| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Presented by Equinor | Taxpayers are cutting their first paycheck today for Eric Adams, which means it's time for the new mayor to make good on one of his more unusual promises: to take the first three installments of his salary in Bitcoin. And so he is, though there's a bit of fine print here: U.S. Department of Labor regulations require New York City to pay its employees, even the mayor, in good old-fashioned U.S. dollars. So Adams will be using Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, to automatically convert his pay into Bitcoin and Ethereum. How much? His biweekly check comes out to $9,924.66 before taxes, based on an annual salary of $258,750. "New York is the center of the world, and we want it to be the center of cryptocurrency and other financial innovations," Adams said as he announced the details of his unique approach to getting paid. Indeed, the crypto world has been cheered by his enthusiasm. One firm, Apex Crypto, followed his paycheck announcement with a pledge to triple its workforce in New York City over the next two years. But not everyone views the mayor's financial gambit as an economic boon or even a harmless quirk. Eyebrows went up after POLITICO reported that Adams — who made a point of saying he traveled to Puerto Rico for a post-election political conference on his own dime — got there on the private jet of crypto-billionaire Brock Pierce. And the industry is the subject of controversy over the environmental impact of its mining operations, which use huge amounts of energy. Some Democrats are pushing for a crackdown on cryptocurrency, calling it the next frontier in the climate fight. Adams will presumably not be among them, saying he believes "being on the forefront of such innovation will help us create jobs, improve our economy, and continue to be a magnet for talent from all over the globe." IT'S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S KATHY? Speaking at the Long Island Association state of the region breakfast, touring Brookhaven National Laboratory, and briefing on Covid-19. WHERE'S ERIC? Appearing on CNN's New Day. | | | | A message from Equinor: Can a wind turbine generate more than electricity? We believe it can. At Equinor, we're planning to power 2,000,000 New York homes with homegrown, renewable energy that will also boost the economy and generate jobs. And we will do more. Equinor is a broad energy company with an ambitious net-zero target for 2050. We're pursuing the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind developments in the US and quickly becoming a leader in this growing industry. | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | "NYC Council ratifies new leadership posts; Brewer to head investigations in blow to the mayor," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland and Chris Sommerfeldt: "The City Council ratified dozens of leadership posts Thursday, including the assignment of several key roles that will almost certainly have a bearing on the future of Mayor Adams' policy goals. The legislative body's vote laid out which Council members will head which committees, with 49 of 51 Council members voting in favor of the appointments and two abstaining. Among the most important leadership spots are Finance Committee head, which went to Councilman Justin Brannan; chair of the Oversight and Investigations Committee, which went to Councilwoman Gale Brewer; and the head of the Public Safety Committee, which went to Kamillah Hanks." — Republican City Council Member Vicki Paladino was granted a waiver from the city's vaccine requirement to allow her to come to City Hall even though she refuses to reveal her vaccination status. " NYC Has Its Largest Municipal Workforce Ever. Mayor Eric Adams Wants To Shrink It," by Gothamist's Elizabeth Kim: "At a recent news briefing announcing the consolidation of the city's technology agencies, Mayor Eric Adams leveled a time-worn accusation at city government, typically expressed by fiscal watchdog groups and disgruntled New Yorkers. 'Taxpayers are just not getting their money's worth,' he told reporters on Wednesday, later adding without proof, 'Trust me there's fraud and mismanagement in these agencies and we need to go after them.' Under his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, the number of full-time city employees grew to more than 337,000 — its highest level in history — as the city's budget rose to a record $103 billion with the help of federal stimulus funds." "Even as Omicron Wanes, New York City's Teachers Are in a Holding Pattern," by New Yorker's Jessica Winter: "On any given day this January, Sabina McNamara, an English Language Arts teacher at a middle school in Brooklyn, has taught a total of about seventy students. But, while the number itself is relatively fixed, she said, the kids themselves keep changing. 'There's a core of about thirty students who have been coming every day, and the other forty—it varies,' she told me. 'Every morning is, 'Who's coming to school today?' Some of her students have been out owing to covid-19 infections or exposures. Others are being kept home out of parental caution." — Omicron was probably present in New York City's wastewater more than a week before the first case of the new variant was detected in the United States, according to a CDC report. " Gov. Hochul's Interborough Express linking Brooklyn and Queens faces engineering challenges," by New York Daily News' Clayton Guse: "The MTA must do a delicate dance with freight railroad companies to build a new passenger rail service between Brooklyn and Queens, according to a feasibility study released by Gov. Hochul Thursday. The new line — dubbed the Interborough Express — would run along a 14-mile stretch of tracks between Bay Ridge and Jackson Heights that until the 1920s were used for passenger trains, but are now only used for freight rail. Transit officials estimate it would serve up to 88,000 riders per day, and would only take 40 minutes to run from end to end." — "Hochul Paves Way Forward For Congestion Pricing With New Laws And Penalties for Toll Evaders," by WNYC's Stephen Nessen: "The governor's proposed budget includes new fine structures and rules related to drivers obscuring license plates to avoid paying tolls as well as changing vehicle registration to avoid paying tickets that they have racked up. It also addresses attempts to fraudulently get a vehicle exempt from congestion pricing." "Bragg Admits He Botched Policy Rollout, But Stands By Controversial Memo," by WNYC's Gwynne Hogan: "Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg acknowledged Thursday that he botched the rollout of his controversial Day 1 Policy Memo which sparked immediate backlash and weeks of relentless tabloid coverage. But, during a virtual appearance before a panel at New York University Law School, he stood by the underlying policies within the document. 