Zohran Mamdani Wins Democratic Mayoral Primary in NYC Upset

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Queens assemblymember and democratic socialist, won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary last Tuesday, defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. With almost all precincts reporting, Mamdani’s lead appears insurmountable.

Mamdani, an immigrant from Uganda, has served in the New York State Assembly since 2021, championing progressive policies like fare-free transit and rent protections. His campaign was noted for energizing young and progressive grassroots voters.

Republicans have quickly framed the win as evidence of a leftward shift among Democrats. GOP leaders warned of what they perceive as his radical policies, while Democratic establishment figures, including Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, have so far withheld endorsements.

Mamdani will face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa in the general election, with some Mamdani opponents calling on Sliwa to drop out to help consolidate the anti-Mamdani vote.

 

Recent NYC Subway Burning Murder Highlights Safety Concerns

The horrific murder of Debrina Kawam, a New Jersey woman, on the New York City subway has reignited safety concerns for NYC residents and visitors. On December 22, 2024, a woman was fatally set on fire while sleeping on an F train in Brooklyn. Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a Guatemalan migrant residing illegally, was charged with murder and arson.

The attack, along with other recent violent crimes, has heightened fears among riders despite increased security measures. Governor Hochul deployed additional National Guard members and installed cameras in subway cars, yet many New Yorkers remain skeptical about their safety on public transportation.

 

Trump Found Guilty on All 34 Charges in NY Hush Money Trial

Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony charges in his hush money trial in Manhattan on Thursday, capping a weeks-long dramatic legal showdown that saw the testimony of his former lawyer Michael Cohen and former porn star Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford).

The convictions stem from 2016 payments made to Daniels by Cohen as part of a non-disclosure agreement over an alleged affair in 2006, which Trump later reimbursed. Prosecutors alleged that the payments were aimed at influencing the 2016 election and thus should have been labeled as campaign contributions rather than legal expenses. Because the false entries in business records were used to conceal another crime (federal campaign finance violations), it upgraded the violations to felonies and allowed the charges to be brought within the statute of limitations, which tolled when Trump left New York for Florida.

Trump is widely expected to appeal the verdict, with his team likely to claim a pro-prosecution bias by Judge Juan Merchan in his decisions during the trial and in his jury instructions.

President Joe Biden was expected to speak on the Trump verdict in an official White House address, but has since said he will address the verdict in answers to reporters during typical press questioning. His campaign communications director Michael Tyler released a statement saying, “In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law.”

Biden’s son, Hunter, will face his own trial on firearms charges in June over alleged false statements on federal firearms forms. He also faces pending federal tax charges in California.

 

Heavy Rains Flood New York Subways

 

Nearly eight inches of rain fell in some areas of New York City this past week, causing flash flooding in the nation’s most populous city. New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) declared a state of emergency for the area. Some areas in Westchester County just north of the city required rescues using inflatable rafts to retrieve people from flooded buildings. 

The rain caused the New York City subway system to flood, disrupting the method of transportation many in the city rely upon for getting to work. Some bus riders were also stranded for hours on flooded streets.

 

Winter Storm Leaves 91 Dead, Leads to Travel Mayhem

 Last week’s Christmas winter storm has left at least 91 dead, with over 2.5 million left without power for at least some period of time.

Many of the US deaths were caused by cold exposure, some of whom were pedestrians who became disoriented when walking outside in blizzard conditions. Some became trapped in their cars and were unable to get to warm shelter. Traffic accidents also claimed several victims.

In Synder, New York, near Buffalo, 56.5 inches of snow fell.

The cold temperatures from the storm spread across the US. Even in Houston, temperatures dropped so low that bats lost their grip on the bridges where they make homes. Volunteers managed to gather the affected bats so they could warm them sufficiently, and afterwards they released the bats back to their bridges.

Millions lost power during the storm. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began rolling blackouts to prevent more widespread power outages. In Texas, power outages were much more limited than what was seen in the February 2021 winter storm.

The storm also led to mass cancellations of flights, leading to travel mayhem as travelers were stranded in airports trying to get to their destinations before Christmas day. Southwest Airlines was the hardest hit, with the airline experiencing a meltdown of their planning software. Employees were left to manually schedule crews for flights, and customers were forced to spend several hours on hold with customer service agents in attempts to rebook their flights. The US Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into the cancellations.

