| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Presented by Equinor | President Joe Biden made one thing clear in his visit to New York City yesterday: "The answer is not to defund the police." It was a moment that showed the president is in lockstep with freshman Mayor Eric Adams, whose approach to crime got embraced with the visit — and with many other Democrats at this point, despite some flirtation with the defund movement in 2020. Still, the president felt the need to emphasize the point with a backdrop of NYPD officers at police headquarters, in the face of a Republican backlash targeting Democrats on crime. He threw his full support behind Adams, whose platform on violence has been both popular and controversial, and Adams threw his full support right back. "Mayor Adams, you and I agree: The answer is not to abandon our streets," Biden said. "The answer is not to defund the police. It's to give you the tools, the training, the funding to be partners, to be protectors." As he does often, Adams channeled his background as an NYPD captain: "Mr. President, Eric Adams is reporting for duty and ready to serve." Biden is putting his money where his mouth is, or trying to anyway, with a $300 million proposal for local police departments and $200 million for community violence intervention programs — funding that has yet to be approved by Congress. Now that the president has come and gone, it will be up to Adams to deliver on his anti-crime agenda — a burden that, although the federal role is crucial particularly in combating gun trafficking, still falls mostly on local shoulders. He'll have his work cut out for him: Stats released by the NYPD in the middle of Biden's visit suggest that crime was up 39 percent during Adams' first month in office, compared to January 2021. 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? Doing two morning TV appearances and giving a storm update. WHERE'S ERIC? Doing several morning TV appearances, visiting St. Brigid – St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Academy, making Department of Parks and Recreations-related announcement, meeting with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy virtually, delivering remarks at the SSEU Black Heritage Celebration, and attending the Detroit Night Performance of Dominique Morrisseau's "Skeleton Crew."
| | | | 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 developmentsin the US and quickly becoming a leader in this growing industry. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | Adams looks to controversial ally to run mental health office, by POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg and Amanda Eisenberg: Mayor Eric Adams is considering appointing a former City Council member who has taken anti-gay positions to lead the relatively new Office of Community Mental Health, formerly known as ThriveNYC. Fernando Cabrera, a Christian pastor who represented the Bronx in the Council, would oversee an operation that was previously run by former police official Susan Herman. Herman was credited with improving the sprawling, expensive and disjointed project run by former first lady Chirlane McCray. She stepped down from her post in December 2021, and Adams is expected to replace her with a controversial figure who supported him during his contentious mayoral primary last year, two people familiar with the matter confirmed to POLITICO. Adams defends dinner with Cuomo , by POLITICO's Erin Durkin and Deanna Garcia: Mayor Eric Adams defended his decision to have dinner with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from office after he was found to have sexually harassed multiple women. "I'm going to sit down with everyone. No stone will be left unturned to get my city back up and operating," Adams said in a Thursday morning interview on PIX11 News. "And those who don't understand that just have not been following me throughout my career. We need to talk to each other and not at each other. And I'm willing to do that." Adams and Cuomo dined Tuesday night at Osteria La Baia in midtown Manhattan, the New York Post first reported. — During his late night interviews, Adams revealed that Cuomo gave him "creative ideas" during their Tuesday night dinner. "NYC Mayor's Top Aide Subpoenaed as Witness in Racketeering Suit," by Bloomberg's Laura Nahmias: "New York City Mayor Eric Adams's chief of staff, Frank Carone, was subpoenaed for documents in a $4.5 million federal civil racketeering lawsuit over alleged fraudulent insurance charges. The subpoena to Carone, who is not a defendant in the suit and isn't accused of misconduct, is part of insurance giant Geico Corp.'s broader allegations that several New York and New Jersey doctors and medical clinics submitted 'thousands of fraudulent no-fault insurance charges' related to motor vehicle accidents, according to a complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn." " Unvaccinated NYC teachers whose exemption bids were denied to be fired next week," by New York Post's Selim Algar: "Unvaccinated city teachers who had their religious exemption bids denied by the Department of Education received their final notices of termination this week. City educators unwilling to get the jab applied for both medical and religious accommodations. The DOE did not immediately say how many exemptions were applied for or granted Thursday, but the number is estimated to be in the thousands." — School attendance has increased to 88 percent after plummeting during the height of the Omicron wave. — " In New York City Sewage, a Mysterious Coronavirus Signal ," by The New York Times' Emily Anthes: "Last January, a team of researchers searching for the coronavirus in New York City's wastewater spotted something strange in their samples. The viral fragments they found had a unique constellation of mutations that had never been reported before in human patients — a potential sign of a new, previously undetected variant." "Adams: NYC public schools to introduce 'Vegan Fridays ,'" by NY1's Maya Rajamani: Public school cafeterias in New York City will start phasing in 'vegan-focused' menus on Fridays as part of Mayor Eric Adams' push to serve healthier food in schools, officials said Thursday. The city's Department of Education, which introduced Meatless Mondays in 2019 and Meatless Fridays this past April, will add 'Vegan Fridays' into the rotation, DOE associate press secretary Jenna Lyle confirmed. In an appearance on Fox 5's "Good Day New York" Thursday morning, Adams — who is vegan — said the menu change would improve students' health."
| | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | Six degrees of Andrew Cuomo: Why the former governor keeps dragging down others, by POLITICO's Joseph Spector: Aides to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would joke working for him was like the Eagles song "Hotel California": "You can check out any time you like. But you can never leave." His resignation in August meant many in his orbit did, finally, get to leave — ensnared in the tentacles of a sexual harassment scandal after giving blind loyalty to the three-term governor, who wielded extraordinary power after 40 years in and around state government. "His enablers fell off the cliff with him,[ said Karen Hinton, a Cuomo aide in the 1990s who has since become a harsh critic. Now the damage triggered by Cuomo's alleged conduct keeps growing. It took down his brother Chris, forced out of CNN. And now it's hit CNN President Jeff Zucker, who quit Wednesday after being outed as having a consensual relationship with a senior staff member. — " Zucker, Gollust's cozy ties with Andrew Cuomo included coaching him on COVID briefings," by New York Post's Emily Smith and Theo Wayt: "CNN boss Jeff Zucker and his paramour Allison Gollust had an inappropriately close friendship with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — personally calling him to do news segments with his brother Chris Cuomo and even coaching him on what to say during his infamous COVID briefings, The Post has learned." " Former Human Rights Campaign president alleges racial bias in his firing after Andrew M. Cuomo scandal," by Washington Post's Michael Scherer: "The former president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy group, sued the organization Thursday, contending that a pattern of racial discrimination led to his firing last year after he advised the office of then-New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on its response to sexual harassment allegations. Alphonso David, a Black civil rights attorney, describes in the legal complaint a 'racist, biased culture' at the organization he led for more than two years. He claims that board members told him that he was initially paid less because he is Black. He says he was encouraged by a board member to stop mentioning his race in public comments. He also recounts being told by a senior HRC executive that his public support for racial justice risked alienating White donors and specifically 'White gay men.'" " N.Y. lawmakers pass legislative map that would boost NYC's power in Albany," by New York Daily News' Tim Balk: "The New York Legislature on Thursday approved a legislative map that would hand New York City two more state Senate seats. The proposal will land on Gov. Hochul's desk. For the second straight day, lawmakers found themselves split on partisan lines over redistricting. The Legislature on Wednesday passed a controversial congressional map drawn up by the ruling Democrats, overcoming fierce Republican resistance. On Thursday, the legislative map passed the Assembly by a 118 to 29 vote and the Senate by a 43 to 20 vote." — " Lawsuit filed against Gov. Hochul, Democratic lawmakers over new congressional, state maps," by New York Post's Bernadette Hogan: "Fourteen plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic lawmakers on Thursday, alleging the new congressional and legislative district lines approved are unconstitutional. The individuals claim in court papers that the new maps violate a 2014 state law establishing the process to redraw district lines and further, that the lines are gerrymandered to favor Democratic incumbents." " Hochul opposes subpoena seeking records of cannabis deal," by Times Union's Chris Bragg: "Gov. Kathy Hochul's office is opposing a subpoena seeking information about interactions between the governor's administration and a campaign donor, according to court papers filed on Wednesday. Hochul's office told the Times Union, however, that it's not seeking to quash the subpoena outright, but rather to narrow the scope. An outside attorney being used by Hochul's Executive Chamber, Randall W. Jackson, had stated in a Wednesday letter to a state Supreme Court justice that the office 'intends to oppose' a motion to subpoena Hochul's office and her campaign; he requested a telephone conference to set a briefing schedule. The letter did not mention Hochul's office wanting to amend the subpoena. Jackson's letter was addressed to state Supreme Court Justice Margaret Pui Yee Chan in Manhattan, who is overseeing a civil lawsuit in which cannabis company Ascend Wellness Holdings is suing cannabis company MedMen Enterprises over a contract dispute." " 'They Didn't Test Anybody': Jails Across New York Administer Alarmingly Few Tests During Omicron Surge," by New York Focus' Chris Gelardi: "Around mid-December, as the omicron variant of Covid-19 swept across New York state, four men in Leroy Peoples's housing unit in the Broome County Correctional Facility began experiencing flu-like symptoms. They tested positive for Covid, and the Binghamton jail put the roughly 60-person pod on lockdown, according to Peoples. But the jail didn't test anyone else in the housing unit for Covid, he said, despite everyone having lived in close quarters with those with confirmed cases." — "N.Y. COVID positivity rate falls under 5%, deaths remain stubbornly high," by New York Daily News' Tim Balk #UpstateAmerica: "A truck driver who hauled $2.5 million worth of marijuana with his cargo of coffee makers can thank his father in India, among others, for clearing him of federal drug charges."
