Latest news with #AndrewCuomo
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Zohran Mamdani's anti-NYPD post re-emerges after shooting
Democratic Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's past tweets mocking the New York Police Department have come back to haunt him after an officer was murdered in a mass-shooting. Mamdani, 33, issued a message from Uganda, where he is celebrating his wedding, after a gunman killed four people on Monday, including NYPD officer Didarul Islam, 36. 'I'm heartbroken to learn of the horrific shooting in Midtown and I am holding the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer in critical condition in my thoughts. Grateful for all of our first responders on the ground,' Mamdani wrote. He'll also hold an event dedicated to Islam's (pictured) memory later today. But the city council member was met with social media users reminding him of his past posts where he repeatedly spoke against police and asked to defund the NYPD. In one particular damning post, Mamdani said 'nature was healing,' when someone said they saw a police officer crying over the electoral win of Joe Biden in 2020. Mamdani, who defeated former NYC governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primaries for mayor, denies being anti-police and calling for the NYPD to be defunded. However, his social media activity serves as proof that he was unapologetically supportive of defunding the NYPD during the height of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 sparked by the death of George Floyd. On June 28, 2020, Mamdani said: 'We don't need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. 'What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD. But your deal with [New York City mayor] uses budget tricks to keep as many cops as possible on the beat. NO to fake cuts - defund the police.' 'No, we want to defund the police,' he wrote on June 8, 2020. 'Queer liberation means defund the police,' he added on November 5. But Mamdani has changed his tune as he campaigns for mayor before the general election in November, and now claims he will not defund the police. Last month he wrote: 'Don't believe the MAGA billionaires funding Andrew Cuomo's fear-driven campaign: I will not defund the police. I will let them do their actual jobs by investing in social and mental health workers, and pursuing evidence-based policies that deliver safety. The NYPD said the officer killed in Monday's shooting was an immigrant from Bangladesh who had served as a police officer in New York City for three years. 'He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice,' Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. 'He died as he lived. A hero.' The gunman, identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, also killed Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner and security guard Aland Etienne in the lobby of 345 Park Avenue. Meanwhile, Rudin firm employee Julia Hyman was shot dead on the 33rd floor. The shooting took place at a skyscraper that is home to the headquarters of both the NFL and Blackstone, one of the world's largest investment firms, as well as other tenants. Police believe the gunman meant to target the NFL offices but took the wrong elevator and ended up at the offices of a real estate company, where he killed himself. One man was seriously wounded and remains in critical condition, Mayor Eric Adams said. Four others got minor injuries attempting to flee. Adams said officials are still 'unraveling' what took place. Tamura's motive for the massacre remains unclear as of Tuesday morning. However, he was found with a letter on his body indicating he had grievances with the NFL and its handling of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after the rampage at 345 Park Avenue.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nuclear energy czar wanted in NY. They'd make more than Gov. Hochul herself
Wanted: Nuclear energy czar. Salary between $258,000 and $300,000. Responsibilities include 'spearheading and executing the company's strategy for growth in the nuclear energy sector' and developing new generation projects. Experience with advanced nuclear reactors a plus. Minimum 10 years in the nuclear energy industry required. If interested, call the New York Power Authority. NYPA, the largest public utility in the nation, is getting back into the nuclear power game. And it's willing to pony up more than Gov. Kathy Hochul's $260,000-a-year salary to find the right person. The job posting for a senior vice president for Nuclear Development dovetailed with the governor's announcement in June that she'd tapped NYPA to develop a next-generation nuclear power plant in upstate New York to power some of the energy-intensive data centers and factories with plans to establish footprints in the region. The move represents a pivot for a state that under Gov. Andrew Cuomo negotiated the shutdown of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan in Westchester County, downstate's lone nuclear-generation facility and once the source of about 25% of the region's electricity. Upstate: New nuclear power plant coming to upstate NY to supply power for energy-hungry companies Hochul goes all-in on nuclear Hochul's tasked NYPA with building a 1-gigawatt reactor in upstate New York, enough to power around 1 million homes. Plan B?: Hochul: Indian Point closed without a backup plan. How will NY cover clear energy gap? In an op-Ed published in the USA Today Network last week, Hochul writes: 'If we want to power the economy of the future, we need a clean, reliable, around-the-clock source of electricity. Advanced nuclear power can deliver that.' The move faces resistance from left-leaning groups who think the state should be spending its time adding more solar and wind power to the grid rather than chasing advanced nuclear options, some of which are not ready for the wholesale energy market. Rapidly scaling up the buildout of affordable public renewables is the only way to meet the state's science-based climate goals and lower energy bills, said Alex Patterson, the New York campaign coordinator for Public Power New York, activists and union leaders pressing NYPA to be more aggressive in carrying out the state's climate goals. 'Hochul's decision to pursue costly and slow to build nuclear energy based on promises from Donald Trump shows just how unserious she is about New Yorker's energy bills and climate future," Patterson said. NYPA operates three hydroelectric plants upstate but it has a deep history with nuclear power that dates back 50 years. In the late 1960's, prodded by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, it built a nuclear power plant in Oswego on the shores of Lake Ontario. The James A. FitzPatrick plant takes its name from a former NYPA president and is one of three nuclear plants upstate. It's owned by Constellation Energy. Shutdown: Why Indian Point nuclear plant won't close until 2041 And NYPA built and operated Indian Point's Unit 3 reactor before selling it to Louisiana-based Entergy in 2000. The plant shut down in 2021. Pro-nuclear groups are cheering NYPA's reentry into the nuclear power sphere. 'NYPA has decades of experience with large energy projects and even operated nuclear plants in the past,' said Dietmar Detering, the chairman of Nuclear New York. NYPA won't go it alone, he added —there are many opportunities to involve private developers, technology vendors, and even operators. "NYPA's role is to break the ice and bring serious, public-sector credibility to the table,' he said. NYPA says the job posting has already generated significant interest. "We're moving forward quickly and have already received dozens of applications from battle-tested leaders interested in the Senior Vice President of Nuclear Development role," said NYPA spokeswoman Lindsay Kryzak. "This person will have the experience to help us meet this historic challenge to shape and drive NYPA's nuclear strategy with a clear-eyed focus on safety, innovation, and long-term value for the people of New York.' Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA Today Network's New York State team. He's won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that's included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Nuclear energy czar wanted in NY, to the tune of $258K. What the job? Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘I did it': Cuomo claims credit for NYC's universal pre-K program, stoking outrage
NEW YORK — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo claimed credit Monday for the creation of New York City's universal pre-K program, an initiative that's widely viewed as the brainchild of his longtime political nemesis, ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio. Cuomo, who's running as an independent candidate in November's election for New York City mayor, staked out his position during an appearance on WNYC after being asked if he agrees de Blasio spearheaded the 2014 launch of the popular early childhood education program. 'No, he didn't,' replied Cuomo, who as governor frequently clashed with de Blasio. 'The state did it — I did it.' The city's universal pre-K program, which provides free full-day child care for every 4-year-old in the five boroughs, got off the ground in September 2014 after de Blasio made it the main objective of his early days as mayor. Administered by the city Department of Education, the program's launch was undergirded by a hefty tranche of funding included in that year's state budget, meaning Albany played a key role in getting the initiative across the finish line. However, the program itself was proposed and designed by de Blasio's administration, and the former mayor has long said Albany, including then-Gov. Cuomo, only came around to backing a state funding increase after relentless advocacy from his City Hall team. Asked for clarity on Cuomo's radio comments, his spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the ex-governor was referring to a small-scale pre-K pilot program he launched on the state level in 2013 before de Blasio became mayor. Azzopardi also took a shot at de Blasio for initially pushing Albany for a state-level tax increase on the wealthy to bankroll the universal pre-K program. 