Steven Roth, the chief executive of Vornado Realty Trust, used an earnings call on Tuesday to castigate Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York for his “tax-the-rich” rhetoric, which he likened to a racial slur or a pro-Palestinian rallying cry.

“I must say that I consider the phrase ‘tax the rich’ — quote, tax the rich — when spit out with anger and contempt by politicians both here and across the country, to be just as hateful as some disgusting racial slurs and even the phrase, ‘from the river to the sea,’” Mr. Roth said, referring to the pro-Palestinian phrase that some Jews believe amounts to a call for ethnic cleansing.

Mr. Roth said “tax the rich” suggests that the wealthy are evil and should be made targets, and he criticized the mayor for singling out Kenneth C. Griffin, a fellow tycoon, in his campaign to force rich New Yorkers to pay more to support the city’s programs.

Mr. Roth said Mr. Mamdani’s decision to film a social media video celebrating Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed pied-à-terre tax in front of Mr. Griffin’s multistory penthouse — in a building developed by Vornado — was “dangerous” and an “ugly, unnecessary video stunt.”

Mr. Griffin, who bought the penthouse in 2019 for $238 million, had no immediate comment.

Joe Calvello, a spokesman for the mayor, said in a statement that “Mayor Mamdani wants all New Yorkers to succeed,” including Mr. Griffin, “who is a major employer in our city and a powerful figure in our economy.”

He added: “That does not negate the fact, however, that our tax system is fundamentally broken. It rewards extreme wealth while working people are pushed to the brink.”

Mr. Mamdani, 34, ran for office promising to fund expansive new government programs by raising taxes on wealthy individuals and major corporations. Mr. Roth spent heavily against Mr. Mamdani and in favor of his opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

But in the face of a budget gap, Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has instead said those same taxes are also necessary to balance the books.

Unfortunately for Mr. Mamdani, New York City does not control its own tax policy, and Ms. Hochul, who is facing re-election this year, has steadfastly refused to accede to Mr. Mamdani’s demands. But facing pressure from Mr. Mamdani’s base, she did embrace a longstanding proposal to tax expensive second homes in the five boroughs.

And so, on April 15, Tax Day, Mr. Mamdani stood in front of Mr. Griffin’s building and claimed victory.

“This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million, whose owners do not live full-time in the city, like for this penthouse, which hedge fund C.E.O. Ken Griffin bought for $238 million,” Mr. Mamdani said in the video, which has since been viewed 52 million times.

At the time Mr. Griffin bought it, the condo was the most expensive home in America.

Mr. Griffin, who is worth an estimated $50 billion, responded on Tuesday with pique.

“It was creepy and weird,” Mr. Griffin said of Mr. Mamdani’s comments during an onstage interview at an investment conference in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Mr. Griffin elaborated in a separate Tuesday interview on CNBC.

Mr. Mamdani “seems to have forgotten that the C.E.O. of another American company was assassinated just blocks from where I live in New York,” Mr. Griffin said, referring to the 2024 killing of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare.

A week after Mr. Mamdani’s video, Gerald Beeson, the chief operating officer of Citadel, Mr. Griffin’s hedge fund, sent out a letter to his colleagues suggesting that the company might mothball a new $6 billion skyscraper headquarters on Park Avenue that it had been planning to build with Vornado, denouncing Mr. Mamdani’s rhetoric and noting Citadel’s existing contributions to the city.

“Over the past five years, our principals and team members (including nonresidents) have paid nearly $2.3 billion dollars in city and state taxes, providing funds to support the city’s infrastructure, schools, parks and first responders,” Mr. Beeson wrote.

Mr. Griffin said on Tuesday that the development would “probably” move forward, even as he said that Citadel has also decided to expand its office space in Miami, a move for which he also blamed Mr. Mamdani.

“We will add far more jobs in Miami over the next decade as an immediate and direct consequence of the mayor’s poor decision here, with respect to his posting of that video,” Mr. Griffin said.

Mr. Griffin has a history of leaving major American cities in the dust. He famously left Chicago amid rising crime and a feud with Gov. JB Pritzker.

