| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo | With help from Irie Sentner
|  Former President Donald Trump is doing all he can to own his Manhattan criminal trial politically. But the New York candidates running in the competitive congressional races that could decide control of the House in November are sitting it out. | Pool photo by Curtis Means | NEW YORK MINUTE: The New York City Council is set to pass a zoning change this week to ease the way for casinos — if, and only if, proposed projects get through the competitive bid process and overcome community opposition. The Gaming Facility Text Amendment is expected to be approved by a committee today, and then the full council Thursday, without making any changes to the language favored by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration. — Jeff Coltin WHAT TRIAL? Nevermind the former president on trial in their backyard — New York’s battleground House candidates are mostly ignoring the criminal case, Democrats and Republicans alike. Donald Trump, by contrast, is doing all he can to own the moment politically. He tried to tweak his prosecutor, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, by visiting the West Harlem bodega Tuesday where a 2022 case of killing in self-defense drew conservative outrage against Bragg. (Bragg, in turn, countered Trump’s crime-filled depiction of New York.) But the candidates running in the competitive congressional races that could decide control of the House in November sat this one out. There are no apparent plans for press conferences outside Manhattan Criminal Court, posts on X or proactive statements. When asked, Rep. Marc Molinaro’s team simply pointed back to the Hudson Valley Republican’s statement on Trump’s indictment one year ago, saying Bragg is pursuing “a political vendetta.” Josh Riley, Molinaro’s Democratic opponent, will probably let the trial play out before saying anything, a spokesperson said. Any mention of the trial may just be too divisive for candidates from either party trying to win over undecideds. While other Democrats stayed quiet, former Rep. Mondaire Jones responded to a request for comment, saying “It is a sad day for the American people when they have to watch our twice-impeached, serially-indicted former president begin one of many criminal trials.” Jones’ opponent, GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, is a regular on cable TV news — as is Jones — but didn’t respond to a request for comment in this case. So why skip what seems like an easy social media post, or digital ad on the criminal trial? “We have such better ammo on this. I would never waste a breath on hush money when I could say ‘abortion,’ ‘Ukraine,’ ‘tax billionaires,’” one New York Democratic operative told Playbook. But the relative silence from candidates could change over the course of the trial if they realize it’s the only way to get press coverage while so many reporters are camped outside the Manhattan courthouse. “I imagine many offices will be like ‘fuck it,’” the operative said. “If I wanted to be on CNN tonight” as a New York Democrat talking about jury selection, “they’d take me on.” — Jeff Coltin HAPPY WEDNESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
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Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | DO WE HAVE A BUDGET YET? No, still. WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany and New York City delivering remarks at White House’s Making Care Work Virtual Summit and appearing as a guest on WNYC's “The Brian Lehrer Show.” WHERE’S ERIC? Appearing on 94.7 The Block’s “Jonesy in the Morning,” delivering remarks at the ribbon cutting of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island’s new trauma recovery center, hosting a roundtable discussion with leaders in the Arab community, meeting with Peruvian Consul General Marita Landaveri, meeting with meet with President of Tuscany Eugenio Giani, participating in the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island’s 49th Annual Passover Food Distribution and hosting “Talk with Eric: A Community Conversation.” QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The pencils weren’t fully down. But conceptually we’re close to a lot of things.” — Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on whether Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the budget deal prematurely. DIRTY QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I wouldn’t f-ing tell you any f-ing thing.” — Adams ally Bo Dietl, to a Daily News reporter asking what services he provided for the mayor’s legal defense fund, which paid his firm $13,000. HANG OUT WITH US TONIGHT! Have you always wanted to meet and greet your favorite POLITICO New York reporter? You’ll have your chance to hang out with us tonight at 6 p.m. at City Beer Hall in Albany. We hope to see you there! RSVP here.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
State Sen. Mike Gianaris said lawmakers will not be raising taxes, at Gov. Kathy Hochul's behest. | Hans Pennink/AP | SPENDING AND MORE SPENDING: When the finishing touches are put on New York’s budget, the $237 billion the state plans to spend over the next 12 months will be an 11 percent increase from only three years ago. The rise in spending hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially among Republican lawmakers. “There’s no doubt spending is out of control,” Staten Island GOP state Sen. Andrew Lanza said. “At least if you’re a member of the Legislature or the governor, and you have other peoples’ money to spend, sure why not? Go on a spending spree.” Democrats in the Legislature have shrugged off the criticism. Lawmakers in the state Assembly and Senate proposed increased tax rates for people who earn more than $5 million a year, which Hochul rejected. “At the governor’s behest we’re not raising taxes,” state Sen. Mike Gianaris said. “So the money being spent is accounted for, it’s not like it’s invented.” The accelerated spending clip coincides with spiking inflation over the last several years — and as Hochul