New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his «Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan» on Monday, which quickly prompted pushback from conservatives online and skepticism from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, with one top official saying she will «review» the move. 

Mamdani’s office explained in a press release that the preliminary report, which the mayor had promised to release within 100 days in office, shows racial disparities in areas like housing, education, and income, and the new plan aims to «establish a new framework for how New York City measures affordability, understands inequity and plans for a more equitable future.»

«The True Cost of Living Measure offers an honest account of what it actually costs to live in this city — and who is being left behind. It shows that this is not a crisis affecting a small minority of New Yorkers. It is a crisis touching the vast majority of our city, in every borough and every neighborhood,» Mamdani said in the press release.

«But we know this crisis is not felt equally. Black and Latino New Yorkers — who have been pushed out of this city for decades — are bearing the brunt. The Preliminary Racial Equity Plan is where we begin to reverse that pattern. These reports make one thing clear: we cannot tackle systemic racial inequity without confronting the affordability crisis head-on, and we cannot solve the cost-of-living crisis without dismantling systemic racial inequity.»

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Mamdani’s announcement quickly sparked pushback from conservatives, as well as from the Trump administration, expressing concerns about race-based initiatives and spending which the administration has been working to undo since taking power last year.

«Sounds fishy/illegal,» DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon posted on X. «Will review!»

«Straight-up racism against White people,» conservative influencer account Libs of TikTok posted on X. 

«The reality is Mamdani is implementing blatantly racist policies that reward and punish people based on their skin color,» conservative commentator Paul A. Szypula posted on X.

The city billed the racial equity plan as the «first time any New York City administration has required major city agencies to examine their work through a racial equity lens and identify and eliminate disparities» and said the plan sets goals across seven domains that include: «Children, Youth, Older Adults and Families; Economy; Housing and Preservation; Infrastructure and Environment; Health and Wellbeing; Community Safety, Rights and Accountability; and Good Governance and Inclusive Decision-Making.»

The report cites a sizable gap in the median net worth of white households compared to Black households while reporting that Black New Yorkers also have a lower life expectancy and suggests the way to address those gaps is an expansive framework featuring more than 200 agency-level goals, over 800 proposed strategies, and roughly 600 performance indicators intended to track progress over time.

«Inequity has been embedded in the foundation of our city and nation since their inception; dismantling it requires a collective effort,» NYC Chief Equity Officer and NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice Commissioner Afua Atta-Mensah said in Monday’s press release.

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«The NYC Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan reflects the city’s commitment to systemic transformation—turning our values into actions. From housing and healthcare to education and infrastructure, every agency plays a pivotal role in reshaping how government serves New Yorkers. This plan outlines measurable goals and actionable strategies to advance racial equity, promote justice and create lasting change.»

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office and the DOJ for comment.

Dating back to his mayoral campaign, Mamdani has faced intense criticism for his focus on race and «equity, including a policy proposal, «Stop the Squeeze on NYC Homeowners,» that outlined his plans to «shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and Whiter neighborhoods.» 

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a Ramadan Iftar hosted by his team at the New York Taxi Workers Association, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in New York. (Angelina Katsanis/AP)

In February, Mamdani faced criticism over his budget plan that stated the Office of Racial Equity would receive $5.6 million annually, while the Commission on Racial Equity would be allocated $4.6 million, a combined total of $10.2 million. The new figure represents roughly a $3 million increase — or about a 42% jump — from the approximately $7.2 million allocated last year.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

El Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) advirtió que la guerra en Medio Oriente acelerará la inflación y ralentizará el crecimiento mundial, en un contexto de creciente incertidumbre económica y antes de la publicación de nuevas previsiones globales la próxima semana.

La directora gerente del organismo, Kristalina Georgieva, señaló en declaraciones a Reuters que, sin el conflicto, el FMI habría proyectado una mejora en la actividad económica global. Según indicó, las estimaciones previas situaban el crecimiento en el 3,3% para 2026 y en el 3,2% para 2027.

“Si no hubiéramos tenido esta guerra, habríamos visto una ligera revisión al alza de nuestras previsiones de crecimiento. En cambio, ahora todo apunta a un aumento de los precios y a un crecimiento más lento”, dijo el lunes.

Georgieva explicó que el impacto del conflicto ya se refleja en las perspectivas de inflación y de crecimiento. Incluso en un escenario de resolución rápida, el efecto negativo persistirá sobre las proyecciones.

“Incluso un pronto fin de las hostilidades y una recuperación bastante rápida darían lugar a una revisión a la baja ‘relativamente pequeña’ de la previsión de crecimiento y a una revisión al alza de su previsión de inflación”, sostuvo.

La titular del FMI advirtió que una prolongación de la guerra agravará el impacto sobre la economía mundial. “Si la guerra se prolongara, el efecto sobre los precios y la actividad económica sería mayor”, afirmó.

En paralelo, indicó que el organismo recibió solicitudes de ayuda financiera de algunos países afectados por el contexto internacional, aunque no detalló cuáles. También señaló que el FMI evalúa mecanismos para responder a estas necesidades.

“El FMI podría ampliar algunos programas de préstamo existentes para satisfacer las necesidades de los países”, agregó.

Días antes, en un documento elaborado por el economista jefe del Fondo y varios departamentos internos, la institución definió la situación como “un nuevo shock global” que interrumpe la recuperación de economías que comenzaban a estabilizarse tras crisis recientes. El informe advirtió que los países directamente involucrados sufren daños de largo alcance en infraestructura y sectores productivos.

