"Right To Shelter" Architect Slams Mayor Adams' Challenge Of Landmark Housing Guaruntee

Just over 40 years ago, 26-year-old attorney Robert Hayes took on a pro bono case that turned into the biggest legal victory in history for homeless New Yorkers. That victory, the right to shelter, is once again being challenged, this time by Mayor Eric Adams. The mayor’s argument: the city does not want to nullify the law but rather modify it in the face of the asylum seeker crisis. As negotiations continue in court and signs of a compromise reportedly emerge, Robert Hayes, the original architect of the “right to shelter,” joins us to discuss the city’s response to the crisis.

Can New York Solve Its Housing Crisis By Transforming Empty Midtown Offices Into Affordable Homes?

New York is facing a massive housing crisis by virtually every measure imaginable, and one of the leading proposals to tackle the problem is turning vacant Manhattan office space into affordable homes for New Yorkers. Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams both support the idea, which could reinvigorate Midtown neighborhoods still recovering from COVID and provide relief to outer-borough residents being priced out of the city. Another major backer of the proposal is a diverse coalition of supporters from the business, labor, civic and religious communities called the 5 Borough Housing Movement. The new advocacy group is keeping up the pressure on New York lawmakers to see this through and its executive director, John Sanchez, joins us to discuss the city’s housing crisis.

Tony Bennett, the legendary Grammy-winning singer, philanthropist, and New York City icon, passed away last week at the age of 96. The Queens-born entertainer leaves behind one of the greatest songbooks in American history and a legacy that will live on forever. From classic hits like, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and “The Way You Look Tonight,” to his newer collaborations with modern artists, like Lady Gaga, Bennett combined pop and jazz to bring the sounds of the past with him into the forefront of popular music. In 2017, Jack Ford interviewed Tony Bennett along with his wife Susan Benedetto. Tonight, we return fondly to that conversation, and we reflect on Bennett’s incredible career, which spanned over 70 years. We also look back on Tony Bennett’s lifetime of service, which led to the founding of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, in Astoria, Queens, to help bring high-quality arts education to thousands of students from across New York City.

We will take you inside the operating room at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, where brain surgeons are using cutting edge technology to treat patients more effectively.

"Trail To Zero" Horseback Ride Brings Awareness To Veteran Suicide, Mental Health, And The Benefits of Equine Therapy

According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, each day on average 20 veterans take their own lives. To bring awareness to this crisis, BraveHearts, the leading equine rehabilitation program for veterans, annually embarks on its “Trail to Zero” ride in New York City. Veterans make a 20-mile journey on horseback through the streets of New York City – one mile for every veteran lost to suicide daily. Tonight, as part of National Military Appreciation Month, we revisit our interview with BraveHearts Administrative Director Jeanna Sorgani and Marine Corps veteran Ben Jalove who discussed the ride, as well as the benefits of equine therapy for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

MetroFocus Special Report: Meet The "Paws Of War"

They are the four-legged companions helping the nation’s veterans recover from the emotional effects of war.

Tonight, our Medical Marvels series spotlights advancements in eye care and the father-son team working diligently to restore sight. Doctors Richard and R.J. Mackool take us into the operating room at the Mackool Eye Institute in Queens.

Behind The Curtain At The Hospital For Special Surgery

New York is home to some of the leading medical institutions in the world and one organization that’s turned the city into a go-to destination for treatment is the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, HSS has been ranked number one in the nation in orthopedics for 13 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report, treating celebrities and sports stars to everyday New Yorkers in need of complicated care. Tonight, we’re going behind the curtain for a closer look at the future of medicine and what makes HSS so successful with Dr. Bryan Kelly, President, Surgeon-in-Chief and Medical Director at the Hospital for Special Surgery, and Dr. Thomas Sculco, the hospital’s Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus and Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Complex Joint Reconstruction Center.

Chasing The Dream: Delivering Inclusive Education To Children of All Abilities and Identities

What can parents with special needs children do to optimize their children's education and quality of life? One answer for New York parents is The IDEAL School of Manhattan, which has been a game changer for many families as New York’s only K-12+ independent inclusion school. The school was founded in 2006 by three mothers with sons with Down syndrome. Their goal: create a diverse and inclusive independent school that affirms and accepts the full identities of all students. The concept of inclusive education is simple but transformative - students with disabilities learn in the same classrooms alongside their typically developing peers. Tonight, a conversation with two of the co-founders of the school, Audra Zuckerman and Michelle Smith, about the challenges and successes of delivering inclusive education in New York City.

Rev. Al Sharpton has spent his life speaking up, loudly, against racism and racial violence. The new documentary "Loudmouth" chronicles his path from a teenage preacher to a racial justice firebrand on the streets of 1980s New York City. Rev. Sharpton joins MetroFocus to talk about his fascinating journey – from his days marching through then-hostile white neighborhoods like Bensonhurst and Howard Beach - exposing a racist side of New York many didn’t want to believe existed - to his current place as media elder statesman and presidential adviser.

In May of 2020, Black bird-watcher Christian Cooper was forced into the national spotlight when a white woman called the police on him in Central Park, falsely claiming that he threatened her. Though it garnered plenty of media attention, Christian has put that incident behind him to focus on his true passion, and the reason he was in Central Park in the first place that day, birding. His love of birds has taken him across the world, and he joins MetroFocus to discuss his new memoir, “Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World,” and a new television series he is hosting for National Geographic titled, “Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper.”

When former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson sued the network’s longtime chairman and CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment in 2016, she became an icon of the #MeToo movement and a leader in women’s rights. The lawsuit resulted in a $20 million settlement from the company, along with an unprecedented public apology. Since leaving Fox News, Gretchen has become a force in advocating for safer workplaces for women and other marginalized groups through her organization, Lift Our Voices, which has helped enact bipartisan legislation banning forced arbitration and non-disclosure agreements in cases of sexual misconduct. Tonight, she joins MetroFocus to discuss how she’s broadening her activism to protect other marginalized groups from toxic workplaces and predatory contracts, and to give tips on understanding your rights as a worker.

Peril & Promise: Wildlife Conservation Society

Tonight, as part of our special “Peril & Promise” reporting, we are joined by the new President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Monica Medina. Ms. Medina, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, is the first woman to ever hold this position. She will be bringing her years of experience working on environmental policy for the federal government to New York, where she will be leading the charge to protect our oceans, coastlines, and air, as well as ensuring that the city’s zoos continue to be a valuable educational resource to the over 3.5 million visitors they get, each year.

The Return of Manhattanhenge

Neolithic, not natural, but awe-inspiring, and it has us all stopping in our tracks in the middle of the street, year after year. It’s Manhattanhenge, the day that the sun aligns itself with Manhattan’s skyscrapers and avenues and gives a gift that is somewhat Stonehenge, and somewhat Star Wars. The next dates for the event is July 12 and 13. Joining us to discuss the spectacle is astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is the person who coined the phrase Manhattanhenge.

An Artistic Ode To New York

Join us for this walk down the streets of New York’s cinematic past with acclaimed filmmaker Manfred Kirchheimer and his ode to NYC, documentary “Free Time.”