| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Presented by CVS Health | One of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' most central and controversial campaign promises will be put to the test starting this week. A revamped version of the NYPD's anti-crime unit — which the mayor now prefers to call neighborhood safety teams — has begun to hit the streets. The mayor has made reversing a spike in gun violence his signature issue, but so far, it has only climbed higher since he took office. He has staked part of his strategy on reversing the de Blasio administration decision to disband the plainclothes NYPD unit — made in 2020 during a wave of police brutality protests due to its history of involvement in shootings of civilians and excessive force complaints. Cops in the new units will focus on getting guns off the street, and are being deployed in 25 neighborhoods where shootings are high, with plans to eventually expand. Adams and his police commissioner, Keechant Sewell, swear up and down that this will not be the anti-crime of old. The differences start small: The officers will wear clothing identifying them as cops, though they will still use unmarked cars, and they will be equipped with body cameras. More broadly, officials say better training will steer the officers away from the aggressive tactics of their forebears. "We actually had to take a look at the mistakes of the past and what we needed to change," Sewell said last week. But Adams has also promised he'll have his cops' backs, calling into question how he'll respond when complaints inevitably arise. Police reformers are skeptical to say the least. "What matters most is that Mayor Adams ensures that these officers conduct themselves lawfully to respect the constitutional rights of the people they are policing," the Legal Aid Society said in a statement Monday. "When NST officers commit acts of misconduct, City Hall must swiftly hold them to account. Otherwise, these teams will run roughshod through the city." Communities for Police Reform said that "rebranding this problematic unit will not fool us," calling the squads "notorious for racial profiling, violence, unconstitutional stops, and the suppression of New Yorkers' rights." 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 KATHY? Holding a gun violence roundtable in Brooklyn, meeting with White House Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger, dropping the ceremonial puck for a Rangers game for "women's empowerment night," and speaking at the St. Patrick's Day Foundation Annual Gala. WHERE'S ERIC? Appearing on Hillary Clinton's podcast and participating in a panel discussion as part of the Inveniam Data 3.0 for Web 3.0 conference in Miami. BREAKING — "Suspect in custody in series of attacks on homeless men in NYC and D.C., police say ," by NBC New's Antonio Planas, Juliette Arcodia and Jonathan Dienst: "A person who authorities say may be linked to a series of shootings— including two slayings — of homeless men in Washington, D.C., and New York City is in custody, according to D.C. police. The unidentified man was captured early Tuesday, Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Capt. Darren Haskis said."
| | A message from CVS Health: Throughout the pandemic, in New York and communities across the country, CVS Health has been there. We've opened more than 4,800 COVID-19 test sites, administered 41 million tests and given 59 million vaccines. We've expanded access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine, increased remote access to mental health services and invested in affordable housing to help build healthier communities. We've been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. Learn more. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | "As Police Hunt for Gunman, Fear Rattles Homeless People in 2 Cities," by The New York Times' Andy Newman and Ashley Southall: "Anthony Pla, homeless since 2015 and a New Yorker for 35 years, said that until this weekend, he had never experienced anything as unsettling as the streets of Manhattan emptying out during the pandemic. 'I survived that,' Mr. Pla, 58, said Monday as he stood outside Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen on Ninth Avenue. 'And now we have people killing each other.' As Mr. Pla spoke, the police and federal agents in New York and Washington were fanning out in both cities in their search for a gunman who over the last two weeks shot five men who were sleeping in the streets, killing one in each city. One law enforcement official described the man as a serial killer. In New York, investigators canvassed the street looking for video to help them identify the gunman and trace his steps. … In Washington on Monday, the mayors and police officials of both cities pleaded for help finding the gunman." — At the joint press conference in Washington, Adams doubled down on his plan to roust homeless people from the subway system, despite some criticism it could put them in danger by sending them onto the streets. "There is nothing dignified of living on the subway tracks," he said. "Anyone who wants shelter will get shelter in the city of New York." — Amanda Eisenberg — "With killer at large, some unhoused New Yorkers still prefer taking chances on streets over shelters ," by Gothamist's Gwynne Hogan "Nets Fined $50,000 for Letting Kyrie Irving Into Home Locker Room," by The New York Times' Sopan Deb: "The N.B.A. fined the Nets $50,000 for allowing guard Kyrie Irving to enter the team's home locker room during Sunday's game against the Knicks even though Irving had not been vaccinated against Covid-19 and thus was not allowed to be with the team at Barclays Center. Irving had attended the game as a spectator, with a seat in the front row. Under New York City law, Irving cannot play in games at Barclays Center because of a vaccine mandate for New York City-based workers who perform in-person work. While Mayor Eric Adams loosened some vaccine requirements this month, he has left in place the private sector mandate." "Over 100 NYC workers get the ax for failing to meet latest vaccination mandate deadline," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland: "More than 100 municipal workers were terminated for refusing to get a second vaccination dose required under New York City's COVID mandates, a spokesperson for Mayor Adams confirmed Monday. The 101 city workers who lost their jobs Friday for failing to comply with the mandate were among 3,247 notified by the city that they needed to receive a second dose by a March 11 deadline. Of those 3,247 city workers, 3,146 — or 97% — submitted proof of getting a second dose within the required timeframe. The recent workforce culling comes a month after a much more substantial number of city employees were fired for not following vaccination mandates. Almost 1,500 city workers lost their jobs during that round of worker terminations." "NYC Mayor Adams leads mourning on second anniversary of city's first COVID death: 'Incalculable suffering and pain,'" by New York Daily News' Dave Goldiner: "Mayor Adams marked the second anniversary of NYC's first confirmed death from COVID-19 on Monday by vowing that the city 'must remember' the nearly 40,000 New Yorkers who have perished in the pandemic. 