Politics
NYC voters embrace democratic socialism as AOC, Sanders stump for Mamdani
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Several New York City voters, who spoke to Fox News Digital at a Sunday rally, said New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are the future of the Democratic Party.
Thousands of voters gathered at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on Sunday for the “New York is Not for Sale” rally in support of Mamdani, the 34-year-old self-identified democratic socialist and frontrunner in the race for Gracie Mansion. Flanked by Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the trio of democratic socialists rallied the large crowd on the first weekend of early voting in the city.
“There’s going to be no party unless they are the future,” Nuala O’Doherty-Naranjo, an immigration lawyer who lives in Ocasio-Cortez’s district in Jackson Heights, Queens, told Fox News Digital.
When asked if she identifies as a democratic socialist, like Mamdani, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders, O’Doherty-Naranjo said, “DSA all the way.”
PROGRESSIVE POWER PLAYERS RALLY VOTERS FOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI AS EARLY VOTING KICKS OFF IN NYC MAYORAL RACE
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., react on stage during a “New York is Not for Sale” rally at Forest Hills Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City on Oct. 26, 2025. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)
Mamdani is a member of New York City’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The DSA has endorsed his candidacy and some of its members delivered remarks during the star-studded rally on Sunday.
BERNIE SANDERS, ZOHRAN MAMDANI TEAM UP TO ‘FIGHT OLIGARCHY’ IN NYC
Hallie, who lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, said she supports Mamdani for the “obvious reasons,” including representing “every New Yorker” with his commitment to affordability and safety.
She said that Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez are “absolutely” the future of the Democratic Party and that his candidacy gives her hope.
“I feel like that’s very clear with the turnout for this election, for the primaries, and just like seeing the people that are here filling a stadium just to support him, I think that’s a big indication of the future,” Hallie said.
More than 10,000 supporters packed into Forest Hills Stadium on Sunday, according to the Mamdani campaign.
New York Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani, center, celebrates with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., right, during an election rally on Oct. 26, 2025, at Forest Hills Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. (Andres Kudacki/Getty Images)
“To me, socialism just means that there’s more advocacy and more attention being paid to the working class, the people who are actually uplifting society and working to make it what it is,” Hallie said, explaining that, to her, socialism is about everyone paying their fair share.
“I speak the language of democratic socialism only because he spoke it first,” Mamdani said of Sanders as the crowd joined him in declaring, “New York is not for sale” on Sunday.
The trio has invigorated the Democratic Party’s progressive base at a time when Democrats are still grappling with devastating losses in 2024 as growing discontent with President Donald Trump’s sweeping, second-term agenda.
A slew of state and local leaders also joined the rally, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., who endorsed Mamdani last month and has since campaigned for him.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks on stage during a campaign rally for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani at Forest Hills Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City on Oct. 26, 2025. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
Hochul was heckled by attendees several times during her remarks, who chanted, “Tax the rich!”
Mamdani’s plan to raise taxes on corporations and the top 1% of New Yorkers to pay for his campaign promises, like free childcare, free buses and city-run grocery stores, would require Hochul’s approval, and the governor has ruled out raising taxes.
“I hear ya,” Hochul responded as the stadium erupted with pleas to “tax the rich!”
“I love everything Zoran is bringing to the table as far as giving a new sort of energy and enthusiasm to New York City politics, actually caring about the citizens of New York City, finding life to be affordable and enjoyable and healthy for all of us. I don’t see how anybody couldn’t get behind that,” Matt Ransdell, who lives in Manhattan’s Washington Heights, told Fox News Digital.
Ransdell said Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez “could be” the future of the Democratic Party, adding that the democratic socialist movement of Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani is “so fresh and encouraging.”
“There’s something incredibly communal about it,” Ransdell said. “The way I feel actually bonded, even here at this rally, it’s insane. The energy is infectious,” he said.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a campaign rally at Forest Hills Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City on Oct. 26, 2025. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
“The voice of the younger generation is speaking as loud as it can, and if the older generation isn’t willing to listen, we’re going to have a problem,” Randsell added.
Lane, another New Yorker who attended Sunday’s rally, said he hopes they are the future.
“Look, not everyone’s going to support him,” Lane said. “He’s got maybe a brand that’s a little bit further ahead of what some people’s tastes are, but I certainly support him. I certainly hope that that’s the direction that the party goes in.”
Lane said he “absolutely” identifies as a democratic socialist, “maybe even further if that’s possible.”
Jessica, who lives in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and works for Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led progressive political action group, said Mamdani’s campaign has “energized a lot of young people,” inspiring them to get out and vote.
