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Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Eric Adams requested White House meeting with Trump as his reelection chances hang by a thread
He went to kiss the ring. Mayor Eric Adams trekked to Washington, DC Friday to butter up President Trump during a rare White House meeting in the hopes of scoring a win for the Big Apple. Hizzoner posted a video on X after the 20-minute confab — one of several clips chronicling his journey to the nation's capital — telling New Yorkers he talked about the wind farm project and developing microchips in the city. The pair also discussed the impending Amtrak East River tunnel closure and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, a source told The Post. 'At the heart of this, was to establish a real communication – that's our goal,' he said. 'As a city that's the largest city in America, we must have a dialogue with the White House.' In a written statement, Adams also alluded to discussing the 'preservation of essential social services.' Trump has sought to freeze federal funds for food stamps, housing payments and more. The president was more tight-lipped about his brief, first White House sit-down with the mayor of America's largest city. 'He just came in to say hello,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office afterward. When asked what the meeting covered, Trump said, 'Almost nothing, he came in to say hello, he was very nice.' 'I think he came in to thank me, frankly, I would say the primary reason. But he was very nice, he's a nice man. But I think he actually came in to thank me.' The mayor's campaign spokesman later said that he thanked Trump for his 'words of support' during the presidential race, calling out federal authorities for treating Adams 'unfairly.' 'That gesture was meaningful, and the Mayor appreciates the President's willingness to speak out when many remained silent,' he added. Adams publicly juiced up expectations for his meeting with Trump in two X videos documenting his flight to Washington, DC, and arrival at the White House – teasing talks on 'major projects.' The mayor hoped to bend the president's ear on the now-paused Empire Wind One project, Medicaid funding and state and local tax (SALT) deductions, a source briefed on the meeting told The Post. The source said the embattled Adams, who faces a steep uphill reelection battle, is not only looking for a win, but also for his budding ally Trump to give him some credit. The mayor wants to show that his strategy of cozying up to Trump and not joining most fellow city and state Democrats — and his opponents in the November mayoral race — in criticizing the president will bring about wins for the Big Apple, according to the source. 'It's a real substantive thing, he has to show he's getting something out of him for being nice,' the source said. 'The fact he can go sit down with the president is an amazing thing that no other mayor can do right now.' Ultimately, however, Adams only managed to snag 20 minutes of facetime with Trump, as the meeting started late and he had to skedaddle to catch a flight back to the city, officials said. His sit-down also nearly overlapped with the DOJ finally unsealing a cache of documents from his criminal case. Adams dropped out of the Democratic mayoral primary and is running for reelection as an independent after his popularity cratered, in part because of his corruption case that the Trump administration successfully moved to scuttle. The mayor's wooing of the New York City real estate mogul-turned-president started during the federal criminal case — a pivot that many critics, including his electoral challengers, cast as Adams putting himself in Trump's pocket. Those close to the president have noticed Adams' overtures. 'Adams has been on a mission to make MAGA connections,' said a source close to White House. The source speculated Adams could be trying to drum up favor with Trump, pointing out that the president loves Democrats-turned-Republicans, and that they could potentially be eyeing strategies on how to flip New York red. The Empire Wind One project is one of the few issues that Adams has recently broken with Trump. Adams put out a plea for the president to revive the wind farm off Long Island's coast after the Trump administration halted it. The project would feed power into the underused South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, juice up to 500,000 homes and create 1,000 good-paying jobs, the mayor argued. But convincing Trump, who is famously no fan of wind power, may be an uphill battle. The president's nemesis state Attorney General Letitia James, along with 17 other attorney generals from Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia, filed a federal lawsuit this week to stop Trump from killing the project and other wind energy developments. Adams' mention of discussing developing microchips in New York City with Trump could be a nod to turning the Bronx's Kingsbridge Armory into a semiconductor manufacturing plant, as first reported by the New York Daily News. The mayor previously crossed paths with Trump at a UFC event in Madison Square Garden after the election and near Mar-a-Lago days before the inauguration. Adams also attended Trump's inauguration, bolting to DC in the middle of the night and bailing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day events. He ended up being consigned to an overflow room and getting no facetime with the president. Though now loath to publicly criticize Trump, Adams hasn't always been so shy. He had called Trump an 'idiot' in 2018, likening the president to a 'crackhead' spouting nonsense on the street, The City reported. But Adams has considerably changed his tune in recent months, though he bristled Thursday at British journalist and Post columnist Piers Morgan questioning why he doesn't just 'become a Republican.' Adams said he's only aligned with protecting New Yorkers. 'I was aligned with what President [Joe] Biden did that was correct. I'm aligned with whatever President Trump do[es] that's correct,' an irritated Adams told Morgan. Adams has been noticeably absent from the campaign trail as he has all-but-admitted he's relying on the profile of his office to garner attention. Trump and his second White House administration have largely spared Adams from the fire they've thrown toward Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA amid an ongoing fight over congestion pricing. White House sit-downs between New York City mayors and presidents are relatively rare. Adams had met with former President Joe Biden at the White House in 2021 with a group of local officials, including mayors, though he was not yet elected into office. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio met with Barack Obama in 2015, as did his predecessor Michael Bloomberg three years earlier. — Additional reporting by Steven Nelson
