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The Puerto Rican people are in a growing crisis. We sit with proud Boricua, Democratic Socialist City Councilmember Alexa Avilés to understand what is happening in Puerto Rico right now, how we got here and what we can do to stand in solidarity with the Puerto Rican people. This conversation illuminates how debt slavery is an integral play in the neo-colonial playbook. Author Karen Malpede graces us with her presence this week. She talks about her new play 'Epstein Oratorio Or A Modern Hymn to Demeter'. We talk about the Epstein Class, how they obscure the horrors of their actions in language and how Malpede uses excerpts from the files directly. As in all her work, she asks how we can imagine the possibility for healing when we ask the right questions. Expect a satirical, hilarious and poignant work - go watch it this Thursday or Friday at LaMama ETC. Tune into the interview to learn more about the play and how radical art has been the pulse of the leftist movement for decades.

The Puerto Rican people are in a growing crisis. We sit with proud Boricua, Democratic Socialist City Councilmember Alexa Avilés to understand what is happening in Puerto Rico right now, how we got here and what we can do to stand in solidarity with the Puerto Rican people. This conversation illuminates how debt slavery is an integral play in the neo-colonial playbook.

Author Karen Malpede graces us with her presence this week. She talks about her new play 'Epstein Oratorio Or A Modern Hymn to Demeter'. We talk about the Epstein Class, how they obscure the horrors of their actions in language and how Malpede uses excerpts from the files directly. As in all her work, she asks how we can imagine the possibility for healing when we ask the right questions. Expect a satirical, hilarious and poignant work - go watch it this Thursday at LaMama ETC. Tune into the interview to learn more about the play and how radical art has been the pulse of the leftist movement for decades.

In our first segment, we speak to Matt Maresca of the DSA and Jerome Sloss on the horrifying conditions Amazon's delivery workers face. Jerome is one of the leaders of the Amazon Teamsters Unions. He speaks to the challenges of unionizing, and what kind of support would make life safer for delivery workers. Matt Maresca educates us on the The Delivery Protection Act which is designed to protect workers against exactly these conditions. A lot can change in Mamdanistan.  In our second segment, hosts John Tarleton and Alie Tutich give listeners a preview of what is in the latest issue of the Indypendent. Go pick it up from your closest library or one of our red and white boxes around the city.  In our final segment we speak to Aber Kawas, a 34 year old Palestinian American community organizer and Democratic Socialist. She is on track to be the first Palestinian American to serve in New York State Legislature. She talks to us about what she envisions for the future as a legislator, the campaigns she supports and how charities help launder money to settler movements, the future she sees for the Palestinian people. As world leaders travel to New York for UN week, protestors have gathered in huge numbers to speak up against Israeli genocide and manufactured narratives.  

Amazon's exploitative business model is a hellscape for delivery drivers. The brutal delivery routes are dictated by the corporation and all health, safety and training responsibilities are shirked off. We speak with one of the leaders of the Amazon Teamsters Union on the working conditions and the challenges faced when trying to unionize. Matt Maresca of the NYC DSA educates us on The Delivery Protection Act that is designed to protect workers from exactly these horrifying conditions. We are played out by Jerome Sloss who also happens to be an accomplished professional saxophonist.

It's UN week so you might spot world leaders on New York Streets on your way to work. Protestors have gathered in huge numbers to resist Israeli genocide and manufactured narratives. Aber Kawas is a 34 year old Palestinian American community organizer and Democratic Socialist. She is on track to be the first Palestinian American to serve in New York State Legislature. She talks to us about what she envisions for the future as a legislator, the campaigns she supports and how charities help launder money to settler movements, the future she sees for the Palestinian people and much more.

Occupy Wall Street began in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan and inspired the creation of similar Occupy encampments in more than 60 cities and towns across the country. Writer Priscilla Grim was there right through the beginning, starting her career blogging, and bridging the gap between activists on the ground and journalists. 15 years later, we talk about what Occupy Wall Street was really about and how we the 99% are still fighting the good fight against the 1%. We unpack what this means, what has changed, and where hope lies. In our second segment, we speak with Assemblymember-elect Brian Romero about crafting state-level legislation to rein in the worst excesses of the AI industry. Romero spoke at the protests outside Open AI's New York Headquarters. As tech leaders speak up about how humans could go extinct within a decade, fear and rage grow strong and the time to take action falls on us, now. An enlightening conversation that sheds clarity and provides insight. In our final segment, we took listen call-ins. We had an exciting call in from Alex Vitale, Brooklyn College Professor and Author of End of Policing give us his take on AOC, language around policing, and what kind of strategies can bring the Left closer to their goal. Tune in to see what your neighbors are thinking.

