Trump calls any Jewish person voting for Mamdani ‘stupid’ and continues election day posts
The president continues to weigh in on the off-cycle election races across the country. A short while ago he posted on social media, saying “any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!”.
On Tuesday, the president waded into the New York mayoral race – where assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is the frontrunner and Democratic nominee – and begrudgingly said that New Yorkers had “no choice” but to vote for Andrew Cuomo – the former Democratic governor who is running as an independent.
Key events
Cuomo casts vote in NYC mayoral election
According to the New York Times, Andrew Cuomo joked that he still hadn’t decided who to vote for as he arrived at his polling places on East 56th Street.
“I’m feeling very good,” the NYT quotes Cuomo as saying later. “I feel that the momentum is on our side.” He said he thought high turnout would work in his favor and called the vote “the most important election of my lifetime”. The result will have huge implications for the future of the city and the Democratic party at large.
When pressed about receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement, Cuomo appeared to acknowledge that the president’s 11th hour backing was reluctantly given. “The president does not support me,” he said. “He opposes Zohran.”
Peter Walker
in London
Much has been made in the UK of the parallels between Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, and Zohran Mamdani, particularly the often very open prejudice they have experienced as politicians of a Muslim faith.
This has not been lost on Khan and his team, with a source close to the London mayor saying he hoped it would only be a temporary phenomenon if Mamdani is elected.
The source said: “The similarities between the attacks Mamdani has faced and what Sadiq has faced in elections, particularly in 2016 are uncanny.”
“Weaponizing Mamdani’s faith and linking him to terrorism and extremism is an old campaigning tactic, and one we’re all too familiar with here in London,” the source added. “The closer we get to the election, and the more his positive vision has connected with voters in New York City, the more divisive and desperate Mamdani’s opponents have become.”
“The mayor hopes that like in London, New Yorkers see through the politics of hatred and fear, and embrace Mamdani’s hopeful and optimistic vision for the future.”
In his first election campaign in 2016, Khan faced a campaign from his Conservative opponent, Zac Goldsmith, that was condemned by critics as, at times, clearly racist. Despite also being highly secular and liberal, Khan was also implicitly linked to Islamist terrorism, in his case the 2005 suicide bombings on London’s underground and bus network.
Trump appears to defy judge’s ruling on Snap benefits in Truth Social post
As part of a flurry of posts today on Truth Social, the president wrote that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits, also known as food stamps, “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government which they can easily do, and not before!”
This message seems to defy his own administration’s agreement this week to abide by a federal judge’s order, and issue partial payments to the 42 million Snap beneficiaries across the country, using the program’s contingency fund.
Trump also said that Snap benefits were “haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need” under Joe Biden. During the previous administration, Snap payments did rise after Biden issued an executive order in 2021 that required the Thrifty Food Plan to adjust their guidelines to account for inflation. This led to a benefit increase of about $36 per person, according to the Network for Public Health Law.
‘I will not be intimidated by this president,’ Mamdani says as Trump urges New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo
When asked by a reporter today about Donald Trump’s comments on Truth Social that he plans to limit federal funds to New York City if Zohran Mamdani wins, the Democratic nominee said that he will “will treat his threats as they deserve to be treated, which are the words of a president and not necessarily the law of the land”.
The progressive favorite to win also said that is time the city deserves a mayor “who stands up for New Yorkers each and every day, not one who’s willing to sacrifice those New Yorkers so that they can stand up for themselves”.
“I will not be intimidated by this president. I will not be intimidated by anyone, because my job here is to serve the people of the city,” he added.
My colleagues, Maya Yang, Will Craft and Andrew Witherspoon, have put together a useful guide as the results of the highly anticipated New York mayoral election start to trickle in later today.
They note that the first results will come in shortly after the polls close at 9pm ET, and will continue to come in throughout the night. In 2021, the Associated Press declared Eric Adams the winner around midnight.
New York had nine days of early voting which ended on 2 November. According to the city’s board of elections, there were more than 730,000 early votes cast.
Labor secretary says unemployment insurance is next concern as shutdown is poised to be longest on record
Lori Chavez-DeRemer said today that unemployment insurance, delivered by states, “will be the next thing that we have to be concerned about” as the shutdown enters its 35th day.
“The American workers deserve to know where their next paycheck is coming from, and the American economy deserves the American workers there,” she added.
Johnson says that Republicans are appealing to a ‘handful’ of moderate Democrats to end the shutdown
When asked about the ongoing bipartisan conversations between senators, Mike Johnson said that he doesn’t know much about these meeting, but reaffirmed that he does not think “Chuck Schumer or Hakeem Jeffries will ever vote to reopen the government”.
“I know there are, we hope, we pray, a handful of moderate and centrist Democrats left in among the Democrats in the Senate, where the whole country is counting upon them,” Johnson added. “So we’re going above the heads of the so-called leadership, and we are appealing to the consciences of a handful of people in the Senate who want to do the right thing and just stop the pain, stop the pain for the American people.”
Trump’s labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is now speaking at Johnson’s press conference. She, like the rest of the administration, has blamed Democrats for playing “political games”, and causing the government to shutdown.
“I am begging these Democrats to show up, do their job and open up this government. 35 days is far too long for the American people. Enough is enough,” she added.
Johnson begins press conference paying tribute to late VP Dick Cheney
Republican House speaker Mike Johnson kicked off his press conference today by honoring Dick Cheney – the late former vice-president under George W Bush.
“As you know, Dick Cheney served as vice-president, he served as a secretary of defense, he served as a congressman, of course, from Wyoming, and as the youngest chief of staff to any president in the history of the country,” Johnson said. “And so the honor is certainly due to him, and our prayers go out to the family.”
