New York Slant Network

By merely jumping into the Democratic primary for governor, actor Cynthia Nixon is already having an impact on New York politics. Some say Governor Cuomo's sudden push for the dissolution of the senate's Independent Democratic Conference is a result of being challenged from left. Nick Reisman is the capitol correspondent for Spectrum News and blogger for New York State of Politics. He joins NY1 statehouse reporter Zack Fink to break down what this all means.

Last week was one of the more exciting weeks in recent New York state Senate history, with secret steakhouse meetings culminating in a public handshake that reunited the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference with the mainline democrats. State Sen. Jose Peralta has been a member of the IDC since the beginning of 2017. He joins us today to talk about what reunification means for the state and why it is happening now. We also asked him if his 14-month foray in the Senate majority was worth it, even though the DREAM act, which he sponsors, has failed to pass.

As state lawmakers and Governor Cuomo hash out the state's budget ahead of the April 1st deadline, one major point of debate is how to fund New York City's dilapidated subway system. Real estate developer Scott Rechler, a Cuomo-appointed MTA board member, sat down with us to talk about his support for a congestion pricing plan, and to discuss a controversial proposal to collect revenue for the MTA by taxing property near subway stations. Rechler also gives us his take on the Gateway program, and tells us why he believes his political donations to Cuomo don't conflict with his position on the MTA board.

While he was not implicated, Governor Andrew Cuomo certainly loomed large in the corruption trial that found his former close aide Joe Percoco guilty of three charges. And with another corruption trial set for June, will these court cases ultimately hurt Cuomo in his upcoming reelection campaign? We're joined today by Jesse McKinley of The New York Times and Erica Orden of The Wall Street Journal to break this all down. We'll also talk about actor Cynthia Nixon, and what a primary challenge from her would mean for Cuomo amidst this year's charged political atmosphere.

New York City is one of the finalists to house Amazon's second headquarters, although not everyone thinks it's the right match for the city. Joining us to make the case for Amazon is James Patchett, the president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Patchett also discusses the growing challenges in achieving the city's ambitious affordable housing goals, defends the city's investment in ferry services, and updates us on the status of two long-delayed projects: the Willets Point development in Queens and the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx.