A chaotic day on the trail

Politico

17-06-2025

THE WORLD MEETS BRAD LANDER: It was a chaotic day on the mayoral campaign trail as Zohran Mamdani celebrated the endorsement of Bernie Sanders from a rally in Astoria, Andrew Cuomo rallied with union members in Union Square, and third-place candidate and city Comptroller Brad Lander was detained by ICE.
Lander was arrested at 26 Federal Plaza, where he was escorting undocumented immigrants out of hearings earlier today — something he has done before in an attempt to shield them from ICE officers posted in and around the courthouses to make arrests.
'I would like to see the warrant and then I will let go,' Lander shouts, as he tussles with three federal agents, all of them attempting to cuff a resisting Lander, according to video of the altercation from amNY's Dean Moses.
'You don't have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant,' Lander also says.
According to THE CITY, one ICE agent reportedly asked another, 'Do you want to arrest the comptroller?' minutes before they cuffed him.
Lander's high-profile detention comes as he dials up his mayoral campaign with just one week until the Democratic primary. He won praise from The New York Times' Opinion section in two separate editorials over the past week, performed well in a debate in which he came claws-out for the former New York governor and relished a cross-endorsement with Mamdani, who is nipping at Cuomo's heels.
While Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, Lander's wife, Mamdani, rival candidates and lefty lawmakers gathered outside the site of his detention, Cuomo — who also condemned Lander's arrest — was hoping to get out the vote at a rally in Union Square.
Cuomo said Lander's arrest was 'a disgusting display of the thuggery of Trump's ICE' and 'was breathtakingly ugly and cruel.' Hochul said the arrest was 'bullshit' and questioned 'what is happening to this country?'
Minutes ago, Lander was released and spotted holding hands with Hochul and his wife.
Cuomo's Manhattan rally followed Mamdani's Queens celebration of Sanders' endorsement: 'What we're seeing is a hunger across the city for a new generation of leadership that finally meets this crisis of affordability from within and authoritarianism from without,' the democratic socialist Mamdani said. — Jason Beeferman
From the Capitol
PACKAGING PERIL: Time for action is running short as the Assembly aims to depart Albany today, possibly leaving in limbo a sweeping measure to reduce waste and remove toxic chemicals from packaging over intense industry pushback.
Democratic Assemblymember Deborah Glick, who sponsors the bill, believes she has the votes to pass it. But the measure would require a lengthy floor debate given Republican opposition.
'I have an indication' that it will get to the floor, Glick said before session began this morning. 'But no absolute confidence.'
The bill would mandate reductions in plastic and packaging use and bans chemicals deemed toxic from packaging.
Industry players including food makers and the American Chemistry Council vigorously oppose the New York measure. They've argued it could raise costs and that some products could vanish from shelves due to the restrictions on certain chemicals.
The ban on chemicals includes plastic types commonly used in food packaging, along with heavy metals and PFAS, also known as 'forever chemicals.'
Environmental and public health advocates backing the bill point to a growing body of research raising concerns about the health impacts of plastics on humans. They argue for safer alternatives and say New York is too large of a market for producers to stop selling into.
'When this bill becomes law, it's going to make food packaging so much safer,' said Judith Enck, the founder of Beyond Plastics. 'This is the best plastics reduction bill in the country.'
The powerful statewide AFL-CIO over the weekend came out in opposition to the bill, warning of potential job losses and costs. — Marie J. French
From City Hall
FUNDING APPEAL: Mayor Eric Adams' administration on Tuesday joined an amicus brief in a multistate lawsuit to counter $4 billion in cuts to research funding from the National Institutes of Health.
The lawsuit against the Trump administration argued the cuts to indirect research funding, which support basic operational expenses, were arbitrary and capricious.
'These organizations need federal funding to continue their work that saves lives right here in New York City and around the globe,' Adams said in a statement. 'Our administration will always support efforts to ensure that New Yorkers get every dollar in resources they deserve, which is why we are urging the courts to protect this critical funding.'
A federal judge issued a permanent nationwide injunction in the case in April, which the NIH appealed. Adams administration officials are urging the court to uphold the injunction. — Maya Kaufman
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
BALLOT ACCESS: Adams suggested he would sue the New York City Board of Elections over ballot access, potentially opening a second legal front in his challenged bid to win reelection.
Speaking at an unrelated press briefing at City Hall today, the mayor blasted the board's decision limiting him to one independent ballot line in the general election.
'I think that's unfair,' Adams said. 'I think the rules for everyone should be the same, and so our legal team is now looking at that to determine if it's constitutionally sound.'
Adams dropped out of the Democratic primary while still under the cloud of his now-defunct criminal bribery case, which was tossed at the behest of President Donald Trump's Department of Justice. Instead, he planned to run as an independent in the November general election on two ballot lines of his own creation: EndAntiSemitism and Safe&Affordable.
Candidates who earn the nomination of major parties can also run on an independent ballot line. But state laws limit independent candidates to just one, meaning Adams will have to choose. — Joe Anuta
IN OTHER NEWS
— MAMDANI WANTS $70 BILLION DEBT: The democratic socialist candidate's affordable housing plan would require the city to take on $70 billion of debt, which needs state approval. (Bloomberg)
— TIMES GIVES ENDORSEMENT ANOTHER GO: The Times' 15 panelists elaborate on their choice for the best candidate to lead the city. (The New York Times)
— MAMDANI UPS SECURITY: The progressive state assemblymember is ramping up his security following an alarming rise in threats that have reached a 'new level of specificity,' his campaign said. (Gothamist)
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