New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday his first executive order as mayor was meant to draw a line after former Mayor Eric Adams was indicted while also launching a new City Hall office aimed at changing how the public is involved in decision-making.

«In the first executive order, you, as the new mayor of a city, have to sign a continuation of all prior executive orders or a revocation or an amendment of all of them,» Mamdani said during a question-and-answer session focused on what he called the city’s revived Office of Mass Engagement.

Mamdani said his administration chose to continue the executive orders that came before Adams’ 2024 indictment on federal corruption charges, which were later dropped by the Justice Department and dismissed by a federal judge in April.

«And, so, what we did was to sign an executive order that continued every executive order that predated the moment when our former mayor was indicted,» Mamdani said, calling it «a moment when many New Yorkers lost even more faith in New York City politics and the ability of city government to actually prioritize the needs of the public, as opposed to the needs of the person.»

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«And what we will now do is showcase that new era to protect each and every New Yorker and to deliver for those same New Yorkers in a manner that they have not seen under prior administrations,» he added.

The executive order revoked or required reissuance of mayoral directives issued after Sept. 26, 2024, giving the Mamdani administration control over which policies would carry forward.

Mamdani made the remarks as he described the purpose of a new Office of Mass Engagement, which he said is intended to bring together civic outreach work already happening across city government.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signs executive orders with campaign volunteers during an appearance at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Mamdani said the new Office of Mass Engagement will be led by Tascha Van Auken, an organizer whose background includes national Democratic campaigns and New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

«Since President Obama’s first campaign in 2008 to her leadership in New York City DSA, Tascha has spent more than a decade organizing at scale,» Mamdani said.

Mamdani credited Van Auken with building the volunteer operation behind his mayoral campaign, saying she mobilized more than 100,000 volunteers who knocked on more than 3 million doors across the city.

«The work of civic engagement has existed before today. It has been a part of city government,» Mamdani said. «However, it has often been siloed in different parts of city government infrastructure, sometimes under different offices, sometimes through different initiatives.

«Part of the intent of this executive order is not just to create a new Office of Mass Engagement, but also to cohere all of the work that is already being done into one place so that we can ensure that it’s not duplicative, and it’s actually fulfilling its intent.»

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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses the crowd during his inauguration outside of City Hall on Thursday. (Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Mamdani said he wants the new office to change when public engagement happens in the policy process.

«Oftentimes, the outreach and engagement of city government is done with an intention to justify a decision that’s already been taken,» he said. «The point of this office is, however, to make decisions with a large part being what the public actually thinks about those decisions.»

Asked about budget and staffing, Mamdani said the office will initially draw from existing city employees.

«There are a number of employees within this office that are already working for the city, within previously existing offices. And then the specifics of how it will expand beyond that is something that we will be sharing later,» he said.

Mamdani rejected the idea that the office was built around re-election politics, saying it is aimed at «delivering for New Yorkers today, delivering for New Yorkers every single day. … We have an opportunity in this moment where New Yorkers are allowing themselves to believe in the possibility of city government once again. That is not a belief that will sustain itself in the absence of action,» Mamdani said.

Mamdani also pointed to another appointment announcement, saying the engagement office aligns with his decision to name Ali Najimy to lead recruitment and outreach for the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.

«Too often, the ability for a New Yorker to become a judge has been determined by who they know, as opposed to the work that they do,» Mamdani said, adding that the goal is to ensure the judicial system reflects the city and «a commitment to excellence and an application of the law in a universal manner.»

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Najimy said the position would expand recruitment citywide and shape criminal and family court appointments, saying that candidates should be evaluated «on the merits of their experience, their qualifications, their commitment to public service.»

Mamdani said he does not want the new office judged by activity alone.

«We should not be measured on the number of meetings we hold or the number of surveys that are filled out,» he said. «We should, in fact, be measured by the way in which we incorporate that feedback into the decisions that we make.

Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.

Ukraine orchestrated a fake hit on one of Russia’s enemies who has fought alongside Ukrainian forces, tricking the Kremlin into paying out a $500,000 bounty Kyiv used to fund its war effort. 

The subject of the supposed Dec. 27 assassination was Denis Kapustin, also known as «White Rex,» the leader of the right-wing Russian Volunteer Corps, a group fighting for the overthrow of Vladimir Putin, Metro UK reported. 

However, Kapustin is alive despite claims from the Ukrainian Armed Forces last week that he was killed by an FPV drone in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

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«We will definitely avenge you, Denis. Your legacy lives on,» the RVC group wrote on Telegram last week. 

On Thursday, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) confirmed this was part of a special operation to save Kapustin’s life and, in the process, earn $500,000.

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Denis Kapustin, also known by his pseudonym «White Rex,» appeared in a video announcing he was alive after Ukraine reportedly orchestrated a ruse to fool Russia.  (East2West)

«Welcome back to life,» HUR General Kyrylo Budanov, who heads Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, said while congratulating Kapustin and his team on a successful intelligence operation, News.com.au, an Australian news website, reported. 

