Good evening, New York City. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know about for tonight and tomorrow, as well as your weather outlook.
Your Weather Planner
Scattered thunderstorms are expected to taper off by around 6 p.m. this evening, and highs will eventually fall to the mid-70s.
It will be mainly dry on Saturday.
Introducing Spectrum News+
Watch the latest news and more local stories from across the country.
Today’s Big Stories
1. Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos begins serving his 7-year fraud sentence
Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos began serving a seven-year prison sentence today for the fraud charges that got him ousted from Congress, authorities said.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Santos reported to FCI Fairton, a medium-security federal correctional institution in Fairton, New Jersey.
2. ‘Summer Streets’ to kick off in Queens, Staten Island this weekend
The city’s “Summer Streets” program will officially kick off this weekend and run on four subsequent Saturdays in August, officials said.
This year’s initiative features more than 22 miles of car-free streets in total, including a car-free route stretching from the top to the bottom of Manhattan, the city Department of Transportation said in a release.
3. STooPS Festival honors Bed-Stuy’s creative spirit
The 12th annual STooPS Festival will kick off in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Saturday. The event features an art crawl through the Brooklyn neighborhood, as well as a block party.
Organizers say attendees will get a chance to “celebrate the hidden gems of Bed-Stuy.” NY1’s Roger Clark got a preview of the event.
4. Podcast: Mamdani leaves town as Adams splits with Trump
This week, the Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is thousands of miles away from the city vacationing in his native Uganda. Back in the city, Mayor Eric Adams is creating distance between himself and the Trump administration, with remarks questioning the conditions at a federal immigration center in Lower Manhattan.
On the latest “Off Topic” podcast, NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross and political reporters Kelly Mena and Bobby Cuza unpack the race for mayor. They also discuss the race for one of three coveted downstate casino licenses.
5. Things to do in New York City: July 26-27
New York City is a multicultural hub with dozens of museums, hundreds of parks and millions of people.
The number of potential things to see and do can feel overwhelming, but NY1 has you covered with some of the highlights taking place this weekend across the five boroughs.
6. Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools
The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programs, the Education Department said today.
President Donald Trump’s administration had withheld $6 billion in funding on July 1 as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House’s priorities.
7. Dozens of kids and adults in Gaza have starved to death in July as hunger surges
Health workers and aid groups fear hunger that has been building in Gaza for months under Israel’s blockade is now reaching a tipping point into accelerating death.
The Gaza Health Ministry says that in the past three weeks, at least 48 people died of causes related to malnutrition, including 20 children. That’s up from 10 children who died in the five previous months of 2025.