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Compiled by Sahalie Donaldson

Friday, July 25, 2025

Weather

Sunny then thunderstorms likely in New York City and thunderstorms in Albany and Buffalo. New York City, high 93; Albany, high 90; Buffalo, high 83.

This week's magazine

People power

* The growth of left-wing politics isn’t limited to New York City. In the Hudson Valley, socialist Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha is at the center of a growing upstate progressive movement.

Who’s Who in Insurance

* City & State’s Who’s Who in Insurance puts a spotlight on public officials, trade association leaders and executives at companies offering health insurance, property and casualty insurance, life insurance and other types of coverage in New York’s robust market.

 ▶ Read This Week's Issue

From City & State

* In this week’s Winners & Losers, Rep. Andrew Garbarino is named chair of the House Homeland Security committee, while Columbia University President Claire Shipman hands the Ivy League school over to the Trump administration.

* Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, commissioner of the New York City Department for the Aging, delivered the keynote address at City & State’s Aging Summit yesterday, an event where advocates weighed in on financial and food insecurity among older adults and the caregiving crisis.

Resorts World is doubling down on New York City, with a $5.5 billion vision to create the largest integrated resort in the world. This expansion will create 10,000 construction and permanent jobs in the process, more than 10 acres of new park space, and 30 new food and beverage options. That’s on top of the up to 50,000 units of workforce housing we’re committed to building across New York City.

New this morning

* The federal government sued New York City over its sanctuary city statutes yesterday, citing the recent shooting of a law enforcement official by an undocumented migrant as the latest example of its policies bringing “tragic consequences,” The City reports.

* Republican Bruce Blakeman shrugged off a move by Democratic lawmakers state Sen. Julia Salazar and Assembly Member Michaelle Solages who showed up to inspect a jail where the county is holding detainees under a controversial deal with federal immigration authorities, the New York Post reports.

* Gov. Kathy Hochul yesterday said she’s open to congressional redistricting to boost Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections amid President Donald Trump’s push to redraw red states like Texas to help Republicans keep control of the House, the Daily News reports.

* The gaming companies and developers vying for a casino license in New York City are all pitching billions of dollars in so-called community benefits to their local elected officials – promising funds for local groups, new health care centers, transportation and sports fields – if they get to build their casino, NY1 reports.

* Trucks are moving faster during the day in Manhattan since congestion pricing began this year, according to new research from a telematics and data company, amNewYork reports.

* More news below …

85% of New Yorkers say food costs are outpacing their income — and it could get worse. City Council bill 1135 could raise the cost of grocery deliveries by $10 or more per order and block thousands of delivery workers from earning opportunities. Mayor Adams: Say NO to higher grocery delivery costs and NO to making New York even less affordable for working families. Veto the City Council’s devastating grocery delivery bill. Learn more at groceryaffordability.nyc.

* The Long Island Rail Road this week set post-pandemic records back to back – 295,419 passengers on Tuesday, then 298,419 passengers on Wednesday – although ridership has yet to return to the pre-pandemic peak, according to Hochul's office, Newsday reports.

* Big tech companies hope the release of the White House's plan to develop artificial intelligence in the U.S. will make state leaders think twice about implementing proposed industry regulations in New York, State of Politics reports.

* The longtime friendship between a judge and the top lawyer for the county government is a central focus of Jackson Demolition Services’ appeal of the judge’s ruling earlier this year that allowed Advance Albany County Alliance and two downstate firms to move ahead with the demolition of Central Warehouse, the Times Union reports.

* Hundreds of clinicians across New York are calling on Hochul to ensure patients retain access to gender-affirming care, even as the Trump administration pushes to roll back such treatment nationwide, Gothamist reports.

* It took less than three days for $17 million to disappear from ATMs across New York in a scam that went viral on TikTok and that city officials say is linked to a youth jobs program, The New York Times reports.

NY deserves better in times of crisis! Work with a trusted public adjuster who fights for your rights and fair practices in the insurance industry! Find out more here. 

Editorial pages

* Young voters went for Zohran Mamdani by a large margin in the Democratic primary. Can they persuade their parents to do the same in the general election, columnist Ginia Bellafante writes for the Times.

* With less than 90 days until the start of early voting, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is staking his reelection bid on falling crime numbers, arguing to voters that he has made New York safer and can continue to do so if he gets another four years in office – but against Mamdani, it won’t necessarily be a winning issue for Adams, columnist Errol Louis writes for New York magazine.

* At last week’s House hearing, Manhattan Rep. Jerry Nadler claimed, “The numbers don’t lie” about crime in the New York City subway, but the statistics Democrats hold on for dear life to have been cherry picked and mask the city’s fundamental problem with crime, former Rep. Marc Molinaro and nominee to lead the Federal Transit Administration, writes for the Daily News.

National politics

* Jeffrey Epstein’s imprisoned former associate Ghislaine Maxwell met with a top Justice Department official for about five hours yesterday, her attorney said, answering every question in “a very productive day,” The Washington Post reports.

* The Israeli government and President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy said that they were recalling the teams that had been negotiating on a Gaza ceasefire with Hamas, perhaps imperiling the hope for the return of some of the last surviving Israeli hostages and relief for besieged Palestinians, the Times reports.

