Zohran Mamdani's Fight For NYC feat. Brad Lander
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It's Thursday, July 3rd. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What A Day, the show that is wishing you a happy 4th of July and hopes you get to do something that is actually fun and enjoyable and isn't thinking about how our country is currently run by racist alligator enthusiasts. On today's show, Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, was denied bail and is awaiting sentencing after a jury found him guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

And Wisconsin's highest court ruled that a nearly 200-year-old law does not ban abortion in the state. But let's talk about New York City, America's biggest city and a place that's finally getting trash binned so you can stop seeing and smelling mountains of garbage bags in the streets.

The city's Board of Elections on Tuesday confirmed that Zoran Mamdani, a 33-year-old New York State Assembly member, beat former New York governor and alleged sex pest Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary to be the next mayor of the Big Apple. And not by a thin margin. The results show that Mamdani won by 12 points. Now, there's a lot I can't tell you about what Mamdani's win means, but it puts him in the driver's seat for the mayoral race, given how Democrats dominate New York and

And his main opposition will likely be the current mayor, alleged corruption enthusiast Eric Adams. Especially since Adams has the backing of the city's favorite former resident, President Donald Trump. Here he is on Tuesday. I know you have a good independent running, Mayor Adams, who's a very good person.

Of course, Trump had way more to say on the subject of Mamdani, both on his personal yelling platform, Truth Social, and during a press conference with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday. A lot of people saying he's here illegally. You know, we're going to look at everything, but...

A lot of people are not saying that because it's not true. Racists are saying that because they are racist. They are also complaining about Mamdani eating rice with his hands or having a wife who is either too Muslim or not Muslim enough. Actually, a lot of the so-called criticism Mamdani has gotten from the right seems to be that he is both going to personally launch a caliphate from Central Park and that he's going to do full communism. A non-Jewish Fox News host even said that she questioned the faith of Jewish Democrats who supported Mamdani.

Anyway, Mamdani, a United States citizen born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent who has lived in America since childhood, addressed Trump's we're going to take a look at deporting him bullshit in the same way Mamdani campaigned for office in the first place, by focusing on the issue he cares most about, making life affordable for everyday people. Here he is responding to Trump. I fight for working people. I fight for the very people that have been priced out of this city. And I fight for the same people that he said he was fighting for.

This is the same president who ran on a campaign of cheaper groceries, who ran on a campaign about easing a suffocating cost of living crisis. And ultimately, it is easier for him to fan the flames of division than to acknowledge the ways in which he has betrayed those working class Americans, not just in the city, but across this country, and the ways in which he continues to betray them.

How does Mamdani want to focus on working people? Raising taxes on New York's top earners and raising the corporate tax rate to pay for free buses, expanded free childcare, and starting a city-owned grocery store pilot program. In addition, he supports a rent freeze on stabilized apartments and an increase in housing stock to make housing more affordable. Mamdani got a lot of support from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who also ran for mayor. The two cross-endorsed one another. I spoke to Lander on Wednesday afternoon.

Controller Brad Lander, welcome to What A Day. Great to be here. Thanks for having me on. Now that Assemblyman Mondani's primary win has been officially confirmed and by a decisive 12-point lead, what do you think were the keys to his decisive win? Look, he ran a fantastic campaign, like focused like a laser beam on affordability and the cost of living issues that are crushing New York's working families. And he's

He did it with his own charisma and also with just a real native understanding of the media landscape of the things people are paying attention to and did a great job. I mean, you know, I was working hard in the same attentional landscape to try to break through and props to him for finding ways to do it.

Now, obviously, in any local race, especially a municipal race, there's a lot of like hyper local politics to get lost in the national media narratives about it. But with that said, do you think Mamdani's win is sort of an only in New York story? Or does it say something bigger about national democratic politics?

I mean, I think people are fed up with establishment, with sort of politics that look like their politics of the past, hungry for fighters. I think in many ways the line right now in the Democratic Party is not between progressives and moderates, but between fighters and folders.

and he showed a like ambitious, get out there and fight, do things in a new way, bring some hopefulness into this dark time. And then more on the, um, you know, how do you reach people front? I ran a campaign that I think was like, it was 10 years ago, you know, raise money and advertise on television. I mean, it wasn't that bad, but, uh,

You know, people need to wake up to the digital media tools that are all our lives right now. It's not just young people. All of us are on our phones all the time. That is bad for us, but it is true. You know, look, then it helps to have like really great charismatic candidates as well. Those you can't always get at the drugstore, but you know that when you see them.

