We speak with NYS Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Deborah Glick, who wants embattled SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras to resign, and United University Professions union president Fred Kowal, who gave Malatras a vote of confidence.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, will not seek a third term, setting off a political scramble in a big election year in 2022. We hear from Baker and LG Karyn Polito, and get analysis from State House News reporter Matt Murphy.

Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has declared a 30-day state of emergency amid rising COVID cases. The Democrat says active cases have tripled since Halloween, with cases at their highest levels since April. The State of Emergency was declared Sunday, and it comes as President Biden says the Omicron coronavirus variant is a cause for concern, not panic.

We speak with retiring Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who will not seek a ninth six-year term, and the fellow Democrat who wants to replace him: Congressman Peter Welch.

Although he is celebrating a major win — signing a $1 trillion infrastructure package at the White House — President Joe Biden’s approval rating has reached a new low, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. The poll finds the Democrat with a negative 36-to-53 percent job approval, his lowest rating yet. We spend this Thanksgiving with Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy.

Next week is Thanksgiving, and after a year and half of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans from coast to coast are looking forward to coming together this holiday season. But the pandemic is still with us, and COVID-19 transmission is ticking up with the colder weather, especially among the unvaccinated. The Franklin County Public Health Services in northern New York says high numbers of COVID cases are occurring from such gatherings. We speak with the department’s Sarah Granquist.

Vermont U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy will retire at the end of his eighth term. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley was at the Democrat’s announcement in Montpelier. And we speak with Middlebury College Professor Emeritus of Political Science Eric Davis for analysis.

We cover the forthcoming closure of six New York state prison facilities across the state. Last week, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, or DOCCS, announced the closures as of March 10, 2022. Among them is the Moriah Shock Facility in Essex County.

Just before Election Day, we spoke with Nancy Solomon, managing editor of New Jersey Public Radio, about Governor Phil Murphy’s chances to win a second term. A new poll out that day showed Murphy comfortably ahead. That was then….and now we know that Murphy barely eked out a win over Republican Jack Ciatterelli in an election full of surprises. The powerful state Senate president also lost in a stunning upset. So we called Solomon back for an update.

States in the Northeast are rolling out COVID-19 vaccines for children between 5 and 11 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the go-ahead to youngsters receiving the Pfizer shot. Authorities say there is enough supply for the 28 million children in the age group. It requires two shots three weeks apart. To help us understand the process, speak with Dr. Kristen Navarette, a pediatrician who serves as medical director of MVP Health Care.