Deal or no (budget) deal?

Also, here's what the City Council was up to this week. [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] [Hochul announces a New York state budget deal – sort of]( New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made an announcement Monday afternoon that was two weeks overdue. Hochul said she and legislative leaders have a handshake deal on a $237 billion state budget agreement – sort of. In the Capitol’s ornate Red Room, Hochul, a Democrat, picked her words very carefully as she announced "the parameters of a conceptual agreement” on a budget, which was due before the April 1 start of the state’s fiscal year. It was all part of Hochul’s latest turn at what has become a tradition in the sometimes-up-is-down world of Albany: Governors announcing a deal before the actual deal, signaling the end is near — but not quite there — in the annual state budget process. [Read more.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- More politics stories to know this week The NYC Council had a busy few days. Here are some highlights: Last week, the union representing hundreds of City Council staffers voted to approve its first-ever contract. [Read more.]( Meanwhile, the City Council is urging Adams administration to reverse $1 billion in planned budget cuts, including $170 million in funding for early childhood education that lawmakers say is crucial for young families. [Read more.]( Council Speaker Adrienne Adams also advised her fellow councilmembers to ignore a new protocol from Mayor Eric Adams that encourages elected officials to fill out a detailed form in order to meet with leaders of his administration. [Read more.]( The final phase of a redevelopment plan slated for a 62-acre tract alongside Citi Field was approved by the City Council in a 47-1 vote. [Read more.]( Let’s talk democracy at the laundromat This election year, WNYC is turning some laundromats in the New York metro area into hubs of civic dialogue. Nallely Dyal at BubblesAreUs in Paterson, NJ says: “I'm voting because I'm gonna vote, but what's the point if there's not going to be much of a change regardless of whoever's in position, you know? Like, you might see a slight change here and there…You can say so much, but it's like, what are you really doing behind the scenes?” Even if you won’t be joining us between washing and folding, we want to hear from you. Just fill out our [brief form]( and tell us what’s important to you this election cycle. We’ll dig into the answers and share them with you — maybe even on air and online! What’s going on elsewhere in New York With former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial underway, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is back in the spotlight. Here are five things you should know about the prosecutor leading the case against Trump. [Read more.]( State lawmakers are discussing a possible short-term extension of mayoral control of New York City's school system, though it would come with significant strings attached. [Read more.]( A federal judge tossed out a pre-emptive lawsuit from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who sought to stave off legal action by Attorney General Letitia James over his decision banning transgender women from playing sports at county-owned facilities. [Read more.]( Gov. Kathy Hochul’s husband’s decision to leave his job at a major Buffalo-based company spurred a financial windfall for New York’s first family last year. [Read more.]( Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced a more than $2.2 million fundraising haul on Wednesday for the first three months of the year. [Read more.]( Brian Benjamin, New York's former lieutenant governor, formally signaled for the first time that he plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review his bribery case after a lower court reinstated charges against him just over a month ago. [Read more.]( Two right-wing activists who led a disinformation campaign ahead of the 2020 election to discourage thousands of Black voters in New York and other states from voting by mail have agreed to pay a settlement of up to $1.25 million. [Read more.]( What's new in New Jersey Across the street from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia on Friday, lawyers took their fight over the constitutionality of New Jersey ballots that use the “county line” design to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. [Read more.]( New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says the debate around the state’s controversial “county line” primary ballot system was not a “material factor” in first lady Tammy Murphy’s decision to end her campaign for U.S. Senate. [Read more.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [the logo for the Brian Lehrer daily politics podcast]( [Who Are The Houthis Doris Kearns Goodwin On The 1960s and Today Doris Kearns Goodwin On The 1960s and Today]( How are the politics and society of today similar to those of the 1960s? [LISTEN]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential political coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.