Citizencast

Budget cuts. School closures. Structural deficit. Scant academic progress. Spin from District headquarters. Larry Platt asks: Is Superintendent Watlington up to being a transformational leader?

For the past six years, Bloomberg Philanthropies has held the  Mayors Challenge, a competition that awards cities $1 million prizes to spur innovative solutions to ingrained urban problems. This week's guests are Challenge leader Aparna Ramanan and Challenge grantee, Lafayette, LA Mayor Monique Blanco Boulet. Join former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Citizen Co-Founder Larry Platt for an eye-opening conversation about what it takes to innovate in a city. (Lafayette's problem might sound familiarly stinky to Philadelphians: old, failing, sewers.) Blanco Boulet believes true innovation must start with a change of mindset. "Critical thinking is just not natural in government. If I don't know where we're having flood issues, I could just choose anywhere [to put the money]. That happens. That's not abnormal for government in the absence of real decision-making." Join us for an episode about cities tackling entrenched problems and the public-private partnerships like Bloomb

Kimberly McGlonn is back, this time answering a listener question about moving on. Sometimes it's a job, a city, a relationship, or a dream, but how does a person know when it's time to go? If you have a question for Kimberly, go here to ask and we'll do our best to feature it in an upcoming episode.

On this episode of Guest Commentary, a former City Council and School Reform Commission member weighs in on what a $300 million budget deficit says about School District leadership

Right out of the pages of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Republicans in Ohio proposed a bill that would "allow the government to track every pregnancy, beginning to end." Ali Velshi explains.

If you have unwanted rodent visitors, there are two docs from Drexel who are asking Philadelphians to put them in the freezer. For science. They even have a few pointers for catching the elusive pests.

On this episode of The Citizen Recommends, Roxanne Patel Shepelavy asks why pay Silicon Valley tech companies for your ride when locally-owned taxi cabs are faster, cost less and put money back into Philadelphia's economy?

Pups are everywhere these days, thanks to indulgent owners and business proprietors. Guess what else is everywhere -- sidewalks, street corners, soles of shoes?

In all the talk over closing and fixing up Philly schools, there is no mention of building new ones that might serve the community better. Can we look to New York City and Boston for solutions we should steal?

Picture more than a dozen pregnant teenage girls crammed into a single building, Ali Velshi explains. They're scared. They're alone. They don't know what's going to happen to them and they don't have access to adequate healthcare.

On this episode of How To Really Run A City, Michael Smerconish joins the show.  Smerconish is a Sirius XM and CNN host, a prolific political commentator, a nationally recognized author — and leader of the fight for a political center in the U.S., which means having a robust media. "I think the press is being hollowed out," said former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Local outlets are disappearing, the press is "functionally gutted; there's no longer a paper on your porch … and there's been a conservative effort to buy up local media because [it] still has credibility with folks." Smerconish is also an activist for voters who refuse to align with either of the two major parties. "I became so disenchanted with the Bush administration (W.) for their inability to go kill bin Laden," he said. He then swam against the tide of his own listener base by announcing his support for Barack Obama's presidential run in 2008. "How do you feel about that vote today?" asked former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. "Oh my god, I f

On this episode of Big Rube's Philly, Lauren McCutcheon discusses with Reuben Harley the most iconic musicians he's ever photographed. Jay-Z, Usher, Snoop Dog, Meek Mill, Rube tells some of his favorite personal stories.

Kimberly McGlonn is back with gentle wisdom to help you navigate life's tough situations. One listener asks how to manage shifting work identities. Kimberly advises recognizing your fears — and using your excitement to motivate change. If you have a question for Kimberly, submit it here. We'll do our best to feature it in an upcoming episode.

Ahead of the country's 250th anniversary, the historic tall ship Gazela celebrates getting to 125 — with a little help from her friends in Philadelphia

Donald Trump nonchalantly dropped this line about American casualties in a widening Middle East conflict. "The way he was talking about it," says Ali Velshi, "you'd think he was talking about the weather." More worrisome, military commanders are framing the war within Christian ideology. "To the extent that you turn this into a religious war, you almost guarantee your own defeat."

How the hell did that happen? Larry Platt asks this week. And why is the mayor not taking more credit for it? On this episode, the anatomy of a stunning turnaround for the city.

On this episode of How To Really Run A City, our hosts, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt, invite onto the show a guest well-known to our mayors.   Jannet Walker-Ford is a nationally recognized transportation expert who worked on the recently released Special Event Transportation — Guidance and Opportunities Playbook (SetGo) to help transit agencies navigate "mega-events" like the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the many semiquincentennial celebrations across the country. Join us for a timely conversation about how the United States needs to prepare for this blockbuster year when millions of visitors and celebrants will enter our cities and transportation systems. As cities go, so goes the nation!

On a special interview edition, Luke Mickelson comes onto the show to talk about his crusade against child bedlessness. Mickelson is the founder of Sleep In Heavenly Peace (SHP), whose local chapters have made and delivered more than 350,000 beds to kids that had formerly been sleeping on floors, couch cushions, etc. To find out more, visit shpbeds.org. Episode correction: SHP does not have a Philadelphia chapter yet. There is a New Jersey chapter. Those interested in contacting the closest local chapter can reach out to Sarah Fulton at sarah.fulton@shpbeds.org, or 844-432-2337 x5977

On this episode of Dear Kimberly, one reader asks how jealousy can be tamed. Kimberly McGlonn suggests recognizing the feeling and then honestly interrogating it.

After U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, Ali Velshi weighs in with  Pennsylvania Rep. Chrissy Houlahan