Connecticut lawmakers passed some of the most ambitious housing legislation in years this session. The bill looked to address affordable housing, zoning and parking.

But then, Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed it.

The Democrat is now inviting lawmakers to make a new proposal, which he hopes to pass it later this year in a special session.

Today on The Wheelhouse, we’ll speak to the governor live in-studio, asking about that veto. We’ll also get his thoughts on running for a third term.

GUESTS:

• Ned Lamont, governor, state of Connecticut
• Mark Pazniokas, capitol bureau chief and a co-founder, CT Mirror
• Liz Kurantowicz, Republican analyst and co-owner, The Drury Group
• Bilal Sekou, associate professor of political science, University of Hartford

The Wheelhouse is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, A

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This fall, students at Yale University will take a course called “Bad Bunny: Musical Aesthetics and Politics.”

Bad Bunny, born on the island of Puerto Rico as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, isn’t the first Latino musician to weave activism into his work. Regarding the Yale class, Bad Bunny told Rolling Stone magazine “I have in the back of my mind that I want to do big things and make a difference, but I do it for myself.”

“I don’t do it hoping that at some point, they’ll offer classes about me at universities,” he said.

Today on The Wheelhouse, how politics and music intersect on the island next door.

GUESTS:

• Albert Laguna, Associate professor of American Studies, Yale University
• Rachel Iacovone, Puerto Rican communities reporter, CT Public
• Petra Rivera-Rideau, Associate Professor of American Studies, Wellesley College
• La Gata, Multimedia Artist and Historian
• Charles Venator Santiago, Associate professor in the departments of political science and El Instituto, University of Connecticut

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut has hundreds of miles of shoreline, extending from Greenwich in the west to Stonington in the east.

Many of these coastal communities have found ways to exclude certain people. There’s actually a long history of segregation on our shores, dating back decades.

This hour, we’ll look at past and present beach access in Connecticut.

Plus, we’ll look at who does — and does not — get access to quality public spaces like parks.

GUESTS:

• Andrew Kahrl: Professor of history and African American Studies at the University of Virginia and author of Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for America’s Most Exclusive Shoreline

• Dr. KangJae Lee: Associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, University of Utah

Hear more from Andrew Kahrl in this episode of Disrupted.

This episode originally aired on July 5, 2023 and was produced by Meg Dalton. Our technical producers were Catie Talarski and Cat Pastor. Robyn Doyon-Aitken edited the audio.

The Wheelhouse is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut lawmakers recently cemented their priorities for the next two years with final passage of a $55.8 billion budget.

At the end of the 2025 legislative session, they were able to find money for Medicaid programs and invest in our children’s future, especially young children.

But some – mainly the minority in the state legislature – say that it comes at too high of a cost.

Today on the Wheelhouse, the “fiscal guardrails” have been breached and lawmakers will press forward amid a foggy federal funding landscape.

GUESTS:

• Rep. Jason Rojas, Majority leader, CT House Democrats
• Rep. Vin Candelora, Minority leader, CT House Republicans
• Alex Putterman, Reporter, CT Insider
• Michayla Savitt, State government reporter, CT Public

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2025 legislative session in Connecticut started with lawmakers facing an uncertain future clouded by potential federal funding cuts.

The end of the session is nigh in Connecticut.

Amid these murky days, we know that local lawmakers have taken drastic measures to shore up state Medicaid funding. But how far are they willing to go to secure a new two-year budget deal?

Today on the Wheelhouse, a preview of the last day of regular lawmaking in Connecticut.

GUESTS:

• Mark Pazniokas, Capitol bureau chief, CT Mirror
• Susan Raff, Chief political reporter, WFSB News Ch. 3
• Ebong Udoma, Senior reporter, WSHU
• Beth Bye, Commissioner, CT Office of Early Childhood
• Eva Bermudez-Zimmerman, Coalition director, Child Care for CT

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State lawmakers are foregoing budget caps to fund Medicaid.

But with Medicaid relying on two primary funding sources–and U.S. lawmakers poised to pass President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”--the future of low-income healthcare programs is uncertain.

Today on The Wheelhouse, America’s brittle social safety net hangs in the balance.

