The latest stories from

Aug. 20, 2025- We explore the state of gun violence in New York and the prevention efforts being championed by Gov. Kathy Hochul with New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Executive Deputy Commissioner Joe Popcun and Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-continuous=true...

Aug. 19, 2025- Assemblyman Harvey Epstein, a Manhattan Democrat, makes the case for legislation that limits what landlords can charge renters for a bounced check. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-continuous=true&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=true&hide-likes=true&h...

Aug. 19, 2025- The latest federal review of hospital metrics from around the country found that New York continues to trail almost every other state. We discuss the findings and how they should be used with Bill Hammond, a senior fellow at The Empire Center for Public Policy. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-con...

Aug. 18, 2025- We talk about efforts to promote traffic safety in the Empire State, including using cameras, lowering speed limits, and training drug recognition experts, with Mary Tanner Ritcher, deputy commissioner for traffic safety and investigations for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&amp...

Aug. 18, 2025 - Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, a Democrat, discusses changes to New York's evidence disclosure laws that took effect this summer at the urging of local prosecutors and Gov. Kathy Hochul. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-continuous=true&chapters-image=true&episode_i...

Aug. 15, 2025- State lawmakers approved a handful of new health insurance mandates this year, including bills dealing with inhalers and speech therapy, but insurers say these well-intentioned efforts won't result in lower costs. New York Health Plan Association President & CEO Eric Linzer explains how insurers determine what they cover and argues that policymakers should focus on the underlyin...

Aug. 15, 2025- The state budget included an additional $400 million to ensure access to child care vouchers, but the increased investment isn't necessarily trickling down to families who need help, according to reporting by New York Focus reporter Julia Rock. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-continuous=true&...

Aug. 14, 2025- In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt we hear from Assemblyman Micah Lasher, a Manhattan Democrat, who makes the case for increasing New York's Democrats in Congress by tweaking the congressional boundaries before the next census. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-continuous=true&chapters-...

Aug. 14, 2025- In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt we check in with Blair Horner, senior policy advisor for the New York Public Interest Research Group, to get his take on efforts to do mid-decade redistricting and consider whether good government groups are losing influence in Albany. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show...

Aug. 14, 2025- A new Siena Research Institute survey of New Yorkers explored the possibility of changing New York's redistricting process, responding to federal spending cuts, and a gubernatorial matchup between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Elise Stefanik. We break down the results with Siena pollster Steve Greenberg. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme...

Aug. 14, 2025- The Hochul administration is in the process of crafting a plan to guide the conservation of endangered species and habitats for the next decade. We unpack the significance of this plan and what might be missing with Chris Amato, conservation director and counsel for Protect the Adirondacks. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&...

Aug. 12, 2025 - Artificial intelligence is invading New York's political campaigns this year and the burgeoning technology could be even more prevalent in the future, according to Annie McDonough, a senior reporter for City & State New York. This is an excerpt of Dispatches from Planet Albany. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist...

Aug. 12, 2025 - For more than a decade, New York lawmakers have tried to secure a compensation boost for home car workers in the New York City area, but those efforts haven't always resulted in more money in pockets, according to reporting by Sam Mellins, a senior reporter for New York Focus. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show...

Aug. 12, 2025 - New Yorkers prescribed expensive, name-brand drugs may have to try cheaper alternatives before they get what the doctor ordered, as the result of insurance practices. We discuss how this process could be more transparent and have stricter rules with Ashira Vantrees, director of legal strategy and advocacy at Aimed Alliance. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episo...

August 11, 2025- New York Attorney General Letitia James is recommending the state narrowly restrict when police can engage in high-speed pursuits. We discuss the risk of police chases with Josh Parker, deputy director of policy for The Policing Project at NYU School of Law. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-cont...

August 11, 2025- New York is fighting back against federal efforts to access state immigration information and interfere at state courthouses, citing the "sovereign rights" of the state. We explore this argument and its history with Sarah Rogerson, director of the Edward P. Swyer Justice Center at Albany Law School. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme...

August 11, 2025- In light of an endangered sea turtle being released back into the wild this summer, we check in with Rob DiGiovanni Jr., founder and chief scientist for the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, to learn about his organization and the state's role in promoting their work. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&amp...

August 8, 2025- State Sen. Jake Ashby, a Capital Region Republican who did combat tours overseas with the Army Reserves, talks about increasing services for Purple Heart awardees and reflects on the Trump administration's handling of U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-continuous=tru...

August 8, 2025- We go through the agenda items in Albany for New York's nearly 500,000 public sector retirees with Tom Tatun, the recently anointed executive director for the Retired Public Employees Association. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-continuous=true&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=...

August 8, 2025- Gov. Kathy Hochul is promising affordable and reliable energy from new nuclear power plants, but how achievable is her vision? We get a contrarian take from John Howard, the former head of the New York Public Service Commission. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&playlist=show&playlist-continuous=true&chapters-image=...

The state's "All-Electric Buildings" mandate will begin to be phased in next year and, while environmental advocates are welcoming the change, the construction industry is continuing to warn about unintended consequences. We discuss the transition with Mike Fazio, executive director of the New York State Builders Association. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354...

August 7, 2025- In the wake of Gov. Kathy Hochul pushing to make it easier for New Yorkers to be involuntarily committed, President Donald Trump issued an executive order designed to promote more forced psychiatric institution of the country's homeless population. We unpack the significance of the action at the federal level, which could also hurt undermine harm reduction efforts in New York, with...

August 7, 2025- Starting in August, the more than 30,000 people incarcerated in New York don't have to pay to make outgoing phone calls. We unpack this policy decision from the Hochul administration, including how it could benefit society, with Bianca Tylek, founder and executive director of Worth Rises. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=70730354&theme=light&p...

August 6, 2025- More than 100 marijuana dispensary owners are grappling with the revelation that their approved locations are in violation of a state law as the result of a measuring mix up by the Hochul administration. We consider possible remedies to this situation with Joe Rossi, founder of Modern Advocacy and a cannabis lobbyist, and Joseph Levy, founding partner of Helbraun Levy, a law firm f...

August 6, 2025- As we continue to unpack the ramifications of the Big Beautiful Bill adopted by Republicans in Washington D.C., we're turning our attention to what it means for community health centers that serve low-income New Yorkers in medical deserts. Our guest is Rose Duhan, president and CEO of the Community Healthcare Association of New York State. ESCUCHAR RADIO  👉https://widget.spreaker....