NYC NOW - October 23, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: October 23, 2024

Subway ridership has surpassed 4.3 million daily riders multiple times this year, a level not seen since March 2020. Meanwhile, immigrant rights groups and sex workers are calling for an end to a crackdown on prostitution and illegal vendors along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. Plus, WNYC's Elizabeth Kim reports on the unique dynamic between New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former President Donald Trump.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Wednesday, October 23rd. Here's the midday news from Alec Hamilton. MTA data shows subway ridership has surpassed 4.3 million daily writers five times this year. They say that benchmark hadn't been seen since March 2020. WNYC's Ramsey Caliphé reports. Before the pandemic, this always saw nearly 6 million riders on a typical weekday.

But the toll of COVID still is felt in the nation's largest mass transit system. The drop in commuting is tied to the growth of remote work over the last four years. At this point, growth in ridership's going to really have to come from improved service, better quality, improved safety, back to work's kind of stalled out. That's Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom. He studies remote work habits. Consulting group McKinsey projects the subways will reach 80% of pre-pendemic ridership by 2026. Some immigrant rights groups and sex workers are demanding an end to a crackdown against prostitution and illegal vendors along Roosevelt Avenue and Queens. Theo Oshiro is the co-executive director of the Immigrant Advocacy Organization, Make the Road, New York.

He says the crackdown is harming immigrants and other people who are just trying to make a living. We believe that at the state level sex work should be decriminalized, and at the same time, that we need to provide real access to jobs and economic opportunity for the residents of Queens, really all residents of Queens. Local elected officials say they fielded numerous complaints from business owners and residents about sex workers and drug use along Roosevelt Avenue. Sunny today with a high near 75. Tonight, maybe we'll get some rain. There's a chance of sprinkles after 2 a.m. We'll see. it's WNYC. Stay close. There's more after the break. NYC. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has faced a barrage of questions about bribery and illegal donations from Turkish officials

since he was indicted last month on federal corruption charges. However, during his Tuesday press conference at City Hall, the focus shifted to his views on former President Donald Trump, who's locked in a tight race against Vice President Kamala Harris. For a breakdown of the dynamic between Adams' administration, Trump. My colleague Sean Carlson spoke with WNYC reporter Elizabeth Kim. Liz, explain the sudden interest in Adams' opinions about Trump. One's a moderate Democrat, the other's a Republican who's loath by most Democrats. That's right, Sean. They've really become a pair of unlikely political bedfellows. Former President Trump was in New York late last

week for the Al Smith dinner. This is an annual charity event which brings together politicians, power brokers, members of the Catholic Church. It's a real scene. Adams was there and Trump was the featured speaker. Vice President Harris was invited, but she decided to sit it out in favor of campaigning in Wisconsin. Most people there were really interested to hear what Trump might say about Adams. Now, that's because Trump has expressed support for Adams, who he predicted would be indicted because he said the mayor was outspoken about the migrant crisis. and the Biden administration. Adams had been asked about that and whether he'd reject Trump's support, and he didn't say he wouldn't. So, you know, it's very rare to find Adams and Trump in the same event.

So people wondered, is Trump going to address the political elephant in the room? And sure enough, he did. Less than two minutes in, he said this. Mayor Adams, good luck with everything. They went after you. They went after you, mayor. What? There's like laughter and applause there. Was that even a joke? How did the mayor respond to that? Well, the event is intended to be a roast, but Trump didn't sound like he was kidding, right? You know, the two men now share something in common. Trump is no stranger to indictments himself. He's been indicted in four separate criminal cases and he's been convicted in one of them here in New York. And both Trump and Adams have said that they were political targets. So immediately after,

the event, the mayor's spokesman responded to questions by saying that people make jokes at the Al Smith dinner and no one takes them seriously, except that reporters, you know, did. You know, in fact, they've noticed that the mayor has become increasingly muted in his comments about the former president. So he was pressed again about Trump, who's coming back to the city on Sunday for a rally at Madison Square Garden, that event has really rankled some New Yorkers, and the mayor was asked how he feels about the rally, and he said this. I think it's important that people exercise their right to vote. I was clear on who my candidate is, and I think that this is the last few days of campaign season,

and people are going to exercise their right to vote. He said people are going to exercise their right to vote. not exactly the kind of condemnation of Trump that Democrats would expect from the mayor of the same party. Yeah, interesting stuff. Okay, moving on to other news at City Hall, Liz, the mayor and the city council have had a, let's call it a contentious relationship over the past year or so. Adams just officially ditched a controversial forum that elected officials were required to fill out in order to talk to administration officials. Tell us more about what happened. Yes, so the form controversy, and I'd never thought I'd say those words.

Rividing stuff, yeah. Exactly. But this is essentially about control. It's about control. It's about access to city agencies. So several months ago, the mayor insisted that any elected official who sought to meet with city agency staff members would have to submit their request through a form that would then be reviewed by the mayor's office. Now, council members balked at this. They called it an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. They said it would slow down the city's response to their constituent. concerns. You know, the mayor is known to, like, control and also organization. You know, when he was first elected, he told me that he likes to look at Google Docs and spreadsheets every morning to monitor all of his own meeting requests. But I think he underestimated the uproar that this would cause, because this isn't just about meeting requests with him. This is potentially dozens of inquiries a day around really important matters. things like the conditions of parks and sanitation. So this really backfired on him.

And this week, the mayor announced that they would no longer be going ahead with the form. That's WNYC's Elizabeth Kim. Liz, thank you so much, as always. Thanks, Sean. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcast.

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