On this episode of Big Rube's Philly, Reuben Harley visits with Jamar Blackshear of Halal Fitness LLC to talk about his rise as a fitness star after paying his debt to society, about his pro bono work with kids, and of course, about his world-famous burpees.
With the 76 Place debate behind us, let's get down to actual neighborhood and city planning and make a decision about the Roundhouse. It has a lot of potential.
Third-party fact checkers were axed from Meta for being "biased and overly politically correct." Ali Velshi speaks with two of those fact-checkers about the real threats facing social media in this new era.
In this interview special, Elijah Wald, South Philly author of the book behind "A Complete Unknown" discusses what the film missed, compares Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift and makes thought-provoking points about today's pop antiheros.
A lifelong Eagles fan asked the NFL to open the stadium for away games for years, but the plan to open the Linc to everyone for the Super Bowl is a fail
Meet our Youth Citizen of the Year, who at just 15, has given 79,000 pairs of socks to vulnerable Philadelphians through his 501(c)(3) Socks for the Streets.
... but remember diversity, equity and inclusion. Longtime university president Elaine Maimon mourns the attack on the ideas — and very words — that are so vital to our democracy.
Birthright citizenship is "an integral part of repudiating this nation's history of slavery," Ali Velshi explains. "To undermine [it], would be a return to some of our nation's darkest days." From slavery to the Chinese Exclusion Act of the nineteenth century, the 14th Amendment has been a remedy to our most discriminatory impulses.
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia made concessions radically affordable. Another miss by Mayor Parker and City Council in the run-up to 76 Place ...
"There's a writer for the Atlantic in 1894 who said, 'Every two years one party is obliterated, and then two years later, the other party is obliterated,' so I'm not saying this isn't the beginning of some grand realignment, but it might [simply] be the peak of a new cycle." Author Jon Grinspan put forward this observation in the second part of our opening panel at the 2024 Ideas We Should Steal Festival.
When it comes to deeply polarized politics in America, we've been here before. In this two-part event from our Ideas We Should Steal Festival 2024, Larry chats with MSNBC's Ali Velshi and author Jon Grinspan, who wrote "Age of Acrimony." Velshi and Grinspan explain that the solutions to our acrimonious future can be found in our past.
Citizen contributor and Evening WURDs host Dr. James Peterson starts a new segment called Evening Stories. On this episode, he and guest Ann Smith discuss the importance of "The Danger Of A Single Story," by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
This book is a "clear commentary on how society pushes women to their breaking point, pits them against one another, and then abandons them," Velshi says as he invites author Paula Hawkins onto the show to discuss the banning of her novel in Ron DeSantis's Florida.
On this year's final episode of How To Really Run A City, we thought listeners could use a good laugh. Larry Platt takes us through the year's funniest moments, from how former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed gets his gangsta lean on to former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter's "drugged up" call-in from his car. This year we had randy guests, mayors incognito and a dead tree in Wilmington, Delaware that just won't be removed. "It's all good! This is the podcast, this is what we do," Larry said, chuckling af...
The seven principles of this weeklong celebration, which starts today, are good guides for how to live all year round. Citizen contributor and WURD host Dr. James Peterson reflects on the ideal that means the most to him.
On this collaboration with Evening WURDs, Dr. James Peterson chats with Julian Plotnick of 4 Day Philly who explains why we should actually be working less.
The Citizen is not abandoning X despite — actually, because of — the divisiveness and disinformation that abounds. Olivia Kram explains why.
"The FDIC has a perfect record of protecting insured bank deposits for over ninety years." Ali Velshi breaks down the role of the FDIC and explains why the Trump transition team asking if it can be eliminated is a really bad idea.
Can 5-term Congressman Brendan Boyle offer an object lesson in getting back to common purpose? Or is he the last of a dying breed? Larry chats with him to find out.
We are proud to introduce our annual group of all-stars who are making Philadelphia better — and inspiring us all to do the same.
A former Parks and Recreation Sustainability Manager argues the $11 million dollars being spent on a second trash day for parts of South Philly and Center City could be better spent.
Philadelphia’s status as the nation’s poorest big city is a major cause of its gunfire. In collaboration with The Trace, CitizenCast brings Mensah M. Dean's examination of race and gun violence to listeners as a three-part audio series. Part 3 unearths the stories of two Philadelphians who were trapped in the devastating cycle of poverty and violence, but found their way out.
The first Trump administration has a "history of attacking journalists, of calling for violence against journalists, of suing and surveilling journalists, and trying to legislate against [them]." Ali Velshi's guest host, Charles Coleman Jr. invites onto the show Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer-prize-winning author and founder of the Center for Journalism & Democracy at Howard University. They discuss some of the most vital battles journalists will face in the next four years.
Last week’s musings about corruption in City Hall raises a lot of questions, including: What's illegal, and what’s just … kinda gross?
The work of Temple researcher Dr. Anjali Rajadhyaksha is on track to radically change pain management and the opioid crisis. Citizen writer Malcolm Burnley sits down with her for a special interview.
Philadelphia gunfire has taken grandfathers, brothers, cousins, children. Intergenerational loss reflects the roots of the shooting epidemic. In collaboration with The Trace, CitizenCast brings Mensah Dean's examination of race and gun violence to listeners as a three-part audio series. Part 2 considers the traumatic cases of former State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell.
Black Philadelphians have died at disproportionately high rates for more than a century. In collaboration with The Trace, CitizenCast brings Mensah Dean's examination of race and gun violence to listeners as a three-part audio series. Part 1 looks at the origins of the crisis through the heartbreaking story of ten-year-old Faheem Thomas-Childs.
Becky Albertalli's YA novel has been challenged and banned in several conservative states, including Florida, Texas and Utah. Ali Velshi invites Albertalli onto the Velshi Banned Book Club to talk about why her book was banned, and how so many LGBTQ stories are being target right now.
On this episode of The Fix, Larry looks at Mayor Parker’s City Hall and asks, is anything being done to clean up the city's corruption problem?
Chicago’s late, legendary first African-American mayor, Harold Washington propelled his charisma and grassroots support to topple his city’s legendary machine and remake its government — a story brilliantly told in Punch 9 For Harold Washington, which The Citizen screened on the opening night of the Ideas We Should Steal Festival last month. What can Philadelphia today take away from Washington’s political courage in decades past? On this episode of How to Really Run A City , hosts former Atlant...
