| | | | |  | | By Nick Reisman, Emily Ngo and Jeff Coltin | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Mia McCarthy and Madina Touré
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Mayor Eric Adams is stuck at home with Covid as the FBI swirls his inner circle. | Courtesy of the Office of Mayor Eric Adams | New York Minute: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, will join New York officials today at Ground Zero to mark the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee, is also expected at the lower Manhattan memorial at some point today. — Emily Ngo THE ERIC AND ANDREW SHOWS: Two masters of the New York political universe have been cut down to size. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, stuck at home after a positive Covid test, was grilled remotely Tuesday by reporters over whether he will stick by his police commissioner following sweeping FBI raids of his top political appointees. Hours later in Washington, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced questions from a House subcommittee investigating his handling of the Covid pandemic. The intensifying scrutiny is aimed at where they built their reputations and made their names: Adams was an NYPD officer for two decades and Cuomo rose to national fame for his Covid briefings. And both Democrats are confronting their problems, albeit very different ones, at a pivotal time. Adams is up for reelection next year, but his administration is beset by what appear to be multiple federal investigations, including into his 2021 campaign. Cuomo is waiting in the wings and has been weighing a political comeback, potentially as New York City mayor, after his resignation amid allegations of sexual harassment, which he has denied. On Tuesday, the mayor defended the professionalism of his police department while repeatedly declining opportunities to voice confidence more specifically in Commissioner Edward Caban, whose home was raided by the FBI last week. No one has yet been accused of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, for Cuomo, the stinging criticism from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic was a stark role reversal. The former governor, who appeared exasperated at times, was on the receiving end of Republican rants and lectures over responsibility. Crosstalk abounded as they argued over his handling of nursing homes during the initial weeks of the pandemic. “It’s the reason why you’re the former governor of New York state,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, a frequent Cuomo bête noire, said. “You will never hold elected office again.” After the hearing, Cuomo was eager to illustrate the proceeding as a partisan trifle. “In terms of democracy, this is disappointing,” he said. While he asserted that he was not seeking elected office (at the moment), he acknowledged the trouble that Adams faces, even as he stressed the situation is only at the investigation stage. “Politically, it is hurtful,” Cuomo told reporters. “It creates chaos in the administration, also. It’s very hard to run a functioning government when this is going on.” Adams, meanwhile, insisted repeatedly that he can run the city amid the federal actions threatening to derail — or at least distract — his administration. “I want to speak directly to New Yorkers,” he said in a raspy, Covid-impacted voice Tuesday. “The job I have as your mayor is the only one I’ve ever wanted. … Serving you is an honor, but it's also a responsibility, and I want to assure you that I feel the awesome weight of that responsibility with my whole heart.” — Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo, with Mia McCarthy HAPPY WEDNESDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
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Learn More. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Attends 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero. WHERE’S ERIC? Hanging a wreath outside Gracie Mansion to honor lives lost on 9/11, and doing a TV interview with ABC 7. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “At the end of the day, I had a hearing, but most Council members weren’t listening. They’d already made up their minds for reasons unrelated to the merits.” — Randy Mastro, in a letter pulling himself from consideration to be New York City’s top lawyer before the council could vote him down by a large margin on Thursday.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | 
