| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Shawn Ness DRINKS ON US — Come celebrate the end of session with POLITICO. We’re hosting a happy hour today at the Albany War Room Tavern. Join fellow New York insiders for drinks and hors d'oeuvres, meet our editorial team and learn more about our coverage of politics, policy and power in Albany. You can RSVP here.
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New York City Council and Mayor Eric Adams are both hosting meetings within hours of each other. | Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office | Dual meetings, dueling Adamses: Dueling meetings are scheduled within hours of each other today in the latest power struggle between the New York City Council and Mayor Eric Adams. A bill to expand council oversight of mayoral appointments will be heard at 10 a.m. And at 1 p.m., the mayor’s Charter Revision Commission will convene for the first time. “Convenient,” Council Member Lincoln Restler grumbled to Playbook. As of Tuesday night, he was still waiting to learn who, if anyone, the administration would send to testify on the “advice and consent” bill the mayor opposes. The scheduling was “just a coincidence,” Adams spokesperson Fabien Levy said. The commission set the date after the council already calendared their hearing, “but there is limited time so they are moving as expeditiously as possible.” The clock is ticking for both sides. The charter commission has until Aug. 5, three months before Election Day, to secure yet-to-be-determined proposals on the November ballot. In a quirk of the City Charter, that would preempt the council from getting its own proposal before voters. Namely: granting itself the power to block the mayor’s nominees for 21 more agencies, including buildings and transportation. The council is working with the same deadline — which could mean passing a bill, having Adams veto it, and then overriding the veto all by Aug. 5 — to be prepared if the mayor’s commission doesn’t get anything on the ballot. Consider the council (unsuccessfully) sued then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1998 for blocking a referendum on public funding for Yankee Stadium by creating his own Charter Revision Commission — a situation reminiscent of today. It’s blazing fast for the council to hear a bill six days after it was introduced. Some bills don’t get heard for a year, or ever. But this measure is simple, and happens to be a priority for Speaker Adrienne Adams, said Restler, who is leading today’s hearing as chair of the government operations committee. “We all learned about checks and balances in elementary school,” he said. “Advice and consent is widely utilized at the state level, the federal level. … In fact, New York City is the anomaly.” “And considering how this administration has conducted itself,” Restler added, “The requirement of advice and consent for more agency heads is absolutely necessary.” The mayor, naturally, disagrees, and argues the council shouldn’t have more say in who he appoints. “I would not go into the City Council to determine who's the public safety chair, who's the housing chair, who's the land use chair,” he said on PIX11. “Because that is just wrong for me to determine the direction that the speaker in the City Council would like to go.” Appointments, meanwhile, may be all we get from the commission today. City Hall declined to share much on what to expect for the first meeting except to note that an executive director and general counsel will be named. In a break with custom, that staff will all be current Adams administration employees, rather than outside experts, POLITICO reported. — Jeff Coltin HAPPY WEDNESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: Some of New York’s wealthiest nonprofit hospitals are taking advantage of a program that is supposed to help vulnerable patients more affordably access medicines – it’s padding hospital bottom lines instead. Let’s stand up for New York patients and hold these hospitals accountable. Learn more. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In Dutchess County, New York City, and making a housing and economic development-related announcement in Albany. WHERE’S ERIC? Appearing on 94.7 The Block’s “Jonesy in the Morning,” delivering remarks at SBS’ “NYC Small Business Month Expo,” meeting with the Ambassador of Japan, speaking at SBS’ celebration of small business opportunity fund, calling in on 1010 WINS’ “The PM Rush,” hosting a reception to celebrate Jewish heritage. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Dude, I’m strange. We don’t make political contributions. I’m going to win this fucker on merit, and if I don’t win it on merit, I’ll be able to sleep well at night. Now, am I being naïve?” — Michael Hershman, adviser to the Soloviev Group’s Manhattan casino bid, in a wide-ranging New York Mag story on the battles for licenses.
