Bowdoin nepo baby as class warrior: Zohran Mamdani embodies the left's ‘luxury beliefs'
On Tuesday night, Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old socialist and state Assembly member, declared victory in the Democratic mayoral primary over Andrew Cuomo, New York's former governor who was long thought to be the front-runner, and a field of other candidates. Mamdani's energetic campaign was able to sell enough optimism to obscure the utopian nature of his socialist platform, which will be conveniently funded by wealthy residents. And Cuomo was unable to effectively challenge Mamdani on the finer points of his fanciful promises. Mamdani will face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who's running as an independent, in the general election this fall.
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Mamdani's promises, like city-owned grocery stores, free child care, and a utopian rent freeze, would no doubt push out workers and capital, while scaring away big business, if he actually made good on them. And even though the New York Police Department has a staffing crisis, Mamdani has
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Rob Henderson, a Globe Opinion contributing writer and Manhattan Institute senior fellow, has
brunt of progressive policies.
Voters signaled as much. According to polls
A Manhattan Institute poll ahead of the election
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No matter: Under a Mamdani mayorship, cops will have other priorities. Mamdani, who's been in
But will a social worker restrain someone who is threatening to attack me? Can they stop a man from
Having more mental health support on the subways might be helpful but only if there's a stronger police presence as well. Because sometimes mental health issues and addiction do turn into full-blown crime.
Mamdani's movement typifies the kind of self-soothing progressivism thais another example that has come to define the Democratic Party, and that has been sold to young liberals as the path to justice. In reality, it's just the newest iteration of political elitism, where a utopian vision of crime-solving — and just about everything else — is championed by people who won't feel the full consequences.
The people's warrior is just a nepo baby who graduated from Bowdoin.
But the people he purports to fight for knew better. While Mamdani did well with white voters, he struggled in predominantly Black areas like the Bronx and Southeast Queens. These voters tend to live in higher-crime areas of the city and probably don't want to gamble their safety and economic well-being so that the
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Carine Hajjar is a Globe Opinion writer. She can be reached at
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Politico
27 minutes ago
- Politico
Newsom just can't quit Fox News
Presented by California Environmental Voters SIREN SONG — For all Gavin Newsom's experimentation with alternative media — hosting his own podcast, starting fact-checking sites and posting irreverent Star Wars-themed videos about his adversaries on social media — he can't seem to shake the allure of Fox News. The defamation lawsuit he filed against the multimedia giant Friday was the latest sign of Fox's enduring importance to him, even in an increasingly fractured media ecosystem. His connection to the network spans decades. And it's personal, not only because his ex-wife Kimberly Guilfoyle was one of its on-air stars; Newsom has texted with Sean Hannity, chatted with Bret Baier and known host Jesse Watters, the target of his lawsuit, for years. 'I'm in their head,' Newsom previously told POLITICO of such conservative media personalities. 'Even when I'm not making news, I'm in their news cycles.' The governor who has marveled at and lamented Fox's sway has, more than anything, tried to use it. There was an hour-plus sit-down with Hannity in 2023. His debate against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (and the moderator, also Hannity) later that year. A barrage of ads aired on Fox bashing DeSantis over abortion policy and, more recently, another round blasting tariffs to the network's conservative audience. The lawsuit, over Watters' claim that Newsom lied about a call with Donald Trump before the president deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid immigration protests, displays Newsom's continued attentiveness to Fox even as left-leaning cable news networks have seen their ratings fall since Trump's return to office. It also marks a shift from using the network to introduce himself to conservative audiences to making it a punching bag — much the way its hosts use him. The suit is 'a tactic that I think raises some of the liberal bona fides that he has tried to regain after some of the podcast stuff,' said Democratic consultant Danielle Cendejas, referencing the way Newsom frustrated progressives by inviting MAGA favorites on his podcast and breaking with Democrats on transgender athletes. 'Attacking Fox News is something you do to gin up your fundraising base. You get people to see you as leading the resistance, being proactive and going after this conservative media situation,' said Cendejas, who works for several progressive candidates in California. Indeed, Newsom's team blasted out a fundraising email on Friday after the lawsuit was announced, writing: 'Until they're willing to tell the truth, I'll keep fighting back against their propaganda machine.' The suit also helped keep Newsom in the national conversation now that the Los Angeles immigration protests have faded and state budget negotiations have pulled him back into less-than-flashy state business. Keeping national buzz is key for a figure who has at last acknowledged he could run for president. 