Latest news with #ZohranMamdani
New York Post
40 minutes ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Mamdani's maddening win: Letters to the Editor — June 28, 2025
The Issue: Zohran Mamdani winning New York City's Democratic mayoral primary. Congratulations, Democrats: You gave your nomination for mayor to a hateful, authoritarian, antisemitic candidate ('Mam'a Mia, NYC!' June 25). You're willing to ruin the city's economy and make the streets, schools, subways and buses unsafe because of your contempt for people who are not like you. And then you'll all go running to Florida and other free states, leaving those who stay to suffer the consequences of Zohran Mamdani. Advertisement As a native New Yorker who still loves the city, I am deeply worried about its future. Tim Phares Laurel, Md. Advertisement An openly antisemitic extremist is the Democratic candidate for mayor. This is happening in the same city hosting a 'Summer of Reflection' honoring Anne Frank. The irony is sickening. Since Oct. 7, when Hamas slaughtered over 1,000 Jews, antisemitism hasn't just returned — it's been mainstreamed. Jews have been firebombed, gunned down, harassed and now this. We hold up Anne Frank's diary in one hand while voting for the hate that tried to silence her. Wake up, New York. Samuel Franco Advertisement Manhattan There is no question that Mamdani's victory will split the Democratic Party. He is so far left, there is no way that middle-of-the-road Dems can vote for this man or his policies. This might just help the Republicans if they play it right. New York, and for that matter the nation, are in serious disarray. How can anyone vote for this radical? Bob Robustelli Advertisement Stamford, Conn. You New Yorkers outdid yourselves this time. You can't wait to get this moron, who promised you free everything, into office. Where do you think he's going to get the money? By taxing the rich? They're already overtaxed — they will just move, and take their taxes with them, then you astute New Yorkers will see your taxes go way up and wonder what happened. Good luck finding a place to live when landlords kick you out because they can't afford tenants to pay zilch in rent, or aren't able to raise rent to cover their taxes and other services they supply. This will be fun to watch. Peter Sulzicki Stratford, Conn. With the rise of a socialist mayoral candidate who has a good shot at winning the election, it would be nice to see the other candidates put the city first, rather than themselves. It would be great if they could put aside their differences, put the people first and back out of running to support the candidate who has the best chance of beating Zohran. Advertisement This has become so much bigger than just an election; it is truly an opportunity to work collaboratively to defeat someone who has the ability to destroy our city. Give Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa jobs in Mayor Eric Adams' team. Some differing options within the team would be healthy. Show that bipartisanship can work. Paul Facella Long Beach, Calif. Advertisement What is all the hoopla about the antisemitic socialist winning the Democratic primary? I believe the people didn't want a disgraced governor winning, so they voted against him. The true colors of New York City will come out when the election is held in November. If they vote for the socialists, you can kiss the city goodbye. Ted Pilchik Advertisement Lake Worth, Fla. Believe it or not, I still have faith in the people of New York City. Come the general election, they will not elect someone who will defund the police and bankrupt the city. Mamdani could have tried to do the things he's promising to do while in the Assembly. Some words of wisdom from the late Margaret Thatcher: 'The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.' Advertisement Stephen Colasacco The Bronx Congratulations on your likely new mayor: An antisemitic socialist who became American only seven years ago. I suggest a countrywide fundraiser to pay for a 100-foot-high electric fence that surrounds the five boroughs. Let New Yorkers live with their elected scum with no escape. Laura Wesselmann Carlsbad, Calif. Want to weigh in on today's stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@ Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.