'I've been a lawyer for a long time. I've been doing the work. I have not been a comms person,' Bragg told the panel of attorneys Thursday afternoon." — The DA's new policy on prosecuting resisting arrest will affect few cases. #DownstateAmerica: Colin Jost and Pete Davidson bought the Staten Island Ferry boat that was up for auction. | | | | JOIN NEXT FRIDAY TO HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : As we head into the third year of the pandemic, state governors are taking varying approaches to public health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. "The Fifty: America's Governors" is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. Learn what is working and what is not from the governors on the front lines, REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Former IG Letizia Tagliafierro pushed transfer of trooper Cuomo allegedly harassed," by Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons: "Letizia Tagliafierro, a former top aide to then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo who later became his state inspector general, was the unnamed 'high-level staff member' in the Executive Chamber who four years ago directed the State Police to bend the rules so that a young female trooper whom the governor met at an event could be appointed to his protective detail. Tagliafierro's role in the matter was revealed Thursday when state Attorney General Letitia James' office released another tranche of transcripts from an investigation into allegations that Cuomo had sexually harassed or acted inappropriately with multiple women, including the trooper who went on to become one of his drivers. "In a deposition with the attorney general's investigators in June, Vincent Straface, a former commander of the governor's Protective Services Unit, confirmed that in late 2017 he had a conversation with Tagliafierro, who was then a special counsel to the governor, and informed her the female trooper and another member they wanted on the protective detail did not have enough time on the job to meet the minimum qualifications." — "The latest round of documents being made public include the video testimony of the former governor's brother, ex-CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who was fired by the network last year after documents showed he played a larger role than initially claimed in responding to the harassment allegations. Additional transcripts and documents include testimony from outside Cuomo advisors Richard Bamberger, Josh Vlasto and Larry Schwartz. All three men had previously worked for Cuomo in the governor's office," via Spectrum's Nick Reisman "A budget fight over Clean Slate begins," by City & State's Rebecca C. Lewis: "Criminal justice reform advocates applauded Gov. Kathy Hochul when she included the Clean Slate Act as part of her 2022 legislative agenda. The bill, which came close to passing at the end of last year's session, would seal the records of most people convicted of a felony or misdemeanor several years after completing their sentences — as long as they don't get charged with any additional crimes. Hochul included it as part of a broader plan to help formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into their communities and find employment upon their release. But the version of the bill that Hochul included as part of her new executive budget includes several small yet significant changes compared to the version that lawmakers nearly passed last year. Most notably, Hochul wants to increase the number of years formerly incarcerated people would need to wait to have their records sealed. And criminal justice reform advocates are urging Hochul to adopt the bill that already exists in the Legislature." "Unvaxxed NY Judge Defies Courthouse Ban As Others Ousted," by Law360's Frank G. Runyeon: "An unvaccinated New York state judge barred from his courthouse over COVID-19 concerns has been violating court administrators' orders this month by repeatedly returning maskless while also conducting criminal arraignments by video. The actions of Poughkeepsie City Court Judge Frank M. Mora underscore what critics deem a double standard favoring judges in the enforcement of COVID-19 rules. Even as state officials are poised to fire more than 320 unvaccinated court employees, they say they cannot formally discipline Judge Mora any more than they can Court of Appeals Judge Jenny Rivera, who has continued handling cases remotely despite flouting the vaccine mandate." "Applying for rental assistance is protecting some tenants from eviction," by Times Union's Rebekah F. Ward: "The day before New York's statewide eviction moratorium was set to expire on Saturday, residents of state Sen. Cordell Cleare's upper Manhattan district got a prerecorded call from her office in Harlem. 'Tenants who've lost income due to COVID-19 and were unable to pay rent during the pandemic may once again apply to the state's Emergency Rental Assistance Program,' Cleare's message said. 'Applying for the program will help protect eligible tenants from eviction, and get them in line for funding if more arrives.' That funding may never come. But lawmakers and advocates across the state, like Cleare, are scrambling to let tenants know that the built-in eviction stay for ERAP applicants with pending cases is one of several reasons last weekend's moratorium-end may not mean inevitable or immediate eviction for nonpaying tenants." #UpstateAmerica: Did you know? Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Winemaker of the Year is the Finger Lakes' Fred Merwarth, one of the owners of Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, which is now emerging in the national and international spotlight. | | | | A message from Equinor:   | | |
