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June 30, 2026 - In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt, we talk with New York Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs about the primary results, how Democrats will prepare for November, and his future as the party's leader.

June 30, 2026- New York Lawyers for Public Interest Environmental Justice Director Caroline Chen discusses the danger of extreme heat and makes the case for tracking heat-related deaths in the Empire State.

June 30, 2026- We talk to State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Willow Baer about the Hochul administration's commitment to providing integrated services to New Yorkers with disabilities as the Trump administration backs off its commitment to local programs.

June 30, 2026- Association of Towns of the State of New York Executive Director Chris Koetzle talks about the legislative session at the Capitol and highlights unfinished business for next year.

June 26, 2026- State Authorities Budget Office Director Joshua Norkin discusses the lucrative public subsidies local economic development agencies are offering for data center projects.

June 26, 2026- Parks and Trails New York Executive Director Paul Steely White talks about the 750-mile Empire State Trail's impact and what state officials can do to foster its growth.

June 26, 2026- The U.S. Supreme Court is not weighing in on a challenge to New York's law enabling lawsuits against gun companies. We discuss the implications with the measure's senate champion, Brooklyn Democrat Zellnor Myrie.

June 26, 2026- We shine a spotlight on good government bills approved by state lawmakers, as well as some that didn't make it across the finish line, with Blair Horner, senior policy advisor at the New York Public Interest Research Group.

June 25, 2026- We check in with Bria Nickerson, the recently appointed executive director of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus. We discuss the mission of the caucus and why she's excited about this new opportunity.

June 25, 2026- Assemblymember John McDonald, a capital region Democrat, makes the case for setting a minimum dispensing fee that prescription drug middlemen pay to pharmacists.

June 24, 2026 - Legislation championed by New York's attorney general that would restrict how a person's online data informed what businesses charged them for goods and services made it through the state legislature. We consider potential downsides for grocery shoppers with Mike Durant, president and CEO of the Food Industry Alliance of New York.

June 23, 2026- Assemblymember Karen McMahon, a Buffalo-area Democrat, makes the case for increasing an income tax credit for volunteer firefighters and explains how her proposal gained traction in Albany.

June 23, 2026- We explore legislation expanding New York's firearm storage law to include all gun owners in the state. We talk with the measure's senate sponsor, Manhattan Democrat Erik Bottcher.

June 23, 2026- Host David Lombardo looks back at the session and budget with Capitol Confidential author Dan Clark and Bloomberg Government Capitol reporter Raga Justin. This conversation was recorded for the monthly Capitol Pressroom television broadcast.

June 22, 2026- New York State Budget Director Blake Washington talks about the state's recently adopted budget and the Empire State's financial shape.

June 22, 2026- In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt we talk about campaign mail with political consultant Trip Yang.

June 19, 2026- State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham reflects on new federal overdose data and reviews initiatives in the state budget.

June 19, 2026- New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person makes the case against a federal tax credit for donations to school scholarships and lays out a push to reduce screen time in schools.

June 19, 2026- Environmental conservation law enforcement efforts have been undermined by a lack of resources and meaningful fines, but Democratic lawmakers are hoping to change that calculation. We discuss a pending legislative proposal with Matt Krug, a vice president with the union representing state environmental conservation officers.

June 16, 2026- We consider what the adopted state budget does - and doesn't do - to make child care more accessible. We talk subsidies, workforce investments and pilot programs with Schuyler Center for Analysis & Advocacy Vice President of Policy Dede Hill and Alliance for a Quality Education Co-Executive Director Marina Marcou-O’Malley.

June 16, 2026- Kathleen Brady-Stepien, president and CEO of the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies, discusses state funding for human services providers and explore the future of foster care providers, which are grappling with high insurance costs and serving a broader swath of family members.

June 16, 2026- We explore the real and perceived powers of a state office responsible for permitting large-scale solar projects and the development of transmission infrastructure. Our guest is Jessica Waldorf, chief of staff and director of policy implementation for the New York State Department of Public Service.

June 9, 2026-We check in with Taa Grays, the new president of the New York State Bar Association. We discuss her priorities for the organization, the role of a private right to action to protect consumers, and the spotlight on trial lawyers during the budget debate.

June 9, 2026- Politico New York reporter Marie French discusses environmental and energy headlines from the legislative session in Albany, including the horse trading involved in Gov. Kathy Hochul's effort to curtail the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals.

June 9, 2026- New York policymakers on both sides of the aisle got behind budget language that sweetens public sector pensions and comes with an estimated price tag of more than half a billion dollars. We consider why this is a good public policy with Joshua Terry, legislative and political director for CSEA, the state's second largest public sector union.

