Taco Bell, Dunkin' and damage control at City Hall

This week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani made headlines with a YouTube livestream showing him eating Taco Bell and Dunkin', part of a "mukbang"-style push to spotlight enforcement actions against franchise owners accused of violating New York City labor laws, actions that could put hundreds or even thousands of dollars back into workers' pockets. At the same time, the mayor's plan to close a massive $5 billion budget gap also came into sharper focus. Political reporters Bobby Cuza and Kelly Mena, along with Statehouse reporter Bernadette Hogan, break it all down. Then, the "Off Topic" team looks ahead to Albany's likely late state budget, where major policy fights over climate law deadlines, ICE-related measures and more are slowing negotiations. They also examine what those delays could mean for New York City funding and the rollout of class-size mandates.

You can listen to Taco Bell, Dunkin' and damage control at City Hall online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Taco Bell, Dunkin' and damage control at City Hall is an episode from Off Topic/On Politics by Misha Zilman.

This episode is 30:30 long.

This episode was published on Mar 27, 2026.

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