Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
New York Times Close Up tackles two of New York’s most charged debates: protest, belonging and deportation in the Gaza era, and the fight over AI in America’s largest school system. Times Metro reporter Jeffery C. Mays sits in for Sam Roberts to talk with Times reporter Ashley Southall about Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s public show of support for Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia protest leader now facing deportation under Trump’s immigration crackdown, and what their Ramadan dinner says about Islamophobia, Jewish–Muslim tensions, and power in a 2026 New York shaped by Gaza protests and ICE raids. Southall also updates the fragile promises of New York’s legal cannabis “equity” market through the story of Leeann Mata, Brooklyn’s first Black woman dispensary owner, and why bureaucracy, banking rules and lopsided contracts are still shutting out the people legalization was supposed to help. Then education reporter Troy Closson joins to break down how Mamdani and new schools chief Kamar Samuels will decide whether over one million NYC students get AI chatbots and “education revolution” tools in class, or whether the city hits pause amid parent backlash, L.A.’s AI scandal, and fears that Big Tech could turn classrooms into the next experiment.
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Guest List
Ashley Southall- Metro Reporter, The New York Times
Troy Closson- Education Reporter, The New York Times
Recording Date 03/12/2026 First Air Date 03/13/2026
Get closer to this week’s important issues and events. Veteran Times correspondent Sam Roberts returns to television to discuss the big stories with journalists covering them and with leading newsmakers. Preview articles that will appear in The New York Times over the weekend, discover the back stories and savor the conversation that has distinguished the program for 25 years.
For more The New York Times Close Up with Sam Roberts, visit http://tv.cuny.edu/show/nytcloseup
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: bit.ly/2GmGb13
Subscribe to the Series Playlist: bit.ly/2VwQGt1
NYTCU09022
New York Times Close Up tackles two of New York’s most charged debates: protest, belonging and deportation in the Gaza era, and the fight over AI in America’s largest school system. Times Metro reporter Jeffery C. Mays sits in for Sam Roberts to talk with Times reporter Ashley Southall about Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s public show of support for Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia protest leader now facing deportation under Trump’s immigration crackdown, and what their Ramadan dinner says about Islamophobia, Jewish–Muslim tensions, and power in a 2026 New York shaped by Gaza protests and ICE raids. Southall also updates the fragile promises of New York’s legal cannabis “equity” market through the story of Leeann Mata, Brooklyn’s first Black woman dispensary owner, and why bureaucracy, banking rules and lopsided contracts are still shutting out the people legalization was supposed to help. Then education reporter Troy Closson joins to break down how Mamdani and new schools chief Kamar Samuels will decide whether over one million NYC students get AI chatbots and “education revolution” tools in class, or whether the city hits pause amid parent backlash, L.A.’s AI scandal, and fears that Big Tech could turn classrooms into the next experiment.
Follow CUNY TV:
Facebook: facebook.com/CUNYTV
Twitter: twitter.com/cunytv
Instagram: instagram.com/cuny.tv
YouTube: youtube.com/@cunytv
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/cunytv
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu
Guest List
Ashley Southall- Metro Reporter, The New York Times
Troy Closson- Education Reporter, The New York Times
Recording Date 03/12/2026 First Air Date 03/13/2026
Get closer to this week’s important issues and events. Veteran Times correspondent Sam Roberts returns to television to discuss the big stories with journalists covering them and with leading newsmakers. Preview articles that will appear in The New York Times over the weekend, discover the back stories and savor the conversation that has distinguished the program for 25 years.
For more The New York Times Close Up with Sam Roberts, visit http://tv.cuny.edu/show/nytcloseup
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: bit.ly/2GmGb13
Subscribe to the Series Playlist: bit.ly/2VwQGt1
NYTCU09022
