Jamie Gauthier, Philadelphia City Councilmember, joined P.O.C. on EcoWURD to discuss the looming fight over Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposed new ReWorld contract. With Council returning Sept. 17, Gauthier urged members to reject sending Philadelphia trash to Chester’s incinerator, calling the practice an environmental injustice disproportionately borne by Black communities.
Linn Washington Jr., retired Temple University journalism professor, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to discuss New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s release of more than 170,000 pages of long-withheld 9/11 records. Washington said the documents reinforce that officials knew about dangerous air around Ground Zero while publicly reassuring residents, workers and first responders that conditions were safe.
Sharif El-Mekki, director of the Center for Black Educator Development, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to discuss Franklin Towne Charter High School’s nearly $4 million settlement over claims it rigged its 2023 admissions lottery against Black applicants. El-Mekki called the alleged exclusion “old-school” racism and questioned whether Philadelphia has sufficient oversight of its charter schools.
Emily Mello, executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia, joined Tiffany Bacon on The Midday Break Room to discuss taking over one of Philadelphia’s signature cultural institutions. Mello assumed the role Sept. 1, succeeding longtime leader Jane Golden, and said she wants Mural Arts’ citywide reach matched by deeper community engagement and responsiveness to neighborhood priorities.
Gbenga Ajilore, chief economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to discuss oil surpassing $100 a barrel amid the U.S.-Iran conflict and renewed tariff battles. Ajilore warned that higher energy costs and tariffs could squeeze consumers enough to trigger a recession — while a proposed $5,000 “Trump dividend” could further fuel inflation.
Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, joined Dr. James Peterson on Evening WURDs to discuss Pennsylvania’s rapidly expanding measles outbreak. With confirmed cases reaching 624 across 37 counties and two deaths, Offit warned infections are likely undercounted and sharply criticized RFK Jr.’s response to the state’s first measles deaths in 35 years.
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