ALBANY -- State lawmakers returning to session Wednesday plan to make New York State more affordable by focusing on expanding childcare and tackling rising utility and health care costs, legislative leaders told Newsday.

The inauguration of Zohran Mamdani takes place at City hall in New York, Jan. 1, 2026. (Paola Chapdelaine/The New York Times) Whether Mayor Zohran Mamdani has the skills and good fortune to succeed in the so-called second-hardest job in America no one can yet say.

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