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In our first segment, The Indypendent's John Tarleton caught with Assemblymember Claire Valdez while she was campaigning to represent New York's 7th congressional district which spans North Brooklyn and Western Queens. Valdez has the endorsement of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and is widely considered to be the favorite in a race. Topics discussed include Valdez's background as a low-wage worker and union organizer, her history with New York City DSA, her thoughts on New York nativism, how much she would like to cut the Pentagon budget by, whether she would oppose making Hakeem Jeffries the next Democratic Speaker and what it means to her to identify as a democratic socialist. In our second segment, we talked to progressive organizers on the events they're bringing us this summer. The Trump administration is set to kick off a so-called “America 250 celebration” with a massive MAGA Rally called the 'Great American State Fair'—but so many of the musical guests backed out over its ties to Trump that it's unclear if it will still happen or who will perform, except of course for Trump himself. Meanwhile, progressive organizers, including Linda Sarsour, are moving forward with other plans. On June 27, there will be a massive mobilization in DC organized by a coalition called NEXT 250 to host events that stand for democracy, dignity, equality, truth, and collective freedom. New Yorkers will also have a chance to revisit New York City's history on June 19 & 20 at Reclamation Day: A Reunion of Hope pulled together by BLIS (Black Liberation Indigenous Sovereignty). We spoke with Trevor Smith of BLIS about the Reclamation Day event which will be held at 25 Kent Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The Indypendent's John Tarleton caught up on Sunday with Assemblymember Claire Valdez while she was campaigning to represent New York's 7th congressional district which spans North Brooklyn and Western Queens. Valdez has the endorsement of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and is widely considered to be the favorite in a race that also includes Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Queens City Councilmember Julie Won. Topics discussed in this interview include Valdez's background as a low-wage worker and union organizer, her history with New York City DSA, her thoughts on New York nativism, how much she would like to cut the Pentagon budget by, whether she would oppose making Hakeem Jeffries the next Democratic Speaker and what it means to her to identify as a democratic socialist.

The Trump administration is set to kick off a so-called “America 250 celebration” with a massive MAGA Rally called the 'Great American State Fair'—but so many of the musical guests backed out over its ties to Trump that it's unclear if it will still happen or who will perform, except of course for Trump himself. Meanwhile, progressive organizers, including Linda Sarsour, are moving forward with other plans. On June 27, there will be a massive mobilization in DC organized by a coalition called NEXT 250 to host events that stand for democracy, dignity, equality, truth, and collective freedom. New Yorkers will also have a chance to revisit New York City's history on June 19 & 20 at Reclamation Day: A Reunion of Hope pulled together by BLIS (Black Liberation Indigenous Sovereignty). We spoke with Trevor Smith of BLIS about the Reclamation Day event which will be held at 25 Kent Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

In this week's Indypendent News Hour, we speak with Dan Kaminsky of Park Slope Food Coop Members for Palestine about the upcoming vote by PSFC members on whether to boycott goods produced in Israel and the Occupied Territories. We also talk to Conrad Blackburn, a public defender, union organizer and democratic socialist running for Assembly District 70 in Central and West Harlem against the heir to a local political dynasty and get a live report from two New Jersey activists, Paula Rogovan and Terri Seuss, stationed outside Delaney Hall in Newark, the site over the Memorial Day weekend of protests inside the ICE facility by immigrant detainees and outside by their supporters.

The Park Slope Food Coop is the largest food coop in the country and one of the oldest. It has had a social mission since its founding in 1973 and has previously backed over 20 consumer boycotts including ones against products from apartheid South Africa and in support of the national boycott against California table grapes led by the United Farm Workers. For the past 17 years, pro-Palestine members of the coop have tried to get the Coop to boycott produced in Israel and its Occupied Territories. They have encountered many obstacles, including anti-boycott members who insist the Coop is just a grocery store and not a place for political activism. Tonight members will finally have a chance to vote on this measure and make their voice heard. Joining us to discuss this more is Dan Kaminsky of Park Slope Food Coop Members for Palestine.

We get a live report from two New Jersey activists, Paula Rogovan and Terri Seuss, stationed outside Delaney Hall in Newark, the site over the Memorial Day weekend of protests inside the ICE facility by immigrant detainees and outside by their supporters.

