New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is rolling out plans to accelerate bus commutes by 20% along 45 major corridors, including Fordham Road and Madison Avenue—a nod to his campaign promise of fast and free transit. While the City Council eyes free subway …
Mayor Mamdani pledged New York City will finally banish sidewalk trash bags by containerizing all residential waste by 2031—a leap far beyond his predecessor Eric Adams’ lone Harlem test run. Each borough gets a fully containerized district next year, though Mamdani was vague on how to foot the bill. As Parisians and Tokyoites might note, we’re only a few decades late to this cleaner curb party.
Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Navy will launch a blockade on ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, with CENTCOM pledging to “enforce impartially against vessels of all nations.” We note that this busy Persian Gulf chokepoint handles a fifth of global oil flows—making Washington’s impartiality likely to undergo a stress test more vigorous than any sea trial.
At a 100-day rally in Queens, Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged to govern New York City with “pothole politics”—fixing daily nuisances like slow buses and street litter, alongside launching the first city-run grocery store in East Harlem. Bernie Sanders applauded from the wings, and, perhaps inspired by mayors past, Mamdani assured us that even sidewalk cracks may someday yield to ideology—if not to Taco Bell orders.
Unions in New York are lobbying to let government workers retire at 55 instead of 63, a revision to Tier 6 pension rules that could pile $1.5 billion onto public budgets—mostly on the backs of local governments. Towns from Suffolk to Buffalo are appealing to Albany to foot the bill, warning that otherwise, tax hikes or service cuts may soon rival Broadway for drama.
New York’s experiment in market-making begins with Mayor Zohran Mamdani greenlighting the city’s first government-run grocery in East Harlem—at $30 million, it claims nearly half the city’s entire five-store budget. Mamdani insists the La Marqueta outlet will slash food costs and boost worker dignity. As New Yorkers eye cheaper eggs, we wonder if socialism can finally do what bodegas have tried for decades—balance the books.
Donald Trump declared that the US will block ships entering or leaving Iran’s ports from Monday, partially sealing the Strait of Hormuz and rattling oil and fertiliser markets. The move follows failed nuclear talks in Pakistan; Tehran called it “piracy” and threatened reprisals. Russia’s Dmitry Peskov predicted damage to global trade, while others await those famously elusive “details” before dusting off their sanctions playbooks again.
Marking 102 days in office, Mayor Zohran Mamdani hailed “pothole politics” and touted a $1.2 billion universal child care push to a crowd in Queens, with Bernie Sanders beaming nearby. Supporters celebrated the city’s recent zeal for worker protections and trash containerisation; sceptics reminded us grand designs hinge on Albany’s goodwill. Even in New York, filling potholes may prove less bumpy than filling budget gaps.
Senator Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined labor leaders in Manhattan to announce Union Now, a nonprofit aiming to bankroll union organizing, strikes, and contract battles. Backers say the charity will stitch together unions to confront corporate Goliaths; with 62% of New Yorkers reportedly unable to meet living costs, this new venture hopes to tip the scales—a tall order, but hope, like unions, is famously hard to break.
