The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: Did Mamdani’s Free Bus Promise Lead More Riders to Skip the Fare?

   [Heads up: technical issues affected the audio quality on this episode. Thanks for bearing with us — the conversation is still worth it.] The MTA says far fewer bus riders are paying the fare since Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office. Fare evasion has been a problem in the city for years, but MTA Chair Janno Lieber says Mamdani's campaign promise to make the city's buses free isn't helping. Mamdani has a different assessment, and blames the issue on the affordability crisis. WNYC and Gothamist transportation reporter Stephen Nessen and editor Clayton Guse explain what may be driving the issue and what comes next as the MTA plans to step up enforcement. Photo: Stephen Nessen - WNYC/Gothamist Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]. Episode Notes: Bronx man faces federal hate crime charges in Central Synagogue attack New Staten Island trash complex lets city make way for hundreds of new homes Luigi Mangione admitted to killing Brian Thompson. Why does NY still want a trial? Mamdani hasn't made NYC's buses free. Riders stopped paying anyway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

   August 19, 2026·23min
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   Number 2: Why New York City Is Restricting Artificial Intelligence in Public Schools

   New York City is restricting AI across public schools, including a one year ban for students through eighth grade and new limits on screen time for younger students. WNYC and Gothamist education reporter Jessica Gould explains why the city reversed its earlier approach, where AI will still be allowed for high school students and teachers, and the challenges schools face enforcing the rules once students leave the classroom. The episode also hears from New Yorkers about whether the city is getting the balance right. Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office Notes:NYC public schools to ban AI for teaching students below 9th grade Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

   September 07, 2026·20min
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   Number 3: How Classical Music Has Changed Over the Past 30 Years of WQXR Host Jeff Spurgeon's Career

   As WQXR morning host Jeff Spurgeon retires after a 50-year radio career, we sit down with him to reflect on his path from a Nebraska farm to three decades on New York's airwaves, and talk about classical music's surprising resurgence among Gen Z and Millennial listeners. Photo: WQXR Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected] data shows decline in summer crime, as perceptions of safety shift’I want to die': NYPD says it shot, killed knife-wielding man on Brooklyn Bridge cablesBask in the sunshine of NYC’s mild and sunny Labor Day weekend weather Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

   September 04, 2026·17min
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   Number 4: Ahead of Labor Day, Haitian Businesses in New York City Feel the Impact of TPS Ending

   Earlier this summer, the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians, upending life for tens of thousands of New Yorkers. We headed to Flatbush's Little Caribbean neighborhood to hear how the policy shift is playing out on the ground for business owners. Photo: Djon Djon executive chef Chef Wesly Jean Simon / Iru Ekpunobi Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]. 'Prevailing emotion is really fear': Haitians in NY brace for loss of deportation relief NYC public schools to ban AI for teaching students below 9th grade Woman NYPD killed after Times Square stabbings had long mental health struggle, brother says NYC now has a 400-page Racial Equity Plan. Drafting it was the easy part. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

   September 02, 2026·20min
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   Number 5: After 9/11, Two New Yorkers Told WNYC How They Felt. We Found Them 25 Years Later

   Twenty five years ago, WNYC reporters fanned out across the city recording New Yorkers in the hours and days after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Today, we revisit two of those New Yorkers: a scared, pregnant 21 year old wondering if her baby would grow up to enjoy the city she loves, and a 15 year old Muslim girl bracing for the Islamophobia that followed. WNYC's Samantha Max found both women 25 years later to find out what became of those fears and joins us to discuss what both of their lives look like now. Photo: Courtesy Janelle Lewis and Nahima Ahmed Notes:Families gather at ground zero to remember 9/11 — 25 years laterSouth Bronx Legionnaires’ cluster kills 1, sickens 5, NYC saysAutonomous Tesla Cybercabs hit the streets of New York CityGot any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

   September 11, 2026·22min
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