The Capitol Pressroom

July 29, 2025 - After nearly two decades as a journalist, including serving as news director WAMC public radio, Ian Pickus is taking a communications job in the Hochul administration. In an excerpt from Dispatches from Planet Albany, we reflect on some of the interviews he coordinated with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

July 29, 2025 - The state Department of Health is implementing a legal settlement to resolve a challenge to its controversial transition of the administration of an expensive home care program. We explore the underlying lawsuit and the impact of the settlement with Elizabeth Jois, supervising attorney with New York Legal Assistance Group's Special Litigation Unit and an attorney for the plaintiffs.

July 29, 2025 - New York Democrats want to use mid-decade redistricting as a way to boost their numbers in Congress, but the legal pathways for this gambit are basically non-existent, according to Jeff Wice, a senior fellow and adjunct professor with the New York Law School's Census and Redistricting Institute.

July 28, 2025 - We learn about some of the complaints to the state's gambling regulator received by the state Inspector General's Office in 2024 and consider some of the controversies they're reviewing in 2025. Our guest is Ryan Hayward, chief of staff for the New York IG's Office.

July 28, 2025 - The social safety net in New York will have some holes moving forward as the result of the Big Beautiful Bill adopted this summer by Republicans in Washington D.C., according to Barbara Guinn, commissioner for the state Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance. We explore the future of housing supports, anti-hunger initiatives, and child poverty.

July 25, 2025 - The death of a state assistant forest ranger has renewed calls for state environmental officials to update the system for tracking government personnel deployed into the wilderness. We discuss this tragedy and the campaign for reform with James Odato, a contributing editor for the Adirondack Explorer.

July 25, 2025 - The legislative session in Albany included a few initiatives to avoid wasteful economic development spending and many more measures that will promote unnecessary government subsidies, according to John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany.

July 25, 2025 - State Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian highlights new regulations designed to ensure more working families have access to discounted energy bills.

July 24, 2025 - This summer, Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the New York Power Authority to get the ball rolling on the development of new nuclear power. We discussed this mandate and how it might be implemented with Charles Imohiosen, senior vice president for external affairs and communication at NYPA.

July 24, 2025 - New York State Office of Mental Health Chief Fiscal Officer Joe Katagiri explains efforts to boost access to mental health and substance abuse treatments for New Yorkers, including removing insurance barriers for Medicaid patients and requiring prompt access to providers.

July 23, 2025 - Public schools across the state have been forced to make hard decisions about programs funded with federal dollars that the Trump administration is looking to claw back. We talk about these challenges and looming budgetary challenges with Brian Cechnicki, executive director of Association of School Business Officials of New York.

July 23, 2025 - No Kid Hungry New York Director Rachel Sabella discusses the potential fallout in the Empire State from federal cuts and changes to the hunger prevention safety net.

July 23, 2025 - For rural communities, a physician assistant is the first and last source of available medical care. We talk about these important health care providers and expanding their capacity with Katie Compagni, a PA in central New York.

July 23, 2025 - New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray discusses federal cuts to emergency services and considers a future without FEMA.

July 22, 2025 - State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli visits the studio to discuss increasing overtime hours and costs from the state workforce, the distribution of unclaimed funds, and whether state policymakers should be tapping into reserve funds to offset federal cuts.

July 22, 2025 - The "Big Beautiful Bill" adopted in July could have massive ramifications for New York's health care system, according to Paul Francis, chair of the Step Two Policy Project. We explore cuts in federal aid to health care providers, New Yorkers losing their state-provided health insurance, and how state policymakers might respond to this new landscape.

July 21, 2025 - Dan Egan, the outgoing head of Feeding New York State, reflects on the demand for food assistance over the last six years and considers how hungry New Yorkers will be affected by changes in Washington D.C.

July 18, 2025 - We check in with Adam Herbst, a former top health official in the state and now a partner with Sheppard Mullin, who describes the funding demands and other implementation challenges for the state master plan on aging.

July 18, 2025 - State Health Commissioner Jim McDonald and State Aging Director Greg Olsen explain how the state's master plan on aging came together, the process of evaluating proposals, and why federal spending cuts could impact implementation.

July 17, 2025 - On this excerpt from Dispatches from Planet Albany, we talk with Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, a Brooklyn Democrat, and NYC DSA Co-Chair Grace Mauser about the Democratic Socialists rallying behind Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign and how they build support for his agenda in Albany.