Connections Podcast

This hour, we hear from Jeremy Cooney . He’s a lawyer and he’s running for State Senate in the 56th District as a Democrat. We talk to Cooney about his platform, his priorities for the district, and more. His opponent, Senator Joe Robach, did not respond to invitations to join this discussion.

This hour, we hear from Jen Lunsford . She's a lawyer and a mother, and she's running for State Senate in the 55th District as a Democrat. We talk to Lunsford about her platform, her priorities for the district, and more. Her opponent, Senator Rich Funke, declined to come on the program before the election.

Senator Elizabeth Warren released a DNA test in an attempt to confirm her Native American ancestry. The Cherokee Nation responded by condemning the test and explaining that it does not prove that Warren is anything but a white woman. Our guests discuss Native American identity. Our panel: Ronnie Pollack, member of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Eagle Clan, executive director of the Native American Cultural Center , and host of "Two Canoes with Ronnie Pollack" on WYSL 92.1 FM

When Assemblyman Joe Errigo was charged with taking a bribe, it offered more questions than answers. Who else was involved? Who created the scheme in the first place? What was Errigo's role? Our guests include reporters and an attorney who can help explain: Gary Craig , watchdog reporter at Democrat & Chronicle Steve Orr , watchdog reporter at the Democrat & Chronicle Kelly Wolford , partner with Powers & Santola

We sit down with Bharath Gopalaswamy , director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council. He’s in town as a guest of the Rochester chapter of the World Affairs Council. We talk with Gopalaswamy about President Trump’s South Asia strategy, arms control, disarmament, international security, and more.

The City of Rochester has issued a new Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop a 2.8 acre site at the Port of Rochester. The RFP comes more than two years after a controversial plan to build a hotel and condominiums at the site faced major pushback from some residents. That plan fell through because the developer, Edgewater Resources, missed a deadline to provide the city with a detailed financial plan. Last year, nearly 100 community members gathered at a charrette to brainstorm their priorities

Last week in Rochester, police chased a suspect in multiple shootings as he drove a U-Haul through the city streets. The public watched the suspect and law enforcement exchange gunfire through videos posted by photographers on social media. At one point, the suspect pointed his gun at one of the photographers. This hour, we talk to members of law enforcement and the media about the danger they face doing their jobs. In studio: Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter Max Schulte , lead photographer at

The new report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that climate change is already further down the road that we had hoped, and without dramatic and quick changes, bad things are coming. In other words, it's worse than we thought. Meteorological scholar Eric Holthaus responded by pledging to never fly in an airplane again, while listing other changes in his own life that he was willing to make for future generations. Our guests discuss the path to dramatic change. In studio

Photojournalism has captured some of the most profound images of social and protest movements. RIT Press is hosting an upcoming exhibition titled "Whose Streets? Our Streets!" It's a look at the images that tell stories from New York City during a period of tumult and change. The images focus on demonstrations regarding police brutality, queer activism, AIDS, race relations, war, the environment, and more. Our guests will discuss the power of these images.

The Upstate Latino Summit is coming to Rochester for 2018. The event features leaders from around the state in the Latino community; it's designed to highlight issues most pertinent to Latinos. So what are those issues? Our guests explore them: Julio Saenz, Poder 97.1 FM and Ibero American Action League Hilda Rosario-Escher, President and CEO of the Ibero American Action League.