RINGSIDE POLITICS – MARCH 10, 2021

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Welcome to another edition of Ringside Politics with Jeff Crouere

Today’s Hot Topics:

1) The publisher of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s book on his leadership during the pandemic said it had stopped promoting the title because of an inquiry into the withholding of data on the deaths of nursing home residents.

Sales of the book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic,” had already slowed severely as the governor found himself embroiled in overlapping crises of his own making, including a drumbeat of accusations about his inappropriate behavior toward younger women and his aides’ manipulation of nursing home data.

Gillian Blake of Crown Publishing Group said in response to an email from The New York Times that there were “no plans” to reprint Mr. Cuomo’s book or to reissue it in paperback, citing “the ongoing investigation into N.Y.S. reporting of Covid-related fatalities in nursing homes.”

2) White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Sunday said President Joe Biden supports an “independent review” of the sexual harassment accusations leveled against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week by a pair of former aides — adding that it was personally difficult for her to read the latest account of alleged misconduct by the governor.

The remarks from the president’s top spokesperson came after Lindsey Boylan, a candidate for Manhattan borough president who formerly worked for Cuomo and the state’s economic development agency, revealed in a blog post on Wednesday that the governor had kissed her without her consent and asked her to play strip poker.

Then, on Saturday, The New York Times reported that Charlotte Bennett, a former executive assistant and health policy adviser to Cuomo, was also sexually harassed by the governor, including inappropriate questions about her sex life.

3) President Biden is facing a growing dilemma at the southern border that shows few signs of abating: the number of unaccompanied minors crossing into the United States steadily increasing in recent weeks.

Thousands of migrants have crossed the border in Biden’s first six weeks in office, many of them unaccompanied minors. The influx has tested the administration’s resources and ability to quickly implement its own strategy as Republicans sound alarms over what they have deemed a crisis of Biden’s making.

The Biden administration is rapidly adapting its approach to meet the need for space and staffing in a reflection of the seriousness of the situation.

4) Democratic Representative Tom Suozzi said there’s “some waste” in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill during a Tuesday appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box.

“There’s so much non-COVID-related stimulus in this,” said Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, who also appeared on the program. “It’s a horrible, horrible piece of legislation. And I think every American should read it. It’s just full of waste.”

Following O’Leary’s comment, host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked if Suozzi agreed there was waste in Biden’s $1.9 trillion package, to which the New York congressman responded, “There’s no question there’s some waste in there.”

He then said that there’s less waste in the legislation than many people believe—”less than $100 billion.”

Today’s Guests:

1) Amity Shlaes; Co-editor; New edition; “The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge” – joins the show to discuss the legacy of Calvin Coolidge, who was president nearly 100 years ago.