GOP Makes Inroads, Democrats Play Defense Ahead of Election Day

A Republican red wave appears more likely than it did during the summer, with just one week before election day on November 8. While summer polls showed a Democratic lead in the generic ballot and improving approval numbers for President Joe Biden, recent polling aggregates have Republicans with a lead in the generic ballot, with RealClearPolitics showing the GOP with a 2.9 lead.

Polling of certain battleground districts also show possible trouble for Democrats, with perhaps the most notable example being Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Sean Patrick Maloney in New York’s 17th Congressional District. Maloney had decided to run in the more Democratic 17th, but polling shows he still faces a competitive race against Republican Michael Lawler in a district that voted for President Biden by 10 points in 2020. 538, an election prediction website, still gives Maloney an edge in the district with a 70% chance to win, but the competitive nature of the district signals possible danger for Democrats in once-thought safe seats.

Other once-thought safe Democratic-held seats that face stronger than expected GOP opposition include New York’s gubernatorial race, Oregon’s gubernatorial race, and Washington’s US Senate race.

Democrats hope that they can maintain Senate control by keeping Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona in Democratic hands, while also flipping Pennsylvania. With the exception of Nevada, Democrats had held polling leads in all states until last week, when Republican nominees began to gain momentum in the polls. Democrats maintain a polling advantage in Arizona, though Republican Blake Masters has closed the gap in recent days against Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly.

 

Democratic Fortunes Improve After Recent Victories

 Facing the prospect of significant losses in the November midterm elections, Democrats’ fortunes may have improved if recent election results are any indication. Along with an increase in President Joe Biden’s approval ratings, Democrats have expressed more confidence that they will keep the Senate majority and possibly keep their House majority.

The most notable recent indication the Republicans may not have a lock on Congressional control after the midterms are the results of the special US House election in New York. Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Marc Molinaro, 51.1% to 48.7%, in the 19th congressional district, slightly overperforming Biden’s performance in 2020. In the New York’s 23rd, Republican Joe Sempolinski won 6.5 percentage points, underperforming Trump’s 11-point victory in 2020.

In Kansas, voters rejected by a double-digit margin to allow the state legislature to restrict or ban abortion in the state.

Biden’s approval ratings have also improved in recent weeks, though they still remain negative.

 

A Few Congressional Races Remain Uncalled

While the election ended weeks ago, several congressional races remain uncalled. One in Louisiana is guaranteed to remain Republican as two GOP candidates face off in a runoff on December 5 after neither achieved 50% initially.

In New York, former Rep. Claudia Tenney (R) narrowly leads Democratic incumbent Anthony Brindisi, with disputes about challenged ballots remaining. In Iowa’s 4th, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leads Democrat Rita Hart by single digits (in votes, not percentage) in the closest House race in the nation. Further recounts and litigation could happen.

 

Coronavirus Cases Trending Down in US, Reemerge in Other Countries

Global coronavirus cases have topped 25 million worldwide as countries around the world struggle to contain the outbreak which began late last year in Hubei Province, China, with worldwide deaths currently numbered at 843,000. France and Spain are among the countries to report a resurgence in their COVID-19 numbers, with the latter being one of the centers of the outbreak when it began its worldwide spread in early 2020.

The United States, the worldwide leader in coronavirus cases and deaths, has seen some encouraging signs as the summer nears its end. New York and New Jersey continue to have low numbers of cases and deaths after suffering at the start of the pandemic in the US, and the later hotspots of Texas, Florida, and Arizona have seen their case and death numbers drop off drastically since their peak in July. However, other areas of the country continue to suffer outbreaks, often linked to mass gatherings such as parties. Colleges and universities have clamped down on such gatherings, with some deciding to cancel in-person classes after attempting to reopen for the semester.

Texas, Florida, California Emerge as Coronavirus Hotspots

Another crop of states has emerged as the next coronavirus hotspots in the United States, with Texas, Florida, and California among those seeing a large increase in COVID-19 cases and related deaths.

