CitizenCast

For a decade, political leaders and media elites haven't known how to respond to Trumpism. Last week in a South Philly patriotic tent show revival, Bruce Springsteen provided a script.

Instead of taking the ordinary route, declare independence from the crowds and check out these six Revolutionary sites instead. For more information on these sites and events,  visit this story on the web.

Milwaukee, WI Mayor Cavalier Johnson won reelection in 2024 with 80 percent of the vote. "Those are Vladimir Putin levels," joked Larry Platt. "The difference is, Putin's still looking for the other 20 percent!" said Michael Nutter. Asked why he decided to devote his life to public service, Johnson said, "I fell in love with helping people in my community. I mean, the key word in 'progressive' is...

On this episode of Citizen WURDs with Dr. James Peterson, Kerry Woodward joins the show to chat with Peterson about the new law that mandates every PA student take personal financial courses in high school. 

On this episode of Guest Commentary, City Council has one chance to get rideshare taxation right, says an urbanist and strategist. His solution combines the ideas of Parker, Uber and economics 101.

Utilities are outpacing inflation. Governor Josh Shapiro has launched a new watchdog in PA to scrutinize the spiraling prices. Ali Velshi explains.

When two Bucks County teenagers leaped to their deaths from a quarry cliff in 1983, they left a quiet suburban community in shock. "That kind of thing doesn't happen here," people thought. Then it happened again. On a special episode, we talk with the author of the original 1984 Philadelphia magazine article  Over the Edge . We talk about the details of this forty-year-old story, about mental heal...

On this episode of Integrity Icon, Faith Harris is the Director of Social Service and Operations at the City's Division of Criminal Justice. She advocates for young people to get the justice and care they need. Come celebrate her and her fellow Integrity Icon winners on June 3. RSVP here.

Missing firearms, a no-bid contract, stalled reforms: Why are Rochelle Bilal's fellow pols still standing by her?

Partisan tension, pandemic learning loss, cell phones everywhere, and the AI takeover of everything. On this special episode we dive into the modern challenges of teaching in Philadelphia in this award-nominated story by Ben Seal.

This bill in Hawaii (which embraces a strategy known as "Corporate Power Reset") is meant to sidestep Citizens United and the dark money it injected into our democracy. Other states are taking notice. Ali Velshi explains.

Is the now inevitable election of Democratic Socialist Chris Rabb to Congress part of a trend that should have us asking: Where have all the serious people gone?

An argument for why this chapter of our city's story might be our best since 1776

Nashville, TN Mayor Freddie O'Connell was compelled to run for office on a simple principle. For too long, transit and infrastructure had been neglected by city officials. "I don't know of a greater transit evangelist among the mayor fraternity than Mayor O'Connell," said Larry Platt on this week's episode of  How To Really Run A City . "My mom remembers a Nashville that still had streetcar lines,...

On this episode of Citizen of the Week, we highlight the work of Karen Sandone whose husband was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer's. This Doylestown woman chose to speak out and create a national community of support.

He's a 25-year-old councilmember, she's a 66-year-old (vocal) critic in this odd story of insults, conspiracies and illegal record disclosures.

Republicans may be winning the redistricting fight, but they may be overlooking a few important factors. Ali Velshi explains.

On Tuesday, voters can approve or reject two ballot measures in the primary election. We break them both down.

Staff writer Malcolm Burnley recently visited City Cast Philly to chat with host Trenae Nuri about his recent story Fix the Sidewalks! Listen in on the conversation and then check out City Cast Philly for yourself. 

On this episode of Ideas We Should Steal, Vienna and Maryland have invested in innovative, income diverse public housing to much acclaim. Could they work in Philly too?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has changed dramatically since 2024, not just detaining and holding more people, but also making it harder for them to get help. Here, a Temple law professor lays out what you can do about it. Visit this story on the web for helpful links.

"This is the most urgent problem facing every one of us today, no matter where in the country we live." Ali Velshi explains.

Local debates around Gaza, school closings, and ICE all raise the same question: Does anyone care about actual governing, or has Philly fully entered the age of the political grandstand?

When Republican Stephen Goldsmith was Mayor of Indianapolis, IN, he ran his city by "devolving" decisions down to the grassroots level. He created partnerships with the movers and shakers of local areas – community-based organizations, small businesses, faith leaders — to decide together how best to spend money in their neighborhoods. "Government had neglected those neighborhoods," he told our pod...

There are only two options for generating more money to fund schools and city services, writes former City Councilmember Allan Domb. One way is clearly better than the other.