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Top 5 moments from final New York City mayoral debate: ‘Knock him on his tuchas’
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Candidates came out swinging at New York City’s final mayoral debate Wednesday night, with all three candidates launching personal attacks and spotlighting each other’s hottest controversies.
With just weeks until the election, socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani is highly favored to win. Despite this, the debate on Wednesday was every man for himself, with each candidate lobbing attacks and insults at one another.
Here are the top five moments from Wednesday night’s debate.
1. ‘Knock him on his tuchas’
Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who led the state as a Democratic governor from 2011 until he resigned amid controversy in 2021, took aim at Mamdani’s lack of leadership experience, predicting that President Donald Trump would make short work of him if he were elected mayor.
«[Trump] has said he’ll take over New York if he wins, and he will, because he has no respect for him. He thinks he’s a kid and he’s going to knock him on his tuchas,» said Cuomo.
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Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa participate in the second New York City mayoral debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York City, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Hiroko Masuike/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Mamdani immediately shot back by calling Cuomo «Donald Trump’s puppet himself.»
«You could turn on the TV any day of the week, and you will hear Donald Trump share that his pick for Mayor is Andrew Cuomo, and he wants Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor, not because it will be good for New Yorkers, but because it will be good for him,» said Mamdani.
2. ‘You fled!’
Though far and away the dark horse candidate in the race, Republican Curtis Sliwa landed some of the hardest punches of the night. Early on in the debate, he fired at Cuomo’s controversial exit from office, saying, «Andrew, you didn’t leave. You fled from being impeached by the Democrats in the state legislature. You fled!»
Cuomo, meanwhile, reserved most of his ire for Mamdani. At another point in the debate, he addressed the 34-year-old socialist New York assembly member, saying, «You don’t know how to run a government, you don’t know how to handle an emergency, and you’ve literally never proposed the bill on anything that you’re not talking about in your campaign.»
«You had the worst attendance record in the assembly, and you gave yourself the highest raise in the United States of America,» he said, exclaiming, «Shame on you! Shame on you!»
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Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo participates in the second New York City mayoral debate with Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on October 22, 2025. (HIROKO MASUIKE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In response, a grinning Mamdani said, «It is always a pleasure to hear Andrew Cuomo create his own facts at every debate stage.»
«We just had a former governor say in his own words that the city has been getting screwed by the state. Who was leading the state? It was you!» said Mamdani. «You were leading the state for ten years, screwing the city!»
Cuomo immediately denied this accusation, blaming the current Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and saying, «That’s the past four years.»
3. The meme moment
Chaos erupted on the debate stage after Mamdani attempted to skirt around a question on whether he supports a set of housing ballot initiatives, with Cuomo, Sliwa and the moderators immediately pressing him to answer.
«What is your opinion, Zohran? Come on!» Sliwa shouted as Cuomo droned, «Yes or no?!»
Cuomo rocked back and forth with his hands, mocking Mamdani, saying, «It’s a TikTok dance,» producing the most meme-worthy moment of the night.
Andrew Cuomo taunts Zohran Mamdani with a dance during the last New York City mayoral debate on Oct. 22, 2025. (Spectrum News NY1)
«They’re pointing out what I was about to say. Would you please answer the question?» a moderator asked.
Mamdani continued to deflect, saying, «I think on this stage you can see two people appealing for the Republican Party votes and myself speaking directly to New York City.»
«Answer the question for once,» Cuomo continued prodding as Sliwa waved his arms and smacked his forehead with his palm.
«My question to you was, do you support the three ballot amendment questions?» the moderator pressed.
Mamdani finally answered, «I have not yet taken a position on those ballot initiatives,» as both Cuomo and Sliwa moaned in protest.
«What a shocker!» Cuomo teased. «Don’t worry, once he takes it, he’ll change it anyway.»
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Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participates in the second New York City mayoral debate with Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on October 22, 2025. (HIROKO MASUIKE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
4. Support for global jihad?
Moderators and candidates alike pressed Mamdani on his controversial positions on Israel and rising fears amongst New York’s Jewish community.
Citing two sons who he said were raised Jewish, Sliwa said, «This issue is personal for me.»
«Let me speak on behalf of my two sons when they’ve heard some of the statements you’ve made, like in support of global jihad, and I hear some people out there saying, ‘the Jews that time is due,’ which means the same thing. They’re frightened; they’re scared. They view you as the arsonist who fanned the flames of antisemitism,» said Sliwa.
«You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, a lot of apologizing to do,» Sliwa went on. «My sons are afraid. Their family, their friends, many in the Jewish community are concerned if you become mayor, because they don’t think when antisemitism rears its ugly head, which it’s now doing more than ever before, that you will have the ability to come in and put out those flames of hate.»