Trump calls any Jewish person voting for Mamdani ‘stupid’ and continues election day posts
The president continues to weigh in on the off-cycle election races across the country. A short while ago he posted on social media, saying “any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!”.
On Tuesday, the president waded into the New York mayoral race – where assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is the frontrunner and Democratic nominee – and begrudgingly said that New Yorkers had “no choice” but to vote for Andrew Cuomo – the former Democratic governor who is running as an independent.
Government shutdown enters day 35, poised to be the longest on record
As the government shutdown enters its 35th day, it’s set to take over as the longest on record (outpacing the shuttering in Trump’s first administration in 2018).
In a short while we’ll hear from Republicans, when House speaker Mike Johnson holds a press conference. Later, we’ll also hear from Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. On Monday, majority leader John Thune – the upper chamber’s top Republican – said that he’s “optimistic” that there will be an “off-ramp” in the coming days.
Mamdani casts his ballot in Queens
Democratic nominee for New York mayor and frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani, has cast his ballot at a high school in Astoria, Queens. He was joined by his wife, Rama Sawaf Duwaji. Mamdani told reporters at the polling site that he voted for himself, and “yes” on several housing proposals that are also on the ballot – including one which fast tracks the development of affordable housing projects in the city.
Law enforcement responds to bomb threats at New Jersey polling sites
Jake Wasserman
Voters in New Jersey are starting their election day with a notice posted by the state’s attorney general Matt Platkin about bomb threats in seven counties. There is now a razor thin margin in the race between congresswoman Mikie Sherril and businessman Jack Ciattarelli in the closely watched gubernatorial race, and disruptions to normal voting procedures could prove consequential.
Law enforcement is currently investigating and counties have already reopened some locations, while relocating others.
Former president George W Bush pays tribute to his late VP Dick Cheney
Former President George W Bush, under whose administration Dick Cheney served two terms as vice-president, has issued a statement following Cheney’s death.
“History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held,” Bush said.
Bush recalled that he asked Cheney to join his ticket in 2000 after “enlisting him to help me find the best running mate”.
“In our long discussions about the qualities a vice-president should have – deep experience, mature judgment, character, loyalty – I realised that Dick Cheney was the one I needed,” Bush added. “I’m still grateful that he was at my side for the eight years that followed. Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges. I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people.”
Donald Trump has no scheduled events today, per his official schedule. However, he has already posted on Truth Social, recirculating his new passion project – the elimination of the filibuster. This is the 60-vote threshold needed in Congress to end debate in the Senate and bring a bill to a vote. It’s the procedural measure that has inhibited passing a short term funding bill to keep the government open.
“It will be impossible for Republicans to get Common Sense Policies done with these Crazed Democrat Lunatics being able to block everything by withholding their votes,” Trump wrote in his post a short while ago.
He ended his post with his signature all-caps insistence:
TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER NOW, END THE RIDICULOUS SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATELY, AND THEN, MOST IMPORTANTLY, PASS EVERY WONDERFUL REPUBLICAN POLICY THAT WE HAVE DREAMT OF, FOR YEARS, BUT NEVER GOTTEN. WE WILL BE THE PARTY THAT CANNOT BE BEATEN – THE SMART PARTY!!!
Later, we will hear from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at 1pm ET, when she holds a briefing with reporters.
Trump isn’t on any of the cards today, but his presidency and policies are one of the key things people are voting on.
Democrats in the governor races in Virginia and New Jersey have made opposing the president key to their campaigns. The results may reveal what depth of opposition there is among voters.
Trump also gave a reluctant 11th-hour endorsement to former New York governor Cuomo over the Democratic nominee Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race last night, saying “whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice… [Cuomo] is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”
Mamdani, a rising star, has already been a target of Trump’s criticism.
Dick Cheney criticized Donald Trump and said he would vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 presidential election
Given today’s polls, it is interesting to note too Cheney’s politics in his last years where he was a fierce critic of Donald Trump, particularly after the January 6 riots.
The once stalwart of Republican politics said in the 2024 president election that he would vote for Kamala Harris – having previously described Trump with the line: “There has never been an individual who was a greater threat to our republic.”
His daughter Liz Cheney had been the leading Republican critic and examiner of Trump’s efforts to stay in office after his 2020 election defeat, and the Capitol riot.
In 2022, he expressed “deep disappointment” in Republican party leadership, saying: “It’s not a leadership that resembles any of the folks that I knew when I was here for 10 years” and that “you can’t overestimate how important [January 6] is”.
Trump dismissed Cheney’s criticism last year, calling him an “irrelevant RINO” – Republican in name only. The current US president is yet to issue a comment on Cheney’s death.
Cheney’s legacy marked by Iraq invasion
Martin Pengelly
Cheney was one of the most powerful vice-presidents, widely reported to wield great influence over the less experienced Bush.
In office on 11 September 2001, he took charge after the attacks on New York and Washington while Bush was hurried to safety. Hugely experienced and with no department to run, working with the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, an ally from the days of Nixon and Ford, he assumed policy control.
He believed the Bush administration “had an obligation to do whatever it took to defend America”.
Troops were soon in Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban and hunting al-Qaida. But Cheney’s place in history will be dominated by the decision to invade Iraq.
He was defense secretary during the first Gulf war, in 1990 and 1991, a swift campaign to eject Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. A decade later, Bush and Cheney’s public rationale for war was that the Iraqi dictator was linked to al-Qaida and thus 9/11, and possessed weapons of mass destruction. By March 2003, when US and coalition forces invaded, no proof had been found for either charge. They were soon proved false.
By February 2021, the official US death toll in Iraq was 4,431, with nearly 32,000 wounded. The toll in Afghanistan, where US troops still fought, was 2,352 with more than 20,000 wounded.
Analysts say since 2001 “at least 800,000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan”.
Read more about Dick Cheney’s legacy here.
