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FIRST ON FOX: New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani appeared at a church over the weekend led by a pastor with a history of controversial statements on race, anti-Israel ties, and who has issued support for reparations.

«My profound thanks to Rev. Stephen A. Green and the Greater Allen AME for the honor of addressing their beautiful congregation in Jamaica, Queens this morning,» Mamdani posted on X late Sunday.

Mamdani spoke at the church for over 10 minutes and delivered a politically charged sermon that weaved in scripture in an attempt to justify his campaign platform. Near the end of his sermon, Mamdani said New York City and the United States are facing a «dark moment.» He then called the Trump administration an «authoritarian government» and slammed ICE for «abduct[ing]» immigrants.

«That is not justice. It is cruelty and it is criminal. These are our neighbors. These are people who are guilty of only wanting a field of their own to harvest,» he continued.

NEW YORK LAWMAKER SOUNDS ALARM ON POTENTIAL ‘DEVASTATING’ EFFECTS OF MAMDANI VICTORY: ‘CHAOS’

He went on to target the issue of affordability in New York City, an issue that has resonated with his supporters, and asked, «What good is New York City being the greatest city in the world if New Yorkers cannot afford to live here?»

Green, who called Mamdani his «brother and friend,» repeatedly said, «Amen» after the sermon and thanked him for attending. Like Mamdani, who has espoused several controversial political views, Green is no stranger to pushing his radical views on social media. In 2021, he called for a «new U.S. Constitution» on social media, saying that the country needs a document that «guarantees the right to vote, abolishes the electoral college, provides reparations for slavery, guarantees annual income, and so much more.»

In a 2022 Facebook post, Green, who calls himself a «global thought leader at the intersection of faith and social justice» and an «activist,» called on President Biden to establish a commission on reparations because the «impact of slavery and its vestiges are felt in every aspect of life for Black people.»

«I was proud to be arrested at the DC Airport with my comrades to protect voting rights, DC Statehood, and reparations,» Green said in a 2021 Facebook post that included a video of him being arrested. «We must continue to escalate our actions across the nation in order to protect voting rights. This is our revolutionary summer. Hold on, we must keep our eyes on the prize.»

«Trump’s executive order is still entrenched in White Supremacist nationalism,» Green posted on Facebook in June 2018. «We can not ease up on our pressure to abolish ICE and open our borders.»

New York City mayoral candidate and democratic State Representative Zohran Mamdani campaigns in New York City on April 16, 2025.  (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

In another Facebook post that year, Green insisted on «abolish[ing] the system of policing in this nation» and amplified a separate post accusing the system of policing in the United States as being anti-Black.

One month after the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, Green participated in a rally calling for a ceasefire. Pastor Jamal Bryant, who Fox News Digital previously reported has a long history of praising notorious antisemite Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, was one of the leaders at the rally. 

Bryant is the leading voice behind the recent boycott of Target where liberal activists urged the public not to shop at the retailer in response to the company’s rollback of DEI guidelines.

Green also led another rally the following February that was promoted as a «peace pilgrammage» for Gaza, saying, «We walked 150 miles to push the Biden administration to demand a ceasefire to protect the lives of all precious Palestinians and to pursue the beloved community.»

«The Black prophetic tradition calls me to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God as we speak out against genocide, occupation and war,» he continued, appearing to take a shot against Israel.

TIMELINE: EVOLUTION OF MAMDANI’S DEFUNDING POLICE RHETORIC TO THIS WEEK’S ‘DAMAGE CONTROL’
 

As New York City reels from a deadly mass shooting in midtown Manhattan that killed four, the Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, is getting renewed attention for a recent pledge to eliminate a key police department responsible for riots, civil disorder and shootings. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon and AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In recent weeks, Mamdani has faced an onslaught of attacks amid old interviews and past social media posts being unearthed, including several posts from 2020 and 2021 calling for defunding police.

«We need a socialist city council to defund the police,» Mamdani posted on X in July 2020.

