
12/29/2020
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WNYC is heading into the new year with a renewed commitment to bring you the in-depth journalism that you need.
Make a donation today, to help us prepare for tomorrow. wnyc.org/join
"This is going to be, without question, the largest vaccination effort in the history of New York City."
More than 67,000 people in total have been vaccinated in NYC, with about 12,500 in a single day last week.
New York State has halted evictions and foreclosures until May 1st under a sweeping new law that sailed through the legislature on Monday.
The legislation protects tenants from evictions until May 1st.
As COVID-19 pummels prisons across the state, there has been an 80% increase in attorneys and their clients racing to file petitions for clemency — and appealing to Gov. Cuomo for mercy.
Despite the spread of COVID-19 in the prison system, the state has granted fewer clemency petitions in 2020 than in prior years.
For the next two Saturdays, you can bring your Christmas tree to select chipping sites and take home some mulch.
Be sure to bring your own bag 🌲
Cast aside your dried husks of holidays past.
President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion pandemic relief bill on Sunday evening — averting a government shutdown and extending unemployment benefits.
The president had originally threatened to veto the $900 billion package.
Years in the making, the expansion of Penn Station into the century-old James A. Farley post office building is on pace to be completed by New Year's Eve.
The $1.6 billion project extends Penn Station into the James A. Farley Post Office Building.
The New York State legislature is set to pass the strongest eviction protections in the country in a rare special session.
Both the State Senate and Assembly are anticipated to pass the legislation Monday during a special session.
To make sure we don't forget this extraordinary year, we're putting together a Time Capsule full of stories from 2020.
Tonight at 7 p.m., Brian Lehrer will talk to WNYC voices who played a role in telling those stories, and hear from listeners. Tune in! wnyc.org/timecapsule
Hosted for over 25 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, A Season's Griot captures the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples.
Join us for familiar and favorite elements of Griot at 3 p.m. on WNYC.
Hosted for over 25 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, this annual one-hour special captures the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples.
The internationally acclaimed "little orchestra" Pink Martini decks the airwaves with festive holiday songs from around the globe.
Tune in at 1 p.m. for timeless classics to rarely heard gems with enough holiday spirit to warm your entire family.
With timeless classics and rarely heard gems, the "little orchestra" spreads holiday cheer with the help of NPR's Ari Shapiro.
Jazz Night In America provides the perfect complement of holiday classics featuring The Sherman Irby sextet recorded live at Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Get into the holiday spirit with these swinging tunes at noon on WNYC.
Jazz Night in America provides the perfect complement of swinging holiday classics featuring The Sherman Irby sextet recorded live at Dizzy's Club at Jazz At Lincoln Center.
Continuing with the tradition of the first Tinsel Tales from NPR, we’re sharing another collection of the best and most requested holiday stories at 10 a.m. on WNYC.
Merry Christmas! 🎄
A radio tradition continues - stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas.
Joy, hope, and childhood memories overflow as NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season on Tinsel Tales.
Listen this Friday, Dec. 25 at 10 a.m. on WNYC.
A radio tradition continues - stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas.
There's still time to "Shop Listener"!
Help support your fellow listeners by visiting Brian Lehrer's 2020 Gift Guide 🎁 Happy Holidays! https://www.wnyc.org/story/shop-listener-2020/
Every year, we invite listeners to call in to shout out their businesses so their fellow listeners can support them. This year, that community support takes on new meaning.
Yuletide Tales is a storytelling show on a holiday theme. It’s about that most jolly time of the year, except when it isn’t.
Hosted by WNYC’s Jim O’Grady, host of Blindspot, a podcast by WNYC Studios and The History Channel.
Join the fun — and share in the schadenfreude — as our stellar lineup of New York City comedy and storytelling veterans wax holiday hilarity.
Featuring:
Ophira Eisenberg, host of NPR’s Ask Me Another, who asks the question, “Who brings Jewish kids presents?”
Adam Wade, Twenty time Moth StorySLAM winner, whose Christmas festivities in 1998 consisted of going to work at Rockefeller Plaza and eating cold chicken fingers from TGI Friday’s.
Andy Christie, host of the legendary Liar Show, with a story about how his dad expropriated presents for his sons from dead residents of his boarding-house on 14th Street.