'This pandemic has caused incalculable suffering and pain for our families, friends, and neighbors,' Adams said in a statement. … The grim anniversary came on the same day that Dr. David Chokshi ends his term as city health commissioner." — A New York Times Q&A with Chokshi marking his last day on the job: " New York's Vaccine Mandates Saved Lives, Departing Health Boss Says" "Adams 'off to good start,' according to Marist poll," by Gothamist's Elizabeth Kim: "About 61% of New Yorkers approve of Mayor Eric Adams' performance three months into office — with more than half in support of his policies on the pandemic, policing and schools, according to a Marist College poll released Monday. The poll suggests that, despite the multiple crises of COVID, crime and homelessness currently facing the city, Adams remains in a honeymoon period with New Yorkers."
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL SECURITY DAILY : Keep up with the latest critical developments from Ukraine and across Europe in our daily newsletter, National Security Daily. The Russian invasion of Ukraine could disrupt the established world order and result in a refugee crisis, increased cyberattacks, rising energy costs and additional disruption to global supply chains. Go inside the top national security and foreign-policymaking shops for insight on the global threats faced by the U.S. and its allies and what actions world leaders are taking to address them. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Senate, Assembly propose Raising Spending Above Gov Hochul's Budget," by New York State Public Radio's Karen DeWitt: "The New York State Assembly and Senate began passing their versions of the state budget Monday – and both houses, led by Democrats, propose spending more than $6 billion above Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's spending plan. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said his house is adding an additional $3 billion to help fix a broken child care system and revive the economy. He said it includes money to pay workers higher wages and subsidize costs for lower-income parents. …The Senate is proposing over $4 billion in additional funds for child care, saying the goal is to provide 'universal' access. Senate Finance Committee Chair Liz Krueger said both houses also want to reduce chronic shortages of home health care workers by boosting what are often poverty-level wages." "Lawmakers reject to-go cocktails in New York, at least for now," by WNYC's Jon Campbell: "Both the New York State Liquor Store Association and the Metropolitan Package Store Association have been active in lobbying against Hochul's proposals. They've had success when they've teamed up in the past, banding together to help block plans to allow the sale of wine in grocery stores in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The liquor store organizations argue that allowing restaurants and bars to sell to-go wine and cocktails would allow them to compete with liquor stores without having to follow the same rules. … Mike Whyland, a spokesperson for Assembly Democrats, said the conference took Hochul's proposal out of their budget plan because it dealt with a policy issue." LONG READ: "'It just takes a village.' A look at expanded efforts to quell gun violence with SNUG," by Times Union's Josh Solomon REDISTRICTING CASE INCHES FORWARD: When drawing computer-simulated district maps, should the compactness index be set at "1" or "7" or maybe even something else? Exciting questions like that dominated a long court hearing on New York's new district lines held in Steuben County on Monday. Republicans have argued that the lines for Congress and the state Senate clearly run afoul of a constitutional prohibition on gerrymandering to benefit a political party. They retained an expert who had a computer draw 5,000 maps and found none of these was as favorable to Democrats as the versions that passed the Legislature last month. But as that expert appeared in court yesterday, a lawyer for Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins argued that there are too many decisions that go into redistricting to use computer modeling as definitive proof of gerrymandering — the setting of the aforementioned figure that determines how much to prioritize the compactness of districts over other factors, for example, is a subjective decision that could result in wildly different plans. A decision in the case is due by early April, and it could involve an order to scrap the maps and come up with a new plan. But that decision is likely to be appealed, guaranteeing many more months of similarly scintillating debates in courthouses throughout the state. — Bill Mahoney " Republican Lee Zeldin: Poll shows I can beat NY Gov. Kathy Hochul," by New York Post's Carl Campanile: "Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin, the presumptive Republican nominee for governor, released an internal campaign poll Monday claiming he can beat Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. The campaign survey shows Zeldin with 45.5 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Hochul, with the rest undecided. The hypothetical matchup is within the poll's margin of error, which means the race is a dead heat. The survey of 800 voters, conducted by John McLaughlin & Associates, found that crime is the No. 1 issue, with one in five respondents citing it as their top concern." New York asks U.S. Supreme Court to save Waterfront Commission from New Jersey's exit plans, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: The state of New York is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop New Jersey from exiting the Waterfront Commission, the bi-state agency created 70 years ago to fight organized crime around New York Harbor. The lawsuit announced Monday by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Tish James is the latest sign of tensions between the two states with Democratic governors. In recent months, the states have sparred over federal aid money for transit and tolls New York is seeking to impose on New Jersey commuters. "Many of the problems that led to the formation of the Commission persist on today's waterfront," the court filing says. — Hundreds of longshoremen, some with mob ties, are making more than $400,000 a year through a special deal. #UpstateAmerica: Let's get that "poor man's salmon" back in the Hudson, baby!"
