| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | At first, New York's Covid-19 vaccine problem was that it couldn't get the doses it had into people's arms fast enough. With strict rules in place limiting who was eligible, doses sat unused for weeks. Then, after an uproar, New York made everyone over 65 and a variety of frontline workers eligible and launched new public vaccination sites. And while the appointment process remained cumbersome and frustrating for many, it at least succeeded in speeding things up and getting vaccines out the door. So now, there's a new problem: New York City is rapidly running out of vaccine doses, and is expected to exhaust its supply by the end of this week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Major private hospital networks have canceled appointments or stopped scheduling them because of the shortage. A major city-run site at the Brooklyn Army Terminal shut down over the weekend because it ran out, the New York Post reports. In a bid to bolster the dwindling supply, Gov. Andrew Cuomo sent a letter to Pfizer on Monday asking the pharmaceutical company to sell vaccines directly to New York state, rather than going through the federal government. "The federal administration essentially opened up a floodgate while cutting our supply — leading to confusion, frustration, and dashed hopes," Cuomo wrote, arguing the company, which is based in New York, "could help us save lives right here." The state also plans to reallocate unused shots that had been earmarked for nursing homes, where some staffers are declining to get the vaccine. IT'S TUESDAY. 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? Presenting the fiscal 2022 executive budget from Albany. WHERE'S BILL? Holding a media availability. | | | | TRACK FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: Track the first 100 Days of the Biden administration. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the initiatives, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Subscribe today. | | | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer will launch his campaign for Queens borough president today, mounting a primary challenge against fellow Democrat Donovan Richards, who just assumed the office. "We've got a once in a lifetime chance to fundamentally change Queens politics, Van Bramer, who will run to Richards' left, says in an announcement video. "It's time for a new vision for Queens where working New Yorkers get ahead, not real estate developers who put profit before people. Where we tax millionaires and billionaires and reimagine affordable housing, where we invest more resources in Black and brown communities, and not the NYPD." Van Bramer dropped out of the race last year to fill the rest of now-Queens DA Melinda Katz's term as BP, but the office is back on the ballot for a full term this year. Based on his fundraising in the last race, Van Bramer has already qualified for nearly $400,000 in public matching funds. "THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION Authority is reportedly planning a little coronavirus pandemic surprise for millions of mass transit riders later this week... Sources told CBS2's Marcia Kramer on Monday that the MTA is expected to forgo the anticipated 4% rate hike due to go into affect in the next few months, at least for now. 'In light of the COVID economy, this is not the right time to raise for us to raise fares. We want to help low-income workers who depend on mass transit,' a highly placed source said. Ridership across the system is still down substantially." CBS2's Marcia Kramer — "The number of daily subway runs has dipped in recent months because of worker shortages — taking such a toll that sources said that MTA officials looked into the possibility of temporarily reducing service on some lines. The conductor and train operator ranks have been stretched so thin by illness, retirements and a lack of new hires that nearly 4,200 one-way trips were canceled in December." The City's Jose Martinez ANDREW YANG, the latest entrant into the crowded race for mayor, promised to cut off banks that refuse to accept municipal identification cards if he is elected. Yang framed the proposal — which follows his promise to deliver cash payments of up to $5,000 a year to 500,000 of the city's lowest-income residents — as a means of financial security for immigrants who are struggling financially. "As mayor, I pledge that the city will not do business with a financial institution that does not accept New York City ID in order to open accounts," Yang said at a press conference in Lower Manhattan. "It is perverse that in the world's financial capital, almost one million New Yorkers are unbanked or underbanked." POLITICO's Amanda Eisenberg and Sally Goldenberg — The current crop of mayoral candidates stopped by Rev. Al Sharpton's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Monday in what has become a must-attend event on the campaign trail. Some hopefuls, such as former MSNBC analyst Maya Wiley, used the opportunity to largely praise King's legacy. Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur and one-time presidential candidate, touted the endorsement of Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights icon. Shaun Donovan, a former housing chief to Barack Obama and Mike Bloomberg, rolled out a new proposal to address the racial wealth gap: Every New York City child would receive a $1,000 investment at birth, with additional contributions for low-income recipients. Children born in poverty could expect to receive $50,000 if they graduate high school under the plan. — Joe Anuta "POLLY TROTTENBERG, who recently quit as commissioner for the New York City Department of Transportation under Mayor Bill de Blasio, has been nominated Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation under the incoming Biden administration, the President-elect's transition team announced. If confirmed by the Senate, she'll serve second-in-command to Transportation Secretary and former presidential candidate and mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, pending his confirmation. Trottenberg's rise to the post will help bolster several city initiatives that will require both federal aid and support." WNYC's Stephen Nessen — "President-elect Joe Biden has selected New York City's head of emergency management to become the next head of FEMA, a post that carries substantial weight as the nation continues its battle with COVID-19. Deanne Criswell became the city's first female emergency management commissioner in 2019 after spending five years at the Federal Emergency Management Agency during President Barack Obama's administration." New York Daily News' Michael Gartland "THE NYPD released a set of new guidelines for officers found guilty of misconduct, outlining penalties for violations like excessive use of force, making false statements, or racial profiling under a first-of-its-kind 'disciplinary matrix' that takes effect immediately. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea called the matrix a 'living document' that could evolve. Shea said in a statement that the purpose of the matrix is to eliminate the 'perception of favoritism or bias' that can undermine the department's approach to meting out discipline... The 57-page document provides a lengthy list of misconduct violations by category. The recommended penalty for an officer that uses a chokehold resulting in death, for example, is termination. An improper stop and frisk could mean an officer is penalized with the loss of three vacation days." WNYC's Yasmeen Khan FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The New York Immigration Coalition's political arm will endorse nine female candidates for City Council who it hopes will help advance legislation giving non-citizen New Yorkers the ability to vote in local elections. NYIC Action is backing Mino Lora, Marjorie Velazquez, and Amanda Farias in the Bronx; Tiffany Cabán, Linda Lee, and Moumita Ahmed in Queens; and Jen Gutierrez, Crystal Hudson, Alexa Avilés, and Shahana Hanif in Brooklyn. | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | IT'S BUDGET DAY. Cuomo will give a virtual speech from the Capitol at 11:30 a.m., after which budget director Robert Mujica will hold a virtual explainer for reporters' inevitable questions. "THANKS to an influx of federal funds and a gradually improving economy, New York's budget hole isn't what it used to be . It has shrunk by at least half since Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo pegged it at $8 billion for the current fiscal year, which ends March 31. But New York still faces major economic problems and a huge policy battle when state lawmakers begin to confront the state's financial situation Tuesday. It's a budget crisis that will test just how far Democrats, who control all the levers of power in a blue state, will be willing to go to deal with the financial impact of the pandemic. Cuomo is expected to unveil his proposed budget Tuesday, likely tapping into some of the help Washington has provided already and counting on more. The governor had said New York had an $8 billion budget hole for its 2020-21 fiscal year. But recent cash influxes have pushed down that number." Newsday's Yancey Roy — While you wait on that… GOV. ANDREW CUOMO has released his annual State of the State policy book. The level of detail in the annual publication is somewhere in between that offered in his oral addresses, delivered earlier this week, and in his budget documents, which are due to be released Tuesday. Most of the policies in the book are slight expansions on subjects he discussed earlier in the week. But there are a few new proposals, including ones to establish a state-run diaper bank to "keep our infants healthy, happy, and dry," eliminate the requirement to publish name changes in newspapers, and allow for some new bars to operate before their liquor licenses are approved. The governor also highlighted some new agency programs on green energy, including Raise the Green Roof, a partnership between NYSERDA and the state's Housing and Community Renewal division to have new and existing affordable housing projects consider on-site solar, electrification or efficiency retrofits with low-interest financing to cover the upfront costs for buildings. It targets installing solar on 5,000 affordable housing units statewide in the next five years. POLITICO's Bill Mahoney and Marie J. French — "Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday he had canceled his plans to attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration this week and will instead stay in Albany due to security concerns at state capitols around the country. 'The inauguration is Wednesday. I was planning to go — I'm not going to,' Cuomo said during a virtual press briefing, adding, 'I think my place is to stay in New York state given this possible circumstance.'" New York Post's Bernadette Hogan and Natalie Musumeci "NEW YORK is getting closer to reaching a vital early goal of its coronavirus vaccine campaign: getting a first dose to every nursing home resident, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. But the effort to protect those residents has unfolded more slowly than some administrators and relatives hoped. Around 96% of the state's nursing homes have been visited by one of the vaccination teams inoculating residents, according to state officials. The rest should be reached by Sunday, said Cuomo, a Democrat. The federally run program to vaccinate nursing home residents and staff launched Dec. 21. As recently as Jan. 4, only 288 of the 611 facilities that signed up for the federal program had seen residents get their first visit from vaccination teams sent by private pharmacies, including CVS and Walgreens. The total percentage of residents who have received a dose remained unclear Friday. Typically, every resident at a home would be offered a vaccine during a visit from a vaccination team, but state officials couldn't say how many might have been missed, or declined the shots, during the first sweep." Associated Press' Marina Villeneuve and Jennifer Pelz "HUNDREDS of state prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19 this month , data shows, intensifying calls for vaccinations and early releases of inmates. One mother whose son is ailing in an upstate lockup said she was 'hurt' — but not surprised — to learn he recently tested positive. 'I knew this was bound to happen,' she said. 'I didn't think [he] would be able to save himself from it.' More than 900 of the 34,000 people incarcerated in state-run prisons currently have COVID-19, with 283 people testing positive between Monday and Thursday alone, according to state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision data. Between Jan. 4 and Jan. 14, five prisoners died of the virus while 750 newly tested positive. That lines up with a five-day moving average of 75 daily — a huge jump from the average of around 10 a day recorded in early December, before a holiday season spike. But while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages prison officials to 'vaccinate staff and incarcerated/detained persons of correctional or detention facilities at the same time because of their shared increased risk of disease,' the inmate population is not among those Gov. Andrew Cuomo has listed as eligible." THE CITY's Rosa Goldensohn #UpstateAmerica: It may not be the easiest time for football watch parties, but euphoric Bills fans don't have to give up hope. A transit drive-in in Lockport will show the AFC Championship game and Buffalo restaurants are hitting up the mayor to throw their own events. | | | | KEEP UP WITH CONGRESS IN 2021: Tensions remain high on Capitol Hill as we inaugurate a new president this week. How are lawmakers planning to move forward after a tumultuous few weeks? 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 assists from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the essential guide to understanding Congress. | | | | |
| | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "THOSE UNDER CONSIDERATION include such disparate figures as Sheldon Silver, the disgraced former New York Assembly speaker, and the rapper Lil Wayne, who pleaded guilty last month to a gun charge. Rudolph W. Giuliani says he does not expect one, and Stephen K. Bannon's chances seem to have dimmed. Mixed in among the big names, low-level drug offenders are under consideration. As President Trump enters the final hours of his term, he has been intently focused on who should benefit from his clemency power....Among those under consideration for a pardon or a commutation is Mr. Silver, who was convicted twice on corruption charges and sentenced to prison last summer, two people briefed on the discussions said." New York Times' Maggie Haberman, Kenneth P. Vogel and Dana Rubinstein "THE NEW YORK Police Department plans to reduce staffing levels around Trump Tower after President Trump leaves office on Jan. 20, police officials said. Heightened security, including the presence of police barriers and foot patrols, has been a feature at the Midtown Manhattan building since the election of Mr. Trump in 2016… After Mr. Trump leaves the White House, the NYPD will reopen nearby streets that were closed, and patrols of the area will be adjusted, the police officials said." Wall Street Journal's Ben Chapman "A 25-YEAR-old New York man from the Hudson Valley was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents at his home on Saturday after he posted photos and videos on social media placing him outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 during the rampage by violent extremists. In the caption of one video, the man, Edward Jacob Lang, wrote: 'I was the leader of Liberty today. Arrest me. You are on the wrong side