New York Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Warning to NY: Don't make the mistake we did in San Francisco by electing Zohran Mamdani
Take heed, New Yorkers, and learn from San Francisco's mistakes: The City by the Bay has discovered to its sorrow that charismatic leaders like Zohran Mamdani can dazzle — but their decisions can be disastrous. Just a few years ago San Franciscans, too, supported magnetic populists, then watched as their neighborhoods fell off a livability cliff. Advertisement Regrets, we have more than a few — and many we want to mention. In 2017 London Breed, a brash and captivating city supervisor from the projects, became acting mayor when the mild-mannered Mayor Ed Lee died. With big promises of housing creation, downtown revitalization and racial equity — as well as her hard-partying charm — she whipped up the crowds, winning the mayoralty outright in a special election. Advertisement But during her tenure, San Francisco went from thriving to diving. Massive tent encampments took over large swaths of the city thanks to her lax policies, and the financial district and retail centers hollowed out. 'I am the mayor, but I'm a black woman first,' she shouted in a 2020 speech, as violence spiraled nationwide after the death of George Floyd. 'I am angry.' Advertisement That same day, looters and vandals were running roughshod over Union Square stores and small businesses in Chinatown. Far-left public defender Chesa Boudin one-upped Breed's progressive leanings when he joined her in city government. Boudin thrilled local social-justice activists when he ran for district attorney in 2019, as opposition to President Donald Trump and the Black Lives Matter movement gained steam. He quickly eliminated cash bail, reduced incarceration and put pressure on law enforcement instead of on criminals. Advertisement Soon Honduran cartels and dealers flooded Fog City with fentanyl, and drug tourists arrived from all over the country to overstay their welcome on our permissive streets. Overdoses spiked, and property crimes like shoplifting, looting and car smash-and-grabs became the norm. Jennifer Friedenbach, the firebrand executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, spearheaded the push to pass a 2018 'tax-the-rich' ballot proposition that promised to raise hundreds of millions for affordable housing. Her influence was enough to persuade Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to back the measure. Prop C passed but did nothing to solve the exploding homelessness problem. Instead, high net-worth companies like Stripe and PayPal, which contributed heavily to the city's tax revenues and provided vital jobs, simply packed up and left. Life in San Francisco got ugly, fast. The police force shrank from nearly 2,000 officers in 2020 to under 1,500 in 2024. Businesses fled and tourism dwindled. Advertisement An online 'poop map' made our filthy streets a national punch line. A city that was once so vibrant and full of civic pride became an embarrassing warning to the rest of the country: Do not do what we they are doing. Now, San Francisco is in intense repair mode. Voters ousted Boudin in 2022, and his replacement, Brooke Jenkins, has focused on increasing arrests and convictions. Advertisement In 2024, the calm and measured political outsider Daniel Lurie defeated the bombastic Breed in her bid for a second term. His 100-day progress report heralded a drop in crime, the removal of tent cities and an uptick in visitors. As for Friedenbach, her coalition's sway is sagging. Calls for her dismissal from the oversight committee that controls the Prop C funds are intensifying. San Franciscans are allowing themselves to feel cautious optimism about their future: 43% of residents now believe the city is on the right track, nearly double what it was a year ago. Advertisement Pessimism persists, and it's warranted, but green shoots of hope are taking root. That's why so many San Franciscans watched New York City's Democratic primary election with both fascination and despair. They know too well that electing compelling characters like Mamdani can have dire consequences. Our merry band of socialists here are celebrating Mamdani's win, but the majority of San Francisco residents, workers and business owners send this warning: The politics and policies he espouses can turn a flawed but marvelous city into one that is unrecognizably horrifying. Advertisement So be careful, New York. It's easy to fall for simple-sounding solutions delivered by a smooth talker in seductive speeches. But once that person takes the reins, and the pie-in-the-sky promises become dangerous reality, the process to remove him is long and arduous — and fixing the wreckage is even harder. Erica Sandberg is a freelance journalist and host of the San Francisco Beat.
NBC News
an hour ago
- Politics
- NBC News
What comes next after the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Happy Friday! The weekend is upon us, unless you're a member of the U.S. Senate who's set to spend the next couple days working on the 'big, beautiful bill.' Today also marks the one-year anniversary of the now-infamous presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. In today's edition, our legal team breaks down what comes next after the Supreme Court's major ruling in the birthright citizenship case. Plus, Kristen Welker previews her exclusive interview this weekend with Zohran Mamdani. — Adam Wollner — Adam Wollner Supreme Court birthright citizenship ruling sparks new round of legal fights By Lawrence Hurley and Gary Grumbach Almost as soon as the Supreme Court released its ruling limiting the ability of judges to block President Donald Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship, challengers brought new legal claims seeking the same result by a different means. While the Supreme Court said judges cannot issue sweeping 'universal injunctions' that can apply nationwide in many cases, it left open the option of plaintiffs seeking broad relief via class action lawsuits. The American Civil Liberties Union filed such a lawsuit in New Hampshire on behalf of immigrants whose children may not obtain U.S. citizenship at birth if Trump's order was to go into effect. In a separate case in Maryland, in which groups had previously obtained a nationwide injunction, lawyers filed an amended complaint seeking similar class-wide relief for anyone affected by Trump's plan within hours of the ruling authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Under Trump's plan, birthright citizenship would be limited to those who have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. That is at odds with the widely accepted understanding of the Constitution's 14th Amendment — that it grants citizenship to anyone born in the U.S., with a few minor exceptions. Samuel Bray, a critic of nationwide injunctions at Notre Dame Law School whose work was cited in the ruling, said both the states and individual plaintiffs can still get broad injunctions against the birthright citizenship executive order, potentially even on a nationwide basis. 