New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa has had a challenging few weeks.

She’s been criticized for a pay raise and has fielded some negative press for the lackluster state of the New York State Museum, which is under her purview.

Empire State Development Commissioner Hope Knight joined other state officials on a walking tour of downtown Albany Friday to speak with business owners about how to best spend $400 million Governor Kathy Hochul is proposing in next year’s budget to give the Capital City a facelift.

In addition to $150 million earmarked for an overhaul of the state Museum, the governor wants $200 million spent on “tangible strategies" for public safety, quality of life improvements and commercial building renovations, especially downtown. The city has struggled in the aftermath of the pandemic as remote work dried up much of the foot traffic associated with the Empire State Plaza and other state offices.

Thousands of computers and technology equipment are unaccounted for due to lax inventory records by the state Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), according to an audit released Friday by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

In addition, DiNapoli said the agency destroys new and barely used devices rather than donating or selling them.

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — At Niagara Falls, the iconic honeymoon and tourist destination on the U.S.-Canadian border, visitors from both countries took in President Donald Trump’s unsolicited suggestion that the U.S. annex its neighbor to the north with an air of detached amusement.

Do they take the idea seriously? Generally speaking, no. But some citizens of both nations wonder why it’s necessary to pick a fight with one of America’s closest allies when there wasn’t much friction there to begin with.

After riding high during the Biden years, passenger rail advocates are now unsure of what is coming down the track, with President Donald Trump back in the Oval Office and total Republican control in Washington.

Rail projects are currently underway across the country, fueled by billions of dollars in spending included in the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by then-President Joe Biden.

This week, Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York to drop the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams. But she refused and stepped down. Elected leaders across New York have cast doubt on whether Adams can govern impartially now, saying the charges could resurface at any point, which could compel him to cooperate with Trump’s policies on immigration and other issues.

Also this week, the U.S. attorney general called a press conference to blast the state of New York and announce the federal government is suing the governor and the state. Additionally, FEMA has rescinded more than $80 million in funding to New York City, money meant to cover hotels for migrants. NY1 political reporters Bobby Cuza and Kelly Mena and political director Bob Hardt weigh in on an unbelievably busy week in New York City politics.

Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned Thursday after she refused an order to drop corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams — a stunning escalation in a dayslong standoff over the Trump administration prioritizing political aims over criminal culpability.

Sassoon, a Republican who was interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, accused the department of acceding to a “quid pro quo” — dropping the case to ensure Adams’ help with Trump’s immigration agenda — and said she was “confident” the Democratic mayor committed the crimes spelled out in his indictment, and even more.

All security staff in state prisons will have body cameras by this summer in wake of the fatal beating of an incarcerated man in Oneida County in December, the head of the state Department of Corrections & Community Supervision said on Thursday.

Lawmakers at a budget hearing in Albany grilled DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III as the Legislature plans to enact a series of prison reforms this session after recovered body camera footage shows multiple officers at Marcy Correctional Facility beat 43-year-old Robert Brooks before his death, which was ruled a homicide.

The New York Power Authority backed down from a significant rate increase proposed for hydropower after facing bipartisan backlash, but it was an order from Gov. Kathy Hochul herself that ultimately doomed the plan.

The increase, which was in the midst of a lengthy implementation process, would have sent hydropower rates from $12.88/MWh to $33.05 over the next four years before settling back to a rate of $24.26 by 2029.

New York state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, chairman of the powerful Senate Codes Committee, has served his Brooklyn area district in Albany since 2019. But the Cornell-educated attorney and affordable housing advocate has higher aspirations. He’s running against Eric Adams for mayor of New York City and has captured the endorsements of U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman and former gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout.

Myrie, who was a co-sponsor of the original 2019 Green Light Law that prompted a lawsuit this week against the state by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, told Capital Tonight that Bondi’s actions are based in politics.

New York on Thursday rejected a request from Louisiana to extradite a doctor who was charged with prescribing abortion pills to a pregnant minor in the Deep South state, setting up a potential test of laws that protect physicians who prescribe such medications to states with bans.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said she will not honor Louisiana's request to arrest and send the doctor to Louisiana after she was charged with violating the southern state's strict anti-abortion law.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There have been a lot of changes in Washington, D.C. since the Trump administration took office. One change in particular has a Rochester small business owner scratching her head and wondering, why? Paper straws are a product that’s been in the president’s crosshairs for a while now.

A 10,000-square-foot factory in Rochester is the definition of a small business.