| | | |   | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Rep. Ritchie Torres, who is pushing for Kosovo to be able to join the European Union and NATO, sent letters to the ambassadors of five EU countries that don't recognize Kosovo as an independent country, asking them to reverse their stance. Many ethnic Albanians hailing from Kosovo live in Torres' Bronx district. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The congressman wrote to the ambassadors of Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain, saying: "Kosovo's struggle for and achievement of independence indicated its commitment to democracy. Its strong display of non-violent self-determination aligns strongly with the core values of other democracies around the world." — Erin Durkin
| | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "Russian Mogul Is Charged With Donating Illegally to U.S. Campaigns," by The New York Times' Benjamin Weiser: "Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Monday accused a Russian tycoon of scheming to make $1 million in illegal campaign donations to federal and state political candidates in the United States to gain favorable licensing decisions for a cannabis business venture. The prosecutors said the donations by the businessman, Andrey Muraviev, 47, were at the heart of an illegal campaign finance scheme conducted in the months before the 2018 midterm elections that also involved two Soviet-born businessmen, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, and two other co-defendants."
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has accepted an invitation from former Council Member Rubén Diaz Sr. to speak to a group of Hispanic ministers on St. Patrick's Day. — Adams' international affairs commissioner Ed Mermelstein has ties to another questionable figure, Ukrainian-born former Moscow property magnate Pavel Fuks, a widely-sanctioned oligarch believed to be an organized crime associate. — The man wanted for allegedly stabbing two Museum of Modern Art employees sent Instagram messages to a New York Post reporter saying he "lost it" and railing against museum workers. The same man is wanted for a January assault on a Broadway theater manager, his former boss. — A man was charged with hate crimes for hitting an Asian woman in the head 125 times in Yonkers. — Street vendors launched a sleepout in front of Gov. Kathy Hochul's office calling for a cap on permits to be lifted. — Electric cars have been slow to catch on in New York. — Former Assemblymember Nick Perry has been confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Jamaica. — Mayor Eric Adams joined TikTok. — Hostile graffiti was painted on an RV in Washington Heights where a family had been living for years. — The Daily Show is bringing back a live studio audience beginning in April. — The state proposed to stop classifying public school students as having an "emotional disturbance" and instead use the term "emotional disability." — Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has not dropped charges against a woman accused of killing an estranged husband she says was abusive, whose prosecution Bragg criticized as "unjust" during his campaign.
| | | | DON'T MISS POLITICO'S INAUGURAL HEALTH CARE SUMMIT ON 3/31: Join POLITICO for a discussion with health care providers, policymakers, federal regulators, patient representatives, and industry leaders to better understand the latest policy and industry solutions in place as we enter year three of the pandemic. Panelists will discuss the latest proposals to overcome long-standing health care challenges in the U.S., such as expanding access to care, affordability, and prescription drug prices. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Lenny Alcifar … Rachel and Max Schindler turn 3-0 … NYT's Sopan Deb … Josh Deckard … Chloe La Branche … Mark J. Green ... Andrea Blaugrund Nevins ... Nily Rozic … Kevin Infante MAKING MOVES — Sara Rodriguez and Hannah Simon are joining Slingshot Strategies as senior vice presidents. Rodriguez was formerly senior communications strategist and digital manager at the City Council. Simon was deputy director of Battle Born Collective. MEDIAWATCH — Sara Yasin will be a managing editor at the L.A. Times. She currently is managing editor of BuzzFeed News. Announcement … Former national security adviser and retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster is now a foreign policy and national security contributor for CBS News. IN THE BOOKS — Former New York Times City Hall reporter William Neuman's new book, Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse: Inside the Collapse of Venezuela , will be in bookstores today. He's discussing the tome at a virtual event at Brooklyn's Greenlight Bookstore on Wed. March 16, with the author and journalist Bob Kolker.
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Healthier Happens Together. Learn more. | | | | | Real Estate | | "Labor unions press state lawmakers to pass new tenant protections in Good Cause Eviction bill," by Gothamist's Chau Lam: "The heads of New York's largest labor unions are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul and state leaders to support legislation that would offer protections to more than 1 million renters by limiting landlords' abilities to raise rent and evict tenants without 'good cause.' Last week, 14 labor groups representing hundreds of thousands of workers sent a letter to Hochul, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, stating that housing insecurity is a major cause of stress for their members." | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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