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Here’s a question — a series of questions, actually: Are white men OK? Is the white supremacy in the air just extra thick this Halloween? Has the current administration made the Gestapo look cool again? It’s almost 2026 — what’s with all the self-proclaimed Nazis? Last Thursday night, a white man showed up to an off-campus bar near the University of Georgia in Athens dressed in full Nazi regalia, and now he’s been arrested for striking a female student in the face with a beer mug after being confronted by patrons who did not want the Nazi cosplayer entering the bar. It simply can’t be emphasized more that 33-year-old Kenneth Leland Morgan — who, according to NBC News, was first identified by the victim, 23-year-old UGA student Grace Lang— didn’t just show up outside Cutters Pub in plain clothes, waving a swastika flag and drunkenly shouting out “Heil Hitler” like a normal 21st-century Nazi. Nah, this guy came out in a full, seemingly authentic Nazi officer’s uniform, looking like he came straight from the set of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.” Where does one even get a real Nazi uniform in 2025? Either there’s some kind of “Third Reichs ‘R’ Us” store open in Georgia, or somebody’s grandpa who somehow escaped the Nuremberg trials after World War II needs to check their closet to see what’s missing. What does seem to be perfectly clear is that Morgan was out with the sole intention of pissing people off by wearing his white supremacist bigotry literally right on his sleeve. From NBC: Lang said she knows of Morgan through a friend of a friend and that he is known in her circles and around town. Lang said two of her friends, one of whom is Jewish, first confronted the man. “She was mainly just telling him he needed to leave and needed to go home,” Lang said. Video of the encounter shows the man walking around with a beer mug and swinging it at a woman, seemingly striking her in the face as she goes down.Lang said she got hit by the beer mug after trying to grab the man’s swastika armband. “He was just feeling very proud of himself for what he was wearing,” said Lang, who said she got four stitches for cuts to her face. If you listen closely, you can already hear the sounds of millions of basement-dwelling, incellustrious, Nazi-loving MAGA bros tapping away at their keyboards to say the Nazi acted in self-defense and the woman deserved to get hit for reaching for his swastika-clad arm. Considering the fact that even top members of the Trump administration have shown that they will stretch themselves into noose knots to justify the activities of white supremacists and then complain about being called white supremacists, we shouldn’t be surprised if Morgan is the next white guy over 30 to have Vice President JD Vance claiming he was just doing “what kids do.“ Anyway, according to Athens-Clarke County jail records, Morgan was arrested early Friday and booked on suspicion of two misdemeanor counts of simple battery and one felony count of aggravated assault. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer. In a statement, UGA accused Morgan of “heinous antisemitic behavior,” NBC reported. “We are horrified by the actions of an individual who, while in downtown Athens wearing a Nazi uniform, assaulted a female University of Georgia student,” the statement read. “The man is not a student and is not affiliated with the University. His actions, which were caught on videotape, are appalling, and we are grateful to Athens-Clarke County police officers for swiftly apprehending and arresting him.” It’s a shame. American white supremacy inspired Germany’s Nazi movement, and now America clearly has a Nazi problem it just doesn’t want to confront head-on. Sad. SEE ALSO: ‘What Up, My Nazi?’ Is Fox News Mimicking Black Reclamation Professor Posts Blackface Photo And Keeps Her Job  

What began as a routine discussion over how to spend a $30,000 student engagement budget quickly turned into a sobering look at fear, mistrust, and the limits of safety in Washington, D.C., schools. At a recent meeting of the D.C. State Board of Education’s Committee on Student Experience and Engagement, the conversation veered sharply when students described feeling anxious about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near school grounds. Students told the board that seeing ICE agents near their schools makes them panic, even when they’re not the target. They described the presence of law enforcement as a constant source of anxiety. One student representative said that “a majority of the emojis students created expressed negative emotions. Students feel upset, concerned, or unsafe when ICE is around our schools.” The comment struck a nerve. Committee chair Eric Goulet said the reaction was “not surprising,” warning that the presence of masked federal agents “erodes trust” between students and institutions. He cited reports of ICE detaining parents near Bancroft Elementary as particularly alarming. Those fears aren’t unfounded. In March 2025, federal agents attempted to detain a health-care worker at H.D. Cooke Elementary School while students were arriving. The agents left only after administrators demanded a warrant. Earlier this year, parents and daycare staff in Northwest D.C. reported unmarked SUVs and plain-clothes officers outside bilingual childcare centers, sparking panic among immigrant families. While D.C. has recently shown modest progress on attendance — its in-seat rate climbed to 87.4% last school year, and chronic absenteeism dropped to 36.9%— more than 1 in 4 students across the district still miss significant class time. Nationally, studies show that immigration enforcement can drive attendance even lower. In districts hit by ICE raids, daily absences spiked by about 22%, with the sharpest increases among elementary-age students. Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Learning Policy Institute confirms that heightened immigration enforcement correlates with chronic absenteeism, school withdrawals, and declines in academic performance. In other words, the panic students describe in D.C. isn’t isolated; it’s part of a measurable, nationwide chilling effect that turns fear into lost learning. Some neighborhoods have even organized “walking school buses,” community escorts to help children travel safely to class after witnessing federal agents detain a parent in front of students. Educators say the heightened enforcement has already begun affecting attendance and the sense of security inside classrooms, according to WTOP News. “The way to make students feel safer is to build trust,” Goulet said. “Actions like these do the opposite.” Across the country, similar stories are unfolding in immigrant communities where schools are meant to be sanctuaries but often feel like extensions of law enforcement. In D.C., where foreign-born residents make up nearly 14% of the population, students say the presence of ICE near schools fuels anxiety. Studies suggest that enforcement near schools can reduce attendance, especially among Latino students. The ICE discussion overshadowed what was supposed to be a planning session about student engagement and safety initiatives. The committee, working with a $30,000 budget, had been debating how to increase student participation in civic events, from listening sessions to a possible citywide student summit in March. Only three students had shown up to the previous town hall, despite 18 signing up, a turnout that underscored how mistrust and fatigue are already eroding civic involvement. The attendance failure is evidence of the deeper emotional disengagement created by fear and disillusionment. It’s not just that students are afraid of ICE; it’s that the system built to hear them is operating on a shoestring and struggling to get them in the room. Student Representative Kayla Chamberlin suggested offering community service hours as an incentive to draw more young people in. Others proposed smaller ward-based meetings, partnerships with youth groups, and translation services for families who don’t speak English. “We’d hit the whole city,” said Ward 8 Representative Lajoy Johnson, arguing for events in every ward. But beneath the logistics and policy talk was a more existential question: how do schools protect students from fear when the threat isn’t inside the classroom but waiting just beyond its doors? The conversation expanded to youth curfews and law enforcement visibility—issues that carry similar undertones of mistrust. “We don’t want young people encountering the criminal justice system just for returning from a school event,” Goulet said. By the meeting’s end, members had pledged to translate student feedback into tangible action to ensure that safety planning addresses not just physical threats but emotional ones. “It’s about making sure what students say doesn’t just get heard and it gets acted on,” said Rep. Dinkins. For D.C. students, that action can’t come soon enough. The challenge now facing the city, and districts nationwide, is proving that safety and belonging can’t be legislated into existence; they have to be built. Zoe Cummings is a senior honors journalism major, Spanish minor at Howard University, covering HBCU news, politics, and culture. You can follow her on Instagram @zoesxphia. Grant Roundtree is a senior journalism major, political science minor at Howard University. He is interested in stories about culture, sports, politics, and issues affecting local communities. He can be reached on Instagram at @grantroundtree. SEE ALSO: Ethiopian Immigrants Live With Fear, Anxiety In Washington Howard Students Hustle To Stay Enrolled After Federal Aid Cap

