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The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
From rap career to politics, Zohran Mamdani is shaking up New York city politics
Zohran Mamdani is 33. He met his wife Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-born illustrator, on Hinge, a dating app. While grocery shopping, he listens to an hour-long auto-tuned version 'One Pound Fish' by a Bangladeshi man trying to sell fish in London's Queen's Market. His parents are filmmakers Mira Nair and Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani. He went by 'Mr. Cardamom' when he had a rap career. Mamdani's campaign promises include freezing rent, making public transport free, and subdising grocery stores. He also has a chantable, two-syllable name. 'Zoh-ran' 'Zoh-ran' seems to have a nice ring to it. Facts. So many facts off the top of my head. On June 24, when he won the democratic primary against his opponent Andrew Cuomo Rohan Joshi, an Indian stand-up comic and content creator, suggested in an Instagram reel that we go out to hug our South Bombay friends who were enthusiastically celebrating his victory in the democratic primary — a portion of the New York Mayoral elections. The chronically-online Indian millennial and Gen Z audience suddenly seemed to know far more about Mamdani and voting in New York than facts about their own Members of Parliament. All this, and the guy isn't even mayor yet. What about him has captured the fancy of a young Indian voter base that rarely gets out to vote and cannot name the Member of Legislative Assembly representing their constituency? Is it his A) humble and relatable off-the-rack suit, tie and Casio demeanour B) several hundred Hindi references, appealing to the Indian diaspora C) work with communities including the Blacks, gays and the immigrant population? D) simple good looks and youth or E) ability to use public transport and walk long distances. (You are allowed to choose over one option). Politico says, 'Critics scoffed at the 33-year-old democratic socialist's pie-in-the-sky agenda. And then he trounced everyone.' I'd like to think that Mamdani has struck a chord with young voters globally because he knows how to work social media. His Instagram reels speak to a generation that seeks what he promises: affordable housing, free transport and decent use of taxpayer money. They also want to see their pestilent youth represented in the office. It's why Mamdani's campaign deliberately uses clear fonts and easy chants in colours the Gen Z loves. I now know how much food at a halal cart costs even though I have never set foot in America, let alone eaten at one. While he is now being hailed as Lenin's second coming in liberal circles that are finally coming into their polity, skeptics wonder if his policies will even work in today's age. It's the optimism that works in his favour though. Despite these several opinions, I wonder what I will do with as much information about Mamdani and his campaign. Considering I will never vote there, will I shut this information in the brainrot corner of my head, or will it inform how I envision politics transforming in my own country? Elections in India are not won because of social media but dramatically influenced by it. Only last year, during the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be seen rubbing shoulders with influencers. With only one year to go for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, one can see the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Bharatiya Janata Party's IT wings buzzing. Going by evidence from previous elections, it seems like politicians will only use social media to promote supercuts of their fan edits. It is unlikely that they will harness the tool to not just speak, but also connect and elicit a response from the audience. But 10 months is too soon to tell. For now, I have little choice. I will go to bed thinking of what it must be to eat Mamdani's promised eight dollar chicken on rice at the several halal carts outside Central Park, drinking iced coffee in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, with a byline that someday ends at New York, New York. Level up Zaddy: You might think this is some interesting portmanteau that Gen Z came up with but it really is just what it sounds like, a sexy, charismatic daddy who is usually older. Now you know why Zohran is called Mamzaddy. Are you wondering about the what's happening on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and Discord? Pop it like it's hot, a fortnightly column from The Hindu, catches you up on everything pop culture. All you need to do, is tune in.
