New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has told CNN he is willing to put aside his political differences with President Donald Trump if it gives him a chance to advocate for New York residents.
The Sydney Morning Herald22 Sept
Republican president said he hoped the democratic socialist would be a ‘great mayor’ for New York City Donald Trump said on Monday that he hoped Zohran Mamdani would be a “great mayor” for New York, an unusually warm assessment of the democratic socialist leader whom the president and who the Republicans have spent months holding up as a symbol of the Democratic party’s alleged embrace of “communism” ahead of the November midterms. At a news conference following their closed-door meeting at Gracie Mansion, Trump and Mamdani appeared friendly as they have in previous meetings. Mamdani said he and Trump held a “wide-ranging” discussion, which touched on affordable housing and immigration, but did not offer extensive details regarding any disagreements between them. Continue reading...
The Guardian•José Olivares in New York and David Smith in Washington22 Sept
Bailey's conference role highlights growing institutional Bitcoin interest, potentially reshaping corporate treasury strategies and market dynamics.
CryptoBriefing•Estefano Gomez21 Sept
Unlikely rapport between the Republican president and the democratic socialist mayor continues despite their differences on policies
Standing on Manhattan’s High Line, Jason Baldes watched pedestrians, cyclists, cars and trucks braid their way through New York City. The executive director of the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative in Wyoming was in town for New York’s first-ever buffalo march, a showcase of 40 life-sized bison puppets accompanied by performances to honor the animal’s […]
Inside Climate News•By Jake Bolster21 Sept
‘We’re going to see reporters try and get credentialed in other ways,’ CNN’s Brian Stelter reported
NEW YORK — President Trump offered rare praise for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) Monday, saying he has “great potential.” The two leaders chatted inside Gracie Mansion before holding a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s United Nations General Assembly in the city. “No, I certainly hope he will be a great mayor,” Trump…
The Hill•Mallory Wilson21 Sept
This past October, 52-year-old concrete worker Jose Sanchez Garcia was killed when he fell at least 40 feet from a wall within the massive infrastructure project.
The president is also set to meet with Gulf leaders impacted by the war with Iran during his trip to New York City.
ABC News21 Sept
ALL EYES ON GRACIE: Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to sit down with President Donald Trump at Gracie Mansion this afternoon, their third in-person meeting in less than a year and the latest wrinkle in one of the strangest relationships in American politics. Since Mamdani’s first, shockingly cordial meeting with Trump at the White House last November, political observers have scratched their heads about the democratic socialist mayor playing nice with the Republican president despite their deep disagreements on … just about everything. Ostensibly, Mamdani is putting his personal distaste for Trump aside and betting it’s best for New York City to keep things cordial so as to avoid drawing the president’s ire. But as resistance to Trump remains animating for Democrats nationally ahead of November’s midterms, Mamdani’s strategy for engaging with him stands out. Earlier today, Gov. Kathy Hochul made clear that she, for one, has no plans to meet with Trump while he’s in New York. “I speak to him on the phone whenever I need to,” she told reporters in Manhattan. Hochul, who’s facing reelection in November and tends to directly criticize Trump more frequently than Mamdani, said it was her understanding that the mayor agreed to host the president at Gracie Mansion during a previous conversation at the White House. “The mayor and [Trump] said that when he's back in town again, he would go to Gracie Mansion,” the governor said. “I don't have a Gracie Mansion to invite him to.” Still, Hochul said there’s an opportunity for Mamdani to use the Gracie confab to push Trump on releasing federal funding for New York, including for law enforcement , that she said the president’s administration has been withholding. “We have to continue fighting for what New York needs,” she said. Mamdani’s office wouldn’t say who requested today’s meeting or share specifics about the expected focus in advance, only saying the mayor will talk to Trump about “issues affecting New York City.” A Mamdani spokesperson said the mayor will elaborate on what was discussed at a post-meeting press conference that Trump isn’t expected to attend. After the appointment at Gracie, Trump is slated to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron before headlining a couple Republican fundraisers. By contrast, after his Trump tête-à-tête, Mamdani will have dinner with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who’s in the city to headline a United Nations Charter event this evening that will also feature pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a person familiar with the plans who was granted anonymity to discuss them told Playbook. The Queens-born Trump is in town ahead of his Tuesday address to the United Nations General Assembly. Maintaining a relationship with Trump isn’t without risk for Mamdani. As Trump remains deeply unpopular amid the war in Iran and other controversies, some Democrats are privately questioning why the mayor sees a need to keep interacting with the president. But so far, Mamdani hasn’t faced any significant pushback from his hard-left base over his engagements with Trump, with leaders of