The Wheelhouse
The Wheelhouse
If you’re a news junkie — or maybe just news curious, we’ve got your weekly dose of Connecticut politics, tackling everything from tax cuts to human composting. Amplifying important local and national voices, The Wheelhouse walks listeners through the most important political stories of the week. You’ll hear from well-known political reporters, academics, and local journalists across Connecticut’…Social links:
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What’s left on the final day of the CT lawmaking session?
Connecticut lawmakers in 2026 have worked on a new budget deal, debated homeschool regulation and tossed around the political football that is skyrocketing energy costs. There’s still more business to do with one more day of lawmaking at the state Capitol, followed by more business up ahead on the…
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What’s next for gender-affirming care in CT?
At least 1,000 people lost access to gender-affirming care in Connecticut in the wake of a federal threat to strip health care providers of benefits. Pressure from the Trump administration resulted in several Connecticut hospitals winding down programs for youth gender-affirming care last summer. …
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These UHart students say the most important campus political debate happens in the classroom
We’re in the final days of the 2025-26 academic year. A lot has happened since the fall, including the assassination of a conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, the rise of Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, and another U.S. conflict in the Persian Gulf. Today on The Wheelhouse, we hear how stude…
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A transparency black mark: What do redactions convey about politics?
Recent redactions to the Epstein files have raised renewed questions about what the government does – and does not – strike from highly sensitive documents. The black pen has been used on classified materials for decades. But amid renewed calls for disclosure, more Americans are raising questions …
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How fossil fuels shape US foreign policy
President Donald Trump says the U.S. conflict with Iran is “nearing completion.” He’s addressed the American people after gas prices soared and markets panicked. It’s a story America knows all too well, with a reliance on fossil fuels causing many crises including in 1973, 1979, 1999, and 2022. …
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How AI is distorting politics and the media
What you see on the internet could influence how you see one side of a political debate. Whether it was the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal law enforcement, – or what NPR is calling “America’s first AI-fueled war” in Iran, images generated online may distort what’s actually happ…
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Wesleyan's Michael Roth on Trump, diversity and college admissions
Connecticut has sued the federal government to keep colleges and universities from releasing race-based admissions data to the White House. Ahead of “Ivy Day,” when students will learn if they’ve gotten into some of the country’s most prestigious schools, we’re re-visiting a 2023 Supreme Court dec…
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Internet slang and the creep of dehumanizing language in politics
The White House and the U.S. Department of Defense are incorporating “maximum lethality” into their rhetoric about the war in Iran. It’s hyper-masculine language, tied to a misogynistic and fringe internet culture known to target women. At a time when administration officials are selling Iran air…
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What Trump votes tell us about the ‘manosphere’
Election results from 2024 have necessitated deep dives into the manosphere.These podcasts often don’t focus on political horse races – and many of the people on them say they’re not political. But, according to one data firm, 54% of votes from men aged 18 to 29 were cast for Donald Trump. And his…
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The latest on Iran and why CT student protests matter
Across Connecticut, some students are joining a national movement to protest federal immigration crackdowns. Students from Classical Magnet School in Hartford poured out of the classroom and onto the streets in February, holding up signs like “ICE OUT” to passing cars. The demonstrations against …
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