Will New York's mayor survive widening scandal?

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🗓️ 18 February 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, along withother top officials spent much of Tuesday weighing whether to use her power to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office.

It's a power that no New York Governor has ever used before.

Adams faces growing calls to step down over allegations of corruption - and criticism that Adams' deepening ties with the Trump administration have compromised his ability to govern independently.

The nation's biggest city has been all but paralyzed by the legal and political problems of its Mayor. What's next for Eric Adams, and what does the scandal tell us about the Trump Justice Department?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The political scandal gripping New York City and its mayor can be summed up in a series of numbers.
0:07.7	Five. That's the number of criminal charges filed against Eric Adams late last year.
0:12.8	The charges were part of a sweeping case alleging that Adams used the power of various city offices over nearly a decade to solicit lavish vacations and improper
0:24.4	campaign contributions.
0:26.6	Five is also the number of criminal charges that acting Deputy Attorney General Amel Bovi
0:33.1	ordered federal prosecutors to drop earlier this month.
0:37.3	Bovi said the criminal indictment restricted Mayor Adams' ability to address illegal immigration and violent crime in the city.
0:45.7	The number four, that's the number of Adams' deputies who resigned in protest yesterday, effectively wiping out the mayor's top leadership. They follow a string of
0:55.3	Adams officials who have exited his administration. And one final number to think about
1:01.0	235. That is the number of years that the governor of New York State has had the power
1:08.0	to remove the mayor of New York City if he or she deems they are unable to govern.
1:14.5	No governor has ever used that power, but that could change at any moment.
1:20.4	Consider this, the nation's biggest city has been all but paralyzed by the legal and political problems of its mayor. What's next for
1:29.1	Eric Adams? And what does the scandal tell us about the Trump Justice Department? From NPR, I'm
1:38.3	Mary Louise Kelly. Support for NPR and the following message come from Bowling Branch.
1:46.4	Change your sleep with the softness of Bowling Branch's 100% organic cotton sheets.
1:51.6	Feel the difference with 15% off your first set of sheets at bowl and branch.com with code NPR.
1:57.4	Exclusions apply. See site for details.
2:06.6	No. NPR. Exclusions apply. See site for details. It's considered this from NPR. It has been a tense day in New York City as governor,
2:13.6	Kathy Hochel, and other top officials weigh the political future of the city's embattled mayor Eric Adams.
2:21.0	Adams faces growing calls to step down over allegations of corruption and over criticism that his deepening ties with the Trump administration have compromised his ability to govern independently.
2:34.0	NPR's Brian Mann is following this. Hey there.
	...

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