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Kamala Harris governor run threatened by donors' cold feet
Donors do not want Kamala Harris to run for California governor over fears her presidential election loss makes her a liability to the Democrats. The former presidential candidate is considering whether to launch a bid to replace Gavin Newsom as governor when his term ends next year, relying on the advice of her closest allies as she weighs up the decision. But Golden State donors have warned her campaign would be a 'traumatising' reminder of last year's election. One Democrat who donated six-figures to her campaign said: 'Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete sh--storm. 'With Biden, we got bamboozled... I think she did the best she could in that situation, but obviously she knew about the cognitive decline too,' Politico reported. 'I've written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we're living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I'm furious at them, truly.' Ms Harris, 60, has kept a low profile since leaving Washington, DC, in January and returning to California. She has a holiday planned for July and allies hope she will make a decision about whether to run by late summer. She was criticised for rubbing shoulders with A-list stars at the Met Gala last month after her campaign spent $1billion in three months, including on a string of celebrity performances. Ms Harris is said to be deciding whether to enter the gubernatorial race, run for president in 2028 or explore positions outside of elected office. One California fundraiser told Politico that donors believe Ms Harris's campaign would 'bring up the whole pathetic last presidential [race], which no one wants to hear about again. And then it's the whole 'did you know Joe Biden?' thing.'' 'She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped.' 'There was more enthusiasm at first,' Mather Martin, a San Francisco-based fundraiser who has worked on Ms Harris's campaigns before, said. 'I think it waned a bit.' Ms Harris's allies are said to be assured Democrats would coalesce around her. They also note she has advantages over the other contenders including a being a recognised name and the ability to fundraise. Christopher Galdieri, politics professor at Saint Anselm, said while some California Democrats might be unenthused by the possibility of Ms Harris running, he does not think that will stop them donating to her campaign. 'I don't know that those donors are saying that they wouldn't write checks if it came down to it... especially if you have a situation where a you know, heavyweight candidate enters the race is favoured to get nominated, favoured to win the election', he told The Telegraph. He added: 'I think those donors would figure out how to get over it and write checks quickly just because, in a purely instrumental sense, do you want to be the big name democratic donor who didn't write a check for the incoming governor of the state?' The GOP is said to be keen to face off against Ms Harris again, with more contenders poised to jump into the race were she to declare. The Republican machine will have ample material to attack the former vice president with in light of the damning allegations in the book Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, which claimed that Mr Biden's inner circle shielded the public from the extent of his decline while serving as president. Mr Biden said the allegations were 'wrong' and 'there's nothing to sustain' them. Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat who is running for governor, has accused Ms Harris of being complicit in masking the reality of Mr Biden's decline.
New York Post
11 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
‘No one' excited about Kamala Harris' potential gubernatorial run, say California donors
Former Vice President Kamala Harris' prospective gubernatorial bid is not striking up much excitement among Democratic fundraisers in California, Politico reported Friday. The outlet spoke to multiple Democratic Party donors in California to see how they felt about Harris possibly running for governor. So far, her interest in exploring a gubernatorial run in the state following her 2024 presidential election loss hasn't enthused many. Advertisement 'She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped,' one Southern California fundraiser told Politico. Harris, who lost November's election to President Donald Trump, is seriously considering a 2026 bid to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif. A source close to Harris told Fox News Digital in March that she has told allies she will decide by the end of summer on whether to launch a gubernatorial campaign. The two potential options for Harris are launching a gubernatorial run next year in her home state or seeking the presidency again in 2028. Extremely early polls in the next Democratic Party presidential nomination race — which are heavily reliant on name recognition at this point — indicate that the former vice president holds a significant lead over other potential White House contenders. 3 AP Advertisement 'In interviews, several major donors in the state told POLITICO they fear her reemergence as a candidate would re-open still-fresh wounds from her defeat in 2024,' the outlet reported. 'Some harbor lingering frustration about how her billion-dollar campaign juggernaut ended in debt and want assurances she would have a clear plan to win the governor's mansion.' Mather Martin, a party fundraiser from San Francisco who worked for multiple Harris campaigns, told Politico, 'There was more enthusiasm at first' for Harris' run. However, he added, 'I think it waned a bit.' Another donor who gave a six-figure donation to Harris' presidential campaign last year told the outlet they had found the implosion of her White House bid 'traumatizing' and seemed reluctant to support her in the state. 