| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East | Well, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah: The Cuomo administration released a full transcript of that fateful call from just a week ago when top aide Melissa DeRosa said the the governor's team "froze" when asked for the nursing home death toll numbers. You think you want to read it, but you probably don't, not unless "HERDS" and "SPARCS" data are regular terms in your vocabulary. Don't worry, we've got you. Here are our Top 8 Takeaways from the more than 22,000-word transcript. The new details aren't as damning as you might have dreamt, but the conversation offers a deep look at the administration's handling of the pandemic over the course of several months. Wait, back up. Wednesday was also a big day because Gov. Andrew Cuomo succeeded in putting Rep. Elise Stefanik on the same team as an Assembly Democrat from Queens. Stefanik, who has been calling Cuomo names for months and wants him to be thrown in jail, tweeted "I stand with Ron Kim. He has spoken truth to power…" after Cuomo smeared the assemblymember during a conference call with reporters. That diatribe , in which Cuomo accused Kim of unethical behavior during a disagreement they had several years back, was apparently what Cuomo was foreshadowing when he called Kim last week and threatened "to destroy" him for criticizing Cuomo's nursing home response. (OK, is this a new trend or something?). Wednesday concluded with reporting from the Times Union that the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn are in the early stages of an investigation into actions taken by the governor's coronavirus team. Got all that? Good. So where do we go from here? The governor is under a national microscope and out for revenge. Democrats in the Legislature are riled up from the direct attack on one of their own, and there's a budget with an impossibly large hole to fill due March 31. The pandemic might not be over, but the unity strategy seems to have been collectively abandoned. 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 WHERE'S ANDREW? In Albany with no public schedule. WHERE'S BILL? Appearing on MSNBC and holding a media availability. QUOTE(S) OF THE DAY: A dialogue from the transcript: Melissa DeRosa: You have any questions? I feel like we haven't had an opportunity yet. Gustavo? Senator Rivera? Gustavo Rivera: I'm good. Just making notes for the moment, and seeing — DeRosa: Okay. I just wanted to make sure you had an opportunity if there was anything. Rivera: Yes ma'am. Well I think, I think you know that if I needed to say something — DeRosa: Fair. You and I have that in common. Rivera: We sure do, bro. We sure do. | | | | A message from 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East: For far too long, we have tolerated poor quality and profiteering in New York's nursing home industry. Albany needs to pass reform now to make sure nursing home owners are spending taxpayer money the way it's meant to be spent – on providing residents with the hours of quality care they need. We need your voice to make sure our loved ones are receiving quality care. Learn more about how you can help at https://investinqualitycare.org/take-action/ | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | MAYOR BILL de Blasio took a reprieve from dealing with the pandemic one evening last week to turn his attention to local politics. Worried about keeping his legacy intact, the outgoing mayor convened a meeting of three labor leaders to discuss the race to replace him and air concerns about the potential damage a pro-business candidate would do to the city, several people familiar with the closed-door discussion told POLITICO. De Blasio hosted the presidents of District Council 37, the Hotel Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU — unions he counts as allies — at his Gracie Mansion residence last Wednesday evening for a long discussion about the state of the race and the future of the city, the people said. The outgoing mayor, whose term ends on Dec. 31, did not endorse or admonish any of the Democrats seeking his job ahead of the June primary, but made clear he wants the next mayor to continue his record of expanding pre-kindergarten and affordable housing and requiring building retrofits to cut emissions. De Blasio, a political operative by trade, also expressed a preference for Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, questioned the veracity of Andrew Yang's healthy lead in the polls and asked the union presidents if they would join forces in the race, the people said. POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg — Andrew Yang headed back to the campaign trail for the first time Wednesday after two weeks on the sidelines with a Covid-19 infection. "This is approximately one million times better than Zoom," the mayoral hopeful said during a morning event at 125th St. in Harlem. Yang, a former presidential candidate, tested positive for the coronavirus on Feb. 2 after maintaining the most aggressive in-person campaign schedule among the mayoral field. After coming out of isolation, he said he had no plans to change his strategy despite safety concerns raised by his diagnosis. But he was not alone: candidates Maya Wiley and Scott Stringer were out on the streets Wednesday as well. POLITICO's Erin Durkin "NEW YORK CITY's COVID vaccine supply could run out within the next day due to nationwide shortages and supply chain disruptions caused by storms, Mayor de Blasio said Wednesday. De Blasio has bemoaned shortages for weeks now, but his latest message — that the city's vaccine cupboards could be bare within 24 hours — is perhaps the most dire warning he's made since distribution of doses in the city began in December. 'We've got fewer than 30,000 first doses on hand right now. That means we're going to run out today or tomorrow. We're going to run out of what we've got now,' he said. 