NYC Mayor Eric Adams will skip the Democratic primary and run for reelection as an independent

New York City Mayor Eric Adams withdrew from the city’s Democratic primary on Thursday and said he would instead run for reelection as an independent, a move intended to buy him time to save a campaign deeply wounded by a bribery scandal and liberal anger over his warm relationship with President Donald Trump.

In a video announcement, Adams said he will not run in the Democratic primary in June because his recently dismissed criminal case “dragged on too long” while the “false accusations were held over me,” preventing him from campaigning.

The decision came after intense speculation over whether Adams would remain in the Democratic primary, which has attracted several serious opponents, including former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In a practical sense, the move will allow Adams to skip directly to the general election in November, giving him more time to campaign unencumbered by the weight of his criminal charges. But it will also further distance Adams from the city's heavily Democratic electorate and party organization, potentially weakening his chances of winning a second term.

The mayor, who had not formed much of a formal reelection apparatus, has struggled to raise money in recent months and suffered a blow when he was denied access to millions of dollars in public matching funds for his campaign because of questions about gaps in his recordkeeping.

At a Thursday afternoon forum held by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, Adams said the criminal case had “overshadowed” his achievements and politically sidelined him.

“I wanted to run in a Democratic primary but I have to be realistic,” he said. “I have to let New Yorkers know what I have done.”

A federal judge dismissed Adams’ corruption case on Wednesday, ending a legal saga that left the mayor severely damaged and raised questions about his political independence.

The charges, brought last year during President Joe Biden's administration, accused Adams of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others, in exchange for helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections, among other things.

The mayor pleaded not guilty and was set for a trial in April, but the case was upended after Trump's Justice Department moved to drop the charges so that Adams could assist with the president's immigration agenda, while leaving open the possibility that the case could be revived.

The highly unusual move set off a firestorm of criticism and resignations and threw Adams' mayoralty in doubt, with many people questioning whether he was beholden to the Trump administration.

In an order dismissing the case, federal Judge Dale E. Ho denied prosecutors the option to refile the charges and wrote that allowing the case to be revived “would create the unavoidable perception that the mayor’s freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration."

In his video announcement, Adams maintained his innocence but acknowledged that the case had “shaken” voters and said he put his trust in the wrong people.

"I know that the accusations leveled against me may have shaken your confidence in me, and that you may rightly have questions about my conduct. And let me be clear, although the charges against me were false, I trusted people I should not have, and I regret that," he said.

Adams, a former police officer, has governed as a centrist Democrat and often done battle with the city's progressives. He was a registered Republican in the 1990s but has spent his political career, which includes time as a state senator and Brooklyn borough president, as a Democrat.

The mayor's political opponents swiftly criticized his decision to run as an independent. Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic state assemblyman running for mayor, said, “Regardless of what party Adams flees to, New Yorkers deserve better than a self-interested, disgraced mayor who has and always will put his needs before their own.”

Another candidate, Democratic state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, described the whole ordeal as “a circus.”

Jim Walden, a former prosecutor who is running as an independent, promptly challenged Adams to a debate, arguing that the mayor's decision came “out of desperation, not principle.”

Adams' announcement was first reported by Politico.

New York Mayor candidate Michael Blake speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor candidate Scott Stringer speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor candidate state Sen Jessica Ramos, left, speaks, as Rev. Al Sharpton listens, during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor candidate City Comptroller Brad Lander, speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor candidate state Sen. Zellnor Myrie speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor candidate Adrienne Adams, Speaker of the New York City Council, speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor candidate state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor candidate Andrew Cuomo, left, speaks, as Rev. Al Sharpton listens, during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York mayor Eric Adams speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during a task force meeting addressing retail theft, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Joseph Frederick)

U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.

Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

The latest:

Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.

As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.

Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.

Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”

As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.

Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.

Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.

At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.

He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.

Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.

The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.

Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.

The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.

Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.

Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”

The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”

The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.

Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”

Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.

“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.

He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”

Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.

The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.

FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)