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Stay up to date with live coverage of New York politics Thursday — as Empire State Democrats’ attempts to gerrymander the Big Apple’s lone GOP congressional district have officially drawn to a close.

Manhattan Judge Jeffrey Pearlman on Thursday agreed to dismiss the left’s lawsuit seeking to redraw the 11th Congressional District seat — currently held by Republican Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis — in light of a recent US Supreme Court decision.

New York City Council’s conservative-leaning “Common Sense Caucus” lambasted Mayor Zohran Mamdani for ending a criminal crackdown on e-bike riders.

“The Mayor lowered the speed limit in school zones to make it more difficult and more expensive to drive, but he removes all accountability for reckless cyclists,” its statement reads. “Where is the equity in that?”

In Albany, Gov. Kathy Hochul admitted that she uses artificial intelligence “lightly” at the office — including to figure out how high New York’s gas prices are.

Follow The Post’s live updates on New York politics for the latest news:

NY businesses could lose gov’t contracts if they don’t disclose work with ICE under new bill

By Craig McCarthy and Matt Troutman

Do business with ICE, get iced out.

A New York Democrat wants to bar businesses from scoring any city or state contracts if they don’t disclose work with ICE, The Post has learned.

The original bill pushed by Assemblywoman Grace Lee (D-Manhattan) had simply required businesses to provide the state copies of contracts cut with the immigration enforcement agency.

But Lee quickly amended the proposed “ICE Contract Transparency Act” on Thursday to include a harsh penalty — debarment, meaning a cut off from government contracts — amid a growing furor over an agreement allowing ICE officers to park at Pier 40 along the Hudson River.

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Two more top bond-rating firms issue dire warning for NYC over Mamdani budget

By Craig McCarthy

Another two top bond-rating companies have warned that New York City’s finances are looking grim if the freshman mayor’s budget calling for drawing down reserves is enacted.

Fitch Ratings and Kroll Bond Rating Agency issued a negative outlook for the Big Apple’s bond rating Friday — following suit with Moody’s. which made the same projection last week.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference at the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art and Storytelling on March 3, 2026 in New York City.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference at the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art and Storytelling on March 3, 2026 in New York City. Andrew Schwartz / SplashNews.com

The agencies did not downgrade the rating but are warning if Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $127 billion budget passes. they likely will.

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NY businesses could lose gov’t contracts if they don’t disclose work with ICE under new bill

By Craig McCarthy and Matt Troutman

Do business with ICE, get iced out.

A New York Democrat wants to bar businesses from scoring any city or state contracts if they don’t disclose work with ICE, The Post has learned.

The original bill pushed by Assemblywoman Grace Lee (D-Manhattan) had simply required businesses to provide the state copies of contracts cut with the immigration enforcement agency.

But Lee quickly amended the proposed “ICE Contract Transparency Act” on Thursday to include a harsh penalty — debarment, meaning a cut off from government contracts — amid a growing furor over an agreement allowing ICE officers to park at Pier 40 along the Hudson River.

Two more top bond-rating firms issue dire warning for NYC over Mamdani budget

By Craig McCarthy

Another two top bond-rating companies have warned that New York City’s finances are looking grim if the freshman mayor’s budget calling for drawing down reserves is enacted.

Fitch Ratings and Kroll Bond Rating Agency issued a negative outlook for the Big Apple’s bond rating Friday — following suit with Moody’s. which made the same projection last week.

The agencies did not downgrade the rating but are warning if Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $127 billion budget passes. they likely will.

The agencies did not downgrade the rating but are warning if Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $127 billion budget passes. they likely will.

“A negative outlook from a credit rating agency is not a downgrade—but it is a warning,” said city Comptroller Mark Levine.

“With today’s revisions from Fitch and Kroll now 3 of our 4 ratings agencies are sending us a similar message: New York City needs to address the underlying structural imbalances in our budget.”

Bill de Blasio’s nepo-baby son Dante scores plum gig as political director of major NYC union

By Craig McCarthy and Matt Troutman

He’s Dante de Nepobaby.