'We're not getting what we need.'" New York Daily News' Michael Gartland — The city delayed the opening of a vaccination site at Staten Island's Empire Outlets for a second time due to shortages. — City Council members lambasted the mayor's office at a hearing on the vaccine rollout. "PRESCHOOLERS VYING for access to the city's fast-track elementary school Gifted and Talented program will be selected this year based on teacher recommendations and a random lottery instead of a test score, officials announced Wednesday. The shakeup of admissions to the city's polarizing gifted program comes after an advisory panel voted down the city's plan to offer the traditional Gifted and Talented test in-person this spring. That unprecedented vote stunned city officials and left the Education Department scrambling for an alternative admissions policy. Officials confirmed Wednesday that they will not move forward with a test this year." New York Daily News' Michael Elsen-Rooney "COUNCILMEMBER Robert Cornegy Jr. improperly used his office to jumpstart his campaign for Brooklyn borough president — asking staffers for donations and to work for free on his run, a complaint filed by a fired former employee charges. In the complaint, pending for the past year with the City Council's human resources and Equal Employment Opportunity offices, the ex-employee also alleges the Brooklyn Democrat planned campaign activities with his chief of staff, Sarissa Phillips-Singletary, while on the job." The City's Claudia Irizarry Aponte "THE NATION's largest transit system expects to increase spending on systemwide upgrades by billions of dollars in 2021 as it relaxes restrictions imposed last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Janno Lieber, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority's chief development officer, said he plans to tell MTA board members at a meeting Thursday that the authority expects to commit at least $6.2 billion in new spending in 2021. The spending commitments could increase to between $7 billion and $10 billion during the year as the authority's financial picture becomes clearer, he said. Mr. Lieber said fixing and upgrading tracks, signals and infrastructure in a system that in many places is a century old would help avoid a repeat of the delays, derailments and disruptions that plagued commuters a few years ago. The work would also help accelerate the MTA's plans to make the New York City subway system more accessible by installing and repairing elevators and escalators." Wall Street Journal's Paul Berger | | | | GET TRANSITION PLAYBOOK TO 100K: In three months, our scoop-filled Transition Playbook newsletter has grown from zero to more than 90,000 subscribers. Find out what's really happening inside the West Wing, who really has the ear of the president, and what's about to happen, before it occurs. Transition Playbook chronicles the people, policies, and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out, subscribe today. And once you do, we'd be grateful if you could spread the word to your friends and colleagues, or, even better, post about Transition Playbook on Facebook or Twitter using this link: politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "CNN claimed Wednesday that it has reinstated a 'rule' that prevents Chris Cuomo from 'interviewing or covering his brother' — after the host completely ignored the nursing home death cover-up scandal engulfing Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Last year, Chris Cuomo repeatedly interviewed his older brother about the coronavirus pandemic, engaging in often-cringey banter that initially helped boost the ratings for the 9 p.m. 'Cuomo Prime Time.' But the controversy over the Cuomo administration's admitted cover-up of nursing home death numbers — exclusively revealed by The Post last week — hasn't been mentioned on Chris' hour-long show. That's despite coverage on other CNN shows, including Sunday's 'State of the Union,' on which host Jake Tapper criticized the state Health Department's since-rescinded, March 25 directive for nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients." New York Post's Ben Feuerherd and Bruce Golding "OUTDOOR AMUSEMENT parks across the state can reopen at 33 percent capacity on April 9 , Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday, meaning the People's Playground can once again welcome thrill-seekers following a year of financial hardship. 'We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,' said Dennis Vourderis, whose family owns Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. 'And what a long, dark tunnel it's been.' Park-goers must buy tickets in advance and wear face coverings, and the parks must conduct temperature checks and clean the rides frequently, Cuomo said." Brooklyn Paper's Rose Adams "ULSTER COUNTY is embarking on the state's broadest test of a universal basic income system, and the first test of such a system in a non-urban area anywhere in the United States. 'This came from the lessons learned and the realizations in the midst of the Covid crisis, where it was clear very early on in the first few days as we started shutting down the economy … that there was just not going to be the capacity to meet the needs of all our residents in our existing social support systems and other programs,' said County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat serving his first full term. Residents with annual incomes of no more than $46,900 are eligible to apply. A hundred of them will be chosen by lottery, and those selected will receive $500 a month for a year." POLITICO's Bill Mahoney FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Ten elected officials today are announcing their support for the Invest In Our New York Act, a package of bills aimed at raising taxes on the state's wealthiest individuals and corporations. The new supporters are Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez; state Sens. Neil Breslin, Leroy Comrie, Zellnor Myrie, José M. Serrano; and Assemblymembers Rebecca Seawright, Fred Thiele, Rodneyse Bichotte, Pamela Hunter and Jo Anne Simon. #UpstateAmerica: For such a time as this, Syracuse is getting a rage room. Smash Therapy will provide weapons (bats, crowbars or sledgehammers) and the things to smash (glass and liquor bottles, game consoles, printers, vacuums, kitchen appliances and copiers). Bring your own angst. | | | |   | | |
