| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Seven members of the New York delegation and Mayor Bill de Blasio took to the City Hall steps to demand that President Donald Trump be impeached or removed from office via the 25th Amendment for his role in inciting the deadly insurrection at the seat of Congress last week. "Every second, every minute, every hour that Donald Trump remains in office presents a danger to the American people," Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic caucus chair, said Sunday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will proceed this week with impeaching Trump for a second time unless Vice President Mike Pence acts to remove him. One member of New York City's delegation is notably at odds with her colleagues: Staten Island Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who days after being sworn into Congress voted to object to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's electoral win. Now, she's taking heat for the decision, with protesters rallying at her office to demand her resignation . And Malliotakis, who has positioned herself as a foil to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, now has the fight she's been spoiling for . "One of your first votes in Congress was to amplify a known lie about our nation's free elections that incited a riot that killed a Capitol Police officer," AOC tweeted. "You brought shame to our delegation and the district you represent." Malliotakis shot back: "This coming from a socialist who only talks about our police when she's calling to defund them." Fellow newly minted Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones are also calling for the Staten Island freshman to resign. Days after the attack, the identities of the Capitol Hill rioters who hoped to subvert the election results has come under growing scrutiny. The FDNY has alerted the FBI that active or retired members may have been among the crowd that attacked the Capitol, while an MTA worker has been suspended after calling in sick to participate. The NYPD says it will investigate whether any of its cops were involved in the insurrection, though there is not yet evidence that any were — and the New York Post reports the police department will send 200 officers to Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day to participate in a heightened security effort. IT'S MONDAY. 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 ANDREW? Delivering the State of the State address virtually from Albany. WHERE'S BILL? Holding a media availability and appearing on NY1's Inside City Hall. ABOVE THE FOLD: "UNDER INCREASING PRESSURE to relieve a backlog of hundreds of thousands of unused coronavirus vaccine doses, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Friday expanded the eligibility groups to include three million more people, including those 75 and older. In the weeks since vaccinations began in mid-December, stories of doses sitting in freezers for weeks or being discarded have emerged, offering a glimpse of what public health experts have characterized as a troubled rollout in New York. Mr. Cuomo had stuck to rigid guidelines that prioritized health care workers, and residents and staff of nursing homes and group homes. But on Friday, after repeated criticism from Mayor Bill de Blasio and local officials around the state, the governor announced that this new group — which also includes many essential workers — could begin scheduling vaccinations as soon as Monday, one month after New York City received its first doses. Under these guidelines, health care workers would still have priority in any reservation system, according to Mr. Cuomo." New York Times' Joseph Goldstein | | | | A NEW YEAR, A NEW CONGRESS, A NEW HUDDLE: It was an ugly and heartbreaking week inside the Capitol, particularly for all of those who work on the Hill. How are lawmakers planning to move forward? How will security change? How will a new Senate majority impact the legislative agenda? With so much at stake, our new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings you the most important news and critical insight from Capitol Hill with help from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the essential guide to understanding Congress. It has never been more important. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | AS COVID-19 RAGED through New York City, many wealthy residents decamped to more spacious homes outside the five boroughs. Andrew Yang was one of them . The former presidential candidate, who is poised to announce a run for mayor this month, lives with his family in a Manhattan apartment. But a review of his social media posts, television appearances and news coverage demonstrate they sought more comfortable living arrangements in their four-bedroom second house in New Paltz, N.Y., which they had purchased five years earlier, according to public records. Yang was hardly alone in seeking refuge outside the city during its darkest days, but the decision underscores a point of contention that escalated throughout the year: Those who could afford to leave often did, even if only part-time, while those lacking the means to relocate suffered the worst of the virus. They were often confined to small apartments, and many with frontline jobs were forced to rely on public transportation at a time when people were being advised to avoid contact with others. POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg "SCOTT STRINGER, an early front-runner for New York City mayor, pledged to completely phase out fossil fuels, drive private utility companies out of the nation's largest metropolis, and "electrify everything" in a near total embrace of climate activists' demands ahead of this year's election. The 34-page proposal Stringer laid out Sunday would transform the five boroughs, glazing the rooftops with solar panels and battery units, prioritizing bike lanes and pedestrian walkways over highways, and providing new programs to make electricity cheaper and green jobs more plentiful for the city's squeezed working class. 'The time for pie-in-the-sky platitudes is over,' he said in a Zoom press conference. 