Boris Kodjoe may be eternally fine, but his experiences as a visibly Black biracial child were anything but. In a sit-down on the Pivot podcast, the actor opened up about his difficult upbringing in Germany. In response to a question about what his experience was like being raised by his white mother in a predominantly white country, Kodjoe gave a vulnerable and honest answer. “There’s ignorance and misinformation and fear,” he said. “Because that’s really where it comes from. I was faced with racism and bullies every single day growing up in Germany because I was different. Kids reaching out grabbing my hair, rubbing your skin to see if it’s real, asking if we live on trees in Africa. Just the most ignorant, dumb things based on, again, misinformation and fear.” He continued, “On top of it, my mother’s white. My father’s from Ghana. But my dad left when I was between three and four years old. So, it was just my mom and me and my brother. So, I always felt different and you know when you’re a child, all you want is to be just like everybody else. You want to belong. You want to fit in. And without my father there, it made it so much harder because I didn’t have anybody to relate to. I didn’t have somebody to protect me. I didn’t have somebody to explain to me what this was. I think my mother did an extremely admirable job in putting a sense of pride and a sense of confidence in us.” He also chatted about how he felt when his father abandoned their family and how it shaped his approach to both manhood and parenting. “When I was in first grade, in maybe kindergarten, they tell you to paint a picture of what you want to be when you get old and become an adult,” he said. “Everybody wanted to be firefighters and athletes, I wrote down I wanted to be a father. So, that was my goal. I didn’t have one present and I knew what it felt like to be disappointed and to feel abandoned.” He continued, “When my father left, he told me ‘take care of your mother and your brother’, I was five years old and I took that to heart. And it f***ed me up for 30 years because I thought if I do a good job, he’ll come back. And he never came back. So, I thought, ‘oh, this is my fault, I didn’t do a good job.’ I carried that with me for a long time. So, all of that had a huge impact on me as a father because I knew how important it was to be present for the kids at all time and I wanted them to feel safe. I wanted them to feel loved. I wanted them to feel validated. I wanted them to feel empowered. Thankfully, we got a second chance with my dad because my daughter had these issues and he was a doctor. My mother called him and the next day he showed up to my house in LA. Kodjoe went on to say that though he hadn’t seen his father since the day he left their family, that he would spend the final 10 years of his life making up for the lost time and forging a relationship with his and Nicole Ari Parker’s children. Watch the touching episode below: The post ‘Rubbing Your Skin To See If It’s Real’: Boris Kodjoe Talks Dealing With Racism As A Child In Germany appeared first on Bossip.

Summer Walker hopped on 360 with Speedy and gave us the real, raw, and slightly petty tea we’ve all been waiting for. The R&B songstress sat down with host Speedy Morman for Complex’s long-form interview series and didn’t hold back about her infamous situationship with BMF actor Lil Meech, her viral pose and why she’s done being a “ride or die.” Fans know about the “it’s my cousin” debacle that had social media in shambles and birthed one of the most memeable breakup poses of all time. Now, Summer’s speaking out about her relationship with the actor. When Speedy brought up love and loyalty, Summer got straight to the point. “You just look dumb,” she laughed, keeping it as transparent as ever. Fans immediately recognized the callback to her viral breakup moment, when she caught Meech allegedly cheating and later hit Instagram with that body language that screamed, “I’m good off this.” The clip from the new interview spread like wildfire on social media, especially after being reposted by @Glock_Topickz on X, where fans praised her for the ultimate glow-up moment. Check out the post here: In the Complex convo, the “Girls Need Love” singer reflected on how she used to bend over backward in the name of being a “ride or die.” Now? She’s retired from that role. “I was trying to be solid for people who weren’t solid for me,” she admitted. Check out the viral clip below: That one line hit home for every woman who’s ever had to learn that lesson the hard way. Summer also let her humor shine through, joking about her new outlook on relationships. In another viral Instagram reel, she said she’s over men altogether and just wants “peace, quiet, and a good meal.”The clip had fans in the comments saying, “Sis, we felt that in our soul.” Summer also addressed her viral red carpet pose. She quotes one of her favorite movies, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, starring Will Ferrell. One of the legendary lines is Ferrell’s character saying, “I don’t know what to do with my hands,” when posing during his win. Walker attributes it to being “awkward” and not knowing what to do with her body during red carpet moments. Beyond the headlines, Summer’s growth is undeniable. From cleaning houses and working fast food to headlining tours and topping R&B charts, she’s living proof that healing and hustling can coexist. Whether she’s making hit records or making us laugh through heartbreak, Summer Walker remains that girl. She’s unfiltered, unbothered, and unfazed. Catch the full interview and all the hilarious gems on Complex’s 360 with Speedy here. RELATED: Chris Brown Takes Down Summer Walker In Las Vegas Breezy Bowl Shenanigans The post Summer Walker Gets Real About Catching Lil Meech Creepin’, That Viral Pose & Why She’s Done Being ‘Ride or Die’ appeared first on Bossip.

