Brooklyn’s Community Educational Council for District 20 opened the school year by debatingAI use and screen time, youth vaping, and enrollment issues for middle schools at its monthly
meeting on September 9.

The meeting was held at P.S. 310 – The School of Future Leaders in Sunset Park. The event was open to the public and via Zoom at 6 p.m. The meeting was run by District 20 president John Riccottone.

“I think we need to return to basics, you know, that we know works, which is live in person instruction,” Senator Andrew Gournades, Chairman of the Committee on Budget And Revenue said in regards to AI being used in the classroom.

He then praised school chancellor, Kamar Samuels and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s one year delay on students facing generative AI. “There’s no reason for young kids to have to be taught solely off of screens and solely off of apps.”

Superintendent of District 20 Dr. David Pretto added to this issue, displaying the NYC public school guidance on Artificial Intelligence and screen time. AI is to be banned from Kindergarten to 8th grade with varied screentime options. The high school curriculum has restricted use to specific software such as AI literacy, career readiness, and limited AI pilots.

“What we are really looking to make sure is being reduced and eliminated is passive, unstructured time on a computer in the classroom,” Pretto said

As far as teacher-facing AI policies, teachers are allowed to use AI for instructional planning and operational tasks. These include brainstorming, lesson planning, drafting emails, streamlining operations, professional learning, and translation.

“What is not allowed Teacher-facing AI cannot be used for grading, behavior monitoring, placement, promotion, graduation, or other decisions about students,” Pretto said.

All special education documents will be developed by qualified professionals and counseling, crisis intervention, and therapeutic support are provided only by qualified staff, all of which are exceptions to this policy in regards to teaching use.

E-cigarette use and distribution, punishment is given based on severity. Council member Alina Lewis discussed Districts 20 resolution to combat tobacco and E-cigarette use and distribution amongst students.

The initial possession of such products calls for education and intervention. A mandatory intervention conference must be convened with the student, parents/guardians, and the school guidance counselor. The student and parent must jointly complete a designated substance hazard education and cessation support program. A second offense calls for behavioral support and counseling. Repeated offenses shall be referred to the Principal and District Superintendent for administrative review.

Lewis also mentioned the District 20 solution to its declining enrollment, inviting the audience to read the online resolution. According to the District 20 council resolution, middle schools in this district have seen a 6.8% decline in admissions over the past five years and elementary school enrollment has declined 11.4%. The New York City Department of Education conducted an exit survey of parents who have left the system. The number one reason for leaving was “more rigorous education than possible in NYC.”

This is a citywide issue, with NYC public school enrollment falling nearly 12% between 2024–25. According to the New York Times, NYC Public schools could lose over 100,000 students over the next decade due to birthrate trends, migration patterns, housing production, home schooling and Charter schools enrollment increasing.

Middle schools have begun using academic screening, which examines students’ standardized test scores and report cards as opposed to being selected by a lottery or neighborhood based zoning. The proposals suggest that seats should be screened without affecting special education programs including NEST and IREAD.

As the 2026-2027 school year gets underway, these policies, both academic and safety, are set to bring out the best in student performance and growth.

Every Tuesday at 6 pm for the last year, a vigil organized by Indivisible Brooklyn, a civic engagement group, and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church has met outside Metropolitan Detention Center to protest treatment of people detained inside.

A group of around 30 people gathered on the corner of Third Avenue and 29th Street in Brooklyn for the most recent of these vigils. Some held handmade signs aloft as organizers took turns speaking through a small PA system.

A strange, hollow tapping sound was all that could be heard in the spaces between remarks. Those present could see dozens of vague human forms behind narrow, scrummy plexiglass windows in the holding cells above as detainees registered their existence by tapping on the glass. In a wordless exchange, the protesters below raised their hands in greeting.

MDC is known for housing Nicholas Maduro, the deposed president of Venezuela; Diddy, the disgraced music mogul; and Luigi Mangioni, who has pleaded guilty to gunning down a United Healthcare CEO. Since June of 2025, MDC has added to that population people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration charges.

Although they have been arrested on federal felony charges, these new detainees often lack a criminal background.

According to the website of representative Dan Goldman, Congressman for the 10th district in Brooklyn, who has visited the site several times to inspect conditions, many of these detainees do not have criminal records.

Protestors hope their sustained presence outside the center will help to draw attention to the detainees’ situation.

“A lot of the time, people don’t see what’s happening,” said Michael Flynn, 72, who has been attending the Tuesday vigil for over a year, “unless you actually see someone picked up.” Flynn says he wants to build people’s awareness. “It’s a horrible facility. It’s important that these places gain notoriety.”

According to the official Federal Bureau of Prisons website, MDC holds 1,222 detainees on immigration related charges. Organizers of the vigils believe that as many as 1,200 could be people arrested by ICE arrests. MDC has yet to release exact numbers.

The figures reflect an increase in ICE arrests over the past month, as the Federal operation known as Operation Rotten Apple rocked communities between July 27 and Aug 29. In a statement last week, Homeland Security Officials announced that 2,197 people were arrested across the state last month. According to North Country Public Radio, which serves the northernmost area of the state, these numbers are the highest since the Trump administration began its crackdown, and represent a 40% increasE since the previous month, according to findings by The Deportation Data Project.

The Department of Justice investigated MDC following the 2020 death of inmate Jamel Floyd. Advocates continue to call into question conditions inside the detention center.

Attempts to provide necessities to detainees remain ongoing. Anna Sugrue, 28, is a co-founder of The Remedy Project, a detainee advocacy group. She was onsite to encourage the donation of clothing for people inside. Among complaints received by the group are the conditions of the beds provided to detainees. “Imagine laundry lint, or the insulation in a wall,” said Sugrue.

According to Sugrue, the group has heard from loved ones of detainees that access to clean drinking water was limited over the summer, with some resorting to boiling whatever water was available in order to drink it.

