Thanks for your loyalty. We’ve been listening to your suggestions, and we’ll be incorporating some of these going forward by updating the look, feel, and even some of the content in the Daily Brief. Your support and readership mean the world to us, and we are committed to providing you with the best possible newsletter experience.
To ensure consistent delivery of this newsletter, please move this email into your primary inbox! If you have any questions or encounter any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].
Happy Monday in New York City, where mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will not be the 111th mayor after all.
According to evidence identified by historian Paul Hortenstine and confirmed in an official 1674 document discovered by Department of Records researcher Michael Lorenzini, Mayor Matthias Nicolls, the sixth mayor of New York, was also the city’s eighth mayor. Nicolls served nonconsecutive terms, but his second stint wasn’t officially recorded in city documents.
Nicolls first became mayor in 1672 when New York boasted a total of 2,500 residents. His forgotten second term set off a domino effect of misnumbering that stretched over 350 years into the future. That means Mayor Fiorella de Guardia, widely hailed as New York’s greatest mayor, was not #99 after all, but #100. Eric Adams, who repeatedly calls himself “number 110,” is actually 111. Mamdani, who is set to be sworn in as the 111th mayor in just over two weeks, is actually the 112th.
Poor Nicolls, doomed to be forever skipped over in the lore of New York City. He and Fourth Avenue should form a club.
The community of Assembly District 47, which includes parts of Gravesend and Bath Beach, is rallying to replace the donated toys that were stolen from Assemblymember William Colton’s office last week.
A joint investigation by the New York City Council and state agencies found health and safety violations at 15 out of 15 “med spas” inspected across the five boroughs.
The City Council on Thursday announced a $2 million capital investment to renovate and expand the neonatal intensive care unit at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.
New York City’s Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser on Friday announced the launch of a program to bring free digital skills training to 330,000 NYCHA residents, including tenants of more than 60 developments across Brooklyn.
Local leaders stepped in to secure an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor’s invitation to speak at a Brooklyn middle school.
The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous is sending $380,000 to people living in 10 different countries who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, constituting the largest one-time seasonal award in the foundation’s 30-year history.
On Thursday, Dec. 11, the Met Council brought together representatives from 30 halal-serving pantries to launch the Ramadan Food Operation and to strategize on delivery.
The U.S. State Department is offering up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Ecuadorian fugitive Francisco Manuel Bermúdez Cagua, an alleged senior leader of the violent criminal group Los Choneros.
Law enforcement officials arrested Nick Reiner in connection with the murder of his father, celebrated actor and director Rob Reiner, and his mother, Michele Reiner, in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.
13 Investment Errors You Should Avoid
Successful investing is often less about making the right moves and more about avoiding the wrong ones. With our guide, 13 Retirement Investment Blunders to Avoid, you can learn ways to steer clear of common errors to help get the most from your $1M+ portfolio—and enjoy the retirement you deserve.
Our World In Photos
Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
WASHINGTON — It’s not red, it’s not MAGA, but that is definitely a hat: President Donald Trump attends a bill signing ceremony with members of the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey team, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington.
For more pictures like this, see Our World in Photos.
The Warner Bros. water tower is seen at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP.
Across sectors, U.S. industry is dominated by “Big Threes” — from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, to American, Delta and United, to Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Now in the digital age, we are rapidly moving to a consolidation of streaming services, with Netflix, Amazon and Disney emerging as the “Big Three” of online media entertainment. Netflix’s $72 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. is the latest step in the process. Click here for more on the future of streaming and “big threes” in industries.
🔎 Today’s Statistic
22% Improvement in Air Quality
When a congestion pricing program was first proposed in New York City, one of the chief selling points was the promise of improving air quality by reducing vehicle emissions. Nearly a year into the experiment, that promise seems to be coming true.
In January 2025, New York City became the first city in America to launch a congestion pricing program. The city’s Department of Transportation set up tolls throughout Lower Manhattan, charging most car drivers $9 and large truck drivers $22 to enter the Congestion Relief Zone, which stretches from Battery Park to 60th Street. While the most discussed benefits of the program included raising money for the MTA and easing commute times, environmental activists also pointed to the policy’s potential to improve air quality.
According to a study published on Dec. 8 by researchers at Cornell University, average levels of fine particulate matter within the Congestion Relief Zone fell by 22% over the first six months of the program, dropping from 13.8 micrograms per cubic meter to 10.8. These tiny airborne particles, about 1/30th the width of a human hair, can be inhaled deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, increasing the risk of asthma, respiratory illness, heart disease and stroke.
The improvements were not limited to Manhattan. The study also found statistically significant declines in airborne particles across the five boroughs and even the wider metropolitan area, suggesting that the benefits of congestion pricing are not confined to the tolling zone. This is especially significant because many of the program’s critics expected that vehicles rerouting to avoid the tolls would lead to a spike in air pollution outside of Manhattan.
Researchers attribute much of the air quality improvement to an 18% reduction in heavy-duty truck traffic, since trucks are the largest contributors to particulate pollution. The study also found a 9% reduction in passenger vehicle traffic.
In addition to cleaner air, the congestion program has led to a 14% reduction in traffic accidents and a 45% reduction in traffic-related noise complaints. The program is also on track to raise the targeted $500 million for the MTA this year.
“Congestion pricing didn’t just cause traffic to relocate, it didn’t just shift air pollution over down to New Jersey. Instead, it caused a systemwide change in how people are commuting,” said Tim Fraser, one of the authors of the study and an assistant teaching professor at Cornell Engineering.
The Mini
Our solver finished in 59 seconds. Can you beat it?
Cartoon Sketchbook
Data Gluttony by John Darkow
For the Road
Artist Spotlight: Recess Art Space in Clinton Hill is featuring “Sick Center,” through Jan. 10, a research and gathering space for sick and disabled listening, sound-making and shared experimentation. Created by disabled musician Anna RG, the project arises out of the observation that many disabled or sick people of the past have been left out of the musical archives. Click here for more.
Happy Birthday to the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which became effective on this day in 1933. It repealed the 18th Amendment, which instituted a nationwide prohibition on alcohol beginning in 1919.
On This Day in 1949, the Eagle reported, “It’s definitely settled ― those Brooklyn Dodgers WILL play basketball on the stage of the Brooklyn Paramount starting Monday night. Of course, the team composed of Gil Hodges, Ralph Branca, Eddie Miksis, Rex Barney and Don Newcombe won’t be known as the Brooklyn Dodgers. They’ll be the Brooklyn All-Stars, and they’ll play a series of six games on the Paramount’s huge 89-foot stage on consecutive Monday nights at 8:45.”
Got a tip? Send it in to [email protected].