Another weekend of mass actions in the books, but the momentum behind the second No Kings Day continues through cross-issue organizing and everyday workers lifting up their voices and taking action. With the increasing concern over rising health care costs and cuts to necessary programs, SEIU member home care workers like Athena Jones and Phyllis Pride see an opportunity beyond one-off days of action. Speaking with NewsOne, Jones called the issues affecting home care workers central to the provision of care itself and impact many families and communities who could lose access to care, food, and dignity. As an example, she pointed to a proposed federal rule that would allow people to be reclassified as “companions” so they could be paid lower wages, in some cases, less than $7.25 an hour. “The fight for democracy lives in our hands, the same hands that bathe, clean, feed, and care for those who cannot care for themselves or who choose to live at home with dignity,” Jones said. “As home care providers, we do the work that keeps this country standing, yet our labor is often invisible. No one should survive on less than a living wage.” Jones said that while she did not participate in a local gathering, she carried the spirit of the day of action with her as she knocked on doors for Abigail Spanberger, a candidate for Virginia governor. She said that people cannot sit by and allow self-proclaimed kings to take power without repercussions. “Protecting workers, preventing authoritarian overreach, and demanding rights for all are achieved through collective bargaining for home care providers and all workers,” Jones said. “Every knock I make, every conversation I have, is a stand against unchecked power. Care work is political, and each vote is a declaration that compassion, labor, and community matter more than kings or rulers who refuse to listen.” A Homecare Chapter Chair with SEIU Virginia 512, Jones reflected on the historical importance of Black labor organizing, calling it “political and transformative.” “Labor organizing has always been a critical tool for Black communities to claim dignity, voice, and power. Historically, unions were not just about wages,” she said. “They were about who gets heard, who gets to vote, and who gets to live with dignity.” According to Jones, care work becomes political action through deep organizing and advocacy. Given the central nature of care to our economy and communities, it is a major aspect of having a representative democracy. “Organizing care workers ensures protections, fair wages, and the political voice that safeguards communities,” she said. “Democracy is impossible if those who sustain it cannot live with dignity.” Michigan home health worker Phyllis Pride echoed similar sentiments about the innate nature of political advocacy in care work. “Healthcare workers —especially home care workers — are advocates through and through,” she said. “We not only fight for the rights of other caregivers, but for the people we care for, too.” Pride said that much of the work of home care workers involves the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The very tenets of democracy are built into their charge. Organizing with Michigan Home Care Workers United and SEIU has helped Pride expand her advocacy and elevate her voice further. “I’ve spoken to elected leaders at the federal and state levels on behalf of all Michigan caregivers and the people we care for to show just how important long-term care is in our communities,” she said.  “Caregivers have to speak up every chance we get. If we don’t, who will?” She also pointed to the necessity for collective action and building power, citing as a recent source of inspiration the over 32,000 Michigan home care workers who voted to unionize, joining the SEIU ranks. Nationally, home health workers are overwhelmingly Black and other women of color and often have low wages and no benefits. Under the leadership of President April Verritt, SEIU has positioned itself as a visible leader within the national coalition fighting at the intersection of democracy and economic justice. With the need for home health caregivers expected to grow within the next 10 years, cuts to funding programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, could impact the services offered to those in need. The cuts enacted earlier this summer through the Trump administration’s OBBBA legislation are estimated to have disastrous impacts on those relying on care and the providers who serve them. Jones and Pride share that these issues aren’t simply policy issues or a matter of politics, but directly impact racial and economic justice. Whether they are fighting for better wages and conditions for home health care workers or advocating for funding and resources for long-term care, Jones and Pride see the current moment as requiring a transformation of systems to respect workers, families, and communities. “We honor this work by advancing democracy, not crowning kings, and by demanding a system that respects our labor,” Jones said. “I am inspired by thousands of care workers who organize, fight for a living wage, share their stories, and speak truth to power. Together, we transform individual care into collective strength.” SEE ALSO:  Chicago Mayor Evokes Black History In ‘General Strike’ Call At No Kings 2.0 The Silence Of The Gavel: Why The Fight For Section 2 Of The Voting Rights Act Is The Fight For Our Republic 

