the capitol connection

(Airs 05/15/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with New York State Assembly Republican Minority Leader William Barclay about the newly passed $254 billion dollar state budget and why he thinks the price tag is too high, the impact of federal cuts on New York, Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik exploring a run for Governor, and much more.

(Airs 05/08/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with Nic Rangel, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (LASNNY), about the state of free legal services in New York, how new DEI regulations from the Trump Administration are impacting legal work, how the state budget could impact their funding, and much more.

(Airs 05/01/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with David Lombardo, host of The Capitol Pressroom, about the new $254 billion state budget, the Governor’s affordability agenda, the prospect of more federal cuts and the impact on New York, and much more.

(Airs 04/24/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes about the status of budget negotiations, whether the lawmakers will have to come back in a special session to deal with cuts from the federal government, and much more.

(Airs 04/17/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with Dr. Donald Levy, Director of the Siena College Research Institute, home of the Siena Poll. We’ll talk about how New Yorkers responded to a Covid-19 survey, five years after the pandemic.

(Airs 04/10/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with John Kaehny, Executive Director and a founding board member of Reinvent Albany, about transparency in state government, current budget negotiations, the impact of federal cuts on New York, and much more.

(Airs 03/27/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with New York state Republican Assemblyman Ed Ra about the continuing budget negotiations over a possible cell phone ban in schools, criminal justice issues, and much more.

(Airs 03/13/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with Dale Bryk, a lawyer based at the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard Law School. Dale was previously the Deputy Secretary for Energy and Environment for the State of New York. We’ll talk with Dale about the impact of the EPA freezing climate funds from Climate United, the subsequent lawsuit, and the impact on environmental funding flowing into New York.

(Airs 03/06/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with David Lombardo, Host of the Capitol Pressroom on WCNY about the major items left to be resolved in budget negotiations, how federal cuts will impact New York, the New York City Mayoral race, and much more.

(Airs 02/27/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with Natasha Pernicka, Executive Director of The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York, about the growing problem of hunger across the state.