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Presented by Healthcare Education Project: POLITICO's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers | | | | |  | | By Emily Ngo, Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman | Presented by Healthcare Education Project | With help from Jason Beeferman
|  Mayor Eric Adams headed back to New York Thursday before attending any of his scheduled meetings on the migrant crisis in Washington D.C. | Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office | | Mayor Eric Adams landed in Washington, D.C. on Thursday at about the same time that federal agents were raiding his chief fundraiser’s home in Brooklyn. He pulled up to his first meeting but never got out of the car before deciding to return home. He was in the air back to New York City two hours after he arrived in Washington, a person familiar with his movements told Playbook. He would miss a meeting with the mayors of Chicago and Denver to strategize on major cities’ collective approach to requesting $5 billion in federal aid to address migrants. And the mayor who said the cost of migrants “will destroy New York City” would miss face-to-faces with White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, senior adviser Tom Perez, Department of Homeland Security officials and congressional leaders. “I was notified by our team that something was taking place with the campaign staffer, and I wanted to be here to make sure that we fully complied,” Adams told PIX11 on Friday, adding: “I felt the need of being here in the city.” The investigation into whether Adams’ campaign conspired with the Turkish government, according to the New York Times, will carry on as New York and other big cities struggle to accommodate surges in migrants with limited federal help. Adams said he needed to be “on the ground” in the wake of the raid on his fundraiser, Brianna Suggs. But jetting home meant scrapping the chance to be on the ground in Washington. And Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, not Adams, led the coalition urging federal resources. New York City has 65,000 migrants in its care; Denver has 2,000. “We have folks who want to work and employers who want to hire them and a federal government who is standing in the way,” Johnston said in a CBS News Colorado interview when he returned home from the high-level meetings. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the White House and congressional talks were “a step in the right direction.” Adams said the migrant crisis remains a “crucial issue,” and he would reschedule the meetings in Washington. But he now faces questions about both the city’s handling of migrants AND the probe into his campaign finances. Playbook asked the mayor Friday why, as the Messenger reported, the NYPD showed up at Suggs’ Brooklyn home hours before feds raided it. Call the NYPD and ask, Adams responded. The department in a statement said the visit was standard procedure, just officers making sure the FBI had the right house. But two former federal agents told the Messenger that they’d never heard of that practice. – Emily Ngo, Jason Beeferman and Jeff Coltin Happening today: All eyes will be on a Manhattan courtroom today as former President Donald Trump is set to take the stand in his $250 million civil fraud trial brought by Attorney General Tish James, who has accused the native New Yorker of inflating the worth of his company in order to get better deals from banks for his projects. Trump has been an attendee of the proceedings and regularly gives his views of the case outside the courtroom. Now he’ll be the one in the witness box, POLITICO’s Erica Orden reports. “Trump can try to hide his wrongdoings behind taunts and threats, but we will not be bullied out of uncovering the truth,” James wrote on X on Sunday. IT’S MONDAY. Welcome back and thanks for reading! Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Signing maternal and infant health legislation into law and then speaking at the New York Public Library Lions Gala. WHERE’S ERIC? Delivering remarks at the Autism Spectrum Disorder Nest Program’s 20th anniversary celebration. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “AOC was my inspiration, most people don’t know that.” – Rep. George Santos told CNN’s Manu Raju of why he got into politics.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
City Council hopeful Susan Zhuang is seeing her candidacy get a boost from Assemblymember Bill Colton, Zhuang's current boss. | Office of Assemblymember William Colton | A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS: Assemblymember William Colton is pushing right up against the line of government ethics laws, using his government office to promote his chief of staff Susan Zhuang’s New York City Council campaign. Colton says she’s on unpaid leave, but still mentions Zhuang’s name in seemingly every email and mailer from his government office. She posted a photo giving out an official Assembly citation for Colton while wearing her campaign branded T-shirt. Colton has been seen wearing her campaign pin at government events, and a tipster sent a photo of Zhuang wearing her campaign-branded jacket in Colton’s government office. That office also had a Zhuang campaign flyer hanging on the wall. “You’ve got a situation where it’s walking right up the line. A reasonable person might say this is this using government resources to highlight someone who happens to be running for office,” good government group Reinvent Albany’s Rachael Fauss said when asked about Colton’s communications. “Appearances-wise, it’s not good.” That and other examples led a Colton constituent to file a complaint with the New York City Campaign Finance Board asking for an investigation into unreported in-kind donations. Zhuang’s campaign declined to comment, and Colton’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment. Zhuang is the Democratic nominee for the open District 43 seat in southern Brooklyn, with an Asian majority population. Voters there have been backing Republicans, so GOP nominee Ying Tan has a real shot at winning. But Conservative Party nominee Vito LaBella has stayed in the race due to discord in the party, and may pull from her support. – Jeff Coltin
