Episodes
-
During this rocky presidential interregnum, many historians have been looking back on the election of 1876, the Compromise of 1877, and the legacy of New York Gov. Samuel Tilden. To learn more, we called up Dr. Robert Chiles of the University of Maryland Department of History. Chiles is also co-editor of New York History. (more…)
-
The controversial head of the Massachusetts Republican Party is facing new headwinds. The Boston Globe reports several major donors are threatening to cut ties if Chairman Jim Lyons is not replaced, in a letter obtained by the newspaper. It comes as the 2022 election cycle ramps up in a state where Democrats hold control of the statehouse and most statewide offices except for the governorship. Boston Globe reporter Emma Platoff joins us for more.
-
Missing episodes?
-
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has so far been able to ride out the storm, resisting calls to resign amid multiple investigations into his handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes, sexual harassment allegations, and potential wrongdoing in the production of his pandemic memoir last year. The third-term Democrat says the inquiries should be allowed to conclude before New Yorkers make up their mind about his actions. When it comes to the serious sexual harassment allegations, Cuomo denies touching anyone inappropriately, but apologized for making subordinates feel uncomfortable in conversations. New York Times political reporter Matt Flegenheimer recently published a magazine article whose headline referred to Cuomo’s “white-knuckle ride” through multiple scandals. (more…)
-
With New York on the eve of a major leadership shakeup, we speak with former Governor David Paterson, the last lieutenant governor to become governor upon a resignation, and state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, about his time in Afghanistan and his hopes for new Gov. Kathy Hochul.
-
The impeachment probe against Gov. Andrew Cuomo will end August 25, a day after the governor resigns. We speak with a member of the Judiciary Committee, which will release a final report on its investigation’s findings, Phil Steck, a Democrat from Colonie. And we talk with Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, a Republican.
-
New York Attorney General Tish James says she is now conducting a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business empire, expanding what had previously been a civil probe. For more on the investigations, we speak with David Fahrenthold of The Washington Post. Fahrenthold won a Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for his reporting on Trump’s finances.
-
Mass shootings in Colorado and Georgia in recent days are once again calling spurring calls for new gun control measures. U.S. Senate Democrats say they are pushing toward a vote this week, and President Joe Biden says “we have to act,” urging Congress to close loopholes in the background check system. The man who wrote Connecticut’s first-in-the-nation “red flag” gun law in 1999 says such measures work to prevent gun violence. Mike Lawlor, now a criminal justice professor at the University of New Haven, is a former longtime Democratic member of the Connecticut House. He also served in the Malloy administration, working on criminal justice policy. (more…)
-
We remember the life and legacy of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking with retired Army Colonel and Congressman Chris Gibson, who knew Powell personally and now serves as Siena College president, and Washington Post opinion columnist Henry Olsen.
-
In July, the FBI named Janeen DiGuiseppi as the special agent in charge of an office that has cycled through five other leaders since 2017. Thomas Relford stepped down from the post in May, having taken over following the resignation of James Hendricks. The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General found Hendricks sexually harassed eight female subordinates. We sat down with DiGuiseppi to discuss the office’s past and why she wanted to take on the post that oversees some 200 staffers covering 32 counties in New York as well as Vermont.
-
We profile an amazing life – that of 96-year-old retired SUNY Plattsburgh Professor Vladimir Munk. The new documentary “Return To Auschwitz” is the story of Munk’s survival of the Nazi death camp. The documentary details the experiences of Munk as he returned to the concentration camp in early 2020. On this episode, a feature story about the film and extended interviews with Munk and the filmmakers.
-
We speak with Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, who won Tuesday's Democratic primary in her bid for a third term, and Village of Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh about the summer season.
-
We bid farewell to Dr. Steven Leibo of the Sage Colleges, who has been a regular observer of world politics, the climate and American democracy for WAMC for some 25 years. Steve is about to become a commentator emeritus.
-
With New York state government in turmoil, Democratic Attorney General Tish James is emerging as a figure who might play an outsize role in state politics over the coming weeks and months. Once a close ally of embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo, James is now overseeing an independent investigation of sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo. It comes after the first-term attorney general released an explosive report in late January that raised questions about the administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and nursing home data.
Politico reporter Anna Gronewold has been taking a close look at James’ career, her growing profile in Albany, and what it might mean if Governor Cuomo is driven from office. -
In New York’s 19th Congressional district, second-term Democrat Antonio Delgado just got a high-profile challenger: Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, the 2018 GOP nominee for governor. For analysis of the race and how it could impact the national picture, we speak with Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.
-
We speak with former North Dakota Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat who represented North Dakota until 2018. She is also a former state attorney general. She now serves on Facebook's political advocacy group the American Edge Project's Open and Accessible Internet Advisory Board.
-
The new president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum says the Cooperstown, New York institution is planning to return to a normal schedule in 2022. With no 2021 honorees, annual inductions honored the Class of 2020 this year. The ceremony came after a long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic and was held in September rather than the typical July. Josh Rawitch took over earlier this month after a long career with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.
-
We know New York state is going to lose one member of its House delegation when Congressional lines are redrawn for the 2022 elections following the 2020 Census. What we don’t know yet is how the new lines will look. We speak with Richard Briffault of Columbia Law School, an expert on redistricting, gerrymandering, voting rights and election law.
-
President Biden announced a major plan last week to rein in the coronavirus as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread. But public health officials warn the virus remains an emergency, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. We speak with Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, the Albany County Health Commissioner.
-
A former CIA officer and counterterrorism official is the latest candidate to launch a bid to unseat New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of the 21st District. Matt Castelli, who worked in both the Obama and Trump administrations, announced his bid for the Democratic nomination in a video. The Saratoga County resident took aim at the actions of Stefanik – the number three House Republican in her fourth term – following the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
-
The Colonie Democratic Committee has endorsed a candidate in the race to replace retiring Town Supervisor Paula Mahan. Kelly Mateja, a political newcomer, is hoping to keep the supervisor’s office in Democratic hands. Mahan has served as supervisor of the Albany County town since 2008. She won re-election by about 100 votes in 2019. The Republican Party has not yet endorsed a candidate in the race. (more…)
- Show more