Dan Blumberg

An hour of radio, in which WNYC journalists trace the beautiful, contentious, and complicated legacy of America's first black President.

New York, NY —

Time Warner plans to spin off AOL into a separate company. It's a move that's been expected for months and marks the end of an ill-fated media marriage. WNYC's Dan Blumberg reports.

In a joint statement, the CEO's of AOL and Time Warner say splitting into ...

We achieved a rare feat on Morning Edition today. In the span of just eight minutes we took you from Springfield's Homer to ancient Greece's Homer!

Homer and his fellow ...

New York, NY —

Governor Paterson says if New York's fiscal situation doesn't improve, more budget cuts and layoffs could be in store. The governor says corporate tax receipts were down in March and he's concerned that income tax revenue will be down, too. He says everything will be ...

Fotex Shooting Star/Sony Legacy

Need a break from all the 'economy going to hell' stories? We did this morning and were glad to have this tribute to RUN D-M-C on Morning Edition today. The band is not the first ...

New York, NY —

Governor Paterson and legislative leaders formally unveiled their spending plan for the fiscal year that begins on Wednesday. The $131.8 billion budget relies on federal stimulus money, a slew of new taxes, including ones on the wealthy, and slower health care growth to bridge a ...

(Getty)

What’s the best way to apologize to customers when instead of flying them to Chicago, they must brace for impact and pray to survive an emergency landing? Well, if you’re American Airlines, you “take the opportunity to apologize” for “disrupting [their] travel plans” and provide an e-voucher for $250. Below, we have the letter sent to passengers on board the March 11th flight that was supposed to be a simple flight from LaGuardia to Chicago, but – thanks to an engine malfunction – ended with an emergency landing at Kennedy Airport with fire trucks and ambulances at the ready. No one was hurt, though many were “inconvenienced.”

What’s the best corporate apology letter you’re ever received? Add a comment.

Helicopters, photographers, tai chi, oh my! Listen to WNYC's Arun Venugopal describe the scene outside the Lower Manhattan courthouse where Bernard Madoff later pled guilty to fraud, saying he was 'sorry and ashamed.' Madoff told the judge he began the fraud in response to a recession, but believed it would ...

There was an emergency landing at JFK airport this morning, but officials say there is no sign of a bird strike. American Airlines Flight 309 took off from LaGuardia, but quickly lost power in one engine and was forced to land at JFK. No one was injured. We spoke to ...

One year ago today, I was sitting in the dingy confines of CR-2, the primary on air control room at WNYC's old studios on Centre Street. It had been a quiet afternoon so far and my shift as the midday ...

$1.9B - That's how much Medicaid funding the City is expecting Governor Paterson to allocate from the federal stimulus money. Mayor Bloomberg says the city deserves an additional $200M to $500M.

2328 - The number of homeless people volunteers spotted in this year's homeless count. It's a ...

Here are the key numbers for 3/3/09, a.k.a. Square Root Day:

11% - How much the cost of a typical Manhattan apartment increased last year. Prices of Manhattan condos and co-ops all went up. The only problem: there were 25% fewer deals and apartments were two and a half ...

Rescue workers assist a New York City Fire Department boat. (Getty)

Fearing US Airways Flight 1549 had crashed and no one would survive, air traffic controller Patrick Harten said he was an emotional wreck after the plane disappeared from his radar screen. Harten is speaking about the crash for the first time, as the US House holds a hearing today on what lessons the nation can learn from the averted disaster.

Harten recalled how he told pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger to return to LaGuardia, then offered up a runway at Teterboro. Sullenberger replied that his plane was 'gonna be in the Hudson” and the rest of the “miracle” is history. Only Harten didn’t trust Sully’s flying prowess: “People don’t survive landings on the Hudson River,” he said today, “I thought it was his own death sentence.”

After the plane disappeared from his radar, Harten was relieved from his duty, saying he was in no shape to guide planes through the air. He said that moment was 'his lowest low.' He couldn't even speak to his wife, opting to send a text message instead: 'Had a crash. I'm not OK. Can't talk right now.'

Listen here for Harten's entire opening statement before the House Aviation Committee:

Dedication of the Civil War cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, November 19, 1863

Here’s a treat from the WNYC Archives, on this the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. ...

Seems every story these days is about numbers. Here are this morning's key digits:

$2B - How much more money in unemployment insurance Albany is releasing. New unemployment claims have doubled from a year ago to a weekly average ...

Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez (Getty)

Give A-Rod credit. He did what many Major Leaguers would not dare do. Still, the city's sports columnists were not too impressed with Alex Rodriguez's admission that he used steroids. A-Rod or A-Roid, as the tabloids now call him, says he used steroids after he signed the richest contract in sports history with the Texas Rangers. He says he's not sure what steroid he used, wouldn't say where he got it, and says it was only from 2001 to 2003, while he was with the Texas Rangers. He says his Yankee days have been squeaky clean.

Here's Mike Lupica's take on the admission in the Daily News:

'You have to shake your head with this guy. Because only A-Rod, on a day when he made this kind of confession, could also try to sell you this:

'I took the drugs to make myself even better than I already was ... and then discovered that I am even greater without them!

Mayor Bloomberg says sleuths from agencies in the city and New Jersey have identified the source of the mysterious maple syrup smell that would pop up from time to time, usually on the Upper West Side. The source: a facility in Hudson County ...

New York, NY —

It would be an understatement to call 2008 "an eventful year." From the drama of the presidential election to the financial meltdown, 2008 was certainly historic. As we listen back on the year that was, it seems like New Yorkers were always in the middle ...

New York, NY —

Guns and football. It's a combination that's far more common than just the Plaxico Burress incident this weekend. The Giants put an end to the star wide receiver's season and suspended him for action's "detrimental to the team." But Burress is certainly not the only ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants the term limits law changed so he can have a third term and shepherd New York through the financial crisis. WNYC's Bob Hennelly speaks to Dan Blumberg about the ramifications of Bloomberg's move.