Former labor union leader John Dougherty wielded immense power in Philadelphia, but, in the end, he flexed his capital with too much force. We put his federal prison sentence in perspective. Speaking of a flex, the Phillies put together a memorable first half of the season before the break. What else do they need for the stretch run? We also ask ke…

Philadelphia mayor Charelle Parker vowed change for the city's downtrodden Kensington neighborhood. Find out why, so far, the cleanup results have been mixed. Wonder what Philly has in store for America's birthday two years from now, when the country turns 250? And how does signing NBA free agent Paul George change the 76ers' title fortunes? Matt L…

A police officer who was shot at a traffic stop is on life support - what happened? Why was there a raucous crowd at a City Council hearing? And why is everyone so worked up over a highway sign? Matt Leon and KYW Newsradio reporters break down the biggest news in Philadelphia this week. 0:00 Intro 2:07 Police officer shot in Kensington 7:39 Philade…

Why is longtime Democratic Party mover and shaker George Norcross so confident the racketeering charges brought against him won’t hold up in court? What should we make of new gun violence data released by the FBI and what the numbers say about Philadelphia? How can you beat the intense heat? Matt Leon and KYW Newsradio reporters get you caught up o…

How are recent FBI arrests in Philadelphia possibly connected to ISIS? What’s behind the abrupt closure of OCF Coffee House? Could rowdy teens ruin your summer on the Jersey Shore? Matt Leon and KYW reporters catch you up on all that and more of what happened in Philly this week. 2:07 Alleged terrorists arrested in Philadelphia 7:17 OCF Coffee Hous…

Rage, confusion, grief - saddled with heavy emotions, where do University of the Arts students and staff go now? What steps are being taken to ensure the stories of local Holocaust survivors get passed down to future generations? Why did the Free Library of Philadelphia send out an email saying their beloved Author Events series was cancelled...and…

In conversation with author and Pennsylvania State Senator, Nikil Saval In The Hollow Parties, Daniel Schlozman and Sam Rosenfeld present a comprehensive history of the rise of American mass party politics through the Jacksonian era up through the years of Barack Obama to the presidency of Donald Trump. They posit that today's Democrat and Republic…

In conversation with Wil Haygood Paul Hendrickson's books include Sons of Mississippi, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; Hemingway's Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934–1961, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist; and The Living and the Dead: Robert McNamara and Five Lives of a Lost War, a National Book Award f…

Meelya Gordon Memorial Lecture In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition. ABC News' Chief Anchor, the host of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and co-anchor of Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos joined the network in 1997 as an analyst for This Week. He previously served in the Clinton administratio…

In conversation with Laura McGrath, Assistant Professor of English at Temple University ''Among our greatest contemporary writers'' (The Miami Herald), Claire Messud is the author of The Emperor's Children, a cutting portrait of life among Manhattan's junior intelligentsia that was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Her other acclaimed and bestsellin…

''His generation's most gifted writer of love's complicated, contradictory power'' (Los Angeles Times), Colm Tóibín is the author of an impressive list of novels, short stories, essays, plays, poetry, and criticism. His novels The Master, The Testament of Mary, and Brooklyn were shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and the last was adapted into a …

In conversation with Annie Duke An ''unflappable and genial point-person'' (The New York Times), Jen Psaki served as the thirty-fourth White House Press Secretary under President Biden until May 2022. Currently the host of MSNBC's Sunday afternoon and Monday evening program, Inside with Jen Psaki, she spent the previous twenty years in public servi…

In conversation with Karen Heller, former national features writer and current contributor for The Washington Post, formerly a metro and features columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in commentary. A journalist at The New York Times for more than 25 years, Frank Bruni has been the paper's Rome bureau c…

We live in an age where polarization and extremism are two significant qualities of our politics. It isn’t healthy, so how can it be addressed? Ranked choice voting is one potential tool that's already being used in some places. We caught up with Dr. Ben Berger, associate professor of political science at Swarthmore College and Executive Director o…

Standardized tests have played a key role in our educational system for a long time. But over the years, it seems that role has only grown, and now they are used to judge a lot about how a school and its students are performing. Is this a good thing? We spoke with Dr. Mary Williams, Professor of Education at La Salle University, to find out. To lea…

In conversation with award winning broadcaster and journalist, Tracey Matisak. ''America's most compelling popular historian'' (The Christian Science Monitor), Erik Larson is the bestselling author of eight critically acclaimed books, including The Splendid and the Vile, a chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz; In the Garden of…

Featuring: Lydia Abarça, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells, Karlya Shelton, and Khadija Tariyan (daughter of Gayle McKinney Griffith) In conversation with Shelly Power, The Dr. Carolyn Newsom Executive Director, Philadelphia Ballet Karen Valby's The Swans of Harlem tells the remarkable and-until now-rarely written about true story of the Dance Theatre of …

In a perfect world, every school would have all the money it needs, but that is clearly not the case now. In her new book, "Designed to Fail: Why Racial Equity in School Funding Is So Hard to Achieve", Dr. Roseann Liu, visiting assistant professor at Swarthmore College, digs into school funding and why it is almost always children of color that get…

In conversation with Dr. Jason Karlawish In partnership with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society The clinical consulting director of support groups at The CaringKind (formerly The Alzheimer's Association), Dasha Kiper has an MA in clinical psychology from Columbia University. For the past decade she has worked with dementia patients, counseled c…

You may have heard that the bee population is under threat in recent years. Bees are critical for our environment and food production - a dwindling population could affect our ability to grow fruits and vegetables. But The Washington Post recently reported that America’s honeybee population is at an all-time high. So, what’s going on with the bees?…

In conversation with Beth Kephart A ''master of illusion, and one of the best storytellers around'' (NPR), Amy Tan is the author of the beloved novels The Joy Luck Club, a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, for which she also co-wrote the film adaptation screenplay; The Kitchen God's Wife; The Hundred S…

In 2006, Bakari Sellers defeated a twenty-six-year incumbent State Representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African American elected official in the nation. The state's 2014 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, he currently heads the strategic communication and public affairs team …

Millions of women are the victims of violence every year. This includes random attacks out in public, but also violence instigated by someone a woman knows or even an intimate partner. Barbara Jordan is a personal safety expert and the founder of the organization Always BEV. We spoke with Jordan about her organization and the tragedy that led to it…

In conversation with Robert E. Hamilton, Head of Eurasia Research - Eurasia Program, Foreign Policy Research Institute Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Endowed Lecture The White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, David E. Sanger has been a member of three Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist teams, including in 2017 for in…

Talking about one’s mental health has become much more common, as has seeking treatment for mental health issues. A lot of progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go, and allowing mental health issues to go untreated can lead to a lot of problems. We caught up with Dr. Christopher Pagnani, the founder and medical director of Ritten…