Mayor Bloomberg spoke to the New York Building Congress this afternoon about the need to fund mass-transit improvements with the revenue from his congestion-pricing plan — and we've never seen him looking quite so gloomy. With seven days until Albany can either endorse or suffocate a bid for $400 million in federal start-up aid, Bloomberg began the address with his usual brio but wound down in obvious frustration. He downgraded his prepared text's "I believe the legislation will pass" to a meeker "I hope"; then, at the end, he croaked out a subdued "I need your help" before the applause. A source close to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, meantime, is talking up half-measure counterproposals and says the State Senate, allegedly in Bloomberg's corner, might not vote on the plan at all. We'd be depressed, too. —Alec Appelbaum

Earlier: Daily Intel's coverage of Bloomberg's congestion-pricing plan