Subterms
How 7 Mayoral Hopefuls Plan to Fix the SubwayThe New York City subway is in crisis after losing riders and money during the pandemic. The next mayor must persuade riders to return and improve the painfully slow bus network. Here’s how they want to do it → More
AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyCorey Johnson Exited the N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race. Will He Run for Comptroller?Mr. Johnson, the New York City Council speaker, said he expected to decide in the next two weeks whether to run to be the city’s fiscal watchdog.If Corey Johnson decides to run for city comptroller, he will be able to transfer his unused mayoral campaign funds and spend them on the comptroller’s race.Credit…Scott Heins/Getty ImagesJeffery C. Mays and Feb. 16, 2021Updated 4:32 p.m. ETFive months after dropping out of the race for mayor of New York City to focus on his mental health, Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, said on Tuesday that he was considering a late entry into the city comptroller’s race.Mr. Johnson said that he had been approached by several elected officials and City Council members who said he should consider running to be the city’s fiscal watchdog, and that his desire to contribute to its recovery from the pandemic spurred his interest.“I wouldn’t be considering this if I didn’t feel good about where I am personally and the work I’ve done over the last six months in focusing on myself and my own well-being,” Mr. Johnson said in an interview.Mr. Johnson had been one of the leading Democratic candidates in the mayor’s race, but he announced in September that he was dropping out because he said that dealing with his depression, handling his job as the leader of the City Council, and running for office would be too difficult.Mr. Johnson said he would make a final decision on the comptroller’s race in the next two weeks, before petitioning is set to start. The current comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, is barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and is now a leading candidate in the race for mayor.Mr. Johnson’s potential entry would add a level of star power to the contest. As Council speaker, he has developed a reputation as a civic booster, known for doing back flips and dancing at parades and professing his love for the city.His willingness to share aspects of his personal life is part of his appeal. Mr. Johnson, who is gay, has kept his social media followers apprised of developments in his new relationship, and he has publicly discussed his status as a recovering addict and his H.I.V. diagnosis.He also faced criticism over his response to last year’s Black Lives Matter protests, after the City Council fell short of meeting demands to cut $1 billion from the Police Department’s budget during negotiations with Mayor Bill de Blasio.Mr. Johnson acknowledged that he was “disappointed” that the budget did not cut the $1 billion in police funds.“I wanted us to go deeper,” he said.New York City is facing a deep financial crisis as a result of the pandemic, and Mr. de Blasio has said the city might have to make major budget cuts if it does not receive significant federal funding. The mayor recently announced that property tax revenues could decline by $2.5 billion next year, driven by a drop in the value of empty office buildings and hotels.If he joins the race, he will be able to use the money he raised in his campaign for mayor. He would also likely qualify to receive matching funds from the city, pending an audit. Mr. Johnson currently has about $580,000 in his campaign account, according to the city’s campaign finance board.Mr. Johnson would be eligible to qualify for more than $4 million in public funds, the maximum amount available. The spending limit for the primary for those in the public financing program is $4.55 million.“I wouldn’t have another dollar to raise,” he said.Mr. Johnson, who is prevented from seeking a third consecutive term on the City Council because of term-limit laws, said he started to consider the idea of running for comptroller several weeks ago.“I haven’t made a final decision yet — I have to continue to talk to my family, but I am considering it because I love this city,” Mr. Johnson said, adding that during the recovery, the next comptroller would have to ensure “that all the money we’re spending is spent appropriately, and I feel like I’ve done that as speaker.”The field of candidates running for comptroller has expanded in recent weeks. As recently as a month ago, it was essentially a four-person contest between Brad Lander, a Brooklyn city councilman; Brian A. Benjamin, a state senator; David Weprin, a state assemblyman; and Kevin Parker, a state senator.Then Zach Iscol, a military veteran, dropped out of the mayor’s race and joined the race for comptroller last month. Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former anchorwoman for CNBC, also joined the race.Some of the other candidates have a head start on Mr. Johnson. Mr. Lander, for example, has already been endorsed by the New York chapter of the Working Families Party and Representatives Jerrold Nadler and Jamaal Bowman.Still, the news of Mr. Johnson’s potential candidacy was received well by some Council members.“I’m really happy as his friend that he’s doing better,” said Stephen Levin, a councilman from Brooklyn who has not made an endorsement in the comptroller’s race. “The Council is moving forward and we have a big agenda this year.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More
#masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }N.Y.C. Mayoral RaceWho’s Running?11 Candidates’ N.Y.C. MomentsA Look at the Race5 Takeaways From the DebateAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyZoom Fatigue on the Campaign Trail: 5 Takeaways From the Mayor’s RaceThe candidates in New York City can barely keep up with a dizzying schedule of online forums. One candidate joins from his closet.Raymond J. McGuire, a former Wall Street executive, regularly appears in front of a dark wooden bookcase bathed in a golden glow.Credit…Todd Heisler/The New York TimesEmma G. Fitzsimmons, Dana Rubinstein and Feb. 15, 2021, 3:00 a.m. ETThink you’re sick of Zoom calls? Try running for mayor of New York City.The campaign has gone mostly virtual during the pandemic, forcing the crowded field of candidates to sit in front of their computers attending one online forum after another.This is no exaggeration.On a recent evening, three mayoral forums were somehow scheduled back to back to back: At 4 p.m., candidates gathered to talk about restaurants and nightlife; at 6 p.m., they participated in an event with Muslim groups; and at 8 p.m., they were hosted by Democrats in Staten Island.The topics of the forums may be different, but there is also certainly a sameness about them all, with candidates appearing night after night, smiling (mostly) in their “Brady Bunch” boxes and struggling to unmute themselves or mute their cellphones.Here are some observations and behind-the-scenes moments in the virtual mayor’s race:Not another Zoom!Running for mayor means always navigating a demanding gantlet of parades, church visits and neighborhood events — a preview of what life could be like if you are lucky enough to move into Gracie Mansion.The pandemic has simplified the routine, but in a stultifying way: Nearly everything is online, making it easier — perhaps much too easy — to organize events. Instead of working out numerous logistics, organizers simply have to find a suitable time, and send out invitations.Campaigns say privately that they feel obligated to participate, especially once a rival campaign has said yes.“It’s a staring contest — who is going to blink first?” said one campaign aide, who asked for anonymity to speak bluntly. “Everyone wants to be able to say no.”In the first six weeks of the year, there were at least 21 forums hosted by groups as disparate as the school principals’ union and the LittleAfrica BronxNews website. With more than two dozen candidates in the race, the events can stretch on for three hours.“Welcome to virtual Staten Island — all the local flavor, but you can skip the Verrazzano toll,” one forum began, with a host noting that a mere 100 viewers were watching.Candidates, their staffers and journalists are reaching a breaking point.Sally Goldenberg, the City Hall bureau chief for Politico, recently sent an email to other reporters with the subject line: “Forum insanity.” She wanted to brainstorm about how to make the schedule more manageable.“While as a reporter I find it useful to hear politicians and candidates speak extemporaneously and not solely from talking points, I am tired of cooking dinner at 11 p.m.,” she said.Ms. Goldenberg recalled that in the 2013 mayor’s race, there seemed to be fewer forums. “I thought they were overwhelming back then,” she said. “But I clearly didn’t know what we’d be in for in this brave new world.”All Zoom boxes are not created equalNone of the candidates seem given to vanity, but they do acknowledge some pressure to look good. The quality can vary dramatically.Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, has been relegated to a corner of the apartment he shares in Manhattan with his wife and young sons.“To make space for my two boys, I’m now zooming from the closet of my bedroom,” he said.Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, like many of the candidates, sits in front of a handsome bookcase, occasionally visited by her cats.Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, seems to speak from a different location each time. Carlos Menchaca, a city councilman from Brooklyn, recently joined a forum while walking outside, wearing a face mask.Loree Sutton, the retired Army brigadier general, uses her MacBook Air camera, with a portable halo light — “My concession to Zoom vanity!” she said.But Raymond J. McGuire has gone to greater lengths, and the results show. Mr. McGuire, a former Wall Street executive, regularly appears in front of a dark wooden bookcase bathed in a golden glow.“For the camera, it’s good to have a low F-stop so you get depth of field,” said Charles Phillips, a software executive who serves as his campaign chairman.Mr. Phillips, a self-described “proud tech geek,” brought a duffel bag of equipment to Mr. McGuire’s Central Park West duplex in the fall. It contained equipment like a Sony mirrorless camera that retails for $3,900, a “capture card” and floor lighting by Elgato, and a special microphone that has its own mute button.The quality of his setup has not gone unnoticed.