Good Morning, New York! Eric Adams is back, and already attacking the press. Rat-proof bins are apparently not working as well as hoped, and Brad Lander wants to use pension funds to buy homes in NYC. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Friday, January 31st, 2025.

WHERE’S KATHY: In New York City making a public safety announcement with the District Attorneys Association, then sitting for two interviews with NewsChannel 9 and Univision 41.

WHERE’s ERIC: In NYC with no public events yet.

TIPS? Email me: [email protected]

Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— Eric Adams is back to public events, and got upset with the press during his annual interfaith breakfast yesterday. Flipping into campaign mode, he said “Who started this stupid rumor that I’m resigning on Friday!” He vaguely alluded to last week being “scary” due to health problems, but made it clear that he was keeping his job. (NY Times)

— The rat-proof trash bins purchased by the Sanitation Department are apparently not as good as they were once said to be. Containers have already been found with holes that are thought to have been made by rats, which some have used to argue that it won’t help solve the rat issue. However others, including the sanitation department, would argue that rat sightings have still declined. So while the plan may not be perfect, it statistically seems better than doing nothing. (NY Post)

— NYC Health and Hospitals will reportedly defy federal orders and not report undocumented immigrants who seek care at their facilities. A new post from a hospital in Elmhurst said “We care about your health, not your immigration status,” and called other posts saying the hospital may report migrants “misinformation.” Trump rolled back a prohibition on searching for illegal migrants in hospitals on Jan. 21st. (Gothamist)

Capitol Gains

— Gov. Hochul has reportedly been in touch with President Trump in order to lobby him on congestion pricing, speaking with him twice in the past week. If the Trump administration attempts to roll back the policy, it is likely to spark a legal battle with the city, the state, and various advocacy groups. (NY Post and NY Times)

— A state appeals court has found the New York Voting Rights Act constitutional, in a reversal of a previous decision in a state Supreme Court. At issue was “preclearance,” a legal concept that would force local governments with a history of discrimination to seek approval from state officials before modifying certain voting policies. The appellate court ruled that the lower court’s decision to invalidate the entire law over this one piece of it was outside of their jurisdiction. (State of Politics)

— State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli called for more reserve funds in Hochul’s executive budget, as he is concerned about the effects of potential federal aid cuts. He does not want the state to commit to spending which they will ultimately not be able to go through with. (The Buffalo News)

Trail Mix

— Brad Lander released a new policy proposal for his mayoral campaign that would use NYC pension funds to buy homes for city workers, in the process helping to ease the housing crisis in NYC. The mayor does not have control over the pension funds, and he would need to convince the trustees of each fund that this is a wise use of their money. (NY Daily News)

— A coalition of environmental groups has launched a campaign to urge Kathy Hochul to immediately publish her draft rules for the cap-and-invest program that was recently delayed for another year. Hochul’s government remains firm in their position that the program is not delayed, and that they are just still working out the details. (City & State)

— Both the Suffolk County and Nassau County police unions have endorsed Kash Patel for FBI Director, following his testimony yesterday in front of the Senate. Patel responded by saying, “Amazing, thank you so much. My home town, means so much. Strong Island.” (NY Post)