'The time for incrementalism has passed.'" Huffington Post's Alexander C. Kaufman "CANDIDATES RUNNING for public office in New York City — including one who was stricken with the coronavirus last year — are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to waive rules requiring the collection of voter signatures to get on the ballot during the pandemic. More than 300 candidates have filed to run for 51 council seats, some 20 for mayor and scores of others for comptroller and borough president. Under the law, 7,000 valid party signatures are required to get on the ballot for mayor and other citywide offices. A total of 4,000 signatures are needed for borough president and 900 for city council, which has been reduced to 450 during special elections. The petition requirements would require tens of thousands of non-socially distanced interactions, candidates argue." New York Post's Carl Campanile — "The pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of life in New York City. It has also changed the usual format of campaigning for mayor and other elected offices...The 2021 candidates for mayor and other local contests have gotten creative, replacing most in-person meet-and-greets and fundraisers with digital events that are often more intimate and less formal. Comedy shows, trivia nights, open mics and karaoke sessions are among the online events." Wall Street Journal's Katie Honan "TWO MASS COVID-19 vaccination sites opened in New York City on Sunday as New York prepared to widen vaccine eligibility to people over 75 and frontline workers including teachers and police officers. The vaccination sites that opened in Brooklyn and the Bronx will operate by appointment 24 hours a day starting Monday. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who toured the vaccine hub at Bathgate Industrial Park in the Bronx, has vowed to set up a total of 250 city-run vaccination sites by the end of January with the goal of administering 1 million vaccine doses this month." Associated Press — In a second round of changes loosening the rules in response to the furor over discarded vaccines, medical providers will be able to give the shot to any of their employees if no one from the priority groups can be found. — NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea has tested positive for coronavirus. "WHEN A HOMELESS man who goes by 'Kush' first stood outside the new Moynihan Train Hall and peered in, he quickly realized he would be avoiding New York's newest transit showpiece. 'I've seen it from the door and I know it's not for me,' Kush said. 'It's very visible that it's not for me, so I sleep somewhere else.' Just after midnight last Tuesday, 'somewhere else' was across Eighth Avenue in a corridor with several other homeless people on the upper level of Penn Station, alongside a shopping cart stuffed with garbage bags of aluminum cans. Inside the famously grungy rail hub, homeless New Yorkers told THE CITY that the Jan. 1 opening of the sparkling train hall for Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road customers doesn't change a thing for them... The hall closes daily between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. — the same hours of the overnight subway shutdown. The space has no public seating, except in areas limited to ticketed passengers." The City's Jose Martinez FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Rep. Ritchie Torres will endorse Shaun Abreu for a City Council seat in upper Manhattan. Abreu, a tenants rights attorney, is running in a crowded field for a seat representing parts of Harlem and Washington Heights, being vacated by Council Member Mark Levine. | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | GOV. ANDREW CUOMO'S State of the State address will include a call for the Legislature to enact some bills on voting. But Democrats in the state Senate aren't waiting to hear the details of his suggestions. As Democrats begin their first session with a supermajority in more than 170 years, their first order of business will be to pass a package of election-related reforms . It has become something of a tradition: When Democrats assumed the majority in 2019, their first regular day of session was spent passing a package that dealt with topics such as the establishment of early voting... Monday's session will focus mostly on bills that aim to improve the way absentee ballots are handled. That will include legislation to permanently allow people to request their ballots online (rather than by mailing or faxing the request to a board of elections, as was the case before 2020), create an online portal where voters can see if their ballots have been received and counted, and establish ballot drop-boxes throughout the state. POLITICO's Bill Mahoney — "Cuomo's State of the State address on Monday will include proposals to combat domestic violence and gender-based violence, including allowing courts to make abusers pay for housing damages and any moving expenses associated with domestic violence. The package also would require the state Office of Court Administration to report monthly domestic violence statistics to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. " Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons — "A wide range of utility companies would be barred from cutting service to New Yorkers as long as the state of emergency is in effect, under a new proposal from Gov. Cuomo. Electric, gas, water, telecom, cable and internet providers are targeted in draft legislation the governor plans to tout in his Monday 'State of the State' speech." Daily News' Shant Shahrigian "THE STATE Constitution has long prohibited New York from taking on debt without first seeking approval from voters, but through a process known as 'backdoor borrowing' lawmakers routinely dodge that requirement and finance billions of dollars through public authorities. The operation of the quasi-governmental public authorities is known colloquially as "the shadow government," and it has been called "New York's deepest pork barrel" for its practice of doling out billions for pet projects around the state that are financed with taxpayer debt. It began more than 80 years ago when former parks czar Robert Moses used it to finance projects all over the state. Now, about 96 percent of state debt is done through backdoor borrowing, according to reports from the comptroller and the New York Senate." Times Union's Edward McKinley "NEW CORONAVIRUS cases continued its steady climb in New York in the week ending Saturday, rising 23% to a new record of 107,619 cases in one week. While New York is trying to speed up its slow rollout of vaccines, it is also dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases. The previous week had 87,651 new cases of the virus that causes COVID. 'New York State is now in a footrace between how fast the infection rate rises and how fast we can administer vaccines,' Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday in a statement." USA Today Network's Mike Stuck and Joseph Spector — The state Health Department is investigating Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital for violating state guidelines by vaccinating New Rochelle school and city employees for Covid-19 before they were eligible. #UpstateAmerica: The snow drought upstate may be about to end. Gather those shovels while ye may. | | | | KEEP UP WITH THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WITH TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: It was a dark week in American history, and a new administration will have to pick up the pieces. Transition Playbook brings you inside the last days of this crucial transfer of power, tracking the latest from President-elect Biden and his growing administration. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | |
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "THERE HAS NEVER BEEN a Senate majority leader from New York, let alone one from Brooklyn. But after Democrats claimed razor-thin wins in a pair of Georgia runoffs, Senator Chuck Schumer will soon be taking charge of the legislative agenda in Washington's upper chamber, and — by extension — place New York in line to reap the benefits . The state, in theory, should have already been in that position, but President Trump rarely adopted stances that benefited his former home state. That is expected to change with Mr. Schumer, with Democrats across New York thrilled to have a direct line to a man in charge of vitally needed federal aid and other assistance." New York Times' Jesse McKinley and Christina Goldbaum — Schumer followed his big win with a surprise appearance at a Queens community board's Zoom meeting, and later at a local Upper West Side Democratic club. — "Surnames are often mispronounced at events. Mr. Schumer once messed up the number of the highway he had secured funding to rehabilitate. He would regularly reference a hospital executive in Albany as a doctor, though he had no medical degree. He once confused a Hudson Valley economic development official with a congressman. People relate these flubs and flourishes not with scorn or annoyance, but rather with a smirk or chuckle . Even before he entered congressional leadership, Chuck Schumer had shtick—an intangible and invaluable asset in New York politics. 'He knows the medium is the message, and that's that the senator came to town,' Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick said in an interview. 'If I need something, even if it's state related, I will call Schumer and Schumer's office because they will do it.'" Wall Street Journal's Jimmy Vielkind | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — A Confederate flag was found tied to the front of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in lower Manhattan. — Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren will run for a third term. — The Albany County district attorney's office released video of clashes between protesters and counterprotesters near the New York state Capitol last Wednesday. — The woman accused of tackling a Black teenager she falsely accused of stealing her phone returned to New York to face charges. — The NYPD suspended a high-ranking officer accused of posting hundreds of racist comments on a message board frequented by cops. — A PTA leader in Brookhaven has resigned after posting a violent threat against President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. — The father-and-son team behind Prince Street Pizza are stepping away from day to day management over racist online comments. — Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley announced a proposal that would add 100,000 jobs over five years to boost the city's economic recovery and dubbed it "New Deal New York." — The High Line will be extended to connect to the recently unveiled Moynihan Train Hall and the project carries an estimated $60 billion price tag. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rashida Jones, incoming MSNBC president ... Richard Posner is 82 … ABC News' Caragh Fisher O'Connor … Blair Brandt is 33 … Frederic Mishkin … (was Sunday): Jared Kushner turned 4-0 … Michelle Fields … Glover Park Group's Lauren Edmonds … Beth Fouhy, senior politics editor at NBC News and MSNBC … Freddie Tunnard, WH producer for NBC News … AP national security reporter Robert Burns … Luke Johnson … Vaughn Ververs, political editor at NBC … Alyssa Lattner of Latham & Watkins … ... (was Saturday): Linda Greenhouse turned 74 … Ben Taub, staff writer for The New Yorker … Brooke Brower, managing editor of CNN Politics, turned 43 … WSJ's Charles Passy turned 57 … Elizabeth Caputo (h/t Tim Burger) … Lauren Fritts, chief comms officer at WeWork … Colin Campbell, managing editor at Yahoo News WELCOME TO THE WORLD — State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and his wife Melanie welcomed a son, Evan ("Vangeli") Simeon Gounardes. He was born Jan. 6 and weighed in at 7lbs, 11oz. Pic | | REAL ESTATE | | "MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO's administration will soon finalize a contract that may result in devastating rent hikes for vendors on Rockaway Beach's beloved boardwalk, including Rippers, Low Tide Bar, and Caracas. More than a decade after arriving on the beach, the long-time vendor group Rockaway Beach Club learned late last month the city had rejected their proposal to continue running operations at Beach 87th, Beach 97th, and Beach 106th. Instead, the NYC Parks Department intends to sign a 15-year lease with the Rockaway Beach Bazaar to manage the three concession stands, an agency spokesperson confirmed. Under the new contract, the city will collect an annual fee of $300,000 in the first year — roughly three times more than what they received from the existing vendors last year." Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz "AFTER FAILING to disburse more than half of the federal funding in a COVID-19 rent relief program, New York state has opened a new application window — with broader eligibility criteria — in order to hand out the remaining $60 million. With lawmakers and activists fearful that unspent federal dollars would need to be returned, the state agreed to loosen the requirement: Previously, applicants needed to prove they were 'rent-burdened' — defined as paying more than 30% of their income toward rent -- before the pandemic. Now, tenants will need to show that they were "rent-burdened" during the months of April through July, and that their pre-pandemic household income was at or below 80% of the Area Median Income to qualify for partial rent payments." Gothamist's Emily Lang
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