Funds for the Gateway tunnel, the $16 billion infrastructure project linking New York and New Jersey, remain stuck in bureaucratic limbo while the Trump administration appeals a court order to release over $200 million in federal support. Work has h…
Donald Trump has revived his push to add a citizenship question to the US 2030 census, seeking to exclude undocumented immigrants from population counts—a move flagged as unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. A pilot test is now planned for Alabama and South Carolina involving 150,000 homes. We will see, once again, if American political arithmetic proves as creative as its campaign promises.
A federal appeal by Legal Aid Society and Freshfields US LLP seeks to overturn rules preventing the replacement of SNAP benefits stolen via electronic scams, a problem affecting thousands in New York and beyond. Over 40 million Americans depend on this lifeline, yet the USDA’s refusal to restore purloined aid leaves many hungry—not quite the safety net one imagines, unless you fancy holes.
New York City’s rookie mayor, Zohran Mamdani, brandishes his “tin cup” in Albany this week, seeking more funds from Governor Kathy Hochul and a thrifty legislature to plug a looming $12 billion deficit. Despite bold pledges—rent freezes, free buses, universal child care—Mamdani faces Senate skepticism, a state allergic to new taxes, and the unwelcome math that campaign promises come cheaper than balanced budgets.
National Grid and Con Edison saw New Yorkers set record natural gas consumption during a protracted arctic chill, with Long Island reaching six new highs in two feverish weeks and bills leaping about 9%. The chill gave cold comfort to climate policy, as Governor Kathy Hochul postponed the state’s gas phase-out until 2027—allowing us all to keep warming our toes, if not the planet, a bit longer.
After a month of picketing, NewYork-Presbyterian, the final holdout among three major New York City hospitals, has reached a tentative deal with the New York State Nurses Association, whose 11,000 members have braved both arrests and arctic winds. The proposed contracts promise a 12% pay rise, safer staffing, and new AI safeguards—suggesting that, when nurses flex collective muscle, even hospital boards start checking their vital signs.
The United States will roll out a raft of temporary tax tweaks in 2025, favouring retirees, families, tipped workers, and buyers of new cars built stateside, with perks ranging from extra child credits to a $6,000 deduction for seniors. While these measures could put thousands back in taxpayers’ pockets, all good things (and accountant headaches) will end in 2028—unless, of course, Congress rediscovers fiscal generosity.
New York’s embattled Gateway Tunnel languishes as Judge Jeannette Vargas, having ruled against President Trump’s funding blockade, paused her own decision to allow an appeal—temporarily idling 1,000 workers while Sen. Chuck Schumer and Governor Mikie Sherrill rally support. As trains sit idle, even the city’s resilient cyclists brave a biting freeze; perhaps frostbite will advance infrastructure faster than federal lawsuits—though we suspect not.
New York counted a further nine deaths from extreme cold—raising its fatality tally to 25 in a fortnight and turning up the heat on new mayor Zohran Mamdani after Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park’s resignation. Most victims were found outdoors during the city’s “Code Blue” nights; council members fret over gaping cracks in care for the vulnerable. The administration, meanwhile, insists pride survived—if not its commissioner.
