By Bob Hennelly

The BBC is reporting that the next few days in Gaza are "make or break," according to the UN, as Israel's military pauses its ongoing attacks following a global outcry about the toll on Gaza's civilian population. The pause comes after the World Health Organization said on Sunday that malnutrition has reached "alarming levels" in Gaza with one in three people going without food for "multiple days in a row." 

By Bob Hennelly

Last week, the Congress voted to end the funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, long a goal of America's radical right wing. Created  in 1967, the Corporation of Public Broadcasting was  founded as a publicly funded non-profit to guarantee high quality, universal access to arts, educational and public affair programming to 1,400 locally-owned and operated public radio and TV stations. For years, for fear of being blamed for killing off “Big Bird” and the beloved Sesame Street, forced enough Republicans to vote with Democrats to keep CPB. President Trump’s re-election radically altered that political calculus, however, and so last week the axe finally came down on CPB.

By Bob Hennelly

On this edition of WBAI’s "What’s going On?” we open with BBC reports that in central Gaza the Israeli military has launched "yet another devastating blow" to humanitarian relief efforts in an area that the IDF had previously refrained from directly attacking.

By Bob Hennelly

Almost six months into Trump 2.0 and President Trump is pressing ahead with his controversial plan to deport millions of immigrants, many of whom are essential workers in the healthcare, agricultural and construction sectors. While the federal courts slow the pace of the implementation of Trump’s agenda, The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has been largely deferential to the White House letting President Trump move ahead while the litigation in the lower courts proceeds.

By Bob Hennelly

Across the country and here in our region local and state governments are scrambling to assess the damage from the passage of President Trump's so-called "Big Beautiful" bill. The new budget bill strips 17 million Americans of their healthcare and shrinks the vital food stamp program—all to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers and corporations while exponentially increasing spending to execute Trump's mass deportation program by making Immigration and Customs Enforcement the nation's largest law enforcement agency. 

By Bob Hennelly

On this episode of WBAI’s Front Line Voices, host Rebecca Myles explores the impact Trump's so-called “Big Beautiful” tax bill will have on working families with Sarah Anderson from the Institute for Policies Studies. India Walton also discusses her unsuccessful run for Mayor of Buffalo as a democratic socialist and what it may portend for Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani’s run for New York City mayor.

By Bob Hennelly

On the latest episode of "What’s Going On?” Vinnie Variale, president of DC 37 Local 3621—the FDNY EMS officers union—talks about Mayor Eric Adams’ handling of NYC’s deepening EMS crisis where response times have risen in excess of ten minutes for the most serious life threatening situations as calls volumes continue to surge.

By Bob Hennelly

On this episode of “What’s Going On?’ we talk more about the big victory New York City municipal retirees have won in the fight against Medicare Advantage with New York City Organization of Public Services Retirees Marianne Pizzitola.

By Bob Hennelly

On this episode of “What’s Going On?” we talk with New York City Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez to discuss his retirement and the status of the American labor movement as he turns the page. Alvarez helped to restore the image of the CLC after it was rocked by a massive corruption scandal before he was elected its first full-time president in 2011. 

By Bob Hennelly

On this episode of “What’s Going On?” We speak with Maura Collinsgru, policy director with Citizen Action, Carol Tanzi, chief shop steward of USW Steelworkers Nurses Local 4-200, and Larry Hamm, founder of the People’s Organization for Progress. 

By Bob Hennelly

The Trump administration sparked community protests in Los Angeles over the weekend after sending squads of military gear-equipped ICE agents on high-profile raids throughout the city including a local Home Depot where many day laborers typically gather for work.  

By Bob Hennelly

On this episode of WBAI’s “What’s Going On?” we get a regional update from Shameka Burnette-Mathews from 1199SEIU about the union's strike at five for-profit nursing homes in western New York. We also speak to Debbie White, president of NJ's HPAE, which represents 14,000 nurses and healthcare workers, about the strike vote taken by her members at Southern Ocean Medical Center, which is part of the massive Hackensack Meridian Health hospital chain.

By Bob Hennelly

On this special Memorial Day edition of “We Decide: America at the Crossroads” we’re talking about how the Trump/Musk junta is trying to cut 80,000 civil servants from the Veterans Administration which provides life saving healthcare to millions of our veterans.

By Bob Hennelly

This week the Republican controlled House passed by just one vote what President Trump calls his "one big beautiful bill" that provides obscene tax cuts for the nation's wealthiest individuals and corporations while cutting hundreds of billions from safety net programs like Medicaid and food stamps.

By Bob Hennelly

The Teamsters Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET) have won their strike and reached a tentative agreement with NJ Transit that reflects a better deal than the one that management walked away from Thursday night.

By Bob Hennelly

On the latest episode of WBAI’s “What’s Going On?” Issac Ferguson reports on acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba charging Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) with allegedly assaulting DHS/ICE officers as they were taking Newark Mayor Ras Baraka into custody on May 9.  

By Bob Hennelly

On this episode of "What’s Going On?” we hear from Tom Haas, chairman of the Teamsters Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineer and Trainmen who represents 450 NJ Transit engineers. Haas says NJ Transit needs to raise wages to hold on to engineers going to Amtrak, PATH, LIRR and MetroNorth. The union could strike as early as Friday.

By Bob Hennelly

On this episode of the Stuck Nation Labor Radio Hour, retired FDNY EMT Marianne Pizzitola, president of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, joins attorney Micheal Barasch and FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Brosi, president of the FDNY UFOA to discuss the impact of major cuts  to the 9/11 WTC Health Program.

By Bob Hennelly

On this week’s edition of Pacifica Radio’s We Decide: America at the Crossroads with Jenna Flanagan we’re talking about how the Trump/Musk junta is doubling down on dismantling democracy, unions and due process.

Sara Nelson, head of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA argues workers should up the ante with a general strike. Indeed, the regime’s full-court press to eliminate collective bargaining for federal workers bodes poorly for all workers Nelson insists.

By Bob Hennelly

On the latest episode of WBAI’s "What’s Going On?” we preview multiple May Day events scheduled for our region to protest the first 100 days on the Trump/ Musk junta attack on democracy, union rights, our immigrant families, Medicaid, Social Security and public education.