The Update with Brandon Julien

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

We've done a lot of episodes throughout our many years of #TheUpdate, but some of them are my personal favorites. Every month, we're going to go into The Update vault and play one episode from my personal list of favorite episodes. I hope you enjoy them as much as i did hosting it.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we're doing something a little bit different- a compilation of the best of Year 2 of the show. Having been in the anchor chair for a full year now, the amount of events just continued to pick up. Nikolas Cruz opening fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Bill Cosby convicted on all three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, and Brett Kavanaugh being confirmed to the Supreme Court just to name a few. But despite all the heaviness of the news, me (and occasionally Cris too) found a way to have some fun doing it.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

Today in The Update Journal, love is apparently in the air — but so is panic, confusion, and at least one NYPD officer standing by the elevator wondering how this became their shift. We're starting with the Empire State Building situation, where romance, daredevil behavior, and citywide trauma all met at the top of one of the most recognizable buildings on Earth. Because nothing says “big gesture” quite like making an entire city look up, freeze, and collectively ask, “Are we doing this today?”Then, we're taking one last look back at Season 19: the season that needed a fan, a MetroCard memorial, and possibly a licensed emotional support counselor. From heat warnings and humidity crimes to transit betrayal, school-year chaos, summer watchlists, vampire feelings, and enough personal commentary to fill a group therapy session, Season 19 really put us through it. It laughed, it ranted, it sweated through its shirt, and at some point, it probably asked ConEd for mercy.And finally, The Last Word closes things out with “America at 250: Fireworks, Freedom, and One Last Word Before Season 20.” We're saluting the country's big birthday with fireworks, history, summer chaos, and the kind of patriotic reflection that comes right before a long holiday weekend. America has made it to 250 years old, which means it deserves celebration, cake, and maybe a quick wellness check. So before Season 20 comes charging in with new drama, new segments, and fresh reasons to yell into the microphone, we're giving Season 19 the sendoff it deserves: loud, funny, slightly sweaty, and deeply exhausted.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Thursday, two people got to the top of the Empire State Building's antenna and unfurled a banner about “the power of love” at midday, before descending, embracing, taking selfies and ultimately being arrested.Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will celebrate their wedding at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the security plans.And in Mississippi, a family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving car offered evidence that they say challenges the officers' account that they were in danger when one opened fire.

Today in The Update Journal, we are spinning through workplace tension, vampire confusion, and weather conditions that should absolutely require a court appearance.First, The Chair That Keeps Spinning takes a look at one of those situations where you do not want to create drama, you do not want to make things awkward, and you definitely do not want to start throwing furniture — but emotionally? A couple of darts have already been sharpened, labeled, and placed neatly on the table.Then, the long-awaited Claudia Special finally arrives as part of our Interview With the Vampire summer watchlist with “Claudia, Confusion, and the Vampire HR Department.” Because at some point, somebody has to ask: who was in charge of onboarding this child into immortality? Was there a handbook? A benefits package? A complaint form? Because Claudia's file is already three inches thick, written in red ink, and probably locked in a cabinet labeled “Do Not Open Unless Emotionally Prepared.”And in Brandon's Take, we address the true villain of summer: humidity. Not heat. Not sunshine. Humidity. That invisible wet blanket that turns New York City into a crockpot with subway delays. Frankly, humidity should be illegal, fined, and forced to apologize to everyone who walked outside and immediately felt like a rotisserie chicken with student loans.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, a wave of thunderstorms and hail could hammer the Big Apple on the Fourth of July as a vicious five-day heat dome cooks revelers in nearly 100-degree swelter – making the holiday the hottest in nearly 20 years.Mayor Mamdani's inaugural, record-breaking nearly $126 billion budget passed — growing city spending by more than $10 billion from last year despite his past dire warnings about the Big Apple's financial situation.And in Washington, a divided Supreme Court upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Trump's executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.

Today in The Update Journal, we're unpacking a crisis of culture, commerce, and Costco bakery temptation. First, music used to have soul, heartbreak, and somebody singing like the rent was due, the lights were about to get cut off, and their ex had just walked back into the room. Now half the industry looks like it was assembled in front of a ring light with an eight-count dance routine, a brand partnership pending, and lyrics that sound like they were written during a TikTok break.Then, we head to Target, the magical place where you walk in for toothpaste and somehow leave with storage bins, snacks, a candle, a shirt you did not need, and emotional damage from there only being two cashiers in a store the size of an airport terminal. Why does Target have 47 aisles, 300 red carts, and exactly two humans available to help you check out? At some point, this stops being retail and starts becoming a social experiment with price scanners.And today's Honorable Mention goes to Costco shoppers losing their minds over a hot new bakery item, because apparently the phrase “Give me 30” is no longer a joke — it's a bulk-buying battle cry. Costco already had people leaving with enough paper towels to survive a natural disaster, and now the bakery section is creating emotional dependency. Pray for the sample tables. Pray for the shopping carts. And most importantly, pray for anyone standing between a Costco member and fresh baked goods.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, a suffocating heat dome will roast the Big Apple this week, with stifling humidity making it feel like 110 degrees — and electricity demands expected to hit near-record levels.Luigi Mangione's federal trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson will now begin in January instead of the fall, a judge said at a hearing that started late because Mangione got stuck in a courthouse elevator.And out in the American west, three firefighters killed over the weekend in a wildfire along the Colorado-Utah border were trying to shield themselves from flames by deploying tent-like shelters when they were overcome, authorities said.

Today in The Update Journal, we ask the important questions: have the Mets hit rock bottom, or did Citi Field secretly install a basement just for emotional damage? After getting swept in a doubleheader by the Cubs at home, the Mets have officially entered the “somebody check the warranty on this team” phase of the season. At this point, the fan base isn't even asking for a winning streak — just basic baseball functions, like catching the ball, throwing the ball, and not turning every inning into a group therapy session.Then, on the summer watchlist, Interview With the Vampire finally brings Claudia into the picture, and my blood pressure immediately files a complaint with HR. She's here, she's terrifying, she's fascinating, and someone should probably keep a doctor on standby because this child vampire does not enter a story quietly. She kicks the door open, changes the emotional temperature of the whole series, and reminds everyone that sometimes the most dangerous person in the room is the one who just got here.And finally, school is out, summer camp is moving in, and the building has gone from “final week chaos” to “field trip clipboard season” in record time. The pencils are down, the permission slips are up, and somewhere, a staff member is already trying to figure out how we went from graduation tears to camp schedules, water days, and organized summer madness before we even finished cleaning out the last classroom.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Monday, Pride Month celebrations peaked with big parades in New York, San Francisco and some other cities on the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, which accelerated and transformed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.A long and dangerous heat wave will blast a large swath of the central and eastern United States this week, the National Weather Service said, with temperatures rising ahead of the July Fourth holiday and feeling even hotter because of the high humidity that's arriving with it.And about 3 million fewer people in the United States had Affordable Care Act health insurance plans in February compared with the same time last year, according to new federal data.

