In late 1991, some Democrats were hopeful that Mario Cuomo would finally agree to run for president. When he didn’t, President-elect Bill Clinton then wanted to appoint him to the Supreme Court. He cast aside these opportunities, and instead lost a bid for a fourth term as governor.

Why didn’t Cuomo run for president? Why didn’t he accept Clinton’s appointment? And how did he lose to a relatively unknown freshman state senator named George Pataki? Episode 3 of “Mario Cuomo: The Last Liberal” attempts to answer the questions that have captured the minds of many New Yorkers for decades, while examining Cuomo’s legacy and looking at his life after politics.

Forty years ago, Mario Cuomo began his three-term tenure as governor. He inherited a state that was in the midst of a fiscal crisis and a crime problem. With the help of his top aide, Michael Del Giudice, Cuomo began to tackle the budget and try to get the state in order.

To complicate matters, in 1984, Cuomo gave the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention that thrust him into the national spotlight and led to pressure from Democrats for him to pursue the presidential nomination in future elections.

From the perspective of his key advisers and the reporters that covered him, we’ll hear how Cuomo managed to juggle governing and external pressures while keeping his ideals intact, and we’ll learn how the decisions he struggled to make have had a lasting effect on both the state and the country. 

2023 marks 40 years since Mario Cuomo was sworn in as governor of New York for the first time.

Cuomo was one of the most unlikely politicians the state had seen in a long time. The child of illiterate working-class immigrants who owned a grocery store in South Jamaica, Cuomo was a public-school genius who found himself graduating at the top of his class at St. John’s Law School. After taking a few pro-bono cases representing homeowners in Queens, Cuomo found himself encouraged to enter politics by legendary journalists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill, as well as NYC Mayor John Lindsay. What followed was a wild rise up the ranks, one that included a highly publicized run for mayor, as well as turns as lieutenant governor and New York secretary of state before finally being elected governor.

From the perspective of his advisers and the reporters that covered him – some of them speaking about their experiences with Cuomo for the first time – we'll find out how Cuomo managed to become a major political figure in the Democratic Party despite having a background that differed from most elected officials. 

See more on our Mario Cuomo series at ny1.com/mariocuomo.

With Ronald Reagan and the GOP dominating America’s political landscape in the 1980s, Democrats were largely dispirited and looking for someone to push back against a new wave of conservatism. Improbably, Mario Cuomo, the son of a grocer from Queens, became one of their heroes.

Serving as governor of New York for 12 years, Cuomo was one of the chief standard-bearers of liberalism at a time when the political pendulum was swinging to the right. Even as many New Yorkers were increasingly worried about crime, Cuomo strongly resisted any calls for the death penalty, saying it made no sense morally or pragmatically. Filled with passion, Cuomo’s address on abortion rights and his keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1984 are still studied today by students of the political craft and by those trying to explain the DNA of the Democratic Party.

Cuomo was well-positioned to take his positions and ambitions nationally and launch a presidential campaign in 1992. Why Cuomo never pulled the trigger is one of the great mysteries of New York politics. 

Told from the perspective of his key advisors and the reporters that covered him, this special three-part podcast with NY1’s Errol Louis traces the rise of Mario Cuomo, measures his impact on New York and America, and tries to solve the riddle of why Cuomo didn’t run for president.

As we enter the holiday season, we celebrate GivingTuesday, where nonprofit groups hope to inspire people’s generosity. NY1’s Errol Louis is dedicating an episode of “You Decide” to 10 of his favorite charities in New York City.

The conversation also includes a quick look back at the past year of “You Decide,“ as well as at an exciting new podcast series that will drop in the weeks to come. 

Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message. Or send an email to [email protected].

“Doppelgänger: A Trip Into the Mirror World” is the most recent book by social activist Naomi Klein. The book has an unlikely premise: Klein has often been confused with author Naomi Wolf. Klein uses this confusion to tell her most personal story yet, but along the way writes of the online paranoia that rose through the pandemic. The “other Naomi” is a rabid anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist and, in many ways, Klein’s polar opposite.

Klein joined NY1’s Errol Louis to talk about her new book and the allure of the world of conspiracy theories after tragic events occur. They also discussed the public’s fascination with cloning, doppelgänger literature, and the monetization of conspiracy theories. Finally, the conversation touched on the diverging paths she and Wolf took, the Israel-Hamas war and the dangers of using words like “fringe” to describe the far right. 

Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message. Or send an email to [email protected].

Veteran journalist Joe Sexton spent over two decades at the New York Times, where he was both Metro Editor and Sports Editor. Following a lengthy stay at ProPublica, the Brooklyn native started writing a magazine story about two tragic deaths in Omaha stemming from the 2020 George Floyd protests. The magazine piece turned into a book, and this year, the critically acclaimed account, “The Lost Sons of Omaha: Two Young Men in an American Tragedy,” was published.

Sexton joined NY1’s Errol Louis for a discussion in front of a live audience at the Center for Brooklyn History. They talked about their careers in journalism, including their early days together at the City Sun, and what drove Sexton to write a book about the deaths. They also weighed in on the death of local newspapers, how social media can both positively and negatively affect how a story gets told, and how “the good old days” weren’t always so good. 

Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message. Or send an email to [email protected].

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Melissa DeRosa became a familiar face as she sat by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s side during his popular daily briefings. As his top aide, she also stood by him amid a barrage of sexual harassment allegations, which led to Cuomo’s resignation in August 2021. Two years later, DeRosa returns with a memoir called “What’s Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis.”

She joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss her book and the many allegations Cuomo faced. They also discussed the status of the #MeToo movement, as well as her thoughts on Gov. Kathy Hochul. Finally, they talked about some of the decisions the administration made as New York City faced an unprecedented pandemic in March 2020.

Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message. Or send an email to [email protected].

About 600,000 people are released from prison every year but finding support for them to reintegrate into society is a challenge. While the United States spends billions of dollars on incarceration, funding for reentry services remains limited. JoAnne Page is trying to change those numbers. As president and CEO of the Fortune Society, Page has fought to support successful reentry as well as promote alternatives to incarceration, strengthening the fabric of our communities. After 34 years at her job, Page recently announced she’s stepping down at the end of this year.

Page joined Errol to discuss her career at the Fortune Society, taking about the Society’s origins, how she found her life’s calling at 18 and what her plans are for the future. They also talked about the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, the limited prospects for people when they are released from prison and how we may be entering a new era of mass incarceration.

Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message. Or send an email to [email protected]

This week, Democrat Justin Brannan and Republican Ari Kagan, who are running for a City Council seat in Brooklyn, squared off in a debate that took place during an episode of "Inside City Hall." Brannan and Kagan currently represent adjoining districts but are competing for the newly redrawn District 47, which runs from Bay Ridge to Coney Island. With early voting beginning this Saturday, Oct. 28, and Election Day just around the corner, host Errol Louis was joined by the publisher and editor of Bklyner, Liena Zagare, to talk about the unique race between incumbents, and the twists and turns that have occurred along the way. They also discussed the highlights of the debate, and shared their opinions on who fared better overall. The debate can be heard in its entirety in the episode.