the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America largely viewing it as the mayor acting in the city’s best interests. — Chris Sommerfeldt and Madison Fernandez From the Capitol EYES ON AI: Hochul floated requiring safeguards like an artificial intelligence “kill switch” as part of state-level interventions to address the rapidly evolving technology. During a Monday event in Manhattan rolling out next steps for enacting the RAISE Act, New York’s landmark AI safety law that is set to go into effect in January, the governor said she’ll “look closely at additional ways to build on” the legislation — including AI kill switches “if they're deemed feasible and in the best interest of our state.” The governor in recent days has vowed to take additional AI-related actions beyond the RAISE Act, but has not specified what that might look like. Her suggestion of a kill switch comes days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to explore such a requirement for AI companies’ most-advanced models. Some in the tech industry have argued implementing one is not technically feasible. Federal legislation to enact a kill switch requirement is currently stalled in Congress. When asked to expand on the prospect of requiring a kill switch, Hochul said that “all options are on the table,” but wasn’t making a commitment. “We're going to do the research and make the decisions that are thoughtful to protect New Yorkers,” she said. “We'll go as far as we need to to protect people of this state and ultimately this country in the absence of other leadership.” Read more from Madison Fernandez in POLITICO Pro . MORE BLAKEMAN MONEY: Billionaire former casino developer Steve Wynn has donated $1 million to the main super PAC supporting Republican Bruce Blakeman’s gubernatorial bid, records filed with the state Board of Elections this morning show. The committee, Strong and Safe New York, has now raised $5.3 million since July. Wynn has been a top donor to national Republican causes for over a decade. His most recent large donations in New York came last year, when he gave $361,000 to the state GOP and $500,000 to a super PAC boosting Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral bid. — Bill Mahoney FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL ENDORSEMENT CORNER: Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) endorsed GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in his reelection campaign in suburban New York, Golden wrote in an opinion article published Monday. Lawler is facing a tough reelection campaign against Democrat Cait Conley in one of the biggest House battlegrounds this November. The lawmakers have previously collaborated to advance the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act, and are both members of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus. Golden, who is not running for reelection, was one of two House Democrats to break with the party and twice vote in favor of the Republican legislative agenda earlier in September. “Mike Lawler has been a true partner to me and a friend to fishing families he will never represent,” Golden wrote. “I strongly back him, and I hope voters send him back to work. Wherever you live, find the members who pass laws with the other party, and keep them.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the cross-aisle endorsement a “smoke and mirrors ploy” that “will do nothing to change the outcome of the race.” “In desperation, [Lawler] is peddling an 11th hour endorsement from a retiring Congressmember who represents an out of town district more than 400 miles away,” Jeffries said in a statement. “Mike Lawler is an unadulterated phony who has never shown bipartisan courage when it matters.” Read more from POLITICO’s Elleiana Green . ON THE AIRWAVES: With fewer than 50 days to go before Election Day, House Democrats’ main super PAC is making its first TV ad buy in support of Conley on Monday. The House Majority PAC said it is reserving $1.2 million on cable in the Hudson Valley contest. (An additional $1.2 million is going toward fighting Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s re-election in New Jersey, which is also covered by the New York City media market.) HMP said earlier this year that it didn’t include the high-dollar NYC media market in its initial reservations because it was “prioritiz[ing] markets where rates increase significantly.” Republicans have been largely outpacing Democrats in NY-17 on the ad spending front, thanks to significant buys from super PACs backed by the president and House leadership. From the beginning of September through Election Day, the GOP has placed $15 million on ads across broadcast, cable, CTV and digital platforms, according to ad tracker AdImpact. The new HMP spend is the biggest from an outside Democratic group so far, but still leaves a large gap between the parties. Democrats have placed around $3 million on advertising in the period between September and Election Day, with the largest chunk coming from the Conley campaign. — Madison Fernandez IN OTHER NEWS IN OTHER NEWS: — JUDGES CASH IN: Brooklyn Democratic Party leaders have raked in $190,000 in contributions from judges and judicial candidates since 2012, raising some ethical and legal concerns. ( New York Post ) — AFFORDABILITY AHEAD: Anthony Shorris, the mayor’s new pick for the president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, laid out a vision for solving the city’s affordability crisis that goes beyond Mamdani’s vision for five city-owned grocery stores. ( The New York Times ) — BUY NOW, PAY LATER: The Mamdani administration is pushing Albany for tougher ‘buy now, pay later’ regulation, as many New Yorkers use the plans to pay for basic essentials, sinking deeper into debt. ( amNY ) Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here .
