Connections Podcast

U.S. Amy captain Sam Brown is in Rochester to share his story of recovery and resilience. While responding to an ambushed patrol in Afghanistan in 2008, he was set on fire when his vehicle drove over a bomb. He now uses his experience to helped wounded soldiers and returning veterans. Captain Brown is a guest of CDS Life Transitions for its “Salute: A Toast to Our Veterans," event, but first, he joins us in studio to share his remarkable survival story. Our guests: Captain Sam Brown, U.S. Army

Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, professor, and activist. He's coming to the Smith Center for the Arts in Geneva for an event titled "Overthrowing the Corporate State." We talk to him about a wide variety of topics, including advocacy journalism, notions of a liberal media, his ideas about objectivity, and covering modern presidential administrations. Hedges joins us from WEOS, Finger Lakes Public Radio.

Historian and author Walter Stahr has written a new book about President Lincoln's Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. You may remember Stahr from his remarkable book on William Henry Seward, and you may remember Edwin Stanton because of what he did after President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. As Lincoln lay dying, Stanton got to work: he issued orders to protect other leaders and initiated a search for the assassin. In Stanton: Lincoln's War Secretary , Stahr describes the complex

A new book from longtime Washington Post journalist Amy Goldstein tells the true story of a Midwestern town whose foundation was rocked with the closing of auto giant GM's plant during the Great Recession. In Janesville , Goldstein illustrates the domino effect the closing of a major factory can have on the lives of individuals. As the New York Times reports, the book also offers "sobering takeaways" about how ineffective job retraining can be for workers forced to reinvent their careers.

The closure of a local brewery sparked questions about whether the Rochester/ Finger Lakes region is facing a “craft beer bubble.” Will Cleveland of the Democrat & Chronicle explores that issue in his newest piece . We talk about why Rochester is likely to see growth slow down, but why the fears of a bubble are overblown. Our guests: Will Cleveland , beer columnist for the Democrat & Chronicle Jen Newman, CEO and owner of Young Lion Brewing Company Don Cotter, co-founder of Naked Dove

The Trump administration has brought in six companies to build prototypes for a border wall on the US / Mexico border. The prototypes will be built over the next two months, giving Republicans momentum to build a long-discussed wall in some form. That’s just one of the subjects that will be explored tonight, when the Rochester Committee on Latin America welcomes Daniella Burgi-Palomino, the senior associate for Mexico, border issues and migrant rights at the Latin America Working Group (LAWG) in

The Agitators tells the story of sometimes-difficult friendship between Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. Both wanted equality; on occasion their work pitted themselves against each other. The production at Geva involves only two cast members, and tracks their remarkable 45-year relationship. It's a history lesson that feels more important than ever today. Our guests: Jenni Werner , literary director and resident dramaturg for Geva Theatre Center Deborah Hughes , president and CEO of the

We discuss the issues raised by WXXI's Tianna Manon in a recent City Newspaper piece: " Where are the women? " We're talking about women in politics, and why so many women decide not to run. Our guests: Jamie Romeo , chairwoman of the Monroe County Democratic Committee Nicole Hushla Re, Irondequoit Town Board member and executive director for the local chapter of WomenElect Diana Cihak, board president and founder of WomenElect /WEPac Tanya Conley , Monroe County Legislator

Throughout the campaign season, Connections has offered voters the chance to hear candidates at length. We believe in equal time. In this segment, we have a short conversation with Green Party City Council candidate Anthony Giordano.

Michael Chabon is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay , and a strong proponent of genre fiction. His new book, Moonglow , blends elements of memoir and fiction. It’s main character, Mike Chabon, retells the stories he heard from his grandfather, who shared them on his deathbed under the influence of powerful painkillers. Chabon the character learns about his family’s forgotten history, the adventures his grandfather had, and how the Chabon family