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In a switch-up from the usual cannabis conversations, now, lawmakers are considering changing the regulations for kratom. | Courtesy of the New York State Office of General Services | KRATOM CONTROL: Move over, cannabis. Kratom regulations are being weighed by state lawmakers in the final days of the legislative session with a bill meant to create safeguards for its use. Kratom is derived from a tropical evergreen native in Southeast Asia and has been used by consumers to address anxiety and pain. And it’s a relatively untapped field for lobbying in Albany. There are no federal or state laws prohibiting or regulating kratom, which can be found for sale in smoke shops and gas stations. “There are thousands of different vendors and you have no idea what’s a good kind, what’s a trustworthy kind,” Bud Smith, a Watertown resident, told Playbook. Smith, a kratom user for seven years, has been traveling to the Capitol in recent weeks to press for regulation alongside former state Sen. David Carlucci, now a consultant for the American Kratom Association, an industry group. The group is backing a bill that would set 18 as the minimum age for purchasing kratom and create standard packaging and ingredients as well as a ban on synthetic products. The effort addresses a substance that is relatively unknown and has been overshadowed by the broader effort to crackdown on illegal cannabis sales in order to boost the legal marijuana marketplace in New York. It’s not clear if the measure will be taken up before the legislative session ends next week. “A lot of it is education,” Carlucci said. — Nick Reisman BOWMAN’S BACKERS: The New York City branch of the Democratic Socialists of America announced its endorsement Tuesday night of Rep. Jamaal Bowman in his contentious primary against Westchester mainstay George Latimer. “Jamaal has been one of the strongest voices against genocide and for peace as many of his colleagues rush to warmonger. Together, we WILL defend this seat from AIPAC and pro-war extremists!” the DSA chapter wrote in its post on X. The lefty organization declared “Palestine is on the ballot, and we’re going ALL OUT to defend our Socialists in Office and send 3 new pro-ceasefire insurgents to Albany” above a picture of its preferred candidates this cycle. Bowman was placed beside progressive superhero Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is expected to coast to victory in her House race next month. It isn’t the ideal backing in the relatively moderate district, but Bowman needs some support. A group affiliated with AIPAC — the pro-Israel lobby — has already spent more than $6 million supporting Latimer. — Sally Goldenberg
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Robert De Niro made an appearance at Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial at the request of President Joe Biden's campaign. | Alex Kent for POLITICO | ADAMS-LESS PIVOT: The Biden campaign on Tuesday reversed its policy of staying mum on Donald Trump’s legal proceedings. It dispatched Robert De Niro and Jan. 6 attack first-responders Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn to speak before news cameras gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse. Not surprisingly, Mayor Adams was not invited to be a surrogate for President Joe Biden. But somewhat surprisingly, he also didn’t get a heads-up about the event just blocks from City Hall. Deliberations are expected to begin today in the hush-money trial. Adams waved it off; after all, his team and Biden’s are in touch through aides on important matters. “My day is full running the city and we have not communicated with [them] over that event,” he told reporters at his weekly, wide-ranging news conference. “I know they do a number of events here. This is where people want to be. This is an exciting city.” Indeed, De Niro, a New Yorker himself, went off on Trump and sparred verbally with MAGA loyalists. An Adams-Biden partnership could come in handy as the Democrats seek to keep working-class Black and Latino voters from being picked off by Trump. But while the president and mayor were once simpatico, their relationship has suffered as Adams spotlighted the limited federal help in the migrant crisis. The two did speak when NYPD Lieutenant Jonathan Diller was killed in the line of duty in March. — Emily Ngo LION’S DEN: Despite Mayor Adams hosting more carefully curated town halls than his predecessor, Tuesday night’s event in Astoria was disrupted multiple times by people unhappy with his stewardship of the city and his position on the war in Gaza. “Yo Eric, eat shit!” one protester reportedly shouted at the mayor before being escorted out. More vocal opponents followed suit. The acrimony unfolded in a district that has become a bastion of progressive politics — and thus enemy territory for the moderate Democratic mayor who unequivocally defends Israel, has slashed popular city services and readily stands up for the police force he once belonged to. Strewn across the district that has elected members of the Democratic Socialists of America at all levels were signs titled “ASTORIA HATES ERIC ADAMS,” with a list of his perceived worst offenses: cutting school funding, hobnobbing with billionaires, reducing library hours. The fliers sought donations to local food pantries — anything from pasta and canned veggies to menstrual pads. While Adams addressed people who were let into the event and wanted to discuss housing costs, crime and noise complaints, other Astoria residents were reportedly turned away at the door for