The Latest

  • Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks into a microphone at a hearing.
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    Jim Vondruska via Getty Images
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    HUD launches fair housing investigation into Minneapolis

    The city said the probe “appears to be about politics, not affordable housing.”

  • A woman wearing glasses sits at a dais with a sign reading, "Mrs. Dingell, Michigan."
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    (2026). "CMT Hearing: Examining Ways to Strengthen Automotive Safety, Affordability, and Leadership" [Video]. Retrieved from House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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    Limits on city, state authority over AVs proposed in new federal bill

    “Significant progress” has been made on the draft, its sponsor said, but safety advocates expressed concern at a recent hearing.

  • Aerial view from skyline with skyscrapers in Brooklyn downtown New York on the Hudson river
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    Getty Images
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    Cities explore tossing rental ‘junk fees’ to ease affordability crisis

    Colorado has banned “hidden” fees. New York City and San Diego may follow suit.

  • A person wearing a suit and tie with a placard on desk that says "Mr. Garcia" in front of a sign with picture of President Donald Trump that says "Threatened Child Care Funding for 66,000 NY Children. In 2025 Pardoned 25 Fraudsters and Robbed Victims"
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    As $10B in federal child care funds hangs in the balance, cities and counties brace for budget shock

    With a court-ordered pause on a federal funding freeze set to expire this week, local governments in five states face the prospect of service disruptions, budget gaps and economic impacts if federal dollars do not resume.

  • City skyline with high rises.
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    With zoning and regulatory changes, cities aim to spur housing growth

    The goals include increased housing density and quicker and cheaper construction. Read how Dallas’ approach stacks up against what experts see coming this year.

  • A blue and yellow bus lettered "100% Electric" and "DASH" on a street with trees.
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    Courtesy of Alexandria Transit Company
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    Alexandria, Virginia, expands transit bus electrification

    The city’s bus system is adding in-route charging for its electric buses and building a new facility with up to 24 overhead chargers as the fleet grows.

  • View of Hammock Lake in Miami-Dade County.
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    Miami-Dade County launches innovation pilot with recycling app Scrapp

    The partnership with Scrapp, which offers recycling education and data analytics, got a boost from a $100,000 county innovation grant.

  • Overhead view of a street alongside two railroad tracks and a parking area with a red tile roofed train station.
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    (2024). "OC Streetcar Corridor Construction April 2024" [Video]. Retrieved from goOCTA/Orange County Transportation Authority.
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    13 transit projects expected to open in the US this year

    Cities are investing in less costly bus rapid transit over light rail systems, says Yonah Freemark of The Transport Politic.

  • A sparse suburban neighborhood with skyscrapers in the distance under a blue sky.
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    Getty Images
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    Chicago is filling vacant city lots with middle-scale housing

    The city is selling its empty lots to developers for $1 and offering up to $150,000 in funding to boost medium-density housing development.

  • A man wearing a tan suit
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    Carol Lee Rose via Getty Images
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    Cities should govern less like bureaucracies, more like networks, experts say

    Mayors must move toward horizontal, mesh-based operating models to meet demands once handled by state and federal governments, panelists at a Harvard Bloomberg Center webinar said.

    Updated Jan. 16, 2026
  • President Donald Trump, wearing blue suit and red tie, speaks into microphone at podium with presidential seal in front of several U.S. flags.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Chicago, New York mayors vow to fight Trump’s ‘sanctuary’ city funding cuts

    “We will be relentless until we restore every dollar that has been withheld by the Trump administration,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

  • A white vehicle outfitted with many sensors stopped at a curb in with people and buildings in the background.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Tracker

    Robotaxis: The latest developments

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she will propose legislation expanding testing of robotaxis outside New York City.

    Updated Jan. 14, 2026
  • Double exposure of coin stack and notebook laptop computer with financial graph on white paper business planning vision and finance analysis concept
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    Getty Images
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    The Municipal Cost Index

    The Municipal Cost Index for November 2025 is now available after a series of delays in the release of federal data following last year’s government shutdown.

    Updated Jan. 14, 2026
  • Closeup of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    New York AG wants RealPage’s lawsuit tossed

    The real estate software company asked for a preliminary injunction in November in an attempt to halt the state’s recent ban on rent-pricing algorithms.

  • Two people hold cardboard signs up to a black SUV with "ICE" and "Police" written on the side.
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    Stephen Maturen via Getty Images
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    Illinois and Minnesota sue to halt federal immigration enforcement tactics

    The lawsuits allege mass ICE and Border Patrol deployments in Chicago and the Twin Cities have undermined public safety, strained municipal resources and violated constitutional limits on federal power.

  • U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Trump administration unlawfully cut clean energy grants, court rules

    The decision is a victory for St. Paul, Minnesota, and a coalition of energy and environmental groups that sued the U.S. Department of Energy after it canceled $7.5 billion in financial awards.

  • Residential homes in various stages of redevelopment
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    Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    A year after LA fires, thousands of homes remain unbuilt. State funds aim to curb displacement.

    California will inject another $107.3 million into communities impacted by last year’s wildfires to fund 673 new affordable rental homes.

  • A head-on view of a stainless steel train painted yellow and black on the front end alongside a station platform.
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    Courtesy of Hitachi Rail
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    New Baltimore subway cars begin to replace 40-year-old trains

    Assembled at a Hitachi factory in Maryland, the rail cars represent a “generational investment,” said a Maryland transportation official.

  • A person wearing a black coat, black hat and sunglasses holds a U.S. flag in front of a statue.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Local officials move to hold federal immigration agents accountable after Minneapolis shooting

    City and state leaders are launching investigations and public reporting portals and testing new legal tools as they weigh questions about jurisdiction, liability and the limits of federal authority.

  • A silver and black train at an underground station with some people on the platform.
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    Getty Images
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    Atlanta region transit agency prepares for FIFA World Cup

    A redesigned bus network and new trains are among the improvements expected to be ready by summer.

  • A city's downtown seen from across a river
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    Getty Images
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    Louisville, Kentucky, joins growing number of cities bringing AI to permitting

    The city also appointed its first-ever chief AI officer to lead its effort to “harness the power” of artificial intelligence.

  • Trump stands at a podium with American flags in the background.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Investors, analysts react to Trump’s single-family home buying ban

    The president’s announcement that he would seek to bar institutional investors from acquiring single-family homes raises big questions for the housing industry.

  • A modern residential building in red and silver stands prominently, with a crane towering behind it.
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    Alamy
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    Senate ‘housing emergency’ bill seeks to spur construction of 4 million US homes

    New legislation asks the federal government to curtail local housing regulations and use the Defense Production Act to boost domestic production of construction materials.

  • Aerial view of many colorful buildings with mountains and a blue sky in the background.
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    Getty Images
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    US DOT awards $1B in SS4A funds for road safety

    Under a revised Safe Streets and Roads for All program that eliminated equity and environmental justice considerations, awards went to 521 projects.

  • Petaluma, Morgan Hill, Trump lawsuit, gas bans
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    Getty Images
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    Trump administration sues cities to stop gas appliance bans

    Federal courts have been mixed on whether the bans run counter to a federal law that sets appliance efficiency standards, which the government argues preempts the bans.