| | Biden's Beltway | | A GROUP of nine Republican senators on Wednesday asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration over what the lawmakers called a "cover-up" of the Covid-19 death toll in state nursing homes. The group, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), wrote a letter calling for the committee's chair, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), to launch the probe after Cuomo's top aide told lawmakers the administration purposely withheld the state's nursing home death toll, as first reported by the New York Post on Thursday. "The American people deserve to know the extent to which Governor Cuomo and his senior staff violated the civil rights of New York seniors, lied to the Department of Justice about their actions, and violated federal civil and criminal laws in the process," the senators wrote... The senators stressed that committee hearings would make sure the Department of Justice "has all the tools and funding that it needs to investigate and prosecute to the extent necessary this tragedy and subsequent cover-up." "But an investigation by the Department of Justice is rightly conducted behind closed doors and will not provide timely and public accountability for those who played politics with Covid-19 at the expense of the lives of American senior citizens," the senators wrote. POLITICO's Maria Carrasco | | Biden and the Boroughs | | "WITH SO MUCH on the line, Mayor Bill de Blasio is pushing leaders in Washington, D.C., to allocate direct aid to New York City in the next big federal stimulus package, currently being negotiated among President Joe Biden and members of Congress. At the same time, de Blasio is calling on the State Legislature to help him stop Governor Andrew Cuomo from continuing to syphon off hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid coming through Albany. Both de Blasio and Cuomo have said billions of federal dollars will be essential to the region's economic recovery and necessary to prevent city and state budget cuts. With $350 billion in the stimulus plan proposed by Biden going to state and local governments, New York City and State officials are waiting to see what the final package looks like, including the formula for how the proposed funds will be distributed and whether aid for the city will flow directly rather than through the state." Gotham Gazette's Ethan Geringer-Sameth | | | | NEW – "THE RECAST" NEWSLETTER: Power dynamics are changing. "Influence" is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is our new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy, and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country, and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Don't miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — City Council Member Mark Gjonaj won't run for re-election. — Five city vaccine hubs located at schools will be relocated when middle schools reopen. — A meth lab was found in a Bronx apartment. — City churches gave out packets of ashes for Ash Wednesday instead of putting them on parishioners' foreheads. Rest in Power — Rep. Jamaal Bowman's mother has died from Covid. — An Asian American woman was attacked in Flushing in what appeared to be a hate crime. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: former Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) … CBS News' Rebecca Kaplan … Kadeem Gill MAKING MOVES — Ali Pardo is now PAC and political comms director for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). She previously was deputy comms director for the Trump campaign. … Harry Walton is the new campaign manager for City Council candidate Rebecca Lamorte, who is seeking a seat representing part of Manhattan. He was previously regional organizing director for the Iowa Democratic Party. … Miranda Barbot will leave her post as Department of Education press secretary early next month and will become a vice president for strategic campaigns at BerlinRosen. … Barry Berke is returning to law firm Kramer Levin, after serving as lead counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives in the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump. MORE NY PLAYBOOK: Look for the new New York Playbook PM in your inbox starting Feb. 22. Just like you read our morning Playbook, Playbook PM by Anna Gronewold in Albany and our top-notch political team in the city will bring you the news you need to know from the Capitol and New York City Hall. It will publish at the height of the legislative session and the New York City mayoral race, telling you the latest political news from around the Empire State. | | | | A message from 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East: New York State is experiencing a nursing home crisis. The heroes who take care of our loved ones in New York's nursing homes are trying desperately to take care of their residents without sufficient resources and support, leaving residents without the hours of care they need. And the hours of care a nursing home resident receives is directly correlated with resident outcomes. As NY Attorney General found, the underlying poor conditions in nursing homes worsened the COVID-19 pandemic's toll. Instead of hiring enough staff and providing enough equipment and other resources, operators are cutting corners and hiding profits by using multiple corporations to operate the same home.
New York lawmakers can act now and join states like Massachusetts and New Jersey in making sure that the nursing home industry is spending taxpayer dollars on patient care, not profits. Learn more about how you can fight for nursing home reform at https://investinqualitycare.org/take-action/ | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "TWO THINGS have been true since the pandemic flattened New York's rental market last March: prices have fallen sharply, but not for the people who need relief most . Now a new report shows how little those price cuts have helped the more than 1 million New Yorkers the city calls essential workers. From mid-March to the end of 2020, there were 11,690 apartments citywide that were considered affordable to essential workers, a more than 40 percent increase from the same period the year prior, according to the listing website StreetEasy. But even after a year of record rent cuts, that share represented just 4 percent of the total market-rate inventory in the city. 'It sounds like a really compelling stat,' said Nancy Wu, an economist with StreetEasy. 'But at the end of the day, about 96 percent of apartments on StreetEasy are still unaffordable to them.'" New York Times' Stefanos Chen
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