Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
New York reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump threatens to arrest New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani should he win the mayoral elections in November, and Tress discusses the president's repeated comments about the anti-Zionist candidate and Mamdani's proposed plan to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in New York City.
Tress offers an overall look at the trajectory of Mamdani's political ascent and his surprise upset of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo during last week's New York City Democratic party mayoral primary.
He discusses the likelihood of Mamdani winning the November general election in the mostly Democratic city, and how Mamdani's anti-Israel activism, a facet of his political life since his college days, will challenge New York City's Jewish dwellers, who comprise the world's largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Tress examines Mamdani's opponents, including former governor Cuomo, who leaned into the Jewish vote, and current New York City mayor Eric Adams, who kicked off his independent candidacy after Mamdani won the primary.
He discusses the pro-Jewish initiatives rolled out by Adams during his mayorship and in recent months, and that Cuomo and Adams share a similar voter base in New York, an overwhelmingly Democratic city.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump threatens to arrest anti-Israel New York City mayoral candidate Mamdani
Jewish political organizers grapple with fallout from Mamdani’s NYC primary victory
Do Zohran Mamdani’s opponents have a path to defeating him in NYC mayoral election?
After NYC primary upset, anti-Israel activist Mamdani vows not to ‘abandon my beliefs’
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
IMAGE: Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani takes selfies with supporters after speaking at his primary election party, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
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