Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, has marshalled a coalition from over a dozen states to sue the Trump administration after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development slashed $3.6 billion in long-term homeless housing funds, incl…
Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, has marshalled 21 states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s latest move to exclude some green card holders from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The USDA’s guidance could strip aid from 35,000 New Yorkers (and many more elsewhere), while threatening states with $1.2bn in penalties if they balk—a new twist in the time-honoured tradition of federal-state food fights, now served cold.
The FBI reports that since January, over 5,100 U.S. consumers have lost upwards of $262 million to cybercriminals posing as banks or law enforcement—a testament to the enduring appeal of account takeover fraud. Tactics range from eerily convincing fake websites to ingenious, SEO-poisoned ads funnelling victims to credential-stealing portals, with the loot often vanishing into cryptocurrency wallets. We suggest passwords be memorable, if not poetic, for future would-be savers.
Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a law requiring state-regulated health plans in New York to cover asthma inhalers without copays, starting in 2027, aiming to help the 1.7 million residents with asthma—especially those in the Bronx, where rates are highest. While manufacturers tout $35 caps, out-of-pocket costs persist, and with insurance prices due to climb, we can only hope free inhalers won’t just be a breath of political fresh air.
After a shooting near the White House left two National Guards critically injured, President Trump directed USCIS to re-examine all green cards issued to migrants from unnamed “countries of concern”—a sweeping move that comes days after suspending Afghan immigration and blaming Joe Biden’s policies for the attack. We note that, while the list is flexible, the appeal of moving the goalposts remains evergreen in Washington.
Seventy New York City Housing Authority employees have now been convicted—mostly on felonies—for steering some $15 million in repair contracts after accepting over $2.1 million in bribes, following what federal prosecutors dubbed the biggest one-day anti-graft sweep on record. Restitution and forfeitures match the sum siphoned off, patching NYCHA’s battered finances, though trust in public housing may take longer to fix than the boilers ever did.
Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani, political foes turned unlikely allies, joined forces to denounce Consolidated Edison’s freshly approved rate hikes, which will see New Yorkers paying about $4 more monthly for electricity and roughly $11 to $15 extra for gas each year from 2026 to 2028. Regulatory officials shaved these increases well below Con Ed’s original ask—a bargain, if small mercies and flickering outrage keep the lights on.
New York, joined by 23 other attorneys general, is suing the Trump administration over new rules barring refugees and asylum seekers from ever accessing SNAP food stamps. The states argue the ban violates federal law and leaves thousands in the lurch. Government lawyers counter this is about eligibility, not empathy—doubtless a distinction that leaves many newcomers dining on cold comfort in the meantime.
New York City has unveiled plans to patch up the crumbling Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which ferries some 130,000 vehicles a day and stands as a monument to the urban planning enthusiasms of Robert Moses. We’re promised more community input, fewer emissions, and no humongous new structures—though New Yorkers know to watch their wallets as political concrete rarely sets on time, or on budget.