Although Rep. Goldman has been able to visit the site several times, his website says that was only after repeatedly being “illegally denied” entrance to the center. This was in spite of the Bureau of Prisons ‘(BOP) previous promises to accommodate a congressional oversight visits.

“It’s like a black box,” said Sugrue. “It’s not like the guards go around saying, today I did this or that bad thing,” She added that the Remedy Project helps detainees to formally lodge complaints and grievances in order to create a paper trail of accountability.

“I feel kind of personally responsible,” says Rev. Juan Carlos, 57, of Good Shepherd, co-founder of The New Sanctuary Coalition, of his involvement, “because I don’t live too far from here.”

New York has the highest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the world outside Puerto Rico, but Puerto Rican Studies across City University of New York  has consistently been defunded and understaffed, and often a target for political attack. Puerto Rican and Latin Studies (PRLS)  at Brooklyn College has too few tenured lines meet the minimum requirements for a CUNY department at CUNY: only two tenured faculty remain, several courses run only every two or three years, and the department’s operating budget is less than half what it was in the early 1990s, adjusted for inflation.  

Today, according to CUNY, Brooklyn College is nearly 24 percent Latino, but Puerto Rican students say they cannot find enough courses on the history, diaspora and identity of Puerto Ricans on campus.  

This is not a new situation. In 2022, student Maria Hernandez told Brooklyn College Vanguard “there are barely any classes about our history anymore. Maybe one or two a semester, how is that enough for a Latino campus?”  

At that time, the Vanguard reported that PRLS lacked a viable majority of tenured faculty, despite two new faculty being hired. Students expressed fear that it would be merged with another department as had occurred in previous rounds of cutbacks at CUNY in the 1980s and 1990s. Dr.Virginia Sanchez Korrl, a historian who helped shape the field, warned that eliminating tenure lines in ethnic studies amounts to “disciplinary death.” 

When the Puerto Rican Studies Department, the forerunner of PRLS,  was founded in the early 1970s, fewer than 1% of the students at Brooklyn College were Puerto Rican. Despite having thousands of Latino students today, the department has less funding and fewer resources than some directors of the department had several decades previously.  

By 2007 the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, CENTRO, at Hunter College reported  that Puerto Rican Studies programs at CUNY were consistently “diminished… primarily for budgetary reasons” whenever those programs were placed under the purview of other ethnic studies departments. 

Students say these pressures continue today and are part of a larger pattern of reducing humanities classes. During the COVID-era budget cuts, CUNY eliminated over 3,000 adjunct class sections, disproportionately affecting humanities programs.  

“This is about what stories get told, and which ones get erased,” said Dr. Yarimar Bonilla, director of CENTRO, during a 2023 public panel on austerity and Puerto Rican cultural institutions. “Ethnic studies programs are structurally underfunded because they challenge the status quo. That is not accidental.” 

Bonilla has also warned that austerity measures typically accompany periods of political mobilization for marginalized people. 

“In times of crisis, policing, colonialism, Palestine, there is always pressure to shrink the spaces where critical conversations happen.” 

In 2024, CUNY received a $5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to continue and expand the Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI), allowing Brooklyn College, among other schools, to offer new courses, support academic research, and offer internships. But experts say BRESI cannot reverse decades of erosion. 

“This is patchwork,” an ethnic studies researcher said during a public BRESI briefing in 2022. “Useful, but not a substitute for rebuilding what decades of cuts eroded.” 

Some PRLS students have noted a relationship between CUNY’s funding priorities and the wider national atmosphere on Palestine activism. After pro-Palestine demonstrations on campuses nationwide, administrators faced pressure from donors, elected officials, and the media to more rigorously scrutinize curriculum and activism taking place in ethnic studies environments. Some students argue that austerity leaves PRLS especially vulnerable to these pressures. 

Some PRLS students say the climate at CUNY has shifted further in the past year, shaped by national backlash to pro-Palestine demonstrations and new campus disciplinary practices. Students at multiple CUNY campuses reported receiving misconduct charges related to protest actions, including charges for “failures to comply,” “disruptive conduct,” and “unauthorized demonstration.” Brooklyn College’s Undergraduate Student Government and administration did not respond to repeated requests for  comment.   

Puerto Rican Alliance’s (PRA) president Angelina Rivera neologized the political climate surrounding ethnic studies as “the broader political environment exacerbated by campus protests,” referencing the campus conduct charges against students across CUNY related to the protests from the previous spring. She told the audience at the Encuentro event that “Our biggest issue as a club now is repression from the administration, especially against political activism,” in reference to the focus on PRLS and solidarity organizing.  

 “Even now, there are a lot of students facing conduct charges we’re still worrying about,” Rivera added. 

While PRLS fights for stability, other departments are growing. Jewish Studies programs across CUNY have received millions in philanthropic donations, including a $3 million donation to CUNY Queens College’s Jewish Studies program in 2023.  

Meanwhile, STEM programs receive more consistent investment: CUNY received $18 million in National Science Foundation STEM grants in 2023-2024. Brooklyn College’s new science facilities were funded through state capital allocations exceeding $100 million over the past decade.  

“STEM expansion is funded as the future,” Bonilla noted in the 2022 panel. “But communities also need the tools to understand power, race, and history. When those programs shrink, students lose more than classes, they lose the language to understand their world.” 

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made a surprise visit to the Bronx borough’s holiday tree lighting ceremony at Lou Gehrig Plaza of the Grand Concourse on December 5th.

Before the tree lighting which was sponsored by television station Univision, Bronx Borough President Vanesa Gibson introduced Mamdani to begin the ceremony. 

Mamdani expressed his appreciation for the borough and made promises to make the Bronx an affordable and safer place for locals.

“We are going to make sure that no longer The Bronx is the forgotten borough of the city,” said Mamdani.

