Media top headlines January 26
In media news today, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes gets roasted for questioning people who oppose COVID restrictions, The New York Times’ Nikole Hannah-Jones deletes a tweet defending vaccine passports, and a CNN political analyst echoes Biden’s statements comparing Republicans to segregationists.
Daily Beast senior editor Harry Siegel warned in a Wednesday column that if New York City Mayor Eric Adams doesn't deliver on his campaign promises to tamp down on crime, Democrats will be "toast."
New Yorkers are in mourning over two police officers, 22-year-old Officer Jason Rivera and 27-year-old Officer Wilbert Mora, who were shot and killed in the line of duty in the past week. The pair of tragedies occurred after months of murder, robberies, and more as criminals have become more brazen throughout the city. In the past few days, a series of attacks have been reported in the subway system, with accounts of people pushing innocent bystanders onto the tracks. Transit crime is up 65.5% so far this year compared to 2021, according to NYPD statistics.
Adams, a retired NYPD captain, ran for mayor with an agenda to reverse the dangerous trend. He has painted himself as a contrast to his predecessor Bill de Blasio, whose relationship with the city's law enforcement was strained throughout his tenure. For instance, Adams announced he would be reinstating the plainclothes anti-gun unit that de Blasio had disbanded. The units are expected to focus on the 30 precincts where 80% of violence occurs.
"New Yorkers feel as if a sea of violence is engulfing our city," Adams said at City Hall Monday. "But as your mayor, I promise you, I will not let this happen. We will not surrender our city to the violent few. Gun violence is a public health crisis. There’s no time to wait. We must act."
NYC ERIC ADAMS' CRIME-FIGHTING PLAN: ‘WE WILL HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, ON EVERY BLOCK IN THIS CITY’
New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference at City Hall in New York City, U.S., January 24, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
But if Adams doesn't deliver, Siegel suggests the Democratic Party is doomed in the midterms because it will give Republicans plenty of fodder.
"A lot of Eric Adams' plan for tackling gun violence involves things that Albany doesn't want to provide and Washington can't deliver on," Siegel tweeted with a link to his op-ed. "And if the ‘new face of the Democratic Party’ falls short, that spells more trouble for the national party in November."
Police procession for New York City police officer killed (WNYW)
"If Eric Adams can’t rapidly reverse the widespread sense of a more dangerous and disorderly city, he won’t need to keep promoting himself as the face of the Democratic Party," Siegel wrote. "Republicans will do that for him ahead of the midterms."
Siegel said a few roadblocks stand in Adams' way, including Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s first Black district attorney. Bragg has stoked controversy with his policing reform goals, including a recent memo in which he revealed his intentions to seek prison time only for a handful of violent crimes. He later responded to backlash by saying his memo gave the "wrong impression."
'NYC MAYOR ADAMS REINSTATES POLICE UNIT DE BLASIO DISBANDED DURING DEFUND POLICE MOVEMENT
Adams has also faced resistance from Albany lawmakers in his quest to change the Raise the Age law that requires defendants to be at least 18 before they can be criminally prosecuted. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D., argued the alterations would disproportionately affect "Black and brown and poor defendants."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks addresses the press about the scene where NYPD officers were shot while responding to a domestic violence call in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, U.S., January 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dieu-Nalio Chery (Reuters)
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In his "Blueprint to End Gun Violence" address on Monday, Adams pledged to combat gun violence and in particular the influx of illegal guns in the city.
"We will have boots on the ground, on every block in this city," he said.
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.