May 12, 2026- Efforts in New York to scale back the use of a popular coolant that contributes to climate change has generated bipartisan pushback. We discuss what the implementation of these restrictions should look like with Richie Kaur, senior super pollutant reduction advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

May 12, 2026- New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe makes the case for the state to stay on track with the implementation of a 2019 state law designed to reduce the Empire State's carbon footprint. We discuss about regulatory and legislative efforts to curb the ambitious law.

May 11, 2026- State law requires school districts to adopt zero-emission school buses by 2035, so we discuss the implementation of this controversial mandate with Adam Ruder, director of clean transportation for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

May 11, 2026- The increase in online ordering has driven up the number of warehouses across the state, with environmentalists raising concerns about the concentrated pollution from delivery vehicles. We discuss pending legislation designed to curb the environmental risk with Sasan Saadat, senior research and policy analyst at Earthjustice.

May 11, 2026- Assembly Children and Families Committee Chair Andrew Hevesi, a Queens Democrat, talks about regulatory changes to ensure vulnerable kids are getting the behavioral health services they need. He also makes some last-minute pitches for the state budget and laments this year's budget process.

May 1, 2026- The New York Foundling President and CEO Melanie Hartzog discusses programs designed to prevent child abuse and discusses the network needed to support survivors of abuse.

May 1, 2026- A state law designed to limit rent increases for mobile park residents could get stronger teeth if an update is approved by the governor. We discuss the pending measure with Yvonne Maldonado, former New York organizer for Manufactured Housing Action.

May 1, 2026- Assemblymember Michael Cashman, a Plattsburgh Democrat, shares ideas to address safety in New York prisons.

May 1, 2026- We revisit the dispute resolution process for determining the reimbursement rates for out-of-network emergency services. Our guest is Dr. Thomas Lee, executive vice president of the Medical Society of the State of New York.

April 24, 2026- Keene Town Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson talks about managing the visitors to the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks following a controversial report that recommended capping attendance to certain spots.

April 24, 2026- New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang discusses her office's report on workers' compensation fraud in 2025.

April 24, 2026- The door to fracking in the Southern Tier has seemed closed for more than a decade, but a new lawsuit may give new life to the idea. We discuss the case in federal court with Yvonne Hennessey, a partner with Barclay Damon.

April 9, 2026- A coalition of major business interests in the Big Apple are launching an advertising campaign opposing higher taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and large corporations in the state budget. We talk about the opposition with Steven Fulop, president and CEO of Partnership for New York City.

April 9, 2026- Assemblymember Paula Elaine Kay, a Hudson Valley Democrat, discusses her legislation requiring a prompt response by utilities when they're notified about downed electrical wires.

April 9, 2026- We discuss an increase in veteran suicides in New York during 2023, the latest year with available federal data. Our guest is Derek Coy, senior program officer for the New York Health Foundation.

April 8, 2026 - Assemblymember Ron Kim, a Queens Democrat, makes the case for requiring insurance companies to cover acupuncture services prescribed by a health care providers.

April 8, 2026 - Assemblymember Matt Simpson, an Adirondack Republican, discusses his concerns about solar projects eating up green space and also advocates against land restrictions for oil and gas extraction.

April 8, 2026 - State Senate Aging Committee Chair Cordell Cleare, a Harlem Democrat, and Dan Savitt, president and CEO of VNS Health, call for updating how the state distributes Medicaid dollars for long-term care in order to ensure funding is available for New Yorkers with intense needs.

April 8, 2026 - The Trump administration seems poised to greenlight a major Hollywood merger without much scrutiny, so we consider whether state attorneys general can intervene. We discuss the powers of New York's attorney general with Phillip Berenbroick, senior strategist at the American Economic Liberties Project.

April 7, 2026- Education Trust-New York Executive Director Arlen Benjamin-Gomez makes the case for delaying the implementation of a state law requiring New York City public schools hit classroom size ratios that they won't be able to achieve this fall.

April 7, 2026- Assemblymember Sarah Clark, a Rochester-area Democrat, provides an update on child care negotiations in the state budget.

April 7, 2026- We explore how the Hochul administration is responding to federal changes that will impact how 1.7 million low-income New Yorkers get high-quality affordable health insurance. Our guest is Danielle Holahan, executive director of NY State of Health.

April 6, 2026- Assemblymember Al Stirpe, a Syracuse-area Democrat, talks about updating the alcohol laws in the Empire State, including rules governing licensing and where drinks can be sold.

April 6, 2026- We explore the state of New York's psychiatric care system for children with severe mental health needs. Our guest is Northern Rivers Family of Services CEO Bill Gettman.

April 6, 2026- New York Conference of Mayors Executive Director Barbara Van Epps makes the case for increasing state support for municipalities and responds to a campaign to sweeten pensions for public employees.