* Trump’s job approval rating is slipping among independent voters in a new survey from Gallup, spurred in part by disapproval of how the president is handling key issues including the federal budget, economy and immigration, Politico reports.

Join us on 9/18 for City & State’s Economic & Workforce Development Summit, which will offer industry executives, public sector leaders and academics the opportunity to share ideas and debate over critical issues such as changes in the workforce, economic opportunities, innovative ideas to grow NY business and more. Register now! Interested in becoming a sponsor? Email us.

Sponsored by: Berkley College; KPMG; Brown and Weinraub; Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies; DHC; Fordham University; Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce

Announcements

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To former New York City Council Member Alan Maisel … to Christine Quinn, president and CEO of Win … to Doug Turetsky, former chief of staff and communications director for the New York City Independent Budget Office … to former New York City Council Member Domenic M. Recchia Jr. … to Laura Imperiale, chief of staff to Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso … to Liz Benjamin, managing director, Albany, Marathon Strategies … to George Lence, president and co-founder of Nicholas & Lence Communications … to Mitchell Schwartz, vice president of government affairs, Outfront Media … to Joshua Lockwood, vice president of transformational giving at American Red Cross … to James Fanelli, reporter at The Wall Street Journal … to Ryan FitzGibbon, managing director at Prosek Partners … to Alyssa Tucker, executive director, Belmont Business Improvement District … to Michael G. Zapson, partner at Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman LLP … to Hasoni Pratts, regent, New York State Board of Regents … to Robert J. Bishop, partner of Pitta, Bishop & DelGiorno LLC … and to Amanda Lefton, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. 

IN MEMORIAM: Michael Cardozo, former New York City corporation counsel, Proskauer partner and Citizens Union board member, died on July 23. He was 84.

Have a birthday, career change, birth, death or life event to announce? Email us: editor@cityandstateny.com.

City & State NY Jobs

To advertise your 2025 employment opportunities here with City & State, email jobs@cityandstateny.com or call (212) 894-5417 ext. 520. To view more jobs, please visit jobs.cityandstateny.com.

Briefings and Research Coordinator - New York State Attorney General, New York, New York

The Office of the New York State Attorney General’s (OAG) Executive Division is seeking a Briefings and Research Coordinator (BRC). The BRC will prepare substantive briefings for the Attorney General (AG) for meetings and public events. Additionally, the BRC will draft memos for the AG on the day’s news; research and draft memoranda on public policy topics; write policy or legal letters for public release; and vet and perform conflicts checks on individuals and organizations. Learn more here!

Passionate about learning? Share ideas and debate over critical issues with the decision-makers who set policy and determine the future of New York’s schools at CSNY’s Education in New York Summit on August 14. Keynotes are: Dr. Betty A. Rosa,

Commissioner & President, NYS Dept. of Education, & Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Chancellor, NYC Public Schools. Register now!

Sponsored by: Western Governors University; NYSUT; DHC; Empire State University; Hinman Straub; Mouse; OneGoal - Education; Patrick B Jenkins & Associates; T-Mobile for Education; UFT; Vibrant Emotional Health; Kasirer; NYSTEC

Today's sked

8 a.m. – New York City Mayor Eric Adams meets with senior administration officials, no location provided.

8:30 a.m. – Adams appears on “Good Day New York,” Fox 5. 

9 a.m. – Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie joins Assembly Member Jen Lunsford to attend Buffalo Bills training camp, St. John Fisher University, 3690 East Ave., Rochester.

10:10 a.m. – Adams meets with Her Excellency Koike Yuriko, governor of Tokyo, no location provided. 

11 a.m. – Gov. Kathy Hochul makes a waterfront announcement and highlights “Get Offline, Get Outside” initiatives, Buffalo. Media interested in attending must RSVP to press.rsvp@exec.ny.gov for logistical details.

11 a.m. – The New York State Cannabis Control Board holds a public meeting, Hudson Valley Community College, Bulmer Telecommunications Center, 80 Vanderburgh Ave., Troy.

11 a.m. – Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Tom Suozzi join Vaughn College, airline representatives and community members to hold a press conference to celebrate Vaughn College’s entry into the Federal Aviation Administration’s Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative, Vaughn College Atrium, 86-01 23rd Ave., Queens.

11:30 a.m. – Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine holds a bill-signing ceremony placing term limits on the ballot this November, Suffolk County Legislature, William H. Rogers Building, 725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Smithtown.

12 p.m. – Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Wiliams, local contractors and environmental and consumer advocates gather on Zoom to celebrate the implementation of the All-Electric Buildings Act. Register here.

4 p.m. – Adams participates in an ethnic media engagement with “NY Hispano,” no location provided. 

5 p.m. – Williams joins the Center for Independence of the Disabled for a panel discussion celebrating the 35th anniversary of American with Disabilities Act. View here.

Kicker

“I’m not allowed technology at all, and I’ve been notified that I will not be allowed to do interviews either … They’re shutting me up essentially.” – Former Rep. George Santos, giving a final hurrah before he begins his seven-year prison sentence today, via Politico New York

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