| | | | |  | | By Julia Marsh, Anna Gronewold and Eleonora Francica | Presented by CVS Health | | 
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams speaks during the unveiling of the Gate of the Exonerated in New York City on December 19, 2022. | AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey | Here’s one person who can define what it means to be woke, with the internet abuzz about whether anyone using the term knows what it means. “All woke really means — and it’s ever meant to me — was people who were aware of injustices that occur, aware of discrimination, aware of systems that exist that are exploitative by nature, that are based on privilege,” New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told Playbook. Williams, who used to wear a button that read “stay woke” on his lapel, offered his definition the day after conservative author and columnist Bethany Mandel struggled to define the buzzword that’s become a favorite bogeyman of the right. Reason Magazine editor Robby Soave, who was co-hosting The Hill’s Rising, where Mandel appeared to discuss her new book “Stolen Youth,” stepped in to save the tongue-tied author. “I would say it’s the tendency to punish people formally or often informally for expressing ideas using language specifically that is very new, that no one would have objected to like five seconds ago,” Soave said. Williams, a former progressive activist, said he retired the button after purchasing it from a street vendor nearly a decade ago because it was “used more by people who try to weaponize it.” He briefly brought it out of retirement last month when New York City Mayor Eric Adams blasted the “woke” wing of his party for allegedly driving away Latino and Asian American voters, making him sound something like Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s boasted his state as “where woke goes to die.”
Williams said it’s “painful to see people who say they oppose [DeSantis] join him” in waging anti-woke crusades. Williams would not say if he was referring to Adams. “I think most people would agree with the things woke folks have brought up,” Williams said, citing police reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s death and policies addressing student debt. Indeed, most American view being woke as a good thing. Some 56 percent defined it as being “informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices,” according to a recent USA Today-Ipsos poll. But the pin is no longer gracing Williams’ lapel. What’s there now? A pin that reads: “It was all a dream.” IT’S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City as a guest on FOX 5's Good Day New York, and at New York State Psychiatric Institute convening a listening session on teen mental health, making an announcement later. WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City delivering remarks at the ServiceNow Global CEO summit first, and at the Mayor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships and Columbia University’s Mental Health Faith-Based summit later. In the afternoon, the mayor will deliver remarks at a flag-raising ceremony for Ireland and attend a forum with business community members on public safety.
| | A message from CVS Health: CVS Health: from the simplest of needs to more complex care. Learn more. | | | |  | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | “Mayor Adams’ inaugural arm allegedly accepted $15,600 in ‘prohibited donations,’ but dodges fines for now,” by Daily News’ Michael Gartland and Chris Sommerfeldt: “Lawyers for the city Campaign Finance Board argued Wednesday that Mayor Adams’ inaugural committee should face hefty fines for accepting more than $15,000 in “prohibited donations” from individuals with business before the municipal government. But the inaugural committee will avoid financial penalties — for now — after its lawyer, Ardian Tagani, convinced the board’s chairman during a hearing to push back a vote on the matter in order to allow Adams’ team to submit additional information as part of its defense.” “Watchdog Off Duty: NYPD Has Been Without a Permanent Inspector General for More Than a Year,” by THE CITY’s Katie Honan and Greg B. David: “The city Department of Investigation’s unit that keeps an eye on the NYPD has been without a permanent inspector general for more than a year and is working with half as many staffers as at its peak — resulting in less scrutiny of police activities. DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said during a City Council hearing last week that the agency was interviewing people for the inspector general job, but had not hired anyone yet. The lack of permanent leadership has concerned government and police watchdogs, who say the city’s 31,000-member police department needs as much oversight as possible.” “Pandemic Shows New York Is Too Quick to Split Families, Advocates Say,” by The New York Times’ Andy Newman: “Some critics of the Administration for Children’s Services said this unintended experiment proved that the agency was overpolicing families and that it should permanently ramp down surveillance. Instead, the number of children placed in foster care has gradually crept back up, according to an article published in The Columbia Law Review Forum on Wednesday. As a result, the paper argues, hundreds of children are being torn from their families unnecessarily.”
