The Wheelhouse

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, many of the ideas at the heart of the nation's founding — from freedom and representation to checks and balances — remain subjects of fierce public debate. This hour, we explore America's official time capsule and the artifacts Connecticut is sending into the future. What story are we telling about who we are in 2026? And what does that story r...

“Suffs” is a Tony-award winning Broadway play celebrating the American women who fought for voting rights. This hour, we learn about the fight for the 19th amendment. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Hurricane Maria through this year’s Super Bowl, Bad Bunny, the “King of Latin Trap” continues to weave politics into his lyrics. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes a politician click with voters? Is it the message? The smile? The slogan? Or that one campaign ad everyone can't stop talking about? Today on The Wheelhouse, we go behind the scenes with political strategists to explore the making of a politician. We'll break down the speeches, slogans, handshakes, photo ops, and yes – even the cringeworthy campaign ads. Guests: Jill Barkley Roy ,...

Can I afford that big summer vacation? It’s a question many people ask this time of year. And the answer may hinge on greater economic forces at play. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics  reported in May  that costs were up 3.8%. Moody’s – a financial services company –  tells CNBC  that the average American household is spending $450 more on gas and ene...

Connecticut lawmakers have expanded protections for undocumented migrants. They passed a law  earlier this year  that could keep the migrants from being picked up by federal law enforcement in a way state lawmakers say is unlawful. The state law comes while the federal judicial system  is flooded with new cases  as U.S. Immigration and Enforcement officers detain thousands of p...

Journey inside the mind of a lawmaker on the next Wheelhouse as we tap into the experience of a panel of politicians with more than 80 years of combined experience serving the people of Connecticut. We’ll ask about bipartisanship and the challenges or reaching across the aisle in 2026. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A  bill  to more closely regulate homeschooling passed the state legislature as the 2026 session came to a close this month. The proposal faced  significant pushback  from Republicans and parents who homeschool their children. Opponents of the new rules say they are  inconsistent with the state’s civil-liberties tradition . But child advocates and lawmakers supportin...

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Louisiana’s congressional map could have major consequences for voters across the country.  Critics say the decision weakens the Voting Rights Act and could make it harder for minority communities to elect candidates of their choice.  On the next Wheelhouse, who wins and who loses when lawmakers redraw political maps? How might the Su...

Connecticut lawmakers in 2026 have worked on a  new budget deal , debated  homeschool  regulation and tossed around the political football that is  skyrocketing energy costs . There’s still more business to do with one more day of lawmaking at the state Capitol, followed by more business up ahead on the campaign trail. Today on The Wheelhouse, local politics and the end o...

At least 1,000 people lost access to gender-affirming care in Connecticut in the wake of a federal threat to strip health care providers of benefits. Pressure from the Trump administration resulted in several Connecticut hospitals winding down programs for youth gender-affirming care  last summer . But in March, Connecticut and 20 other states successfully sued to  block  a declarat...

We’re in the final days of the 2025-26 academic year. A lot has happened since the fall, including the  assassination  of a conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, the  rise  of Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, and  another  U.S. conflict in the Persian Gulf. Today on The Wheelhouse, we hear how students at the University of Hartford are keeping up with the pol...

Recent redactions to the Epstein files have raised renewed questions about what the government does –  and does not  – strike from highly sensitive documents. The black pen has been used on classified materials for decades. But amid renewed calls for disclosure, more Americans are raising questions about the politics behind what stays in and what gets taken out. Today on the...

President Donald Trump says the U.S. conflict with Iran is “ nearing completion .” He’s addressed the American people after gas prices soared and markets panicked. It’s a story America knows all too well, with a reliance on fossil fuels causing many crises including in  1973 ,  1979 ,  1999 , and  2022 . Today on the Wheelhouse, we’re looking at oi...

What you see on the internet could influence how you see one side of a political debate. Whether it was  the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal law enforcement,  – or what  NPR is calling “America’s first AI-fueled war”  in Iran, images generated online may distort what’s actually happening. Today on The Wheelhouse, as trust in news...

Connecticut has sued the federal government to keep colleges and universities from  releasing race-based admissions data  to the White House. Ahead of “ Ivy Day ,” when students will learn if they’ve gotten into some of the country’s most prestigious schools, we’re re-visiting a 2023 Supreme Court decision that  effectively banned affirmative action &nb...

The White House and the U.S. Department of Defense are incorporating “maximum lethality” into their rhetoric about the war in Iran. It’s hyper-masculine language, tied to a misogynistic and fringe internet culture known to target women. At a time when administration officials are  selling Iran airstrikes  with montages of popular moments in American culture, the line be...

Election results from 2024 have necessitated deep dives into the manosphere. These podcasts often don’t focus on political horse races – and many of the people on them say they’re not political. But,  according to one data firm , 54% of votes from men aged 18 to 29 were cast for Donald Trump. And his campaign did a lot of outreach to appear on the podcasts, courting an audie...

Across Connecticut, some students are joining  a national movement to protest federal immigration crackdowns . Students from Classical Magnet School in Hartford poured out of the classroom and onto the streets in February,  holding up signs  like “ICE OUT” to passing cars. The demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement are happening in places like Hartfor...

A  plan  sponsored by President Donald Trump to overhaul national voting laws ahead of the 2026 midterms is back in Congress. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) called the  SAVE America Act  and its recent passage in the U.S. House a “ critical step toward restoring election integrity .” But detractors, like U.S. Rep.  John Larson  (D-Conn.), said the plan would ma...

A panel of civic-minded individuals answer questions at the University of Connecticut’s Hartford campus about engagement and the connective tissue of politics. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut lawmakers want to reduce kids’ screentime in 2026, arguing that it  protects  children. Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed banning cell phones from “bell to bell” in Connecticut classrooms. But not all lawmakers are onboard with the idea, including a Republican lawmaker who’s accusing members of her legislative chamber of trying to “ co-parent ”...

State lawmakers return to Hartford Wednesday for the opening of the 2026 legislative session. They meet as federal lawmakers  argue over expiring health care subsidies and immigration enforcement operations across the country. In Connecticut, how will these federal cuts and controversies impact the work lawmakers do this session? And with soaring energy costs continuing to hammer Connecticut...

“Suffs,” the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical about history-making women, is coming to Hartford. From Jan. 27 to Feb. 1, the people behind “Suffs” say they’ll highlight themes of the past that are still relevant today including grassroots activism, race, gender and class dynamics. Producers of "Suffs" say it isn’t some “dry history lesson,” but a...

Civilians and federal ICE agents are clashing from  Hartford  to  Minneapolis . Federal officials are amping up enforcement efforts – and rhetoric – in the wake of  several  shootings in Minnesota at the hands of federal ICE agents. How are protesters and journalists responding? Today on The Wheelhouse, government accountability and transparency in 2026. GUESTS...