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Mamdani clashes with rivals in fiery debate less than three weeks before NYC chooses next mayor

Mamdani clashes with rivals in fiery debate less than three weeks before NYC chooses next mayor

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The three men running to be the next mayor of New York City, the largest city in the United States, clashed on multiple occasions on the debate stage Thursday night on issues ranging from the war in Gaza to public safety to housing costs.   Public safety was discussed throughout the debate, with Mamdani’s past disparaging comments about police and his calls to defund the New York City Police Department taking center stage.  “He believes in defunding the police, disarming the police, disbanding the police,” Cuomo said. “That’s who he is.” Mamdani attempted to distance himself from his past tweets, pointing out that they were from 2020.  HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU MISSED FROM ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S FIRST FOX NEWS INTERVIEW All three candidates discussed their plans to address the housing crisis in New York City with Mamdani’s plan to “freeze the rent” drawing sharp criticism from Cuomo and Sliwa. “Freeze the rent only postpones the rent,” Cuomo said about Mamdani’s plan, making the case that many of Mamdani’s opponents have made that rent freezes would do more harm than good to housing stock.  Mamdani attempted to distance himself from his past support of legislation to decriminalize prostitution and faced criticism from both his opponents on that subject. Mamdani’s past statements on Israel were another flashpoint during the debate. At one point, Mamdani said, “of course” he supports calling on Hamas to disarm, despite dodging questions on that subject the previous day in an interview with Fox News Channel. “I have denounced Hamas time and time again and it will never be enough,” Mamdani said.  Republican Curtis Sliwa told Mamdani, “Jews don’t trust that you’ll be there for them when they are victims of anti-Semitic attacks.” Experience was also brought up several times in the debate, focused on Mamdani and Cuomo making the case that they were the candidate with the right resume to lead the city going forward. “This is not a job for a first timer,” Cuomo said of Mamdani, adding, “he’s literally never had a job.” “Thank God I’m not a professional politician because they have helped create this crime crisis in the city that we face,” Sliwa said, criticizing both of his opponents’ records.  Mamdani shot back with a line directly at Cuomo on the experience issue. “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity,” Mamdani said to Cuomo. “What you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.” With under three weeks until Election Day, Mamdani holds a double-digit lead in the race for the nation’s most populous city, but Cuomo is narrowing the gap, according to the latest public polling. The tightening contest underscores how Cuomo’s independent bid continues to draw support from disaffected Democrats following embattled Mayor Eric Adams’ withdrawal from the race. ‘ABSOLUTELY A COMMUNIST’: MAMDANI DODGES LABEL, BUT HIS RECORD AND EXPERT SAY OTHERWISE  Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens who shocked the political world in June with his convincing win over Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination, stands at 46% support among likely voters in the most recent survey in the race, from Quinnipiac University. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid multiple scandals and who is running as an independent candidate in the general election after losing the primary, had 33% support in the survey, which was conducted Oct. 3–7. Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee in the Democratic-dominated city, stood at 15% in the poll. Quinnipiac’s survey was the only major poll in the field entirely after Adams, a Democrat who was running for re-election as an independent, dropped out of the race.  In Quinnipiac University’s previous poll, conducted in early September, Mamdani held a 22-point 45%-23% lead over Cuomo, with Sliwa at 15% and Adams at 12%. Despite Mamdani’s lead in the race for Gracie Mansion, the democratic socialist has struggled to secure endorsements from national party leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mamdani did recently secure an endorsement from Gov. Kathy Hochul, who joined Mamdani on the campaign trail this week, but has since refused to return the favor. “It’s a decision that should be made after this general election,” Mamdai said when asked if the candidates are supporting Hochul for re-election. 

Erika Kirk shows TPUSA staff Charlie’s Medal of Freedom: ‘You guys are all part of the legacy’

Erika Kirk shows TPUSA staff Charlie’s Medal of Freedom: ‘You guys are all part of the legacy’

A video shared on X shows Erika Kirk at the Turning Point USA office surrounded by staff members, proudly showing them the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to her late husband, Charlie Kirk. In the clip posted by Mikey McCoy, Charlie Kirk’s former chief of staff, Erika speaks movingly to the assembled team. CHARLIE KIRK’S COLLEAGUES AND PASTORS PRAISE HIS PATRIOTISM AS TRUMP READIES HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOR In the clip, she can be heard saying, “I wanted you guys all to see the Medal of Freedom and be able to look at it and the back of it.” “You guys are all part of the legacy. Thank you,” she says warmly. ERIKA KIRK HONORS LATE HUSBAND CHARLIE IN EMOTIONAL WHITE HOUSE TRIBUTE: ‘A FREE MAN MADE FULLY FREE’ The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the U.S. It was awarded posthumously to Charlie Kirk by President Donald Trump on Oct. 14, 2025, a date that would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday.  CHARLIE KIRK POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED MEDAL OF FREEDOM ON WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS 32ND BIRTHDAY Erika accepted the award on her husband’s behalf at a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House. She also delivered remarks highlighting her husband’s beliefs and sacrifice. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley State University in Orem, Utah. Following her husband’s death, Erika was unanimously appointed CEO and chair of Turning Point USA’s board.

