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Vetted coverage of Governor Hochul's administration, grouped by day. Every item names its publication and carries a source-credibility tier — Tier 1 primary/wire, Tier 2 established outlet, Tier 3 secondary. No spin; each story links to its original source.

4 items

Sep 15, 2026

2
New York Post (Carl Campanile); text verified via EVSHIFT syndicationTIER 2High

Blakeman pledges to kill the 2035 gas-car ban (Advanced Clean Cars II) and building electrification rules if elected: "Kathy Hochul looks at middle-class commuters and sees an ATM," citing 21 toll and fare hikes and congestion pricing; Hochul campaign does not defend the mandate directly, instead ties Blakeman to Trump gas prices and tariffs

Blakeman told the Post he would scrap the 2022 Advanced Clean Cars II rule (100% zero-emission new car sales by 2035) and the new-building gas ban, framing them as a "war on drivers." He cited 21 toll/fare increases and congestion pricing. Hochul has defended ACC II (Sept 2022 release, $30M EV rebate expansion in April 2026) but already softened the CLCPA target from 40% by 2030 to 60% by 2040 in the FY27 budget. Her campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki did not address the mandate and pivoted to auto-insurance reform, Trump-era gas prices and tariffs. Primary Post URL could not be fetched directly; full text verified through EVSHIFT syndication (Sept 14) and Hoodline (Sept 15).

Governor's officeTIER 1

MTA issues the RFQ for Contract 4, the last and largest Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 contract: station fit-outs, track, signals, 22 elevators and 20 escalators at 106, 116 and 125 St; RFP by year-end, contractor pick mid-2027, full completion fall 2032 on a $6.968B budget

Sept. 14 release: the fourth and final Phase 2 contract goes out as a Request for Qualifications. Contract 1 (106 St utility relocation, awarded Jan 2024) is about 60% done; Contract 2 (tunnels and 116 St box, Sept 2025) targets substantial completion Sept 2029; Contract 3 (106 St shell, April 2026) targets Q3 2030. Funded by congestion-relief revenue and $3.4B federal. Hochul: "we are moving full speed ahead with the final contract." Revenue service still projected for 2032, so the promise stays in-progress.

Sep 2, 2026

1
MediaiteTIER 2High

Trump joins the headscarf pile-on: Truth Social post calls Hochul "the Worst Governor in the Country," says she wears "the hijab" to get "the Arab Vote"

On Sept. 1 President Trump posted the Aug. 28 photo of Hochul in a black headscarf at the Islamic Cultural Center School in the Bronx, wrote that Hochul, "considered the Worst Governor in the Country," was "working hard to get the Arab Vote," tied it to congestion pricing hurting her "especially [with] the people for whom she wears the hijab," and closed: "The whole thing is CRAZY!" It escalates the four-day-old controversy from conservative influencers and members of Congress to the president, three weeks after Trump boosted Blakeman at a law-enforcement rally. Hochul's office has said she wore the headscarf as a gesture of respect, consistent with past practice, and that she respects 9/11 victims while rejecting anti-Muslim hatred. Snopes rated the "wore a hijab" framing a Mixture because her hair was visible.

Aug 10, 2026

1
Governor's Office / NYC Mayor's Office / MTATIER 1

Hochul, Mamdani and MTA announce first-in-nation thermal energy network study to cool subway platforms

Hochul, Mayor Mamdani and the MTA announced an $800K feasibility study of a Thermal Energy Network at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall 4/5/6 and Chambers St J/Z complex — the first in a U.S. transit system. Radiant cooling would pull heat off platforms (Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall averaged 96°F in summer 2025) and store it in geothermal boreholes under Chambers St's abandoned center platform to heat nearby municipal buildings in winter. Funded through congestion pricing revenue as part of the Chambers St renewal announced Aug 7; study contract awarded this fall, design work in early 2027 if feasible. Notable as a visible Hochul-Mamdani city-state partnership in election season.