Click here to listen to our full broadcast from Thursday, April 5, 2012:

Rachel Rogers brings us the news at 4:00 p.m.

Clint Eastwood had a clear message during February’s Superbowl commercials: “It’s halftime in America.”

And U.S. car sales support his declaration. They rose again last month, even amid high gas prices. This week, car manufacturers are showing off what those profits have earned them at the New York International Auto Show.

Nissan is calling this boxy, snub-nosed vehicle the “Taxi of the Future.” It was custom-designed for New York, and will roll out next year.

New data show there were an astounding 73,000 suspensions in New York City schools last year. Suspension rates are also at high levels across the nation. African-American students are three times as likely to be suspended as their white peers.

The most senior of New York’s representatives, he’s held his seat for 40 years. He’s survived Republican wave elections, ethics scandals, and censure.

A deadly crane collapse Tuesday night in Manhattan has prompted city officials to take a fresh look at safety standards at construction sites.

Class reunion season is approaching, and that got commentator John Light thinking about what it means to be a success.

Jackie Mader gives the headlines at 4:30.

Earlier this month, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a new category for liquor producers: the ‘Farm Brewery.’ Any beer made with 40 percent state-grown ingredients would qualify for relaxed marketing laws and tax filing requirements.

This week, the American Civil Liberties Union acquired records from over 200 police departments across the nation–and found many that routinely track phones without warrants.

Andrew Parsons: It’s a beautiful day for baseball in Queens, where the Mets won 1-0 in their season opener against the Atlanta Braves.  The team is coming off three straight losing seasons, but Russ Finkelstein says are optimistic that this year will be different.  He joins us from Citi Field where he caught the action.  [...]

Commentator Rachel Rogers has noticed something. She gives names to inanimate objects. And it says more about her than she realized.

Recently, the city Department of Health issued a report on which Manhattan neighborhoods have the most rats.

Pulling an all-nighter before an exam… it’s a student tradition! But maybe it’s time to change your sleep pattern.

Kickstarter, the online collection box for creative projects, is changing the way the arts are funded. And it’s spawned several copycat sites, all aimed at turning members of the crowd into patrons of the arts.