Ailsa Chang

The question everybody is asking this week has been, who is 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad, the man held and accused of placing a car bomb in New York's Times Square over the weekend? After two days of intense interrogation efforts, news continues to trickle in about the motives and connections behind the attempted attack.

New York, NY —

New York's highest court is allowing a class action lawsuit to proceed in challenging New York's system of providing public defenders. The state's chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, ruled the suit could proceed because it poses fundamental questions about the fairness of the system. Donna Lieberman, ...

New York, NY —

Terror suspect Faisal Shahzad has waived his right to a speedy arraignment. That means it could be a while before Shazad sees a judge for the first time. The decision could have legal costs for Shahzad -- and legal benefits.

Federal prosecutors first announced Shahzad ...

WNYC reporter Ailsa Chang is at the Manhattan federal courthouse where the alleged Times Square bomb suspect, Faisal Shahzad is expected to arrive. The courthouse is mobbed with news cameras all waiting for his arrival.

New York, NY —

For the hundreds of stores, hotels, companies and theaters that populate Times Square, Saturday's failed car bombing raises the question - are businesses prepared to deal with a real emergency in the middle of one the busiest districts in the world?

Tim Tompkins is president of ...

Policemen and street vendors have been applauded for their quick reaction to Saturday's bomb scare, but how did the shops and businesses in Times Square respond? WNYC's Ailsa Chang has been talking to officials at hotels and businesses in the area to answer some questions about what kind of security ...

New York, NY —

Police are still investigating the failed bomb attack in Times Square Saturday night and who might be responsible for parking the SUV filled with explosives. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says even though New York is such a prominent target, people should feel safe living here because ...

New York, NY —

The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow. For more than 125 years, that race has meant seersucker suits, fancy hats, and frosty mint juleps. But that’s not the scene at the Off-Track Betting parlors here in the city, where bettors watch the horses. These bankrupt parlors feature ...

New York, NY —

The trial of a former Queens student accused of sending equipment to al-Qaida fighters begins Wednesday in Lower Manhattan. Syed Hashmi, 30, faces four counts of providing support to the terrorist organization.

A federal judge ruled Monday that the jury for Hashmi will remain anonymous and ...

Negotiators for building workers and real estate owners agreed on a tentative four-year contract shortly after midnight, averting a strike by some 30,000 doormen, porters, concierges, and handymen that was set to begin Wednesday morning.

The new contract gave the building workers nearly everything they demanded: wage increases, full employer-paid ...

New York, NY —

Negotiators for New York City building workers and real estate owners reached agreement on a tentative four-year contract, averting a strike by some 30,000 doormen, porters, concierges, and handymen that was set to begin Wednesday morning.

The deal was reached shortly after midnight, as negotiations at ...

New York, NY —

Workers at the bankrupt New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation say they're relieved operations did not shut down over the weekend, but about half of the 1,300 employees could lose their jobs by the end of the year.

OTB worked out an emergency plan over the ...

New York, NY —

Intensive contract negotiations are underway to avert a strike next week of nearly 30,000 doormen, porters, concierges and other apartment workers in the city. The workers say they will strike if building owners try to reduce health and retirement benefits and sick days.

Contract negotiations resumed ...

A federal judge in Brooklyn has ordered Queens imam Ahmad Afzali to leave the country in 90 days after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

New York, NY —

Attorney General Eric Holder says New York City is still "not off the table" as a place to try alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. His remarks came during a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee today.

Holder says he'll consider the concerns of ...

New York, NY —

Queens imam Ahmad Afzali has been ordered to leave the country in 90 days after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI.

Afzali, who was born in Afghanistan, was linked last September to Najibullah Zazi, the Denver airport driver who plotted to blow up bombs on ...

More than 10,000 doormen, porters, handymen, and other apartment workers took to the streets of the Upper East Side to keep all their health benefits and sick days.

New York, NY —

Lawmakers in Albany have ended session for the week without deciding on a bailout for New York City Off-Track Betting. Union leaders say that means 1,300 workers will be without jobs this Sunday if the bankrupt OTB proceeds with its plan to shut down all ...

New York, NY —

More than 10,000 doormen, porters, handymen, and other apartment workers took to the streets of the Upper East Side to keep all their health benefits and sick days.

Members of the union, 32BJ, say they'll strike if they don't get a new contract by next ...

Sanjay Manocha had a sinking feeling it would be him.

More than a year ago, his law firm announced there would be layoffs. Manocha had practiced for four years at that point, and was already having mixed feelings about his career as a litigator. He often found himself chained to ...