New York Democrats hit the brakes on a controversial bill allowing the governor to delay congressional special elections until Election Day. The bill was introduced Friday to fierce Republican opposition, which prompted a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking her to open an investigation into the move.

Multiple sources say the directive came straight from Gov. Kathy Hochul, who depending on whom you ask, is either looking for leverage in her negotiations with President Donald Trump as he targets congestion pricing, or simply felt the optics of the bill were bad. The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the Correctional Association of New York, the only organization designated by law to provide independent monitoring and oversight of state prisons, the death of Robert Brooks at the Marcy Correctional facility reflects systemic problems at New York’s prisons.

The association released a report on Marcy Correctional in 2022 showing abuses that had been documented at other facilities across the state.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The 2024 election cycle was the first in which New York state Legislature candidates could utilize public matching funds for small in-district donations.

Late last week, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law released analysis of the program showing broad participation from candidates and donors alike.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer called for continued funding to community health centers.

He spoke Monday at Syracuse Community Health, saying federal funding is set to run out in a month for these type of health care facilities.

Canandaigua, Brockport and Phelps will each receive millions of dollars to improve their communities as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.

Brockport and Phelps will each receive $4.4 million from the NY Forward Program, while Canandaigua will receive $10 million as the Finger Lakes winner as part of the eighth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has issued a statewide ban on DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence from being downloaded on state-managed devices and networks, she announced Monday.

DeepSeek is an AI Chinese startup founded in 2023 that has been able to compete with industry leaders like OpenAI. DeepSeek's AI assistant became the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apple's iPhone store on Jan. 27, propelled by curiosity about the ChatGPT competitor.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced a $60 million transaction to accelerate electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment across New York City.

The loan is provided by NY Green Bank to Revel, the largest provider of public EV fast-charging in New York City, and will enable Revel to more than triple its current New York City public fast charging network this year. This is NYGB’s first EV charging infrastructure transaction.

The New York State Capitol's Eastern Approach staircase will be restored and rehabilitated starting in early summer.

New York State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy announced a $72 million contract with Allegrone Companies for the rehabilitation of the staircase.

As many expected, New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act is likely heading to court.

A lawsuit by 22 Republican attorneys general, backed by coal oil and gas companies, was filed this week with West Virginia taking the lead.

Lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow Gov. Kathy Hochul to delay special elections in New York, and therefore the anticipated race to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 21st Congressional District if she is confirmed as UN ambassador.

Current law requires the governor to schedule a special election within 90 days of a declared congressional vacancy. A bill carried by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie in their respective houses would provide the governor with the option to delay that to the general election.

According to a former MIT lecturer who helped to initially monetize the internet, unofficial experts aren’t all that uncommon within new presidential administrations – although there are some unique issues that have come to light due to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE’s, access to personal confidential data and Elon Musk’s conflicts of interest.

Lee McKnight is currently an associate professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. But during the early days of Bill Clinton administration, he was one of the so-called “DC disruptors” – young computer whizzes from MIT called upon to ensure the nascent "internet" was set up for the common good.

New York state Sen. Pat Fahy introduced a new bill that would allow New Yorkers to purchase state-produced alcohol from certain restaurants.

Fahy said the bill would help boost the state's craft food and beverage industry.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Refugee Partnership is a coalition of five Western New York nonprofit organizations that provide resettlement and other ancillary services to refugees who come to the region.

Jewish Family Services CEO Molly Carr said the agencies were anticipating policy changes and less federal funding with the incoming Trump administration.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Some local moms got some face-to-face time Friday with Gov. Kathy Hochul over lunch, talking about their concerns and some of their biggest stressors.

Hochul is highlighting her 2025 State of the State Affordability Agenda, which is full of proposals she says are designed to make life easier for folks trying to keep up with high prices and inflation.

A former aide to Mayor Eric Adams plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge in a corruption case against Adams, prosecutors said in a new court filing Friday.

Mohamed Bahi, who served as City Hall’s chief liaison to the Muslim community, was arrested in October as part of a sweeping investigation into Adams and his campaign fundraising that led to the mayor’s indictment on corruption charges in September.

