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Mamdani doubles down on democratic socialism while insisting Wall Street, business leaders can work with him
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New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani is embracing his identity as a Democratic Socialist, arguing the movement represents a return to the Democratic Party’s New Deal roots even as he insists Wall Street and corporate leaders have nothing to fear from his administration.
In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, Mamdani rejected the notion that his political label is a liability, instead characterizing Democratic Socialism as the modern embodiment of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision for the Democratic Party.
«So much of what makes me proud to be a Democrat is looking at what our party used to stand for. You think about the Four Freedoms, you think FDR, you think the New Deal,» Mamdani said. «Those are at the core of what our party’s identity is, and yet it feels like to experience it, you have to read about it. You can’t see it around you anymore. And that isn’t something that I’m willing to accept, and I know that many feel similarly.»
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers a speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States of America at City Hall in New York, NY, U.S., July 3, 2026. (Anna Connors/Pool via REUTERS)
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The remarks come as Mamdani has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent progressive voices following a string of successful endorsements of fellow Democratic Socialist candidates, who won their primary House races.
Even as he doubled down on Democratic Socialism, Mamdani insisted his administration welcomed private investment and collaboration with Wall Street, finance and real estate leaders, despite continuing to push for higher taxes on the city’s wealthiest residents.
«I think it’s important,» Mamdani said of the city’s relationship with private business leaders. «And what I have in common with leaders of those sectors — even amid disagreements, because I believe that we can raise taxes a little bit more on the wealthiest New Yorkers — what brings us together is both a belief in the city and a commitment to its continued vitality.»
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 23: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Congressional candidate Claire Valdez embrace during a primary-night watch party at 99 Scott Studio on June 23, 2026 in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. ((Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images))
FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS
Mamdani pointed to the recent announcement of American Express’ new headquarters at Two World Trade Center as evidence that major corporations continue investing in New York.
«These business leaders, they’re not just making decisions on the basis of dollars and cents; they’re also making decisions on the basis of investing in the city and in what the city represents,» he said.
The mayor also rejected the idea that Democratic Socialism is incompatible with economic growth after the interviewer remarked that he sounded in line with a «capitalist mayor.»
NYC MAYOR MAMDANI CALLS THREAT OF RICH PEOPLE LEAVING NYC OVER TAXES ‘IMAGINED’
«I will always celebrate continued investment in this city,» Mamdani said. «And I’ll also look to ensure that more and more New Yorkers can be a part of those benefits.»
But even as Mamdani boasts his support for corporate investments, an analysis by the Citizens Budget Commission found New York’s share of the nation’s millionaires fell from 12.7% in 2010 to 8.7% in 2022, the steepest decline of any state, costing an estimated $10.7 billion in personal income tax revenue in 2022 alone.
The report points to New York’s high taxes and declining competitiveness relative to states like Florida and Texas as factors behind its shrinking share of the nation’s millionaires.
Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King’s Theater on June 18, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Mamdani has made raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers a centerpiece of his economic agenda, arguing the city’s highest earners and most profitable corporations should shoulder more of the cost of funding public services.
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His interview comes as national Democrats debate the party’s future direction ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Mamdani argued that the victories of democratic socialist candidates signal that voters are embracing his vision for the party.
«For too long, it has felt like our party, the Democratic Party, the only answer we have is to say that we are not the Republican Party,» Mamdani said. «But we also have to have a vision of what comes after this administration.»
new york, zohran mamdani, democratic party, new york city, economic policy
INTERNACIONAL
Fiscalía pide 396 años de prisión para extesorero del Banco Nacional de Costa Rica acusado de sustraer ₡3,293 millones (USD 7.3 millones)
El juicio contra Ricardo Olivas Valle, extesorero del Banco Nacional de Costa Rica (BNCR), entró en su etapa final con la solicitud de la Fiscalía de una condena que suma 396 años de prisión por el supuesto desfalco de ₡3,293 millones (USD 7.3 millones) sustraídos de las bóvedas de la sede central de la entidad, en San José.
La Fiscalía Adjunta de Probidad, Transparencia y Anticorrupción (Fapta) inició la presentación de sus conclusiones ante el Tribunal Penal, donde expondrá por qué considera que el exfuncionario es responsable de los hechos que se le atribuyen y solicitará formalmente la pena de cárcel.
Olivas Valle enfrenta una acusación por 33 delitos de peculado, uno por cada extracción de dinero que, según el Ministerio Público, habría realizado entre 2021 y 2023 aprovechando los últimos minutos de la jornada laboral y los momentos de menor vigilancia dentro de la institución.
De acuerdo con la investigación, las sustracciones ocurrían principalmente entre las 4:16 p. m. y las 5:29 p. m., cuando el movimiento dentro de las instalaciones disminuía. La Fiscalía sostiene que el extesorero aprovechaba supuestos fallos en los controles internos para retirar millones de colones de las bóvedas.
Durante el juicio fueron analizadas decenas de grabaciones de seguridad que, según la acusación, muestran al exfuncionario colocando fajos de billetes en sobres de manila amarillos para luego salir de la entidad pasando por los controles de seguridad.
