Connections Podcast

Local realtors say the Rochester-area market is slowing somewhat, but it is still a hot seller's market. We're joined by realtors who discuss trends and what to expect in the coming months. Our guests: Lanie Bittner , president of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, and associate broker at RE/MAX Plus Shawanda McGee , licensed realtor and founder of She's Dope, a women's empowerment group Jim Yockel , CEO of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors

California Governor Gavin Newsom has survived the recall attempt, and will continue as governor in one of the country's bluest states. What should Democrats across the country learn from this? What should Republicans learn? What does the data tell us about what happened? Our guest: Joseph Burgess , data curator at the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University Paul Hypolite , founder of Leading with Our Values, a public affairs firm committed to economic, racial, gender, and

The Biden administration wants all companies with at least 100 employees to be given two options: employees must either be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID testing. Advisor Andy Slavitt says this is a necessary step to control a still-raging pandemic. But would it hold up in court? Legal challenges were launched almost immediately. Our guests look at what we know so far about this proposal, and how it fits within the context of the law: Elizabeth Cordello , chair of the Labor and Employment

The editors of Reason Magazine recently joined a conversation about whether Libertarians have been mostly right about the big issues of the past twenty years. Since 9/11, Libertarians have opposed the war in Iraq; opposed the occupation of Afghanistan; opposed torture; supported same-sex marriage; supported marijuana legalization; and supported aggressive access to COVID vaccines, even before trials were complete. Why, they wonder, have the Libertarian party and movement had trouble attracting

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, preventing severe disease and death from the virus and the variants that cause COVID-19. But, as medical experts point out, vaccines providing complete immunity to COVID -- and to any infection -- is unachievable. The notion of sterilizing immunity is a myth. This hour, we're joined by medical experts who weigh in on the purpose of vaccines, how infections work, and what they think the public should understand about protection against severe illness. Our

We talk with comedians about comedy and politics. Should political observations be part of comedy acts? Or are they too isolating? One of the most popular stand-up comedians on the national stage is Nate Bargatze. In a recent piece in the Atlantic Monthly, writer Tim Alberta profiles Bargatze, who he calls "the nicest man in stand-up". Bargatze avoids politics and topics that could be offensive. He told Albert, “I want to be able to sell out a theater in San Francisco one week and Mobile,

Conservative writer Matt Lewis warns that toxic masculinity is becoming a problem, particularly on the religious right. He points to numerous recent incidents at school board meetings across the country, in which men are trying to bully boards to adopt policies. Lewis also is concerned that both major political parties are ignoring "never Trump" conservatives. He joins us for the hour: Matt Lewis , senior columnist for the Daily Beast, host of Matt Lewis and the News podcast, and author

We're joined by Dr. Bradford C. Berk to discuss his new book, "Getting Your Brain and Body Back: Everything You Need to Know after Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, or Traumatic Brain Injury." Dr. Berk was permanently paralyzed after a biking accident in 2009. He was back to work as CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center one year later. In his book, Dr. Berk provides advice regarding medical care, mental health treatment, and technology to aid in recovery. He joins us for the hour to share

On the 50th anniversary of the Attica prison riot, we welcome Deanne Quinn Miller. She was five years old when her father, a prison guard, was killed at Attica. She spent decades pursuing both the full story of her father's death and justice for everyone involved -- including the inmates of Attica. Her new book is called "The Prison Guard's Daughter," and it's co-authored by longtime Democrat & Chronicle reporter Gary Craig. Both co-authors join us: Deanne Quinn Miller , co-author of "The

We talk to students about the disparities between Rochester City School District and suburban schools during the pandemic. Our guests: Sarah Adams, sophomore at East High School Mercedes Phelan , Western New York and Central New York regional director for Citizen Action of New York, and parent in the Rochester City School District Max-Yamil Cabezudo-Brown, former youth organizer at Teen Empowerment, and senior at Allendale Columbia School