8 h. ago Yes, New York will soon be under new management. But Zohran Mamdani is just the start | Carys Afoko

Lina Khan outraged corporates and conservatives as head of the Federal Trade Commission. Expect more of the same now she’s with the mayor-elect’s transition teamA relatively unknown thirtysomething parachuted on to the national stage and into high political office. Energising to some of the Democratic base but lacking support from the party establishment. Not Zohran Mamdani but Lina Khan, who Joe Biden appointed to chair the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2021 when she was just 32. Khan, who left her role at the FTC when Trump returned to the White House, is now one of five women appointed to the mayor-elect of New York’s transition team.Khan is the most exciting pick for a few reasons. She entered the FTC with an ambitious mandate to transform the government agency, broaden its focus to increase scrutiny of corporate mergers and do more to protect consumers – and got results. She brought down the price of inhalers (routinely being sold for hundreds of dollars) by tackling price ...

Politics

11 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

11 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

25 h. ago Getting played by Republicans is nothing new for Schumer — and why Democrats are saying it’s time for Senate leader to go

New York-native minority leader’s inability to manage expectations or secure votes from Republicans has left him looking impotent and adrift at a time when Democratic voters want their leaders itching for a fight, Eric Garcia writes.

Politics

49 h. ago Zohran Mamdani’s writer on crafting a historic victory speech: ‘In New York, inspiration is everywhere’

The mayor-elect’s address pulled from Socialist titans, Astoria’s uncles and his rival’s father. Julian Gerson explains how the two collaborated on the ‘love letter to New York’In his victory speech after winning the New York mayoral election last week, Zohran Mamdani came out swinging.The speech included, among other dramatic flourishes, a reference to the socialist titan Eugene Debs, shoutouts to the city’s “Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses”, tributes to Jawaharlal Nehru and Fiorello La Guardia, sprinkles of Arabic – and it was all delivered with the cadence and command of a hip-hop emcee. Many who were listening could not help but wonder: how the hell did he pull that off? Continue reading...

Politics

54 h. ago How could Zohran Mamdani pay for his bold agenda for New York? We broke it down

A look at the realities the mayor-elect will face to pay for his progressive policies – and whose support he needsWho is Zohran Mamdani, New York’s democratic socialist new mayor?Bold promises to make the city more affordable propelled the New York City mayor-elect and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani to his unlikely win on Tuesday. Among them: free buses, universal childcare and a massive expansion in low-cost housing.But making the city more affordable for residents is an expensive government task, and many economists and politicians to Mamdani’s right say he faces too many obstacles to meaningfully deliver on his signature ideas. Continue reading...

Politics

61 h. ago How 'democratic socialist' Zohran Mamdani's win in New York can change UK politics for the better

The British public wants bold new policies to reverse the trend of economic stagnation that stretches back to the 2008 financial crash

Politics

61 h. ago In New York, Zohran Mamdani showed how it’s done: ‘identity politics’ can win elections | Nesrine Malik

New York’s newly elected mayor rooted his campaign in the personal while, ironically, exemplifying the tradition of the American ‘melting pot’It is inevitable that too much will be laid on Zohran Mamdani’s head. So large is the vacuum on the left of politics that his victory will occupy an outsized space for progressives beyond New York City. And so, before I lay too much on his head myself, some caveats. New York is a specific place. It has a specific demographic and economic profile. And Mamdani is a man of a specific background, racial, political and religious. But with that out of the way, I think the successful practice of “identity politics” during his campaign offers some universal lessons.I put identity politics in quote marks because the term now means little that is universally agreed upon. Broadly, it has come to mean something derogatory, kind of in the same way that “wokeness” has. It increasingly has negative connotations: a political appeal to race or other markers of...

Politics

3 d. ago White House insiders expose Trump's secret plot to torpedo Zohran Mamdani's 'communist' plans

'And so it begins.' Those were the only four words uttered by President Donald Trump on the night Zohran Mamdani was crowned New York's first Democratic Socialist mayor.

Politics

3 d. ago Rich New Yorkers eye London as Zohran Mamdani plots wealth tax

Rich New Yorkers eye London as Zohran Mamdani plots wealth tax  The Times

Economics

3 d. ago 'NYC will become Mumbai', billionaire property magnate rages as his firm plans to leave the city after Zohran Mamdani mayoral win

A billionaire real estate investor has warned that businesses, including his own, may leave New York City after Zohran Mamdani's win.

