This episode contains explicit language and descriptions of events that may be upsetting to listeners. Please listen with care.

It began with a clash in Albany's South End between civil rights protesters and police that resulted in damage to a police station, the use of pepper spray and injury to a protester.

At midweek, the conviction of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin brought cautious optimism to activists around the region. 

And by week's end, tensions once again flared between law enforcement and protesters as police forced them out of a six-day encampment in the street.

It was a roller coaster of a week, and on this episode of the Eagle, we’re going to take you through what happened.

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This episode contains graphic depictions of events and explicit language. Please listen with care.

When folks at the Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany were told they had a few dozen coronavirus vaccines at their disposal to use for their homeless clients, it was a race against time to get as many shots in arms as possible before the doses expired.

On this episode of The Eagle, reporter Eduardo Medina recounts his experience following Mission staff on their quest to locate and vaccinate as many people as they could.

Also on this episode, Times Union Editor Casey Seiler discusses a clash this week between protesters and police at Albany's South Station, reporter Claire Bryan takes a deep dive into CDC guidelines for the fully vaccinated, and writer Azra Haqqie talks about how some in the local Islamic community are finding they have had more time to focus on spirituality as they enter the second Ramadan since the pandemic began.

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This episode contains graphic depictions of alleged sexual assault. Please take care while listening.

The woman at the center of the most serious allegation of sexual misconduct against Gov. Andrew Cuomo told her story this week to Times Union Capitol Bureau Managing Editor Brendan Lyons. She says she now sees the experience as an escalating sequence of inappropriate overtures that occurred over roughly two years, including groping at the governor's mansion.

On this episode of The Eagle, Lyons shares what he learned from the conversation with the staffer, whose identity is being purposefully withheld.

Also on this episode, reporter Massarah Mikati discusses a lawsuit by civil rights groups against a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Western New York that experienced a large COVID-19 outbreak. Arts and entertainment writer Steve Barnes provides an outlook on what the immediate future holds for live entertainment in the Capital Region.

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When Albany activist Kat Sullivan heard a satirical sea shanty about the ship that recently clogged the Suez Canal, she was inspired to try her hand at the trending musical genre. On a rainy Sunday morning, she set to work composing and filming her own shanty detailing the fallout from a whistleblower's complaint of potential safety hazards in the construction of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, as first reported by the Times Union. On this episode of The Eagle, Editor Casey Seiler speaks with Sullivan to find out more about how the shanty came together.

Also on this episode, we'll talk to the first Black valedictorian in Albany High School's 152-year history, and we'll get a sneak peek at local comedienne Erin Harkes' new stand-up album, "Zoloft and Probation."* 

*Please be aware that this episode contains some explicit language

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Activism in the Asian American Pacific Islander communities of the Capital Region gained a new sense of urgency this week in the aftermath of the Atlanta shootings that left eight dead, including six women of Asian descent. A rally in Albany brought out hundreds, some of whom had been empowered to use their voices for the first time to speak out against xenophobia and violence toward Asian Americans. Reporter Pete DeMola spoke with one of the rally's organizers, Troy business-owner Jinah Kim, about what comes next for local AAPI activism.

Also on this episode, Kristi Gustafson Barlette chats with the Fabulous Beekman Boys, Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, about life, love, and baby goats. Times Union Editor Casey Seiler discusses the revelation that state health department officials had orders to prioritize coronavirus testing for the governor's family and influential allies.

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When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces its annual Academy Award nominations each year, everyone in the Times Union newsroom and beyond turns immediately to features writer and movie buff C.J. Lais for his estimation of the nominees, and his educated prediction of the winners. On this episode of The Eagle, we'll hear his hot take on the upcoming Oscars.

Also on this episode, we say farewell to an intrepid reporter, and get the latest developments in the multifarious controversy surrounding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

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Exactly one year ago this week, the coronavirus pandemic changed the Capital Region as we knew it. Schools closed, events canceled, and businesses shuttered. People were told to stay home and social distance. The Times Union newsroom went virtual.

Today, the region has endured immeasurable loss, with more than 1,000 dead from COVID-19. Yet as vaccine distribution picks up pace and the community reflects on the last year, features writer and blogger Kristi Gustafson Barlette discovered that some Capital Region residents have found something positive.

Also on this episode, Times Union Editor Casey Seiler talks about the precarious situation Governor Andrew Cuomo finds himself in, facing an Assembly impeachment investigation, an FBI investigation into his handling of nursing home deaths during the pandemic, and an investigation by the state attorney general's office into allegations of sexual harassment. 

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him by three women during a press conference this week in Albany, offering an apology into the camera and admitting he was embarrassed by the circumstances in which he finds himself.

A little less than a year ago, Cuomo's tough pandemic response sent his approval ratings and national popularity soaring. Now, the three-term governor is mired in controversy - the sexual harassment allegations being the latest in a cascade of troubles that surfaced during the last two months. Amid mounting calls for his resignation from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, Cuomo is refusing to step down.

On this episode of The Eagle: A Times Union Podcast, columnist Chris Churchill discusses the apology, the allegations, and how it all might affect the governor's political future.

Also on this episode, Capitol Bureau Managing Editor Brendan Lyons talks to Sexual Harassment Working Group co-founder Erica Vladimer, and "20 Things Plus" host Kristi Gustafson Barlette talks to WNYT sports anchor and reporter Chris Onorato about some of his favorite celebrity encounters.

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Last week marked the 76th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Iwo Jima — a brutal, bloody fight that effectively ended the war in the Pacific in 1945.

A small group of Capital Region veterans would've typically gathered to mark this anniversary at a café in Altamont, where they’d swap stories. This year the dwindling group, now in their mid-90s, didn't have that option, with a pandemic raging and the café closed. Yet they still got together on the phone. On this episode of the Eagle, reporter Pete DeMola talks about what he learned listening to them share their stories.

Also on this episode, Casey Seiler and criminal justice reporter Rob Gavin sat down with NXIVM whistleblowers Sarah Edmondson and Anthony "Nippy" Ames to talk about their new podcast, and where they are now that Keith Raniere is imprisoned for life.

Please listen with care, as this episode contains explicit language and graphic depictions of war.

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Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration is in hot water as an FBI investigation launches into its handling of nursing homes and long-term care facilities in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. Times Union Capitol Bureau Managing Editor Brendan Lyons broke the story of the investigation this week, and reporters Amanda Fries and Ed McKinley have been covering the controversy surrounding COVID-19-related nursing home deaths in the state for months.

On this episode of The Eagle, the trio discusses the latest developments and their implications for the Cuomo administration. 

Also on this episode, meet Shrishti Mathew, the newsroom's new arts and entertainment writer, and Editor Casey Seiler goes over the week's headlines. 

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