Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
It’s time to party like it’s 2014! Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo – everyone’s favorite feud since the Hatfields and McCoys – are at it again. De Blasio said he doesn’t think Cuomo should be mayor, while Cuomo’s campaign shot back that de Blasio is the “least popular mayor” in city history. At least Cuomo and de Blasio won’t have to worry about a jaywalking ticket if they cross the street to try to avoid one another. That’s right, jaywalking’s now legal in the city.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -
Love her or hate her, New York Dems’ progressive darling tied for 3rd in a new Democratic presidential primary poll from left-wing think tank Data for Progress and news outlet Zeteo, trailing behind only Pete Buttigieg and Cory Booker. She also broke her own fundraising record by raising $9.6 million in the beginning of this year – more than twice as much as her previous best quarter. This fundraising breakthrough reflects Ocasio-Cortez’s rising momentum among progressives, who are begging her to run and oust U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer in the 2028 primary.
Jay Clayton -
Jay Clayton, a former chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Clayton was already very much in the running for the role – Trump nominated him to helm the infamous Manhattan office months ago, only for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to try to block his nomination. Now, he’ll be taking the reins early as Trump pushes the Senate to officially confirm him.
Rochell Bishop Sleets -
They fought the law, and the law lost. In a victory for accountability and the free press, Newsday won its four-year lawsuit to force the Suffolk County Police Department to turn over misconduct records it was withholding. That means the reporting team led by editor Rochell Bishop Sleets will finally have access to all records of alleged police misconduct, even those found to be unsubstantiated. Suffolk police officials had refused to make them public even after the repeal of the 50-a privacy law. Next stop, Nassau.
Joe DeStefano -
The Republican Assembly member allegedly pressured his staffer into a romantic relationship with him last year. But she wasn’t that into him and repeatedly tried to break it off. Once the couple finally did break up, DeStefano allegedly told her to hand in her resignation. What a class act! Now, she’s suing him and seeking damages, the Times Union reported.
Letitia James -
President Donald Trump, famously not a sore loser, launched an opening salvo against a top political enemy when the Federal Housing Finance Agency sent a criminal referral letter to state Attorney General Letitia James. James, who won a civil fraud case against Trump in 2024, is now being accused by the Trump administration of falsifying bank documents and property records to receive favorable loan terms on residences in Virginia and Brooklyn.
Molly Morris -
Empire Wind isn’t in a very Empire State of mind right now. The Trump administration abruptly halted the offshore wind project, even though it had already received necessary federal approvals and construction was underway. It’s definitely bad news for Molly Morris, president of Equinor Wind U.S., who oversees offshore wind in the United States for the Norwegian company. And it’s even worse news for New York’s climate goals.