Congestion pricing and Jeffrey Epstein
They both want Attorney General Pam Bondi to release more files describing the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.
Or at least that was the cheeky demand today from the governor, who rhetorically asked reporters for 'answers' on why documents related to Epstein's case have allegedly been obstructed from public view.
'Let's talk about what New Yorkers really care about,' Hochul said wryly — and unprompted — at the start of the off-topic portion of her press conference in the Capitol today.
'Why won't the attorney general in Washington release the Jeffrey Epstein files?' she asked. 'Because I want to know what's in them. What are they hiding? What's the cover up all about? [That's what] I think New Yorkers have in their minds right now.'
Hochul later clarified that she doesn't think the so-called Epstein files will be the driving issue of the 2026 election. But the Democratic governor does see it as a legitimate attack line against President Donald Trump and Republicans as states reel from the billions of dollars of federal cuts contained in their One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The governor held a press conference today where she excoriated Trump and the GOP for the massive bill — and she also decided to wade into the explosive issue dividing the MAGA movement.
Republicans, meanwhile, had an attack of their own for the governor: the House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment from Suffolk County Republican Nick LaLota today that would prevent federal funding to Hochul's congestion pricing program.
The political crossfire is popping off as the governor — for the moment — maintains a direct line to Trump that she says enables them to discuss the negative impacts his megabill is having on Medicaid and immigration. How long that lasts is an open question. Hochul said today she'd be hitting the trail more as she attempts to weaken GOP support in New York.
'The relationship is cordial enough to have a conversation, which I think was what I wanted,' she said. 'I wanted to be able to convey the impacts on his home state.'
Hochul will be with Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan tomorrow in Kingston — the home turf of her primary challenger Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado — where the two will highlight the effects of Trump's bill.
'To the extent that there's intentional infliction of pain on residents in the state, we'll be sure to make sure everyone knows about that,' Hochul said, adding that many people did not realize the impact of a Trump administration when they voted for one.
'The Jeffrey Epstein, I think it just simply points out trust from the people who have been supportive of the president,' she said. 'There's a trust gap there.'
Despite Republicans' efforts to hamstring congestion pricing, the recent measure is largely symbolic, according to Danny Pearlstein, a spokesperson for the Riders Alliance transit advocacy group.
'It's a meaningless messaging bill and a waste of electricity,' he said. 'The program makes money, it doesn't cost money, so he's revealing what a weak hand he has to play to his MAGA base.'
Hochul seemed to agree: 'Congestion pricing is working and the benefits of less traffic, faster trips, and safer streets are being felt across the region,' her spokesperson Sean Butler said. — Jason Beeferman
From City Hall
A LABORIOUS CHARTER REVIEW: A coalition of unions is fighting proposals by the mayor's charter commission to simplify and speed up housing development.
The commission put forward a plan earlier this month that would curb the City Council's power to block housing projects in certain areas and create a faster process for subsidized housing and modest rezoning proposals.
In a letter to commission chair Richard Buery, unions representing building-service, construction and hotel workers wrote they are 'united in opposing' ballot questions that would enact these housing reforms.
The proposals would 'upend longstanding democratic traditions and threaten the processes that provide for good jobs that maintain and protect industry labor standards in the construction and building service sectors,' the letter states. Wage standards are often negotiated during the land use approval process, with council members sometimes tying their support for a project to the use of union labor.
The unions continued: '[The city's existing land use process] is key to balancing power between developers and the communities where they build and the workers who make development possible. Without it, the labor standards the city has established over decades are at risk.'
The letter was signed by the New York City Central Labor Council, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, the New York City Council of Carpenters and 32BJ.
In its report laying out the proposed ballot questions, the commission called the existing process a 'one-size-fits-all approach' that can be 'too long, costly, and unpredictable, even and sometimes especially for affordable housing supported by City funds.'
'If the city is going to build the housing it needs, housing that is affordable and accessible, then many zoning rules must change,' the report states. — Janaki Chadha
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
OFFICER ADAMS: Law enforcement officials and union leaders endorsed Mayor Eric Adams' long-shot reelection bid Thursday, decrying the race's Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani as 'de Blasio 2.0.'
The dozens of officers who rallied behind Adams on the City Hall steps juxtaposed the mayor's unflinching support for the city's scandal-ridden law enforcement agency with Mamdani's muddled stance on police funding.
'I can speak to every law enforcement person here, and there's a level of comfortability when I communicate with them because I am them,' Adams said.
The rally comes just a day after former NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon filed a federal lawsuit against Adams and current and former department brass, alleging widespread corruption in the nation's largest police force.
Adams did not respond to a question about the ongoing lawsuit, which characterized the NYPD as a vast criminal enterprise.
Other labor groups, including the influential unions representing teachers and municipal workers, have backed Mamdani in the general election — a fact Adams shrugged off at the rally.
'I know union heads went in another direction, but I'm going to speak to the members because they're one of us,' Adams said. 'We are going to reintroduce ourselves and the success that we've had in the city.' — Amira McKee
IN OTHER NEWS
— HOCHUL APPROVAL RATING INCREASES: The governor's job approval numbers are up, rising to 52-39 in a new poll, which did not measure favorability. (Morning Consult)
— 'TOUCHING MORE PEOPLE': Looking to revamp his flailing primary campaign, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told the Daily News he'll focus on 'better use with social media, reaching out to more young people and touching more people' during his general election bid. (New York Daily News)
— BROOKLYN BIKES: Adams has made a legal challenge over a Brooklyn bike lane in a predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood a key issue in his reelection campaign. (Gothamist)
— FAITH ENDORSEMENT: The Internal Revenue Service has okayed religious leaders endorsing candidates in the New York City mayor's race to their congregations. (The New York Times)
Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
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