Mr. Trump has successfully secured a deal with the EU and assuming it holds as they work out the details, it is, in fact, significant. How will this deal impact foreign policy?

I grew up in the American West, and I still have some family out that way, which is how it happens that I found myself last week casting flies into a clear mountain stream – one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorites, in fact. I was hoping that I might fool a rainbow trout into believing that my little fly might be a delicious dinner.

One of the best things about theater is when a show without a strong reputation proves a very special experience. That was my experience with “The Little Mermaid” which is being presented by Playhouse Stage at Cohoes Music Hal through August 17.

The call of a blue jay in the trees isn’t unusual. But the call of a blue jay that was, until recently, a family member, is. “He was released just yesterday,” Sue Geel told me as she led the way into Lucky Rehabilitation Center in Spencertown, NY. She added, “He comes down for snacks.”

The Erie Canal opened in 1825, and this summer from Albany to Buffalo there have been celebrations of this milestone in American history. From concerts to museum exhibits, upstate New York has been tributing the extraordinary advancement in modern transportation that the Canal provided.

Bang on a Can’s annual Loud Weekend festival of contemporary music takes place at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., today through Saturday. This year Bang on a Can features an eclectic mix of creative, experimental, and unusual music by the likes of Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, Steve Reich, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jeffrey Brooks, Ted Hearne, Tamar Muskal, among others.

Presenting this week's highlights from the WAMC Listener Comment Line.

It started as a footnote in the horrific shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan, where a gunman walked into the midtown office building with a semi-automatic rifle and killed four and severely injured another before killing himself.

Jacob’s Pillow, founded by Ted Shawn in 1931, presents another month of world-class dance under the direction of Pam Tatge and her team, featuring 21 companies. Jacob’s Pillow accomplishes in one month what other festivals take an entire season to achieve.

I intended to talk about the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle programs to stop global warming. Then I read an article in the Sunday Times about “A Clash Over a Promotion Put[ting Secretary of Defense] Hegseth at Odds With His Generals.” It describes: