In one of his first major acts since taking office, Mayor Zohran Mamdani today unveiled a sweeping consumer protection initiative designed to confront hidden fees, deceptive landlord practices, and unsafe housing conditions that many New Yorkers say have eroded confidence in the city’s rental market. At a press event in Queens alongside New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Mamdani outlined plans to launch citywide “Rental Ripoff” hearings and pledged to use tenants’

By the time Zohran Mamdani stepped into the vast, silent chamber of the Old City Hall subway station just after midnight on January 1, 2026, New York had already signaled its intention to turn a page. Outside, Times Square hummed with revelers celebrating the New Year. Below ground, amid the echoing Beaux-Arts arches and the lingering smell of dust and cold stone, history was being made. It was here, in a decommissioned subway station that had not seen regular service since

Don Muleme, a Ugandan immigrant in his mid-to-late 30s, appeared Monday morning in Waltham District Court, where he was arraigned on charges that include assault and battery, as well as alleged violations related to an existing probation and his driver’s license. Mr. Muleme was brought into the courtroom at approximately 10:25 a.m., escorted by court security officers from a holding area below the courtroom. He was restrained at the waist, wrists and ankles and wore a blue co