The Wheelhouse

There are just a few frenetic hours left in the 2018 legislative session. The fate of many controversial bills  will be decided between now and when state lawmakers adjourn Wednesday at the stroke of midnight. What's next for those still dreaming of a Bridgeport casino ? Will labor unions be rejoicing over a minimum wage increase ? Will a budget deal be brokered on time this year? Support the...

With Jonathan Harris dropping out of the governor's race and throwing his support behind Ned Lamont , the stars seem to be aligning for the Greenwich cable television entrepreneur to capture the Democratic Party's endorsement at its May 18-19 state convention . Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What moves do you make to break out of the pack in what's been a governor's race without any indisputable front-runners? If you're Susan Bysiewicz , you call out wealthy, largely self-funding fellow Democratic rival Ned Lamont for not participating in the state's public campaign finance system, which restricts candidate spending. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener...

The crowded race for governor finally began to narrow this week as Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin announced he is abandoning his bid to be the Democratic Party's nominee. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's going to be a long fight leading up to Election Day, based on newly released campaign fundraising totals in Connecticut's race for governor and the Republican Governors Association's plan to reserve  $1.7 million for television ads in the contest. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For almost a decade, Democrats have held all of the state's five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. But an unexpected development over the past week has given Republicans in Connecticut's Fifth Congressional District new hope for a victory in 2018. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robocalls, rallies, even an offer by Governor Malloy to make a Republican his next pick to the state's Supreme Court couldn't prevent Andrew McDonald's chief justice nomination from going down in flames. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is stuff Hollywood couldn't script. Mark Boughton, a leading Republican candidate in the race to be Connecticut's next governor collapsed at a political event in Avon. One of his rivals, Prasad Srinivasan, who happens to be a doctor, rushed over to provide medical care. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Connecticut House voted to approve Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald to be chief justice Monday by one vote. The next stop is the Senate, where Republicans will have a one-vote majority after Democratic lawmaker Gayle Slossberg recused herself last week.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary of the shooting rampage at the state lottery headquarters in Newington. The horrific event prompted the passage of the state’s so-called “risk warrant” law allowing police to temporarily seize weapons from those deemed a threat to themselves or others. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After being grilled by lawmakers late into the evening Monday, Andrew McDonald’s chances of becoming the state’s next Supreme Court chief justice turned dicey . The legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted 20-20 to advance his nomination, just a vote shy of a rejection. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Students surviving the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, Florida insist they will be the ones to finally end the gridlock over gun policy on the national level. Today we look at how the renewed debate may play out in Connecticut and the November election.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much of state lawmakers’ budget-crafting in recent years has focused on cutting spending. Any proposals to raise revenue through new or expanded taxes are almost instantly decried as anti-business in a state increasingly hurting for business.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At noon on Wednesday, Governor Dannel Malloy is delivering his final budget address to the Connecticut General Assembly. He’s already leaked a large part of what he would like to do: cut state aid to certain rich towns, lend a hand to Connecticut taxpayers hurt by the federal tax changes, and make it more expensive to drive on state highways, so we can afford to fix them.  Support the show: h...

This hour, we provide analysis of President Trump's State of the Union address. Much of the speech was aimed at bridging a divide between disgruntled hardliners now unsure about Trump’s seriousness on immigration, and more traditional Republicans, hoping to draft off a rising stock market and their tax cut win. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

The group of people running for governor of the state of Connecticut isn't showing a real front-runner that everyone can agree on yet, but how are they talking about real reforms to the way the state operates? Is there more beyond lowering taxes and cutting wasteful spending? Dan Drew is out, and Ned Lamont is in - What's next for the Democratic race? Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See o...

This week, Governor Dannel Malloy called for a ban on "bump stocks" -- devices that can make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns. Pfizer announced plans to end research into treatments for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases -- and they announced several hundred layoffs including at their facility in Groton.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener...

The race for governor of Connecticut just got a lot more interesting. Joe Ganim, former inmate, current mayor of Bridgeport, unable to qualify for state financing, has announced that he’s in the race -- and establishment Democrats are worried about him getting into a primary. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The state budget stalemate that goes on for months, and results in a budget that isn’t balanced. An unpopular governor tangles with a newly divided legislature over control of spending -- and not surprisingly, many big names ask, “do I really want that job?”  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last night saw the unlikeliest of upsets in Alabama. Democrat Doug Jones, propelled by a big turnout from the state's urban and suburban voters, very narrowly defeated Republican Roy Moore in a special election that could have big consequences in Washington - and even in Connecticut.  Leave out for a minute any analysis of what this means as a referendum on Trumpian politics, or the race for...

In a move that signals a shift in the health care market, CVS/Health announced a $69 billion deal to buy Aetna - the third largest insurer in the nation. This would be one of the b iggest health care deals of all time , and would leave Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini with  a sweet $500 million payout. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen announced this week that he will not be seeking a third term . This leaves two huge holes to fill - AG and Governor - with no clear front-runners. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allegations against Alabama Republican Roy Moore -- who is accused of sexual misconduct with minors -- don't seem to be stopping his bid for the U.S. Senate. On Tuesday, President Trump openly endorsed him, saying we should believe Moore because "he said it didn't happen."  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Attorney General - and former Senator - Jeff Sessions has spent more time on Capitol Hill than he’d like over the last few months, again facing tough questioning about what he did and didn’t know about contacts between Russia and the Trump campaign he was a part of.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we review the results of local elections across the state, and look at races across the country -- many of which were swept by democrats, including formerly republican gubernatorial seats in Virginia and New Jersey. Some are saying that's a blow to President Trump .  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.