| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Shawn Ness
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Sen. Zellnor Myrie is challenging Eric Adams to be the next mayor of New York City. | Courtesy of Zellnor Myrie's campaign office | NEW YORK MINUTE: The Biden administration will propose new changes to the asylum system today that would let the U.S. more quickly remove migrants deemed potentially ineligible to stay in the country, POLITICO reports. Adams has repeatedly called for Biden to enact a “decompression strategy” of migrants coming to New York City while avoiding specific policy recommendations. But this asylum move won’t placate for City Hall. Spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said limited financial support hasn’t been enough, and called for a “national resettlement strategy” and for migrants to be allowed to legally work immediately. — Jeff Coltin Another candidate apartment tour: From a leaky rent-stabilized apartment with Costa Rican immigrant parents to passing tenant-friendly rent laws in Albany. All in Jordans. State senator and sneakerhead Zellnor Myrie is introducing himself in a mayoral campaign launch video shared first in Playbook. Catch that it includes a quote from his 2018 New York Times endorsement — key support he’ll want again in 2025 to win over New Yorkers who want Mayor Eric Adams out of office. (He’s already trying, kicking off the run Wednesday in a Times exclusive). Adams isn’t in the strongest position. But time will tell if the 37-year-old Myrie can raise the money he needs and convince voters he’d be a more competent mayor, despite his limited city government experience. POLITICO talked to Myrie Wednesday and analyzed what he’s up against. Here’s more from that interview that didn’t make the story, edited for length and clarity. You’ve been rumored for a long time. What gave you that final push? “Unfortunately, the city feels rudderless at this moment. When there are core services like childcare, like parks that we see are being cut, I think New Yorkers want to see that there is leadership willing to get in the nuts and bolts of government to deliver for them. So I'm taking this first step today so that we can begin that conversation, and start building the resources that we need to run this race.” What’s one big idea for affordability? “Universal after school. I think every family, every child that wants a seat in an after-school program should have one. That is something that is doable. That is the type of vision that people want to see. But not just in rhetoric, but in execution.” Your wife, former Assemblymember Diana Richardson, is a controversial figure. And it’ll be used against you during the campaign. Do you have a plan for dealing with that? “I'm running for mayor. And I think it's important that the focus remain on me as the candidate. I also say that my wife is no longer in public office. And so our focus as a family is about moving forward, is about seeing how we can best help the city be more affordable. Having been born and raised, both of us, in Central Brooklyn, both have gone to public schools in Central Brooklyn, and both who have had the opportunity to serve the very neighborhoods that we were born and raised in — the fact that it is challenging for us to consider homeownership in this very community is part of why I decided to jump in this race. So we are going to be very focused on the future and how we can build the best future for every New Yorker.” — Jeff Coltin HAPPY THURSDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Safety Runs First: ADVANCING EQUINE SAFETY IN HORSERACING: Thoroughbred racing is applying unprecedented resources to protect the wellbeing of our horses. For the first time ever, all horses now run under the same safety and anti-doping rules, overseen by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Advanced diagnostic technologies and big data add a new layer of protection. Combining uniform rules and hands-on care with the latest technologies ensures safety always runs first. To learn more visit SafetyRunsFirst.com. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks at the Association for a Better New York power breakfast, making a transportation safety budget announcement in Brooklyn. WHERE’S ERIC? Delivering remarks at Gov. Kathy Hochul’s transportation safety budget announcement. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Let’s have the cheese debate. I’m happy to have it.” — Judith Enck, the president of Beyond Plastics, on a bill to reduce packaging waste that has come under fire for the alleged harm of outlawing cheese singles.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Lawmakers in Albany are split on what to do about the students who engaged in pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. | Mary Altaffer/AP | PROTEST FALLOUT: Stripping students of tuition assistance. Hearings for how the NYPD handled the protests. State lawmakers are pressing for measures and oversight efforts in the wake of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have engulfed college campuses over the last month. And the proposals are breaking down on partisan lines. Republican legislators on Wednesday proposed ending state tuition assistance for students who have knowingly engaged in antisemitic acts that ultimately incited lawless action or threats. “The goal is to hit students in their pocketbooks,” Hudson Valley GOP state Sen. Bill Weber told Playbook in an interview. “Everyone has a right to free speech up to a limit. Everyone has a right to protest up to a limit.” But many of the protesters have gone beyond that line, Weber said. “People have a right to free speech, but the taxpayers don’t have an obligation to pay for hate speech,” Weber said. Democratic lawmakers are not embracing the proposal, making it unlikely to pass in either chamber, where GOP lawmakers are in the minority. “If this is in response to the recent protests, most of which have been lawful or peaceful, I would have concerns about this,” Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Pat Fahy said. “I would never condone any threats or acts of violence, antisemitism or otherwise, but these protests are by and large peacefully intended. It’s something that in our history is a constitutional right.” Meanwhile, there are calls for hearings. Republicans want college presidents to testify. Some Democrats, however, believe there needs to be oversight of how law enforcement has cleared protests — including some actions that came after students entered campus buildings. “It is only a matter of luck that no lives were lost,” Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani told Playbook. “This is completely unacceptable and must be investigated fully.” — Nick Reisman