'Is it a publicity stunt? I guess, to some degree it might be,' Democratic consultant Garry South said. 'But it's not as trivial as some people are making it out to be. This is a much larger issue dealing with the sending of the Marines to California for domestic law enforcement purposes without even notifying the governor of the state.' Fox was far more dismissive. 'Gov. Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him,' the network said in a statement. 'We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed.' Newsom's filing, though focused on an established cable player, nabbed views in the alternative media ecosystem with which he's become fascinated. Pop Crave heralded the news, and Newsom talked with progressives including video host Brian Tyler Cohen and MeidasTouch about the case. And there is at least one way the suit could get the governor's face back in front of Fox viewers. Newsom's camp offered to drop the case if the network apologized on air. 'It's simple, just apologize, and give it as much air time as you did when you weaponized the lie,' Newsom told Cohen, before reflecting on the network's importance. 'Remember, this is the largest news organization, cable news organization, in the United States. Sixty-five-plus million people, Fox News. Fox Business, hundreds of millions of people as it relates to social networks.' GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced, though today is the deadline for the state budget to be passed and signed into law. More on that next… ON THE AGENDA DOWN TO THE WIRE — State lawmakers will vote today on the portion of the budget that Newsom has demanded they approve before he signs off on the rest of the state's $320 billion spending plan. The measure would ease environmental reviews for housing construction in urban areas and includes $500 million to combat homelessness. As our colleagues Eric He, Camille von Kaenel and Alex Nieves reported for POLITICO Pro subscribers, the housing measure is part of a budget bill that lawmakers unveiled Friday. They are aiming to approve it this afternoon, and Newsom would sign it shortly thereafter. Newsom has flexed his political muscle by inserting language in his budget agreement with lawmakers that conditions the entire spending plan on the housing measure's passage. The bill, AB 131, would create sweeping exceptions to the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, which requires an environmental analysis for all new construction projects. But the proposal faces fierce opposition from some environmentalists, who've called it the 'worst rollback of environmental and public health protections' in decades. SENATE GOP'S BIG VOTE — Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans are on a trajectory to vote today on their budget megabill to fund Trump's domestic agenda. The bill would cut spending on Medicaid and other safety-net programs while extending tax breaks that primarily benefit higher income earners. While enough Republicans voted to start debating the bill over the weekend, it's not yet assured they have enough to pass it in both the Senate and House. SAN FRANCISCO IS WIENER TIRED OF WAITING? — State Sen. Scott Wiener opened a fundraising committee on Friday to run for San Francisco's congressional seat — his boldest move yet in a yearslong shadow campaign to succeed Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi, the former House speaker who's represented the city in Congress since 1987, hasn't said whether she plans to run for another term in 2026. She's certainly left the door open. But Wiener's foray speaks to rumblings that the race could be more competitive than expected. Pelosi already faces a challenge on the left from Saikat Chakrabarti, a tech investor and former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Other wealthy contenders are also rumored to be eyeing the seat. Wiener has previously said he would not run against Pelosi, a San Francisco icon and arguably the most powerful speaker in modern political history. But he has been noticeably ambiguous about his plans in recent days. On Friday, his campaign declined to comment when asked if he would consider a challenge. Any money he raises for his 2028 committee could easily be transferred to the 2026 cycle. Despite Wiener's campaign sidestepping the question, his statement Friday indicated he wouldn't run unless the seat were open. 'I've been clear that I intend to run for this seat whenever the race opens up, whether in 2026 or 2028,' Wiener said in a statement. 'This filing is a critical step to prepare for the serious work of running to succeed one of the icons of American politics.' Wiener added, 'In a potential race against extremely wealthy candidates who can self-fund, I'll have to work very hard to prepare to go toe to toe.' ON THE AIRWAVES FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: COUNTERCLAIM — Public insurance adjusters will today unveil a TV ad to oppose one of the most high-profile insurance bills in the Legislature this session. The spot argues that AB 597, by Assemblymember John Harabedian, would harm victims of wildfires. His bill would limit how much insurance adjusters representing policyholders can be paid related to claims that involve catastrophic disasters. In the spot, a victim of the Palisades Fire argues that public adjusters are crucial for holding insurance companies accountable. 