Millions in FEMA funds sent to New York City last week to help with the migrant crisis were clawed back Wednesday, officials said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she told President Donald Trump in a private meeting at the White House that congestion pricing tolls in Manhattan are necessary and working.

The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants. Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,

Long live the King,' President Donald Trump commented on social media after targeting congestion pricing in New York City. Shortly afterwards, the official White House Instagram account posted a fake 'Time' magazine cover of him wearing a crown.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she told President Donald Trump in a private meeting at the White House that congestion pricing tolls in Manhattan are necessary and working

We speak with Josh Filler. Josh Filler is an attorney and former New York City, White House, and Department of Homeland Security official, Josh Filler works with law enforcement and other public safety agencies across the country on homeland security and emergency preparedness issues.

As Andrew Cuomo inches toward announcing a run for New York City mayor, Playbook can report a curious confidante he’s cultivated along the way: Frank Carone. Yes, the same Frank Carone who stood by Mayor Eric Adams from his days as a promising candidate in 2021, to his tenure as the leader of the city, to more recently, as an indicted man fighting federal charges in D.C. and Democratic opponents at home. Carone is his fundraiser, political adviser, one-time chief of staff and friend. Make no mistake, Carone says, he’s still in the mayor’s corner. They remain in constant contact and spent hours in Gracie Mansion together the night Adams was indicted. Carone helped set up and attended the pivotal meeting between Adams and President Donald Trump that led to Trump’s Justice Department dropping charges against Adams. But Carone — ever the pragmatic businessperson — has been in regular communication with Cuomo and his top adviser, Melissa DeRosa, for months. Four political insiders told Playbook about the relationship, each privately expressing varying degrees of shock and admonition that a man Adams has called his “brother” would so frequently talk shop with the soon-to-be strongest candidate in the race — the one threatening Adams’ support with Black Democrats. “I am all in supporting the reelection of Eric Adams and the Adams Administration and believe its record under the Mayor’s leadership of success from January 1 2022 through today speaks for itself,” Carone told Playbook in a statement. “NYC is simply better and on the right track. However, I consider Melissa a friend and enjoy communicating with her, as well as Governor Cuomo, who I have great respect for.” It stands to reason Carone would want to hedge his bets. Cuomo’s leading in the polls, Adams is politically and financially hobbled, and Carone — once the Brooklyn Democratic Party lawyer — runs a lobbying and consulting firm he’s looking to grow. People in his position thrive on access to powerful politicians. Like Cuomo and Adams, Carone shares a distaste for the politics of left-flank candidates like city Comptroller Brad Lander and likely sees Cuomo as the best non-Adams option to defeat them. Perhaps the most interesting part of this tale is that Adams, we’re told, is aware of Carone’s relationship with the Cuomo team and isn’t holding it against him, further proving the maxim that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. An Adams spokesperson declined to comment, and Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said, “We don’t comment on private conversations but I think everyone in this business should just assume that everyone talks to everybody all the time.” Case in point: a strategist for a candidate in the crowded Democratic primary recently told New York Magazine that campaign aides are “all on a text chain” in a story about the mayor’s woes. When asked whether Carone would play a role in his campaign — an operation that has yet to take shape within four months of Primary Day — Adams told Playbook last month Carone was deciding whether to join the team or do an independent PAC. He added, “Frank is my guy, before we even start I will find out exactly what he wants to do.” — Sally Goldenberg Insurance Hitting Uber Riders in the Wallet. New York State has some of the most onerous and expensive insurance laws for rideshare trips in the country and Uber riders are paying the cost. In December 2024, 25% of rider fares on average went toward government-mandated commercial insurance for Uber rideshare trips. Lawsuit abuse and the litigation environment in New York are driving up costs of everything even more, including insurance premiums. Learn More. COME AT THE KING: Gov. Kathy Hochul is trying to bottle up President Donald Trump. The president has taken glee in exerting the federal government’s will over his native (and very blue) state — happily referring to himself as a “king” in the process. Trump has moved to rescind federal approval of the congestion pricing toll program. And his Justice Department is pushing to end Adams’ corruption case while simultaneously having the mayor carry out the White House’s immigration policies. So the governor, a Democrat who faces a potentially tough reelection battle next year, is on the ramparts. She cheered on a lawsuit to keep the toll cameras going Wednesday during a fiery news conference. A day later, she proposed a package of “guardrails” meant to boost oversight of Adams’ office — which Hochul framed as a way to counter Trump’s undue influence over City Hall. “There’s a clear line between cooperation and coercion,” Hochul told reporters Thursday in her Manhattan office. “Given how aggressive the Trump administration has been … we know they’ll stop at nothing to try and exercise control over New York.” Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Trump said New York has “treated people very badly” and the toll program he wants to end is “not a good situation.” “Suppose you work at a shoe shop, or you worked at a restaurant as a waiter, and you have to come into Manhattan and they’re taking many, many dollars out of your pocket,” he said of the $9 tolls. Hochul has said she doesn’t want to fight Trump on every issue and insists she’s willing to work with him when there’s a shared interest. But increasingly Trump is coming directly at her and New York, a state where he overperformed in November. For Hochul, doing battle with Trump could endear her to Democrats. But the largely powerless New York Republicans view Trump’s gains differently. To them, they’re a chance to recapture statewide offices next year for the first time in 20 years. — Nick Reisman POWERS PICK: First in Playbook, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council is backing Keith Powers for Manhattan borough president, the labor giant’s first endorsement of this year. HTC has a lot of members working in Manhattan and wants to see casinos — with union jobs — in the borough. The next BP could have a say in casino placement if a decision is delayed to 2026, and HTC would want a friend in the office. Powers’ leading opponent, state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, has firmly opposed proposals in his district. A union spokesperson said the endorsement would also include members helping out with campaign activities. And the union has an affiliated super PAC that’s likely to boost Powers’ campaign. “From his consistent support for responsible development with good jobs, to helping reopen hotels and restart our tourism industry, Keith has always prioritized the interests of working families,” HTC President Rich Maroko said. — Jeff Coltin IT AIN’T EASY …: Devoting one percent of the city budget to the parks department is topping the New York League of Conservation Voters’ city legislative agenda. Green groups have been pushing Mayor Eric Adams for years to nearly double the parks budget from roughly $600 million to $1.1 billion. As a candidate, Adams pledged to get to 1 percent for parks, but the department’s share of funding has actually gone down in his tenure. Expect mayoral candidates to make the same pledge at a March 6 forum on the environment hosted by the NYLCV Education Fund, the Regional Plan Association and other green groups. Also on NYLCV’s agenda: following through on the law to reduce building emissions and enacting a recycling program for e-bike batteries. — Jeff Coltin — Democrats condemned the Trump administration canceling a $257,000 federal contract for research on 9/11-related diseases. (POLITICO) — The Republican Party organizations in all five boroughs have endorsed Curtis Sliwa for mayor, narrowing the path for Adams to run on the GOP line. (City & State) RECRUITMENT WOES: As unauthorized labor strikes at state prisons continue, Hochul on Thursday acknowledged there is “a severe shortage of people who want to be corrections officers in our state.” “These are tough, tough jobs,” she said. The ongoing strikes have led Hochul to deploy 3,500 members of the National Guard in order to provide support at some 30 prisons that have been impacted. But Hochul also once again condemned the death of Robert Brooks, an inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility who was beaten by corrections officers. Nine guards were charged Thursday in the beating of Brooks, whose death has been ruled a homicide. “It was sickening to hear the descriptions of the charges being brought against corrections officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility,” Hochul said. “It was shocking to know that this had gone on. If it wasn’t for some body cameras, who knows if we had known about it.” — Nick Reisman MEDIAWATCH: Patrick Reap is now the booker for Newsmax’s “The Record with Greta Van Susteren.” He most recently was a senior producer at Washington Post Live and is a CNN alum. … Regina de Heer is now an audio producer for WaPo’s “Impromptu” podcast. She previously was an audio producer at New York Public Radio. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — McKenzie Urry, legislative director for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Alex Urry, senior policy adviser for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and a Pelosi alum, welcomed Ava Monroe Urry on Friday. Their marriage is the first of two Pelosi staffers, and Ava is the first ever Team Pelosi baby. New York residents already shoulder some of the nation’s highest auto insurance costs, paying an average of $3,840 a year for full coverage. Similarly, the mandatory cost of rideshare insurance per trip in New York is among the highest in the country. One reason behind this is the $1.25 million in liability coverage when a passenger is in the vehicle, which is 25 times the liability requirement for personal vehicles. Insurance premiums continue to rise in part because of the litigation environment in New York. Lawsuit fraud and abuse drives up costs for everything, including insurance rates. Uber is pushing for commonsense legislative changes that keep all trips covered while bringing down the cost of trips.

The decision to sue over the $80 million in seized funds comes as the New York City mayor has been accused of supporting the White House’s immigration agenda in exchange for legal leniency.

Several important political developments took place last week, both at the state and national levels. The Department of Justice delivered a critical order affecting New York City’s mayor, the White House levied yet another steep tariff,

New York City is taking the Trump administration to court over its decision to clawback more than $80 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for migrant shelters. The New York City Law D