CitizenCast

Sandra Shachar Scotch-taped a sign to the area surrounding the President's House, where the Trump administration controversially replaced a slavery exhibit. She's been threatened with arrest if she does it again.

On a very special episode of How To Really Run A City, our hosts soak up the wisdom of renowned 92-year-old former California Speaker of the House and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, a player still at the top of his political game. From jelly bean power plays in front of Ronald Reagan to pressure campaigns to free Nelson Mandela to candid thoughts on how to navigate the Trumpian circus in Washington, D.C., Brown is a well of bipartisan optimism and moral clarity. "I was the guy," Brown told former Atlanta mayor and mentee Kasim Reed, "who could tell you what your bill would do if enacted. And I would support it because it was the right thing to do. And in government, you must always do what is right." "You've laid out so many different examples of doing the right thing," said former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter. "We seem to be somewhat, nationally, dysfunctional these days." "But when you think about Willie Brown," said Citizen Co-Founder Larry Platt, "you think of a happy warrior … someone who fights with a smile on their face. That's what people want." "There's no question, that is my approach," Brown said with a smile. "And besides that, I like to party. No matter where I am, if a party can happen, I'm a participant in that effort." Join us for one of the most memorable and smile-inducing episodes of the podcast, a true masterclass in the art of politics. As cities go, so goes the nation!

On this episode of Ideas We Should Steal, a partnership of organizations has made Baltimore Harbor swimmable again. Could Philly do the same with the Delaware and the Schuylkill?

"Big Rube" Reuben Harley grabbed a microphone and headed to Dough Heads Pizza on iconic 9th Street. He chatted with owners Joe Betzala and Justin Camardo about their genre-busting flavors and what its like to operate a modern classic pizza shop in the heart of cheesesteak land.

What's worse than getting your fender blown off by a distracted driver? Trying to get your car back from the company that towed it. (And, a NE Philly Senator has just pulled off a solution)

Remembering the life and activism of the artist Danny Simmons Jr. He was an advocate for creatives across Philadelphia and a voice for the underrepresented.

Across nearly half a million service requests, residents in lower-income ZIP codes wait roughly twice as long for routine 311 service. The pattern is too clear to be an accident. Find the full 311 Research Series here.

On this episode of Guest Commentary, a Southwest Philadelphia educator offers a most patriotic defense of birthright citizenship

Malcolm Burnley joined WURD host James Peterson to talk about the research and interviews that went into his recent article about why Rochelle Bilal enjoys such high levels of support in the city despite missing firearms, a no-bid contract and a slate of stalled reforms.

Former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham devolved his city to greatness, and would like to do the same for the whole U.K. Should Philly defy other U.S. cities to do the same?

Because Donald Trump was never held responsible for his attempts to illegally overturn the 2020 elections, his administration has been preparing for another attempt -- this time to alter the upcoming midterms. Is this a traitorous act against American democracy? Ali Velshi takes on the question.

Thomas Paine. He came. He wrote. And the world was changed forever.

Celebrating the founding of our country when it feels like everything is falling apart? Really hard. Celebrating the Philadelphia that's been hosting the World Cup? Easy!

On this episode of Guest Commentary, one Columbia University vice president argues that to properly celebrate the 250th, we must be like Hungary and do our duty on November 3 in order to save a democracy on the brink.

In a special interview edition, Olivia Kram checks in with Media's own Auston Trusty, Team USA's newest World Cup superstar, on bringing his Philly-ness to the world stage.

Ali Velshi breaks down the attempts by the Trump administration to undermine the upcoming midterm elections, and the forces within our democracy that have blocked their subversions. So far.

The re-opening of a new rail bridge in Southwest Philadelphia will connect one of the city's poorest neighborhoods to jobs and green space downtown. Will local residents be the ones who benefit?

A year from reelection, the mayor has taken big swings, sustained political losses, and faces progressive backlash. Here, a job performance review — and a challenge.

... including cities. One urbanist believes the recent successes of FIFA Fan Fests, the NBA Finals, even Toy Story 5 prove synchronous watching is the new placemaking.

Reporting from The Trace revealed first-responder relatives whose health insurance and benefits were cut when their family member died by suicide. A new City Council bill aims to remedy this. Mayor Parker's administration opposes the cost.

Lesbian bars are on the decline, but the fact that two have popped up in this South Street's micro-hood is not only bold, but feels like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Dr. James Peterson says the miracle of Black life — despite centuries of alienation from our American experiment — is our insistence on finding kinship with each other. That is what we celebrate this weekend.

A recent report by Harvard University's Opportunity Insights revealed a sorry statistic for Philadelphia: We are last in the nation for economic mobility. In other words, we have a lot to learn from other American cities. On this  special episode of How To Really Run A City, Citizen Co-Founder Larry Platt and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter and former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed pull out their favorite moments from the last year of the podcast that take on just this issue. From housing availability in Detroit to help for small business owners in Scranton, PA to 15-minute cities and unexpected employment programs in Cleveland, the mayors and changemakers from this episode are demonstrating how cities can unlock their immense power, and how city leaders can become facilitators while spreading goodwill along the way. As cities go, so goes the nation!

On this episode of Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson, Emily Rizzo is invited onto the Citizen segment of the show to discuss her Citizen article about South Philly's Sharswood K-8 that saw a dramatic rise in reading scores

On this episode of Big Rube's Philly, Reuben Harley catches up with friend Jamele Ransom, who became a viral sensation for saving kids and eating Mr. Softees.

As Ali Velshi moves on to The 11th Hour, he looks back at the last six years of American book bans and has some final thoughts.