|  Recent poll numbers show President Joe Biden behind former President Donald Trump in key states, but New York's Democratic strategists say fellow Dems shouldn't get too worried. | AFP via Getty Images | DEMOCRATS NOT WORRIED — YET: A new Siena College poll Sunday signaled trouble for President Joe Biden’s reelection, showing him down to former President Donald Trump in four of six battleground states. But the poll commissioned by the New York Times isn’t cause for panic — yet, said two prominent Democratic strategists in New York to Playbook. “The election is more than a year away — that’s a lifetime in electoral politics,” said strategist Neal Kwatra said. “Democrats are a nervous bunch on our best days, but we need to stop panicking and fantasizing about some Biden alternative and start collectively doing a better job helping to extol and amplify his considerable accomplishments in a closely divided Congress over the next year.” Jefrey Pollock, the founding partner at Global Strategy Group, agreed that it’s too soon to get nervous about Biden’s reelection chances. He said voters still haven’t even come to terms that Biden and Trump are likely to be the parties’ candidates. “The combination of it being a year out, a long time to go and that fact that voters aren't convinced that this is going to be what they are facing in a year, I think is causing some of the problems,” Pollock said. “Trump still has problems in these places in terms of the ceiling. Biden's numbers are not as good as I'd like them to be, but at the end of the day, it's not like you're seeing Donald Trump hit 50 percent in a lot of places.” – Joseph Spector and Nick Reisman
| | | | A message from Healthcare Education Project: Medicaid pays New York’s hospitals 30% less than the actual cost of their care. But hospitals give all of their patients 100%, each and every day. Medicaid underpayments have already meant cuts to mental health services and maternity care. Albany can fix this injustice: Stop Medicaid underpayments and help hospitals stay open. Tell Albany: Every New Yorker deserves healthcare, no matter their income or ZIP code. End the Medicaid funding crisis now. | | | | | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | | 
A new poll shows Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg enjoys support from a majority of Democratic primary voters. | John Minchillo/AP Photo | BRAGG CAN BRAG: Don’t believe the hype — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg seems pretty darn popular where it matters, at least according to his own polling. Half of likely Democratic primary voters thought he deserves reelection in 2025 versus 25 percent who said they’d be better off with a new D.A. And that rises to 64 percent thinking he deserves reelection after they hear nice things about him. That’s according to a poll of 505 Manhattanites commissioned by the Bragg campaign from Beacon Research. Playbook obtained an Oct. 23 memo about the poll, which was conducted mid-September. But it’s not just a Trump Bump for prosecuting the unpopular former president, claimed Bragg political adviser Richie Fife, when contacted by Playbook. “It matches what we’ve been experiencing at events out in the world. … They see someone who is serious about safety, mental health issues and getting guns off the street.” Bragg became such a Republican boogeyman for his progressive stances that Lee Zeldin ran a whole statewide campaign on firing him (which wouldn’t be easy). “This persistent line of attack on him from the New York Post and elsewhere is not accepted by most Manhattanites,” said Borough President Mark Levine — a Bragg ally who the same poll had at 52-15 favorability. “We have a lot of work to do on public safety but we’re making progress, and I give him credit for working hard.” – Jeff Coltin More from the city: — The predecessor of a company under investigation for illegal donations to Mayor Adams’ campaign was at the heart of two other back-to-back corruption scandals involving bribery of city workers in 2007 and 2008. (The City) — Learn more about the two ballot propositions on Election Day (City & State) — What to know about second-generation e-Citi bikes (Streetblog)
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | | | 
Gov. Kathy Hochul's top budget advisor says Hochul wants to avoid raising taxes while maintaining spending on human services. | Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul | BUDGETING WITH BLAKE: Hochul’s top budget advisor wants to “stick the landing” for his first spending plan working for the governor. Blake Washington, of course, is no stranger to Albany budgeting, having served as the primary finance staffer for the Assembly Democrats over the last decade. In an interview with Playbook, Washington reiterated the desire of the governor to resist tax increases while keeping spending for human services spending like mental health constant. “Our goal is to come into next year’s budget to put forward something that we are proud of while maintaining our reserves, no new taxes and recognize limits to what we can tax. I think we’re going to do just that,” Washington said in the interview. There are some challenges, including a $4.3 billion budget gap that still needs to be closed and an ongoing migrant crisis the state has already committed $2 billion for in spending. Pandemic-era federal aid has dried up and money from the state’s main revenue source, the personal income tax, has slowed. Political pressure is expected to: All 213 seats in the Legislature are up for election this year; Hochul won’t face voters again until 2026. There will also be a desire to maintain levels of spending for some of the costliest items in the budget, such as direct aid for schools. “While every year is different and there’s going to be curveballs, I think allowing for the investments that we’ve put in for the last couple of years materialize and allow for those efforts to come to fruition, mental hygiene investments, allowing for some of those things to take place without sort of piling on is going to be a challenge,” Washington said. – Nick Reisman More from Albany: — State officials are trying to address the trend of trucks striking low bridges and overpasses. (Times Union) — A proposed measure could reduce the number of lockdown drills in schools. (Spectrum News) — State lawmakers are considering changes to the Amber alert system for missing kids. (WTEN)