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump admin rips blue city crime in vow to clean up dangers for commuters: 'This is not humane'
NEW YORK – Days after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called on New York City's leadership to clean up the city's subway system, Mayor Eric Adams extended an invitation asking Duffy to experience firsthand the issues plaguing the crime-ridden transit hub. On Friday, Adams and Duffy went underground, boarding the BQE line in Brooklyn and riding the subway into Manhattan alongside NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta as the federal government vows to aid the city with its crime prevention. "The mayor has been working on a bipartisan effort to get more law enforcement officers into the system to make people feel safe," Duffy told reporters inside lower Manhattan's Broadway-Lafayette station. Transporation Sec Sean Duffy Slams Blue State Governor, Says Criminals 'Continue To Terrorize' City Residents The high-profile visit comes two weeks after Duffy penned a letter to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), saying the Trump administration is here to "restore order" and requesting the department hand over data on rider assaults, police patrols and fare evasion. "I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter to avoid further consequences, up to and including redirecting or withholding funding," Duffy wrote. Read On The Fox News App But standing in a busy subway station, Duffy vowed to continue providing the city with federal support and confirmed the administration has not withheld funding. Guardian Angels Resume New York City Patrols After Subway Burning Death: 'Never Seen It This Bad' "You'll find the Trump administration and the Department of Transportation are great partners with New York," Duffy said. "Let's make it beautiful for the riders of the subway system." During his trip uptown, Duffy witnessed firsthand the woes plaguing the city's subway system. "We just saw someone who was laying at the top of the stairs," Duffy told reporters. "I don't know if [the man] urinated on himself or defecated, but the mayor needs the tools with law enforcement to take care of people – this is not humane." Nyc Man Charged With Attempted Murder After Allegedly Shoving Commuter In Path Of Subway While New York City's subway system has seen a statistical drop in crime throughout the first few months of 2025, stories of random violence continue to rattle commuters. In January, surveillance footage captured the horrifying moment a man was shoved in front of an oncoming train while standing on the platform in Manhattan's 18th Street station. While the victim survived, authorities later charged Kamel Hawkins, 23, with attempted murder. One month earlier, a woman was killed after an illegal immigrant allegedly set her on fire while riding the subway in Brooklyn. Some commuters have been left to defend themselves in the subways. WATCH: Daniel Penny reveals why he chose to step in on the subway In December, Daniel Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide in the 2023 subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with schizophrenia who barged onto the train shouting death threats while high on a type of synthetic marijuana known as K2. In January, a 69-year-old man fought off migrants who tried to rob him on the subway, and in another attack a 71-year-old woman fended off four would-be teen muggers. WATCH: NYC subway riders express fears, say some are 'scared to go home' Adams praised the federal government for its help in cracking down on subway crime, but condemned Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration's apparent hesitation to roll out new initiatives aimed at the MTA. Family Of Nyc Subway Burning Victim Says Democrats Need To Answer For How Migrant Suspect Allowed Back Into Us "I was sharing with the Secretary [that] the cause we're having in Albany [is] involuntary movement," said Adams, a Democrat who announced his intention this week to seek re-election as an independent. "Homeless individuals who need care, or the support we need from our state lawmakers to see [police] carry out on the ground." The Hochul administration and the MTA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Duffy and Adams signaled their administrations would continue to work together to combat crime within the city, essentially removing the governor as the middleman between the city and federal government. "I think Albany has to think deeply about how far we have to go in order to stop [crime]," Duffy said. "That's more resources, that's more tools that Albany has to give [the NYPD] to arrest people. [The federal government] gives a lot of money, and for us, we're partners in the process."Original article source: Trump admin rips blue city crime in vow to clean up dangers for commuters: 'This is not humane'
Fox News
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump admin rips blue city crime in vow to clean up dangers for commuters: 'This is not humane'
