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New York City’s mayoral race has turned into a razor-edge contest, with socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani clinging to a slim lead over Andrew Cuomo on the eve of an unprecedented Election Day turnout. A late-breaking AtlasIntel poll released Monday showed Mamdani with 43.9% support and Cuomo at 39.4%, while Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa trailed at 15.5%—setting up a dramatic three-way showdown that could reshape the city’s political landscape.

The survey indicated that in a one-on-one matchup, Cuomo would overtake Mamdani with 49.7% to 44.1%. However, with Sliwa still holding onto a significant share of conservative voters, Mamdani remains narrowly ahead. “Some of the Sliwa supporters are switching to Cuomo. They’re peeling off,” said Lee Miringhoff of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. “These are voters who prefer Cuomo to Mamdani.”

Miringhoff added that Cuomo’s late momentum has been fueled by a barrage of negative ads against Mamdani from super PACs aligned with the ex-governor, flooding airwaves across the five boroughs. Still, he cautioned that “it’s still a lot of ground for Cuomo to make up.”

As the candidates crisscrossed the city on Monday in a frenetic last-minute push—from the Brooklyn Bridge to Staten Island’s ferry docks—President Donald Trump upended the race with a full-throated endorsement of Cuomo. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”

Trump’s endorsement followed Mamdani’s attempt to capitalize on the president’s “60 Minutes” interview over the weekend, in which Trump said he’d rather vote for a “bad Democrat” like Cuomo than a “communist.” Mamdani portrayed the remarks as proof that Cuomo represented the establishment. Cuomo, distancing himself from Trump’s comments, quipped in response that the president—who had boasted on CBS that he was “much better looking” than Mamdani—would “make a meal” of the socialist candidate.

Early voting figures suggested historic engagement, with more than 730,000 New Yorkers casting ballots over a nine-day stretch leading up to Election Day. Young voters, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, turned out in greater numbers in the final days—a demographic that helped power Mamdani’s primary upset earlier this year. But political analyst Stephen Graves of Gotham Polling warned that Election Day itself is likely to draw an older, more moderate electorate. “As the turnout gets larger, it leans more moderate and brings in the independents,” Graves said. “That benefits Cuomo because he was getting more independent while the vast majority of Mamdani’s voters were Democrats.”

Not all pollsters are convinced the race is as close as it seems. Alyssa Cass of Slingshot Strategies argued that Mamdani could still secure a majority outright. “When you run an error-free general election campaign … it’s a safe bet that you are on a slide path to win — and to win by more than 50 percent,” she said.

Cuomo’s team nonetheless seized on the new poll as evidence of late-breaking momentum. But others urged caution. “I think the race is getting tighter, but I don’t think it’s as close as this poll says,” said GOP pollster John McLaughlin, who noted that AtlasIntel’s sample included only 59% Democrats—far below the city’s typical composition. Miringhoff echoed that concern, pointing out that Marist’s own polling showed Democrats making up roughly two-thirds of likely voters.

According to AtlasIntel, Democrats comprised 59% of respondents, Republicans 19%, and independents nearly 22%. Early voting data tells a different story: 73% of those who already cast ballots were Democrats, compared to about 11% Republicans and 15% independents. Experts predict total turnout could reach two million voters—the highest since 1969, when liberal Republican John Lindsay won re-election.

While recent polls all show Mamdani in the lead, the margins vary dramatically—from double digits down to a handful of points. McLaughlin noted that this latest poll marks the first time Mamdani’s favorability dipped below water, with 44% viewing him negatively versus 50% positively. “Mamdani having a negative rating is a sea change,” he said. “Either the issue attacks on him are working or there are too few Democrats in the poll.”

{Matzav.com}

Kim Yong Nam, a quintessential North Korean bureaucrat whose lifelong loyalty to the ruling Kim dynasty allowed him to serve as the country’s ceremonial head of state for two decades, has died, state media reported Tuesday. The Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that Kim Yong Nam, former president of the Presidium of North Korea’s rubber-stamp Supreme […]

Just hours before voters head to the polls, a new report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) is drawing intense scrutiny to socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ideological record and associations. The in-depth analysis, titled “Zohran Mamdani: From SJP to Gracie Mansion?”, was released by ISGAP Action and reviewed exclusively by Fox News Digital.

