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Mayor Zohran Mamdani
It’s Wednesday, November 5. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Fly-fishing with Dick Cheney, what Trump understands about Boko Haram, a disturbing theory about Luigi Mangione, and more.
But first: About last night.
Democrats had a very good night on Tuesday. Abigail Spanberger won big in the Virginia governor’s race. Mikie Sherrill comfortably defeated Jack Ciattarelli in the governor’s race in New Jersey. Proposition 50 passed in California, a victory for Gavin Newsom that will create as many as five more Democratic-leaning congressional seats in the state.
But perhaps the biggest story was the result in America’s biggest city: New York’s next mayor will be 34-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani.
At the start of the year, virtually no one had heard of Mamdani. Yesterday, he became the first New York mayoral candidate in over 50 years to win more than a million votes.
His win is many things: a sign of rising sympathy for socialism in America, the start of a high-stakes experiment in far-left government, a (final?) nail in the coffin of the Cuomo political dynasty, a blueprint other progressives hope to replicate nationwide, and much more. It is, in other words, an extraordinary story.
Olivia Reingold has been covering that story from the start. In our first offering today, she reports from Mamdani’s victory party, talks to the next mayor’s supporters, and reflects on how he pulled it off.
Next, Maya Sulkin and Tanner Nau look forward to how Mayor Mamdani will actually govern. His campaign has been full of big, expensive promises. Will he have the power to deliver on them?
Many on the left are hoping Mamdani’s win isn’t just a one-off, but a blueprint that can be replicated nationwide. Jonas Du profiles the progressives hoping to repeat the Mamdani formula.
If you weren’t one of the more than one million (!) people who watched our election livestream on X and the website last night, you can catch up here:
Or watch some of the highlights, like former New York police commissioner Ray Kelly on why he thinks public safety will suffer under Mamdani, Reihan Salam on the “genius of this democratic socialist moment,” Nellie Bowles on why Mamdani won’t moderate, and Colin Quinn on why being New York mayor is like being a Jets quarterback.
—The Editors
An Architect of the Capitol worker lowers the American flag over the U.S. Capitol to half-staff in honor of the late vice president Dick Cheney on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)The government shutdown is now the longest in American history, topping the 35-day shutdown that began in 2018. On Monday night, 10 Democratic senators reportedly engaged in serious talks about negotiating with Republicans to temporarily fund the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he is “optimistic” an agreement can be made this week.
A UPS cargo plane carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel crashed while taking off from Louisville’s international airport Tuesday evening, igniting massive fires that spread nearly a mile. At least seven people are dead, 11 injured, and two remain missing as officials search nearby buildings and investigate the cause.
A new book alleges that FBI director Kash Patel lied to Congress during his confirmation hearing when he told lawmakers he had no knowledge of “politically motivated” firings at the agency. Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis write that Patel’s loyalists were tasked with firing “bad eggs” who engaged in “past weaponization of the Bureau against conservatives,” even as Patel told Congress he had “no knowledge of personnel actions.”
At least 52 people are dead after Typhoon Kalmaegi ravaged the central Philippines on Tuesday. More than 380,000 people were displaced. The region is still reeling from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in September.
A 66-year-old ICE detention officer in Montgomery County, Texas, has pleaded guilty to using excessive force against a migrant detainee after choking, dragging, and slamming the man’s head into a window. Charles Siringi, who was the chief investigator at the GEO Group–run private facility, was investigated by Homeland Security after colleagues said his violent outburst was completely unjustified.
President Trump has renominated Jared Isaacman, a billionaire tech founder, astronaut, and Elon Musk ally, for NASA administrator. Five months ago, Trump withdrew Isaacman’s original nomination during a feud with Musk, citing Isaacman’s past donations to Democrats. (Read Gabe Kaminsky’s profile of Isaacman: “The Billionaire Astronaut Caught in the Trump-Musk Crossfire.”)
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By Bari WeissIt’s Wednesday, November 5. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Fly-fishing with Dick Cheney, what Trump understands about Boko Haram, a disturbing theory about Luigi Mangione, and more.
But first: About last night.
Democrats had a very good night on Tuesday. Abigail Spanberger won big in the Virginia governor’s race. Mikie Sherrill comfortably defeated Jack Ciattarelli in the governor’s race in New Jersey. Proposition 50 passed in California, a victory for Gavin Newsom that will create as many as five more Democratic-leaning congressional seats in the state.
But perhaps the biggest story was the result in America’s biggest city: New York’s next mayor will be 34-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani.
At the start of the year, virtually no one had heard of Mamdani. Yesterday, he became the first New York mayoral candidate in over 50 years to win more than a million votes.
His win is many things: a sign of rising sympathy for socialism in America, the start of a high-stakes experiment in far-left government, a (final?) nail in the coffin of the Cuomo political dynasty, a blueprint other progressives hope to replicate nationwide, and much more. It is, in other words, an extraordinary story.
Olivia Reingold has been covering that story from the start. In our first offering today, she reports from Mamdani’s victory party, talks to the next mayor’s supporters, and reflects on how he pulled it off.
Next, Maya Sulkin and Tanner Nau look forward to how Mayor Mamdani will actually govern. His campaign has been full of big, expensive promises. Will he have the power to deliver on them?
Many on the left are hoping Mamdani’s win isn’t just a one-off, but a blueprint that can be replicated nationwide. Jonas Du profiles the progressives hoping to repeat the Mamdani formula.
If you weren’t one of the more than one million (!) people who watched our election livestream on X and the website last night, you can catch up here:
Or watch some of the highlights, like former New York police commissioner Ray Kelly on why he thinks public safety will suffer under Mamdani, Reihan Salam on the “genius of this democratic socialist moment,” Nellie Bowles on why Mamdani won’t moderate, and Colin Quinn on why being New York mayor is like being a Jets quarterback.
—The Editors
An Architect of the Capitol worker lowers the American flag over the U.S. Capitol to half-staff in honor of the late vice president Dick Cheney on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)The government shutdown is now the longest in American history, topping the 35-day shutdown that began in 2018. On Monday night, 10 Democratic senators reportedly engaged in serious talks about negotiating with Republicans to temporarily fund the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he is “optimistic” an agreement can be made this week.
A UPS cargo plane carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel crashed while taking off from Louisville’s international airport Tuesday evening, igniting massive fires that spread nearly a mile. At least seven people are dead, 11 injured, and two remain missing as officials search nearby buildings and investigate the cause.
A new book alleges that FBI director Kash Patel lied to Congress during his confirmation hearing when he told lawmakers he had no knowledge of “politically motivated” firings at the agency. Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis write that Patel’s loyalists were tasked with firing “bad eggs” who engaged in “past weaponization of the Bureau against conservatives,” even as Patel told Congress he had “no knowledge of personnel actions.”
At least 52 people are dead after Typhoon Kalmaegi ravaged the central Philippines on Tuesday. More than 380,000 people were displaced. The region is still reeling from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in September.
A 66-year-old ICE detention officer in Montgomery County, Texas, has pleaded guilty to using excessive force against a migrant detainee after choking, dragging, and slamming the man’s head into a window. Charles Siringi, who was the chief investigator at the GEO Group–run private facility, was investigated by Homeland Security after colleagues said his violent outburst was completely unjustified.
President Trump has renominated Jared Isaacman, a billionaire tech founder, astronaut, and Elon Musk ally, for NASA administrator. Five months ago, Trump withdrew Isaacman’s original nomination during a feud with Musk, citing Isaacman’s past donations to Democrats. (Read Gabe Kaminsky’s profile of Isaacman: “The Billionaire Astronaut Caught in the Trump-Musk Crossfire.”)