Vice President Kamala Harris has expanded her lead against former President Donald Trump to 19 points among likely New York voters as the race for the White House enters its final stretch, according to a Siena College poll released Tuesday.

The vice president leads Trump 58-39%, the poll found, which is up slightly from 55-42% in September. In a multi-candidate race, Harris leads by 17 points, with minor party candidates totaling 4%.

State lawmakers said Monday they will work to draft a bill to strengthen privacy and protections for library and other public workers after a reported increase in threats or acts of aggression toward public servants.

Several library directors from across the state testified Monday they've seen an increase in members of the public targeting library staff when patrons are unhappy with decisions about the books or materials the library offers.

State lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul are marking a milestone this month in a long awaited effort to expand the state’s Tuition Assistance Program, or TAP. More than 40,000 newly eligible New York state students have submitted TAP applications for the 2024-25 academic year. It comes as the state projected that changes in this year's budget could benefit about 93,000 students.

State Assemblymember Pat Fahy, who chairs the Higher Education Committee, said in addition to raising the income threshold from $80,000 to $125,000 per year, state lawmakers also increased the minimum TAP award from $500 to $1,000, and increased income limits for married and independent students. The expansion program also includes extending eligibility to part-time students and those enrolled in non-degree programs, which they say opens doors for students who are pursing a non-traditional path.

Local lawmakers are examining the mayor’s ambitious housing proposal, known as the “City of Yes,” aimed at significantly increasing housing stock across all five boroughs over the next 15 years.

“Yes, we are in a housing crisis. Yes, we need more housing but how we build more housing must be responsive to the needs of our diverse neighborhoods. Just because two neighborhoods share the same zoning, it does not mean they are the same," City Councilman Rafael Salamanca said in his opening statement during a hearing on housing Monday morning.

On the commute to work, you are likely seeing a plethora of political signs these days, many about Proposition 1, or the Equal Rights Amendment, which will appear on the back of New York ballots across the state.

The signs urging voters to “Vote No on Prop 1” claim that, if passed, it will erode parents’ rights and allow illegal immigrants to vote. At the other end of the political spectrum, advocates for a “yes” vote on Proposition 1 argue it will enshrine abortion rights into the state Constitution, and prohibit discrimination by the government regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, pregnancy status, disability status or gender expression.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A coalition of 35 organizations representing small businesses, the insurance industry, medical interests and more sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul urging her to once again veto an expansion to the state's wrongful death statute.

National Federation of Independent Business State Director Ashley Ranslow said affordability polls among the most important issues for New Yorkers.

Two weeks from Tuesday, the polls open for the 2024 general election. This Saturday, early voting begins across New York state.

A top law enforcement officer has a message for residents about their voting rights.

Spectrum News will host a live debate on Wednesday, Oct. 23, between candidates for one of New York's two U.S. Senate seats.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Mike Sapraicone will appear in the debate, which starts at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News, and will be hosted by political anchors Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter.

Five men wrongfully convicted of assaulting and raping a woman in New York’s Central Park in 1989 have sued former President Donald Trump for defamation over comments he made in a debate against Vice President Kamala Harris last month.

Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown and Korey Wise, initially known as the “Central Park Five” and, later, the “Exonerated Five,” accused Trump in a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania of making “false, misleading and defamatory” statements about their case at the debate.

With less than three weeks to Election Day, poll watching has found its way into the electorate’s lexicon in recent years. As a result, many are learning about poll watchers for the first time. So here’s a primer to make things clearer.

Typically, they’re polling location and elections office monitors who watch voting and vote counting, keeping a look out for anything irregular. They are, according to the New York attorney general’s office, “designated by candidates, political parties, or independent organizations which have candidates on the ballot and/or political committees” and report any issues to election boards, officials, and/or police officers.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A former top aide from former Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's administration could soon be joining him at Western Regional Off-Track Betting.

Multiple sources believe OTB is planning to or has hired former First Deputy Mayor Steve Casey in some capacity with the public benefit corporation. One source says Casey has been hired, while two others say the hiring is imminent.

In a court filing Friday, prosecutors pushed back against an attempt by Mayor Eric Adams’ attorneys to have the bribery charge against him thrown out.

Last month, Adams’ lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the bribery charge in his five-count federal indictment, arguing the conduct detailed in the indictment does not amount to bribery.

