The Wheelhouse

Governor Ned Lamont has said he is open to negotiating almost everything in his budget proposal. Well, it seems like lots of people are going to take him up on his offer.

Union leaders feel slighted by his call for them to back changes to cost-of-living increases for future retired state workers.

And Lamont's push for highway tolls faces local, state, and federal hurdles.

Meanwhile, the governor's pick to lead the state's economic development efforts, David Lehman, sweated out tough questions Tuesday from Democratic lawmakers. Whether the former Goldman Sachs executive will win confirmation by the state Senate remains uncertain.

This week, we tally up the opposition to the administration's agenda.

We also delve into the concerns over state Sen. Alex Bergstein's paying for an extra legislative aide out of her own pocket. Should she be free to spend her own money in pursuit of better representing her constituents, or is it bad precedent that could give Bergstein an unfair advantage at the state Capitol?

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The honeymoon period is over for Gov. Ned Lamont. When he delivers his state budget address to lawmakers later on Wednesday, there will already be plenty of animosity among those watching.

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New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell's recently announced plans to leave the department has brought the city's budget woes into focus, as well as its contentious brand of politics.

The police department is down to 395 officers, Campbell told city alders earlier this week. That's 100 less than called for in the department's 2019 fiscal year budget, he maintained.

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President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night was full of contrasting tones. Like when he endorsed national paid family leave for new parents, and then just seconds later, called for legislation banning late-term abortions.

Today, we break down his speech, and how well it went over or didn't go over with Congressional Democrats.

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Elections aren't for another nine or so months, but mayoral races are heating up across Connecticut. That includes those in the state's three largest cities where the top municipal leaders are Democrats, and challengers from within the party keep emerging.

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