NYC schools sue Education Department over nearly $50M in grant cuts due to transgender policies

NYC schools sue Education Department over nearly M in grant cuts due to transgender policies

New York City Public Schools filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday over its move to cut $47 million in promised grants in response to the schools’ policies regarding transgender students. The lawsuit seeks to reverse the move to pull the grants. City officials said the federal agency stripped funding without the required notice or hearing after it concluded that school policies allowing transgender students to participate on sports teams and use bathrooms matching their gender identity rather than biological sex violate Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education. Last month, the Department of Education gave New York City Public Schools a Sept. 23 deadline to amend the policies or lose funding for 19 specialty magnet schools. DENVER SCHOOL’S ALL-GENDER BATHROOMS VIOLATE TITLE IX, EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FINDS Under the policies, “male students who identify as female or transgender are given unqualified access to female intimate spaces,” Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the agency, said in a letter. Several other school districts, including in Chicago and Fairfax County, Virginia, received similar letters. New York City school officials affirm that they are fully compliant with Title IX and that the federal department’s “novel interpretation” contradicts state and city laws against sex-based discrimination. “U.S. DOE’s threat to cut off tens of millions of dollars in magnet funding unless we canceled our protections for transgender and gender-expansive students is contrary to federal, state and local law and, just as importantly, our values as New York City Public Schools,” Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said in a news release. An Education Department spokesperson said the agency “sees no merit in this lawsuit.” The spokesperson added that the magnet school grant program “requires certification of civil rights compliance, which we could obviously not do in the face of NYC’s continued determination to violate the rights of female students under Title IX.” Under the Trump administration, federal officials have sought to target school districts for policies allowing students to use bathrooms or participate on sports teams that correspond with their gender identity. Additionally, New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa ordered a school district in the New York City suburbs this week to temporarily abandon its new bathroom restrictions for transgender students. TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO ABOLISH ‘BLACK STUDENT SUCCESS PLAN’ The Massapequa School District enacted a policy last month prohibiting transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identities rather than biological sex. The district said after the commissioner’s order that it will continue to offer a gender-neutral locker room and bathroom option to “any student who will be more comfortable using such a space.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.

National Guard not welcome: NYC mayoral candidates come out strong against troop deployments

National Guard not welcome: NYC mayoral candidates come out strong against troop deployments

President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to major American cities loomed large over Thursday night’s New York City mayoral debate. During Thursday night’s debate, the candidates, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, were asked about the “threat hanging over the city” of National Guard troops being sent to New York City. All three candidates indicated they would oppose troops being sent to the city. “If the president ordered troops to hit the streets of New York now, how would you respond?” a moderator asked. “We do not need the National Guard here in New York City,” Mamdani answered. ZOHRAN MAMDANI LAUNCHES ANTI-TRUMP TOUR ACROSS FIVE BOROUGHS IN NEW YORK CITY “If it was safety that President Trump was so concerned about, he would send them to the eight out of ten states that have the highest levels of crime in this country. But he won’t because they’re all run by Republicans,” he asserted. “What New Yorkers need is a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump and actually deliver on that safety,” he added. “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, someone who will say that they will have their back, someone who will actually fight for the people of this city.” Cuomo said “the answer in the subways is not more National Guard. … More NYPD is the answer.” ZOHRAN MAMDANI LEVELS COUNTERPROPOSAL AFTER CUOMO CHALLENGES HIM TO DEBATES IN ALL 5 NYC BOROUGHS He asserted that Trump is “not sending in the National Guard to do any real function. It’s control. It’s power.” “He’s trying to say these Democrats don’t know how to run these cities, and it’s a political gesture by sending in the National Guard,” he continued, adding that if Mamdani is elected, Trump “will take over New York. Forget the National Guard.” Sliwa similarly said, “There’s no need for the National Guard in New York” adding “there are other cities that could desperately use their help in dealing with their crime crisis.” HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU MISSED FROM ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S FIRST FOX NEWS INTERVIEW Asked for a show of hands on whether there are any circumstances in which they would allow the New York Police Department to cooperate with National Guard troops sent by Trump, not a single candidate raised his hand. With under three weeks until Election Day, Mamdani holds a double-digit lead in the race for the nation’s most populous city, but Cuomo is narrowing the gap, according to the latest public polling. Mamdani stands at 46% support among likely voters in the most recent survey in the race from Quinnipiac University. Cuomo had 33% support in the survey and Sliwa stood at 15% in the poll.