Local government sales tax collections in New York state increased by 1.6% in 2024 from the year prior, though that's by a slower amount than years past, according to a report released Friday by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

Collections totaled $376 million during the calendar year, DiNapoli said. It was the slowest annual growth seen since the COVID-19 pandemic decline in 2020, and was less than half of the average pre-pandemic growth rate (3.8%) of 2011 to 2019 following the Great Recession.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday ordered live bird markets across New York City, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties to temporarily shut down after inspectors detected seven cases of bird flu in poultry during routine checks.

The cases were identified at live bird markets in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens within the last week, Hochul said during a virtual press conference.

It was another week of palace intrigue for the mayor. A day after testifying in Albany about the city’s needs, the mayor revealed to the press corps that he underwent anesthesia for a colonoscopy last month. NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross, and political reporters Bobby Cuza and Kelly Mena weigh in on Adams’ mystery procedure and his trip to the capital.

After that, the Trump administration’s policies are spilling over into New York politics. The mayor is set to testify next month in Washington D.C. about the city’s sanctuary city policy. Meanwhile, is the mayor downplaying the fear some immigrant families are feeling, which has led some of them to keep their kids home from school? The "Off Topic" team looks at the Trump effect on the five boroughs.

WASHINGTON — Democratic attorneys general in several states vowed Thursday to file a lawsuit to stop Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency's from accessing federal payment systems containing Americans' sensitive personal information.

A dozen attorneys general, including New York's Letitia James, said in a statement that they were taking action “in defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on."

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that Albany, Rochester and Utica are the intended targets for up to $300,000 in planning money and up to $40 million to establish workforce training centers, intended to funnel New Yorkers into advanced manufacturing jobs.

At the event, she also further expanded on plans for an overhaul of the New York State Museum, and indicated that she has no plans to take the museum out of the state Education Department after years of speculation fueled by the department's struggles to keep the facility up to date.

Several New York lawmakers want to increase the state's short-term disability benefit — reviving a past spending fight after they failed to reform the decades-old cap last year.

The state's Temporary Disability Insurance program, or 26-week paid medical leave, has been capped at $170 per week since its inception in 1989. The benefit gives employees time off for long-term medical treatment due to a non-work-related injury, such as pregnancy or cancer.

Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado received some national political attention last year when he said former President Joe Biden should drop his reelection bid — long before many others in his party made the call, including his boss Gov. Kathy Hochul.

With Hochul up for reelection next year, there’s speculation that Delgado may want the job for himself — a political rumor that the lieutenant governor doesn’t want to talk about.

New York state Attorney General Letitia James told Capital Tonight that she is working to stop billionaire Elon Musk from accessing the private data of federal employees.

“I want all of you to know that we are considering, and in the process of filing, an action to stop Elon Musk and DOGE and all of his minions from gaining access to our private data,” James said.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney's district offices are closed after reporting of three separate incidents Wednesday of threats of violence and intimidation against staff.

Tenney's office said Capitol Police and local law enforcement responded to the threats. The statement does not identify which offices were targeted.

New York's law to generate funds for countering climate change is facing a legal challenge from 22 state attorneys general.

The Climate Change Superfund Act was signed into law at the end of last year and would force polluters to pay into a fund to generate $75 billion over the next 25 years.

President Donald Trump has promised to crack down on immigrants in the country without legal status, however, many agricultural industries rely on these workers to fill labor jobs.

Most dairy farms — a year-round operation — are not eligible to apply for H-2A workers because these jobs are not seasonal, so the positions are filled by immigrants.

Former New York state Sen. Michael Martucci has been appointed by President Donald Trump as regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 2, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Thursday.

Martucci, a Republican, served a single term in the state Senate from 2021 to 2022, representing the 42nd District in the Hudson Valley.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. supports closing the southern border, or at least restricting access, until the U.S. addresses the issue of immigration and a "proper" system is put in place to process newcomers.

In an interview Wednesday with Spectrum News 1, Picente shared his thoughts on issues surrounding migrants in the States without legal status and the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, which he and other New York elected officials visited last year.

Just weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump is sending shockwaves around the world. From proposing resettling the population of Gaza to saying he wants the United States to regain control of the Panama Canal, the president is making it clear that he’s not following the traditional set of rules that have guided American foreign policy for decades.

Looking at Trump’s plans abroad, NY1’s Errol Louis recently held an in-depth discussion with veteran diplomat Richard Haass, the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relation. The conversation at Temple Emanuel of Great Neck, Long Island, tackled a wide range of international topics from Greenland to Ukraine to the Middle East.