We speak with Conrad Blackburn, a public defender, union organizer and democratic socialist running for Assembly District 70 in Harlem. Blackburn says the Harlem political establishment is out of touch with the needs of the community and is more concerned with catering to wealthy special interests which Blackburn says are on track to spend more than $2 million to defeat his campaign against Assembly District 70 incumbent Jordan Wright, son of Keith L.T. Wright who held the same Assembly seat from 1993 to 2016 before becoming Chair of the Manhattan Democratic Party.

Emily Gallagher, a democratic socialist from Brooklyn first elected to the State Assembly in 2020, discusses how Gov. Hochul has used her disproportionate power to break the legislative process for deciding on the states roughly $265 billion annual budget to push regressive legislation that has nothing to do with the budget and how this mess can be fixed if the legislature can find the courage to take on the governor. Reneé Feltz discusses her epic cover story for the May print edition of The Indypendent titled “Trash Revolution: NYC Dumps Throwaway Culture for Sanitation Overhaul. Will It Succeed?”

What is or is not in New York State's roughly $265 billion annual budget affects every facet of life—education, health care, public transit, parks, public safety, the budgets of cities and towns large and small and so much more. By law, the budget was supposed to be completed by April 1. Six weeks later, negotiations between Gov. Kathy Hochul, State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and State Senate President Andrea Stewart-Cousins continues to drag on. We spoke with Assembly member Emily Gallagher, a democratic socialist from Brooklyn first elected to the State Assembly in 2020, about how Gov. Hochul has used her disproportionate power to break the budget process to push regressive legislation that has nothing to do with the budget and how this mess can be fixed if the legislature can find the courage to take on the governor.

In the second half of our show, we spoke with Reneé Feltz about her epic cover story for the May print edition of The Indypendent titled “Trash Revolution: NYC Dumps Throwaway Culture for Sanitation Overhaul. Will It Succeed?” We were also joined by Clarisa Alayeto, a South Bronx activist who has fought to clean up her community for decades and is featured in Renee's cover story.

In the first half of our May 5 show, we spoke with movement journalist Talia Jane and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso about the chaos that rocked Bushwick late Saturday night when ICE and NYPD clashed outside Wyckoff Hospital with protesters trying to prevent ICE from taking away an immigrant they had arrested and injured earlier that night. Mayor Zohran Mamdani says that the NYPD did not collaborate with ICE. Some of his supporters believe otherwise. In the second half of the show we spoke with David Orkin. He's an immigrant workers' rights attorney at Make the Road New York. He's running for Assembly District 38 in Queens as a democratic socialist who wants to bring the struggle against ICE and oligarchy into the state legislature. His opponent is one of former Mayor Eric Adams's most notorious allies.

Local journalist Talia Jane covers social movements here in the city and has reported extensively on police brutality against protesters. They covered Saturday night's confrontation between ICE/NYPD and protesters trying to prevent the abduction of Nigerian immigrant Chidozie Wilson Okeke.

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso says the fear generated by ICE's violent appearance on Saturday night at the Wyckoff Hospital is spreading throughout the heavily immigrant community of Bushwick.

In the second half of our show, we spoke with David Orkin. He is an immigrant workers' rights attorney at Make the Road New York. He's running for Assembly District 38 in Queens as a democratic socialist who wants to bring the struggle against ICE and oligarchy into the state legislature. His opponent, Jennifer Rajkumar, is one of former Mayor Eric Adams's most notorious allies.

April 28, 2026: Peter Sterne Joins Us for Political Updates and Joseph Mogul Talks About The Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard Movement by The Indypendent

Peter Sterne from City & State, joins us for another enriching conversation on upcoming elections, mayoral updates and political happenings.

Joseph Mogul, a local NYC journalist joined us to talk about his Truth Out article on 'Demilitarize Navy Yard's successful campaign against Easy Aerial, a company that manufactures drones.

