Objection to the Rule

Reese and Jasmin discuss a University of Pennsylvania Trustee's family foundation donating money to a pro-Israel blacklist group, South African authorities promising to investigate the sexual assault of a young girl after facing protests and criticism, and New York State's department of education saying it won't comply with Trump's anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion demands in K-12 schools.

Jasmin, Matthew and Reese discuss the details of the NYC comptroller race, how mass layoffs in the US Department of Education are impacting its Civil Rights Office, and the discovery of an extermination camp in Mexico.

Reese and Jasmin discuss the rise in measles cases in New York State as well as general information on the measles, segregated facilities no longer being officially banned for federal contractors, and the United Kingdom planning to spend £600 million on construction worker training.

Jasmin and Reese discuss former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo running for mayor of NYC, what the Department of Education does vs. what the current admin claims it does, and how the department may chance under Trump, and information about the smuggling of gum arabic - a commonly found ingredient in many commercial goods - out of war-torn Sudan.

Janet, Jasmin and Reese discuss Eric Adam's admin suing the Trump admin over the revocation of migrant funds, 2 Detroit children die of hypothermia after their homeless mother asked for help, the future of US and South African relations under Trump, and a Black church wins control of a hate group's trademark.

Jasmin and Janet discuss a new initiative to commemorate Black history in Harlem with new signage, the real intentions behind Elon Musk's "DOGE" purge of government positions, and President Trump's recent threats to take over Canada.

Reese, Jasmin and Janet discuss the Lunar New Year, a NY doctor being indicted in Louisiana for prescribing abortion pills, language related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility being removed from government websites, the Kenyan government cracking down on seed sharing among farmers, and traditional stilt walking making a comeback in China among young people.

Reese, Matthew and Jasmin talk about the City University of New York moving to prepare undocumented students for a 2nd Trump presidency, fighting for incarcerated firefights to have more rights and better pay in California, the passing of visionary filmmaker and artist David Lynch, the details of a tentative Israel/Hamas ceasefire, and the full legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Janet and Jasmin talk about the destructive fires in Southern California, 100 workers losing their jobs at the Tin Building after sudden employment authorization checks, and Elon Musk endorses a far-right German political party.

Reese and Jasmin talk about reactions of some formerly incarcerated New Yorkers to Robert Brooks' murder by prison staff, the acts of violence that started off the new year in the United States, Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 21 people in Gaza, and thoughts and feelings about animal friends past and present.

For the last episode of 2024, Jasmin, Matthew and Anika discuss the ties between former NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey and Mayor Eric Adams, a rift on the right regarding H1B visas, thousands of refugees perish trying to get to Spain by sea, parting words for 2024 and our hopes for 2025.

Jasmin and Reese discuss the abrupt resignation of NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey amid sexual abuse allegations, a $116 million settlement for victims of sexual abuse at a now closed women's prison in California, and some basic information about the caretaker government in Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

Reese and Jasmin discuss the stabbing of two migrant teenagers in Manhattan, South Korea's president declaring martial law and having to reverse it after intense pushback, and the reasons behind the reactions to the shooting of United Healthcare CEO.

Jasmin and Janet talk about changes to which city agencies will be responsible for sheltering migrants, the rewilding of green space in cemeteries throughout the United States, and an assisted dying bill advancing in the United Kingdom.

Jasmin, Reese, Matthew and Janet talk about a Bitcoin mine being allowed to continue operating in upstate NY despite environmental concerns, the potential negative effects of anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. becoming Health and Human Services Secretary, and Māori MPs in New Zealand opposing changes to their treaty rights.

Reese, Matthew, Jasmin and Janet talk about NY voters shifting rightward in 2024 general election, Black Americans receiving threatening, racist messages after election day, the potential impact of the US 2024 election results on international affairs, and some words on the passing of the late, great musician and producer Quincy Jones.

Reese, Janet and Jasmin talk about the seizure and euthanization of an internet famous pet squirrel, the whitewashing of some new history exhibits at the National Archives Museum, Chinese hackers allegedly accessing the audio of US calls, and a few words about the Day of the Dead.

Reese and Jasmin discuss a Florida case involving a woman who left her boyfriend in a suitcase to die, a general overview of Israel's October 26th attack on Iran, Egypt being declared free of malaria, and some ghost stories from New Yorkers.

Jasmin and Reese talk about a petition circulated by South African feminists to keep Chris Brown from performing in the country, a shooting at a Mississippi high school football game, and fall foliage facts for the New York City area.

Jasmin talks about 5 ballot initiatives on the NYC general election ballot that some claim represent a power grab by the Mayor Eric Adams, an overview of Hispanic / Latinx-American Heritage Month in the US, and river guardians in Colombia facing challenges and threats from illegal gold miners and others.

Jasmin and Matthew discuss the lack of flood insurance among homeowners impacted by Hurricane Helene, the expected resignation of Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and the mistreatment and abandonment of Black African migrants in Lebanon during Israel's bombardment of the country.

Reese and Jasmin discuss Mayor Eric Adams' indictment, the execution of Marcellus Williams in Missouri, and the displacement of Lebanese civilians due to Israeli airstrikes.

Reese, Jasmin and Janet talk about the resignation of NYPD commissioner Edward Caban, GOP politicians and white nationalists stoking anti-Haitian sentiment in Springfield, OH, and young Afghan women pursuing higher education in Scotland.

