Attorney General Tish James on NYC Mayor's Race, Affordability, and Legal Battles

NYC Mayor's Race and Affordability Crisis

• 🎯 Tish James endorsed Adrien Adams for her experience and ability to organize the City Council, and later endorsed Zoran Mandani for his focus on affordability.
• 💸 The high cost of living in New York City, including housing, childcare, and daily expenses, is causing residents to leave the city and states.
• 🤝 Addressing affordability requires collaboration between federal, state, and city governments, with a focus on low-income individuals.

Combating Fraud and Overbilling

• 🔍 James highlights uncovering the City Time scandal, involving $500 million in fraudulent billing by a consultant.
• 💰 She advocates for analyzing costs across state and city agencies, particularly the Department of Education, to identify overbilling and fraud.
• ⚖️ Tackling fraud and overbilling is crucial for improving the city's and state's ability to address affordability issues.

Public Safety and Mental Health

• 🧠 James emphasizes the need to address mental illness in police interactions, noting officers are often ill-equipped to handle emotionally disturbed individuals.
• 🛠️ She supports creating a separate agency for mental health crises and retaining Jessica Tish as Police Commissioner for her leadership and work on technology like body cameras.
• 🤝 Public safety requires ongoing conversations with the police force and strong leadership.

Political Violence and Social Media's Role

• ⚠️ The assassination of Charlie Kirk is cited as an example of political violence, which should not be a tool in a democratic society.
• 🗣️ Leaders must foster dialogue by speaking to commonalities and shared humanity to bridge political divides.
• 📱 James supports banning social media phones in schools and urges Congress to re-examine Section 230 to hold social media platforms liable for violence incited on their sites.

Legal Battles with the Federal Government

• 🛡️ James asserts she is standing up for New Yorkers by using the law to protect their rights against federal actions impacting policies like Medicaid, food stamps, and Head Start.
• ⚖️ She details legal cases against Donald Trump, including a civil fraud case upheld by the First Department and investigations into the NRA and alleged mortgage fraud, which she deems baseless retribution.
• 💪 James states she cannot be paralyzed by fear and will continue to defend the rights of New Yorkers and the laws of the state, emphasizing that the vast majority of her work is not related to Donald Trump.

Supreme Court and State Sovereignty

• 📈 While acknowledging the Supreme Court's conservative bent, James expresses confidence that victories in lower courts will be upheld, particularly regarding state sovereignty.
• 🏛️ She highlights successful cases against the Department of Education and Americanore, and is confident in prevailing on issues like birthright citizenship.
• ✊ New York will not bow, bend, or capitulate to the President when the rights of New Yorkers are impacted.