In the first segment, we talk to Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters. She explains why a growing coalition of parents, students and educators are alarmed by the rapid rollout of AI tools in the classroom with the apparent blessing of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and are demanding a two-year moratorium on the expansion of AI in the schools to gain a better understanding of its impact on students. Our second guest, Sarah Howard is an environmental consultant for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation. She describes the growing resistance in upstate New York as the threat of the proposed Streams Data Center in Genesee County, NY would be the largest built in the state to date. Join us for an insightful discussion!

More than 900,000 New York City children attend the largest public school system in the country. In this interview, Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters, explains why a growing coalition of parents, students and educators are alarmed by the rapid rollout of AI tools in the classroom with the apparent blessing of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and are demanding a two-year moratorium on the expansion of AI in the schools to gain a better understanding of its impact on students.

The proposed Streams Data Center in Genesee County, NY would be the largest built in the state to date. It is meeting massive local resistance, says Sarah Howard, an environmental consultant for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation.

In the first segment we speak to Cara Levine & Judy Loebl of Jewish Voices for Peace. More than two dozen groups from the Break the Bonds coalition participated in a Jewish Voice for Peace led Passover Seder outside the offices of New York City Comptroller Mark Levine. They want Levine to renounce his campaign promise to purchase Israel bonds with the New York City municipal pension funds he oversees. In the final segment we speak to Brooklyn-based writer, cultural worker and anti-carceral activist Priscilla Grim about the long legal ordeal she and dozens of others have been going through since being indiscriminately arrested by police three years ago at a protest against a proposed militarized police training in Atlanta known as Cop City.

More than two dozen groups from the Break the Bonds coalition participated in a Jewish Voice for Peace led Passover Seder outside the offices of New York City Comptroller Mark Levine. They want Levine to renounce his campaign promise to purchase Israel bonds with the New York City municipal pension funds he oversees.

We spoke with Brooklyn-based writer, cultural worker and anti-carceral activist Priscilla Grim about the long legal ordeal she and dozens of others have been going through since being indiscriminately arrested by police three years ago at a protest against a proposed militarized police training in Atlanta known as Cop City.

April 7, 2026: Carl Miller's Murder Conviction Overturned + Andrew Wang of Every Electric by The Indypendent

April 7, 2026: Carl Miller Reflects on His 46-Year Battle to Overturn His Wrongful Murder Conviction by The Indypendent

April 7, 2026: Andrew Wang of Everyelectric.com Talks About How to Save on Your Power Bill by The Indypendent

March 31, 2026: Parents Protest Gov. Hochul's Anti-Climate Policies + How to Make Democracy Real by The Indypendent

March 31, 2026: Samantha Gore of Climate Parents NYC on Gov. Hochul's Push to Gut Major Climate Law by The Indypendent

March 31, 2026: Danielle Chynoweth & Elizabeth Adams Discuss Their New Book: Remaking Democracy by The Indypendent

March 24, 2026: Home Care Workers Push for No More 24 Hour Shifts & New York Politics Update by The Indypendent

March 24, 2026: Belinda Hu & Dr. Steven Aurerbach Discuss No More 24 Campaign for Home Care Workers by The Indypendent

This week at the Indypendent News Hour we talk to Peter Sterne from City & State for updates on all you need to know about Mamdani, DSA and more.

With negotiations on New York State's annual $250 billion budget in the final home stretch, we spoke with Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, a socialist from Brooklyn. Topics discussed included the fight to get Gov. Kathy Hochul to agree to tax hikes for the rich, how the state will make up for federal cuts to Medicaid funding and the governor's push to roll back historic climate mandates that were passed in 2019. Former Andrew Cuomo staffer and urban planner Lindsey Boylan set in motion the events that led to her boss's resignation as governor in 2021 when she became the first of 13 women to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment. In last year's mayoral race, Boylan continued to speak out against Cuomo while many Democrats rallied to his side thinking he was certain to be the next mayor. Now, she is running for an open City Council seat on Manhattan's West Side in a special election that will be held on April 28. As the weather gets nicer, New Yorkers are looking for things to do outside of their apartments that have doubled as caves these past couple of months. For our final segment, Ernasto Gomez and Eli Smith of Jalopy Theater joined us live in the studio to talk about the The 9th Annual Brooklyn Jug & String Band Rendezvous that is being held this Friday and Saturday at the Jalopy Theater in Brooklyn. They also played a couple of their favorite jug and string songs. The two-day festival will include eight jug and string bands taking a deep dive into 20th-century North American jug and string band music.