Gov. Kathy Hochul defended her policy priorities—from a proposed cellphone ban in schools to congestion pricing—during an exclusive interview on “Mornings On 1” this week.

One of Hochul’s key proposals, banning smartphones in schools, gained a new ally in Tech:NYC, a nonprofit representing social media, AI and tech companies. Its CEO, Julie Samuels, joined the governor in calling for lawmakers to back the measure.

State mental health officials Wednesday said the state has enough open inpatient beds to handle Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to ease the criteria for involuntary committment, which would increase New Yorkers hospitalized with a mental illness.

The governor wants to make it easier to recommit a patient whose initial six-month court order for treatment has expired when they experience a relapse in symptoms that impacts the health and safety of others.

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is warning that President Donald Trump’s recent moves on the international stage are putting national security at risk.

In an interview with Spectrum News, Congressman Gregory Meeks labeled Trump’s proposal that the U.S. take over the Gaza strip “preposterous.”

Members of the Ithaca Common Council voted Wednesday night to reaffirm the city's status as a sanctuary city.

They said that means a pledge to not discriminate and to foster a welcoming environment for everyone. The ordinance highlights a continued commitment to the protection of human rights for immigrants, as well as individual's reproductive rights and gender-affirming care.

There are plenty of reasons that women freeze their eggs, but it’s an expensive procedure: About $18,000, according to the New York Times, and health insurance probably won’t pay for it.

Commercial insurance only covers fertility preservation, like egg freezing, when infertility is caused by medical treatments like chemotherapy.

After drastically scaling back his official duties last week because he wasn’t feeing well, Mayor Eric Adams Wednesday resumed holding his weekly press conference with reporters. But his attempts to clarify the situation surrounding his health only muddied it further.

“I reached out to the team said Fabien, I’m going to go under for a couple of days, I'm going to still be in communication but I was going to be under anesthesia but I wanted to make sure the team knew and the team did what they were supposed to," Adams said on Wednesday for the first time, disclosing some details about an illness.

New York state Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon will take over the NY HEAT Act in the Assembly from now-state Sen. Pat Fahy.

The bill has passed in the state Senate twice, and Fahy worked to get the bill over the finish line in the Assembly right up until the last hours of the 2024 legislative session, and her last hours in the lower chamber.

AMHERST, N.Y. -- Gov. Kathy Hochul laid out her 2025 priorities last month during her State of the State and budget presentations, but members of her administration say the work is far from done.

On Wednesday at the University at Buffalo, cabinet members Kelli Nicholas Owens and Bea Hanson hosted their first of 10 meetings across the state with stakeholders, focusing largely on proposals for crime victims and specifically victims of gender-based crimes.

One of the first executive orders signed by President Donald Trump prohibits gender-related surgeries for people under the age of 19. It also states the country will not "fund, sponsor, promote, assist or support the so-called 'transition' of a child from one sex to another."

In the order, Trump called it a "dangerous trend" that causes lifelong medical complications and regret. Despite this, state Attorney General Letitia James recently reiterated to health care providers in New York that they have "an obligation" to provide gender-affirming care to minors.

As Gov. Kathy Hochul tries to expand New York’s ability to involuntarily commit the mentally ill, some lawmakers are saying not-so-fast.

The state’s mental health chief was on the hot seat Wednesday — tasked with defending Hochul’s plan to amend standards allowing health professionals more bandwidth to commit mentally ill people against their will.

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The White House last month lifted a ban on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in places of worship as well as schools. While there haven't been many, if any at all, raids in schools, administrators are on alert in New York.

President Donald Trump and his administration have been vocal about the possibility of mass deportations across the United States.

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has eliminated a dozen clubs sponsored by its former office of diversity, equity and inclusion and canceled all events and activities associated with them, citing President Donald Trump's recent executive orders and guidance from the military.

The following clubs were disbanded and prohibited from using government resources effective immediately, according to a statement from the U.S. Military Academy Communications Office:

About 500 Fort Drum soldiers are headed to Arizona in support of President Donald Trump's "Southern Border Surge," the 10th Mountain Division confirmed Wednesday.

Members of the 10th Mountain Division Headquarters will serve as part of a Joint Task Force headquarters and oversee units at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, "to carry out missions called for by the President of the United States to secure the area and protect the territorial integrity of the United States," according to the division.

