WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2025
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Dear New Yorkers,
When Andrew Yang won endorsements from an array of Brooklyn-based Hasidic Jewish sects before the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary, his campaign touted that as a possible game changer that could put him over the top in a tight election.
It was not enough.
Four years later, the nine candidates on the Democratic Primary ballot are once again vying for from the same Hasidic sects and other potential large Jewish voting blocs.
But which groups matter? Which candidates are the current frontrunners for those endorsements? And can a candidate like state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens), a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and persona non grata in many Jewish circles, have a chance?
Read more here about the 300,000 votes at stake from of religious Jewish communities.
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Weather ☔
The rain begins again: showers in the afternoon, with highs in the mid 60s. We’re looking at a wet week, folks.
MTA 🚇
The 6 train is running less frequently in The Bronx this morning, from 9:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.
Alternate side parking 🚙
It’s in effect today, May 28.
By the way…
Manhattanhenge is back. Watch the sun set through the city’s grid.
Our Other Top Stories
- Trump tried to pull funding from New York State for refusing to shut down congestion pricing — and the MTA sued. A judge has now ruled on whether or not the istration will be allowed to punish New York for its local transit policy.
- The parking lot around Citi Field is technically parkland controlled by the state. On Wednesday, Albany lawmakers voted to allow a casino to be built there — if the owners get a license.
- In Tuesday’s edition of our election newsletter Ranked Choices, we talk about the latest in the money race, how to view your sample ballot, the powerful union split in the comptroller race and more. Read it here.
- “It’s hard to be a human in New York but it’s downright dangerous to be a baby squirrel,” says Kyra Tippens-Richan, who spends her work days performing autopsies on animals and her off-hours caring for squirrels, in the latest episode of FAQ NYC. Plus, Ben Max visits to run down all of the down-ballot races ahead of the podcast’s team-up with Max Politics for a live event Thursday in Manhattan with special guest Kathryn Garcia. That’s free and open to the public, and you can see the details and RSVP here.
Reporter’s Notebook
Rent Board Opens Door to More Modest Hikes
The Rent Guidelines Board met Tuesday for just over eight minutes to take a re-vote on its preliminary range of increases for two-year leases on rent-stabilized apartments, approving a new hike between 3.75% and 7.75%. Previously, it had approved an increase between 4.75% and 7.75%.
Chair Doug Apple said the reconsideration came as a result of the board reviewing “additional evidence” and referenced tenants who testified about their incomes not keeping up with rising costs of living.
But tenant representative member Adán Soltren pushed back on that characterization and said, “This potentially was a missed opportunity to not only correct what happened previously but to potentially have gone lower on this new re-vote because I think tenants in New York are really struggling right now, and I think the data is reflecting that.”
The board’s final vote will come in late June, with a series of public hearings beforehand.
— Samantha Maldonado
Adams Says He Can’t Help High School Student Arrested by ICE
A Bronx high schooler was arrested by ICE after a routine hearing in immigration court in Lower Manhattan as part of a nationwide blitz targeting such proceedings, Chalkbeat reported yesterday. It was the first known case of a New York City public school student being targeted by federal immigration officers during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Asked Tuesday if he would advocate for the student, given his close relationship with “border czar” Tom Homan, Mayor Eric Adams said the city’s sanctuary protections barred him from doing so. “We have to be extremely careful because the New York City Council laws are limited on what coordination I can do. And so sometimes there’s a blessing and there’s a curse,” he told reporters, stressing that Dylan, a 20-year-old student at ELLIS Prep, hadn’t been apprehended inside a school building.
Several contenders for Adams’ job slammed the arrest, with Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani declaring that “this is where Eric Adams’ silence and complicity has led us,” and Comptroller Brad Lander vowing “to make sure New Yorkers like Dylan have the legal protections and representation they deserve to fight back against ICE’s inhumane actions.” Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who is consistently leading the mayoral polls, hadn’t commented on the student’s arrest by Tuesday evening.
— Gwynne Hogan
Things To Do
Here are some free and low-cost things to do around the city this week.
- Wednesday, May 28: Share your with city agencies about the state of city nightlife at a town hall. Midtown at Annex417, 4:15 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 28: It’s Older Adult Health and Fitness Day — New Yorkers over 62 can take free fitness classes and activities at all NYC Parks recreation centers, all day.
- Wednesday, May 28: Visit the Queens Botanical Garden — free from 3 to 6 p.m.
THE KICKER: They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. Wait — it’s actually the other way around.
Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday.
Love,
THE CITY
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