Source: Politics<\/p>\n
ICE TO SEE YOU: Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s office is advising local governments that zoning and state environmental laws can stymie Immigration and Customs Enforcement from building or expanding detention facilities in their communities.<\/p>\n
Those legal barriers \u2014 spelled out in a letter sent<\/a> today by Hochul to local government leaders \u2014 represent the latest effort by her administration to halt ICE\u2019s efforts in New York.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need localities focused on keeping our communities safe, which depends upon the efforts of local law enforcement, civil servants, and regulators,\u201d Hochul wrote in the letter, which was exclusively obtained by Playbook. \u201cWhile my administration will continue to demand answers and transparency from federal immigration authorities, should you become aware of these projects, my office is ready to partner with you to determine any appropriate next steps to protect our local communities.\u201d<\/p>\n The missive is a new front in Hochul\u2019s broader push to erect roadblocks against President Donald Trump\u2019s sweeping deportation campaign \u2014 which includes a push to build or convert facilities in parts of New York.<\/p>\n New York lawmakers and Hochul agreed in May to a package<\/a> of sweeping measures meant to limit Trump\u2019s immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n Included in those measures were provisions that required expanded public notice \u2014 including holding at least two hearings \u2014 for the expansion or construction of an immigration detention facility. The law also prohibits local governments from providing financial benefits meant to offset the cost of a facility.<\/p>\n Hochul\u2019s Republican critics have railed against the measures, which were first proposed during the aggressive deportation crackdown in Minnesota, which left two U.S. citizens dead.<\/p>\n Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar is set to testify<\/a> Tuesday to the House Judiciary Committee in Washington on \u201cthe continuing tragedy of sanctuary laws.\u201d Akshar\u2019s office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.<\/p>\n Local government officials have already sounded an alarm this year over ICE\u2019s apparent efforts to expand the agency\u2019s detention capacity by leasing or expanding sites in Batavia, Newburgh and Rochester.<\/p>\n Hochul wrote to<\/a> Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this summer requesting more information on ICE\u2019s New York plans.<\/p>\n Last month her administration got a reply.<\/p>\n An ICE official wrote to the governor that<\/a> the agency has \u201cnot directed the establishment of a detention facility\u201d in Rochester. In Batavia, ICE is \u201cin the early stages\u201d of weighing a bedspace and usage expansion at a site. And in the Hudson Valley, the agency confirmed that \u201can acquisition [is] underway to identify a new facility to lease through the General Services Administration\u201d that would house its investigations, enforcement and removal operations.<\/p>\n Details were scant in the letter, but the response is the first time the federal government has formally laid out any of its plans for ICE expansion in New York to state officials.<\/p>\n On Monday in New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and state Attorney General Letitia James offered some of their own push back: two lawsuits<\/a> seeking to stop the Trump administration from making it harder for immigrants lawfully in the U.S. to change their status.<\/p>\n The suits target a federal rule change set to take effect Friday. The change would give immigration agents more leeway to deny green cards or visas to lawful immigrants on the basis of being a \u201cpublic charge\u201d \u2014 someone who\u2019s using social safety net programs. The rule change would allow agents to factor in the use of Medicaid or food assistance into their decision making.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has said the rule is necessary to ensure the country is not authorizing immigrants who drain public resources.<\/p>\n Mamdani countered that, rather than saving the U.S. money, the change will force immigrants to forgo routine medical care, increasing the likelihood of medical emergencies.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of this is abstract,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cPeople could die as a result of these changes.\u201d<\/p>\n James said the administration\u2019s rule change is overly broad and flies in the face of more than 100 years of legal precedent.<\/p>\n \u201cThis public charge rule goes back to 1822, where Congress basically said that it only applies to individuals who cannot support themselves, not individuals who apply every now and then for public assistance because they fall on hard times,\u201d she said. \u2014 Nick Reisman and Joe Anuta<\/p>\n REGENTS EXAM PHASE-OUT COMING: The high school class of 2027 will be the final one required to pass the state Regents exams to graduate.<\/p>\n The state Board of Regents authorized the Education Department today to move forward with the next phase of the \u201cNew York Inspires\u201d program. As part of that program, the board voted last year<\/a> to adopt a framework that lets students demonstrate proficiency through other measures like projects or coursework. That framework will replace the Regents exam.<\/p>\n While the Regents will remain as an option, it will no longer be a requirement for high school graduation, beginning with students graduating in 2028, education officials said during the board\u2019s monthly meeting today.<\/p>\n \u201cFor years, we looked at what elite private schools provide for their students and they do not worry about the Regents exam,\u201d State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said. \u201cThey don\u2019t even worry when you apply to colleges that it\u2019s on their transcript.