Mamdani answered questions as to why the Bronx is considered a forgotten city. He explained that in many budget decisions the Bronx is not included. 

“This is going to be the borough where we deliver our fast and free buses, the borough where we deliver on rent freeze, the borough where we deliver universal child care,” said Mamdani.

As the Mayor-elect delivered his speech the crowd applauded and cheered.

“I was not aware that the Bronx was a forgotten borough but I hope Mamdani does keep his word,” said daycare worker Maria Cerano who was at the event. 

Gibson took the stage and informed the crowd of Univision’s annual toy giveaway for those hundreds of people who attended the ceremony.

As the night was filled with music and joy Santa arrived with bags of toys to hand out to the kids  one by one.

“I have brought my two kids to the toy giveaway and yet to be disappointed, many beautiful gifts that the kids enjoy”, said local Miranda Gomez.

Univision has partnered with past and current Bronx Borough presidents for their annual tree lighting at Lou Gehrig Plaza for many years. The ceremony has featured elected officials, high school choirs, NYPD bands, local musicians, and a Univision toy drive. 

Many people approach Mamdani asking questions on his future plans for the borough and suggestions on their unique situations.

“I know too many Bronx sites that are having to look at if they can even stay in this city any longer”, said Mamdani. “We are going to transform the most expensive city in this state”.

November is Puerto Rican Heritage Month, and New York has long recognized Puerto Rico’s cultural, political, and historical ties with the city. So when Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani traveled to Puerto Rico earlier this month and announced, “You cannot tell the story of New York City without telling the story of Puerto Rico,” Puerto Ricans did listen. His remarks circulated widely online at a time when the diaspora was already immersed in celebrating, commemorating, and reflecting on Puerto Rican history. 

Although Mamdani’s visit occurred during a season filled with historical anniversaries –the 1511 Taíno rebellion, the 1868 Grito de Lares, and the attack on the US House of Representatives led by Lolita Lebrón – that was not why he traveled to the island. He was there for the annual SOMOS conference, where New York politicians meet with Puerto Rican officials, community groups, and advocacy organizations. Still, the timing shaped how his comments were interpreted, especially by Puerto Ricans wary of symbolic gestures that do not lead to lasting political support. 

John W. Acevedo, a 27-year-old filmmaker from Ponce who moved to New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Mamdani’s message felt familiar but carried weight coming from a mayor-elect. Acevedo, who responded in Spanish, said that the island’s culture had historically been suppressed through anti-nationalist laws, such as the former criminalization of the Puerto Rican flag, creating what he described as “fear of repercussions.” “As a Puerto Rican, it feels like people hear us,” Acevedo said. “It’s nice to hear a mayor wants to help my main culture.” 

Still, Acevedo does not believe that anyone who has not lived on the island can fully understand the depth of its struggles. He pointed to experiences in Ponce, where residents lived without reliable electricity for years after Hurricane María and where federal relief arrived slowly or in limited amounts. “The hardship we’ve been through… those are struggles that I feel you would only truly understand when you live in it,” he said.  

Living in New York reshaped Acevedo’s view of Puerto Rico’s political status. He explained that while he once believed statehood was necessary for the island’s survival, he now fears it would erase the cultural identity that defines Puerto Rican life. “If we become a state, we will lose what made us truly Boricuas,” he said. “Our culture, our voices, our lifestyle would all be gone or down to minimal.”

For at least one Puerto Rican who grew up in New York, Mamdani’s trip resonated differently. Marisol Rivera, 22, a second-generation Puerto Rican from Brooklyn, said that hearing a mayor-elect openly acknowledge the island’s importance “validated and showed face,” especially during a month when cultural pride is foregrounded. Rivera said she hoped this year’s statements would lead to more consistent political support rather than holiday messaging that fades. “We’ve learned to wait and see what happens after the cameras leave,” she said.  

Rivera also questioned how much mainland politicians can realistically do for Puerto Rico. “They praise Puerto Rico in statements, but they do not send resources,” she said, adding that many visit during SOMOS but rarely return once the conference ends. She and Acevedo both noted that while New York City officials can fund programs for the diaspora and raise awareness about Puerto Rican issues. It is important to note: they cannot control federal disaster aid, economic policy, or the island’s political status, all of which fall under congressional and presidential authority.  

Rivera said her parents taught her about historical cycles of displacement, beginning with the economic restructuring of Operation Bootstrap, and the role Puerto Ricans in New York played in movements like the Young Lords. The Young Lords were a radical Puerto Rican organization founded in the late 1960s that fought for community control, anti-poverty programs, and self-determination in New York and Chicago. Riviera said those lessons shaped her expectations: “Just because we weren’t born on the island doesn’t mean we don’t feel what happens there.” 

Both Rivera and Acevedo were clear that meaningful change for the island will always depend on federal action, not municipal leaders. Yet, both expressed hopes for how New York City’s mayor could support Puerto Ricans living in the city. Acevedo said the priority should be “more respect for the community,” including attention to housing issues affecting Puerto Ricans displaced by economic crises. Riversa said she wants elected officials to “show up when it matters,” not only during holidays or photo opportunities. 

What Mamdani’s visit ultimately means, they argued, will depend on whether his statements evolve into consistent engagement. As Rivera put it: “If you believe in this, it’s not just in November.”

New York City mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa butted heads with Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani over the city’s Gifted and Talented education plans during their second and final general election debate at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday, Oct. 16. 

Mamdani confirmed that he would phase out the Gifted and Talented Program (G&T) for kindergartners, as he has already announced. “I do not believe kindergartners should be subjected to a singular assessment,” he said during the second and final mayoral general election debate. He also repeated his call to end mayoral control of the school system.

The city’s G&T program began in the 1970s to provide advanced learning opportunities for eligible elementary students. This program was phased out for incoming kindergartners by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2021, but was later reinstated by his successor, Mayor Eric Adams, in 2022.