“Ray McGuire, of course, continues to have his super-HD camera setup from the year 3000,” quipped one Twitter user last week.Candidates reveal differences on policyThe candidates mostly stick to their scripts, but sometimes the forums highlight subtle differences.Take a recent forum on the candidates’ agenda in Albany. Ms. Wiley said she supports a campaign, known as Invest in Our New York, that includes six measures to raise taxes on the wealthy to help the city recover from the pandemic.Mr. Stringer, who like Ms. Wiley is vying for progressive voters, gave a less enthusiastic response, saying the proposal should be considered. Ms. Wiley retorted that supporting the tax package should be a no-brainer for Democratic candidates. (Mr. Stringer’s spokesman, Tyrone Stevens, quickly took to Twitter to clarify that Mr. Stringer does support the campaign.)Mr. Adams, for his part, went through the list of proposals, saying he supports some of the ideas — like a progressive income tax and capital gains tax — but not others.The candidates differed on whether the city should take control of the subway away from the state — an idea championed by Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate. Ms. Wiley was open to the idea.Mr. Adams said he would prefer that the city gain more control by adding five new city members to the board governing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway and bus system — one new member for each borough.Mr. Stringer said city control would be a “disaster” and he wants to focus on the streets, which the city already controls.“I’m going to be the bus mayor,” he said.Beware the ‘resting Zoom face’Under normal circumstances at a normal debate, candidates might chat offstage and forge some camaraderie, even with their rivals. Much of that is gone, though sometimes they schmooze in virtual waiting rooms. Mr. Adams recently discussed a vegan bread recipe, an opponent recalled.“Shaun was like, ‘I haven’t had dinner yet, I’ve been on Zoom,’” Kathryn Garcia, the city’s former sanitation commissioner, said of Shaun Donovan, the former federal housing secretary. “‘You’re making me hungry.’”Some candidates say the routine can be physically draining — “It’s a lot of sitting,” Ms. Garcia said. It is also difficult to gauge how one is connecting with the audience.“You can never tell a joke on Zoom, particularly if people are muted, because you can’t read the room,” she said, also acknowledging that campaigning by Zoom offered more ways to reach people in the winter.And the forums require plenty of preparation. Ms. Wiley’s campaign said she “diligently prepares for the forums” and that her “resting Zoom face” — a common look of boredom while others are talking — did not reflect a lack of interest in what her opponents had to say.The candidates also return to Zoom for fund-raisers — an effort that is paying off for Mr. Yang, whose campaign announced on Sunday that it had qualified for public matching funds after only a month.Mr. Yang was on a video call in his son’s room when one of his sons walked in and asked for breakfast.“I looked around and gave my son the only thing edible I saw in the room — chocolate-covered pretzels,” he said. “Made my son happy but knocked me out of the running for any parenting award.”A risqué statue turns headsIn the beginning, Ms. Sutton didn’t pay much attention to Zoom backgrounds. Then, on Nov. 12, a post on Twitter caught her eye: “I’m not in the business of judging Zoom backgrounds, but this (nude?) statue needs to back up and give @LoreeSuttonNYC some space!”Ms. Sutton nearly fell off her chair laughing.Her wife, Laurie Leitch, bought the statue in question, “Erotic Secrets” by the artist Altina Schinasi Miranda, years ago. It features a naked woman whispering to a raven, joined by a naked man. Unfortunately, during that mayoral forum, the naked man was facing the camera.It was not the first time the statue had caused a stir.When Ms. Leitch’s children were teenagers, she said, they hated it and “would cover its anatomically distinguishing parts with dish towels, socks, hoodies or whatever was near when their friends would come to visit.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More
#masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }N.Y.C. Mayoral RaceWho’s Running?11 Candidates’ N.Y.C. MomentsA Look at the Race5 Takeaways From the DebateAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyIn Campaign Team Shake-up, Yang Hires a Woman Who Once Disparaged HimThe new campaign co-manager, Sasha Neha Ahuja, criticized the candidate in 2019 after he was accused of gender discrimination, writing, “Wish I could say it was unbelievable.”Andrew Yang, a newcomer to New York City politics, has lurched toward the front of the city’s mayoral race.Credit…Jose A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York TimesDana Rubinstein and Feb. 12, 2021Updated 6:01 p.m. ETIn 2019, a story about gender discrimination centering on a presidential candidate was making the rounds, and a New York City progressive activist, Sasha Neha Ahuja, found it to be credible.The candidate was Andrew Yang, and Kimberly Watkins, one of his former employees at the test-prep company he once ran, had publicly accused Mr. Yang of firing her after she got married, allegedly because he thought she would not want to work as hard.