has vowed to decelerate spending while resisting broad-based tax increases. But that’s been a challenge. Spending has steadily risen in New York’s budgets over the last four years, driven in large part by sharp increases in direct education aid to schools as well as a significant increase in the number of people in the Medicaid program. Meanwhile, Hochul successfully pushed lawmakers to agree to an overhaul of how aid is distributed to school districts by basing a complex spending formula on more recent enrollment figures. But that won’t take effect for another year, and school aid overall is once again set to increase. Some of these measures could make a difference in the long run, budget watchdogs said. “There is an effort to find the savings in the Medicaid program. That would be a big part of it while also having a more forward-looking view on school aid,” Patrick Orecki, the state director of the Citizens Budget Commission, told Playbook. — Nick Reisman
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Mayor Eric Adams got an extension for his taxes, as he did for the previous two years. | John Minchillo/AP | DEATH AND (DELAYED) TAXES: The mayor didn’t file his tax returns by Tax Day Monday. Instead, Adams got an extension and expects to file, and make his return available to reporters, by October, spokesperson Fabien Levy told Playbook. Adams’ tax returns have previously revealed inconsistencies with his rental income, and Adams even amended three years of returns after POLITICO raised questions. The IRS automatically grants six-month extensions for those who request them — as Adams did the previous two years. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Randy Mastro, the former Giuliani deputy known for aggressive tactics, is expected to join the Adams administration, with Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix retiring. (New York Times) — A mayoral control extension, a late surprise in the budget deal, now faces some uncertainty as the sides negotiate the final details (POLITICO Pro) — DCAS Commissioner Dawn Pinnock plans to resign, and one of the mayor’s oldest allies, Jesse Hamilton, is in a prime position to vie for her place. (POLITICO Pro) — In the latest pushback to Adams’ new protocol for requesting engagement with city leaders, the council plans to hold an oversight hearing. (Gothamist)
| | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
The New York Immigration Coalition and MALIKAH wrote a letter to top state lawmakers this week calling for them to approve a measure that would change the way state demographic data classifies people of Middle Eastern or North African descent. | Hans Pennink/AP | DEMO CHANGE: People of Middle Eastern or North African descent are classified as white by state demographic data. A bill proposed by state lawmakers would change that. The measure is being pressed for by the New York Immigration Coalition and MALIKAH, which wrote a letter to top state lawmakers this week calling for the measure’s approval. “Our organizations have seen firsthand the impact of the systemic exclusion of Middle Eastern and North African communities from data collection,” the groups wrote in the letter. “Our communities do not perceive themselves to be white and are not perceived to be white. We also experience various disparities compared to non-Hispanic whites that go unseen because of the lack of data.” It's not yet clear whether the bill can pick up momentum before the legislative session ends on June 6 and as lawmakers remain preoccupied with the still unapproved budget. But the measure itself is a new one, having been first introduced this year. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Changes to a popular home care program in Medicaid have led to blowback in the budget talks. (Times Union) — A tax credit aimed at low and middle-income families remains on the budget bargaining table. (City & State) — Lawmakers are on the verge of rolling back a public employee pension plan overhaul for the second time in three years. (POLITICO Pro)
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Democratic House candidate Sarah Klee Hood, who is vying for the party’s nomination to run against GOP Rep. Brandon Williams, reported $416,356 in cash on hand. | Alex Brandon/AP | HOOD’S HAUL: Democratic House candidate Sarah Klee Hood raised $329,608 during the first three months of the year in her bid for the party’s nomination to run against GOP Rep. Brandon Williams. Hood’s campaign reported $416,356 in cash on hand. She touted an average donation of $36. “Our campaign has the momentum to beat Brandon Williams and bring the voices of everyday Central New Yorkers to Congress,” Klee Hood said in a statement. “As a veteran with student loans and a working mom of young children, I will use my perspective to protect reproductive freedom and take on the big corporations who are ripping us off at the gas pump and grocery store.” — Nick Reisman
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Trump’s lawyers have mined prospective jurors’ social media accounts for potential signs of bias, and several of them were cut on Tuesday after the judge examined their prior posts. (POLITICO) — John Sterling, who announced over 5,000 Yankees games since 1989 and is known for his iconic catchphrase, “It is high! It is far! It is gone!”, retired this week. (New York Times) — Church groups told the New York Court of Appeals that a regulation requiring insurance policies to cover medically necessary abortions violates their religious beliefs and applies unevenly evenly across organizations. (Newsday)
| | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES — Matt Jansen is now press secretary for the House Judiciary Committee. He is also press secretary for Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CNN’s Jim Acosta … NYT’s Julie Hirschfeld Davis … City Council Member Julie Won … Cecile Rohwedder … Shelly Banjo … Joshua Tucker … Bloomberg’s Jeffrey Horst … Susan Atwood … (WAS TUESDAY): Geoffrey S. Middleberg ... David Zalaznick
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