The family of Robert Brooks, an incarcerated man who died after a violent incident with prison officers at Marcy Correctional Facility last month, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit. Brooks, a 43-year-old Black man, died at a hospital in Utica the day after the incident.

His death has prompted more calls for change within New York state prisons.

Rudy Giuliani reached a deal Thursday that lets the cash-strapped ex-New York City mayor keep his homes and belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to never again speak ill of two former Georgia elections workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him.

The agreement resolves all pending litigation between Giuliani and the former election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss. It also led to the cancellation of a trial that was supposed to begin Thursday to decide the ownership of his Florida condominium and three World Series rings that Giuliani, a prominent New York Yankees fan, had received from the team.

The NYPD will deploy 750 additional officers into the subway system in an effort to combat crime, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday.

In addition, two officers working overtime will be assigned to each of the 150 trains that traverse the city overnight, Hochul said at a news conference.

New York state Sen. James Skoufis is dropping out of the race to be the next chair of the Democratic National Committee, the lawmaker announced Thursday, endorsing Minnesota Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin for the job.

“Soon after November’s disastrous results, I did what I did when I was 25 and wanted to make an impact on my community – I took a breath and jumped into the race for DNC Chair. In doing so, I brought everything I know from my experience winning eight elections by large margins in deep red territory," Skoufis said in a statement. “While starting as a complete unknown outside of New York, I am proud of our aggressive campaign to deliver major change to the DNC and national party. Our message resonated with the large majority of DNC members who believe we can rebuild our party, rebuild trust with disaffected voters, refocus on working class priorities, and never cede even an inch of ground to Republicans. As an outsider, I didn’t enter this contest with any DNC relationships, but leave it having driven much of the debate and having left deep impressions with both supporters and many uncommitted DNC members. I’m humbled by and thankful for the party faithful who believed in our truth-telling campaign."

Former U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams will serve as the next under secretary for nuclear security and also the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration at the federal Department of Energy, President-elect Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday morning.

“Brandon is a successful businessman and Veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Nuclear Submarine Officer, and Strategic Missile Officer,” Trump wrote. “He is a graduate of Pepperdine University, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Congratulations Brandon!”

A new report shows that it's pretty expensive to drive in New York due to the poor condition of roadways and bridges.

The report, released by the nonprofit "TRIP," a Washington, D.C.-based national transportation research nonprofit, found that New Yorkers lose $38 billion per year on vehicle costs due to the condition of roadways. In total, TRIP found that 45% of major state and local roadways are in poor or mediocre condition.

Several doctors who have been judged guilty of medical misconduct, negligence, incompetence and even felonies are still finding a place to practice — New York state prisons. The shocking practice was uncovered by Reuven Blau, a criminal justice reporter for The City, an online news outlet.

Blau joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss the shocking story of physicians who have found work in the prison system despite being sanctioned for horrific mistakes and other professional abuses. They also talked about the need for a major overhaul in the state’s prisons and the brutal death of inmate Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County.

As he eyes mulls a future gubernatorial run, U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres renewed a request Wednesday with state and federal officials to launch an investigation into the state's $9 billion home care contract that's come under fire for accusations of bid-rigging.

Torres re-upped an initial request for a probe into Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration's awarding a $9 billion contract to company Public Partnerships LLC to oversee the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, which gives self-directed home care to about 280,000 elderly and disabled people and allows them to choose their caregivers.

A state Supreme Court judge in Livingston County has lifted the temporary restraining order that prevented a company from transferring patient data in the state's ongoing transition of a Medicaid home care program.

The order was in place for exactly one week amid several legal challenges filed against the state's transition of its Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program to one company, known as a fiscal intermediary, by April 1.

State Senator Pat Fahy is beginning her first term in the Senate with some good news for her home city of Albany: Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed spending $400 million to revitalize New York’s capital as part of the State of the State agenda.

“There’s no way to describe it other than jaw-dropping,” she said. “We overuse the word transformative, but it is this type of investment that can truly be the game-changer that we need in downtown Albany.”

Several New Yorkers arrested for taking part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol are hoping President-elect Donald Trump makes good on his campaign promise to pardon at least some of them after he returns to the Oval Office next week.

One of them is Brandon Fellows from the Schenectady region, who was convicted by a jury in August 2023. He told Spectrum News he wants a commutation from Trump.

Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn’t have much time to rest on any laurels from her State of the State address because next week she’ll have to answer the looming question: how is she going to pay for everything?

She’s already promising checks and tax cuts, new money for transit projects, cops on the subway and programs supporting pregnant women.

New York state lawmakers Wednesday said they're frustrated and disappointed that Gov. Kathy Hochul has delayed the implementation of a cap-and-invest system to generate revenue for green energy projects.

Hochul's legislative agenda for the year — outlined in Tuesday's State of the State address in Albany — was void of a proposal for a cap-and-trade system that the governor promised she'd release by the end of last year.

There were a few issues that Gov. Kathy Hochul didn’t mention during Tuesday’s State of the State address that are of interest to a variety of New Yorkers. Two such issues are the MRTA, the marijuana law, which has created a legal quagmire for some farmers and retailers. The other is AIM (aid and incentives for municipalities) aid, which is the direct financial support that municipalities receive from the state every year.

Last year, AIM was increased by $50 million for the first time in 15 years. While a good start, state Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, a booster of cities like Buffalo, told Capital Tonight that it’s not enough.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A community can never be fully prepared for the type of senseless violence a racist mass shooter committed on May 14, 2022, at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo.

However, New York State Office of Victims Services (OVS) Director Bea Hanson said the incident did expose gaps in its ability to provide immediate support to victims and survivors.

New York’s Capital Region has cemented its leadership in semiconductor research and development. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that Albany NanoTech finalized a deal to become part of the nation’s first National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The deal comes on the heels of an executive order from the White House, fast-tracking the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure in the U.S.

Already considered a leader in semiconductor research and development, the Capital Region has become what some are calling a “global epicenter of chip research.”

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. – New Yorkers have a lot on their plate and according to the National Library of Medicine, a busy schedule is one of the leading barriers to receiving medical care. But what if you could go to the doctors before work, after work or even on the weekends?

An investment to expand hours at community health centers could help make care more accessible.

The family of a Greece man who died after an incident involving correction officers at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County has announced they have filed a lawsuit in the case. Robert Brooks' family members addressed the media with their attorneys in Rochester on Wednesday.

An attorney for the family says they filed the federal civil rights lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York on behalf of the estate of Robert Brooks. The lawsuit names 17 defendants who attorneys say were directly or indirectly responsible for Brooks' death. This includes the 14 Marcy employees previously linked to the incident, along with the acting superintendent of the facility, the commissioner of the Department of Corrections and an employee of a private staffing agency allegedly present for Brooks' beating.

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio must pay a $475,000 fine levied against him for misusing public funds on a police security detail during his failed White House bid, a judge ruled this week, dismissing the ex-mayor’s legal challenge as “perplexing” and “entirely baseless.”

The decision blocks de Blasio’s latest effort to erase the hefty fine issued against him by the city’s ethics board in 2023. In his motion for dismissal, de Blasio argued the board provided him with murky guidance around the use of public funds for security purposes, then overstepped its authority in imposing the fine.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul raised more than $10 million in the second half of 2024 for her reelection bid and for the state Democratic Party, her campaign announced Wednesday.

That includes $3.3 million to Friends of Kathy Hochul and $6.7 million raised for the party.

The confirmation hearing for U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik to become the next ambassador to the United Nations will take place next Tuesday, Jan. 21 with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Confirmation hearing for @EliseStefanik to become UN Ambassador is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 10a before the Senate Foreign Relations Cmte >> https://t.co/9RLthBNAqg

New York lawmakers on Tuesday said they're eager to negotiate changes to the state's discovery laws, or the deadline for prosecutors to turn over legal evidence to defense, after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her proposal to tweak the policy in her fourth State of the State address.

Focusing on affordability and public safety in her nearly one-hour speech at The Egg in Albany, Hochul said she wants to restore New Yorkers' trust and confidence in the state's criminal justice system.

Gov. Kathy Hochul focused on subway safety in her State of the State address Tuesday, proposing more police on the subways after already surging over 1,200 state law enforcement personnel into the system last March.

“I want to see more uniformed officers not just on the platforms, but more importantly on every single train overnight 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the next six months,” Hochul said.

Education is one of the biggest individual chunks of the New York state budget, and Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled several proposals in her State of the State address intended to make education more affordable for New Yorkers. She isn’t expected to detail how exactly the state will pay for them until next week.

