NYC NOW - November 6, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: November 6, 2024

Election results are in! WNYC’s Janae Pierre talks with editor Stephen Brown about the implications of some local races and how New York City Mayor Eric Adams is reacting to Donald Trump’s presidential victory.

Welcome to NYC now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. Election Day results are in, and local officials are reacting to Donald Trump's presidential victory. I'm here with WMYC editor, Stephen Brown. So, Stephen, what did Mayor Eric Adams have to say about the outcome of the presidential race? Well, first off, he congratulated President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. but this was not a celebratory gathering. This was a pretty somber presser.

It got a little tense and testy at times. And I think that was reflecting the uncertainty and the anxiety that Adams is probably hearing from his constituents about the incoming administration. And I intend to defend and fight for our city's values as part of the process. No matter who is president or what party controls Congress, this city will always stand up

the rights of women, our immigrant brothers and sisters, our LGBTQ plus community and millions of others. You can hear Adams there trying to comfort some of the New Yorkers who may fear that Trump's policies could have real firsthand impact on their daily lives. Yeah. Many New Yorkers, I'm sure, are thinking about what another Trump administration means for this city. How will his policy changes be felt right here in the Big Apple? Well, the big policy at the center of Trump's campaign was what he promised would be the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in the history of the country. There were around 500,000 undocumented immigrants in the city, and that's according to a report released by the Comptroller's office earlier this year. And there's another 200,000

migrants who have passed through the city's shelter system since the migrant crisis began in the spring of of 2022. But how would mass deportation play out? That's a big question mark. The Federal Immigration Agency ICE only has so many agents. Trump has said he'll use the military if he has to. But how would he do that? We don't really know. Whatever he tries is sure to face significant legal challenges. And with all that in mind, does the mayor seem concerned about any of that? Yes, I would say he certainly seemed concerned at today's press conference. he sought to reassure immigrants in New York City in his remarks today. We also intend to protect our immigrant communities,

and we will work with the new administration in Congress to develop a realistic and compassionate national strategy for our immigration system. He later said that the city will remain a beacon of liberty around the globe, but he got a little testy as reporters pushed him on what the city actually would do what maneuvers, what legal mechanisms would it use to fight Trump if he actually fulfills or attempts to fulfill this vision of mass deportations? Adams isn't a little bit of a bind here when it comes to this stuff. He's a little politically vulnerable, you could say. He's previously

been critical of sanctuary city laws that were put in place during the previous Trump administration. Those measures limit cooperation with ICE. Adams has been critical of those sanctuary city laws, saying he doesn't like having the NYPD be handcuffed when it comes to cracking down on criminals. All right. So, Stephen, aside from the presidential race and all the local races here in New York, on the other side of our ballots, there were six ballot proposals. And it seems that the mayor fared pretty well with those for the most part, right? Yes, that's right. Questions two through six were the result of the mayor's hastily convened Charter Review Commission. These questions revise the city charter, which is essentially the city's

version of a constitution. Four look like they're going to pass at the moment. The big one concerned the jurisdiction and authority of the sanitation department. Now that agency has clearer authority to clean up public space, including traffic medians. Of course, this is a big win for Adams because the war on rats cleaning up city streets is arguably the mayor's most well-known signature policy. It's certainly one of his most successful policies. Another question pertained to the timing surrounding legislation concerning public safety. Others expected to give the mayor's office more time to do its own fiscal estimates before the council votes on legislation. Another one concerns disclosure of details about capital projects. One of the measures that

looks like it's going to fail would have enshrined the creation of a business diversity officer. It also would have changed some rules around the film permitting process and other reforms. But big picture, this is a win for Adams. The city council had spent a lot of political capital attacking these questions as a mayoral power grab, but voters voted in favor of most of them. All right, Stephen, let's turn to the House now. Democrats flipped two congressional seats in New York that was in Syracuse and in the Catskills. And they look likely to flip a third, though, that race in the fourth district hasn't been called just yet.

How important are those wins? Critically important for Democrats. I mean, given that they really got their clocks cleaned in the presidential and in the Senate, the House is really their last best hope right now to act as some sort of bulwark against the Republican Party and Trump as he prepares to serve a second term. And, of course, the House is too close to call right now. But if it does go the Democrats way, we can expect that another local politician, Hakeem Jeffries, will become the first black speaker of the House and, you know, lead, as I said, the efforts against Trump's policies. Governor Kathy Hokel invested a lot of political capital in defending and trying to flip the competitive House races here in New York. And that looks to have mostly paid off.

In addition to those races you mentioned, which were Josh Riley defeating Republican race. Representative Mike Mollinaro upstate and Democratic State Senator John Mannion defeating Republican Representative Brandon Williams in a seat in Syracuse. There's also the third that's too close to call. But for the moment, Democratic challenger Laura Gillen is up by two points on incumbent Republican Anthony DiS. Bezito. That one's in Nassau County. But as I said, too close to call at the moment. Yeah. And we'll certainly keep our listeners updated on that. That's WMYC editor, Stephen Brown. Thanks so much. Thank you. Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hokel spoke to reporters about the election results and Trump's return

to the White House. WMYC's John Campbell was listening in. John, what were some of the highlights from the governor's press conference Wednesday? Well, the governor started off by congratulating President Elect Trump on his win and she quickly pivoted to basically consoling New Yorkers who voted for Kamala Harris. And she vowed to fight back if as she sees it. A Trump administration takes any action to infringe on people's rights. While we honor the results of this election and we'll work with anyone who wants to be a partner in achieving the goals of our administration and our state, that does not mean we'll accept an agenda from Washington that strips away the rights that New Yorkers have long enjoyed.

Now, Jeney, Governor Hockel was definitely hoping to give a different speech, maybe a more joyous celebratory speech. She was behind this huge effort to bolster the state Democratic Party to help flip house seats in New York. And it seemed to have worked. I mean, Democratic candidates appear to have flipped three seats in New York alone. But it was all overshadowed by the Republicans' big day nationally, not just with Trump winning the White House, but with the GOP taking control of the Senate. And that means Senator Chuck Schumer of Brooklyn will no longer be majority. leader. But that said, another Brooklyn night, Hakeem Jeffries, he still has a shot at becoming Speaker of the House. That'll happen if Democrats are able to eke out wins in other states where

races are too close to call. For more on our election coverage, results and reactions, visit our news site Gothamist. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day. I'm Jene Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.