When Donald Met Zohran...

Yes, that happened! Yesterday, NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met President Trump at the White House in a highly anticipated face-to-face that was covered extensively by the press, something the media-savvy President noted (see clip below). The two men, seemingly polar opposites, both ideologically and temperamentally, got along well shockingly well, despite the WH press pool's best efforts to stoke drama. Trump was genuinely warm and cordial, lavishing Mamdani with praise and even defending him against questions clearly designed to bait Mamdani. Moreover, he swatted down some of the racists attacks Republicans like Elise Stefanik were making against Mamdani, declaring "I want him to do a great job." Here's the Q&A session with reporters.

While the media was feverishly awaiting/hoping for a "slugfest" (ala the infamous Trump-Zelensky meeting), what they got was a remarkably affable meeting that left both rightwing and liberal media outlets shellshocked. Reporters were incredulously using words like "bizarrely chummy," "lovefest", and "bromance," to describe what they witnessed between a rising political superstar and a famously adversarial President. Here's a summary of the headlines spanning the political spectrum from the liberal Huffpost to the Mamdani-phobic NY Post:

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It was all fascinating to watch and the President affectionately posted selfies on his social media account (even including a picture of Mamdani by himself!). Outlets like AP, CNN, and the Hill provided helpful key takeaways. 

Basically, the winners were:

1. Mamdani, who cemented his status as an important new political figure 

2. Trump, who found common ground with Mamdani on affordability which had contributed to his falling approval ratings

3. New York City, their shared love

The losers, for the time being, were:

1. The GOP overall, whose "hopes of running an anti-Mamdani scare campaign next year just took a big hit, straight from the president."

2. Elisa Stefanik, specifically, who is aiming to take Kathy Hochul's job as NY Governor. She meekly "agreed to disagree" with the President.     

History: NYC Elects Zohran Mamdani!

A historic night: Mamdani to become the first Muslim mayor of NYC, the youngest mayor in over 100 years (at 34 years old), in election with the biggest voter turnout (2+ million) since 1969!!! A Democratic Socialist in the financial capital of the world to boot! And it looks like, despite the tens of millions spent against him by the billionaire class, he will have an outright 50%+ majority win. Mabrouk beta!

OAN Asks the Hard Questions...Really?

One America News (OAN) is a family-owned, far-right, pro-Trump news channel popular with many in the MAGA base. President Trump also loves the network; so much so, that his administration plans to publish news from OAN on the Voice of America and other U.S.-run media. So, it is salient what plays on OAN.

On foreign policy, MAGA's views on Israel appear to be shifting after Netanyahu's pre-emptive attack on Iran that threatened to embroil the U.S. in another Mideast war. In a further sign of unease with Israeli policies that are at odds with MAGA's "America's First" tenant, OAN host Matt Gaetz (the controversial ex-Congressman and Trump acolyte) ran a segment titled: How Many Americans Do Israeli Settlers Have to Kill Before We Care? The report covered the killing of 20-year old Palestinian-American Saif Musallet in the West Bank that Gaetz called an act of terrorism. Gaetz also talks about broader attacks on Palestinians by Israel with U.S. tax dollars...so, OAN doing hard-hitting news now?

Say My Name, Say My Name...

Today is the final day for early voting ahead of Tuesday's Democratic primary election for New York City mayor. Since NYC is a heavily Democratic city, so the winner of the primary will be heavily favored to win the general mayoral election (in November). Andrew Cuomo, the former disgraced NY state governor, is the front runner. But an exciting insurgent campaign from a young, charismatic state senator, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, has shaken up the race. Mr. Mamdani,33, is an Indian American Muslim born in Uganda, who is running on a socialist platform to tackle NYC's most pressing problems: the high cost of living and gaping economic inequality. Mamdani is the son of Columbia University professor, Mahmood Mamdani, and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair and has represented New York's 36th State Assembly district in Queens since 2021.  

In the primary debates, Mamdani took Cuomo to task a number of times, no more so when asked why he would be a better candidate that his opponent. After rattling off a multitude of important reasons why he is the better choice, he pointedly corrected Mr. Cuomo that his name is pronounced Mamdani...M-A-M-D-A-N-I. Mic drop...

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Mamdani has been a staunch defender of Palestinian rights for years and has not shied away from his position even as he seeks to be the mayor of a city with almost a million Jews. Not surprisingly he's had to defend himself against allegations of antisemitism. Here Whitney Tilson, another candidate, tries to bait him with the same. But Mamdani gives such an eloquent response that even Tilson seems persuaded. 

Go vote!! Ve a votar!!

Chappelle Show, Chappelle Show...

Dave Chappelle was back...hosting the first SNL episode of 2025 (his fourth time overall). And he did not disappoint, riffing on the L.A. fires, Freak-Offs, immigrants, etc. in a trademark 17-minute monologue filled with hilarious but sharp commentary (most opening SNL stand-ups clock in around 7-8 minutes). Chappelle ended with words of empathy and compassion for displaced people..."whether in the Palisades or Palestine." Enjoy...

Israeli Exceptionalism

In a powerful segment, Jon Stewart calls out American hypocrisy when comes to America's favorite ally. Referring to the conflict in Gaza, Stewart remarks that justice is beginning to "look like cruelty," but not to worry America is on the case with its "universal values." And then proceeds to expose the contrasts and glaring contradictions in Joe Biden's approach to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The journalist Spencer Ackerman effectively made the same argument in a scathing op-ed in the NYT, arguing America is undermining its credibility by having a different standard for Israel. As Stewart dryly notes, "Every time America tells the world that there’s something we won't allow, Israel seems to say, 'Challenge accepted.'"

