With affirmative action and so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs under attack by President Donald Trump, J.C. Polanco is holding his ground. A former Republican candidate for public advocate in New York City, Polanco is the CEO of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, a national nonprofit organization that was founded in 1968 to expand opportunities for underrepresented students to attend law school.

Polanco, who is also a law professor at the University of Mount St. Vincent, joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss his push to make the legal field more diverse and the obstacles his organization faces due to reduced funding and political attacks. They also discussed the history of DEI initiatives and their own respective paths to finishing law school. 

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].

Just weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump is sending shockwaves around the world. From proposing resettling the population of Gaza to saying he wants the United States to regain control of the Panama Canal, the president is making it clear that he’s not following the traditional set of rules that have guided American foreign policy for decades.

Looking at Trump’s plans abroad, NY1’s Errol Louis recently held an in-depth discussion with veteran diplomat Richard Haass, the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relation. The conversation at Temple Emanuel of Great Neck, Long Island, tackled a wide range of international topics from Greenland to Ukraine to the Middle East.

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].

After 15 months, the Israel-Hamas war has reached a ceasefire deal. Israeli troops have pulled back to the edges of Gaza and some hostages have been released by their Hamas captors. Many Palestinians are returning to what remains of their homes with humanitarian aid flowing into the region. As Palestinians begin rebuilding, Peter Beinart is exploring the defense of Israel by some of his fellow Jews in a new book, "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning." Beinart, a professor at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York, joined NY1's Errol Louis to discuss the war, as well as his childhood in South Africa and anti-Semitism on college campuses. 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].

One day after unveiling her $252 billion state budget, Gov. Kathy Hochul joined NY1’s Errol Louis for an exclusive one-on-one interview. The conversation covered many aspects of her new budget proposal: congestion pricing, the proposed cellphone ban in schools, and the challenges she is facing already since President Donald Trump took office.

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].

Several doctors who have been judged guilty of medical misconduct, negligence, incompetence and even felonies are still finding a place to practice — New York state prisons. The shocking practice was uncovered by Reuven Blau, a criminal justice reporter for The City, an online news outlet.

Blau joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss the shocking story of physicians who have found work in the prison system despite being sanctioned for horrific mistakes and other professional abuses. They also talked about the need for a major overhaul in the state’s prisons and the brutal death of inmate Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County.

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].

Almost 100 years after New York City officials first considered putting tolls on the East River bridges, drivers are finally being charged to enter Midtown and Lower Manhattan. With a new policy chapter being written, it will likely take time to determine how successful the program is and whether it will need modifications.

This week, NY1’s Errol Louis was joined by two people who figured heavily in congestion pricing’s implementation: MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber and Sam Schwartz, popularly known as “Gridlock Sam,” whose work combatting traffic in Manhattan dates back more than 50 years. The two men highlighted different goals. Lieber discussed how the program is expected to pay for much-needed infrastructure improvements within the city’s subway system, while Schwartz is hoping for less traffic and shorter emergency response times.

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].

In 1969, John Lindsay’s first term as mayor of New York City was coming to a close. After a series of labor disputes and a botched snowstorm recovery that shut down the city, his poll numbers were at an all-time low. Somehow, even after losing the Republican primary, he found a road to reelection. 

In the final installment of this three-part podcast series by Spectrum News NY1, Errol Louis explores Lindsay’s unlikely path to victory, his second term as mayor and his ill-advised presidential run. The episode also looks at Lindsay’s enduring legacy and his innovative yet controversial ideas for urban development.

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].

From the moment he became mayor of New York City in 1966, John Lindsay faced a city in turmoil when subway workers walked off the job and went on strike for 12 days. In many ways, it never got any easier for Lindsay, who ran the city in a time of national upheaval. 

In part two of a three-part podcast series by Spectrum News NY1, Errol Louis explores John Lindsay’s chaotic first term, in which the mayor tried to continue pushing forward, combating a string of labor disputes while attempting to create a more livable city.

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

In 1965, New York City was teetering on the edge of an uncertain future, but a Republican congressman from the Upper East Side was determined to save it. Fighting traditional power brokers and machine politicians, John Lindsay improbably was elected mayor that year; his eight years in office became one of the most tumultuous and transformative times in New York’s recent history.

In part one of a three-part podcast series by Spectrum News NY1, Errol Louis explores John Lindsay’s turbulent New York, focusing on his early years in Congress and building up to being elected mayor in a dramatic three-way race in November of 1965.

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, Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie officially launched his campaign to challenge Eric Adams in next June’s Democratic mayoral primary. The senator also unveiled an ambitious housing proposal that looks to build one million new homes across the five boroughs, or 70,000 homes per year.

Sen. Myrie joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss his bid to unseat Adams. They also talked about the dire situation surrounding the city’s prisons complex on Rikers Island, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right team and treating nonprofit organizations fairly.

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].