New York City in brief

Thanks to tariffs imposed during Donald Trump’s tenure, over two dozen upstate New York solar and wind projects—enough to power some two million homes—are stuck in limbo, as construction costs have jumped by as much as 30%. Though developers have permits in hand, they’re shackled to pre-tariff contracts that can’t cover new expenses; NYSERDA’s response, thus far, has been to sit tight and study the breeze.

As New York’s City Council braces for a fresh bout with Mayor Zohran Mamdani over expanding CityFHEPS rental vouchers, memories linger of last year’s high-drama lawsuit and a rare mayoral veto override. With program costs shooting from $500 million to $1.78 billion in three years—and watchdogs warning of up to $9.6 billion by 2030—expansionists now face a mayor whose campaign promises appear to have misplaced their receipts.

Citing “defensive necessity,” Iranian parliamentary chief Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf declared that navigation in the Strait of Hormuz—which channels a fifth of global crude—is changed for good, as attacks on vessels and retaliatory closures drive oil above $100 a barrel. The UN’s World Food Programme warns of rising hunger as shipping falters, but American promises of naval escorts remain more notional than nautical for now.

Rising operating costs—up 40% since 2017, with insurance alone jumping 110%—are pushing over half of New York’s affordable housing developments into negative cash flow, as rent collection drops and nonprofit owners wobble. Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget tackles insurance opacity and tosses a lifeline via revamped J-51 tax breaks, but until expenses stop outpacing rents, New Yorkers may find their “affordable” homes an increasingly rare species.

The MTA has sued the Trump administration in federal court for halting a $3.4 billion grant needed to extend New York’s Second Avenue subway into East Harlem, citing an unresolved review of minority contracting as the snag. The spat over federal commitments echoes last year’s Gateway tunnel drama—where a judge ordered funds released—reminding us that, in infrastructure politics, the light at the end of the tunnel may simply be litigation.