CitizenCast

The Citizen's Malcolm Burnley joins Philly Unpacked host, Jordana Rubenstein to discuss the realities of Mayor Parker's H.O.M.E. Initiative.  "Housing policy isn't just about units and budgets -- it's about whether Philadelphians can stay safe, healthy and rooted in their communities." You can watch the extended episode at PhillyCAM's YouTube page.

In this episode of Business for Good, local social media app Playdate encourages IRL gatherings by telling Philadelphians what events are happening in town — and encouraging them to invite their friends

The Supreme Court recently ruled against the Trump administration's liberal use of tariffs on imports. Ali Velshi breaks down the ruling as well as the impact on American consumers.

Last year, Philadelphians got $19 million back in government refunds. This year, take advantage of a free city program to get yours. Visit this story on the web, or call (215) 454-6483 for more information on Claim Your Money Philadelphia.

From Terrence Howard to Michael K. Williams to Zendaya, Big Rube has a unique ability to get personable with celebrities and create longstanding relationships

Posting "all lives splatter" and other offensive Internet memes in a Facebook comment section got one conservative columnist banned from Fergie's Pub. "Things are too serious for that kind of stuff," the owner says. "Unfollow. Unfriend. Fuck off."

Instead of a win, though, it has become a political football used by the Trump administration to punish Canada. Ali Velshi explains, "[The bridge] is financed by Canada and built with American labor and materials. It's not a prop. It is the circulatory system of a shared economy."

On this Presidents' Day, it's important to remember that while the federal government may have removed the memorial to slavery on Independence Mall, the history of African Americans exceeds the limits of historic comfort.

Larry Platt convened his podcast co-hosts for a special episode about recent crises plaguing the leaders of prominent cities. "We are in a constitutional crisis," Platt said. "You have federal troops — masked law enforcement — doing these surges. The question is: Who's in charge?" "Folks should remember," Kasim Reed said, "almost always, the mayor controls the biggest police department. There is an incentive to make sure the people policing your communities are … people you control, by virtue of you being elected CEO of the city." Join us for a special edition of How To Really Run A City that examines the challenges of dealing with ICE ("To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis," — Minneapolis Mayor John Frey) as well as snow and ice ("[Mayor] Cherelle Parker better not fucking forget about us!" — viral Redditor from North Philly).  Mayors Reed and Nutter have weathered crises before, and they don't pull their punches on this episode. As cities go, so goes the nation!

On this episode of Evening WURDs, Dr. James Peterson invites the Citizen's own Larry Platt onto the show to talk about his recent story about the Constitution Center and its moral responsibility. "The Constitution is under attack," Platt told Peterson, "and the non-partisan Constitution Center should take that on."

In this special interview episode, Bradford Pearson, Executive Editor of Philadelphia magazine, comes onto the show to discuss his recent article about lessons Philly can learn from ICE's aggressive operations in Minneapolis.

On this episode of Ideas We Should Steal, a longtime university president suggests the city's library system follow Chicago and Baltimore, and add food pantries to its community services

For darker-skinned women, face recognition tools employed by ICE have an error rate of 34.7%. Ali Velshi digs into the apps and tech ICE is using to create surveillance states in the cities they enter.

It's been 10 days since snowmageddon. Snow and ice are still everywhere. Let's have a chat about how Cherelle Parker is actually doing.

Preeminent Philadelphia boosters Angela Val of Visit Philadelphia, and Kathryn Ott Lovell of the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation, talk semiquincentennial with The Citizen Media Group's Roxanne Patel Shepelavy. Together, the "Laverne & Shirley" of 2026 have taken up the mantle of generating funds, ideas and excitement for a year to remember. They're creating a legacy to preserve, as Ott Lovell puts it, "democracy, democracy, democracy."

On this episode of Guest Commentary, the head of one independent school in Southwest Philly says the fallout from the District's plan to transform the city's school buildings will be personal. 

Way before the NFL and NBA started posting game-day fits, the iconic photographer, marketing guru and gourmet chef Reuben Harley snapped Philadelphia's most stylish athletes off the field and on the streets

ICE and Border Patrol may be the faces of these immigration crackdowns, but they don't operate alone. Ali Velshi takes a deep dive into the corporations that are supporting ICE operations and encourages all Americans to protest with their wallets.

Jeffrey Rosen is out. Now, the NCC must decide if it will remain a genteel place of scholarship or become the antidote to recent threats to democracy.

Matthew Tuerk is a wicked skater. He's a tattoo connoisseur. He's a marathoner, and the popular second-term mayor of Allentown, PA who has made it his mission to bring back his city's manufacturing success.  On the latest episode of How To Really Run A City, our hosts invite this punk-rocking mayor to join them on the show. "This guy is a fanatic about economic development," said Platt. "He's turned Allentown into Pennsylvania's third-fastest growing city." "We had this idea that you could still make stuff in cities," Tuerk replied. "Soot and smog-filled cities are not what the future of manufacturing looks like. Manufacturing needs people. It needs good, high-paying jobs. There are a lot of folks that came to Allentown looking to tap into the American Dream. Empowering people should be our motivation."  Then Platt prompted Tuerk to show off his unique Allentown flair. "I have the city seal tattooed on my chest," Tuerk declared, unfastening a few buttons on his shirt. "That's commitment," Nutter said with a laugh. Join us for an entertaining and informative episode about a city with its first Latino mayor "restoring a little bit of faith in the power of government to actually meet people's needs." As cities go, so goes the nation!

