NY Betrayal?

Good morning from Buffalo, New York.?

The biggest news out of Albany is the arrest of Linda Sun, a former aide to Governor Kathy Hochul and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, on charges of acting as an undisclosed foreign agent for the People’s Republic of China, among other related charges. Sun had been a state government employee for nearly 15 years and was promoted to Hochul’s Deputy Chief of Staff following Cuomo’s resignation.?

The indictment alleges that Sun used her official position to block Taiwanese officials from having access to state government officials, removed references to Taiwan from Executive Chamber communications, and sought to block public condemnations of China’s persecution of the Uyghur’s, a Muslim ethnic group within China. Some of Sun’s more brazen actions include forging Hochul’s signature on official state proclamations for Chinese officials, as well as burying an invite for then Governor Cuomo to attend a banquet with the president of Taiwan and writing to her Chinese handlers, “I already blocked it.”?

In exchange, Chinese officials funneled money to businesses owned by Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, who was also arrested and charged in the indictment. Prosecutors allege that the laundered funds were used to buy a $3.6 million home on Long Island, a $2 million condo in Hawaii, and a 2024 Ferrari. Sun was also given tickets to sporting and cultural events, travel accommodations, and dozens of Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a Chinese consulate official’s private chef. A spokesperson for Hochul said that Sun was fired in 2023 after “evidence of misconduct” and added, “(We) immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.”?

Hochul indicated that the Chinese consular general in New York has been removed as a result of the indictment saying, “I was just on the phone at the request of Secretary of State Blinken, speaking with a high-ranking State Department official, and I conveyed my desire to have the consul general from the People’s Republic of China in the New York mission expelled. And I have been informed that the consul general is no longer in the New York mission.” The State Department later clarified, saying the diplomat in question, Huang Ping, was not expelled, but rather reached the end of a regularly scheduled rotation in August. The Chinese Consulate in New York contradicted both of those statements and added more confusion to the matter, saying through a spokesperson, “Consul General Huang Ping is performing his duties as usual. We hope the media will refrain from sensationalizing false information.” This is a developing story: stay tuned.

In New York City, a slew of high level advisors to Mayor Eric Adams had their homes raided and cellphones taken by the FBI?last week in yet another legal entanglement for Adams and his administration.

It is not entirely clear what authorities are investigating, but those involved include Sheena Wright, the city’s First Deputy Mayor, and her romantic partner, Schools Chancellor David Banks, as well as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Philip Banks. In addition to the Banks brothers and Wright, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban also had his home searched and Tim Person,?a close confidant and senior advisor to Adams, was subpoenaed for his cell phone. Adams insisted it was business as usual for his administration saying, “The goal is to follow the law. And that is what this administration always stood for, and what we’re going to continue to stand for. Whatever information that’s needed, we’re going to turn it over, and I’m going to continue to be the mayor of the City of New York, the greatest city on the globe.”

Governor Hochul signed the New York Retail Worker Safety Act?into law last week. The bill will require all retail locations with ten or more employees to assess potential workplace violence hazards, adopt written workplace violence prevention policies, and undergo workplace violence prevention training effective March 1st, 2025. More significantly, employers with more than 500 retail employees nationwide will be required to provide physical panic buttons for employees to alert law enforcement during emergency situations. In a statement, Hochul offered, “Retail workers are on the front lines every day, keeping our economy moving and supporting their communities. From increasing penalties for assaulting a retail worker to signing the Retail Worker Safety Act, I’m committed to keeping our frontline workers safe.”?

Hochul also signed legislation?requiring employers to submit electronic payroll on projects subject to the State’s prevailing wage requirements. Sponsored by Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Harry Bronson, the legislation will create a more efficient payroll submission process to the Department of Labor and will help expose fraud and provide a tool to prosecute unscrupulous contractors. The measure was pushed by organized labor, who have said the bill is key to increasing transparency and accountability in the industry.??

Some news for those who frequent the Capitol in Albany. A new food option will be joining the roster of restaurants in the concourse. ?

In Washington, D.C., the House and Senate return from August recess this week with just thirteen scheduled session days until a potential government shutdown, and only three weeks of scheduled session until Election Day.?House Republicans have all but given up on trying to advance the remaining appropriations bills through the fractured House GOP Conference and are instead pursuing a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR). Speaker Mike Johnson has adopted a temporary spending plan that was pushed for by the far-right of his caucus and presents several potential roadblocks. Johnson’s plan would punt the funding issue to March 2025 when a new Congress and new president are in power and includes a policy rider that would require individuals provide proof of citizenship in order to register to vote, known as the SAVE Act.?

Aside from the fact that the measure is dead-on-arrival in the Senate, Johnson may have trouble getting it past the House given he will need near unanimity from his notoriously unruly conference. Some moderates and members in tough reelection races do not want a stand-off over a government shutdown this close to the election. Those concerns were voiced by Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) on a call with the GOP conference, though he later clarified that he plans to vote for the six-month spending plan and policy rider.?

Other Republicans are skeptical that Johnson has the leverage needed to extract concessions from the Senate.?They see a clean CR running through December as the inevitable outcome. Speaking on background, one GOP lawmaker offered, “Same movie, different actors. The Speaker would have real negotiating leverage if the votes existed for that in conference. Unfortunately, the probability of that happening is roughly the same as Joe Biden being President on opening day of next year’s MLB season.” There is also a faction of Republicans who are ideologically opposed to short-term CR’s and generally vote against them in protest of what they see as a failed appropriations process—a process Johnson promised to fix when he was elevated to be speaker. While none of the usual anti-CR Republicans have publicly said they would vote against Johnson’s plan, even a handful of defections would be enough to tank the bill.?

Farewell to international music icon Sérgio Mendes, who brought bossa nova to the world.?

Finally, if you’re afraid to quit your job, this service will do it for you!?

-Jack O’Donnell