Occupy Wall Street began in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan and inspired the creation of similar Occupy encampments in more than 60 cities and towns across the country. Writer Priscilla Grim was there right through the beginning, starting her career blogging, and bridging the gap between activists on the ground and journalists. 15 years later, we talk about what Occupy Wall Street was really about and how we the 99% are still fighting the good fight against the 1%. We unpack what this means, what has changed, and where hope lies.

Protesters gathered Tuesday morning outside the New York headquarters of Open AI as concerns grow about the potential dangers posed by Artificial Super Intelligence including the extinction of humanity within the next decade. Assemblymember-elect Brian Romero from Western Queens was among the speakers. He joined us to talk about state-level legislation he is crafting to rein in the worst excesses of the AI industry.

This week's Listener Call-Ins were exciting. We had a call in from Alex Vitale, Brooklyn College Professor and Author of End of Policing who gave us his take on AOC and the language and strategy that can be used to effectively end policing. A fun one to see how your neighbors and fellow listeners think.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration faces a steady string of challenges from the right as his administration continues to implement his progressive agenda. In the first segment we speak with City & State Editor Peter Sterne about the new Mayor's Office of Labor Power, lawsuits challenging his rent freeze, his pied-a-terre tax on second mansions and his plan to open five city run grocery stores as well as the wave of Islamophobic attacks on Mamdani as the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches. In the second half of the show, we turn to Providence, Rhode Island which in today's Democratic primary could become the next city to elect a democratic socialist mayor. We speak with Keating Zelenke of the Providence Post about the race between centrist incumbent Bretty Smiley and his democratic socialist challenger David Morales. In the final segment, we took listener call-ins.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration faces a steady string of challenges from the right as his administration continues to implement his progressive agenda. In the first segment of today's Indypendent news Hour, we spoke with City & State Editor Peter Sterne about the new Mayor's Office of Labor Power, lawsuits challenging his rent freeze, his pied-a-terre tax on second mansions and his plan to open five city run grocery stores as well as the wave of Islamophobic attacks on Mamdani as the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches.

In the second segment, the Indypendent's John Tarleton turned to Providence, Rhode Island which in today's Democratic primary could become the next city to elect a democratic socialist mayor. He spoke with Keating Zelenke of the Providence Post about the race between centrist incumbent Bretty Smiley and his democratic socialist challenger David Morales.

In this segment listeners call in and speak up against Islamphobic protests that Mayor Mamdani shouldn't speak at the 9/11 Memorial this year with passion, among other poignant conversation. Tune in.

As a hot NY Summer comes to a close, and students of all ages are getting back to school next week, the City's educators are facing unexpected challenges. Expanding the city's Pre-K and 3-K programs has been one of Zohran Mamdani's signature issues since he first ran for mayor. However, the non-profit organizations that are the backbone of the city's early childhood education system are scrambling to stay afloat as the city has yet to deliver the advance payments required by law that make it possible for them to cover their initial operating expenses. We'll speak with Fariha Rahman, the City&State reporter who broke the story and the heads of two pre-K schools that are scrambling to get ready for the new school year. In our second segment, we speak to the Indy's very own contributing author, Theodore Hamm on a stunning update on a murder case he has followed for years and what it says about the Brooklyn DA's office's shady history of false convictions against innocent New Yorkers.

As a hot NY Summer comes to a close, and students of all ages are getting back to school next week, the City's educators are facing unexpected challenges. Expanding the city's Pre-K and 3-K programs has been one of Zohran Mamdani's signature issues since he first ran for mayor. However, the non-profit organizations that are the backbone of the city's early childhood education system are scrambling to stay afloat as the city has yet to deliver the advance payments required by law that make it possible for them to cover their initial operating expenses. We'll speak with Fariha Rahman, the City&State reporter who broke the story and the heads of two pre-K schools that are scrambling to get ready for the new school year.

We speak to the Indy's very own contributing author, Theodore Hamm on a stunning update on a murder case he has followed for years and what it says about the Brooklyn DA's office's shady history of false convictions against innocent New Yorkers.

In the first segment, we take a look at how gov. Kathy Hochul is helping trillionaire tech bro Elon Musk expand his empire. Journalist, Luke Goldstein published an article in the Lever titled, "Elon Musk's Banking Empire Just Got Gov. Hochul's Blessing". The Indypendent's Allie Tutich sits with Goldstein to unpack what all of this means for Musk and for us. In our second  and third segment, Editor and Chief of the Indypendent, John Tarleton goes out to the field this episode to report on Day 5 of the 'New York fights AI Data Centers Tour'. The tour has been led by state senator Kristin Gonzalez, Food and Water Watch and New York Renews. They vehemently oppose the expansion of data centers across New York State. The tour comes at a moment when data centers are burgeoning across the country. We hear from Senator Gonzalez, a Democratic Socialist who chairs the state senates internet and technology committee. John also speaks with a grassroots activist in Orangeburg who is leading the charge against a second large data center in their town.

