Samantha Maldonado

The Most Generous Man in New York Before his mysterious death, Matthew Christopher Pietras donated millions of dollars to the Met and the Frick. Turns out it was stolen.

The Most Generous Man in New York (or more accurately: Anna Delvey x Robin Hood) went to my high school lol

nymag.com/intelligence...

Forged signatures found on Mayor Adams’ petitions to run as an independent The Adams campaign said it is conducting a review after Gothamist found signatures that were fraudulently obtained or outright forged.

Dozens of forged and fraudulently obtained signatures on Mayor Adams' petitions to appear on the ballot, including one from a person who died in 1997.

gothamist.com/news/forged-...

Heavy Rain Again Scrambles Commute for NYC, But City Escapes Forecast’s Worst The National Weather Service had predicted up to 5 inches of rain in the area and issued flash flood warnings for all five boroughs.

“Subway stations flooded. Cars got stuck on a Queens parkway. Park staircases became waterwalls in Brooklyn. But, overall, New York City mostly avoided the worst possible outcome from Thursday evening’s torrential rain storm.” — @smaldo.bsky.social reports
www.thecity.nyc/2025/07/31/n...

‘Welcome to hell’: Inside the megaprison where the U.S. deported migrants Interviews with 16 former detainees of El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center offer the most complete view yet of conditions inside the notorious prison.

"One detainee was beaten unconscious. Others emerged from the dark isolation room covered in bruises, struggling to walk or vomiting blood. Another returned to his cell in tears, telling fellow detainees he’d just been sexually assaulted." www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

New York City Braces for Flash Floods: Here’s What to Know Up to 5 inches of rain is expected in some areas, according to the National Weather Service, which has issued flash flood warnings for all five boroughs.

NYC is under a state of emergency for possible flash floods.

What impacts are you seeing/experiencing? Get in touch

www.thecity.nyc/2025/07/31/n...

The storm coming today in NYC is forecast to be intense.

As much as 5 inches of rain could fall between 2 and 5 pm., at a rate of as much as *3 in/hour.*

This would be a storm of historic proportions for NYC. Significant risk of flooding in subway, streets etc. 1/2

Palestinian children have been killed at a rate of more than one child per hour during Israel's war in Gaza.

“A whole classroom of children killed every day for nearly two years,” UNICEF’s executive director said.

Here are some of their stories: wapo.st/3UCiAjn

Scientists Say New Government Climate Report Twists Their Work A new Department of Energy report “fundamentally misrepresents” climate research and leaves out key context, multiple scientists cited in the report tell WIRED.

Great reporting from @mollytaft.com on how the DOE's climate science report misuses scientists' work to downplay the negative effects of climate change www.wired.com/story/scient...

Donate to THE CITY | The CITY (Powered by Donorbox) Local problems don’t get solved without local journalism. We cover New York's uncovered neighborhoods, hold the powerful to account, and make sense of the greatest city in the world. Your support toda...

Oh yeah, and if you appreciated this reporting and want us to do more, your support makes that possible.

@thecity.nyc is an independent nonprofit news operation.

Become a subscriber with a donation:

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We at @thecity.nyc want to keep reporting on this. We’d like to understand how widespread this practice is, especially NYPD collaborating with other agencies to get around internal policies on facial recognition tech.

Got info? Email me: smaldonado@thecity.nyc or reach out on Signal: smaldo.11

NYC lawmakers are now working to close loopholes in a the POST Act, a city law that requires tracking intergovernmental data sharing.

On the table: requiring all agencies to disclose surveillance tech use & a ban on using it on law enforcement’s behalf.

Dozens of Columbia Students at Pro-Palestinian Encampment Arrested by NYPD “I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik said of her decision to call in police to break up the demonstration.

This incident happened at Columbia in April 2024, when there was a highly militarized police presence on campus.

www.thecity.nyc/2024/04/18/c...

Manhattan DA first charged Ahmed w a felony hate crime, but downgraded the charge.

It appears from videos that whatever Ahmed was accused of throwing at another person was not a rock. The person barely flinched & tossed away the object.

This all came to light because a judge dismissed misdemeanor charges brought by the DA Bragg against Zuhdi Ahmed, the 21-year-old med student the police identified. He was relieved, but he remains shaken from all the turmoil and hate his family received.

A Legal Aid lawyer said the saga “brings up questions about the First Amendment and the NYPD’s prohibition on using facial recognition technology to identify people at political rallies.”

The judge’s ruling pulls no punches:

FDNY has used Clearview AI since Dec. '22 and has an annual contract with the company, which has not previously been reported.

FDNY says the software is only available to an approved group of fire marshals.

