Mayor Adams and Chief Housing Officer Katz unveil housing plans (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)

Facing an affordable housing and homelessness crisis, Mayor Eric Adams has set an ambitious goal to build 500,000 new homes, rehabilitate a collapsing public housing system, and transform social service delivery.

While most attention is paid to policies at the city and state levels, Adams is relying in part on action from Washington, D.C. that could bring in billions of dollars in subsidies and make it easier for New Yorkers to access

Congressman-elect Dan Goldman (photo: Goldman campaign)

December 21, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Rep.-Elect Dan Goldman on Priorities for Entering Congress

Congressman-elect Dan Goldman (D, NY-10) joined the show to discuss his transition period and priorities for his first term in Congress as he prepares to join the House of Representatives in January, becoming part of the narrow Democratic House minority under Leader Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn. Goldman will represent the new 10th congressional district of New York, including Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.

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Governor Cuomo and legislative leaders, 2013 (photo: Governor's Office)

Democrats in New York are stinging from a rough 2022 election showing in which they lost several congressional seats to Republicans, potentially costing the party control of the U.S. House of Representatives. As they assign blame, many have pointed to a tumultuous redistricting precipitated by a broken state process, state legislative leaders who overreached in trying to draw overly partisan lines, a Court of Appeals that ruled in favor of Republicans, and former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose

A rally in support of abortion rights (photo: Mike Groll/Governor's Office)

The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority issued two major rulings this past week, overturning Roe v. Wade federal abortion rights and striking down a New York State law that limited the concealed carrying of firearms. Both judgements have sprawling national implications, including as this year’s elections will decide control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, with several swing races here in New York.

The decisions have also brought abortion rights and gun control to the forefront in the middle of a

State Senator Zellnor Myrie of Brooklyn (photo: NY Senate)

With the failure of federal voting rights legislation this month in the U.S. Senate, advocates in New York are redoubling a push to pass a sweeping state bill that would shore up voting protections for historically disenfranchised groups.

Legislators introduced the John R. Lewis New York State Voting Rights Act in 2020 to fill at the state level some of the holes left in the federal Voting Rights Act after successive defangings by the U.S. Supreme Court in the past decade. The bill would enshrine a

Rep. Jamaal Bowman in Washington, D.C. (photo: @RepBowman)

U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman says he is optimistic about the incoming mayoral administration, even going so far as to say Eric Adams has the potential to be “one of the best mayors in New York City history,” but he’s less bullish about the state of Build Back Better in Congress, owing to what he describes as donor-driven obstruction by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.

Bowman, a freshman legislator who represents the Bronx and Westchester in Congress after defeating longtime incumbent Eliot Engel in a Democratic

Rep. Bowman with top New York leaders (photo: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

December 21, 2021 - Rep. Jamaal Bowman on 'Build Back Better,' Voting Rights, & More

Congressional Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a first-term progressive representing New York's 16th Congressional District, which covers parts of the Bronx and Westchester, joined the show to discuss where things stand on 'Build Back Better' and other top items on his agenda, how Democrats can come to a compromise on the massive

State Senate chambers (photo: Philip Kamrass/Governor's Office)

The Census Bureau released its population counts for the nation and the states on April 26, including changes for the states in the apportionment of 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives. New York State will drop one House seat, going from 27 seats to 26, even though it actually gained more than 800,000 people, from 19.4 to 20.2 million, since 2010. Extraordinarily, the Census reported that New York would have held its 27th seat if  89

Rep. Ritchie Torres (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)

Ritchie Torres, a Bronx Democrat, was sworn in early this month among the new class of the House of Representatives, becoming the first openly-gay Afro-Latino member of Congress. After seven years advocating for his district on the New York City Council, Torres now takes to the halls of Congress to exert whatever influence he can for his constituents, particularly through a plum committee assignment not often given to freshman lawmakers. One of his chief priorities remains the state of public

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (photo: governor's office)

With Democrats poised to win both seats in the Georgia United States Senate runoffs, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York is poised to be one of the most influential elected officials in the country, with enormous implications for his home state and city. After four years leading the minority conference, Schumer is on the verge of being able to set the agenda in the Senate under Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and in partnership with a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives under Speaker Nancy

Senator Schumer and Governro Cuomo (photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/Governor's Office)

Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election brought the collective nightmare of the Democratic Party to an end after four years. But the celebration was muted given the party’s majority in the House of Representatives diminished and, more importantly, the fate of the U.S. Senate remained undecided despite grand Democratic hopes for taking the chamber. The near- and long-term implications for New York are immense given the size of the federal aid package that it -- including state and

Mayor de Blasio (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography)

As required by the state Financial Control Act, last Monday Mayor de Blasio presented a modification of New York City’s current fiscal year budget and four-year financial plan. This “first quarter mod” is usually a no-drama, technical adjustment that makes few substantive changes to the budget adopted at the

A student ready to learn during a pandemic (photo: Emil Cohen/City Council)

I’ve been scared for a long time now, but not like this. 

