expected to be the presumptive Democratic nominee and would face off against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for the Senate seat in the general election. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.