A 2017 spike in Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in New York City courthouses is scaring immigrants who might otherwise attend a scheduled court appearance or seek legal assistance, according to a coalition of public defenders and advocates. While the NYPD‘s sanctuary city policy limits cooperation with ICE, the federal agency can appear unannounced in city courts, where vulnerable clients‘ names a

Senate Republicans released a draft Thursday of their closely-guarded health care bill, which would drastically cut Medicaid, slash taxes on the wealthy, and repeal the Obamacare requirement that most Americans have health insurance. According to Senators Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders, the senate‘s version of the bill is even more harmful to middle class Americans than the House bill-which would‘ve taken i

Two-time disgraced elected official Hiram Monserrate-who was expelled from the state Senate in 2010 after being convicted of assaulting his girlfriend, and then pleaded guilty to spending 100,000 of City Council money that was earmarked for a non-profit on a campaign for higher office instead-received an endorsement for his latest City Council run from a group run by the former CEO of ACORN yesterday. [ more ‘ ]

Back in the day it seemed like Eloise, the child who (fictionally) resided in The Plaza, lived the life. That majestic little latchkey monster got to order beers from room service, feed lawyers rubber candy, saw open dolls, and terrorize debutantes, plus she had a PET TURTLE. Eloise was a baller, and now she‘s getting her own show at the New York Historical Society. [ more ‘ ]

Mayor de Blasio released a report today outlining the many city and state reforms and infrastructural changes that he says will need to be made over the next decade in order to close the jails at Rikers Island. [ more ‘ ]

The exuberant musical celebration Full Moon Festival returns to Governors Island July 8th with a lineup of acts that‘ll unfold over two stages, up from the one last year. While the musical acts-which include Vic Mensa, Connan Mockasin, and DJ Harvey-are the main attraction, those attending will need sustenance to fuel all the dance parties, and the fest has now announced the food vendors that will be on-site this y

Trump supporters and other right wing opportunists were up in arms over The Public Theater‘s staging of Julius Caesar starring a very Trump-like Caesar who is assassinated during the course of the play. And while political theater is making its way onto the stage of... actual theater, this is hardly Shakespeare In The Park‘s first tangle with a powerful, popular figure. And in some ways, the Public Theater&ls

The exuberant musical celebration Full Moon Festival returns to Governors Island July 8th with a lineup of acts that‘ll unfold over two stages, up from the one last year. While the musical acts-which include Vic Mensa, Connan Mockasin, and DJ Harvey-are the main attraction, those attending will need sustenance to fuel all the dance parties, and the fest has now announced the food vendors that will be on-site this y

[ more ‘ ]

Fresh off their Eggslut insanity, new Nolita venue Chefs Club Counter debuts their next bit of Instagram bait: an OddFellows Carnival pop-up in partnership with the Williamsburg ice cream shop. Prepare to see a ton of cotton candy-topped ice cream cones crawling through your feed this summer. [ more ‘ ]

Goats on a slide, GOOP‘s pricey body stickers, Rocko‘s Modern Life reboot, no poors in the Cabinet, and more midday links. Don‘t forget to follow Gothamist on Twitter, Instagram,

After much teasing and sweet vindication, Radiohead are releasing the 20th anniversary edition of their masterpiece OK Computer this week. The reissue, OKNOTOKCOMPUTER, features b-sides and three unreleased tracks that fans have been salivating over for two decades. Arguably the best of the bunch, "Man Of War" (formerly "Big Boots"), has now been given the music video treatmentand the entire thing was shot here in Brookl

First, let‘s be clear here: lobster rolls, even the "cheap" ones you see at every market and festival these days, are very much a luxury item. (This wasn‘t always the case.) With prices ranging from 17 at a truck to 40 with tax and tip (and fries) at a full-service restaurant, I have little patience for lobster rolls with sub-par ingredients, half-assed plating, or a lack of balance among ingredients. These a

Retired tennis star James Blake, who was tackled and wrongfully detained by plainclothes NYPD officers in 2015, will drop his excessive-force claim against the city. In exchange, the city has agreed to create a fellowship in Blake‘s name to help others navigate the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the city agency that oversees complaints of police brutality. [ more ‘ ]

The new Broadway production of 1984 is now restricting the ages of audience members. According to an announcement from the producers, the play "will implement, effective immediately, an Age Restriction Policy: No theatergoers born after 2004 will be admitted to 1984." [ more ‘ ]

The legislative session ended last night without a deal on mayoral control of New York City schools, meaning that unless lawmakers reconvene specifically to fix this, the city will revert to a fractured Board of Education system starting on June 30th. [ more ‘ ]

Chelsea residents said they were insulted Wednesday when the NYPD declined to attend a Community Board 4 meeting following two cyclist deaths at the hands of bus drivers in less than a week. CB4‘s transportation committee had hoped to gain some clarity on the responsibility of various city agencies to penalize bus drivers for clogging residential side streets. [ more ‘ ]

Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers reunited on Wednesday night to bring back their old beloved SNL Weekend Update segment "Really?!?" The treatment was tagged to the recent Shakespeare in the Park drama, and specifically the nights when the controversial production of Julius Caesar was protested and interrupted by alt-right protesters. [ more ‘ ]

Rather than wait around for Albany to pass legislation permitting cyclists to treat red lights as Yield signs, a group of safe streets activists have taken it upon themselves to install guerrilla street signs along the Flushing Avenue bike lane advising cyclists to do just that. [ more ‘ ]

Ask a film buff to name some quintessential New York movies, and chances are that Midnight Cowboy, Mean Streets, Shaft, The French Connection, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and any number of other classics will be in the mix. [ more ‘ ]

Joe Lhota, who headed the MTA before resigning in 2013 to run for mayor against Bill de Blasio, is coming back to the agency. In a press release sent out after 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the appointment: "Joe Lhota is a tested and experienced leader with the proven track record needed to address the enormous challenges facing the nation‘s largest mass transportation system." [ more

Ranked as Apple‘s top new app for February, this app was developed by top meditation teachers and therapists to help you relieve stress and anxiety. Using sophisticated AI, Aura delivers short, science-backed mindfulness meditation exercises catered to your specific needs. [ more ‘ ]

Because journalists should be careful of the arms dealers they associate with, check out today‘s end-of-day links: Christie‘s approval ratings, Spider-Man movie locations, dog photography, Trump‘s violent handshakes, and baby orangutan wants to play. Don‘t forget to follow Gothamist on Twitter, Instagram,

Today is the longest day of the year, which for nihilists like me just means it all goes downhill from here, not that anything matters. For the rest of you, though, I suppose the Summer Solstice is something to celebrate, and Governors Island plans to do just that-on Friday, the island will stay open until 10 p.m. so people can "experience the sunset," in case your Instagram feed wasn‘t annoying enough. [Editor&lsq