Good morning, it’s Tuesday.
It’s a big day for Albany watchers as today Gov. Kathy Hochul will engage in a longstanding tradition of delivering the executive’s annual State of the State address to the Legislature.
Hochul will be doing the honors from the Hart Theater in the newly renovated Egg at 1 p.m. I will be following along online here from the comfort of my home, or perhaps some other undisclosed offsite location. I wan’t invited to The Egg, and I certainly won’t be joining the masses at either The Egg or the overflow viewing locations set up at the Empire State Plaza.
Those as super spreader events if ever there was one, and not sure if you’ve been following the recent spike in the worse-than-usual flu cases that the Capital Region (and many other places around the state) have been experiencing?
Thanks, but no thanks.
Due to the fiscal stress the state is facing right now, with a sizable hole blown in the budget, compliments of the Trump administration, it’s a safe bet that Hochul won’t be rolling out a lot of big ticket items that require significant spending today – save for the universal child care initiative she has already announced in concert with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The governor has already pre-gamed the State of the State by providing a sneak peak of the top policy proposals she’ll be pursuing in 2026 session, including enforcing stricter regulations on 3D printing firearms and add-ons, protecting kids from AI chatbots, and creating a teen mental health training program.
In light of the recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis, the governor is also reportedly expected to detail a proposal to enable New Yorkers to file lawsuits against federal officials who allegedly violate individual constitutional rights. She might also reiterate her “no new taxes” pledge and likely will say something – albeit high level – that is a continuation of her “all-of-the-above” energy strategy.
The State of the State will focus heavily on affordability (could be a fun drinking game, if you’re into that sort of thing), and the governor’s accomplishments from the past several years (again, it’s a re-election year, remember?) What is will NOT include is much in the way of details on revenue generation or new spending or funding cuts.
That will be handled in the executive budget proposal, which is expected later this month. This speech, which insiders generally hashtag and refer to as the “SOTS”, is a broad brush, big picture moment for the governor to set her agenda, which in this case will also double as a soft launch for her re-election campaign.
An address by the governor to the state Legislature that provides a sort of status report on the state is a traditional that dates back to the earliest days of state governance – at least to colonial times, according to the New York State Library, which maintains an online digital collection of said speeches.
Says the Library:
“This collection starts in 1683 with a message from Thomas Dongan, the 2nd Earl of Limerick, a colonial governor appointed by the Crown, and ends in 1996 with a message from New York’s 53rd Governor George E. Pataki. In 1997 Governor Pataki gave the first State of the State address.”
“The collection offers a unique accounting of the major social, political and economic challenges facing New York State throughout its long history and offers specific information into how these challenges were met by the state’s leaders. The messages crafted by some of the most prominent political figures in the history of the United States are rich in historical content and at times eloquent and moving.”
For the record, the state Constitution does not require that a governor deliver a State of the State address, per se, but does require the executive to report on the state’s condition to the Legislature – a mandate intended to hold the executive accountable to the people who (ostensibly) voted to put them, and state lawmakers, in office.
More unseasonably warm weather is on tap, with temperatures soaring up into the low 40s. There will be a mix of sun and clouds in the morning, with skies growing increasingly cloudy as the day progresses.
In the headlines…
The state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are suing the federal government to stop an enforcement surge by Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE officer.
Federal investigators assigned to the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman are reportedly looking into her possible connections to activist groups protesting the Trump administration, in addition to the actions of the federal agent who killed her.
President Donald Trump has added another justification for the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minnesota: She behaved badly and “at a very minimum…was very, very disrespectful to law enforcement.”
A New York City Council employee from Venezuela was detained by ICE agents yesterday, even though he has status to be in the U.S. legally, according to Council Speaker Julie Menin.
The staff member, a data analyst who was not publicly identified, is the first City Council employee to be detained by Trump immigration officials, Menin said during a hastily convened news conference at City Hall last night.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he’s “outraged” by the employee’s detainment, and called it “an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values.” He said he’s calling for the employee’s immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.
A criminal investigation into whether Fed Chair Jerome Powell lied to Congress has prompted the central bank to jettison its cautious approach and fight. The battle’s outcome could determine whether the Fed remains an independent entity.
Trump’s campaign to criminally investigate his political adversaries keeps running into an intractable problem: his mouth.
“I don’t know anything about it, but he’s certainly not very good at the Fed, and he’s not very good at building buildings,” Trump said of Powell and the criminal investigation into his actions during a brief interview with NBC News Sunday night.
Some notable Republicans have criticized the Trump administration’s criminal investigation of Powell, including Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who suggested it was an attempt at “coercion.”
The secretary of labor’s chief of staff and deputy chief of staff were reportedly placed on administrative leave, as the Labor Department’s watchdog begins investigating allegations of professional misconduct involving the secretary.
The move followed a report by The New York Post that said a formal complaint had been filed against Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer with the department’s IG’s office, accusing her of abusing her office and of having an affair with a subordinate.
Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, yesterday sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon over a move to punish him for a video he released with other lawmakers reminding military members that they must not follow illegal orders.
The Arizona Democrat, in filings made public yesterday asked a federal court to block a review that could demote the former Navy captain’s rank and reduce his retirement pay.
The lawsuit is the latest salvo in a fight that began in November after Kelly and five other Democrats with national security backgrounds released a video reminding troops of their duty not to follow illegal orders.
