New York City in brief

The Trump administration pledged $8 billion to overhaul Penn Station, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy—under oath—naming Halmar-led Penn Transformation Partners as master developer and entrusting Amtrak to manage the project. New York’s governor insists the state won’t chip in further, while erstwhile rivals, including a Trump donor-backed group, lost out. No word yet on the real cost, but Penn’s perpetual facelift remains a bipartisan New York rite.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unveiled plans to rezone Brooklyn’s south-of-Prospect Park corridor, aiming for thousands of new homes near future Interborough Express tracks and the tangle of existing subway lines. Officials tout “transit-oriented development”—code for taller buildings on low-rise blocks—as the city’s latest gambit against sky-high rents and resident flight. The area’s politicians seem supportive, keen, perhaps, to be remembered as more pro-housing than pro-autobody shop.

A new report from the New York City comptroller’s office warns that artificial intelligence could replace tens of thousands of jobs across the city, suggesting a transformation of the local economy not seen in living memory; officials concede they have little idea which roles will disappear, but they’re certain New Yorkers have survived a few technological rumbles—and probably own enough black turtlenecks for another.

New York City endured a tempest Wednesday night, with 2.57 inches of rain in Bellerose and gusts up to 60 mph leaving drivers stranded atop vehicles and subway lines awash. Queens, in particular, was swamped while temperatures plummeted: Newark plunged 19 degrees in 35 minutes. We like our chaos orderly, but the weather, as ever, prefers drama over decorum—rendering Memorial Day picnics soggier than forecast.

New York’s beleaguered Penn Station has found its next champion: state officials have tapped a developer to overhaul the much-maligned transit hub, just after Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy dangled $8 billion in federal largesse for the project. If all runs on schedule—a rare miracle in Manhattan—we may one day navigate Penn without needing a search party or sturdy nerves.