Possibly aware of that, Mr. Mamdani has since softened his rhetoric on Mr. Griffin, even thanking him during a recent Police Department ceremony for funding a memorial wall for fallen officers.

And Mr. Roth on Tuesday offered a note of modest praise for Mr. Mamdani.

“Our mayor is young, smart and energetic,” Mr. Roth said. “With a little tweak here, a little tweak there, his leadership could make this great city even greater.”

But Mr. Griffin deserves an apology, Mr. Roth argued.

“The rich, whom the politicians are targeting, started with nothing, are the epitome of the American dream,” he said. “They are at the top of the great American economic pyramid for a reason. They should be praised and thanked.”

Rob Copeland contributed reporting.

A starry season on Broadway means a starry list of Tony nominees: John Lithgow, Daniel Radcliffe, Lesley Manville and Rose Byrne all picked up nods on Tuesday morning as the first groups of nominees were announced on CBS.

Among the other nominees for performances in leading roles are two longtime Broadway favorites: Nathan Lane and Kelli O’Hara. This is O’Hara’s ninth Tony nomination (she has won once).

The race for best new musical — traditionally the category with the greatest financial impact — came down to four shows, all of which could use a box-office boost: “The Lost Boys,” “Titaníque,” “Schmigadoon!” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).”

For best new play, the nominees include Bess Wohl’s “Liberation,” which on Monday won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, as well as “The Balusters,” by David Lindsay-Abaire; “Giant,” by Mark Rosenblatt; and “Little Bear Ridge Road,” by Samuel D. Hunter.

Lane (“Death of a Salesman”), Lithgow (“Giant”) and Radcliffe (“Every Brilliant Thing”) were all nominated as best actor in a play, alongside Will Harrison (“Punch”) and Mark Strong (“Oedipus”). Byrne and O’Hara, co-starring in a revival of “Fallen Angels,” will face Carrie Coon (“Bug”), Susannah Flood (“Liberation”) and Manville (“Oedipus”), in the race for best leading actress in a play.

The nominees for best leading actress in a musical are all first-time nominees: Sara Chase (“Schmigadoon!”), Stephanie Hsu (“The Rocky Horror Show”), Caissie Levy (“Ragtime”), Marla Mindelle (“Titaníque”) and Christiani Pitts (“Two Strangers”). The race for best leading actor in a musical, dominated throughout the season by Joshua Henry of “Ragtime,” also features Nicholas Christopher (“Chess”), Luke Evans (“The Rocky Horror Show”), Sam Tutty (“Two Strangers”) and Brandon Uranowitz (“Ragtime”).

The nominations are being announced in New York by the actors Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss. A half-dozen top categories were first made public on “CBS Mornings,” and the full slate is set to be read at 9 a.m. on the Tony Awards YouTube channel.

The nominations announcement begins a monthlong award period as the 857 Tony voters — mostly people who work in theater or who help finance Broadway shows — finish seeing the latest productions, while the productions, constrained by newly restrictive rules limiting campaigning and promotion, look for ways to remind voters about the strengths of their nominees. The awards ceremony will take place on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall, hosted by the musician Pink and broadcast on CBS.

The season has been a mixed bag for Broadway. Overall attendance and grosses are up over last season, but profitability rates are low because of skyrocketing production costs, and there is rising consumer concern about ticket prices. Only six new musicals opened this season, down from 14 last season.

The Tony Awards, which honor plays and musicals performed in the 41 Manhattan theaters that make up Broadway, are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing. This year, 19 plays and 11 musicals are eligible for awards because they opened on Broadway between April 28, 2025, and April 26, 2026.

The nominees were chosen by a committee of 55 people with theater expertise or experience, but who do not work on, or have a financial interest in, the season’s shows.

Some noncompetitive awards have already been announced.

Lifetime achievement awards will go to André Bishop, who last year stepped down after leading Lincoln Center Theater for 33 years; Jules Fisher, a lighting designer; and James Lapine, the playwright and director. Mary-Mitchell Campbell, a music director, will receive the Isabelle Stevenson Award, which honors volunteerism.