What stuck out immediately was a lack of any mention of tweaks to the Foundation Aid formula, which along with other forms of school aid will support education spending. Details of what the governor plans to do with the Rockefeller Institute’s Foundation Aid report weren’t necessarily expected in the State of the State address itself given that school aid is typically considered fairly in the weeds.

While New York state is currently dominated politically by Democrats, the past few elections have chipped away at the notion of Democratic invincibility – a move to the right that could be seen and heard Tuesday in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address.

She’s proposing to cut taxes, support first responders, “clarify” discovery and expand Kendra’s Law – all ideas that would feel at home in a speech delivered by a Republican governor.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The federal government has already designated the I-90 corridor between Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse as the country's only federal tech hub for the semiconductor industry.

Invest Buffalo Niagara President & CEO Tom Kucharski, who helped the regions apply for the designation, said it's been an effective point of distinction as his and other economic development organizations pitch to site selectors and companies.

Mayor Eric Adams showed support for Gov. Kathy Hochul Tuesday, after she shared her vision for the upcoming year at the annual State of the State address.

“You just see that we value the same things,” Adams said. “Everything around putting money in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers, public safety, she has been a real partner.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pitched voters on a series of populist economic policies — floating proposals to hand out free money, slash taxes and fight hedge funds — in a speech Tuesday aimed at cleaning up the kitchen table issues that damaged Democrats in November.

In her annual State of the State address in Albany, Hochul, a moderate Democrat, sought to recalibrate after a bruising election for her party, outlining measures to address the middle-class economic concerns that helped President-elect Donald Trump win the White House.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For 887 days, Livingston County native Ryan Corbett has been wrongfully detained by the Taliban. He’s been living in a nine-by-nine basement cell with little access to food, water and sunlight. Since his detention, he says he’s had constant ringing in his ears, dental issues, fainting spells and seizures, among many other illnesses.

His family heard from him Sunday around 5:30 a.m. and learned he has finally been able to put on a little weight and he’d been given a bit more access to sunlight.

In her 2025 State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed plans she said would benefit the dairy and maple industries, increase agriculture education and expand housing for farmworkers.

“New York’s agricultural industry is the backbone of our economy, and we will continue to invest in our farmers, our youth and our future to make sure that New York remains a vibrant and competitive force in agriculture for generations to come,” said Hochul.

With the 119th Congress underway, New York’s newest members of the House of Representatives received their committee assignments on Tuesday.

Democratic Rep. John Mannion, of the 22nd District in Central New York, was appointed to the House Education and Workforce Committee, as well as the House Agriculture Committee.

Sewage sludge, a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process, has been found to contaminate farmland and its products with "forever chemicals,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says in a draft risk assessment released Tuesday.

The semi-solid material, also known as biosolids, has been used on farmland for more than 40 years as a more cost-effective form of commercial fertilizer. In recent years, however, the practice has come under scrutiny due to the discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). States like Maine and Connecticut have banned land application of biosolids.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing that New York state invest $400 million to revitalize downtown Albany, according to plans outlined Tuesday in the governor's State of the State address.

The governor says the funds would include $200 million in "tangible strategies" for public safety, quality of life and commercial building improvements, as well as $150 million to renovate and upgrade the New York State Museum.

A former candidate for New York's 24th Congressional District has died.

The family of David Wagenhauser confirms he died over the weekend after a brief illness.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler stood beside New York legislative Republicans Tuesday morning to criticize Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic policies ahead of her State of the State address as the Hudson Valley congressman mulls a run for governor next year.

Lawler slammed the Democratic governor on state spending, criminal justice reforms, the migrant influx, congestion pricing and other issues.

Despite promoting what she’s calling an “affordability agenda” ahead of her State of the State address in Albany Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plans are already drawing criticism from conservatives, according to Republican political consultant Bill O’Reilly.

“I think the governor is going to tell us today that she is going to spend us into affordability at all costs. That seems to be the plan,” O’Reilly told “Mornings On 1” anchor Pat Kiernan. “Affordability seems to be the word that she’s latching onto, just putting her arms around it and hugging, hoping that that gets her through, but raising taxes or sending checks to people, it’s all government stuff.”

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul will announce a plan on Tuesday to offer free tuition to state and city colleges for students pursuing associate degrees in certain high-demand fields.

Hochul, a Democrat, is set to debut the proposal in a speech in Albany during which she will detail her agenda for the state's ongoing legislative session.