Society

3 d. ago How Mamdani is defying immigrant expectations by embracing his identity: ‘His boldness resonates’

New York City mayor-elect refused to ‘be in the shadows’ in the face of Islamophobic attacks during his campaignAcross the country, Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants has shaken neighbourhoods, torn apart families and engendered a sense of panic among communities. But in New York, on Tuesday night, Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of New York, and an immigrant from Uganda, chose to underline his identity. “New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” he told an ecstatic crowd at Paramount theater in Brooklyn.The son of a Muslim father and a Hindu mother, he was born in Kampala, raised in Queens, and identifies as a democratic socialist. Almost every aspect of Mamdani’s identity had been an issue of contention during the election. Earlier this week, the Center for Study of Organized Hate published a report highlighting the surge in Islamophobic comments online between July and October,...

Events

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

4 d. ago Good Morning host Adil Ray is grilled by ITV bosses after appearing to back introduction of Sharia law

On Thursday, Adil Ray, 51, congratulated fellow Muslim Zohran Mamdani on his stateside victory by praising the values behind Sharia law in a social media post.

Politics

4 d. ago Zohran Mamdani has upended US politics. Now he should take on Fifa | Jules Boykoff

New York’s mayor-elect has taken on powerful institutions. With the World Cup taking place in his city, he should challenge Fifa nextAfter winning the election for mayor of New York City, an exuberant Zohran Mamdani took to the stage at his victory speech and said, “If there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.” He was alluding to Donald Trump, but the sentiment also applies to Fifa, the world’s governing body for soccer.In September, Mamdani’s team kicked off a “Game Over Greed” campaign targeting Fifa’s use of dynamic pricing for 2026 men’s World Cup tickets, calling it an “affront to the game.” His petition demanded that Fifa cease its rapacious dynamic pricing scheme, place a price cap on tickets that are resold on Fifa’s ticketing platform, and reserve a tranche of tickets for local residents. Mamdani, a longtime Arsenal fan, told the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast, “I have long been quite troubled by...

Politics

4 d. ago From Bollywood to bodegas, Mamdani’s mayoral campaign found visual inspiration in unlikely corners

Zohran Mamdani’s winning run for New York City mayor featured a memorable campaign design that drew its inspiration from a wide range of influences, helping the democratic socialist appeal to young and diverse voters

Politics

4 d. ago GMB star Adil Ray hauled in by bosses after appearing to back Sharia law in New York after mayor Zohran Mamdani’s win

Ray sparked controversy after saying ‘the heart of Sharia is social justice, welfare, fairness, charity and cohesion’

Politics

4 d. ago What Mamdani could learn from the London mayor also hated by Trump

Zohran Mamdani and Sadiq Khan have lots in common despite their political differences

Politics

5 d. ago Leftist and centrist Democrats won on Tuesday. So what’s the party’s lesson? | Dustin Guastella

Zohran Mamdani, Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill focused their messages on the economy, but structural problems endureOn Tuesday, Democrats won right, left and center.In purple Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, the staunchly anti-socialist former CIA official won handily over her Republican counterpart. Meanwhile, Mikie Sherrill, a poster child for centrist Democrats, won big in light-blue New Jersey. And in ultra-progressive New York, the democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, predictably, took the mayoralty. With such varied success, what could be the common lesson?Dustin Guastella is the director of operations for Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia, and a research associate at the Center for Working-Class Politics Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Democrats should celebrate this week’s victories, but beware: Trump is already plotting his revenge | Jonathan Freedland

The Maga machine is clicking into gear to ensure that defeat is all but impossible in next year’s midterm electionsAfter the joy, the trepidation. Or at least the preparation. Democrats, along with many others around the world, cheered this week’s wins in a clutch of off-year elections that saw Donald Trump’s Republicans defeated from sea to shining sea. But now they need to brace themselves for the reaction. Because Donald Trump does not like losing. And he will do everything he can to ensure it does not happen again – by means fair and, more often, foul. Indeed, that effort is already under way.For now, the Democrats are still clinking glasses, enjoying a success that tastes all the sweeter for coming exactly a year after they lost everything – the House, the Senate and the White House – to a returning and triumphant Trump. The most dramatic win was Zohran Mamdani’s history-making victory in America’s most populous city, New York, but there was success too at the other end of the ...

Politics