Can Mamdani get NYC out of a budget deficit?

This week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani told New Yorkers the city is facing a staggering $12 billion budget deficit, a shortfall he says he inherited from former Mayor Eric Adams. The news has sparked sharp reactions across the political spectrum — including from some budget mavens who say the city's financial situation isn't a precarious as the mayor claims. NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross and political reporters Bobby Cuza and Ayana Harry break down what the deficit could mean for the new mayor's key campaign promises. Then, a federal judge appointed a new leader for Rikers Island. What does this latest move mean for the troubled jails complex and its future? The "Off Topic" team digs into yet another chapter in the long-running saga of a very problematic island.