Today in The Update Journal, we begin with The Last Day Hostage Situation, because apparently the final day of school is now a full-day commitment, and somewhere Bill de Blasio's name has been added to the “things we are still mad about” clipboard — right under snow days, above printer toner shortages, and directly next to “why are we still doing regular dismissal on a day where everyone's brain has already left the building?”Then, we head into The Vampire Lestat, Episode 1: “Detroit,” because one Anne Rice series clearly wasn't enough emotional damage for the summer. We're now running Interview With the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat at the same time, partly for scheduling reasons, partly because stretching this into October would turn the watchlist into a government infrastructure project with delays, hearings, and one guy in a vest saying, “We're looking at completion by 2029.” And yes, this episode comes with an emotional body slam, so please stretch first, hydrate, and keep the remote far away from any windows.And finally, The Last Word closes things out with Everyone Deserves to Be Seen, a Pride Month reflection about visibility, acceptance, and making sure people know they matter — even when the world sometimes acts like basic human decency is an optional software update. Because whether it's school chaos, vampire trauma, or real life, sometimes the most important thing you can say to somebody is simple: you are here, you are valid, and you deserve more than being treated like background furniture in somebody else's story.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Friday, Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings, and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed at least 188 people and left more than 200 trapped.Mayor Mamdani ran on a campaign pledge: “As your next mayor, I will freeze your rent.” A board he controls made good on that signature pledge. The city's Rent Guidelines Board, an independent panel of mayoral appointees, approved a rent freeze covering both one-year and two-year leases for people living in about 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. Hours earlier, a landlord rep on the city's Rent Guidelines Board resigned leading up to the group's scheduled vote – arguing the board was stacked to turn Mayor Mamdani's campaign pledge into a reality.And in Washington, The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria, exposing hundreds of thousands more people to potential deportation. Also, they sided with the maker of Roundup weedkiller in a ruling expected to block thousands of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people the product could cause cancer.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we ask the question nobody saw coming in 2026: do we… gotta go back to Mo's? Modell's is reportedly plotting a comeback, but online first — because apparently even nostalgia has to clear the digital checkout line before it can reopen a storefront. Still, if this is the first step toward hearing “Gotta Go to Mo's” again in public, then yes, I am emotionally prepared to pretend I didn't miss a sporting goods store this much.Then, Boar's Head has entered the Thanksgiving group chat with a deep fried turkey breast, which sounds delicious, dangerous, and like something that would get the fire department called if we tried making it ourselves. It's Thanksgiving energy with deli counter access — the kind of thing that makes you wonder if someone at Boar's Head looked at a holiday dinner and said, “What if this came sliced, seasoned, and with fewer relatives asking about your life choices?”And in today's honorable mention, California cities are dominating the national catfish rankings, proving once again that the West Coast can't just have sunshine, beaches, and traffic — it also needs emotional fraud with a profile picture from 2017. Apparently, some people are out here getting lured in by fake profiles, fake promises, and dating bios that have more fiction than a CW reboot.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Thursday, A former chief of staff to ex Mayor Adams was arrested in a federal bribery case about a lucrative migrant shelter contract, the latest sign that prosecutors continue to scrutinize Adams' inner circle months after the scandal-bruised Democrat left office.Mayor Mamdani's slate of fiery progressives swept establishment-backed Democrats in the state's congressional primaries, ousting two sitting congressmen in a resounding show of force for the democratic socialist leader of America's largest city, who is fighting to reshape the Democratic Party in New York and beyond.And in Texas, Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, nearly a year after catastrophic floods killed 25 campers and two teenage counselors at the Christian camp for girls along the Guadalupe River.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we ask the question nobody expected to take seriously: why does the Cheaters theme song go so hard? A show built entirely around emotional betrayal somehow came with a theme that sounds like heartbreak put on a leather jacket, walked into a recording studio, and said, “Give me something with pain, drama, and a bassline.”Then, our Interview With the Vampire summer watchlist continues with Episode 3, “Is My Very Nature That of the Devil,” where Louis is spiraling, Lestat is being Lestat, and the emotional foundation of this show starts cracking like a sidewalk in August heat. And with Claudia getting dangerously close to entering the chat, my blood pressure, emotional stability, and ability to watch this show like a normal person are all officially on notice.And in Brandon's Take, summer mode is loading… please wait. Because summer may be here on the calendar, but mentally, physically, and spiritually, some of us are still buffering at 37% while trying to survive heat, work, schedules, and whatever chaos New York decides to throw at us next. The season says “relax,” but the city says, “Here's humidity, subway delays, random thunderstorms, and one more reason to question your life choices before lunch.”In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, a city-hired veterinarian uncovered concerning conditions inside Central Park's stables, including cramped quarters, skin lesions and swollen limbs, a report revealed— as the fleet of carriage horses returned to work.“Today” show host Savannah Guthrie made an emotional appeal to viewers to come forward with any information about her missing mother, a day after news organizations said a ransom note received months ago had indicated that she was dead.And out in the American west, the 18-year-old suspect in a shooting at a Northern California library did a walkthrough of the building, then went to his vehicle, got a shotgun and fatally shot a man at the main door and another inside, law enforcement said.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

This edition of The Update Journal takes a hard left turn into nostalgia, broadcast law, and whatever Gen Z found in the back of the fashion closet with a “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2006” sticker on it.First, Code Lyoko might be coming back, which means my childhood just sat up in bed like, “Wait… are we doing this again?” A potential Season 5 sounds exciting, terrifying, and emotionally classified as a gray area, because yes, I loved the show — but some memories are delicate museum artifacts. You don't just reboot them without asking the people who were emotionally raised by cartoon kids fighting evil inside a supercomputer.Then, in A Closer Look, we get into The FCC vs. WABC, where The View, equal time rules, and license renewal anxiety all walk into the same room and immediately ask for legal counsel. This is the kind of media story where one bad segment can turn into a paperwork tornado, and suddenly everybody is reading FCC guidelines like they're trying to defuse a bomb with a commercial break coming up.And today's honorable mention: Gen Z has revived a sexy fashion trend that was previously declared extinct, because apparently no trend ever truly dies. It just waits in a drawer, gains confidence, and comes back when someone under 25 says, “Actually, this is a vibe.” Somewhere, a millennial is staring at their old photos in horror, whispering, “We buried this for a reason.”In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, Clive Davis, the record company lawyer who became one of the music industry's most powerful figures, launching or resurrecting the careers of such superstars as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys, has died, his family confirmed. He was 94.The Supreme Court reinstated a murder conviction in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz.And in Minnesota, a federal judge has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials, accusing the Justice Department of using its investigatory powers to retaliate against state officials for not cooperating with federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.