Hegseth announced that Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok will be joining Google’s generative AI engine in being able to operate inside the Pentagon network
Hegseth toured a SpaceX facility in Texas as he continued his push to overhaul the Pentagon’s research, development and procurement efforts.
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s decision to terminate millions of dollars in clean-energy grants last fall was “unlawful” because the cuts primarily targeted Democratic-led states.
In his ruling, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote that the cancellation of seven Biden-era grants for clean-energy projects, worth some $27.5 million, violated the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.
Trump slammed Manhattan’s congestion pricing as a “disaster” and called on New York City to end the program “immediately.” This comes as a federal court prepares to hear arguments on whether his administration can kill it off once and for all.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “State of the State” will include new policies barring ICE at “sensitive locations,” allowing upstate cities to test autonomous vehicles, a new downstate semiconductor chip design center and another tuition freeze for CUNY and SUNY schools.
Hochul is pledging to devote an additional $50 million into a program that is intended to help low- and moderate-income New Yorkers with their energy costs in her State of the State address today.
Hochul was facing renewed pressure ahead of today’s “State of the State” address to pass the pro-sanctuary “NY4All Act” — as she signals support for a new law allowing New Yorkers to sue federal agents.
As part of plans to safeguard against food insecurity in anticipation of federal cuts, Hochul plans to ensure that every child in New York can get free school meals, even over the summer.
Mamdani and Council Speaker Menin will attend Hochul’s State of the State in Albany today.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is going to spend more time in the state Capitol in his official role as state Senate president as he looks to unseat his boss as head of the state.
Hochul wants AI and other computer data centers that devour huge amounts of energy to pay more for electricity in a move she says will prevent sticker shock on regular customers.
State Sen. Julia Salazar released a report that asserts conditions in state prisons remain dire, with inmates regularly neglected and abused, and correction officers not held accountable for wrongdoing or investigated for misconduct or alleged criminal violations.
State figures show that New York shattered nationwide records for online sports betting in 2025, with bettors wagering more than $26 billion and gross revenue exceeding $2.5 billion.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman kicked off his second term at a packed swearing-in ceremony yesterday where took a dig at Hochul in what could be a preview of a heated election.
Yesterday was moving day for Mamdani as he his wife, Rama Duwaji, left their Astoria apartment for Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s traditional residence on the Upper East Side.
Mamdani was spotted leaving his Astoria apartment as movers packed crates into a truck. Late in the day, he emerged from Gracie, walked across the lawn and told reporters that he and Ms. Duwaji were “humbled to be the latest tenants of the people’s house.”
Mamdani said he wants the mansion to remain accessible and welcoming to New Yorkers who don’t typically get invited inside, promising to open the space up beyond ceremonial events and formal receptions. He also wants to install bidets and get a cat.
Mamdani tapped former City Councilman Rafael Espinal to lead his media office, and made it one of Espinal’s first orders of business to revoke ex-Mayor Eric Adams’ 11th hour effort to place new restrictions on press access in the Big Apple.
Mamdani said his choice of a politician for the job was intentional and that Espinal had “always stood out to me as someone who has sought to bridge the worlds of arts and politics.”
Not two weeks after he left office, former Mayor Eric Adams returned from a short international trip (hitting Dubai and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to announce a new cryptocurrency venture.
For another man, it might have been a humbling change of position. But Adams was all smiles as he preached the benefits of the blockchain and promised he would not be taking any profit — for now.
Nearly 15,000 nurses walked off the job at hospitals across Manhattan and the Bronx yesterday morning after contract talks with hospitals faltered over the weekend.
Workers are demanding more robust staffing levels and higher pay. The strike comes three years after a smaller job action won significant gains.
Nurses, joined by Mayor Mamdani and state AG Tish James, rallied outside New York-Presbyterian Columbia Hospital in Washington Heights, chanting “What do we want? Fair contract! When do we want it? Now!”
The pending, controversial bankruptcy sale of more than 5,000 rent-stabilized apartments owned by real estate firm Pinnacle Group has its losers and Wieners.
Executives of some of New York’s top unions have long served as mouthpieces for Venezuela’s left wing socialist government formerly headed by strongman Nicolas Maduro, an analysis by a labor watchdog group claims.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials plan to finally finish construction on the Upper East Side’s Second Avenue subway stations – nearly a decade after they first opened for service.
A Bronx building partially collapsed yesterday afternoon, prompting a response from city emergency crews.
Two former NYPD officers whom prosecutors say sexually abused an intoxicated woman while off duty in 2023 have been sentenced to probation and sex offender treatment programs as part of a plea agreement.
After a decade of planning, fund-raising and more than three years of construction, the New Museum is reopening on March 21 with an expansion that doubles its gallery space and provides a new home for artist residencies and community programming.
After 26 years at the helm of a burgeoning and bluing Saratoga County town, Republican Supervisor Phil Barrett is ready to move on. The Clifton Park leader, who also chairs the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, won’t seek re-election later this year.
The proposed location for a Hudson Valley immigrant processing facility is owned by someone with close ties to the Trump administration.
Sarah Burger, the newly elected Saratoga County supervisor representing the city, was charged with drunken driving early Sunday morning, state Park Police said.
A Halfmoon Valvoline employee who was badly injured when a car crashed into the business and pinned him between two cars died yesterday.
Photo credit: George Fazio