\u201d<\/p>\n The department said it plans to advance the regulation changes to the board by February 2027 so it can implement the changes in the 2027-28 school year. The board unanimously passed a resolution to that effect today.<\/p>\n Districts will have to develop strategies for assessment that draw on multiple sources of evidence, including classroom performance, student work and state assessments.<\/p>\n Some Regents board members sought more clarity on resources to support families.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I did not hear was what resources, what tools do we have for parents and students who are in this purgatory period?\u201d said Regents member Hasoni Pratts, a New York City public school parent.<\/p>\n The news comes as the state grapples with abysmal performance on this year\u2019s reading exams<\/a> \u2014 despite New York spending more per pupil than any other state in the country. Experts and advocates have been questioning what those results say about student learning, and precisely what led to those fluctuations. \u2014 Madina Tour\u00e9<\/p>\n DEEPFAKE CRACKDOWN: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced today that his office seized control of a dozen domains used to create, disseminate and sell AI deepfake porn.<\/p>\n The sites in question featured AI-generated images and videos of roughly 1,200 individuals \u2014 primarily women and celebrities \u2014 engaging in sexually explicit activity.<\/p>\n \u201cThese horrific violations of privacy follow victims into their careers and personal lives, and take an immense toll on their emotional and mental well-being,\u201d Bragg said. \u201cWe were able to seize these domains because a brave survivor stepped forward. And while victims of these sites are largely celebrities, we know that anyone can be a victim of these crimes, particularly in domestic violence cases.\u201d<\/p>\n New York penal law<\/a> prohibits the dissemination of pornography without a subject\u2019s consent, and violations are punishable by up to a year in prison. That statute was updated in 2023 to explicitly prohibit AI-generated porn.<\/p>\n Bragg\u2019s announcement comes as lawmakers in Albany and Washington grapple with the looming threat of artificial intelligence. But Bragg declined to comment on the potential role of the Manhattan DA\u2019s office in working towards larger scale AI regulation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a crime in New York State,\u201d he said, referring to the circulation of deepfake pornography. \u201cWe don’t have to talk about regulation, legislation. This is a crime now.\u201d \u2014Molly Reinmann<\/p>\n 2028 VISION: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leaning into the speculation swirling around her 2028 aspirations.<\/p>\n \u201cIn some ways, I understand the interest. But I wanted to write to you today to be direct about what I\u2019m focused on,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a fundraising email<\/a>. \u201cFrankly, I could not care less about titles or positions for myself. That\u2019s not why I got into this work. What matters to me is changing this country so that it finally works for all of us, and that\u2019s why my focus is on the decision working people around the country will make in the next 50 days.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that her political operation is \u201cmobilizing resources, not just to get me re-elected or build for a future campaign, but most importantly to win the midterms and take back the majority.\u201d<\/p>\n Ocasio-Cortez, who\u2019s been active on the trail<\/a> boosting down-ballot candidates, has kept the door open<\/a> for either a Senate run or a presidential bid in 2028 \u2014 though some progressives are urging her to aim for the White House<\/a>.<\/p>\n Any clarity on her 2028 decision before this coming Election Day seems unlikely, though \u2014 especially given how \u201cconcerned\u201d she says she is \u201cby how some in our party are talking\u201d about the midterms.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a narrative taking hold in Washington that the Republicans are already cooked,\u201d her email continued. \u201cThat kind of complacency is how we grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. \u2026 All of this is why I am not spending this fall thinking about myself. I am spending it working my butt off to deliver a majority in the House and the Senate.\u201d \u2014 Madison Fernandez<\/p>\n A DIFFERENT LAUDER GIVES: Estee Lauder Chair William Lauder gave $500,000 to the super PAC backing Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman.<\/p>\n Lauder\u2019s contribution comes after his uncle, prolific GOP donor Ronald Lauder, ceased his political giving this year<\/a>. Ronald Lauder was the principal backer of a super PAC aiding Republican Lee Zeldin\u2019s 2022 bid against Hochul.<\/p>\n William Lauder wasn\u2019t the only deep-pocketed titan to donate to the Blakeman PAC recently. Home Depot founder Ken Langone, a GOP megadonor who once led Republicans for Cuomo, gave $50,000. \u2014 Nick Reisman\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014 STALLED SECURITY: More than eight months into his term, Mamdani is still waiting on federal security clearance. (Gothamist<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 LEGIONELLA LOCATIONS: A Yankee Stadium cooling tower tested positive for the bacteria that can cause Legionnaires\u2019 disease, according to the New York City Health Department. (Daily News<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 SIGN LANGUAGE: A PAC funded by Knicks owner James Dolan launched a $250,000 billboard campaign backing Blakeman and blaming Hochul for an exodus from the state. (NY Post<\/a>)<\/p>\n Missed this morning\u2019s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here<\/a>.<\/p>\nFrom the Capitol<\/h3>\n
FROM CITY HALL<\/h3>\n
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL<\/h3>\n
IN OTHER NEWS<\/h3>\n