| | | | |  | | By Anna Gronewold, Sally Goldenberg and Zachary Schermele | Presented by Rebuild NY NOW | A buzzy new politics-themed bar and tavern is shaking downtown Albany out of its post-pandemic slumber. Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Attorney General Tish James and former governors David Paterson and George Pataki have all visited the War Room Tavern near the state Capitol on Eagle Street since its January opening. The War Room, run by longtime New York PR man Todd Shapiro at what was formerly Public House 42, is becoming the new go-to spot for the Capitol crowd as lobbyists, lawmakers and their staff once again weather long Albany days and nights. On Tuesdays, it draws karaoke fans like Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who — since the 2020 closing of Pinto & Hobbs Tavern — has lacked an Albany venue to belt out the list of go-to anthems he carries on his phone. Former senator-turned-Adams aide Diane Savino was heard inviting lawmakers to “Todd’s place” last month and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz had a raucous birthday celebration there last week. It’s a favorite haunt of New York Times investigative reporter Jay Root. “It’s just a cool scene,” said Root, who joined the Times’ Albany bureau last year from Texas, where he reported for the Houston Chronicle. He’s a fan of state-themed trivia on Monday nights, though he confessed The New York Post’s Zach Williams supplied most of the winning answers for his team. The War Room is named after the second-floor space in the Capitol that includes intricately detailed murals of New York icons like Theodore Roosevelt when he led the Rough Rider Regiment during the Spanish-American War. The tavern serves sushi, steaks and vegetarian entrees under a bull moose head in honor of Roosevelt, who was an avid hunter. Other bipartisan political memorabilia dot the space, including a cigar locker that once belonged to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rudy Giuliani’s “Mayor” jacket. Like Roosevelt, who favored a gin-based martini, the War Room’s patrons love libations. Some new members of the Legislative Correspondents Association who were at the tavern earlier this month were aghast at the level of intoxication displayed by their sources. “It’s probably one of the only places in Albany where Republicans and Democrats and journalists come together as one over a good song and a drink,” Shapiro said. Shapiro is working with producer Teresa Sorkin (no relation to Aaron) to pitch a TV series set at the War Room that would be “a reality version of ‘Cheers’ in the political arena.” Don’t worry Albany, only patrons who sign waivers would be caught on camera. — Julia Marsh and Anna Gronewold IT’S WEDNESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com and sgoldenberg@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold and @sallygold WHERE’S KATHY? In Johnson City talking about her budget. WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City, calling in live to WABC’s “Sid & Friends in the Morning” radio show, delivering remarks at flag raising ceremony for Saint Lucia, hosting Black history month reception, and delivering remarks at One Hundred Black Men of New York’s 60th anniversary gala. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I have a personality flaw, which is that if I see something I don’t like, I’m going to say it directly and clearly but not in an offensive way. I don’t say it to denigrate anyone or put anybody down. But I should have worked harder to create relationships where my saying those things would have been received a little bit better than I think it has been.” — State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs, to Crain’s New York Business, on his dialogue with the far left.
| | | | A message from Rebuild NY NOW: Rebuild NY NOW! Despite an historic federal infrastructure bill last year, the State of New York has not invested what is needed to overcome high inflation to fix our deteriorating roads and bridges. This lack of investment in our crumbling infrastructure causes severe traffic delays and increases the cost of repairs and lost economic productivity. Albany’s investments need to match the inflation realities. Tell Albany it’s time to Rebuild New York NOW! Read more here. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | |
“Adams names first Muslim member of NYPD panel reviewing police probes into ‘political activity,’” by AMNY’s Ethan Stark-Miller: “A special NYPD committee tasked with reviewing the department’s investigations into political activity, including alleged terrorism ties, received an appointment from Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday. Muhammad Faridi, a contract law attorney, was appointed as the new civilian member of a 10-person NYPD ‘Handschu Committee,’ an internal NYPD body that was formed in 2017 — under former Mayor Bill de Blasio — following a pair of federal suits that alleged the department engaged in improper investigations of the Muslim community.”
“MTA urges social media companies to remove subway surfer videos after teen’s death,” by Gothamist’s Stephen Nessen: “The MTA will implore social media companies to take down videos of subway surfers, Chairman Janno Lieber said Tuesday, one day after a teen died riding atop a J train crossing the Williamsburg Bridge. Lieber said an MTA analysis found that videos of young people riding atop the subways surged by 160% between 2019 and 2022. The agency urged TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram to take down the videos last summer, Lieber said.” “More than $200 Million in City-Purchased COVID Gear Auctioned Off For Just $500,000,” by THE CITY’s Greg Smith: “Over the last few weeks, 18-wheelers pulled up again and again to the City of New York’s huge supply warehouse in Queens to pick up dozens of unopened cartons containing what, during the depths of the pandemic, City Hall proclaimed would be lifesaving miracle devices known as ‘bridge vents.’ As the COVID pandemic overtook New York City in April 2020, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio commissioned 3,000 of the breathing devices as back-ups for the ventilators that kept sick patients alive, helping fund their manufacture even though they had never been tested in a New York City hospital setting.” “Malcolm X’s family, on anniversary of assassination, announce $100M ‘conspiracy’ lawsuit against NYPD,” by Daily News’ Leonard Greene: “Exactly 58 years to the date that Malcolm X was assassinated in a hail of gunfire on a Manhattan stage, his family announced plans to file a lawsuit against the NYPD accusing cops and various government agencies of intentionally concealing evidence of his murder. Flanked by two of the slain Muslim activist’s daughters, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump said Malcolm X’s family intends to file a wrongful-death lawsuit for $100 million against a long list of agencies including city of New York, the state of New York, the NYPD, the district attorney’s office, the FBI and the CIA.”
