Mamdani-endorsed state assembly member Claire Valdez secured the Democratic nomination Tuesday after defeating a crowded field in the primary for New York’s 7th Congressional District.

The democratic socialist, who had been leading in the polls, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, City Council Member Julie Won and civil rights attorney Vichal Kumar to fill the seat being vacated by Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y.

Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, announced she would not seek re-election in November after more than three decades in office.

In an endorsement posted on her campaign website, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised Valdez for supporting him during his mayoral campaign and sharing his progressive vision.

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«Claire Valdez stood with me on day one because she understands how change is won — by building power, raising expectations and delivering for working people,» Mamdani said. «She comes from the labor movement and knows how to turn struggle into real gains on housing, health care and workers’ rights. That’s the kind of partner I need in Congress, and why I’m proud to endorse her.»

Velázquez, who also supported Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, publicly slammed the mayor in January after he endorsed Valdez over Reynoso.

«Honeymoons are short, and people need to pay attention to the work at hand,» she told The New York Times.

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NYPD officers arrest New York City Council member Tiffany Caban and New York Assembly member Claire Valdez (right) along with protesters after they refused to leave the lobby of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s office in Manhattan on Aug. 1, 2025. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service)

«Primaries sometimes can be a distraction from the work that you need to do,» Velázquez said, adding that the mayor’s involvement «opens up fights» with the people he governs.

Valdez, a vocal critic of Israel, has called to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), expand universal healthcare, raise taxes on the wealthy, boost affordable housing and strengthen unions.

«It’s a district that doesn’t just want strongly worded letters but a real economic vision to win the working class away from Trumpism,» according to her campaign website.

«That’s what Claire will deliver.»

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Rep. Nydia Velázquez holds a «Musk Steals» protest sign with fellow Democrats as President Donald Trump speaks during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool/AFP)

Controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and the Justice Democrats, the progressive group that helped launch Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s insurgent House campaign in 2018, have also thrown their support behind Valdez in the race to represent the district, which spans progressive strongholds across Brooklyn and Queens.

At a Brooklyn rally this month for candidates endorsed by the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, Piker called Valdez and activist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is seeking to oust five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., in New York’s 13th Congressional District, «giants» of the socialist movement.

«For the longest time, I thought we were so far away from socialism, and we might still be far away from socialism, but we do have an opportunity right here, right now, more than ever before,» Piker said at the rally.

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Piker added that this could be one of many victories for the socialist movement.

«By the end of these midterms, Zohran will seem unremarkable because, by then, we will have elected so many brilliant fighters into legislative offices throughout New York City and the state,» Piker said.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump scored a major legislative win after Congress cleared a sweeping housing bill aimed at expanding the nation’s supply of homes and lowering costs.

House lawmakers voted 358-32 in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote Tuesday to approve the Senate-passed measure with opposition coming solely from Republicans. Every Democrat present voted for the package.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, one of the most significant housing bills approved by Congress in decades, largely incorporates Trump’s proposal to ban large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes — a measure designed to help individual buyers compete with private equity firms.

It would also streamline federal environmental reviews for housing, loosen regulations around the construction of factory-built homes, and incentivize local governments to reform their zoning laws to allow for more homebuilding, among its more than 45 provisions.

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Other sections would allocate federal grants to municipalities with a track record of constructing new homes and create a pilot program to help communities redevelop vacant properties. 

«The package focuses on a simple idea of building more homes, which means lower costs and more expanded opportunities for all Americans,» Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., said Tuesday.

The president is expected to promptly sign the measure into law as soon as Wednesday.

Tuesday’s vote comes as home prices have surged in recent years, with the median nationwide price tag topping $400,000 and the median asking rent climbing above $1,760, representing an increase of 34.4% and 17.9%, respectively, since 2019, according to analysis from Realtor.com.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., brought the measure to the floor under a fast-track procedure known as suspension of the rules that required a two-thirds majority to secure passage. 

In the end, more Democrats supported the legislation than Republicans.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol on June 10, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

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Some of the more than two dozen conservatives voted against the housing bill in protest of the SAVE America Act not being attached to the package. That legislation — mandating voter identification requirements, cracking down on mail-in voting and barring men from women’s sports, among other provisions — has failed to clear the Senate’s legislative filibuster and has not received a vote in the House.

«The Senate cannot keep obstructing President Trump’s agenda while ignoring election integrity,» Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote on social media. «I call on my fellow colleagues to stand firm and honor their pledge.»

The group of conservatives has also advocated for the SAVE America Act to be paired with the reauthorization of a critical surveillance authority, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, though that is unlikely to materialize amid intraparty disagreement.

Some Republicans also opposed the Trump-backed measure, citing the inclusion of provisions offered by progressive Democrats.

«The Housing bill is full of big government garbage & spending,» Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on social media.

The housing bill’s package comes after the House and Senate exhausted months ironing out disagreements about how to implement restrictions on private equity investors and a temporary ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDC) — an unrelated proposal sought by GOP privacy hawks.

Newly built homes line a residential development in a fast-grow ing Sun Belt market. (Smiley N. Pool/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images)

Both chambers ultimately agreed to a provision that would restrict large investors owning more than 350 single-family homes from purchasing additional ones, while creating exceptions for the construction of rental properties. However, investors that exceed the new threshold would not be required to sell existing holdings. 