On this edition of The Update Journal, we begin by honoring the true soldiers of the school year — the ones who never get a prep period, never get a lunch break, and somehow are always expected to perform miracles five minutes before dismissal. Today, we salute the main office printer, a machine that has survived permission slips, attendance sheets, event flyers, missing homework packets, last-minute schedules, and at least twelve people saying, “Can you print this real quick?” like that phrase has ever meant anything quick in the history of education.Then, our summertime watchlist continues with Interview With the Vampire, Episode 2: “He Had a Way About Him… And Apparently a Casino Budget.” Louis continues getting pulled deeper into Lestat's spell because, as he puts it, Lestat “had a way about him.” And apparently that “way” includes emotional manipulation, vampire mess, and the kind of financial flexibility where buying someone a casino is treated like picking up a birthday card from CVS. Louis is trying to understand his new life, his new urges, and the growing distance from his family, while Lestat is out here handling conflict like, “Have you considered real estate?”And finally, we talk about the last week of school — also known as organized chaos with bulletin boards. The kids can smell summer vacation. The adults can smell burnout. The building is running on half-empty coffee cups, lost permission slips, hallway announcements, and the collective prayer that nobody does anything wild before the final bell. It is the one week where everyone is physically present, mentally on a beach, and emotionally one printer jam away from a full collapse.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Monday, A 51-year-old Connecticut man fell to his death from an upper deck of Madison Square Garden during a concert on Saturday night, police said.Four people — including two teens — were shot and wounded in a wild shootout that erupted at a Big Apple park Saturday night, cops said.And in Chicago, a spate of shootings in Chicago has led to at least seven deaths and 38 injuries since Friday evening, police say, prompting President Trump to renew his call for a military intervention in the nation's third-largest city.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we investigate whether the Knicks won a championship through defense, chemistry, clutch shot-making… or by accidentally turning the playoffs into a monastery with sneakers. If the rumors are true, New York may have borrowed from the Dodgers' apparent “no distractions, no problems” championship blueprint — which raises the terrifying possibility that abstinence has better postseason analytics than half the league's coaching staffs.Then, the vampire schedule starts biting back. Watching Interview With the Vampire one episode a week sounded responsible, mature, and emotionally safe — until The Vampire Lestat entries started piling up like unpaid bills with fangs. Now there's a sleepaway camp deadline, limited free time, questionable Wi-Fi, and the deeply unwise possibility of watching Claudia-related vampire trauma in the middle of the woods at night. Nothing says “summer programming strategy” like risking nightmares between bug spray and bunk inspections.And in The Last Word, we close with a reminder that being yourself matters — even when it's uncomfortable, even when people don't get it, and even when the world would rather you shrink, hide, or explain yourself in MLA format. Be yourself anyway. Loudly, honestly, and with just enough attitude to make the room adjust.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Thursday, a teenage tourist was killed when a carriage horse he was riding in got startled and bolted in Central Park after the operator got out to take a photo of the passengers, cops and sources said. The tragedy is sure to reignite the long-standing push by activists and some lawmakers to ban horse carriages in the Big Apple.After decades waiting for justice, relatives of women murdered by New York's Gilgo Beach serial killer laid into him before he was sentenced to life in prison. He told them: “I am responsible” for the crimes.And Tropical Storm Arthur formed off the Texas coast as the first tropical storm of the season in the Atlantic basin, threatening a wide swath of the Gulf Coast with potentially dangerous flooding even as it was expected to quickly weaken.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we look back at the 2025–26 NBA season and ask the important question: what did we actually learn? And the answer is… several things, most of which I had to confirm with the internet because I do not watch basketball with enough authority to lie confidently on air. Still, between chaos, comebacks, questionable shot selection, and New York somehow ending up on top, the season gave us plenty to unpack.Then, Disney's recommendation algorithm apparently looked at people who liked American Dragon: Jake Long, Amphibia, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Big Hero 6: The Series, and The Mighty Ducks and said, “Congratulations, you'll love Dragon Striker.” And I just want to know who approved that math. Because that is not a recommendation — that is a hostage note assembled from my childhood favorites.And finally, Brandon's Take gets serious for a second — but only after the jokes — as we talk about why New York does Pride differently, why that matters, and why supporting the people you love should not be treated like extra credit. In this city, Pride is not just a parade. It is loud, crowded, emotional, slightly delayed by train traffic, and absolutely necessary.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, Five women suffered burns after two goons on a moped allegedly hurled sulfuric acid at them in a sickening drive-by attack in Jersey City, officials said.Police are searching for a sicko who allegedly raped a young woman in a Harlem subway station while they were out on a date Sunday evening, authorities and sources said.And in Washington, law enforcement officials disrupted a planned attack targeting the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House this past weekend, according to court papers unsealed that say plotters who harbored fringe conspiracy theories spoke of flying explosives-laden drones and shooting panicked crowd members as they fled.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we begin with a betrayal on wheels: being trapped on a packed M10 bus, shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, backpacks, tote bags, and someone's speakerphone conversation, while another M10 — practically empty and living in luxury — rolls right past like it has diplomatic immunity. That's not public transportation. That's emotional damage with a route number.Then, AccuWeather said the severe thunderstorm was coming, the sky started changing colors like it was buffering evil, and suddenly a simple errand turned into a citywide survival challenge. One minute, you're trying to look for Pride Month supplies at Michaels. The next, you're speed-walking like the opening scene of a disaster movie, checking the radar every twelve seconds, and realizing your umbrella would be more useful as a surrender flag.And today's Honorable Mention goes to the $2 bill, which has officially hit production zero — possibly because collectors keep hoarding them like rare trading cards with Founding Fathers on them. The $2 bill didn't disappear. It got mysterious, dramatic, and way too confident for something most cashiers still look at like you printed it during lunch.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, they're testing Knicks fans' patience. Thousands of Big Apple teens will miss out on the Knicks historic ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes — because they'll be stuck in class taking Regents exams.New York and New Jersey are barreling toward more travel chaos for today's World Cup game at MetLife Stadium as up to 30,000 train tickets remain unsold — but Mayor Mamdani is brushing off the looming disaster.And out in the American West, a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California's Mojave Desert and burst into flames, killing all eight people aboard, military officials said.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we're asking one of the most dangerous questions in sports: why are we still fouling people on three-point attempts like basketball was invented during the last commercial break? Nothing raises the blood pressure faster than watching a defender fly into somebody's shooting space like they're trying to block a Wi-Fi signal. Now the other team gets three free throws, the coach is aging in real time, and I'm sitting there wondering if my Apple Watch is about to call emergency services.Then, it's Part 1 of the Interview With the Vampire summer watchlist, where I very confidently said I would watch this show in the daytime… and then immediately watched it at night because there was nothing else on TV and apparently I enjoy making decisions that threaten my nervous system. Am I emotionally ready to go all the way through this series? That is between me, AMC, and whatever part of my brain thought, “Yeah, vampires, trauma, blood, and family dysfunction sounds like a relaxing summer activity.” The blinds are open, the lights are on, and the remote is being held like a security blanket.And finally, for Pride Month, we're talking about why supporting your partner matters — not just when it's cute, easy, Instagram-friendly, or comes with a matching outfit and good lighting. Real support shows up when things are complicated, when the world gets loud, and when your partner needs to know they're not standing by themselves. Love is not just posting a rainbow in June and calling it community service. Sometimes love is listening, learning, defending, adjusting, and making it clear: “I'm with you, not just when it's convenient, but when it counts.”In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Monday, the Northeast remained under the threat of severe weather, with more than 100 million Americans at risk of severe storms with damaging wind gusts and hail.The Big Apple erupted in bloody chaos overnight as rowdy mobs celebrating the Knicks' NBA title trashed NYPD cars and torched FIFA buses in Times Square, leaving 10 cops hurt and 63 people in handcuffs. And in Missouri, a plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers on a skydiving outing crashed in a field and was engulfed in flames, killing all aboard, authorities said.