Thanks Jon... it's all very "concerning".  

Ramy: God, Free Palestine!

Arab-Muslim comedian Ramy Youssef hosted a "spiritual" SNL last night with ongoing Ramadan and Easter Sunday coming together. Youssef gave a funny and heartfelt monologue, riffing on the Arab-American experience, politics, and prayer. He ended the segment by asking God to "free the people of Palestine" and "free all the hostages." His plea for the liberation of Gaza and West Bank received rapturous applause from the audience as polls show the majority of Americans (55%) oppose Israeli action in Gaza. Among Democrats it's closer to 80%. Ya habibi!

There was also a funny bit on Ramadan Ozepmic:

Ilhan Omar: Lost in Translation

Ilhan Abdullahi Omar made history in 2019 when she became the first Somali American in the U.S. Congress and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. She was also one of the first Muslim women in Congress along with Michigan's Rashida Tlaib. Both are core members of the "Squad", an informal group of progressive Democrats, who are a favorite target of many Republicans. The latest brouhaha flared up earlier this after a clip of Omar making a speech in Somali went viral on X. In it she was purportedly bragging about advancing a Somalia First agenda in Congress. As context, Omar was expressing support for the Somali government in its dispute with a breakaway republic within Somalia, called Somaliland, that is not recognized by the U.S. 

The meltdown from the right was swift and predictable. Fellow Minnesotan and GOP Majority Whip, Tom Emmers, demanded Omar resign in disgrace. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that she should be expelled from Congress, stripped of her citizenship and deported. Naturally, Majorie Talyor Greene called her words treasonous and sought to censure her. Except...that Omar never said any such thing. The video of Omar’s speech was circulated on social media with distorted English captions. 

As per the Intelligencer, the "captions made it appear that Omar had said that she and her audience were “Somalians first, Muslims second,” and that “The U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders.” 

However independent reviews by the Minnesota Reformer and the Minneapolis Star Tribune found significant differences between the videos’ claims and what Omar actually said. 

Per the Star Tribune, that part of Omar’s speech actually went as follows: “My answer was the U.S. government will do what we tell the U.S. government to do. We as Somalis should have that confidence in ourselves. We live in this country. We pay taxes in this country. It’s a country where one of your own sits in Congress. As long as I’m in Congress, no one will take Somalia’s sea. And the United States will not support other people to rob us. Rest assured, Minnesotans. The woman you sent to Congress is aware of you and has the same interest as you.”

In fact, Omar's position on the issue of Somaliland is in line with U.S. policy. So, there shouldn't have been any controversy. But if you're Somali, Muslim, and/or both, things are always a little more complicated. Best for Omar keep her speeches in English at all times...so nothing gets lost in translation.

Trevor Noah Asks the Hard Question: What is Your Responsibility?

With fighting raging in Jerusalem Trevor Noah bravely addressed the tensions in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Look, this is a very difficult and contentious issue...so complex, Noah acknowledged, that even Jared Kushner couldn't solve it! Yet, Noah  in ten minutes did a better job of in the describing the situation than any mainstream journalist has ever been able to. He rightfully points out that depending on when you start the clock on a conflict that goes back 73 years, you can fairly blame one side or the other. (I'd also add the damn Brits! Who, really, when you think about it are responsible for many of the world's long-running conflicts...but I digress). At the end of the day, today, with a vastly superior military strength, Noah points out that Israel faces no real existential threat from the Palestinians, and that imbalance is akin to a teenage Noah fighting his annoying and pesky 5-year old cousins. Yes, the kids are trying their hardest to land a punch and will fight dirty, but Noah understands the difference between them and his responsibility not do the same. So he bluntly asks, "What responsibility does Israel have?"    

It was a pretty powerful The Daily Show segment. Raw and genuine. Watch it below (or again).

Separately, the NYT ran two op-eds today featuring the latest Mid-east conflict. One is from the paper's "conscience," Nicholas Kristof, who is critical of Hamas and of Israeli policies that led to their rise and also unconditional U.S. military aid, some $112 billion since 1946. 

The second is from Peter Beinart, who writes about the Nabka, or “catastrophe” in Arabic, generally referring to the over 700,000 Palestinians expelled during Israel’s founding. Beinart notes that it's a difficult subject for many of his fellow Jews to discuss "because [it's] inextricably bound up with Israel’s creation. Without the mass expulsion of Palestinians in 1948, Zionist leaders would have had neither the land nor the large Jewish majority necessary to create a viable Jewish state." Today, Israeli leaders insist Palestinians give up their demands to return citing facts on the ground. Beinart find this demand rich in irony because "because no people in human history have clung as stubbornly to the dream of return as have Jews. Establishment Jewish leaders denounce the fact that Palestinians pass down their identity as refugees to their children and grandchildren. But Jews have passed down our identity as refugees for 2,000 years. In our holidays and liturgy we continually mourn our expulsion and express our yearning for return."

At the same Beinart does provides some hope of reconciliation recounting the experience of George Bisharat, a Palestinian-American law professor. After Bisharat "wrote about the house in Jerusalem that his grandfather had built and been robbed of, a former Israeli soldier who had lived in it contacted him unexpectedly. “I am sorry, I was blind. What we did was wrong, but I participated in it and I cannot deny it,” the former soldier said when they met, and then added, “I owe your family three months’ rent.” Mr. Bisharat later wrote that he was inspired to match the Israeli’s humanity."

Ultimately, our common humanity overwhelms our differences. My guess is, if Israelis and Palestinians got to know each other better they would realize they have more in common than difference.