Mamdani shot back, «I think there is room for disagreement on many positions and many policies, but I also want to correct the record: I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad.»
«That is not something that I have said, and that continues to be ascribed to me. And frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be on the precipice of winning this election,» Mamdani went on, adding, «All the same, Curtis, I do still want to be the mayor that will keep your sons safe, that will keep every single New Yorker safe.»
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Thousands of demonstrators hold a pro-Palestinian rally and march in protest of Israel on October 13, 2023, in Times Square, New York City, New York. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
5. A stage full of scandal
Sparks flew when Cuomo and Mamdani were given free rein to question each other and, unsurprisingly, chose to press each other on their most controversial scandals.
Cuomo knocked Mamdani, who is an immigrant to the U.S. from Uganda, for being a «toxic» force in New York City, and pressed him for not advocating for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Uganda for its laws against homosexuality.
«You take a picture with Rebecca Kadaga, deputy prime minister of Uganda … She’s known as Rebecca ‘gay-killer’ Kadaga,» said Cuomo, asking, «How do you not renounce your citizenship, or demand BDS against Uganda for imprisoning people who are gay just by their sexual orientation, is that not a basic violation against human rights?»
Mamdani answered that «had I known that the first deputy minister was the architect of that legislation, I would not have taken that photo.»
In turn, Mamdani grilled Cuomo on 13 sexual harassment allegations filed against him while he was governor. Cuomo brushed this aside, saying, «The cases were dropped» and pressing further, «You have no problem with BDS against Israel, but no BDS against Uganda.»
Andrew Cuomo, New York City mayoral candidate, from left, Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, and Curtis Sliwa, New York City mayoral candidate, during a mayoral debate in New York, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. Millions of dollars are pouring into the mayoral election with less than two weeks to go until New Yorkers go to the polls. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
At another point in the debate, Mamdani attempted to turn the question of experience on Cuomo, saying, «The issue is that we have all experienced your experience.»
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«The issue is that we experienced you taking a $5 million book deal while you sent seniors to their deaths in nursing homes. The issue is that we experienced you cutting funding for the MTA to send money to upstate ski resorts. The issue is that we saw you give $959 million in tax breaks to Elon Musk. The issue is your experience,» said Mamdani.
«The issue is you have no experience,» insisted Cuomo, adding, «You’ve accomplished nothing.»
new york city,2025 2026 elections coverage,zohran mamdani,andrew cuomo,curtis sliwa,anti semitism,socialism
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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is standing firm behind Maine Democrat Graham Platner, a first-time Senate hopeful facing outrage over a Nazi-style tattoo and resurfaced Reddit posts.
Sanders, in an interview with Axios, blamed the media for the fury about the tattoo and Platner’s deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he said he went through a challenging chapter in his life.
«I’m not overly impressed by a squad of media running around saying, ‘what do you think about the tattoo on Graham Platner’s chest,’» Sanders told Axios on «The Axios Show.»
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, speaks at a town hall at the Franco Center, Oct. 15, in Lewiston, Me. (Libby Kenny/Sun Journal via AP)
DELETED POSTS URGING VIOLENCE HAUNT DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFUL IN MAINE RACE
It was revealed that Platner, a U.S. Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer, once had a skull-and-crossbones tattoo resembling the Totenkopf used by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces. He has since covered the image with another tattoo.
Meanwhile, resurfaced Reddit posts show him appearing to mock military sexual assault victims, criticize police, and make racially charged comments about tipping. He also said on the social media platform in 2018 that «all» police are bastards and called himself a «communist.»
Platner’s campaign has been rocked by the controversies with his political director, former state representative Genevieve McDonald, resigning in the aftermath of the Reddit posts — the tattoo controversy came after. Platner has apologized for both incidents.
A new poll shows Platner with a decisive lead among a crowded Democrat field. The University of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State poll shows 58% of likely Democrat primary voters back him. The poll was taken during which the Reddit posts were surfacing, and before the tattoo controversy came to light.
Senator Bernie Sanders blamed the media for the fury and said the public should focus on the issues facing ordinary Americans instead. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Despite the disarray, Sanders is doubling down on his support of Platner, who is contesting a crowded field. He told the outlet that Platner «went into a dark period in his life» regarding the online posts.
«I suspect that Graham Platner is not the only American to have gone through a dark period,» Sanders said. «What he did was he expressed his darkness on the internet. Probably not a brilliant thing to do, alright? And he said things that are stupid, things that were hurtful. He has apologized for them.»
Sanders said the public should focus on the issues facing ordinary Americans instead.
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«I think what we have got to do as a nation is not focus on a tattoo,» Sanders said. «We’ve got to focus on a system which in many ways is collapsing.»