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we begin by trying to understand cuffing season, which sounds less like romance and more like a group project nobody explained. Apparently, when the weather gets cold, people start looking for somebody to share hoodies, blankets, holiday plans, and emotional responsibility with — and somehow we're supposed to act like this isn't just seasonal panic wearing a cute sweater.Then, we look back at one lesson I've learned from producing this show — which is really several lessons stacked on top of each other wearing a trench coat. From the old 90.3 WKRB era, when we had an actual radio studio, cohosts, buttons, boards, and the illusion of adult supervision, to now producing this thing mostly solo, the show has taught me that plans are suggestions, breaking news has terrible timing, and if something can go wrong five minutes before airtime, it absolutely will — usually while you're already tired.And in The Last Word, now that the Knicks finally brought New York a championship, we ask the dangerous question: who's next? The Yankees? The Mets? The Liberty? The Rangers? The Giants? Maybe somebody completely unexpected? Every New York team is suddenly standing in line like it's the DMV, hoping their number gets called before the city remembers how expensive confetti, barricades, and parade cleanup are. Because after one championship, New York doesn't calmly say thank you — New York immediately looks around and says, “Alright… who's bringing us the next one?”In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Sunday, Jalen Brunson and the Comeback Knicks did it again. And now they're the Champion Knicks. For the first time in 53 years, New York rules the NBA. Brunson scored 45 points, including 13 straight for New York in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.The beautiful game of the World Cup made an absolute mess of the Big Apple, as mass gridlock shuttered Midtown streets and left traffic snarled to make it easier for fans to get to MetLife Stadium for the region's first World Cup match.And in Washington, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore sites changed under an executive order calling for the nation's museums, parks and landmarks to not display elements that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we begin with a summer watchlist that technically came out four years ago, but emotionally still feels like it needs a viewer discretion warning, a glass of water, and somebody posted near the light switch. I'm rewatching Interview With the Vampire in the daytime this time, because the first attempt had too much biting, too much tension, and too many moments where I had to change the channel like I was hiding evidence from a grand jury. This is not casual television. This is a series you watch with the blinds open, the volume controlled, and the full understanding that AMC was trying to make people nervous in multiple ways at once.Then, we pay tribute to Bill Ritter, a true New York news legend stepping away from the anchor desk after a deeply personal announcement that none of us were emotionally prepared for. For years, Bill was one of those voices you expected to be there when the day got messy, when the city got loud, and when New York needed somebody calm enough to explain what just happened without making us panic more. His announcement hit hard because he was not just reading the news — he became part of the rhythm of the city. It is the end of an era, the kind where you suddenly realize somebody has been in your living room longer than half the furniture, and somehow more reliable than the Wi-Fi.And finally, The Last Word looks ahead to Game 5 in San Antonio, where the Knicks are one win away from history, one win away from a championship, and one win away from making New York act like every horn, firework, group chat, and folding table in the five boroughs got activated at the same time. This is the kind of moment fans dream about, stress about, and somehow turn into a public safety meeting before tipoff. If the Knicks finish the job, the city may not sleep for three days — and if there's a parade, I will be celebrating from a secure undisclosed location called “my house.”In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Saturday, beloved WABC anchor Bill Ritter said he's stepping down from the role and shared he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in a moving statement to audiences. Meanwhile, Gene Shalit, a movie critic and arts reporter for the “Today” show over four decades who was known for his puffy hair, oversized handlebar mustache and affection for groan-inducing puns, has died. He was 100.Early voting starts in New York's Democratic primaries — with several high-profile races involving far-left insurgents backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani aiming to take down moderate incumbents.And residents in tornado-ravaged areas in Illinois and Indiana were grappling with the damage to their homes and neighborhoods, after the strong line of storms barreled through communities south of Chicago and left trails of destruction. Cleanup efforts were underway, and utility companies said power restoration efforts could extend into next week.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, Elmo commits the most controversial act in modern sports media: hoping both NBA Finals teams have fun. That's it. That was the statement. But because this is New York, that somehow turned into a citywide emergency where people started acting like Elmo should be subpoenaed, cross-examined, and asked under oath whether he's secretly a Spurs fan. One innocent Sesame Street post went off the rails fast, and now everybody's yelling at a three-and-a-half-year-old red monster like he controls the Knicks' fourth-quarter rotations.Then, the Bears are reportedly moving from Chicago to… Hammond, Indiana? Moving to where now? Not Arlington Heights. Not some shiny stadium district with luxury boxes and a fake “entertainment village.” Hammond. A place that sounds like your GPS gave up and said, “Honestly, just pull over somewhere.” We take a look at how an NFL team goes from one of America's biggest cities to a location that feels like the answer to a question nobody asked — and whether Bears fans are supposed to be excited, confused, or just thankful parking might be easier.And in The Last Word, it's time to Finish Strong — because whether it's sports chaos, questionable relocation rumors, work, school, summer heat, or just trying to get through the week without losing your mind, the mission is the same: don't fall apart before the credits roll. We're not asking for perfection. We're asking for enough energy to cross the finish line, look alive, and pretend this was the plan the whole time.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Friday, severe weather will bring sizzling temperatures and strong thunderstorms to New York — even offering intense enough conditions for a tornado to form, according to forecasters. Commuters could be up a creek — yet again! The problem-plagued New Jersey Transit system is readying two massive boats to ferry World Cup fans across the Hudson River to games in case of a meltdown on the rails, officials said.And in Minnesota, a man who pounded on Democratic lawmakers' doors in the middle of the night while posing as a police officer, killing the state House speaker and her husband and wounding a state senator and his wife, pleaded guilty to murder so that federal prosecutors would not seek the death penalty.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we're checking in on the Yankees after a May that had wins, warning signs, and enough “we'll circle back to this” energy to make June feel like a performance review. May gave Yankee fans reasons to feel confident, but June is walking in with a clipboard, a suspicious facial expression, and follow-up questions like, “Can this bullpen hold up?” “Is the lineup consistent?” and “Are we calling this a hot streak or are we calling HR?”Then, we investigate one of the greatest lies ever sold to the public: horsepower. Because apparently, one horse can produce up to 15 horsepower, which means the entire transportation industry has been using a measurement system that sounds like it was created by a man standing next to a wagon saying, “Trust me, I know horses.” At some point, somebody looked at a horse, saw it briefly become a four-legged engine, and still decided to undersell the animal like it was a used Honda Civic. That's not science — that's equine defamation with a math degree.And today's Honorable Mention takes us to a viral engagement video where one couple was falling hard in love… and one fiancé may have been standing a little too proudly in the moment. Congratulations to the happy couple, but also congratulations to the internet, because once again, it ignored the romance, the ring, the scenery, and the emotional milestone, and instead formed a full investigative committee around one suspicious pants-related development. Love is beautiful. The internet is undefeated.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Thursday, Madison Square Garden canceled a planned Knicks watch party outside the arena hours before the NBA Finals Game 4— as owner James Dolan unloaded on Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a fake fan of the team.A 41-year-old man was stabbed repeatedly and left clinging to life in a brutal attack inside a Brooklyn barbershop, cops and sources said. And in Chicago, a large burning cross — a historic symbol of hate and intimidation against Black Americans — was discovered in a Chicago park where former President Barack Obama famously delivered his acceptance speech when he was elected the nation's first Black president.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