Democrats in suburban New York are suing a Republican county executive over his creation of an armed unit of volunteer residents, saying it amounts to an “illegal, taxpayer-funded civilian militia.”

Nassau County Democratic lawmakers argue in their complaint filed Wednesday that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman lacked the legal authority to form a cadre of special sheriff's deputies with “authority to use deadly force and make arrests under color of law.”

As the United States Senate moves forward with the nomination of U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik as United Nations ambassador, North Country Democrats are preparing for the special election to fill the seat whenever a special election is called by selecting St. Lawrence County dairy farmer Blake Gendebien as their candidate.

In a special election for New York's 21st Congressional District, there is no primary for voters to pick their party’s nominee – the nominee is selected by the chairs of the county parties in the district. Gendebien is a third-generation dairy farmer from Lisbon, and operates Twin Mill Farms. He is married and has three children. He has degree in agriculture from Penn State University.

State lawmakers on Wednesday announced a group of five bills aimed to reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for consumers and New York residents.

“It’s well-known that PFAS are among the most toxic and harmful chemicals known to humankind,” Democratic state Sen. Peter Harckham said during a press conference in Albany. “If we are going to be serious about safeguarding our residents from these contaminants, then we must be doing everything possible to eliminate their use and reckless disposal in our environment.”

Some first responders in Midtown Manhattan say the congestion pricing toll is proving to be too much, and it may force them to change the way they make a living.

Frank Lopez drives to his job as an EMT for the FDNY. He says the trip from his Long Island home into Manhattan is quicker now because of congestion pricing. But the cost is something he can’t afford.

The top two Democrats on Capitol Hill announced legislation Tuesday to rein in billionaire Elon Musk, who has launched a campaign to remake the federal government.

“It’s an all hands on deck effort,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, standing beside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Receiving little love from Democrats and Republicans alike, Mayor Eric Adams kept short his list of legislative requests during the State Capitol’s annual "Tin Cup Day" in Albany Tuesday.

Many topics were discussed, except the elephant in the room: the mayor’s federal corruption indictment and his efforts to get the Trump administration to dismiss his case.

New York lawmakers Tuesday said the state budget must fund housing vouchers that Gov. Kathy Hochul's executive proposal didn't include to help low-income families avoid homelessness.

Lawmakers have started the earliest stages of budget talks, but said they plan to pressure the governor to fund other housing programs, including the Housing Access Voucher Program, to help 20,000 low-income households avoid foreclosure or eviction.

It was "Tin Cup Day" at the state Capitol on Tuesday, when mayors from the state's major cities and others representing local governments shared their needs with state lawmakers as they work on the state budget.

It was Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s final budget hearing in the role, and she spent it continuing a yearslong pursuit for a consistent framework for state funding going to localities. AIM, or AID to Municipalities, are unrestricted state funds that cities can put toward various community needs like local law enforcement and infrastructure improvements.

According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, the recent surge in violent crimes in New York City have involved people with serious untreated mental illness — a failure, she says, to get treatment to people who are homeless and disconnected from the mental health care system.

Hochul went on to state that New Yorkers have a duty to protect the public from random acts of violence, and the only fair and compassionate thing to do is “get our fellow New Yorkers the help they need.”

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Lifespan of Greater Rochester, a nonprofit that provides advocacy and services for elderly adults, says it's seen a marked increase in scams targeting people over the age of 65 since the COVID-19 pandemic.

President and CEO Ann Marie Cook believes it's the result of several factors including society's increased reliance on the internet.

The Trump administration's stated plans to abolish the U.S. Department of Education begs a question: What impact would it have on student loans, since the department is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation? An executive director of a college access program described what could be at stake.

As reports surface that Trump is working on an executive order to dismantle the department, Elon Musk wrote late Monday that Trump “will succeed” in eliminating the agency, which oversees nearly $2 trillion in student debt.

New York members of Congress are reintroducing legislation aimed at reducing fires caused by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries commonly found in e-bikes and scooters, Spectrum News NY1 has learned.

A similar bill won overwhelming House approval in the last session of Congress but failed to clear the Senate.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to reinstate the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel of which President Donald Trump eliminated all members of a day after coming into office.

Members of the committee received a memo on Jan. 21 saying the membership of all advisory committees was being eliminated as part of a “commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security.”