3 REUTERS Advertisement 'Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete s— storm. With Biden, we got bamboozled… I think she did the best she could in that situation, but obviously she knew about the cognitive decline too. I've written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we're living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I'm furious at them, truly.' The donor who declared that 'no one is incredibly pumped' about Harris' run also shared that donors 'realize it's just going to bring up the whole pathetic last presidential, which no one wants to hear about again. And then it's the whole 'Did you know Joe Biden?' thing.' Scott Drexel, a donor-adviser based in the San Francisco Bay Area, noted, 'It's very fair to say there's not an overwhelming clamor' for Harris' gubernatorial run. 3 Gado via Getty Images Advertisement He also pointed out, 'It's very hard for there to be one if it's not 100 percent clear if she really wants to do it.' 'She's going to have to work for the nomination. Every day that passes, there's less of a sense of inevitability about her candidacy,' Drexel said. Democratic donor and San Francisco trial lawyer Joe Cotchett told Politico, 'She is talking to people around the state about whether she is going to run. If she does, she's going to have very difficult problems.' Harris' team did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The Hill
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
McConnell: Trump has ‘some pretty rabid isolationists over at DoD'
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took a swipte at President Trump's national security team in a rare interview as part of a recent pattern of public comments urging the president to consider military intervention in Iran and elsewhere more favorably. 'He's got some pretty rabid isolationists over at [the Department of Defense] — you could argue the vice president is in that group,' the former Senate majority leader told Politico. 'None of those people who've read history.' In a 40-minute conversation with Politico's Jonathan Martin, McConnell praised Trump while urging him to adopt deterrence — peace through strength, Martin wrote — in American foreign policy. 'Most of [Trump's] advisers don't agree with what I'm saying,' McConnell said, acknowledging that his platform has diminished since he left the majority leader position. He noted, for instance, that he had had little contact with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, his former Senate colleague. But now, he told Martin, he has 'the freedom to do it that I would not have had if I had still been leader.' McConnell's remarks, published Friday, follow a floor speech this week where he urged the U.S. to support Israel and Ukraine and criticized isolationists close to Trump. He in particular took aim at Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for a video where she warned of 'warmongers' fomenting tensions between nuclear powers. 'The president's own, his own, Director of National Intelligence traveled to Hiroshima to record a bizarre video, not as a warning against Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but presumably against American or Israeli operations to blunt them,' McConnell said on the floor. McConnell previously praised Trump's strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities as deterring Tehran from further nuclear advancement. 'Seizing this opportunity is not an escalation toward war — it is a prudent response to the warmongers in Tehran. Iran would be foolish to misunderstand American resolve,' he said in a statement at the time. 'I commend the President for authorizing decisive action and all U.S. servicemembers responsible for carrying it out,' he added.
eNCA
11 hours ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Mozambique probes claims of army atrocities near TotalEnergies site
Mozambique's human rights commission said on Friday it has opened an investigation into media reports of deadly abuses by government soldiers against villagers fleeing jihadist unrest near a major TotalEnergies gas plant. Politico reported in September that soldiers tasked with protecting the French fossil fuel giant's site had rounded up villagers following a major attack in 2021 and locked between 180 and 250 into containers, accusing them of being part of an insurgency. The men were held for three months and beaten, suffocated, starved and tortured, with only 26 surviving, according to the report by journalist Alex Perry based on interviews with survivors and witnesses. "If true, the facts alleged in the article may constitute crimes of summary execution (murder) torture and other cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment," the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) said in a statement. A team of investigators was in place and consulting with officials from the northern Cabo Delgado province, the statement said. They would visit the area to collect statements from witnesses and victims, and also meet representatives of Mozambique LNG, the local subsidiary of France's TotalEnergies. A final report would include recommendations on accountability and possible reparations for victims, it said, without giving a timeline. Mozambique LNG said last year it had no knowledge of the atrocities alleged to have been carried out between April and July 2021. In March 2021 Islamic State-linked militants active in Cabo Delgado since 2017 attacked the port town of Palma, a few kilometres from the TotalEnergies site, sending thousands of people fleeing. Conflict tracker ACLED estimated that more than 800 civilians and combatants were killed while Perry reported, after an investigation, that more than 1,400 were dead or missing. The multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project, a major boon for impoverished Mozambique, has been stalled since then.
