Linn Washington Jr., Philadelphia Tribune columnist, former journalist and retired Temple University journalism professor, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to discuss the Trump administration’s third-country deportation policy and its mounting costs. Washington called the policy cruel and wasteful, while also pointing to Philadelphia’s low voter turnout as potentially decisive in statewide elections.
Barth Beasley, singer-songwriter, pianist and actor, joined Tiffany Bacon on The Midday Break Room to discuss his forthcoming album, Welcome to Studio B, and a career spanning music and film. Beasley reflected on working with Tom Hanks and meeting Ray Charles, who encouraged him to resist industry pressure to abandon his rock-and-soul sound.
Dr. Tawanna Jones, school psychologist, teacher educator and founder of We REIGN Inc., joined Amadee Braxton on Solutions to discuss parents’ rights in special education. Jones said roughly 20% of Philadelphia public school students may need specialized services and urged parents to review IEPs throughout the year, document communications and push for goals tailored to their child’s needs.
Cherelle Parker, mayor of Philadelphia, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to reflect on her first 1,000 days in office. Parker highlighted falling violence, her Kensington strategy and the $2 billion HOME housing initiative, while defending the city’s shift from race-based contracting goals to preferences for small and local businesses amid federal legal challenges.
Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, Pennsylvania state senator and Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Dr. James Peterson on Evening WURDs to discuss efforts to expand compassionate release for aging and medically vulnerable prisoners. Cappelletti argued that declining recidivism among older prisoners, rising medical costs and Pennsylvania’s restrictive commutation system strengthen the case for reform.
Dr. Elana McDonald and Dr. Delana Wardlaw, board-certified physicians known as the Twin Sister Docs, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to discuss a nationwide raw-milk cheese recall tied to an E. coli outbreak. They urged families, particularly those with young children, to choose pasteurized dairy because raw products can cause severe gastrointestinal illness, kidney damage and other complications.
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