| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | | | New York City raised its Covid-19 alert level to high this week in response to increased hospitalizations after weeks of rising infections. Mayor Eric Adams unveiled the color-coded alert system — something he had proposed before taking office — to some fanfare in March. The guidelines detailed steps the city would take to adjust to changing virus conditions. At a medium alert level, officials should consider restoring vaccine mandates for indoor dining and entertainment and requiring masks in schools. At the high level, they should mandate masks in all public indoor settings. On Wednesday, Adams made it clear that he is doing none of those things . Instead, he's leaning into a "new normal" that lets the virus wax and wane as it may. "Variants are going to continue to come. It appears as though there's a new normal that is settling in our city and our country," he told reporters at City Hall. "If every variant that comes, we move into shutdown thoughts, we move into panicking, we're not going to function as a city." The city is recommending masks indoors, and the mayor did wear one throughout his remarks. The Health Department is also recommending that New Yorkers consider avoiding crowded indoor get-togethers and limit gatherings to small numbers. But Adams said he created the guidelines and can follow or disregard them as he chooses. "We set a policy in place, not a law in place. I follow laws. I make policy," he said. New York City is far from the only place taking this approach. The region around Albany has had some of the highest case rates and hospitalization numbers in the state for weeks, and still does, according to the most recent stats from the governor's office. But across Albany and even in the state Capitol, where hundreds of lawmakers, lobbyists and advocates from every corner of New York have finally begun to convene daily during session again, precautions are mixed at best. Some New Yorkers who might have previously been more fearful are less cautious with the prevalence of vaccines, medications, and the likelihood they've already had one of the more contagious variants over the past several months, as Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul both have. Hochul has said she doesn't think another mask mandate is in the works because "we're asking people to be very responsible on their own." 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 KATHY? Speaking at the New York State Association For Affordable Housing Conference. WHERE'S ERIC? Appearing on PIX 11, Fox 5, NY1, and CNN, joining a Covid-19 Recovery Roundtable, holding a roundtable with rabbinical women leaders, holding a press Q&A, speaking at a Real Deal forum and an affordable housing conference, honoring Notorious B.I.G., speaking at an American Heart Association run, hosting a Russian community reception, and speaking at a Friends of the High Line benefit.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: Did you know more than half of every dollar spent on medicines goes to someone who doesn't make them? There's a long line of middlemen, like PBMs and insurers, collecting a significant portion of what you pay for medicine. The share of total spending for brand medicines received by the supply chain and other stakeholders increased from 33% in 2013 to 50.5% in 2020. Learn more. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | Adams defends chief of staff over potential ethics issues with former clients, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday his chief of staff has "gone beyond the call of duty" to avoid conflicts of interest, saying he is not concerned about the aide's connections to dozens of clients with interests before the city. Adams defended top staffer Frank Carone after POLITICO reported that over 40 clients of his former law firm, Abrams Fensterman, have financial interests intertwined with municipal government. "Frank was a reasonably successful attorney," Adams told reporters at an unrelated City Hall press conference, arguing that it was therefore inevitable he would have represented clients interested in influencing city government. "I'm happy that he's operating as a professional. Frank has gone beyond the call of duty when it comes to recusing himself. He's doing what is supposed to be done. We are extra careful." "Fifth Rikers Island inmate dies in custody, officials say," by PIX 11's Lauren Cook: "Another Rikers Island inmate died on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Department of Correction said, just one day after the agency submitted a plan to a federal judge with proposals on how to improve conditions at the beleaguered jail complex. Mary Yehudah, 31, is the fifth Rikers inmate to die in DOC custody so far this year, according to officials. Yehudah was in custody at the Rose M. Singer Center and died at Elmhurst Hospital early Wednesday morning, per the DOC. Her cause of death was under investigation, pending confirmation from the city medical examiner's office." "Mayor Adams fills final seat on NYC education panel after ouster of anti-gay member," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt: "Mayor Adams filled the last seat on his administration's education policy panel late Wednesday — a post that has been vacant since March, when he ousted a member of the body after her homophobic views were exposed by the Daily News. Kyle Kimball, a vice president of government relations for the utility company ConEd, will take the last seat on the 15-member Panel for Educational Policy effective immediately, Adams said in a statement." " Why New York City Traffic Cameras Are Off When Drivers Speed the Most," by The New York Times' Winnie Hu: "An unobtrusive camera catches 435 speeding drivers every weekday in the Soundview neighborhood in the Bronx. It is one of New York City's newest and busiest traffic cameras, issuing $50 tickets to anyone who ignores the 25 miles per hour speed limit near a school. And it plays a vital role in the city's battle against a pandemic surge in speeding and reckless driving that has led to the highest level of traffic deaths in eight years. But the camera has to be shut off from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and on weekends because of a state law that was passed 150 miles away in Albany — even though nearly 60 percent of the fatal crashes across the city during the pandemic happened during those hours."
