12:00: Musk critics want New York State to get tough with Tesla
1:00: 'A Lyttle Lynch:' a look at the work of filmmaker David Lynch
Before Elon Musk become a political lightning rod in the Trump White House, he was a political lightning rod in New York State politics — thanks to the state's massive investment in Musk's companies, particularly in the Buffalo area. Now, years later, Tesla has fallen short of its promise to hire 3,200 workers and provide high-paying jobs to many of them. New York State is looking at options, and, as journalist Jimmy Vielkind reports, Governor Hochul's administration is considering reducing the jobs requirement, while extending the deal with Tesla. Our guests discuss it:
- Jimmy Vielkind, reporter for Gothamist and WNYC
- Assemblyman Patrick Burke, New York State District 142
- Brian Schneck, vice chair of the United Auto Workers New York State Community Action Program (CAP)
- Keith Goldstein, Tesla owner
Then in our second hour, filmmaker David Lynch: love him or is his work...just not your thing? Lynch died in January at the age of 78. His surrealist films helped coin the term "Lynchian," which is often used outside of cinema to describe anything strange or dreamlike. Whether you know Lynch from his 1977 film "Eraserhead" or his TV series "Twin Peaks" — or, if you're not familiar with him at all — our guests discuss why his work matters and how it contributed to American culture. We also preview the upcoming "A Lyttle Lynch" film series at The Little Theatre. Our guests:
- Tim Stueve, manager of the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum
- Scott Pukos, communications director for The Little Theatre
- Candice Grimes, events coordinator for The Little Theatre
- Theo Trombulak, David Lynch fan
*Note: "Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