| | | | A message from Equinor:   | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | " With a target on her back, Carolyn Maloney gets lift from new map ," by Jewish Insider's Matthew Kassel: "Forced into a perennially defensive crouch in three consecutive primary cycles since 2018, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the veteran New York City lawmaker who chairs the powerful House Oversight Committee, has found herself among the most high-profile targets of the insurgent left. Despite her long tenure in the House, Maloney has shown some signs of weakness, which progressives have been particularly eager to exploit…It now looks as if Maloney, who turns 76 later this month, has secured an advantage that is almost certain to give a boost to her reelection bid. On Wednesday, the New York State legislature approved an updated House map that would expand Maloney's district westward into Manhattan, where she is likely to pick up a cluster of new voters that will add to a traditional support base in her home neighborhood of the Upper East Side."
| | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | " Avenatti jury stuck on whether he cheated Stormy Daniels," by The Associated Press' Tom Hays and Larry Neumeister: "The jury deliberating the fate of Michael Avenatti on criminal charges that he ripped off his star client, Stormy Daniels, told a judge on Thursday that it is deadlocked on the first of two counts. The jury note was read aloud by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman a day after deliberations began. The jury had deliberated only about four hours before delivering the message in Manhattan federal court."
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Hochul promised high earners that she doesn't have plans to raise taxes on the wealthy and asked them to stick around. — Kent Sopris will lead The New York Association of Convenience Stores after Jim Calvin retires. — Agents with the FBI, which is continuing to investigate alleged absentee ballot fraud in Rensselaer County, seized the phones of two county officials on Thursday. — Families have had virtually no access to family court during the pandemic, a report found. — The Correction Officers' Benevolent Association is running an ad in support of solitary confinement featuring two female correction officers describing sexual assaults they faced. — "He totally regrets having gone into the Capitol," said the attorney for one of the WNY men who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges for their roles in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot. — University of Albany students are asking the SUNY board of trustees to cut former Chancellor James Malatras' "golden parachute" cord.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Fed Chair Jerome Powell … Nicolle Wallace is 5-0 … Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) … Patrick Whitesell … Gabrielle Bluestone … CNN's Shimon Prokupecz … Vox's Sean Illing … Matt McDonald … Justin Meservie of Deloitte's New York office MAKING MOVES — David Ehrenberg is stepping down from his role as president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. after almost a decade. … Erin Hershkowitz is now senior PR manager at Cooley LLP. She most recently was senior media relations manager at White & Case LLP. … Peter Lesser is now CIO at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He most recently was director of global technology at the firm. … J Strategies has announced several new hires: Carly Andersen to be VP for brand and media, Tess Morissey to be VP for policy and strategic affairs and Gabriel Torres to be VP for community outreach. Andersen most recently was an account supervisor at R\West, Morrissey was director of community relations and deputy director of state relations at University at Buffalo, and Torres was director of special projects and policy for Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.). MEDIAWATCH — Sarah Palin's lawyers admit 'uphill' fight in libel suit against New York Times, by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Mackenzie Wilkes
| | | | 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 | | " Bronx Fire Victims Say Red Tape, Slow Housing Process Has Stranded Them In Uncertainty," by Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz: "Despite pledges by local officials and the building's owners to expedite the relocation process, multiple former Twin Parks tenants report a slew of unexpected obstacles and red tape that have disrupted their search for new affordable housing, with many having no clear sense of where they'll go next. The delay has left residents stuck in temporary hotels for close to a month that some have described as dirty and lacking basic services such as housekeeping — an accusation hotel management disputes." " City Investigators Launch Inquiry Into String of Deadly NYCHA Fires ," by The City's Greg B. Smith: "The city Department of Investigation has opened an inquiry into whether a pattern of maintenance problems has contributed to recent fires at three public housing developments that resulted in death and serious injury to tenants. The fires erupted at the New York City Housing Authority's Jacob Riis Houses in the East Village, Wise Towers on the Upper West Side and Mitchel Houses in the South Bronx since November, following a fire at Mitchel last February. The destruction left by these conflagrations was significant: one tenant died in the Riis Houses fire while another remains hospitalized." | | | | 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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