Were it not for the subway, New York as it is today would not exist. At a crucial time in the city's history, the engineers of this ingenious subterranean railroad cleared the streets of impossible congestion and decanted the population of the teeming, insalubrious tenements of the Lower EastSide to the farthest corners of the boroughs. Because it was able to move so many people so quickly, the subway became the ultimate urban density amplifier, allowing the apartment buildings and office towers of Manhattan to be built side-by-side, and turning a 26-square-mile island of gneiss, marble, and schist into one of the world's greatest metropolises, where millions could live and trade services, goods, and ideas swiftly and efficiently.

Today we're starting a week-long series in remembrance of 9/11, ten years later. Our co-producer, WNYC, asked listeners what music they would like to hear, as they think about the events of ten years ago. Something comforting, to celebrate being American and a New Yorker? Thousands of listeners weighed in. We're playing some of the songs our listeners picked, and hearing about the selections from WNYC's Chris Bannon and Kathleen Ehrlich. What songs would you suggest? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

In an exclusive story in The New York Times, investigators have serious doubts about the credibility of the housekeeper who accused the former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, of rape and sexual assault in a Manhattan hotel in May. Strauss-Kahn has stepped down from his position while the IMF investigates the charges, which he has consistently denied. According to law enforcement officials who spoke with Times, there are questions surrounding the asylum application of the housekeeper, as well possible links to criminal activities, including money laundering and drug dealing. It's likely that Strauss-Kahn's bail conditions will be eased and he could be released on his own recognizance as early as this morning.

The sexual assault case against former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is possibly on the verge of collapse this morning, according to an article from our partner The New York Times. The Times reports that the maid—who accused Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her at a Manhattan hotel in May—may have lied about her asylum application, and may have been involved in drug dealing and money laundering. Strauss-Kahn is headed to court this morning, where his legal team is expected to ask for his bail conditions to be relaxed. 

New York has balanced its budget, and California finally shed its reputation as a fiscal laggard, reaching its budget on time for the first time in years. But other states are not on similar paths. In Minnesota, if the Democratic governor and Republican-led legislature cannot agree on a budget by midnight tonight, all nonessential services will shut down, including state parks—dire news, ahead of the July 4 weekend. So why is it taking so long? And what can we learn from states that have already settled their books? 

“Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark” is the most expensive Broadway production in history, and may very well be the most talked about musical in decades. Boasting a $65 million budget, a score by U2’s Bono and the Edge, twenty seven daredevil flying scenes, and direction by Tony award-winner Julie Taymor, it appears to have all the ingredients for success. But the show has also been plagued by a seemingly endless supply of unintended drama: injuries, postponments and more. Tired of it all, and convinced he could deliver a better Spider-Man musical sooner, Justin Moran wrote and produced his own Spider-Man musical.

As Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo heads to Albany, he'll be entering a context created by his own family (father Mario Cuomo held the position for over a decade), as well as what people on both sides of the aisle acknowledge is a legislative mess. The public perception of the New York governor's office has been in flux ever since Eliot Spitzer resigned, after his prostitution scandal. Andrew Cuomo, New York’s attorney general, ran on a reform ticket, pledging that he’d get notoriously-gridlocked Albany back in working order. Can he do it? 

Whether they are families of September 11 victims or just normal New Yorkers, a recent poll showed that the city is split over Park 51, the Islamic cultural center and mosque proposed a few blocks from Ground Zero, in lower Manhattan. Two-thirds of New Yorkers are against it, and less than one-third in favor. Mid-term election candidates have made the center an election issue, with politicians defending it as a First Amendment right or demanding that the city prevent the construction by taking over the site via "eminent domain." With all the controversy, emotions are running high. 

If you could decide whether or not the center were built at that location, how would you make your decision?

Bobby Thomson, the baseball legend who hit the winning shot for the New York Giants in the 1951 National League playoff series died on Monday night. He was 86.

This afternoon a House ethics panel will lay out the charges against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who, at 80 years old, is one of the longest-serving members of Congress. Rep. Rangel has represented Harlem since 1970, when he ousted the legendary Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Both men had long, storied careers representing what may be the country’s most famous African-American neighborhood, home to Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Langston Hughes, and many others. But a lot has changed in Harlem since Powell, Jr. was elected in 1945. We look back at the history of Harlem politics and the power of the "Gang of Four."

Takeaway correspondent Femi Oke spends the morning at the South African restaurant, Madiba, in Brooklyn, New York, where owners and patrons are preparing for the biggest South African World Cup party in the city. Restaurant owner, Mark Hanegan says there are already 120 breakfast reservations from South Africa fans, coming to eat the home-style food and watch the game. Femi checks in with enthusiastic soccer fans at the bar, like Tiffani Knowles, who was the first to arrive at the restaurant this morning.

For this week’s food segment, we talk with Manny Howard, a man who turned his tiny New York City backyard into a farm, complete with produce and livestock.

While we're all celebrating the capture of the alleged would-be Times Square bomber, there's story of another bomber that has been lost in the mix. This bomber successfully detonated a bomber in Times Square, in front of an army recruiting station back in 2008. He is also suspected of setting off explosives in front of the U.K. and Mexican Consulates in New York City. Why has this man not been caught? WNYC's Bob Hennelly has been following this story and knows the answer.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said yesterday that the bomb found in an S.U.V. Saturday evening in Times Square was amateurish and flawed, but could have been deadly.

Apple's new iPad device garnered so much interest ahead of its launch last weekend that it's almost impossible to display it in public and not get asked a million questions. Takeaway web editor Jim Colgan has been dealing with this iPad effect since he got the device last weekend. He took the new gadget to the streets of New York to see why strangers are moved to approach a complete stranger, just because he has an iPad.

Governor David Paterson is under investigation for potentially misusing his power. A representative just resigned (after allegations that he groped a male staffer). Another representative has stepped down from his committee post because of an ethics investigation. And to top it all off, the state government seems paralyzed in the face of an upcoming budget deadline. But how bad is it really?

Despite the fact that the Department of Labor lists young people, African-American and Hispanic men as having some of the highest rates of unemployment, a group of youngsters in East New York, Brooklyn is determined to buck the trend and get into the job market. The Takeaway's Ibrahim Abdul-Matin introduces them to us and their challenges when it comes to finding work.

It is voting day across the country, but a surprising amount of national attention has been focused on a special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District. The NRCC, Newt Gingrich and others had originally supported moderate, pro-choice, pro-gay-marriage GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava in what should have been a safely Republican district. Then, after national figures like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh threw their words and broadcasts behind Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, Scozzafava dropped out and officially endorsed … the Democrat in the race, Bill Owens. Politics makes strange bedfellows, indeed … and that was before Limbaugh's hyperbolic accusations of Scozzafava's "bestiality" yesterday. We talk to North Country Public Radio reporter Brian Mann, live from a polling station.

Tomorrow will bring three off-year elections that have garnered national attention: New Jersey and Virginia will elect governors, and a special election – which grew more special over the weekend as the Republican candidate suspended her campaign and endorsed her Democratic opponent – is scheduled for New York's 23rd Congressional District. For more on the New York race we turn to Brian Mann, reporter for North Country Public Radio. WNYC reporter Bob Hennelly has been covering the New Jersey governor's race. And Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney is watching the Virginia governor's race.

New York and Philadelphia are about to face off in baseball’s World Series. But behind the sports madness, the two cities have a historic rivalry that dates back to colonial times — when they both fought to be the U.S. capital city. Michael Zuckerman, professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, explains.