Early this week, Politico published an alleged draft of a Supreme Court decision written by Justice Samuel Alito that overturns Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

On this episode of "The Eagle," Times Union Editor Casey Seiler and health reporter Rachel Silberstein check in with Albany Law Professor and Constitutional Law Expert Vin Bonventre to discuss the implication of this news. 

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Trigger warning: This episode contains descriptions of events and situations that may be distressing. Please listen with care.

The gruesome slaying of a beloved physician assistant in his suburban Albany home has shocked many in the Capital Region. While the man accused of the murder has been charged, the motive for committing such a brutal act is still unclear.

On this episode of “The Eagle,” Managing Editor Brendan Lyons goes through what we know about the investigation, and what happens next in the case. 

Also on this episode, are you thinking of buying a home? We’ll take a look at how the rise in inflation and interest rates is affecting the market here in the Capital Region.

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The history of beer and brewing is often very much intertwined with that of the human race. For thousands of years, people have been talking politics over a few pints (or similar liquid volume). 

That is especially true of the Capital Region, where there was nearly as much politicking in pubs as there was in the halls of city and state government in the early 20th century.

On this episode of “The Eagle,” Albany Ale Project co-founder Craig Gravina and Maeve McEneny Johnson of Discover Albany discuss what was going on in the worlds of beer and Albany politics in the year 1905, and how the twain met.

Also on this episode, we’ll reveal some of this year’s Best of the Capital Region winners, including Best Donuts and Best Hikes.

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When tennis superstar Serena Williams opened up about the harrowing experience of giving birth to her daughter in 2017, it put a spotlight on an alarming disparity: Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die of a pregnancy-related cause than white women. Last year, the White House officially recognized April 11 to 17 as Black Maternal Health Week.

In the Capital Region, a coalition of midwives, doulas and healthcare advocates are working to improve outcomes for Black mothers by seeking birth justice. On this episode of “The Eagle,” we talk to doula Shia Overby about their work.

Also on this episode, Times Union Editor Casey Seiler discusses the resignation of New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin amid allegations of corruption, the fate of Albany’s Central Warehouse, and the dozens of cats and kittens dumped after hours at a local animal shelter.

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"The Olympics of Irish Dancing," as it's called by participants, draws hundreds of the world's best Irish dancers annually. It's been three years since the last World Irish Dancing Championship, thanks to the pandemic. The competition is back this year, though — and a handful of talented Capital Region dancers — are in Belfast to compete.

On this episode, we speak to three locals who qualified for the championship about what it takes to compete and why they love Irish dance.

Also, Editorial Director Tracy Ziemer shares what the past year of covering the people, places and issues of the Hudson Valley has taught us. Plus, Times Union Editor Casey Seiler answers the question, "are we irrational for loving upstate New York?"

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For five weeks, journalists at Maye Sense, an online news site serving people of Slavyansk in the Donetsk region of Eastern Ukraine, have been working non-stop, largely without pay, and sometimes in situations where their safety is not guaranteed. 

Two weeks ago, most of them made the difficult decision to decamp to the relative safety of Western Ukraine, where they continue their work from more than 1,000 kilometers away.

On this special episode of “The Eagle,” Times Union Editor-in-Chief Casey Seiler checks back in with Maye Sense's editor, Valerii Garmash, to learn what it’s like being a journalist in Ukraine right now.

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In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to an optometrist from Delmar, New York. His name was Dr. Tom Little, and he had been murdered along with nine other foreign aid workers in a remote area of Afghanistan while on a medical mission months earlier.

This week, a film about his life and the legacy of his three decades of work to bring eye care to impoverished Afghans will premiere at the Albany Film Festival. On this episode of “The Eagle,” filmmaker Dan Swinton talks about Dr. Tom Little and making the film "The Hard Places."

Also on this episode, we'll take a walk down historic Pearl Street in Albany with reporter Shayla Colon, and we'll talk top headlines—including consternation over taxpayers footing a chunk of the bill for a new stadium in Buffalo, and the latest on Anna Sorokin's temporary stay of deportation.

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After the pandemic took hold in 2020, the Capital Region saw a significant uptick in violence. More than 30 people were killed in Albany alone in 2020 and 2021. 

As the community was reeling from these tragedies and local authorities struggled to address the mounting problem, a local DJ and music promoter had an idea to create a safe space and encourage creativity in the areas hardest hit by the violence.

On this episode of "The Eagle," DJ Hollyw8d talks about putting together the "More Music Less Violence" performance series, and why he believes the region is brimming with promising talent in the music industry.

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On April 3, 1981, a farmer found a body in a field in Delmar, New York. Forensics at the time determined it was a male, but his identity remained a mystery to investigators. 

Four decades later, it became the Capital Region’s first ever unidentified persons case solved using familial DNA and genetic genealogy. On this episode of "The Eagle," Pete DeMola and Jessica Marshall take a deep dive into a case full of twists and turns, mysteries and technology, and the quest to find a lost soul.

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Almost a decade ago, Nikita Nakonchnyi spent his summers working as a cook at a resort in Lake George. Three weeks ago, he was a typical 20-something living in Kyiv, Ukraine, and teaching digital marketing. This week, the 27-year-old helped blow up a bridge in a small village outside the city with molotov cocktails and drums of diesel to keep Russians from invading.

On this episode, we catch up with Nakonchnyi and discuss the situation in his country.

Also on this episode, we'll talk about a completely different kind of cocktail—the take-home kind from bars and restaurants, which may soon become permanently legal in New York. 

Finally, we talk to "As the World Turns" alum Yvonne Perry about her new role as an intimacy director for theater, television and movie productions.

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