New York state officials are launching a new push to crackdown on copper and catalytic converter theft.

State Sen. Sean Ryan was joined by Assemblymember Monica Wallace and local law enforcement Friday at Niagara Metals in Buffalo to push for legislation that would reduce the recent spike in copper and catalytic converter theft throughout the state.

A new survey commissioned by the New York Health Foundation and conducted by RAND looked into the needs of veterans returning to civilian life in New York. It comes as lawmakers this week urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill to make it easier for veterans to access tuition assistance.

Following up on a study from 14 years ago, it found that 1 in 4 veterans surveyed have probable depression or PTSD, compared to 1 in 6 in 2010.

While most New Yorkers aren’t seeing spirited local campaigns in their neighborhoods this election season, it’s a different story in South Brooklyn.

In State Senate District 17, freshman Democratic State Sen. Iwen Chu is facing a tough fight from Republican Steve Chan, an ex-Marine and retired police officer.

Lawmakers who lead state climate policy said Friday they will push to expand New York's biofuels market as higher costs and supply chain issues make it more difficult for New York to meet its aggressive climate goals.

Biofuels are biodegradable liquid fuel made from a blend of petroleum and cooking oils or animal fats, which are cleaner than traditional fossil fuels. Some energy stakeholders want biofuels to be mandated to be part of the state's renewable energy plans as Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she wants to use an "all-of-the-above" approach to reduce New York's emissions as mandated under the Climate Act.

There are several narratives around the New York Equal Rights Amendment, also known as Prop 1, which will appear on the back of your ballot in New York state on Nov. 5.

Here is one for it.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Currently, Article 1 Section 11 of the New York state Constitution prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed and religion.

Ballot Proposition 1 would amend the section to also include ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, as well as reproductive health care and autonomy.

New York is one year ahead of schedule for hitting some of its clean energy goals outlined in the 2019 state climate law, the state announced Thursday.

So far, 6 gigawatts of solar have been installed statewide.

Hours after lobbing a number of below-the-belt insults at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York, former President Donald Trump took to Fox News on Friday morning to bemoan the lack of a teleprompter he could use at the event, while also revealing that he got some help from “a couple of people” at the conservative-leaning network with his jokes.

When asked by one of the anchors who wrote his jokes, Trump replied: “Well, I’ve had a lot of people helping, a lot of people. A couple of people from Fox, actually — I shouldn’t say that, but they wrote some jokes.”

Mayor Eric Adams continues to clean house. Last week, he announced a new first deputy mayor. This week, he appointed a new deputy mayor for public safety, Chauncey Parker. There is also a new schools chancellor, Melissa Aviles-Ramos. Gov. Kathy Hochul has praised the mayor for removing controversial staff members and seems to be working with him to ride out this storm. NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross and political reporters Bobby Cuza and Ayana Harry discuss the many personnel changes at City Hall as well as the mayor’s recent fundraising woes.

After that, NY1 and Spectrum News hosted a fiery debate in the 18th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley between Congressman Pat Ryan and Republican challenger Alison Esposito. This race is example of the kinds of clashes taking place in swing districts across the state and the country. The “Off Topic” team shares their takeaways from the debate as well as other notable congressional races across New York.

Gov. Kathy Hochul Thursday touted new state crime statistics that show violent crime decreasing statewide. It comes as crime in New York continues to be an issue in key races ahead of Election Day, and two years after a string of congressional losses in New York were largely tied to concerns about public safety.

Hochul reported that gun violence in New York state was at its lowest point since the state started keeping track in 2006. Shooting incidents with injuries were down 26% through September 2024 compared to the same nine-month period last year. Homicides are down 12%, and overall crime, 10%.

It was a promotion amid crisis - and by the slimmest possible margin.

The nation, still gripped by a pandemic, had just endured a divisive national election, capped by an attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The city faces a looming deadline to close Rikers Island in less than three years.

A new report from the Alliance for Safety and Injustice, as well as the Independent Rikers Commission, found victims of crimes overwhelmingly support efforts to that would help shutter Rikers Island by backing investments and reforms for detainees that they believe would help address the root causes of crime.

