46 h. ago At Zohran Mamdani’s block party, I observed a simple truth: people want more politics, not less | Samuel Earle

Years of scandal and disappointment have left a void in our politics. But New York’s new mayor offers an alternative to more apathy: hope On 1 January, to mark his inauguration as mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani threw a block party. As he was sworn in outside city hall in front of a crowd of a few thousand of us, a nearby street in Manhattan was closed to traffic so that tens of thousands more could gather to watch the historic moment live on enormous screens. The weather – a cloudless blue sky and arctic winds – felt somehow fitting: a licence to dream and a warning against complacency.Mayors don’t usually take office amid such a festival atmosphere. A smaller, more exclusive event is normally adequate. But a key feature of Mamdani’s rise has been the desire for mass participation in politics. There was no chance this day was going to pass without an open-invitation party. Continue reading...

Politics

62 h. ago Israel accuses Mamdani of antisemitism on first day as New York mayor

Foreign ministry says mayor has poured ‘antisemitic gasoline on an open fire’ by scrapping IHRA definitionIsrael’s foreign ministry has accused New York mayor Zohran Mamdani of pouring “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire” after he reversed a recent order by the outgoing mayor, Eric Adams.“On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: he scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel. This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire,” the foreign ministry said in a post on X. Continue reading...

Politics

65 h. ago What Zohran Mamdani’s suit tells us about the man and the way society is changing

In politics, clothes matter – as the mid-market formal wear favoured by the new, young New York mayor testifiesGrowing up in London in the 00s, I was surrounded by suits. On City boys darting around the Square Mile. In Hyde Park, where Arab dads in baggy suits kicked footballs with their children in honeyed light. At school, where cheap grey suits were our uniform. The suit has always been a costume of seriousness that signals powerfulness and performance; all the things I was apparently supposed to want if I ever intended to become a “man”. But until recently, my generation seemed to wear them less and less, and they had all but disappeared from my consciousness.Then came the newly elected New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who was sworn in at a private ceremony dressed in a sober black overcoat, crisp white shirt and an Eri silk tie from New Delhi-based designer Kartik Kumra of Kartik Research – styled by US fashion editor, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. Buoyed up by an ingenious cam...

Politics

3 d. ago New York chose ‘courage over fear’, AOC says at Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration ceremony – live

Congressmember delivered opening remarks at city hall, noting that Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim mayorZohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji appearing on stage for his inauguration ceremony earlier.New York is a place that “a young immigrant democrat socialist Muslim can be bold enough to run and brave enough to win,” he says, “not by abandoning conviction, but by standing firmly within it.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago New York mayor Zohran Mamdani to be inaugurated at city hall – live

Mamdani was sworn into office by Letitia James shortly after midnight in the abandoned city hall subway stationWhile we wait for the ceremony to get under way, a reminder that this time last year Mamdani, a virtual unknown, plunged into the freezing waves at Coney Island in a suit and tie, in a bid to gain traction for his campaign. “I’m freezing you rent as the next mayor of New York City. Let’s plunge into the details,” he said.Here’s a roundup of some of his best quotes: Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Zohran Mamdani officially sworn in on a Quran full of symbolism

Incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is making history not only as the city's first mayor to take the oath of office on a Quran but also as the first Muslim, South Asian, and African-born mayor

Politics

3 d. ago Watch: Zohran Mamdani becomes first New York mayor to be sworn in on the Quran

Zohran Mamdani became the first New York City mayor to be sworn in using the Quran, in a symbolic inauguration performed at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Politics

3 d. ago Sadiq Khan brands Donald Trump a bully and vows to stand up to his ‘hatred and bile’

Labour London mayor hits out at the US President’s ‘pathetic name-calling’ and suggests warm meeting with Zohran Mamdani was just the New York mayor’s ‘diplomacy’

Politics

3 d. ago They tried to smear him as an antisemite – but Mayor Zohran Mamdani walks in a rich Jewish tradition | Molly Crabapple

When I look at Mamdani, I don’t see some radical departure. I see him an heir to the Yiddish socialism that helped build New YorkBillionaires raised fortunes against him. The president threatened to strip his citizenship. Mainstream synagogues slandered him as the spawn of Osama Bin Laden and Chairman Mao. But today, Zohran Mamdani became the first socialist mayor of New York City.For all the hysteria, when I look at Mamdani, I didn’t see some radical departure from the past. I see him as the heir to an old and venerable Jewish tradition – that of Yiddish socialism – which helped build New York. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Zohran Mamdani is now mayor of New York City. Here’s what he campaigned on

