The Roundtable

The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire is remembered as one of the defining tragedies of American labor history, but historian and former journalist DavidConrad-Pérez argues there is another largely overlooked story in its aftermath. His new book, ‘Fire in the Heart of the City: The Triangle Shirtwaist Tragedy and the Origins of Modern Charity,' examines the struggle between labor organizers and New York's wealthy civic leaders over how the city should respond and how that battle helped shape modern philanthropy and social welfare.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Terry Gipson - Preceptor in Public Speaking for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.Frederic Hof - Diplomat in residence at Bard College Ambassador.Pushkala Prasad - the Arthur Zankel Chair in Management for Liberal Arts at Skidmore College where she teaches International Affairs and Business Management.Judy Patrick - Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association and a longtime editor of the Daily Gazette.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Heather Mulligan - CEO of The Business Council of New York State.Nic Rangel - Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New YorkWarren Whitlock is a former federal senior executive having served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Diversity & Leadership, and, Associate Administrator for Civil Rights at the Federal Highway Administration.

WAMC's Jazz Host Bill McCann will tell us about the latest season for 'A Place for Jazz' and Jazz Happenings around the region in the coming weeks.

Welcome back, we'll learn now about the Creative License Theatre Collective production of 'Breathing Time' by Beau Willimon at Cohoes Music Hall opening tomorrow night and running through September 27th.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Robert Brigham - Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College. He is a specialist on the history of US foreign policy.March Gallagher - The Ulster County Comptroller and the former president and CEO of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.Catherine Tan is an Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College. Her research is on health, wellness, and medical knowledge.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned for seven decades, meeting 13 American presidents and quietly becoming one of the most enduring figures in the U.S.-British relationship. In the new book, 'The Queen and Her Presidents, The Hidden Hand that Shaped History,' veteran political journalist Susan Page explores how Elizabeth used diplomacy, personal relationships, and the subtle power of the monarchy to influence presidents from Harry Truman to Donald Trump.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Robert Griffin - Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany.Jay Jochnowitz - Semi-retired, Editor at large/columnist/editorial writer, Times Union.Judy Patrick - Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association and a longtime editor of the Daily Gazette.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Donna Welton - Diplomat in Residence at Bard College. She retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025 after over 30 years in public service. Her last post was ambassador to the SE Asian country, Timor-Leste. Mike Spain - Former Times Union Associate Editor. Robert Pondiscio - Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Kathy Sheehan - Former Mayor of the City of Albany. Bill Hammond - Senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy ResearchLibby Post - Political Consultant and lobbyist. Dr. Karin Reidl - a professor of Government at Dutchess Community College and president of the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Robert Brigham - Professor of History and International Relations on the Shirley Ecker Boskey Chair at Vassar College. Catherine Tan - Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College. Larissa Phillips - Founder and director of the Volunteer Literacy Project and columnist for The Free Press. Justin Patch - Associate Professor of Music at Vassar College. With special appearance from WAMC's Live Show, Newscast, and Podcast Editor Diane DeVore.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Robert Brigham - Professor of History and International Relations on the Shirley Ecker Boskey Chair at Vassar College. Catherine Tan - Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College. Larissa Phillips - Founder and director of the Volunteer Literacy Project and columnist for The Free Press. Justin Patch - Associate Professor of Music at Vassar College.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Ambassador Fred Hof - former U.S. Army officer and State Department Diplomat who taught at Bard College for six years and is now a Senior Fellow at Bard's Center for Civic Engagement. Theresa Bourgeois - Public policy and communications expert. Fatimah Gilliam - author, lawyer, consultant, public speaker, and entrepreneur. Her most recent book is: 'Race Rules: What Your Black Friend Won't Tell You' Stephen Haff - is an educator who teaches drama and humanities at Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie

This week's Book Picks comes from Cheryl Mckeon from The Book House/Marketblock Books in Albany, NY and Cassidy Washburn from Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs NY and Manchester VT for our selections this week.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Roger Berkowitz - Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center and Professor of Political Studies, Philosophy, and Human Rights at Bard College. Mark Wittman - Wall St Investment Banker.Sophia Acquisto - a former NY elementary school teacher and now PhD Student at RPI.