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | After Buffalo mass shooting, Hochul announces tougher gun measures in New York, by POLITICO's Anna Gronewold: Gov. Kathy Hochul put forth a broad slate of actions to strengthen gun laws in New York and quell the spread of white supremacy online in her first full address following the Buffalo shooting that killed 10 people and wounded three over the weekend. Hochul, during an emotional speech from her Manhattan office, said that the past few days she spent in her hometown of Buffalo in the aftermath of the shooting "have been among the most difficult in my life." She condemned the online racist radicalization that fueled the shooter, an 18-year-old white man who drove about 200 miles for the livestreamed attack, which he reportedly planned in detail, according to several online posts and a lengthy manifesto posted online. Those included elements of "white replacement theory," a far-right, racist conspiracy theory falsely alleging white Americans are at risk of being replaced by people of color. "The truth is, the most serious threat we face as a nation is from within," Hochul said. "It's not from the Russians. Not from people elsewhere. It's white supremacism. It's white nationalism, and it's time we confronted it head on." — Hochul dismissed attacks lobbed by Rep. Tom Suozzi , who is challenging her in the Democratic primary, about her past NRA endorsement while in Congress. "I assure you I'm not paying attention to accusations or any other messaging, however, it's conveyed by someone running for office," she said Wednesday. "This is not a time for politics, and if people don't realize that, well, I'll let the media judge and everyone else can judge the propriety of having those attacks that are absolutely unrelated to what happened here. I won't even comment any further." Spectrum's Kate Lisa "Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple plans run for state Senate," by Times Union's Steve Hughes: "Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple will launch a run for the new 43rd state Senate District, which was just created under maps drawn by a court-appointed special master. Apple, who has served as the county's sheriff since 2011, said that if the new lines are finalized, he will officially announce a run in the coming days. He said he would remain sheriff while he campaigns. 'I've done this for a long time, and I've been somewhat critical of our Legislature at times,' he said. 'I can't sit here and throw rocks at them if I'm not willing to go and try and work with them.'" New York accuses Amazon of pregnancy, disability discrimination, by POLITICO's Shannon Young: The New York Division of Human Rights filed a complaint Wednesday against Amazon over alleged pregnancy and disability discrimination against workers, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced. The complaint accuses Amazon of denying reasonable accommodations to workers who are pregnant or have disabilities, in violation of New York's Human Rights Law. It alleges that the company, which operates 23 worksites in New York, has policies that force such employees to take unpaid leave rather than allowing them to work with accommodations. New York made 11M bottles of hand sanitizer. Now it has 700,000 gallons it can't get rid of, by POLITICO's Joe Spector: In the first days of the Covid-19 pandemic, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced New York would use prison labor to address a hand sanitizer shortage and make bottles that were superior to "products now on the market." New York made so much of the "NYS Clean" hand sanitizer — a whopping 11 million bottles, to be exact — that it still doesn't know how to get rid of it. On a former airport runaway in Central New York sit 706,172 gallons of NYS Clean, in an array of bottle sizes, on 4,000 pallets that stretch the length of three football fields — out in the open, covered in tarps and likely never to be used, much of it already expired. It will likely cost New York million of dollars to dispose of it, possibly shipped out of state in hundreds of trucks to be incinerated, according to environmental experts and officials familiar with the process. #UpstateAmerica: The Erie Canal Museum is trying to make Central New York a renowned cycling destination.
| | | | A message from PhRMA:   | | | | | DELEGATION | | "NY Democrats accusing one another of racism after gerrymander debacle," by New York Post's Carl Campanile and Zach Williams: "The New York Democratic Party's redistricting debacle has worsened by the day and on Wednesday descended into an ugly racial furor among Congress members. Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres accused fellow Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney — who is also chairman of the House Democratic Congressional Committee — of racism following reports that allies of the Hudson Valley Democrat suggested that incumbent black Rep. Mondaire Jones is not ideologically suited to represent his newly redrawn district." " Bill de Blasio poised to run for Congress, announces exploratory committee," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland: "Former Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed Wednesday he's mulling a run for an open Congressional seat that's drawn big interest from a number of local politicians looking to take a step up into federal government. De Blasio posted on Twitter that he's 'forming an Exploratory Committee for the new #NY10.' That district in its current configuration is represented by Rep. Jerrold Nadler. But the latest newly drawn Congressional district lines put the heart of Nadler's base into what would be Rep. Carolyn Maloney's 12th Congressional district. Both of the veteran pols have announced that they would face off in a contest to win what would be Maloney's district." — Daniel Goldman, who was the House Democrats' lead counsel on the first impeachment of Donald Trump, is considering a run for the seat.