Lefty former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s son Dante de Blasio recently scored a plum gig as the political director of a union repping 17,000 restaurant workers, despite his relatively thin resume.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 29: Dante de Blasio attends a New York screening of "The Whale" at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on November 29, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)
Dante de Blasio recently scored a plum gig as the political director of a union repping 17,000 restaurant workers. WireImage

The younger de Blasio, 29, quietly revealed his new job with UNITE HERE Local 100, which reps which the service workers in the New York City area, on social media.

“Who knew there were nepo babies in politics? I expected more from a Yale grad,” said Ken Frydman, a longtime Democratic political operative, referring to Dante’s status as a poli-sci major from the Ivy League university.

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Dems formally back down on gerrymandering lawsuit for NYC's sole GOP congressional district

By Vaughn Golden

ALBANY – Democrats’ latest attempts to gerrymander New York City’s lone GOP congressional district have officially drawn to a close.

Manhattan Judge Jeffrey Pearlman on Thursday agreed to dismiss the Dems' lawsuit seeking to redraw the seat -- currently held by Republican Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis -- in light of a recent US Supreme Court decision.

Following an emergency appeal from Malliotakis, the high court opted to grant a stay, barring the 11th Congressional District map from being redrawn ahead of the midterm elections.

New York City 11th District Map
The order grants a stay, barring a state judge from redrawing the 11th Congressional District map ahead of the midterm elections.
FILE - Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., talks to reporters following a meeting for President-elect Donald Trump's picks for the planned Department of Government Efficiency at the Capitol, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)
Manhattan Judge Jeffrey Pearlman agreed to dismiss the Dems' lawsuit seeking to redraw the seat -- currently held by Republican Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis -- in light of a recent US Supreme Court decision. AP

Democrats sought to rejig the seat to make it more favorable for them after Republicans made similar moves in Texas last year.

"The agreement reached with the Democrats to dismiss this frivolous redistricting case is a total and complete victory and further demonstrates it was all a sham from the beginning,” Malliotakis wrote in a statement.

"I thank the US Supreme Court for preserving the integrity of New York’s elections and preventing the Democrats from corruptly and unconstitutionally abusing our judicial system to give themselves an advantage at the expense of Brooklyn and Staten Island voters,” she said.

Ex-Trump counterterror honcho Joe Kent becomes campaign issue in Ritchie Torres, Michael Blake race

By Carl Campanile

The fiery resignation of former Trump administration counterterrorism official Joe Kent -- who said he stepped down because he opposed the Iran war -- has turned into an issue in the Democratic primary race involving incumbent Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres.

Torres' rival, Michael Blake, lauded Kent in an X post that included his resignation letter, writing:  "An absolutely breathtaking, courageous and bold resignation letter stating that Iran posed NO IMMINENT THREAT to us and Trump made this decision due to the Israeli government and its American Lobby."

Torres' campaign shot back, "Michael Blake just called a neo-Nazi adjacent, Proud-Boy affiliated, January 6th conspiracy theorist 'breathtaking, courageous and bold.'"

Michael Blake attends a mayoral candidate forum organized by the New York Immigrant Coalition and CUNY in Manhattan.
Michael Blake lauded Joe Kent in an X post. Stephen Yang

"It should be possible to oppose the war without praising antisemites and bigots in the process."

The Anti-Defamation League opposed Kent's nomination to run the National Counterterrorism Center because of "his history of antisemitism and extremism."

"So it’s no surprise that he would blame Israel and the media for pushing the President into war against the Iranian regime. These accusations traffic in old-age antisemitic tropes. And, as we have seen over the past few weeks, they aren’t just slanderous — they’re potentially dangerous," the ADL said.

The FBI has been investigating Kent for allegedly leaking classified information.

 112524 Congressman Richie Torres and representatives from the Bronx River Alliance gather to express their opposition to Goverrnor Kathy Hochul's Cross bronx Expressway expansion proposal. (nypostinhouse) Photo by Matthew McDermott
"Michael Blake just called a neo-Nazi adjacent, Proud-Boy affiliated, January 6th conspiracy theorist 'breathtaking, courageous and bold,'" Torres' campaign said. Matthew McDermott

Blake, a former state assembly and Democratic National Committee official, has hammered Torres, first elected to the House in 2020, for his support of Israel.

