Jim Lehrer on Kennedy, Bus Memorabilia, Reporting and Retirement

The Takeaway

Jim Lehrer will no longer be the main face of PBS’ “NewsHour.” He was the show’s anchor for 36 years, but there has not been a lot of fanfare around his departure. “I didn’t want to make a big to-do about it,” he says.  He reflects on reporting on the Kennedy assassination and what he has learned about politics and history. His new book, “Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain” comes out in the Fall; he will continue moderating Shields and Brooks on Fridays. So what’s next? “I want to write better books,” Lehrer tells us.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.