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Last spring, the Adams administration began talking about the arrival of migrants into the City’s shelter system—and promised that New York would step up where other cities wouldn’t. But more recently, the mayor has started busing asylum seekers upstate, claiming that the migrant influx has “destroyed” the city and will cause deep cuts to its social services. How has migration, which has been at the core of NYC’s identity for so long, become a headline issue, and why has the Adams administration taken such a dramatic turn? Felipe De La Hoz and Gaby Del Valle, who write the immigration policy newsletter Border/Lines, join us to discuss these questions and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ah, Memorial Day weekend. Time to hit the beach and crack open a nice cold can of...Celsius? That energy drink from the bodega?! From the drink of the summer, to the song(s) of the summer, our taste-making staff is here to guide you on what's in (speed dating) and out (barefoot boys) for summer 2023. Hell Gate's songs of the summer: "Summer Glass," Julie Byrne "Mrs. Officer," Lil Wayne "I Wanna Sex You Up," Color Me Badd "Breezin'," George Benson "Everywhere," Fleetwood Mac Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As anyone who's whizzed down the Williamsburg Bridge bike path past sullen J train riders will tell you, biking in New York is not only a great way to save $2.75—it's also just... fun. But, we're still a town ruled by cars. And while cycling rates exploded during the pandemic and Citi Bike can barely keep up with demand, we're also on track to have the deadliest year for cyclists since 2014. This week: Hell Gate visits a neighborhood reeling from another senseless traffic death, investigates a bizarre Citi Bike malfunction, and even sends two staffers to learn to ride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In case you haven't heard, Hell Gate turned one this week! So of course we hosted an extremely real and cool birthday party which we obviously recorded for our weekly podcast. Hear from the staff about why we started and joined Hell Gate, some of our favorite stories from our first year, and the current status of our involvement with the Hell Apes™ crypto-collectible platform. You'll NEVER believe who calls in. If you love Hell Gate and this podcast, help us reach our $7k in 7 days goal by tipping our newsroom here by noon on May 15. And you can subscribe to Hell Gate anytime here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York state FINALLY has a budget—a month late, and 800,000 housing units short. New York Focus senior reporter Sam Mellins sits down with Hell Gate to break down what the hell happened this budget season, from the death of Good Cause Eviction to horse-racing industry subsidies (???) to the best bathroom in the state capitol. Plus, we take you inside this week's rowdy Rent Guidelines Board hearing, where housing activists took the stage to protest the board's proposed rent increases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever wondered why you're being inundated with videos of "clickbait cuisine" on the subway? Like, recipes for "brieghetti pie" (that's a baked spaghetti pie with a wheel of brie in the middle) or homemade sprinkles? Are you the kind of sicko who is sorta curious about what would happen if you actually made one of these recipes? Have we got an episode for you! This week, writer Willa Glickman discusses her unsettling investigation of this phenomenon, "Here's Why You're Seeing Gross Viral Recipes on Your Subway Commute," and the Hell Gate staff puts our bodies on the line to recipe-test the "brieghetti pie." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York has a plan to finally get off fossil fuels within the next 20 years. Doing that will mean changing a lot about how we live, from what our buildings look like to how we get around and where our electricity comes from. Can we pull it off? This week, Hell Gate visits one of NYC's oldest power plants in Queens, and a solar-paneled HDFC co-op in Harlem to find out. This episode is sponsored by Bike Plant. Tell them Hell Gate sent you, and get a 10 percent discount on parts and accessories and some free Hell Gate stickers—what a deal! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spring in New York means moving season, and moving probably means you're gonna have to text a bunch of random people... and then fork over 15% of your annual rent to one of them. But besides unlocking the door to an apartment you found on StreetEasy, what does a broker *actually* do, and why is New York one of the only cities in the country where tenants have to pay their fees? Hell Gate discusses these questions and more with Anna Klenkar, a licensed associate real estate broker who uses TikTok (@annaleeklenkar) to pull back the veil on the apartment-hunting process. Plus: some dispatches from NYC parks on the frenetic first vibes of spring. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Hell Gate first discussed how to cover the Trump arraignment, the consensus was, let's not. But then our own Max Rivlin-Nadler snagged a spot at the front of the courthouse press line and...well, we ran with it. This week: Dispatches from The Line, the Marjorie Taylor Greene counterprotest, and yes, inside the courtroom with Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the Vessel... actually cool and beautiful? Was Bill de Blasio the best NYC mayor of all-time?! Is Domino's making the best pizza in the city right now?!!! We don't 100 percent stand by all of these takes, but we'll defend them on a podcast if we have to. That's right—this week the Hell Gate team winnows down the Elite Eight of our NYC Hot Takes March Madness bracket to a Final Four. Listen to find out which spicy takes prevail, and be sure to check out the full bracket here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Budget season is heating up, baby!! And Hell Gate is here to break it down for you. First, we look at why the New York state budget process is such a shitshow, and why a newly empowered state legislature could mean even more chaos this year. Then, we chat with Kim Phillips-Fein, professor of history at Columbia University and author of Fear City, about Eric Adams' proposed austerity budget, his beloved "high-income earners," and the lingering impacts of the 1970s fiscal crisis. Read Hell Gate's full interview with Kim Phillips-Fein here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can legally buy weed in New York now, but… is it worth the trouble? And what do former NBA All-Star Chris Webber, an empty warehouse complex in Detroit, and an agency called the Dormitory Authority have to do with the state's lumbering rollout of legal cannabis? Seeking answers, Hell Gate convenes a panel of dedicated stoners to compare legal and gray market weed, and speaks with Brad Racino, editor and publisher of New York Cannabis Insider. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where does New York’s bail reform debate stand? And what does pretrial detention mean for those who have to suffer through it? Hell Gate catches up with Prakash Churaman, who spent his teen years being shuffled through New York’s carceral system and just barely survived. We also talk with Jullian Harris-Calvin, director of the Greater Justice New York program at the Vera Institute of Justice, for some broader context on how bail reform became such a political live wire. You can read Max Rivlin-Nadler's reporting on Prakash Churaman's case here, here, here, and here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s a “racino”? Why does Governor Hochul want to use slot machine money to help fund the MTA? Is Mets owner Steve Cohen going to build a casino on the Citi Field parking lot? Hell Gate visits Resorts World New York City in deep Queens and chats with reporter Neil DeMause to answer these questions and more.  Read Neil DeMause’s Mets casino story here. Check out the New York State Comptroller’s 2020 report on gambling revenues here.  Support Hell Gate’s work by subscribing here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.