We've done a lot of episodes throughout our many years of #TheUpdate, but some of them are my personal favorites. Every month, we're going to go into The Update vault and play one episode from my personal list of favorite episodes. I hope you enjoy them as much as i did hosting it.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, the Mets come out of May looking refreshed, rebranded, and dangerously close to giving fans hope — which, as we know, is usually when the emotional trapdoor opens. May felt like the makeover montage in a sports movie: better pitching, better vibes, fewer moments where you stare at the TV like it owes you money. But now June is here, and June is the group project presentation. Everybody has to stand in front of the class, explain what they contributed, and prove May wasn't just a month-long typo.Then, we revisit one of the most ridiculous true-crime fast-food stories ever: a man named Ronald MacDonald robbing a Wendy's in 2005. That is not a joke, not a rejected Onion headline, and not something your cousin made up after too much Sprite. A man with a name one letter away from the face of McDonald's allegedly walked into Wendy's and committed a fast-food felony. Somewhere, the Hamburglar was probably watching the news like, “This is bad for the brand.” And honestly, Wendy's had every right to be offended. You can't show up with that name and rob the competition. That's not crime — that's cross-promotional chaos.And in Brandon's Take, we talk about why saving money in the summer feels like a myth, a rumor, a financial bedtime story parents tell kids so they'll stop asking for Mister Softee. You try to be responsible. You say, “I'm staying home. I'm not spending money.” Then the A/C bill arrives wearing sunglasses, the ice cream truck starts playing psychological warfare music outside your window, and every “quick little outing” somehow costs $38 before you even sit down. Summer doesn't just test your patience — it checks your pockets, laughs, and charges you extra for being outside.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, MSG is calling a foul. Officials at the World's Most Famous Arena slammed “party poopers” Mayor Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch for keeping security restrictions around the Knicks' arena – as it was revealed Game 4's outdoor watch party will be downsized.A Queens landlord who “mercilessly slaughtered” his gal pal and two tenants, claiming he was under “a lot of pressure,'' was hit with three life sentences Tuesday — after balking at a plea deal.And in Texas, a teenager who fatally stabbed a 17-year-old track athlete from a rival team during a high school meet was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison in a case that drew wide attention beyond the booming Dallas suburb where they were students.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, the Yankees try to figure out life without Aaron Judge, which is like asking the Avengers to handle the final battle without Captain America, Iron Man, or anyone tall enough to reach the good snacks on top of the fridge. Judge's rib injury comes with that dreaded “4–6 weeks before re-imaging” timeline, which is not a return date — it's a medical cliffhanger. That means the Yankees aren't just waiting for him to come back; they're waiting to find out when they can start waiting for him to come back. Somewhere in the Bronx, the lineup card is being filled out with prayer, duct tape, and whatever's left in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders group chat.Then, A Closer Look heads to the NBA Finals, where ESPN somehow found itself in hot water for using an AI-generated Tony Parker image during Game 1. Because apparently the Worldwide Leader in Sports had access to decades of NBA footage, Getty Images, highlight packages, old Spurs broadcasts, and probably at least one intern who knows how Google Images works… and still chose “Tony Parker if he was rendered by a confused Xbox.” It's bad enough when AI steals jobs, but now it's apparently stealing cheekbones from retired point guards.And in today's Honorable Mention, we visit LA's first bikini coffee shop, where the baristas are serving lattes, dealing with weirdos, and proving once again that some people cannot be trusted around caffeine, confidence, or women just trying to do their jobs. It's one thing to order an iced vanilla latte; it's another thing to make the barista mentally file you under “security risk with oat milk.” Only in Los Angeles could coffee come with foam art, a dress code controversy, and a customer base that needs to be reminded this is still technically a workplace.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, a teen yakking on his phone on a bus was told by a fellow rider to pipe down — and turned around and fatally shot the guy, cops and law-enforcement sources said.A jury convicted a man of manslaughter as a hate crime in the death of O'Shae Sibley, who was killed at a Brooklyn gas station during a confrontation that began with a group of young people shouting racist and anti-gay slurs at the professional dancer and his friends as they vogued to a Beyoncé song.And out in the American West, Progressive city council member Nithya Raman has advanced to a November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, setting up an unexpected matchup between two Democrats and former political allies to run the struggling city of nearly 4 million.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we begin with what was supposed to be a casual trip into AMC's Interview With the Vampire, and somehow ended with Anne Rice lore, emotional damage, and me wondering why nobody assigned Claudia a therapist, a curfew, or a probation officer. Because once I found out about Claudia — who she was, what happened to her, and the full weight of her story — that's when the nightmares started. Not just regular vampire nightmares, either. Specific Claudia nightmares. The kind where she shows up in my subconscious like, “You understand me now, right?” And I'm like, “Yes… which is exactly why I'm running.”Then, it's A Closer Look at the complicated experience of wanting the Knicks to win the NBA Finals… until I remember James Dolan exists. I want the players to win, the fans to win, and the city to finally explode with joy. But every time the celebration starts forming in my head, Dolan appears in the mental group chat like, “Don't forget who owns the building.”And finally, graduation season is here — that beautiful time of year when families gather in hot auditoriums and crowded gyms to clap for people they absolutely do not know. You hear a name, everybody cheers, and suddenly you're clapping too like, “Yes, whoever that was! Proud of you!” Because graduation is basically two hours of polite hostage behavior… with diplomas.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Monday, Five people were injured in a stabbing inside Penn Station, according to authorities. Five people were rushed to Bellevue Hospital, including one person with serious injuries, two people with moderate injuries, and two others with minor injuries, fire officials said.An 85-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a falling tree inside a Queens park on Saturday night in a fatal freak mishap, according to police.And in Ohio, police still had no suspects in custody after a weekend shooting near a street festival wounded 12 people and sent attendees scrambling for cover in a busy Toledo neighborhood.