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New York City's Department of Investigation is probing the NYPD's use of social media accounts after a collection of tweets were made, some by NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell. | Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office | NYPD BLUE CHECK MARKS: The city Department of Investigation said Wednesday it will formally probe NYPD “social media use and exchanges,” looking into whether they violate city policies. The scrutiny comes amid a barrage of posts on X in recent months, including by NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell who last week wrote that City Council Member Tiffany Cabán “hates our city” and appeared to call for her to be voted out. City Hall defiantly responded that the mayor’s office hopes the investigation will encompass some council members, too. “It is clear that a small number of advocates and council members — who have gone unchallenged in using their social media to make disparaging comments against the hardworking public servants of our city — only support speech that is politically convenient for them,” an Adams spokesperson said. The statement underscores how Adams, a retired NYPD captain, is standing steadfastly by the police force. POLITICO has the analysis on his near-unequivocal support. — Emily Ngo PALESTINE PROTEST AT TWEED: Roughly 70 pro-Palestinian public school students, staffers and advocates accused schools Chancellor David Banks of failing to protect them from being targeted and harassed. In the wake of Banks’ testimony before congressional lawmakers, Mohammad Jehad Ahmad — a public school teacher who has faced pushback over anti-Israel comments — told Playbook the chancellor “has an audience” to which he’s speaking. “Regrettably the audience that’s here and that exists across New York City public schools that support Palestinian human rights are what feels like the sole audience not being spoken to or addressed,” Ahmad said ahead of a rally at Tweed Courthouse, the Department of Education’s headquarters in Lower Manhattan. NYC Educators for Palestine, which organized the action, recently issued an open letter to Banks. Speakers urged the chancellor to issue a public statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Other demands include giving teachers more autonomy to develop curriculum on a range of subjects that respond to students’ needs and ending contracts with companies that have ties to Israel. The group chanted slogans like “Eric Adams, stop the lies! You don’t care if children die!” and “Chancellor Banks, you can’t hide, you support genocide!” Five protesters were lying on the steps of Tweed to stage a die-in. — Madina Touré FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Powerful labor unions 1199 SEIU and NYSNA and other health care groups are calling on Adams to end the 30- and 60-day limits on migrants staying in homeless shelters. “We are reminded daily in our practice that stable shelter is absolutely necessary for human health and life,” the organizations wrote in a letter to Adams and Hochul sent Wednesday. “We implore you to uphold the right to shelter for all New Yorkers and eliminate harmful shelter stay limits.” City Hall has argued that shelter stay limits are a necessary tool to push migrants to move on and open up space and encouraged the groups to lobby the federal government to do more. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Winnie Greco is back at work in the Adams administration after the top mayoral aide was initially placed on leave following an FBI raid on her homes in a campaign finance investigation. (THE CITY) — House Republicans grilling blue-state school administrators about antisemitism ended up ducking a few counterpunches from Schools Chancellor David Banks. (POLITICO)
| | | | A message from Safety Runs First:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  Lawmakers, like state Sen. Sean Ryan and Assemblymember Harry Bronson, are trying to figure out how to rein in tax abatements offered by Industrial Development Agencies. | Courtesy of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness | IDA SCRUTINY: New York lawmakers are weighing how to scale back the tax abatements offered by Industrial Development Agencies. The tax breaks are meant to create jobs for a business considering expansion. But the abatements have come under criticism, in part, because of how school districts can lose out on revenue as a result. An analysis released this week by the advocacy group New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness and conducted by two academics highlighted how poor and fiscally stressed school districts have lost a disproportionate amount of revenue per student from IDA tax breaks compared to wealthier areas. Lawmakers, including state Sen. Sean Ryan and Assemblymember Harry Bronson, have proposed blocking a local government or IDA from waiving taxes that would be received by a school district. “With school districts across the state engaged in a constant battle for the resources they need, preventing IDAs from abating taxes that should be going to schools would be a game-changer for public education in New York,” Ryan said. There’s some firepower behind the bill: Labor interests like the New York State United Teachers and the New York State AFL-CIO are backing the effort to scale back IDA tax