Platner said he got the tattoo in 2007 during a «night of drinking» while on leave in Croatia in the Marine Corps and claimed he did not know its historical associations at the time.
Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview on Wednesday in Portland, Me. (WGME via AP)
In a video posted to Instagram Wednesday afternoon, Platner elaborated that the design was chosen from a flash tattoo wall while «carousing» with fellow Marines in Split, Croatia.
«We thought it looked cool,» he said.
He claimed he had «lived a life dedicated to anti-fascism, anti-racism and anti-Nazism» and was «appalled» to learn it resembled a hate symbol.
Platner said he had the symbol inked over with a Celtic knot and imagery of dogs, a tribute to his family pets. He told the Associated Press he opted to cover it instead of removing it because there were no removal services near his home in rural Maine.
«This far more represents who I am now than even the skull and crossbones did,» he said on the video, lifting his shirt to reveal the new tattoo.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate seat. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In the Reddit posts, Platner reportedly asked, «Why don’t black people tip?» in response to a thread asking, «What is one question you have always wanted to ask someone of another race?» according to WGME.
He also argued that if people «expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history.» And in another post, he said, «an armed working class is a requirement for economic justice.»
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate seat in the race to take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
The University of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State Poll shows Mills with 24% of likely voters and just 1% for any other candidate. About 14% remain undecided.
Meanwhile, Collins dominates the GOP field with 66% support, according to the poll.
Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
bernie sanders,maine,senate,politics,democratic party,chuck schumer,fox news media
El artista Naderson Saint-Pierre estaba pintando en su estudio de Manhattan la mañana del martes cuando un amigo le avisó que su héroe, Jean-Michel Basquiat, iba a ser homenajeado por la ciudad de Nueva York con una ceremonia de nombramiento de calle esa misma tarde.
Con su overol manchado de pintura, tomó el metro hacia el centro, donde se unió a las personas reunidas frente al número 57 de Great Jones Street, el edificio bajo donde el Basquiat vivió y trabajó en el momento de su muerte en 1988.
La multitud estaba compuesta por residentes del East Village, periodistas de televisión local y admiradores que llevaban gorras y camisetas con el motivo de la corona de Basquiat. También había miembros de la familia del artista —hermanas, sobrinas, sobrinos, primos— y funcionarios de la ciudad. “Es un día hermoso para verlo ser homenajeado de esta manera”, dijo Saint-Pierre, de 30 años, “y que una calle lleve tu nombre es uno de los grandes honores de Nueva York”.
“Soy haitiano, como él”, continuó, “y cuando me mudé a la ciudad sin nada, vendía mi arte por 20 dólares en Tompkins Square Park y dormía en el metro. Basquiat también luchó en las calles antes de encontrar el éxito. Para mí, él es la prueba de que los sueños de un artista en Nueva York pueden hacerse realidad”.
El edificio de dos pisos en el 57 de Great Jones fue la base de operaciones de Basquiat, nacido en Brooklyn, cuando experimentó su ascenso al estrellato en el mundo del arte, y allí murió de una sobredosis de heroína a los 27 años. Durante años, artistas urbanos han dejado tributos en ese lugar con vibrantes versiones de su etiqueta de grafiti “SAMO”.
“Esto se siente como algo que llevaba mucho tiempo esperando”, dijo Michelle Hogan, residente del East Village. “Ahora los turistas que van a hacer fila afuera de Katz’s quizás puedan tener una verdadera muestra de lo que alguna vez fue el East Village y por qué este barrio fue tan importante para la historia del arte pop estadounidense”. Su esposo, Steve Hogan, estaba de pie bajo una valla publicitaria de Moncler con Al Pacino y Robert De Niro mientras observaba a la multitud frente al 57 de Great Jones, ahora sede de la boutique de moda de Angelina Jolie, Atelier Jolie.
“Basquiat merece este honor”, dijo Hogan, “pero no sé qué pensaría él sobre cómo luce ahora esta cuadra y el centro de Nueva York”.
El concejal Erik Bottcher se dirigió a los presentes. “¡Bienvenidos a la calle Jean-Michel Basquiat!” dijo, entre aplausos. “Como él dijo una vez: ‘No pienso en el arte cuando trabajo, trato de pensar en la vida’. Hoy, honramos a un hombre cuyo arte reflejaba la vida en toda su complejidad: la belleza, la lucha, la verdad”.
Bottcher entregó una carpeta azul con una proclamación oficial a las hermanas del artista, Lisane Basquiat y Jeanine Heriveaux. Mientras Lisane contenía las lágrimas, Jeanine agradeció a la ciudad por asegurarse de que la “estrella de su hermano mayor siga brillando intensamente”.
