NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Undecided on Mamdani Endorsement, Staten Island Gets Quality of Life Team, and US Open Fan Week Kicks Off

Episode Date: August 18, 2025

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he’s still deciding whether to endorse Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. Meanwhile, Staten Island will get its own NYPD Quality of Life Team starting Monday. Plus, fans can already access free practices and events at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as US Open Fan Week runs through Saturday.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Monday, August 18th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffrey says he's still deciding whether to endorse Zeran Mundani for mayor. WNYC's Jimmy Vielkine reports. Jeffrey says he still wonders if the mayoral frontrunner can deliver for working-class voters in his district. Jeffrey spoke last week on CNBC. During the general election, of course, he's going to have to demonstrate to a broader

electorate, including in many of the neighborhoods that I represent in Brooklyn, that his ideas can actually be put into reality. Top Democrats like Jeffries and Governor Hockel still haven't endorsed Mamdani. Their deliberations show how his primary victory increased tensions between the party's moderates and progressives. Jeffries says he is setting up another meeting with MAMDani in central Brooklyn. Mamdani says he's continuing to talk with everybody.

Staten Island gets its own NYPD Quality of Life team starting today. The so-called Q teams focus on cracking down on issues that chip away a daily life. Things like illegal mopeds, abandoned cars, encampments, outdoor drug use, and late-night noise complaints. Mayor Adams and NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch say the teams have already responded to more than 31,311, and 911. and one calls across other boroughs, and they've also shaved nearly an hour off-average non-emergency response times. The rollout on Staten Island is part of a broader push, with every precinct citywide expected to get a Q team by the end of the month. Whip out your tennis whites. It's almost time for the U.S. Open, but you can already get in on some of the action for

free as part of Fan Week. WN.YC. Veronica Del Valle has more. Fans can get into the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center free of a charge for a week of events revolving around the U.S. Open qualifying tournament. Visitors can expect to see practices between some of the sports' biggest stars and participate in everything from a family-friendly fair to a silent disco. But some other special events like the Open's Mixed Devils Championship still require tickets. Those are available at the U.S. Open website. Fan Week runs through Saturday. the main event then starts Sunday with the men's and women's singles first round. A cool morning out there, 67 with clouds.

Mostly cloudy today and 76 wins up to 15 miles an hour. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. More soon.