In this unaired edition of The Update Journal, we enter the emotional courtroom of television drama, bad decisions, and people who absolutely knew better.First up: “Not Everyone Deserves Your Sympathy — And Apparently, Not Everyone Gets to Stay on the Case.” Captain Olivia Benson and Sergeant Amanda Rollins get into it on the latest episode of Law & Order: SVU, proving once again that no one can turn workplace tension into a full-blown moral philosophy seminar quite like the Special Victims Unit. One minute, they're trying to solve a case. The next minute, Benson is giving a look that says, “I have survived 26 seasons of trauma, do not test me before lunch,” while Rollins is standing there like, “Okay, but what if the person is terrible and I'm right?”It's the kind of SVU argument where nobody is technically wrong, everyone is emotionally exhausted, and somewhere in the background, Fin is probably thinking, “I could've retired three murders ago.”Then we move into Brandon's hot take: Every cheating show has that one rapper.You know the one.Every single relationship scandal show has some guy who walks in with sunglasses indoors, three chains, a studio session booked at 9, and absolutely no intention of answering a question directly. His girlfriend is crying. The host is reading text messages off a tablet. The audience is gasping. And he's sitting there like, “First of all, that's not even how it happened.”Sir, there are screenshots.There is location data.There is a woman backstage named “Mimi from the video shoot.”And somehow, his defense is always: “I was networking.”Networking?! At 2:17 in the morning in a hotel lobby? With someone saved in your phone as “Do Not Answer”? That's not networking. That's a federal investigation with bass boosted.This episode is about sympathy, accountability, bad explanations, and the dangerous overlap between crime dramas and reality TV — because whether it's SVU or a cheating show, somebody is always being questioned under pressure, somebody is lying with confidence, and somebody definitely should have called a lawyer before speaking.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