With negotiations on New York State's annual $250 billion budget in the final home stretch, we spoke with Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, a socialist from Brooklyn. Topics discussed included the fight to get Gov. Kathy Hochul to agree to tax hikes for the rich, how the state will make up for federal cuts to Medicaid funding and the governor's push to roll back historic climate mandates that were passed in 2019.

Former Andrew Cuomo staffer and urban planner Lindsey Boylan set in motion the events that led to her boss's resignation as governor in 2021 when she became the first of 13 women to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment. In last year's mayoral race, Boylan continued to speak out against Cuomo while many Democrats rallied to his side thinking he was certain to be the next mayor. Now, she is running for an open City Council seat on Manhattan's West Side in a special election that will be held on April 28.

As the weather gets nicer, New Yorkers are looking for things to do outside of their apartments that have doubled as caves these past couple of months. For our final segment, Ernasto Gomez and Eli Smith of Jalopy Theater joined us live in the studio to talk about the The 9th Annual Brooklyn Jug & String Band Rendezvous that is being held this Friday and Saturday at the Jalopy Theater in Brooklyn. They also played a couple of their favorite jug and string songs. The two-day festival will include eight jug and string bands taking a deep dive into 20th-century North American jug and string band music.

On this episode of the Indypendent News Hour, we spoke with three women who are fighting abusers and for their own empowerment. In our first segment, we spoke to Addison Turek, a freshman at Barnard College, and one of the organizers protesting the college's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. In our second segment we spoke to Ximena Bustamente, founder of the Undocumented Women's Fund which held the 10th annual NYC Women's Strike Fest on Sunday in Bushwick's Maria Hernandez Park. In our final segment, we spoke to author, activist, playwright and radical feminist Karen Malpede on her upcoming Indypendent article, “Reclaiming Mothers as an Antidote to the Epstein Class".

In our first segment, we speak to Addison Turek, a freshman at Barnard College, and one of the organizers protesting the college's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

In our second segment we speak to Ximena Bustamente, founder of the Undocumented Women's Fund which held the 10th annual NYC Women's Strike Fest on Sunday in Bushwick's Maria Hernandez Park. We listen to some snippets of the music played at the event and learn about why this programming is a powerful place for women and the communities held together by women to celebrate each other in this way.

In our final segment, we speak to author, activist, playwright and radical feminist Karen Malpede on her upcoming Indypendent article, “Reclaiming Mothers as an Antidote to the Epstein Class". We discuss the desire of the elite to use women's wombs as the vessels to birth a ‘superior' race, on mothers who were denied their motherhood and what it means to reclaim mothers in our societies and within our own hearts and communities.

In our first segment, Nancy Hoch joins us in studio to inspire listeners on how we can protect our neighbours and prepare for ICE.  Hoch talks about the power of finding community in a time of rising authoritarianism, some of the tactics activists have innovated to thwart ICE and keep immigrants safe and how she took the lead in organizing an ICE resistance mutual aid group in her own "Little Caribbean" neighborhood in Brooklyn. To see her full article, go to indypendent.org/issue/301. In our second segment, we are joined by Danny Pearlstein of the Rider's Alliance, a member-led organization of New York City bus and subway riders that has been organizing for over a decade for a better and more just mass transit system. Topics discussed include expanding eligibility for the city's Fair Fares program that provides free and discounted bus fares for lower-income New Yorkers and the future of the Fordham Road Bus Corridor and concerns that the mayor was backing off his campaign trail commitment to speed up bus traffic in that area. In our final segment, WBAI listeners share their thoughts on the war on Iran. 