One voting bloc Mamdani did struggle with are black voters. And your Thames analysis found that former Governor Andrew Cuomo dominated in precincts where at least 70 percent of residents are black. Cuomo still hasn't rolled up running as an independent. Mayor Eric Adams still plans to do so. So what do you think Mamdani needs to do to bolster support in black communities that may be skeptical of his message?

I will say he did very well with younger black voters and that the gap between him and Andrew Cuomo was, I think, about 15 points, which is significant. But that said, look, he's got to get out and do the work. You know, you've got to be in neighborhoods talking to people.

In the same way that he went, you know, after Trump was elected, you know, did that famous video where he went out to Woodside Avenue and Fordham Road. Those are largely immigrant neighborhoods, more Latino, more Asian. He's got to do the same thing in Southeast Queens and in Harlem and in, you know, central Brooklyn. You know, it is definitely true that black voters are feeling the crushing affordability crisis more than anybody else.

I think it's just the case that older black voters have reason to be a little more small C conservative to fear what's new, what's hip. But that said, I mean, what folks want, in my opinion, is that their kids would be able to imagine they could buy a home in New York City and that they know their neighborhoods are going to be safe and someone's going to, you know, address the safety and affordability crises there.

are very real. You know, it's just a question of kind of getting out there and getting people more comfortable. Maybe it's one of those campaigns like we'd like, like Jews tried to run in Florida where we sent young people to go talk to their bubbies and Zadies, their grandmas and grandpas to explain why it was important to vote. And this will be like young people go talk to your parents. Uh,

And that might be a way to do some interesting outreach to older African-American and other voters. The higher New York Democratic establishment has been so far reluctant to endorse Mamdani. We have not seen endorsements from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Governor Kathy Hochul. Can he win the general election without the support of the broader party? He can win the general election without the support of the broader party, but the party should get on board.

in order to show that what we're building is this broader coalition. I mean, he is the Democratic nominee for mayor and senior New York Democrats should support him. You don't have to agree with every single thing he says. You know, an assembly member, Michael Lasher, did a really Upper West Side Jewish Democrat speech.

definitely closer to the center than Zoran or than me, did a really good endorsement where he made clear there's some things we really disagree on, but I believe he is a person of decency and integrity. He has the overwhelming support of the Democratic electorate. He's going, he is our nominee. He's going to be our mayor. So if you love this city,

Figure out how you can help make it go well rather than lengthening the fight that is dividing New Yorkers, especially with the president of the United States threatening to put our candidate in a concentration camp. Like when I say this is the dividing line is not progressives versus moderates, it's fighters versus folders. People are going to show which side of that line they are on in the coming days and weeks.

And the consequences will be felt for a long time to come. Let's get to the Trump of it all. You know, this week, without any evidence, he questioned Mamdani's citizenship, despite, again, zero evidence to do so, and threatened to arrest him if he blocked immigration arrests.

But it, you know, that is bonkers. I want to say just off the top. It's bonkers, except two weeks ago, his guys arrested me. Yeah, I know, because that's the thing where it just becomes like these empty threats just got way more full. But it does raise serious questions about the

you know, the challenges Mamdani will face when he's working with a hostile president who keeps posting on social media about how he's going to save New York and also make it hot again, which I thought that I was pretty sure that currently New York is hot enough. So how do you how are you thinking about that? Well, first, I mean, on the

upside, I guess I would say, to me, I cannot think of a better identity from which to stand up to Donald Trump than New Yorker. It's like if there's a place where we have a chance to make inclusive multiracial democracy real and remind people what's great about it, that it generates energy and vitality and culture and creativity and value and wealth and

And then we try to figure out how to keep it going, keep the city safe and clean and well-functioning and share its benefits better. Like what we have here is the answer to Donald Trump's

And if we get it together, I really believe it can work. And yes, he's very likely to send in the National Guard at some point like he did in Los Angeles. He is very likely to ratchet up immigration enforcement like he is doing here and around the country.

we, like many others, are going to face budget cuts. So those all take serious work. And the and, you know, the mayor to be Mamdani is going to need a first rate administration, you know, and make sure that he's in position to deliver on promises and run the city well. But I think we'll be like a real clarion call for what the alternative to Trumpism looks like.

