Trump vs. NY AG Letitia James: What's behind the fraud accusations in an ongoing feud

Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ☀️ Sunny, highs in the upper 60s.

It's Friday in New York City, where the state's attorney general, Letitia James, lives in a Clinton Hill brownstone.

But in 2023, she signed a notarized mortgage document for a house in Norfolk, Virginia, stating that she intended to "occupy this property as my principal residence."

Now, the Federal Housing Finance Agency is referring James — who has a history of challenging President Donald Trump in court — for potential criminal prosecution for mortgage fraud.

Here's what we know about these accusations — and the political feud behind it all.

And here's what else is happening:

• Are we getting a Trump Station? The federal Department of Transportation said it's taking over the reconstruction of Penn Station and kicking the MTA off the project. 
  • Mayor Eric Adams' administration, meanwhile, is quietly standing up to Trump's transportation department, arguing in a new court filing that the president's attempt to kill congestion pricing "undermines the rule of law itself."
• The disgruntled former operator of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport said the city should replace the waterfront landing pad with a park after last week’s helicopter crash in the Hudson River.
• Who is Mohsen Mahdawi, the Columbia student arrested by ICE this week? A prominent advocate for peace between Israel and Gaza, his classmates and professors told Gothamist.
• Five months into Jessica Tisch's tenure as the commissioner of the NYPD, it's apparent that she's breaking from her predecessors by cracking down on police officers found guilty of misconduct.
• Luigi Mangione, who federal prosecutors say should face the death penalty for allegedly murdering a health care CEO in Midtown last year, was formally indicted on federal charges yesterday.
• Starting this month, New Yorkers receiving cash assistance could be at risk of losing their benefits if they don’t show that they're working, enrolled in a job search program or have evidence that they can’t work.
• The Trump administration has halted construction on a major offshore wind project on Long Island that supporters say would power more than 1 million homes.
• The affluent town of Emerson, New Jersey, has rejected a proposal from a nonprofit to open a new facility to house homeless families.
• Zyn pouches will not be banned as part of this year's New York state budget deal.
• For National Poetry Month, WNYC's Morning Edition is collecting your poems in the spirit of different literary genres. For next week, we want your poems inspired by "mystery." Just send us your poem with a voice recording, along with your name and where you live, to yourvoice@wnyc.org. 

• Mayor Adams' t-shirt thing took another weird turn this week.
• "New Sounds" lives, thanks in part to the anonymous donor of $1.2 million. ("New Sounds" and Gothamist are both owned by New York Public Radio.)
• State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who's among the candidates challenging Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic mayoral nomination, said the former governor's "mental acuity is in decline," adding that the city can't afford "a Joe Biden moment."
• Bellevue Hospital officials say their new medical unit designed for treating Rikers Island detainees is finished and ready for use. The corrections department disagrees.
• Shen Yun is being sued by two former dancers for allegedly making its fortune off the back of an "army of child laborers."
• "The crew who flew to space this week on an automated flight by Blue Origin were brave and glam, but you cannot identify as an astronaut. They do not meet the FAA astronaut criteria," said federal transportation secretary Sean Duffy.
• Big old brutalist office for sale.
• "Most Americans aren't hurting for protein."