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Dear New Yorkers,

Federal and city law enforcers executed a search warrant earlier this month at the Queens home of a pastor who led a political action committee for Mayor Eric Adams — on the same day authorities raided a hotel owned by a developer and Adams fundraiser the pastor had worked for.

We don’t know yet why the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is eyeing the pastor, the Rev. Al Cockfield II, and his dealings with the developer, Weihong Hu.

But the raids by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and city Department of Investigation follow an in-depth reporting project by THE CITY, Guardian US and Documented earlier this year on Hu, her fundraising for Adams and Cockfield’s work on her behalf.

The joint news project revealed Hu had deployed Cockfield to press the city Department of Buildings to greenlight construction work the agency had halted at two of her Manhattan development sites, after one project was cited for violating safety regulations and another demolished and failed to replace required affordable housing.

Read more here about the probes into Cockfield and Hu.

Weather 🌤

Mostly sunny today, with high temperatures around 40 degrees.

MTA 🚇

Some D trains run local between Columbus Circle-59th Street and 145th Street during the morning commute through the end of the week, and more. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.

Alternate side parking 🚙

It’s in effect today, Dec. 2.

Our Other Top Stories

Both the mayor and Gov. Kathy Hochul are approaching their budget agendas as if the 2024 election didn’t happen. Both houses of Congress and the White House will be controlled by Republican leaders who’ve vowed to cut spending. But New York’s officials aren’t changing course yet. Last week, a Manhattan federal judge in a long-running lawsuit against the city’s beleaguered  Department of Correction said that a third-party receiver should be appointed to oversee use-of-force and safety issues in the city’s jails. The mayor and his jail officials have strenuously opposed the push for a receivership takeover.

Reporter’s Notebook

Council Seeks Check on Bank Discrimination

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) and Councilmember Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), chair of the Council Finance Committee, sent a letter Wednesday to the New York City Banking Commission urging the body to “review the lending practices of the city’s designated depositories to uncover any discriminatory practices” and rectify them, according to a copy of the letter obtained by THE CITY.

They cited THE CITY’s reporting on an analysis by The New Economy Project that found Black New Yorkers who borrowed from Bank of America, Citibank and JP Morgan Chase were charged higher interest rates on their mortgages compared to White borrowers — and denied for refinancing nearly twice as often. The three banks in the analysis hold most of New York City’s government deposits.

Adams and Brannan called the findings “alarming and unacceptable,” pointing out that discrimination in lending threatens access to homeownership.

Previous reports, news articles, and research have also found discrepancies among races in mortgage interest rates and mortgage denials. ​​But a 2020 paper by Federal Reserve Board economists looked at racial differences in mortgage rates and found the interest rate discrepancies were eliminated after accounting for differences in discount points paid.

— Samantha Maldonado

Things To Do

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

Wednesday, Dec. 4: The annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony. If you don’t feel like braving the crowds or weather, it will be broadcast on NBC starting at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7: Go to the Gingerbread NYC Community Day at the Museum of the City of New York, where a hit annual exhibit of NYC landmarks in gingerbread form is currently on display. The family-friendly community day features cookie decorating, a Santa and more. Free with museum admission from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8: Check out the holiday pop-up market at the Brooklyn Museum, which features local artisans. It’s free with museum admission, and open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the next three Sundays.

THE KICKER: “The game is important, but it’s only a small part of your life.” — Lou Carnesecca, the legendary New York basketball coach, who died on Saturday at age 99.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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