On this unaired edition of The Update Journal from 2/5/26, we enter a world where everything is “smart,” but somehow nobody is in charge.First up: “If Everything Is Smart, Nothing Is Independent” — a closer look at the 2026 HGTV Dream Home, a beautiful, futuristic house packed with smart lights, smart appliances, smart security, smart thermostats, and apparently one very powerful villain: Spectrum internet. Because nothing says “dream home” like realizing your $2.5 million luxury escape can be defeated by a router blinking orange in the corner. The refrigerator knows your grocery list, the blinds adjust themselves, the oven preheats from your phone — but the second the Wi-Fi goes out, congratulations, you now live in a very expensive cave with recessed lighting.Then: “When the Phone Goes Away, Time Itself Stops Existing” — lessons learned from the NYC school phone ban, where students are discovering that without their phones, analog clocks might as well be ancient hieroglyphics. Teachers are pointing at the wall saying, “Class ends at 2:15,” and students are staring back like they've been asked to decode the Zodiac Killer's last letter. The phone ban was supposed to help kids focus, but it also revealed a shocking truth: for some students, if the time isn't glowing in the corner of a screen, time is just a rumor.It's an episode about modern convenience, old-school survival skills, and the terrifying realization that between a smart house and a smartphone, we may have accidentally outsourced basic human independence to Wi-Fi and battery life.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we return to the CBS drama because apparently yesterday's “60 Minutes” story was not finished — it was just buffering. Scott Pelley gets fired, CBS somehow looks at one of the most respected journalists in the building and says, “You know what this newsroom needs? Less alarm system,” and Knicks coverage is partly responsible for why we had to circle back like a subway train skipping your stop.Then, Dunkin' enters its new $6 Meal Deal era, where breakfast has officially been wrapped, folded, and placed into witness protection until August 12th. The old deal is gone, the wraps are here, and somewhere a hash brown is asking if it needs a lawyer.And finally, The Last Word brings us The Calm Before the Real Summer Storm — that brief, suspicious window where summer is technically here, but the full heat, humidity, schedule chaos, and “why am I sweating indoors?” phase hasn't fully attacked yet. Enjoy the breeze while it lasts. It has terms and conditions.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Friday, a massive fire tore through multiple buildings of a historic psychiatric facility in the Hudson Valley, wild footage shows. The blaze erupted at the abandoned Hudson River Psychiatric Center in Poughkeepsie, which was established in 1867 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 after closing years earlier, according to Pix 11.This nut didn't fall too far from the tree. Teflon Don John Gotti's grandson is back in cuffs for allegedly slapping and choking his gal pal – just days before he was due to start serving a prison sentence for stealing COVID relief funds.And out in the American West in Los Angeles, after a tough first term framed by the most destructive wildfire in city history and an ongoing struggle with widespread homelessness, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass advanced to a November runoff as she fights to stay in City Hall against challengers from both ends of the political spectrum.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we say goodbye to the old Dunkin' $6 Meal Deal — because apparently breakfast had a working-class era and corporate decided it was time for layoffs. For a brief, beautiful moment, six dollars could get you fed, caffeinated, and emotionally prepared to face society. Now? We gather around the hash browns, lower the flag to half-croissant, and remember when breakfast had a budget and dignity came with a wake-up wrap.Then, A Closer Look heads into the drama over at 60 Minutes, where Scott Pelley reportedly confronted the show's new executive producer, Nick Bilton, during a staff meeting. And listen — when Scott Pelley is the one bringing the heat, you know something has gone terribly wrong, because this is not a man built for nonsense. This is a man who looks like he fact-checks his own dreams. Reportedly confronting the boss in a staff meeting? That's not workplace tension. That's “the group chat is going to be unbearable by lunch” energy.And today's Honorable Mention takes us into the future of teen romance, where some boys are choosing AI girlfriends over real-life relationships — with experts warning that the consequences could be disastrous. Because apparently dating has gotten so exhausting that some people said, “You know what would make this easier? Removing the human.” Nothing says healthy emotional development like forming a deep connection with an app that remembers your birthday because a server farm told it to. We used to worry about teens not going outside. Now we have to worry that their first breakup is going to come with a software update.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Thursday, a prediction market reported former U.S. Rep. George Santos to federal prosecutors after he boasted he'd be going to President Trump's State of the Union address, then bet against his own attendance, according to a person familiar with the investigation.A stranger stabbed a 42-year-old man during an early Wednesday clash just blocks from Times Square, police said. The victim was knifed once in the chest just after 2 a.m. outside a building on West 42nd Street near Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, a storefront shared by a Chinese restaurant and a pizzeria, cops said. And out in the American West, a man was shot and killed by the FBI after taking 10 school employees hostage inside a Southern California office building and warning that he had strapped explosives to himself and some of the hostages, police said.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, the NBA Finals start today, which means New York has officially entered its most dangerous emotional state: confident, confused, and wearing old jerseys from a closet that hasn't been opened since 1999. We preview Knicks vs. Spurs the only honest way possible — by admitting nobody knows what's going to happen and calling that journalism.Then, Mayor Mamdani takes emergency action and repeals bedtime so New York children can stay up for the Finals — even though most of them weren't alive the last time the Knicks got this far, and, disturbingly, some of their parents weren't either. Naturally, the kids respond by forming a Knicks caucus, demanding juice boxes during halftime, and asking why Allan Houston isn't on TikTok.And in Brandon's Take this week, we investigate the June Fake-Out: the annual scam where summer technically begins, but school, work, responsibilities, and random 63-degree mornings refuse to leave the building. It's June, the calendar says summer is close, but emotionally? We're still being held hostage by spring with a bad attitude.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, won the New Jersey Democratic primary in the battleground 7th Congressional District to take on Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who has been absent from Congress with an unspecified illness for months. Kean cruised to the Republican nomination after running unopposed. The powerful teachers' union delivered a master class in wheeling and dealing — winning pay bumps of up to $9,500 as part of a deal delaying New York's class size mandate.And in Detroit, Two scientists at a U.S. government lab were charged with smuggling vials of deactivated monkeypox virus into the country from Africa and lying about it during interviews with investigators at a Michigan airport, authorities said.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we are emotionally logging into the internet against our better judgment.First, we'll take A Closer Look at the end of Euphoria — a show I did not fully watch, but absolutely survived through Twitter clips, timeline arguments, and people acting like HBO had assigned homework. The series is officially over, which means one era of glitter, trauma, dramatic lighting, and “wait, what happened?” has come to an end.Then, we'll take A Closer Look at another aspect of the Knicks and Spurs as part of our coverage previewing for the NBA Finals that start tomorrow- this time, we're talking about the NBA Cup, the Knicks, the Spurs, and the banner that stayed safely in storage. Yes, the Knicks and Spurs technically played for a title before this Finals matchup — but whether that title counts depends on who you ask, how seriously they take the Cup, and whether there was enough confetti to make it feel official.And today's Honorable Mention goes to Pepsi, which apparently once looked at Yoo-hoo and said, “We can do that.” They could not, in fact, do that. Chocolate soda history was made, lessons were learned, and somewhere, Yoo-hoo is still standing with its arms folded.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, a 22-year-old woman was taken into custody after a 28-year-old man was stabbed to death inside his Long Island home, cops say.A pair of unusual caught-on-camera sightings of men emerging from Brooklyn manholes in recent weeks raised concerns in the Big Apple and sparked an NYPD probe — but sources said it doesn't appear the weirdos are up to anything sinister.And out in the American West, California spiraled toward a primary election with its two marquee races defined by uncertainty and a pair of outsider candidates looking to crack open the state's durable Democratic hierarchy.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, New York is doing what it does best: celebrating, complaining, overheating, and somehow turning all three into a full schedule.We start with A Closer Look at the Knicks vs. Spurs — New York Is Partying Like It's 1999 Again, because the Knicks are back in the Finals and suddenly the city is remembering a time when MetroCards were young, flip phones were powerful, and Ricky Martin had the country living la vida loca. We look back at what New York — and the country — felt like the last time the Knicks were this close to glory, when 1999 was somehow both ancient history and emotionally too recent for Knicks fans.Then we'll also have a closer look at The World Cup Traffic Plan — Or, Midtown Manhattan Being Told to Calm Down, where the city's solution to World Cup chaos appears to be telling cars, trucks, and possibly human beings to stop existing near 42nd Street for several hours. Bus-only lanes, car-free zones, delivery restrictions — Midtown is being put on a behavior plan, and honestly, it probably had this coming.Then later, we ask the question every working person has whispered into a portable fan: It's Gonna Be 90 Degrees Soon… Why Are We Still Working? Because once the temperature hits “sidewalk smells like regret,” productivity should legally turn into survival mode. If the subway platform feels like a toaster oven and your iced coffee becomes room temperature before the first sip, nobody should be expected to answer emails with a positive attitude.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not attend an annual parade honoring Israel, breaking with a decades-long political custom because of his support of Palestinian rights.A chunk of a building facade fell on a teen's head as he walked with his parents in Queens — but an awning may have broken the debris' fall and saved his life, police and a witness said.And authorities in Hawaii have charged a 36-year-old man with murder in the killings of three people in a remote community known for its eclectic, communal lifestyle.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