As their contentious race for Congress enters the final couple of weeks, Rep. Marc Molinaro and his Democratic challenger Josh Riley are still going at it over the issue of immigration in their race to represent New York’s 19th Congressional District.

Molinaro, a Republican, signed on to co-sponsor a bill this week that would prevent a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program used by FEMA from using any funds on transporting and housing migrants. Instead, the bill would divert money earmarked for those purposes to be spent on disaster relief.

There are issues with the way New York state’s Division of Human Rights (DHR) manages housing discrimination complaints, according to a new audit released Thursday by the office of state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, which found DHR could not account for 68% of sampled complaints.

“We do a lot of work with the Division of Homes and Community Renewal, and they have a backlog of tenant cases that goes back years," said For The Many political coordinator Daniel Atonna.

One of four regional subcontractors helping to administer changes to a Medicaid home care program in the coming months said Thursday that New York lawmakers need to delay the April 1 deadline when they return to Albany next year.

The state is forging ahead to change the $9 billion Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program under Medicaid, which more than 250,000 New Yorkers rely on for home care, in under six months. Pushback is growing for that timeline to be extended to change the program — including from companies partnering with the state to manage it.

Some fans disappointed with how athletes perform on game day will often let them know exactly how they feel. There's a separation between the field and the stands, but online, that distance can shrink to near nothing. Add in sports gambling losses, and it can turn nasty.

If sports weren’t exciting enough, add a wager to the mix and fans become even more engaged with the game. But in some circumstances, the engagement crosses a line.

While every seat in the State Assembly and State Senate is up for election this November, more than three dozen Democratic incumbents in the city are running unopposed.

Although there are more than half a million Republicans in the five boroughs, GOP party leaders say they can’t mount a fight in some heavily Democratic neighborhoods.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Help is on the way for three Western New York cities in the form of millions of dollars in state funding connected to a Seneca casino revenue sharing deal.

The governor's office said it will deliver more than $5.5 million to Buffalo, roughly $7.6 million to Niagara Falls and another $3.5 million to Salamanca and Cattaraugus County. New acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon said the city budgeted for $11 million in casino money.

Former President Donald Trump will trade the rally stage for comedy Thursday night as he headlines the annual Al Smith charity dinner, where he was jeered eight years ago while delivering an especially pointed speech.

Vice President Kamala Harris is skipping attending the event in person as she campaigns in battleground states, breaking with presidential tradition. But she will appear on screen in a recorded video, organizers said.

New Yorkers are getting more involved with presidential campaigns as Election Day ticks closer.

Millions of votes are up for grabs in New York, but campaigners don’t seem too focused on them.

The number of private sector jobs in New York decreased over the month by 2,900, or less than 0.1%, in September, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted figures released Thursday by the state Department of Labor.

These put the total number of private sector jobs in the state to 8,392,500 in September. By contrast, private sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 0.2% in September, the department said.

U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy (D-NY-26) has introduced a new bill, the Homeward Bound Act, which would give military families, diplomatic families and service dogs an 18-month waiver from the CDC's new pet travel rule, which requires all dogs coming into the U.S. from other countries be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies.

The proposed bill would also eliminate the age requirement and require microchips for dogs born after enactment of the bill.

Just as the mayor’s legal troubles mount, his legal defense fund appears to be strapped for cash.

Almost three weeks after the mayor was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting foreign contributions, NY1 has learned Mayor Eric Adams raised only $92,500 for his legal defense in the last three months, according to the latest fundraising report filed with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board late Tuesday. The fundraising period covers July though the end of September.

Since 1984, American historian and professor Allan Lichtman has correctly predicted nine of the last 10 presidential races. Lichtman, however, does not use polling data. Instead, he has developed a set of 13 metrics — or, as he calls them, keys.

Lichtman appeared on the podcast in February to discuss his elaborate forecasting system, and he promised he’d return after he announced his pick for president. Now, Lichtman joined Errol to discuss why he believes Kamala Harris will be victorious in November. The pair also discussed the possibility of an October surprise, how past predictions have made him unpopular, and why it is governing, not campaigning, that ultimately matters.

Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan and Republican Alison Esposito engaged in a spirited debate hosted by Spectrum News 1 Wednesday evening featuring issues hotly contested on the federal level that are also central to the Hudson Valley congressional district both want to represent.

