IT’S POLITICAL: Democratic socialist upstart Zohran Mamdani was elected Mayor of New York City yesterday as Democrats and some of their major causes won the vote across the country in a shadow referendum of dissatisfaction with the presidency of Donald Trump.

  Nevertheless, Trump posted late last night that, “ ‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters.” Hmmm … what pollsters?

  Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill was elected governor of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA officer, won approval to be the first woman governor of Virginia. Sherrill crushed Republican Jack Ciattarelli by a 13 percent margin. Spanberger beat Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears by an even wider 15.2 percent.

  Enthusiastic New Yorkers turned out in bigger numbers than they have since 1969 to give Mamdani a win by 9 percentage points over their state’s disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing his own party’s primary. Electing Mamdani, a 34-year-old with no experience running an organization the size of New York City government, showed that New Yorkers are tired of the old guard and looking for younger, more imaginative, and honest leadership.

  “For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and well-connected that power does not belong in their hands,” Mamdani said in his acceptance speech. “Over the past twelve months you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it.” 

  Mamdani ran on free bus transportation, free child care, and rent freezes to make life in New York more affordable. It’ll be a trick if he can deliver. As the first Muslim elected mayor, Mamdani also faces a fearful segment of the Jewish population who’ve been convinced he’s a smiling jihadist. 

  Significantly, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democrats’ most powerful leader, never endorsed his party’s candidate for mayor and refused to say who he voted for. “I voted, and I look forward to working with the next mayor,” was all Schumer said.

  In California, voters gave 64 percent approval to Proposition 50 for re-drawing congressional districts to give Democrats five more seats to balance the five that Republicans gave themselves in Texas and other states to win an advantage in the mid-term elections. 

THE HUNGER GAMES: In defiance of a federal court order, President Trump yesterday reversed himself and threatened to entirely withhold food aid to 42 million Americans until the end of the federal government shutdown.

  Hours later Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration was “fully complying” with the court order to pay for food aid this month.

  The President seems to believe that many people on what are called SNAP benefits are underserving. He wrote on his Truth Social feed that, “SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”

  Trump had previously said that emergency funds would be used to pay at least 50 percent benefits this month.

BAGAGE CHECK: Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, threatened on Tuesday to close parts of the national airspace as he warned of “mass chaos” by next week if the government shutdown continues. The shutdown enters its sixth week today, becoming the longest in history.

  “You will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays, you will see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers,” Duffy said during a news conference in which he accused Democrats of perpetuating what he called a “senseless shutdown.”

  The Republicans are playing tough, possibly tougher than the Democrats who are fighting for an extension of Obamacare health insurance subsidies. The Republicans appear willing to let the government melt down.

THE REGIME:

— The Supreme Court hears arguments today on the constitutionality of President Trump’s trade tariffs. Trump declared an emergency to impose the tariffs. This is a test of whether the “originalists” on the court will stick to the text of the Constitution that says,  “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.”

  Trump yesterday called the case “literally, LIFE OR DEATH for our Country.”

— President Trump has issued no statement about the death of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, who campaigned and voted against Trump in the 2024 election. Flags at the White House were lowered to half-staff in accordance with the law.

— The US military blew up another suspected drug boat in the Pacific, killing two occupants and bringing the total number of dead in these attacks to 67. Once again, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon provided no evidence that there were drugs on the boat or where they were going.

THE SPIN RACK: A United Parcel Service cargo plane crashed on takeoff from Louisville yesterday, killing seven people and leaving a quarter-mile streak of burning buildings, vehicles, and brush in its path. Several angles of video showed the plane crashing and leaving its trail of flame. The jet’s crew of three were killed as well as at least four people on the ground. — Two Massachusetts men ages 18 and 20 have been arrested and charged with the weekend bomb explosion at Harvard Medical School in which no one was injured. The motive has not been explained.

BELOW THE FOLD: Former NFL star quarterback Tom Brady revealed that his dog is a clone of his dog that died nearly two years ago. The New England Patriots are considering cloning Brady.

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