El caso fue denominado “Gallo Tapado” por el Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) y la Fiscalía debido al presunto mecanismo utilizado para ocultar el origen del dinero.
Según la tesis acusatoria, Olivas habría utilizado parte de los fondos sustraídos para comprar diariamente grandes cantidades de fracciones y billetes de lotería de la Junta de Protección Social (JPS). Cuando resultaba ganador, el dinero era depositado en sus cuentas bancarias, lo que habría permitido introducir los recursos al sistema financiero aparentando que provenían de una fuente legítima.
Durante los allanamientos realizados en su vivienda, las autoridades encontraron cerca de 3,000 fracciones de lotería, como parte de las evidencias incorporadas al expediente judicial.
El Ministerio Público sostiene que la prueba presentada durante el debate demuestra la participación del exfuncionario en las extracciones de dinero y solicitó una condena acumulada de 396 años.
Sin embargo, aunque la sumatoria de penas supera ampliamente la normativa nacional, la eventual sentencia deberá ajustarse al límite máximo establecido por la legislación costarricense, que actualmente es de 36 años de prisión.
Además de la Fiscalía, en el proceso participan como partes acusadoras la Procuraduría General de la República y el Banco Nacional, institución que reclama los recursos supuestamente sustraídos.
Durante su declaración ante el Tribunal, Olivas Valle reconoció que tuvo problemas relacionados con los juegos de azar, aunque afirmó que su adicción estaba limitada a la compra de lotería.
“Tuve adicción a los juegos, en algún momento, a la lotería solamente”, declaró el exfuncionario, quien aseguró que tras ingresar a prisión en 2023 su problema estaba relacionado únicamente con “ganas de jugar”.
El extesorero negó que su conducta estuviera vinculada con otros tipos de apuestas y afirmó que compraba principalmente tiempos y monazos, mientras que la lotería la adquiría en menor cantidad.
La investigación también reveló presuntas debilidades en los mecanismos de supervisión interna del Banco Nacional.
Según la acusación, desde 2019 no se realizaban arqueos físicos exhaustivos en las bóvedas, situación que habría permitido que las supuestas sustracciones continuaran durante varios años sin ser detectadas.
Además de Olivas Valle, otras personas fueron incluidas en investigaciones separadas por posibles omisiones, incumplimiento de deberes o encubrimiento. Entre ellas figuran supervisores, contadores, personal de seguridad y exdirectivos jurídicos de la entidad.
El juicio continuará con la etapa de conclusiones de las partes y posteriormente el Tribunal Penal deberá definir la responsabilidad del exfuncionario y la eventual sentencia.
INTERNACIONAL
Nigeria’s largest rescue operation frees 308 hostages held by militants in Kwara State
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Victims held for six months in captivity at the hands of jihadi kidnappers in Nigeria detailed on Friday the harrowing conditions they were kept in after being liberated in what Nigerian officials are calling the largest rescue operation in the country’s history.
Nigerian forces rescued at least 308 victims from captivity in the past week, with the bulk of the victims coming from two distinct groups. 163 of the victims were taken from the Woro community in Nigeria’s Kwara State in a Feb. 3 raid that saw their jihadi kidnappers kill an additional 160 people in the Woro village.
The victims told the Associated Press that they believed they had been taken as punishment for refusing to accept and acquiesce to the religious preachings of the jihadis.
One woman, Hauwa Saliu, told the outlet that her captors constantly asked the victims if they had accepted jihad yet.
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Hauwa Saliu, a woman who is among those rescued by Nigerian forces this week, about six months after being abducted by militants in February, speaks to journalist as she receives medical attention at a hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abubakar Khadijat)
«We prayed to God to help us go back home, but it never really crossed our minds that we were going to go back home,» she told the outlet.
Another victim, Amira Saliu, described the conditions in which the women and children were being kept, explaining that they were held in a forest near a river, and forced to put out fires and hide when they heard helicopters nearby.
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Saliu, a nurse, also explained how she had to help 10 women give birth with no medical equipment or sanitary gloves.
«I had no choice but to use my bare hands,» she told the outlet.
Women who were rescued after being held in a forest after they were abducted from the Woro community by gunmen in February receive medical attention at a hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abubakar Khadijat)
Mary Ishaya, 44, told the outlet that the captives often went days without food and had to bury other captives who had died.
«I still cannot find the right words to describe what has happened to us. We saw death and suffering,» she said.
A woman who was rescued after being held in a forest after being abducted from the Woro community by gunmen in February receives medical attention at a hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abubakar Khadijat)
The governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, told reporters during a news conference that 46 victims were being treated at a hospital.
«This is indeed, indeed a very sad situation. We’ve not yet come to terms with it. We’re still assessing the situation. As you can see, it’s just kids … children and women that are here today,» he said. «It’s truly a shame that this has happened.»
COULD THIS AFRICAN NATION BECOME TRUMP’S NEXT TERROR TARGET AS JIHADISTS CLOSE IN ON POWER?
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Nigeria’s militant Islamic insurgency in the north and the country’s large Christian population, who make up roughly 45% of Nigeria’s citizens.