The initiative is supported by a $600,000 grant from Airbnb over three years
HousingWire•HousingWire Automation21 Sept
YSL Beauty brought their Block Party series to downtown New York City for a night of music, fashion, and culture.
As more PE firms invest in food establishments, people are bemoaning the ‘same-ification’ of NYC’s restaurant scene Los Tacos No 1 is a classic New York success story. After the Mexican-style taco joint opened in 2013, it quickly became a critic’s pick in the city’s paper of record , drawing long lines and a devoted lunchtime crowd. As word spread about its juicy al pastor and handmade tortillas, it expanded to nine locations. Then, this September, bad news struck : Los Tacos No 1 had received an undisclosed amount of funding from private equity firm TSG Consumer. According to a press release, this cash would help Los Tacos pursue “thoughtful, founder-led growth”. Customers were not so sure. Social media posts quickly declared “the beginning of the end” for the chain, half-jokingly anticipating tiny portions of bad food . Continue reading...
The Guardian•Alaina Demopoulos21 Sept
Three news outlets to sue in case that could come this week after Trump said he would ban them from White House grounds Sign up for US Breaking News emails MS NOW, CNN and Politico said they were suing the Trump Administration to protect their First Amendment rights after president Donald Trump’s announcement that he would ban them from the White House’s building grounds. The three news outlets said they had notified the government that they were filing their lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia and could see emergency hearings in the case as soon as this week, according to CNN. Trump refused to say whether he would attempt to demolish the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the iconic facility on Washington’s Potomac River. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump repeated his belief that the center should append his name to the building in exchange for his work to raise money to renovate the facility. Trump will meet with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani when Trump travels to the city for the upcoming UN General Assembly. The meeting is scheduled for later today and at Gracie Mansion, the official mayoral residence, according to Anna Bahr, Mamdani’s communications director. Trump on Saturday said he would appoint an artificial intelligence czar and create an “AI Force” to help monitor the technology, though he gave almost no details about either plan. As global fears over AI have grown, especially in the past week in the face of multiple industry figures sounding the alarm about its dangers, the president has been critical of calls to slow down development of the fast-moving industry. China’s leader Xi Jinping will visit the United States this week for talks with Trump, Beijing confirmed today, expressing hope they will strengthen “strategic stability” between the world’s two largest economies. Washington had already made clear that the leaders would meet in a bid to find common ground on trade disputes, artificial intelligence and broader strategic issues including Trump’s war in the Middle East. A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man on Sunday afternoon in Texas’s capital city of Austin , local authorities said, as protesters demonstrating against the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration campaign quickly gathered at the scene. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Tom Ambrose21 Sept
For his trek across New York City, the singer wore a pair of Prada slip-ons. I tried to do the same in my penny loafers – and soon found out why experts advise against it Last month, just before his 30-night residency at Madison Square Garden, Harry Styles was spotted walking the streets of New York. According to the paparazzi who trailed him throughout his journey, he walked eight miles – all the way from Brooklyn into Manhattan – in loafers. If, like me, you own a pair of loafers, your first thought is probably: that doesn’t sound like a good idea. On Instagram, Grazia called Styles’ shoes “perhaps the least sensible footwear for such an undertaking”. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Tim Dowling21 SeptJustin Blinder created a device that makes it harder to pedal a CitiBike in rent-burdened areas.
