AILSA CHANG, HOST:
New York Governor Kathy Hochul says she will not force New York City's embattled mayor, Eric Adams, from office. Her decision is a big win for Adams, of course, and a victory for President Trump, who will now keep a key ally in charge of America's largest city. Instead, Hochul announced this afternoon that she will try to create new guardrails around Adams as he faces growing legal and political controversy. NPR's Brian Mann joins us now from Manhattan, Hi, Brian.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, so let me get this right. Governor Hochul was making it pretty clear that she was seriously considering pushing Adams out, right? But obviously, she decided against that. What do you think her thinking was?
MANN: You know, Ailsa, a growing number of Democrats were pushing Hochul hard to have her remove Adams. But speaking today, she said, first, she believes voters should take the lead deciding Adams' fate. And she also said initiating a removal process could be harmful for the city.
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KATHY HOCHUL: I also have concerns about disruption and chaos that such a move, such a proceeding, could bring to the residents of this great city. It's not impossible that we'd have a scenario where there's multiple mayors of this city in the course of one year.
MANN: So as you mentioned, Ailsa, instead of removing Adams, Hochul says she's going to create these guardrails, meaning new oversight mechanisms, trying to give state officials more leverage over the city's future actions.
CHANG: But what kind of leverage will state officials have compared to the leverage that the Trump administration might have - right? - because there are critics who say the Trump administration suspended this federal corruption case against Adams so that the White House would have leverage over him. And because it's just suspended, they can threaten to bring back those charges at any time. Am I understanding this correctly?
MANN: You've got it exactly right. The Trump administration officials have been really clear. They expect Adams to play a big role helping the White House find and round up migrants without legal status, despite New York City's status as a sanctuary city. In recent weeks, Adams has already allowed federal immigration police to operate at the city's jail complex on Rikers Island. Adams himself appeared on Fox News with Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, and during that appearance, Homan actually warned Adams that he's expected to do a lot more.
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TOM HOMAN: If he doesn't come through, I'll be back in New York City...
AINSLEY EARHARDT: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR #1: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR #2: Listen...
HOMAN: ...And we won't be sitting on a couch. I'll be in his office, up his butt, saying, where the hell is the agreement we came to?
MANN: Many Democrats here say that shows Adams is going to be under Donald Trump's thumb because of the threat of those criminal charges.
CHANG: Wow. OK, so did Hochul talk about that part of Adams' situation today?
MANN: She did. She says New York City is facing what she calls a grave threat from Trump, one that could include coercion.
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HOCHUL: Given how aggressive the Trump administration has been and how deeply disturbing the comments from the president's border czar were, we know they'll stop at nothing to try and exercise control over New York.
MANN: So Hochul says leaving Adams in place doesn't mean she's ducking a fight with the Trump administration, but this decision's going to be controversial.
CHANG: OK, well, there is one more thing because we're waiting on a federal judge to decide whether those corruption charges against Adams will actually be dropped. What are you hearing?
MANN: Yeah, Judge Dale Ho hasn't issued his ruling yet. He promised to move quickly. But the DOJ's decision to shelve these charges so that Adams can help the White House on immigration - it's incredibly controversial. At least seven DOJ attorneys have already resigned, saying this is a dangerous precedent. So as we wait for Ho's ruling, one other question now is whether Adams can rebuild his political support. He's seeking a second term. And Ailsa, the Democratic primary is just four months away.
CHANG: That is NPR's Brian Mann in Manhattan. Thank you, Brian.
MANN: Thank you, Ailsa.
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