| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by FWD.us | Today's the day New York starts getting back to normal, sort of. Pandemic capacity restrictions will be lifted almost everywhere, as will the mask mandate for vaccinated New Yorkers in most locations. That "sort of" is doing a lot of work here. Today's changes are the closest New York has come to a full reopening, but there are sure to be complications. Take the mask rules: Fully vaccinated New Yorkers are allowed to ditch them under orders from Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week, yet people who aren't fully vaccinated against Covid-19 — that is, the majority of the state's population — are still required to wear them in public. Which raises the obvious question of how to tell the difference — a question no one has really answered. In practice, a lot of this will fall to individual business owners and facility operators to figure out on their own, and they're allowed to require masks for everyone if they choose to. Yes, it's already getting awkward . New York City's health commissioner, for one, says he'll keep his mask on in indoor public spaces and recommends the same for others. Masks are also still required for everyone on public transportation as well as in schools and health care facilities. Businesses including restaurants and bars, offices, museums, hair salons, gyms, and retail stores will be allowed to reopen today at full capacity for the first time in more than a year. There's a "but" here too: they're still supposed to maintain six feet of distance between patrons, unless they require proof of vaccination. Got all that? OK good, now get your shot and go enjoy the new normal. IT'S WEDNESDAY. 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 events scheduled. WHERE'S BILL? Holding a media availability. | | | | A message from FWD.us: There is an aging crisis in New York prisons. Fifteen percent of people in New York's prisons are at least 55 years old, and this number keeps growing. Unless parole is expanded and made more fair, the State's prisons will become nursing homes, more people will die behind bars, and we'll waste hundreds of millions of dollars that do nothing to keep us safe. Urge Lawmakers to pass Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole NOW: www.fwd.us/newyork | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | Candidates point fingers amid ethics allegations, deluge of outside spending, by POLITICO's Amanda Eisenberg, Jonathan Custodio and Joe Anuta : Mayoral candidates clamored for the moral high ground Tuesday after fundraising practices became a flashpoint in the Democratic primary — but few of the hopefuls have denounced the special interest money flooding the race. Andrew Yang went uncharacteristically negative, as he and others trained their fire on Eric Adams, who was the subject of a New York Times story that raised questions about his campaign bundlers. Yang and Maya Wiley both called for investigations into Adams' fundraising. Adams pointed the finger back, saying Yang's presidential campaign and nonprofit were rife with irregularities and questionable payouts...In a letter to the Campaign Finance Board, the Adams campaign alleged that Yang's nonprofit, which he resigned from before announcing his mayoral run, is improperly promoting him without disclosing its activities to the CFB. "IBO says De Blasio's stimulus spending could leave NYC in budget crunch for years," by New York Post's Nolan Hicks: "Looks like Mayor Bill de Blasio's "spending like a drunken sailor" is gonna leave the Big Apple with a nasty hangover. The city's Independent Budget Office projects that more than $4 billion of the city's federal stimulus money is going to programs designed to continue well after the aid dries up — adding more fuel to criticism of de Blasio's recent COVID-relief spending spree. That accounts for roughly one in four dollars of the $15.8 billion in federal funds the Big Apple has been allocated as part of the coronavirus rescue package passed by Congress and signed by President Biden." "NYPD Commissioner Shea Insists Cops Did a 'Phenomenal Job' Policing Racial Justice Protests," by The City's Greg B. Smith and Reuven Blau : "Interrogated by city investigators, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea denied the NYPD overreacted during last year's racial justice protests — blaming 'outside agitators' for violence and insisting cops did a 'phenomenal job.' A transcript of the contentious, two-hour exchange in November with the city Department of Investigation provides an unusually candid depiction of Shea's defense of a police response that's been criticized by numerous protesters and elected officials — including Mayor Bill de Blasio, who eventually apologized for cops' use of what he called 'excessive force.'" "Maya Wiley Has '50 Ideas' and One Goal: To Make History as Mayor," by The New York Times' Emma G. Fitzsimmons : "If there was a single moment that captured the essence of Maya Wiley's campaign for New York City mayor, the Women for Maya launch was it. She sat on a folding chair in Central Park at the event earlier this month, at the foot of a statue depicting three historical figures of women's suffrage. To her immediate right was Representative Nydia Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress; to her left was Gloria Steinem, the feminist icon. Since entering the mayor's race last year, Ms. Wiley had underscored how it was time for a woman — a Black woman — to finally lead New York, someone who understood the concerns of those who struggled even before the pandemic and who are worried that the recovery is leaving them behind." — Immigrant advocacy group Make the Road Action endorsed Dianne Morales and Maya Wiley as their number one and two choices for mayor. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — California Rep. Katie Porter will endorse Brad Lander of Brooklyn for city comptroller, joining several national left-leaning pols who have backed the City Council Member's campaign. "In NYC, the capital of capital, the city comptroller can have a huge impact on the financial sector -- pushing through shareholder action as one of the world's largest institutional investors to protect consumers, advance climate action, and further equity in the economy. Brad Lander has the skills and the commitment to hold Wall Street accountable," said Porter, who has drawn attention for grilling Wall Street execs at congressional hearings. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "FBI interviews top NY pol in probe of Gov. Cuomo over nursing homes, book deal," by New York Post's Bernadette Hogan and Bruce Golding: "Federal investigators interviewed the chairman of the state Senate Health Committee as part of its probe into Gov. Andrew Cuomo's handling of nursing homes amid the coronavirus pandemic — including his $5.1 million book deal, The Post has learned. State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-The Bronx) said Tuesday that he was summoned to the FBI's Brooklyn headquarters earlier this month and interviewed for nearly three hours by agents and prosecutors from the Brooklyn US Attorney's Office. 'We talked about a little bit of everything — mostly the governor's interaction with the legislature throughout the pandemic,' Rivera told The Post. The investigators also asked Rivera for records to corroborate what he told them, he said." — "Taxpayers footing the bill for Cuomo's lawyer in nursing-home probe," by New York Post's Bernadette Hogan WATCH: Andrew Guiliani at Montauk; Andrew Guiliani at Niagara Falls; and Andrew Guiliani tear into Cuomo, the pandemic shutdown restrictions and police reform efforts in his gubernatorial campaign launch video. NY Democrats decline to censure Cuomo, but contend that Stefanik supports fascism , by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: The New York State Democratic Committee declined to act on a pair of resolutions authored by the party's left wing at a meeting on Tuesday. One would have censured Gov. Andrew Cuomo for "conduct unbecoming of his office." A subcommittee tasked with looking at resolutions determined that since that conduct "is currently a part of an investigation being led by the New York state attorney general," the party "should not weigh in on the matter." A move to table the resolution was supported 122-18. "The state party is controlled by the governor" and filled with his allies, committee member Emilia Decaudin, one of the members who introduced the resolution, said after the meeting. That means "we're going to have a blind spot as a party when it comes to matters surrounding the governor." She promised to reintroduce the move to censure Cuomo with "an updated list of grievances" once the investigation is complete. "'Behind the Curtain': Down to Six Judges, New York's Top Court Starts Sidelining Cases," by New York Law Journal's Ryan Tarinelli: "Cases at New York's highest court are being put on the back burner as the court tries to push forward with only six members following the death of Judge Paul Feinman. The state Court of Appeals has ordered reargument for at least six fully argued cases in the weeks since the judge stepped down from the court in March due to health concerns. It's unknown why the seven-person court decided the cases will be reargued, but New York attorneys say it could be a sign there's a deadlock among the judges….The court is operating with six judges as Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to put forward his nominees to succeed Feinman and outgoing Judge Leslie Stein, who is expected to retire from the court in less than a month. The embattled governor has blown past a statutory deadline for choosing a nominee for Stein's seat, despite saying weeks ago that he would shortly be making his pick to fill the position." LONGREAD: "Elderly, locked up, and at risk — the life and death of the incarcerated during Covid," by Tana Ganeva for Rolling Stone Magazine TOP (L)EARNERS: "NY per-pupil school spending topped $25k in 2018-19," by Empire Center's E.J. McMahon: "New York's spending on public elementary and secondary education reached $25,139 per pupil during the 2018-19 school year, once again surpassing all states in the latest U.S. Census annual data. The Empire State's public schools spent 91 percent more than the national average of $13,187 per pupil — compared to gaps of 73 percent in 2008-09 and 45 percent in 1998-99...New York school spending will be pushed up even higher in the future by a record aid increase in the state budget approved in early April, which also featured a legislative commitment to fully fund larger 'foundation aid' formula increases in future years. On top of that, New York schools have just been handed another $9 billion in special 'emergency relief fund' aid via the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan. #UpstateAmerica: How to rile up Capital Region residents: "Residents talk of trapped kids, dead puppy as they vent about Albany's Holiday Lights in the Park." | | | |   | | |
| | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | NY state investigation into Trump now a criminal probe, by POLITICO's Ben Leonard: The New York state attorney general's examination of the Trump Organization is now also a criminal investigation, a spokesperson for the attorney general said on Tuesday night. The investigation is "no longer purely civil in nature," Fabien Levy, the spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James, confirmed to POLITICO by email. "We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan D.A. We have no additional comment at this time." | | | | JOIN TODAY - "THE RECAST" LIVE CONVERSATION: Earlier this year, we launched "The Recast" newsletter breaking down the changing power dynamics in America and how race and identity shape politics, policy and power. We are recasting how we report on this crucial intersection by bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Join Brakkton Booker, "The Recast" newsletter author and national political correspondent at POLITICO, for a live conversation with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.); Malika Redmond, co-founder, president and CEO of Women Engaged; Sonal Shah, founding president, The Asian American Foundation; and Lauren Williams, co-founder, CEO and editor in chief of Capital B, about redefining power in America. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Mayoral hopeful Eric Adams said the 250 additional cops the city is sending to the subway system are not enough. The MTA is also carping about the plan. — Rockaway Beach boardwalk vendors were vandalized in a potential act of sabotage. — Workers at the Whitney Museum are moving to form a union. — The state's highest court declined to hear an appeal from Hiram Monserrate challenging his exclusion from the ballot for City Council. — Citi Bike set a new ridership record last week. — Stewart's Shops employees now own 40 percent of the company. — New York crop farmers are pushing back against a bill moving through the state Legislature that would ban pesticide-treated seeds advocates consider harmful to bees. — Rochester's getting a much needed $12 million from the state to repair roads, part of the state budget's big infrastructure spending. — City comptroller candidate David Weprin took seven years to fully pay off a six-figure debt to the city's Campaign Finance Board and may have improperly used his state political fund to pay. — An Asian man was attacked in Hell's Kitchen in a possible hate crime. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Daily Beast's Michael Daly … Carol Guthrie of the OECD … Edelman's Laura Carr … Mary Hager of "Face The Nation" … MEDIAWATCH — Streetsblog has added two new reporters, Jesse Coburn and Fiifi Frimpong. Coburn comes from Newsday, and Frimpong was previously a researcher at National Geographic... Amy Plitt is joining the MTA as a content strategist. She has been an editor at The Real Deal. | | | | A message from FWD.us: There is an aging crisis in New York prisons, and without immediate action more people will die behind bars with no meaningful chance for release. Roughly 4,900 people in New York's prisons are at least 55 years old, the age that the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision considers to be "elderly." Expanding parole eligibility and making the parole process more fair is a critical next step in addressing New York's incarceration crisis and creating pathways for our elders to come home.
New York lawmakers should pass Elder Parole and the Fair & Timely Parole Act to reduce the state prison system's ballooning older population, reunite families, decrease racial disparities in parole decisions, and free up $522 million a year for reinvestment in education, housing, and healthcare. Contact your lawmakers and tell them the time for parole reform is NOW: www.fwd.us/newyork | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "NYC construction industry lost 74K jobs during pandemic," by New York Post's Carl Campanile: "The New York City construction industry lost 74,000 jobs and $9.8 billion in activity last year during shutdowns triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study by an industry group — which is urging lawmakers to take action to get hard hats back to work. The COVID-19 safety restrictions that closed job sites resulted in a loss of $5.5 billion in wages and 8.3 percent in commercial real estate, mortgage recording and transfer taxes to the city, the analysis conducted for the Building Trades Employers Association said." " Former Home Of NAACP In Greenwich Village Earns Landmark Status," by Patch's Gus Saltonstall : "Greenwich Village has a new landmark. On Tuesday, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously voted to designate 70 Fifth Avenue, which was one of the first headquarters for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Along with serving as the HQ for the NAACP, the building was also the original home to The Crisis Magazine — the first-ever magazine published for a Black audience. W.E.B DuBois served as its first editor and it featured the early works of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Zora Neale Hurston."
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