NYC NOW

A few weeks after two structural columns buckled at a Midtown Manhattan high rise, WNYC and Gothamist reporter David Brand shares new details from hours spent reviewing hundreds of pages of building plans at the Department of Buildings. He explains what the plans called for, what the engineering firm says about whether required steel reinforcements were installed and what city officials are investigating now.

Plus, WNYC and Gothamistreporter Arya Sundaram reflects on how the 2026 FIFA World Cup brought immigrant communities together at watch parties across New York City.

Photo: New York City Department of Buildings

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The World Cup final is this Sunday, and if you're looking for a place to watch in the city, WNYC arts and culture editor Matthew Schnipper has some ideas. He also joins us with a summer reading list of New York City books and culture reporter Sonia Rao stops by to explain why jorts are peaking in popularity around the city.

Photo: Jordan Bank/FIFA via Getty Images

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In 2024, comedian Nora Fried started a monthly book club for women incarcerated at Rikers Island. What began with nine women and a copy of Tara Westover's "Educated" has grown into a nonprofit called Rosebuds Reading Collective, with actress and author Julia Fox now leading a monthly creative writing workshop inside the jail. Nora joins Janae to talk about how it all came together.

Photo: Rosebuds Reading Collective Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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In counties along New York's Southern Tier, the number of homeless people nearly tripled between 2019 and 2025. But without all the sidewalks, subways, and shelters of a big city, it's more difficult for street outreach workers to find and help homeless people. WNYC's Jimmy Vielkind talks with us about how the state's street outreach program has adapted to rural communities.

Photo: Jimmy Vielkind

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