A viewer wears a Trump 2024 hat at the New York Young Republican Club debate watch party in Manhattan on Sept. 10, 2024 | Emily Ngo/POLITICO | WATCH PARTY WATCH: The New York Young Republican Club packed the second floor of a Manhattan bar Tuesday night to cheer on Trump in his first — and possibly only debate — against Harris. Red MAGA hats dotted a crowd that gathered in historically blue Midtown. The Trump lines that earned their cheers and applause? His mocking of Harris’ economic plan and his references to the (baseless) viral claim out of Springfield, Ohio, that some migrants are eating pets. And what did they jeer and boo? Harris’ mentions of Project 2025 and when she pointed out that newborns are not being left to die after botched abortions, as Trump alleged. Throughout the night, Republicans said that election after election, they see evidence that the city and state are swinging to the right. “It’s a long shot. Does that mean the state is not competitive at all? No,” club president Gavin Wax told Playbook of the prospects of a Trump win in the Empire State. Meanwhile, in Queens on Tuesday night, the Working Families Party hosted one of several watch parties around the state. Several left-leaning elected officials from city and state governments gathered. “Trump cannot coherently express a policy position that would serve our working-class communities,” Assemblymember Jessica Gonzáles-Rojas told Playbook. In lower Manhattan, Gov. Kathy Hochul made an appearance at a debate watch party hosted by the city’s powerful teachers union. Flanked by union president Michael Mulgrew and American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, she urged educators to canvass voters to support Democrats up and down the ballot. “Take it to the buses, take it to the street corners, take it to the diners, take it on the phones,” she said, “because you, my friends, are going to change the course of history.” — Emily Ngo, with Madina Touré
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban is digging in and isn’t going easily. | John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit | CABAN OR CABAN’T?: Adams is facing one of the most difficult decisions of his term: whether, and how, to force out a police commissioner caught up in an expansive federal investigation, POLITICO reported Tuesday night. Top advisers to the mayor, like Frank Carone and Ingrid Lewis-Martin, aren’t in agreement on what to do. To complicate things, today is 9/11 one of the most solemn and — and visible — days for NYPD leadership. On one hand, Adams prides himself on loyalty and second chances. Commissioner Edward Caban is digging in and isn’t going easily. Forcing him to leave could look like an admission of guilt and contribute to chaos. And some fellow Puerto Ricans feel like it would be scapegoating the first Latino commissioner, over the other Black administration figures also getting probed. On the other hand, Caban heads a massive law enforcement agency, and even the appearance of impropriety is problematic. Firing a police commissioner could serve to distance Adams from a probe he doesn’t appear to be personally involved in. And there’s a practical consideration too: The feds’ seizure of his phones could impact his top-level security clearance. — Jeff Coltin GET TO KNOW TERRY BANKS: He’s an old family friend of the mayor, the Post reports. He was a big Adams campaign fundraiser, hosting five events that netted more than $90,000 even before matching funds were factored in, Gothamist reports. And now, a possible bribery scheme involving Banks’ consulting firm and his two brothers in the Adams administration is the focus of the federal investigation, The New York Times reports. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — The NYPD's combative culture is coming under new scrutiny as a federal investigation looms. (Gothamist) — Adams’ government-funded private lawyer wants a judge to dismiss the sexual harassment lawsuit against the mayor because his accuser missed multiple deposition dates. (New York Post) — The Adams administration laid out plans to scale up its opioid settlement spending to $50 million annually. (POLITICO Pro)
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Attorney General Tish James said Tuesday that social media platforms should have labels warning of the potential mental health dangers for users. | Frank Franklin II/ AP | THE NEW SMOKING: Social media platforms should have labels warning of the potential mental health dangers for users, Attorney General Tish James said Tuesday. The companies are facing growing pressure from regulators and elected officials — one that is not dissimilar from efforts to warn the public about tobacco use a generation ago. James is co-leading a coalition of 42 state attorneys general that urged Congress to implement a request from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to add warning labels on social media. James’ call is part of a broader effort by elected officials from both parties who have taken a harder line on social media firms and their products’ impact on kids. New York lawmakers and Hochul this year agreed to a sweeping package of measures meant to address social media usage among young people, including provisions to block algorithmic feeds for minors and limit how much information the companies glean from child users. “Young people across our country are struggling, and these addictive social media algorithms are only making this mental health crisis worse,” James said. “New York has led the nation in our efforts to protect kids from online harm, but everyone needs to know the risk associated with these social media platforms.” Social media companies have taken a starkly different view of the proposals to regulate their platforms. Tech industry groups have questioned whether some of the legislation regulating their businesses runs afoul of free speech protections. They have argued limiting kids from social media can prevent them from socializing with their peers. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Hochul promised to fill the chronically understaffed Board of Parole, but nearly half of her nominations have ended in disaster. (NY Focus) — State officials are requiring insurers to gather demographic information on New Yorkers in order to address health disparities. (Gothamist) — Upstate New York kids are lagging in reading and math, a national group found. (Spectrum News)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Rep. Mike Lawler issued a mild rebuke aimed at Republican colleagues advancing the debunked claim thrust into prominence by GOP Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating their pets. | Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP | CLAIM GAME: Rep. Mike Lawler issued a mild rebuke Tuesday aimed at Republican colleagues advancing the debunked claim thrust into prominence by GOP veep nominee JD Vance that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating their pets. “He encourages his colleagues to exercise great restraint when spreading unfounded theories and claims based off of posts on Facebook,” said Nate Soule, an adviser to Lawler, who represents a sizable population of Haitian New Yorkers. While the vulnerable politically moderate Hudson Valley Republican didn’t name names, another vulnerable politically moderate Hudson Valley Republican had posted a screenshot of the Facebook entry in question on X, using it to attack his Democratic challenger, Josh Riley, over “open borders.” Rep. Marc Molinaro only doubled down when Riley demanded that the freshman Republican immediately apologize. He accused Riley of calling Springfield, Ohio residents liars, though local police have said there’s no truth to the claim. Molinaro was also dismissive about the significance of the claim when asked about his X posts, which were promptly ratioed. "Millions of illegals and billions in tax dollars later, it took a cat tweet to get attention about a border crisis that wouldn’t be happening without Josh Riley,” Molinaro said in a statement. It was an apparent reference to Riley’s work as an attorney with the U.S. Senate, which included challenging then-President Donald Trump’s restrictions on travel from Muslim-majority countries. Riley, whose campaign has seen dozens of new volunteers sign up since Molinaro’s X posts, responded: “Instead of demanding a vote on the bipartisan bill that would secure the southern border, Molinaro is rage-tweeting dangerous, racist, debunked conspiracy theories.” — Emily Ngo More from Congress: — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Harris has been “strong but not strident” in her campaign against Trump. (NY1)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — These New Yorkers are among the biggest donors to federal campaigns this year — led by hedge funder Paul Singer. (Crain’s New York) — Newburgh has opted into the state’s “good-cause” eviction law. (Times Union) — A City Council bill set to be introduced this week would direct the Department of Investigation to obtain documents detailing what the city knew about toxic air conditions in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. (Daily News)
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Learn More. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Actum senior vice president Paul Persaud has joined Mayor Adams’ office as a deputy chief of staff … Eric Phillips, communications consultant and erstwhile press secretary to Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced the launch of his new PR firm Phillips & Company … Christiaan Perez is now vice president for communications at the Hispanic Federation. He was previously manager of media strategy at the Economic Security Project … Anat Gerstein, Inc. has promoted Karin Venegas to vice president to lead the arts & culture practice area, and Marina Hansen to account executive … Standard Chartered bank senior legal counsel Jennifer Diana has joined Eversheds Sutherland’s New York office as counsel in the firm’s corporate crime and investigations practice … Kevin Boland has joined JPMorganChase’s corporate responsibility team as an executive director leading strategic communications for the team’’s careers and skills portfolio, as well as the firm’s Second Chance initiative. Boland, a former John Boehner and Kay Granger aide, was previously director of corporate affairs at Saab. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson … City Hall’s Amaris Cockfield… Parkside’s Amanda Luz Henning Santiago … 92NY’s Seth Pinsky … Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo … former NYC Council Member Carlos Menchaca … Michael Hardaway … Barbara Starr … Claude Marx … NBC’s Pete Breen … Gordon Bronson … Andrew Sagarin … Emily Esfahani Smith … (WAS TUESDAY): Jonathan Soros … Sarah Schneider ... Josh Nass ... Lawrence Ira Garbuz … POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi … Fox News’ Trey Yingst … NBC’s Chuck Rosenberg … FleishmanHillard’s Michael Moroney … Mahen Gunaratna … Amanda Cowie … Jack Rivers Missed Tuesday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it 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 | | | | |
