$\"Fans$ <\/p>\n

VERY SUPERSTITIOUS:<\/b> For the first three quarters, it looked like the San Antonio Spurs were going to cream the Knicks in last night\u2019s Game 4 of the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

But in an epic comeback, the Knicks overcame the Spurs\u2019 29-point lead \u2014 a new record in an NBA Finals game \u2014 and beat San Antonio 107-106, putting the hometown team just one win away from claiming its first championship in over five decades.<\/p>\n

In New York political circles, there was an almost singular explanation for the unbelievable come-from-behind victory: The Trump curse had been lifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cTHANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE WHO BLESSED MSG TODAY TO GET THE STANK VIBES OUT,\u201d Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X<\/a> just before midnight. \u201cYOUR SERVICE IS APPRECIATED.\u201d<\/p>\n

The progressive lawmaker\u2019s all-caps missive was a reference to superstitious Knicks fans burning sage<\/a> outside Madison Square Garden to cleanse it of what they saw as the bad juju President Donald Trump cast over the team by attending Monday\u2019s Game 3 (which the Spurs won 115-111).<\/p>\n

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards suggested Staten Island\u2019s own Wu-Tang Clan \u2014 which performed last night\u2019s halftime show at MSG \u2014 had a hand in rooting out the bad vibes. \u201cWu-Tang is for the children!!!\u201d Richards wrote on X<\/a> in response to a video of the rap group\u2019s performance captioned: \u201cWu-Tang Clan have broken Donald Trump’s curse on the Knicks.\u201d<\/p>\n

No matter what brand of superstition is at play, it\u2019s unmistakable that the Knicks\u2019 playoff prowess has led New Yorkers to search for otherworldly explanations \u2014 and it seems to be the only thing local politicians can talk about.<\/p>\n

In an Instagram video<\/a> posted late last night, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries suggested there was a more cerebral catalyst for the Knicks\u2019 latest win.<\/p>\n

\u201cWemby tried to taunt the Knicks when they were up by about 29, suggesting that he was in our heads,\u201d Jeffries said in a video, referring to Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. \u201cNo. Actually Wemby, we were in your head.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his part, Mayor Zohran Mamdani turned to God for guidance about the Knicks.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnicks in five \u2014 inshallah, baby, let\u2019s go,\u201d he practically shouted on Hot 97 radio this morning, using the Arabic term for \u201cGod willing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Game 5 of the Finals is Saturday in San Antonio. If the Knicks win, they will claim the championship trophy for the first time since 1973.<\/p>\n

Not everything has been peaches and cream in the Big Apple when it comes to the Knickerbockers<\/a>, though.<\/p>\n

An NYPD spokesperson said 56 Knicks fans were taken into custody last night after massive and destructive crowds converged near The Garden to \u201ccelebrate\u201d the victory.<\/p>\n

According to the spokesperson, 10 officers were injured in the rampage, including one who got hit in the head with a glass bottle as the crowds jumped on top of moving vehicles, tried to flip over a parked cab and set off fireworks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis demonstrates exactly why the NYPD has increased our presence in and around Madison Square Garden,\u201d the police spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

The chaos unfolded after Knicks owner James Dolan canceled last night\u2019s ticketed watch party outside MSG because he was angry with Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch for blocking unauthorized pedestrian traffic in a large swath of Midtown around the arena due to security concerns. \u2014 Chris Sommerfeldt<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