With immigration one of the top issues in this year’s elections and a top-of-mind issue for New York voters since the migrant crisis took hold in the spring of 2023, Esposito said the country needs to secure the southern border, reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy and pass legal lawful immigration reform.

Spectrum News hosted a debate Wednesday night between Democratic U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan and Republican challenger Alison Esposito for New York's 18th Congressional District, which includes all of Orange, and parts of Dutchess and Ulster counties.

The debate took place at Marist College.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams’s newly elevated First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer announced new housing development figures Wednesday — cheering it as progress made on the state and city’s housing crisis.

It’s also a show of support from Hochul that she’s working with City Hall during the mayor’s time of crisis.

Democrats in New York’s competitive U.S. House races built on their cash advantage in the third quarter of this year. They outraised their GOP rivals in all of the key contests.

With one exception, those Democrats also each reported having more cash on hand at the end of September, just in time for the final stretch of campaigning.

Spectrum News will host the only debate between the candidates for New York's U.S. Senate race on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican challenger Mike Sapraicone will face off at 7 p.m. at the University at Albany for one of the seats in the nation's upper chamber on Capitol Hill.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced a new $750 million preliminary investment for Wolfspeed from the CHIPS and Science Bill. Wolfspeed, located in Marcy, is the lead silicon carbide chip manufacturer in the U.S.

The funding is meant to boost Wolfspeed’s ongoing upstate expansion, as well as help to build a North Carolina facility that will send chip “wafers” to the Marcy Nanocenter to be finished.

Spectrum News will host a live debate on Wednesday, Oct. 16, between candidates for a seat in New York’s 18th Congressional District.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan and Republican challenger Alison Esposito will appear in the debate, which starts at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News, and will be hosted by political anchors Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter.

With less than three weeks until Election Day, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will rally with Democratic candidate Laura Gillen Thursday in New York’s 4th Congressional District, Spectrum News NY1 has learned.

The Nassau County-centered congressional seat, which President Joe Biden carried by nearly 15 percentage points in 2020, is a top Democratic target in next month’s election, as the party looks to win back control of the U.S. House.

As we draw closer to Election Day, the economy remains one of the top issues voters care about.

Although the national economy continues to grow after the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates, here in New York, a new report from the city comptroller’s office shows a lack of growth in the city’s private employment over the past couple months. It also shows lower ridership on the MTA and increasing rent prices.

U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan and Republican challenger Alison Esposito will square off for the second time Wednesday as they battle for the Hudson Valley's 18th Congressional District — a highly watched race that could determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The debate at Marist College will air live at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1.

It was a marquee matchup of the 1998 election.

Democratic Congressman Chuck Schumer and Republican Sen. Al D’Amato were facing off in a nasty and costly campaign for New York’s senate seat.

Last week, U.S. Reps. Pat Ryan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held a joint press conference in the Hudson Valley urging the Environmental Protection Agency to do more to compel General Electric (GE) to clean up pollution from the Hudson River.

The company legally dumped PCBs into the river over the course of 30 years when it was an economic force in upstate New York.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. It comes as New York state and the nation are experiencing both an infant and maternal mortality crisis.

Lawmakers and advocates say New York is making progress when it comes to exploring and implementing solutions, but there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done.

“We will pivot and shift,” Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday. “We just had a small amount to raise.”

The mayor’s response to his latest fundraising haul — the smallest amount he has raised in any fundraising period since he started his re-election campaign for next year.

New York state is investing nearly $100 million to help improve drinking water infrastructure in several communities by replacing lead service lines.

The money comes by way of the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved by Congress in 2021. New York is starting to see some of those dollars trickle in now.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — An era has ended in the city of Buffalo.

The city's longest serving mayor, Byron Brown, officially resigned Tuesday morning.

Two new grant programs have been announced by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to offer financial support for beginning farmers and socially and economically disadvantaged farmers.

“Access to capital is one of the largest barriers to the start-up and success of new and beginning farms,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball in a press release.

One of the closest House races in 2022 was here in upstate New York when Republican Marc Molinaro bested his Democratic challenger by less than 2 percentage points in the 19th Congressional District.

Flash forward to today where the region is set for a rematch. Molinaro joined Capital Tonight on Friday to discuss his candidacy and some of the issues impacting the district that includes portions of the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier.

