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FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025

Dear New Yorkers,

Dr. Denis Nash was at a conference in San Francisco last month when rumors began to swirl that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was canceling research grants awarded to universities to study vaccines.

A day later, the NIH terminated a $3.3 million project led by Nash that studied whether or not brief digital messages could increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among adults with mental health issues.

The NIH shut down the project two and a half years in, with six months left before it was slated to finish — and an estimated $600,000 remaining in federal funding which would have gone towards paying 13 faculty members, staff, and students.

Now Nash has been forced to consider layoffs, while trying to figure out how to support the four graduate students who had been working on the project.

With over 60 CUNY research grants cut in one fell swoop, there are limited options for budding researchers.

Read more here about the scientists scrambling to save their teams amidst funding cuts.

Weather 🌤️

A fitting conclusion to a week of beautiful weather: more of the same beautiful weather. Low 70s and mostly sunny.

MTA 🚇

All weekend starting tonight at 11:45 p.m., there will be no J train between Hewes Street in Brooklyn and Broad Street in Manhattan (so, no J in Manhattan at all). Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.

Alternate side parking 🚙

It’s in effect today, April 25.

By the way…

Over 50 locations across the five boroughs will be car-free for Earth Day this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Our Other Top Stories

Waleed Salama spent two years studying vending regulations before setting up his own Halal cart in Midtown in 2002, where he travels from his home in Coney Island to work. But the permitted vendor said his preparations have rarely helped him fend off tickets — an experience shared by many vendors in the city, especially those like Salama who come in from outer borough neighborhoods to sell in predominantly white, wealthy ones. Renting vacated, affordable apartments through the city’s housing lottery is about to get easier — but you’ll have to be fast to nab one. Starting May 1, brokers will be able to advertise affordable units on public sites like Streeteasy, where apartment-seekers can apply directly instead of having to go through the lottery system. CUNY public safety officers and the NYPD quickly quashed an attempt by students to establish a ‘Liberated Zone’ on the quad of City College of New York on Thursday afternoon. One student said she hopped a fence to try to avoid a cloud of pepper spray, and others were shoved down the block and off campus. In Maine, the feds yanked $1.5 million in grants to the state’s corrections department for housing a trans woman in a women’s facility. Advocates are worried that the same thing could happen in New York — and they're fighting to make sure the state doesn’t “comply in advance and forcibly detransition people.” In this week’s edition of our election newsletter Ranked Choices, we talk about a big recent endorsement (and one of the first to rank candidates in order, rather than just pitching the whole batch), the two candidates duking it out for the top progressive slot, and why a mayoral candidate might campaign on making changes to city transportation — even though the governor controls the MTA. Read it here.

SPONSORED Bringing the Money Smart Financial Coaching Program to CUNY Sound financial health helps set the foundation for strong and resilient households, communities and economies. That’s why JPMorganChase helped launch a new organization aimed at enhancing financial health and academic outcomes for college students called the Money Smart Financial Coaching Program, or MSFCP.org. The program, which combines financial coaching and education into one course, originated at SUNY Westchester Community College and is now offered at seven colleges and universities across New York. By leveraging local Chase Community Managers as guest lecturers, the initiative aims to improve students' financial skills, academic performance, and graduation rates. Learn more about the new nonprofit organization’s impact through the CUNY system.

Reporter’s Notebook

Trump Admin Throws Lawyers Under Bus for Filing Flub

Federal lawyers who uploaded a confidential memo sharing Southern District of New York attorneys’ doubts about the U.S. Department of Transportation’s lawsuit to stop congestion pricing were sidelined Thursday and accused of purposefully undermining the case.

The confidential 11-page letter, which was uploaded to the case docket Wednesday, said the fed's case was weak.

The New York Times on Thursday reported that the federal lawyers defending the suit will now be replaced, with the DOT calling it “legal malpractice.”

“Are SDNY lawyers on this case incompetent or was this their attempt to RESIST?” DOT spokesperson Halee Dobbins wrote in a statement to Gothamist.

She said that Washington D.C.-based lawyers from the Department of Justice’s civil division would take over the case from the Manhattan feds.

— Katie Honan

$90M for Public Health in Balance in Albany

Lawmakers, medical experts and advocates are turning up the heat on Gov. Kathy Hochul to restore New York City’s full “Article 6” funding — state reimbursement for public health work — which was cut in 2019 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The $90 million annually is tied up in negotiations over the state budget, now 24 days late, but could help make up for the Trump administration’s $300 million cuts to public and mental health funding for New York State and New York City. State lawmakers extended the state budget deadline again on Wednesday night.

“Defunding these programs will still cost the taxpayer down the road,” former city health commissioner Dr. David Chokshi said in a virtual press conference on Thursday. “This year’s state budget is an opportunity to prioritize public health and thereby save lives.”

— Claudia Irizarry Aponte

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Saturday, April 26: Led by the Redhawk Native American Arts Council, join Julliard for a public dance workshop at Lincoln Center’s Hearst Plaza. 11 a.m. Saturday, April 26: Celebrate the opening of the new Davis Center in Central Park with live music, lawn games and guided tours to learn about the new venue. 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26: Attend the Queens Botanical Garden’s Climate Arts Festival for hands-on family fun. Adult entry is $6, and prices only go down from there. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

THE KICKER:Have you ever thought: “East Williamsburg would be perfect — if only it had more geckos”? If so, we’ve got the place for you.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday.

Love,

THE CITY

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