“It is incumbent on voters to understand the ideological context that Zohran Mamdani comes from and espouses,” said Charles Asher Small, ISGAP’s founding director, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

The report delves into Mamdani’s political and personal background, tracing his path from founding a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College to becoming a leading figure of the radical left in New York politics. It highlights his father’s controversial academic work at Columbia University and compiles his history of inflammatory remarks, including a list of anti-Israel activists and organizations now backing his mayoral campaign.

The authors accuse Mamdani of repeatedly refusing to denounce the violent slogan “globalize the intifada.” The report notes that “He has repeatedly declined to condemn the slogan ‘globalize the intifada,’ ignoring the fact that the word ‘intifada’ is synonymous with terror attacks, suicide bombings, and incitement to kill Jews.” Rather than condemning the phrase, Mamdani merely said he would “discourage” others from using it.

ISGAP also faults Mamdani for what it describes as his minimization of Hamas’ October 7 atrocities while labeling Israel’s defensive actions “genocide.” It criticizes his proposal to target New York-based charities that aid Israel, calling it a punitive and discriminatory measure.

One of the most controversial episodes cited in the report is Mamdani’s smiling photo alongside Imam Siraj Wahhaj — a cleric who defended the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and has supported the legal defense of convicted terrorists. The image ignited backlash from law enforcement and political leaders alike.

The investigation further references financial links between Mamdani’s campaign and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). According to the report, Mamdani accepted a $100,000 super PAC contribution tied to CAIR “despite being named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror-financing trial.”

“The normalization of antisemitism and anti-democratic rhetoric is now mainstream,” Small warned. “The radical left, the extreme right and radical political Islam are attacking the democratic center, and these different political movements use antisemitism as a core element of their ideology, to scapegoat and blame the Jews for all that is wrong. It is essential to understand that words and ideas lead to action. The antisemitic discourse of Mamdani will inevitably lead to increased hate and violence.”

Last month, hundreds of rabbis issued a public letter urging voters to reject Mamdani, declaring that Jewish Americans “cannot remain silent” as open hostility toward Jews becomes normalized in political discourse.

Still, Mamdani remains the frontrunner in the mayoral race, buoyed by strong support among younger voters and some progressive Jewish figures. Despite widespread criticism and multiple viral clips showcasing his anti-Israel statements, polls suggest he is on the verge of victory.

“There are significant levels of economic, social and political marginalization in New York and throughout the nation,” Small explained. “People are frustrated as their needs are not being met. In stressful times, populism and extremism become more appealing. Mamdani appears to be addressing the disenfranchised, especially the young. He gives fantastical policies that are appealing, yet will be impossible to deliver.”

In its final analysis, ISGAP Action warns that electing Mamdani could “shatter the city’s fragile communal trust and roll back decades of hard-won progress in protecting Jewish life.”

“Zohran Mamdani’s rise is not simply the story of an ambitious local politician riding a wave of discontent over rents and inequality,” the report concludes. “It is the story of how radical anti-Zionism has been repackaged as socialist, populist, progressive politics — and how this ideology now threatens to erode the sense of security for New York’s Jewish community, the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, and whitewash and legitimize anti-Zionism, support for terrorism, and even antisemitism.”

{Matzav.com}

With less than twenty-four hours before polls open, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani delivered a fiery pre-election rally on Monday morning, vowing to stand firm against what he described as President Donald Trump’s attempts to intimidate the city.

Flanked by Attorney General Letitia James and a cadre of progressive allies, Mamdani led a symbolic sunrise march across the Brooklyn Bridge toward City Hall. It was a theatrical gesture aimed at projecting resolve in the face of Trump’s warning that he could withhold federal funds if the socialist candidate is elected.

“What we have seen in cities and states across the country is the necessity of, not just using the bully pulpit but also the courts, to ensure that every dollar that a municipality is owed is a dollar that is paid,” Mamdani declared. “And I will take every single day, after this election, to put together my city government, my city hall, to ensure that it is prepared not only for the threats from Donald Trump, but also the threats from an affordability crisis that has put one in four New Yorkers in poverty.”

The president had told CBS’ Norah O’Donnell on “60 Minutes” Sunday that if Mamdani wins, “it is going to be hard for me, as the president, to give a lot of money to New York.” He followed that with a jab, adding, “Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.”

Trump has been relentless in ridiculing Mamdani since the candidate’s upset victory over Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary earlier this year, labeling him a “100% Communist Lunatic” and “my little communist.” Mamdani, for his part, has brushed off those attacks.

Following his primary win, Mamdani launched a week-long campaign called “Five Boroughs Against Trump,” framing himself as the only candidate willing to take on the president directly.