Mayor Eric Adams continues to maintain that his administration is not distracted as it faces turnover and as Adams fights federal charges.

This comes as the field of challengers seeking to take on Adams in next year’s primary continues to grow.

The state Health Department is kicking up efforts to get New Yorkers protected against contagious respiratory infections before the holiday season as apathy grows to get an updated COVID-19 shot.

Influenza and COVID-19 infections peak in New York around New Years Eve, state Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. He was vaccinated for both illnesses at the same time last week to avoid severe illness this winter.

It was early September, and Sen. Chuck Schumer was in upstate New York for a big announcement.

The giant multinational company Siemens was unveiling plans for a first-of-its-kind high-speed rail production plant in the United States, bringing hundreds of jobs to the rural New York town of Horseheads, just outside of Elmira.

New York’s sprawling 19th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier is considered one of the most competitive seats in the nation. The Cook Political Report rates it as a "Republican toss-up," which could be good news for the incumbent, first-term Rep. Marc Molinaro.

Molinaro’s challenger is Democrat Josh Riley, an Endicott native and an attorney who served as a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor and as counsel in the U.S. Senate.

A new law hopes to make it easier for public libraries in disadvantaged communities to use state aid for building projects.

New York state Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara hopes it will in turn allow more libraries in those communities to keep their doors open. The legislation ups the percentage of a project that can be covered by state aid from to 75 to 90.

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York's Advanced Clean Truck regulations take effect in 2025, requiring manufacturers that make vehicles 8,500 pounds and heavier to sell an increasing percentage of electric vehicles each year moving forward.

The goal, when feasible, is for all new commercial trucks by 2045 to produce zero emissions. Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said it's a critical component for meeting the state's climate goals.

As Capital Tonight has been reporting, the Rockefeller Institute has been tasked with revising New York state's 17-year-old Foundation Aid formula, which determines the amount of funding school districts receive.

The public policy think tank held hearings with stakeholders including district leaders, elected officials and experts across the state over the summer where some voiced concerns about the formula.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday at the city’s annual Columbus Day Parade seemingly showing her strong support for Mayor Eric Adams — while all but admitting she’s playing a role in pushing for changes behind the scenes.

“The mayor has been very focused,” Hochul said. “We’ve been working very closely through this chaos and I had asked him to work to bring in new blood and new people to work to stabilize the city and calm it all down and he’s doing that.”

LOS ANGELES — Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries crisscrossed Southern California over the weekend in communities far from the presidential battlegrounds — Little Saigon in Orange County and the high desert of Antelope Valley — as he works to wrest control of the U.S. House from Republicans.

The Golden State is a Democratic stronghold, but the party lost House seats here in recent elections, giving the speaker's gavel to Republicans. Jeffries, who is in line to become the next House speaker if Democrats regain control in November, needs to pick up four GOP-held seats to win back the majority — and there are five being eyed here in California, more than any other state in the nation.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Thousands of water service lines across the state are made from the original infrastructure, at times, dating back 100 years. With infrastructure developments throughout the years, the state has passed a bipartisan bill to replace service lines made with lead pipes.

“Most of the lead services that we are replacing are 100 years or more old. Actually, the reason they got used 100 years ago is because they last a very long time. So it was a good material from that perspective, but, from a public health perspective, not so good,” said David Rowley, the manager of water production for the Rochester Bureau of Water.

The union that represents the state's forest rangers, encon officers, university and parks police is considering filing criminal coercion charges against Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia after union leaders said she made a threatening phone call to the group's president hours before legislation to bring parity to their retirement system was vetoed for the fourth time.

The Police Benevolent Association of New York State is accusing Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration of retaliating against its billboard campaign criticizing her public safety record.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Some financial relief is coming for three Western New York cities where Seneca Nation casinos operate.

Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca have not received funding connected to Seneca revenue sharing with the state since December when the gaming compact between the two sides expired. They agreed to extend the terms of that compact quarterly while continuing to negotiate a new deal.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The New York state Department of Transportation has awarded the first contract for a planned $1 billion infrastructure project on the Kensington Expressway in Buffalo.

The office of the state comptroller approved the $44.5 million contract to Union Concrete and Construction Corp. from West Seneca to replace the Best Street bridge over the expressway. Earlier this week, a state Supreme Court justice issued a temporary restraining order barring any construction on the Kensington project for at least two weeks.

