New York City in brief

Democratic lawmakers are urging Governor Kathy Hochul to plug a $393m gap and save New York’s “Essential Plan,” a state-subsidized health insurance for 450,000 low-income residents, after federal cuts tied to Trump-era deals take effect in July. While Hochul blames Washington for tightening the screws, insiders grumble that Albany—now seven weeks overdue on its $268bn budget—may have kept the bandages rolled up a touch too long.

Queens renters now fork over an eye-watering 54.7% of median household income—$71,116—on one-bedroom flats, says Apartments.com’s RentPulse, more than double the national average. Manhattan’s ratio soars to 69.3%, with Brooklyn and the Bronx not far behind. We note Miami and Boston also jostle for unaffordability, but New York’s real estate remains uniquely punishing; dreams here require not just grit but deep pockets or heroic room-sharing.

After a three-day strike that halted the Long Island Rail Road—the nation’s busiest commuter artery—trains resumed shuttling between Long Island and New York City on May 19. The mysterious deal resolving a marathon wage dispute between the MTA and five unions followed federal mediation and years of deadlock, though fare-hike-averse managers might eye the bottom line as nervously as commuters eyed replacement buses.

New York City braces for an early two-day spell of extreme heat—temperatures “real-feeling” their way toward the upper 90s—prompting authorities to activate cooling centers and a Code Red warning for the homeless. With air quality alerts and thunderstorms poised to follow Wednesday’s scorcher, we marvel at nature’s timing: a city built for hustle is now ordered to pause, hydrate, and await friendlier forecasts.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is floating a plan to rezone swathes south of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park—think autobody shops and modest homes—for taller buildings and thousands of new flats, in anticipation of the Interborough Express rail link. Local officials are largely on board, hopeful that extra roofs will cool New York City’s red-hot rents, though—this being Brooklyn—persuading everyone may require more than just a neighborhood survey.