The Hell Gate Podcast

The team talks about the Trump administration's escalating pressure on our fair city, beginning with Columbia University's massive, humiliating settlement. Was it worth it, Columbia? Which then brings us to the federal government suing the Adams administration over New York City's sanctuary policies—how is Mayor Eric Adams reacting to Tom Homan finally being "up his butt"? Then, our intrepid corre...

We begin with the obligatory unpacking of Trump/Epstein and soon move on to our own local sex pest attempting to make a comeback using Zohran Mamdani’s social media strategy. Katie breaks down why Curtis Sliwa is neither the hero Gotham needs nor deserves, but why he should stay in the race anyway... And finally, Max wraps up the pod with a saucy surprise…  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

The Failing New York Times is at it again, digging into the depths of Mamdani’s college applications and collaborating with a eugenicist to… what end exactly? This week the team talks race, and unrelatedly, why Sid Rosenberg is so red. (Is it because John Catsimatidis is making him that way…? Maybe.) The anti-Mamdani coalition is mustering its forces, and Mamdani is fielding it all. Finally, we po...

The ranked choice ballots have been counted and Zohran Mamdani’s win is even more decisive. Now that we’ve entered the valley between the primary and general elections, what is the landscape looking like? The team digests the state and country’s (mostly racist) immediate reactions to Mamdani’s primary win, and considers who in the field is worth really paying attention to. Meanwhile Adlan gets a m...

The editors gather in the early morning to commiserate and lick their wounds over Cuomo’s tragic loss… How did we get here? How could a democratic socialist run a campaign in this city and win? We’re kidding, the Mamdani campaign threw a perfect game, and rewrote the electorate.  Last night the team was running around the city covering the election—at watch parties for Adams, Lander, Cuomo, a...

The election is underway and the team is tossing and turning. Pre-debate polls still show Zohran Mamdani losing, and meanwhile Cuomo is on TV, his Dodge Charger is blocking NYC traffic, and his super PAC is flexing anti-Zohran ads into every gym and sports bar and laundromat in the city. Meanwhile Brad Lander got arrested by federal agents —and was given critical support by the coalition of candid...

This week, the editors can’t help but hash out the state of the race—early voting opens up this Saturday, June 14th. Cuomo may have taken a beating this week from Brad Lander at the second mayoral debate, but the poll margins are extremely tight. Still, Cuomo is characteristically absent from spin rooms, spaghetti dinners, and our good graces. It’s hard to divine what might happen now.&n...

This week we unpack the latest craven twist in the mayoral dogfight—the first cross endorsement of the race… for Andrew Cuomo… from Jessica Ramos. Yes, Ramos who questioned Cuomo’s “mental acuity” and referred to him as “the Democratic Party's Trump.”  A few blocks away from the endorsement, ICE agents clad in masks and hoods continue to lead asylum seekers into vans, and transport them to th...

This week, the editors discuss Mamdani’s new poll numbers, and whether ranked-choice voting will really coax rival candidates to finally team up. Will the underdogs manage to band together against asteroid-like candidate Cuomo? (Yes, we discuss the 1998 film Deep Impact .) Also, what the hell is going on with Eric Adam’s crypto-lifestyle? Why is he in Vegas? And what does this have to do with the...

This week the team talks over some of the business you’d rather not have to wade through: Andrew Cuomo’s appearance on the Bari Weiss podcast, which, for better or worse, is probably the longest we’ve heard Cuomo speak since the pandemic. And the latest in the long line of indignities that the tiny institutional body of the CCRB has weathered trying to hold cops accountable in NYC. Hosted on Acast...

At the Public Theater, the Hell Gate team somehow wrangled three politicians onto bar stools to get: blasted with an air horn, roasted for not knowing any Knicks players (other than Jalen Brunson), and scrutinized for how they’d deal with NYC not-so-hypotheticals as mayor. Scott Stringer, Brad Lander, and Zohran Mamdani shared the stage with some real camaraderie, and the team mulls over what went...

