2+ week, 6+ hour ago (573+ words) NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani joined Bill Ritter for an exclusive interview on Up Close on Sunday following his historic win in the November general election. The 34-year-old state assemblyman will become the youngest New York mayor in more than a century on January 1, 2026. He will also be the first Muslim mayor of New York City. It will be a lot of firsts for the mayor-elect, who enters Gracie Mansion with an incredibly ambitious agenda focused on affordability for New Yorkers. During their interview, the two discussed many topics, including what the mayor-elect envisions during this transition period. "Oftentimes, transition times are pageantry. They are the moments you announce all of the people, you know, you owe favors to, this, that and the other," Mamdani said. "We want this to be a moment where we…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago (388+ words) NEW YORK (WABC) -- LaGuardia, JFK, Newark and Westchester airports are refusing to play a video with a message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the federal government shutdown and its impacts on TSA operations because of its political content. The Port Authority said it concluded the video message violates its longstanding policies preventing "politically partisan messages" at its facilities. "The Port Authority's longstanding policies prevent airing of politically partisan messages at our facilities, so airports are not airing the video on airport-controlled screens," the Port Authority said in a statement. The shutdown has halted routine operations and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions. Democrats say any deal to reopen the government has to address their health care demands, and Republicans say they won't negotiate until they agree to fund the government. Insurance premiums would…...

2+ mon, 1+ week ago (287+ words) A public memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed on Sept. 10 while speaking on a college campus, is being held Sunday in Glendale, Arizona. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the service at State Farm Stadium, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and top administration officials. Trump said he will deliver remarks at the service. The president previously said he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Being called "Building a Legacy, Remembering Charlie Kirk" -- the service is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. local time, or 2 p.m. ET, according to Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded. Attendees have been asked to wear red, white or blue. The Department of Homeland Security has designated the memorial service as a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event, which…...

3+ mon, 4+ week ago (196+ words) WASHINGTON -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Friday that it will begin a "wind-down of its operations" and cut a majority of its jobs by the end of September following Congress' vote earlier this month to cut $1.1 billion in its federal funding. CPB said it told its employees on Friday that the majority of staff positions will be cut by Sept. 30, with only a small transition team remaining through January 2026 to ensure "a responsible and orderly closeout of operations." CPB's shuttering comes after Republicans passed a package earlier this month, which included zeroing out two years' worth of funding -- $1.1 billion -- for the CBP. The move was a part of President Donald Trump's request to claw back $9 billion from the federal budget. CPB provides grants to local radio and television stations across the country, as well as the producers of well-known…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago (200+ words) Watch the New Jersey governor's debate between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli on ABC 7 New York NEW JERSEY -- Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli will face off in their second debate on Wednesday, Oct. 8, on WABC-TV Channel 7 and wherever you stream ABC 7 New York. Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter and WPVI-TV anchor Tamala Edwards will moderate the debate from the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in New Brunswick, starting at 7 p.m. The debate will be broadcast live on both WABC-TV and WPVI-TV Channel 6 in Philadelphia. There will be simultaneous streaming on all digital platforms including abc7ny.com and 6abc.com mobile apps, and streaming channels as well as ABC News Live. WXTV Univision 41 New York will livestream the debate with Spanish captioning. In addition to televised coverage of the debate, we invite you to turn to Eyewitness News for pre-debate…...

3+ mon, 3+ week ago (195+ words) On this episode, preserving the legacy of New York Amsterdam News, Black female entrepreneurs in partnership with the New York Liberty, and more! Here and Now: NY Amsterdam News and more NEW YORK (WABC) -- On this episode of Here and Now, preserving the legacy of the iconic New York Amsterdam News by transforming the newsroom into an educational space for the community. Also, highlighting Black female entrepreneurs in partnership with the New York Liberty and how the founder of "Bear Burgers" is helping change the lives of incarcerated young men. Here and Now with Sandra Bookman airs Sundays at 12:00 p.m. on Channel 7. Here and Now 8/10/25: Trump orders declassification of FBI's MLK files Here and Now 7/27/25: Remembering Malcolm-Jamal Warner Here and Now Archive: Malcolm-Jamal Warner on podcast 'Not All Hood' Here and Now 7/20/25: Black Health Matters Summit and Expo Hurricane Erin: Dangerous…...

1+ mon, 4+ week ago (298+ words) MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- The remaining three candidates in the race for New York City mayor went airborne on Wednesday, with new TV ads promoting their campaigns. It was Zohran Mamdani's latest turn on national television. Using a guest appearance on "The View" to push back on President Donald Trump. "He wants to do a whole lot of things with the city, and we're going to fight him every step of the way, as long as it is something that comes at the expense of the city," Mamdani said. After weeks spent hitting the streets, the three candidates are taking the campaign to millions of people on television. ALSO WATCH | NYC Mayoral Election Update with Mike Marza and Averi Harper Mandani's ad is upbeat, stressing his campaign theme of affordability. In Andrew Cuomo's ad, the former governor uses AI to…...

5+ mon, 2+ week ago (680+ words) The primary election for NYC Mayor will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- In this edition of Up Close, we break down the race for mayor of New York City and its leading candidates ahead of the June 24th primary election. It might be one of the most unusual races for mayor of New York City. It starts with incumbent Mayor Eric Adams facing federal charges for accepting gifts from Turkey in exchange for pressuring New York fire department officials to sign off on opening a high-rise consulate building in Manhattan. However, after President Donald Trump started his second term, the Justice Department dropped those charges against the mayor. Critics claimed it was a quid pro quo in exchange for the city cooperating with the president's policies. Adams flatly denied those claims and later decided to skip the…...

2+ mon, 1+ week ago (455+ words) "They give me only bad publicity or press," Trump said on Air Force One on Thursday. "And I mean, they're getting a license, I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr." Trump praised Carr, the FCC chair, calling him "outstanding" and a "patriot." The comments came one day after ABC preempted Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show "indefinitely" following comments Kimmel made after the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Before the network's decision was announced on Wednesday evening, Carr had called for Kimmel's suspension over the comments. Trump earlier Thursday spoke about Kimmel during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in response to a question about free speech, claiming Kimmel was fired. Carr weighed in on Kimmel being preempted during an appearance on CNBC on Thursday morning. "This is…...

4+ mon, 4+ week ago (100+ words) NEW YORK (WABC) -- The NYC Board of Elections will release the first round of ranked choice voting results for the primary election at noon on Tuesday, July 1. While the Democratic mayoral primary results are not in doubt, some City Council races still await final results. The results will be available to the public via a link posted to vote.nyc. The initial report will include elimination rounds based on in-person and mail-in ballots received and processed as of Election Day. Updates will be posted weekly every Tuesday until all ballots have been counted and results are certified....