The program has faced a mix of opinions and backlash for its low rate of including Black, Hispanic, and other students in the program. 

Black or Latino students make up 70% of the NYC public school system, and are far less likely to be enrolled in gifted and talented programs than their White or Asian peers, who make up 75% of these programs.

Sliwa, the Republican nominee, and former Governor Cuomo, who is running as an independent, both agreed during the debate that the G&T program should be expanded rather than phased out.

Sliwa said the program doesn’t have enough slots. It currently has 1,900; he wants at least 5,000. Sliwa also emphasized that the tests need to be more available for Black and Hispanic communities.

Brooklyn College student Khalia John, who watched the debate, said she agrees with Mamdani on the G&T program ending for kindergartners but warned it won’t be enough to guarantee greater opportunities for Black and Latino children. 

“To be successful in that approach depends on broader changes such as ensuring all schools have equal access to resources, various methods to identify giftedness later on, and supporting all students in those early grades,” said John. “Without addressing these factors they’ll reach the same results, it’ll just show up later down the line.”

Lindsey Gordon, a nine-year NYC teacher and parent, believes the mayoral candidates oversimplify complex education issues like the G&T program. But she can agree on both sides of the G&T program argument based on reading news coverage articles of the debate and her knowledge of these types of programs.

Gordon said that she agrees with Mamdani that all students deserve a high-quality education. She stressed that large classes with students of varying abilities and behavioral issues make it challenging to meet “all” diverse needs. So she advocates for support programs. “I support pull-out or push-in programs that provide targeted support or enrichment to better meet students’ diverse needs,” said Gordon.

Gordon added that she has had concerns that changes to G&T and enrichment programs could affect other students currently in these programs, like her 8-year-old. “If enrichment programs were phased out or scaled back, I think my child might lose some of that excitement and motivation that comes from being challenged and engaged,” said Gordon.

Mayoral control allows the Mayor to have significant authority over the NYC public schools, including the appointment of the school chancellor.

“I’ve been critical of mayoral control because of the ways in which it’s been used to take away the voice of parents, of educators, of students,” said Mamdani during the debate. 

By contrast, Cuomo wants to maintain mayoral control and emphasized its importance. “We’d go back to the old system that had local school boards which were corrupt, patronage mills, etc.,” Cuomo said.

Gordon believes her views align more with Mamdani’s: that parents and teachers are losing their voices. But she understands that the situation is not easy. “So while I understand the argument for consistency under mayoral control, I think it’s way more important to build a system that actually listens to the people in it,” said Gordon. “Education should be a shared effort between leadership, families, and teachers—not something dictated from the top down.”

New York District 9 Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke used her October 8 telephone town hall to blame President Donald Trump and the Republic Party for the impact of the government shutdown on Brooklyn residents.

“At the start of the shutdown Democratic leader and our fellow Brooklyn Senator Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority leader Jeffries went to the White House to negotiate a resolution to avoid the shutdown in good faith,” said Clarke. “But Donald Trump and Republicans have nothing but bad intentions.”

It’s was the seventh day of the government shutdown and residents who attended the telephone town hall had the opportunity to share their questions and concerns.

Clarke collaborated on the Q&A with panelists from the New York City Health Department and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Brooklyn seniors expressed concerns about the stability of their pensions and Social Security benefits during the shutdown. “The issue is that these are central services to our communities and it is my understanding that Social Security benefit payments are not affected by annual appropriations bills and payments as expected,” said Clarke.

Camille Hastick, the Vice President of External Affairs and Government Relations at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, was asked about the potential fallout for small businesses if the enhanced premium tax credit expires at the end of 2025. Hastick stated, “Tax credit system will revert to the pre-enhancement ACA standard, which means stricter income limit, less general subsidies and more out of pocket cost for many individuals.”

Health care was another big topic for Brooklyn local residents. New York State of Health Deputy Director Sonia Sekhar answered questions about the shutdown’s effect on health care. Under the republican plan current tax credit will expire and health care premiums will go up,” she said.

Following up on healthcare, the CEO of One Brooklyn Health Sandra Scott, spoke on potential changes with Medicaid. "Individuals should understand the eligibility that impacts them, but most importantly to know about our wellness and stay healthy to avoid the emergency room,” Scott said.

Many research programs addressing health imbalances at SUNY Downstate have been affected over the past nine months, said SUNY Downstate Health Science University President Dr. Wayne J. Riley “Downstate has received significant impact in terms of loss or suspension of federal research grants that are focused on addressing health disparities and health equities in central Brooklyn and in New York City. Because of the current administration’s posture, any research grant that has anything to do with DEI they
suspend and agree to not fund those grants.”

Clarke closed off thanking everyone for attending the call and stating, “The Trump administration allies and congress are not here to play by the rule of law, or abide by the Constitution, they are not here to ensure that your voice in democracy continues to be heard, they want silence.”

On September 29, climate activists rallied at New York City Hall to call for the passage of Intro 1180, which would close a loophole in New York City’s landmark emissions law. 

In 2019, New York City enacted Local Law 97, placing limits on carbon emissions for large buildings. The law was described as the most ambitious building emission legislation passed by any city in the world. But a loophole created by Mayor Eric Adams allows building owners to circumvent lowering pollution levels through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), a certificate representing one megawatt hour of green energy going to the electricity grid. 

The law, signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio as part of his “Green New Deal,” targets NYC’s approximately 50,000 buildings over 25,000 square feet, which are New York City’s top source of pollution. The compliance period began in January 2024, with the pollution limit tightening every five years thereafter until the zero-emission target is reached in 2050. Critics warn that as long as the loophole is in place, this target may not be reached. 