And others!
It's a historic day at WNYC: Victor Glover, an astronaut serving his first mission on the International Space Station, and Shannon Walker, a returning astronaut, were the FIRST Brian Lehrer callers from SPACE!
Hear more about their ISS mission: https://www.wnyc.org/story/live-international-space-station
City officials are treating a new variant of the coronavirus as a major threat. But most experts say that a travel ban is not likely to be effective.
Here is what scientists know so far and what it means for New Yorkers.
A U.K. report estimated that the virus is 70% more transmissible, but scientists are divided over that alarming projection.
As part of Gothamist's Dear NYC series with NYPL The New York Public Library, we asked New Yorkers — at the end of one of the most painful and difficult years in NYC's history — to tell us why they love this city.
Here are their responses ❤️
Hundreds upon hundreds of love letters to the city have been submitted through our Dear NYC series, and here they are.
The newly-identified variant of the coronavirus has likely already arrived in the United States, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“When you have this amount of spread within a place like the U.K., you really need to assume that it’s here already," Fauci said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced his opposition to the development of a controversial residential project in Crown Heights.
The mayor's statement comes after a years-long contentious battle between residents and a high-profile developer who sought to raise two 39-story towers overlooking the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
In a compromise intended to help Americans struggling through the COVID-19 crises, lawmakers reached a deal on a $900 billion measure that is expected to be passed this week.
The $900 billion deal is expected to pass this week.
Hosted by WNYC's John Schaefer, celebrate the return of the sun — and the warming of the heart with Paul Winter's Winter Solstice Celebration.
Listen tonight at 10 p.m. on WNYC.
Celebrate the return of the sun - and the warming of the heart with Paul Winter's Winter Solstice Celebration.
What were New Yorkers reading during this year of solitude?
The city's libraries might know 📖
From Ibram X. Kendi to Danielle Steel, here's what New Yorkers checked out during a time of historic change and "unprecedented isolation."
After years of steady decline, the city’s jail population has risen since the end of April, despite a groundbreaking new bail reform.
Is the rollback to New York’s bail law the cause, or a spike in violent crime?
We want Christmas to be merry and bright, but sometimes the season can be challenging. On Selected Shorts, guest host Cynthia Nixon presents two stories that do deliver good cheer in the end.
Listen tonight at 10 p.m. on 93.9 FM.
We want Christmas to be merry and bright, but sometimes the season can be challenging. Two stories, presented by guest host Cynthia Nixon, deliver good cheer in the end. Listen at 10pm.
Still need to buy a gift? Help support your fellow listeners by visiting Brian Lehrer's Shop Listener Gift Guide!
Every year, we invite listeners to call in to shout out their businesses so their fellow listeners can support them. This year, that community support takes on new meaning.
As 2020 comes to its end, WNYC is putting together a time capsule that we'll crack open in ten years, and see what we all had to say at the close of this unique year in our history.
Help us tell the story of this moment:
As this historic year comes to a close, it's time to set aside what we want to remember. Here, a time capsule of what we lost, what we learned and what we hoped for in 2020.
"If you are looking to make some classic Nostalgic New York photos, go out and take them now. Hopefully they'll age well as time goes by."
As part of our Dear NYC series, we've recreated photos around all five boroughs from the NYPL's archives. First up: Staten Island.
Set in 1960s Manhattan, Occasional Shivers from North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC tells the story of two young musicians who fall in and out of love at Christmas time.
Listen tonight at 7 p.m. on 93.9 FM
Set in 1960s Manhattan, this radio drama tells the story of two young musicians who fall in and out of love at Christmas time.
Gemma John, who was the first nurse to get vaccinated at Brookdale Hospital, said the vaccine’s arrival was “like Christmas coming early.”
“We’re proud, and this way, we can protect ourselves and protect our community,” she said.
“Sometimes we feel like we are the forgotten ones, and it's just amazing that we can get the vaccine at the same time other people are getting it,” said Gemma John, who was the first nurse at Brookdale to get vaccinated.
"It just goes along with all the other lines that we've been fed about the safety in the schools, or their lack of a plan for what's going to happen here."
