Dems bring the border fight

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Jul 29, 2024 View in browser   By Emily Ngo, Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman Presented by  With help from Rich Mendez Some down-ballot Democrats like Josh Riley are trying to distance themselves from President Joe Biden's border policies. | Heather Ainsworth/AP NEW YORK MINUTE: New York City Council member Julie Menin is pumping the brakes on her bill that would require most hotels to be licensed, agreeing Sunday to postpone the hearing that had been scheduled for Tuesday. The bill introduced this month had hotel owners fuming — arguing it’s a giveaway to the union, whose support Menin wants. Now, the sides will hit the negotiating table. BORDERLINE: Today marks T-minus 99 days until Election Day, and border security remains among the most potent of wedge issues. Republicans are settling on a line of attack that slams presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris as “border czar” of the Biden administration and links down-ballot Democrats to her. Democrat House challengers are going on the offensive despite the issue being considered Republican turf — even if it means knocking leaders of their own party, POLITICO reports. “I’ve opposed the president, and I’ll fight for real solutions, more agents, stronger enforcement and laws that are tough and fair,” Josh Riley says in a new TV ad this week. The upstate Democrat is locked in a rematch against Rep. Marc Molinaro, who characterizes his opponent as opportunistic. Laura Gillen, the Long Island Democrat facing Rep. Anthony D’Esposito for a second time, told Playbook, “The issue that’s of grave concern for my district is securing our border and reforming our immigration laws, and it’s something that the GOP has completely failed on.” It will be a difficult, if necessary, climb for Democrats. “It’s more like trying to get back to even with voters on who can handle immigration and showing that we actually care about the issue,” Lanae Erickson of the center-left think tank Third Way told Playbook. In some of the latest evidence that the border will stay top of mind, American Action Network — a sister organization to Congressional Leadership Fund, the House Republican Leadership super PAC — has launched a $3.5 million TV, digital and mail push across the six New York House battlegrounds on two advocacy campaigns. One is the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and their ads urge GOP Rep. Nick LaLota and Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan to reinstate it. (The group says LaLota “gets it.” Ryan, for his part, has long called for “order at the border.”) It goes without saying that Republicans are holding fast to border control as their signature issue. Molinaro, D’Esposito and other Republicans facing tough reelection fights, Reps. Mike Lawler and Brandon Williams, introduced the Illegal Offender Registry Act earlier this month. Molinaro continuously references Riley’s time as counsel to the U.S. Senate, when the Democrat challenged former President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries. He criticized “Josh Riley’s legal arguments that Biden has rested his dismantling of the Trump border security policies on.” And D’Esposito said, “If Laura Gillen actually cared about securing America’s borders instead of playing politics, she would demand accountability from Kamala Harris for her failure to end the migrant crisis while serving as the administration’s ‘border czar.’” To be sure, a debate rages over the “border czar” label itself, and the number of migrants illegally crossing the southern border has fallen as Biden tightens asylum restrictions. — Emily Ngo HAPPY MONDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.   A message from Walmart: Walmart provides career opportunities for veterans transitioning to civilian life after serving in the military. Since 2013, Walmart has hired over 430,000 veterans. That’s more people than those serving in the U.S. Navy today. Every day, thousands of veterans are building careers at Walmart. Explore Walmart’s commitment to helping veterans grow their careers and live better.   WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Making an affordable housing-related announcement, then hosting a reception celebrating Peruvian heritage. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Now the president has about 10 days before the Ohio ballot is locked in. And he has a choice. Does he keep Vance on the ticket, where he already has a whole lot of baggage … or does he pick someone new?” — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” ABOVE THE FOLD Mayor Eric Adams blocked a law that would've reworked solitary confinement rules. | Yuki Iwamura/AP ADAMS BLOCKS JAIL LAW: “We follow the law,” Mayor Eric Adams said back in December when asked about implementing the solitary confinement law passed by the City Council. Now, days before it was set to be implemented, Adams has unilaterally changed the law he opposed. Adams declared a state of emergency in city jails Saturday, then enacted an executive order blocking all the law’s major limits on restraining and isolating people detained in city jails. The City Council, which championed the law and overrode Adams’ January veto of the bill, was furious. “Each day Mayor Adams’ Administration shows how little respect it has for the laws and democracy, it sets more hypocritical double standards for complying with the law that leaves New Yorkers worse off,” City Council spokesperson Shirley Limongi said in a statement. “In this case, our city and everyone in its dysfunctional and dangerous jail system, including staff, are left less safe.” The City Council passed a resolution this month authorizing legal action against City Hall, anticipating Adams’ refusal to implement the law as written. After breaking the news in a sympathetic New York Post story, the mayor downplayed the order’s significance, saying Sunday “It’s just a temporary pause to give (administration staff) the time to do that proper analysis.” But the order itself draws a thicker line, arguing implementing the law “would pose immediate dangers to public safety” and saying the council needs to give the Department of Correction more time to ensure the law’s implementation wouldn’t violate federal court orders stemming from the consent decree over city jails. But that’s just a version of the argument that Adams has been making since even before he took office: Practices like isolating detainees after fights are entirely necessary, and that the bleeding heart liberals of the council are ignoring the experts of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association — which is allied with Adams. It’s yet another escalation of political tensions by the mayor against the council — never mind his claims to the contrary — but it’s also the latest chapter in a different battle. Mayor Bill de Blasio also instituted an executive order to block limits on solitary confinement in his last days in office. — Jeff Coltin    Pro Briefing: Kamala Harris and the World. What we expect on foreign policy and trade. Join POLITICO Pro for a deep-dive conversation with our specialist reporters about the vice president’s approach to foreign policy. Register Now.     