FDNY also accessed & shared DMV records typically off-limits to NYPD.

NYPD Bypassed Facial Recognition Ban to ID Pro-Palestinian Student Protester Barred from using Clearview AI, NYC police relied on a marshal in the fire department to run a search that turned up photos of the student at his high school graduation.

FDNY helped NYPD identify a pro-Palestinian protestor using the facial recognition tech, Clearview AI — which the NYPD isn’t allowed to use. Manhattan DA used the ID to charge a hate crime.

A judge dismissed the case & warned about government surveillance:

www.thecity.nyc/2025/07/18/n...

hey thank you!

Can you afford to live in NYC? - Epicenter NYC This week, the City Council unanimously approved the One45 mixed-use housing complex in Harlem, which is expected to bring some 1,000 units of housing and several amenities to a lot […]

“the much more salient and existential question for New York City’s future is not whether a handful of very wealthy people will stick around, but whether the city’s middle class will”

By @felipedlh.bsky.social

epicenter-nyc.com/can-you-affo...

‘It’s a Miracle’: Queens High Schooler Detained for Weeks in Louisiana After ICE Courthouse Arrest Reunites with Family Joselyn Chipantiza-Sisalema, 20, arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal early Wednesday morning after a federal judge ordered her release from ICE custody.

A high schooler returned home to NYC from ICE custody, released without food or money. Other women in detention told her, "No one leaves from here."

Before, she spent 10 days at 26 Federal Plaza, where she had almost nothing to eat & had to sleep sitting up or on the ground.

tinyurl.com/33t6d25f

Homeowners Ready to Legalize Basement Apartments Stuck in Red Tape A pilot program intended to facilitate conversions could have gone into effect last month. It has not, and time is running out.

Want to build a legal basement apartment under a year-old New York pilot program, or build an ADU thanks to City of Yes? You can't, because those laws are meaningless until city agencies promulgate rules that actually enable them. @smaldo.bsky.social from the frontlines of abundance.

In Texas flood response, FEMA slowed by Noem’s cost controls | CNN Politics As monstrous floodwaters surged across central Texas late last week, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency leapt into action, preparing to deploy critical search and rescue teams and li...

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem didn’t approve FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until more than 72 hours after the flooding began

amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/07/...

From Convicted Killer to Magazine Writer: One Prisoner’s Bid for Mercy John J. Lennon, imprisoned for a brutal 2001 murder, is now a published writer in The New Yorker and The New York Times. Will his redemption be enough to earn clemency from Gov. Kathy Hochul?

A grisly murder, the killer’s redemption arc and unfulfilled promises around clemency looming over the governor, with lives hanging in the balance.

This story by @reuvenblau.bsky.social has it all: www.thecity.nyc/2025/07/10/f...

ConEd Wants to Charge You More Money | The Brian Lehrer Show | WNYC Reporter Samantha Maldonado talks about ConEd's recent request for another rate hike and how it might impact New Yorkers' energy bills.

ConEd wants to raise its rates again and public hearings are underway.

Catch @smaldo.bsky.social on how rate increases work and how much more New Yorkers might pay if the hike is approved.

www.wnyc.org/story/coned-...

City Council Primary Winners Emerge in Ranked Choice Tally Close races in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and The Bronx were decided in ranked choice voting, some spanning into eight rounds.

not just Mamdani — we've also got City Council vote tally results today!

Mamdani Clinches Democratic Primary, Widening Lead Over Cuomo in Ranked Choice Tally With just two rounds of ranked choice counting, Mamdani surged ahead to 56% of the vote.

Zohran Mamdani cemented his lead in the mayoral primary election.

After BOE ran a tabulation of the ranked choice ballots, Mamdani emerged as the winner with 56% of the votes.

www.thecity.nyc/2025/07/01/z...

Major Jewish Groups Backed Cuomo Over Mamdani. Now They’re in Political Limbo. Mamdani’s surprise primary win leaves Orthodox leaders weighing options — and wondering if Eric Adams is still viable.

Up to 300,000 Jewish Democratic primary voters who look to religious leaders for voting guidance are up for grabs in the upcoming general election in November. Key questions remain: Who will they support? And will it make a difference?
www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/25/j...

What Now for Mamdani? An Official Count, and a Competitive General Election After a ranked choice tally July 1, the presumed Democratic nominee will enter another highly competitive campaign — against some familiar faces.

Mamdani pulled an upset, but the real race has yet to begin.

“This is the political earthquake that very few saw coming, unless you were on the ground and felt the rumbling. Now the top has been blown off."

www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/25/m...

For a REAL detailed map of how NYC voted, check our map out 😎

www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/24/m...