Click to expand Image United Nations headquarters in New York City, December 2020. © 2020 zz/STRF/STAR MAX/IPx via AP Photo World leaders at the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City from September 22-28, 2026, should commit to defending human rights, Human Rights Watch said. They should counter attempts to undermine accountability for grave international crimes and the work of the UN and other vital international institutions. Dozens of leaders and foreign ministers from the UN’s 193 member countries will attend the General Assembly’s general debate. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is scheduled to deliver the first speech on September 22, followed by US President Donald Trump. Others speaking on the first day include the leaders of Türkiye, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan. “The UN and other international organizations created to protect human rights are under attack from countries that had pledged to defend them,” said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch. “All UN member countries should condemn attempts by the United States, Russia, China, and others to dismantle the international human rights system and destroy avenues for accountability for abuses.” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will participate virtually for the second year in a row after the US refused to grant him and other Palestinian officials visas to travel to UN headquarters. Issues expected to be on many leaders’ agendas will be: the global impact of the US and Israel’s war with Iran; Israeli forces’ continuing abuses against Palestinians in Gaza and their support for settler violence in the West Bank; Russian laws-of-war violations in Ukraine; and concerns about the risks of artificial intelligence and climate change. World leaders should urge accountability for ongoing atrocities and human rights abuses in Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Haiti, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. At the same time, they should work together to counter the escalating assault on human rights around the world—including in long-standing democracies like the US and countries in Europe—and on the international laws and organizations created to promote and protect those rights. Human Rights Watch, in its World Report 2026, called for governments committed to upholding human rights to form a coalition of like-minded countries to resist efforts by the US and other powers to undermine international law. The US has announced a campaign to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court (ICC), as the Trump administration seeks to protect US and Israeli officials from the court’s scrutiny. In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza. The US campaign, including punitive sanctions against ICC officials and judges, three Palestinian human rights groups, and a UN expert, threatens victims’ access to justice globally. ICC investigations include crimes against humanity and other atrocity crimes in relation to Myanmar, Sudan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Ukraine. The ICC has also issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Russian officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Governments should use the general debate at the General Assembly and opportunities on the sidelines to pledge support for the ICC and all those working with it to seek justice, and commit to measures to mitigate the impact of US attacks on justice, Human Rights Watch said. Together with three other human rights organizations, Human Rights Watch has sued the Trump administration in US federal court over its sanctions targeting the ICC. UN member countries should also resist efforts by the US and other governments to undermine the human rights of refugees and migrants, women and girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, among others, and should defend existing protections for equality and nondiscrimination. They should actively resist the alarming increase in actions by some countries to contest, roll back, or actively remove well-established international norms on gender equality from UN mandates, including Security Council decisions. While many delegations will focus on issues of peace and security and development, world leaders should publicly commit to ensuring that the UN’s human rights work is adequately resourced and staffed. The UN has been mired in a liquidity crisis for years, largely caused by the US’ refusal to pay its full obligatory assessed contributions and cancellation of most voluntary contributions. The US recently paid $800 million in dues to the UN, a fraction of the roughly $4 billion it owes. China has repeatedly exacerbated the UN’s liquidity problems by failing to pay its dues on time. A number of other countries are also in arrears, though the US and China account for nearly half of the UN’s regular and peacekeeping budgets. Countries should condemn efforts by some governments to flout and undermine UN sanctions regimes, sanctions monitoring panels, and arms embargoes. The UN Security Council has been holding informal “straw” polls for candidates seeking to replace Antonio Guterres as UN secretary-general when his second five-year term ends on December 31. The next UN chief should prioritize human rights and reinvigorate UN peacekeeping to protect civilians, as well as find ways to press governments to pay their dues and voluntary contributions in full and on time. Member states should explore better ways to hold governments that default on their obligations accountable. To counter impunity for crimes against humanity around the world, countries will soon be negotiating a new treaty to prevent and punish these grave human rights abuses. Crimes against humanity include murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearance, extermination, enslavement, and apartheid, among others, committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a population. UN member countries should support this effort as these are among the gravest offenses under international law. “World leaders should use the UN podium to speak out forcefully against efforts by some major powers to trample on human rights and make it easier to get away with atrocities and other grave crimes,” Charbonneau said. “The UN and the international human rights system can only survive the current assault if governments take urgent and strong action to defend them.”
John Wilson’s The History Of Concrete had a record-breaking IFC Center debut, grossing $90k in three days for the top doc opening and the second-highest weekend gross in the NYC theater’s 21-year history after only Parasite ($119k in 2019). Nearly every available ticket sold for the entire weekend, including for shows added Saturday afternoon for […]
Deadline•Jillg36620 Sept
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are meeting in New York City this week, the Ukrainian leader said Sunday. “I just spoke with President Trump @POTUS. An important conversation, and we got through a lot. We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” the…
The Hill•Tara Suter20 Sept
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump will be crossing the political aisle tomorrow ... and meeting up for their third in-person meeting. The meeting is set to go down in Zohran's residence, Gracie Mansion, ahead of the U.N.…
TMZ•TMZ Staff20 Sept