Mental health and legal groups want New York lawmakers to think twice before backing Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to expand criteria for involuntary commitment, or forcing someone with a mental health issue to be hospitalized for treatment.

In her fourth State of the State address Tuesday, the governor is poised to unveil details of a controversial mental health proposal to keep mentally ill patients in hospital care.

With an eye on her sagging poll numbers and New Yorkers’ anxieties about the economy and crime, Gov. Kathy Hochul is poised to deliver her 2025 State of the State address on Tuesday.

Hochul has spent the last several weeks outlining her goals, and chief among them is how she’ll solve a mental health crisis on the subway system and make the state more affordable for residents.

Lawmakers were back in Albany on Monday with speculation swirling over what exactly Gov. Kathy Hochul will propose in her 2025 State of the State Address Tuesday.

A number of proposals have already been unveiled, but questions remain.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Economic and financial analysis firm the Perryman Group released a report this month suggesting third-party litigation funding, also known as lawsuit lending, costs New York nearly $420 million annually in gross product, more than $73 million in lost tax revenue and about 3,600 jobs.

"What it is, it's an advance on your lawsuit, so essentially they take a portion of your winnings if you win but that portion is not subject to really any lending laws," Lawsuit Reform Alliance Executive Director Tom Stebbins said.

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday passionately defended his administration's budgeting for the migrant crisis.

“I surrender, my math is not the best. Can they talk about the $6 billion. Six billion dollars of taxpayer money went to pay for a crisis that we should not have had to pay for," he said.

Democrats in the New York state Senate will advance legislation aimed to protect election workers and prevent voter disenfranchisement, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins announced Monday.

The election reforms being proposed include:

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said Monday that President-elect Donald Trump supports efforts to raise the state and local tax deduction cap and oppose New York’s congestion pricing plan,

Malliotakis, who attended a weekend meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Florida with Republican members of the New York delegation, said Trump’s stance on the SALT cap—created during his administration in 2017—has shifted because of rising taxes in New York.

On Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed the nation’s first-ever Crime Analysis Joint Special Operations Command (CA-JSOC) Headquarters to help fight crime and coordinate intelligence sharing across New York state.

According to Gov. Hochul, the New York State Crime Analysis and Joint Special Operations Command Headquarters (CA-JSOC) will "unite and support more than 100 local, state and federal agencies to track crime trends, share intelligence, and coordinate responses in real time, further enhancing public safety across New York state." Additionally, Hochul plans to propose expanded support for intelligence and agency coordination, and will secure additional funding for crime prevention technology and equipment to provide resources to state and local law enforcement.

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans announced Friday he is running for another term in office.

Evans is seeking a second term as the mayor of the Flower City after succeeding Lovely Warren in 2022.

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency — former Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin — is preparing for his confirmation hearing scheduled for next Thursday.

While environmental and climate advocates are raising concerns about what they see as Zeldin’s mixed record on climate matters, so far he appears to face few obstacles to confirmation.

State lawmakers leading the fight to achieve universal child care coverage said they back the child care investments Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced so far, but hope she’ll include more robust proposals in next week’s State of the State address.

Proposals to make child care more affordable and available for families will be a top issue this budget cycle as part of lawmakers' heightened focus on affordability.

Gov. Kathy Hochul continues to unveil proposals related to her 2025 State of the State Address agenda. This week, she announced a package intended to make home ownership easier for New Yorkers.

The most significant of the proposals is an effort to prevent large-scale investors from buying up single and two-family homes, which some say is exacerbating New York’s housing woes.

At its heart, the legislative session in Albany is an opportunity to create policies that help people lead better, more productive lives. Granted, some policies don’t rise to the occasion, which means the policies that work should be applauded and funded.

One criminal justice policy that the data indicates works is an alternative to the traditional criminal legal system. It’s a diversion program called LEAD: Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, which provides harm reduction case management for people who otherwise may be arrested for behaviors related to mental health, substance use, homelessness or poverty.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Job growth in the United States outpaced analyst predictions in December by about 100,000.

The Bureau of Labor report released Friday showed the country gained about 256,000 jobs in December.

Rudy Giuliani was found in contempt of court Friday for the second time in a week, as a federal judge warned him he could be sent to jail if he doesn't stop spreading lies about two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgement against him.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington, D.C., found the former New York City mayor and onetime attorney for President-elect Donald Trump violated court orders barring him from defaming Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman. The judge ordered him to review trial testimony and other materials from the case, and warned him that future violations could land him behind bars.