'His point was that de Blasio wanted a tax increase for the sake of a tax increase, and Gov. Cuomo was able to build upon the pilot program he launched prior to de Blasio's election and deliver those pre-K slots not only to the city, but also the rest of the state with existing resources,' Azzopardi said. De Blasio didn't immediately return a request for comment Monday. Some de Blasio defenders stepped in to accuse Cuomo of rewriting history in light of his radio remarks. City Council Finance Committee Chairman Justin Brannan, who as a senior city Department of Education official helped with the rollout of universal pre-K in 2014, said Cuomo's comments made him feel like his 'head is going to explode.' 'And I built the Verrazzano Bridge with my bare hands,' Brannan added. 'Andrew Cuomo lives in his own reality. Facts don't matter,' Ana Maria Archila, the New York Working Families Party's co-director, piled on in a post on X. 'He makes up stories and then just expects people to fall in line.' In a press conference held this past April to celebrate a funding increase for the pre-K program, de Blasio hinted at the grueling battle his administration got into with Cuomo's administration in 2014. 'I went to Albany, and I found a door that was closed quite often and a lack of support — and we had to fight and fight and fight to finally get what our children deserved,' he said at that press conference. 'You either stand for early childhood education or you don't, and I just think everyone's record should be remembered.' The 2014 feud is reemerging at a time Cuomo faces a deja vu of sorts over policies related to taxation and childcare — albeit from a very different angle. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor who's polling as the favorite to win November's election, has proposed vastly expanding free childcare in the city so that kids between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years are entitled to it. In order to fund such a drastic expansion, Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has proposed increasing taxes on corporations and millionaires. Cuomo and other critics of Mamdani, including Mayor Eric Adams, who's also running as an independent in November's election, have argued Mamdani's proposals are unrealistic, saying, in particular, that there's no way Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers will agree to tax hikes next year. In his WNYC appearance, Cuomo — who raised taxes on millionaires in 2021 — reiterated his belief that Mamdani wouldn't be able to secure any tax hikes in Albany in 2026. 'That is not going to happen,' said Cuomo, who resigned as governor in August 2021 amid sexual and professional misconduct accusations he denies. ____ _____
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Mamdani Has Done Something Special. Progressives Need Black Voters to Make It Last.
Zohran Mamdani was wooing Black pastors at the Rev. Al Sharpton's Harlem headquarters recently when he mentioned he had been there before, at a Christmas Day event to help people in need. The pastors, surprised, decided to check up on Mr. Mamdani's claim. 'We had to go look at the tape,' Mr. Sharpton said. 'There's Zohran, serving meals. We didn't know who he was.' Mr. Mamdani, 33, is hardly unknown now. His upset win in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary has electrified Democratic voters across the country, introducing an exciting new name to national politics with a broad coalition of affluent and middle- and working-class voters, Asian, Muslim, Latino and white voters and younger voters of all backgrounds. It's the latest example of a Democratic Party in metamorphosis, as a group of maverick progressives and younger people gain power, animating the base and eclipsing some of the party's longtime kingmakers. Progressives have a shot at shaping the direction of a party whose leaders have failed to mount a successful opposition to Donald Trump. Before they can offer Democrats a path forward nationally though, they will have to make significant headway with Americans at the very heart of the Democratic coalition: Black voters. Especially older ones. In districts that were overwhelmingly Black, Mr. Mamdani lost voters to his main opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, by more than two to one. Progressives seem to particularly struggle with this part of the base. Democrats with big aspirations may want to get very curious about why. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Zohran Mamdani throws lavish wedding party in Uganda
Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani recently celebrated his wedding to his artist wife at a lavish compound owned by his family in Uganda. Mamdani, 33, shocked the political world when he defeated Andrew Cuomo to win the Democrat nomination to run the Big Apple, campaigning on far left policy and drawing controversy for his anti-Israel views. The state assemblyman recently took a break from the campaign to visit Uganda, where he was born and spent the first few years of his life being raised by his filmmaker mother Mira Nair and academic father Mahmood Mamdani. The far-left Queens politician reportedly held a three-day celebration after he eloped with 27-year-old illustrator Rama Duwaji this past February. Not only was the affair held in the wealthy Buziga Hill area of Kampala in a compound owned by his parents - the wedding party was watched by armed and masked security guards, with one witness claiming nine guards were watching one entrance. Security was so tight, the