| | | | |  | | By Emily Ngo, Nick Reisman and Jeff Coltin | Presented by Soloviev Group | With help from Shawn Ness
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Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion case, now overturned, was passed through the Supreme Court 51 years ago today, and it is still as prominent a topic as ever. | Stephanie Keith/Getty Images | Today marks 51 years since Roe v. Wade, now overturned, was decided. And the anniversary is one of many opportunities that Democrats are seizing to remind voters which party seeks to keep curtailing abortion access. “It’s crystal clear to me that the GOP is fully committed to a nationwide abortion ban,” Rep. Pat Ryan told Playbook. “They’re continuing to even more aggressively pursue that, literally choosing a speaker of the House that authored the bill for a nationwide abortion ban. And that would certainly affect New York.” Abortion rights are literally on the ballot with the New York Equal Protection of Law Amendment being put to a vote in November. Democrats hope the measure will boost turnout against vulnerable House Republicans, all of whom voted last Thursday for two bills that would steer pregnant women away from abortions. And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and party leaders repeatedly tie Republicans — moderate, far-right and in between — to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is unabashedly opposed to abortion and spoke Friday at the March for Life in Washington. But whether reproductive rights will be a winning issue in a blue state where a majority supports them remains to be seen. “Immigration, crime and inflation are immediate voter concerns for New Yorkers — ahead of an issue already enshrined in state law — because they are living the hellish nightmare inflicted on them by Joe Biden and Kathy Hochul every day,” National Republican Campaign Committee spokesperson Jack Pandol told Playbook in a statement. Backing up that case is an Emerson College Polling/PIX11 poll ahead of the special election in Nassau County and Queens that finds just 4 percent of voters in the district view abortion access as the most important issue. Immigration and the economy top the list at 26 percent and 22 percent, respectively. Ryan’s Republican opponent in the Hudson Valley, Alison Esposito, in a statement to Playbook cited the same issues as the NRCC as priorities, calling the focus on abortion “political pandering.” Abortion access could be more of a flashpoint in the Ryan-Esposito race than others in the state, especially because Ryan won his 2022 special election by leaning into the right to choose as a freedom that should be protected. Esposito has said she believes abortion should be “very rare” and legislation should be expanded to “options to choose life.” Ryan predicted “there will certainly be a political price to pay” for swing-district Republicans who last week backed the bills impacting information and funding for pregnant women. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused the lawmakers they’re targeting of marching toward a nationwide abortion ban ahead of the 51st anniversary of Roe. The bills have no chance in the Democratic-led Senate. But they give the DCCC and its candidates another foothold in the fight to protect abortion rights. Long Island Democrat Laura Gillan, who is challenging Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, labeled him an extremist for voting to “use taxpayer dollars to fund anti-abortion counseling services that do not provide adequate healthcare information.” D’Esposito’s campaign spokesperson said the representative does not support a federal abortion ban but will always support giving women “information on available pregnancy assistance resources so they can make the best decision for their personal circumstances.” — Emily Ngo IT’S MONDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Soloviev Group: Optimally located on Manhattan’s east side, Freedom Plaza by Soloviev will emerge as an entertainment district with a first-class hotel, a casino by Mohegan, and the world’s first Democracy Museum. From improving overall quality of life by creating sustainable public green spaces to new affordable housing in a post-pandemic NYC suffering from a housing crisis, we envision innovative components that will introduce economic and social benefits to our East Side neighborhoods and New York City. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks at the investiture of Appellate Division Judge Dianne Renwick. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a health and economics-related announcement, delivering remarks at the Special Prayers Services hosted by the Islamic Cultural Center of North America, attending the 30th-anniversary celebration for Fresco by Scotto Italian restaurant and hosting a community conversation at the Co-op City Dresier Community Center. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “President Trump’s policies made our nation stronger and had us on track to prosperity.” — Long Island Rep. Nick LaLota, the first of the 17 Biden-district Republicans to endorse Trump this cycle.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
