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Episodes

Governor Hochul’s campaign to promote traffic safety

August 18, 2025 • 22 mins
Aug. 18, 2025- We talk about efforts to promote traffic safety in the Empire State, including using cameras, lowering speed limits, and training drug recognition experts, with Mary Tanner Ritcher, deputy commissioner for traffic safety and investigations for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
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New York tweaks evidence disclosure laws

August 18, 2025 • 14 mins
Aug. 18, 2025 - Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, a Democrat, discusses changes to New York's evidence disclosure laws that took effect this summer at the urging of local prosecutors and Gov. Kathy Hochul.
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Heath insurers push back on new mandates

August 15, 2025 • 14 mins
Aug. 15, 2025- State lawmakers approved a handful of new health insurance mandates this year, including bills dealing with inhalers and speech therapy, but insurers say these well-intentioned efforts won't result in lower costs. New York Health Plan Association President & CEO Eric Linzer explains how insurers determine what they cover and argues that policymakers should focus on the underlying cost of treatments.
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Families face waitlists for child care voucher program

August 15, 2025 • 12 mins
Aug. 15, 2025- The state budget included an additional $400 million to ensure access to child care vouchers, but the increased investment isn't necessarily trickling down to families who need help, according to reporting by New York Focus reporter Julia Rock.
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New York Dems look for redistricting edge

August 14, 2025 • 14 mins
Aug. 14, 2025- In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt we hear from Assemblyman Micah Lasher, a Manhattan Democrat, who makes the case for increasing New York's Democrats in Congress by tweaking the congressional boundaries before the next census.
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Good government groups flag potential redistricting changes

August 14, 2025 • 9 mins
Aug. 14, 2025- In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt we check in with Blair Horner, senior policy advisor for the New York Public Interest Research Group, to get his take on efforts to do mid-decade redistricting and consider whether good government groups are losing influence in Albany.
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Poll examines redistricting changes and responding to federal cuts

August 14, 2025 • 12 mins
Aug. 14, 2025- A new Siena Research Institute survey of New Yorkers explored the possibility of changing New York's redistricting process, responding to federal spending cuts, and a gubernatorial matchup between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Elise Stefanik. We break down the results with Siena pollster Steve Greenberg.
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State identifying endangered species for protection

August 14, 2025 • 14 mins
Aug. 14, 2025- The Hochul administration is in the process of crafting a plan to guide the conservation of endangered species and habitats for the next decade. We unpack the significance of this plan and what might be missing with Chris Amato, conservation director and counsel for Protect the Adirondacks.
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Political campaigns look to harness artificial intelligence

August 12, 2025 • 12 mins
Aug. 12, 2025 - Artificial intelligence is invading New York's political campaigns this year and the burgeoning technology could be even more prevalent in the future, according to Annie McDonough, a senior reporter for City & State New York. This is an excerpt of Dispatches from Planet Albany.
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Wage parity for home care workers undermined by legal loopholes

August 12, 2025 • 9 mins
Aug. 12, 2025 - For more than a decade, New York lawmakers have tried to secure a compensation boost for home car workers in the New York City area, but those efforts haven't always resulted in more money in pockets, according to reporting by Sam Mellins, a senior reporter for New York Focus.
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Patients and drug makers target 'fail first' prescription model

August 12, 2025 • 14 mins
Aug. 12, 2025 - New Yorkers prescribed expensive, name-brand drugs may have to try cheaper alternatives before they get what the doctor ordered, as the result of insurance practices. We discuss how this process could be more transparent and have stricter rules with Ashira Vantrees, director of legal strategy and advocacy at Aimed Alliance.
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New York AG calls for police chase reforms

August 11, 2025 • 12 mins
August 11, 2025- New York Attorney General Letitia James is recommending the state narrowly restrict when police can engage in high-speed pursuits. We discuss the risk of police chases with Josh Parker, deputy director of policy for The Policing Project at NYU School of Law.
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State 'sovereign rights' cited in immigration debates

August 11, 2025 • 14 mins
August 11, 2025- New York is fighting back against federal efforts to access state immigration information and interfere at state courthouses, citing the "sovereign rights" of the state. We explore this argument and its history with Sarah Rogerson, director of the Edward P. Swyer Justice Center at Albany Law School.
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State support key to marine conservation efforts

August 11, 2025 • 14 mins
August 11, 2025- In light of an endangered sea turtle being released back into the wild this summer, we check in with Rob DiGiovanni Jr., founder and chief scientist for the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, to learn about his organization and the state's role in promoting their work.
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Making New York a Purple Heart state

August 8, 2025 • 17 mins
August 8, 2025- State Sen. Jake Ashby, a Capital Region Republican who did combat tours overseas with the Army Reserves, talks about increasing services for Purple Heart awardees and reflects on the Trump administration's handling of U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
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The Albany agenda of retired public sector employees

August 8, 2025 • 14 mins
August 8, 2025- We go through the agenda items in Albany for New York's nearly 500,000 public sector retirees with Tom Tatun, the recently anointed executive director for the Retired Public Employees Association.
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A contrarian take on Hochul's energy plans

August 8, 2025 • 22 mins
August 8, 2025- Gov. Kathy Hochul is promising affordable and reliable energy from new nuclear power plants, but how achievable is her vision? We get a contrarian take from John Howard, the former head of the New York Public Service Commission.
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Builders continue to worry about "All-Electric Buildings" mandate

August 7, 2025 • 14 mins
The state's "All-Electric Buildings" mandate will begin to be phased in next year and, while environmental advocates are welcoming the change, the construction industry is continuing to warn about unintended consequences. We discuss the transition with Mike Fazio, executive director of the New York State Builders Association.
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Trump directive looks to shift approach to homelessness

August 7, 2025 • 23 mins
August 7, 2025- In the wake of Gov. Kathy Hochul pushing to make it easier for New Yorkers to be involuntarily committed, President Donald Trump issued an executive order designed to promote more forced psychiatric institution of the country's homeless population. We unpack the significance of the action at the federal level, which could also hurt undermine harm reduction efforts in New York, with Patrick Wildes, director of the Go...
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Incarcerated New Yorkers getting free outgoing calls

August 7, 2025 • 12 mins
August 7, 2025- Starting in August, the more than 30,000 people incarcerated in New York don't have to pay to make outgoing phone calls. We unpack this policy decision from the Hochul administration, including how it could benefit society, with Bianca Tylek, founder and executive director of Worth Rises.
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