From dating rumors to charitable donations to slapping his son around for ... improper attire, unravel the ten greatest mysteries of Donald Trump and Wharton

The iconic photographer, chef and marketing guru is facing worrisome health diagnoses this year, but is keeping his spirits up. Deputy Editor Lauren McCutcheon called up Big Rube to talk about his contributions to Philadelphia and his most memorable photo subjects.

Ali Velshi invites presidential historian Jon Meacham onto the show to discuss the many moments in American history where our ancestors struggled to establish our natural rights. "Every measure of progress has been met with pushback by those in power."

Progressives cheered, but Larry Platt argues that Sheriff Rochelle Bilal's viral press conference about Trump and ICE were a spectacle Philly can ill afford on the national stage right now

… but is it willing to do what it takes? Today is the time to weigh in on what trash and recycling services will look like for the next four years. We can do better.

On this episode of Guest Commentary, the Secretary of Health doesn't apologize — even when he is proven completely wrong about the link between Tylenol and autism

Conversations about what it means to be a neighbor, and what it means to be a citizen, will be happening in Philly throughout the semiquincentennial in the form of free dinners and guided conversations. Roxanne Patel Shepelavy spoke with Anuj Gupta of The Welcoming Center. For more details visit Breaking Bread for Citizenship at thephiladelphiacitizen.org

Ali Velshi invites Martin Luther King Jr.'s son, Martin Luther King III, onto the show to talk about his father's legacy. "Every year, we felt like we were advancing," King told Velshi. "Now it feels like we're going backward."

Freedom does not ring on its own, declares Dr. James Peterson as we head into Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The bell of liberty must be struck repeatedly. Deliberately. And at any cost. 

In the wake of the horrific murders of the Reiners, J.P. Romney chats with Kim Porter, Executive Director and Co-founder of Be a Part of the Conversation, about substance use disorder and why so many parents think "this could happen in our home."

20 young teens were asked to imagine Philadelphia in 50 years. How they responded may surprise you.

In light of a recent Hollywood tragedy, a Main Line recovery specialist says people who love people with mental health disorders are quietly asking: Could this happen to us?

In the wake of the horrific shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Ali Velshi sits down with MN State Rep Aisha Gomez to talk about the state's reaction.

The nation was birthed in Philly, and we do have some great parties — and soccer! — planned. But, as democracy teeters, are we really owning the semiquincentennial?

On this episode of Ideas We Should Steal, we look at junk fees that stack up on rental leases and threaten to upend affordable housing in Philly. Seattle and other cities have begun to put a stop to the practice.

Let a goat eat it.

The annual convening of Black male educators late last year was a reminder of what can happen when Black men show up for the future

"What's your sense of where this goes?" Ali Velshi asks the former Deputy Director of the International Monetary Fund. It all depends on which of two courses the U.S. takes next, he replies.

For some jurors, the hardest part of a trial comes after it ends. A free West Chester University program helps citizens who've served recover from stress and PTSD. 

More than a dozen years ago, this South Jersey resident decided to join suited-up pals in a Mummers comics club. And she has never looked back.

A history lesson, including some scholarly conjecture, about Philadelphia's New Year's Day parade. You know, the Mummers. Wait. You don't?

"I made my business because I was out every night," says Jennifer Sherlock of the PR firm Jenna's Communications. Big Rube swung by the Rittenhouse Hotel to chat with Sherlock about her rise from TV reporter to the queen of Philly PR. 

Ali Velshi breaks down why

On this episode of Velshi Banned Book Club, Ali Velshi invites authors Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard onto the show to discuss their children's book and why they were suddenly banned from a California stop on their book tour. 

With so much chaos in the world around, some Philadelphians find comfort in the darker side of the holiday season

At a time when Washington, D.C. is in hot debate over the Affordable Care Act, Maryland is using an ACA provision to fund safe, legal abortions for Medicaid recipients — without costing taxpayers. On this episode of Ideas We Should Steal, we look at whether Pennsylvania should follow suit.

Is Donald Trump trying to gaslight the country about affordability in this country? Ali Velshi breaks it down.

Anti-vaccine activists, including the country's top health official, offered renowned CHOP immunologist and RFK target $1 million to debate them on vaccine safety

As mayor of Baltimore and then governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley used transparency and statistics to drive his city and state forward into the Information Age. And then he  — literally — wrote the book on the subject.  His conclusion after more than a decade in public office? "We live in a time of enormous opportunity," O'Malley said on the latest episode of How To Really Run A City. "It's the dawning of the Third Industrial Revolution. People want to believe that tomorrow can be better than today." O'Malley, a former Social Security Administration Commissioner and Irish clan chieftain, knows the stakes of the current political moment. Yes, you have to lead with joy. But to get people back from the brink of political despair, you've got to get shit done at the local level, because if we can't deliver the goods of a republic – the services that make a republic worth having — then we can't blame people for not following us. "Over the last 20 years," O'Malley said, "trust in the federal government has fallen to an all-time low. But trust in local government – in city government – has held steady." Join us for a no-nonsense episode with a no-nonsense leader who knows how to get shit done at multiple governing levels. As cities go, so goes the nation!

The City law requiring elected officials to quit before running for another office makes elections less competitive. Council's new proposal won't fix it — at least not without a change.

Research has found that fixing up abandoned homes can make a city safer. Is Mayor Parker's H.O.M.E Plan reaching its full potential?