Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?

We’re officially trying to get the holidays right this year — which means planning early, budgeting responsibly, and pretending we’ve learned from past mistakes. (We have not. But we’re trying.) From Halloween ambitions to Christmas logistics, this is the year we swear we’ll nail the vibes and the execution. Then, a full-blown beverage industry confession: Sparkling Ice keeps dropping collaborations nobody asked for and everybody immediately buys. Starburst walked so this could sprint, and at this point we’re not even resisting anymore — just take the money and leave us with a receipt and a mild sugar rush. And finally, Brandon’s Take on a news cycle that simply refuses to clock out. No slow days, no off switch, no respect for weekends, holidays, or our collective mental health. Even when the world should take a breather, the headlines keep coming — and somehow, we’re still expected to keep up. Buckle in.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, welcome to the Frozen Apple. Temperatures in New York City have remained below freezing since Friday — and they’re expected to stay that way until at least early next week as arctic air has settled into the region. At least 10, as of Tuesday — have died after being exposed to the bitter cold that has persisted in New York City since late last Friday. Meanwhile, NYC Ferry has suspended its service, and warned it may be closed “for several days” due to thick layers of ice floating on the rivers.

Dozens of protesters were arrested Tuesday after they occupied the lobby of a Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan, accusing the hotel of housing federal immigration officers.

And in Minneapolis, a man sprayed an unknown substance on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and was tackled to the ground Tuesday during a town hall, where tensions over federal immigration enforcement have come to a head after agents fatally shot an intensive care nurse and a mother of three this month.

Some days in this city are genuinely serious. Some days are tragic. And some days… we argue about building lights like it’s a five-alarm emergency. Today’s Update Journal covers another tale of deadly women, where the facts are grim, the story is unsettling, and the reminder is once again that real life is often stranger — and darker — than anything on television. And then, because this is New York, we immediately pivot to the Empire State Building lighting up in rival colors, triggering what might be the city’s most unnecessary crisis since “Should the subway seats face forward?” Opinions were strong. Emotions were high. Actual impact on daily life: zero. Finally, in today’s Honorable Mention, DoorDash somehow looked at a snowstorm and said, “You know what this needs? A joke about being snowed in with a hookup.” The internet responded accordingly, and DoorDash learned — once again — that sometimes silence is the best notification.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, Big Apple public school kids will be back for in-person learning, one day after the snowy mess left by Winter Storm Fern forced classroom closures, Mayor Mamdani announced.

Striking nurses said they’ve reached an agreement to keep their health benefits as negotiations continue with Big Apple hospitals and a union work stoppage hits a third week.

And in Minneapolis, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino is expected to leave, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the Trump administration reshuffles leadership of its immigration enforcement operation and scales back the federal presence after a second fatal shooting by federal officers.

We'll get you caught up on the aftermath of the big snowstorm.

From the great Whole Milk Debate (spoiler: kids still aren’t drinking it) to the mysterious journey of the carton nobody ever opens, we start this entry exactly where common sense goes to die. Then—because of course—we officially arrive at the Miraculous era of The Update Journal. Yes, we’ve finally crossed that line. Buckle up, because this is not the first time we’ve unpacked how a TV-Y7 show casually turned into a full-blown psychological thriller… and it absolutely will not be the last. If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been here before, you already know how this goes. And to close things out, Valentine’s Day is in the air—or at least in stores, aisles, and checkout lines—whether you’re emotionally ready for it or not.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Friday, New York City nurses on strike headed back to the bargaining table on day 12 of the strike with hospital administrators to try to bring an end to the city’s biggest walkout of its kind in decades.

A reality TV series meant to spotlight the New York Police Department has spawned a real-life legal drama involving the city and the show’s producer, Jordan McGraw — the son of TV’s “Dr. Phil” McGraw.

And across the country, thousands of power line workers were on standby, flights were canceled and bottled water flew off the shelves as a huge winter storm that could bring catastrophic damage, widespread power outages and bitterly cold weather barreled toward the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.

A snowstorm is rolling into the city and suddenly Zohran Mamdani is facing his first real mayoral stress test: do you give New York City a real, old-school snow day… or do you hit the big red “REMOTE LEARNING” button and let chaos unfold on Wi-Fi? We’ll break down why this decision is harder than it sounds, how shockingly rare a true NYC snow day actually is, and why the words “log in” strike more fear than sleet ever could. Then, a reminder that cash is a budget with an expiration date—because once it’s gone, it’s gone, and your debit card does not feel shame the way folded bills do. And finally, today’s Honorable Mention takes a hard left across the Atlantic, where historic love letters—written by royals, rogues, and romantics who somehow survived without read receipts—are going on display at The National Archives. Proof that long before texting ruined romance, people were pouring their hearts out with ink, paper, and absolutely no autocorrect.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Thursday, striking Big Apple nurses and the major hospital systems they’re battling are expected to return to the bargaining table, the staffers’ union revealed as the work stoppage reached its 10th day.

A judge threw out the boundaries of the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, ordering the state to redraw its borders because its current composition unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of Black and Hispanic residents.

And in the world of weather, warm Arctic waters and cold continental land are combining to stretch the dreaded polar vortex in a way that will send much of the United States a devastating dose of winter weather later this week with swaths of painful subzero temperatures, heavy snow and powerline-toppling ice.

In today’s Update Journal, we attempt to solve three problems that absolutely did not need to coexist in the same episode—but here we are anyway. First up: Who’s Right Here? A completely normal New York City bus ride somehow turns into a symposium on stroller rules, priority seating, and the lost art of how you say something without making it worse. Spoiler: the rules are clear, the tone is not. Then, we head to daytime television school with The Maury Method, where we remind everyone that Maury wasn’t just vibes, shock value, and dramatic envelopes—it was a newsroom doing real work, with real research, and results that somehow still managed to traumatize daytime audiences for decades. Journalism… but make it unforgettable. And finally, Brandon’s Take: “The Longest Week of the Year.” Regents Week arrives, the kids are gone, the staff is minimal, recess feels suspiciously quiet, and suddenly soda doesn’t seem like an overreaction. It’s a week that tests patience, staffing models, and the very definition of “we’ve got this.”

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rallied with nurses in Manhattan during the ninth day of the largest strike of its kind that the city has seen in decades.

They brrr-aved Arctic conditions to make a buck. Vendors, dog walkers and pedicab drivers battled below-freezing weather Tuesday but said it’s all in a day’s work in the Big Apple.

And in Minnesota, federal prosecutors served grand jury subpoenas to officials as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed or impeded law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a person familiar with the matter said.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?