The housing official appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to lead New York City’s newly revived Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants previously said, «White, middle-class homeowners are a huge problem for a renter justice movement» and argued organizers must «undermine the institution of homeownership,» during a 2021 podcast appearance.

Cea Weaver, who was named director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants on Jan. 1 through an executive order signed by Mamdani, made the remarks during a September 2021 episode of the «Bad Faith podcast» while discussing eviction policy and renter organizing strategies.

The comments have drawn renewed attention as Weaver now holds formal executive authority over tenant policy and enforcement in New York City. 

Her appointment was announced on Mamdani’s first day in office as part of a slate of executive actions reviving the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, according to City Hall.

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During the podcast, Weaver argued that resistance to progressive reform often comes not from large corporate landlords but instead from homeowners.

«I think the reality is that a lot of the people who are pushing back on the eviction moratorium and more rental assistance are not corporate landlords,» Weaver said. «They are homeowners who feel as though an eviction moratorium is an attack on their rights as a property owner.»

She added that this opposition presents a challenge for housing organizers, saying «White, middle-class homeowners are a huge problem for the renter justice movement.»

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New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference with Cea Weaver, Jan. 1, in New York. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office via AP)

Later in the conversation, Weaver said homeownership has become the primary source of stability in the U.S. because of gaps in social programs, but argued that structure itself poses an obstacle to housing activism.

«Unless we can undermine the institution of homeownership and seek to provide stability in other ways, it’s a really difficult organizing situation we find ourselves in,» she said.

Weaver framed evictions as a matter of power rather than economics, saying landlords resist the idea that tenants could remain in properties they «consider themselves to own.»

Cea Weaver walks in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. Weaver has been tapped by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to be his new director of the city’s Office to Protect Tenants. (Gregory P. Mango)

In the same podcast, Weaver endorsed policies including universal rent control, the right to form tenant unions, blocking evictions, and funding rental assistance through higher taxes on the wealthy. She also argued that broader government programs could «chip away at homeownership» by providing stability through other means.

Weaver has also drawn scrutiny for past social media posts criticizing white homeownership. In an August 2019 post on X which was later deleted but resurfaced by Fox News Digital, Weaver wrote that «private property including and kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as ‘wealth building’ public policy.»

In a tweet on her since deleted X account, Mamdani tenant director Cea Weaver called homeownership a «weapon of white supremacy.» (Fox News)

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On her first day in office, Weaver joined Mamdani in announcing city intervention in the bankruptcy proceedings of Pinnacle Group, a landlord tied to housing violations and complaints, according to City Hall.

Fox News Digital contacted the mayor’s press office with questions about whether Mamdani stands by Weaver’s 2021 remarks but did not receive a response by publication.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve Parliament’s powerful lower house as early as this month, setting up a snap election aimed at securing voter backing for her agenda while her approval ratings remain high, a senior party official said.

The Associated Press reported that the move would allow Takaichi to seek fresh support for her economic and security priorities at a time when her scandal-tainted party and a new coalition partner hold only a slim majority in Japan’s legislature.

Takaichi made history in October when she was elected as Japan’s first female prime minister.

Described by some Japanese and international media as an ultraconservative, hard-line figure, Takaichi has backed strengthening Japan’s defense posture, emerged as a vocal China hawk and supported constitutional revisions to expand the role of the Self-Defense Forces.

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Calling a snap election could allow Takaichi to capitalize on approval ratings of about 70% and help her Liberal Democratic Party gain additional seats in Parliament.

Shunichi Suzuki, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters that Takaichi informed him and other senior officials of her intention to dissolve the lower house «soon» after it convenes Jan. 23.

Suzuki said no date has been set for dissolving the chamber or holding a snap election, adding that Takaichi plans to outline her strategy at a news conference Monday.

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Former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election in Tokyo Oct. 4, 2025.   (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool Photo via AP)

Takaichi’s scandal-tainted LDP and its coalition hold only a narrow majority in the lower house, Parliament’s more powerful chamber, after losses in the 2024 election.

By calling an early vote, Takaichi appears to be aiming to expand her party’s share of seats and strengthen its position alongside a new junior coalition partner.

Opposition lawmakers criticized the plan as self-serving, saying it would delay urgent parliamentary debate over the national budget, which must be approved quickly.

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President Donald Trump, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, speaks to members of the military aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Echoing Suzuki’s comments, media reports have said Takaichi plans to dissolve the lower house on Jan. 23, the opening day of this year’s ordinary parliamentary session, potentially setting the stage for a snap election as early as Feb. 8.

Takaichi is seeking voter backing for her agenda, including «proactive» fiscal spending and an accelerated military buildup under a new coalition with the Japan Innovation Party, Suzuki said.

The conservative Japan Innovation Party joined the ruling bloc after the centrist Komeito party withdrew, citing disagreements over Takaichi’s ideological positions and her approach to anti-corruption reforms.

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Takaichi met Wednesday with Suzuki and other coalition leaders after holding talks in Nara with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at a summit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. The meetings came as she faces rising trade and political tensions with China following remarks on Taiwan that angered Beijing days after she took office.

Winning a snap election would also make it easier for Takaichi and her governing bloc to pass a budget and advance other legislation.

Her Cabinet approved a record 122.3 trillion yen ($770 billion) budget in late December that must clear Parliament before the fiscal year begins in April. The plan includes measures to fight inflation, support low-income households and boost economic growth.

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Known for her hawkish and nationalistic views and her ultra-conservative positions on social issues, including gender and sexual diversity, Takaichi is seeking to reclaim conservative voters drawn to emerging populist parties in recent elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Un bombardero B-1B Lancer y su tripulación, en la base estadounidense de Al Udeid, en Qatar.

Un régimen sangriento

Donald Trump sigue la situación en Irán y amenaza al régimen con una intervención militar. Foto Reuters

Masacre en las protestas

Ceremonia fúnebre en Teherán por los militares del régimen que murieron durante las protestas. Foto EFE