failing to register. A small group staged a protest outside. The local Assemblymember, DSA proud Zohran Mamdani, said he was not invited, but omnipresent Adams ally Jenifer Rajkumar, who represents a neighboring district, got a seat at the dais. — Joe Anuta TRAVEL PLANS: Former Mayor Bill de Blasio is flying to Rome to discuss “what NYC has done to end our dependence on fossil fuels” at a June 5 event, he announced on Twitter. More from the city: — The mayor said the city’s Department of Investigation is reviewing findings that his son and a senior mayoral aide stayed in taxpayer-funded rooms at a Queens hotel owned by a major donor. (THE CITY) — Adams confirmed his legal defense trust isn’t bankrolling legal fees for Rana Abbasova, a longtime aide whose home was raided by the FBI last year. (Daily News) — City officials plan to launch a novel resettlement program to help migrants leave city-funded hotel shelters in Buffalo. (Gothamist)
| | | | A message from PhRMA:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said that the legislative session will likely be extended by one day. | Mike Groll/AP | MARK YOUR CALENDARS: State lawmakers could be extending the legislative session by a day. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told lawmakers they will likely remain in Albany until June 7 to finish up. That’s a day after the scheduled end of the session, but legislators are still facing a deluge of bills that — while low profile — are considered key for individual members to get passed. (Think sales tax and occupancy tax extensions for local governments). A person familiar with the conversation told Playbook legislative business is not expected to bleed into the following week, however, given how many big-ticket items like the expiring mayoral control of New York City schools was already extended as part of the state budget deal in April. Lawmakers have an extra motivation to get home: It’s an election year and early voting for primary races begins June 15. — Nick Reisman JOYNER IN WITH THE OTHERS: Following her abrupt January resignation from the Assembly, Latoya Joyner has been quietly working for the Montefiore Health System — making her the third Bronx Democratic politician in recent history to join the borough’s biggest employer. Joyner was named senior labor advisor in February, reporting directly to Montefiore CEO Phillip Ozuah and Montefiore’s chief human resources officer, according to an internal memo circulated last month and since obtained by Playbook. Joyner, a lawyer, is not expected to lobby for the health care giant, and a person familiar with her thinking said she was “thrilled about never having to go to Albany again.” The ex-Labor Committee chair announced she’d leave office just one day into the legislative session this January, leaving her seat empty for weeks, and triggering a special election. She would only say she was leaving for “an exciting new opportunity.” Former Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. joined Monte after getting term-limited out of office at the end of 2021 — though he only works there part time, while maintaining other lobbying clients. And former Bronx Democratic Party Chair Marcos Crespo was named senior vice president of community affairs in 2020, following 11 years in the state Assembly. — Maya Kaufman and Jeff Coltin
| | | | POLITICO invites you to learn more about POLITICO's coverage of politics, policy and power in Albany. Join us on Wednesday, May 29 to connect with fellow New Yorkers over drinks and appetizers. RSVP HERE. | | | | | | | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan is backing the challenger to the incumbent district attorney. (Spectrum News) — While Justice Juan Merchan presides over arguably the highest-profile criminal case in American history, he keeps the middle of his week clear for Manhattan's mental health court. (Business Insider) — National Grid has proposed a rate increase for upstate customers. (POLITICO Pro)
| | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Louis Froelich has joined Womble Bond Dickinson’s New York office as a partner in the capital markets group. … Littler has added Kelly M. Cardin as a shareholder in its New York office. … Brianna January has joined the Chamber of Progress as its northeast state and local government relations director. She was previously an associate policy director at the Maryland Association of Counties. … Maia Woluchem is now director of the trustworthy infrastructures program at Data & Society. She most recently created programs, research, and funding strategy as a tech fellow at the Ford Foundation. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Emily Guthrie, director of data acquisition at data and analytics company Premise and Haider Ghalib Ferman, a pediatric resident at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, recently welcomed Hana Billie and Rama Kenneth. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC’s Stephen Sanchez … The Forward’s Jacob Kornbluh … (WAS TUESDAY): Ofir Akunis ... Rabbi Shlomo Riskin … (WAS MONDAY:) amNewYork’s Ethan Stark-Miller.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: The 340B drug pricing program was designed to help vulnerable patients more affordably access medicines at qualifying hospitals and clinics. But a lack of accountability has led to large hospitals, chain pharmacies and other middlemen, like PBMs, profiting from a program that should be benefiting patients. Let’s hold these groups accountable and stand up for New York patients. Learn more. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