“Wish I could say it was unbelievable,” Ms. Ahuja wrote on Twitter, sharing an article from HuffPost about Ms. Watkins’s allegations, which Mr. Yang has long denied.Last month, Mr. Yang named Ms. Ahuja as the co-manager of his campaign for New York City mayor, selecting an operative who may be able to help him connect with progressives skeptical of Mr. Yang’s campaign. Yet a review of her activity on Twitter suggests that on multiple issues, involving politics and personnel, her instincts have been at odds with the leading candidate she is now assisting.Her elevation to the role, running the campaign alongside Chris Coffey, a Tusk Strategies executive, came as a result of an apparent leadership shake-up within the campaign in the weeks leading up to Mr. Yang’s entry into the race.The developments offer among the clearest signs yet of some of the turbulence that Mr. Yang, a leading mayoral candidate but a newcomer to city politics, has encountered as he works to get his campaign off the ground.Ms. Ahuja said in a statement released on Friday that “when I heard the testimony in 2019, I was taken aback. It’s incredibly important for us to listen to the experiences of all people in the workplace, especially those who tend to experience discrimination most frequently.”“It is also important to make sure all sides are heard and promote a workplace culture that is inclusive and committed to equity,” said Ms. Ahuja, who is the current chair of New York City’s Equal Employment Practices Commission. “That’s why when I had the chance to work for Andrew and build that type of culture on a mayoral campaign, I jumped at the chance and am so excited to be here.”Her tweets also suggest that she has been far more progressive on matters including criminal justice than Mr. Yang is in his current bid. And during a recent special City Council election in Queens, Ms. Ahuja tweeted encouragingly about a deeply progressive candidate who was embraced by leading liberal figures but was vigorously opposed by some members of the Orthodox Jewish community, a constituency Mr. Yang is now aggressively courting.Mr. Yang did not engage in that election, his campaign said, and Ms. Ahuja noted that “there are so few South Asian women who run for office in New York City and I support many of them, independent from any professional work.”In a statement, Mr. Yang defended Ms. Ahuja’s tweets about him.“The rest of the field can focus on my staffer’s tweets from years ago, but we’re focused on the big ideas like cash relief,” responding to Covid-19 and managing the economic recovery, he said. “I wanted my team to represent a diverse array of backgrounds, experiences, and views, and I’m proud to have all these folks fighting with me for New Yorkers.”Ms. Watkins, who is now running for Manhattan borough president, said she was “shocked” after being shown Ms. Ahuja’s tweet on Friday.“If she’s working now for Andrew Yang, having declared that she believed that to be true, it tells me that she is under the influence of someone who does not tell the truth about their history with women in the workplace,” Ms. Watkins added.Ms. Ahuja’s appointment was not the only personnel change on Mr. Yang’s campaign team in recent weeks.Zach Graumann, who was Mr. Yang’s presidential campaign manager, signed multiple fund-raising emails last month indicating that he was Mr. Yang’s mayoral campaign manager. Mr. Graumann, who came under scrutiny in a recent Business Insider article about how Mr. Yang’s 2020 campaign was mired in “bro culture,” is now listed as a senior adviser to Mr. Yang. They continue to host a podcast together.Mr. Yang’s team has said that Mr. Graumann helped the campaign get started but that it wanted to put New York political experts in charge of the team.At a recent candidates’ forum, Mr. Yang mentioned Ms. Ahuja in response to a question from Maya D. Wiley, another mayoral candidate, about the Business Insider article.“One of my co-campaign managers is a woman of color, Sasha Ahuja,” he said. “I could not agree more with the fact that you need, you need to have women in positions of leadership in order to actually operate at the highest levels.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More
#masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }N.Y.C. Mayoral RaceWho’s Running?11 Candidates’ N.Y.C. MomentsA Look at the Race5 Takeaways From the DebateAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyWhat a Rebuke from Ocasio-Cortez Taught Andrew Yang About the Mayor’s RaceThe exchange was a vivid illustration of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s influence on New York’s political landscape. Whether she’ll use her platform to help shape the race for mayor is an open question.Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement is coveted by Democratic candidates in the New York City mayoral race.Credit…Anna Moneymaker for The New York TimesFeb. 11, 2021Updated 2:51 p.m. ETRepresentative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the most powerful progressive leaders in the country, a politician most liberal Democrats want on their side — in person and on Twitter.But short of that, no Democratic candidate running for mayor of New York City wants to alienate her. Last week, Andrew Yang learned that the hard way.After the mayoral candidate laid out his plan to support a “Green New Deal for public housing,” he drew a near-instant rebuke from Ms. Ocasio-Cortez over the details.