What a week—for one, it seems like some cosmological force (new pope included) is on the Knicks's side. And how do we feel about a pope from Chicago? Hot or not? We also chat about mayoral candidate Brad Lander's bid for nuance, in an empty synagogue. Finally, we give a shoutout to our very own Jessy Edwards, who was announced as a finalist this week for a little thing known as a Pulitzer. Hosted...

Hell Gate's Nick Pinto discusses a new civil rights lawsuit that reveals the disturbing details of the NYPD's gang database, and what's behind the recent uptick in bogus arrests. And remember three years ago when Mayor Adams asked for photos of cops on their phones? Thanks to contributor Erin Durkin's FOIL request, we finally know what New Yorkers sent in. We also check in on the mayoral race and...

We break down some of our top stories this week, from Mayor Adams criticizing the right to due process (unless it's for himself), to what's going on with the Civilian Complaint Review Board, to the Cuomo campaign's latest gaffe. We also discuss "Writing on Raving," a new anthology about the rave scene in Brooklyn and beyond, with co-editors Zoë Beery and Geoffrey Mak. Hosted on...

On this week's podcast, we discuss Cuomo using ChatGPT to help write his housing plan, and the state of the Democratic mayoral primary. Also, Vybz Kartel is free! And Hell Gate's Adlan Jackson was there for his Barclays Center show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's finally   the episode we know everyone's been waiting for—the mouse episode, where Hell Gate staffers discuss the various ways we've been traumatized by mice in our apartments. What New Yorker can't relate? Plus, we discuss Governor Hochul's efforts to exterminate discovery reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Adams is free—from his federal charges and the Democratic Party. We break down the dismissal of his corruption case, and how his decision to run for reelection as an independent could shake up the race. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hell Gate's March Madness of NYC Hot Takes continues! Thanks to our readers' bracket picks, only the spiciest takes have risen to the top, and this week we're squaring off over the Elite Eight. We also chat with $20 Dinner writer Scott Lynch about the new, incredibly useful and interactive $20 Dinner Map, and what he's learned covering more than 100 New York City restaurants for Hell Gate. Hosted...

It's that time of year again—Hell Gate is proud to present the 2025 March Madness of NYC Hot Takes! This week, we preview some of the takes we think have the heat to go all the way. (Did you fill out your bracket yet?) We also break down the twisty "jail saga" of Brooklyn comedian William Banks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ICE detention of former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil sent shockwaves across the city this week. We break down how our local political leaders responded. And we talk about a new book on the death of the artist Michael Stewart, who was beaten and killed by Transit Police officers in 1983, and how it sheds light on the psyche of Mayor Adams, who began his care...

It finally happened—Andrew Cuomo is officially running for mayor. So is City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Wait, and is Eric still running? We're here to break down the state of this chaotic race. Plus: Mayor "no quid pro quo" Adams made an awkward appearance at a congressional hearing on "sanctuary city" policies, where he got roasted by members of his own party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

The mayor says he can't govern effectively while under federal prosecution. But Eric Adams says that actually isn't a problem? Things keep getting weirder as more people contemplate jumping into the mayor's race. Plus, why is the Brooklyn Museum broke? Too much Hannah Gadsby? Or not enough? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yes, Eric Adams is still our mayor. This week, we discuss his bizarre dismissal hearing, and Governor Hochul's decision not to remove him from office. Which...may be smart politics, but doesn't exactly jibe with her recently professed love of the 1982 Rambo movie "First Blood." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine you're the mayor of New York City, sitting down to a nice steak dinner with a Republican billionaire, when you find out that the Justice Department has ordered local prosecutors to drop the charges that could land you in federal prison. Yay! But wait, there's a catch...you're now entirely beholden to President Donald Trump. This week, we're of course talking about what might be next for Er...

This week we're talking about NYU Langone and Mount Sinai's decisions to cancel gender-affirming care appointments for trans youth, and how the Adams administration is rolling over for Trump's immigration crackdown. Plus: Why did Eric Adams lie about a colonoscopy? Why does Jenifer Rajkumar suddenly want to become the public advocate? And what's up with Daniel Penny's new VC job? Hosted on Acast....