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Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold | New York City Mayor Eric Adams gained a reputation as a jetsetter before taking office, with jaunts to Monaco and Ghana among other destinations. This week he’s venturing overseas in his first extended international trip as mayor (he spent a day in the Dominican Republic this fall), visiting Greece for a conference on antisemitism before heading on to Qatar for the World Cup. Not that he’s leaving the worries of home behind, with a good chunk of his Q&A with reporters Thursday devoted to defending his contentious new policy to remove more severely mentally ill people from the streets and bring them to hospitals without their consent. In Athens, Adams outlined a strategy to combat antisemitism, calling for social media companies to do more to rid their platforms of hate speech, and for plea bargains to be prohibited in hate crime cases. Adams joined more than 50 mayors for a two-day confab. “We understand that we have an important role as mayors to ensure that we take the message back to our cities,” he said. Next up is a swing to Qatar to check out the World Cup, which Adams says isn’t just fun and games. He’ll be gathering intel ahead of the 2026 tournament, where New York will be among the North American cities serving as hosts. That raised a few eyebrows given that Qatar might not be the best host to emulate while they're drawing criticism for human rights abuses. “I’m not looking for inspiration from them,” Adams assured, but said he does want to observe security preparations. “I have an obligation, with an event this large, to make sure the city is safe. I want to look at some of the security apparatus. I want to look at how they are moving people about. I want to look at how they’re handling something of this magnitude.” Adams says he’s paying his own way for the World Cup portion of the trip — sort of. The Combat Antisemitism Movement umbrella group, which organized the Athens conference, is covering his flight to Qatar as a “stopover” on the way back from Greece, despite it being in the opposite direction. Adams will pay for his own lodging. He’ll be going to a game between Portugal and Korea today, but no word yet on whether he’ll have a chance to check out the US-Netherlands match on Saturday. IT’S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com , or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City and Louisiana. WHERE’S ERIC? Visiting the Qatar Museum and attending the Portugal vs. Republic of Korea World Cup Match.
| | | | POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP . | | | | | |  | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | “ NYPD already gets hundreds of annual abuse complaints for forcing people to hospitals ,” by WNYC’s Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky: "This week, Mayor Eric Adams announced a policy allowing emergency responders to transport people to hospitals for mental illness evaluations against their will. But a review of city data shows New Yorkers already file hundreds of annual complaints about the practice. The mayor’s new directive expands who can be forcibly removed from public spaces under mental hygiene laws. … The Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent city agency that investigates reports of police misconduct, shares aggregated data on complaints submitted each year." “ NYC Mayor Adams has a mental health agenda. Will Albany play ball? ” by WNYC’s Jon Campbell: “Adams’ directive to involuntarily remove more presumed mentally ill people from the city’s streets and subways and send them to hospitals for evaluation is based on a broad reading of existing state law — which is backed up by state guidance but will likely be challenged in court. At the same time, Adams is pushing an 11-point legislative agenda that would, among other things, change state law to make clear his plan is legal and require mental health evaluators to consider a patient’s history when deciding whether to commit them.” DOE spending $205 million to win back students with disabilities , by POLITICO’s Madina Touré “ Audit: Quarter of NYC shelter residents with serious mental illness don’t receive proper placement ,” by Gothamist’s Chau Lam: “One in four homeless shelter residents with serious mental illness were placed in city shelters that were not equipped to give them the help they needed, according to a state audit released on Thursday. The audit issued by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office found that the city’s Department of Homeless Services did a poor job of assessing and meeting the needs of some homeless individuals who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse.”