Few films have captured the work, responsibility, and power of investigative journalism as vividly as 'All the President's Men.' Released in 1976 and directed by Alan Pakula, the film stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, as Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, whose painstaking investigation of the Watergate break-in helped uncover a political scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.Based on Woodward and Bernstein's book, the film received eight Academy Award nominations, it won four Oscars. Fifty years later, it remains a landmark portrait of journalism, of cultivating sources, verifying facts, confronting powerful institutions, and following a story wherever it leads. The Library of Congress added the film to the National Film Registry in 2010.Last weekend WAMC and the Crandell Theatre in Chatham teamed up for a special screening of all the president's men, followed by a conversation about the film and the current state of journalism and investigative reporting. It was a full house, and our panel brought together four people with very different perspectives on the press, politics, and public life.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:The Reverend Peter Cook - Principal, Faith in the Public Square and Co-Principal of The Religious Nationalisms Project.Heather Mulligan - CEO of The Business Council of New York State.Larissa Phillips - the founder and director of the Volunteer Literacy Project. She is also a columnist for The Free Press and a Greene County resident.

Twenty-five years after September 11th, investigative journalist Jeffrey Robinson returns to those terrifying hours with 'Ash and Honor: The Untold 368 Minutes of 9/11.'Drawing on interviews with more than sixty American and Canadian eyewitnesses, Robinson reconstructs the military, aviation and national-security response minute by minute - from Air Force One and NORAD to officials scrambling to clear American airspace.The book also revisits disputed and confusing episodes, including reports of additional hijacked aircraft and questions surrounding authorization to shoot down civilian planes—claims certain to invite renewed scrutiny of the official record. Robinson is an international bestselling author of more than thirty books, including 'The Laundrymen' and 'Grace of Monaco.'

Gloria Steinem, a renowned American journalist, feminist, and activist, passed away yesterday at the age of 92 in her home in New York City. She co-founded 'Ms.' magazine, and helped establish the National Women's Political Caucus, the Women's Action Alliance, and the Women's Media Center. For more than six-decades, she fought for equality, reproductive rights, and social justice.In 2015, we spoke with Steinem about her memoir 'My Life on the Road,' her first book in more than 20 years, chronicling a lifetime of travel, listening, and activism. We were honored to have her on The Roundtable and The Book Show quite a few times over the years. This interview was actually recorded in NYC after midnight; it was so worth it! In memoriam we air that conversation today.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Fran Berman - Stuart Rice Honorary Chair at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.Theresa Bourgeois - Public policy and communications expert.Bob Brigham - Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College. He is a specialist on the history of US foreign policy.Donna Welton - Diplomat in Residence at Bard College. She retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025 after over 30 years in public service. Her last post was ambassador to the SE Asian country, Timor-Leste.

In her new book, 'School's Out: Why Families Are Choosing Unconventional Education,' Mickey Revenaugh explores the growing world of homeschooling, microschools, virtual classrooms, unschooling, and even roadschooling and the families driving this transformation.

We've all heard of the placebo effect, the remarkable ability of positive expectations to make us feel better. But what about its darker twin? In her new book, ‘This Book May Cause Side Effects, The Curious and Dangerous Power of the Nocebo Effect, Placebo's Evil Twin.' Dr. Helen Pilcher explores how negative expectations can produce very real symptoms, intensify pain, and even contribute to illness.Pilcher is a science writer and former scientist with advanced training in neuroscience and a former reporter for ‘Nature.' Her new book takes us from chronic pain and medication side effects to mass psychogenic illness, asking a provocative question, can what we believe about our health actually change our health?

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Robert Griffin - Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany.Stephen Haff - is an educator who teaches drama and humanities at Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie.Nic Rangel - Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York.Kathy Sheehan - Former Mayor of the City of Albany.