NEW YORK – Days after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called on New York City's leadership to clean up the city's subway system, Mayor Eric Adams extended an invitation asking Duffy to experience firsthand the issues plaguing the crime-ridden transit hub. On Friday, Adams and Duffy went underground, boarding the BQE line in Brooklyn and riding the subway into Manhattan alongside NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta as the federal government vows to aid the city with its crime prevention. "The mayor has been working on a bipartisan effort to get more law enforcement officers into the system to make people feel safe," Duffy told reporters inside lower Manhattan's Broadway-Lafayette station. The high-profile visit comes two weeks after Duffy penned a letter to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), saying the Trump administration is here to "restore order" and requesting the department hand over data on rider assaults, police patrols and fare evasion. "I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter to avoid further consequences, up to and including redirecting or withholding funding," Duffy wrote. But standing in a busy subway station, Duffy vowed to continue providing the city with federal support and confirmed the administration has not withheld funding. "You'll find the Trump administration and the Department of Transportation are great partners with New York," Duffy said. "Let's make it beautiful for the riders of the subway system." During his trip uptown, Duffy witnessed firsthand the woes plaguing the city's subway system. "We just saw someone who was laying at the top of the stairs," Duffy told reporters. "I don't know if [the man] urinated on himself or defecated, but the mayor needs the tools with law enforcement to take care of people – this is not humane." While New York City's subway system has seen a statistical drop in crime throughout the first few months of 2025, stories of random violence continue to rattle commuters. In January, surveillance footage captured the horrifying moment a man was shoved in front of an oncoming train while standing on the platform in Manhattan's 18th Street station. While the victim survived, authorities later charged Kamel Hawkins, 23, with attempted murder. One month earlier, a woman was killed after an illegal immigrant allegedly set her on fire while riding the subway in Brooklyn. Some commuters have been left to defend themselves in the subways. WATCH: Daniel Penny reveals why he chose to step in on the subway In December, Daniel Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide in the 2023 subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with schizophrenia who barged onto the train shouting death threats while high on a type of synthetic marijuana known as K2. In January, a 69-year-old man fought off migrants who tried to rob him on the subway, and in another attack a 71-year-old woman fended off four would-be teen muggers. WATCH: NYC subway riders express fears, say some are 'scared to go home' Adams praised the federal government for its help in cracking down on subway crime, but condemned Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration's apparent hesitation to roll out new initiatives aimed at the MTA. "I was sharing with the Secretary [that] the cause we're having in Albany [is] involuntary movement," said Adams, a Democrat who announced his intention this week to seek re-election as an independent. "Homeless individuals who need care, or the support we need from our state lawmakers to see [police] carry out on the ground." The Hochul administration and the MTA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Duffy and Adams signaled their administrations would continue to work together to combat crime within the city, essentially removing the governor as the middleman between the city and federal government. "I think Albany has to think deeply about how far we have to go in order to stop [crime]," Duffy said. "That's more resources, that's more tools that Albany has to give [the NYPD] to arrest people. [The federal government] gives a lot of money, and for us, we're partners in the process."
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New York's Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Is Crumbling
The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a section of I-278 that runs between the two New York boroughs, is falling apart. No part of the so-called highway is particularly good to drive on — it's a parking lot any time before or after about 3 a.m. — but one section in particular is a nightmare: A multi-level cantilevered area that cuts through Brooklyn Heights. It has the worst traffic, the worst drivers, and the worst structural integrity. It's gotten so bad, in fact, that by next year it'll be banned from carrying trucks altogether. The cantilever system, like all of New York's worst features, was the brainchild of one of the city's most hated individuals: Robert Moses, possibly the only urban planner universally loathed enough to show up as a villain in fiction as well as reality. The layout saves space by stacking alternating directions of the highway atop each other, but exposure to the elements has weakened the structure towards a crisis point — a crisis that no one really knows how to solve. Watch Half As Interesting break it down with some great visuals: Read more: What's The Point Of Mid-Grade Gasoline? The decay of the BQE has been common knowledge amongst New York's decision makers for years — a steel-supported overhang that gets coated in road salt annually was never going to last forever — but no one's yet come up with a better way to ferry trucks between Brooklyn and Queens at highway speeds. Of course, those decision makers may forget that "highway speeds" is a standard the BQE already fails to meet, especially through (and approaching) the cantilever section. Having personally baked on that road many times, in full moto gear, I can confirm that the BQE's through speeds may well be lower than the adjacent side streets. By next year, the BQE will be too structurally unsound to support the semi trucks that are supposed to justify its existence. It already can't meet the speeds that are supposedly so important for it to maintain. Why do we bother keeping it around at all? Read the original article on Jalopnik.
