PA legislators struggle to legalize recreational marijuana and create economic opportunities. Can they do something before the year's end?By CitizenCast

We discuss the power and the promise of public schools, the universal rejection of book bans by parents across the country, and an inclusive vision for democracy. Their civic action toolkit recommendations are: Have a conversation with people with whom you disagree Remain open-minded. Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider are co-hosts of the educat…

On this episode of our acclaimed podcast, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter sit down with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, one of the youngest mayors in the country. In March, a cargo ship lost power and smashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, thrusting Mayor Scott into the national spotlight amidst ugl…

On this episode of Art For Change, we examine a new interactive installation at the Fabric Workshop and Museum by Bearded Ladies Cabaret founder John Jarboe. The exhibition puts on full display "earnest, absurd queer selfhood."By CitizenCast

On this episode of Citizen(s) of the Week, we look at Penn Medicine Votes, which motivates healthcare workers to help patients who are unexpectedly hospitalized on election day cast an absentee ballotBy CitizenCast

Donald Trump and his Republican allies are doubling down on "abortion after birth" (also known as "murder.") MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi breaks down this lie and explains why it's so dangerous.By CitizenCast

There’s only one major metro region in the nation without a strategic plan for inclusive growth — Philadelphia. Where's our job growth plan?By CitizenCast

Longtime higher education executive, Elaine Maimon, shines a light on how the U.S. Constitution was talked about (and referenced) in the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.By CitizenCast

We discuss how ballot measures give voters the opportunity to take power and agency. It is about citizens putting issues that are important to their communities, gathering signatures, and then putting them on the ballot directly to effect policy change. Her civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Voting is the starting line, not the finish lin…

Artist Sonya Clark has created a video installation called The Descendants of Monticello. It fills the historical Declaration House with unblinking windows into our shared history.By CitizenCast

On this episode of Big Rube's Philly, Reuben Harley chats with Shaw Lewis of Expect Lace, a lingerie shop in Manayunk. Shaw explains how, as a successful Black entrepreneur, she is helping lift women around her, and how she's making both women and men feel comfortable about buying intimates.By CitizenCast

Besides hunting down instances of "woke agendas," MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi explains the intense favoritism that would be shown to private religious schools under Project 2025. "Families who already pay for tuition [to private schools], get a break, while those who can't, are forced back into public schools where they are now r…

A former Philadelphia mayor asks ABC's David Muir and Linsey Davis to ask presidential debate questions about basic knowledge...and do some fact-checkingBy CitizenCast

On this special episode of How To Really Run A City, former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter and former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed catch up with the Republican mayor whose speech supporting Kamala Harris ignited the Democratic National Convention. Why'd he do it? To honor the ideals and memory of Senator John McCain. "There is no longer loyalty to princip…

We discuss how two parties alone cannot represent the diversity of views in American society, how fusion voting could solve for better representation, and who exactly should get engaged in our civic lives. His civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Support political parties and reforms that create more choices. 2. Be a good neighbor and parti…

... the CEO of Shift Capital, an urban real estate business in Kensington, lays out howBy CitizenCast

Center City has 45 alleys. Most are dumps. Center City District President/CEO sees the potential for beauty, greenery and art instead.By CitizenCast

Recently, Donald Trump met with Moms For Liberty, a group that some civil rights watchdogs have branded "extremists." MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi lays out what Project 2025 says about "manufactured extremism" and details how the Department of Justice would be sent to dismantle "D.E.I." and other social justice movements.…

On this episode of Guest Commentary, a local public elementary school teacher of more than two decades shares what Philly-based Abbott Elementary misses — and what teachers really needBy CitizenCast

We discuss what it takes for citizens to take action and run for elected office. Wendy ran as a Democrat in Utah because she wanted to give voters a viable, different choice. She knew it was going to be difficult to win as a first time candidate, but she ran so hard that she left a body mark in the wall. She lost by a mere 78 votes. Her civic actio…