CITY HALL: THE LATEST Mayoral candidate Scott Stringer has called the mayor's charter revision commission a "scam" but hasn't explicitly taken a side in the debate. | Frank Franklin II/AP BALANCING ON A STRINGER: Mayoral candidate Scott Stringer isn’t taking a side between the mayor’s Charter Revision Commission and the council’s bill to expand their say over mayoral appointees — because he doesn’t like either of them. The commission “is a scam,” he said on PIX 11’s PIX on Politics Sunday. But “I’m wary about giving advice and consent to the City Council, especially new council members.” Stringer continued to shape his argument against Adams’ reelection, saying he’s a do-nothing mayor. “We have a government that’s basically about paralysis,” Stringer said. What about housing, he was asked? “The City of Yes is basically the city of ‘we can do this so slowly that nothing will get done.’” — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Only a fraction of the 110,000 students registered for the city’s K-8 Summer Rising program show up each day, teachers and administrators say, even as tens of thousands of other kids linger on the waitlist. (New York Post) — Adams’ office has sent background check information on Randy Mastro to the City Council, a sign the mayor is on the verge of nominating the controversial litigator as his administration’s next top lawyer. (Daily News) — Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso has thrown serious shade on a developer’s controversial plan to build a high-rise apartment complex alongside the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. (New York Post)   A message from Walmart:   NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said New York Democrats are "building a turnout machine" in the state. | Mary Altaffer/AP DEMS UNVEIL MORE ON COORDINATED CAMPAIGN: The New York State Democratic Committee is detailing more of its plans for a coordinated effort with candidates throughout the state. Much of the $5 million effort focuses on modernizing a party that has historically played a de minimis role in campaigns, according to a memo being released this morning. That includes hiring outside firms to “update 2.4 million cell phone records” in the Democratic Committee’s database and allowing for the sharing of voter contact data between the party and candidates. The party has also announced the locations of 35 field offices, primarily located in swing congressional seats. In the seat held by Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro, for example, there will be offices in Ithaca, Monticello, Hudson, Binghamton, Otsego County, Norwich and Ellenville. Democrats have already hired 65 staffers, and plan to have 80 by mid-August. “We are building a turnout machine never before seen in New York,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement. — Bill Mahoney More from Albany: — Longtime central New York state Sen. James Seward has died at 72. (Times Union) NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — As Trump faces a supercharged Democratic fundraising effort, a persistent drag on his campaign’s coffers may be easing: legal expenses. (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized a GOP plan for the Department of Veterans Affairs under a possible second Trump presidency. (Daily News) — New York’s only designated shelter for queer adults is a “nightmare” of misconduct and living conditions. (Fortune)   A message from Walmart: Walmart is providing veterans with the resources and benefits they need to apply their skills and build fulfilling careers across employment, education, entrepreneurship and well-being. Since 2013, Walmart has hired over 500,000 veterans and military spouses, promoting more than 63,400 into roles of greater responsibility and higher pay. The company is also committed to veterans beyond frontline associates by investing over $1 billion in veteran-owned suppliers. At Walmart, the opportunities for veterans are endless. Learn more about Walmart’s commitment to those who serve.   SOCIAL DATA Edited by Daniel Lippman YOU’RE INVITED! – Join us for a special POLITICO Live event in NYC on Wed., Aug. 7. What is the future for Social Security? New York Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R) and Pat Ryan (D) will discuss the challenges and solutions lawmakers are considering for the aging benefit on which millions of retiring Americans and New Yorkers rely. We’ll also talk with Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, Julietta Lopez of the Hispanic Federation and Stephen Miran of the Manhattan Institute, about Social Security’s impact on New York, including the housing crisis. RSVP to attend here. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Ken Burns … NBC’s Peter Alexander … Herbie Ziskend … Red Horse’s Katie Moore … Johanna Garcia … 1199’s Annalicia Finol … Montefiore’s Marcos Crespo … The Daily Show’s Dan Amira … CNN’s Kristin Fisher … AP’s Aaron Kessler … Garance Franke-Ruta … Bloomberg’s David Westin … Mark Laichena … Nate Rawlings … Ari’el Stachel … (WAS SUNDAY): Huma Abedin … WaPo’s Ruby Cramer … CNN’s Kate Bolduan and Annette Choi … Richard Haass … Scott Pelley … NBC’s Courtney Kube … Michael Mukasey … Telisha Bryan of Crain’s New York Business … Jay Zeidman ... Laura Nahmias … George Cook … Sophie White … Kristen McGaughey …  … (WAS SATURDAY): Priscilla Painton of Simon & Schuster … former Commerce Secretary Don Evans … CNN’s Susan Durrwachter … MSNBC’s Denis Horgan … Neil King Jr. … Sofia Gerard … Jacquelynn Burke … Natalie Raabe … Parag Khanna … Paul Dranginis … (WAS FRIDAY): Jeremy Piven ... Tarek Cohen Missed Friday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRI       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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