Journalist Joy Reid is crying foul after the Department of Homeland Security used an allegedly altered social media sketch to seemingly make it look like a threat to federal immigration agents. The content creator whose footage was used is also speaking out and considering his legal options after DHS’ post allegedly sparked harassment and even death threats. Homeland Security’s post issued a warning to the TikTok creator and others to “FAFO” or “f*** around and find out” if they planned on attacking law enforcement. Viral Video Sparks Outrage According to Baller Alert, the Department of Homeland Security’s official X account initially shared a clip of a Black man wearing a ski mask and standing in front of a group of young Black men. The background appears to show a basketball court with pavement markings and fencing. The caption on the DHS post read, “ICE we’re on the way. Word in the streets cartels put a $50K bounty on y’all.” The alarming message spread quickly, leading viewers to believe the group was threatening Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, social media users later uncovered that the clip was not new and that its caption had been changed. Side-by-side comparisons revealed the DHS version appeared to be altered and AI-enhanced, and the unedited clip, filmed months earlier as part of a “U.S. vs. Iran” TikTok trend, contained no references to ICE or law enforcement. In the original version, the background also appears to show a paved walkway with street lights and a city skyline—a completely different location from the basketball court shown in the alleged DHS edit. The Creator Speaks Out The man in the video has since been identified as TikTok user @mrfloridajhit, who says he had nothing to do with the caption DHS attached to the post. He told followers that his account was hacked and that he never uploaded or approved the version federal officials shared. On Instagram, he wrote, “I did not post that video or the caption on that video. My account was hacked… I have no clue how they were able to get that video.” Allegedly, the previous post was the one below. The creator told followers that the other men in the clip were simply friends participating in a TikTok trend. None of them knew the footage would later be used out of context or paired with a false caption. Joy Reid Speaks Out, Blasts DHS For Alleged AI Video Joy-Ann Reid also called out the Department of Homeland Security for the post, describing it as an alarming example of how technology and anti-Black bias can intersect in dangerous ways. “They essentially used this man’s video to create a fake threat against ICE from young Black men,” Reid said in a TikTok video. “They’ve weaponized antiblackness—they’ve weaponized a lie that these federal agents are being threatened and that there’s a bounty on their heads.” Reid also pointed to the irony of the timing, noting that the Trump administration has faced widespread criticism for its handling of immigration raids and viral clips showing families detained or separated. “These people are out of control, and yet they want you to believe that the real threat is young Black men,” she continued. “If your government can steal your content to weaponize a falsity against Americans, threatening their lives, what else could they do using your social media?” Takeaway: Be Careful On the Internet  It is unnecessary for the government to use a video of young men to weaponize fear. Government platforms should be used to uplift and inform. ICE should be composed of trained individuals who act accordingly in person, not to an online video—unless addressing verified entities. The Trump administration already describes its tactics as “the Department of War.” There are plenty of people who disagree with how ICE has handled recent matters, from Los Angeles to Chicago. Regardless, people have the right to free speech. That said, whoever is running the government account and engaging in fear-mongering should be fired or redirected, because leadership should do just that: lead. In situations like these, all negativity does is add to the continued distrust in the current administration. The post Joy Reid & Content Creator Speak Out After DHS Uses Allegedly Altered Video To Portray ICE Threat appeared first on Bossip.