This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul may be relying more on Mayor Eric Adams to help her push her priorities over the finish line.

They’re aligned on public safety and tax policies — while differences with legislative leaders could lead to clashes in the State Capitol.

With issues of climate change and trade facing the next generation of New York agriculture, state leaders said they feel confident farmers will be successful.

“One of the reasons I feel so optimistic about the future is because of these beginning and young farmers and the next generation who will be leaders of agriculture businesses, animal and veterinary sciences, food science, conservation technology and so much more,” said New York Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said during an annual state of agriculture address.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing funding universal school meals in the next state budget as part of her State of the State executive agenda that she estimates will feed more than 2.7 million students, she announced Friday.

The governor's office said this program will help save families an estimated $165 on groceries per child each month. And if students currently buy meals at school every day, the state says it will save parents $2,000 per child a year, as well as address food insecurity among children and create more opportunities for students to succeed.

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday received a no-penalty sentence known as an “unconditional discharge” in his New York hush money case, a rare decision for a felony conviction.

The sentence means Trump will serve no jail time or probation, and no fines will be imposed.

Mayor Eric Adams reflected on his State of the City address during an interview on “Mornings On 1” Friday, sharing his thoughts on the plans he unveiled for New York City.

The mayor’s Thursday address outlined several initiatives aimed at keeping families in the city. His proposals include creating family-friendly housing units, reducing city income taxes for families, teaching financial literacy in public schools, expanding free swim classes, opening schoolyards for broader use and helping city employees and their families eliminate student loan debt.

Congestion pricing is finally here. As of Sunday, New Yorkers are being charged $9 during peak hours to enter the Central Business District in Manhattan below 60th Street. The initiative has sparked both outrage and celebration. It will take some time to determine whether the plan is a success or failure, and Gov. Kathy Hochul said we won't be able to tell until 2026 — the year she is up for reelection. NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross, and political reporters Bobby Cuza and Dan Rivoli, weigh in on this historic occasion in New York’s transit history.

After that, Mayor Eric Adams delivered his fourth state of the city address this week from the stage at the Apollo Theater, outlining the rationale for his reelection to a second term. The mayor unveiled several plans, including one to build tens of thousands of housing units in Manhattan. The “Off Topic’ team looks at the mayor’s final address of his first term and what New Yorkers can expect in 2025.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to announce in the coming days support for funding universal school meals in the next state budget, sources told Spectrum News 1. The program is said to have a $250 million price tag.

The governor would join a bipartisan campaign that both Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie have thrown their support behind this week.

Brooklyn attorney Domenick Napoletano, new president of the New York State Bar Association, will focus his legislative advocacy in Albany on bolstering both civil and indigent legal services.

While under the same pro bono umbrella, civil legal services help people with non-criminal legal issues like foreclosures, landlord-tenant disputes and family court. Indigent legal services assist people who can't afford legal representation in criminal cases, including those who face deportation.

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, several New York lawmakers said they will examine new immigration policies to counteract his plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants across the country.

With 11 days until the start of Trump's second term, many Democrats in the state want the Legislature to focus on a suite of proposals to protect New York immigrants and their families. But with only two session days left until the Jan. 20 inauguration, reforms are unlikely until after Trump has returned to the White House.

Four more staff members from the New York state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision have been suspended without pay in connection with last month's death of an incarcerated man after a violent incident with correction officers at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, the department announced Thursday evening.

Sgts. Christine Ploss and Evan Thisse, corrections officer Jared Popiel and registered nurse Patricia Matos are all now suspended.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Erie County Legislature was originally scheduled Thursday to have committee meetings.

Conservative Legislator Lindsay Lorigo said the body has a lot of work in front of it as the new year begins.

Farmers in New York state have some concerns as they begin the new year. Changing federal and state policies seem to be the driving forces behind their worries.

“The uncertainty about agricultural labor right now is probably foremost in most of agriculture's mind," said Doug Shelmindine, co-owner of Sheland Farms.

Congestion pricing is underway in New York City, a plan with a fair amount of supporters and detractors. The trucking industry is among those feeling the impacts.

Joe Fitzpatrick is concerned about how congestion pricing is going to affect his business, Lighting Express Delivery. As much as 20% of it comes from deliveries to New York City, and to keep delivering there, Fitzpatrick said he had to add a surcharge to offset the cost.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she will push for new laws to make it harder for hedge funds to purchase large numbers of single-family homes in the state.