On this episode of #velshibannedbookclub, Kiese Laymon joins MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi to discuss his banned book "Heavy." Because of its unflinching look at the messiness and weight of love, Laymon's book was banned in Mississippi (right alongside Toni Morrison's work).By CitizenCast

On this episode of Your City (Commonwealth) Defined, the state’s chief fiscal watchdog is on the ballot in November. Whether it's rooting out grift and fraud, or moving the ball forward on progressive issues, this overlooked office is actually quite important.By CitizenCast

On this episode of Big Rube's Philly, Reuben Harley chats with Tyson Devore and Nikki Moore, the owners of Chubby's Fantastic Flavors. They talk real ice cream, opportunities for Black-owned businesses to thrive and how to really come together as a community.By CitizenCast

MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi explains what Project 2025 defines as the only family unit that should be accepted by the U.S. government: a biblically-based, social science-reinforced definition of marriage and family. "How's that for limited government?" Velshi asks.By CitizenCast

Dr. Ala Stanford became a household name during Covid. In this interview with Courtney DuChene, she shares her thoughts about equity in medicine and her healthcare vision for a Harris presidency.By CitizenCast

Joe Spielberger is the policy counsel for the Effective and Accountable Government team at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), where he advocates in Congress and the executive branch to strengthen whistleblower rights, protect a merit based civil service, and promote government ethics and transparency. We discuss how government can be trans…

On this week's Citizen WURD segment, Malcolm Burnley joined Evening WURDs host Dr. James Peterson to discuss his recent story, "Fear of a Biracial President," and how he came to embrace his own racial identity.By CitizenCast

What happened when our Gen Z Mystery Shopper reached out to each member of City Council to ask what they are doing about climate change? Let's just say it didn't go well.By CitizenCast

With the Democratic National Convention this week, Malcolm Burnley explains how Kamala Harris will have to talk about race in order to communicate with and connect multiracial Americans to a biracial presidentBy CitizenCast

The treatment for sepsis in the uterus is abortion. The treatment for ectopic pregnancy is abortion. The treatment for miscarriage that won't be expelled is abortion. MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi explains why abortion bans pose life-threatening risks to "anyone with a uterus."By CitizenCast

Philanthropist and Hostage Release Advocate, Liz Hirsh Naftali, shares with Larry her heartbreaking family hostage story of Oct 7 and how it forever changed the trajectory of her life and work.By CitizenCast

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey never expected to find herself paired policy-wise with a world famous standup comedian. Yet, that’s exactly what happened when she and Chris Rock — an unlikely policy wonk — came up with the same solution for curbing gun violence in America: Making bullets prohibitively expensive. Elsewhere in this epis…

Daniel Alvarenga is a journalist who covers issues pertaining to immigration, racial equity, and Latinx cultures – with a special emphasis on Central America and its diasporas. He’s also the English language podcast host of Humo: Murder and Silence in El Salvador. We discuss the intersection of foreign policy, immigration policy, and democracy. US …

How does a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about resistance to Nazism in World War II Europe end up on banned book lists in Cambria County, PA? Ali Velshi convenes his #velshibannedbookclub to put that question to the book's author, Anthony Doerr.By CitizenCast

On the flagship episode of The People Left Behind, a new Citizen podcast about the survivors and co-victims of gun violence, audio documentarian Julien Suaudeau introduces us to Laura Madeleine, who transformed her brush with gun violence into the Soul Shots Portrait Project. This new podcast explores what happens to those left behind when the poli…

What is Donald Trump's "Schedule F," and how does he intend to use it to make federal employees loyal only to him? MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi explains.By CitizenCast

A Pennsylvania history professor on how Minnesota coach-turned-governor Tim Walz could be the key to making America nice againBy CitizenCast

Barbara McQuade is a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, co-host of the podcast #SistersinLaw, and a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. Her first book is Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. We discuss the dangers of disinformation and how we can defeat it. Democracy depends on truth, and as Americans we …