The 15th congressional district stretches across portions of the north and south Bronx encompassing the neighborhoods of Allerton, Bathgate, Baychester, Belmont, Claremont, Fordham, Melrose, Morrisania, Morris Park, Mott Haven, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Tremont, Olinville, Norwood, Highbridge , Van Nest, West Farms, Williamsbridge and Woodlawn.

Hochul admits she uses AI 'lightly' at the office -- including to figure out NY gas prices

By Haley Brown

Gov. Kathy Hochul admitted Thursday that she uses artificial intelligence “lightly” at the office -- including to figure out how high New York's gas prices are.

Hochul described her use of AI as "like a Google," during the Q&A session at an Association for a Better New York event.

“I would say that it’s being used lightly now ... I use it more as a search engine, like a Google,” she said, providing an example from just that morning.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference about Dylan Contreras, a high school student who was recently released from federal custody, at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City on March 19, 2026. Democrats and activists on March 19 celebrated the release of a US high school student from Venezuela who spent 10 months in custody after his arrest by immigration officials enforcing President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans. Dylan Contreras, 21, was detained last May after attending an immigration hearing at a New York City court and then transferred to a detention facility in Pennsylvania, sparking a widespread backlash. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP via Getty Images)
Hochul described her use of AI as "like a Google." AFP via Getty Images

The Democratic governor said she used AI earlier in the day to check gas prices in the Empire State, a factoid she'd separately brought up during her speech at the power broker breakfast.

“In the three weeks since the United States launched a military campaign against Iran, the average price of gas in York is up 21% up 62 cents per gallon," Hochul told attendees at Cipriani Wall Street.

According to AAA, however, New York’s average gas price is up closer to 25%, and about 73 cents per gallon.

The Democratic governor’s comments on her personal experiences with artificial intelligence came as she outlined a broader vision for integrating the tech into the state economy, saying she wants to make New York the “go to destination” for AI companies.

A general view of $3.79 gas prices as seen at a BP gas station in the Bronx, NY on March 18, 2026. Gasoline prices jumped over 80 cents since the end of February to a national average of $3.84 per gallon since the United States and Israel's war on Iran began on February 28. Iran has declared the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes closed to the United States and its allies, which is causing oil tankers to not transit the passage due to the risk of being attacked. (Photo/Christopher Sadowski for NY Post)
According to AAA, New York’s average gas price is up closer to 25%. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post

“If AI is destined to reconfigure the global economy, New York must be on the front lines,” she said. 

Hochul said she plans to launch the “FutureWorks Commission,” a new body tasked with studying how AI will reshape New York, as she acknowledged many uncertainties remain.

“One thing we know about AI is we just don’t know much. This has been troubling me for a while," she said.

The commission will include leaders from business, labor, academia and government, and is expected to deliver policy recommendations to help the Empire State adapt to the rapid technological changes.

“It’ll have an ambitious agenda to study how AI is shaping jobs and industries, track both the worst disruptions and the most promising opportunities, and recommend policies to ensure New Yorkers benefit.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 19: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul attends a press conference on the release of NYC High School student Dylan Lopez Contreras at Middle Church on March 19, 2026 in New York City. Lopez Contreras was freed after spending nearly a year of detention after being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a Lower Manhattan courthouse while attending a mandatory hearing. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Hochul said she plans to launch the “FutureWorks Commission,” a new body tasked with studying how AI will reshape New York. Getty Images

The initiative builds on a series of recent state efforts, including the $500 million Empire AI computing center and new workforce training programs aimed at preparing students, small businesses and government employees for the tech.

Hochul compared the "AI revolution" to the Industrial Revolution, warning of potential job losses, as well as new gig opportunities.

"the AI revolution is hitting workers like an earthquake, squeezing more efficiency out of senior staff, forcing mid-level workers to find new jobs, and leaving entry level workers out in the cold." she said.

