| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by AARP NY | President Joe Biden, who has compared Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his late father Mario to his own family, said in a new ABC interview that Cuomo should resign if an investigation confirms claims of sexual harassment against him. And he didn't stop there. "Yes, I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too," Biden told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an except of an interview released Tuesday night and set to air today on Good Morning America. The remarks are Biden's strongest to date on the allegations, though Biden — like Cuomo in his own defense — emphasized the importance of getting facts from the attorney general's investigation. "A woman should be presumed to be telling the truth and should not be scapegoated and become victimized by her coming forward, number one. But there should be an investigation to determine whether what she says is true. That's what's going on now," Biden said — bringing up, apparently unprompted, the possibility of criminal liability. "And by the way, it may very well be, there could be a criminal prosecution that is attached to it." The probes into the governor's scandals are also permeating legislative activity in Albany: Tuesday afternoon, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie interrupted floor debate for a spontaneous conference meeting to berate his members for leaking information about the private discussions about impeachment last week. And a Tuesday evening report from The New York Times revealed that in December some of the governor's allies began drafting a letter to smear the credibility of Lindsey Boylan, the former Cuomo aide who was first to publicly detail allegations of harassment. The letter was never released, but adds another one of these —> !? to the now multiple reports of a culture of fear, intimidation and bullying within the administration. While it seems like everyone has enough on their plates, don't get too comfortable. Debra Katz, who represents Charlotte Bennett, one of Cuomo's accusers, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that she had been contacted by other women who had experiences of harassment similar to those of her client, but that they have not yet shared those allegations publicly. IT'S WEDNESDAY. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! 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? No public schedule available by press time. WHERE'S BILL? Marching in a scaled back, 6:30 a.m. version of the St. Patrick's Day parade, going to Mass at St. Patrick's, and holding a media availability. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "He's got three major buckets of shit going on here." — Assemblymember John McDonald, in a private Assembly meeting regarding New York's chief executive | | | | A message from AARP NY: Our seniors deserve better. State lawmakers must act now to demand safe and accountable nursing homes for those who need it, and provide more funding for services to help seniors remain independent at home—where they want to be. Let's show New York seniors the respect and dignity they've earned. Learn more. | | |
|  | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "STATE SENATE Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has yet to meet with Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid his dueling scandals and her calls for his resignation — despite the deadline for the state budget being just two weeks away, she said on Tuesday. The leading Democratic senator — who last week called on Cuomo to step down over his multiple sexual misconduct allegations — said both chambers are working hard to hammer out the budget ahead of the April 1 deadline, even without the governor's input. 'I haven't actually met with the governor,' she said on a call with reporters, 'but he hasn't actually asked me to meet with him.' Stewart-Cousins, meanwhile, reiterated that she personally told Cuomo to step down amid his spiral of sexual harassment allegations and COVID-19 nursing home death toll cover-up. 'I had told the governor before I said what I said why I was saying it,' Stewart-Cousins said, referring to her public statement on March 7 that Cuomo should resign 'for the good of the state.'" New York Post's Carl Campanile and Lia Eustachewich — The Legislature announced General Conference Committee appointments. "DURING the March 11 meeting, Heastie — who has represented District 83, which includes part of the Bronx, in the Assembly for over two decades — repeatedly described his decision to start an investigation rather than introduce articles of impeachment as 'due process.' At one point, he said the Assembly's Democratic conference was divided between those who want to leave it to state Attorney General Tish James to investigate Cuomo's conduct, those who hope the governor will step down and those who want to see him impeached. "'I try to come up with something that's best for the body. Everybody might not love it, everybody may not like it, but I try to get us to a comfortable place that protects the integrity of this house,' Heastie said on the audio of the meeting obtained by Yahoo News. Heastie did not respond to a request for comment on this story. Multiple Assembly members told Yahoo News that he informed the conference they would not have further video meetings going forward. An Albany source who is in regular contact with Heastie described the speaker as caught 'between a rock and a hard place.' They argued he is trying to buy time, hoping for the pressure and scandal to die down, with the knowledge that the Judiciary Committee has not conducted any aggressive investigations in recent years. 