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "Congressman Jamaal Bowman arrested outside Capitol Building during voting rights protest," by Journal News' David Propper and Eduardo Cuevas: "Congressman Jamaal Bowman was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol Building on Thursday during a protest over voting rights, according to his office. U.S. Capitol Police arrested Bowman, who represents southern Westchester County, including Yonkers, and a portion of the Bronx, along with nearly 30 other demonstrators that have been on a hunger strike in support of voting legislation, said Marcus Frias, Bowman's director of communications, in a short statement. Frias said Bowman, a Democrat, was participating in a non-violent action at the North Barricade of the Capitol Building. The arrests came after Senate Democrats failed to pass a voting rights bill Wednesday night that the House already passed. Senators also failed to change filibuster rules to pass the bill with a simple majority." | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — In his first trip to Washington since taking office, Mayor Eric Adams encouraged fellow mayors to be "radically practical." — The state Senate confirmed Janno Lieber as permanent chair of the MTA and Mary Bassett as the state's new health commissioner. — New York City's unemployment rate dipped below 9 percent for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shut the metropolis down — but the figure is still more than double the national average. — The NYPD was unable to back up claims that it replaced cops handling administrative duties with civilians, according to an audit. — State utility regulators approved rate hikes for National Grid's upstate New York customers for the next three years. — Rep. Tom Suozzi released his first ad in his gubernatorial run. — The statue of Theodore Roosevelt that stood in front of the American Museum of Natural History for more than 80 years has been removed. — A stop on Governors Island will be added to the southern Brooklyn NYC Ferry route year-round. — The Westchester district attorney released a report on the investigation that led to Robert Durst's murder indictment before his recent death. — New York City hospitals are overrun with bodies from Covid-19 death surge and staff shortage. — Gov. Kathy Hochul's first executive budget includes $10 million for pretrial services. | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CNN's Sam Feist and Matt Hoye … Getty Images' Win McNamee … Matt Cooper … Alex Plitsas ... ABC's Chris Donovan … SKDKnickerbocker's Josh Isay … Cindi Leive ... Becca Glover … former Commerce Secretary Gary Locke … former A.G. Eric Holder … Tyler Cowen is 6-0 … Caite Irvine … Nahiomy Alvarez … Jack Weiss … Cindi Leive … James Waters MEDIAWATCH — Bob Costa, the star politics reporter for the Washington Post and Bob Woodward's recent co-author, is joining CBS as chief election and campaign correspondent. More from the NYT (h/t POLITICO Playbook) MAKING MOVES — Jason Clark will be the new executive director of Tech:NYC. He currently leads the civil and commercial litigation team at law firm Hamilton Clarke. … Edward A. Imperatore has joined Morrison & Foerster as a partner in its investigations and white collar defense group. He has been an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. … Bradley Henry has joined Akerman LLP as a partner in the white collar crime and government investigations practice. He was previously at Michelman & Robinson, LLP. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Lena Anderson, head of corporate comms at Block (formerly Square, Inc.) and a HuffPost alum, and Will Anderson, who works in federal law enforcement, on Sunday welcomed Levi Clifford Anderson, who joins big brother Everett. Pic ... Another pic WHAT WALL STREET IS READING — " On Wall Street, Bonuses Are Up but the Mood Is Not," by WSJ's Liz Hoffman Follow and David Benoit: "After a blockbuster year, the five biggest investment banks paid out $142 billion in compensation for 2021, $18 billion more than in 2020. Pay, which on Wall Street is usually tightly tethered to how much money firms bring in, rose twice as fast as revenue." | | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining challenge opportunity of our time. Our world needs energy to keep moving forward — but it must be affordable, reliable, and accessible. How will we do it? By accelerating the energy transition . At Equinor, we're growing our renewable energy portfolio and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. We're already on the way to powering 2,000,000 New York homes with energy from the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects. But for us, that's only the beginning. By the time the global population reaches 9 billion in 2050, our goal is to have net-zero emissions. Discover more about Equinor at www.equinor.com/USA. | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "Real estate lender's bleak outlook and earnings decline perplexes analysts," by The Real Deal's Suzannah Cavanaugh: "M&T Bank's quarterly earnings fell, and the firm gave a bleak outlook for commercial real estate lending — in contrast to rising profits and optimism at other commercial real estate lenders. The bank reported diluted earnings of $3.37 per share in the fourth quarter of 2021, down from $3.52 a year ago. Net income also dipped. M&T reported $458 million in revenue, a 2.7 percent decline from $471 million in the same period last year. Driving those declines was a drop in lending. Across the board, M&T reported average loans decreased by $2.1 billion or 2 percent from the previous quarter. The forgiveness of PPP loans that bolstered the bank's previous year performance was primarily to blame, said Darren King, the Buffalo-based bank's chief financial officer, on an earnings call Thursday." | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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