© 2026 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

An inside look at the campus protests; plus, Israel at Eurovision

Pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University. Eurovision 2024.
NIKITA PAYUSOV/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images; LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/Belga/AFP via Getty Images
/
Getty Images
Pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University. Eurovision 2024.

Pro-Palestinian protests have been popping up at universities around the world, and in the last few days, things have escalated at a number of those campuses. Columbia University called on police to shut down the encampment on their university lawn and 300 people were arrested. At the University of California Los Angeles, about 200 pro-Israel counter-protestors raided a pro-Palestinian encampment. To get first-hand accounts of the protests, Brittany talks to two student journalists: Shaanth Nanguneri, an undergraduate reporter at UCLA, and Claire Davenport, a graduate reporter at Columbia University in New York.

Then, Eurovision may seem like a quaint, quirky event to Americans but it's a huge cultural event that easily surpasses the Super Bowl in terms of global viewership. And for an apolitical event, Eurovision can teach us a lot about geopolitics. This year, all eyes are on Israel, which is not European but has been a competitor since the 70s. With Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza, there's a lot of politicking for and against its inclusion in the song contest. Brittany chats with Eurovision scholar Paul David Flood about Israel's controversial song and dance at Eurovision... and why Americans might want to pay attention.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Barton Girdwood
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Alexis Williams
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Liam McBain
Liam McBain (he/him) is an assistant producer on It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders. He's interested in stories at the margins of culture.
Corey Antonio Rose
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Brittany Luse
Brittany Luse is an award-winning journalist, on-air host, and cultural critic. She is the host of It's Been a Minute and For Colored Nerds. Previously Luse hosted The Nod and Sampler podcasts, and co-hosted and executive produced The Nod with Brittany and Eric, a daily streaming show. She's written for Vulture and Harper's Bazaar, among others, and edited for the podcasts Planet Money and Not Past It. Luse and her work have been profiled by publications like The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vulture, and Teen Vogue.
Jessica Placzek
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Veralyn Williams
Veralyn Williams (she/her) is a Peabody and Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist who has been asking hard questions about our world since she picked up her first microphone in 2004. Now she brings her skills (and ears) to her role as executive producer of programming at NPR.
Recent cuts to federal funding are challenging our mission to serve central and upstate New York with trusted journalism, vital local coverage, and the diverse programming that informs and connects our communities. This is the moment to join our community of supporters and help keep journalists on the ground, asking hard questions that matter to our region.

Stand with public media and make your gift today—not just for yourself, but for all who depend on WRVO as a trusted resource and civic cornerstone in central and upstate New York.