Its 4 00 in New York. A major hurricane, the largest city under indictment, ukraines president at the White House right now, and just 40 days to go until Election Day in america. No shortage of big stories, big news on multiple fronts today. Down in florida, Hurricane Helene is bearing down on the Gulf Coast threatening to bring surging waters that officials warn are, quote, unsurvivable. It is currently a category 3 but expected to strengthen before it makes landfall later today. Well get an update at 5 00 eastern. Then Vice President harris has just wrapped remarks in a joint appearance with ukrainian President Zelenskyy. One of the biggest Foreign Policy crises facing President Biden and the next american president right into the 2024 president ial contest. Donald trump lashing out at ukraines leader, making claims that could have come straight out of the mouth of Vladimir Putin. Well have all those stories and much more over the next two hours. We begin with the stunning News Right here in our backyard, right here in new York City, where mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on five charges of bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal Campaign Donations. Federal prosecutors allege he took part in a pay to play scheme with Turkish Officials for nearly a decade. He accepted illegal foreign Campaign Donations while working to advance their interests. Heres u. S. Attorney damian williams. Year after year after year, he kept the public in the dark. He told the public he received no gifts, even though he was secretly being showered with them. This was a multiyear scheme to buy favor with a single new York City politician on the rise. Eric adams. We allege that mayor adams abused that privilege and broke the law. Laws that are designed to ensure officials like him serve the people, not the highest bidder, not a foreign bidder, and certainly not a foreign power. Now, according to the indictment, adams, quote, saw and accepted improper valuable benefits such as Luxury International Travel including from wealthy foreign Business People and at least one turkish Government Official seeking to gain influence over him. Eric adams also saw and received benefits from some of the same coconspirators. Prosecutors say that eventually Turkish Officials called in the favor. Once again, from the indictment, quote, in september, 2021, the Turkish Official told Eric Adams that it was his turn to repay the Turkish Official by pressuring the new York CityFire Department to facilitate the opening of a new turkish consular building, a 36story skyscraper without a Fire Inspection in time for a high Profile Visit from the turkish president. The building would have failed an fdny inspection. In exchange for free travel and other travelrelated bribes in 2021 and 2022, arranged by the Turkish Official, adams did as instructed. Adams, now the first sitting mayor in the Citys History to be indicted is denying the charges and insisting he will remain in office. I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments. I will continue to do the job for 8. 3 million New Yorkers that i was elected to do. Thats where we start today with some of our favorite reporters and friends all here with me. State attorney for palm beach county, florida, also joining us, New York time Editorial Board Member and msnbc Political Analyst, and Nbc News investigative reporter, Tom Winter is at the table and hes been tracking the story for us for a long time. Tell us about the indictment and the response. Right. The response, what was interesting, the indictment said a lot. But it does not cover all the thing that we have been hearing about that are under investigation. The second thing, they said theres an ongoing investigation or we continue to look into things. He didnt make a threat today. He made a promise. He said we will hold more people accountable. He is promising more Law Enforcement activity, in the form of arrests, guilty pleas, indictments, whatever it is. It is very clear that they are not done. But Todays Box that has been wrapped up and presented to the court makes it clear this conduct involving adams as alleged has been going on for quite some time. That it goes back to before he was even running for mayor. So the questions is, you just read directly from a key component of this indictment which is the idea of repaying for something. And thats where this becomes a problem. The other problem here is that he solicited donations allegedly, and donations were provided, that came from a foreign entity, a foreign individual, and then were perhaps through straw donors. Thats a big concern for the federal government. They are really concerned, particularly in New York, were seeing it on the China End of things. Now a focus on turkey as well. This idea that foreign nationals are really starting to put their thumbs on the scale of the way new York City and new York State government are running. If thats the case here, i think the broader question for us is folks wonder, well, nicole, why are you talking about mayor adams and a new York City mayor today, hes a huge figure in politics in this country. New York City is hugely important to this country whether you like it or not. But also is this going on in the community . Theres a really question about that. So all of those are themes that popped out as well as his behavior. That his phone was taken by the fbi. Then they had to subpoena his personal phone. According to the indictment, he changes the password on that and then tells the fbi that he forgot the password that he just set. Im reading from the indictment. And he was unable to provide the fbi with the password that would unlock the phone. So it is going to the way he operates and the way he behaves. If all of this is true, its difficult. I havent talked about the nypd investigation, i havent talked about all the other members of his administration. Top level figures. First Deputy Mayor, the schools chancellor, all of whom are related in some way. They have all had their phones taken or been searched. What happens with those investigations. So today feels more like a Building Block than it necessarily feels like the entire wall. Yet were talking about the person at the top. Tell us about the broader picture of an entire administration potentially paralyzed by the other investigations you alluded to . Paralyzed is a fair adjective. As i talked to people in the new York City government, the Police Department or City Hall, thats the question. How does he move forward now . Who can he pick up the phone and say lets do an event on tuesday. Lets talk about this new initiative im going to launch. Nobody will touch that. There is no indication that anybody in the city, everybody that i talk to, there is no indication that anybody is calling City Hall and saying, you know what, mr. Mayor, lets launch this thing. Lets move on and turn the page. That paralyzes the City Government part of it. People have their trash picked up tomorrow. The Fire Department will respond to calls tomorrow. That will continue. But what happens with the Police Department . Because we have not heard about that investigation in todays charges. That is being handled by federal agents assigned to the new York Attorneys office. Lets compartmentalize as that investigation comes out. If there are charges, the loss of trust within nypd leadership could be a real, real challenge for that agency. And i am concerned about a Brain Drain there as far as people that day in and day out are not at all, they do important Counter Terrorism work, important intelligence work, important detective bureau work. Will some of those top level commanders or some of the people who work in those agencies say my time is up. I can retire. Im out of here. What impact does that have on the city longterm. Let me be really clear. There is the combination of Brain Drain. People leaving voluntarily, highlevel quality people because they dont want to be tainted. But there are also highlevel officials. 