"It just goes along with all the other lies that we've been fed about the safety in the schools, or their lack of a plan for what's going to happen here."
Here's what it's like to be part of a COVID vaccine trial.
Clinical trials like this one begin with just a small number of participants and grow in size through later phases. In this study, participants are paid and can earn up to $600.
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday said that he believed New York could avoid a full shutdown despite the rising number of cases and hospitalizations.
Just on Monday, the governor warned New Yorkers to prepare for a full shutdown.
The Department of Education will remove middle schools ‘screens’ for the 2021-2022 academic year and eliminate district priority for high schools altogether.
The Department of Education also announced the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) will be administered beginning January 27th.
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Yuletide Tales is a storytelling show on a holiday theme. It’s about that most jolly time of the year, except when it isn’t. Hosted by WNYC’s Jim O’Grady, host of Blindspot, a podcast by WNYC Studios and The History Channel. Join the fun — and share in the schadenfreude — as our stellar lineup of New York City comedy and storytelling veterans wax holiday hilarity. Featuring: Ophira Eisenberg, host of NPR’s Ask Me Another, who asks the question, “Who brings Jewish kids presents?” Adam Wade, Twenty time Moth StorySLAM winner, whose Christmas festivities in 1998 consisted of going to work at Rockefeller Plaza and eating cold chicken fingers from TGI Friday’s. Andy Christie, host of the legendary Liar Show, with a story about how his dad expropriated presents for his sons from dead residents of his boarding-house on 14th Street. And others!
It's a historic day at WNYC: Victor Glover, an astronaut serving his first mission on the International Space Station, and Shannon Walker, a returning astronaut, were the FIRST Brian Lehrer callers from SPACE! Hear more about their ISS mission: https://www.wnyc.org/story/live-international-space-station
For Brian Lehrer's Holiday Party on the air, we asked listeners to call in with their audio holiday cards. WNYC's David Furst and his son made one that we loved so much, we thought we'd share it again. Listen to the party here: https://bit.ly/2J4tkpK
The holiday season is upon us, and Journalist-in-Residence Imara Jones is here with trans-led businesses and shops where you can get your gifts and more. Imara will be joined by entrepreneurs Armani Dae, Jayla Roxx and Devin-Norelle to discuss the path towards starting one’s own business and the importance of shopping ethically and supporting trans-led businesses when holiday shopping. Lives at Stake is a series of frank conversations by and for trans people about the issues affecting their communities, hosted by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Imara Jones, The Greene Space’s first-ever Journalist-in-Residence. Building off Jones’ storytelling project TransLash, these online gatherings will also highlight the resilience, creativity and artistry that are critical ingredients to trans life, showcasing trans creatives performing their craft. ASL interpretation will be available during the show. The trans community, allies and those who wish to learn more are all welcome to join us to share experiences, insights, questions and celebrations by tweeting @TheGreeneSpace and using the hashtags #translash #livesatstake.
Join us as we look back on a notable year and honor the nominees of the first annual Lehrer Prize for Community Well-Being. This award aims to recognize a standout idea, individual, effort or group that has contributed meaningfully in the past year to improving quality of life in New York City and nearby areas. The event will feature Brian Lehrer in conversation with the three Lehrer Prize nominees, along with a special conversation between Brian and Chef José Andrés of World Central Kitchen, along with a performance from violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins. The evening will be emceed by WQXR’s Terrance McKnight.
While most Americans contend with the risks of gathering with loved ones this holiday season, the over two million people confined in America’s jails and prisons find themselves fighting for survival and to be heard by a largely unaware and preoccupied public — and unconcerned judicial system. COVID-19 ravaging jails and prisons doesn’t just affect the people incarcerated, approximately 500,000 of whom are jailed only because they can’t afford bail; it’s catastrophic for corrections staff, including officers, chaplains, doctors, nurses and their lawyers. And this is to say nothing of the neighboring communities, which have seen their COVID-19 case and death rates increase in outsize proportions. WNYC’s Jami Floyd hosts WNYC reporter Karen Yi and Assistant Public Defender from Prince George’s County, Claire Glenn, with special live performances of real sworn testimonies from Prince George’s County Jail by GRAMMY-winner Fiona Apple and award-winning poet and lawyer Dwayne Betts. Hear how COVID is affecting more than just those behind the bars, and learn what tools you have at your disposal to make positive change happen. For this Reporter’s Notebook, we team up with the Gasping for Justice initiative led by public defenders, organizers, civil rights lawyers, and people currently jailed in Prince George’s County, MD, to explore the current conditions inside of courts, jails, and prisons, and the indifference by people with the power to do more throughout the country.