In the first segment, we take a look at how gov. Kathy Hochul is helping trillionaire tech bro Elon Musk expand his empire. Journalist, Luke Goldstein published an article in the Lever titled, "Elon Musk's Banking Empire Just Got Gov. Hochul's Blessing". The Indypendent sits with Goldstein to unpack what all of this means for Musk and for us.

Editor in Chief of the Indypendent, John Tarleton goes out to the field this episode to report on Day 5 of the 'New York fights AI Data Centers Tour'. The tour has been led by state senator Kristin Gonzalez, Food and Water Watch and New York Renews. They vehemently oppose the expansion of data centers across New York State. The tour comes at a moment when data centers are burgeoning across the country. We hear from Senator Gonzalez, a Democratic Socialist who chairs the state senates internet and technology committee. This data center will impact Lake Tappan, a source of drinking water for residents statewide. Lots to unpack here.

Editor in Chief of the Indypendent, John Tarleton, reports from Orangeburg, New York, a frontline community resisting the prospect of a second data center being built in their town. John reports from Data One, the first Data Center polluting the beautiful lake Tappan. We learn how this data center will have far reaching affects, hurting people beyond the local community. John speaks to grassroots activists fighting the good fight.

August 18, 2026: Parviz Mukhamadkulov of Poetica Coffee and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher by The Indypendent

August 11, 2026: Neighborhoods Resist ICE ier Blocks, Protests against the Death of Palestinian Media's Voices and Indy's Budding High School Journalists by The Indypendent

August 4, 2026: Indypendent Writers Episode featuring Nicholas Powers and Karen Malpede by The Indypendent

July 28th, 2026: Free Mumia Updates, Medea Benjamin of Code Pink, Danny Valdes of Cubans Americans for Cuba by The Indypendent

In our first segment, we speak to State Senator Kristen Gonzalez who is a former tech worker, a democratic socialist, the youngest member of the New York State Senate and she chairs its Internet and Technology Committee. Since first being elected in 2022, she has championed legislation to rein in the excesses of Big Tech companies. In June, she played a key role in shepherding data center moratorium legislation through the Senate and was present when Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order last week for a one-year data center moratorium, the first of its kind in the United States. In this interview, we discussed the moratorium and the many questions it raises. In our second segment we speak to longtime Indy contributor, Theodore Hamm about NYC's Public Pools. In the summer of 1936, New York City opened 11 large outdoor swimming pools across the city that each could hold upwards of 1,000 bathers. It was the height of the New Deal with ambitious public works projects being carried out across the country. FDR's administration provided the resources and here in New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia got the job done. Ninety years later, these pools still serve NYC's working class well and are being celebrated by the Mamdani administration.

State Senator Kristen Gonzalez is a former tech worker, a democratic socialist, the youngest member of the New York State Senate and she chairs its Internet and Technology Committee. Since first being elected in 2022, she has championed legislation to rein in the excesses of Big Tech companies. In June, she played a key role in shepherding data center moratorium legislation through the Senate and was present when Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order last week for a one-year data center moratorium, the first of its kind in the United States. In this interview, we discussed the moratorium and the many questions it raises.

In the summer of 1936, New York City opened 11 large outdoor swimming pools across the city that each could hold upwards of 1,000 bathers. It was the height of the New Deal with ambitious public works projects being carried out across the country. FDR's administration provided the resources and here in New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia got the job done. Ninety years later, these pools still serve NYC's working class well and are being celebrated by the Mamdani administration.

July 14, 2026: Palestine Protest Against Smotrich, Mamdani's Fast Bus Plan & New York in the 1920s by The Indypendent

July 14, 2026: Palestine Protesters Celebrate Thwarting Ben-Gvir Appearance at United Nations. by The Indypendent

July 14, 2026: Mamdani, Hochul Roll Out Plan to Speed Up Service on 50 Bus Routes by The Indypendent

July 14, 2026: Jonathan Ezra Goldman Discusses New Book on the “Hidden History” of 1920s New York by The Indypendent

In the first segment, we spoke with Anna Yoney and Ivano TK of Columbia Postdoctoral Workers-UAW Local 4100 about their battle to win a new union contract from Columbia University that improves pay, working conditions, child care and provides more protections for international postdocs. Following a sizzling 4th of July weekend, we talked with Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha is a democratic socialist from the Mid-Hudson Valley. She has long been a champion of of rapidly expanding New York's public system to accelerate the buildout of renewable energy sources. We spoke with her following a 4th of July weekend heat wave that roasted much of the East Coast and knocked out service to thousands of Con Ed customers in Queens.

