The DSA made gains in New York despite super PACs spending $9.6 million in state legislative races — nearly five times the total from 2024.

Under Trump, a status for young immigrants who have experienced abuse or neglect no longer offers much protection.

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development has vowed to go after negligent landlords, but it’s wrestling with a huge backlog of complaints.

At a Board of Regents meeting Monday, state officials proposed eliminating credit-based diploma requirements.

The last-minute influx, the biggest ever for a legislative primary, is boosting her opponent, Jessica González-Rojas.

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Budget
The Haggle — a New York Focus breakdown of the state budget

In May, state lawmakers passed a $269 billion budget after haggling for months over thousands of line items and policies affecting New Yorkers.

State leaders are expected to pass a bill that avoids resolving how much Resorts World New York City needs to pay.

Nick Garber

Resorts World is floating legislation to avert more than $500 million in payments to the horseracing industry.

Nick Garber
Climate and Environment
A group of about 50 people pose for a photo taken from inside a garage housing a trash compactor.

The citizens assembly model, used for public decision-making around the world, is gaining traction in New York.

A lobbyist who has been romantically linked to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie led a rally opposing the legislation a week before the speaker declined to bring it to a vote.

Amudalat Ajasa and Chris Bragg

The leader of Reinvent Albany discusses a data center subsidy in Rockland County that flew under the radar for years.

Sam Mellins
Criminal Justice
A black and white photo of the New York state Capitol Buildling over a yellow-tinted background.

The legislation would make it easier for currently and formerly incarcerated people and child victims to sue the state over allegations of past abuse.

The legislation comes after months of haggling over how best to protect New Yorkers from President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Isabelle Taft

Footage published by New York Focus sparked a debate over deputies’ practice of calling Border Patrol on Spanish-speaking drivers.

Sammy Sussman
New York State

We’ve compiled information for the 450,000 New Yorkers who will lose health care coverage on July 1.

Millions in outside spending was a boon to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2022 opponent, Lee Zeldin, and influenced down-ballot races.

Chris Bragg

New York state has pumped millions of taxpayer dollars into an online portal that vowed to make life easier for Rochester’s neediest, but critics say it’s fallen short.

Jie Jenny Zou
Explainers
A photo collage of a shopping basket full of groceries, in front of a yellow-tinted photo of a calendar with "work" written in many of the days.

We’ve compiled information for SNAP recipients in New York on the changing work requirements.

We answer your questions on the state’s notoriously opaque budget process.

Sam Mellins

Amid abortion bans and rising digital surveillance, Albany lawmakers are revisiting an effort to stop companies from selling sensitive health information.

Leah Clark and Gabriella Limón