abatements. — Nick Reisman MTA RISKS: While New York lawmakers helped stabilize the MTA’s operating budget last year, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is worried about growing risks to its capital funding because of delays, uncertainties and lawsuits around congestion pricing. A new report from his officelater today worries about revenue from the congestion tolls failing to arrive as expected. The MTA hopes to begin collecting money in late June, though several lawsuits are challenging various aspects of the tolling plan. Under one bad scenario, the comptroller said there could be a $25 billion funding gap in the MTA’s next five-year capital program. “The MTA’s capital program is critical to winning riders back to public transportation and increasing fare revenue,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “When capital projects are delayed, repairs and upgrades are put off, causing parts of the system to deteriorate further.” — Ry Rivard More from Albany: — A state regulator refused to provide an estimate on how many illegal cannabis shops there are in New York. (New York Post) — Lawmakers are set to pass a new teacher evaluation system, which faces little opposition. (POLITICO Pro) — NY1 is holding a special panel discussion on late Gov. Mario Cuomo’s legacy. (NY1)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Five New York House Democrats voted to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, but Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was not among them. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | NY DEMS FOR JOHNSON? The House saved Speaker Mike Johnson from being ousted with Democrats' help last night — but not every New Yorker was on board. Five New York Democrats — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, Yvette Clarke, Pat Ryan and Nydia Velázquez — voted to take up Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to vacate Johnson from the speakership yesterday. The rest of the New York delegation, including Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, voted to block Greene’s attempt to boot Johnson. “Our decision to stop Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from plunging the House of Representatives and the country into further chaos is rooted in our commitment to solving problems for everyday Americans in a bipartisan manner,” Jeffries said in a statement. “We need more common sense and less chaos in Washington, D.C. “ Many progressives previously expressed their concerns about voting to save Johnson out of fear of the backlash they may get from the left. Others were concerned with Johnson’s role to overturn the results of the 2020 election. — Mia McCarthy
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Rents are rising seven times faster than wages in the city, making it harder for low- and middle-income residents to find affordable living arrangements. (Gothamist) — The Hudson River Clearwater Sloop, the site of many a school field trip for New York school kids, needs financial help or could close. (Times Union) — A large group of pro-Palestinian protesters took up their chants outside the Capitol building. (State of Politics)
| | | | A message from Safety Runs First: BRINGING RACING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY: Three years ago, Congress created the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to enhance the safety and integrity of Thoroughbred racing. Under HISA, for the first time in the sport’s 200-year history, every horse across the country is now running under the same safety and anti-doping rules. In addition, HISA is partnering with leading technology providers, including AWS and Palantir, to create new data-enabled tools to assist veterinary screenings. These tools add a new layer of protection by helping identify at-risk horses before they reach the starting gate.
The industry is also investing in the latest technologies for diagnostic imaging and wearable biometric devices. Combining enhanced, uniform rules, data analytics and cutting-edge technologies is improving safety outcomes and enhancing the ecosystems of care at every track nationwide, ensuring safety always runs first. To learn more visit SafetyRunsFirst.com. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES — Greg Smiley has joined Mercury Public Affairs as a managing director. He was previously Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s national deputy political director. … John Lyons has joined Boies Schiller Flexner LLP as a partner in its NYC office. He most recently was a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. MEDIAWATCH — Nicholas Carlson is stepping down as Business Insider’s editor-in-chief. LAWYERIN’ LAWMAKER — Queens Assemblymember Sam Berger, the state Legislature’s youngest member at 26 years old, was sworn in as an attorney Wednesday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: N.Y. Mag’s Justin Miller … John McEntee … Mark Leibovich … NYT’s Ezra Klein … Fox News’ Dana Perino and Garrett Tenney … Nihal Krishan … New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher … NBC’s Peter Nicholas … POLITICO’s Victoria Guida and James Romoser … Chris Ullman of Ullman Communications … Eva Dou … Olya Moskalenko … Jordan Bianchi (Powell) … (WAS WEDNESDAY): Danny Danon.
| | YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY | | | | $183 The amount of money Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley will pay in fines due to her traffic violation last month. | | | | | | JOIN 5/22 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF TAXATION: With Trump-era tax breaks set to expire in 2025, whoever wins control of Congress, and the White House will have the ability to revamp the tax code and with it reshape the landscape for business and social policy. Join POLITICO on May 22 for an exploration of what is at stake in the November elections with our panel dissecting the ways presidential candidates and congressional leaders are proposing to reshape our tax rates and incentives. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
