This Week's Headlines: A bad DREAM and a Gateway to compromise

President Donald Trump invited lawmakers from New York and New Jersey to the White House on Thursday, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, to discuss the Gateway Program. The new administration had been slow to act on the proposed tunnel underneath the Hudson River, but now the president seems receptive to moving forward. Rep. Pete King, who was present at the meeting, referred to it as a “love-in,” with Trump referring to Cuomo as “my governor.” Perhaps after siding with Schumer on raising the debt ceiling, the president is more open to bipartisan brainstorming for New York’s biggest infrastructure project.

RELATED: New school year starts with anxiety over DACA

DREAM on?

President Donald Trump’s administration announced that it is ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allowed young adults brought into the U.S. illegally as children to remain and work in the country, and urged Congress to take action before the program expires in six months. Trump then tweeted that night that he would “revisit” the issue if Congress failed to act, creating confusion over the future of the roughly 800,000 people in the program, often called “Dreamers” for the failed DREAM Act that would have ensured their stay. Regardless of Trump’s intentions, New York lawmakers reacted swiftly to the announcement, which affects around 30,000 DACA recipients in the state. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman joined other states in suing the administration to protect DACA recipients.

De Blasio defends his record

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stood tall – first on the cover of New York magazine, where he gave an extensive interview, and then on the stage at his second primary debate with Democratic challenger Sal Albanese. Defending his accomplishments as mayor, he touted reduced crime and improvements in education. The two candidates also tackled the real important issues – the Boston Red Sox and smoking marijuana. As with the policy-related questions, the mayor found a way to avoid giving straight answers.

Bunches of lunches

Apparently there is such thing as a free lunch. New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced that all 1.1 million students in the city school district will qualify for free lunches this year. The state recently changed its system for determining how many families qualified for federal benefits, making New York City qualify for the federal government’s Community Eligibility Provision, which will pay for schools to provide free lunches for all.