Friday’s Headlines: Queen James Edition

Around the newsroom, we’re always saying, “If you don’t read Streetsblog, you can’t possibly know what’s going on.” And, clearly, Attorney General Letitia James agrees!

Yesterday, at a press conference to celebrate a judge’s ruling ordering the Trump administration to restore $33 million in anti-terrorism funding, James gave our national security desk reporters Dave Colon and David Meyer the ultimate hat tip, saying she hadn’t heard about the initial clawback until she read the pair’s world exclusive story in Streetsblog.

Check out James’s comment below:

So read Streetsblog every day and you can be well informed, like the Attorney General.

In addition to Streetsblog, other outlets obviously covered Judge Lewis Kaplan’s decision, though without our angle, of course. (Patch, NY Post, NYDN)

In other news:

• To say that transportation issues took a backseat at last night’s mayoral debate is an insult to backseats! Yes, likely Mayor Zohran Mamdani got to talk about his plan for “fast and free” buses, but that was pretty much the entirety of the discussion on transportation … until the candidates were asked for their position on placards. Surprisingly (given his complete disregard for any questions posed by Streetsblog these last 10 months), Andrew Cuomo gave the best answer: “I would make it simple: I would recall all the city placards and reissue only those that are bona-fide, period, on Day 1.” (Other debate coverage: NYDN, NY Post, NY Times, Gothamist)
• In a related story, Republican standard-bearer Curtis Sliwa pronounced himself as the only candidate who opposes congestion pricing — probably his worst line of the night (though his attack on building more housing in the outer boroughs was foolish, too). (NY Times)
• Turn the page: Hell Gate did an explainer on the three main ballot proposals.
• Mayor Adams wants to get working on the BQE before he leaves office. The Trump White House appears to have other ideas. (amNY)
• Speaking of Mayor Adams, more corruption has been revealed by The City.
• The City did a chilling story about how a moped rider’s misdemeanor arrest for having a fake plate led to an eight-month detention and ongoing deportation threat by ICE. The Gwynne Hogan story is just the tip of the iceberg, as any misdemeanor arrest (not a conviction, mind you, but merely an allegation by a cop) could lead to escalating federal punishment — exactly what we predicted would happen when cops start over-aggressively targeting delivery workers. Here’s hoping Hogan does a full follow-up that holds Mayor Adams’s immigration hammer Commissioner Jessica Tisch accountable.
• The City also did a primer on the upcoming 15-mile-per-hour bike speed limit, which would be a lot easier to understand if cops weren’t confusing people in Central Park, as our Nolan Hicks discovered on Thursday.
• The ferry system is adding a new unlimited, two-day pass for $15. (NYC Ferry)
• Even we have to admit that this Nassau judge’s ruling on red-light camera tickets is weird. (NY Post)
• Stars — they’re just like us (at an MTA pop-up souvenir shop). (NY Post)
• Obviously, we mourn the loss of Ace Frehley with our friends at NY Groove (though that outlet better have a story up before noon on the famed Kiss guitarist’s place in New York rock history).
• Here’s your last chance to get tickets to Saturday’s edition of “The Power Joker,” the Robert Moses-themed comedy show at Caveat. Streetsblog Editor Gersh Kuntzman and Reddit Micromobility sub leader Miser will be the panelists.
• And, finally, set your calendars for the next Time’s Up! ride on Halloween: