Elaine Rivera

A roundtable discussion with reporters from across New York City on Mayor Bloomberg's State of the City address, with analysis from:  

• Tom Wrobleski, political editor at the Staten Island Advance;
• Peter Mastrosimone, editor-in-chief of the Queens Chronicle; 
• Elaine Rivera, full-time faculty member at Lehman College's journalism communications and theater department and former WNYC political reporter;
• Ron Geberer, managing editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle;
• Edward-Isaac Dovere, editor of City Hall.

→ Read More and Join the Discussion at It's A Free Country

New York, NY —

Some parents' advocacy groups are not happy with the passage of the mayoral control bill in the state Senate. But they say there's a silver lining with an oversight committee that lawmakers established to monitor city officials. Lainie Haimson, of Class Size Matters, says she's ...

New York, NY —

Top city and state officials are painting a constrained picture of the city's future economy. At the annual State Financial Control Review Board, they reiterated that the recovery will continue to be difficult and slow. Mayor Bloomberg testified that a decline in employment, and a ...

New York, NY —

After weeks of deadlock, the New York State Senate will hold another regular session today.

The agenda is expected to include legislation that would renew mayoral control of New York City schools, and rules reform. But Blair Horner, of the New York Public Interest Research Group, ...

New York, NY —

While New York State Senators were in Albany not holding a special session again today, Bronx Senator Ruben Diaz was meeting with new Archbishop Timothy Dolan and other religious leaders in Manhattan.

DIAZ: This is important. What's happening in Albany is a mockery, what's happening in ...

The Digesting Politics podcast goes live as WNYC reporters Andrea Bernstein and Elaine Rivera talk with Brian Lehrer about the mess in Albany and other local politics over breakfast.

New York, NY —

Governor David Paterson is calling a special session of the state Senate for tomorrow, and he says he plans to bring the gay marriage bill to the floor.

PATERSON: Interesting ideas or controversial pieces of legislation have always come to Albany to die. We're changing the ...

New York, NY —

Albany remains at a standstill as Republican and Democratic state senators engage in a power struggle to control their chamber. The gridlock has many Albany observers - and New Yorkers - scratching their heads over how this can happen. WNYC's Elaine Rivera reports:

REPORTER: The day ...

Manuel Mercedes was confident that his store would withstand an ailing economy and the new stadium. However, now he's not so sure. Mercedes says he wants to sell the store but with proposed new rezoning laws, potential buyers may ...

New York, NY —

In the ongoing dispute over who's in charge of the New York State Senate, Democrats have backed down from seeking a second restraining order from a judge. It would've prevented dissident Democratic Senator Pedro Espada from exercising his duties as the senate's president pro tem. ...

New York, NY —

As the economic waves began to hit hard against Wall Street, WNYC started to watch Main streets in the area to see how small businesses were faring.

In February, merchants on 161st Street in the Bronx were watching with anticipation as the finishing touches were put ...

New York, NY —

City officials have announced a Bronx initiative to address teen dating abuse. Borough President Ruben Diaz Junior says the Start Strong Bronx program will be the largest ever that targets 11 to 14 year olds to promote safer and healthy relationships. Diaz says the city ...

Senators Hiram Monserrate (2nd from R) and Malcolm Smith (far right)

State Senate business remains at a standstill as senators await a ruling on whether the GOP's surprise takeover earlier this ...

New York, NY —

For two decades Pedro Espada Junior has been in and out of political office. Once again he regained a state senate seat last year defeating incumbent Efrain Gonzalez Junior in the Bronx's 33rd district. And now he's become an unlikely power broker turning Albany on ...

Live coverage of President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court -- federal appeals judge (and Bronx native) Sonia Sotomayor. Then, analysis with Jami Floyd, host of Best Defense on Tru TV; Emily Bazelon, senior editor at Slate and founding editor of Double X; ...

New York, NY —

Former Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Junior has been sworn in as the 13th Bronx Borough president after winning in a special election last month with only five percent of Bronxites voting. WNYC's Elaine Rivera reports on yesterday's ceremony.

REPORTER: A who's who of state and city politics ...

New York, NY —

The Metropolitan Correctional Center, in Lower Manhattan, houses federal prisoners of all security levels. Bernard Madoff, accused of defrauding investors of more than $50 billion, is there, awaiting sentencing. Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Egyptian shiek convicted in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center ...

New York, NY —

Pro- and anti-gay marriage demonstrators are holding two separate rallies in Manhattan Saturday afternoon. WNYC's Elaine Rivera reports.

REPORTER: State Senator Ruben Diaz Senior, an evangelical minister, is holding a rally along with dozens of other ministers and hundreds of their congregants to protest the state's ...

New York, NY —

The state Assembly has passed a bill to make New York the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. The measure's prospects in the state senate are uncertain, in part, because of opposition from a Bronx lawmaker, who's also an evangelical minister. State Senator Ruben Diaz ...

The WNYC news team's Main Streets project is spending a year looking closely at six blocks around the region. Karen Frillmann, Brigid Bergin, and Elaine Rivera discuss the goals of the project, what ...