Mayor Eric Adams met with President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan in Manhattan on Thursday, saying afterward that the two spoke about removing “violent migrant gangs” from the city.

In a statement released after the meeting, Adams said his administration aims to reopen a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Rikers Island.

U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy’s district office in Clarence was evacuated on Thursday after a suspicious package was found at the location, the Republican congressman said.

Local law enforcement and the Capitol Police were notified and are investigating the matter.

First-term Rep. Josh Riley is introducing his first bill in Congress, Spectrum News 1 has learned. The focus: lowering energy bills for low-income households.

The legislation, which Riley, a Democrat representing New York's 19th Congressional District, is rolling out with a bipartisan group of co-sponsors, would modify the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program, a nearly five-decade-old program that helps individuals retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient. Upgrades can include improving insulation and moisture control.

As New York heads into a pivotal election year, a new survey released Thursday is offering insights into how some are feeling when it comes to some of the most pressing issues in their daily lives.

The poll, conducted from Jan. 21 to 30 by the 5BORO Institute and several other local foundations, surveyed 3,000 New Yorkers across the five boroughs. The findings are stark: More than 80% of respondents believe the city is in a mental health crisis; almost 50% have considered leaving the city because of affordability; and nearly 60% say they lack confidence in the city government’s ability to address major challenges.

While U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced legal action Wednesday against New York officials over a 2019 state law allowing immigrants to obtain state-issued driver's licenses regardless of legal status, the Empire State isn't alone in having such a mandate on the books.

At least 19 states and the District of Columbia have enacted similar laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. They're often called “Green Light” or “Drive Only License” laws and some have been in effect for decades.

With affirmative action and so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs under attack by President Donald Trump, J.C. Polanco is holding his ground. A former Republican candidate for public advocate in New York City, Polanco is the CEO of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, a national nonprofit organization that was founded in 1968 to expand opportunities for underrepresented students to attend law school.

Polanco, who is also a law professor at the University of Mount St. Vincent, joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss his push to make the legal field more diverse and the obstacles his organization faces due to reduced funding and political attacks. They also discussed the history of DEI initiatives and their own respective paths to finishing law school.

A top official at the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday ordered federal prosecutors to drop charges against Mayor Eric Adams.

New York officials share their reaction to the news.

Addressing reporters for the first time after the Department of Justice moved to dismiss his case, Mayor Eric Adams insisted that his focus remains on the well-being of New Yorkers — not on aligning with President Donald Trump.

“Look at the record. Look at what I have done for this city,” Adams said. “How we have fought for the safety of everyone in our care. There’s nothing going to change with that.”

After speaking with legislative leaders Wednesday, Robert Ricks said he's a voice for his son Robert Brooks — the man whose death at Marcy Correctional Facility in December has been ruled a homicide.

Ricks, of Rochester, met with lawmakers and was introduced on the Senate floor to honor Brooks, who died after more than a dozen correction officers beat him while handcuffed at the prison in Oneida County. No charges have been filed, but 16 staffers remain suspended without pay in connection to the incident.

The federal investigation into Mayor Eric Adams came into public view in November 2023, when Adams abruptly left Washington and returned to the city after the home of his chief campaign fundraiser was raided.

Days later, FBI agents seized the mayor’s iPad and cell phone. At the time, the chief counsel at City Hall, Lisa Zornberg, said “we are fully cooperative.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Wednesday the Department of Justice is taking legal action against the state of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and New York Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner Mark Schroeder.

“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops today,” Bondi said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, moments after swearing in Tulsi Gabbard as the country’s new national intelligence director. “As you know, we sued Illinois and New York didn’t listen, so now you’re next.”

New York lawmakers learned more about one of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget proposals that many have viewed skeptically as an effort to stall a universal child care plan: a New York Coalition for Childcare. The body would be made up of business leaders, labor unions, tax and revenue experts, and child care providers.

Critics question the need for the panel when the state’s Child Care Availability Task Force already made recommendations, and a roadmap to universal child care exists.

Last spring, Capital Tonight sounded an alarm about for-profit hospice care.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had just issued public warnings about for-profit hospice fraud in four states; it was alerting consumers to a scam in which patients were being enrolled without their knowledge by recruiters who were “selling” hospice to people who weren’t eligible.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The New York state Legislature amended its law in 2019 to allowing more local governments outside of New York City to impose rent stabilization measures.

However, state Sen. Brian Kavanagh, D-Manhattan, said the option hasn't caught on with most upstate communities.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has rescinded more than $80 million in funding to New York City, officials said Wednesday, escalating a dispute between the Trump administration and the nation's largest city over money meant to cover hotels for migrants. The move came as a federal judge said he wouldn't stop the Trump administration from clawing back the funds.