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Adams is trying out the weapons detectors he hopes to install in the New York subway system at City Hall. — Twenty judges tested positive for Covid out of 70 who attended a retreat on Long Island. — New York City's public hospital system expects to expand abortion services if Roe v. Wade is overturned. — City Council members urged the Adams administration to take measures to address the baby formula shortage. — Council Member Crystal Hudson is raising objections to a popular open street. — Left-leaning City Council members are teaming up with visual artists to launch a citywide public art campaign calling on Adams to earmark more funding for housing and social services. — Taylor Swift received an honorary degree at NYU and, as one of the world's richest singers, advised in her speech that it's OK to make mistakes. — Donald K. Ross, a co-founder of NYPIRG, has died at age 78. — The Ulster County Industrial Development Authority approved a PILOT plan for a company seeking to develop a cannabis manufacturing facility on an old industrial site. — Conservative-led school board campaigns in New York appear to have flopped. — Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer may run for state Senate. — Grubhub's offer of a free lunch turned into a "fiasco." — A Bay Ridge high school received a series of bomb threats.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Mary Hager of "Face The Nation" … Carol Guthrie of the OECD … Delaney Porter … Crosby Armstrong … Harvey Sherzer ... Jonathan Lippman is 77 ... Einat Admony MEDIAWATCH — Jeet Heer is rejoining The Nation as national affairs correspondent, with his "The Time of Monsters" podcast plus a new newsletter coming next month. MAKING MOVES — Michaela Balderston has been promoted to partner at Tusk Venture Partners, which this week announced that it had closed its third flagship fund with $140 million in commitments. Balderston, most recently the firm's chief comms officer, is the first female partner at the firm and on the investment committee. SPOTTED at a dinner at Hotel Chelsea on Tuesday night hosted by Bloomberg's Kevin Sheekey for AP executive editor Julie Pace to celebrate her new book "Jill" ($26.70 on Amazon): Rashida Jones, Jonathan Karl, Stephanie Ruhle, John Avlon, Jonathan Capehart and Nick Schmit, Katy Tur and Tony Dokoupil, Gary Ginsberg, Andrew Morse, Michael Hogan, Cat Rakowski, Nayeema Raza, Eric Schultz, Akash Shah, Jake Siewert, Ty Trippet, Jason Schechter and Tammy Haddad. MEDIAWATCH — "Agency Dealmaking for Journalists Goes Into Overdrive : The business of agents turning anchors into A-listers is being boosted by growth in social media and the rise of digital media and podcasts," by Hollywood Reporter's Alex Weprin
| | | | A message from PhRMA: Did you know that PBMs, insurers, hospitals, the government, and others received a larger share of total spending on medicines than biopharmaceutical companies? That's right, more than half of spending on brand medicines goes to someone who doesn't make them. Let's fix the system the right way and ensure more of the savings go to patients, not middlemen. Learn more. | | | | | Real Estate | | "Landlords called it: Vacancy rate jumps, rent-stabilization stays," by The Real Deal's Suzannah Cavanaugh: "When Gov. Kathy Hochul extended the deadline to complete the 2021 Housing and Vacancy Survey, landlords decried the move. They predicted the city would use the extra time — which the state said the pandemic made necessary — to wait for more renters to return, pushing vacancy rates below the 5 percent threshold required to preserve rent stabilization. Looks like the landlords called it. The survey, released this week, revealed a vacancy rate of 4.54 percent in 2021, above the 3.63 percent in 2017, and just below the 5 percent mark that constitutes a housing emergency and justifies rent stabilization." "Three Little Houses: A Staten Island Study in Rebounding Post-Sandy," by The City's Samantha Maldonado: "A single block in Staten Island is now a serendipitous showcase for three approaches to rebuilding and living in flood-prone areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The owner of the first house rebuilt it as it was. The owner of the second house put it on stilts a story high. And on Monday, the third house was knocked down in order for its land to be returned to nature. 'It's like the three little pigs,' said Greg Jacob, senior policy advisor for The Nature Conservancy, which is working with the federal government to demolish the home and restore the land. 'I guess we'll see [what happens] when the next storm hits.'" | | | | 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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