On Saturday morning, Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of trafficking girls for sex, hanged himself at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Katie Benner, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times where she covers the Justice Department, talks about the apparent failures in Epstein's detention and what comes next. Also, Bruce Barket, a former prosecutor and long-time criminal defense attorney in New York, and journalist Bob Hennelly talk about conditions at MCC. 
If you or someone you know needs help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress at 1-800-273-8255.

Jeffrey Epstein's Suicide and Conditions at MCC

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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Erica Orden, Politico reporter, talks about the media diets of the jurors on the Trump "hush money" trial. Plus, she recaps the testimony of David Pecker, the former publisher for the National Enquirer, who talked about that publication's "catch and kill" strategy, which suppressed negative stories about people like Donald Trump. 

The Trump 'Hush Money' Trial, So Far

With teachers and students off of school this week, we open up the phones to hear stories from local classrooms that would otherwise be missed if not for the vacation.

News From Your Classroom

Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics, university professor at Columbia University, chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute, and author of The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society (W.W.Norton, 2024), argues the neoliberal idea of freedom has led to economic crises and social unrest and argues for a more humane, 21st-century reframing of the concept.

Reframing 'Free' Beyond Markets

Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he talked about at this week's event, including when the NYPD intervenes on campus protests and the pushback on his reported selection of attorney Randy Mastro to lead NYC's legal department.

Reporters Ask the Mayor: Arrests on Campuses; Randy Mastro

Jane McAlevey, labor organizer, columnist for The Nation and the author of several books, including (with Abby Lawlor) Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Union Negotiations (Oxford University Press, 2023), reflects on her life's work in organizing and recent wins for labor, and what she sees as crucial for workers to do if they want to continue the positive streak for unions.

Jeffrey Epstein's Suicide and Conditions at MCC

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