Get informed, catch up and keep up with national and local news every weekday at 5 pm. Subscribe for free to the Consider This podcast: https://bit.ly/3omXsLQ
Make sense of the day's essential news in 20 minutes with the Consider This podcast. Get informed, catch up and keep up with national and local news every weekday at 5 pm. Subscribe for free today: https://smarturl.it/ConsiderThispod?IQid=facebook
During this Trans Awareness Month, in the wake of the election, trans politicians are celebrating historic victories, winning elections from Delaware to Oklahoma. New legislation around the LGBTQ+ community could change the lives of transgender people across the country. At the same time, November 20th marks Trans Day of Remembrance, in which we commemorate all of those lost to violence. Sadly, 2020 marks the year when more trans people have been killed than any other year on record. These deaths leave behind loved ones often overlooked by the media. This month, Jones talks with GLAAD-Award winning journalist Samantha Allen and Melania Brown, sister of Layleen Polanco Extravaganza who died in custody at Rikers Island yesterday due to neglect. We will also be sharing a special, spoken word performance by artist Mojo Disco.
For almost 50 years, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe has been a vanguard in the world of spoken word poetry and an iconic Lower East Side institution. Now, they join forces with The Greene Space to present a showcase of performers, both established and up-and-coming. Hosted by Caridad de la Luz a.k.a. La Bruja, this show brings together poetry, stories and solo work. Poets include Shanelle Gabriel, Andre “Chulisi” Rodriguez, Tanaya Winder, Tricia DeJesus-Gutierrez aka Phynne, Rich Glinnen, Paul la Torre, Jani Rose, Suzen Baraka.
After deconstructing racism with his 2019 TED talk and exploring black identity in his NY Times bestselling memoir How to Be Black, Baratunde Thurston is breaking down civic engagement with his new iHeartRadio podcast How to Citizen. WNYC’s Jami Floyd (Senior Editor, Race and Justice) joins Baratunde to discuss his wide-ranging career and what he’s learned from sitting down with activists, revolutionaries and experts about the responsibilities we all have to our country. Special guest Farai Chideya (creator and host of Our Body Politic) also sits down with Baratunde.
LIVE NOW: Imara Jones with Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund 's AndyMarra and WNYC 's Matt Katz discuss recent polling and the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court's impact on trans issues. @translashmedia
Watch a live video stream as Alison Stewart, host of WNYC’s All of It, continues her virtual book club series with acclaimed author Raven Leilani. They’ll discuss her novel, Luster, which follows a young Black woman living in Brooklyn who gets involved in an increasingly complicated relationship with an older married man. Viewers are encouraged to submit their questions for the author on Twitter and Instagram. Singer-songwriter, Jensen McRae, will also be performing.
#TrumpInc collaborated with New York Magazine to answer one big question: Who’s profiting off the Trump presidency? https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-presidency-insider-profits.html Get the podcast here: https://smarturl.it/TrumpIncpod?IQid=twitter
Your support made it possible for us to keep your favorite shows on the air over the last six months while many of us were away from the station and each other. Public radio was made for times like this, and WNYC is here for you. Become a member today: wnyc.org/join
For the finale of Death, Sex & Money‘s Audio We Love Fest, join host Anna Sale for a live conversation with Back Issue hosts Tracy Clayton and Josh Gwynn. In their new show, Tracy and Josh share the stories behind some legendary moments in pop culture—including ones that are pretty cringeworthy in hindsight—and go deep on some of people, shows, and songs that changed us forever. Join the nostalgia party and watch as they share some of the moments from the past that are bringing them joy in a tumultuous year.
Kai Wright, host of United States of Anxiety, joins Andrea Bernstein, co-host of the Trump, Inc. podcast and author of the New York Times Bestseller AMERICAN OLIGARCHS: The Kushners, The Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power, to discuss the tattered state of democracy, the encroaching oligarchy, racism, nativism, voter suppression and how Donald Trump’s central principle of “us” versus “them” has infected all of American government.