From the Capitol<\/h3>\n
$\"Gov.$ <\/p>\n
MESSAGE RECEIVED:<\/b> Gov. Kathy Hochul responded today to White House border czar Tom Homan\u2019s threat<\/a> of an ICE surge into the Empire State.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not how we do things in New York,\u201d Hochul said at an event in Queens. \u201cMaybe Washington is a different breed there, and they think that intimidation and creating fear is a way to govern, and we’re just rejecting that here in the state of New York. That’s not who we are, never has been, never will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Homan\u2019s threats come after Hochul and state lawmakers sealed a deal on a package of measures meant to protect undocumented immigrants, following ICE\u2019s deportation operation in Minneapolis. The bills would limit civil deportation warrants from being executed in sensitive locations and prevent law enforcement, including ICE agents, from wearing masks.<\/p>\n
Homan blamed Hochul for the threatened surge after she signed legislation ending so-called 287(g) agreements that enable local law enforcement to share resources with federal authorities.<\/p>\n
Hochul said such a surge would be \u201ccontrary\u201d to what Trump previously told her<\/a>. The governor also mentioned that Homan\u2019s reasoning does not apply since only nine counties in New York previously participated in the 287(g) program \u2014 and none of those include any of New York City\u2019s five counties.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York City, where we’re predicting he’ll send the agents to, has never had a 287(g) agreement. They’ve never been allowed to use the jails. Never been allowed to use local police enforcement,\u201d the governor said. \u201cIt is irrational. It shows that they do not comprehend what is happening in the state of New York.\u201d \u2014 Leah Clark<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL<\/h3>\n
$\"Former$ <\/p>\n
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS: <\/b>A federal judge found former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander not guilty of misdemeanor obstruction Thursday for blocking an elevator while protesting last year outside an immigrant holding area.<\/p>\n
Lander was hit with the obstruction charge in September while demonstrating in support of detained immigrants<\/a> at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. He was offered a deal to drop the charge but opted instead for a trial to draw attention to the federal government\u2019s immigration policies.<\/p>\n
Lander said he was there with state legislators to view the facility\u2019s conditions, not to purposefully block an elevator \u2014 and that he would have moved if asked. In reading his findings, Judge Henry Ricardo described Lander\u2019s testimony as consistent with video evidence, noting that his movements didn\u2019t suggest he was purposefully trying to block the elevator and that Lander appeared \u201ctired and a bit resigned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo offense to Mr. Lander,\u201d the judge said.<\/p>\n
Lander \u2014 who entered the courtroom in good spirits and holding a Knicks hat \u2014 told reporters after the verdict: \u201cI didn’t feel tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt an urgency to show up that day and try to fight what ICE is doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After a month’s delay, Lander finally had his first day in court Wednesday \u2014 less than two weeks before the primary election \u2014 bringing immigration even more to the forefront in the waning days of his campaign against Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman.<\/p>\n
Goldman, who often highlights his oversight visits at immigrant detention centers and his \u201ctriage center\u201d to support detainees near 26 Federal Plaza, has repeatedly criticized Lander for his approach to immigration. On Wednesday, he referred to Lander\u2019s case as \u201cperformative\u201d and \u201cself-promoting.\u201d At a debate last week, Goldman chided him for the rhetorical refrain that he puts his \u201cbody on the line\u201d for immigrants and for fundraising off of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Brad never did get the information he sought from ICE, I have all of that information from my weekly oversight visits and would be happy to brief him,\u201d Goldman said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Read more from Madison Fernandez in Blue Light News<\/i><\/b><\/a>.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
POLL POSITION: <\/b>The race between Rep. Adriano Espaillat and primary challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier is close in the final stretch of the campaign, according to a pro-Avila Chevalier poll.<\/p>\n
The survey, conducted by Data for Progress for Justice Democrats, the progressive group that recruited the challenger, found Avila Chevalier with 39 percent of support compared to Espaillat\u2019s 35 percent. Twenty-two percent of respondents were undecided.<\/p>\n
The poll was conducted among 319 likely Democratic primary voters from June 3 to 9, after Mamdani endorsed Avila Chevalier \u2014 and as pro-Espaillat entities bombarded the airwaves with negative attacks against her. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 5 percentage points.<\/p>\n
