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TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2025

Today's SCOOP is brought to you by our members.

Dear New Yorkers,

Far behind in the latest polls, Mayor Eric Adams is once again suing the Campaign Finance Board, the agency that keeps denying his requests for millions of dollars of public matching funds.

The new case, filed Friday in Brooklyn federal court, is the mayor's second lawsuit against the board since May. The first was dismissed July 11.

As part of its last-ditch efforts, the campaign provided the CFB with a list of 31 individuals it claimed to have contacted regarding the board's ongoing inquiry.

The exhibits attached to the new lawsuit consisted of a cache of text messages, almost exclusively between Brianna Suggs, the campaign's chief fundraiser, and Rana Abassova, a mayoral aide and volunteer to the mayor's 2021 campaign.

But the campaign’s "preliminary response" to the CFB did not include any communications directly to or from Adams.

Read more here about the Adams campaign’s bid for tax-payer funded dollars.

Weather 🌤️

Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.

MTA 🚇

No 7 between Queensboro Plaza and 34 St-Hudson Yards from 12:45 a.m. to 5 a.m. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.

Alternate side parking 🚙

It’s in effect today, August 19.

By the way…

Our friends at Healthbeat think it might be a good time to set up that flu shot appointment as we head towards the beginning of the school year.

Our Other Top Stories

As other Democratic leaders back higher taxes on wealthy residents in response to federal cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, Gov. Kathy Hochul says she is sticking to her promise to not raise taxes on rich New Yorkers. Her decision highlights a major political dilemma for blue-state governors, who will be facing serious budget shortfalls due to Trump’s agenda. BronxNet, the community media center that provides public affairs TV programming and educational training for the borough’s residents, announced on Tuesday that it laid off nine of its 69 staffers on June 18, citing a decline in subscribers and public investment and warning it might have to shut its facility in the East Bronx soon.   A decades-delayed commitment to extend the Second Avenue Subway into East Harlem took a significant step forward Monday when the MTA board approved a $1.9 billion contract for the next phase of construction. How did the mayor end up so far behind the 8 ball that he’s polling in the single digits in his run for re-election? The FAQ NYC crew get into that and much more.

Things To Do

Here are some free and low-cost things to do around the city this week.

Tuesday, Aug. 19:  If waiting hours in line for tickets to Twelfth Night at The Delacorte Theater isn’t your ideal summer plan, you can still check out Shakespeare Costumes: The Complete Work. The exhibit features one costume from each of Shakespeare’s 38 plays produced by The Public. Free, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. Tuesday, August 19: Head to Inwood Library for Comic Book Club, where kids ages 6-12 can create their own comics and discuss their favorite superheros starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, August 20: Listen to some latin jazz at El Sol Brillante garden in the East Village from percussionist Pablo Rosario. Entry is first come, first serve at 5:30 p.m.

THE KICKER: Red Hood residents can finally swim in their community pool after a rupture waterline shuttered the oasis for most of the summer.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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