Eric Adams remains in mayoral race after Trump job offer
Incumbent mayor Eric Adams allegedly turned down a job in the Trump administration offered in exchange for dropping out of the mayoral race. The move — reportedly initiated by President Donald Trump — aimed to strengthen former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s odds of defeating Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary by 12 percentage points over Cuomo.
Multiple sources reported that the White House is considering Adams for a Saudi Arabian Ambassadorship and a position in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, after he met with members of Trump’s team during a covert trip to Florida on Monday. Similar offers were made to Republican nominee Curtis Silwa, who also rejected the idea of ending his campaign.
The president’s relentless encroachment in this year’s race concerns his disdain for Mamdani, arguing that he isn’t fit to lead the country’s largest city.
“No, I don’t like to see a communist become mayor, I will tell you that,” Trump told reporters.
While both Silwa and Adams confirmed their plans to remain on the ballot, candidates have until Sept. 11, the ballot certification deadline, to drop out of the race. After that, any removal of candidates will not be updated on the voter ballots.
Statewide phone ban storms NYC public schools
A cell phone ban in New York State K-12 schools took effect on Thursday, nearly four months after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the state will be the largest in the country to implement such a policy. Schools can establish their own guidelines and disciplinary procedures if students fail to comply with the rule.
The “bell-to-bell” statewide mandate — an initiative led by Hochul — prohibits the use of internet enabled electronic devices on school grounds throughout the school day. The law also extends to charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services.
The initiative comes after a statewide listening tour Hochul conducted with parents, teachers and students that resulted in the “More learning, less scrolling” report, which found that existing phone-free schools improve students’ engagement in classrooms and attention to emergency situations.
The law also follows the SAFE for Kids Act signed by Hochul in June 2024, a law that requires social media companies to restrict “algorithmically driven feeds” that could harm kids’ mental health, to users under 18 unless parental consent is granted.
Exceptions can be made to devices for medical use and translation, as well as approved devices under the Individualized Education Program. Cell phones without internet access, such as flip phones, are also not banned by the new law.
COVID-19 vaccines available in pharmacies without prescription
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Friday making COVID-19 vaccines available to be administered in pharmacies statewide without a doctor’s prescription, bypassing the Food and Drug Administration’s updated COVID-19 restriction that requires medical authorization for anyone under 65 or without underlying health conditions.
The order, issued under the state’s emergency powers, allows physicians and nurse practitioners to issue specific orders to pharmacists for patients aged three to 17 to receive COVID-19 shots. It is effective immediately for 30 days and may be renewed as needed.
“We must do everything we can to ensure that New Yorkers have access to the vaccines and preventative healthcare they have come to rely on,” Hochul said in a statement. “By signing this executive order, we are sending a clear message that when Washington Republicans play politics with public health, New Yorkers can still get the care they need.”
Pharmacies statewide are shifting their policy based on the new guidelines with the help of New York Heath Commissioner Jim McDonald’s standing order that allows COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in a timely manner.
The order comes amid mounting criticism of federal vaccine policy under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a vaccine skeptic whose recent actions included vaccine limitations and the dismissal of all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Contact Leena Ahmed at [email protected].