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | “ Smoke and mirrors: Inside the murky $200M effort to kickstart NY’s marijuana industry ,” by Syracuse.com’s Brad Racino and Sean Teehan: “New York’s equity-focused rollout of its legal marijuana market relies heavily on a $200 million fund to support the state’s first retailers. Yet the team picked to raise and manage that money — an NBA Hall of Famer and a shoewear entrepreneur — have repeatedly failed to deliver on their biggest and boldest claims, including constructing a 180,000-square-foot cannabis 'compound' in Detroit and investing in entrepreneurs of color with a $100 million fund, a NY Cannabis Insider investigation has found. "In addition, the duo have made several misleading or outright false statements about their accomplishments in the press; displayed evidence of financial mismanagement long before being selected for the job; and have apparently missed the state’s anticipated deadline of Sept. 1 for raising $150 million from private investors. The discoveries – most of which were found through online research – call into question the state’s vetting process, as well as the future of New York’s social equity-focused cannabis marketplace.” — ON THE OTHER SIDE: “ What’s in New York’s Illicit Cannabis: Germs, Toxins and Metals ,” by The New York Times’ Ashley Southall “ Chief Judge Shortlist Excluded Court’s Sitting Liberals, DiFiore Opponents ,” by New York Focus’ Sam Mellins: “The three most liberal judges on the Court of Appeals all applied for the currently vacant position of chief judge, multiple sources told New York Focus, but were excluded from the shortlist by the state panel that reviews applications. The panel is controlled by a supermajority of members appointed by Janet DiFiore, the conservative departing chief judge, and her close ally former Governor Andrew Cuomo. The two most liberal judges — Jenny Rivera and Rowan Wilson — repeatedly dissented from DiFiore’s rulings while she led the state’s highest court.” — “ Top judge who quit during ethics probe still has NY-paid driver, guard ,” by New York Post’s Larry Celona, Jack Morphet, Bernadette Hogan and Bruce Golding: “New York’s former chief judge — who resigned in July while facing an ethics probe — still has court officers assigned to chauffeur and protect her using a pair of state-owned SUVs, The Post has learned.” BIPARTISAN AND 1 DAY EARLY? A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE: “ Here’s the newly drawn draft map for the Assembly ,” by City & State’s Shantel Destra: “While getting a new draft of the Assembly maps was a noteworthy milestone in the redistricting process, the journey to finalizing the maps is far from over. The commission will now hold several public hearings across the state on the newly drawn maps. The deadline for the commission to present a final map to the state Legislature is April 28, 2023.” — “The argument for fewer districts covering a city is that representation will be dedicated only to representing that city, not also catering to suburban constituents. But a map focusing on such considerations could cause political headaches for incumbents, including forcing sitting lawmakers to run against one another or in unfamiliar terrain.” from Buffalo News’ Chris Bragg “ Clean Slate ACT proponents preparing to push economic benefits of sealing criminal records in New York ,” by Daily News’ Denis Slattery: “Supporters of a measure that would seal criminal records in New York are looking for a fresh start and focusing on the bill’s economic impacts. … Gov. Hochul has expressed support for the reform in the past, mentioning it in her first State of the State address back in January, and past polls have shown strong backing for the bill.” #UpstateAmerica: “Designers of new Bills stadium had Buffalo weather in mind. But 7 feet of snow will still be a problem.”
| | | | GO INSIDE THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO is featuring a special edition of our “Future Pulse” newsletter at the 2022 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from Dec. 6 to 8. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of health industry leaders and innovators solving the biggest global health issues to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for all. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE . | | | | | | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | Trump Organization lawyers blame ex-CFO for criminal tax fraud scheme , by POLITICO’s Erin Durkin: Trump Organization attorneys made their closing plea to a New York jury on Thursday to absolve the company from an alleged criminal tax scheme that could cost it $1.6 million. In closing arguments for the monthlong New York Supreme Court trial, team Trump stressed that former CFO Allen Weissleberg was only out to help himself when he and other executives took company perks like an apartment, luxury cars and private school tuition without reporting the benefits to tax authorities. “Mr. Weisselberg admitted that during this long scheme, no member of the Trump family knew about his ongoing effort to evade taxes,” Trump Org. attorney Susan Necheles told the panel during closing arguments. “You saw him on the witness stand, almost crying. He knew that he was doing something wrong, and he was ashamed of it, and he kept it secret.”
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The NYPD’s transit chief is set to leave the police department. — A Manhattan Institute report argues against replacing Rikers Island with smaller jails. — An inspector general’s office report found big racial and ethnic disparities in discipline across New York prisons. — Thruway director Matthew Driscoll is stepping down . — A pilot program in Buffalo hopes to speed up border crossings. — SUNY says there are "historic increases" in applications to SUNY schools from both New York residents and out-of-state students.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Stone Phillips … NBC’s Chris Berend … ABC’s Brad Mielke … FGS Global’s Mina Moore … Treasury’s Liz Rosenberg … Sam Schneider FOR YOUR RADAR — Per Playbook PM: “Global PR giant Edelman has laid off around 130 people, according to an email CEO Richard Edelman sent to staffers obtained by Daniel Lippman. … ‘While this is necessary amid current headwinds , this decision was difficult and one we don’t take lightly,’ Edelman said in the Wednesday email. ‘Employees impacted by this reduction have been contacted and will be provided with information and resources to support their transition.' Despite the economic worries, he noted that the [6,000-person] company is still forecasting 8% growth for the fiscal year." MAKING MOVES — Kim Devlin has joined public strategy firm Actum as a managing director on the New York team. She most recently was managing director at Mercury Public Affairs. … The Weber Shandwick Collective has launched an offering bringing together its advisory businesses in a new group called Business & Society Futures to advise C-suite leaders. Senior advisers include Mike Dubke, Ashley Etienne and Kerry Kennedy. ... ... AT&T appointed John Emra as president of the Atlantic region, where he will lead the company’s strategy, policy and corporate affairs activities, as well as guide governmental and community policy decisions.
| | Real Estate | | Hochul pledges to change course on housing shortage , by POLITICO’s Janaki Chadha: Gov. Kathy Hochul warned Thursday of the “potentially catastrophic” impact of failing to remedy New York’s housing shortage as she lamented the state’s lackluster record building new homes, pledging to change course during her first full term starting next month. “We’re a national leader in blocking housing,” Hochul said at an event hosted by the New York Housing Conference in Manhattan. “New York is essentially in a league of its own when it comes to constricting housing development.” | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
