Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In his new book, journalist Wilbert L. Cooper blends investigative reporting and family history to look at how a Black policing organization shaped law enforcement in Cleveland. He joins us to discuss “The Black Shield.”
Cover art courtesy of the publisher
In his new book, journalist Wilbert L. Cooper blends investigative reporting and family history to look at how a Black policing organization shaped law enforcement in Cleveland. He joins us to discuss “The Black Shield.”
Cover art courtesy of the publisher


![A Truckers Scale Model of NYC, 20 Years in the Making
[REBROADCAST FROM February 10, 2026] For over 20 years, truck driver Joe Macken worked to make a model of New York City, building by building, block by block. He finished in 2025, and after his kids encouraged him to post about the project online, Macken quickly went viral, garnering millions of views. The result of that publicity is a new exhibit open at the Museum of the City of New York, He Built This City: Joe Macken’s Model (https://www.mcny.org/exhibition/he-built-city) , which displays Mackens creation in full for the first time in New York City. Macken discusses his inspiration for the project alongside curator Elisabeth Sherman.
Photo by David Lurvey/MCNY: Joe Macken, New York City Model (detail), 2004–2025. A Truckers Scale Model of NYC, 20 Years in the Making](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PYQctZHbuWI/mqdefault.jpg)



![New Pod About The Birth of Salsa in New York
[REBROADCAST FROM May 29, 2026] Latinae music is dominating the globe, but its origin story . The new podcast Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York (https://futurostudios.org/podcasts/our-thing/) unpacks the history of salsa, from a scrappy label founded in New York City to the artists like Bad Bunny dominating music today. The series host Rosie Perez and senior producer Jeanne Montalvo discuss the podcast, and the story of salsa.
Series art courtesy of Futuro Media
New Pod About The Birth of Salsa in New York](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RF8G6GkNvn4/mqdefault.jpg)


![A Prosecutor and a Madam Take Down a Mobster in A Pair of Aces
[REBROADCAST FROM July 6, 2026] Set in 1930s New York, a historical fiction novel follows two women on opposite sides of the law, a prosecutor and a madam, who form an unlikely partnership to take down a notorious mob boss. Authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray discuss their new book, A Pair of Aces (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-pair-of-aces-marie-benedict/21af324328fe06ea) .
Cover art courtesy of Penguin Random House/ Berkley A Prosecutor and a Madam Take Down a Mobster in A Pair of Aces](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S7a_HTpCLgQ/mqdefault.jpg)