This week's Book Picks comes from Jim Havener from Green Toad Bookstore in Great Barrington, MA James Conrad from The Golden Notebook in Woodstock, NY for our selections this week.

The name Woody Guthrie conjures images of Dust Bowl families from the 1930s fleeing their wind-ravaged farms, along with those famous lyrics 'This land is your land, this land is my land / From California to the New York Island.' Woody's horizons extended far beyond the dusty Oklahoma hills of his youth. When his wanderings and ramblings brought him to New York City, in the 1940s, he was introduced—both personally and professionally—into a vibrant Jewish culture that he wholeheartedly embraced. That culture in turn deeply influenced his life and his music. The film, 'Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls,' presents a whole new side of Woody Guthrie.The film will be screened at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA on Sunday. Following the screening, award-winning director and producer Steven Pressman will join us for a live Q&A to discuss the film, Guthrie's enduring legacy, and the remarkable Jewish influences that shaped his work.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Jay Jochnowitz - Editor at large/columnist/editorial writer, Times Union.JP Miller - The Empire Report's founder and publisher.Mark Wittman - Investment Banker on Wall St.

The 43rd season of the NYS Writers Institute kicks off Wednesday with a conversation with singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant. The 9thannual Albany Book Festival is Sept. 26 and a great lineup with dozens of literary events, films, etc.We get a preview now with Paul Grondahl, the Opalka Endowed Director at the NYS Writers Institute.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Theresa Bourgeois - Public policy and communications expert.Libby Post - Political Consultant and lobbyist. Kathy Sheehan - Former Mayor of the City of Albany.Mike Spain - Former Times Union Associate Editor.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.

Téa Obreht has built a career on novels where history, myth and the uncanny have a way of colliding. Her debut, 'The Tiger's Wife,' won the Orange Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award.Her new novel, 'Sunrise,' takes us to a mysterious Wyoming ghost town across three different moments in time. A plane crash in 2024, a historical reenactment in 2003, and the return of a legendary gunslinger in 1902 gradually become part of the same story.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.

Bestselling author Richard Russo will be our guest on this week's book show. Russo knows something about small towns and about the people who leave them, the people who stay, and the trouble that follows when someone comes home. Russo is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls and the author of Bridge of Size, Straight Man, Nobody's Fool, and many others. His latest novel is 'Under the Falls.'

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.

Award-winning sports journalist Matthew Futterman has spent decades covering the biggest stories in athletics for 'The New York Times,' 'The Athletic,' 'The Wall Street Journal,' and other major publications.His latest book, 'The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis,' takes readers behind the scenes of one of the world's most demanding sports, exploring the extraordinary mental and physical pressures faced by today's stars.

In the mid-1980s, Paul Simon was looking for a way forward. What he found, beginning with a cassette of South African Township Jive, would become ‘Graceland,' an enormously successful album, a political landmark, and the center of a fierce argument about art, politics, and apartheid. In his new book, ‘Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland.'

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Theresa Bourgeois - Public policy and communications expert.March Gallagher - The Ulster County Comptroller and the former president and CEO of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.Allison Kavey - a full professor in the History Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY).Warren Whitlock - a former federal senior executive having served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Diversity & Leadership, and, Associate Administrator for Civil Rights at the Federal Highway Administration.

California Congressman Jared Huffman has spent more than a decade in Washington representing a district that stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. A lawyer, former environmental advocate and co-founder of the Congressional Free Thought Caucus, Huffman is also one of Congress's most outspoken secular humanists. His new book, ‘No Profits: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism' examines what Huffman sees as the growing influence of Christian nationalism in American government and politics.

Claire Stapleton spent twelve years at Google, helping shape the voice and culture of a company that once promised to change the world. But over time, she began to question the widening gap between Google's ideals and its reality.In 2018, Stapleton helped organize the landmark Google Walkout, when 20,000 employees protested the company's handling of sexual harassment.Now a writer, communications consultant, and tech labor activist, Stapleton tells that story in 'Don't Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape from Big Tech.' It is a memoir about corporate power, workplace identity, disillusionment, and what happens when a true believer decides to walk away.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Bill Hammond - Senior Fellow for Health Policy at The Empire Center for Public Policy.Robert Pondiscio - Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.Nic Rangel - Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York.