Nancy Hoch wrote the cover article — NYC Prepares for ICE: Neighborhood-Based Mutual Aid Groups Are Mobilizing Against Trump's Immigration Goons — for this month's print edition of The Indypendent. In this interview, Hoch talks about the power of finding community in a time of rising authoritarianism, some of the tactics activists have innovated to thwart ICE and keep immigrants safe and how she took the lead in organizing an ICE resistance mutual aid group in her own "Little Caribbean" neighborhood in Brooklyn. To see her full article, go to indypendent.org/issue/301

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made fast and free buses one of the core promises of his campaign platform. For this week's Indypendent News Hour, we spoke with Danny Pearlstein of the Rider's Alliance, a member-led organization of New York City bus and subway riders that has been organizing for over a decade for a better and more just mass transit system. Topics discussed include expanding eligibility for the city's Fair Fares program that provides free and discounted bus fares for lower-income New Yorkers and the future of the Fordham Road Bus Corridor and concerns that the mayor was backing off his campaign trail commitment to speed up bus traffic in that area.

We asked WBAI listeners for their thoughts on the War on Iran as it enters its fourth day. They didn't disappoint.

In this episode, we see why it will be benefit the collective to tax the rich. In the first segment, we zoom into Albany where thousands of New Yorkers will lobby their representatives to tax the rich. We speak to Divya Sundaram of Our Time for an Affordable New York on what they hope to achieve. In our second segment, we speak to Indy contributors, Lyna Bentahar and John Morris about their recent articles on the pathologies shared by many members of the super-rich and why they are so prone to freaking out about small increases in their taxes that would do a vast amount of good for the rest of society. In our third segment, we speak to Andy Tobias, an investor, best-selling author and member of Patriotic Millionaires, a network of high-wealth individuals that advocates for higher taxes on people like themselves. Tobias told The Indypendent News Hour that multi-millionaires and billionaires can easily afford to pay higher taxes nationally and in the State of New York to help fund high quality essential public services and reduce the runaway economic inequality that is destabilizing the U.S. political system. Tune into an insightful episode and pick up the latest Indy issue for more on what we discussed here.

Thousands of New Yorkers will converge on the State Capitol in Albany on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to support increasing taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and the state's largest corporations. We kicked of the Tax the Rich edition of The Indypendent News Hour by speaking with Divya Sundaram of Our Time for an Affordable New York, one of the groups playing a key role in organizing Wednesday's lobbying day in Albany.

For Part 2 of our Tax the Rich edition of The Indypendent News Hour, we spoke with Indy contributing writers Lyna Bentahar and John Morris about their recent articles on the pathologies shared by many members of the super-rich and why they are so prone to freaking out about small increases in their taxes that would do a vast amount of good for the rest of society.

Andy Tobias is an investor, best-selling author and member of Patriotic Millionaires, a network of high-wealth individuals that advocates for higher taxes on people like themselves. Tobias told The Indypendent News Hour that multi-millionaires and billionaires can easily afford to pay higher taxes nationally and in the State of New York to help fund high quality essential public services and reduce the runaway economic inequality that is destabilizing the U.S. political system.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his first executive budget. The release of the mayor's executive budget kicks off months of City Council hearings, protests and rallies by a wide array of community stakeholders and negotiations between the mayor and city council that will culminate in June with a final budget agreement. We spoke with Peter Sterne, an editor at City & State about what's in the mayor's proposed budget and the political battles that lie ahead. The beloved Reverend Jesse Jackson passed away. He was a democratic socialist who ran for president in 1988, who worked closely with Martin Luther King in his early 20's. We sit with African American Literature Professor and longtime Indy columnist, Dr. Nicholas Powers to reflect on the legacy of Jesse Jackson, and how we can turn to his wisdom to keep hope alive, as we continue to fight the same battles today.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his first executive budget. The release of the mayor's executive budget kicks off months of City Council hearings, protests and rallies by a wide array of community stakeholders and negotiations between the mayor and city council that will culminate in June with a final budget agreement. We spoke with Peter Sterne, an editor at City & State about what's in the mayor's proposed budget and the political battles that lie ahead.

The beloved Reverend Jesse Jackson passed away. He was a democratic socialist who ran for president in 1988, who worked closely with Martin Luther King in his early 20's. We sit with African American Literature Professor and longtime Indy columnist, Dr. Nicholas Powers to reflect on the legacy of Jesse Jackson, and how we can turn to his wisdom to keep hope alive, as we continue to fight the same battles today.