WAMC | Northeast Public Radio

Trans And Nonbinary Candidates Set Record Wins In Red And Blue States

In the 2020 general election, voters elected six transgender candidates to state office, a historic turn that will increase the number of trans elected officials in state legislatures from four to seven nationwide. "For the entire LGBTQ community, but especially for trans people, these victories are incredibly meaningful and indicate a growing level of acceptance that definitely was not there just a few years before," says Elliot Imse, Senior Director of Communications at LGBTQ Victory Fund....

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Pfizer Says Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Is More Than 90% Effective

Updated at 3:15 p.m. ET Pfizer's experimental COVID-19 vaccine appears to be working. The vaccine was found to be more than 90% effective, according to clinical results released by the company Monday. That news comes from an interim analysis of a study involving 43,538 volunteers, 42% of whom had "diverse backgrounds." Each participant got two injections spaced 21 days apart. The analysis compared the number of cases of COVID-19 among the volunteers getting the vaccine with an approximately...

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Mexico's president says he's not ready to send felicitaciones to President-elect Joe Biden, saying he wants to wait for U.S. authorities to certify Biden formally as the victor.

"We cannot meddle in the politics of other countries. ... We have to be respectful," President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday at his regular morning news conference.

In the 2020 general election, voters elected six transgender candidates to state office, a historic turn that will increase the number of trans elected officials in state legislatures from four to seven nationwide.

"For the entire LGBTQ community, but especially for trans people, these victories are incredibly meaningful and indicate a growing level of acceptance that definitely was not there just a few years before," says Elliot Imse, Senior Director of Communications at LGBTQ Victory Fund.

Chris Rosenquest observes absentee ballot count
Pat Bradley/WAMC

Chris Rosenquest will be the next mayor of Plattsburgh, New York.

Campus President Dr. Havidán Rodríguez speaking to state troopers at the UAlbany COVID-19 testing drive-thru.
Jackie Orchard / WAMC

Due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, the University at Albany is moving to fully virtual classes for the rest of the fall semester starting Tuesday. 

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with outgoing Nebraska state Sen. Ernie Chambers about his fight to keep the state from adopting a "winner-take-all" system and Joe Biden winning one electoral vote there.

In a typical year, it's an uneasy task for the nation's child welfare system to recruit new foster parents. Now there are signs the pandemic and financial issues are making it even harder.

President-elect Biden has begun work on getting his administration in place, but the Trump administration has yet to hand him the keys to begin the transition formally.

County Executive McCoy Provides Daily Update on the COVID-19 Response in Albany County.
County of Albany / YouTube

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Albany County has been steadily rising, prompting a new round of stern warnings from local officials.

Health insurers used to be able to deny coverage – or charge more – for an applicant who had a preexisting medical condition. That's the industry term for a condition that could range from allergies to cancer.

The Affordable Care Act changed all that as of 2014, guaranteeing coverage for those with preexisting conditions. But now the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments, starting Tuesday, on a case filed to overturn the Affordable Care Act.

When President Trump took office, he quickly unleashed a torrent of immigration policies — including his first "travel ban" on people from majority-Muslim countries.

President-elect Biden is now expected to reverse that policy — along with other controversial Trump administration actions — in the first days of his administration.

But other recent changes to the nation's immigration system may take months, if not years, to unwind. And experts say Biden's ability to reshape the U.S. immigration system will be sharply limited if Republicans retain control of the Senate.

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WAMC’s Interviews With Gov. Cuomo

WAMC’s Alan Chartock regularly interviews New York Governor Andrew Cuomo about state and national politics, the pandemic, and more.

ALERT: WWES, 88.9 FM, Mt. Kisco, NY is OFF AIR

We're in the process of moving WWES to a new location and while we are working to get back on-air quickly we cannot anticipate exactly when we’ll be able to restore the signal.

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