Yadira Ramos-Herbert grew up in Queens, the granddaughter of immigrants. She started her career as an attorney in New York City, then spent a decade in leadership at Columbia University Law School.

She was working with students there when the campus was rocked by protests over the war in Gaza, after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Soon afterward, she became the first woman and the first person of color ever to lead the city of New Rochelle, New York.

Today, Ramos-Herbert presides over one of the most closely watched affordable housing efforts in America while leading a deeply diverse city through a divided political moment.

Sarah McCammon spoke with Mayor Ramos-Herbert about her family’s immigration story, the backlash she sometimes faces for speaking Spanish on the job, and how she held her city together after October 7.

In This Episode

00:00 — Cold open

01:43 — Grandparents, the American dream, and why she speaks Spanish on the job

13:28 — From a broken park to Mayor of New Rochelle

19:59 — Insecurities, fundraising, and being a Latina candidate

24:44 — October 7, the Columbia protests, and a mayoral race under scrutiny

31:31 — Misinformation, trust, and “Coffee with the Mayor”

34:23 — The Mamdani 9/11 controversy

37:20 — New Rochelle's housing boom and rent control

45:11 — Advice for 2028

Episode Credits
Unmoderated is a production of Unmoderated News. Our team is Sarah McCammon, Kate deGruyter, Emily Becker, Janae Morris, David Fanto, Alex Kapelman, Kaitlyn Perez, Amea Thompson, Madison Meyer, Harrison Chinchar, Nathan Harnick, Jack Spilles, Alan Haburchak, and Gemma Waters. Music by Ṭaus al Chalabi.

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Third Way Senior Fellow Frank Sharry has been at the center of nearly every major push for immigration reform for decades — and watched almost all of them fall apart.

Now he wants Democrats to reckon with where they went wrong on immigration, and how the party can reclaim the middle in the midterms and beyond.

Sarah McCammon spoke with Sharry about how Democrats lost credibility on the border, the “both-and” answer he thinks can win back swing voters, and how four decades working with refugees shaped his view of the issue.

IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 — Cold open
1:33 – Both parties captured by the loudest factions

4:33 — Biden's border fix came too late

8:34 — Secure the border, reform enforcement at home

19:18 — The "both-and-" answer costs and the Atlantic op-ed that cost Sharry old friends

30:57 — Order and generosity, "two sides of the same coin"

39:20 — Sharry's origin story

43:44 — The math behind Trump's demonization of immigrants

We have some exciting news to share: the podcast will soon have a new look and a new name. We’re officially becoming Unmoderated.
You’ll notice new colors, new fonts, and a fresh look but the content you know isn’t changing.

Sarah McCammon will still be sitting down with leaders, advocates, and changemakers to unpack the personal stories that shaped them and the battles they’re taking on today.

We'll see you next week for the start of a new chapter.

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Most kids hang posters of their favorite bands on their walls. Jake Auchincloss decorated his room with pictures of the Founding Fathers.

His grandfather, the son of Jewish refugees, snuck into a Marine recruiting station as a teenager during World War II, over his mother’s objections. Representative Auchincloss joined the Marines to carry on that legacy. He commanded infantry in Afghanistan, then came home and ran for office. Now he is pushing the Democratic Party toward the center—and back to winning.

Sarah McCammon spoke with Representative Auchincloss about how Afghanistan shaped his view of American power, why he calls social media a failed society, and the governing vision he thinks can redefine the center around the middle class.

IN THIS EPISODE:

0:00 — Cold Open and Introduction

1:01 — Admiration for the Founding Fathers

5:42 — Afghanistan and American power

10:23 — Redefining the center around the middle class

19:07 — Patriotic, productive populism

21:57 — Chatbots and developing brains

28:41 — Antisemitism in both parties

36:03 — The Israel aid vote and AIPAC

38:40 — A governing vision for the middle class

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