“Corrupt Mayor Adams, at the behest of the real estate lobby, administratively gutted the law, allowing polluting landlords to purchase compliance instead of actually eliminating pollution.” Ken Schles, a Volunteer Leader at Food and Water Watch, a nonprofit focusing on food and water justice, said during the rally. “It’s past time to make a stand against the multi-headed crisis of corrupted democracy.” 

During the rule-making period, Mayor Adams ignored advice from the law’s advisory council that he put a tight cap on the amount of emissions that could be offset through RECs. Instead, the loophole allows building owners to offset about 50% of the pollution they would have to clean up to comply with the 2030 emissions cap. 

Since being sworn in in 2022, Mayor Adams has faced repeated scandals, most notably his indictment on federal corruption charges in September 2024. The charges were later dismissed, and despite his low approval ratings, he ran for reelection. The day before the rally, Adams announced he was abandoning his reelection campaign, citing low polling numbers and the Campaign Finance Board’s withholding of millions of dollars of matching funds. 

According to a Memorandum in support of Intro 1180, the impact of the loophole could have major effects on New Yorkers – including the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, millions of tons of increased pollution, and increased utility bills.  

Another speaker at the rally was Damien Andrade, Campus Project Coordinator at the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), a nonprofit research and public education organization. Andrade warned of the impact the uncapped pollution offsets could have, saying “This is an environmental issue, a public health issue, and it’s an economic issue. When wealthy building owners are free to write blank checks on air pollution, it’s the lower-income New Yorkers, particularly communities of color, that are paying that price.” 

Building owners have voiced concerns over the financial impact of retrofitting buildings to be in compliance with the narrower 2030 emissions limit, with a group of Queens property owners unsuccessfully suing the city in an attempt to overturn Local Law 97. Since only large buildings are subject to the law, we “know they have the money,” said Andrade. For every metric ton of emission above the limit, building owners are fined $268 annually.  

Intro 1180 was introduced to the City Council in February of 2025. As of October, it remains in Committee. According to Eric Weltman, Senior Organizer at Food and Water Watch, the group strives to pass the bill by the end of the year, but will continue its efforts if not successful.

Activists and elected officials rallied at City Hall to urge Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the ban on the 100-foot rule for new natural gas pipeline connections. Lisa Marshall, Organizing Director for New Yorkers for Clean Power, introduced “We know the utilities are not going to stop this practice that is so good for their corporate profits until lawmakers and the governor act to change the law.” said Marshall.

The 100-foot rule bill was originally part of the much larger New York Heat Act, which the legislature did not pass. The legislature did approve the ban on the 100-foot rule, which requires gas utilities to connect new construction with existing pipelines with ratepayers footing the bill. But the governor has yet to sign the bill. If the new bill is signed into effect the cost of new gas pipelines will be solely on the owner of said property.

Various climate advocacy groups participated, including the Association for Energy Affordability, Food and Water Watch, Sane Energy Project, 350Brooklyn and Climate Families.

“One in four New York households already cannot afford to pay their energy bills, but that isn’t stopping Con Ed and National Grid and other utilities from raising rates so they can continue to build new gas pipelines, dirty gas pipelines, and we are paying the bill,” said Marshall. 

Senator Liz Kreuger, who sponsored the bill in the state Senate, pointed out that other states are not stalling on the push for green energy. She mentioned Texas’ recent investments on renewables. “Texas is moving to sustainable energy, [they’ve] sped up the amount of solar energy and battery storage and wind. Even in the last year under their favorite president, Donald Trump, they’re not stepping back. They’re not stepping away. They’re moving forward, because they understand with the impact of climate change, their future is in green energy, they’re doing it. We better well damn do it, too.”

Assemblywoman Joanne Simon spoke about the misconception that rising rates are due to investment in renewable energy. “You keep hearing that my rates are going up because of green energy. They are not going up because of green energy. They are going up because of fossil fuels.” said Assemblywoman Simon. “The cost of putting in those pipelines and repairing those pipelines are very expensive.”

New Yorkers for Clean Power hope that Governor Hochul will sign the bill before Climate Week ends on September 28th. However, activists are scheduling further events to pressure the governor, including an electric candlelight vigil outside the War Room in Albany on December 11th.

The Atlantic Council hosted its annual Global Citizen Awards on Wednesday evening, honoring international leaders for their contributions to global cooperation. Argentine President Javier Milei and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the honorees. They addressed geopolitical and domestic challenges during the event, which was streamed live. 

The Atlantic Council was founded in 1961 to strengthen cooperation between North America and Europe, now focused on global security, diplomacy, climate, economics, and technology. It is known for annually hosting Global Citizen Awards and Distinguished Leadership Awards. Global Citizen Awards are often presented during United Nations General Assembly week in New York. While there is no open public nomination process or exact criteria; honorees are chosen internally by the Council’s leadership and advisors. All we know is that nominees are typically recognized for their significant impact on diplomacy, peace, or innovation and technology. This year two presidents were recognized. 

Both France and Argentina are experiencing political, economic, and social unrest. In France, a Paris court sentenced former President Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy; at the same time, major French unions called for more protests to oppose the government’s austerity measures and budget cuts. Similar unrest happened on the other continent. According to the Associated Press, in Argentina Javier Milei’s popularity fell. His party suffered a significant defeat in the Buenos Aires provincial election. On top of that, economically, the peso is weakening. These and other pressures have been affecting the national atmosphere and mood in both countries. 

But Atlantic Council Chairman John F.W. Rogers explained,  the point of the evening was to recognize and honor three global leaders “who have taken up the call to serve a purpose greater than oneself.” 

Milei accepted his award with a speech centered on Argentina’s economic crisis and his administration’s sweeping reforms. He described taking office in December 2023 as inheriting a nation in “critical condition,” on the brink of collapse from decades of mismanagement, hyperinflation, and debts. “From the very first moment it was clear to us that we needed to take drastic measures to avoid falling over the cliff,” Milei said.

