The Update with Brandon Julien

The drama is high, the patience is low, and the popcorn is absolutely necessary. First up, Frustration Airlines is still taxiing endlessly on the shutdown runway, offering complimentary stress and zero arrival updates as we hit day 37 of the government shutdown. Meanwhile, the Mamdani Transition Team is warming up backstage—not with a spotlight, but with a blowtorch—because nothing says “new admin...

We’ve officially crossed it — that invisible threshold where logic, patience, and maybe democracy itself start to fray. On this edition, we’re “Past the Point of No Return,” and the view isn’t exactly scenic. Over in New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill pulled off the rarest of political feats — a clean Democratic handoff in the Governor’s Mansion for the first time since the 1960s — proving that Garden Sta...

It’s Day 35 of the government shutdown- at this point, Washington is like that one friend who says they’re “five minutes away” when they haven’t even left the house. Meanwhile, It’s Election Day in New York City — the calm before the political storm, where campaign volunteers are running on caffeine and hope, and voters are just trying to remember if their polling place is still the same deli they...

It’s Day 34 of the government shutdown, and at this point, Congress has voted so many times they’re probably eligible for frequent-flyer miles. The president’s advice is to “keep voting,” which might work for senators, Mets fans clinging to hope, and anyone still counting calories after Halloween. Meanwhile, in baseball-land, the Dodgers are on top of the world again, the Blue Jays are stuck somew...

Thirty-one days into the government shutdown, and we’ve officially crossed from “temporary inconvenience” into “long-term relationship.” Congress is still arguing, the bills are still piling up, and at this point, even the interns are starting to grow beards. The glimmer of hope we saw earlier in the week has dimmed back down to a faint nightlight — the kind that flickers right before the ghost ju...

Thirty days into the government shutdown, and for the first time in weeks, there’s a faint glimmer of hope cutting through the fog in Washington — senators are actually talking again, which in itself feels like breaking news. But as D.C. tries to find its way out of the darkness, the rest of the country is feeling the changing times in more ways than one: from job cuts and media shakeups, to famil...

It’s Day 29 of the government shutdown — and Congress is now on what’s being called their thirteenth try at reopening the country. If this were baseball, they’d have struck out weeks ago. The lights are still dim on Capitol Hill, the bills are still unpaid, and hope is hanging by a thread thinner than a fun-sized Twizzler. But speaking of Halloween, not all the scary stuff this week is happening i...

Is that something sweet a trick or a treat? Halloween is just a few days away, and children are about to be running door to door in search of candies and chocolates — the annual sugar marathon where pillowcases turn into bank vaults and parents suddenly rediscover their “inspection tax.” But while the kids are getting ready to collect their loot, one scientist is warning parents about the dangers...

You ever notice that every year around Halloween, someone forgets to turn off the spooky music in Washington? Because right now, 27 days into the government shutdown, it feels less like politics and more like a haunted house no one wants to tour. The halls of Congress are full of cobwebs, everyone’s pointing at ghosts that aren’t there, and the only thing scarier than the budget impasse might be t...

The fallout from the final debate on the Road to City Hall had everything you could want from a political drama: sharp jabs, witty comebacks, and at least one moment where you had to wonder if the moderators needed a referee whistle. Meanwhile, in Washington, the government shutdown hit Day 23 — and while some people measure endurance by marathons, Senator Jeff Merkley apparently decided to test h...

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it wor...

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it wor...

As we count down to Election Day, the drama at City Hall has hit that stage where the debates feel less like political forums and more like reality TV — minus the commercial breaks and with slightly better lighting. Washington isn’t doing much better either — we’ve reached Day 22 of the government shutdown, which means federal workers are running out of patience, and the rest of us are running out...

Between Halloween creeping closer, Tommie’s recovery still weighing on my mind, and the final two weeks of the City Hall race tightening up, it feels like the city and my life are running on the same kind of caffeine-fueled chaos. The government shutdown hits Day 21 with no end in sight, the Dodgers and Blue Jays set up a USA-vs-Canada World Series for the ages, and even our Halloween shoot turned...

On another off day in town, get comfy with some random thoughts inside The Update Journal.

On another weekend in town, get comfy with some random thoughts inside The Update Journal.

From humiliation to almost interesting — the Yankees somehow managed to turn a 13–7 loss into a moral victory, even if it still counts as an “L” in the scorebook. Meanwhile, in Washington, it’s Day 6 of the Government Shutdown, and absolutely nobody’s blinking. And finally — the Great Recess Return. For the first time since May, the schoolyard is alive again with shouts, sneakers, and a few “Coach...

While the government shutdown continues, come enjoy a little laugh inside The Update Journal.

Today, we’re diving headfirst into October baseball — starting with the ALDS preview between the Yankees and Blue Jays. One team’s got the momentum, the other’s got the maple syrup. Meanwhile, back in Queens, the Mets purge under Carlos Mendoza continues. Players are being shipped out faster than the 7 train leaves Times Square, and it’s starting to feel less like a rebuild and more like a reality...

From baseball to bureaucracy to bizarre beverages — today’s lineup in The Update Journal is one for the books. First up: Game 2 of the Yankees–Red Sox Wild Card series. The Yankees pulled off the comeback win to keep their season alive, which means fans can breathe again… at least until tomorrow. Then, it’s Day 2 of the Government Shutdown — or as Washington likes to call it, “Take Your Blame Game...

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it wor...

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it wor...

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it wor...

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it wor...

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it wor...