“I wrote the original Green New Deal for Public Housing,” she wrote on Twitter last Friday. “This isn’t that plan.”Mr. Yang quickly reached out to the congresswoman, speaking to her that same day, according to allies who heard about the conversation.The interaction was a vivid illustration of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s extraordinary influence on New York’s political landscape as another election unfolds.With less than five months before the Democratic primary election, the questions of how and whether Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, 31, will use her platform to shape the New York City mayor’s race are sources of great speculation — and angst — in pockets of her hometown.An endorsement from Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, could affirm the recipient as the liberal standard-bearer in the contest or elevate a lesser-known contender and signal a new measure of viability around their campaign.Certainly, endorsements alone rarely determine the outcome of campaigns, and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s are no different. Indeed, her endorsees have a mixed record of success both in New York and nationally. But because she commands attention and resonates with the city’s left wing in ways that no mayoral candidate can claim on their own, her blessing would almost certainly have outsize impact on the muddled field.“If you’re looking to sew up the left, I’m sure you’re looking for A.O.C.’s endorsement,” said Donovan Richards, the Queens borough president.With registered Democrats far outnumbering registered Republicans, the June 22 Democratic primary is likely to determine the city’s next mayor. Despite that compressed time frame, a number of strategists and other top potential endorsers appear to be holding their fire at least until there is more clarity around which candidates have staying power. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez could make a similar calculation.“My observation is, it seems that she would make an endorsement when a candidate really lines up with her values and she feels like she could make a big difference,” said Susan Kang, a political science professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice who is a steering committee member of the New York City Democratic Socialists. “The mayoral race is a little bit of a black box.”Interviews with more than a dozen elected officials, party leaders, activists and strategists across the city suggest that there is little expectation that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez will endorse in the mayor’s race anytime soon — if she does so at all.Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has been intensely focused on a range of federal priorities, from pressing for additional Covid relief to confronting the aftermath of the pro-Trump insurrection at the Capitol. But she suggested on Tuesday that the mayoral race, as well as other New York City contests including City Council races, was “absolutely of really important interest.”“It’s definitely something that I’m paying close attention to,” she said Tuesday night, after holding a virtual town hall meeting. “And of course, we want to make sure that we are also being very receptive to our community in this process.”Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was elected in 2018 after defeating Joseph Crowley, then the No. 4 House Democrat, in a shock primary upset. Since then, she has endorsed, sometimes late, in a number of high-profile New York races — though she does not jump into every contest.When she has weighed in, her choices have often been closely aligned with those of institutional allies like the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, and neither group has endorsed in the mayor’s race.“I don’t see her getting involved,” said State Senator Jabari Brisport of Brooklyn, saying that he appreciated her work in Congress. “I haven’t heard anything from her being interested in doing that.”Mr. Brisport, who like Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has been embraced by the D.S.A., said he was primarily focused on City Council races at this point, which is also where a number of prominent liberal leaders and groups have put their emphasis.The speculation around Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s intentions generally falls into three buckets: She could stay out of the race entirely, endorse Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, or support a woman of color.Other scenarios could also materialize.There is the possibility that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez won’t endorse at all, but will weigh in on the race periodically as a way to elevate her key policy priorities. Some of her allies, for instance, hope that she uses the race to draw attention to her own proposal for a Green New Deal for Public Housing, the measure she raised on Twitter with Mr. Yang.Andrew Yang quickly reached out to Ms. Ocasio-Cortez after the congresswoman chided him over his “Green New Deal” for public housing.Credit…James Estrin/The New York TimesAsked whether she planned to endorse in the mayoral race and how she intended to use her influence, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said that she did not have “any concrete answers” at the moment, but emphasized her broader priorities around making the city more equitable.