Featured News
The Justice Department has failed to secure a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge dismissed the previous mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by President Donald Trump. Prosecutors went back to a grand jury in Virginia after a judge’s ruling halting the prosecution of James and another longtime Trump foe, former FBI Director James Comey, on the grounds that the U.S. attorney who presented the cases was illegally appointed. Thursday's failed indictment against James is the latest setback for the Justice Department in its bid to prosecute the frequent political target of the Republican president.
WAMC Programs
On this week's 51%, we speak with Keene State College Professor Dr. Lisa DiGiovanni about "militarized masculinity," and the connection between authoritarianism, state violence, and misogyny. In her new book, Militarized Masculinity in Spain and Chile, DiGiovanni outlines how hyper-masculinity and the idolization of the military contributed to the rise of Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco in the 1930s and Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s. In both cases, DiGiovanni says backlash to social progress for women and minorities helped catapult these men to power. She also examines how the arts were used to resist or expose these regimes in their later years, and lays out the warning signs that other countries, including the U.S., should watch for.
The Met Opera also returns this season with wide-ranging performances that bring joy to the ears, beginning with Puccini's "La bohème." The season will also bring all the classics from Carmen's "Bizet" to Verdi's "La Traviata." The Met Opera airs Saturdays at 1 p.m. beginning Dec. 6 through May 30, 2026.
New York Public Media
A University at Buffalo student who allegedly threatened to carry out a school shooting may be under an interim suspension, according to UB policy.
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Last week, President Trump used the word "retarded" in a post. He's not the only elected official to use the slur. Is this alienating disabled voters and their families?
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For more than three decades, he was among the most respected reporters and anchors in Buffalo radio. Mark Leitner died Monday in Florida at the age of 80, following a lengthy illness.
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A local non-profit is sounding the alarm over increasing rates of self-harm and thoughts of suicide among youth in the Finger Lakes region and calling for school-based responses to prevent further harm.
NPR News
The Supreme Court has cleared the way for a Texas congressional map that may help the GOP win five more U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms. A lower court found the map is likely unconstitutional.
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After a contentious discussion, the vaccine advisory group pushed the vote to Friday to give members time to study the language of proposed changes longstanding policy on the shots.
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A memo obtained by NPR shows the Justice Department is telling inspectors to stop evaluating prisons using standards designed to protect trans and other LGBTQ community members from sexual violence.
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The U.S. is "comprehensively reviewing" its relationship with Tanzania after hundreds were killed in a violent post-election crackdown.