INTERNACIONAL
Mamdani clashes with rivals in fiery debate less than three weeks before NYC chooses next mayor
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
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
From left, Mayoral candidates Independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (Angelina Katsanis, Pool/ AP Photo)
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.»
Independent candidate, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa participate in a mayoral debate, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, Pool)
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
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani supporters gather outside 30 Rock in New York City on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
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
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo supporters gather outside 30 Rock in New York City on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
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.
politics,zohran mamdani,new york city,elections
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Democratic lawmakers in one major blue state are facing backlash over their latest attempt to blunt federal immigration enforcement through a new bill crafted around a vulgar acronym.
The F—ICE Act, with the acronym spelled out in practice, is officially the «Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act» and would permit civil action for violations of the U.S. Constitution related to immigration enforcement. The measure was introduced after a clash between a federal agent and a democratic socialist councilman.
Tensions between local and state officials and DHS had soared this month after federal authorities reportedly detained nearly a dozen people on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail in Jersey City. Jake Ephros, a Democratic Socialist councilman who went to the scene, was rebuffed by a federal agent who told him, «I don’t need a warrant, bro.»
Assembs. Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan, two Democrats from neighboring Hoboken, crafted the F—ICE Act in response to the incident. Bhalla also announced several other bills seeking to restrict New Jersey’s cooperation with the federal government, according to the Hudson County View.
BLOCKING ICE COOPERATION FUELED MINNESOTA UNREST, OFFICIALS WARN AS VIRGINIA REVERSES COURSE
New Jerseyans protest ICE. (Charly Triballeau/Getty Images)
Bhalla said that when he was mayor of neighboring Hoboken, his first move was to enact a sanctuary city ordinance. The city is famously home to Frank Sinatra and sits across the Hudson River from Midtown Manhattan.
«ICE has no place in our communities,» he said in a statement. «Now, the stakes are even higher, and it is incumbent on all of us to use the power we have to keep our residents safe.»
Brennan cited Ephros’ run-in with ICE in comments to People, adding that she cannot «sit back and do nothing while they violate people’s constitutional rights.»
«These bills strengthen local protections and make sure these agents of chaos face accountability. We have to use the full force of our state government to protect the people of New Jersey.»
Brennan told NJ Advance Media that while critics have voiced concern about her acting «unbecoming» and «unladylike,» she said it was fellow Hoboken Democrat state Sen. Raj Mukherji who came up with the acronym.
HOCHUL ENDORSES LEGISLATION TO ALLOW NEW YORKERS TO SUE ICE AGENTS: ‘POWER DOES NOT JUSTIFY ABUSE’
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Mukherji has said ICE has sown «seeds of chaos» nationwide.
Not all lawmakers were on board, including some from the state’s more conservative, rural northwest.
«So, they’re doing acronyms now,» said Assemb. Michael Inganamort, R-Chester.
«This sort of radicalism is the inevitable result of an unchecked, 25-year Democratic Majority. It’s what our Republican Minority stands against and why elections matter,» Inganamort said in a statement on X.
Assemb. Dawn Fantasia, R-Sussex, said the bill’s title is «wild» but the premise is «wilder.»
«[I] don’t have the text yet, but if it means what it sounds like, that’s illegal entry followed by a state-created pathway to sue over enforcement,» she said.
«If I was a bettin’ woman, I’d guess NJ taxpayers will be footing the legal bill.»
«Katie and Ravi need their mouths washed out with soap,» quipped conservative commentator Matt Rooney of «Save Jersey.»
Assemb. Paul Kanitra, R-Point Pleasant Beach, suggested the state should deal with the F—ICE Act the same way it deals with people who submit applications for off-color tags.
«Much like the state DMV has to turn down and in some cases even repossess license plates that are deemed vulgar, this should suffer the same fate,» Kanitra said.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill could not immediately be reached for comment.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In one of her first acts in Trenton, Sherrill signed Executive Order 12, which restricts ICE activities on state property and creates a portal for residents to report immigration enforcement in their areas.
«I take seriously my responsibility to keep New Jersey residents safe and, as a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor, my commitment to upholding the Constitution will never waver. This executive order will prohibit ICE from using state property to launch operations,» Sherrill said in a statement at the time.
homeland security,mikie sherrill,bills,new jersey,sanctuary cities
INTERNACIONAL
Tras la muerte de «El Mencho», quiénes son los posibles sucesores en la cúpula del Cártel Jalisco de México
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Peter Mandelson, a former British ambassador to the United States who was fired from his post after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein emerged, was arrested in England on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, authorities said.
London’s Metropolitan Police said «officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office» at an address in north London and has been taken to a police station to be interviewed.
Police did not name Mandelson, in keeping with British police practice, but the suspect in the case has previously been identified as Mandelson.
Mandelson was fired from his diplomatic post in September after materials were publicized revealing his links to Epstein.
AS EPSTEIN-LINKED APPOINTMENT SPARKS BACKLASH, UK PM STARMER FACES PARTY REVOLT AMID RESIGNATION CALLS
Peter Mandelson is seen outside his home in northwest London, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (James Manning/PA via AP)
Documents cited by Fox News Digital report Mandelson maintained contact with Epstein after his 2008 conviction on sex offenses involving minors, and that Epstein transferred about $75,000 in 2003 and 2004 to accounts connected to Mandelson or his husband.
Police opened a criminal probe when more details emerged in documents released by the U.S. Justice Department last month.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with Britain’s ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador’s residence in Washington, on Feb. 26, 2025. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)
Police are investigating Mandelson over documents suggesting he passed sensitive government information to Epstein a decade and a half ago. He does not face any allegations of sexual misconduct.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Mandelson’s arrest comes four days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, was arrested on suspicion of a similar offense related to his friendship with Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, leaves Aylsham Police Station in a vehicle, following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office in Aylsham, Britain, Feb. 19, 2026. His arrest came after the U.S. Justice Department released more records tied to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (Reuters/Phil Noble)
This is a developing news story check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
united kingdom,world politics,crime world,world
El dólar sigue cayendo y acumula una baja de 5% en febrero
Con Bareiro y sin Cavani: la lista de citados de Boca Juniors y el probable equipo para el debut en la Copa Argentina
La reforma laboral aceleró la fractura del PJ en el Congreso: se van tres senadores
Causa AFA: uno de los querellantes aseguró que hay documentación para probar un desvío de fondos por US$400 millones
Caso $LIBRA: el juez rechazó como querellantes a dos bielorrusos que reclaman más de US$ 2 millones
La emoción de María Becerra al adoptar un perro en Miami: “¡Mirá lo que es, amor!”
Escándalo en MasterChef: una famosa abandonó a los gritos y acusando que está todo arreglado
Del himno peronista de Kelly Olmos al exabrupto de Agustina Propato: las perlitas del debate por la reforma laboral
Villarruel cuestionó la apertura de importaciones: «Sin industria, se pasa a depender de China»
“Ahora es la hora de jugarse”: el mensaje de Patricia Bullrich a los empresarios tras aprobarse la reforma laboral
ECONOMIA2 días agoVillarruel cuestionó la apertura de importaciones: «Sin industria, se pasa a depender de China»
- POLITICA2 días ago
“Ahora es la hora de jugarse”: el mensaje de Patricia Bullrich a los empresarios tras aprobarse la reforma laboral
- ECONOMIA2 días ago
Según un especialista, el precio de la carne se mantendrá alto “entre dos y tres años”