A Western New York air base is being floated as a potential place to help support the recent expansion of ICE operations.

Rep. Nick Langworthy (R - NY23) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R - NY21) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to potentially use the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday told hospitals that they would be violating state law if they stop offering gender-affirming care for people under age 19 in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at curtailing federal funding for such treatments.

In a letter, James, a Democrat, told health care facilities that refusing to provide the treatments would violate New York's anti-discrimination laws.

President Donald Trump’s threat to slap tariffs on Mexico and Canada sparked backlash Monday from New York Democrats, who warned that upending New York’s close economic ties with Canada could harm the state.

In a day of political and diplomatic whiplash, Trump on Monday threatened and ultimately put on hold plans to impose up to 25% tariffs on goods imported from America’s two biggest trading partners.

Several Democratic lawmakers said Monday they paused introducing a bill to change the state's mandated timeline to set a special election and continue to work on the proposal amid mounting pushback.

Top Democrats held private discussions Friday to give the governor more time to set a special election and delay an anticipated special election in the 21st Congressional District.

Speaking outside of the New York Conference of Mayors' winter legislative meeting, state Attorney General Letitia James made her point clear: The Trump administration’s proposed federal funding freeze, which was blocked by two federal judges in part thanks to a 22-state effort that James played a key role in, is a local funding issue.

“The president of the United States cannot unilaterally disrupt funding that has been appropriated by Congress on a whim,” she said. “It’s all about enforcing the law in the state of New York and ensuring that for individuals who rely on essential services, that there is someone who can use the law book as a sword and as a shield.”

The city of Albany may be getting a major facelift.

In her State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed spending $400 million to revitalize the city, which has struggled with issues like safety in the wake of the pandemic.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Trump administration agreed Monday morning to put a pause on tariffs on Mexican goods imported to the United States for another month as part of a deal in which the Southern neighbors will send more troops to the border.

However, at the time Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke to reporters, the U.S. still had plans in place to begin imposing 25% tariffs on product from Canada, 10% on Canadian energy and 10% on Chinese goods.

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday morning weighed in for the first time on President Donald Trump’s expected tariffs.

“I think one of the biggest mistakes that people are making is there are knee-jerk reactions to everything. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to analyze, understand what the real impact [is] so we’re not giving out mis or false information," he said at an unrelated press conference.

A new poll is showing that Gov. Kathy Hochul is still struggling to appeal to New Yorkers.

But with President Donald Trump pushing a raft of new high-profile executive orders, it’s giving the governor a political opportunity to push back from her bully pulpit in the State Capitol.

Following the death of inmate Robert Brooks, various aspects of prison life in New York state are coming under new criticism.

Brooks died in December after an incident involving correction officers at Marcy Correctional Facility.

RED HOOK, N.Y. – If two people with disabilities want to get married, the amount of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) they recieve from the federal government is cut, meaning they would be eligible for less federal funding as a couple than they would as indivduals. For some, that means sacrificing a legal marriage due to financial constraints.

While the Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults Act was initially introduced in 2022 by Republican Jimmy Panetta, the bill was reintroduced in July 2023 during the 118th Congress. It remains in committee.

Days after a New York doctor was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury for allegedly prescribing an abortion pill online to a resident of the southern state, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation bolstering protections for reproductive health care providers.

The new law, which took effect after it was signed Monday, allows New York doctors to request that the name of their health care practice be printed on abortion pill bottles instead of their own name.

In her proposed executive budget for fiscal year 2026, Gov. Kathy Hochul has allocated $45 million, through the state Office for the Aging, for in-home and community-based services to meet the needs of older adults.

"This is the best budget I've ever seen for older adults. It takes a look at all those services that are needed, how much they cost annually they to provide in certain counties," said Greg Olsen, director of the state Office for the Aging.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is vowing to push back against President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, saying the plan is only going to drive up costs for everyday Americans.

“I think what President Trump is doing is harmful. It's creating chaos. It doesn't make sense. It's not going to have the impact that he's hoping it has. It's just going to raise costs for everyday Americans,” Gillibrand said Monday on “Mornings On 1.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s negative job approval and favorability rating remained mostly unchanged, according to a Siena College poll of registered New York voters released Monday. Respondents did however note their support for several of her recent budget and State of the State proposals.