GUESTS:

• Lisa Hagan, Federal Policy Reporter, CT Mirror and CT Public
• Joan Alker, Reporter, Georgetown University
• John Henry Smith, Host, All Things Considered, CT Public

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in 2020 inspired police reform in America.

Five years ago this week, Americans took to the streets amid a global pandemic to protest Floyd’s murder.

Chants of “Black Lives Matter” reverberated throughout Connecticut. And then, two months after Floyd’s death, Connecticut was one of the first states in the nation to enact police reform legislation.

“I don’t think this day happens without the connection between what’s going on on the streets and why the people are in the building fighting the way they are,” Democratic lawmaker Gary Winfield said after the bill passed through his state senate chamber on July 29, 2020.

Today on the Wheelhouse, an update on police reform – what stuck, and what still needs to be done to protect Black lives…five years after George Floyd.

GUESTS:

• Jeffrey A. Fletcher, Owner and Collector, Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum
• Brakkton Booker, National Political Correspondent, Politico 
• Lorenzo Boyd, Professor of Criminal Justice and Community Policing, University of New Haven
• Elizabeth Hinton, Professor of African American Studies, History, and Law, Yale University

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colleges and universities across the country are facing serious headwinds.

In 2022, college enrollment was 14.8% below peak enrollment in 2010. That’s according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Is a post-pandemic rebound even possible?

Factors like declining enrollment, shifting perceptions of value, and rising financial strain have college and universities in Connecticut and beyond ringing the alarm bell.

This hour, we look at how the future of higher education will impact the state’s economy, workforce, and the country’s ability to compete on a global level.

GUESTS:

• Susan Raff, Chief political reporter, WFSB Eyewitness News Ch. 3
• Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, Investigative reporter, Hearst Connecticut Media
• Brian Rosenberg, Visiting Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, author of Whatever It Is, I’m Against It
• Jon Marcus, Senior higher education reporter for The Hechinger Report and co-host of the podcast, “College Uncovered” 

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Pew Research Center, our “trust in government” has eroded over the last sixty years.

While there have been “modest” gains in support, factors like age, race, employment status, educational experience, and more impact how we view our federal institutions.

Today on the Wheelhouse, we journey through age groups, consider experiences, and offer a bit of a U.S. history lesson to shed some light on how Americans have formed their views about the government from the late 1950s to the present.

Plus, how can Gen Alpha engage with politics? How can adults help with kids’ civic development?

GUESTS:

• Mercy Quaye, Founder and President at The Narrative Project; Columnist for CT Mirror and Editor of CT Mirror's Community Editorial Board
• Jonathan Wharton, Associate professor of political science and urban affairs, Southern Connecticut State University
• J. Baxter Oliphant, Senior researcher, Pew Research Center
• Sally Friedman, Associate professor of political science, University at Albany
• Jean Twenge, Professor of psychology, San Diego State University
• Elena Moore, Reporter, Washington desk, NPR
• Deborah Rivas-Drake, Ph.D., Professor of Education and Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan
• Christia Spears Brown, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Professor of Developmental, Social, and Health Psychology, University of Kentucky
• Rikesha L. Fry Brown, Ph.D., co-founder and Executive Director of the African American Honors Collective and Adjunct Professor, Clark Atlanta University
• Melissa Santos. Ph.D., Division Head, Pediatric Psychology, Connecticut Children’s

This show was edited together to feature thoughts and perspectives from people of various backgrounds. You will hear past interviews, including discussions from the April 10, 2024, “How to Talk to Kids about the 2024 Presidential Election” and the August 7, 2024, “Politics Across the Generations”. 

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some federal officials don’t want the “X” gender option printed on passports. The “T” – and other letters – were removed from websites with content addressing the LGBTQ+ community.

Since Day 1, the Trump administration has chipped away at the rights of Transgender Americans.

Today on the Wheelhouse, we examine the policies aimed towards erasure.

Plus, gender-affirming care. How anti-trans legislation impacts transgender and cisgender healthcare.

GUESTS:

• Orion Rummler, LGBTQ+ reporter, The 19th
• Evan Urquhart, Journalist and founder of Assigned Media
• Ricardo Martinez, Executive Director, GLAD Law

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.