“Addressing inequality — and not just economic inequality — health inequality, criminal justice inequality, and so, you know, these are issues that are a major priority for me and for our community,” she said.Mr. Stringer, for his part, has pulled in endorsements from a number of prominent progressive lawmakers, several of whom are seen as aligned closely with Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. But he is also a white man who has worked in politics for decades, at a moment when some left-leaning voters would prefer to elevate a person of color.Maya Wiley, a former top counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Dianne Morales, a former nonprofit executive, are both progressive women of color who are active on the virtual campaign trail. But whether they can demonstrate real traction in the race remains unknown. Ms. Wiley, who in a recent poll came in at 8 percent, has qualified for matching funds from the city; Ms. Morales, who in that poll was at 2 percent, has said that she expects to hit the key fund-raising threshold for the next filing period.Carlos Menchaca, a Brooklyn city councilman, is deeply progressive, but has struggled to get off the ground.Then there is Mr. Yang, who has fashioned himself as the anti-poverty candidate. That message could appeal to progressives, but he also faces skepticism from the left over issues including policing and education. Ms. Wiley has sharply questioned Mr. Yang around reporting concerning a challenging culture for women working on his presidential campaign, and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has been a vocal critic of sexism in the workplace.Assemblyman Ron T. Kim, who was endorsed by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez last year and is now a prominent supporter of Mr. Yang’s mayoral bid, said that he was encouraged when he heard that Mr. Yang had engaged directly with Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. He said he was hopeful that the congresswoman and Mr. Yang could connect on policy matters including the environment and housing and other anti-poverty measures.“If there is an alignment, I think it would be such a powerful combination of electeds,” said Mr. Kim, asked about the prospect of an Ocasio-Cortez endorsement for Mr. Yang.Representatives for Mr. Yang and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez declined to comment on their conversation.Jumaane D. Williams, the New York City public advocate and a coveted endorser himself, said that if Ms. Ocasio-Cortez decides to weigh in, “that would be an awesome indicator endorsement.” But no endorsement or potential endorsement alone, he stressed, is decisive.“The question is, do you have the infrastructure to have it translate to more on the ground, and then into votes,” he said.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More
#masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Trump ImpeachmentliveTrial HighlightsDay 2: Key TakeawaysVideo of Jan. 6 RiotWhat to Expect TodayWhat Is Incitement?Trump’s LawyersAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyNew York TodayHow New Yorkers Are Shaping the Trump Impeachment TrialFeb. 11, 2021, 5:19 a.m. ET [Want to get New York Today by email? Here’s the sign-up.]It’s Thursday. [embedded content]Weather: Snow tapers off in the morning, and there may be a little sun later. High in the mid-30s. Alternate-side parking: Suspended today for Lunar New Year’s Eve. Credit…Anna Moneymaker for The New York TimesAs the second impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump unfolds, New Yorkers in Congress are playing key roles.Last month, 20 New York representatives voted for impeachment, while six were against. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, helped set the structure of the trial.Convicting Mr. Trump would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate. If that happened, the Senate could then vote on whether to bar Mr. Trump from ever holding office again.[A complete timeline of Trump’s second impeachment.]Here’s what senators and representatives from New York are saying about the impeachment trial:Senator Chuck SchumerFor weeks, Mr. Schumer worked with Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, to set the rules and procedures governing the trial. On Monday, the two Senate leaders reached a deal.“A president cannot simply resign to avoid accountability for an impeachable offense,” Mr. Schumer said on the Senate floor that day. “This trial will confirm that fact.”Aside from the trial, Mr. Schumer is working to pass a huge coronavirus relief bill and pushing a plan to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt for each borrower.House DemocratsAs the trial began, many New York Democrats continued to voice their support for impeachment.On Tuesday, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat who serves parts of Brooklyn and Queens, and was an impeachment manager at the first trial last year, wrote on Twitter that the country needs to “defeat authoritarianism” and that “today we take another important step in that journey.”A television interview from 2018 with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, was used in a video montage by Mr. Trump’s defense team to argue that some Democrats have called for Mr. Trump’s impeachment since the outset of his presidency.House RepublicansRepresentative John Katko, who represents Syracuse, was the only Republican from New York to vote in favor of the impeachment. In explaining his vote, Mr. Katko revealed that a former intern of his was beaten during the Capitol riot last month that led to the impeachment charge against Mr. Trump.