Argentina has achieved a fiscal surplus for the first time in 123 years without defaulting on its debt, making it one of only five countries worldwide to do so. His government has lifted currency controls and begun the slow process of normalizing the economy. “We know this has been a difficult time for the Argentine people,” Milei said, “Like in every process to clean up public accounts, we have to take measures that may seem unpleasant, but which are fundamental to put the country back on the path of growth.”

Ahead of Argentina’s legislative elections, Milei warned that former regime allies are trying to derail his agenda and praised Donald Trump as a great inspiration. “We will not stop fighting for the ideas of freedom with unwavering conviction and the goal of making Argentina great again,” said Milei, concluding his speech.

While Milei’s speech focused on a single nation’s struggle for renewal, Macron’s message turned outward, offering a sweeping call for global unity at a moment of overlapping crises. Speaking without a prepared script, he reflected on what it means to be a “global citizen.” 

“You can love your country and love to cooperate with others,” he said, distinguishing patriotism from nationalism.

He urged his audience to recommit to the post–World War II principles of peace, prosperity, and democracy, warning that all three are under threat. He condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling it a threat to international law. “Our duty as free nations is clearly to back the Ukrainians. Not just to resist but to recover their territory and their integrity,” he said. Then, turning to the Middle East, he expressed the need for consistency in defending human rights, calling for the release of hostages taken during the October 7 Hamas attacks, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and a two-state solution. “No double standard,” Macron said, noting that the U.N. backed this principle nearly eight decades ago. “What is at stake is human life.”

On prosperity, he warned that global economic cooperation is vital to address debt, inequality, and climate change. “There is no planet B,” he said. “We need more growth, more innovation, and fixing climate change through decarbonization of our economies.”

Macron continued with a warning about threats to democracy, one of which is unregulated social media.“Our democracies were not conceived with social media, and we were definitely too naive,” he said. “It was made on purpose to create excitement, engagement and guess what, money. I don’t want my democracy to be driven by an algorithm whose unique purpose is to create this excitement and to spread crazy contents because it’s just killing the possibility of a common discussion.” 

Macron ended his speech by mentioning the importance of unity between Europe and the United States, he said, “We have to work together” to protect peace, prosperity, and democracy.

   While New York City is in the midst of a mayoral election, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado is already campaigning for next year’s Democratic nomination for governor. 

On September, 17th, Delgado made his way to Coney Island for a meet and greet at Surf City Pizzeria. His team invited everyone to enjoy free food and grab pamphlets.

Delgado, who is  challenging the current governor, Kathy Hochul, who picked him as her running mate in 2022, leaned on income disparity as a key talking point. “The third largest economy of any state in this country is New York. And if we were an independent nation, we’d be the ninth largest economy in the world. Now here’s my question to everybody. Does anybody feel all that money?” The audience shouted back “No”. Delgado continued to detail the many housing and economic struggles in which the citizens have been facing over the years.

The Lieutenant Governor promised he would be a man of his actions, not afraid to speak out. “Here’s what I can also say that maybe will help you understand my mentality,” he said. He came to the conclusion that President Joseph Biden could not defeat Donald Trump in  the 2024 presidential election. “The entire Democratic party, the leadership, the machinery, a lot of them kept their head in the sand,” Delgado said. “They were scared to say something that would put them out of step with the leadership of the party.” But, Delgado said, “I said that he should step down publicly. My wife, before I said that, pulled me aside and she said ‘Are you prepared to be out of politics? Because if you say this you’re going to upset a lot of people.’ And I said yes.”

Then Delgado shifted his attention to Mayor Eric Adams. “When Mayor Adams became compromised, as you may recall, a  lot of folks out here said ‘sit down, resign.’  Not a lot of elected officials, Democrats said, ‘sit down, resign.’ You know why? Because they’re protecting themselves and they’re protecting the party. You know who did say, ‘step down?’ Me.”

  “Why do we accept this?” asked Delgado, as an anonymous speaker spoke out to give an impromptu answer. “We don’t accept it. We just don’t know how to fight it.”

  Delgado promised he would restore glory and integrity to New York State. “New York is a special place, but we’re not leading right now,” he said. “No one’s looking to New York right now. In fact, we’re kind of a laughing stock, to be honest with you. Our leaders are falling over themselves, trying to figure out how to negotiate with Trump.” 

Delgado continued, “But what are we fighting for? Now you can’t just be fighting against, what are we fighting for? I’m fighting for us. I’m fighting for a future, I’m fighting to show that people can actually believe in Democracy again.” 

Lawrence Stewart, a Coney Island native, challenged the Lieutenant Governor to show that he knew something about the neighborhood. “I care about Brooklyn and I live in Brooklyn but I’m particularly passionate about Coney island because that’s who I am,,” Steward said. When he was a boy people sometimes laughed at him when he said where he was from because they didn’t think people lived in Coney Island. “They didn’t know that there was people, families, that lived in Coney Island. So my question is, what do you know about Coney Island?”

Delgado responded, “My connection is always rooted in relationships and people. People are how I get to know a place and get invested in a community.” He conceded, “I’m not going to sit here and pretend to be able to name every street, know all the history. But what I can tell you is I know Coney Island is healthy,” he said, and in partnership with the community he will be able to figure out how to invest in it, “be it in housing, be it education, be it workforce development. That’s what I know.”

On Saturday, August 30th, 2025, an organizer named Brandon Straka put together a “#WalkAway Campaign” event at Washington Square Park. The event featured a rally that opposed Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani. It included a panel that aimed to recruit the audience to join their campaign, fronted by a professed mayoral candidate, Joseph Hernandez.

The “WalkAway Campaign” began as a social media initiative that encourages individuals who identify as Democratic or Liberal to reconsider their political affiliation and walk away from the party. The campaign pledges to give its audience truthful information and restore their vision of ‘American values.’ It gained a significant following with the initial video quickly reaching nearly one million views.

