Brian Mann

Good morning beautiful world

My latest reporting for NPR

Some U.S. veterans say Trump asylum freeze puts Afghan allies at risk After an Afghan national was charged with shooting two National Guard members, veterans who worked closely with Afghan refugees who were once frontline allies are scrambling to respond to the blowback.

After an Afghan national was charged with shooting two National Guard members, veterans who worked closely with Afghan refugees who were once frontline allies are scrambling to respond to the blowback. n.pr/4pT5ufq

Labor shortage in remote Adirondack towns threatens essential services A dwindling pool of job seekers has left local governments in Hamilton County scrambling to find workers for essential services

I report on population issues caused by declining birthrates and migration. My tiny rural area of Upstate NY is facing a serious crisis - covered really well by local reporters. www.adirondackexplorer.org/community-ne...

Some U.S. veterans say Trump asylum freeze puts Afghan allies at risk After an Afghan national was charged with shooting two National Guard members, veterans who worked closely with Afghan refugees who were once frontline allies are scrambling to respond to the blowback...

My latest for NPR www.npr.org/2025/12/04/n...

Afghan suspect in DC National Guard attack appeared to suffer personal crisis Rahmanullah Lakanwal an Afghan national, is accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers on November 26. One of those soldiers, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her wounds.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal an Afghan national, is accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers on November 26. One of those soldiers, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her wounds. n.pr/3XtNmwn

Afghan suspect in DC National Guard attack appeared to suffer personal crisis Rahmanullah Lakanwal an Afghan national, is accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers on November 26. One of those soldiers, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her wounds.

My latest for NPR www.npr.org/2025/12/01/n...

Trump's Approval Rating Drops to 36%, New Second-Term Low President Donald Trump's job approval rating has slipped to a new second-term low point and is approaching his all-time low of 34%.

This is just a snapshot but it's a dramatic snapshot. Trump's ability to govern claiming to be a mandate President grows more challenging as he enters 2026 as a lame duck with approval ratings this grim. news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...

Home in Westport · ★4.96 · 3 bedrooms · 4 beds · 3 baths The Tree House

I'll be on the road a bunch over the next few weeks and my Treehouse is available for Thanksgiving or just a fun Adirondack/Vermont/Champlain Valley hang. Check it out... :) www.airbnb.com/rooms/812331...

Sterling College announces it will close this spring Sterling is the ninth private college to effectively close up shop in Vermont in the last decade.

Vermont losing roughly one liberal arts college per year as schools go dark. www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2...

What happened to Jane, a baby? A victim’s testimony raises questions about what Donald Trump knew about Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of minors, and when

From a journalist I trust: One girl Epstein allegedly introduced to Trump "did not look 18, or even 17, or 16. She looked like a child." (As @jsweetli.bsky.social notes, Trump has "not been accused of any crimes related to Epstein’s abuse of minors.") jacquelinesweet.substack.com/p/what-happe...

The Epstein Scandal Is Now a Chronic Disease of the Trump Presidency Read the e-mails—this isn’t going away anytime soon.

The Epstein scandal is now a chronic disease of the Trump presidency.

My new column: www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

Thought exercise. Would the Epstein documents get more intense constant drumbeat focus if they mentioned Hunter Biden rather than Donald Trump?

Prison Agency Seeks to Dramatically Narrow Solitary Confinement Law As its latest defense in an ongoing court battle, New York’s state prison agency is arguing that the core of a landmark solitary confinement reform law does not apply to the vast majority of the peopl...

Reporting I want to see in NY. What would it take for the state prison system to maintain order and safety without resorting to aggressive use of solitary confinement? What are the options? What would it cost? Why is this the only tool that gets discussed? www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pris....

UVM wants to build a statewide weather monitoring network The UVM Water Resources Institute has applied to the town of Lyndon for a zoning permit for its first weather station.

Vermont is one of 12 states across the country without a statewide Mesonet, a network of automated weather monitoring stations that measure and calculate weather information and relay it to scientists in real time.

Essential that Americans be allowed to see existing video and hear audio that clarifies whether Epstein was telling the truth when he said Trump "spent hours" with one of Epstein's child sex trafficking victims and whether Epstein was telling the truth that Trump "knew about the girls."

Someone named Daniel Siad tells Epstein in an email that the owner of Noah Models used to "scout for Trump."

Noah Models was featured in this 2011 PBS documentary, about 12, 13 year old girls being scouted in Siberia for international modeling, and the predatory results.

I don't understand why Mr. Trump receives media coverage like this. If any other politicians - D or R - with a longstanding pattern of alleged grave sexual misconduct and a recorded personal statement about sexual groping - were implicated in child sex abuse by Epstein emails it would be a firestorm

At Fox News main website, there is top-of-fold coverage of a 'scandal' involving Michelle Obama wearing Bermuda shorts to the Grand Canyon in 2009. But absolutely zero mention of Jeffrey Epstein's newly revealed more expansive links to Donald Trump.

Epstein Alleged in Emails That Trump Knew of His Conduct

Wow. A lot of people have made Epstein a cause in their lives. Evidence of ties to Trump continues to grow. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...

This isn't the place to go for news. Go to NCPR.org where you can find their stories or listen.

I'll end with two questions. Are NYers grumpy about things right now - from affordability to taxes to public safety? Sure, absolutely. Are they so grumpy that they'll pivot from a fiercely anti-Trump vote in 2024 -- he lost by 12 points here -- to a pro-Trump-Stefanik vote in 2026? We'll see. /end

Meanwhile, this week's elections suggest that Democratic voters ARE intensely passionate about voting right now. Democratic turnout in 2026 is likely to be sky-high in NY. Even without being super charismatic herself, Hochul will draft on that energy. Which leaves Stefanik a very small window. 12/

Stefanik has tried to paint Hochul as a villain character, but I just don't talk to conservatives who are all that fired up against her. Vague dislike, sure. But I don't detect on the streets (or in the numbers) the kind of anti-Hochul animosity that will mobilize big GOP turnout. 11/

I've covered Hochul since she was an Upstate NY House member back in 2011. She's not flashy, she doesn't have big campaign chops, but she's a work horse, she's steady, has a ton of money to campaign with and she's fairly popular in more red-tilting Upstate counties with 47% approval. 10/

Bottom line: It's a gutsy play for Stefanik. After being snubbed by Trump and the national GOP, she found herself back in the role of a bit-player. Rather than settle for a safe backwater House seat, she's rolling the dice insisting on her relevance. Now...about Hochul. 9/

I'll add a final observation unrelated to numbers. I've watched Stefanik campaign. She's very skilled, makes few mistakes, and she'll capitalize on any Hochul stumbles. But Stefanik also hasn't had a truly competitive campaign in a decade. So it could be a big test for her to run from behind. 8/

One final challenge: Stefanik needs to win big Upstate. But many of Trump's policies - from tariffs to Medicaid cuts - are biting deep Upstate. A big question in 2026 will be whether Upstate voters think Democrats or Republicans are their best bet for navigating a difficult economy. 7/

Another huge question will be whether Stefanik's strong MAGA Trump allegiance will sell in NY. Stefanik has branded herself as a Trump-style pugilistic figure. There's very little daylight between them. But Trump is 30 points underwater in NY - 60 percent of voters view him unfavorably. 6/

One big question will be whether Stefanik's grim assessment of NY life - suggesting that she's needed to save the Empire state from "ashes" -- will resonate with voters. The Siena poll found 42% of voters believe NY is "on the right track" compared with 41% who say "wrong track." 5/