Source: Politics<\/p>\n
With help from Shawn Ness and Irie Sentner<\/p>\n
Happening now:<\/span><\/p>\n Two Syracuse University alums visited their former college town. BIDEN VISITS UPSTATE: President Joe Biden visited upstate New York this afternoon with Gov. Kathy Hochul and Sen. Chuck Schumer to celebrate up to $6 billion in federal funding for a semiconductor factory.<\/p>\n But the eyes of the nation were still about 250 miles southeast as the chaos at Columbia University continued and spread to nearby colleges<\/a> \u2014 and as former President Donald Trump\u2019s trial resumed downtown<\/a>.<\/p>\n You wouldn\u2019t know anything about the New York City turmoil in Syracuse, though \u2014 where it was all smiles and cheers among the state and nation\u2019s leading Democrats. The deal for Micron, first announced in late 2022<\/a>, is viewed as a game changer for the struggling upstate economy that has dealt with decades of losses to manufacturing jobs and population.<\/p>\n \u201cFolks, I want to thank Governor Hochul for having us here today and for her partnership,\u201d a triumphant Biden said. He also poked fun at upstate House Republicans who had criticized the CHIPS Act, but are now celebrating its investments in New York. The district is a key swing race with Republican Rep. Brandon Williams one of the most vulnerable freshmen in the nation this fall.<\/p>\n Still, the dichotomy of the day was apparent.<\/p>\n Biden and Hochul have criticized the antisemitism spewed at the campus protests, but they have also been blasted by Republicans<\/a> for not doing more \u2014 such as sending in the National Guard to quell the campus unrest.<\/p>\n Hochul said this week that she continues to talk with Columbia in particular over ending the tent camps, saying the goal is to \u201cmake sure that every student on campus feels safe and secure.\u201d<\/p>\n Hochul visited the university privately Monday, and Biden isn\u2019t scheduled to be in the city on his trip \u2014 though he\u2019s stopping in Westchester for a fundraiser tonight.<\/p>\n That\u2019s in stark contrast to Republicans\u2019 handling of the Columbia situation.<\/p>\n The second in line to the president, House Speaker Mike Johnson, made the trip Wednesday to the university with other House GOP members as they called on Hochul to step up enforcement around the campus.<\/p>\n But the Republicans were shouted down by student protesters screaming \u201cMike, you suck!\u201d and they continued to refuse administrators\u2019 orders to remove their tent encampment from the university\u2019s lawn.<\/p>\n That too was a contrast from Hochul \u2014 who posted Wednesday evening on X<\/a> that she was having an all-around \u201cbeautiful day in the neighborhood\u201d as she took a stroll through Central Park, eating a soft pretzel and taking selfies next to blossoming trees.<\/p>\n State Sen. Jack Martins, chair of the Senate Republican Working Group on Antisemitism, said the governor\u2019s visit to Syracuse and Central Park showed she\u2019s more interested in \u201cphoto-ops\u201d than keeping students safe.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are kids who are being told they can’t or shouldn’t go to school and they should stay home, and the campus is shut down for remote learning, and she’s walking through Central Park having a soft pretzel, it’s a wonderful day,\u201d Martins said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat kind of cluelessness, frankly, can’t be ignored. At a time when we need leadership, once again, the governor has come out way short.”<\/p>\n Avi Small, a Hochul spokesperson, ripped the naysayers and pointed out her ramble through Central Park was just one of many posts that appeared on her X account Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled so many New Yorkers closely monitor the Governor\u2019s social media accounts, and we encourage them to read yesterday\u2019s posts about protecting survivors of sexual assault, defending abortion rights and investing in the criminal justice system,\u201d he said. \u2014 Jason Beeferman<\/p>\n NY SPENDS THE MOST ON SCHOOL AID: New York is still number one \u2014 with the highest per-pupil spending rate in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a>. <\/p>\n New York City also had the highest spending rate per-pupil of the country\u2019s largest 100 school districts.<\/p>\n New York was at the top of the list spending $29,873 per student. That was followed by the District of Columbia ($27,425), New Jersey ($25,099), Vermont ($24,608) and Connecticut ($24,453).<\/p>\n The announcement comes shortly after New York passed another monumental $1.3 billion increase in school aid, bringing total school aid in New York to more than $35 billion.<\/p>\n The state is, however, reviewing its foundation aid formula, which is used to divy up the state\u2019s largest school aid budget line, a move that could result in smaller increases in the future. <\/p>\n The study of the formula<\/a> is due by Dec. 1, and the Legislature and the governor will decide on what recommendations will make it into the enacted budget. \u2014 Katelyn Cordero<\/p>\n ANOTHER LOCAL ELECTION LAWSUIT: Rockland County has become the latest local government to sue the state over a new law moving most town and county elections to even-numbered years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe election manipulation without representation, forcibly removing our right to self-govern and limiting the next term of the County Executive and Legislature to three years instead of four years required by our laws, and reducing town and village officials by a year is wrong,\u201d County Executive Ed Day said in a statement.