From freezing rents to free buses and municipal grocery stores – a recap of the policies that won Mamdani the officeZohran Mamdani was sworn into office as New York’s 111th mayor at the stroke of midnight, the first Muslim mayor as well as the first to take office as a Democrat bearing the credentials of a democratic socialist.The 34-year-old was sworn in by Letitia James, the state attorney general, in a disused subway station beneath city hall that acts as turnaround for the local 5 train, to be followed by a first-of-its-kind public block party along Broadway’s “Canyon of Heroes”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago I’ve been a New Yorker for 23 years. Today Zohran Mamdani’s swearing

The new mayor embraces social justice, and rejects hate and nationalism. That’s why we’re so excited to see what he’ll do in officeOn a cold Saturday morning, a little over a week before the New York City mayoral election in November, I was at a park in Queens to speak at a fundraiser for Asiyah Women’s Centre, the oldest and largest shelter providing support for American Muslim female victims of domestic violence. Vendors selling everything from chai to embroidered Palestinian handicrafts turned out to support the fundraiser; a DJ blasted music and artists painted children’s faces with the colours of Halloween.I chose the vendor with the most protein on offer because I lift and squat more than my bodyweight and must meet a daily goal. “Our kebab is one of Zohran’s favourites,” the man at the King of Kebab stand told me, proudly and unprompted, as he piled my plate with meat.Mona Eltahawy writes the FEMINIST GIANT newsletter. She is the author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women a...

Politics

3 d. ago Zohran Mamdani takes oath on the Quran as he's sworn in as New York City mayor at historic subway station

Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight Thursday, taking the oath of office at an historic, decommissioned subway station in Manhattan.

Politics

4 d. ago Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor at historic subway station

Zohran Mamdani is the new mayor of New York City

Politics

4 d. ago Zohran Mamdani drops 'insane' list of items banned at NYC mayoral inauguration

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has released a list of items banned from his inaugural block party in New York City, which many people have called 'insane.'

Events

4 d. ago Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as mayor on a Quran, a first in New York City history

Incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will make history as the city's first mayor to take the oath of office on a Quran

Politics

5 d. ago Incoming NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani to be sworn in at abandoned subway stop on NYE

The private ceremony will take place at Old City Hall Station just before midnight

Politics

5 d. ago Zohran Mamdani is set to be sworn in as mayor as NYC rings in the New Year

Zohran Mamdani will become mayor of New York City as the clock ticks over into 2026 — but the celebrations are set to last through New Year’s Day

Politics

5 d. ago Mamdani to be sworn in as New York mayor in abandoned subway station

Mamdani to take oath of office on New Year’s Eve in Gilded Age subway station beneath city hallWhile tens of thousands of New Yorkers will be in Times Square for countdown to 2026, the city’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has said he will be sworn into office in an underground midnight private ceremony at an abandoned subway station built during the Gilded Age.Mamdani, 34, plans to take the oath of office on New Year’s Eve in a disused subway station beneath city hall which acts as turnaround for the local 5 train. The unusual choice of venue for the ceremony, Mamdani said, is symbolically resonant of the “inauguration of a new era”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Zohran Mamdani tells immigrant New Yorkers about their right not to comply with ICE

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani posted a video explaining immigrants' right to refuse to speak to or comply with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Events

4 w. ago Trump wants to recreate a white America that never existed | Rebecca Solnit

The persecution of brown people and mass deportations will not create the white country of far-right fantasyAs Donald Trump deteriorates and his grasp on power fades, he has been lashing out furiously at female journalists and ethnic groups, most recently Somali Americans. His insults land because of their animosity and his power, not their accuracy. Likewise, his administration’s attacks on immigrants are sloppy and driven by lies. It’s strikingly clear that the target is not individuals with criminal records. It’s anyone and everyone guilty of being brown. Native Americans with tribal identification cards, US citizens, people doing crucial work from construction to nursing, military veterans, college students, people sleeping in their own beds, small children: all kinds of residents of this country are under attack.“ICE raids are cruel, inhumane, and do nothing to serve public safety,” declares Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor-elect. Masked thugs smashing car windows and dr...

Politics