Skip to content

Friday’s Headlines: Turkey Day Comes Early Edition

Federal prosecutors have issued new subpoenas in the ongoing probe of Mayor Adams's alleged shenanigans with Turkey. Plus other news.
Friday’s Headlines: Turkey Day Comes Early Edition
This is a completely doctored photo, just so you know. But the feds are circling around the mayor's alleged Turkish delights. Main photo: Michael Appleton/Doctoring: The Streetsblog Photoshop Desk

The big story yesterday was the news — broken by the Times — that federal prosecutors had issued subpoenas to Mayor Adams, his campaign staff and his City Hall office related to possible illegal campaign activity involving the Turkish government and that weird thing with the FDNY and the Turkish consulate.

Everyone followed the initial report, including the Post, the Daily News, Gothamist, but ultimately nothing matched the delicious nut graph by Times scribes Willie Rashbaum and Dana Rubinstein:

The new subpoenas came nearly nine months after the corruption investigation first entered public view, meaningfully altering the city’s political landscape. Since then, the mayor has become a political target, with sagging approval ratings and at least three challengers in the 2025 Democratic primary.

Nice.

In other news:

  • The City Council, as we predicted last week, approved the rezoning of two areas near proposed new Metro-North stops in the Bronx — and not only kept a requirement that developers build parking, but coughed up $2 million for a new garage! This doesn’t bode well for the elimination of parking mandates that is the core of Mayor Adams’s City of Yes rezoning proposal. (NY Times, amNY, The City, Crain’s)
  • Scofflaws beware: Bus-mounted enforcement cameras, which had only been issuing warnings, will now spit out real tickets. (amNY, Gothamist)
  • Drivers are now complaining to the Post about the supposed return of “squeegee men.”
  • New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is just awful. First, he underfunded New Jersey Transit. Then, he raised fares by 15 percent. Now, after a series of easy-to-predict service failures (which happen when you underfund transit), he’s giving beleaguered riders free rides for a week. Believe us, they’re rather just have the better transit. (NY Times)
  • Vendors marched on City Hall to reiterate their long-held belief that the current permit system, which we’ve covered, is broken. (amNY)
  • One of those periodic sweeps of ghost vehicles almost got violent. (amNY)
  • How about that: A TV news station caring about cops parked on the sidewalk?! Awesome. (WPIX11)
Photo of Gersh Kuntzman
Tabloid legend Gersh Kuntzman has been with New York newspapers since 1989, including stints at the New York Daily News, the Post, the Brooklyn Paper and even a cup of coffee with the Times. He's also the writer and producer of "Murder at the Food Coop," which was a hit at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2016, and “SUV: The Musical” in 2007. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is archived here.

Comments Are Temporarily Disabled

Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.

Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.

More from Streetsblog New York City

Opinion: Sean Duffy’s ‘Golden Age’ of Dangerous Streets

Ethan Andersen
December 15, 2025

‘I’m Always on the Bus’: How Transit Advocacy Helped Katie Wilson Become Seattle’s Next Mayor

December 12, 2025

Watchdog Wants Hochul To Nix Bus Lane Enforcement Freebies for MTA Drivers

December 11, 2025

More Truck Routes Are Coming To A Street Near You

December 11, 2025

Upstate County’s New Bus Service Will Turn A Transit Desert Into A Rural Network

December 11, 2025
See all posts