Morning Headlines: NYPD Seeks White House Approval to Disable Hostile Drones Over City, Commission Considers New Powers for Borough Presidents, and Lindor, J...

Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City. From WNYC, it's Thursday, July 3rd. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill.

Michael Hill: The NYPD wants permission from the White House to take down potentially hostile drones spotted over the city. WNYC's Charles Lane reports.

Charles Lane: Only federal agencies are currently allowed to disable drones. For big events like the 4th of July, the NYPD relies on partners like the FBI to intervene if one of the aerial vehicles poses a threat. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says that's not enough.

Commissioner Jessica Tisch: We really need to be able to be nimble and have the authority to do drone mitigation ourselves.

Charles Lane: The department has been lobbying Congress on the matter for years, but Tisch says a recent executive order might soon give city police that power. Privacy advocates say the tech push shows the NYPD is in a "paranoid bubble."

Michael Hill: New York City has fired borough presidents, but the elected officials wield little actual authority. That could change soon. A City Commission wants to empower borough presidents with decisive votes on land use applications. That is, if the City Council rejects rezoning or development plans. This appeal board would also include the mayor and City Council Speaker. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso backs the idea. We're in a crisis, and I want to do everything I can to get us out of that crisis. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams says she opposes a plan to circumvent council members. The proposal will likely appear on general election ballots this November.

New York will be well represented at this year's All-Star Game. Met shortstop Francisco Lindor is heading to the exhibition game as a starter. Major League Baseball announced that Lindor will start at shortstop for the National League on July 15th Atlanta. It's his fifth career All-Star nod, but his first since joining the Mets. Yankee slugger Aaron Judge will also be on the lineup, playing in the outfield. This is Judge's fifth straight selection as an All-Star Game starter and his seventh starter appearance overall. That game is on, as we said, July 15th in Atlanta. 74 and sunny now with a chance of mid-afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

Sunny at 89, so a warm one today with a calm wind, and then tomorrow Independence Day, looking dry. Sunny 85, a light wind, and then Friday night, mostly clear, 68, light north wind, and a great night for fireworks.

Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. More soon.

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