Dear reader,
If a hurricane is blowing out of Washington, DC right now, its brunt force is hitting New York City now, where the corruption trial of Mayor Eric Adams has provided a stunning opening for President Donald Trump and his administration to launch a multi-pronged attack on the independence of prosecutors in the Southern District and NYC’s migration laws.
Readers and supporters of THE CITY have found themselves better equipped to understand the barrage of news than anyone else. We’ve been digging into allegations of wrongdoing by Adams and his inner circle for years, revealing layers of alleged campaign finance violations and other misconduct well before federal authorities were involved. We’ve also been tracking the impacts of the mayor’s ambivalent approach to migration policy and his embrace of tough policing tactics. And we’ve explained what will happen if he is forced out.
Still, the last two weeks have been confounding.
Adams’ trial was originally set for April. A jury of his peers was supposed to have the opportunity to judge the evidence for themselves. That now seems unlikely to happen.
On a Monday morning only two weeks ago, City Hall reporter Katie Honan broke the news that Adams had instructed his top lieutenants to play nice with federal immigration enforcement efforts. By that evening, we learned that the Department of Justice was instructing prosecutors to drop the charges against Adams. Ultimately, seven prosecutors resigned rather than file what they deemed a politically-motivated dismissal. The DOJ managed to find a prosecutor willing to sign their name to the paperwork that Friday evening.
The next week, Adams crowed about his legal vindication while palling around with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, announcing he’ll let ICE officials back into Rikers Island for the first time in more than a decade.
Pressure kept mounting for Adams’ removal. But last Monday, four of Adams’ eight deputy mayors resigned. Governor Kathy Hochul then convened a series of meetings to discuss whether or not she should take the unprecedented but legally-available step to remove Adams from office. So far, she’s choosing not to. Meanwhile, the judge in Adams’ case has assigned outside counsel to examine the dismissal of charges.
This story is far from over.
Whatever your view, it’s undeniable that our city’s leadership is in crisis. And ensuring that our leaders are fit and free to lead is what THE CITY exists to do.
But we need your help to do it. For the last month, our newsroom has been in overdrive, working at a breakneck speed to ensure that we are writing the story of New York in real-time, and crucially, helping to make sense of it all. We power that work with caffeine and your contributions. Chipping in to support our work for as little as the cost of a cup of coffee means we can stay on the beat. | 
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