| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | As Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, New York representatives went into lockdown and universally condemned the siege — including a few Republicans who had previously vowed to object to the election results Congress was meeting to certify. Members of New York's delegation were safe, but shaken and angry. "The president of the United States has effectively instigated a violent mob to storm into the Capitol and disrupt our democracy," said newly minted Rep. Ritchie Torres, speaking to NY1 from a House office building cafeteria where he was sheltering. "This is a dangerously unprecedented situation." The violence was enough to invite condemnation even from Trump's fiercest Republican supporters in the state. Reps. Elise Stefanik, Nicole Malliotakis and Lee Zeldin were among those planning to back objections to Joe Biden's win, and faced criticism as they issued denunciations of the Capitol Hill break-in. "I fully condemn the dangerous violence and destruction of the Capitol grounds. These actions are unAmerican," said Stefanik, one of Trump's most vocal defenders during impeachment proceedings. "My staff and I are safe and have been brought to a secure location by the Capitol Police. Everyone who is responsible for this violence and lawlessness must stop," Malliotakis said. A City Council Member representing parts of Brooklyn chimed in: "I'm glad you are safe, but you are complicit." Sen. Chuck Schumer, fresh off a Democratic Senate victory in Georgia that will make him majority leader, took the floor as the Senate reconvened to resume its business after the Capitol was secured. "This will be a stain on our country not easily washed away — the final, terrible, indelible legacy of the 45th president of the United States," he said, calling for the people who overran the Capitol to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law amid videos of Capitol Police simply letting many rioters walk off the grounds. "These were rioters and insurrectionists, goons and thugs, domestic terrorists." But he said they would not stand in the way of certifying the results or Biden's assumption of the presidency. "We will finish our task tonight," he said. "Democracy will triumph." Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday night he would deploy 1,000 members of the New York National Guard to Washington, D.C., where they will stay for up to two weeks to "facilitate the peaceful transition of presidential power." In addition to the dirt left on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk from the boot of a person who broke into her office amid Wednesday's chaos was a note reading, "We will not back down." IT'S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold ABOVE THE FOLD: GOV. ANDREW CUOMO and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio are breathing a bit easier on Wednesday as the results of the Georgia runoff elections roll in, indicating that they will have a powerful ally with a new Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate. The two Democrats have been counting on additional aid from the federal government as they prepare to assemble budgets devastated by the pandemic. With the Rev. Raphael Warnock having won a Senate seat in Georgia and Jon Ossoff leading in the Peach State's other Senate race, Cuomo and de Blasio appear to have made a good bet. De Blasio, during his daily briefing Wednesday morning, said he was "bubbly" and called the results "historic by every measure." Warnock used to work at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem as a youth minister, he said. What's more, he noted that "Brooklyn's own" Sen. Chuck Schumer will be the new majority leader if Ossoff's victory is sealed, and that is sure to buoy the city and state. "Chuck Schumer … will lead the Senate and allow us to finally get the support we need to fully recover and move forward as a city, as a nation," the mayor said. "Sen. Schumer has been tenacious in defending the interests of New York City. He feels it in his heart, in his soul." POLITICO's Anna Gronewold — "With Democrats poised to win both seats in the Georgia United States Senate runoffs, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York is poised to be one of the most influential elected officials in the country , with enormous implications for his home state and city. After four years leading the minority conference, Schumer is on the verge of being able to set the agenda in the Senate under Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and in partnership with a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives under Speaker Nancy Pelosi... It will be the culmination of a long and ambitious political career for the Brooklynite who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and New York State Assembly before being elected to the Senate in 1998. And it will likely be an immense boon to his home state and city, which are in desperate need of aid from the federal government stemming from the coronavirus crisis and several crises and challenges that pre-date the pandemic." Gotham Gazette's Samar Khurshid WHERE'S ANDREW? In Albany with no public events scheduled. WHERE'S BILL? Holding a media availability. | | | | GET THE BIG PRE-INAUGURATION SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: Inauguration Day is quickly approaching. Is the Biden administration ready? Transition Playbook brings you inside the transition and newly forming administration, tracking the latest from Biden world and the transition of power. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | "THE COVID-19 pandemic will cast a long shadow over New York City's economic recovery, impacting employment levels, real-estate sales and tax revenue for years to come, according to the city's fiscal watchdog. In a report released Wednesday , the Independent Budget Office predicted the city will collect $11.3 billion less in tax revenue through fiscal year 2023, compared with estimates the office compiled before the pandemic. New York City was hard hit by the virus in the spring last year and is currently fighting a second wave. More than 25,000 residents are confirmed or believed to have died from Covid-19, according to data." Wall Street Journal's Katie Honan "NEW YORK CITY hospital administrators always knew that some members of the general public would hesitate to get coronavirus vaccines, but they anticipated that resistance among their own employees would be modest. After all, their staff all work in the medical arena, and many see themselves as guardians of science. But to the surprise of many New York health care leaders, more than half of their eligible employees have so far declined to get inoculated. 'It's taken me off guard,' said LaRay Brown, the CEO of One Brooklyn Health, a network of three hospitals in central Brooklyn. 'I would've thought with so many people having seen, having experienced, lived through, cared for patients with COVID that we would've had a much more enthusiastic response initially — and it hasn't been.'" WNYC's Fred Mogul "NYC'S SECOND BID to provide the NYPD with thousands of COVID vaccinations was in tatters Wednesday after the governor shut down City Hall's attempt to move cops up in line by labeling them as medical first responders. Cops were told less than six hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan Wednesday morning to get 25,000 shots in officers' arms in the coming week that the vaccine would not be available for members of service...The boondoggle, which caused frustration and confusion for the more than 35,000 uniformed cops, is the latest chapter of the months-long pandemic power struggle between the mayor and governor. City Hall says they still plan to move forward with the vaccination of officers who are trained EMTs Thursday... The ambitious plan to vaccinate more than 70 percent of the force hinged on categorizing NYPD officers as EMS providers because they administer basic medical care on the job. Gov. Andrew Cuomo shot down the plan in the hours after de Blasio's press conference, saying 'police who are not health care workers are not yet eligible.'" New York Post's Craig McCarthy, Tina Moore and Nolan Hicks — The city will soon allow seniors to pre-register for the vaccine. "AN NYPD officer was seen on video appearing to kneel on a Black man's neck during an arrest in Queens last week, provoking comparisons to the police killing of George Floyd that ignited waves of protests nationwide this spring. SirCarlyle Arnold, a 34-year-old Long Island resident, was arrested in Jamaica, Queens on Friday. He was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment for allegedly operating an illegal ATV. Video of the encounter shared by Arnold's attorney shows one of the officers appearing to place his knee against the man's neck for several seconds. Multiple bystanders can be heard begging the officer to remove his knee. At least two of the officers involved in the arrest are not wearing face masks... The arrest could pose one of the first major tests of a contentious chokehold ban passed by the City Council in the aftermath of Floyd's death. The law makes it a misdemeanor for cops to use several methods of restraint, including kneeling on a person's back or neck, or restricting the flow of air by blocking their windpipe, in the course of an arrest." Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | IN NEW YORK'S CAPITOL, at least, the year's first day of business was the quietest and least-eventful opening day of session in modern history . The usually bustling hallways of the building, closed to the public since March, were barren of the glad-handing lobbyists and overwhelmed interns who are commonly found this time of year. The vast majority of members of both chambers participated remotely, leaving most seats empty. Particularly eerie was the "War Room" near the governor's office — apparently because of a cleaning, the room was not only devoid of the regular protesters, but of furniture as well. The room's murals, including one celebrating the defeat of traitors waving Confederate flags, were all the more visible as a result. Most of the activity revolved around debate over new rules. Republicans in both houses accused Democrats of being too concerned about social distancing, impairing their ability to deliberate with a newfound reliance on web conferencing. "We expect somebody making a sandwich at Subway to stand side-by-side with their colleagues," Sen. George Borrello (R-Chautauqua County) told the four of his colleagues who were with him on the floor and a whole lot of faces on a TV screen near the dais. "If we consider ourselves essential workers, then we should take those same risks we ask of all those other people on the front lines." But their challenges were easily defeated by Democrats, who now have 107 of the 150 members of the Assembly and a historically large supermajority of 43 members in the 63-person Senate. POLITICO's Bill Mahoney "GOV. ANDREW M. CUOMO renewed his vow on Wednesday to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in New York, proposing a new office to regulate the market and licensing opportunities for communities most affected by the disparate enforcement of drug laws. 'I think this should have been passed years ago,' Mr. Cuomo said during a video briefing. 