The survey also shows that 86 percent of respondents in the district either have a very favorable or somewhat favorable view of the mayor. Avila Chevalier is leaning heavily<\/a> into Mamdani\u2019s endorsement.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no public polling in the race, though it\u2019s evident Espaillat\u2019s allies are anticipating a tight battle, considering the millions of dollars being poured into the race on his behalf in the homestretch. \u2014<\/i> Madison Fernandez<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
FROM CITY HALL<\/h3>\n
$\"Mayor$ <\/p>\n
2029 VISION: <\/b>Most political players in New York are focused on this month\u2019s primary elections \u2014 but Mamdani is already looking well beyond them.<\/p>\n
In a text message blast this afternoon, the mayor asked supporters to donate \u201cany amount\u201d they can to his 2029 reelection campaign, telling them he needs to start fundraising now because the opposition will \u201cbe better funded, better organized and ready to spend earlier than before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir fundraising is constant and prolific,\u201d he wrote in the text obtained by Playbook. \u201cIn closed-door meetings, wealthy donors and insider operatives consider how to influence our politics year-round. That\u2019s how our opponents secured the resources to spend $83 million against our movement last year \u2026 That\u2019s why we\u2019re making investments in our movement starting right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mamdani\u2019s missive did not identify the individuals behind the opposition he described.<\/p>\n
But a group called NYC Common Sense, spearheaded by former independent mayoral candidate Jim Walden and political consultant Phil Singer, launched last month with a stated goal of fighting his agenda with ads, policy papers and lawsuits. The group, whose formation was first reported<\/a> by The New York Times, has already raised $1 million from as-of-yet unidentified donors.<\/p>\n
Mamdani\u2019s pivot to 2029 fundraising indicates he\u2019s taking the nascent opposition to his democratic socialist project seriously. Trip Yang, a longtime Democratic strategist, acknowledged it\u2019s relatively early to fundraise for 2029. Still, he said it\u2019s a smart move.<\/p>\n
\u201cA strong early fundraising number is important to show the reelection is well-positioned,\u201d Yang said.<\/p>\n
Read more from Chris Sommerfeldt in Blue Light News<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n
STILL LOADING: <\/b>City Council Speaker Julie Menin exuded confidence today over the newly introduced protest buffer zone bill<\/a> around education facilities, which has the backing of 35 council members, a veto-proof super majority.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did speak with the mayor about the bill. We had a brief conversation about it,\u201d Menin said at a press conference. \u201cI think the new bill really addresses some concerns that we had heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Menin said the revised measure would still achieve the original proposal\u2019s goals but more narrowly defines which types of locations are included. Universities, which were flash points for some of the country\u2019s most heated demonstrations, have been excluded from the new bill.<\/p>\n
The original measure was vetoed by Mamdani in April<\/a> after he raised concerns about its broad definition of educational facilities and the potential impacts on protests tied to ICE, fossil fuel divestment and Palestinian rights.<\/p>\n
He allowed a similar bill to become law in April while voicing opposition to both buffer-zone bills\u2019 framing of \u201call protest as a security concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the mayor said the administration is still \u201creviewing the new version of the legislation.\u201d \u00a0\u2014 Gelila Negesse<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
IN OTHER NEWS<\/h3>\n\u2014 BAIT AND SWITCH:<\/b> A year after New York City banned broker fees, renters say the charges never really left. (Gothamist<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\u2014 COURT-ORDERED VISITS: <\/b>New York will begin to require judges to make recurring visits to prisons after years of a long-neglected oversight rule not being met. (The City Reporter<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\u2014 STRAPPED FOR CASH: <\/b>The Mamdani administration is considering invoking a fiscal exception to delay required payments to nonprofits, citing cash constraints. (NBC New York<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Missed this morning\u2019s New York Playbook? We forgive you. <\/b>Read it here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
VERY SUPERSTITIOUS: For the first three quarters, it looked like the San Antonio Spurs were going to cream the Knicks in last night\u2019s Game 4 of the NBA Finals. But in an epic comeback, the Knicks overcame the Spurs\u2019 29-point lead \u2014 a new record in an NBA Finals game \u2014 and beat San Antonio […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}