Connections Podcast

We examine the impact of a historic night in Monroe County politics. Democrats have won the top seat in the county for the first time in three decades, but they fell one seat short of taking control of the County Legislature. We sit down with the two Democrats who flipped seats to discuss how they plan to work with Republicans on priorities like taxes, child care, and more. In studio: John Baynes , County Legislator-elect Sheila Baynes, member of John Baynes' campaign team Mike Yudelson , County

This week, another Latin American country announced it would stop recognizing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and start recognizing the leader of the opposition, Juan Guaido. The presidential crisis has consumed the country for most of this year. The Rochester Committee on Latin America has invited Steve Ellner, an author and scholar on the region, to Rochester to discuss one of the most controversial political hot spots in the world. He'll give a presentation for ROCLA Wednesday evening.

New polling from six battleground states finds good news for President Trump, and challenging news for Democrats hoping to win the White House. The New York Times finds that among Democratic voters, there is a generational divide: older Democrats want a safe candidate like Joe Biden, and they want to return to how Washington used to be. Younger Democrats want a change candidate who can help remake what Washington is all about. We discuss the 2020 election with our guests: Paul Hypolite ,

What is the so-called “school-to-prison pipeline”? Local organizations are planning a town hall event to educate the community about their concerns. It starts with school discipline, suspension levels, and expulsion. Our guests make their case for changing how students are disciplined: Thena Robinson Mock, program officer for the Communities for Just Schools Fund Eamonn Scanlon , education policy analyst for The Children’s Agenda Mercedes Phelan , lead organizer for Citizen Action of New York

When is the last time you read a short story? Novelist Zadie Smith recently turned to short fiction, publishing her first collection of short stories last month. Is the popularity of the medium on the rise? Why are Smith and other authors turning to short stories? We discuss those questions with local short story writers and publishers, who share trends in the industry. In studio: Brian Wood , author of “Joytime Killbox” Peter Connors , publisher for BOA Editions Kristen Gentry , writer and

The Rochester Jewish Book Festival kicked off this weekend, and we preview an upcoming talk with author and educator Rabbi Ariel Burger. Rabbi Burger was a student of writer, professor, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. Rabbi Burger joins us to discuss his book, “Witness,” in which he shares the lessons he learned from Wiesel. We also discuss how those lessons can be applied in 2019. Our guests: Rabbi Ariel Burger , educator and author of “Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom” Stacey

Weekend Connections is a collection of some of the most noteworthy moments from the week on Connections with Evan Dawson. This episode includes conversations about: The debate surrounding a proposed Police Accountability Board in Rochester, and the Christopher Pate case; Solitary confinement; Climate change narratives, artificial intelligence, and more, with astrophysicist Adam Frank.

What is Facebook's role when it comes to vetting news stories and political ads? Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Mark Zuckerberg recently debated the issue. Facebook’s current policy for political ads allows politicians to lie, and it doesn’t fact-check, but recent cases have tested the limits of that policy, and Facebook has made exceptions. Meanwhile, Twitter has decided to ban all political ads in advance of the 2020 election. This hour, our guests discuss the issues, free speech, and the impact

Will artificial intelligence enhance human activity or replace it? It's a question scientists and researchers are debating as AI continues to advance. Our guests discuss the current capabilities of AI, the benefits, and possible drawbacks. In studio: Matt Kelly , independent journalist Ehsan Hoque , Asaro-Biggar Family Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Rochester Hadi Hosseini , assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at RIT

We’re joined by Nanette D. Massey , a writer and diversity and inclusion trainer. Massey lives in Buffalo, but will be in Rochester for several upcoming events during which she’ll educate audiences about racism, white fragility, and more. She recently wrote an op-ed for the Democrat and Chronicle and USA Today, responding to a local business coach who expressed his frustration as an “old white guy” who is “increasingly blamed for all the ills of society, both real and imagined.” Massey joins us