<\/p>\n The law, signed shortly before Christmas<\/a>, is now the subject of lawsuits from every corner of the state.<\/p>\n Onondaga County<\/a> assigned funding for a case in February. Other counties that have brought or said they\u2019ll bring suits include Oneida, Nassau and Rensselaer. \u2014 Bill Mahoney<\/p>\n \u2018THE LAW APPLIES TO EVERYONE:\u2019 Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals today, and the court ordered a new trial in the case. <\/p>\n Weinstein will remain in prison due to his 2022 rape conviction in California.<\/p>\n Standing outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial, Weinstein\u2019s attorney called it \u201cgreat day for America\u201d and mentioned Trump’s case while speaking about his client’s win.<\/p>\n \u201cA judge will sit in her chambers and look at the law and look at the precedent without fear or favor and say, \u2018I don\u2019t care who the defendant is, if it\u2019s the former president of the United States or the most storied Hollywood producer of our generation, the law applies to everyone,\u2019\u201d said Arthur Aidala, who represented Weinstein in the appeals case.<\/p>\n \u201cThe law applies to everyone, from a murder case to a falsifying business records case,\u201d he added. \u2014 Irie Sentner<\/p>\n \u2018GUT PUNCH\u2019 DECISION: Meanwhile, advocates who are seeking stronger labor protections in the fashion industry decried today\u2019s Court of Appeals\u2019 ruling that overturned Weinstein\u2019s sex crimes charges.<\/p>\n The Model Alliance, which has pushed for the Fashion Workers Act, said the decision to toss Weinstein\u2019s New York-based conviction strengthens the argument for bolstered workplace protections.<\/p>\n “The decision by the Court of Appeals is an indictment of the criminal legal system and a gut punch for survivors like me who were victimized not only by Weinstein and his associates, but by the lack of regulation in the fashion industry that knowingly puts young women and girls at the mercy of serial rapists like Weinstein and Bill Cosby every day,\u201d Sara Ziff, the founder of the Model Alliance, said.<\/p>\n Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape. The state\u2019s top court determined, however, that a judge erred by allowing witnesses in the case who had said they were sexually abused by Weinstein, but whose cases were not part of the criminal charges. \u2014 Nick Reisman<\/p>\n NY WANTS MORE ART: Over 100 arts and cultural nonprofits have been awarded a share of $32 million to revitalize their facilities to furnish their creative works.<\/p>\n The 102 different nonprofits are spread all across the state<\/a> from New York City to Buffalo and north to St. Lawrence.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom historic sites to new multi-use arts centers, these diverse projects will expand the accessibility and the sustainability of arts and culture organizations while growing local economies, driving tourism and creating jobs all across New York State,\u201d Hochul said in a statement.<\/p>\n The grants will range in sizes from $50,000 to $2 million for smaller projects and up to $10 million for larger projects that prioritize community development. \u2014 Shawn Ness<\/p>\n CAREY GABAY FELLOWSHIP: Young lawyers have another chance to work in Hochul\u2019s office through the Carey Gabay fellowship. Applications for the position opened earlier today, Hochul announced.<\/p>\n The paid two-year fellowship is designed for bar-admitted attorneys who are committed to public service and will receive a direct opportunity to work along side the governor\u2019s legal team on things like violence prevention, economic equality and community development.<\/p>\n The fellowship is named after Carey Gabay, who was shot and killed in a rogue shooting in 2015. The position is designed to honor his legacy.<\/p>\n \u201cCarey Gabay was tragically taken from us too soon, leaving a hole in the hearts of his family, his colleagues and truly all New Yorkers,\u201d Hochul said in a statement.<\/p>\n Applications will be accepted<\/a> until May 15. \u2014 Shawn Ness<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0 President Joe Biden and the New York Times have a petty feud. (POLITICO<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 The White House declined House Speaker Mike Johnson\u2019s call to send the National Guard to Columbia University. (POLITICO<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 CUNY City College now has its own pro-Palestine encampment. (Daily News<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u2014 Speaker Carl Heastie is becoming a regular in Columbia County. There\u2019s a reason (POLITICO Pro<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n New York spends the most per capita on schools, and it\u2019s not even close.
\n Reaction to the overturning of the Harvey Weinstein verdict in New York.
\n The Carey Gabay fellowship is now available. <\/p>\n