The Mamdani era is officially underway, which means New York is doing what it does best: observing closely, judging quietly, and preparing a spreadsheet of side-eye. We check in on the early vibes, the symbolism, and whether this feels like the start of something new—or just the first episode before the tone shift. Meanwhile, children continue to expose the fact that adults are not in charge of anything. Between fake iPhones, elaborate loopholes, and behavior that suggests long-term strategic planning, we ask the important question: are kids secret geniuses… or have we simply underestimated how clever boredom can make them? And finally, Brandon’s Take turns its attention to New Year’s resolutions—the annual tradition where confidence is high, accountability is low, and January 7th already feels like a soft deadline. Gym memberships are ignored, salads are abandoned, and “this is my year” quietly becomes “I’ll try again in February.”

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, one of the New York City area’s most notorious serial killers has confessed to another killing.

Nicolás Maduro’s first court hearing in the U.S. — a spectacle where he proclaimed he is still Venezuela’s president — was merely the beginning of a legal odyssey that could keep him locked up and out of power for years, maybe even the rest of his life.

And in Washington, President Trump’s administration said that it is withholding funding for programs that support needy families with children in five Democratic-led states over concerns about fraud.

Today’s Update Journal is a study in loss, confusion, and national priorities. We say a proper goodbye to the $6 Dunkin’ Deal—a brief but meaningful chapter in American history where coffee, breakfast, and hope briefly aligned. It was affordable. It was customizable. It got us through inflation, seasonal depression, and mornings we absolutely did not consent to. Gone now, but never forgotten. We will speak of it in hushed tones, like elders recalling a better time. Then we turn to Tony Dokoupil’s debut on the CBS Evening News, which featured awkward pauses, unsettling silence, and the unmistakable energy of a network that hasn’t quite figured out what it wants to be when it grows up. Was it technical issues? Was it a creative choice? Was someone supposed to talk and simply… didn’t? We may never know. But dead air is still air, and CBS sure filled a lot of it. And finally, in today’s honorable mention, we cleanse the palate with something that actually makes sense: Buffalo, New York, setting a chicken wing world record. No identity crisis. No silence. Just sauce, confidence, and a city fully committed to its brand. Cheap coffee fades. Broadcasts stumble. But wings? Wings endure.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, a machete-wielding maniac was shot and killed in a chaotic confrontation with police at a New Jersey home— before cops discovered three dead victims inside the residence, according to authorities and reports.

A defiant Nicolás Maduro declared himself “the president of my country” as he protested his capture and pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power in Venezuela.

And in Washington, the U.S. took the unprecedented step of cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that leading medical groups said would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases.

While I was on vacation doing absolutely nothing productive, New York City decided to enter a brand-new mayoral era, set a cabinet in motion, declare a snow day a “baby-making day” on live television, and remind us all that New Year’s resolutions are a work of fiction written entirely in pencil. In this Update Journal, we catch up on the first few days of the Mamdani era, including cabinet picks that did not take a holiday, a comment that absolutely did not need to be said out loud (but was), and the annual tradition of pretending this is the year we’ll go to the gym, save money, and “drink more water.” I was off. The city was not. The nonsense was fully staffed.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Monday, when deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro makes his first appearance in a New York courtroom today to face U.S. drug charges, he will likely follow the path taken by another Latin American strongman toppled by U.S. forces: Panama’s Manuel Noriega.

It’s just not fare! The MTA’s latest rate hike went into effect Sunday — and exasperated penny-pinching straphangers forced to fork over even the 10 more cents per ride were shaking their heads at the extra expense.

And in Washington, Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell was one of the officers who defended the central West Front entrance to the Capitol that day as Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory and hundreds of Trump’s supporters broke into the building, echoing his false claims of a stolen election. Five years since the siege, Gonell and some of the other police officers who fought off the rioters are still coming to terms with what happened, especially after Trump was decisively elected to a second term last year and granted those pardons.

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?

When the MTA tells you “real-time information is unavailable,” that’s not an update — that’s a warning label. Plans are canceled, vibes are ruined, and suddenly you’re standing at a bus stop like it’s 1997, guessing. From there, we somehow end up deep in Dr. Seuss lore, trying to decode what a Sloo-Slunker is, why the Grinch has been angry for 53 years straight, and whether Roast Beast is a food or a threat. Then, because no year would be complete without it, we close the book — finally — on the Eric Adams era: the accomplishments, the controversies, the headlines, the side-quests, and the moments that made us all collectively squint at the news and say, “Wait… what?” Consider this part history lesson, part comedy special, part exit interview nobody requested but everyone survived. And before we step away for winter break, we pause — just briefly — because it’s been a crazy year. From the tragedies of the helicopter crashes in the Hudson and in D.C., to the wild blue yonder. The news we’ve covered, the people we’ve met, the laughs we’ve had, and the stories we’ve shared. Your stories. My gratitude to all of you on this last episode before a much-needed break.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Tuesday, five people – including two firefighters – were hurt when a massive blaze ripped through a Brooklyn home, officials say.

Four years ago, Mayor Eric Adams swept into office with swaggering confidence, pledging to lead a government unlike any other in history and declaring himself the “future of the Democratic Party.” On the first promise, the mayor more than delivered. But as his tumultuous term comes to an end, Adams, 65, finds himself in the political wilderness, his one-time aspirations as a party leader now a distant memory.

And an internal CBS News battle over a “60 Minutes” story critical of the Trump administration has exploded publicly, with a correspondent charging it was kept off the air for political reasons and news chief Bari Weiss saying the story did not “advance the ball.”

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?

Hello everyone! We're going into #TheUpdate vault to play one of our many episodes throughout our many years of the show. For today's episode, we go into the world of 2020- or as we call it around here, Year 4 of The Update. It was a weird year- starting off in the WKRB studios and then going out on the road (in the middle of a pandemic no less!), but somehow, we found a way to make it work. Oh, and one last thing about this episode- after the show aired, one of my former producers who happened to be listening to the show called me up and invited me out to lunch. How about that?

In this edition of The Update Journal, we solve three great holiday mysteries. First: yes, Freeform does exist on Spectrum — it’s just hiding like it’s in witness protection and apparently moved sometime during the Obama administration. We eventually found it, felt victorious for about six seconds, and immediately forgot the channel number again. Then, we take a moment of silence for the MetroCard. The little yellow-and-blue rectangle that survived decades of bent corners, demagnetized swipes, and frantic “why isn’t this working?” panic at the turnstile is officially on its way out. OMNY may be sleek and modern, but it will never understand the emotional bond between a New Yorker and a card that says “Insufficient Fare” in public. And finally, the holiday wish list from retail workers everywhere: not joy, not cheer, not another version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — just silence. No screaming kids, no “can I speak to a manager,” and no customers discovering on December 23rd that stores close at a certain time on purpose.

In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Monday, an NYPD officer shot and killed a boxcutter-wielding maniac in front of his parents after he charged at her, according to cops.

A New Jersey police chief is facing domestic violence charges in Massachusetts after prosecutors accused him of assaulting a woman at a hotel earlier this year.

And in Florida, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Justice Department’s decision to release just a fraction of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the congressionally mandated deadline as necessary to protect survivors of sexual abuse by the disgraced financier.