| | | | A message from Healthcare Education Project:   | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | |  Rep. Mike Lawler defended his support for the Jewish community and Israel after endorsing a Rockland County legislator critical of the Orthodox Jewish community's role in county politics. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | STUMBLING ‘BLOCK:’ Rep. Mike Lawler has been courting his district’s Orthodox Jewish community to support his reelection in 2024 — but just endorsed one of its biggest critics. James Foley is a Rockland County legislator running for reelection, after winning four years ago with signs attacking the “Ramapo Mafia” and pledging to “Block the Bloc,” a reference to anti-Hasidic Block the Block Vote Facebook group Foley used to run. Like Lawler, he’s a Republican. Yossi Gestetner, an Orthodox Jewish political strategist from the district, said folks in the community were bothered by Lawler’s endorsement, thinking he should know better — but said that the congressman has been attentive and built up good will in the Orthodox community. “He would need to do quite a few more offenses before I would consider dropping him,” he said. But Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, who’s Jewish, said in a statement to Playbook he’s “disgusted that Mike Lawler has endorsed a virulent antisemite,” so he’d like “an explanation for the endorsement, and I call on him to withdraw it.” Foley told Playbook he gets along with the Jewish community, and since joining the county Legislature, “I realized how great partners everybody on both sides of the aisle are.” Lawler said “no one has been louder or more forceful in support of the Jewish community and Israel than me,” adding that Foley’s rhetoric has changed since taking office — and that Democrats like former Rep. Mondaire Jones are hypocrites that haven’t condemned comments from party members like Rep. Rashida Tlaib. – Jeff Coltin
| | | | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | AROUND NEW YORK — One-hundred percent of New York hospitals say they currently aren’t able to hire all the nurses they need. (Newsday) — 5G cell towers may be “ugly,” but a majority of New Yorkers support having them in their neighborhood, a new poll shows. (New York Post) — What Brooklyn’s “Little Palestine” feels like amid the Israel-Hamas war. (Gothamist)
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | MAKING MOVES — Taylor Weyeneth is now deputy chief of staff for Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.). He most recently was communications director for Williams and previously worked for Assemblymember Colin Schmitt and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis as well as in the Trump administration. … The Center for Justice Innovation has hired Hailey Nolasco to lead government affairs. She most recently has served as assistant deputy commissioner of intergovernmental and legislative affairs at the NYC Department of Social Services. WEEKEND WEDDING — Gabriel Debenedetti, New York Magazine national correspondent and author of “The Long Alliance,” and Rebecca Welbourn, a manager at Bain & Company, got married Saturday at the Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria. They met at Princeton in 2009. Pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Adam Goldstein, a managing director in FGS Global's government relations practice, and Jessica Goldstein, an investment banker at Greenhill and Co welcomed Sylvie Yael Goldstein on Saturday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Dan Senor … ABC’s Trish Turner … Gresham Striegel … former Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.) … Angelica Peebles … Whitney Mitchell Brennan of Honeywell (WAS SUNDAY): John Harwood … NBC’s Ken Strickland and Jason Calabretta … CBS’ Dana Jacobson … Justin Muzinich … Jeffrey Sachs (WAS SATURDAY): Semafor’s Ben Smith … Gabby Orr … Ken Weinstein … Blair Latoff Holmes … Avi Berkowitz … AP’s Alex Sanz … Max Gleischman … Treasury’s Addar Levi … Florencia Iriondo … New York City Council member Lynn Schulman
| | Real Estate | | — What is KSK, the Brooklyn real estate company being investigated for its role in illicit contributions to Adams’ campaign? (Gothamist) — The Empire State Building is seeing 90 percent office occupancy rate, even while other Big Apple commercial landlords are hurting. (New York Post)
| | | | A message from Healthcare Education Project: All New Yorkers deserve equal access to quality healthcare, no matter their income or ZIP code. Yet today, Medicaid pays New York’s hospitals 30% less than the actual cost of care for the low-income individuals the program covers, including children, the disabled, and seniors. But hospitals give all of their patients 100%, each and every day. Medicaid underpayments have already meant cuts to mental health services and maternity care.
Albany can fix this injustice: Stop Medicaid underpayments and help hospitals stay open. The federal government will pay half the cost of closing the Medicaid funding gap, it’s a huge savings for New York. Tell Albany: End the Medicaid funding crisis now. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
