NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Judge Questions Deportation Bid for Columbia Grad Student Mahmoud Khalil, Lawmakers Target Ticket Resales, and Knicks Face Elimination

Episode Date: May 29, 2025

A federal judge says the Trump administration likely violated the Constitution in its bid to deport Palestinian Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil over his political activism. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are weighing new rules to limit ticket resales, including allowing artists to ban markups on their shows. And the New York Knicks face a must-win playoff game at Madison Square Garden tonight to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Thursday, May 29th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. A federal judge says the Trump administration's effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil because of his pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University was likely unconstitutional. But the judge says Khalil's lawyers had not properly responded to another charge brought by the government. That charge alleges Kalil had failed to disclose his involvement in activism and refugee resettlement on his permanent residency application. The judge plans to issue next steps in the coming days. Khalil is illegal U.S. resident. Immigration agents detained him in March with plans to deport him.

Musicians could yank tickets to their shows from the secondary market under a plan circulating now in Albany. WNIC's Jimmy Veilkine reports. New York lawmakers want more restrictions on online tickets. resellers like Stubhub. A new bill would cap fees and let performers demand tickets to their shows not be resold for profit. State Senator James Scufus says it will make concerts more accessible. What we are looking to do here is finally fix this broken system. A group representing Stubhub and other ticket resellers says the measure restricts consumer choice and puts jobs at risk. Dana McLean from the Coalition for Ticket Fairness opposes the bill.

It's going to limit the access for fans. It's going to stifle competition. Scoofus says the legislature should act in the next several weeks. Governor Hockel hasn't weighed in. It's do or die tonight for the New York Knicks at the Garden. WNMIC, Sean Carlson, has more. The Knicks are down three games to one in their best of seven Eastern Conference finals to the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks dropped the first two games of the series on their home court.

Then they bounce back in a gritty road win in game three. But the patient offense proved to be unstoppable in game four. That put Indiana on the doorstep of the NBA finals. So if the Knicks lose tonight, their first playoff run in a generation ends. No more Knicks block parties, no more celebrity rows snapshots, no more social media feeds full of orange and blue. If the Knicks win, they still have to win two more games to advance. 57 with showers right now, we have patchy fog and a slim chance of rain by 10 o'clock this morning.

otherwise mostly cloudy on this Thursday, the high temperature in the low 70s today with a slight wind, and then tomorrow showers, maybe with afternoon thunderstorms, a high near 75. Saturday, likely chances of showers in thunderstorms some mid-afternoon, low 70s. Sunday looks like our first dry day in a while. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a date for the latest news headlines and occasional deep dives and subscribe wherever you get your podcast.

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