On Christmas Day, President Donald Trump, in coordination with Nigeria’s government, authorized precision missile strikes on Islamic State-affiliated groups in northern Nigeria, citing the need to protect the country’s Christians.
US launches strike against ISIS in Nigeria. (Department of War via X)
The U.S. followed up in May, launching coordinated joint military action that reportedly resulted in the death of senior Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Mainuk.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
islam, africa, counter terrorism, terrorism, world, human rights
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Shannon Taylor, now the Democratic nominee in the race for Virginia’s First Congressional district, once endorsed progressive prosecutorial blueprints, advocating for less incarceration and more diversity as a Henrico County commonwealth attorney — some of the same «Democratic values» that ended in tragedy in other parts of Virginia.
Shortly after coming into the role in 2012, Taylor fired seven prosecutors under her.
«I stated publicly that the office needs to have more diversity and I’m going to keep to that public statement,» Taylor said in an interview ahead of the firings.
Her track record is sparking criticism that she used her role to prioritize ideological and political views at the expense of public safety. It’s also clashing with portrayals from her campaign, highlighting her work as a tough-on-crime figure as she looks to win over a Republican-leaning district.
FORMER PROSECUTOR WHO ACCUSED TRUMP OF WEAPONIZING DOJ WINS DEM PRIMARY
Shannon Taylor, attorney for Henrico County Commonwealth, exits the Albemarle County Circuit Court in Charlottesville, Va., Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ryan M. Kelly, File)
Taylor highlighted her work as she topped a crowded field of Democratic candidates vying to challenge Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va.
«As Henrico’s top prosecutor for the last 14 years, Shannon has tried thousands of cases and put violent criminals, drug traffickers and abusers behind bars,» Taylor states on her campaign website. «She has a record of shutting down fraudsters trying to take advantage of working families and locking up violent criminals who threaten our safety.»
But that hasn’t always been the appearance she’s given.
After her seven firings, Taylor faced blowback for trying to hire a woman named Misty Whitehead as a police oversight prosecutor. However, before the role could be made official, social media posts from Whitehead surfaced that seemingly showed a pattern of attacking police.
Taylor faced backlash from the town’s county manager over her selected candidate.
«A county manager can’t tell a commonwealth’s attorney who to hire, but he can recommend whether or not local funds are included to supplement that salary. And in this case, I absolutely will not do it under any circumstances,» County Manager John Vithoulkas said at the time.
Whitehead had a history of voicing concerns about police behavior and social justice that raised concerns for at least one county official, according to local reports.
Taylor defended her pick, telling local outlets that she believed the posts were «thoughtful analysis of the current events we are all living through.»
Taylor also has ties to similarly-minded prosecutors in other counties — some of which entered the public eye recently due to tragic circumstances.
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Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a bus stop in Virginia. (Fox 5 DC)
In Fairfax County, Virginia, news broke that Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old illegal alien from Sierra Leone, stabbed a Virginia resident to death at a bus stop despite over 30 prior arrests and a known tendency for violent behavior.
Jalloh’s criminal record included charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny and firing a weapon.
Even so, prosecutor Steve Descano had dropped many of them, prompting concern and outrage from lawmakers.
«You dismissed the case, and it’s shameful,» Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C. said at a hearing where Descano was summoned to Congress to explain a series of similar cases.
Knott had been highlighting one such instance involving a child predator.
«When you dismiss a case, what happens to that defendant? He walks free. A disgusting, perverted individual preying on children, that you dismissed,» Knott said.
Long before Descano’s time in the spotlight, Taylor had endorsed Descano, supporting his bid to become county prosecutor in 2019, citing shared outlooks.
«I am excited to endorse Steve Descano for Fairfax County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney because I know he will prioritize the same Democratic values we all share, making Fairfax a safe and just place for everyone and I am looking forward to working with him,» Taylor wrote.
Taylor and Descano would go on to champion their shared values in a 2021 letter to the Biden Administration.
In it, the two joined 100 other district and county attorneys in championing a set of «21 principles for the 21st-Century prosecutor.» The authors claimed that «tough on crime policies» had been «anathema to justice,» championed an end to mandatory minimums and three-strike laws, advocated for taking immigration status into consideration when negotiating sentences and plea deals, and opposed calling rapists «rapists,» drug dealers «drug dealers,» and convicted criminals «felons» or «inmates.»
«A number of elected reform-minded prosecutors are boldly redefining what it means to be a prosecutor,» the letter states.
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Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, left, and Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Ann Kincaid, right, testify before Congress. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)
At least one Republican onlooker blasted Taylor’s record.
«She spent her time reshaping the prosecutor’s office around identity politics, pushing a far-left agenda that put woke activism ahead of public safety, and fighting to turn Virginia into a far-left hellscape,» Emma Hall, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«Instead of prosecuting criminals and making Virginia safer, DEI queen Shannon Taylor chose to be a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant.»
Having secured the Democratic nomination, Taylor now heads to the general election on Nov. 3. Wittman, the district’s incumbent, last won re-election in 2024 in a 56.3% to 43.5% victory over Democratic challenger Leslie Mehta, an attorney.
state and local, politics, immigration, crime world
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