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | “Calls roll in for Juan Ardila to resign following sexual assault allegations,” by Queens Daily Eagle’s Ryan Schwach and Jacob Kaye: A growing number of elected officials are calling on freshman Democratic Assemblymember Juan Ardila to resign after two women accused him of sexual assault during a 2015 party shortly after he graduated from college. One of the most powerful lawmakers in the State Senate, elected officials whose districts overlap with Ardila’s, one of the women Ardila allegedly assaulted and the longtime lawmaker whose seat Ardila inherited last year have all demanded the representative of the 37th Assembly District step down from his post.” — “Assembly won't investigate sexual misconduct allegations against Queens lawmaker,” by Times Union’s Raga Justin “Democratic state lawmakers say crime can be addressed without bail changes,” by Spectrum’s Nick Reisman: “But top Democratic leaders in the state Senate and Assembly on Wednesday, a day after the proposals were released, indicated they had little intention of making further changes to a 2019 bail law that ended cash bail requirements for many criminal charges… The politically contentious issue could come to a head in the coming weeks as Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking changes that are meant to end the "least restrictive" standard for when judges set bail.” ‘We maintain global mediation would have provided the most equitable distribution of the Diocese’s limited financial resources,’ Scharfenberger said in his statement, “but as more Child Victims Act cases reached large settlements, our limited self-insurance funds which have been paying those settlements, have been depleted.” “Human Rights Campaign Settles Lawsuit Brought by Its Former President,” by The New York Times’ Aishvarya Kavi: “The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest L.G.B.T.Q. advocacy group, has settled a lawsuit brought by the group’s first Black president, Alphonso David, who accused the group of racial discrimination and said it had fired him because of his race. Mr. David was ousted by the group’s board in 2021 after a report by the New York State attorney general revealed that he had advised the office of Andrew M. Cuomo, then the governor, on how to handle sexual harassment allegations. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the Human Rights Campaign and Mr. David said that they had chosen to ‘amicably resolve’ the lawsuit out of court and that the terms of the settlement were confidential.” #UpstateAmerica: A loophole in a treaty between the U.S. and Canada makes Roxham Road "the most popular unofficial crossing on the entire northern border.” WE WERE TODAY YEARS OLD when we realized the Buffalo News sells these chicken wing hats.
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“Four congressmembers from NY and NJ form 'caucus' to kill congestion pricing,” by WNYC’s Stephen Nessen: “A bipartisan group of local congressmembers announced a last-ditch effort on Wednesday to thwart the MTA’s congestion pricing program. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) held a news conference to announce the creation of a “Bipartisan Congressional Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus,” which they said is designed to kill the plan to toll motorists who drive south of 60th Street in Manhattan.”
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“Stormy Daniels Meets with Prosecutors as Trump Inquiry Nears End,” by The New York Times’ Jonah E. Bromwich, William K. Rashbaum and Ben Protess: “Manhattan prosecutors on Wednesday met with Stormy Daniels, the porn star who was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about her affair with Donald J. Trump, according to a lawyer for Ms. Daniels. The lawyer, Clark Brewster, tweeted that at the request of the Manhattan district attorney’s office, he and Ms. Daniels had met with prosecutors. Ms. Daniels responded to questions, he said, ‘and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed.’”
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— The union representing deputy sheriffs who are supposed to crack down on smoke shops that are illicitly selling cannabis is not sure its members have authority to do so.
— Bronx building service workers reached a deal with building owners for a small wage hike. — “Light work” on the new Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park is starting in April, with "big digging" in June. — A USA Today Network investigation found 20 players left the Colgate University women’s lacrosse team before graduation due to coach Kathy Taylor’s bullying and manipulation. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: AP’s Julie Pace … MSNBC’s Amy Shuster … former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) … NYT’s Neil Vigdor and Brian Rosenthal … Ian McCaleb … Patrick Appel … Rebecca Coffman … Riccardo Reati … Mary Deren … (was Wednesday): Mark Green … Nily Rozic
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“Once a long shot, a plan to demolish and rebuild Chelsea public housing complex sees new life,” by WNYC’s David Brand: “The residents, who have the final say on any demolition or renovation plan, initially rejected a 2019 proposal to tear down at least two buildings that date back to the 1960s. After an exhaustive community effort, they chose private managers to renovate the existing apartments instead. But with costs mounting and the developers planning to build mixed-income housing nearby, many are now warming to the idea of demolishing their old buildings and starting anew.”
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