Good Morning, New York! NYC taxpayers have to foot the bill for $400,000 worth of legal fees from DeBlasio’s failed lawsuit against the city over his security detail during his ill-fated presidential campaign, the city is upping security at sensitive locations after a deadly shooting in DC that targeted two Israeli embassy staff, and NY Republicans reach a deal on SALT. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Thursday, May 22nd, 2025.

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Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— Following a deadly shooting outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., the NYPD is stepping up security at sensitive locations in New York City. The D.C. attack, which killed two Israeli embassy staff members, is being investigated as an antisemitic hate crime after the suspect shouted "Free, free Palestine" upon arrest. Mayor Adams condemned the violence, emphasizing, "antisemitic violence has no place in our country." (ABC 7 NY)

— Taxpayers are footing the bill for Bill de Blasio's failed lawsuit against City Hall. The ex-mayor sued to recoup legal fees from a probe into his security detail and campaign fundraising, and now the city is on the hook for both his lawyers and theirs, totaling over $400,000 in legal costs. De Blasio lost at every turn, with judges finding his actions weren't in the city's interest. (The City)

— NYC's First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro is running the city old-school, without a computer, and apparently loving it. Despite overseeing a massive budget and city workforce, Mastro prefers using an iPhone with a mini-keyboard and leaning on his decades of experience. (Gothamist)

Capitol Gains

— Gov. Hochul is seeing red, claiming the DOJ is unfairly targeting New York Democrats. Her comments came after the Justice Department launched a criminal probe into Cuomo's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the FBI confirmed they are investigating Attorney General Letitia James over real estate transactions. Hochul suggests the DOJ "focus on the core mission and stop targeting Democrats here in New York." (State of Politics)

— New York is about to give qualifying families with new children a bit of a financial boost. Gov. Hochul just announced a $1,800 "baby bonus" for low-income parents on public assistance who have a child during the state's 2025-2026 fiscal year. This is in addition to the state's expanded child tax credit, which gives families up to $1,000 per child under age 4. (Syracuse.com)

— New Yorkers making under $500K could catch a break on their federal taxes! Republicans are floating a plan to boost the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap to $40,000, a big jump from the current $10,000 limit imposed by Trump. Gov. Hochul isn't impressed, calling the proposal 'pathetic' and reminding everyone that New York already missed out on SALT deductions once before. (PIX11)

Trail Mix

— Mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani's old tweets are making waves, revealing he once slammed Barack Obama as "pretty damn evil" and a liar. While critics are blasting the comments, Mamdani's campaign is brushing them off as the desperate measure of rivals fearing his growing momentum. One prominent black faith leader called for Mamdani to apologize immediately. (NY Post)

— Is this Andrew Cuomo's craziest move yet? The NYC mayoral hopeful is actually embracing the DOJ's probe into his COVID-19 testimony with a new ad casting himself as Trump's latest target. Critics slam the move as shameless, especially since the ad also features Attorney General Letitia James, whom Cuomo recently attacked. One Dem strategist believes the probe could weirdly help Cuomo, positioning him as a victim of Trump's political vendetta. (NY Post)

— Kathy Hochul might have a fight on her hands in next year's gubernatorial race, with a new poll showing her in a dead heat with GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik. The poll, which comes from right-leaning firm co/efficient, also found that Trump's favorability rating in New York is higher than Hochul's. But Hochul's campaign isn't sweating it, calling Stefanik an "extremist" and vowing she'll lose big if she runs. (NY Post)