Jasmin and Janet discuss federal investigations of members of Mayor Adams' inner circle, a Colorado mother being threatened with jail for refusing to comply with reunification orders between her children and their allegedly abusive father, the case of a French woman (Céline Pelicot) being drugged and recorded by her husband while strangers assaulted her, and Cooper Union seniors receiving free tuition.

Jasmin, Reese and Janet talk about coyotes making a comeback in New York, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz' interview with Dana Bash on CNN, and polio vaccinations planned for children in Gaza.

A look back at three stories from earlier in 2024 and how they tie into more recent news (Columbia University's crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters -> Minouche Shafik resigns, mother and 2 children drown crossing Texas/Mexico border -> Kamala Harris' tough-on-border rhetoric at DNC, mass student protests in Bangladesh -> Sheikh Hasina resigns, extreme flooding in Bangladesh).

Matthew, Jasmin and Reese discuss the Texas Attorney General suing to block a gun ban at the Texas State Fair, doctors in India going on a 24 hour strike to protest the brutal rape and murder of a medic, and Mayor Eric Adams being hit with a subpoena over campaign finances.

Reese, Jasmin and Janet talk about a mask ban that passed in Nassau County, NY, the global conflicts that the US is currently involved in despite Biden's campaign promises, racist mobs wrecking havoc throughout the UK, and Algerian Olympians making history at Paris Summer Games.

Jasmin, Janet and Reese talk about controversial changes to how residents can and can't get trees cut down in Westchester, the police murder of a Black woman in Illinois who called 911 for help, the violent state crackdown on student protesters in Bangladesh, and advances in cancer treatment for children.

Reese and Jasmin discuss car accident deaths outpacing gun deaths in NYC so far in 2024, the machinations of a secret group of wealthy Christian conservatives seeking to make the US a white, Christian nation, and France bussing immigrants out of Paris ahead of the summer 2024 Olympic games.

Jasmin, Alyssa and Matthew discuss federally-run nursing homes in NYC not being inspected for 15 months or longer, a white Nebraska man shooting 7 of his Guatemalan neighbors before killing himself, and the UK Labour Party winning snap election in a landslide.

Janet, Jasmin and Reese talk about the New York City police commissioner burying NYPD brutality cases, the plans to purge federal workers not politically aligned with Trump should he win the 2024 election, and President Ruto of Kenya agreeing to back off on tax hikes following widespread youth-led protests.

Matthew and Jasmin discuss a proposed mask ban on NYC subways, the US Supreme Court upholds access to abortion pills, and a Florida jury finding Chiquita Banana liable for extrajudicial killings in Colombia.

Janet, Jasmin and Reese talk about a Brooklyn school winning an exemption from a new city-wide mandated literacy curriculum, former President Trump found guilty on 34 federal charges, and Mexico on the verge of electing a woman president, a first in North America.

Jasmin and Matthew talk about India's election, the dangers of qualified immunity per a US federal judge, and an non profit called The Birthday Party Project that helps kids in shelters celebrate their birthdays.

Reese, Jasmin and Matthew discuss leaked chats showing wealthy Americans encouraging Mayor Adams to send police after Columbia protesters, and anti-mask bill advancing in North Carolina, and France's attempts to suppress an uprising of the native Kanak population of New Caledonia.

Matthew and Jasmin talk about the NYPD crackdown on the Gaza solidarity student encampment at CUNY City College, the possible undercounting of human cases of bird flu (H5N1) in the US and the popularity of raw milk influencers during the bird flu outbreak, and the devastating consequences of extreme heat in Southeast Asia.

Matthew and Jasmin discuss Columbia's crackdown of the student-led Pro-Palestine encampment on campus, the US Supreme Court allowing a lower court ruling to stand which threatens the rights of protest organizers, Nestlé adding extra sugar to baby formula and cereals sold in the Global South, and the origins of 4/20.

Reese and Jasmin discuss the decision not to punish officers who killed Kawaski Trawick in his own home in 2019, the police killing of Dexter Reed in Chicago, the shocking stabbing attack in a Sydney, Australia shopping mall, and the untimely passing of Atlanta producer Rico Wade.

Matthew, Jasmin and Reese talk about Mayor Adams' plan to put weapons scanners in NYC subway stations, the current H5N1 (bird flu) outbreak in the United States, and Mexico suspending diplomatic relations with Ecuador after Ecuadorian police raid the Mexican embassy in Quito.

Janet, Jasmin and Reese talk about the stabbing death of Samyia Spain in Brooklyn, a recent terrorist attack in Moscow that killed over 100 people, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders' propose a Green New Deal for public housing.

Jasmin and Reese discuss the shooting that took place inside the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station, US Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to a Minnesota abortion clinic, and Haitian gangs seeking a seat at the table politically as Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns down.

Janet, Reese and Jasmin talk about a music therapist in NYC who helps dementia sufferers, attacks on DEI programs from the right wing, and an extreme anti-LGBTQIA+ bill that recently passed in Ghana.

Matthew, Jasmin and Reese discuss an escalation of Trader Joe's anti-union tactics, the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell, the US dropping aid in to Gaza, and Ruth Gottesman's donation to the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx making tuition free for its students.

During the last 2024 Black History Month episode, Reese and Jasmin talk about the sad passing of Flaco, New York City's free-flying Eurasian eagle-owl, a Texas judge ruling that a school can legally punish a Black student for his hairstyle, and the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

Reese, Matthew, and Jasmin discuss the NYPD union trying and failing to block reforms to how they respond to protesters, the DC council advances an amended "Secure DC" tough-on-crime bill with some amendments, Senegal's President Macky Sall postpones this year's presidential election.