Episode Details

The New Yorker staff writer Molly Fischer joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss Zohran Mamdani’s first hundred days as mayor of New York. They talk about how Mamdani has carried his highly disciplined, media-forward messaging style into office—and how his governing style combines practical city management with a focus on visible and public-facing execution. They also explore the status of his core initiatives, including universal child care and other affordability measures, whether he has scaled back or recalibrated some campaign promises, and how he has navigated relationships with figures such as Governor Kathy Hochul and President Donald Trump as he tries to harness his political momentum into durable results.

This week’s reading:

• “Zohran Mamdani, Perpetual Student of the City,” by Molly Fischer
• “ ‘The Peace President’ Gets Belligerent with Iran and the Pope,” by Robin Wright
• “What Brought Down Eric Swalwell,” by Jon Allsop
• “TMZ Gets Political,” by Paul Mejía
• “The Hungarian Election Shows That Even Strongmen Can Lose,” by Andrew Marantz
• “The Extremes of Israeli Public Opinion,” by Isaac Chotiner

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 

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