Gone is a $59 million grant that the administration challenged earlier in the week and another award for $21.5 million, City Comptroller Brad Lander said. The money was discovered to be missing overnight, and Lander said no one in his office had been aware that the federal government had access to the city's bank account.

Days after the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop the corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams, the mayor’s defense lawyer claimed total vindication on Adams’ behalf, while denying accusations that the turn of events could leave Adams beholden to President Donald Trump and his agenda.

Speaking with members of the press from his office in Manhattan Wednesday, attorney Alex Spiro said Adams “never used his official position for personal benefit, nor did he have any role in violating campaign finance laws.”

The University of Rochester and Cornell University have joined 10 other universities in filing suit against the National Institute of Health for planned cuts to funding at medical and public health research institutions nationwide.

Under the Trump administration's effort, the NIH would cap indirect funds for higher education research infrastructure to 15% of total grant dollars distributed. Something the universities say is significantly less than the cost required to perform cutting-edge medical research. A federal judge has issued a temporary block on the effort after a lawsuit was filed by 22 states, including New York.

A former aide to two New York governors and her husband are facing additional charges in a case accusing her of acting as an agent of the Chinese government.

Linda Sun and Chris Hu pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court, according to prosecutors.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams continues to criticize Mayor Eric Adams in response to an order to dismiss federal charges against him.

"The truth of the matter is this: Eric Adams cannot govern impartially," he said during an interview Wednesday on "Mornings on 1." "That statement that came from the DOJ was stunningly truthful and stunningly dangerous at the same time."

President Donald Trump has Mayor Eric Adams on a "short leash."

That's just one of several reactions from New York Democrats on Capitol Hill after the U.S. Department of Justice ordered the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office to halt its criminal prosecution of the mayor — while still holding out the possibility of reviving charges later.

Several New York state lawmakers said Tuesday the state will need more time to transition a $9 billion Medicaid home care program under one company — sounding unsatisfied by state health leaders' responses to their questions about its progress.

Company Public Partnerships LLC has just over seven weeks to register 280,000 New Yorkers who use the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program for home care and their caregivers. As of Monday, about 40,000 consumers and workers have each started or completed their registration, according to the state Health Department.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic leaders in the state Legislature didn’t have much to say Tuesday about reports from sources that Hochul ordered lawmakers to kill a bill that would have allowed the governor to delay special elections until Election Day.

Officially, the bill was an effort to make elections more efficient by consolidating races and encouraging increased turnout, but Republicans were quick to call the move a power grab.

While Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget includes $110 million in capital funding for child care centers as well as a more generous child tax credit, it includes no money to bolster the anemic child care workforce.

This is in spite of the Child Care Availability Task Force recommending an investment in work force in order to expand child care in the state.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — In his first roughly three weeks in office, President Donald Trump has already signed more than 60 executive orders, outpacing previous administrations, including his own.

However, University at Buffalo political science professor and constitutional expert Shawn Donahue said presidents exercising this power is not altogether unusual.

Congestion pricing has been in effect for just over a month.

Over the weekend, the New York Post reported after two phone calls with Gov. Kathy Hochul, President Donald Trump said, “I think it’s really horrible, but I want to discuss it with her at this point. If I decide to do it, I will be able to kill it off in Washington through the Department of Transportation.”

Four federal employees were fired Tuesday over payments to reimburse New York City for hotel costs for migrants, Department of Homeland Security officials said.

The workers are accused of circumventing leadership to make the transactions, which have been standard for years through a program that helps with costs to care for a surge in migration. But officials did not give details on how the four had violated any policies.

New York state government is trying to make streets safer with a recent announcement by Gov. Kathy Hochul of a $20.7 million investment in the SNUG anti-gun violence program. The funds will assist 14 communities throughout the state.

Ali George grew up facing gun violence.

President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the federal government are being felt far beyond Washington, D.C.

In New York state, home to more than 53,000 civilian federal employees as of last year, federal workers have been left confused, frustrated, and in some cases out of a job, as Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk upend federal agencies in their quest to cut spending and uncover alleged fraud.

The Justice Department on Monday ordered federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, arguing in a remarkable departure from long-standing norms that the case was interfering with the mayor’s ability to aid the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

In a two-page memo obtained by The Associated Press, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told prosecutors in New York that they were “directed to dismiss” the bribery charges against Adams immediately.

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.