Straka, the founder of the campaign, is an aspiring actor and hairstylist from New York City who participated in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

Joseph Hernandez, who the campaign’s mayoral candidate, called for increasing housing availability, protecting the subways and their safety, and providing more ways to protect the citizens of NYC by increasing police presence.

Hernandez criticized his opponents, charging that their perspectives about reality are “false,” and he is  more focused on “facts.”

Several signs held by participants expressed disapproval of communism and criticized the mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani. “Socialism=Slavery” and “Defund the Police? Ok-Next Time you need help. Call a Crackhead” were among those shown during the event.

Straka says he intends to engage with local residents to understand their perspectives and values, to persuade them to support his campaign. His central point is that socialism fails in general and is unsuccessful, and he vows to protect everyone from its potential negative impacts. 

Chivar, who gave only his first name, said he has lived in NYC for many years, and voted for Curtis Sliwa, whom he has known since he was very young. 

“Socialism doesn’t work in New York City, and a person like Zohran, he can’t run NYC; he isn’t even from New York City. He doesn’t have the experience; he’s from another generation. He’s trying to introduce ideas to New Yorkers who have been living there for aeons,” Chivar said.

The event featured speakers who criticized socialism and emphasized that “the spirit of New York would not die.” They claim that New York City is a city of capitalism, and the concept of  ‘free’ is an illusion within the statement. 

In nearby areas of the park, there were groups supporting Curtis Sliwa, and individuals were seen advocating for ‘Zohran 2025’ as they moved through the event. Still others seemed unwilling to commit to Walk Away or any other candidate. 

Isaac, a “politically open-minded individual,” said, “There’s going to be people like this coming around still doing the same thing around election time. When election time I feel like I got no faith in none of this.”

Months after House minority leader and New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries’ 8-hour speech in July failed to prevent Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill from being passed – in what has been seen as a failure of moderate Democrats to prevent disastrous federal spending cuts – he addressed audiences during a livestreamed press conference on Sept. 2. 

Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”- which Jeffries refers to as the “Big Ugly Bill”- was passed in July of 2025. According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, the bill will cause 1.5 million New York State residents to lose health insurance coverage and one million to lose food stamp benefits. The bill has been reported as the largest rollback in federal healthcare spending in history. 

Even after the Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law, Wall Street Journal polling of registered voters found the Democratic Party’s favorability has reached a 35-year low, with 63% of respondents holding an unfavorable view of the party. The party’s failure to win over voters, despite the unpopularity of the bill, has called the future of the party into question. Some are even calling for moderate Democrats such as Jefferies to resign. 

Jeffries stated that Americans “deserve better” and that Democrats intended to “deliver a country of the people, by the people and for the people, as opposed to the type of country that we’re seeing under Republican complete control of government, which is a country of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for e billionaires.” 

During the 2023-2024 fundraising period, Jeffries received a total of $866,550 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and has faced recent criticism regarding his ties to the pro-Israel Lobby as favorability towards Israel continues to plummet amongst Americans. Jefferies also received $814,661 in contributions from the real estate industry, and tens of thousands from corporate donors such as BlackRock and Lockheed Martin. 

Jeffries also stated that while Democrats were willing to collaborate with the Trump administration to pass a spending bill that would meet the needs of everyday Americans, they would not support a partisan spending bill that harms everyday Americans, adding that the House Democrats would not “fall in line” to Trump’s agenda. With a Sept 30th deadline pending for Congress to fund the federal government and prevent a shutdown, Jeffries warned that until Republicans can find a bipartisan path forward, they risk a that government shutdown. 

Jeffries was questioned about his lack of endorsement thus far for Democratic nominee in the soon-approaching NYC mayoral election, Zohran Mamdani, whose progressive policies aiming to fight back against high healthcare and housing costs won him a double-digit victory in the mayoral primary. His answer:  “stay tuned.” 

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was lit up in an array of colors and flags at the 58th Annual West Indian American Day Parade on September 1. The parade stretched from Utica Ave up Eastern Parkway and ended at Grand Army Plaza. The event attracts thousands of New Yorkers across several backgrounds who come out to celebrate and represent their cultures. Among the crowds were several New York elected officials, including the candidates in the upcoming mayoral election. 

“I am the child of parents who immigrated here from their respective Caribbean countries and I was born and raised in Brooklyn. This was my first time experiencing the parade as an adult and it was beautiful to see my community come together to celebrate the liberation and love for our home countries,” said Jahleisa Rolle, a Brooklyn native of Trindadian and Jamaican descent. 

Several labor unions participated in the parade, including United Federation of Teachers (UFT), New York States Nurses Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the TWU Local 100, which is a chapter union of the Transport Workers Unions of America. Local 100 represents those who work and operate the NYC Public Transportation System. Members of the union walked in the parade accompanied by a float and a MTA Bus to follow them. 

“It’s a very important thing to be out here to let the people in New York City see the 34,000 members moving in New York City’s bus and trains […] We are New Yorkers. We run the show and we love New Yorkers,” said Peter Madden Sr., a member of the union for 26 years. 

The parade also saw the NYC mayoral candidates show up and join in on the celebration. Incumbent mayor Eric Adams (I), Zohran Mamdani (D), Curtis Sliwa (R), and former Governor, Andrew Cuomo (I) all walked through the parade flanked by supporters and posters. The West Indian American Day marks a two-month countdown to election day, and allows the candidates to be seen in a community they hope to serve. 

“It is important because it allows the younger generation and the older to be informed of their choices. We see a lot of the older generation backing Cuomo because the name is familiar, and sometimes familiarity is all that is needed, but as Mandani takes the streets, he is making sure the [people] most affected are aware that they have a choice for a better NYC and a preservation of the culture they uphold,” said Rolle. 

