Could University of Rochester graduate Josh Shapiro be the next U.S. president?

12:00: Could University of Rochester graduate Josh Shapiro be the next U.S. president?

1:00: Blaming the billionaire class

One of the leading presidential contenders for 2028, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, is a graduate of the University of Rochester. We sit down with a UR professor who knew Shapiro when the future governor was a student. Professor Gerald Gamm and fellow UR graduate and Rochester City Council member Mitch Gruber discuss how they have seen Shapiro‘s career grow. They also talk about some of the unique dynamics that could affect a Shapiro campaign. In studio:

• Gerald Gamm, Ph.D., professor of political science and history at the University of Rochester
• Mitch Gruber, Ph.D., member of Rochester City Council, senior vice president and chief impact officer at Foodlink, and graduate of the University of Rochester

In his new book, author Chuck Collins targets the billionaire class. The book is called "Burned By Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet." Collins holds nothing back. He's in Rochester as a guest of RIT, but first, he joins us on "Connections" to discuss why he thinks too many progressives don’t go hard enough on billionaires. In studio:

• Chuck Collins, senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, co-editor of Inequality.org; and author of "Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet"

"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.