The New Yorkers Cheers for Change coalition is fighting to change the state's laws regulating alcohol and liquor sales. They are embracing Gov. Hochul's proposals with the current ABC laws. | Gov. Kathy Hochul's X account | I’LL HAVE ANOTHER: A coalition of business organizations this week will launch a renewed effort to change the seemingly intractable laws governing alcohol and liquor sales in New York. The coalition, dubbed New Yorkers Cheers for Change, is embracing proposals first made in 2022 by a Gov. Kathy Hochul-convened commission to address the state’s alcohol and beverage control laws, commonly known as the ABC laws in the state. The coalition is backing the creation of temporary permits for beer, wine, cider and liquor permits, allowing for the ownership of multiple liquor stores and permitting bars and restaurants to buy directly from liquor stores. Changing the ABC laws, many of which have entrenched since the Prohibition era a century ago, has been tricky. Proposals in the past to allow for the sale of wine in supermarkets have all fallen flat in Albany amid lobbying efforts from liquor store owners. Still, Hochul has had some successes in the last year. She successfully pushed through measures that allow for alcoholic drinks with to-go orders, legalized retail beer sales on Sundays, and expanded the hours wine and liquor stores can operate on Sundays. But restaurant owners want to go further, as evidenced by the composition of the New Yorkers Cheers for Change coalition: The Business Council, the New York State Latino Restaurant Bar + Lounge Association, the New York State Latino Restaurant Bar + Lounge Association, the NYS Restaurant Association and the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association. “For nearly a century now, New York’s restaurants and bars have been restricted in their operations, supply chain, and on-site services because of laws that were created during the Prohibition age,” NYS Restaurant Association and the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association Executive Director Scott Wexler said. — Nick Reisman
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
City Councilmember Yusef Salaam is joining Mayor Eric Adams, along with other councilmembers, for a ride along with the NYPD. | Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office | BACKSEAT LOBBYING: Mayor Eric Adams is inviting councilmembers for an NYPD ride-along — hoping the firsthand experience will persuade them to vote against overriding his veto of a police transparency bill. City Councilmember Yusef Salaam, the newly appointed public safety committee chair, has already agreed, Adams said at a rare Sunday City Hall presser. (Salaam didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.) An invite first reported by the Daily News shows the NYPD is planning the event for Saturday night, and that councilmembers will be provided bulletproof vests. Adams argued councilmembers didn’t realize the actual impact of a bill requiring more reporting on even low-level police stops, and another placing strict limits on how long detainees can be held alone in city jails. “Outside advocates,” he said, “did a sleight of hand, on both of these bills. And what the council was attempting to accomplish was undermined by how this was presented to them.” Adams has said the policing bill would waste officer’s time and lead to more overtime spending. And that the jails bill confuses basic safety techniques for the loaded term of “solitary confinement.” A council spokesperson said the legislature knew exactly what it was doing, and Adams is spreading “falsehoods.” Adams vetoed both bills on Friday, POLITICO reported, but the council is expected to override both vetoes. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — A man detained on Rikers died Friday night, the second death of the year in city jails. (Gothamist) — After avoiding gun charges, City Councilmember Inna Vernikov could face internal sanctions after a key committee was reorganized to stack the deck against her. (New York Post) — Among Scott Stringer, Andrew Cuomo and Adams, there may be a subtle reevaluation whether those accused of sexual harassment or abuse can have their political lives resuscitated. (The New York Times)
| | | | A message from Soloviev Group:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  New York State Assembly candidate Eli Northrup has already raised over $83,000, the most from a non-incumbent Assembly candidate in the state. | Eli Northrup's X account | SOLID MONEY: Manhattan Assembly candidate Eli Northrup reported raising $83,000 — the most of any non-incumbent Assembly candidate in the whole state, POLITICO Pro reports. He’ll need the help, after Hochul aide Micah Lasher officially launched his campaign for the same open Upper West Side Assembly seat on Wednesday with a powerhouse endorsement list, including Rep. Jerry Nadler and Manhattan BP Mark Levine. Lasher proved to be a massive fundraiser in a previous unsuccessful state Senate campaign. But Northrup argues he’s got the money to run a strong race, and grassroots power with 393 donors so far. The public defender has elected officials behind him too – state Sen. Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Amanda Septimo spoke at his launch party. On the state Senate side, Kim Keiserman raised $128,000, the most of any non-incumbent. The Democrat is hoping to take on Republican state Sen. Jack Martins on the North Shore of Long Island. — Jeff Coltin HOCHUL INCHES UP IN POLL: Maybe 2024 will be a good year for Hochul in the polls. A Siena College Research Institute poll today found she’s enjoying her best numbers in a year. Then again, New Yorkers were pessimistic that she’ll succeed in accomplishing any of her priorities. She was viewed favorably 45 percent to 42 percent, up from 40-43 in November, and the first time she has been viewed favorably by a plurality of respondents since last February. But only 26 percent said she will make progress on “making New York the artificial intelligence capital of the world” and just 33 percent thought she would make living in New York more desirable. Voters also disapproved of Adams' job on the migrant crisis by a 54-28 split (compared to 46-30 in October); Hochul 59-33 percent (52-37 percent in October), and the Biden administration 67-28 (64-29 in October). — Bill Mahoney MATTHEW PETER SCHOLARSHIP: Friends and family of the late Albany County Legislator Matthew Peter have formed a scholarship for students at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. Peter, 38, died last month. A former state Senate and Taxation and Finance staffer, Peter received his bachelor’s degree from the college in 2006 and a master’s degree in 2007. More info on donating to the scholarship can be found here. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Landon Dais, who’s all but guaranteed to replace Latoya Joyner in the Assembly, is an attorney and consultant who has run for City Council before. (City & State) — Assembly Republican lawmakers took a trip to China that was financed by a group with ties to the ruling Communist Party. (Times Union) — Lawmakers and the governor are pressing for a key change to natural gas hookups in the state. (Newsday)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | |  Workers in Mazi Melesa Pilip's phonebank have been using scripts asking people to vote for George Santos, the former representative whose seat Pilip is now running for. | Adam Gray/Getty Images | LIKE A BAD PENNY: When volunteers for Mazi Melesa Pilip’s congressional campaign logged into phonebank last week, they were given a script — asking people to vote for George Santos. “Hi! My name is ____ and I am volunteering with George Santos for Congress,” the script read. Another prompt asks if knowing Santos is a “small business owner and animal advocate” would change how the voter feels about him. Somebody tipped off the House Majority PAC, which flagged the apparent snafu for Playbook. The Democratic-aligned PAC is backing Tom Suozzi in the Feb. 13 special election. “Conservative Party Mazi Pilip’s campaign is so disastrous and disorganized that she has volunteers making calls supporting her ‘amazing friend’ and serial-fraudster George Santos,” HMP Press Secretary Alisha Heng said in a statement. The script seemed to be a leftover from the 2022 race, when the now-expelled Santos was the Republican nominee. But Pilip communication director Brian Devine told Playbook he didn’t know anything about it, that the old script didn’t come from the campaign and that it sounds like a dirty trick from the Suozzi camp. Playbook reviewed photo and video substantiating the claim. — Jeff Coltin More from the Congress: — New York’s 2024 Congressional races are loaded with name recognition. (Spectrum News 1)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Stewart’s shops are trying to meet demand as convenience store food popularity rises. (Albany Business Review) — New research shows that many of New York's power lines were coated in lead, and many of them still remain in use. (Times Union) — Judges are trying to navigate dealing with Trump’s conduct during his trials. (New York Times)
| | | | A message from Soloviev Group: Each year, 2% of net profits generated from the proposed gaming component of Freedom Plaza will be directly reinvested into the community through a contribution to a 501(c)3 that is registered to and solely operated by the community. The guiding mission of this project is a commitment to finding out what our neighbors need, listening to concerns, and encouraging our community to consider the many benefits a truly collaborative plan can deliver. Our goal is a win-win development that enhances the community and contributes positively to the economic and cultural life of New York City. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Phil Casale is now chief information officer at Nixon Peabody LLP. Mike Green, the previous CIO at the firm, retired. … Tate Tischner has been promoted to be office managing partner of the Rochester office of Troutman Pepper. MEDIAWATCH — Sports Illustrated’s entire staff told they are getting laid off (NY Post) — Lance Frank, Christa Robinson Given Expanded Communications Roles for CBS News, Stations, Media Ventures (Variety) — Jon Mooallem is now obituary and features writer at the Wall Street Journal. He most recently was a contributor to the N.Y. Times Magazine and is the author of three books. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Rosie Gray, a freelance writer and alum of The Atlantic and BuzzFeed, and Ben Judah, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, on Jan. 12 welcomed Raphael Edward Judah. Pic … Another pic BIRTHDAYS: Kendra Barkoff Lamy of SKDK … Reuters’ Jim Oliphant … POLITICO’s Zach Warmbrodt and Jesse Shapiro … Gail Shalan … Elise Flick (WAS SUNDAY): former AG Eric Holder … Tyler Cowen … Jordan Grossman … CNN’s Sam Feist … Getty Images’ Win McNamee … ABC’s Chris Donovan … Edelman’s Sean Neary, Lyla Shaibi and Lauren Grella … Sarah Sellman of Gillibrand for Senate and the New York Majority Fund … Mark Levenson ... Cindi Leive … Caite Irvine … James Waters of Compass Partners … Nahiomy Alvarez … Alex Plitsas (WAS SATURDAY): Georgina Bloomberg ... Peter S. Greenberg … Matthew Capp, communications director for Rep. Anthony D’Esposito … Arica VanBoxtel … Brianna Gurciullo
| | YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY | | | | 180 The number of interviews, roughly, that Attorney General Letitia James conducted in her sexual harassment investigation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — that he’s now suing to get access to, per the Daily News. Meanwhile, a judge ruled Cuomo can depose some of his accusers, as he defends himself from lawsuits, the Post reports. | | | | | | 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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