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kapustin founded the RVC to fight alongside the Ukrainian army.

A drone headed toward a vehicle as part of a ruse to fool Russia into thinking Denis Kapustin was killed.  (East2West)

The group, which was banned in Russia as a terrorist organization, was known for staging cross-border attacks in Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions. He had twice been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by kangaroo courts in Russia, The Sun reported. 

A still image from a reported drone blast that killed one of Russia’s biggest enemies.  (East2West)

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In March 2024, the RVC stormed into Russia and clashed with security forces before capturing Russian soldiers.

Ukraine and Russia are in the middle of peace talks mediated by President Donald Trump. The deal is close, but Ukrainian leaders have said the sticking point remains the issue of disputed territories.  

Las fuerzas de Rusia han consolidado avances en las regiones de Zaporizhzhia y Dnipropetrovsk, en el este y sur de Ucrania, donde sus tropas han intensificado las operaciones militares en los últimos meses. Según un análisis de la agencia de noticias AFP basado en datos del Institute for the Study of War (ISW), el ejército ruso capturó más de 5.600 kilómetros cuadrados de territorio ucraniano durante 2025, lo que representa el incremento anual más significativo desde el inicio de la invasión en febrero de 2022, aunque todavía lejos de los más de 60.000 kilómetros cuadrados ocupados durante el primer año del conflicto.

El avance ruso se ha producido tanto en áreas que Kiev y analistas militares reconocen bajo control de Moscú como en zonas reclamadas por el ejército ruso, lo que ha llevado a un rediseño del mapa de control en el frente oriental e industrial del país. En la región sureña de Zaporizhzhia, los progresos rusos, todavía menos frecuentes que en el este, han mostrado una aceleración en los últimos meses. Rusia ha declarado la captura de nuevos asentamientos en ambas regiones, consolidando su presencia en áreas que en septiembre de 2022 fueron anunciadas como oficialmente anexionadas —junto a Donetsk, Lugansk y Jersón—, aunque sin un control militar total sobre todas ellas.

El conflicto ha mantenido la presión sobre las ciudades ucranianas, con bombardeos y ataques aéreos constantes por parte del ejército ruso. El último ataque contra una zona residencial de la ciudad de Járkov dejó al menos 19 heridos, incluidos un bebé de seis meses, y destruyó bloques de viviendas.

Ante el endurecimiento de los combates y la presión militar en el este y sur de Ucrania, las autoridades ucranianas han ordenado la evacuación forzosa de más de 3.000 niños y sus padres de 44 localidades en primera línea de las regiones de Zaporizhzhia y Dnipropetrovsk, de acuerdo con el ministro de Reconstrucción, Oleksiy Kuleba. Kuleba precisó que estas operaciones de traslado se extienden también a la región septentrional de Chernigiv, limítrofe con Bielorrusia, donde los bombardeos rusos han elevado el riesgo para la población civil.

Desde el 1 de junio, más de 150.000 personas han sido desplazadas desde zonas próximas al frente hacia regiones consideradas seguras, según cifras oficiales compartidas por Kuleba. Entre los evacuados, se cuentan cerca de 18.000 menores de edad y más de 5.000 ciudadanos con movilidad reducida.

La intensificación de los ataques y la situación en el frente han coincidido con nuevos esfuerzos diplomáticos para buscar una salida negociada al conflicto. El presidente Volodimir Zelensky anunció la celebración de una reunión de asesores de seguridad de países aliados en Kiev, a la que asistirán representantes de alrededor de 15 Estados, la Unión Europea (UE), la Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN) y una delegación estadounidense que participará de manera virtual. Este encuentro forma parte de una serie de iniciativas orientadas a impulsar un posible acuerdo de paz tras casi cuatro años de guerra.

Zelensky aseguró en un mensaje de fin de año que una propuesta de paz impulsada por Estados Unidos estaría “90 por ciento” concluida, aunque reconoció que el principal asunto pendiente sigue siendo la cuestión territorial. La agenda diplomática prevé también una cumbre de líderes de la denominada “coalición de los dispuestos” que se celebrará la próxima semana en Francia. Estos movimientos diplomáticos tienen lugar mientras Rusia continúa sus operaciones militares y Ucrania enfrenta dificultades en el campo de batalla.

En el ámbito político y militar, Zelensky designó al jefe de inteligencia militar, Kyrylo Budanov, como su nuevo jefe de gabinete, tras la dimisión de Andriy Yermak en noviembre en el marco de una investigación por corrupción. Budanov es conocido por su papel en operaciones consideradas audaces contra objetivos rusos y ha consolidado una reputación destacada en el entorno de seguridad ucraniano. Al aceptar la nominación, Budanov declaró que la prioridad seguirá siendo la derrota del adversario, la defensa de Ucrania y la búsqueda de una paz justa. Cuando se formalice su nombramiento, reemplazará a Yermak, quien renunció tras un allanamiento a su domicilio por parte de los investigadores que indagan en un caso de corrupción de alto perfil.

(Con información de AFP)