In a statement, Hochul said she would propose legislation this year that would require a 75 day waiting period before large investment firms could place bids on new homes hitting the market and limit certain tax benefits when the firms purchase homes.

Capital Region legislators announced Thursday they were introducing a bill requiring New York state to dedicate seven acres of the Wadsworth lab project on the Harriman State Office Campus in Albany, to commercial, retail and residential development.

New York state is redeveloping the Harriman campus office park with the $1.7 billion Wadsworth project which brings the Wadsworth labs together on 27 acres of the site.

The New York state Court of Appeals has formally removed a state judge in Oneida County who engaged in a prolonged, offensive rant after a melee erupted at a high school graduation party in 2022, the state’s highest court announced Thursday.

The decision heeds a recommendation made by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct in July 2024 to remove state Supreme Court Justice Erin Gall for invoking her authority as a judge to try to get uninvited guests arrested, threatened to shoot Black teenagers and bragged that her 18-year-old son had “put the smackdown” on another partygoer.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler will serve as chairman of the House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee announced Thursday.

The panel has jurisdiction over the Middle East and North Africa regions and has oversight responsibilities over activities in the State Department.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's highest court on Thursday declined to block Donald Trump's upcoming sentencing in his hush money case, leaving the U.S. Supreme Court as the president-elect's likely last option to prevent the hearing from taking place Friday.

One judge of the New York Court of Appeals issued a brief order declining to grant a hearing to Trump's legal team.

As part of his State of the City address, Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday afternoon will unveil expanded funding for more schoolyards and swim classes, NY1 has learned.

The city will be opening 11 additional schoolyards for use during the summer, after school and weekends in underserved neighborhoods. The new investment increases the number of New Yorkers living within a 10-minute walk of a public space to nearly 85%, according to City Hall.

The fate of a tax deduction essential to many residents of New York and other high-tax states will be front and center this weekend when U.S. House Republicans meet with President-elect Donald Trump in Florida.

During the Saturday gathering at Mar-a-Lago, Reps. Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota and others are expected to make their pitch for raising the cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, better known as SALT, as part of the sweeping tax reform package Republicans aim to pass this Congress.

Andrea Stewart-Cousins made history Wednesday as the longest-serving Democratic majority leader in the New York state Senate in state history after also making history as the first Black woman to serve in that capacity.

She sat down with Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter in the Senate Chamber on the first day of the two-year legislative session to discuss a variety of issues, including taxation, SALT, housing, migrants and affordability.

Wednesday was the first day of the new legislative session in Albany. New York state lawmakers returned to get to work on legislation as they also stare down an April 1 budget deadline.

In addition to opening remarks, small talk in the hallways, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins being re-sworn into their posts, the battles for the upcoming session are taking shape.

Disgraced former congressman George Santos, facing a federal prison sentence, has won a few months' freedom to come up with more than half a million dollars in court fines — including revenue from his new podcast.

A New York judge on Wednesday granted the Republican's request to delay his Feb. 7 sentencing after he pleaded guilty this summer to federal fraud and identity theft charges.

The clock officially started on the 2025 legislative session in Albany on Wednesday, marking the beginning of a months-long dance between Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators negotiating New York’s multibillion-dollar budget.

On the table: discussions about raising taxes and getting mentally ill and potentially dangerous people off the streets and subways.

NIAGARA FALLS - Over the past 15 years, Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati has served in office as an independent, often distancing himself from party politics.

However, as Liberal Party Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans his exit, Diodati believes it's indicative of a philosophical shift in Canada.

A new court ruling could hinder the state's transition of the Medicaid home care program that allows elderly and disabled people to hire their own home health aides.

A state Supreme Court judge in Livingston County on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order that blocks one company from sending personal data of patients who use the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) to a third party.

Advocates held a rally in Albany Wednesday calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to pass several bills to protect immigrants in the state as President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.

The four pieces of legislation include a bill that would prohibit state and local agencies from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will announce in the coming days her support to fund universal school meals in the next state budget as part of her State of the State executive agenda, sources told Spectrum News on Wednesday.

It is estimated to cost about $250 million for universal coverage for all school districts in the state. Currently, about $145 million of the state's $237 billion budget funds free school meals in low-income districts.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement Wednesday saying the state’s Republican congressional delegation should demand a full repeal of the cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, or SALT, as negotiations on its future continue with Donald Trump about to return to the White House.