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site announced today the exhibition 'Circles of Influence: Thomas Cole and the American Landscape Movement.' The exhibition will explore the rapid influence that Thomas Cole (1801- 1848) and his work had on other 19th century artists, and the role that they collectively played in extending the concept of 'America the Beautiful,' still vibrant today.

Berkshire Opera Festival is about to present one of the most celebrated works in the operatic canon, Donizetti's 'Lucia di Lammermoor.' Conducted and directed by co-founders Brian Garman and Jonathon Loy, three performances take place August 22-28 at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. We'll get a preview.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Jackie Berry - Lecturer of Cognitive Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and former Fulbright US Scholar to Egypt.Terry Gipson - Preceptor in Public Speaking for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.Anna Markowitz - Executive Director of Communities for Local Power and former White House Advance Lead.Mike Spain - Former Times Union Associate Editor.

This week's Book Picks comes from Kira Wizner from Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, NY and Lily Bartels from Open Door Bookstore in Schenectady, NY for our selections this week.

Nearly 50 years after 'Star Wars' first transported moviegoers to a galaxy far, far away, the film - and its music - remain unmistakable. On Friday, August 21st at 7:30, 'Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert' comes to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Chris Gibson is a writer and analyst. He recently retired from the presidency of Siena College and was a former NY Congressman. His new book is “The Spirit of Philadelphia.”· Larissa Phillips is the founder and director of the Volunteer Literacy Project. She is also a columnist for The Free Press and a Greene County resident.· Catherine Tan is an Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College. Her research is on health, wellness, and medical knowledge.

Louise Nealon made a remarkable debut with ‘Snowflake,' the award-winning novel that introduced readers to her sharp, funny, and deeply compassionate portrait of contemporary rural Ireland. The County Kildare writer returns with their second novel, ‘Everything That Is Beautiful,' a story that explores the complicated bonds of family, friendship, memory, and forgiveness.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:·The Reverend Peter Cook - Principal, Faith in the Public Square and Co-Principal of The Religious Nationalisms Project.·Stephen Haff - is an educator who teaches drama and humanities at Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie·Judy Patrick - Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association and a longtime editor of the Daily Gazette·Mark Wittman - Investment Banker on Wall St.

Virginia Eubanks is an investigative journalist, author, and professor at the University at Albany, whose is author of acclaimed book Automating Inequality Acclaimed How Technology Can Deepen Poverty and Injustice. Her new book, 'A Guide to Open Water Life Saving Lessons on Love, Care and Survival' turns the lens on her own life. After her partner was brutally attacked near their Troy, New York home, Eubanks became his caregiver as they navigated trauma.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Stuart Rice Honorary Chair at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University Fran Berman, a senior fellow and faculty member in the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College. She is the President of Beyond Plastics and former EPA Regional Administrator. Judith is co-author of the book 'The Problem with Plastic' Judith Enck, a full professor in the History Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) Allison Kavey, and Diplomat in Residence at Bard College. She retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025 after over 30 years in public service. Her last post was ambassador to the SE Asian country, Timor-Leste Donna Welton.

Music journalist and author Tony Fletcher has spent decades chronicling rock and roll and the culture surrounding it. His new book 'POW, When UK Went Pop, 1980 to 1984,' turns the lens on his own youth, a coming-of-age story, set against a wildly creative moment in British music. Fletcher recalls life as a teenage journalist and aspiring musician navigating the record business, love.Sex and the hard lessons of growing up while trying to land his own band a record deal. This Sunday at 2PM, Fletcher brings 'Pow' to the Orpheum Theater in Saugerties, NY for reading, conversation, and videos from the era. It is a great pleasure to welcome Tony Fletcher to the round table this morning.