Recent Episodes
Mamdani's first 100 days | CUNY Forum
This episode of CUNY Forum examines Zohran Mamdani’s first 100 days as mayor, focusing on how his ambitious, progressive campaign ideas are being tested by the realities of governing New York City. Panelists agree that while dramatic change hasn’t happened yet, he has begun shifting toward a more pragmatic approach due to budget constraints, political opposition, and the complexity of city systems. Much of the discussion centers on housing, debating the balance between public and private solutions, the role of negotiations with developers, and concerns about privatization versus deeply affordable housing. Broader issues like labor costs, taxation, immigrant integration, and social services highlight the difficulty of funding programs while maintaining economic growth and fairness. Overall, this episode concludes that Mamdani’s early tenure is a learning period, and his long-term success will depend on translating vision into workable policies while managing expectations and political tradeoffs.
0:00 Introduction & Mamdani’s First 100 Days
5:30 Campaign Promises vs Governing Reality
12:00 Housing Policy & Public Housing Debate
20:30 Budget Gap & Role of the Private Sector
31:00 Labor Costs, Affordability & Tradeoffs
38:30 Politics, Elections & Power Dynamics
47:30 Solutions & What’s Next
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Guest List:
Jaime Estades - Professor, Columbia School of Social Work
Ruth Messinger - Former Manhattan Borough President
Liena Zagare - Editor, Manhattan Institute
Dr James Rodriguez - Associate Professor, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
Recording Date
03/31/2026
First Air Date
04/07/2026
CUNY Forum is an hour-long program that allows for extended discussion of governmental issues by panels of educators, government leaders and industry figures. The audience consists of students participating in the CUNY Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs, who are encouraged to question and interact with the panel. CUNY Forum is one of a number of programs produced by the City University appearing in the CUNY Presents timeslot, on a rotating monthly basis.
Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/cunyforum
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CFOR28005
New York : The Immigration Showdown | CUNY Forum
This CUNY Forum panel discusses the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement, highlighting aggressive federal actions, legal challenges, and fears that constitutional norms—such as birthright citizenship—are being undermined. Speakers describe how immigrant communities, like for example Haitians with Temporary Protected Status, are experiencing heightened fear, economic disruption, misinformation-fueled hostility, and mental health strain. Panelists emphasize that while lower courts and sanctuary city policies like New York’s offer some protection, institutional guardrails have weakened and uncertainty itself is being used as a deterrent strategy. Despite this, community organizing, legal advocacy, and campus-based support systems—particularly within CUNY—were cited as vital sources of resistance and solidarity.
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Guest List:
Felipe De La Hoz - Journalist, NYU Lecturer
Shirley Leyro - Professor of Criminal Justice, Borough of Manhattan Community College
Gale A. Brewer - New York City Council Member
Macollvie J. Neel - Special Projects Editor, Haitian Times
Recording Date
03/02/2026
First Air Date
03/10/2026
CUNY Forum is an hour-long program that allows for extended discussion of governmental issues by panels of educators, government leaders and industry figures. The audience consists of students participating in the CUNY Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs, who are encouraged to question and interact with the panel. CUNY Forum is one of a number of programs produced by the City University appearing in the CUNY Presents timeslot, on a rotating monthly basis.
Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/cunyforum
Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2DtcTNB
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
CFOR28004
Can Mamdani Deliver Affordability for NYC? | CUNY Forum
This CUNY FORUM examines how mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani built a broad, pragmatic coalition by listening, course-correcting after the primary, and emphasizing authenticity, accountability, and outreach to communities that initially felt marginalized. Panelists stress that his success now hinges on delivering measurable affordability gains—on rents, child care, transit, and housing—while restoring trust after years of scandal in City Hall. They highlight the tension between ambition and fiscal reality, the need for ethical reform, and careful coalition management as he governs.
Overall, this CUNY FORUM frames Mamdani as a generational change-maker who talks less ideology and more results—and sets up the big question viewers will be watching: can he turn bold promises on affordability into real, measurable wins New Yorkers can feel in their daily lives?
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Guest List:
Grace Rauh - Executive Director, Citizens Union
Tara L. Martin - Democratic Strategist
Kayla Santosuosso - Councilmember-elect, District 47, Brooklyn
Recording Date
12/11/2025
First Air Date
12/16/2025
CUNY Forum is an hour-long program that allows for extended discussion of governmental issues by panels of educators, government leaders and industry figures. The audience consists of students participating in the CUNY Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs, who are encouraged to question and interact with the panel. CUNY Forum is one of a number of programs produced by the City University appearing in the CUNY Presents timeslot, on a rotating monthly basis.
Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/cunyforum
Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2DtcTNB
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
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About This Show
CUNY Forum is an hour-long program that allows for extended discussion of governmental issues by panels of educators, government leaders and industry figures. The audience consists of students participating in the CUNY Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs, who are encouraged to question and interact with the panel.
Regular Air Times
Monday – Thursday 8:00am
Featured Segments
Mayor Culpa? Who Wants the Job? Who Can Do the Job? | CUNY Forum
Moderator Bob Liff and a panel of local experts discuss the 2021 Mayor's race. Though the race for City Hall will take place in more than a year, the stakes are already high and a large number of candidates have already announced their intention to better govern the city that never sleeps in the wake of major public health crisis that has impacted the social and economic fortunes of many New Yorkers. The panel looks at bigger questions, such as the impact and meaning of the de Blasio mayoralty during the last eight years. Even more, the guests wrestle with the question of who would want the job of New York City Mayor at this time, and why?
Recording Date
10/28/2020
First Air Date
11/2/2020
CUNY Forum is an hour-long program that allows for extended discussion of governmental issues by panels of educators, government leaders and industry figures. The audience consists of students participating in the CUNY Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs, who are encouraged to question and interact with the panel. CUNY Forum is one of a number of programs produced by the City University appearing in the CUNY Presents timeslot, on a rotating monthly basis.
Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/cunyforum
Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2DtcTNB
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
Follow CUNY TV:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CUNYTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cunytv
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/cuny_tv/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/cunytv75
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/cunytv/
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu
CFOR23002 V1
Cities Invincible? A New Administration and an Urban Agenda | CUNY Forum
Moderator Bob Liff and a panel of concerned New Yorkers discuss the implications of the incoming Biden-Harris Administration on an urban agenda in the United States. Will cities see their needs met under the new President and Vice President? Or will a continuing electoral emphasis on suburbs and selected rural areas have negative consequences for urban centers, where the effects of COVID-19 and other public health factors have set them back economically? Can a Biden cabinet find ways to overcome the racial, ethnic and class disparities that continue to impact cities and their surrounding metropolitan communities? Will a new urban agenda emerge from the federal policy-making community, including Congress, and will it consist of inclusive strategies that urbanists and other observers have been seeking for many years?
Recording Date
12/02/2020
First Air Date
12/7/2020
CUNY Forum is an hour-long program that allows for extended discussion of governmental issues by panels of educators, government leaders and industry figures. The audience consists of students participating in the CUNY Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs, who are encouraged to question and interact with the panel. CUNY Forum is one of a number of programs produced by the City University appearing in the CUNY Presents timeslot, on a rotating monthly basis.
Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/cunyforum
Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2DtcTNB
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
Follow CUNY TV:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CUNYTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cunytv
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YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/cunytv75
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/cunytv/
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu
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Meet the Host
Bob Liff
Host