“The New York Republican delegation owes middle class New Yorkers a full repeal of the SALT cap. This cap has cost New Yorkers as much as $12 billion every year since it took effect in 2018, robbing middle-class families of their hard-earned money,” Hochul said in the statement. “Republicans have drained billions directly from the pockets of their own constituents, and now it’s time for them to deliver. No excuses. No half measures. It's all or nothing – New Yorkers deserve a full repeal.”

State funding totaling $100 million is now available for transit providers to expand their use of zero-emission vehicles, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.

The money comes from the state’s Zero-Emission Transit Transition Program (ZETT), part of the effort to achieve the goals of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019, which requires New York to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050 from 1990 levels.

Nonprofit organizations in 2022 provided 1.3 million jobs to New Yorkers, which was a 4.1% decline over a five-year period, according to a report released Wednesday by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

There were more than 33,536 nonprofit organizations in the state as of 2022, the report says, which comprised one-tenth of the organizations nationwide.

Local officials are reacting following an announcement from Governor Kathy Hochul on renewed investment in the Hudson Valley’s rail services.

Plans include funding that would increase capacity, reduce delays, improve safety and cut travel times by up to 15 minutes.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to call off Friday's sentencing in his hush money case in New York.

Trump's lawyers turned to the nation's highest court on Wednesday after New York courts refused to postpone the sentencing by Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presided over Trump's trial and conviction last May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

Lawyers for two former Georgia election workers who are owed $148 million in damages after suing Rudy Giuliani for defamation said Tuesday that evidence proves their clients are entitled to three World Series rings that the former New York City mayor says he gave to his son.

The lawyers filed papers in Manhattan federal court asking a judge to find that their clients should be given the rings marking New York Yankees' victories in 1996, 1999 and 2000.

Disgraced former congressman George Santos has asked a New York judge to delay his sentencing on federal fraud charges until the summer so he can pay off more than half a million dollars in fines by making more episodes of his recently launched podcast “Pants on Fire."

But prosecutors, in their response Tuesday, dismissed the New York Republican's promises of a financial boon as “extremely speculative” and derided the program's title as a “tone-deaf and unrepentant reference to the crimes he committed."

Federal prosecutors claim that they’ve uncovered more alleged criminal conduct from Mayor Eric Adams, who is already fighting federal corruption charges.

The claim was made in court papers filed this week.

A new hotline assisting with the transition of a popular Medicaid home care program to one company received more than 1,000 calls on its first day, company leaders said Tuesday.

In 12 weeks, Public Partnerships LLC, will become the state's sole fiscal intermediary for its Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, which more than 280,000 New Yorkers rely on for home care.

On Wednesday, Democrats in the New York state Assembly are expected to reelect Carl Heastie as their speaker.

It will be the beginning of his 11th year as house leader; he was elected to the post after former Speaker Sheldon Silver was arrested and had to step down in February 2015.

A battle over whether New York’s ethics watchdog violates the state’s constitution was before the state Court of Appeals on Tuesday.

The fight stems from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s controversial pandemic-era book deal, and the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, or COELIG’s, attempts to examine it.

In the aftermath of the 2024 elections, which left Democrats without a base of power in Washington, the word "affordability" has become a political yardstick for Gov. Kathy Hochul and other top Democrats in New York.

The notion of affordability has become so paramount that Hochul’s State of the State address features an aptly named “affordability agenda” which she’s begun fleshing out with her first two proposals: inflation refund checks and expanded child tax credits.

Albany Common Council President Corey Ellis will make a third bid to become mayor of Albany. He announced his run Tuesday in the former Jack’s Oyster House restaurant, where he called for changes to make Albany a city of opportunity and excitement.

Ellis told supporters that “together, we can reimagine Albany’s future.” He said that while the more than 100-year-old "Jack's" is now closed, it serves as a reminder that in every loss is an opportunity.

Last year was a very different one for North Country state Sen. Mark Walczyk, who as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, deployed overseas, missing almost a full legislative session.

He has, however, returned safely, and is ready to get back to work.

Mayor Eric Adams’ latest Charter Revision Commission held its first meeting on Tuesday.

A handful of people were in the audience for the meeting, which marks the start of a process of reviewing and possibly making changes to the city’s charter — the governing document of the city.