New York Gov. Kathy Hochul gave the green light Thursday to relaunch the drive for congestion pricing in New York City , a first-in-the-nation plan aimed at reducing gridlock by imposing a $9 toll on most vehicles entering the core of Manhattan during peak hours. Hochul made the announcement four months after she put the brakes on an earlier version that would have gone into effect in June and would have charged cars $15 to enter Manhattan below 61st Street, and hit trucks with even higher tolls a few months later. At the time, Hochul said congestion pricing at that rate would be a hardship on New Yorkers struggling to make ends meet in the post-pandemic economy. “I believe that no New Yorker should have to pay a penny more than absolutely necessary to achieve these ...

NEW YORK CITY — The FBI seized a cellphone and other electronic devices of betting site Polymarket’s CEO Shayne Coplan in a raid on his New York City apartment early Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter. The search comes just weeks after the company’s markets wagered correctly and controversially in Donald Trump’s favor in bets for who would win the presidential election, despite opinion polls showing a tight race. The 26-year-old was at home when numerous agents entered his apartment Wednesday and he turned over his devices to authorities, the source said, adding that Coplan has not been arrested or charged. The source said it’s not clear if Coplan or Polymarket are targets of an investigation. “New phone, who dis?” Coplan posted on X following ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees’ nearby spring training ballpark amid uncertainty about the future of hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, Rays executives said on Thursday. Stuart Sternberg, the Rays’ principal owner, said in an interview that Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is the best fit for the team and its fanbase. At about 11,000 seats, it’s also the largest of the spring training sites in Florida. “It is singularly the best opportunity for our fans to experience 81 games of major league Rays baseball,” Sternberg said. “As difficult as it is to get any of these stadiums up to major league standards, it was the least difficult. You’re going to see Major League Baseball in a small environment.” Baseball Commiss...

A federal appeals court has upheld an Indiana law banning the use of puberty blockers and hormones for transgender children under the age of 18, one of numerous such laws passed by Republican-controlled states. The 2-1 decision from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday comes as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a challenge to a similar law in Tennessee, which may ultimately determine whether all such state laws around the country can be enforced. The 7th Circuit had already allowed the law to take effect in February while it considered the challenge by families of transgender children and healthcare providers, reversing a lower court order blocking it. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita wrote on X that the decision was “a huge win for Hoosiers a...

PARIS — Thousands of police officers are set to be deployed around Paris on Thursday ahead of a soccer game between France and Israel, seeking to avoid a repeat of last week's violence in Amsterdam involving locals and Israeli fans. The international match is expected to be met by widespread protests a week after the unrest in the Netherlands and amid heightened tensions in Europe over Israel’s deadly assault on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon . Paris police confirmed to NBC News around 4,000 officers would be on duty, with some 2,500 deployed to ensure security around the Stade de France, in the suburb of Saint-Denis just north of the capital, and some 1,500 posted elsewhere across the city. “It’s an exceptional measure, three to four times greater than...

When I walk into my mat or reformer Pilates class, I always bring a pair of socks to change into. I don’t like to wear my everyday cotton socks for workouts since they tend to slide around in them. Instead, I wear Pilates-specific socks, which typically have grips on the bottom that are designed to keep you from slipping. And while you can technically do Pilates barefoot (depending on the practice and studio), most teachers require you to wear socks since it’s more sanitary and safer since the grips reduce the risk of injury. Regular cotton socks can get sweaty and move around, which is very dangerous when using any type of machine, according to Bekah Kilisnki , vice president of operations and lead coach at Form50 , a workout studio in New York City and Miami. To help ...