New York State

A ban on toxic toys, Cuomo backs Biden and the quest for Trump's taxes continues

Rounding up the week’s political news: From a ban on toxic children's' toys to taking legislative steps to unearth president Donald Trump's taxes.

toxic toys

toxic toys Avtk/Shutterstock

“The Simpsons” roasted upstate New York, and let’s just say not everyone was amused. Some upstaters took issue with the unflattering depiction of a region with a declining population, crumbling infrastructure and struggling economy. “Capital Tonight” host Liz Benjamin said she would boycott the animated show.

The New York State Fair issued an invitation to the show’s writers to see all the good parts of the region. In response, “The Simpsons” executive producer Al Jean tweeted that upstate New York is “the coolest place on earth,” and said he would send Gov. Andrew Cuomo a season four DVD when he heard the governor had never watched the show.

Movement on Trump’s taxes

Donald Trump
Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Shutterstock

A bill in the state Legislature meant to help Congress get access to Trump’s state tax returns cleared it first hurdle when it moved out the state Senate Budget and Revenues Committee. The legislation, which would permit the state Department of Taxation and Finance to hand over tax returns at the request of certain congressional committees, is on track for a vote on the state Senate floor. However, the Assembly is not expected to move quickly on the legislation.

Chemical crackdown

The state Legislature passed a series of long-stalled environmental bills that included a ban on products and toys that include harmful chemicals, such as arsenic, asbestos, formaldehyde, mercury and organohalogen. However, environmentalists were disappointed that the chemical 1,4 dioxine, a contaminant commonly found in laundry detergent and shampoos, was excluded. Lawmakers also introduced a constitutional amendment to guarantee a person’s right to clean air, water and a healthy environment, although Republicans questioned the vague wording.

Letitia James investigates NRA 

New York Attorney General Letitia James
lev radin/Shutterstock

State Attorney General Letitia James opened an investigation into the finances of the National Rifle Association, which is already contending with the resignation of its president, Oliver North. James’ move drew sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who said on Twitter that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and James (without identifying her by name) are trying to “destroy” the gun rights group through illegal means. James responded that she will follow the facts, while Cuomo pointed to the country’s epidemic of gun violence.

Early voting drama

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked the city Board of Elections to use the $75 million he gave the agency in his budget to open 100 early voting polling sites. Under new laws passed by the state in January, the city must have at least 34 sites, but de Blasio said the BOE should aim to open more to help make elections run smoother. However, the BOE announced it approved 38 sites across all five boroughs for early voting, drawing criticism from de Blasio.

Cuomo backs Biden 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Vice President Joe Biden embrace during a press conference in 2015.
Office of the Governor/Kevin P. Coughlin

Cuomo has publicly thrown his support behind Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, saying that the former vice president is the only candidate “who can actually get something done” beyond spewing rhetoric. Cuomo reportedly plans to open up his vast fundraising network to Biden and is expected to be far more involved in this campaign than he was in supporting either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

State GOP battle heats up

Erie County Republican Party Chairman Nicholas Langworthy has officially declared his candidacy for state GOP chairman, looking to unseat incumbent Ed Cox after a disastrous 2018 election cycle. Langworthy has so far picked up several endorsements from the Republican county chairs of Cayuga, Onondaga, Schenectady and Saratoga counties. Cox, meanwhile, has picked up several downstate endorsements from the county chairs in Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk, as well as Broome and Chenango.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.