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 3/1 TO DISCUSS AMERICAN PRIVACY LAWS: Americans have fewer privacy rights than Europeans, and companies continue to face a minefield of competing state and foreign legislation. There is strong bipartisan support for a federal privacy bill, but it has yet to materialize. Join POLITICO on 3/1 to discuss what it will take to get a federal privacy law on the books, potential designs for how this type of legislation could protect consumers and innovators, and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | “Court sides with Senate GOP in judicial nomination suit,” by Spectrum News’ Nick Reisman: “Gubernatorial nominees to the state’s judiciary are entitled to a full floor vote in the state Senate, a state Supreme Court judge in Suffolk County said in a ruling Tuesday, siding with Republicans in a case stemming from the effort to force a full floor vote of Gov. Kathy Hochul's nominee to lead the state's top court. The ruling by Justice Thomas Whelan came less than a week after the full state Senate moved to reject the nomination of Justice Hector LaSalle to become the chief judge of the state Court of Appeals.” “Albany County DA says Democrats uninvited him from state Senate criminal justice hearing,” by NY1’s Zack Fink: “Albany County District Attorney David Soares says he was uninvited by the state legislature from testifying at a public hearing on bail reform … The Democrat was prepared to testify at the Jan. 30 hearing, when his organization, The District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, or DAASNY, got a call from state Senate staff asking him not to come.” “NY police agencies still fighting release of some disciplinary files,” by Times Union’s Brendan J. Lyons: “Nearly three years after New York repealed a statute that for more than four decades had prevented the public scrutiny of police disciplinary records, many departments across the state are continuing to block the disclosure of ‘open’ or "unfounded" complaints against officers — and in some cases waging court battles in their efforts to keep those files secret.” “The Corporate Lawyer Moonlighting as a New York Assemblymember,” by New York Focus’ Colin Kinniburgh: “Keith Brown makes $142,000 representing his Long Island district — and about half a million representing corporate real estate interests.” #UpstateAmerica: ‘A huge suffer-fest’: Meet the mild-mannered maniacs behind CNY’s wildest new sport
| | | | A message from Rebuild NY NOW:   | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | |
— “‘The Democratic Party in New York Is a Disaster’” by The New York Times Magazine’s Ross Barkan
— McKinsey & Co. will eliminate about 2,000 jobs in one of its biggest rounds of cuts ever. — SPOTTED: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders accidentally crashing an NYC TikTok. — Sheltering Arms, a 200-year-old nonprofit serving more than 17,000 kids and families, is shutting down due to funding cuts and millions of dollars in late contract payments. — A group that promotes environmental integrity among public employees is asking the state University at Albany to investigate “wrongful retaliatory action” against a prominent PCB researcher. — Hochul did not take a position on legislation that would return the Mario M. Cuomo bridge to its old moniker.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) … Viet Dinh … Rodney Hood … MSNBC’s Dan Holway … CNN’s Laurie Ure … AP’s Michael Biesecker … NBC’s Keir Simmons … Jim Nevels of the Business Council for International Understanding … Sarah Elizabeth Clark … Jim Friedlich MEDIAWATCH — Paul Curran has been named SVP and general manager for Cox Media, the ad sales division of Cox Communications. He most recently was EVP for TV for Cox Media Group. … Tom Ranzweiler is now senior producer on NBC News Now’ “Hallie Jackson NOW”. He most recently was a producer for NBC News Specials and NBC Nightly News.
| | | | A message from Rebuild NY NOW: Welcome to Moon York. Why Moon York? Because driving around this state is like driving on the face of the moon. Except instead of craters we have potholes.
Everywhere. From Buffalo to Brookhaven. Rochester to Rye. Syracuse to Staten Island.
And despite this and a historic federal infrastructure bill last year, the State of New York has not invested what is needed to overcome high inflation and fix our roads and bridges.
Enough Moon York.
Tell your legislators it’s time to Rebuild New York NOW. | | | | | Real Estate | |
“Is the NY Democratic Party ready to stop ignoring renters?,” by City & State’s Pete Tomao: “Half of New York state residents rent, the highest proportion in America, and they are a core constituency of the Democratic Party – choosing Democrats at the ballot box by nearly 30 points. Housing status – alongside race and income – is a crucial determinant of a community’s voting power for Democrats. At least it should be. While renters vote overwhelmingly Democratic, a large turnout gap persists between them and homeowners, a dynamic on display during November’s general election. Suffolk County, where 80% of residents own their homes, outvoted Brooklyn, where 70% of residents rent – despite Suffolk having 1 million fewer residents.”
“OPINION: The Era of Shutting Others Out of New York’s Suburbs Is Ending,” by The New York Times’ Mara Gay: “No responsible public official can ignore the difficulty of finding a home in the region. Middle-class families, single young professionals and aging residents of all races are being shut out of the housing market. These New Yorkers will have to make their voices heard, along with the elected officials who represent them and the business community invested in seeing the region’s economy continue to grow. The time to build more housing is right now.”
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