Pragmatic Strategy. Valdez recognizes that winning requires adapting to political realities, even if it means compromising on ideological purity to achieve greater goals.
This week's moments Fri August 28Live
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
1 day agoAffordability
Mamdani Cuts US Open Ticket Prices for New Yorkers Amid Resale Outrage
Mayor Zohran Mamdani partnered with the USTA to offer 1,000 US Open tickets at $100 each — well below resale prices topping $300 — exclusively for NYC residents. The tickets are non-transferable and available first-come, first-served starting August 26.
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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
3 days agoGrocery Stores
Ethnic Grocery Owners Sue to Block Mamdani's City-Run Store Plan
A newly formed coalition of ethnic grocery store owners and business groups sued New York City to stop Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan to open five city-run grocery stores — one per borough — that would sell staples at 30% below market prices, arguing it would devastate small, minority-owned businesses.
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NY Governor Kathy Hochul
6 days agoData Centers
Hochul Walks a Tightrope Between AI Growth and Worker Protection
Gov. Kathy Hochul is navigating a political minefield: she paused new hyperscale data centers to protect ratepayers, while simultaneously holding worker roundtables on AI's impact. Critics say she's scaring off business; supporters say she's finally putting people before profit.
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President Donald Trump
2 days agoVoting
Supreme Court Clears Way for Trump's Mail Voting Restrictions Before Midterms
The Supreme Court lifted a key injunction blocking Trump's executive order on mail-in voting, ruling it was too early for Democratic states to challenge it. A second injunction against the Postal Service remains in place, and legal and practical hurdles may still prevent major changes before November.
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NY Governor Kathy Hochul
3 days agoICE
Hochul Backs Program That Pays Local Cops to Help Border Patrol
A federal program called Operation Stonegarden pays New York sheriff's deputies to work with Border Patrol. Records show deputies have helped detain at least 24 immigrants since 2023 — even as Governor Hochul champions a law meant to stop local police from aiding immigration enforcement.
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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
3 days agoTransit
Mamdani Bets $4 Billion to Finally Fix the Crumbling BQE
Mayor Mamdani unveiled a $4 billion, 10-year plan to rehabilitate the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway's deteriorating triple-cantilever section. The plan uses temporary bypass roads to keep traffic flowing during construction, avoids federal funding, and aims to extend the structure's life to 2080 — but faces pushback from both neighbors and highway opponents.
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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
4 days agoTransit
Mamdani's Free Bus Push Blamed for MTA's Millions in Lost Fares
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is standing by his campaign promise of fare-free buses, even as MTA data shows a $35.7 million revenue shortfall and nearly half of bus riders now skipping the $3 fare. Transit officials and union leaders say his rhetoric is making the problem worse.
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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
6 days agoHousing
Mamdani Sets Bold 700,000-Home Target to Fix NYC's Historic Housing Crisis
The Mamdani administration released a landmark report saying New York City must build 700,000 new homes over the next decade — the most ambitious housing target in modern city history — while pushing even low-density neighborhoods that have long resisted new construction to do their share.
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Council Member Joann Ariola
6 days ago911
Ariola's "Minutes Matter" Bill to Warn of Ambulance Delays
Queens Council Member Joann Ariola introduced the "Minutes Matter Bill," which would require the city to send emergency alerts whenever FDNY EMS has more than 25 pending ambulance dispatches — a threshold that was shattered when over 700 calls piled up in recent months.
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Assemblymember Rodneyse Hermelyn
4 days agoParty Politics
Brooklyn Dem Boss Rewrites Rules to Stay in Power
Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn proposed dramatically expanding who votes in the party's upcoming leadership election — a move her opponents say is designed to nullify their June primary wins and block a challenge to her chairmanship.
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Senator Jessica Ramos
6 days agoEthical Issues
Ramos Accused of Double-Billing Travel to Campaign and Taxpayers
New York state Senator Jessica Ramos is accused of charging the same travel expenses — hotel stays and train tickets — to both her campaign account and to taxpayers, according to records and former staff interviewed by The New York Times. The allegations span back to at least 2021.
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Representative Hakeem Jeffries
2 days agoParty Politics
Jeffries Meets Kushner Privately, Sparking Democratic Backlash
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met privately with Jared Kushner to explore common ground on housing, immigration, and the cost of living. The secret meeting drew sharp criticism from progressives who see it as a betrayal, just months before Democrats hope to retake the House.
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Senator Andrew Gounardes
3 days agoAI
Gounardes Pushes to Limit Screens and AI in New York Classrooms
New York State Sen. Andrew Gounardes introduced the FOCUS Act, which would set strict, age-based limits on screens and AI in public schools, ban social media and chatbots from school devices, and require ed tech companies to prove their products actually help students learn.
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Signal made visible
Heat map · 7 daysPixels are NYC's ratings over the last week. You are the yellow dot.