Wednesday, December 24th
Good morning, New Yorker.
It’s Christmas Eve in the city, a day that carries both pause and pressure. While many prepare to step away, New York does what it always does: it keeps moving. Courtrooms remain open, City Hall decisions still land, shelters fill, and workers across the city hold the line. Today’s news sits in that in-between space between endings and beginnings, reflection and responsibility.
Weather Brief
A cold, damp start at 38 degrees under gray skies, with gusty winds making it feel closer to 30. Conditions remain harsh for anyone outdoors, and commutes may be slower than usual. A Code Blue remains in effect overnight, with outreach teams and shelters on heightened alert.
What to Watch Today
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will formally announce Lillian Bonsignore as FDNY Commissioner, setting up an unusual overlap, and quiet standoff with a concurrent appointment by Mayor Eric Adams.
A federal judge begins charting next steps in the Linda Sun mistrial after jurors deadlocked in the foreign-agent case.
A citywide Code Blue continues, requiring shelters to accept all walk-ins as wind chills dip below freezing.
Oversight scrutiny intensifies at Delaney Hall detention center following a congressional visit after a recent inmate death.
The Lead
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani named Lillian Bonsignore, a veteran EMT and former EMS chief as his choice for FDNY Commissioner just one hour before Mayor Eric Adams was set to make his own appointment. The timing highlights mounting transition tensions and reopens long-standing questions around pay, staffing, and morale within FDNY’s EMS ranks issues that directly shape emergency response in a city that never fully sleeps, even on Christmas Eve.
Power & Accountability
Governor Hochul signed a prison reform package mandating body cameras and expanded oversight, though critics argue the measures stop short of deeper structural change.
A mistrial was declared in the federal case against Linda Sun, a former senior state aide accused of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for China.
NYPD use-of-force incidents rose 20% last year, according to a department report released Tuesday.
Around the City
With the December 31 MetroCard phaseout approaching, concerns are growing among older New Yorkers and riders with limited access to smartphones navigating the OMNY transition.
Code Blue conditions will keep emergency shelters open and accessible through the night as outreach teams increase checks on unsheltered residents.
Advocates warn of rising detections of “Rhino Tranq,” a powerful animal sedative now appearing in the city’s drug supply, complicating overdoses and emergency care.
The Thread
On a day meant for pause, the city is still reckoning with who leads, who is protected, and who bears the weight when systems strain. Christmas Eve doesn’t quiet these questions; it sharpens them. In leadership transitions, public safety debates, and cold streets, New York is reminded of what it asks from people, and what people deserve in return.
One Line to Remember
Even on Christmas Eve, the city’s biggest questions don’t take the day off.
Thanks for checking out today’s edition of The Red, tune in tomorrow for our Christmas Day report.