From the February 3, 2026 unaired episode of The Update Journal, this week's edition is a gentle cry for help wrapped in a sleeping bag.We begin with a camping trip that absolutely did not ask to become a relationship stress test, yet somehow clocked in for overtime anyway. What was supposed to be fresh air, bonding, and maybe one peaceful marshmallow turned into Wi-Fi deprivation, charger diplomacy, sleeping arrangement politics, and the kind of emotional negotiations usually reserved for international summits. Nothing says “quality time” like realizing nature has no outlets, no signal, and apparently no respect for personal space.Then we move from the wilderness to something somehow even more dangerous: TLC's My Strange Addiction ads, which have officially crossed the line from “human curiosity” into “why is this airing while people are eating?” The extended cut gives us raw hamburger meat, bugs, pheromones, and several moments where the television feels less like entertainment and more like a direct threat to dinner. At a certain point, the show stops being a guilty pleasure and becomes a public service announcement for turning the TV off before your appetite files a complaint.It's camping, cravings, questionable programming choices, and one firm reminder: some things are better left unaired… which is probably why this episode was.

In this unaired edition of The Update with Brandon Julien from January 30, 2026, we remember January the only way it deserves: by letting it end without guilt, closure, or a dramatic goodbye montage. No final speech, no sentimental music, no “what did we learn?” moment. January came in loud, stayed too long, and now we are kindly escorting it to the exit.We start with Super Bowl 60, where the matchup may be historic, exciting, and full of storylines—but for Jets fans, it is once again an annual emotional hostage situation. This is the one Sunday where everyone else gets wings, commercials, halftime performances, and hope, while Jets fans find themselves rooting for the meteor because no matter who wins, somehow, some way, they still lose. We take a look at the game, the hype, the fan pain, and why being a Jets fan during Super Bowl season is basically watching your ex thrive on national television.Then we pivot to Law & Order: SVU, where a suspect makes the bold decision to run from the police at the Port Authority, apparently believing the bus terminal was a gateway to freedom, reinvention, and possibly a Greyhound ticket to Florida. Unfortunately, his escape plan hit a scheduling issue—specifically, a bus. We break down the chaos, the very New York energy of the whole thing, and how trying to flee justice through Port Authority is already a bad idea before you even factor in traffic, delays, and the fact that the building itself feels like it has seen too much.And finally, in The Last Word, we close the book on January with the reminder we all needed: the month does not get a performance review, an explanation, or a farewell tour. You do not need to justify how tired you are. You do not need to prove that you used the month correctly. You showed up, you survived, and that is enough. January is not your boss, it is not your landlord, and it is not entitled to a meeting on your calendar. As of this unaired January 30th episode, January is officially off the clock.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, we're taking a trip through three very different stages of life: childhood nostalgia, public transit chaos, and the mysterious condition known as "I simply cannot be bothered."First, we go back to a simpler time, when the biggest problem on television was Zack and Cody turning a luxury hotel into a code violation, Raven Baxter seeing the future and somehow making it worse, and every Disney Channel character living a life that would absolutely bankrupt their parents in real life. As Disney rolls out its nostalgia lineup, we revisit the shows that defined an era—and discover that, yes, some of us watched shows that weren't necessarily aimed at us. And no, we're not apologizing for it.Then, we're going to take A Closer Look at a story that somehow gets more ridiculous every time you add another detail. Kids are subway surfing, MTA keys are being sold online, and at some point the world's largest online retailer accidentally wandered into the conversation. It's one of those uniquely New York stories where every answer somehow creates three new questions, and all of them make transit officials reach for aspirin.And in The Last Word, we explore the annual phenomenon where perfectly capable students suddenly develop an inability to open a textbook, answer an email, or care about anything that isn't summer vacation. Medical science refuses to recognize it. Teachers know it's real. Parents know it's real. Students definitely know it's real. And every year, from May through graduation, it spreads faster than a group chat rumor.It's Disney nostalgia, transit nonsense, and academic exhaustion—proof that growing up means going from watching fictional chaos on television to watching real chaos on the evening news.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Friday, A motorized scooter rider slammed head-on into a bicyclist on the Queensboro Bridge, leaving both dead during the Thursday morning rush, police said. Mayor Mamdani is expected to name a former NYPD officer — who made headlines for suing the police department more than a decade ago — to serve as the Big Apple's next sheriff. Ex-Lt. Edwin Raymond is set to be named to the spot as soon as today, according to people with knowledge of the announcement. And out in the American West, crews have recovered the remains of six of nine workers who were missing after a massive chemical tank ruptured at a paper mill in Washington state, releasing a flood of caustic liquid capable of causing severe burns and lung injuries, officials said.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, Disney Channel is dusting off the 2000s like somebody found an old Zack & Cody DVD under the couch cushions. We dive into the June 1st nostalgia lineup and realizes there are apparently entire Disney Channel eras i completely missed. Seriously — at some point Disney quietly switched generations while some of us were still emotionally invested in Wizards of Waverly Place and pretending we'd survive at Camp Rock.Meanwhile, Chibiverse might secretly be the most entertaining thing Disney Channel has produced in years — a chaotic animated fever dream where every character looks adorable while the plots spiral out of control in the best possible way. Somehow this tiny chibi universe understands crossover chaos better than half the entertainment industry.And in Brandon's Take this week: if you step onto a New York City subway car and the air conditioning actually works? Congratulations. You are no longer using public transportation. You are experiencing a luxury wellness retreat on rails. Because nothing humbles a New Yorker faster than opening the door between cars and accidentally walking into what feels like the inside of a toaster oven with handrails.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Thursday, Democratic members of Congress said they observed dire conditions within a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey where protesters have been demonstrating for days and asserting that detainees are on a hunger strike.A teenage girl and her brother were killed when a devastating blaze ripped through a Westchester County home, trapping the pair inside as firefighters raced to rescue them.And out in the American West, crews resumed the grim search for nine people presumed killed at a Washington state paper mill where a chemical tank ruptured a day earlier in one of the deadliest U.S. workplace accidents in years.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.

From the unaired January 29, 2026 episode of The Update, Brandon takes a look back at two very different moments that somehow both ask the same question: what happens when the past shows up in the present?First, in “The Same Song, New Verse — Now Featuring Tony Dokoupil's Mom,” Brandon unpacks the ongoing identity crisis at CBS Evening News after Tony Dokoupil ended a broadcast by interviewing his own mother. It's not about his mom — she seems lovely — it's about what happens when a flagship evening newscast starts feeling less like Cronkite's house and more like someone accidentally opened FaceTime during the kicker. With plenty of side-eye, Brandon asks the big media question: what exactly is CBS Evening News trying to be now?Then, in “Sometimes the Past Walks In Through the Door,” a surprise visit from Brandon's former boss Shateka at UD Team sends him down memory lane — back to PAL, camp politics, second chances, blue shirts, Brooklyn summer chaos, and the people who believed in him before the story fully made sense. It's funny, reflective, and a little emotional, because sometimes the past doesn't text first. Sometimes it just walks into work and reminds you how far you've come.

In today's edition of The Update Journal, the Knicks are one win away from the Finals, Cleveland is still launching three-pointers like they're trying to pay rent with them, and apparently New York City lost its outside-watch-party privileges because a few people forgot how to behave near Knicks games. We ask the important questions: Why are the Cavs treating every possession like a heat-check? Why does success in New York immediately turn into a crowd-control situation? And who looked at the calendar and decided Memorial Day weekend should roll directly into Eid al-Adha like this was some kind of holiday back-to-back challenge mode?Also included:A completely unbiased* breakdown of the Knicks-Cavs series from someone who “doesn't even watch basketball like that,” yet somehow has very strong opinions.A public safety reminder that New Yorkers cannot be trusted with nice things once playoff basketball enters the group chat.And a deep investigation into why this week feels like it was scheduled by the same people who plan MTA weekend service changes.(*Bias may exist. Especially against unnecessary three-point attempts.)In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, a tree fell on a woman and partially crushed multiple cars in the Bronx on Memorial Day, cops said. Meanwhile, a wet and not-so-wild Memorial Day capped a washout holiday weekend for the Big Apple, leaving Rockaway Beach empty during the unofficial start of summer except for diehard locals and frustrated business owners.A killer executed a man as he washed clothes with his wife at a Brooklyn laundromat Monday morning, cops and sources said. The brazen gunman also accidentally shot a 68-year-old bystander in the foot in the process, they said.And out in the American west in California, a crack has relieved some pressure in a damaged chemical tank and the temperature of the highly flammable gas inside is continuing to fall, leading authorities to say they believe the risk of a catastrophic explosion has been eliminated.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of Year 5 of The Update. When we first started this then-show at WKRB in 2017, the first year had a lot of things going on. Donald Trump's first year in office, mass shootings worldwide, and the Great American Solar Eclipse to name just a few. In Year 5, it was more of the same. There was the Russian war in Ukraine, more mass shootings in America, and the overturning of Roe V. Wade to name just a few that we'll mention. But also, after more than two years out on the road, we made our way to a new studio at UD Team in the summer of 2022. Oh, and one last thing- be on the lookout for some WKRB highlights as we looked back on five years of memories.