'We've had five different insurance-company adjusters. We've had no straight answers, delays, excuses,' the victim states. 'Dealing with the insurance company, that was the real disaster.' CAMPAIGN YEAR(S) FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: MONEY MOVES — Media consultant Brian Goldsmith said he has raised more than $1 million this quarter since he launched his campaign in mid-April to succeed state Sen. Ben Allen in District 24, an open seat that is expected to draw one of the most competitive Dem-on-Dem legislative races next year. Goldsmith, who founded two tech startups, also said that he's received endorsements from more than 100 community leaders, including Rick Caruso and Antonio Villaraigosa. CLIMATE AND ENERGY BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO — California climate officials are caught in a juggling act as Republicans attack them on gas prices. California Energy Commission Vice Chair Siva Gunda recommended pausing a profit cap on refineries Friday as part of a broader plan to boost the in-state oil industry. Meanwhile, California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph is defending her agency's new rules reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. Read more about what it all means in California Climate. TOP TALKERS GRUDGE MATCH — A former longtime friend of Elon Musk has a word of caution for Trump about the tech mogul: He doesn't really move on. That's what Philip Low, a Silicon Valley founder and former pal of the Musk's, told our colleague Christine Mui in an exclusive interview reported over the weekend. Low said he learned that the hard way in 2021 when he fired Musk, one of his early investors, from the advisory board of the Silicon Valley startup he founded. 'I've had my share of blowouts with Elon over the years,' Low said. 'Knowing Elon the way I know him, I do think he's going to do everything to damage the president.' AROUND THE STATE — Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis wants the county to explore legal action against the federal government over violent ICE raids. (Los Angeles Times) — San Diego's largest jail is facing complaints over its use of a small cage-like structure to provide inmates with mandatory out-of-cell time. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — A San Francisco bookstore has stopped carrying the 'Harry Potter' books, citing author J.K. Rowling's anti-transgender advocacy. (KQED) — Two men accused of pretending to be ICE officers in Fresno have been charged with one count each of misdemeanor impersonating an officer. (GV Wire) PLAYBOOKERS WEDDING BELLS — Jessica Gordon, special assistant attorney general and senior environmental adviser to Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Michael Colvin, California energy program director at the Environmental Defense Fund, married in Los Gatos on June 22. PEOPLE MOVES — Adam Taylor, the former military legislative assistant and legislative director for Rep. Scott Peters, is now his Washington chief of staff. BIRTHDAYS — Todd Campbell at Clean Energy Fuels … Evangeline George … Bob McBarton … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday): Molly Robson at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of CA … director Matthew Weiner … Savannah Causey at Social Proper Agency … Christina Pearson … Kaya Singleton at ROKU … Josh Meyer (was Saturday): Elon Musk … former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta … POLITICO's Alex Keeney … consultant Erin McPike … former U.S. Rep. Jane Harman … Stephanie Benedict … Mike Basch … Miranda Johnson … Jas Sajjan at the California Resources Corporation … actor Mel Brooks … James Ruxin at the USC School of Cinematic Arts … Kenneth Ribet … former state Sen. Marty Block … actress Ayelet Zurer WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
Fast Company
33 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Trump's big bill will set back U.S. debt by billions more than originally calculated
U.S. Senate Republicans pushed President Donald Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill forward on Sunday in a marathon weekend session even as a nonpartisan forecaster said it would add an estimated $3.3 trillion to the nation's debt over a decade. The estimate by the Congressional Budget Office of the bill's hit to the $36.2 trillion federal debt is about $800 billion more than the version passed last month in the House of Representatives. Senators are scheduled to start voting on a potentially long list of amendments to the bill beginning at 9 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) Monday. Republicans, who have long voiced concern about growing U.S. deficits and debt, have rejected the CBO's longstanding methodology to calculate the cost of legislation. Democrats, meanwhile, hope the latest, eye-widening figure could stoke enough anxiety among fiscally-minded conservatives to get them to buck their party, which controls both chambers of Congress. 'Republicans are doing something the Senate has never, never done before, deploying fake math and accounting gimmicks to hide the true cost of the bill,' Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said as debate opened on Sunday. 'Republicans are about to pass the single most expensive bill in U.S. history, to give tax breaks to billionaires while taking away Medicaid, SNAP benefits and good paying jobs for millions of people.' The Senate only narrowly advanced the tax-cut, immigration, border and military spending bill in a procedural vote late on Saturday, voting 51-49 to open debate on the 940-page megabill. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, one of two Republicans who voted to block the bill, explained his position in a speech to the Senate, saying White House aides had failed to give Trump proper advice about the legislation's Medicaid cuts. 'What do I tell 663,00 people in two years, three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding's not there anymore,' Tillis said, referring to his constituents. Trump on social media hailed Saturday's vote as a 'great victory' for his 'great, big, beautiful bill.' In a separate post on Sunday, he said: 'We will make it all up, times 10, with GROWTH, more than ever before.' In an illustration of the depths of the divide within the Republican Party over the bill, Tillis said he would not seek re-election next year, after Trump threatened to back a primary challenger in retribution for Tillis' Saturday night vote against the bill. On Sunday, Trump celebrated Tillis' announcement as 'Great News!' on Truth Social and issued a warning to fellow Republicans who have concerns over the bill. 'REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected. Don't go too crazy!' Trump wrote in a post. Tillis' North Carolina seat is one of the few Republican Senate seats seen as vulnerable in next year's midterm elections. Trump wants the bill passed before the July 4 Independence Day holiday. While that deadline is one of choice, lawmakers will face a far more serious deadline later this summer when they must raise the nation's self-imposed debt ceiling or risk a devastating default on $36.2 trillion in debt. HITS TO BENEFITS Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said this legislation would come to haunt Republicans if it gets approved, predicting 16 million Americans would lose their health insurance. 'Many of my Republican friends know … they're walking the plank on this and we'll see if those who've expressed quiet consternation will actually have the courage of their convictions,' Warner told CBS News' 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.' The legislation has been the sole focus of a marathon weekend congressional session marked by political drama, division and lengthy delays as Democrats seek to slow the legislation's path to passage. Schumer called for the entire text of the bill to be read on the Senate floor, a process that began before midnight Saturday and ran well into Sunday afternoon. Following up to 20 hours of debate on the legislation, the Senate will enter an amendment session, known as a 'vote-a-rama,' before voting on passage. Lawmakers said they hoped to complete work on the bill on Monday. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, the other Republican 'no' vote, opposed the legislation because it would raise the federal borrowing limit by an additional $5 trillion. The megabill would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Senate Republicans, who reject the CBO's estimates on the cost of the legislation, are set on using an alternative calculation method that does not factor in costs from extending the 2017 tax cuts. Outside tax experts, like Andrew Lautz from the nonpartisan think tank Bipartisan Policy Center, call it a 'magic trick.' Using this calculation method, the Senate Republicans' budget bill appears to cost substantially less and seems to save $500 billion, according to the BPC analysis. If the Senate passes the bill, it will then return to the House of Representatives for final passage before Trump can sign it into law. The House passed its version of the bill last month.
Boston Globe
40 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Will R.I. Governor McKee and Lieutenant Governor Matos run as a team in 2026?
But as they prepare to seek reelection next year, the joint press conferences and press releases are a thing of the past, and the two won't say if they plan to run as a team next year. McKee's campaign manager, said the governor looks forward to working with Matos. In a text message, Matos said, 'I also wish him the best.' Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up The bigger picture: It's hard to argue that McKee and Matos didn't benefit from their partnership in 2022, but the dynamics have changed quite a bit. Advertisement McKee allies have long grumbled that Matos wasn't sufficiently loyal to the governor, first at the end of the 2022 Democratic primary, and then when Matos hasn't been a visible part of the administration over the last two years, although she hasn't publicly complained about her role, either. The governor and the lieutenant governor are both gearing up for difficult Democratic primary challenges next year, and McKee doesn't necessarily want to have to answer questions about the Advertisement An unanswered question: Will McKee and Matos endorse each other next year? It's no secret that some of McKee's friends in the tight-knit mayoral community are considered potential candidates for lieutenant governor – Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien and East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva come to mind – so it's possible that McKee will say he'll support whoever wins the primary. It's unlikely that Matos will back one of McKee's opponents next year, but she could opt to focus on her own race. This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, . Dan McGowan can be reached at
