The Full Story

The growing cost of Connecticut pensions has become a linchpin in the two-year state budget process. As a result, the funding of public services may decline and residents may have to pay even more in taxes to offset the cost of pension obligations. In New York, state pensions are looking healthy, but a volatile market could reverse that. Can we solve the problem with state pensions? Our guests: Keith Phaneuf, state budget reporter, The Connecticut Mirror Jonathan Steinberg, Connecticut state

Connecticut, New York, and Vermont sue the Trump Administration over its plan to deny Green Cards to immigrants who recieve public assistance. New York sues the EPA over the Hudson River cleanup. The Coast Guard is accused of trying to block a federal investigation into racism. The race for Bridgeport mayor heats up. We discuss these stories with the reporters who covered them on The Full Story.

As our kids head back to school over the next few weeks, New York has repealed the religious exemption for vaccinations. Are unvaccinated kids heading back to school? What are the ramifications? What's the latest on the issue in Connecticut?

It's been one week since the Child Victim Act went into effect in New York, and hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against churches, schools, and the scouts. Meanwhile, Hearst Connecticut Media has concluded a nationwide investigation into how the Boys and Girls Club has failed to protect children from abusers.

This year the total number of deaths by drug overdose in the US dropped for the first time since 1990. That’s because the number of deaths by prescription opioid painkillers also dropped. But fatal ODs linked to fentanyl and methamphetamine are on the rise. What’s being done in our region to stop this trend?

Connecticut and New York have led the country in passing tough gun laws. Could they be a model in the national debate? We'll discuss with:

We look at the “red flag” laws in Connecticut, how the recent violence in El Paso and the raids in Mississippi are impacting immigrant communities on Long Island and where our local representatives in Washington stand on impeachment proceedings. Our guests: Russell Blair, metro reporter, Hartford Courant Ken Dixon, state capitol reporter and columnist, Hearst Connecticut Media Susan Haigh, state capitol and political reporter, Associated Press Ana Radelat, reporter, Connecticut Mirror Victor

New York passed a law banning the arming of teachers in classrooms. Meanwhile, the state’s comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, has found many schools are not prepared for emergencies, including shootings. In Connecticut lawmakers keep pushing for more school safety rules. We'll discuss school safety with guests: Michael Gormley, Albany reporter, Newsday Keith Scott, director of education, The Safe Center Long Island Geraldine Hart, Suffolk County police commissioner Thomas DiNapoli, New York State

Are offshore wind projects a magic bullet to save the environment? What about banning plastic bags? Have conservation efforts fallen by the wayside in favor of renewable energy projects that encourage energy usage, instead of energy reduction and preservation? Our guests: R. Lawrence Swanson, Ph.D., associate dean, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and director, Waste Reduction and Management Institute, Stony Brook University ; chair, Suffolk County Council on Environmental Quality ;

We explore three topics for today’s show. The plastic bag ban began in Connecticut last week. Also, preparing for retirement is difficult at any age. Did baby boomers save enough and will millennials be able to save at all? And we check in on the health of the Sound. Our guests: Nancy Alderman, president, Environment and Human Health, Inc. Bill Ferris, New York State legislative representative, AARP New York John Erlingheuser, advocacy director, AARP Connecticut Karen Smith, senior fellow, Urban