Good Morning, New York! The Adams administration is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, DA Bragg brings charges against Luigi Mangione, Kathy Hochul calls for the end of the Electoral College, and George Santos launches his podcast. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Wednesday, December 18th, 2024.

WHERE’S ERIC: No public schedule yet.

WHERE’S KATHY: In Albany and New York City with no public events.

TIPS? Email me: [email protected]

Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg has announced the murder indictment of Luigi Mangione, officially charging him with murder in the first degree in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of murder in the second degree (one of which is an act of terrorism), and criminal possession of both a weapon and a forged instrument. (Manhattan DA)

— City buildings commissioner and former Staten Island borough president Jimmy Oddo will reportedly be announced as the next trash commissioner. The move is part of what critics are calling ‘rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,’ as a series of high profile departures have left the Adams administration scrambling to fill positions. (The City)

— Eric Adam’s aides are making moves in Washington DC, looking to advance his federal priorities and handle his criminal indictment. They are meeting with both Republicans and Democrats on the hill to advance priorities such as immigration reform, lifting the SALT cap, and infrastructure funding. (Politico)

Capitol Gains

— Gov. Kathy Hochul called for the end of the electoral college while presiding over the New York electoral college yesterday. “It’s time to amend the Constitution and relegate the institution of the Electoral College to the history books.” New York’s electors cast all 28 votes for Harris and Walz. She believes that the popular vote would be a superior way of counting votes for the presidency. (State of Politics)

— New York Board of Regents has approved a new reading curriculum called the “science of reading.” School districts will have until the start of the next school year to implement the policy, which targets pre-K through third grade. It will focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading fluency. (WXXI)

— A new lawsuit has alleged that New York state rigged the bidding process for Kathy Hochul’s new $9 billion homecare program. The suit argues that powerful union 1199SEIU was part of an inside baseball bid by Public Partnerships LLC to handle payment services for CDPAP. A spokesperson for Kathy Hochul denied the allegations. (NY Post)

Trail Mix

— Jamaal Bowman called his exit from Washington DC a “public political lynching,” and declared that Democrats lost because they failed to connect with working class voters and young voters of color. He also complained that he lost his primary election because there were “just too many pro-Israel people in the district.” (Politico)

— George Santos held a party for the launch of his new podcast, “Pants on Fire With George Santos.” The party was reportedly attended by low level GOP operatives, journalists, and some friends of Santos. Journalists questioned how he would keep the podcast going from jail. (NY Times)

— The New York Post Editorial Board has accused the Campaign Finance Board of election interference following their decision to deny Eric Adams matching funds. Their complaint hinged on the alleged nature of Adam’s criminal issues, citing that his trial is not due to start until April. They also hinted that it may be political retribution for Adams’ outspoken criticisms of Biden’s border policy. (NY Post)