«Queer liberation means defund the police,» Mamdani posted on X in November 2020.

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«Nature is healing,» Mandani posted on X in response to a user mocking and laughing at seeing a police officer «crying inside his car.»

However, last week, in the wake of a Midtown Manhattan shooting that left a NYPD officer dead, Mamdani said his calls to defund the police were made out of «frustration» over George Floyd’s death and appeared to distance himself from his past rhetoric.

His comments left several in the community unconvinced that he had genuinely turned the page from antagonizing the police and with the belief that the walkback was politically driven as the city reels from the worst mass shooting in half a century.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign and Green for comment.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is preparing for a trip to Russia on Wednesday, two days ahead of President Donald Trump’s Aug. 8 deadline for Moscow to enter into a ceasefire or face stiff sanctions.

But the escalated deadline, which Trump cut by nearly a month last week after first issuing Russian President Vladimir Putin a 50-day deadline in mid-July, has done little to curb the Kremlin’s violence in Ukraine. 

If a peace deal is not reached by Friday, Putin’s chief commodity will become the primary target as the U.S. will begin 100% sanctions on nations that purchase Russian oil in a move to dissuade them from fueling Russia’s economy, and by extension, its war chest.

CHINA, INDIA FUEL RUSSIA WAR MACHINE BY IGNORING INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS: REPORT

But even with the threat of possibly lower oil sales to nations like India and China, which are the world’s top purchasers of Russian oil, reports on Tuesday suggested that Witkoff’s last-ditch effort to talk peace with Putin is not expected to make much, if any, headway. 

A report by Reuters said that not only is little expected from Witkoff’s efforts, but Putin is also undeterred by Trump’s threat of secondary sanctions. 

Trump on Tuesday told CNBC that he planned to raise the current 25% tariffs on India «very substantially» within the next 24 hours. 

«They’re fueling the war machine, and if they’re going to do that, then I’m not going to be happy,» he said. 

Given that Trump has already said he plans to hit any nation that trades with Moscow with 100% secondary sanctions, it is unclear if he still plans to hit both India and China with trading fines this high.

Neither the White House nor the Treasury Department returned Fox News Digital’s questions regarding the unclear looming tariff rates. 

But India has pushed back on the tariffs, calling them «unjustified and unreasonable.»

President Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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In a statement on Monday, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry, said following Russia’s invasion and subsequent Western boycotts of Russian oil, the U.S. allegedly encouraged India to import Russian gas «for strengthening global energy markets stability.»

But it is not just financial aid that India is accused of being involved in when it comes to Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

Ukraine on Tuesday said it had found «Indian-made components in Russian attack drones – including the Shahed/Geran models.»

«Russia must be denied access to foreign-made parts that enable these weapons and the killing of Ukrainians,» Andriy Yermak, presidential chief of staff, said on X.

These drones have infamously been used to not only hit military points along the front lines in Ukraine, but have routinely targeted Ukrainian civilians, including in a series of overnight strikes. 

«Last night, the Russians launched a ballistic missile and nearly 50 UAVs against Ukraine, most of them Russian-Iranian ‘shaheds,’» Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday. «Many drones were shot down by our defenders, but unfortunately, there were hits.»

Zelenskyy confirmed that one person was killed and 10 were injured, including two children, after 25 shahed drones pounded the city of Lozova in the Kharkiv region.

The Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Sumy regions were also struck, and two others were apparently injured. 

Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 22, 2024. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters)

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«Once again, the Russian army is hunting civilians in an attempt to terrorize frontline cities and communities,» Zelenskyy said. 

Despite concerns that sanctions could have little effect on Putin’s war ambitions, Zelenskyy argued they could «contribute» to ending the war. 

«The world now sees that sanctions against Russia, and secondary sanctions against all those who help it profiteer from oil, can work if they are strong enough,» he said. «Therefore, pressure must be increased, and this will undoubtedly contribute to peace.»

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., or Witkoff’s team for comment.