Sean “Diddy” Combs isn’t backing down, and is officially appealing his conviction after being found guilty on two prostitution-related charges this summer. This news comes amid conflicting reports that the White House could commute his sentence as early as this week. According to ABC News, Diddy’s legal team filed a notice of appeal in New York’s Federal District Court this week. His lawyer, Alexandra Shapiro, confirmed the move but didn’t outline the grounds of the appeal just yet. The 55-year-old music icon has already spent a year behind bars at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. While his sentence totals 50 months, he’s hoping his next move could cut that time down significantly. Diddy’s defense has long argued that the charges, which include “transportation for the purposes of prostitution,” shouldn’t even apply to him. At sentencing, he reportedly broke down in tears, apologizing for “the hurt that I caused” but standing firm that his mistakes don’t define who he is today. Meanwhile, social media was buzzing after TMZ reported that Trump was considering commuting Diddy’s sentence, but the White House quickly shut those rumors down. Officials clarified that there’s “no truth” to claims of a pending commutation. But, TMZ immediately pushed back in an update to their reporting, claiming that their story about the commuting rumors was true. “The White House Communications Office is saying our story is not true, TMZ wrote. ” We stand by our story. Our story is accurate.” This also comes amid one of the attorneys on Combs’ defense team previously revealing that they approached Trump’s administration for a pardon. “It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,” Nicole Westmoreland, a member of Combs’ defense team, told CNN on Tuesday, Aug. 5. When she was asked how the Bad Boy founder feels about his chances for a pardon, Westmoreland told the outlet that Diddy “is a very hopeful person and I believe that he remains hopeful.” Trump Previously Spoke On The Possibility Of Pardoning Diddy As previously reported, Trump, himself, hasn’t been shy about addressing their past relationship, noting that he took issue with how “hostile” Diddy was to him during his Presidential bid. “Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half-innocent,” Trump said to NewsMax. “I don’t know what they do, still in jail or something. But he was celebrating a victory, but I guess it wasn’t as good of a victory.” “We’re human beings. We don’t like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine and then you run for office and he made some terrible statements,” he continued. “So, I don’t know. It’s more difficult. Makes it more, I’m being honest, makes it more difficult to do.” RELATED: Here’s What Happened When Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Was Sentenced To More Than 4 Years In Prison The post Diddy’s Team To Appeal Conviction & Prison Sentence Amid The White House Denying Trump Commutation Claims appeared first on Bossip.

Blac Chyna can’t keep her composure while talking about the possibility of rekindling her relationship with ex Rob Kardashian. After sparking reconciliation rumors last week, the model—who now goes by her birth name, Angela White— was asked about the status of her relationship with the former reality star during an appearance at the Los Angeles Women’s Expo on Saturday, October 18. While talking about wanting to have more children, Chyna admitted that she would rather welcome more kids with Kardashian than her other ex, Tyga, in a video obtained by TMZ. Chyna and Kardashian are parents to daughter Dream, 8, while she and Tyga share 13-year-old son King Cairo. When asked point-blank whether she and Kardashian are back together, the model giggled and took some time to think before explaining that they are both “healing” and “communicating.” “We’re just going with the flow,” she said. “And if it’s God’s [will] then it will be something.” The model went on to gush that Kardashian is “hilarious,” adding, “We’re just taking our time. I’m excited…He’s my person. I just gotta work on myself, and he’s gotta work on himself.” This comes after Chyna first sparked reconciliation rumors last week, uploading a series of photos to Instagram along with the caption, “This love is forever .” She tagged Rob in the caption, who “liked” the post. While a source revealed to Page Six at the time that the exes were not back together, it looks like they’re doing their best to make it happen. Rob and Chyna got engaged in 2016 after a rollercoaster romance, but their relationship ended shortly after, in 2017. In the years since their split, the former couple has had their fair share of drama, with Chyna suing Rob’s mother, Kris Jenner, and his sisters Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner for defamation. At the height of their breakup in 2017, things got even worse, with Kardashian exposing naked pictures of his ex, causing Chyna to enlist powerhouse lawyer Lisa Bloom for a “revenge porn” lawsuit. That same year, Rob claimed Blac Chyna attempted to choke him with an iPhone charger during an intense fight last at sister Kylie Jenner’s house. The reality star and his sister filed a lawsuit against Rob’s ex-fiancé for battery, assault and vandalism. Things between the former couple have been quiet over the last few years–until now. If you need to catch up on their history amid their suspected rekindling, check out a timeline of their relationship here. The post Angela ‘Blac Chyna’ White Gushes Over ‘My Person’ Rob Kardashian Amid Reconciliation Rumors: ‘We’re Just Going With The Flow’ appeared first on Bossip.

Political experts and fans alike believe, Democratic Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani emerged victorious from his first NYC mayoral debate on Oct. 16. Facing off against former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican politician Curtis Sliwa, Zohran Mamdani appeared confident and composed as he tackled a wide range of issues, from policing New York City and addressing the mental health crisis to unveiling an ambitious plan to tax the wealthy to make the city more affordable for millions. “Well, really, what happened is you had Zohran Mamdani going into this as the clear frontrunner in nearly every poll that we have seen since his upset Democratic primary win back in June. And quite frankly, he left this debate as the clear frontrunner,” said Nick Reisman, a political reporter with Politico, during an interview with CBS News on Oct. 17. “Mamdani did not have really any major mistakes that he made,” Reisman continued. “Andrew Cuomo tried to trip him up on a few key issues that have been really kind of difficult for Mamdani during this campaign, like Israel and public safety, and Mamdani, for the most part, was able to parry a lot of those attacks, and he got through on his message about affordability and the cost of living.”   Zohran Mamdani On Israel And Hamas The NYC mayoral debate began with Mamdani addressing his position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas and responding to questions about the recent ceasefire agreement. Earlier in his campaign, Mamdani had said he didn’t hold “opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety,” but on Thursday night, the 33-year-old made his position clear. “Of course, I believe that they should lay down their arms. I’m proud to be one of the first elected officials in the state who called for a ceasefire,” he told the moderators. “Calling for a ceasefire means seizing fire. That means all parties have to cease fire and put down their weapons. And the reason that we call for that is not only for the end of the genocide, but also an unimpeded access of humanitarian aid. I, like many New Yorkers, am hopeful that this ceasefire will hold.” On Policing And Mental Health When it came to tackling the issue of policing in NYC and the city’s mental health crisis, Mamdani stressed that he does not support defunding the NYPD, but instead advocates for reforming the system by implementing a multi-layered response model for mental health crises. He referenced the approach taken in Eugene, Oregon, where mental health professionals are dispatched alongside police during certain emergency calls. Under his plan, operators would be specially trained to assess crises and involve law enforcement only when necessary. He also made it clear that he would oppose any use of the National Guard in NYC for public safety purposes, contrasting his stance with what’s being done in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles by the Trump administration. “We do not need the National Guard here in New York City. We do not need them for the purpose of safety, because if it was safety that President Trump was so concerned about, he would send them to the eight out of 10 states that have the highest levels of crime in this country, but he won’t, because they’re all run by Republicans,” Mamdani said. “What New Yorkers need is a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump and actually deliver on that safety. When Donald Trump sent ICE agents on people in Los Angeles, Andrew Cuomo said that New Yorkers need not overreact. That is the furthest answer that New Yorkers are looking for. They are looking for someone who will lead.” On How He Plans To Fund His Vision For The City Mamdani’s platform includes approximately $10 billion in proposed new spending, which he says will be funded through increased taxes on the wealthy and large corporations. Despite Governor Kathy Hochul’s stance against raising income taxes on millionaires, Mamdani remained firm on his plan during the NYC mayoral debate. “A lot of people have called even my campaign a non-starter when we first began, and now I stand before you proud to be the Democratic nominee who got the most votes in city primary history. And I believe we will see the same thing with our push to ensure that we are taxing the wealthiest and the most profitable corporations the fair amount that they should pay,” he said with conviction. The Democrat added, “Now there are those who will say that, because it will be hard, you should give up. We saw what giving up looked like when Andrew Cuomo was the governor. He gave up on fighting for working-class New Yorkers and instead caved in to his billionaire donors.” On Making New York City Affordable Again Mamdani outlined several ways to ease the cost of living in the city, with proposals like free and faster bus service, universal childcare, and freezing rents, all while increasing revenue through tax reforms and budget efficiency. “Look, I’ve said very clearly, making buses fast and free costs about $700 million a year. Making universal child care a reality costs about $5 or $6 billion a year. If you raise the state’s top corporate tax rate to match that of New Jersey, you’ll be raising $5 billion in of itself,” he explained. “We have also put forward a plan to save money here in New York City with a billion dollars in savings through procurement reform, through following the independent Budget Office’s assessment about hiring more fiscal auditors, and an action to collect the fines and fees from bad landlords,” he continued. “Freezing the rent doesn’t require any fiscal infusion, so that will be something we’ll be pursuing immediately. And universal childcare—after housing—is the second cost. Childcare is the second cost pushing New Yorkers out of this city, twenty and a half thousand dollars a year is the estimate we’ve seen. That will be a priority.” Social