I think the challenge, though, is that, yes, all of that is likely to happen. Like Trump is likely to send in the National Guard. He is likely to do, you know, to ramp up ICE in New York. But also, you know,

Let's say Mayor-to-be Mamdani would have to work with the administration. I mean, that was something that we talked about a lot with Governor Hochul when we had her on the show a couple months ago. That is a big part of the job, those kind of interactions. So how do you think Mamdani would do so with this particular administration, given all of this?

I mean, that's a big question. I'll give a few thoughts. First, you know, one of my favorite things that happened in the last few weeks was that Andy Byford, who is maybe the most talented municipal transit leader in the world, you know, he ran the MTA. He's been back helping run Amtrak.

Donald Trump appointed him to lead the Penn Station redevelopment. He's going to be great at that, though. And maybe we'll have to put a few more Corinthian columns on the new Penn Station. That would be my design style. But that's a great place for New York City and state and the federal government to work together. So there can be some opportunities at Penn.

the levels of housing and health care and transportation. And a lot of folks are continuing to try to do that despite the madness. At the higher level, when the president is threatening to deport, strip your citizenship and imprison you, you have to stand up and fight.

There are ways of doing that. You try to channel the nonviolent resistance traditions. We have them in our repertoire. We know how to stand up and fight in ways that also look to de-escalate.

None of that's easy, but a good starting block is your voters are with you. They feel some hope in the future. You put a good team on the field and build some unity. You do your homework. You pick up the garbage. You partner with other government agencies. And then when fights come from bullies, you don't back down.

I wanted to ask, there have been voices largely on the right criticizing you and raising questions about your commitment to your faith because you have endorsed Mamdani. I can't even begin to imagine how insulting that must be. But what do you think that says about how outsiders are viewing this race? Yeah, I mean, we are recognizably New York City characters. I'm pretty sure I scan for people like a Jewish New Yorker.

Um, and yeah, I mean, the fact that Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams are all trying to weaponize anti-Semitism and the very real and understandable fears of Jews, I feel this of rising anti-Semitism for their own craven political purposes. It's like so cynical. It's hard to, to believe. And yet this is the,

we're in. And like, I take it very personally. And I get that people are just suspicious of politicians in general and would imagine that we don't really have souls or real identities, but like just,

Jewish New Yorker is not something I put on to run for office with, like raising my Jewish kids here is the most important thing to me in the world. Like that's how I wake up every day and go to bed at night. And, you know, Donald Trump or Eric Adams or Andrew Cuomo, you know, might be able to defeat me in a race, but they can't make me a bad Jew. Uh,

And I just tried to bring that spirit to the race long before the cross endorsement. I mean, that was about me standing up. I have been a critic of Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza for decades and of the way it's prosecuting the war in Gaza for many months.

And, you know, that led me to be attacked myself and just be out there for who I am. And I mean, I mostly do my cursing in Yiddish and I did at Cuomo several times in this race.

I do think that put me in a position when we did the cross endorsement to show you could disagree with us. We don't agree 100 percent with each other. But here are a Muslim New Yorker and a Jewish New Yorker standing together to say we're not going to let Andrew Cuomo be the mayor. We want to focus on affordability. We both believe in keeping all New Yorkers safe.

That's a pretty good place to start. Let's try to have some conversation about it. Controller Lander, thank you so much for joining me. Really nice to be on with you. Thank you. That was my conversation with New York City Controller Brad Lander. We'll get to more of the news in a moment. But if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads.

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Here's what else we're following today. Hey, everybody, I guess you want a progress report? I don't know. Speaker Mike Johnson found out just how much everyone seems to hate President Trump's big Republican spending bill debacle disaster adventure on Wednesday. Truly, the only bipartisan thing to come out of it is mutual disgust for very different reasons. It's close to 9 p.m. Eastern right now at the time of this recording, and there is no vote yet.

Pressure was put back on the House to hold a vote on Trump's heinous tax and spending cuts package, or as we are now going to call it, the bill that hates poor people. But Johnson, as always, tried to put a positive spin on the clusterfuck that is the Republican caucus. We are working through everybody's issues and making sure that we can secure this vote.

I feel very positive about the progress. We've had lots of great conversations. I've met with individuals and groups all day long, as has the president, who's fully engaged as well, trying to convince everybody this is the very best product that we can produce. I bet it is the very best product you can produce. I bet it is.

Anyway, the Senate approved the measure by the skin of its teeth Tuesday after Vice President J.D. Vance had to cast a tie-breaking vote. Remember, we're recording Wednesday night Eastern Time, and the GOP catfight is ongoing. Several Republicans raised concerns over Senate changes that could mean steeper cuts to Medicaid and an ever-increasing deficit. Yes, you heard that correctly. The Senate version of the bill was so terrible, House Republicans actually think they went too far.