She said Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez “both understand the affordability crisis that young people face right now and are both actually proposing policies to fight that and make young adults’ lives better.”
“Young people are the future of the Democratic Party,” Jessica said. “I think it’s young voters who are canvassing, getting out there, making their voices heard, that’s who’s shaping it,” she said.
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The latest Fox News survey, conducted Oct. 10-14, ahead of the first general election debate last week, revealed that Mamdani has a substantial lead in the race.
According to the poll, Mamdani has a 21-point lead among New York City registered voters with 49% of voters backing Mamdani, while 28% go for Cuomo and 13% favor Sliwa.
Mamdani also rose above the 50% threshold among likely voters, garnering 52% support, while Cuomo picked up 28%, and Sliwa received just 14%.
Politics
Trump plans to meet with Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado next week
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President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Washington next week.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Trump was asked if he intends to meet with Machado after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro.
“Well, I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump said.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado waves a national flag during a protest called by the opposition on the eve of the presidential inauguration, in Caracas on January 9, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
This will be Trump’s first meeting with Machado, who the U.S. president stated “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country” to lead.
According to reports, Trump’s refusal to support Machado was linked to her accepting the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump believed he deserved.
But Trump later told NBC News that while he believed Machado should not have won the award, her acceptance of the prize had “nothing to do with my decision” about the prospect of her leading Venezuela.
Politics
California sues Trump administration over ‘baseless and cruel’ freezing of child-care funds
California is suing the Trump administration over its “baseless and cruel” decision to freeze $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family assistance allocated to California and four other Democratic-led states, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Thursday.
The lawsuit was filed jointly by the five states targeted by the freeze — California, New York, Minnesota, Illinois and Colorado — over the Trump administration’s allegations of widespread fraud within their welfare systems. California alone is facing a loss of about $5 billion in funding, including $1.4 billion for child-care programs.
The lawsuit alleges that the freeze is based on unfounded claims of fraud and infringes on Congress’ spending power as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This is just the latest example of Trump’s willingness to throw vulnerable children, vulnerable families and seniors under the bus if he thinks it will advance his vendetta against California and Democratic-led states,” Bonta said at a Thursday evening news conference.
The $10-billion funding freeze follows the administration’s decision to freeze $185 million in child-care funds to Minnesota, where federal officials allege that as much as half of the roughly $18 billion paid to 14 state-run programs since 2018 may have been fraudulent. Amid the fallout, Gov. Tim Walz has ordered a third-party audit and announced that he will not seek a third term.
Bonta said that letters sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcing the freeze Tuesday provided no evidence to back up claims of widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in California. The freeze applies to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Social Services Block Grant program and the Child Care and Development Fund.
“This is funding that California parents count on to get the safe and reliable child care they need so that they can go to work and provide for their families,” he said. “It’s funding that helps families on the brink of homelessness keep roofs over their heads.”
Bonta also raised concerns regarding Health and Human Services’ request that California turn over all documents associated with the state’s implementation of the three programs. This requires the state to share personally identifiable information about program participants, a move Bonta called “deeply concerning and also deeply questionable.”
“The administration doesn’t have the authority to override the established, lawful process our states have already gone through to submit plans and receive approval for these funds,” Bonta said. “It doesn’t have the authority to override the U.S. Constitution and trample Congress’ power of the purse.”
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan and marked the 53rd suit California had filed against the Trump administration since the president’s inauguration last January. It asks the court to block the funding freeze and the administration’s sweeping demands for documents and data.
Politics
Video: Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela
new video loaded: Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela
transcript
transcript
Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela
President Trump did not say exactly how long the the United states would control Venezuela, but said that it could last years.
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“How Long do you think you’ll be running Venezuela?” “Only time will tell. Like three months. six months, a year, longer?” “I would say much longer than that.” “Much longer, and, and —” “We have to rebuild. You have to rebuild the country, and we will rebuild it in a very profitable way. We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need. I would love to go, yeah. I think at some point, it will be safe.” “What would trigger a decision to send ground troops into Venezuela?” “I wouldn’t want to tell you that because I can’t, I can’t give up information like that to a reporter. As good as you may be, I just can’t talk about that.” “Would you do it if you couldn’t get at the oil? Would you do it —” “If they’re treating us with great respect. As you know, we’re getting along very well with the administration that is there right now.” “Have you spoken to Delcy Rodríguez?” “I don’t want to comment on that, but Marco speaks to her all the time.”
January 8, 2026
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