9 h. ago Gen Z’s ‘first lady’: how Rama Duwaji, Mamdani’s wife, speaks to a new era of political fashion

The 28-year-old artist’s style steers clear of the political wife cosplay of pastel skirt suits in favor of something more playful and youthful yet still elegantIt is the most traditional of assets for any ambitious young male politician: a fashionably dressed, beautiful young wife. But as with everything else about the rise of Zohran Mamdani, his wife, Rama Duwaji, represents a new era of politics which speaks to a new generation of voters.Married to the soon-to-be leader of the biggest city in the US, Duwaji, 28, is arguably the US’s first generation Z “first lady”. Duwaji is an artist and illustrator of Syrian heritage, whose work explores themes of Arab identity, female experience and social justice. Working in paint, line-drawing, ceramics and animation, she graduated with a master’s degree in fine art from New York’s School of Visual Arts in 2024. Her thesis was titled Sahtain!, an Arabic expression which translates as “bon appetit”, and explored the communal act of making and...

Politics

9 h. ago Gen Z’s ‘first lady’: how Rama Duwaji, Mamdani’s wife, is reshaping political fashion

The 28-year-old artist’s style steers clear of the political wife cosplay of pastel skirt suits in favor of something more playful and youthful, yet still elegantIt is the most traditional of assets for any ambitious young male politician: a fashionably dressed, beautiful young wife. But as with everything else about the rise of Zohran Mamdani, his wife, Rama Duwaji, represents a new era of politics which speaks to a new generation of voters.Married to the soon-to-be leader of the biggest city in the US, Duwaji, 28, is arguably the US’s first generation Z “first lady”. Duwaji is an artist and illustrator of Syrian heritage, whose work explores themes of Arab identity, female experience and social justice. Working in paint, line-drawing, ceramics and animation, she graduated with a master’s degree in fine art from New York’s School of Visual Arts in 2024. Her thesis was titled Sahtain!, an Arabic expression which translates as “bon appetit”, and explored the communal act of making an...

Politics

3 d. ago Flabbergasting views of New York City's next First Lady, 28, laid bare in the hipster artist's work

New York City's next First Lady, Rama Duwaji, is a vocal critic of 'American imperialism' who is facing scrutiny after her extreme views emerged.

Politics

6 d. ago New York gets its first Gen Z First Lady and she met the mayor on Hinge

New York's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is the city's youngest ever mayor to take office. As he prepares to assume his post in January we find out more about his wife and the first ever Gen Z First Lady, Rama Duwaji

Politics

6 d. ago Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji, the Gen Z First Lady of New York

The 28-year-old artist quietly helped to shape her husband’s wildly successful campaign to become Mayor of New York

Politics

7 d. ago Who is Rama Duwaji? What Zohran Mamdani’s wife has said about Gaza and ICE as he’s elected NYC mayor

Rama Duwaji has a successful career as an illustrator, having worked forThe New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Vogue

Politics

1 week ago California is voting on redistricting. An election skeptic runs the process in one county

Clint Curtis is overseeing a 4 November ballot that could add five Democratic seats and reshape US politicsWhen Clint Curtis was appointed to oversee voting in California’s Shasta county earlier this year, the Florida-based lawyer and election skeptic pledged to “fix” the voting process.Curtis had never before administered an election and didn’t live in this rural northern California region. But he was well-known to followers of the US election denialism movement, who believe the voting system is not secure and that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election. Curtis, a former congressional candidate, described himself as an expert in elections law and had long argued that voting machines could be hacked and that the government could manipulate the results of elections. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Democrats should be taking the fight to Trump – the problem is, he’s got them battling each other | Jonathan Freedland

Elections across the US next week should be easy pickings for the opposition. But they’re finding it hard to beat a player who breaks all the rulesEvery year is election year in the US, but the contests of 2025, which reach their climax on Tuesday, will be especially revealing. These “off-year” battles – a smattering of governors’ races, statewide referendums and the election of a new mayor in the country’s biggest city – will tell us much about the national mood 12 months after Americans returned Donald Trump to the White House and one year before midterm contests that could reshape the US political landscape. Above all, though, they will reveal the division, the confusion and sheer discombobulation Trump has induced in the US’s party of opposition.The verdict on Trump’s first 10 months in office will be delivered most clearly in the two states set to choose a new governor: New Jersey and Virginia. By rights, these should be relatively easy wins for the Democrats. Both states voted...

Politics

2 w. ago Milei’s win in Argentina had Trump’s fingerprints all over it. But just how long will their friendship last? | Jordana Timerman

The Argentine president’s libertarian experiment is in tatters, and his hold on power seems increasingly dependent on volatile US supportJordana Timerman is a journalist based in Buenos Aires; she edits the Latin America Daily BriefingIn 1946, Argentina was emerging from military rule, an empowered labour movement was reshaping politics and Col Juan Perón, a leftwing leader who had introduced a raft of popular workers’ rights decrees, was rising fast in the polls. The then US ambassador, Spruille Braden, had other ideas about who should win the national election that year, and he openly campaigned against Perón in Buenos Aires. Braden’s action stands out as one of the most brazen instances of US interference in Argentina’s politics. Until now.The Argentine president, Javier Milei, who won a resounding midterm victory on Sunday, has received ample support from Donald Trump. Ahead of the congressional elections, Trump endorsed Milei and warned: “If he loses, we are not going to be gen...

Politics

3 w. ago What the datacenter boom means for America’s environment – and electricity bills

In this week’s newsletter: from Google to Amazon to OpenAI, the economic and climate cost of datacenters continues to grow• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe headlong rush to build huge new datacenters, in order to support the growth of AI, is raising a number of concerns in the US – around the impact upon the climate crisis, water use and electricity bills. It’s also set to reshape American politics in potentially unusual ways.Companies such as Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Amazon and Meta are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into new datacenters that will form the backbone to the surging use of AI by businesses and the public.Bird migration is changing. What does this reveal about our planet? – visualisedTowns may have to be abandoned due to floods with millions more homes in Great Britain at riskThe plastic inside us: how microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and mindsDatacenter emissions probably 662% higher than big tech claims. Can it kee...

Science

4 w. ago MAGA targets Zohran Mamdani’s wife after she publicly mourns death of Palestinian influencer

Rama Duwaji rebuked for paying tribute to Saleh al-Jafarawi, who was loathed by Israelis for allegedly celebrating Hamas rocket attacks on October 7

Events