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Embattled NYC Mayor's Double Trouble

Embattled NYC Mayor's Double Trouble

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
February 19, 2025

Good Wednesday morning. A small town in Florida is pulling out all the stops to find a new local doctor. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

IVF: Expanded access
Morocco: Shipwrecks found
DOGE: Court ruling
S&P 500: Record close
Paul Simon: Comeback tour

... and more

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Top Tips

1) City maul

Eric Adams is not out of the woods yet.

Catch up: The Justice Department recently moved to drop federal corruption charges against New York City's controversial mayor. The move has caused a rash of prosecutor resignations and sparked allegations Adams agreed to support President Donald Trump's immigration policies in return for a get-out-of-jail-free card. Several of Adams' top aides have also stepped down in protest.
The news: A federal judge has ordered Adams, his attorneys and DOJ to explain the decision to dismiss the charges today in a hearing. U.S. District Judge Dale Ho's order suggests he may not rubber stamp the controversial dismissal motion; he wrote judges must be convinced "substantial" reasons exist to drop such a case.
Nuclear option: State law gives Gov. Kathy Hochul the power to remove Adams from office, and she is under growing pressure to do so. She met with various Democratic leaders yesterday to discuss options; she is expected to wait until after today's court hearing to make any move.
Big picture: Adams' eventual legal fate likely remains the same -- Trump could pardon him if DOJ's dismissal request is rejected -- but it is increasingly likely he could be the first mayor in history to be expelled from City Hall. Adams is also running for re-election this year, but his prospects appear dim. Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo is dominating Democratic primary polls despite not yet being a candidate and city Republicans have signaled they would not support an Adams party swap, even as he cozies up to the president.

2) Bad ride

Iran has charged a British couple with espionage.

The news: Craig and Lindsay Foreman were arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the city of Kerman last month. Iranian state media reported they are accused of gathering information on behalf of intelligence services in "hostile countries." The United Kingdom's Foreign Office has confirmed their identities.
Road trip: The married couple -- said to be in their 50s -- was attempting an around-the-world motorcycle tour. Lindsay Foreman acknowledged on social media they were ignoring UK travel advisories by visiting Iran and that leg of their tour would be "slightly scary," but expressed optimism they would discover "warm hospitality, incredible landscapes, and memories that last a lifetime." They reportedly entered Iran from Armenia and were headed toward Pakistan.
Big picture: The couple previously said they were conducting a research project on what makes a "good life" with their travels. British officials said they are working to free them. Iran is notorious for arresting foreigners and dual nationals on bogus security-related charges in an effort to create leverage in dealings with Western adversaries.

3) Desert storm

The supposed start of the Russia-Ukraine peace process ratcheted tensions on both sides of the Atlantic even higher.

The sitdown: High level American and Russian officials met face-to-face for the first time since the Kremlin launched its invasion yesterday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; a summit Secretary of State Marco Rubio said would be a first pass at working toward serious negotiations to end the war. The nations agreed to resume normal staffing operations at their respective embassies in Moscow and Washington. There were no European or Ukrainian representatives present.
Hard lines: Russia said Ukraine has a sovereign right to join the European Union -- after President Vladimir Putin previously questioned whether it was a legitimate country -- but reiterated NATO membership is a non-starter. The Kremlin also said it would not agree to a peace deal that included NATO troops in Ukraine as peacekeepers. There is also no movement on Russia giving back illegally annexed territories to Ukraine.
Trump talks: The president appeared to blame Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky for the war during a press conference yesterday, sparking criticism. He also leaned into Kremlin talking points about Ukraine holding elections as part of a peace deal; critics say Russia would interfere in the vote to try to oust Zelensky and replace him with a Moscow-friendly successor.
The sidelines: European leaders reportedly plan to hold another emergency summit in Paris today. Zelensky again railed against Ukraine and its EU allies being left out of peace talks (something the Trump Administration has vowed not to do after previous mixed messages). Zelensky also said the UK and Turkey must be involved in talks.
Big picture: The road to any sort of peace deal remains long and unpredictable. Western intelligence services remain highly skeptical Putin is interested in anything other than feigning interest in a deal so Russia can work its way back into the international community.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

President Trump signed an executive order expanding in-vitro fertilization access, including a directive to investigate ways to reduce costs. He made a previous campaign pledge to mandate full coverage for the treatments by either the government or insurers (More)
A Michigan man faces attempted murder charges in Pennsylvania after setting an occupied home on fire. The suspect allegedly drove over 700 miles because the home's owner was speaking to his ex-girlfriend (More)
The Agriculture Department fired some employees handling the national bird flu response. Agency officials said they are working to re-hire those workers; the Trump Administration previously had to reverse the terminations of nuclear safety workers (More)

World News

Nine World War I shipwrecks were found off the coast of Morocco. German torpedoes sunk the boats; experts say British, French, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian and Portuguese vessels were discovered (More)
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was formally charged with an attempted coup after losing his 2022 re-election campaign. Prosecutors allege he knew of plans to poison current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and murder a member of the country's Supreme Court (More)
South Africa will consider working with Iran or Russia to expand its nuclear energy capacities. Officials said they would accept bids from those nations amid tensions with the Trump Administration (More)

Political News

A federal judge refused to block Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive records at several agencies. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled a lawsuit filed by over a dozen states did not prove "imminent, irreparable harm" by billionaire Elon Musk's controversial watchdog group (More)
Howard Lutnick was approved as Commerce Secretary. The former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO was confirmed in a 51-45 Senate vote on party lines; he will play a pivotal role in President Trump's tariffs program (More)
The leader of New York University's College Republicans resigned over comments about Barron Trump, a freshman at the school. The national organization pressured her to step down after she told Vanity Fair the First Son was an "oddity" on campus (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed higher yesterday to open the shortened trading week. The S&P 500 closed at a record high after setting an intraday record (Dow +0.02%, Nasdaq +0.07%, S&P 500 +0.24%).
Capital One and Discover shareholders approved a $35B merger plan. The proposed tie-up of the credit card and financial services firms still faces regulatory hurdles, including a Federal Reserve sign-off (More)
BP is reportedly considering a sale of Castrol, its lubricants division. The oil giant could fetch as much as $10B for the business; activist investor Elliott Management is pushing the potential move (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Paul Simon will tour the U.S. and Canada later this year. The legendary singer and songwriter previously retired from touring in 2018, citing hearing loss; he plans to play over 50 shows across 20 cities from April through August (More)
Netflix plans to bid for one of the NFL's Sunday broadcast packages. The league can get out of its deals with CBS and Fox in 2029; the streamer carried two Christmas Day games last season and has acquired the bulk of WWE's broadcast rights (More)
A$AP Rocky was acquitted of felony gun assault charges in Los Angeles. The rapper, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, faced 24 years in prison and had turned down a plea deal with a 180-day sentence; he is Rihanna's long-time partner (More)

Quick Hitters

Silly Stuff: People were asked to reveal the funniest things they believed as kids. That is an interesting thought about clouds and dinosaurs.
New Idea: Oysters may hold the secret to killing bacteria. Australian scientists have discovered a protein in the slimy delicacy's cells can attack antibiotic-resistant bugs and strengthen drugs that combat common illnesses like pneumonia.
Go Deep: It is low on the list of current Elon Musk-related discussion topics. But the billionaire's Neuralink is installing human brain implants with stunning results. Should people be amazed or terrified?
Take Note: Don't sleep on the idea of rotating your mattress. You rarely hear the old-school recommendation, but it has some merit.
Life Hack: Trying to convince or influence someone who disagrees with you? Don't make the mistake of believing that facts are powerful.

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