El principal canal de transmisión del impacto económico es el encarecimiento de la energía. Según la Agencia Internacional de Energía, el cierre parcial del estrecho de Ormuz y los daños a la infraestructura regional alteraron el mercado internacional del petróleo. El FMI señaló que, para los países importadores, este aumento de precios funciona como un impuesto sobre los ingresos nacionales.

Cerca del 30% de la producción mundial de petróleo y el 20% del gas natural licuado transitan por el estrecho de Ormuz, lo que expone a economías de África y Asia. En Asia y Europa, los principales importadores concentran el mayor impacto por el aumento de los costos energéticos.

El alza de la energía también repercute en Medio Oriente, África, Asia-Pacífico y América Latina. En estas regiones, el encarecimiento se combina con subas en alimentos y fertilizantes y con condiciones financieras más restrictivas. El FMI advirtió que los países de bajos ingresos enfrentan mayores riesgos de inseguridad alimentaria.

“Los habitantes de los países de ingreso bajo son quienes corren el mayor riesgo cuando suben los precios”, indicó el organismo.

Las cadenas de suministro globales registran disrupciones. Las rutas marítimas se desvían, lo que eleva los costos de transporte y seguros y provoca demoras en las entregas. El tráfico aéreo en centros del Golfo también sufre interrupciones, con impacto en el turismo y el comercio internacional.

El conflicto afecta además el comercio de fertilizantes, ya que cerca de un tercio del suministro global transita por el estrecho de Ormuz. Esta situación coincide con la temporada de siembra en el hemisferio norte y presiona los precios de los alimentos.

En el plano financiero, el FMI señaló un aumento de la volatilidad. Las bolsas globales registraron caídas, los rendimientos de los bonos subieron y las condiciones financieras se volvieron más restrictivas, aunque sin una liquidación masiva como en crisis anteriores.

El organismo destacó que el impacto resulta desigual entre países. Algunos exportadores de materias primas fortalecen sus cuentas fiscales y externas, mientras otros enfrentan mayores presiones sobre sus balanzas de pagos y el costo de vida.

(Con información de REUTERS)

Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger was swept into the governor’s mansion on a deep blue wave last November, but has seen her popularity plummet after less than 3 months in office.

Forty-six percent of Virginians disapprove of her job performance, while 47% approve. Compared to Virginia governors from both sides of the aisle since 1994, Spanberger has the highest disapproval rating at this point in her term.

In contrast, predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin saw a 54-39 job approval at this point in his term, with the highest favorability going to Democrat Mark Warner – now Virginia’s senior senator – with a 78-20 rating.

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Warner’s current counterpart, Sen. Tim Kaine, was at 62-31, GOP Gov. Jim Gilmore III at 63-30, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell at 59-39 and Democrats Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam at 52-30 and 48-37 respectively.

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Spanberger defeated then-Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears by 15 points in November and completely flipped statewide offices to Democrats Ghazala Hashmi for lieutenant governor and Jay Jones for attorney general.

The Post pointed out that while Spanberger’s favorability was narrow, her win dwarfed that of Youngkin’s over McAuliffe in 2021 – and the Falls Church business executive’s favorability was several points higher than hers.

George Mason University Policy & Government Dean Mark Rozell, a co-sponsor of the poll, told the Post that while some bit of political polarization is «baked in,» it was «unusual» to see such a result for Spanberger this early in her term after a campaign on a «centrist image.»

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Seven percent of Virginians, however, by contrast, cite her tenure as «too conservative.»

Spanberger’s shift on gerrymandering was recently evinced through redistricting referendum critics citing her own 2019 words back to her in recent mailers, according to reports.

«Gerrymandering is detrimental to our democracy and it weakens the individual voices that form our electorates. Opposing gerrymandering should be a bipartisan priority,» Spanberger tweeted six years ago when Virginia considered its ultimately successful bid to remove map-redrawing power from the partisan legislature.

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However, Spanberger’s office recently denied claims that there had been any internal deals made involving her personally to help get more Democrats elected, particularly in the case of the Second Congressional District in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.

Spanberger has also received criticism for appearing to pivot on gun control, from a moderate stance while in Congress favoring commonsense reforms and citing her resume as a former gun-toting CIA agent and postal inspector, to a governor poised to sign sweeping gun bans drafted by far-left Fairfax Democrats.

«I’m a mother of three girls in Virginia Public Schools. I’m also a former federal agent who carried a gun every single day for my job,» she said at a 2025 rally. «So I come at this issue as someone who cares deeply about the safety of our kids and as someone who understands the responsibilities of owning and of carrying a firearm.»

A welcome sign is posted in the grass near the intersection of Lee Highway, Key Bridge, and the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Rosslyn, Arlington County, Virginia. (Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

The redistricting referendum has been criticized for unfairly empowering Spanberger’s base counties, as five newly-drawn districts would originate in Fairfax and envelop – and critics say overpower – the voices of rural central and Western Virginia.

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One such district in particular, unfavorably shaped like a lobster according to critics, already has three notable Democratic candidates – gun control bill sponsor State Del. Dan Helmer of Fairfax, former first lady Dorothy McAuliffe, and former Jack Smith deputy JP Cooney – despite the referendum not being officially decided by the voters until April 21.

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.