of history.' Federal prosecutors charged him with assaulting an officer and three other crimes, including civil disorder." New York Times' Troy Closson | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Workers for the produce section of the Hunts Point Produce Market have gone on strike. — A New York City teacher and a school secretary have died from Covid-19, bringing the Education Department's official tally to 81 since March. — The Rockefeller Institute again concluded that New York's residents and businesses contribute more in taxes than the state receives back in federal spending. — Many New York hospitals have failed to comply with new rules requiring them to disclose prices. — The MTA bus operator who crashed through guardrails above the Cross Bronx Expressway is disputing the MTA's claim he refused a drug test. — The Paycheck Protection Program reopens today to offer more loans to local businesses. — Non-profits are asking de Blasio to give another $25 million to food pantries struggling to feed hungry New Yorkers. — Transit agencies are thinking about alternatives to monthly passes now that fewer people are commuting everyday. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Ann Compton … Robert MacNeil turned 9-0 … Tyler Kendall, CBS producer and criminal justice reform reporter … CNN's Catherine Valentine … John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst and anchor, is 48 … Evan McMorris-Santoro, CNN correspondent … Subrata De, EVP and global head of programming and development at Vice News … Alexis Gay ... … (was Monday): Brian Callanan, general counsel at Treasury … Sandy Cannold, senior EP of CNBC's "The News With Shepard Smith" … Yagmur Cosar, comms director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Corporate Citizenship Center … Andrew Sullivan, partner at Hudson Pacific … Jonathan Serrie, Fox News correspondent in Atlanta … Lionel Barber turned 66 … Beth DeFalco, managing director at Mercury … JoAnne Wasserman … Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, contributing writer at National Geographic and contributor to The New Yorker and the NYT Magazine, turned 48 … … (was Sunday): former first lady Michelle Obama turned 57 … Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon (h/t Dina Powell McCormick) … John Seabrook turned 62 ... Rebecca Buck, CNN political reporter, turned 31 … NBC's Gabe Gutierrez … former FCC Chair Newton Minow turned 95 … Robert F. Kennedy Jr. turned 67 … CNN's Kwegyirba Croffie (h/t Eric Levenson) … Maury Povich … Edelman's Katherine Wiet and Kurt Hauptman ... Patrick Butler of Kirkland & Ellis turned 28 (h/t Meg Gallagher) … Nikki Schwab … Brad Hansell, a principal at Boston Consulting Group, turned 41 (h/t Tara Doyle) … Alex Moe, NBC News producer and off-air reporter ... … (was Saturday): Clay Dumas of Lowercarbon Capital … NYT's Sheera Frenkel … Daily Beast reporter Kelly Weill … Norman Podhoretz turned 91 … Cassie Menn of FleishmanHillard … Edward Cafiero, SVP of public affairs at Edelman … Ruth Reichl turned 73 ENGAGED — Emily Shippee, a journalist and entrepreneur and former managing editor at Condé Nast's Teen Vogue who recently helped design masks for Michelle Obama's initiative When We All Vote, recently got engaged to Charles Rockefeller, son of former Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and a cofounder of Composite Apps which hosts Othena, an AI-enabled health care platform. The couple met at the Whitney museum two years ago. He proposed on a drive back from D.C. to NYC. Pic … Another pic | | REAL ESTATE | | "UNION SQUARE PARK could be in line for a $100 million makeover that will greatly expand its footprint. The Union Square Partnership, a nonprofit organization that supports and helps maintain the popular New York City-owned green space, is set to unveil a plan calling for the park to incorporate a number of adjacent and nearby areas over the coming years. The park would grow by slightly more than 2 acres to a total of 8.85 acres." Wall Street Journal's Charles Passy "A BROOKLYN SUPREME Court judge issued a temporary restraining order on the Gowanus rezoning after a group of opponents sued the city over transparency concerns — halting the neighborhood-wide land-use change until at least Jan. 27. 'This is a huge relief to our clients and many other community members, who have serious concerns about the lack of equity, access and transparency around the project, and want a meaningful opportunity to be heard,' said Jason Akai, an attorney for the petitioners." Brooklyn Paper's Kevin Duggan "A FORMER HFZ executive and 11 alleged members of the Gambino crime family pleaded guilty last week in connection to a construction bribery scheme that skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars from the developer's luxury condo tower and other projects. John Simonlacaj, HFZ's former managing director of development, admitted to submitting a false tax return in relation to renovation work at his home. Simonlacaj was accused of accepting free labor and materials for the renovations from CWC Contracting, a carpentry subcontractor that worked on the XI, HFZ's $2 billion luxury condo and hotel towers along Manhattan's High Line." The Real Deal's Kathryn Brenzel
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