party even had a cellphone-jamming system, The New York Post reports. Invited guests partied past midnight to celebrate Mamdani and Duwaji - who met on the dating app Hinge - and their recent nuptials. One of the locals called the wedding in bad taste as the nation was in mourning for former Ugandan Supreme Court Judge George Kanyeihamba, with the party blocking the nation's president from visiting to pay the family his respects. Andrew Cuomo - still in the mayoral race as an independent following his primary defeat to Mamdani - attempted to poke fun at his rival. In a poll posted to X, he asked his followers to vote on whether Mamdani's three-day wedding was 'champagne socialism' or 'trust fund socialism.' has reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment. Mamdani's illustrator wife Rama Duwaji, 27, had been low-key during her husband's social media-driven campaign before joining him on stage when he celebrated victory on primary night. Some critics of the left-wing candidate, 33, had even accused him of 'hiding his wife from NYC ' during his bruising primary against former Governor Cuomo. But Duwaji was all smiles as she marked her husband's victory on stage, and wrote on Instagram that she 'couldn't possibly be prouder' of him as he shocked his establishment opponent. Mamdani, who met his wife on the dating app Hinge, lovingly addressed Duwaji in front of his crowd on primary night, saying 'Rama, thank you' as he kissed her hand. The potential future First Lady of the Big Apple says on her Instagram bio that she is 'from Damascus', however a Mamdani campaign spokesperson told the New York Times that she was actually born in Texas . She is best known for her illustrations and animations, many of which are pro-Palestine themed and criticize Israel and the Trump administration. Duwaji's artwork has appeared in numerous galleries including London's Tate Modern, and has been included in news outlets including the New Yorker, the BBC and the Washington Post. As his wife's lack of presence on the campaign trail became a source of ammunition for his opponents, Mamdani took on his critics with an Instagram post of his own. 'If you take a look at Twitter today, or any day for that matter, you know how vicious politics can be,' Mamdani wrote alongside images from their civil ceremony. 'I usually brush it off, whether it's death threats or calls for me to be deported. But it's different when it's about those you love. 'Three months ago, I married the love of my life, Rama, at the City Clerk's office. Now, right-wing trolls are trying to make this race – which should be about you – about her.' He added: 'You can critique my views, but not my family... (Rama) isn't just my wife, she's an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.' Among Duwaji's recent artworks shared to her Instagram include calls to release previously detained Columbia student and pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was locked up by the Trump administration for months without being charged with a crime before he was freed in June. In May, she also shared an animation condemning Israel's treatment of civilians in Gaza, which showed a woman holding a bowl that read 'it's not a hunger crisis... it is deliberate starvation.' Duwaji's thrust into the limelight comes as her husband rapidly rose to national prominence with his surprise victory. The 33-year-old has faced mounting questions about his experience since he gained traction and ultimately won the Democratic primary, with his only public service work coming as a state assemblyman. In the state assembly, Mamdani promoted few bills, and his legislative record includes co-sponsoring bills requiring prisons to house inmates based on their self-declared gender, preventing law enforcement from asking about a perp's immigration status, and forcing small businesses to make their product packaging eco-friendly. Critics have said a Mamdani win will see the Big Apple slide back into the type of permissive lawlessness that scarred the city during the COVID crisis, but which woke locals and lawmakers scoffed at. When asked by Good Morning America about his lack of experience, Mamdani avoided talking about his record and turned the question back on his recent run for mayor. 'The experience that I show in this moment is to be able to meet the crisis that New Yorkers are facing, and deliver them a new kind of city,' he said. 'One that is unencumbered by the old ways.' Mamdani has described himself as 'Trump's worst nightmare', and his far-left policy platform sharply divided the nation as he gained traction in the mayor's race. He says he wants to raise taxes on the top one percent of New York earners - something the mayor does not have the authority to do - and make a number of city services free including childcare and buses. The city assemblyman has also proposed spending $65 million on transgender care, freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments, and creating city-owned grocery stores. He has also advocated for defunding the city's police department, defended pro- Palestine slogans like 'globalize the intifada' - which critics say is an anti-Semitic call for the destruction of Israel - and said he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
