Lizzie Andrus, who took up a project as a high school Sophomore at Shenendehowa to help push for Universal School Meals to its eventual implementation, joined Power & Politics on Thursday.

"Growing up in my family we talked so much at the dinner table, so [civics] really had piqued my interest from a young age," Andrus said. "And then I focused on Universal Free Meals, specifically an effort at the end of my sophomore year of high school, because that was when Congress decided, in June of 2022, to end pandemic era federal funding for free meals. And I had noticed that in my transition to high school, throughout freshman and sophomore year, that I had benefited long with a lot of my friends, had benefited with having free breakfast and lunch in school. And so it was more an effort of if this had such high success rates and such great accolades brought forth because of it, why not continue to work?"

Andrus, who also won the Gold Award as a part of the Girl Scouts, is currently a Sophomore at Ithaca College

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Terry Strada, who lost her husband in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, shares her story on the day of the attacks, and the years since. She also speaks of her advocacy, fighting for accountability and justice for her, and the hundreds of families impacted by the terror attack.

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YS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli joined Power & Politics this week, discussing his most recent analysis of the State FY2026 Budget.

He touched on the impact of the economic outlook, the potential for federal budget cuts, and the impacts of changes to SNAP and Medicaid at the federal level.

DiNapoli also addressed the weight of the New York City Mayoral election on the rest of the State's finances, and how Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani's proposals would make an impact if elected.

They also discussed Raise the Age funding along with his perspective on the recent Master Plan for Aging.

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Tom Eschen speaks with Author Christina Keim about her new book, “UNWANTED: The Causes and Effects of America’s Horse Population Crisis”. Keim discusses her deep dive into the perception of horses, and horse racing, not only in New York State, but across the country and even the world. She talks about what happens after a horse's "work" is done, and what resources are available for long-term quality of life.

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WNYC and Gothamist Reporter Jon Campbell joined Power & Politics this week, discussing his recent reporting on the aftermath of the viral death of social media-famous Peanut the Squirrel.

To listen to Jon's reporting on NYC Now, click here.
To read Jon's reporting in Gothamist, click here.

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A step forward at the State Capitol this week for a mother still grieving the murder of her 2-year-old daughter, which happened in the middle of a custody battle. Ever since that day in 2016, Jacqueline Franchetti has worked to pass Kyra's Law, which she says will save lives.

This week, she says she was able to speak with members of Kathy Hochul's administration.

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Lieutenant Governor, and now Gubernatorial candidate, Antonio Delgado, rallied with other lawmakers and advocates on Wednesday calling for a Special Session.

They also discussed:
-Public Service Commission's approval of utility company rate increases
-Trump sending National Guard into D.C., Hochul sending National Guard into subways
-Congressional District Gerrymandering in New York

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Commissioner of the NYS Department of Health Dr. James McDonald speaks with Briana Supardi about the State's 2025-2030 Prevention Agenda, saying it's their "State Health Improvement Plan". He says it's a partnership between stakeholders throughout the healthcare field in the efforts of improving public health.

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Morgan Hook, a partner at Bluejacket Strategies and Democratic consultant, sat down with Tom Eschen to take a look at where, and how, New York lawmakers would gerrymander Congressional districts to flip seats from red to blue.

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Dr. Cynthia Leifer, an immunologist at Cornell University, provided her reaction on Thursday to RFK Jr.'s plan to cancel $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts.

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