The governor has a negative 39-47% favorability rating, slightly unchanged from 39-49% in December and up from 36-51% in October, and a job approval rating of 44-48%, also slightly unchanged from 46-49% in December, but up from 41-51% in October, the poll found.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says, “We're not going to swing at every pitch.”

That is the message as his party navigates the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term, and the deluge of news he frequently unleashes.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $252 billion executive budget proposal includes plenty of good news for families, including a middle-class tax cut, an inflation rebate check and a tripling of the child tax credit.

But the proposed spending plan is enormous, fueled in part by an 8% increase in revenue that some budget watchdogs say is not sustainable.

It’s hard to believe but during the 1960 presidential contest between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, New York was considered a purple state.

That’s the context of a new novel by the author of late state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s memoir, "Keep Swinging."

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rigidized Metal is a Buffalo-based corporation that produces three-dimensional metal products for architectural, industrial and transportation applications.

It imports and exports millions of dollars worth of products annually to and from Canada.

Mayor Eric Adams’ criminal defense attorney Alex Spiro met with Justice Department lawyers in Washington, D.C., Friday to negotiate the dismissal of federal charges filed against him, a source told NY1.

The meeting also included attorneys from the U.S. Southern District of New York, according to The New York Times.

In week four of the legislative session, Syracuse Assemblymember Pamela Hunter is settling into her new role as Speaker Pro Tempore of the state Assembly after being appointed to the position by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

The Speaker Pro Tempore is often called the voice of the Assembly, keeping track of proceedings and managing what’s going on on the floor. But for Hunter, it’s an opportunity to bring the issues that matter to her constituents in Central New York to the highest levels of state government.

Michael Rendino, the chair of The Bronx Republican Party, weighed in on Mayor Eric Adams’ chances of running as a republican in the upcoming June primary.

“Now granted, if the president says this is who he wants and he has valid reasons, he can make that happen. I don’t think anyone is going to go up against the president’s choice for the Republican party in New York City, so that is the only shot he has of getting it,” Rendino said.

A New York doctor was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury on Friday for allegedly prescribing an abortion pill online in the Deep South state, which has one of the strictest near-total abortion bans in the country.

Grand jurors at the District Court for the Parish of West Baton Rouge issued an indictment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter; her company, New Paltz-bsed Nightingale Medical, PC; and a third person. All three were charged with criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs, a felony.

Mayor Eric Adams called out sick this week — spending much of his time holed up in Gracie Mansion. Aides said he was undergoing routine medical tests but details on his condition have been sparse. His absence sparked rumors of a possible resignation, which he vehemently denied when he emerged on Thursday for an event with the NYPD. The mayor's dramatic week comes as senior Justice Department officials have been discussing with federal prosecutors the possibility of dropping the corruption case against Adams. NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross, and political reporter Bobby Cuza and statehouse reporter Bernadette Hogan discuss this unusual week for the mayor.

After that, New Yorkers are already starting to feel the effects of the new administration in Washington. This week, the new secretary for homeland security, Kristi Noem, was in the Bronx, watching as federal agents arrested who they said was the leader of a vicious Venezuelan gang. Meanwhile, there may be other Trump effects — like potentially withdrawing federal approval of congestion pricing. The ‘Off Topic’ team looks at the immediate impact of Trump’s second term on New York.

As part of her State of the State agenda, Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to make changes to the state’s workers compensation system to make it easier for those with claims to control who provides care and encourage more providers to participate in the system.

According to Dr. James Tacci, medical director for the New York State Workers Compensation Board, thanks to the conditions of current state statute, only about 10% of medical providers are authorized to treat individuals with workers compensation claims. He said that’s largely due to a system that is so burdensome that many people’s primary care providers or specialists simply decline to participate.

The ongoing debate to increase taxes on wealthy New Yorkers could become a focal point of upcoming budget talks with more than $90 billion in federal aid to the state in jeopardy.

A federal funding freeze directed by President Donald Trump could leave the state in a fiscal lurch as New York lawmakers embark on the earliest stage of spending talks — rounding out Albany's second week of budget hearings.

Ending a weeklong self-imposed sick leave, Mayor Eric Adams appeared in public Thursday, speaking defiantly and brushing aside speculation that he may be considering resigning as his federal corruption trial looms this spring.

“Who started that stupid rumor that I was stepping down on Friday? Are you out of your mind?” Adams said, vocally defending his mayoralty during an interfaith breakfast at the New York Public Library.

