Topics Reporting
Staying Focused
Sign up for our free newsletter, and we'll make sure you never miss a beat.
A Wave of Upstate Cities Could Ban Eviction Without “Good Cause”

Blocked at the state level, the campaign for “good cause eviction” is going local.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   July 16, 2021
In 2021 Legislative Session, a New Approach to Drug Policy

This year, state legislators passed major bills in response to the overdose crisis. Will Cuomo sign them?

Sam Mellins   ·   July 13, 2021
Schumer Joins Fight Against Astoria Power Plant Proposal

DSA organized against a fracked-gas plant in Astoria. Now Schumer is getting involved.

Lee Harris   ·   July 12, 2021
New York Regulations Allow Cops Stripped of Training Credentials to Be Rehired

Police officers who were decertified by state regulators went on to find work at other departments and public safety agencies, records show.

Arno Pedram and Luca Powell   ·   July 8, 2021
The Council Implementing New York’s Climate Law Is Stacked With Industry Executives

A top energy executive, whose firm is designing pro-gas talking points, has a seat at the table charting the state’s path to decarbonization.

Lee Harris   ·   July 6, 2021
Democratic Party Boss Obstructed India Walton’s Underdog Candidacy, Walton Says

Jeremy Zellner uses his dual role as Erie County’s chief election administrator and Democratic Party chair to create obstacles for outsider candidates, critics charge.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 28, 2021
How the Manhattan DA’s Race Could Upend New York’s Criminal Justice System

A roundup of a five-part series on the Manhattan DA Democratic primary, focusing on contrasts on key issues between the eight contenders.

New York Focus   ·   June 21, 2021
How Progressives Could Lose New York’s Mayor’s Race—But Win the City

“The whole city is up for grabs”: from office of the comptroller to the city council, progressives could pull off a wave of critical victories.

Akash Mehta and Sam Mellins   ·   June 21, 2021
How Manhattan DA Candidates Plan to Rein in Police Misconduct

“The police can only go as far as the DA lets them,” one defense attorney said.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 17, 2021
How a Democratic Supermajority Confirmed a Tough-On-Crime Prosecutor to New York’s Top Court

A progressive campaign to block the confirmation of Governor Cuomo’s nominee to the New York Court of Appeals failed by just a few votes

Sam Mellins   ·   June 15, 2021
Manhattan DA Candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein Skipped Years of Voting in Local Elections, Records Show

The former federal prosecutor joined the Democratic Party in 2017, after registering with no party and casting ballots only in presidential-year contests.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 14, 2021
Wage Theft Got Worse During Covid. A Stalled Bill Could Give Workers Leverage To Fight Back

Cuomo pledged to deal with rampant wage theft this year, then failed to deliver. Now, a bill to recover stolen wages is unlikely to pass the legislature.

Amir Khafagy   ·   June 10, 2021
Inside New York’s Grueling Parole Application Process

As legislators consider reforms to New York’s parole system, former prison officials and incarcerated people describe the barriers to parole release.

Asher Stockler   ·   June 7, 2021
Progressives Mobilize to Block Cuomo’s Tough-on-Crime Pick For Highest NY Court

Madeline Singas, a close Cuomo ally, has been a prominent opponent of criminal justice reforms and has taken a punitive approach as Nassau County DA, defenders say.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 4, 2021
How a Tenant Revolt Sank NYCHA’s Biggest Overhaul Plan in Years

With a week left in the legislative session, New York lawmakers shelved a plan that aimed to revamp 25,000 NYCHA apartments.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   June 4, 2021
Anticipating Pushback From Finance, Enviros Move to Regulate Energy-Intensive Crypto Mining

Founded by a major Cuomo donor, Renaissance Technologies is set to become a stakeholder in upstate mining operation that touched off backlash against Bitcoin.

Peter Mantius   ·   June 1, 2021
How New York State Let Covid-19 Run Rampant in Prisons

The state failed to protect people in prison from the virus, then obscured the full scope of the crisis.

Akash Mehta   ·   May 26, 2021
Inside the chemical lobby’s unusual campaign to protect the fire retardant business

Chemical industry lobbyists are aggressively fighting a bill that would ban the use of toxic flame retardants—including by placing stories in local news outlets with quotes from a tenant organizer who says she didn’t speak to them.

Lee Harris   ·   May 22, 2021
A Manhattan DA Candidate Touts Her Leadership of a Conviction Review Unit. Why Did It Exonerate So Few People?

Under Tali Farhadian Weinstein’s leadership, Brooklyn’s unit exonerated just three people — a far lower rate than in previous years.

Sam Mellins   ·   May 17, 2021
Could Public Ownership Save the New York Power System?

New York’s profit-driven power system leads to higher costs, more blackouts, and more fossil fuels, activists say.

Ilana Cohen   ·   May 7, 2021