NYC NOW

U.S. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy is blaming Democrats in Congress for the federal government shutdown. Meanwhile, after Zohran Mamdani said he’d cut gifted programs for kindergartners, Andrew Cuomo said he’d expand them. And finally, New Jersey’s GOP candidate for governor, Jack Ciattarelli, has pledged to overturn a 50-year-old set of landmark court rulings that require each of the state’s municipalities to build affordable housing.

Governor Kathy Hochul has renewed an executive order allowing New York pharmacists to continue administering COVID-19 vaccines without a prescription. Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams is traveling to Albania Monday on what City Hall says is a trip to promote tourism and economic ties. Also, the Yankees are on the brink of elimination after dropping the first two games against the Toronto Blue Jays in the best-of-five American League Division Series. And finally, acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan discusses how his department is working to curb the city’s rat population following the resignation of New York City’s rat czar, Kathleen Corradi.

Police say officers shot and killed a 28 year old man during a response to a domestic violence call in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The NYPD says the incident is under investigation. Meanwhile, Bronx community groups are raising concerns about a proposed elevated service road alongside the Cross Bronx Expressway. And at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, hundreds of New Yorkers, along with cats, dogs, a camel, a horse, and even an owl, gathered for the annual Blessing of the Animals celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Thousands of first time voters have registered in New York City this year, many citing frustration over affordability as their reason. WNYC’s Brigid Bergin explains how their arrival could shape the upcoming mayoral race and what it reveals about the city’s shifting electorate.

President Donald Trump’s administration has reversed $187 million in cuts to counterterrorism and security funding for police departments and programs in New York state. And finally, WNYC’s Brian Lehrer joins us to discuss the top stories from his show and the WNYC newsroom.

The MTA says OMNY will undergo system updates starting Friday night and through Sunday night. During that time, riders won’t be able to buy or reload OMNY cards and tap payments won’t process until updates are complete. Meanwhile, the agency will stop accepting coins on buses next year as part of its full transition to OMNY. Plus, student enrollment in Newark Public Schools is rising sharply, even as many districts nationwide are seeing declines. We speak with Chalkbeat’s Jessie Gomez.

New Jersey lawmakers are considering a program that would provide direct cash payments to expectant mothers earning less than $44,000 a year in an effort to reduce child poverty. Meanwhile, large plumes of smoke over an Astoria baseball field earlier this week were traced to fireworks and flares set off by fans of a Moroccan soccer team during a North American meetup. And the Yankees are advancing in the MLB playoffs after shutting out the Boston Red Sox 4–0 in the decisive Wild Card game, with rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler delivering a dominant performance.

Some tenants returned to NYCHA’s Mitchel Houses Wednesday evening after an explosion tore up the side of the Bronx public housing building. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration announced its holding billions of dollars that had been promised for transit projects in our area. The administration says it's holding the money because of New York’s DEI policies.

The Trump administration has frozen $18 billion in federal funds for the Hudson River Gateway tunnel and the Second Avenue subway extension, citing New York’s diversity, equity and inclusion requirements. Meanwhile, a New Jersey teenager has been charged with murder after allegedly ramming his SUV into two girls on bicycles, killing them both. At LaGuardia, two Delta jets clipped wings in a low-speed collision that injured one flight attendant. And in New Jersey, leaked Naval Academy records of Rep. Mikie Sherrill are roiling the governor’s race as she blames her opponent Jack Ciattarelli and the Trump administration. WNYC's Mike Hayes has the latest.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch is warning that looming federal counterterrorism funding cuts could jeopardize historic safety gains in the subway system. Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul says the state will not cover costs to keep federal attractions like the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open during a potential government shutdown, instead urging New Yorkers to blame Republicans in Washington. Plus, New Jersey has issued a statewide drought watch after months of below average rainfall and declining reservoir levels.