'This is a year where we do need the funding and a lot of New Yorkers are struggling. This year will give us the momentum to get it over the goal line.' The pledge marks Mr. Cuomo's third attempt at legalizing marijuana; similar efforts have unraveled each year since Democrats took control of the Legislature in 2019, mostly as a result of disagreements over how to distribute the lucrative tax dollars from marijuana sales and the licenses to sell the drug. But the push to legalize marijuana is likely to have far greater momentum in 2021, given the profound fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, New York State leaders kicked off the new legislative session on Wednesday with a singular, once-in-a-generation challenge: how to rescue a state in a pandemic-driven crisis." New York Times Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Jesse McKinley — Cuomo has endorsed mobile sports betting, signaling a potential new revenue source for the state as it seeks to plug enormous budget deficits brought on by Covid-19… Budget director Robert Mujica noted that New York's approach will be different from neighboring New Jersey, where sports betting is based in casinos. "The reality is the dollars being wagered [in other states] are not being made by the taxing jurisdiction," Mujica said. "The way the governor is proposing it, the state would make up to $500 million instead of $50 million, and that money would go to the state budget." POLITICO's Garrett Downs — "Cuomo is calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require international travellers to test negative for the coronavirus before boarding flights to the United States, or allow the state's Port Authority to take on that role." Times Union's Amanda Fries "A NEW BILL introduced in the New York state legislature this week would prevent food delivery apps from listing restaurants without their written permission. The legislation, which is sponsored by upstate Assemblyman John McDonald III and Manhattan State Senator Brad Hoylman, is similar to a law that just went into effect in California. The bill would fine the apps $500 each day a restaurant is listed after requesting to be removed. Hoylman described the measure as 'straightforward consumer and business transparency,' designed to protect consumers from false advertising, and restaurant owners from negative reviews prompted by angry customers who place orders that the restaurant can't fulfill. 'I think the consumer and the restaurant should be getting what they're paying for. There's no place for deceptive practices, particularly in the middle of the worst business slowdown for restaurants in recent history,' Hoylman told Gothamist." Gothamist's Christopher Robbins #UpstateAmerica: At least five other states are cheering for the Bills in the playoffs — let's hear it for our comrades in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Nevada. | | | | A NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW HUDDLE IS HERE: Huddle, our daily congressional must-read, has a new author! Olivia Beavers took the reins this week, and she has the latest news and whispers from the Speakers' Lobby. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Cuomo won't attend this weekend's Bills playoff game, instead giving his ticket to a nurse after facing a backlash. — State police are investigating a stabbing outside of the Capitol in Albany. — City Council Member Vanessa Gibson will chair the oversight and investigations committee, one of several committee leadership shifts. — The New York Taxi Worker Alliance said at least 497 of its members had yet to receive unemployment payments the state claims to have fulfilled in December. — A Trader Joe's is opening in Harlem. — NXIVM leader Keith Raniere's new lawyer worked for Bill Cosby. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Katie Couric … Adam Entous, staff writer at The New Yorker … Michael Longo is 28 ... Conor Skelding ... Britta Ritter-Armour ... John Reiss, EP of NBC's "Meet the Press" … The Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf, founding editor of the Best of Journalism newsletter, is 41 … Fox Business Network anchor Dagen McDowell … Linda Douglass … Jann Wenner is 75 … Max Mallory, creative director at Hamilton Place Strategies | | REAL ESTATE | | "THE COVID-19 pandemic will cast a long shadow over New York City's economic recovery, impacting employment levels, real-estate sales and tax revenue for years to come, according to the city's fiscal watchdog. In a report released Wednesday, the Independent Budget Office predicted the city will collect $11.3 billion less in tax revenue through fiscal year 2023, compared with estimates the office compiled before the pandemic. New York City was hard hit by the virus in the spring last year and is currently fighting a second wave. More than 25,000 residents are confirmed or believed to have died from Covid-19, according to data. During the second quarter of 2020, nearly 878,000 jobs were lost in the city, the report says. About 20% of those jobs came back in the third quarter of 2020, according to the IBO. While jobs will slowly return in the next three years as more people are vaccinated and social-distancing measures ease, employment in the city will likely stay below 2019 levels, the report said. The city's real-estate industry also continues to struggle, as many Manhattan offices remain empty because employees have been able to work remotely, the report says. Remote working and the desire for more space also prompted some New Yorkers to move to the suburbs and other parts of the country." Wall Street Journal's Kate King "OVER THE YEARS, Pato Paez and his husband, Brian Harris, shared many Thanksgivings with a family member who lived in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, perched above the Hudson River in southern Westchester County. But they never considered moving there — or even leaving the city — until their daughter was born in 2017 and the space in their Park Slope, Brooklyn, rental seemed to shrink. ..Mr. Paez, 47, is a partner at the Commission Project, an art consultancy; Dr. Harris, also 47, is a music psychotherapist in private practice. Before the pandemic, both commuted to Manhattan; now they work remotely. For much of 2018, Dr. Harris monitored real estate websites, with a focus on Hastings-on-Hudson and the adjacent river towns. In some ways, the couple's criteria mirrored those of other young families transitioning to the suburbs: more space, proximity to the city and good schools. They were also seeking a less transient community than they had found in Brooklyn. 'We wanted to live someplace where our daughter could grow up with the same group of kids,' Dr. Harris said." New York Times' Susan Hodara
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