NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: President Trump Slams Hochul for Mamdani Endorsement, What to Know in Mangione Case, and Revitalization Ahead for Jamaica, Queens

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

President Trump is criticizing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for backing Zohran Mamdani for mayor. Plus, Luigi Mangione still faces another murder count and weapons possession charges in state court after a judge dropped two terrorism counts in court Tuesday. And finally, some residents say the rezoning in Jamaica, Queens is a chance to undo decades of neglect.

President Trump slams Governor Hokel for endorsing Mumdani. What to know about Luigi Mangione's case now that terrorism charges have been thrown out. And a community looks ahead to revitalization in Jamaica, Queens. From WNYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jinné Pierre. President Trump is criticizing New York Governor Kathy Hokel for backing Zora Mombani for mayor. Hockel is the highest-ranking state official to endorse Mumdani. The governor says her moderate politics don't always align with the Democratic Socialists' platform,

but she wants them to work together. I want to continue focusing on affordability, public safety, and making sure he will know that this is a great state, it's a great city, and to work with whoever the next mayor will be. Political observers say Hogle's endorsement could help her win progressive support as she seeks re-election next year. but Republicans are attacking. They say it shows Hokel is a radical, not a moderate. Meanwhile, President Trump has threatened to withhold funds from the state. In our previous episode, we mentioned that a New York state judge

threw out two terrorism counts against Luigi Mangione. That's the guy accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson back in December. Mangione still faces another murder count and weapons possession charges in state court and a slew of federal charges. My colleague Ben, fewer heard, has been following the case. And Ben, you were in court when all of this went down Tuesday morning. What happened? Yeah, so it was the first time Mangione has been in state court in months since back in February.

And since his last appearance, his attorneys have filed a variety of motions. One sought to dismiss the terrorism counts in the indictment. One was asking the judge to dismiss the entire indictment. And another, to suppress evidence that police recovered when they arrested. him in the statements that he made at that time. So at this brief hearing, it only lasted, it lasted less than 20 minutes. The judge sided with Mangione's defense attorneys on one of the requests and dismissed the two terrorism counts against him, which charged him with murder and furtherance of terrorism and murder as an act of terrorism. And what reasoning did the judge give

for throwing out the charges? So Manchione's attorneys argued in their motion that the prosecutor is sort of overplayed how New York's terrorism law is supposed to be applied. They, accused prosecutors of what they said was trying to fit the square peg of murder and the round hole of terrorism. And the judge seemed to agree with some of that assessment and noted that New York's terrorism law is modeled after the federal terrorism law. And as you said, Mangione is also charged with federal crimes for allegedly killing Thompson. And the judge highlighted that federal prosecutors did not charge him with a terrorism crime. And the district attorney's office said in a statement that they're going to continue with the rest of the case.

So that includes another murder count that carries a maximum of life in prison. So his sentencing exposure is not really too different after these two counts have been dismissed. He also faces the death penalty if he's convicted in federal court. So what was the scene like at the courthouse? Yeah, so typically supporters of Mangioni show up to the courthouse and some attend these hearings. There were about two dozen supporters allowed in the courtroom and more were gathered outside. They're mostly sort of young women. And I spoke to four of them who told me about all sorts of reasons on why they feel compelled to show up and support a person accused of murder.

One of them is April Rios. She said she's an influencer and encouraged people not to be violent if they are discouraged with things happening in society. We aren't saying go take up guns and do the alleged action that he's accused of doing. We're saying be a voice of your community, go out, get active. So many people are hyper individualistic in our society, and I think it's structured to keep us that way. But if you come together, you see that the things that we want are not so different. But yeah, there certainly were also some people who may be more on the fringe. One woman who was wearing a pink shirt with the words,

I heart Italian boys on it, told me that she was actually in an AI relationship with Luigi. That's WMYC's Benfue were heard. Up next, residents of Jamaica Queens are hoping a new rezoning plan will help revitalize their community. More on that after the break. The Adams administration is trying to spur new housing construction across the city. One area that's been targeted for a major rezoning is Jamaica Queens. WMYC's Arun Vinica Paul says, for some supporters, the rezoning is a chance to undo decades of neglect. William Scarborough is the president of the Southeast Queens residents.

Environmental Justice Coalition. He grew up in Jamaica at a time when the area was known as Black New York's Gold Coast. Some of the country's foremost celebrities lived there. Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson, and James Brown. One local legend even opened up his swimming pool to the neighborhood kids. You know, so I was able to go swimming in Count Basie's pool. That was in the 1960s. After that, White Flight took hold. Scarborough said the area changed. Crime went up. Polluted. moved in. Scarborough is a former state legislator. He says decades of declining services and quality of life is why he supports an ambitious plan to rezone Jamaica. He sees it as a way for the community to undo years of neglect. I'm hopeful. I'm also happy to see that there is

attention being paid to Jamaica. City officials say the plan would be the largest in the city in at least two decades. Jamaica is one of five neighborhoods that have been targeted for an overhaul. Mayor Eric Adams says together these neighborhood transformations will result in 50,000 new homes. He now regularly invokes this phrase

at public events. The most pro-housing administration in the history of the city, not based on my opinion, but based on the numbers. On paper, the Jamaica rezoning would transform 230 blocks of the area, creating 12,000 new homes, including 4,000 affordable units. At a hearing last week in the city council, the city planning department's Lynn Zeng

said the rezoning would also create millions of square feet of additional commercial space, resulting in 7,000 new jobs. The proposal we're presenting today update zoning that would help Jamaica grow and thrive. Supporters of the plan and opponents showed up at the public hearing. Reverend Patrick O'Connor of the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica says the rezoning should be pushed through as a matter of urgency. We're in a hosin emergency. But the rezoning has already been rejected by two community boards.

Their votes are advisory, but they tend to carry weight with elected officials, who will ultimately cast the deciding votes. Lisa Edwards is among the locals who say it would raise rents for existing residents. I raise my children here, and they are being priced out of the neighborhood they were born in. I'm against this plan. Councilmember Nantasha Williams represents part of the area. She's helped lead the process of envisioning the neighborhood's transformation. But she said even her vote isn't guaranteed.

My final support is tied directly to the city's willingness to translate our community's needs into real, tangible investments. During my visit to the area, Scarborough drove me around Jamaica and his SUV. He pointed out row houses along one side of Liberty Avenue. On the other side of the street were various polluters, scrapyards, concrete factories, poultry facilities, and waste transfer stations. Used to be, if you rode by here on a summer day, you could not put your window down because of the stench. The odor was horrible. The problem of air pollution in Jamaica has been confirmed by scientists. Researchers with York College, Medgar Evers College, and Rutgers University found levels of fine, particulate matter in the neighborhood,

last year, far exceeded EPA standards, in some cases, by as much as 230 percent. When you have city agencies that do not enforce the performance standards, then the people are at the mercy of these industries. Scarborough says the rezoning is one way for Jamaica to ensure that heavy polluters are either better monitored or kicked out, not just for the existing residents, but for people lured to a transformed community. The city council is scheduled to vote on the Jamaica neighborhood plan next month. That's WMYC's Arun Vanekapal.

Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. I'm Junae Piers. We'll be back tomorrow.