'I don't expect the executive order will ever go into effect,' he added. How Trump is responding: At a news conference, Trump made it clear the administration would proactively use the Supreme Court ruling not just to bolster its birthright citizenship proposal but also to push forward on other policies that have been blocked by judges on a nationwide basis. 'Thanks to this decision, we can now promptly file to proceed with numerous policies that have been wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis,' the president said. Steve Bannon urges Republicans to take Zohran Mamdani's rise 'seriously' By Kristen Welker Zohran Mamdani pulled off a stunning upset in New York City's mayoral primary this week, sending shock waves through the Democratic Party. A little-known state lawmaker, Mamdani ran a campaign that energized key Democratic constituencies and ultimately forced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to concede. And now, even Republicans are starting to pay attention. Steve Bannon, a close ally to President Donald Trump, told me the GOP should take Mamdani's rise seriously. 'He did something that AOC and Bernie haven't been able to do — he connected populism to affordability,' Bannon told me. 'Republicans better start taking this guy seriously and they better stop wishing that he wins, and they will automatically run against his policies in 2026. This guy is a very skilled politician. He's clearly had a lot of training. He's got radical ideas, but he presents them in a sunny upbeat way and people feel like he's fighting for them, particularly on an issue that Republicans haven't connected on yet: affordability.' Mamdani has the momentum at the moment, but if elected mayor this fall, he would face immediate questions about whether he and his fellow democratic socialists can effectively govern the nation's largest city. He would oversee a $115 billion budget, more than 300,000 city employees and the country's largest police force. Mamdani has pledged to expand affordable housing, make city buses free and lower the cost of living by raising taxes on large corporations and the top 1% of earners. But his record in Albany offers limited evidence of legislative success: The New York Times reported that only three relatively minor bills he sponsored became law. Delivering on his promises would be difficult. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul — who has said she's not ready to back Mamdani yet — already rejected his proposed tax hikes on the wealthy, and making public buses free would require state approval. So, if given the opportunity to govern, how would Mamdani do it, given these challenges? I'll talk to Mamdani about all of this in an exclusive interview on 'Meet the Press' this Sunday. 🎙️ Here's the Scoop This week, NBC News launched ' Here's the Scoop,' a new evening podcast that brings you a fresh take on the day's top stories in 15 minutes or less. In today's episode, host Yasmin Vossoughian discusses the Supreme Court's ruling in the birthright citizenship case with NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett and senior Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley. ✉️ Mailbag: Is Trump delivering on his deportation promises? Thanks to everyone who emailed us! This week's reader question is about Trump's mass deportation agenda. 'The president says they are deporting rapists, drug dealers and child molesters. I was wondering how many of the arrests are of real criminals and how many are just illegal entry workers?' To answer this, we turned to an exclusive report this week from our colleagues Julia Ainsley and Laura Strickler. They obtained internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement data of every person booked from Oct. 1 through May 31, part of which was during the Biden administration. It shows a total of 185,042 people arrested and booked into ICE facilities during that time; 65,041 of them have been convicted of crimes. The most common categories of crimes they committed were immigration and traffic offenses. Last fall, ICE told Congress that 13,099 people convicted of homicide and 15,811 people convicted of sexual assault were on its non-detained docket, meaning it knew who they were but did not have them in custody. The new data shows that from Oct. 1 to May 31, ICE arrested 752 people convicted of homicide and 1,693 people convicted of sexual assault, meaning that at the most, the Trump administration has detained only 6% of the undocumented immigrants known to ICE to have been convicted of homicide and 11% of those known to ICE to have been convicted of sexual assault.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Mamdani faces Islamophobic attacks from GOP lawmakers, commentators
Zohran Mamdani, who is poised to become the Democratic nominee in New York's mayoral race, is facing a barrage of Islamophobic attacks from some Republican lawmakers and commentators, drawing condemnations from Muslim rights leaders. Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tennessee) referred to Mamdani as 'little muhammad' and wrote on social media this week that he 'needs to be DEPORTED.'
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Zohran Mamdani and the Jews
This has been the first time in Zohran Mamdani's adult life that he hasn't wanted to talk about Israel. To obsess over its sins, real and imagined; to destroy it; to expel it from the club of nations. This was also the first time he has run for mayor of New York. Mr. Mamdani's victory in Tuesday's Democratic mayoral primary is said to have nothing to do with his 'foreign policy.' The socialist spoke about rent and grocery prices.