Human trafficking is an issue in communities across the country, including here in New York.

According to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, so far this year, there have been close to 300 confirmed victims of human trafficking. That’s just under 30 fewer victims than were reported throughout the entirety of 2023. About half of those for both this year and last were sex-trafficked.

Wall Street’s profits for the first half of the year were nearly 80% higher than last year. That’s according to a report from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

DiNapoli reported that Wall Street’s $23.2 billion in pretax profits for the first half of 2024 were a 79.3% increase over the same period last year. He said the increase, which he described as “dramatic” was buoyed by securities trading, underwriting and selling. The report indicated that annual profits are on pace to close out the year in a significantly stronger spot than 2023.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's final day will be sometime next week, according to a spokesperson for the mayor's office.

They say Brown's last day as mayor will likely be Tuesday or Wednesday.

As New York state grapples with record-breaking heatwaves and devastating floods, Siena College hosted the “Earth’s Cry, Humanity’s Call” symposium to address the pressing issue of climate change.

The event brought together global leaders, students and policymakers to discuss strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change.

The 2018 farm bill was extended last November, but now that extension has expired without a clear idea of when Congress will pass a new farm bill.

“We’re hopeful that before the end of the year, we can get the farm bill done in both the House and the Senate,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro.

BUFFALO - A Buffalo-area hotel has agreed to refund $9,000 to roughly a dozen customers after the New York state attorney general's office said it abruptly canceled reservations in March shortly before the solar eclipse.

The Western New York region was in the path of totality and was expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the country and world for the April 8 eclipse. The AG's office said it received complaints from several individuals about the Aloft Buffalo Airport hotel for not only canceling reservations but also not informing customers.

There have now been 11 departures from the Adams administration in the last month. Departures in the past week included First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor Phil Banks and Winnie Greco, the mayor’s embattled head of Asian affairs. NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross, political reporter Bobby Cuza and statehouse reporter Bernadette Hogan discuss the mass exodus inside City Hall and the recent federal investigation into the mayor’s liaison to the Muslim community.

After that, former President Donald Trump is planning a rally at one of the city’s biggest venues, Madison Square Garden. The rally is slated for later this month, just nine days before Election Day. The “Off Topic” team looks at Trump’s decision to hold an event in Manhattan, as well as New Yorkers’ reactions to the announcement.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering a bill to examine whether there could be areas of higher-than-normal cancer rates across New York state.

The bill defines a “cancer cluster” as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a specific place within a certain time frame.

The state University at Albany unveiled Thursday a powerful new artificial intelligence supercomputer to prepare graduates to live and work in a world with the developing technology, or pursue careers in the field.

The unveiling comes as the University at Buffalo prepares to unveil the first phase of its Empire AI Consortium on Friday — marking the next step to define artificial intelligence research that will help people learn and come together to solve complex issues quickly.

With Mayor Eric Adams facing federal criminal charges and eight recent high-profile resignations in the mayor’s administration, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said that turmoil has not impacted the Council’s work with city commissioners and deputy mayors.

“Those communications, those relationships, continue, regardless of the resignations that have happened during the past week or so,” Speaker Adams said Thursday. “I can honestly say and thankfully say that we really have not seen, on the Council side, any negative imbalance because of what’s going on with the administration.”

Third-term Democratic state Sen. Pete Harckham of New York's 40th state Senate District is facing a rematch against Republican Gina Arena, a Westchester County Department of Public Works employee who has a compelling personal story and has created several foundations to support children with serious illnesses.

The district includes northern Westchester County and parts of Putnam and Rockland counties.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Common Cause NY advocates for expanding voter access.

Executive Director Susan Lerner said this year the state has done a good job of doing that, including launching a new vote-by-mail system.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — As the fight against gun violence rages on, Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed a small package of related legislation to red flag laws and manufacturing.

With six bills signed, here's a look at what these laws are and how they could impact the lives of New Yorkers.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the mayor’s right-hand woman and a close confidante for many decades, is the latest Adams official to catch the eye of authorities.

Her home raided last month and NY1 was the only one on the scene.

Congressman Adriano Espaillat’s office in Washington Heights was vandalized early Tuesday morning.