“I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m going to pick that bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” Trump said on “60 Minutes.”

Mamdani quickly seized on those remarks, accusing Trump of effectively endorsing his opponent. “Late last night, Andrew Cuomo received Donald Trump’s endorsement,” he said Monday. “If elected as mayor, our city will only descend deeper into a darkness that has forced too many of our neighbors to flee and made it impossible for working people to live lives of dignity.”

Cuomo’s team rejected that narrative outright. Campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told Fox News Digital that Mamdani is “lying” about Trump’s alleged endorsement.

“There’s only one candidate in this race who has a record of fighting for New York and battling the Trump administration when it was in New York’s best interest and winning, and that’s Andrew Cuomo. We’re not going to let him gaslight his way through Election Day,” Azzopardi said.

At his rally, Mamdani sought to present himself as the antidote to Trump-era politics, arguing that his administration would form a “movement unbowed by threats” from Washington. “We see Donald Trump make these kinds of threats to this city and to its elected officials on a regular basis,” he said. “The difference that we offer is a movement that will be unbowed by these threats, and we need not look far for an inspiration on how exactly to continue to fight for that which is correct in the city and in this state.”

Standing beside him, James—who pleaded not guilty last week to two felony counts of bank fraud and making false statements—was praised by Mamdani as a model of defiance. He said she “continues to show the courage that New Yorkers are desperate to see in elected officials, a courage to hold everyone to account to the same set of laws.”

James’ years-long legal battles against Trump have fueled both acclaim and controversy. A judge ruled last year that The Trump Organization was liable for civil fraud following her lawsuit accusing the company of inflating asset values. She has also repeatedly sued the Trump administration, seeking to block executive orders and safeguard federal funds.

“Donald Trump may speak as if it is his decision, but this is money that this city is owed. This is money that we will expect to collect,” Mamdani asserted.

As the race closes in on its final hours, Mamdani has cast himself as the candidate willing to confront Trump head-on while painting Cuomo as politically compromised. “We have long known that Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump’s puppet in this race. What we did not quite expect is for him to become his parrot in the final days, as well,” Mamdani said.

{Matzav.com}

Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz has formally severed ties with the Democratic Party after more than six decades, warning that the party’s leftward shift on Israel — and its embrace of figures like New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — represents a dangerous new era of antisemitism cloaked in progressive politics. In a […]

A newly released transcript from a tense closed-door meeting at the Defense Ministry headquarters reveals a sharp confrontation between then–Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, then–IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Brig. Gen. Gal Asael, deputy military advocate general, over the investigation into the leaked video from the Sde Teiman detention facility.

The meeting, which took place in October 2024, came as the Defense Ministry scrambled to determine who was behind the leak of footage showing IDF soldiers allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee. Asael had been assigned to oversee the internal investigation.

According to the Channel 13 report that published the transcript, Gallant opened the meeting by demanding answers. “We’re in a situation where I believe we’re about to face additional attacks over this leak,” he said. “The claim is that it came from within the defense establishment.”

Asael maintained that investigators could not yet identify the source. “The team is experienced, independent, and working responsibly,” he said. “Various materials went out—videos, medical documents, reports—but no leaker has been identified so far.”

Gallant pressed on, pointing out that “the videos of the soldiers were out almost immediately after the incidents themselves.” Asael responded that the probe had begun in July and that “the first media reports came out in August.” He noted that both soldiers and civilians had access to the footage, and “dozens of investigative steps” had been taken without any clear findings.

Gallant expressed frustration: “This situation creates a perception that everyone involved is tainted, including the IDF itself. Publicly, the blame is being directed at the prosecution.”

Asael insisted that the process was being closely monitored by the attorney general’s office and the Justice Ministry. “It’s not happening in the shadows,” he said. Gallant replied curtly, “What can I say? I’m not convinced.”

At that point, Halevi interjected, asking, “What is there to be convinced about?” Gallant responded that the investigation “must be more focused—at the end, we should know who were the first people who had access to the video.”

Asael replied, “With caution, I’ll say it’s far more than three or five people. There are many circles involved, and we’re trying to narrow it down.”

When Gallant asked what authority he had in the matter, Asael said that “as long as it’s a criminal investigation, authority rests with the attorney general.” Gallant questioned why this wasn’t under the IDF’s jurisdiction, but Asael explained that “criminal authority in Israel follows the attorney general’s directive. The military advocate general isn’t involved because she’s part of the main case and must remain impartial.”