Samantha Crain is a Choctaw singer, songwriter, poet, producer, and musician from Oklahoma. Her genre-spanning discography has been critically acclaimed by media outlets such as Rolling Stone, SPIN, Paste, No Depression, NPR, PRI, The Guardian, NME, Uncut, and others. She has toured with First Aid Kit, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lucy Rose, The Avett Brothers, The Mountain Goats, Brandi Carlisle, Langhorne Slim and many others.
Presented in collaboration with The Lenape Center, The Greene Space will livestream the blessing of the newly revamped Tammany Hall from New York City’s Union Square. The Lenape Center’s Joe Baker and Hadrien Coumans will lead the blessing. This historically Lenape space has served as an icon in the New York City region for centuries.
Director, TED Fellow and White House Champion of Change Madeline Sayet hosts Patricia Marroquin Norby, Associate Curator of Native American Art at The Met — where she is the first-ever full-time curator in the department — actor Tanis Parenteau (Billions) and artist Ty Defoe as they discuss Indigenous storytelling — the mainstream-ization of the concept, their personal practices, and how adding native narratives can help create a more inclusive, and honest, understanding of country and history.
2020 has been an historic year for Native American rights. From the Supreme Court victory in McGirt v. Oklahoma to Washington’s NFL team finally changing its name, Native Nations and their citizens are celebrating long-awaited gains. At the same time, Indian Country has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and Native leaders have joined the call to address anti-Black racism in policing, policy, and even within our own communities. Journalist and podcast host Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee), host of the podcast This Land, convenes a group of Native leaders as they discuss U.S. Government policies currently at play, the impact of COVID-19 on their communities, and what’s at stake for native peoples in this election. Panel guests: Amanda Blackhorse (Diné) is a social worker, mom and was the lead plaintiff in Blackhorse v. Pro-Football; The lawsuit that challenged the trademark of the Washington football team’s racist name. Amber Starks (Mvskoke) is a salon owner, a natural hair advocate, and a social media influencer at the intersection of Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty. Abigail Echo Hawk (Pawnee) is a public health advocate, researcher, and the director of the Urban Indian Health Institute and the Chief Research Officer for the Seattle Indian Health Board.
A rich history of peacekeeping and inter-tribal diplomacy existed in the present-day Northeast United States, and traditions thrived that helped lay the groundwork for what we consider to be American democracy. Our host, Iakowi:he’ne’ Oakes, speaks with Kanasaraken Loran Thompson to uncover how a great set of laws and treaties maintained harmony from present day Pennsylvania to Connecticut. Presented in collaboration with the American Indian Community House.
When something happens in the subways, a message from the MTA’s Rail Control Center is relayed over an old school phone line known as the Six Wire. WNYC’s Stephen Nessen reports, when a worker at that center retires, there’s sometimes a special farewell: https://bit.ly/33ANKhG
Presented in collaboration with The Lenape Center, host Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum is joined by co-directors Brent Michael Davids and Curtis Zunigha. The group will tune in live from Wisconsin and Oklahoma at their respective Lenape nations, who bring home the understanding of diaspora and forced migrations from present-day New York City. Further guests include Lenape Center Executive Director Joe Baker, who will speak to real time work and movements happening in regard to these locations; and Todd Poisson, lead architect of the newly revamped Tammany Hall (which pays homage to the Turtle Clan of the Lenape Tribe) discusses the reopening. The Lenape Center co-director Hadrien Coumans also joins.
For almost 50 years, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe has been a vanguard in the world of spoken word poetry and an iconic Lower East Side institution. Now, they join forces with The Greene Space to present a showcase of performers, both established and up-and-coming. This show, hosted by playwright/director Elaine del Valle, brings together poetry, stories and solo work.
Why should trans people run for office? Tune in as Imara Jones explores the need in this critical election cycle with She The People's Aimee Allison, New York City Council candidate Elisa Crespo, Minneapolis City Council Member Phillipe Cunningham and Katelyn Burns, the first openly trans Capitol Hill reporter.
Narrative Healing with Lisa Weinert
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