Beyonce’s latest album, “Act ll: Cowboy Carter,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart this week, making her the first Black woman to ever top that chart. Alice Randall, novelist and songwriter, most recently author of My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing, 2024), discusses the legacy of Black country music and traces its roots to today's historic achievement.

Black Country Music: Tracing Its Past to Beyoncé

Newsmakers meet New Yorkers as host Brian Lehrer and his guests take on the issues dominating conversation in New York and around the world. This daily program from WNYC Studios cuts through the usual talk radio punditry and brings a smart, humane approach to the day's events and what matters most in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives.  WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, Death, Sex & Money, Nancy, and many others.

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Incoming college students traditionally need to make their decisions about what college they'll attend by May 1 -- and while issues with financial aid have caused some schools to delay the date, many are sticking with May 1. Listeners call in to talk about how they or their children made their decision this year, and whether the FAFSA debacle, or campus protests have affected their choice.

A Fraught College 'Decision Day'

BBC presenter Nuala McGovern compares notes over how the UK is handling migrants, talks about her reporting here in New York and remembers her time as a Brian Lehrer Show producer.EVENT:Global Movements, Local Impacts: An Evening with WNYC + BBC NewshourWednesday, May 1, 2024, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET, in person at the Greene Space (44 Charlton St in Manhattan).Tickets (pay what you wish starting at $5) and details here.

Comparing Notes With the BBC

Activists at Columbia occupied a building overnight as administrators threatened to start suspending students. Joseph Howley, associate professor of classics at Columbia University, talks about how he and other faculty are supporting protesters at Columbia and Hadeeqa Arzoo, vice president of CCNY’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and organizer at the CUNY Gaza Solidarity Encampment, shares what activists at the City College of New York are demanding.

Campus Protests at CUNY and Columbia

Marie French, reporter covering energy and the environment for POLITICO New York, discusses the collapse of three key wind farm projects in New York and their broader implications for the state's climate goals.

Why Three New York Offshore Wind Projects Fell Apart

Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about her new biography of Barbara Walters, plus the latest national political news, including the White House Correspondents Dinner and Pres. Biden's agreement to a debate.

Black Country Music: Tracing Its Past to Beyoncé

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