Police say two people damaged the exterior of the building and threw red paint. The vandalism appears to be connected to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.

A group of civic organizations sent a letter to the New York state Board of Elections identifying what they describe as possible failures in state law mandating colleges with dorms and at least 300 registered voters have polling places on campus or nearby.

Blair Horner, executive director of good government group NYPIRG who was a driving force behind the effort, explained the study found 20 four-year colleges with 1,000 or more full-time students and on-campus housing had no polling place within a mile of campus, based on Board of Elections data.

Public campaign financing has been dragged in the media, rightly or wrongly, in the wake of the scandal hitting New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Among the charges Adams is facing is conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals.

New York State hasn’t voted Republican in a presidential race since Ronald Reagan was on the political stage, but that isn’t keeping former President Donald Trump from planning a massive campaign rally at Madison Square Garden for the end of the month.

“We just rented Madison Square Garden,” announced Trump on Wednesday during a campaign rally stop in Scranton, Pennsylvania. “We’re gonna make a play for New York, it hasn’t been done in a long time. It hasn’t been done in many decades. How could New York be run worse than it is, right?”

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New York state Supreme Court Justice Emilio Colaiacovo has issued a temporary restraining order barring the Department of Transportation from beginning any construction on its estimated $1 billion Kensington Expressway project.

The judge did, however, allow the state to continue to enter into contracts for the project. Attorney Alan Bozer represents the Eastside Parkways Coalition, among many others, in the multifaceted case.

A new effort is building to reform New York's system that tracks alleged acts of abuse or maltreatment of children as state data shows the majority of calls are unfounded — putting thousands of families through unnecessary investigations.

Assembly Children and Families Committee chair Andrew Hevesi plans to introduce a package of bills by the end of the year to reform the Statewide Central Register, or SCR, managed by the state Office of Children and Family Services.

Federal dollars helped keep a struggling child care industry afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new report says the state hasn't invested enough of its money into some of the most pressing issues, such as staffing.

Leading into the pandemic, child care workers and parents were already calling for more investment in the industry.

A coalition of groups in the New York business sector sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto a bill that would significantly expand the state's wrongful death statute.

Both houses of the New York state Legislature passed a version of the bill this year, referred to by supporters as the Grieving Families Act, with broad support for the third straight session this year. Hochul has twice vetoed the legislation citing concerns about impacts on things like insurance premiums, hospitals and municipalities.

New York is deploying 65 National Guard soldiers and airmen to Florida Wednesday to assist the response to Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall on Florida's west coast Wednesday evening, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.

The Army National Guard will send 41 soldiers from the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Syracuse and 10 Humvees to provide general purpose support to Camp Blanding Joint Training Center near Jacksonville, Florida.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed several gun safety bills into law Wednesday in New York City.

One requires firearms dealers in the state to post a sign where weapons are sold, displayed or delivered, including a paragraph explaining how guns in the home increase the risk of suicide, death during a domestic dispute or unintentional death to children. It must also include contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and would be given to any gun purchaser at time of sale.

Two people charged with attacking former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were just trying to break up a confrontation, defense lawyers said Tuesday.

Diamond Minter and Travor Nurse pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony assault charges stemming from the fracas on Manhattan's Upper East Side Friday night.

The Dutchess County Board of Elections closed for three hours Monday while law enforcement authorities were called to examine a suspicious package from an "unknown foreign sender" that county HAZMAT determined contained mathamphetamine, or crystal meth, commissioners said.

The "malicious" package arrived via UPS, and commissioners soon contacted law enforcement, according to a Dutchess County Board of Elections statement.

On the economy — as on many issues — the candidates for president seem to live in different realities.

While Vice President Kamala Harris has said the U.S. economy is “the strongest in the world” by “virtually every measure,” former President Donald Trump has maintained Democrats have “destroyed the economy.”

With less than 30 days until Election Day and early voting already underway in some states, how we hold elections — and whether the results will be honored — is on the minds of many Americans. Ari Berman is the national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones magazine and the author of “Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It.”

Ari joined Errol to discuss his book, as well as the stakes of the upcoming election. They also talked about the influence of conservative firebrand Pat Buchanan on Donald Trump, how rural states hold disproportionate power in the U.S. Senate, and the ways in which Generation Z could affect future elections.