100 . This was an interesting appointment by mayor adams. Phil banks, the Deputy Mayor for public safety. He oversees the police and the Fire Department. He was an unindicted coconspirator. He had to resign from the nypd in 2014. He came about as close as you can get, according to court documents in our prior reporting, and all the great work of people you know. Came very close to being indicted back then. And still was appointed to this position in this administration which raises some questions, and there have been a number of people in the new York City community that wondered why this person is back in that spot. He had his phone taken. So to be clear, im not sitting here saying any of the departments or any of the agencies, that there is some sort of Resignation Or Mass resignation in the works. Just knowing what i know, do we get to a tipping point, or do they say, you know what . Well fight through this. Well stick it out and see what we can do to help new York City. I wouldnt blame them for either direction they choose. And not that our audience needs to be reminded why nationalers but were sitting here about two and a half weeks after the anniversary of 9 11. The city is a potential target for terrorism. It is a city where crime is a national story in both directions. The numbers, the Success Story is as important as the story being told about what works as the rising Crime Figures were five years ago when covid first hit the city. What happens here matters and has serious implications. And theres a serious competence crisis. Certainly, nicole. Also, new York Citys economy is a major driver of the national gdp. And of course, it is also home to the united nations. Theres a reason why foreign officials were interested in even what at the time was a Lowlevel Democrat in office. The startling part of the story is that Eric Adams, when he was targeted by Turkish Officials, was actually the brooklynborough president. Thats a job that doesnt hold much political power. So of course, part of the concern here is, well, who else are these foreign officials engaged with . So that is a serious concern as well. And of course, even within the indictment, there are moments where Eric Adams travels to istanbul on his way to ghana before he takes office. Well, and he meets with a Turkish Official. What did they discuss . What was promised . What was asked of the mayor . We dont yet know. I also want to say that the city does have more than 8 Million people here. There are about 300,000 municipal employees who as you said, theyre going to pick up the trash tomorrow. Theyre going to educate your child. Theyre going to drive buses and trains. Theyre going to be on the lookout for terrorism. And theyre continuing to do their job. Their job is much harder today than it was yesterday because of Eric Adams. And also, just part of the frustration is, we have never in new York City seen a mayor who looked at public office as his own personal slush fund. The extent of the narrative, sxvg, hes entitled to a defense. He says that hes innocent. The extent of the narrative that is alleged against him, this indictment is stunning because this wasnt about bending the rules. This was about putting people, his own cronies, in public office who were as essentially helping him to use that public office to gain favors with foreign officials. And then in the midst of this, he somehow procures, not somehow, he procured 10 Million in public Taxpayer Money to help him get elected by using straw donors. So this is as stunning betrayal and i think that New Yorkers are right to be concerned about also just who is running the city at this point. There is no, weve got resignations or pending resignations from the commissioner of education, we have an interim Police Commissioner who has seen a raid unrelated. We dont even know what that is about. We have the resignation of the citys public Health Official who is not under investigation but simply couldnt take it anymore, it appears. So i want to say, this is not business as usual. Part of what is stunning to me as someone who has covered City Hall for over a decade, the extent of which mayor adams made quick work of what was a very clean City Hall, stacked with public servants who play or may not disagree with public policies but were there for the public good. I talked to many who are in and out of government. They are heartbroken. And those working on housing policy, to make sure kids can read. And they are saying today, who is in charge . And i thought we were working for the public. Why isnt our boss working for the public . What do those people think should happen now . Its a little complicated, in part because, what would happen if mayor adams did step down or was forced to resign which many people do think is the right thing to do, would essentially trigger a Special Election, a nonpartisan Special Election within 80 days, i believe it is 80 days. So that is an unknown. There is a whole variety of viewpoints about how that would serve the city or not. Of course, as we know, you cant always game out the perfect political outcome. You have to do the right thing. You have to do the right thing in your role. Whatever that role is. Today we know this is just the first charges from what are at least four federal investigations into adams and his campaign or related officials. And theres more to come. Im sad to say that. One happy note which is that, if mayor adams did commit these crimes, its just encouraging to see that sdny, the u. S. Attorneys office took it so seriously, and there are so many officials within City Government, there is a moment in the indictment when a fire official, a Fire Department official says to his or her boss, most likely his boss, says I Cant sign off on this building because its not safe. Those are the public servants who i know and have covered in new York City government. So the question is who is Eric Adams and who is he working for . There are, ive been covering trump for so many years. There are different kinds of indictments. Speaking indictments, lesser indictments, and there are indictments that look like they could have been written by the folks had a write sparanos. This one feels like it falls in that category. He was so used to these freebies that he flew to istanbul on the way to france. Its not a direct route. He was so used to flying on that. It was an upgrade or freebie. He was trying very hard to cover it up. Blocking his phone as tom said. That is an interesting anecdote. Apparently he felt the feds were about to seize his phones. When they stopped him, he didnt have his personal phone on him. Thats the phone the feds wanted. He said, well, i have it at home and i just changed my password. Whats the new password . I dont know. His advisers were told, before they met with him to leave your phones outside the room. When youre told to keep your phones outside of