Connections Podcast

We sit down with Harry Bronson. The Democrat is running for re-election in the 138th Assembly District. The Assemblymember discusses his priorities for the district, while answering our questions and yours.

Our guest:

• Harry Bronson (D, WF), candidate for New York State Assembly District 138

*Note: Bronson's opponent, Republican challenger Tracy DiFlorio, did not respond to our invitation to participate in a discussion.

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Conn...

It's our weekly news roundup.

We begin this week's episode with a look at New York's gubernatorial race. In a televised debate Tuesday night, Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman sparred over affordability issues and immigration. NYPNN correspondent Jon Campbell shares his takeaways.

Then, plans to revive Rochester’s only sanctioned homeless encampment have been approved. As reported by WXX...

The phrase "climate migration" most often refers to people relocating due to concerns about their homes becoming unlivable as a result of climate change. But according to American University professor Claire Brunel, Ph.D., it can also refer to firms and factories making cross-border moves due to climate regulation.

According to Brunel's research, fears of companies fleeing are largely unfounded. It's when those industries stay put &...

Rep. Joe Morelle is our guest.

The Democratic incumbent is running for re-election in New York's 25th Congressional District. He joins us to discuss a range of issues, including election protection, inflation, jobs, AI, and more. We ask him your questions throughout the hour as we continue our coverage of the 2026 general election.

In studio:

• Joe Morelle (D, WF), candidate for New York's 25th Congressional District

*Note: The...

"It's not a death sentence like in years past." That's according to a local woman living with metastatic breast cancer. She's sharing her story with the hope of helping others thrive as they navigate a diagnosis. Advancements in screening and treatment for breast cancer have improved outcomes for patients, and as the technology continues to evolve, one question has become of particular focus: Can AI help save lives? This hour, we s...

What do you need to know about the spread of measles in New York? On Monday, Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State Disaster Emergency due to the increase in cases.

In the first segment of the return of our weekly news roundup, we're joined by Monroe County Public Health Commissioner Dr. Marielena Vélez de Brown. She explains the latest with the outbreak, how the disease spreads, and what you need to know about protecting yourself.

T...

Rural communities in Western New York are debating proposed data centers. One site is located on Seneca Lake, in a facility currently being used for cryptomining. Opponents are concerned about noise, pollution, and the rapid move toward artificial intelligence. Local governments want to keep debates grounded in facts. Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order putting a moratorium on new hyperscale data center development for ...

We welcome the candidates for New York State Senate District 56.

Democratic incumbent Jeremy Cooney and Republican challenger Orlando Rivera join us in the studio to discuss their platforms, priorities for office, and how they plan to address a range of issues affecting the district.

• Jeremy Cooney (D, WF), candidate for New York State Senate District 56
• Orlando Rivera (R, C), candidate for New York State Senate District 56

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Adam Frank has spent his career examining the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Now he turns his gaze to the question of just how intelligent AI can be.

Frank thinks most of the conversation about AI is misguided, and that it should be thought of as a software product before anything else. This hour, we examine his fresh insight into what has become a heated public conversation.

In studio:

• Adam Frank, Ph.D...

According to an NBC News poll, 47 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 hold a negative view of capitalism. Meanwhile, a growing number of political candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have had success. They’re led by New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. So what does DSA stand for, exactly? Our guests explain. In studio:

• Gregory Lebens-Higgins, co-chair of ROC DSA
• Hannah Wlasowicz, co-chair of ROC ...

The U.S. national debt recently crossed the $40 trillion mark. The bond market is experiencing turbulence. Meanwhile, many of the prices that consumers pay have remained high, including at the grocery store. What can we learn from all this? We compare some grocery bills and dig into the debt, the bond market, and interest rates with economist Eric Morris. Our guests:

• Eric Morris, Ed.D., portfolio manager and staff economist for...

Our guest is the man who coined the phrase “net neutrality,” and was invited to work in the Biden White House because of his scholarship on the tech sector. Tim Wu's new book is about how our lives are dominated by tech — but, really, just a handful of tech platforms that have most of the power. They dominate our attention. Wu says they work as wealth extractors, seizing not just money, but our data. So, what can ...

How can we make Rochester's streets safer? The team at Reconnect Rochester has spent the summer working on street safety projects, and this hour, we hear about the updates. We discuss why street murals and other features help slow down traffic and create more pedestrian-friendly environments. We also explore a question: If you drive, how would your week change if you gave it up? We preview the National Week without Driving. In stud...

Where is democracy backsliding? It’s a question we discuss with democratization policy expert Valery Perry. Perry recently took a road trip on Route 66. She shares what she observed about democracy in America along the way. She also helps us understand the significance of the recent German state elections, as well as concerns about the Trump administration intervening in or suspending upcoming elections. In studio:

• Valery ...

This election season, “Connections” brings you long form conversations with candidates. It’s your chance to hear directly from them about their priorities for office while asking your questions. In this segment, we turn our attention to New York's gubernatorial race. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is our guest. The Republican discusses his background, his priorities for office, and what he would change if ...

This election season, “Connections” brings you long form conversations with candidates. It’s your chance to hear directly from them about their priorities for office while asking your questions. We begin the hour with Michael Mills, the Democrat running for New York’s 54th Senate District seat. He discusses his platform and his take on issues affecting the district. His opponent, Republican incumbent Pam Hel...

WXXI is celebrating its 60th anniversary. We've been asking the community, "What do you want from your public media in the future?" We share some of the answers, along with stories from the history of public media in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region. In studio:

• John Andres, Sunday morning host of WXXI Classical
• Marianne Carberry, Saturday afternoon host of WXXI Classical, who has worked at the station since 1977
• Cara Rager, di...

How can Ukrainians best prepare for a post-war future? It's a question we address in the first half of the hour with guests from the Open World Program. The professional exchange initiative is meant to bolster understanding and cooperation between Ukraine and the U.S. Our guests this hour discuss how they envision education and technology will play a role in Ukraine's future. We also address what Ukrainians need most at this stage ...

A deeply honest personal story from Nikole Hannah-Jones of the New York Times has a lot of people talking about what children need in their K-12 education. 

Now comes a new report from The Children’s Agenda in Rochester about chronic absenteeism. The report explores why students themselves say they are not attending school. TCA concludes: “We should not accept that one out of three high school students in Monroe Cou...