My colleague, Sandra Santos-Vizcaino, was the first New York City teacher to lose her life to COVID-19. Today — Thursday, September 10 — I return to our same school without the confidence my district has the resources to provide the expensive equipment, testing, and contract

An image from a Malliotakis attack ad

It’s been clear for quite some time that the race between Democratic Congressional Rep. Max Rose and his Republican challenger, Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, would be highly competitive and full of mud-slinging. The campaign in New York’s 11th Congressional District, spanning all of Staten Island and a slice of Southern Brooklyn, is among the most-watched nationally, and the attack ads have been flying for months.

Now with under three months until Election Day, the Rose and Malliotakis campaigns both recently released

President Donald Trump (photo: Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)

In January 2018, President Trump disparaged African countries and Haiti by referring to them as “s---hole” countries. He asked why the United States would want more immigrants from these debilitated economies. Given the president’s comments, there is some amount of irony in the fact that the United States appears to be on track to join the same list of countries that he referred to. As

Electors to the Electoral College voting in Albany (photo: governor's office)

Nurses and other essential workers need public transit (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

I am a lifelong New Yorker and public transit rider. In March, when so many of my friends, family, and neighbors stopped commuting, I kept traveling to work. I depend on a bus and two subways to get from my Queens home to the East Side of Manhattan hospital where I’m a pharmacist. 

Like most people, I had never heard of “essential workers” before COVID-19. Everyone I knew got up and went to work regardless of what job they had. And thankfully, many I know

The U.S. Capitol (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office)

With Congress back in Washington, D.C., New Yorkers have a big stake in the outcome of the next federal economic stimulus package. 

No Clear Signals on New Aid to State and Local Government
Serious negotiations are finally starting on an aid program to help an American economy devastated by the coronavirus recession. Two months have elapsed since the Democrats in the House of Representatives passed a $3 trillion aid package that included $1 trillion in support for state and

Left to right: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Suraj Patel, Pete Harrison, Lauren Ashcraft

The Democratic primary in New York's 12th Congressional District features incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney and three challengers: Suraj Patel, Peter Harrison, and Lauren Ashcraft. All four candidates were set to debate Monday night, but Maloney canceled the day of the debate due to illness. Her three challengers met to discuss a variety of issues and strategies in a debate hosted by Empire State Indivisible and moderated by Gotham Gazette's Ben Max. Watch the debate below.

All Democratic

Left to right: Yvette Clarke, Adem Bunkeddeko, Isiah James, and Lutchi Gayot

Representative Yvette Clarke is facing four challengers in this month's Democratic primary in New York's 9th Congressional District, which includes a large swathe of central and southern Brooklyn. Clarke and three of those opponents -- Adem Bunkeddeko, Isiah James, and Luchi Gayot -- met for a virtual debate on the evening of Sunday, June 7. The debate was hosted by South Central Brooklyn United for Progress; Pakastini American Youth Society; Brooklyn Movement Center; and Greater Prospect Heights Mutual Aid; and

Left to right: Yvette Clarke, Adem Bunkeddeko, Isiah James, and Lutchi Gayot

Four of the five candidates in the Democratic primary for New York's 9th Congressional District, which includes a long swath of central and southern Brooklyn, will debate on Sunday, June 7, from 7-8:30 p.m. Incumbent Rep. Yvette Clarke will debate three of her four challengers: Adem Bunkeddeko, Isiah James, and Lutchi Gayot, while the other challenger, Chaim Deutsch has not agreed to participate.

The debate is hosted by the Pakistani American Youth Society, South Central

Left to right: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Suraj Patel, Pete Harrison, Lauren Ashcraft

UPDATE: This debate occurred on June 8, among the three challengers after Rep. Maloney backed out the day of the debate due to illness. Watch the debate video here.

The four candidates running the Democratic primary in New York's 12th Congressional District, which includes parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, and is currently

Lindsey Boylan (photo: @LindseyBoylan)

June 03, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Lindsey Boylan on Her Bid to Unseat Rep. Jerry Nadler in NY-10

Lindsey Boylan is running in the Democratic Party primary to unseat Rep. Jerry Nadler in New York's 10th Congressional District, which includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Boylan joined the show to discuss her campaign. Voting

Jonathan Herzog (photo: @JonathanHerzog5)

June 03, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Jonathan Herzog on His Bid to Unseat Rep. Jerry Nadler in NY-10

Jonathan Herzog is running in the Democratic Party primary to unseat Rep. Jerry Nadler in New York's 10th Congressional District, which includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Herzog joined the show to discuss his campaign. Voting will take

Rep. Eliot Engel (photo: @RepEliotEngel)

Representative Eliot Engel of the Bronx and Westchester faced three Democratic primary opponents in a Tuesday evening debate hosted by BronxNet TV and the League of Women Voters of New York State, among other partners. Engel, who has held the seat since 1989, is running for reelection and debated opponents Jamaal Bowman, Sammy Ravelo, and Chris Fink. The debate was moderated by BronxTalk host Gary Axelbank.

Engel was repeatedly attacked by Bowman, a school principal who is running as a progressive alternative with