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York took to the floor to remind Americans and her colleagues what the legislation is really about. This bill represents in the text of this bill the largest and greatest loss of health care in American history. 17 million Americans will lose their lives.

their health care on this bill, not undocumented people, not quote unquote the disgusting term illegal, but 17 million Americans. This is a fluid situation and anything can happen between now and the wee hours of the morning. But as of now, still, that looming self-imposed July 4th deadline is hanging over the GOP's head. If Republicans want to please their MAGA overlord, they'll have to get the big beautiful bill to the president's desk by Friday.

A New York jury convicted disgraced rap mogul Sean Diddy Combs of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but acquitted him on the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. Douglas Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's attorney, commented on Wednesday's verdict in the trial against her former partner.

We're pleased that he's finally been held responsible for two federal crimes, something that he's never faced in his life. He still faces substantial jail time. Of course, we would have liked to have seen a conviction on the sex crimes in Rico, but we understand beyond a reasonable doubt it's a high standard, and we're just pleased that he still faces substantial jail time.

Combs was denied bail and will return to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center to await sentencing with convicted crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.

and alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO murderer Luigi Mangione. And in case you forgot, MDC is notorious for its inhumane conditions. While Combs could face up to 20 years in prison, the verdict is seen as a win for Diddy and his team. He was reportedly applauded as he left the courtroom and supporters gathered outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. Combs was indicted in 2024 by federal prosecutors who accused him of running a criminal enterprise that facilitated his abuse and exploitation of women in so-called freak-offs.

among other alleged unlawful activities. His high-profile trial lasted for seven weeks and included testimony from Combs' former girlfriends, employees, and fellow celebrities. Today's ruling marks a major victory for reproductive freedom following the uncertainty and harm to women's health that have resulted from the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

That was Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kahl announcing Wednesday that the state Supreme Court ruled a nearly 200-year-old law does not ban abortion in the state. The 1849 statute made it a felony for anyone to, quote, destroy the life of an unborn child except for the pregnant person or doctor in the case of an emergency. While the law was never officially repealed, it was nullified in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. That's a lot of money.

That was until this seemingly woman-hating court got its hands on it in 2022. That was when the court overturned Roe, throwing Wisconsin into a period of legal ambiguity. Wednesday's 4-3 decision fell along party lines, upholding Wisconsinites' right to abortion care. Finally, some good news. And now UPenn, one of the most well-known offenders of Title IX, has agreed to change its athletics policy to ensure that no female athletes

to compete against or suffered the indignity of being forced to share an intimate facility

Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced on Tuesday that the University of Pennsylvania entered into a, quote, resolution agreement to resolve its so-called Title IX violations. Those alleged, read, bullshit violations. Well, earlier this year, the Trump administration opened an investigation into Penn as part of its crackdown on transgender athletes in sports. The case focused on a swimmer named Leah Thomas.

She last competed for the university in 2022 when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win a NCAA Division I title. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights concluded in April that Penn violated Title IX and gave it an ultimatum. Penn said in a statement it would change its policies to be, quote, consistent with the federal government's current interpretation of Title IX and current NCAA policies. So what does that really mean? It

It means stripping Thomas of her accolades. The university's website now has a note underneath the women's all-time school records that reads, quote, Yes, because that tiny one-liner tucked into the bottom of Penn's stats makes up for kissing Trump's ring. And that's the news. Before we go...

If you're not subscribed to Friends of the Pod, what are you waiting for? Subscribe now to unlock the latest episode of Polar Coaster, where Dan Pfeiffer breaks down what the polls are saying about Trump's so-called big, beautiful bill. He explains how the bill still managed to pass the Senate and why it's a political and policy disaster. Plus, Dan talks about Zoram Mamdani's big primary win in New York City and how the 2026 midterms are shaping up. To hear the full conversation, subscribe to Friends of the Pod at Crooked.com slash friends now.

That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, enjoy the long weekend and don't get hurt by fireworks, and tell your friends to listen.

And if you're into reading, I'm not just about how I still love my country, but I do not love the fact that nearly 15,000 people were treated in the ER last year for fireworks injuries like me. What Today is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston, and we're off for the holiday tomorrow. So be safe, have fun, and have some blueberry cobbler. See you Monday.

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