While each candidate received support and cheers from others involved in the parade, spectators outside the barricades were more focused on the festivities, than current politics. Other attendees walked with candidates in the parade as a means to be a part of the event safely. 

“I’m only here because this is the safest way for me to be on the parkway. I don’t necessarily support the mayor,” said Barbara, a city worker who preferred not to give her last name.

Outside of the support from the New York residents, the candidates are looking forward to seeing who will be endorsed by Governor Kathy Hochul. Though who she may endorse is unclear, she has stated that Mamdani has reached out to her to talk about the future and key issues.

“We’ve had some candid conversations about his leadership and where the city could go,” Hochul said at the parade. “He is the candidate who has reached out to me to talk about these things. Let’s leave it at that.”

New York City has not had a single mayor– at least since consolidation in 1898– to come from Queens. For over 135 years, NYC has had mayors from other states and even other countries, but none from our largest borough. This doesn’t mean that Queensites don’t run for mayor. In fact, there are two Queens politicians that have thrown their hats in the ring for next year’s mayoral race, and they might have a real shot to make history.

Zohran Mamdani and Jessica Ramos are two progressive candidates based in Astoria and Jackson Heights, respectively. They’re both a part of a new breed of Democrat that has only risen in popularity in the past few years: staunchly progressive local politicians in their 30s and 40s, often finding themselves brushing against the ideals of the party establishment but still capturing a mostly young, racially diverse coalition of support. Ramos and Mamdani have not yet achieved the status of members of “The Squad” (a group of progressive Congress members including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Jamaal Bowman) but they’ve still been able to carve out names for themselves in their communities and are both aiming to take Mayor Eric Adams’ seat next year. However, recent New York voting trends may prove this difficult for both mayoral hopefuls.

Zohran Mamdani was born in Uganda but has lived in NYC since he was seven years old and has served two terms as the representative of the New York State Assembly’s 36th District. He first rose on the scene with his campaign for State Assembly in 2019 as a challenger to a four-term incumbent. He advocated for statewide rent control, fare-free transit, and single-payer healthcare — proposals that he still holds onto in his current mayoral campaign—and was able to achieve a narrow victory. Mamdani has used his platform to be somewhat of an activist in his community, taking part in one hunger strike which achieved more than $450 million in debt relief for taxi drivers, and another hunger strike for a ceasefire in Gaza. He also played a key role in winning over $100 million in the state budget for increased subway service and a successful fare-free bus pilot which went into effect on five bus routes from September of 2023 to August of this year. Mamdani has already received endorsements from organizations like the NYC Democratic Socialists of America, New York Communities For Change, and Jewish Voice For Peace. 

Jessica Ramos was born and raised in Queens and now serves as a State Senator for District 13. Her star rose just a year prior to Mamdani’s. In 2018, she announced her candidacy for State Senate, also going against a four-term incumbent and running on proposals to decriminalize sex work and reform the criminal justice system. She was able to secure endorsements from then-mayor Bill de Blasio and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, pushing her across the finish line. In her tenure as chair of the Senate Labor Committee, Ramos was able to pass 19 bills, most of which expanded labor protections for immigrant workers. For next year’s election, Ramos has been endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. United Auto Workers Region 9A has endorsed both Ramos and Mamdani, along with fellow candidate and current NYC Comptroller Brad Lander. Mamdani and Ramos’ political leanings don’t seem out of place for a city that’s often thought of as one of the most progressive places in the country. However, recent elections show that this historically deep blue stronghold may be turning more purple, as Republicans have slowly gained vote share.

Although some skeptics question whether there is a “red shift,” Ben Max, executive editor at New York Law School’s Center for New York City and State Law, says numbers bear it out. “Elections come down to the vote, tally and the percentages of the turnout that each candidate wins. So while Democrats can rightly point to a big drop off in voter turnout, that is also reflective of the overall political atmosphere that shows Republican momentum, which also includes the fact that some voters did clearly move from Democratic support to Republican support.”

The 2024 presidential election saw an unexpected, substantial shift to the right in the majority of New York City. In Ramos’ own neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Donald Trump picked up 13% more of the vote than he did in 2020. Trump also improved his share of the vote in Mamdani’s district, which includes North Astoria, garnering 7% more of the vote than four years earlier. “The City’s” election map draws up over 200 individual neighborhoods across NYC, and Kamala Harris was only able to improve on Biden’s 2020 share of the vote in seven. This also tracks with the 2022 gubernatorial election. Governor Kathy Hochul did end up winning, but her Republican challenger, Lee Zeldin, still managed to capture 47% percent of the vote, a significantly higher percentage than any other Republican candidate in the last 20 years. In next year’s mayoral election, the Democratic party will have to decide the best way to navigate. 

“The battle for supremacy within the Democratic Party is ongoing,” said Max, but it is still in the lead in New York city and state. “There are results in New York City and beyond that point to more centrism among voters, but when you are talking about a primary for a nominee of the party, that is going to be battled out among Democrats,” he said, “and therefore you have a number of more progressive candidates in the race, taking on a more centrist and moderate incumbent mayor so that makes a lot of sense that the field would shape up that way.” 

Max noted that New York voters may not fit into neat categories, like “progressive,” or “moderate.” “We see a lot of candidates for mayor who are trying to offer a broad platform or vision that is not necessarily about being progressive or moderate but it’s about trying to speak to voters’ needs and wants,” he said.

For next year’s mayoral election, Max sees the possibility of not only a progressive, but also a Queens politician. 

“Many political leaders wind up coming from Manhattan or Brooklyn and Queens, despite its size, doesn’t always have the same political heft as those two other boroughs,” said Max, “and it’s very interesting that you have two mayoral candidates in the Democratic primary from Queens. But the idea of a mayor from Queens is a very interesting one in part because of Queen’s size and importance and also because it is such an incredibly diverse borough in many ways and such a symbol of the broader city.”