With help from Shawn Ness
BIDEN HUGS HOCHUL IN BORDER AD: President Joe Biden took action at the border today, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul was there with him at the White House.
But more than 200 miles away, another Democrat was left behind.
Mayor Eric Adams was absent from the event, even as his city remains ground zero of the ongoing national immigration crisis. It was the latest example of Adams’ once-burgeoning relationship with the president deteriorating over this very issue.
“People should ask, ‘Did Eric invite you to his events?’ I have too much to do to worry about guest lists I’m not on,” Adams said in an off-topic briefing with reporters. “My day is continuous, I enjoy going to events in New York and I don’t need to raise my hand and ask, ‘Please invite me somewhere.’”
The incident served to contrast the mayor and Hochul, who enjoys the president’s embrace while fundraising and supporting him ahead of his November elections.
“Standing next to the president as he unveils this new executive action is exactly what we want to see from our governor,” Lupe Todd-Medina, a political consultant who worked with Hochul on his 2022 re-election campaign, told Playbook. “I think that’s intelligent”.
Biden’s new policy will close large parts of the southern border and bar immigrants who cross illegally from receiving asylum. The move is expected to provide relief to strained state and municipal services as New York City surpasses the threshold of 200,000 migrant arrivals since spring 2022.
But when the bright lights came on, Hochul’s subtle role in the announcement became clear, amid the hectic final days of the legislative session in Albany. She was in one of two amorphous groups of congressmen and politicians from the border area that Biden had brought to a distance while he delivered the announcement. Also present was Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from Long Island.
Hochul later went on MSNBC to defend the president’s move.
“We cannot ignore the fact that while we are a kind and generous people in the state of New York, and we are proud of the Statue of Liberty, we are full right now,” Hochul said. “This will give us a place now to pause a little bit about this. Let people apply for asylum legally before reaching the borders.”
But House Republicans, facing their own re-election, said the measure was too little, too late.
“Nearly 41 months after President Biden revoked border security executive orders, he suddenly discovered he has the ability to take action and Kathy Hochul is in the White House praising him for it?” said Hudson Valley Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who faces a contested reelection bid and has joked about running for governor himself, in a statement to Playbook. “Give me a break. This is election year politics, plain and simple.” — Jason Beeferman
INCREASE AGE: The Legal Aid Society, the Westchester Library System, and the Coalition for Homeless Youth sent a letter today asking Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. approve a bill that would unlock $50 million in Raise the Age funding.
The money, which will come from $250 million in Raise the Age allocations, would fund community organizations for programs aimed at keeping children out of the criminal justice system. The state enacted a law in 2018 to reduce the number of juveniles who cannot be tried as adults.
“New York State has not fully delivered on its promise to fund community services and programs that provide alternatives to incarceration and reentry programs for youth under Raise the Age,” it reads. the letter, signed by 90 organizations.
But the last-minute push may be debatable.
“From what I heard, the Senate had reservations about the legislation we proposed,” Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, a Nassau County Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, told Playbook on Monday. “As you know, in Albany it takes two Houses to get anything done. “We’ve had some of our issues with the language and how to facilitate the actual program, but right now there are too many issues and concerns for us to move forward.”
But he’s still hopeful, adding, “Let me tell you this: It’s not over until it’s over.” —Jason Beeferman
GOP AGAINST CRIME DEMONSTRATIONS: Republicans in state Legislature end 2024 session with familiar theme — attack Democrats for what the Republican Party characterizes as a soft-on-crime agenda.
“I don’t think New Yorkers in general support this kind of thinking,” Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said at an event outside the Capitol. “I don’t think they wake up every day and think ‘do you know what the most pressing problem is?’ — We need to do more for those who have been raped, robbed, assaulted, defrauded.’ And yet that remains the fixation of many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.”
Not much in the criminal justice space seems like a living ball heading into the final days of the session. Republicans made their event timely by highlighting an impending parole hearing for an individual who killed a New York police officer in 1982.
Lawmakers were joined by Mike Sapraicone, the presumptive Republican nominee who is posing a high-stakes challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. He attacked Rep. Jamaal Bowman for locating state police killer Assata Shakur. on the wall of fame for a school where he was once principal.
“What a shame, a cop killer on a wall of fame in a classroom with young students,” Sapraicone said. —Bill Mahoney
‘WEIRD POLITICS’ OF SOCIAL MEDIA RULES: Both bills regulating children’s social media are expected to gain an unusually significant level of bipartisan support in the Democratic-dominated Legislature.
Bills making headlines in Albany — especially those that Hochul, a Democrat, has prioritized — They rarely win the support of Republican lawmakers.
But Republicans have been skeptical of technology companies and social media platforms, and share concerns expressed by Democrats that prolonged exposure to social media has harmed children’s mental health.
“There’s a strange politics around this,” said state Sen. Andrew Gounardes. “I think a lot of people on the right and the left are concerned about Big Tech overreach.”
Lawmakers reached a deal with Hochul to block algorithm-powered broadcasts on social media platforms for minors, as well as a measure to safeguard child users’ data.
Technology companies have strongly opposed the measures and are expected to sue over First Amendment claims.
“Algorithms actually improve online platforms for teens, boosting healthy content over hate, harm and misinformation,” said Adam Kovacevich, executive director of the tech industry group Chamber of Progress. “Those types of unconstitutional limits will have a hard time surviving a court challenge.”
But tech companies are clashing with lawmakers in Albany who are increasingly skeptical about the benefits of social media.
The bill’s sponsors, 38-year-old Gounardes and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, would have been in college when social media was in its infancy.
It has since become a multi-billion dollar industry, disrupting media, entertainment and politics in the process.
“Growing up in the age of social media is obviously part of my experience,” Rozic said. “I know that future generations will be affected by social media; That’s why we have to stop it before it really gets worse.” — Nick Reisman
— GOLDMAN WANTS EYES ON THE SUPREME COURT: Rep. Dan Goldman is seeking to advance legislation that would create an independent investigative body to review ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court has been plagued with controversy, most recently after The New York Times reported that Justice Samuel Alito had a flag reading “Stop the Steal” raised outside his home. (State of politics)
— IN OPINION: Civil society organizations want the state Legislature to improve outcomes when it comes to the state’s handling of foreign countries’ debts, which has been a key concern for many since the pandemic. (Financial times)
— INVESTIGATING THE RESEARCHERS: The NYPD and the New York City Parks Department are launching an investigation into a department police officer caught on video grabbing a girl in a botched arrest. And Mayor Eric Adams blames immigrants for delays in work authorizations. (Daily News)
— REDUCE REUSE AND RECYCLE: Lawmakers finally reached a deal to reduce the amount of plastic ending up in landfills by 30 percent over the next 12 years. State Sen. Pete Harckham, chairman of the Environmental Conservation Committee, said he expects a floor vote later this week. (POLITICO Pro)
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