Halevi backed Asael, saying, “Because the prosecution is a party here, we turned to the attorney general to oversee the process. We were very concerned that if it went to the police or internal affairs, it would spiral out of control.” Asael agreed: “Yes, that would have lost all control.”

Gallant closed the meeting by recalling a past incident. “The last time I was in a situation like this—the Harpaz Affair—they said no one in the General Staff was involved. That turned out not to be true. That’s what my experience tells me.”

Asael has not yet issued a public response. Gallant’s office stated that he had “ordered a swift and thorough investigation immediately after the leak, given the damage it caused to IDF soldiers and to Israel.” They added that “the sentiments and quotes in the report reflect his consistent stance, though we cannot confirm the transcript.”

Associates of former Chief of Staff Halevi said he had no prior knowledge of the leak and had instructed his office to ensure there were “no obstacles to the investigation’s completion.” They added that both Halevi and Gallant “felt misled” as new revelations surfaced in recent days.

{Matzav.com}

CNN: If he does run the city as a communist, are you going to have any regrets? SLIWA: Why should I have regrets? I trust people. People are going to make the choice. I’ll live with the choice.

In the latest twist surrounding the Sde Teiman affair, former IDF Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi told investigators she has no recollection of what happened to her cellphone — a device believed to contain potentially incriminating material.

According to a report by Channel 12 News, following her recent discovery alive after several hours of disappearance, police conducted an initial interrogation to determine her whereabouts and the events surrounding her vanishing. Investigators reportedly asked, “Where were you for three hours? The entire country was searching for you, your family was in tears with worry.”

Tomer-Yerushalmi’s response was confused and evasive: “I’m disoriented, I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

When questioned about her missing phone, she said, “I have no idea where the phone is, maybe it fell into the sea — I really don’t remember.” Police pressed further, asking whether she might have thrown the device into the water. Her answer remained the same: “I don’t remember.”

Meanwhile, Kan News reported that investigators are examining suspicions that the promotion of a senior official in the Military Prosecution — whose name remains under a gag order — was deliberately delayed. The purpose of the delay, police believe, may have been to prevent her from taking a polygraph test that could expose internal misconduct.

That same official was the one who initially uncovered Tomer-Yerushalmi’s alleged order to leak the security footage from the Sde Teiman detention facility, as well as her role in obstructing the subsequent internal investigation. The revelations reportedly came to light when the senior prosecutor herself was undergoing a routine polygraph examination as part of her own promotion process within the IDF.

{Matzav.com}

A Colorado judge on Monday rejected the plea agreement of a funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building after family members of the deceased argued that the agreement’s 15- to 20-year sentence was too lenient. “The sentence negotiated by the parties does not adequately account for the harms […]

Iran has unveiled what it describes as new information about the strike that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last year. According to a spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the killing was executed with a precision missile that homed in on Haniyeh’s cellphone signal.

Haniyeh was eliminated on July 31, 2024, in the Iranian capital, only hours after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Months later, Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz publicly acknowledged that Israel was responsible for the operation.

Conflicting reports about how the strike was carried out have circulated since the assassination. Early accounts described a missile strike, while a New York Times investigation suggested that an explosive device had been secretly planted inside Haniyeh’s guesthouse and detonated remotely once he arrived.

On Sunday, however, IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini dismissed the bomb theory outright. He maintained that there was no insider involvement or breach of Iran’s security systems. “The assassination of the martyr Ismail Haniyeh did not involve any act of sabotage,” Naini stated.

Instead, Naini said, the Hamas chief was killed when “a missile was fired from a certain distance and struck the window directly, hitting him while he was on a phone call from the same direction the missile came from.” He added that the weapon locked onto Haniyeh’s location through his mobile phone signal.

Iran’s reaction at the time was initially restrained. Although Haniyeh was killed in the heart of Tehran, the regime held off on immediate retaliation. Two months later, however, on October 1, 2024, Iran launched a barrage of roughly 80 ballistic missiles toward Israel. Tehran claimed the strike was retaliation not only for Haniyeh’s death but also for the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC General Abbas Nilforoushan in Beirut the previous month.

According to Naini, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council reached a swift conclusion after Haniyeh’s killing that retaliation was inevitable. “The timing of the retaliation was left to the military command,” he said, noting that the delay stemmed from “difficulties” that arose following Iran’s unprecedented direct assault on Israel in April 2024—though he did not specify what those difficulties were.

Naini also said Tehran debated whether to let its regional proxies—Hezbollah, Hamas, or the Houthis—carry out the revenge strike, or to act directly. In the end, he said, “a unified decision was made” for Iran itself to take responsibility and launch the missiles from its own territory.

