New York City in brief

The Supreme Court weighed Donald Trump's Executive Order 14160, which seeks to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented or temporary residents—contradicting both the Constitution and decades of settled law. While Trump watched from the gallery (and promptly departed), even the justices he appointed seemed unconvinced. We suspect the real fireworks may be reserved for his running commentary on their eventual rebuke.

Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to delay New York’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act by four years has met concern, not least as average city electric bills soared over 45% since 2019 and nearly 88,000 homes had power cut this year for non-payment. While grid upgrades and AI power needs push costs higher, officials muse on cap-and-invest schemes and retrofitting drafty tenements—a literal attempt at “shedding some light.”

Some 450,000 New Yorkers are slated to lose their public health insurance this July after federal cuts—courtesy of last year’s Republican-led Congress and President Trump—forced Governor Hochul to tighten eligibility for the Essential Plan, which covers 1.7 million. State politicians, cheered on by community advocates, are scrambling for a budget fix; if haste doesn’t prevail, alternative insurance may require more than essential funds.

The Supreme Court kicked off oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara, weighing Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants and visitors—a bid opposed by the ACLU and watched keenly as the president himself sat nearby. Both liberal and conservative justices bristled at executive overreach; one suspects changing the Constitution by decree will require more than dramatic courtroom cameos.

New York City’s Council proposes giving free subway and bus rides to nearly a million low-income residents, expanding the “Fair Fares” scheme well beyond its current half-price offer for those earning under 150% of the federal poverty line. The plan pointedly avoids Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s costlier push for universal free buses—or wealthy subsidies—aiming instead at targeted relief, though as ever, the price tag travels incognito.