This year’s Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater will go to the 1/52 Project, which supports early career designers, as well as to Jake Bell, a production manager; Kenn Lubin, a signage designer; and Loren Plotkin, an entertainment lawyer.

Seated before an array of New York State senators on Monday, Lara Blume McGee was asked by one lawmaker why it had taken her so long to go public with the details of how Jeffrey Epstein had abused her.

She paused for a moment, another victim of Mr. Epstein’s by her side, and leaned forward to speak into the microphone in the State Capitol.

“Fear,” said Ms. Blume McGee, who had been 17 and an aspiring model when Mr. Epstein abused her. It took her about 20 years to come forward.

“Jeffrey Epstein was a great manipulator,” she added, explaining that she feared being sued and having her life ruined by his capacity for retribution.

Ms. Blume McGee was among four women who testified in the State Capitol about the trauma Mr. Epstein inflicted upon them and the lasting damage he did to their lives. The appearance of two of the women — Ms. Blume McGee and Carine Silva De Deus — had been expected, but two other women — Glendys Espinal and Alexandra Golematis — also came forward. Both said they were speaking publicly for the first time about their experiences with Mr. Epstein.

Their testimony comes as State Senator Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat from Brooklyn, seeks support for legislation intended to update state sex-trafficking laws. The goal, Mr. Myrie said, was to better equip the state to handle the kinds of crimes that Mr. Epstein was accused of committing by criminalizing the actions of people who helped perpetuate his behavior.

If passed, the laws would also allow Mr. Epstein’s victims to sue his associates and his estate in state court for punitive damages. State law prevents people from seeking punitive damages from the estate of someone who has died.

“Trafficking is not sustained by one single actor. It is not just Jeffrey Epstein,” said Kathryn Robb, a lawyer who has been pushing for these sorts of legislative changes across the country.

“It is a network that includes financial backers, businesses and other intermediaries, who often escape accountability,” she added. “This bill will disrupt that.”

Ms. Espinal, a Bronx native, said she first met Mr. Epstein during her sophomore year of high school, when she was brought in to give him massages. The demands from the financier quickly escalated, and she said she still has post-traumatic stress disorder from these interactions, which occurred between 2005 and 2008.

“What was going through my head at the time was just pure shame and intimidation,” she said.

Mr. Myrie’s bill, which has no companion legislation in the Assembly as of yet, is not state lawmakers’ only effort to reckon with Mr. Epstein’s legacy and the pain he caused hundreds of women.

Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter, a Democrat from the Syracuse area, and Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat representing parts of Manhattan, have introduced a bill that would close what they call the “Epstein loophole.” In the state’s laws relating to prostitution, the buyers of a sex worker’s services, or those facilitating them, are excluded from punishment under the statute relating to people being punished for “advancing prostitution.”

“New York should act quickly and close the Epstein loophole, which would have prevented men like Jeffrey Epstein and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs from being charged with trafficking at the state level,” Ms. Hunter said in a statement last month.

“This bill is necessary to ensure that traffickers and sex buyers are held accountable, while survivors of sexual exploitation are given the care and support they need,” she added, explaining that the law would also reduce punishments for those who perform sex work.

Mr. Epstein and his estate have settled several lawsuits with victims in recent years. The New York Times reported in February that a recent court filing showed that his estate was valued at $120 million, though the estimate might be an undercount.

Nathan Werksman, a lawyer for the women who testified on Monday, said that time was of the essence to change the law and give Ms. Blume McGee and others the chance to seek financial damages from Mr. Epstein’s estate.

Mr. Myrie’s bill, which the Senate Codes Committee passed on Monday, creates a one-year look-back period so that people can sue for actions that fall outside the statute of limitations. In this manner, it resembles the Adult Survivors Act, which in 2022 opened a one-time window in New York permitting people to file sex-abuse lawsuits after the statute of limitations had expired.

“The Epstein Estate is a finite amount of money that is dwindling every day, every week, and every month,” Mr. Werksman said.

“Jeffrey Epstein was able to escape criminal accountability, and his estate can escape civil liability if the estate dwindles down to nothing,” he added.

Lawyers for Mr. Epstein’s estate did not respond to emails seeking comment.