Telehealth, Google Classrooms, and Zoom have become essential for daily life in the pandemic.

This hour, we learn about the role of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make sure all Americans have access to broadband internet.

We talk with the FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, a West Hartford native.

And later, we get perspective from a Wall Street Journal technology policy reporter.

Has your family struggled to access or afford high-speed broadband internet?

GUESTS:

• Jessica Rosenworcel - Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
• Ryan Tracy - Technology Policy reporter at the Wall Street Journal

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It was a long night for members of the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee, who conducted a public hearing on vaccine bills that was scheduled to go as long as 24-hours. Republican State Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly joins us to talk about the proposals, which would prevent residents from claiming religious objections to school vaccine requirements.

We also discuss Governor Ned Lamont’s 2-year budget proposal. 

And back in Senator Kelly's district, what could the future hold for the site of the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre? The vacant building burned down in 2019.

Guests:

• Kevin Kelly -- Senate Republican Minority Leader  (@21kevinkelly)
• Susan Haigh -- Associated Press Statehouse and Political Reporter in Connecticut (@SusanHaighAP)

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Navigating pregnancy should be an exciting time, but new parents don’t have the same support system right now. This hour, we talk about pregnancy and birth during a pandemic.

New parents need a lot of support leading up to and after the birth of a new baby. The zoom bridal shower is not the same as being in person to celebrate new mom and baby. Expecting mothers have a lot more decisions to make - including whether or not to get the vaccine. 

A new mother joins us today to talk about her pregnancy, and an OB GYN talks about delivering babies during a pandemic - what expecting mother’s need to know. 

If you’re a new or expecting mom, what has it like to go through pregnancy during this pandemic? 

We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Alexis Aronne - a mother from Cromwell, Connecticut
• Dr. Audrey Merriam, MD - physician with Yale Maternal Fetal Medicine
• Dr. Heather Lipkind - Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Yale Maternal Medicine
• Jessica Bennett - Editor at Large at the New York Times

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Happy Valentine’s Day Weekend! 

All you need is love, but navigating romantic relationships during the pandemic can be pretty tough. This hour, a look at pandemic love!

Quarantining means that we are all spending more time at home, and more time with our partners. Maintaining a healthy relationship during a high stress situation like this, can be difficult. 

And if you’re single, dating presents some interesting new challenges, including navigating the zoom date, and the rules for meeting in person. 

Who’s your pandemic Valentine this year? Have you fallen in love, or broken up? Are you enjoying the single life? 

We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Trevor Crow Mullineaux - licensed marriage and family therapist
• Shani Silver - Writer and host of the podcast, A Single Serving Podcast
• Damona Hoffman - Certified Dating Coach and host of the Dates and Mates Podcast

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Plumbers and electricians are essential workers with well-paying jobs.  And yet skilled trades face worker shortages and struggle to recruit young people.

This hour, we take a look at vocational education. We talk with a teacher and a student from one of Connecticut’s technical high schools.

And we ask a national expert: what can the Biden administration do to build up a new generation of tradespeople?

We want to hear from you. Do you work in a skilled trade?

GUESTS:

• Dave Arnott - Plumbing and Heating Department Head at A.I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford, also heating curriculum chair for the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS)
• Qahdir Muhammad - Senior at A.I. Prince Technical High School in the plumbing and heating track.
• Brent Parton - Deputy Director of the Center on Education and Labor at New America, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C.
• Todd Berch - Apprenticeship Manager for Connecticut Department of Labor

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In the first half of the show, Connecticut Mirror budget reporter (and budget guru) Keith Phaneuf previews Governor Ned Lamont's 2-year state taxing and spending plan. The proposal is being released later today. In the short term, things are better than they appeared back in the spring. But the state still faces a fiscal slog in the long term.

In the second half of the show, UConn Professor Christopher Vials considers lessons learned from four years with Donald Trump in the oval office. American democracy survived, but is it in worse shape than it was four years ago? Is a second impeachment the right path for the country?

Guests:

Keith Phaneuf -- State budget reporter at the Connecticut Mirror (@CTMirrorKeith)

Christopher Vials -- Professor of English and Director of American Studies at UConn.  He is the co-editor of The US Antifascism Reader, released last year.

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Over 40 million Americans have student loan debt owing an average of $36,520 alone, for federal loans. Connecticut Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona, and President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Department of Education, says student debt relief would be a priority. 

This hour, we talk about what cancelling student debt means for borrowers and lenders alike. Students of color and first generation college students are more likely to get saddled with heavy student loan debt. Are you one of millions of Americans that has student loan debt? We want to hear from you. 

GUESTS

• Michelle Singletary - personal finance columnist for Washington Post. She has a book coming out in May entitled What to Do with Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide
• Beth Akers - resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
• Umme Hoque - Organizing Director at the Debt Collective

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More than a third of Connecticut votes cast in the November 2020 election were by absentee ballot.  Will ballot drop boxes and mail-in options become permanent? Today, we talk with Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill about the future of voting in Connecticut.

And later: President Biden has been in office for less than a month. But he’s already setting records with his use of executive orders. We hear from a law professor about what this use of executive power means for the country.

GUESTS:

• Denise Merrill - Connecticut Secretary of the State
• Kelly Moore- Policy Counsel at the ACLU of Connecticut
• Cristina Rodriguez - Professor at Yale Law School

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Jill Snyder’s parents carried on a long-distance courtship through letters.

After her mother’s death, Snyder found these letters, and compiled them into a book, called Dear Mary, Dear Luther: A Courtship in Letters.

This hour, Snyder joins us to talk about her family’s story. It’s a lens into the lives of African Americans in the Northeast before the start of World War II.

Snyder tells us why it’s especially important for Black families to document their own family history.

Jill Snyder will be giving a virtual talk at the New Haven Museum on February 10, 2021, 2020, at 6 p.m. Viewers can watch the talk live on the New Haven Museum’s Facebook page. The presentation is based on Snyder’s book, Dear Mary, Dear Luther: A Courtship in Letters, which is available for purchase by emailing [email protected] or calling 203-562-4183, ext. 119.

GUESTS:

• Jill Snyder - Author of Dear Mary, Dear Luther: A Courtship in Letters
• Nora Galvin - Certified professional genealogist based in Northeast Connecticut

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Extreme heat, crushing air pressure, and toxic clouds. Venus may not seem like a hospitable place.

But the discovery of a certain chemical, phosphine, in that planet’s atmosphere has raised new questions about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Scientists wonder if a living organism could possibly be creating this unexpected chemical.

This hour, we sit down Martha Gilmore, a Wesleyan professor. She’s a planetary geologist and Venus expert.

What questions do you have about Venus or our solar system?

GUEST:

• Martha Gilmore - Seney Professor of Geology and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Wesleyan University in Middletown CT

Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on October 15, 2020.

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