Northeast
Critics say Mamdani’s vow to swap ‘rugged individualism’ with ‘warmth of collectivism’ has sinister undertone
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Freshly inaugurated New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic socialist, promoted “collectivism” over “rugged individualism” during a speech on Thursday, and prominent conservative figures nationwide responded by sounding the alarm about collectivist ideology.
“We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism,” Mamdani declared in his inaugural address.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — a Republican who pursued the GOP presidential nomination during the past election cycle but ultimately dropped out and endorsed President Donald Trump — raised the matter of the massive death toll associated with collectivism.
HOURS AFTER TAKING OFFICE, NYC MAYOR MAMDANI TARGETS LANDLORDS, MOVES TO INTERVENE IN PRIVATE BANKRUPTCY CASE
Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses the crowd at the 2026 New York City Inauguration outside of City Hall in New York City on Jan. 1, 2026. (Jason Alpert-Wisnia / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
“The ‘warmth’ of collectivism that always requires coercion and force. How many dead over the past 100 years due to collectivist ideologies?” DeSantis wrote in a post on X.
House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan called Mamdani a “communist,” a label which he has previously rejected.
DESANTIS WARNS GOP FACES ‘ISSUE’ KEEPING TRUMP VOTERS ENGAGED IN FUTURE ELECTIONS
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to reporters during a press conference as he stands on the airplane runway of Alligator Alcatraz in Ochopee, Fla., on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Zohran Mamdani is a dangerous communist who is likely to DESTROY NYC through his dedication to communist ideology. Let’s be clear: COMMUNISM HAS FAILED everywhere it has been tried. NYC will be no different,” she asserted in a post on X.
Mamdani said last year during an appearance on “The View” that he is “not a Communist.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, responded to Mamdani’s controversial remark on Thursday by asserting, “When communists rule, individual rights — invariably — are taken away.”
NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI DENIES TRUMP’S ‘COMMUNIST’ LABEL ON ‘THE VIEW’
“Collectivism isn’t warm,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, declared in a post.
“It’s as cold as ice and locks the poor into perpetual poverty,” he continued. “Free markets have elevated more people out of poverty than any government program ever could.”
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who is running for Lone Star State attorney general, asserted in a post, “The Marxist and the Islamist are the enemy. The Mayor of New York is both.”
Read the full article from Here
State Treasurer Erick Russell achieved a 14% increase last year investing Connecticut’s pension fund assets, gaining roughly $8.3 billion for retirement programs for state employees, teachers and other municipal workers.
The state, which oversees nearly $69 billion in pension assets, aims for an average annual return on pension investments of 6.9%.
Expectations for bigger gains grew throughout the past year as key stock market indices surged. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, an index of 30 prominent companies listed on stock exchanges, grew by more than 13% in 2025. And the S&P 500, which follows 500 traded companies, topped 16%.
Among peer states and other entities that manage public pension funds holding more than $10 billion in assets, Connecticut’s 2025 performance ranks in the top 17%, Russell said.
But the treasurer, who also announced this week he will seek a second term, said the latest big earnings stem from more than the big gains Wall Street enjoyed in 2025.
“Markets certainly have been strong, but a lot of this is about our overall asset allocation,” said Russell, who updated the Investment Advisory Council Tuesday on the state’s portfolio. “The progress we’ve been making … is a good sign that we’re set up for future success.”
Russell also reported investment gains of 10.3% for the 2024 calendar year and 12.8% for 2023.
State officials particularly have focused on improving investment returns since a May 2023 report from Yale University researchers found Connecticut’s results badly lagged the nation’s over the prior decade.
That only compounded an even larger pension problem that state officials began to address in the early 2010s. According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, Connecticut governors and legislatures failed to save adequate for pension benefits for more than seven decades prior to 2011. This deprived the state treasurer of huge assets that otherwise could have been invested to generate billions of dollars in revenue over those seven decades.
The treasurer’s office under Russell has put more funds into private and domestic markets and curbed reliance on investment managers who receive large fees for their work.
Gov. Ned Lamont and the General Assembly also have greatly assisted efforts to bolster the fiscal health of pension programs in recent years. Since 2020, they have used $10 billion from budget surpluses to make supplemental payments into pensions for state employees and municipal teachers. That’s in addition to annual required payments that currently approach $3.3 billion in the General Fund.
“These returns highlight the impressive work of Treasurer Russell and his team in increasing investment returns,” Lamont’s budget spokesman, Chris Collibee, said Tuesday. “Gov. Lamont’s focus has been on building a sustainable Connecticut for the future. Every dollar in additional investment revenue is funds the state can use to cut taxes and provide more resources for essential programs like education, child care, housing, and social services safety nets.”
Russell, a New Haven Democrat, said he has tried to make the office both “disciplined and forward-looking.”
“Over the last several years, we haven’t just changed how the office works, we’ve changed who it works for. We’re ushering in a new era of fiscal responsibility, making significant payments on long-term debt that has allowed us to invest in the residents of Connecticut and begin to lift up communities across our state.”
Russell also brokered a key compromise in 2023 between Lamont and the legislature that salvaged the Baby Bonds program, an initiative that invests long-term funds in Connecticut’s poorest children when they’re born to help finance educational and business opportunities later in life.
Keith M. Phaneuf is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (https://ctmirror.org). Copyright 2026 © The Connecticut Mirror.
A person was hit by a vehicle Tuesday morning in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Police responded just after 10 a.m. to the crash at the intersection of Elm Street and Carter Street.
Officers began treating the pedestrian, who was then taken to an area hospital with unspecified injuries.
The driver stayed at the scene, the Waltham Police Department said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says
Pension fund assets for retired CT state employees and teachers up 14%
Coast Guard Responding to Large Barge Fire in Delaware Bay
Florida woman confesses to stabbing 76-year-old roommate to death, authorities say
With voting over, Georgia’s election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene could be test of Trump’s influence
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City
Trump stirs GOP primary drama with visit to Massie’s Kentucky home turf
Israeli air strike targets building in south Lebanon
Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics
Trump reveals top issues GOP should focus on to secure midterms victory: ‘I’ve never been more confident’
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Maryland1 week agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Pennsylvania5 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Florida1 week agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Detroit, MI4 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Sports6 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death
-
Miami, FL6 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project