She also signaled caution around AI’s infrastructure demands, particularly energy intensive data centers, which she has previously opposed.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 03: The ChatGPT app by OpenAI is shown on a cell phone on March 03, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. OpenAI reworked an agreement with the Pentagon governing the Defense Department’s use of its AI services after concerns were raised that the military would use OpenAI’s systems for domestic surveillance. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Hochul compared the "AI revolution" to the Industrial Revolution. Getty Images

Companies seeking to build in New York, she said, will need to supply their own power or contribute to the state’s grid to power the resource-sucking data centers.

“Innovation should not shift the cost onto working families,” Hochul said.

She also suggested AI could help modernize government itself, including by identifying outdated laws.

“We still have to use telegrams to communicate,” she joked about one outdated law on New York's books that forces agencies to use telegrams.

“Haven’t done that in about a century," she quipped.

MTA announces 'largest ever' contract to buy over 2,300 subway cars

By Matthew Fischetti

The MTA announced it's "largest ever" contract Thursday to purchase more than 2,300 new subway cars.

The agency is seeking proposals from companies as it aims to replace nearly a third of the city's subway fleet by the early 2030s.

The first order would be for 1,140 train cars to replace existing stock on the Nos. 1,3 and 6 lines, with an option for another 1,250 cars on the Nos. 2, 4 and 5 lines.

The new cars are slated to replace many of the iconic orange and yellow seated subway carriages that have operated in the Big Apple since the early 1980s.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber attends as Governor Kathy Hochul speaks as she announced proposal into next year budget for major transit savings under auto insurance reform at Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot in New York, NY on March 13, 2026.
"It's more cars than all the cars in the Chicago Transit Authority and the Boston MBTA combined. That's how big this order is going to be," MTA head honcho Janno Lieber said. Lev Radin/Shutterstock

"We are in this one procurement going to replace roughly a third of the entire MTA subway fleet, and to give perspective it's more cars than all the cars in the Chicago Transit Authority and the Boston MBTA combined. That's how big this order is going to be," MTA head honcho Janno Lieber said.

Proposals for the new trains are available to submit from now until September. There won't be a cost estimate until the designs are selected.

But officials noted that the first batch of trains will be paid through the agency's capital budget.

Jessie Lazarus, the head of rolling stock for the MTA, said the agency also made several changes to the Request For Proposal process, in the aim of prioritizing performance over design.

The MTA is also asking bidders for suggestions to reduce car weight and improve energy costs.

“Honestly, we don't usually hold press conferences to announce an RFP, but this is that big of a deal. The size of this order has captured the attention of the industry," she said.

Hochul joined by Mamdani as she claims credit for release of NYC student detained by ICE

By Craig McCarthy

New York lawmakers and advocates on Thursday welcomed home a Big Apple high school student who was detained by ICE for nearly a year — as Gov. Kathy Hochul patted herself on the back for playing a part in his release.

The 20-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker, Dylan Lopez Contreras, was released this week after being scooped up by federal immigration agents in May.

Hochul, flanked by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin, took credit for his release and attacked President Trump's administration.

Dylan Lopez Contreras, center, smiles during a press conference after being freed from ICE detention, Thursday, March 19, 2026 in New York.
Dylan Lopez Contreras was released this week after being detained by federal immigration agents back in May 2025. AP

"I had a conversation in person with Tom Homan not long ago, and I gave him the names of high school students that I wanted released," she said. "Dylan was at the top of that list. I’m proud he’s home."

Hizzoner seemingly pulled his punches, avoiding ripping his unlikely friend in the White House along with his fellow Dems -- and simply noting that New Yorkers' rights "must be respected."

Mamdani has been notably silent on Contreras' detention, instead focusing on advocating for the release of anti-Israel activist protesters in ICE detention.

The Bronx high schooler's name was not included on a list of people Mamdani appealed to Trump about during the pair's White House meeting last month.

Trump did agree to release a Columbia University student on the list, Elaina Aghayeva. Also on the list was Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-Israel Columbia University activist and accused Hamas sympathizer who the Trump admin is trying to deport.