“To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequences is a direct threat to the future of this democracy,” Mr. Katko said on the House floor.Staunch supporters of the president continued to stand their ground, including Representative Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island and part of South Brooklyn. “For the second time,” she wrote Tuesday on Twitter, “Democrats have engaged in an unfounded, partisan impeachment process that cheapens the pillars of our democracy.”From The TimesTrump Justice Department Sought to Block Search of Giuliani RecordsEric Garner’s Mother Backs McGuire for Mayor Over Progressive RivalsSpringsteen Faces Drunken Driving Charges in New JerseyNew York to Let Fans in Sports Stadiums and ArenasIs the Mayor of an Exclusive Hamptons Enclave a Squatter? It’s ComplicatedWant more news? Check out our full coverage.The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.What we’re readingThe Christopher Street PATH station has the filthiest air of all Northeast transit hubs, according to a New York University study. [New York Post]The New York Police Department removed the last of the barricades surrounding Trump Tower. [Gothamist]Five current and former Long Island Rail Road employees pleaded not guilty to charges of falsely claiming more than $1 million of overtime. [Daily News]And finally: Remembering Joe AllenThe Times’s Peter Khoury writes:The coolest bar stool in Midtown just may be on the second floor of a townhouse on West 46th Street. There — before the pandemic — you could slip onto a zebra-print stool near a window, take in the theater crowd milling about outside on Restaurant Row and enjoy a cocktail among Broadway luminaries, in a bar that is perhaps Manhattan’s best homage to the buzzy New York nightclubs of yesteryear.That place, Bar Centrale, opened in 2005 and was a last hurrah of sorts for Joe Allen, the storied theater district restaurateur who died on Sunday, less than two weeks shy of his 88th birthday.If you didn’t know Joe Allen, you might not have realized that he was, at times, sitting at the same bar as you, drinking Stella Artois or red wine. Largely reserved and comfortably dressed, he did not advertise himself. He didn’t need to.He opened the restaurant Joe Allen, next door to Bar Centrale, in 1965, and later created Orso, which is directly below Bar Centrale.I’ve been going to Joe Allen for more than two decades, but I didn’t really get to meet the man until he opened Bar Centrale. We’d chat at the bar, and he’d invariably ask about something in the news. His interest in The Times was such that even the placement of the crossword puzzle interested him.[Read the full appreciation by Mr. Khoury.]Joe was not morbid about death. He told me a few years ago that when you die doesn’t matter — “it’s how.” He had been in declining health and died peacefully in New Hampshire.His quiet end belies the indelible mark Joe left on the restaurant world, particularly in the theater district, where his three restaurants have temporarily closed during the pandemic. There, he remains as classic as the old black-and-white movies that continuously play without sound on a screen at Bar Centrale that you can see from the coolest bar stool in Midtown.It’s Thursday — raise a glass.Metropolitan Diary: Her mum’s hand Dear Diary:I was brushing my teeth one morning, and I looked down at my hand resting on the counter. It was my mum’s hand.I grew up in College Point, Queens. My mother never drove a car here in America, although she had driven a farm tractor back in Scotland as a teenager. So, my mother and father walked, and, as children, so did we. (If we needed to go to Flushing, we took the bus.)My predominant memory of walking with my mum when I was little is how fast she walked. I quickly learned to look both ways and to run across the street.Walking with my mother, I always hung on tightly to her hand. I was afraid to let go. I remember feeling like my feet left the ground when her skirts whipped around my legs as we walked. Block after block, my hand hung on to hers; it was my job not to get lost.I never liked my mother’s hands, who knows why? I have always grown my fingernails long to make sure our hands looked different (though not so long now that I am nearing my late 60s).When I was young, I was told I had pretty hands. Now I see she must have had pretty hands when she was young, too. I used to ask her to pet my head. I remember her hands were gentle.Yes, I have my mum’s hands. I’d say they are identical.— Nancy Hope FischerNew York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. Sign up here to get it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.What would you like to see more (or less) of? Email us: nytoday@nytimes.com.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More
#masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }N.Y.C. Mayoral RaceWho’s Running?11 Candidates’ N.Y.C. MomentsA Look at the Race5 Takeaways From the DebateAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyEric Garner’s Mother Backs McGuire for Mayor Over Progressive RivalsGwen Carr said she was endorsing Ray McGuire because his financial background could help him lead New York’s recovery and make the city a “safer place.”In a nearly two-minute ad, Raymond McGuire and Gwen Carr visit the location in Staten Island where her son, Eric Garner, had his fatal interaction with the police.Credit…Ray McGuire for MayorFeb. 11, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ETIn the nearly seven years since Eric Garner died at the hands of the police in Staten Island, his mother, Gwen Carr, has helped turn her son’s cries of “I can’t breathe” into a national movement against discriminatory policing.Ms. Carr has also become a sought-after endorser for political hopefuls looking to represent themselves as candidates of change, especially on policing matters.That is especially true in New York City’s crowded Democratic primary for mayor, where several candidates have been coveting Ms. Carr’s endorsement in the wake of the national protests that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year.But instead of giving her endorsement to one of the more liberal, progressive Democratic candidates, Ms. Carr will announce on Thursday that she will endorse Raymond J. McGuire, a former Wall Street executive who served on the New York City Police Foundation and who has embraced calls to reform the police, but not defund them.Mr. McGuire, formerly the vice chairman at Citigroup, is a moderate Democrat who was recruited to run by the city’s business community and quickly raised $5 million in three months. But he still must overcome his lack of name recognition among most voters, and expand his appeal beyond the Wall Street elite.Ms. Carr’s endorsement could help Mr. McGuire with some left-leaning voters and shore up support in the Black community, which makes up 26 percent of the electorate.“Eric Garner and George Floyd are examples of what can happen to any Black man in this country and what has happened to all too many Black men in this city,” Mr. McGuire said in an interview. “Gwen Carr’s endorsement means she recognizes that I have what it takes to lead this city and to reflect the voice of those who would not otherwise have a voice.”Ms. Carr said the next mayor can only undertake the necessary police accountability reforms if the city’s future and finances are stabilized.“We know that the budget is in a mess, and from what I read he can balance budgets,” Ms. Carr said. “I have grandsons and granddaughters growing up in this city and I want it to be a safer place for them.”Mr. McGuire, who is Black, has adopted a policing stance that echoes that of Black lawmakers in the city who resisted calls to defund the police last year, citing rising violence in the communities they represent.“Black people want better policing. We want to reform, restructure and reallocate the dollars,” Mr. McGuire said. “We want our policing to be respectful, accountable and proportionate.”Mr. Garner was killed in 2014 after being placed in a chokehold by a police officer, Daniel Pantaleo. A grand jury did not indict Mr. Pantaleo and federal prosecutors decided against pursuing civil rights charges. Mr. Pantaleo remained on the police force for five more years until he was fired and stripped of his pension in 2019 by the police commissioner at the time, James P. O’Neill, after a police administrative judge found him guilty of violating a departmental ban on chokeholds.Ms. Carr said that her pursuit for justice in her son’s death was caught up in politics. She has been critical of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to delay a departmental trial and not fire Mr. Pantaleo. The mayor was elected in 2013 on a promise to overhaul the relationship between the New York Police Department and Black, brown and poor communities.“He has never been a politician,” Ms. Carr said of Mr. McGuire. “We need new blood.”Ms. Carr said she admired Mr. McGuire’s support of the National Action Network, the civil rights organization headed by the Rev. Al Sharpton. The group has been one of her biggest supporters since her son’s death. Mr. Sharpton has credited Mr. McGuire as one of many anonymous Black businessmen who had helped fund his organization during difficult times.Mr. McGuire’s campaign will reveal the endorsement on Thursday in a digital ad created by John Del Cecato, who is responsible for the successful 2013 campaign ad that featured Mr. de Blasio’s son, Dante; and Mark Skidmore, chief executive of Assemble the Agency, who wrote the script for Mr. McGuire’s campaign launch video that was narrated by Spike Lee.In the nearly two-minute ad, Mr. McGuire and Ms. Carr visit the location in Staten Island where Mr. Garner had his fatal interaction with the police. Ms. Carr holds onto Mr. McGuire’s arm as they walk toward the location, which is commemorated with a plaque and a mural. He refers to her as “Mother Carr”; she calls him “Mr. McGuire,” but he tells her to call him Ray.Her endorsement will be a disappointment to other candidates such as Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, and Maya Wiley, a civil rights lawyer who was Mr. de Blasio’s legal counsel and former head of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, said Susan Kang, an associate professor of political science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.“There are some moderates in the reform criminal justice world for whom this will carry a great deal of legitimacy, particularly those of Ray McGuire’s and Gwen Carr’s generation who are very likely voters,” Professor Kang said. “Trust is an important issue among older voters and that group makes up a high percentage of people who turn out to vote in municipal primaries.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More
#masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }N.Y.C. Mayoral RaceWho’s Running?11 Candidates’ N.Y.C. MomentsA Look at the Race5 Takeaways From the DebateAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySwayFran Lebowitz Isn’t Buying What Jack Dorsey Is SellingThe 70-year old social commentator and humorist doesn’t have a smartphone. That doesn’t stop her from having a take on big tech (and everything else).More episodes ofSwayFebruary 11, 2021Fran Lebowitz Isn’t Buying What Jack Dorsey Is SellingFebruary 9, 2021Bonus: Kara and Nicole Perlroth Debrief on Brad SmithFebruary 8, 2021 • More
