Listen: Special On Toxic Air Alert
Last night, New York City sent out an alert that the air quality index was continuing to degrade, registering between 200 and 300--or purple--making it very unhealthy for everyone, especially for sensitive groups including children and the elderly. Outdoor workers, the homeless and those with pre-existing heart or lung issues also need to be mindful of their exposure to the toxic air. Wearing a high quality K95 mask can help reduce your exposure.
Some relief could be on the way with heavy rain for much of tomorrow which will leave an ashen residue. Sunday and Monday our highs will be in the low 80s with heavy thunderstorms rolling in on Tuesday.
As we discussed yesterday, during our extended special midday coverage with Dr. Steve Auerbach, a retired Captain in the US Health Service, the Mamdani administration and the New York City Health Department are taking this air quality crisis very seriously and are distributing free K95 masks Citywide at public libraries, police precincts and firehouses as well as keeping open indoor cooling centers.
Overnight, the Guardian is reporting the Trump administration is continuing a week-long escalation bombing Iran's critical infrastructure like airports, railway stations and bridges. US forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman as it renewed its blockade of Iranian ports. American aircraft also fired on an empty oil tanker that Central Command alleged was trying to breach the blockade.
The newspaper also reported that the Iranian government accused the United States of launching a "barbaric attack" near a children's cancer hospital.
Meanwhile, while the nation confronts the dire consequences of a worsening climate crisis, President Trump dished out more disinformation about the 2020 elections that he lost to President Joe Biden as he presses legislation to restrict Americans access to voting in the upcoming midterms.
This morning we visited with New Jersey social justice activist Larry Hamm, with the People's Organization for Progress and Rachel Dawn Davis with Waterspirit. We discussed the deepening ecological crisis and the role of grassroots organizing to counter President Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2026 elections.
We got an update on the proposed ICE detention facility slated for Roxbury Township up in Morris County, New Jersey from public interest lawyer Steven Broderick and activist Tim Kelleher. After strong bi-partisan opposition at the state and municipal level, the Trump administration said it was not going ahead with the warehouse/prison conversion only to reverse itself.
In our second hour, we checked in with FDNY EMS LT. Vincent Variale, president of DC 37 Local 3621, which represents FDNY EMS officers whose pay lags tens of thousands of dollars behind other uniformed first responders.
Yesterday, the City Council voted to give thousands of New York City paraprofessional teachers with the UFT a one time $10,000 bonus. Like many members of the FDNY EMS, they struggle week to week to make ends meet.
The poverty level wages for both jobs have led to recruiting and retention problems. In the case of FDNY EMS, it has resulted in scores of ambulances being idle for lack of crews as response times continue to deteriorate.
Boosters of the paraprofessional $10,000 bonus point to the explosion in over a billion dollar in payouts of so-called Carter cases, where the parents of special needs student sue and collect when the city fails to properly staffup with paraprofessionals to support special need students.
We spoke to UFT President Michael Mulgrew and UFT paraprofessional section leader Priscilla Castro.
We closed out with a conversation with veteran City Hall reporter and editor-in-chief of City & State Jeff Coltin.
We discussed Mayor Mamdani's opposition to the paraprofessional teacher bonus bill which the Democratic Socialist Mayor now asserts violates New York State labor law. We also consider the Mamdani/Hochul pragmatic partnership that seems to be producing results.