.@GovKathyHochul slams Trump admin over Contrera’s imprisonment

“He should have been out there getting his education, being a delivery worker, supporting his mom and his family, but instead, He was thrown away like a piece of garbage into a prison in Pennsylvania.” pic.twitter.com/B2lH4PTIq4

— Hannah Fierick (@HannahFNYP) March 19, 2026

Unlike @GovKathyHochul, @ZohranKMamdani does not specifically call out the Trump admin while giving remarks:

“NYers deserve to be in New York and their rights are things that must be respected. And we will say that every single day until it does not have to be said anymore.” pic.twitter.com/DMdhYkRKVG

— Hannah Fierick (@HannahFNYP) March 19, 2026

Hochul delivers spicy response to renaming NYC train station after Trump

By Haley Brown

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Manhattan's Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station will keep its name -- despite President Trump requesting that the major hub be renamed after him.

“It will over my dead body,” Hochul said when asked Thursday whether former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s name should remain on the Midtown transit hub.

“We are not messing with that man’s memory," she added.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is seen at the St. Patrick's Day Parade on 5th Ave. on March 17, 2026 in New York City.
“It will over my dead body,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said about Manhattan's Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station keeping its name, despite President Trump requesting that the major hub be renamed after him. GC Images

Hochul, who was speaking at the Association for a Better New York breakfast at Cipriani Wall Street, went on to wax poetic about her time working for the Democratic senator when she was a young attorney in her 20s.

“My dream was, all I wanted to do, is be a staffer for a senator someday,” she said. “And when I was hired by Senator Moynihan, it felt like such a privilege.

"He showed me what statesmanship was all about,” she said. "He showed me how to work across the aisle in a way that is very foreign today."

Moynihan, who died in 2023, had championed the train hall project, which opened in 2021, providing new space for Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak.

A man sleeps on the steps of the New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station in New York City, U.S., March 18, 2026.
A man sleeps on the steps of the New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station in New York City. REUTERS

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly rebuffed Trump's offer in January that he'd free $16 billion in federal funds for the Gateway tunnel project if the New York Democrat backed renaming the train station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after him. 

But Schumer told the president that he didn’t have the power to deliver on the unusual request, according to CNN

Trump un-freezed the Gateway funding, but no name changes have been announced.

Hochul was also asked last year if she’d be open to renaming either Penn Station or Moynihan Train Hall for Trump if he put in the money for a grand Penn Station redesign, after the feds yanked the project from the MTA and handed it to Amtrak and the US Department of Transportation.

“Hell no” she said at the time, but joked that if Trump put in around $7 billion for the train hub revamp, “who knows?”

City Council's 'Common Sense Caucus' lambasts Mamdani's move to end e-bike criminal crackdown

By Matt Troutman

They want him to back pedal.

The City Council's conservative-leaning "Common Sense Caucus" lambasted Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday for ending a criminal crackdown on e-bike riders.

“Hardworking New Yorkers are being punished for having the audacity to drive cars, while unlicensed, unregistered and irresponsible e-bikers fly through stop lights, ride over sidewalks and slam their heavyweight motorized vehicles into pedestrians with complete impunity," a blistering statement from the six-member group reads.

A delivery driver on a moped on 5th Avenue in Park Slope, with a GrubHub bag in front.
A year after Adams' e-bike crackdown, many New Yorkers remain irked by reckless two-wheelers - and zapped Mamdani for seemingly going soft on them. Gregory P. Mango

The NYPD will stop issuing criminal summonses to e-bikers and cyclists for traffic offenses -- such as blowing stop signs -- on March 27, City Hall officials announced Wednesday.

Bicycles, whether e- or pedal-powered, will now face civil summonses -- just as motorists are for similar offenses, officials said.

Mamdani and many street safety advocates argued that treating cyclists and e-bikers as criminals was inherently unfair, especially given that motorists driving much more deadly vehicles faced civil penalties for traffic infractions.

But critics argued that criminal summonses were the only way hold reckless e-bikers accountable because those bikes don't require any licenses that can be yanked away if they ignore civil violations.

The Common Sense Caucus members also chastised Mamdani's move this week to lower speed limits near schools to 15 mph.

"The Mayor lowered the speed limit in school zones to make it more difficult and more expensive to drive, but he removes all accountability for reckless cyclists," their statement reads. "Where is the equity in that?”

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