Overview
- A White House official said aides are evaluating federal programs that benefit New York City for potential suspension or cancellation, with no specific cuts identified.
- In an NBC New York interview, Zohran Mamdani said he will phone the president before taking office and will try to head off deployments of ICE agents or National Guard troops to the city.
- Mamdani named Dean Fuleihan as first deputy mayor and Elle Bisgaard-Church as chief of staff; Bisgaard-Church helped craft a proposed Department of Community Safety that campaign materials estimate at about $1.1 billion.
- Governor Kathy Hochul questioned making all bus rides free, highlighting state authority over transit and the fiscal constraints facing parts of Mamdani’s affordability agenda.
- The transition is drawing sharp criticism from conservative figures and some Jewish organizations, as the incoming administration raises transition funds and prepares its first budget blueprint.