In 2017, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reached a deal to shut down the Indian Point nuclear power plant north of New York City. The plant had supplied electricity to the metropolitan area for more than 50 years.

The former governor spent years trying to close the plant, calling it “a ticking time bomb."

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz had just finished two days of meetings with the Nattional Association of Counties Disaster Reform Task Force when he arrived at Reagan National Airport around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday for a red-eye flight back to Buffalo.

He was in the terminal when passengers began to realize this was not a normal night.

New York's Second Appellate Division found a state law intended to prevent local officials from enacting rules that might suppress people's voting rights because of their race is constitutional, reversing a state Supreme Court decision in Orange County late last year that had struck down the law entirely.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, named after the late civil rights activist who represented Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives, was passed by the New York state Legislature in 2022 and aims to bring back a version of what was known as “preclearance” that was gutted from the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2013.

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter. Investigators say there were 60 passengers and four crew onboard the jet, and three soldiers onboard the helicopter.

It's the first fatal airline accident of a U.S. carrier in 16 years, since Feb. 12, 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed in a Buffalo-area suburb. All 49 people on board were killed, as well as one person on the ground.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A state Legislature proposal that sponsors have named the "Good Food bill" would amend New York's procurement rules, allowing local governments to award food distributor contracts that encourage values like buying local, environmental sustainability and racial equity, even if the distributor hasn't made the lowest responsible bid.

Senate sponsor Michelle Hinchey, D-Saugerties, said allowing them to choose bids up to 10% more allows governments to support New York farms and farmers.

A Western New York leader was among those present at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night when an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter. Investigators say there were 60 passengers and four crew onboard the jet and three soldiers onboard the helicopter.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz was in Washington for the National Association of Counties Disaster Reform Task Force and was preparing to travel back to Western New York when the crash happened. On social media, the county executive shared his condolences with families who have lost their loved ones.

After 15 months, the Israel-Hamas war has reached a ceasefire deal. Israeli troops have pulled back to the edges of Gaza and some hostages have been released by their Hamas captors. Many Palestinians are returning to what remains of their homes with humanitarian aid flowing into the region. As Palestinians begin rebuilding, Peter Beinart is exploring the defense of Israel by some of his fellow Jews in a new book, "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning."

Beinart, a professor at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York, joined NY1's Errol Louis to discuss the war, as well as his childhood in South Africa and anti-Semitism on college campuses.

It was a moment that vaulted New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to prominence on the national stage and won her the admiration of MAGA Republicans.

As House Democrats pursued impeachment against President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House, Stefanik aggressively mounted a defense of the president, with pointed questioning at impeachment hearings.

Even some skeptics of congestion pricing who have to pay are starting to become converts.

“If I’m going to be completely honest, I was a very, very, very much against congestion pricing,” said one driver exiting the Lincoln Tunnel from New Jersey. “But now that I drive in everyday, I’d pay $10 to save about an hour on my commute every day.”

New York State Education Department Commissioner Betty Rosa testified Wednesday that Gov. Kathy Hochul hasn’t presented a “clear vision” for her plan to revamp the Foundation Aid formula. The comments came at a joint budget hearing to examine Hochul’s funding proposal for elementary and secondary education.

In a discussion with reporters after the hearing, Rosa was careful not to step on Hochul’s toes, deferring to the governor’s vague suggestion that more changes to the formula will be coming in future years.

Starting this month, all private-sector employers in New York state must provide eligible employees 20 hours of paid prenatal personal leave.

This is on top of any other leave policies employees are entitled to.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is feeling the heat from environmentalists angry at what they claim is her decision to delay a “Cap-and-Invest” program.

At the same time, the interim head of the Department of Environmental Conservation denied that there was any delay. But changes to the program outlined in the governor’s executive budget prompted three environmental justice advocates to resign from the state’s Climate Justice Working Group, saying in a letter that they believe the governor is backpedaling on her climate commitment.

It could take years for the state Commission on Correction to complete a mortality review of an incarcerated man who was beaten to death by multiple officers at Marcy Correctional Facility last month, the oversight group's chair said Wednesday.

The commission, which provides oversight to all state prisons, jails and juvenile detention facilities, has not publicly discussed the death of Robert Brooks since he died after a violent encounter with officers, which was captured on body-worn camera footage.