'He knows that the Judiciary Committee has no teeth,' the source, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential conversations, said of Heastie." Yahoo News' Hunter Walker — Employment lawyers say the best move for Cuomo is to simply comply with the attorney general's inquiry and let the investigation run its course. — A trio of gender equity groups are planning to fly a "Cuomo's Got To Go" banner over Albany today. — Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik has some new merch with a familiar aesthetic. "DEMOCRATS who dominate the New York state Assembly and Senate are pushing to increase taxes on the state's top earners beyond the level proposed earlier this year by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and have introduced a new surcharge on capital gains as budget negotiations enter their final phase. Democratic legislators proposed tax packages that would each raise more than $6.5 billion of additional revenue with a variety of new and increased levies. The measures would boost total state spending above $200 billion by increasing outlays for education, transportation and healthcare as well as by adding grant programs for small businesses and tenants. While they didn't advance proposals to tax financial transactions or impose a form of wealth tax on unrealized capital gains, leaders of the Senate and Assembly proposed increases to the state's personal income tax, estate tax and corporate franchise tax. The higher taxes would affect individuals reporting more than $1 million of income." Wall Street Journal's Jimmy Vielkind #UpstateAmerica: Lombardo's restaurant on Albany's lower Madison Avenue is being sold and recast as a "business incubator." | | | | JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST": Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country, and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out on this new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | "MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO said Tuesday that he has 'appealed' to the Biden administration to arrange shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine directly to New York City — in order to bypass scandal-scarred Gov. Andrew Cuomo's control. 'Mayors all over the country are raising this exact concern to the Biden administration,' Hizzoner said during a City Hall press briefing, explaining he's spoken with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has been feuding with Georgia's governor over vaccine supply and distribution. 'We've appealed, many of us as mayors, to the Biden administration to change the rules to provide vaccine directly and without strings attached to major cities — which have large health departments, public hospital systems, etcetera — so that we can cut out the middle person and get to work vaccinating more people and do it more quickly, more effectively,' said de Blasio." New York Post's Nolan Hicks and Natalie Musumeci — The city was set to hit 3 million coronavirus vaccinations on Tuesday. "IT'S BEEN A YEAR since New York City students experienced a normal day of school. As the pandemic abruptly turned life upside down around the world, roughly a million public school kids in NYC were thrust into a wildly inconsistent learning environment, with repeated openings and closings of school buildings and systemwide shifts to online learning as COVID-19 rates surge. The uncertainty amidst the pandemic has caused widespread reports of stress, anxiety and intense mental anguish among students — with no definitive end in sight. One second grader anxiously asks her mom every morning if she's gotten a call from school about another case that shuts down the building. A teenager who enjoys remote learning has lost crucial engagement and socialization skills, preferring to tackle assignments alone in his bedroom and avoiding group projects. Another student said he has stopped commuting to Brooklyn Tech's campus because his parents are worried about the rise in anti-Asian bias crimes and prefer to keep him home." Gothamist's Sophia Chang "THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY of Queens announced Tuesday that she is requesting the dismissal of nearly 700 cases involving prostitution-related offenses , and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would push for statewide decriminalization of sex work. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, a Democrat, said she is requesting the dismissal of hundreds of cases against people who were charged with prostitution, loitering for the purpose of engaging in prostitution, and similar offenses. 'Instead of prosecuting these defendants, we need to provide a helping hand by connecting them with meaningful services, support options and the necessary tools that will assist them to safely exit the sex trade if that is what they choose to do,' Katz said in a news release. The move to drop hundreds of prosecutions follows the Legislature's action last month to repeal the law against loitering for the purpose of engaging in prostitution, something opponents called the 'walking while trans' ban." The Associated Press' Karen Matthews "A POLITICAL GROUP generously funded by a Walmart heir who is the world's ninth richest person is pumping money into a City Council special election in one of the city's poorest areas , campaign records show. And Alice Walton isn't the only monied outsider plunging into a Bronx race: Big real estate is also throwing cash around in two borough contests — with the combined outside spending rivaling the sums raised by candidates within the city's tightly restricted campaign finance system. The pair of nonpartisan special elections in the north and central Bronx is scheduled for March 23. Early in-person and absentee voting have already begun." The City's Clifford Michel and Claudia Irizarry Aponte "THE MUSE HOTEL in Times Square tried with very little success to navigate the coronavirus pandemic. It closed when the economy paused last year, reopened three months later and shut its doors again on Jan. 3. 'We just weren't able to grow the business,' said Matt Hurlburt, the general manager. 'We were averaging 20% occupancy with average room rates 40% of what they would normally be.' But now the hotel is scheduled to reopen on March 24 just as Gov. Andrew Cuomo lifts COVID-19 quarantine rules on all domestic travelers. And Hurlburt is optimistic that tourism is about to begin its comeback.…New York City lost a record 631,000 jobs last year. And no two sectors of the city's economy have been hit harder than tourism and the arts, which rely on visitors for the majority of their audience. The pandemic plunge of tourism is the key reason why New York City's economy ranks 81st out of 82 metropolitan areas for job losses, according to economist Barbara Denham of Oxford Economics." The City's Greg David — Shakespeare in the Park will be back this summer. DEBATES! POLITICO will be co-hosting three NYC debates in June with NBC 4 New York/WNBC and Telemundo 47/WNJU in the races for mayor and comptroller. Moderators include City Hall Bureau Chief Sally Goldenberg, WNBC political reporter Melissa Russo, WNBC news anchor David Ushery and WNJU morning news anchor Allan Villafana. | | | | A message from AARP NY:   | | |
| | Biden and the Boroughs | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The New York Immigration Coalition is launching a $500,000 ad campaign today criticizing President Joe Biden's pandemic aid bill for not including a pathway to citizenship for immigrant essential workers. "President Biden promised a pathway to citizenship for essential workers, temporary protected status holders, and dreamers, but his American Rescue Plan shuts them out," says the ad, which will run on CNN and MSNBC, starting in New York, Washington, D.C., and Biden's home state of Delaware. "If America is going to build back better, we need these essential immigrant workers." Some members of Congress pushed forthe provision to be part of the covid relief bill. | | SPOTLIGHT | | THE FIFTY — 6 cities where police reform is shaping the race for mayor: The rush to slash police funding and add new limits on use of force in the wake of George Floyd's death hasn't stopped policing from emerging as a top issue in big city mayoral contests across the country...A year after Floyd's death ignited racial justice protests all over the country, police reform is shaping the mayoral contests in Minneapolis, New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Detroit and Seattle. All the cities except New York hold nonpartisan elections, and all are run by Democrats. They all could serve as political barometers ahead of the 2022 congressional midterms, coming during a year in which few states are holding major elections. POLITICO's Stephanie Murray | | | | Did you know that POLITICO Pro has coverage and tools at the state level? All the state legislative and regulatory tracking, budget documents, state agency contact information, and everything else you need to stay ahead of state policy movement integrate into our smart and customizable platform. Learn more and become a Pro today. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Disgraced ex-Congressman Vito Fossella is running for Staten Island borough president. — A judge threw out a suit by a former Department of Citywide Administrative Services official who said he was fired for blowing the whistle about corruption at City Hall. — The 80th season of harness racing in Saratoga Springs opened on March 1 but could be the Spa City's last. — The Civilian Complaint Review Board received more than 750 complaints stemming from Black Lives Matter protests. — Rep. Ritchie Torres wants to reopen a federal office focused on assisting Puerto Ricans in New York City. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Tim Burger … Eileen O'Connor, SVP of comms at the Rockefeller Foundation … Carl Leubsdorf … NBC's Sally Bronston … CBS' Trey Sherman ... NRDC's Mark Drajem … WSJ's Anna Rafdal … Tom Karrel … MSNBC's Tiffany Mullon … Yahoo's Dylan Stableford ... James Flexner … Charlie Olson … CNN's Kate Sullivan MAKING MOVES — Per POLITICO Influence: "The vaping company Juul Labs is adding Joel Klein, the former New York City schools chancellor, to its board of directors. Klein spent more than eight years as chancellor under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and is now the chief policy and strategy officer for Oscar, the health insurance company, as well as the chair of Boston Properties' board of directors." … Nicole Turso is leaving the city Department of Investigation and joining the Office of Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas as deputy communications director. MEDIAWATCH — Michael Clemente has started doing some consulting work for the Washington Examiner. He is the former EVP of Fox News and is also an alum of CNN and ABC News. — "Fortune staffers stage day-long work stoppage," by Talking Biz News' Chris Roush | | | | A message form AARP NY: What's happened in New York's nursing homes during the past eleven months is a tragedy. More than 13,625 seniors have died of COVID-19, and still chronic problems persist—like understaffing, especially when it comes to direct care for residents. Our seniors deserve better. State lawmakers must act now to demand safe and accountable nursing homes for those who need it, and provide more funding for services to help seniors remain independent at home—where they want to be. Let's show New York seniors the respect and dignity they've earned. Learn more. | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "OVER THE past five weeks, New York City housing courts have seen a nearly 1,000-percent increase in the number of tenants submitting newly created documents that allow them to delay eviction proceedings, state data shows. Just under 24,000 households across New York City, including 4,056 in Queens, have submitted 'hardship declaration' forms that were instituted by the state in December 2020, according to the Office of Court Administration. In most cases, renters who complete the simple form indicating that they have faced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic will postpone their eviction proceedings until at least May 1. The number of documents filed as of March 15 marks a tenfold increase since February 9, when just 2,300 New York City households had submitted the hardship forms, Law360 reported. The low number of submissions concerned advocates and lawmakers, who launched an outreach campaign to motivate tenants to file the documents." Queens Eagle's David Brand — Evictions are being sought out almost four times more often in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods hardest hit by Covid-19. "NON-PROFIT groups that run homeless shelters say they're facing the worst cash crunch in several years due to significant delays in payments from New York City. During the pandemic, the de Blasio administration vastly expanded the shelter options it offered as it sought to protect homeless people from the coronavirus. But these efforts have resulted in so many new contracts and changes to existing ones that the city is having a hard time keeping up. And even when contracts are fully registered, homeless shelter providers say the city is failing to pay their invoices on time. 'That's a real crisis,' said Catherine Trapani, executive director at Homeless Services United, the umbrella organization that represents shelter operators." WNYC's Mirela Iverac
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