FAQ NYC

What is Andrew Cuomo thinking with his weird new approach to social media, and wild swings at Zohran Mamdani? Will yesterday's leaders ever clear the stage, and will tomorrow's likely leaders get seriously vetted before they're vested with tremendous power? The FAQ NYC hosts discuss all that and much more, including the Trump pressure test on his old hometown that's just ramping up, Kathy Hochul's Frogger dance as she tries to stay in the middle without ending up as roadkill, and much more.

Hosts Katie Honan and Harry Siegel dig into a stunning Midtown shooting — the second in seven months in which a gunman traveling to New York City to murder businesspeople — and how the mayoral candidates responded to that. Plus, Katie goes deep on one simple trick for getting free drinks in a bar: Finding a gun left behind in a bathroom . And she explains how a “no moshing” sign at a nightclub led her down a rabbit hole to when Queens was America’s sweater capital.

In the latest episode of LIT NYC, host Alyssa Katz talks with J. Hoberman about his new opus, Everything Is Now: The 1960s New York Avant-Garde—Primal Happenings, Underground Movies, Radical Pop. “Certainly the cheap rents are essential. And the fact that there were areas of the city, of Manhattan, which had been in a way deserted because various light industries had left and there were spaces that artists were willing to colonize. You know, the original lofts were nothing like these designer lofts that you see. Cold water, some of them didn't have electricity. It required a lot of ingenuity on the part of the artists to even make these places livable, but the fact that you had these places was a stimulus to a community and see that's another thing that I wanted to stress in this book,” Hoberman says, noting that they made art at a time when the government was busting comedians and banning films here. “I guess people can appreciate that there was a time before cell phones, but a lot of the people in this book didn't have telephones at all. That was a luxury that they couldn't afford. So how did they meet? How did they connect? There were bars and cafes that they went to, there were neighborhoods that they lived in, there was a sense of community that the city fostered kind of in its indifference.”

The FAQ NYC hosts dig into the Trump administration’s latest demands for compliance, why Mayor Eric Adams insists New York is powerless to enforce its own laws and ordinances inside of the federal office building in lower Manhattan now doubling as a makeshift jail, and how the Department of Homeland Security has the city and the country totally krossed out, and wiggida wiggida wiggida wack. Stick around to the end for Prince, Muppets, and a legendary parodists’ paean to pigeon poisoning.

In the latest episode of LIT NYC, host Katie Honan talks with author Radha Vatsal, a speechwriter at city hall by day, to discuss her new novel about old New York, No. 10 Doyers Street, and “a past that was not as black and white as we make it out to be today.” Vatsal, an immigrant herself, explains how she came to tell a story of Chinatown in the early 1900s as seen through the eyes of Archana "Archie" Morley, the only woman at her newspaper and one of just a handful of Indian immigrants in New York City at the time. While her editor and husband try to steer her away from covering notorious gangster Sai Wing Duck, AKA Mock Duck, Archie chases down the story of his adopted daughter being taken away from him by the city as it also plans to raze Chinatown.

The last police commissioner is suing the mayor and the NYPD for running what he alleges was a crooked operation with Eric Adams’ cronies peddling promotions for payoffs. Incredibly, City Hall and one of those cronies responded by claiming the mayor’s pick, storied FBI agent Tom Donlon, wasn’t mentally up to the job — and on Monday Donlon put in a notice of claim against Adams and former NYPD Spokesperson Tarik Sheppherd for a $10 million defamation suit. Hosts Christina Greer, Katie Greer and Harry Siegel discuss all that and much more, including what seems like a race to the bottom between Adams and Andrew Cuomo, before Andrew Rein of the Citizen Budget Commission comes on to talk about the deep hole the city and state are in even before Washington makes more social safety net spending cuts. When New York’s been in trouble before, the feds spent billions. Now the Trump administration is taking billions away but local spending is spiking and something is going to give.

Andrew Cuomo's surprising return to the political arena stirs the mayoral race, with centrist candidates struggling to gain traction. The hosts explore the financial challenges faced by middle-class New Yorkers, addressing job security and the city's affordability crisis. They delve into the contrasting legacies of Lower East Side legends, celebrating Jack Kirby while lamenting Sonny Rollins' overlooked contributions. Themes of urban lore unfold, connecting Washington Irving's tales to modern New Yorkers' aspirations and struggles, all infused with a dose of imaginative wit.

The hosts dive into the political whirlwind surrounding Zohran Mamdani, as he continues to defy establishment attacks. They explore a summer filled with beach safety concerns amid shark sightings, while discussing Eric Adams’ fundraising mishaps in the Hamptons. The complexity of New York's political alliances is unpacked, touching on identity, race, and the ethical dilemmas in journalism. The impetus for genuine voter engagement and the challenges faced by young Black Americans in the political sphere also take center stage.

Join strategists Michael Lang, city historian Asad Dandia, and editor Peter Sterne as they dissect Zohran Mamdani's primary victory and its implications for NYC politics. They explore the dynamics of grassroots activism versus established structures, the significance of connecting with diverse voter demographics, and the evolving strategies of the Democratic Socialists of America. Personal stories weave through the discussion, highlighting the impact of heritage on identity and activism, all while aiming for a united front in the upcoming elections.

Zoran Mamdani's surprising victory shakes up the Democratic Party amid shifting alliances. The challenges of loyalty in a mayoral campaign highlight internal tensions and the impact of money in politics. Summer fun at Rockaway Beach is on the agenda, with updates on activities and lifeguard availability. A new left-wing populist candidate surfaces, showcasing the power of social media in today's elections. Lastly, the speakers express gratitude to their audience and dive into quirky sports discussions, making for a lively conversation.