Critics have argued that large investors are not the source of supply constraints, with those firms owning less than 1% of the nation’s housing stock, according to Parcl Labs. 

Their ownership of single-family rental properties is slightly higher, ranging from 1% to 3%, with the presence of large investors highly concentrated in certain rental markets, including Jacksonville, Fla., (22%) and Phoenix (13%), according to a March Government Accountability Office report.

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The housing bill’s passage comes as Republicans are facing electoral headwinds from voters who are souring on the current state of the economy and cost of living. But the soon-to-be law could give Republicans a concrete example taken to address housing affordability — a key issue for voters heading into November’s midterm elections.

Just 31% of voters approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to a Fox News poll released last week. That was a 2-point improvement after the measure hit an all-time low of 29% in May.

Autoridades de la Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma (CEPA), inauguró este martes la nueva terminal de llegadas en el Aeropuerto Internacional Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, en el departamento de La Paz, una obra que promete reducción en los tiempos de espera de la mano de la ampliación de los sistemas de seguridad con alta tecnología.

La nueva infraestructura aeroportuaria, que representa una inversión de $50 millones financiada completamente con fondos de CEPA, se completó en un periodo de ocho meses y forma parte de un portafolio de inversiones estratégicas superiores a $320 millones.

El proyecto, ubicado en el principal aeropuerto de El Salvador, responde al crecimiento sostenido de la demanda de pasajeros, busca posicionar al país como líder regional en capacidad y modernización aeroportuaria.

Federico Anliker, presidente de la Autónoma, explicó que la terminal abarca 24 mil metros cuadrados de construcción, incluyendo áreas operativas, una nueva estación de migración, bandas de equipaje y una renovada área de aduanas.

“Esta nueva terminal consiste en 24 mil metros cuadrados de construcción entre áreas operativas, áreas de nuevas de llegadas de pasajeros y esta terminal donde nos encontramos, donde está la nueva migración, nuevas bandas de equipaje y nueva área de aduanas. Esta obra contempla todas las comodidades para poder suplir la demanda de aquí a diez años de todos los pasajeros que están viniendo a nuestro país”, declaró Anliker durante la inauguración.

La terminal de llegadas, que hoy recibió su primer vuelo de American Airlines procedente de Miami con 172 pasajeros, se encuentra lista para atender 20 vuelos en su primer día de operaciones.

El aumento de la capacidad operativa permitirá que el aeropuerto procese hasta 4,500 pasajeros por hora a través de los 73 puntos migratorios distribuidos en todo el complejo.

Con la inauguración de la nueva terminal, el área de check-in amplió sus puntos de servicio, pasando de 82 a 122 posiciones de atención. Esta expansión facilita la llegada de nuevas aerolíneas internacionales, lo que fomenta la conectividad del país y fortalece la oferta aérea para los usuarios. El incremento en la capacidad de atención responde al crecimiento sostenido de la demanda.

La obra generó 2,000 empleos directos e indirectos. “Esto va a venir a potenciar nuestro aeropuerto y a posicionarnos como el aeropuerto más grande, más moderno y más eficiente de toda la región centroamericana”, expresó el funcionario.

La nueva terminal se diseñó bajo los estándares internacionales de aviación, con el objetivo de optimizar el flujo de pasajeros. El tiempo regular de trámite, desde el desembarque hasta la salida del aeropuerto, se reduce a 30 minutos o menos, superando los estándares internacionales que establecen un máximo de 45 minutos.

La terminal incorpora el concepto Family Friendly, para agilizar los trámites de grupos familiares y personas con movilidad reducida. Esta innovación elimina la necesidad de filas convencionales, busca garantizar una experiencia cómoda y accesible para todos los usuarios.

Anliker resaltó que la terminal es también pet friendly. “Tenemos líneas especializadas para atender a niños, adultos mayores, personas con discapacidades y también somos una terminal pet friendly. Hemos pensado también en las mascotas de las familias”, afirmó.

Con una recepción promedio de 6,000 pasajeros diarios, la infraestructura tecnológica y de seguridad instalada permite una atención eficiente.

El nuevo edificio incorpora sistemas de escaneo Orion, capaces de generar imágenes en doble vista y realizar inspecciones exhaustivas del equipaje en solo segundos.

De forma paralela se sumó un dispositivo canino robótico equipado con un analizador de sustancias, preparado para descartar o confirmar alertas sospechosas en minutos.

“La Dirección General de Aduanas también tiene cuatro mostradores dobles, ocho personas atendiendo con última tecnología de escáneres. Tenemos un perrito robot sumamente tecnológico a la orden del día para detectar hasta 13 mil sustancias ilícitas”, explicó Anliker.

En el área de manejo de equipaje, El Salvador se coloca a la vanguardia regional, incrementando la capacidad técnica de 6,000 a 16,500 maletas por hora gracias a la instalación de ocho nuevas bandas, para un total de doce en todo el aeropuerto.

La modernización integral posiciona al Aeropuerto Internacional Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero como el de mayor capacidad de procesamiento diario de equipaje en Centroamérica y fortalece su proyección como puerta de entrada moderna y eficiente para visitantes nacionales e internacionales.