Assemblymember's place on ballot may be in jeopardy over allegations of forgeries, fraud

Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ☁️ Cloudy, possible morning showers, highs in the mid 50s.

It's Wednesday in New York City, where three-term state Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, who's seeking reelection, could get knocked off this year's Democratic primary ballot.

Under New York election rules, she was required to obtain 500 signatures from registered party voters in her Queens district in order to appear on the ballot.

At first glance, Rajkumar seemed golden: She turned in 2,500 signatures. But after the city's Board of Elections tossed hundreds of signatures that didn't meet all the proper criteria, her primary challenger, David Orkin, filed a lawsuit arguing that more should be scrapped because they were allegedly forged. 

Here's how the allegations mirror the signature fraud saga of Rajkumar's old ally, former Mayor Eric Adams.

And here's what else is happening:

• Police this morning said they're looking for the father of an infant who was found alone in a stroller in Times Square last night.
• A 72-year-old grandmother was struck and killed in Co-Op City yesterday afternoon when a driver had a medical episode and crashed into a bench, officials said.
• The NYPD said yesterday that the fatal shooting of 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore in her Brooklyn stroller earlier this month stemmed from a rivalry between young men from different public housing developments and that the intended target was the baby girl's father.
• Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the team of police officers responsible for beating a man inside a Gowanus liquor store last week has been disbanded.
• Last week's derailment of a freight train carrying hazardous materials in North Bergen, New Jersey, demonstrated some of the major concerns of those who've long objected to these trains rolling through densely populated areas.
• Progressive Democrats in South Jersey say the mail-in ballot design for an upcoming June primary violates a new state law by once again giving advantageous placement to a candidate backed by the local Democratic committee.
• Reminder: Look up at around 10 p.m. tonight, we're getting a meteor shower.

• ICE arrests on Long Island far exceed the number in New York City, due to both Nassau and Suffolk County law enforcement's cooperation with the feds as well as the fact that car-dominant areas make it easier for authorities to pull over and apprehend people.
• "Teenagers have First Amendment rights, and that includes a right to browse the internet": The New York Civil Liberties Union is opposing new City Council bills that would limit teens' social media usage to an hour a day.
• Make it 12 straight losses for the Mets.
• Police in Albany saved a black bear that was stuck in a tree by tranquilizing the animal and waiting for it to drop onto their big net.
• Sorry to the iced strawberry matcha latte but they're saying the strawberry açai Refresher from Starbucks is actually the New York City teen status drink.
• Meanwhile, can't forget about the best soy latte that you’ve ever had.