The previous hotspots, New York, New Jersey, and Michigan, have not seen large jumps since the major outbreak at the pandemic’s onset in the US in March and April. Fortunately none of the states currently experiencing a large uptick in cases have seen the death tolls seen in the worst of the crisis in New York and New Jersey, but a sharp increase of deaths has occurred and expected to continue.

Total case numbers in California stand at 493,588, in Florida 470,386, in Texas 420,946, and in New York 415,014. The nationwide lethality rate average is 3.2%, ranging as high as 8.7% in New York to 0.6% in Alaska.

As for the economy, the US gross domestic product (GDP) contracted at a 32.9% annualized rate in the second quarter, a massive decline. Unemployment claims also jumped in the past week, showing that the job market continues to be weak as businesses struggle with restrictions and declining customer purchases.

Meanwhile coronavirus cases have risen in other countries in the past few weeks. Spain, one of the early centers of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, has seen a sharp uptick in cases, which some have blamed on increased travel and beach parties. Brazil, the country with the second most cases and deaths, has also struggled to control the virus. Brazil currently has had just under 2.7 million cases, compared to the US’s 4.7 million, or 12,536 cases per million versus 14,120 cases per million respectively.

Reopenings Slowly Begin as Coronavirus Pandemic Continues

Some states will begin efforts to reopen more portions of their economy after over a month of widespread lockdowns and stay at home orders aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the disease COVID-19.

Earlier this month, a coalition of northeastern US governors formed in an effort to coordinate efforts to allow certain businesses to reopen. The Northeast has been hit especially hard by the pandemic, with New York and New Jersey composing the most active hotspot for new infections, and Massachusetts recently emerging as a center of new cases. Other hotspots include Michigan (especially the Detroit metropolitan area) as well as Louisiana.

Texas is the largest state so far to announce large-scale reopening efforts. For example, on Friday restaurants will be allowed to serve at 25% seating capacity, with counties with less than five confirmed cases (mostly rural and low population) will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity. Over time the capacity allowance will be increased if the number of infections remains stable or decreases. While Texas has been spared the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, concerns over new infections linger, with Lamar County (home of Paris, Texas) reporting a stark increase in infections just before reopening efforts. Bars and movie theaters will continue to be closed.

Around the world, countries continue to face the worst public health crisis many of them have faced since the Spanish Flu pandemic a century ago. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, himself having been infected by the virus, announced that the UK was ‘past the peak’ in infection cases.

New York Metro Area Experiences Series of Anti-Jewish Attacks

At least five people were attacked in a Rockland County, New York, home last Saturday, all of them Jewish. The suspect, Grafton E. Thomas, 37, was apprehended afterward. Investigators claim that Thomas had searched online for “Why Did Hitler Hate the Jews,” in addition to finding a journal with references to claims and arguments often put forth by the Black Hebrew Israelites, known for their anti-Semitic beliefs.

This follows an attack earlier this month by two Black Hebrew Israelites which killed four people in a series of attacks in Jersey City, two of them Orthodox Jews.

Fire in Bronx Kills 12, Worst in New York City in a Decade

A fire in an apartment complex in the Bronx killed 12 people after it broke out on Thursday night, injuring even more. The fire is the worst to break out in New York City since 2007, in which a fire, also in the Bronx, resulted from an overheated space heater cord killed 10.

The fire Thursday night is believed to have been caused by a child playing with a stove and causing a fire. The child escaped with his mother, but the fire soon spread across the apartment complex. Firefighters had difficulty fighting it as the cold weather had frozen the water for their hoses.

Terrorist Attack Kills at Least 8 in New York City

Likely terrorist attack in New York City
leaves at least 8 dead, 11 more injured
Credit: NYPD

An attack Tuesday in New York City has left at least eight dead after a man used a rented Home Deport truck to run into cyclists. The man suspect ran from the scene and was eventually apprehended after being shot by police.

Another 11 people have been injured.

According to several witnesses, the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack, and social media accounts supporting the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group have praised the attack.

The attack likely marks the latest in a string of global attacks by IS since 2015, following large scale attacks in Paris and Brussels and similar truck attacks in London, Berlin, and Nice.