Un gran aplauso se escuchó cuando alguien tiró de la cuerda que retiró la cubierta que ocultaba el letrero de la calle “Jean-Michel Basquiat Way” en la esquina de Bowery y Great Jones. Entre la multitud estaban dos personas que ayudaron a impulsar el nombre honorario, la exconcejala Carlina Rivera y el historiador del hip-hop LeRoy McCarthy.
En la planta baja de Atelier Jolie, amigos y familiares de Basquiat se sirvieron palitos de yuca y tostones con salsa de ajo. La señora Heriveaux y la señora Basquiat subieron las escaleras hasta el espacio del atelier que alguna vez fue el dormitorio del artista, lleno de pinturas. “El hecho de que, en 2025, en el contexto de todo lo que está ocurriendo, él sea homenajeado de esta manera por la ciudad de Nueva York es profundamente significativo e impactante para nuestra familia”, dijo. “Agradecemos el reconocimiento”.
“Veníamos a menudo a visitarlo aquí”, dijo la señora Heriveaux. “Es emotivo estar aquí. Pero al mismo tiempo, hay una sensación cálida al estar aquí”.
Pensó en lo que su hermano podría haber sentido ante el homenaje de la ciudad. “Creo que habría estado eufórico”, dijo. “Él quería ser famoso. Eso es algo que expresó”.
Una vez que la multitud se fue, la cuadra volvió a su ritmo habitual. Repartidores pasaban rápidamente en bicicletas eléctricas. Personas vestidas a la moda almorzaban en las mesas de la acera frente al Bowery Hotel. Y el nuevo letrero con el nombre de Jean-Michel Basquiat brillaba bajo el sol.
Fuente: The New York Times
[Fotos: Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times]
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Top Republican slams Katherine Clark for admitting suffering families are ‘leverage’ in shutdown battle
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EXCLUSIVE: A top House Republican is criticizing one of Democrats’ senior leaders for saying the government shutdown and its effects are a «leverage point» to accomplish their goals on healthcare.
«It’s appalling to see the number two House Democrat openly admit that the left is weaponizing hardworking Americans as ‘leverage’ for political gain, even acknowledging families will suffer in the process,» Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.
«This isn’t governance — it’s calculated hostage-taking, with struggling families caught in the balance as Democrats attempt to force through their radical agenda. Families are seen only as leverage by Democrats. We always knew it, now they’re saying it out loud. Absolutely shameful.»
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., sat down for an interview with Fox News’ Chad Pergram last week. At one point, Clark was asked about who Americans would find responsible for the ongoing shutdown.
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Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger is criticizing House Minority Whip Katherine Clark’s comments in a recent interview on the government shutdown. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«I mean, shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage times we have,» Clark responded.
«It is an inflection point in this budget process where we have tried to get the Republicans to meet with us and prioritize the American people, and it’s been an absolute refusal, and they were willing to let government shut down when they control the House, the Senate and the White House rather than come and talk about an issue as important to the American people is if they can afford healthcare.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Clark’s office for a response to Pfluger’s comments.
The government is in a shutdown after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)
The government shutdown is now in its 23rd day after Senate Democrats rejected the GOP’s federal funding bill for a 12th time on Wednesday evening.
Republicans proposed a measure that would keep federal funding roughly flat until Nov. 21, a spending patch called a continuing resolution (CR), so that negotiators would have more time to strike a longer-term deal on fiscal year (FY) 2026.
The bill passed the House largely along partisan lines on Sept. 19.
But Democrats have been pushing for any funding deal to include an extension of Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhancements are set to expire at the end of 2025.
Republican leaders have signaled a willingness to negotiate on those subsidies, but have ruled out doing so in the current package.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on the 10th day of the federal government shutdown in Washington, Oct. 10, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
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«Mike Johnson said, we have an eternity to talk about this, an eternity. This impact of the ACA is in the next few weeks,» Clark said. «Yes, there are repercussions to a shutdown that are terrible for people.»
She continued, «I feel for military families that even if they get paid, you know, there are lots of spouses that also work that are feeling these cuts because we’ve encouraged military spouses to become federal workers to accommodate all the travel and moving that military families so frequently experience. And now we’re saying to them, you’re not going to be paid for your work. I mean, let’s get it together here. The Republicans need to come to town. They need to sit down with us.»
Republicans have seized on Clark’s comments in recent days, however.
House GOP Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., said in a statement on Wednesday, «Democrats are holding American families hostage to advance their political agenda, and they’re admitting it.»
house of representatives politics,politics,republicans,government shutdown
Bernie Sanders defends Maine Senate candidate under fire for Reddit comments
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