CitizenCast

MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi reminds us that we used to have diplomatic talks with Iran that could address the conflicts bursting out across the Middle East. After Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, however, those avenues slammed shut.

Voter turnout in Philly, the biggest city in our key swing state, is way down. Are we about to end democracy after saving it four years ago?

Do you know an amazing city worker? Nominate them for our 4th annual Integrity Icon Awards. This is what qualifies them.

Penn alums and a Grays Ferry organization partner to open a community grocer that will provide healthy cooked meals to SNAP recipients--something that couldn't be done before.

Heart disease kills one in three women every year. Temple cardiologist Deborah Crabbe is on a mission to change that.

...is "putting unity over justice," says Kermit Roosevelt, constitutional law professor at Penn. MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi asks him to explain.

Student protestors and bullying Trustees at Penn shed far more heat than light. It's a different story at neighbor Drexel. Why?

On this episode of #velshibannedbookclub, MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi shines a light on North Dakota, home to some of the most draconian attempts to ban books. He speaks with Taylor Brorby, North Dakotan and author of "Boys and Oil," about the importance of keeping libraries free of censorship.

During our Ideas We Should Steal Festival, Pulitzer Prize winning MSNBC reporter Trymaine Lee spoke with Damon Packwood, executive director of Gameheads, about using game production as a pathway to tech industry success for Black and Brown youth.  

Forget kid-friendly cities. A city that answers to the needs of parents helps all residents, young and old.

On the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a local Democratic Congresswoman warns of what's at stake in 2024 when it comes to abortion rights

A finance CEO and a labor leader are determined to make Philadelphia the most equitable, growing big city in America. This makes Michael Forman and Ryan Boyer our Disruptor Citizens of the Year. 

Chef/photographer Big Rube reconnects with an old muse, and finds a kindred spirit in Brielle Kimmins, a fellow artist with deep Philly roots

Gay's resignation after accusations of plagiarism doesn't tell the whole story. Or even half of it. MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi dissects the removal of this Harvard president and reveals the ugly truth.

Migrant asylum seekers can solve our labor shortage. But only, the head of a Philadelphia refugee support group says, if Congress lets them.

Hope may be infinite, Martin Luther King, Jr. told us. But it requires action to keep hope alive — and make meaningful change happen

Alan Horwitz, the Sixth Man, is a lifelong 76ers fan, the philanthropist behind a new $38 million Philly Youth Basketball facility and an NBA technical foul recipient

On this episode of How To Really Run a City, Legendary Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey -- who served in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, where he oversaw a 28 percent drop in homicides -- returns for a powerful conversation about public safety, and how keeping cities safe is a job that goes beyond fire and police departments.

Roxanne sits down with Princeton professor Majora Carter and Randall Wyatt of Taking Ownership PDX to discuss gentrification and what local communities can do to manage the encroachment

And Hungary's Victor Orban? And Kim Jong Un? MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi breaks down one of the most absurd comparisons in modern political history.

Indrayudh "Indy" Shome is inspiring students across the city to make their voices heard. For this, we have chosen him as the Citizen's 2023 Educator of the Year. 

Is Kenyatta Johnson, the new President of Philadelphia City Council a new boss, or is he same as the old boss?

Molly Baldwin is the founder and CEO of Roca, an organization fighting violence, racism and poverty. "If we want to help people who are at elevated risk," Baldwin said at our 2023 Ideas We Should Steal Festival, "we need to give them skills to address their trauma and take a pause when considering their next actions."  

Paul Levy is receiving the Citizen of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades-long commitment to making Center City welcoming to all

Philadelphians invented a whole bunch of stuff. Here are ways to celebrate Philly firsts — on the first of this new year.