Mamdani flip-flops on key Hamas position one day after refusing to call on it to disarm

Mamdani flip-flops on key Hamas position one day after refusing to call on it to disarm

Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani appeared to backtrack on his position about Hamas laying down arms in Thursday night’s mayoral debate. “Of course, I believe that they should lay down their arms,” Mamdani said on the debate stage in New York City alongside former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani was responding to a question from a moderator who said his previous answer, made to Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, was “confusing,” after he dodged questions when she asked if he believes Hamas should lay down weapons and leave leadership in Gaza, according to the ceasefire agreement it entered into.  “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety,” Mamdani said, reiterating that both Hamas and the Israeli military should abide by international law.  ‘ABSOLUTELY A COMMUNIST’: MAMDANI DODGES LABEL, BUT HIS RECORD AND EXPERT SAY OTHERWISE “I’m proud to be one of the first elected officials in the state who called for a ceasefire and calling for a ceasefire means ceasefire,” Mamdani said on the debate stage on Thursday.  “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, and I’m hopeful that this ceasefire will hold.” Mamdani said he hopes President Trump’s negotiated ceasefire is “durable” and “just.” MAMDANI BREAKS SILENCE ON FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGES IN STATEMENT THAT DOESN’T MENTION TRUMP Shortly after Mamdani’s response, social media accounts labeled his comments as a “new answer.” In Mamdani’s Fox News interview on Wednesday, he said it was too early to give credit to Trump for the peace agreement. Republican Curtis Sliwa, the only candidate to mention Trump by name in his response to news of the Israeli hostages being released, took issue with that stance on the debate stage. “The president of the United States should have been applauded by you, Zohran Mamdani, and you, Andrew Cuomo,” Sliwa said.  Mamdani has been widely criticized in recent months for his positions on Israel, including his hesitancy to definitively condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” “I want to be very clear,” Mamdani said on the debate stage. “The occupation is a reference to international law and the violation of it, which Mr. Cuomo has no regard for since he signed up to be Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense team during the course of this genocide.”

FIRST ON FOX: New site exposes NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘radical’ record — in his own words

FIRST ON FOX: New site exposes NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘radical’ record — in his own words

A conservative policy group is unveiling a new digital archive of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s political record, aiming to highlight what it calls the New York City mayoral candidate’s “radical agenda” through years of public statements, legislation and campaign pledges. The website, mamdanifile.appdc.org, was first shared with Fox News Digital ahead of its planned public release later this week. Developed by the American Principles Project (APP), the archive includes 43 entries spanning 2020 to 2025. APP President Terry Schilling told Fox News Digital the goal is to document Mamdani’s record in his own words. “Zohran Mamdani’s daily barrage of wild ideas, utterly detached from regular Americans, prompted us to launch the Mamdani Tracker to expose his madness,” Schilling said. “His radicalism may get covered up by the complicit left-wing media, but we’re reminding New Yorkers before Election Day of the chaos he’s plotting for NYC — and warning America: This is the Democrats’ agenda at your door. Mamdani’s vision is the Democrat agenda. DNC EMBRACES SOCIALIST MAMDANI AS RESURFACED ANTI-ISRAEL REMARKS RAISE ALARM: ‘BIG TENT PARTY’ “If they take New York, they’re coming for you next. In tight races in New Jersey and Virginia, where they’re pushing Mamdani’s extremism into schools and communities, we’re investing millions to halt this insanity and drive commonsense voters to the polls.” Each entry cites a primary source, such as a campaign statement, bill text or archived video clip with links allowing users to verify context for themselves. Among the site’s entries are Mamdani’s 2020 campaign pledge to guarantee “queer- and trans-inclusive medical care to all — including children — through a single-payer system” and his call to mandate curriculum reviews in K–12 schools to eliminate “transphobia, racism and xenophobia.” “We need to fully decriminalize both the buying and selling of consensual sex,” an essay on Mamdani’s archived campaign site titled “Feminism for All” states. MEET MAMDANI’S RADICAL ADVISORY CIRCLE THAT INCLUDES COMMUNIST ACTIVIST, ANTI-ISRAEL ADVOCATES The archive also highlights legislation Mamdani co-sponsored that would let inmates choose facilities based on gender identity and fund gender-transition procedures for prisoners. It also includes a 2025 quote for the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club Candidate Questionnaire in which he said he would be “proud to host and fund Drag Story Hours.” Each page features video clips, screenshots and original documents, giving the compilation a digital “paper trail” effect that APP says allows voters to see and hear Mamdani directly. The release comes as Mamdani debated Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa in a televised forum Thursday evening.  A Fox News Poll also released Thursday found Mamdani maintaining a double-digit lead over both challengers. The American Principles Project says it plans to expand the site before Election Day as part of a broader push in local contests across New York, New Jersey and Virginia, where cultural policy and parental rights have become defining issues. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mamdani’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.