Incisive commentary on urban policy, politics, and culture. Published by @ManhattanInst and edited by @BrianACity.
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On Saturday, 26-year-old Darrel Rodriguez was shot by a masked gunman while commuting home from his job as a Midtown security guard. The shooter is still at large.
Early Monday, Mamdani convened the press for an announcement. Attendees were greeted by a grinning Mamdani bounding up to a podium against a backdrop of ebullient toddlers bouncing on an indoor jungle gym.
What was the big news? Twelve thousand new childcare slots for two-year olds...beginning nearly a year from now. The mayor did not address the shooting until a reporter asked about it.
The mayor won’t be able to ignore subway crime forever, @nicolegelinas writes: city-journal.org/article/new…
City Journal retweeted
Insane story out of California:
Gavin Newsom admitted in 2014 that "we wildly overstated the ridership projections" and "manipulated some of the revenue projections" for California's high-speed rail project. He said the full project was unlikely to "materialize in our lifetime."
Yet the project is still ongoing, and has sunk more than $677 million on environmental paperwork.
That money is benefiting well-connected contractors, who have requested $480,000 “to dig small burrows for mammals by hand”; $352,490 for lizard surveys and reports; and $290,000 to implement the state’s environmental-requirements-tracking software.
In one case, California’s high-speed rail agency revised its draft environmental report after the state proposed a regional mountain lion as a candidate for protected status.
Investigation by @christopherrufo & @austenhufford: city-journal.org/article/hig…
It’s likely no coincidence that as arrests in New York City’s subways fell 4% this year through August, and arrests for fare evasion fell 16%, assaults in the transit system rose nearly 10%, @nicolegelinas writes.
@NYCMayor can’t dodge the public-safety issue forever. city-journal.org/article/new…
Printed versions of the environmental impact reports for California's high-speed rail project stopped a .50-caliber bullet.
130,000 pages of environmental impact reports, a $100 billion budget, and nearly 20 years later—they haven't put down a single piece of railroad track.
EXCLUSIVE: California has spent $618 million on environmental impact reports for its doomed high-speed rail project. We printed out all 130,000 pages and tried to shoot a .50-caliber bullet through them.
A California wealth tax wouldn't work—but a flat tax would.
Dario Marino on economist Robert Hall’s proposal to simplify collection without discouraging investments ⬇️ city-journal.org/article/cal…
Since Prop. 47 passed in 2014, California has seen a roughly 10 percent increase in the unsheltered homelessness rate, or around 7,000 additional people sleeping on the streets, Paul Webster writes. city-journal.org/article/cal…
City Journal retweeted
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City Journal retweeted
Excited to have the lead story in the new issue of @CityJournal magazine, with a feature on America’s nuclear renaissance—why the comeback is real and what’s driving it.
city-journal.org/the-magazin…
City Journal retweeted
Also read @judgeglock's excellent feature on why DOGE achieved more than you think: city-journal.org/article/dog…
Zohran Mamdani is more than the leader of the adopted city that voted him into office last November; he’s the de facto leader of the DSA. And the DSA is coming for NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
@KaufmanDavidNYC writes: Don’t Let the DSA Oust Jessica Tisch city-journal.org/article/nyp…
.@CharlesFLehman on the Hindu temple shooting plot and extremist violence: city-journal.org/article/ale…
This is true, and transparency is crucial to shed light on much more than just racial discrimination in admissions.
Higher education’s "crisis of public confidence" stems from concerns about faculty ideology, free speech on campus, and grade inflation, to name a few.
MI senior fellow Kevin Wallsten wrote about how transparency can rebuild trust in higher ed back in April: city-journal.org/article/hig…
Ideological activists went after Flock. Their next target is even bigger: One of the country’s fastest-growing activist movements dreams of wiping out the entire American security infrastructure built to prevent another 9/11.
@thestustustudio's latest: city-journal.org/article/def…
“California wants change. It just doesn’t want Republicans delivering it,” @Jesse_Leg writes. Read about the findings from a new @ManhattanInst poll: city-journal.org/article/man…
DOGE worked.
The federal workforce is 270,000 people smaller than it was a year and a half ago—the fastest cut in the federal workforce since World War II.
And by most measures, the federal government is operating pretty much like it did before.
@judgeglock debunks the false narratives about DOGE:
Billionaires worth a combined $160 billion have left the U.K. or loosened their ties with the country over the past two years—a remarkable exodus for a country that has long been among the world’s most attractive destinations for the wealthy, @Sean_Speer writes. city-journal.org/article/uk-…
DOGE worked.
@elonmusk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut more than 43,000 general administration, management, and “program analysis” positions—the sorts of middle-management jobs that previous government-slimming efforts have targeted.
Other positions that saw large cutbacks included general attorneys, HR officials, clerks, and general business managers, each losing roughly 7,000 workers.
DOGE also made smaller cutbacks across hundreds of types of federal positions, adding up to significant numbers. The government has eliminated 1,000 or more positions among public-affairs specialists, logistics managers, financial administrators, accountants, budget analysts, social-science analysts, and grants managers. It also lost about 100 interior designers and creative-arts therapists.
@judgeglock writes: DOGE Achieved More than You Think city-journal.org/article/dog…
DOGE worked. Most importantly, the civil service is 12% smaller than it was in Jan 2025.
In the Fall @CityJournal, I show they were not replaced by contractors, the biggest cuts were to middle managers, and the predictions of disaster were proven false. city-journal.org/article/dog…
City Journal retweeted
DOGE worked. Most importantly, the civil service is 12% smaller than it was in Jan 2025.
In the Fall @CityJournal, I show they were not replaced by contractors, the biggest cuts were to middle managers, and the predictions of disaster were proven false. city-journal.org/article/dog…