We spoke with Anna Yoney and Ivano TK of Columbia Postdoctoral Workers-UAW Local 4100 about their battle to win a new union contract from Columbia University that improves pay, working conditions, child care and provides more protections for international postdocs.

Following a sizzling 4th of July weekend, we talked with Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha is a democratic socialist from the Mid-Hudson Valley. She has long been a champion of of rapidly expanding New York's public system to accelerate the buildout of renewable energy sources. We spoke with her following a 4th of July weekend heat wave that roasted much of the East Coast and knocked out service to thousands of Con Ed customers in Queens.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menim reached a handshake agreement earlier today on a $125.8 billion annual city budget. In our first segment, we spoke with Peter Sterne of City & State about key details in the deal including the expansion of a controversial rental assistance program backed by the Council and opposed by the Mayor. A recent Supreme Court ruling gave the Trump administration the greenlight to strip 350,000 Haitian immigrants of the Temporary Protected Status they received after a 2010 earthquake leveled Haiti and left more than 300,000 people dead. In our second segment we spoke with Phara Souffrant Forrest, the daughter of Haitian immigrant parents and a democratic socialist who represents a heavily Haitian State Assembly in Central Brooklyn about how the Haitian community is responding to this crisis as well as Haiti's history from being the only nation founded through a successful revolt of enslaved persons to the crippling impact of French and U.S. imperialism on Haiti's development.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menim reached a handshake agreement earlier today on a $125.8 billion annual city budget. We spoke with Peter Sterne of City & State about key details in the deal including the expansion of a controversial rental assistance program backed by the Council and opposed by the Mayor.

A recent Supreme Court ruling gave the Trump administration the greenlight to strip 350,000 Haitian immigrants of the Temporary Protected Status they received after a 2010 earthquake leveled Haiti and left more than 300,000 people dead. The Indypendent News Hour spoke with Phara Souffrant Forrest, the daughter of Haitian immigrant parents and a democratic socialist who represents a heavily Haitian State Assembly in Central Brooklyn about how the Haitian community is responding to this crisis as well as Haiti's history from being the only nation founded through a successful revolt of enslaved persons to the crippling impact of French and U.S. imperialism on Haiti's development.

Indypendent Editor-in-Chief John Tarleton was interviewed by Scott Harris of WPKN in Bridgeport, Connecticut about New York City DSA's sweeping election victories in the June 23 Democratic primaries and how democratic socialists are rapidly gaining ground across the country. A shorter version of this 24-minute interview was syndicated on 70 radio stations across the country on Counterpoint's sister show Between The Lines.

New York City DSA won 9 of 10 races, including two congressional seats, in the June 23 Democratic primary, sending shock waves through the national Democratic Party establishment.

The Indypendent News Hour's John Tarleton and WBAI's Jenna Flanagan co-hosted four hours of election night coverage that featured the voices of historians, political analysts and grassroots organizers on a historic night that saw democratic socialists win blow-out victories across the city.

As voters went to the polls in the waning hours of the June 23 Democratic primary, we spoke with Indypendent Contributing Editor Nicholas Powers, Peter Sterne of City & State Magazine and with voters in West Harlem where democratic socialists were challenging an incumbent Congressmember and their incumbent State Assemblymember.

It's been a long time coming.

June 16, 2026: Rent Guidelines Board Coverage by The Indypendent

June 16, 2026: Native American Theatre by The Indypendent

June 16, 2026: A Preview of Summer of Ludd by The Indypendent

Eon Huntley is a retail worker, union activist, former PTA president and democratic socialist. He is running against a pro-corporate incumbent in Assembly District 56 (Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights) on Zohran Mamdani's affordability agenda. Huntley's friend and ally Jabari Brisport is running hard for his fourth term in the New York State Senate in an overlapping Central Brooklyn district. We caught up with both of them on Tuesday for a live interview from their shared campaign headquarters on Tompkins Avenue in the heart of Bed-Stuy. Susan Schnall and Trevor Howard are both members of Veterans For Peace who are calling on present-day U.S. soldiers and national guardsman to be ready to disobey unlawful orders from the Trump regime.

Eon Huntley is a retail worker, union activist, former PTA president and democratic socialist. He is running against a pro-corporate incumbent in Assembly District 56 (Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights) on Zohran Mamdani's affordability agenda. Huntley's friend and ally Jabari Brisport is running hard for his fourth term in the New York State Senate in an overlapping Central Brooklyn district. We caught up with both of them on Tuesday for a live interview from their shared campaign headquarters on Tompkins Avenue in the heart of Bed-Stuy.

Susan Schnall and Trevor Howard are both members of Veterans For Peace who are calling on present-day U.S. soldiers and national guardsman to be ready to disobey unlawful orders from the Trump regime.

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.