Mississippi
How NYC mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is tied to Mississippi
Zohran Mamdani beats Andrew Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary election
Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani defied political expectations and beat Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral democratic primary.
Long before Zohran Mamdani shocked New York City’s political establishment, his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, told a different story of immigration and identity — set in Greenwood.
Nair, an Indian-American filmmaker, directed the 1991 movie “Mississippi Masala,” starring a young Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury.
The film tells a love story between an Indian-Ugandan woman, forced to flee her home in Uganda, and a Black man living in Mississippi. Set against the backdrop of racial tensions in the American South and the perils of forced migration, the film explores themes of identity, belonging and interracial relationships.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist and New York Assembly member, shocked the nation when he beat out former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, securing his place as the party’s nominee. Cuomo, who was seen as the frontrunner, conceded to Mamdani after polls closed on Tuesday, June 24.
Mamdani’s win also drew the attention — and scorn — of President Donald Trump, who mocked Mamdani on social media as “a 100% Communist Lunatic.” In response, Mamdani, unfazed, laughed and doubled down on his platform. In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, June 26, he said, “It probably won’t be the first time that President Trump is going to comment on myself.”
In a February-post shared to social media, Mamdani, who was born the same year the film was release, explained that his parents met while Nair was filming “Mississippi Masala.”
“She taught me that if we don’t tell our own stories no one else will and too often when it comes to stories about people of color, by people of color, we don’t have that funding in New York City and across the world,” Mamdani said, adding that, if elected, he plans to prioritize funding for art projects that reflect New York City’s full diversity.
While location scouting for the film, Nair met Mahmood Mamdani, the mayoral hopeful’s father, who was among the Indian minority expelled from Uganda under dictator Idi Amin in the 1970s. The elder Mamdani was an author and academic, and after marrying, the pair moved for his work sporadically before settling in New York City, where their son is now gunning to be the city’s leader.
Other major films Nair has directed include, 2001’s “Monsoon Wedding,” which won a Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, and “Salaam Bombay!” — an Indian-Hindi language film that received a nomination for best international film feature at the 1989 Academy Awards. More recently, Nair directed the 2016 film “Queen of Katwe,” a biographical drama about Ugandan professional chess player Phiona Mutesi.
Mamdani will now head to the general election in November, where he will face multiple challengers, including incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who recently had federal corruption charges dropped in April. Adams, a fellow Democrat, opted to run as an independent this year so he did not participate in the Democratic primary.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman and Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today
Contact Charlie Drape at cdrape@gannett.com
Mississippi College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever
The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015
MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3
Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.
Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
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