Citizencast

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 Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter, along with The Citizen’s Larry Platt, spoke with filmmaker Joe Winston and New Yorker writer/Macarthur “genius” Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor explored that question in a live taping of the podcast.  “Fairer is harder,” Reed told the audience, “if you want a bold, inclusive form of politics, it’s just harder…all of us have got to show up.” As cities go, so goes the nation!

On this Citizen edition of Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson, Cait Garozzo sits down with Peterson to discuss job placement strategies for both job seekers and employers in the city. Garozzo is the executive director of The Skills Initiative at University City District.

MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi highlights efforts by Christian Nationalists to break down the protective barriers of church and state separation, including in Oklahoma public schools. 

Listen to the epic second part of this song-by-song review of "A Philly Special Christmas Party" by resident seasonal grinch Olivia Kram.

Can the Philly Specials’ third holiday record — featuring Stevie Nicks and Mt. Joy — sway a seasonal music grinch? Listen to the first part of this song-by-song review of "A Philly Special Christmas Party."