Citizencast

MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi reminds us that nepotism, influence peddling and quid pro quo were par for the course during the last president's administration

All but lost in the breathless account of escaped murderer Danilo Cavalcante was the reason he was in jail in the first place

Highly successful speed cameras pilot program slowed traffic and saved lives on Roosevelt Boulevard. How to sustain + track these studies?

Donald Trump has made the absurd claim that the country is currently operating as a Banana Republic. MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi breaks down where the term actually comes from, and the irony of someone like Trump weaponizing the term.

In this episode of Big Rube's Philly, Big Rube reconnects with longtime West Philly friend MaryAnn Morris, creator of The Dreamsleeve. Fabolous is a fan.

MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi invites Jonathan Evison onto #velshibannedbookclub to discuss his book, "Lawn Boy." Evison grapples with whether America has delivered on its grand promises - a theme that not only saw his book banned in several school districts, but brought death threats and cyber attacks to his front door.

Radical reform made simple? Changing the way we elect our City Council president could return your city government to you.

On this episode of How To Really Run A City, our hosts invite L.A.'s mayor, Karen Bass, to the show. Within the first six months of her term, Mayor Bass faced the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike and the teachers’ strike. She moved more than 14,000 unhoused Angelenos inside, relocating people from encampment tents into motels. She’s also taken the helm of the city’s Metro system, and she pledges to make the 2028 Olympics car-free. We ask her how she's been so productive – and remained so passionate? 

Trump is capitalizing immensely from his grievances and arrests. MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi puts this martyr mindset in the context of Lenin, religious icons and the Soviet Union.  

On this episode of Guest Commentary, Philadelphia once led the country on keeping rents down. The director of our city’s Rent Control Coalition says we can do it again.

Last Friday, Citizen co-founder Larry Platt was inspired to write an article, in part, due to the banning of "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by an Iowa school district. On this episode of #velshibannedbookclub, MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi speaks with Imani Perry, author and professor of African American Studies at Harvard. They discuss the legacy of Maya Angelou's seminal novel and dig into some of its most impactful scenes. It's little wonder that in certain areas of the country, this book ends up on banned lists. 

The canceling of books by Elizabeth Gilbert and Buzz Bissinger are examples of a new American mantra: Free speech for me, but not for thee

Ahead of the premiere of KELCE on September 12, we hear from the filmmakers and listen to the film's new trailer

On this episode of Guest Commentary, Center City businesses return to the office and vacant spaces become residences. Branding us an "urban doom loop" just isn't accurate.

On this episode of Ideas We Should Steal, a group called Taking Ownership PDX is preserving Black wealth in Portland through housing reparations by helping Black homeowners repair their homes

In light of Donald Trump and his co-defendants being booked (and then released) in Atlanta last week, MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi dissects how the bail system spares the wealthy while heavily disadvantaging the poorest of Americans

A Philadelphia police shooting has left a young man dead and exposed a false narrative from officials. How long do we wait for justice?

What are the arguments FOR banning books in America? MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi sits down with Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to the freedom to read and write. They dissect some of the most prevalent arguments for banning books and demonstrate why the pros of free ideas vastly outweigh the costs. 

On this episode of Big Rube's Philly, Big Rube chats with Liz Bench of Penny Wise Thrift Shop. Big Rube is a fashion forerunner and through-and-through Philadelphian revealing the best spot for thrifting in the city. Hint: It’s outside city limits.

In an excerpt of Live to See the Day, a new book about surviving poverty in Kensington, a teenager pleads for his high school to stay open