What does Pat Croce--Zen guru, Philly cheerleader, rabid pirate enthusiast and former Sixers owner--do when diagnosed with terminal cancer? Climb the world's most famous mountain in order to conquer his mind and spirit.

A Northern Liberties-based refillery and a city-wide door-to-door composting service are teaming up to bring Philly one step close to sustainability

On this episode of Guest Commentary, an advocate for people with disabilities sees Pennsylvanians losing their independence because of PA's gaunt reimbursement rates

This year we heralded city workers in fields ranging from sanitation to violence prevention. Hundreds of attendees left the night's celebration feeling inspired and empowered to uplift our beloved Philadelphia. Hear it for yourself. You can read up on all these award-winning public servants here.

Ali Velshi is taking over The 11th Hour on MS Now. After six years on Velshi, he gives a final word on the vitally important role of journalists bearing witness to the people.

For a decade, political leaders and media elites haven't known how to respond to Trumpism. Last week in a South Philly patriotic tent show revival, Bruce Springsteen provided a script.

Instead of taking the ordinary route, declare independence from the crowds and check out these six Revolutionary sites instead. For more information on these sites and events, visit this story on the web.

Milwaukee, WI Mayor Cavalier Johnson won reelection in 2024 with 80 percent of the vote. "Those are Vladimir Putin levels," joked Larry Platt. "The difference is, Putin's still looking for the other 20 percent!" said Michael Nutter. Asked why he decided to devote his life to public service, Johnson said, "I fell in love with helping people in my community. I mean, the key word in 'progressive' is progress. And mayors get stuff done. It's truly where the rubber meets the road in cities." From youth workforce development programs ("Ten-year-olds were being recruited to steal cars, here") to rejecting partisanship for the good of the city ("Bringing the RNC to Milwaukee in 2024 was a purely business decision") to his efforts to grow the population of Milwaukee to a million people, Johnson is out earning that 80 percent each day. "We have an awful lot of people who listen to this podcast that we hope will one day run for office," said Kasim Reed. "Right, I think it's important for the people to see their reflection in this office," said Johnson. "It's a powerful thing. It's all about service." As cities go, so goes the nation!

On this episode of Citizen WURDs with Dr. James Peterson, Kerry Woodward joins the show to chat with Peterson about the new law that mandates every PA student take personal financial courses in high school. 

On this episode of Guest Commentary, City Council has one chance to get rideshare taxation right, says an urbanist and strategist. His solution combines the ideas of Parker, Uber and economics 101.

Utilities are outpacing inflation. Governor Josh Shapiro has launched a new watchdog in PA to scrutinize the spiraling prices. Ali Velshi explains.

When two Bucks County teenagers leaped to their deaths from a quarry cliff in 1983, they left a quiet suburban community in shock. "That kind of thing doesn't happen here," people thought. Then it happened again. On a special episode, we talk with the author of the original 1984 Philadelphia magazine article Over the Edge. We talk about the details of this forty-year-old story, about mental health issues and how journalists can write about the topic responsibly.

On this episode of Integrity Icon, Faith Harris is the Director of Social Service and Operations at the City's Division of Criminal Justice. She advocates for young people to get the justice and care they need. Come celebrate her and her fellow Integrity Icon winners on June 3. RSVP here.

Missing firearms, a no-bid contract, stalled reforms: Why are Rochelle Bilal's fellow pols still standing by her?

Partisan tension, pandemic learning loss, cell phones everywhere, and the AI takeover of everything. On this special episode we dive into the modern challenges of teaching in Philadelphia in this award-nominated story by Ben Seal.

This bill in Hawaii (which embraces a strategy known as "Corporate Power Reset") is meant to sidestep Citizens United and the dark money it injected into our democracy. Other states are taking notice. Ali Velshi explains.

Is the now inevitable election of Democratic Socialist Chris Rabb to Congress part of a trend that should have us asking: Where have all the serious people gone?

An argument for why this chapter of our city's story might be our best since 1776

Nashville, TN Mayor Freddie O'Connell was compelled to run for office on a simple principle. For too long, transit and infrastructure had been neglected by city officials. "I don't know of a greater transit evangelist among the mayor fraternity than Mayor O'Connell," said Larry Platt on this week's episode of How To Really Run A City. "My mom remembers a Nashville that still had streetcar lines," O'Connell told our podcast hosts, former Mayors Kasim Reed of Atlanta and Michael Nutter of Philly. "And then we ripped that all out. If you look at our old streetcar maps, we had a good transit system." Join us for a discussion during this year's Infrastructure Week centered on a blue city in a red state pulling every lever to reestablish customer-focused government and proper  infrastructure investment. But Mayor O'Connell isn't all work and no play down there in Nashville. He also moonlights as DJ Stay (he chose this nom de vinyl because "I want you to stay" in Nashville). "Our man says he's on the ones and twos," laughed Nutter, who knows a few things himself about spinning records. "I didn't have this on the bingo card for today," Reed said with a grin.  As cities go, so goes the nation!

On this episode of Citizen of the Week, we highlight the work of Karen Sandone whose husband was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer's. This Doylestown woman chose to speak out and create a national community of support.

He's a 25-year-old councilmember, she's a 66-year-old (vocal) critic in this odd story of insults, conspiracies and illegal record disclosures.

Republicans may be winning the redistricting fight, but they may be overlooking a few important factors. Ali Velshi explains.

On Tuesday, voters can approve or reject two ballot measures in the primary election. We break them both down.

Staff writer Malcolm Burnley recently visited City Cast Philly to chat with host Trenae Nuri about his recent story Fix the Sidewalks! Listen in on the conversation and then check out City Cast Philly for yourself. 

On this episode of Ideas We Should Steal, Vienna and Maryland have invested in innovative, income diverse public housing to much acclaim. Could they work in Philly too?