Good Morning, New York! Eric Adams dines with Trump surrogates, Kathy Hochul goes full populist, and Lawler confirms the rumors. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Wednesday, January 15th, 2025.

WHERE’S KATHY: In Rensselaer County and Albany visiting a childcare center to highlight the ‘Affordability Agenda.’

WHERE’s ERIC: Speaking at Bellevue Hospital on mental illness, then hosting a town hall at Grand Street Settlement.

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Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— Eric Adams was seen at dinner last night eating with Nassau Exec and Trump surrogate Bruce Blakeman as well as attorney Howard Fensterman. Adams claims that the meeting was discussing how the two could work together to stop gang crime, but it is also possible that he was discussing a potential pardon from the incoming Trump administration. (X/emilyngo) & (X/NYCMayor)

— The Port Authority has received a $1.9 billion federal loan to replace the old Midtown Bus Terminal. The total cost is expected to be $10 billion for a new 2 million square foot terminal that will open in 2032. They do not have a way to cover the rest of the costs yet, but still plan to start construction this year. (Gothamist)

— The city is adding an additional 2,200-bed migrant shelter in the South Bronx, despite saying that the crisis was slowing and closing shelters late last year. Residents of the area have come out strongly against the shelter, mainly over concerns about potential criminal activity. Many of the migrants will reportedly be relocated from the Randalls Island shelter, which was known for its gang problems. (NY Post)

Capitol Gains

— Gov. Hochul’s State of the State featured more populist messaging than we have seen in the past, consistent with her ‘Affordability Agenda’ that was laid out in the preceding weeks. She called for lower taxes for the middle class, and expanded child tax credit, free tuition and state colleges, a $500 ‘inflation refund,’ free meals at schools, and blocking hedge funds from buying single-family homes. (AP)

— Gov. Hochul’s State of the State spilled out into the city, as she promised to put two NYPD officers on every overnight subway using state dollars. The move is backed by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who said that she thinks it is an important step for helping people feel comfortable on the train. The move was part of her continued push against crime, as she seeks to change the perception of Democrats on the issue. (NY Post)

— The speech also came with the release of a 144-page policy book, which outlines in detail the many plans that she discussed during the event. If you want to read it, you can find it on the Governor’s website or at this link.

— The NYS DMV has tried to push back against civil rights groups that claim its new Mobile IDs will be used to track New Yorkers. The DMV claims that they do not track where it is used, and that no personal data is reported to them. They blamed social media misinformation for the spread of incorrect information about their privacy practices. (Newsday)

Trail Mix

— Bill Ackman has backed fellow hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson for NYC mayor. The Democratic candidate raised a large sum from a network of high-dollar donors. Ackman backed Tilson because “we don’t want NYC to become San Francisco,” and hosted a fundraiser for him recently. (NY Post)

— The City has a good recap up of the deadlines candidates will face to make decisions for the 2025 mayoral election. Will Cuomo run? Will Adams switch parties? Will Jim Walden or other independent candidates align themselves with a party for the primary? All these deadlines and more can be read about here. (The City)

— Rep. Mike Lawler hosted his own prebuttal to Hochul’s State of the State, attacking her for what he sees as failed policies that have led thousands to flee New York State. Lawler is widely expected to run for governor in 2026, and confirmed those rumors at the speech. He said he will make a decision on whether to run later in the year. (State of Politics)