{Matzav.com}

The first clinical trial is getting underway to see if transplanting pig kidneys into people might really save lives. United Therapeutics, a producer of gene-edited pig kidneys, announced Monday that the study’s initial transplant was performed successfully at NYU Langone Health. It’s the latest step in the quest for animal-to-human transplants. A second U.S. company, […]

President Donald Trump has warned New Yorkers not to vote for the Republican candidate in the mayoral race tomorrow. Curtis Sliwa is running as the GOP candidate against Jihadist Zohran Mamdani and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo. But Trump, who has endorsed Cuomo in the race, has urged Republicans not to vote for Sliwa, who is […]

President Donald Trump issued a fiery Truth Social post today warning that New York City would face “complete and total economic and social disaster” if Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani wins Tuesday’s mayoral election.

Trump said he would withhold federal funding from the city—aside from the bare minimum required by law—if Mamdani takes office, calling the candidate a “Communist” whose ideology guarantees failure. “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home,” Trump wrote.

The president described New York as “once great” but said it has “ZERO chance of success, or even survival” under Mamdani’s leadership. “It can only get worse with a Communist at the helm,” he added. “I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad.”

Declaring it his “obligation to run the Nation,” Trump asserted that Mamdani’s economic views had “been tested for over a thousand years and never once been successful.” He warned that the city would suffer “complete and total failure” under Mamdani, whom he accused of lacking meaningful experience and achievement.

“I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a record of success, win, than a Communist with no experience and a record of complete and total failure,” Trump wrote. He called Mamdani’s record as a state assemblyman “nothing,” claiming he “ranked at the bottom of the class” and has “no chance to bring [New York City] back to its former glory.”

Trump also took aim at Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, arguing that a vote for Sliwa would effectively benefit Mamdani. “A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani,” he said.

In the final lines of the post, Trump endorsed independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, urging New Yorkers to rally behind him. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” Trump wrote.

{Matzav.com}

POTUS: “Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State is killing the entire region…I am going to ask our Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, to take a good, long look at terminating New York City Congestion Pricing. The entire State is going to hell…”

TRUMP: “Mamdani’s Win Would Be Total Disaster for NYC” President Donald Trump slammed NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in a fiery post, calling him a “Communist” and warning that NYC would face “complete and total economic and social disaster” if he wins. Trump said he would withhold most federal funding from NYC under Mamdani’s leadership, […]

Dear Matzav Inbox,

There’s a line being tossed around lately that’s as dishonest as it is dangerous — that Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani is “not anti-Jewish,” only “anti-Israel.” Some in the Satmar community have even used that absurd excuse to justify endorsing him.

Let’s be clear: When someone openly supports those who chant “globalize the intifada,” refuses to condemn a call for Jewish blood, and embraces a worldview that paints Israel — and by extension the Jewish people — as evil oppressors, that person isn’t just “anti-Israel.” They’re an oyev Yisroel.

If you hate Jews who live in Israel, if you defend terrorists who murder them, if you side with those who glorify intifada and jihad, then you hate Jews, period. There’s no separating the two.

To pretend that you can despise the Jewish homeland while loving its people is a moral contortion that fools no one — except those desperate to justify a political misstep.

Supporting someone who stands with our enemies doesn’t make you principled or nuanced. It makes you blind.

The blood spilled in Israel is no different from the blood spilled in Brooklyn or Monroe or anywhere else Jews live. To claim otherwise is to abandon the most basic sense of achdus Yisroel.

Those who make excuses for a man who champions our enemies should be ashamed of themselves. When you endorse a voice that fans the flames of hatred, you don’t just endanger Jews in Israel. You endanger Jews everywhere.

Sincerely,
G. H.

Boro Park, Brooklyn

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{Matzav.com}

JIHADI TAKEOVER COMING: Linda Sarsour warns she’ll ensure Zohran Mamdani fulfills his campaign promises, including dismantling an NYPD unit that polices terrorism threats, protests and riots, if he’s elected.

Linda Sarsour admits that Mamdani’s rise in NY was secretly bankrolled by Jihad-linked CAIR groups.

Flight delays continued at U.S. airports Sunday amid air traffic controller shortages as the government shutdown entered its second month, with Newark airport in New Jersey experiencing delays of two to three hours. New York City’s Emergency Management office said on X that Newark delays often ripple out to the region’s other airports. Travelers flying […]