Democracy Now! Audio - Democracy Now! 2025-09-29 Monday

Episode Date: September 29, 2025

Headlines for September 29, 2025; Zohran Mamdani on Historic NYC Mayoral Run & Trump’s Meddling in Election as Eric Adams Drops Out; “War Criminal”: Thousands Call to Arrest Netanyahu, March at U.N. Against Gaza Genocide; Black Liberation Activist Assata Shakur Dies at 78 in Cuba; Hear Her Read 1998 Letter to Pope

From New York, this is Democracy Now. Despite all we've achieved, I cannot continue my re-election campaign. New York Mayor Eric Adams drops out of the mayoral race after pressure from President Trump and business leaders to narrow the race to help disgrace former governor Andrew Cuomo beat the Democratic mayoral candidate Soran Mamdani. We'll get reaction from Mamdani in his first comments after Adams pulled out. I think it's very much the same race.

There's no shortage of Trump donors who are seeking to influence this election who are looking to spend more money than I would even tax them to try and stop our campaign. As Mamdani leads Cuomo in the polls by double digits, we'll speak with the Democratic Socialist about his platform. New Yorkers are facing twin crises, authoritarianism from Washington, D.C., and an affordability crisis from the inside. And we often tend to separate these out. We think about democracy as an ideal that must be protected, but not that democracy also has to be able to deliver on the material needs of working people. Dozens of delegates walked out of the UN General Assembly Friday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the body.

We'll hear from voices of some of the thousands of protesters outside. And finally, the former Black Liberation Leader Asada Shakur has died in Havana, Cuba, where she received political asylum decades ago. will play an excerpt of her reading an open letter to Pope John Paul II during his 1998 trip to Cuba. Let me emphasize that justice for me is not the issue I am addressing here. It is justice for my people that is at stake. When my people receive justice, I am sure that I will receive it too. All that and more coming up. Welcome to Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman.

Israel's killed at least 50 Palestinians over the past day in Gaza, as Israeli forces intensify their bombardment of Gaza City, blowing up entire city blocks. There are reports Israeli drones have struck near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Ahaloo Hospital has also been shelled. Doctors and patients, including 12 premature babies, are trapped in the hospital. Doctors Without Borders says it's been forced to suspend activities in Gaza City. The group's emergency coordinator in Gaza, Jacob Granger, said, quote, we've been left with no choice but to stop our activities as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces, unquote. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled Gaza City, but say there is.

is nowhere safe to go. This is Rami Al-Hassi, who lost a leg in an Israeli attack. He spoke as he attempted to flee Gaza City on foot. I'm walking from beach camp since yesterday, 6 a.m. I got the artificial leg recently, and I can't walk for long. I arrived at 10 p.m. to another place. We slept outside in the desert, and it was cold. I was heading south. Look at the situation.

There were airstrikes from the quadcopter, shellings from tanks, from the ships also, and targeting all the houses. We didn't have any other options. We had to leave without clothes. We don't have blankets or clothes or anything. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with President Trump at the White House today. It's his fourth trip there since Trump returned to office in January. They're expected to discuss a 21-point U.S. plan for ending the war on Gaza. One U.S. proposal calls for installing former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as the head of a transitional authority to rule Gaza.

On Sunday, Netanyahu met in New York with White House envoy Steve Whitkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who once called Gaza's waterfront property, quote, very valuable, unquote. On Friday, Netanyahu addressed the United Nations and vowed to, quote, finish the job in Gaza. But we're not done yet. The final elements, the final remnants of Hamas are holed up in Gaza City. They vow to repeat the atrocities of October 7th again and again and again, no matter how diminish their forces. That is why Israel must finish the job. That is why we want to do so as fast as possible. Netanyahu spoke to a largely empty room at the U.N. after over 100 diplomats from more than 50 countries walked out in protest.

Thousands of people also protested Netanyahu outside the U.N. with many calling for him to be arrested for war crimes. In Israel, hostage families also held protests. This is Enav Zangoka, whose son Matan has been held in Gaza for nearly two years. I'm looking you in the eyes, Netanyahu. If you come back without an agreement, a hell awaits you here that you cannot even imagine. The protests and strikes of the past weeks will seem like child's play compared to what I'm preparing for you. If you sabotage the agreement again, we will chase you until the end of time. You will not have a single moment of peace.

The Trump administration revoke the visa for Colombian President Gustavo Petro after he joined a pro-Palestinian protest outside the United Nations in New York. During the protests, Petro called for an international force to end Israel's genocide. He also urged U.S. troops to disobey orders from President Trump. The global force has to be bigger than that of the United States. That's why, from here, from New York, I ask all of the soldiers of the Army of the U.S., not to point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump.

Obey the orders of humanity. After the U.S. revoked Colombian President Petro's visa. Petro wrote online, quote, revoking it for denouncing genocide shows the U.S. no longer respects international law, unquote. NBC News is reporting U.S. military officials are drawing up options to possibly launch drone strikes inside Venezuela. In recent weeks, the U.S. has attacked several boats in the Caribbean that officials claimed were carrying drugs. On Friday at the United Nations, Venezuela's foreign minister, Ivan Guilpinto, accused the U.S. of targeting Venezuela in an effort to steal Venezuela's oil and gas.

Today, the aggression is aimed at Venezuela, a peaceful and supportive country like Venezuela. It cannot be accused of having weapons of mass destruction. or nuclear weapons. Today, the United States invents vulgar and perverse lies that no one believes neither in the United States nor in the world to justify an atrocious, extravagant,

and immoral military threat. That is why we once again thank world public opinion and that of the United States, the governments and peoples of the world. The denunciation of this attempt to bring war to the Caribbean and South America in order to promote a regime change

that would allow them to steal Venezuela as incalculable oil and gas wealth. The state of Oregon has sued the Trump administration after President Trump directed troops be deployed to Portland, the state's largest city. In a social media post, Trump said the troops are needed to, quote, protect war-ravaged Portland and any of our ice facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists, unquote. Trump added, I am also...

authorizing full force, if necessary, unquote. The Oregon governor, Tina Kotech, denounce Trump's calls for troops. There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security. And there is no need for military troops in our major city. We do not need or want federal troops in Oregon, stoking fear, creating conflict. and frankly escalating a situation that is under control. Any, any federal takeover with military troops in our state is a threat to communities across Oregon.

In Chicago, armed federal agents and tactical gear patrolled Chicago's downtown Sunday as the Trump administration escalates its immigration crackdown in Chicago after days of protests at an ICE jail in suburban Broadview, Illinois. On Saturday, agents fired pepper balls at protesters. At least one journalist was among 11 arrested on Saturday. And its statement officials in Broadview called on ice to, quote, stop making war on our community, unquote. Meanwhile, in Mexico, a memorial was held on Friday for Silvio Villgas Gonzalez, a father of two who was shot dead by ICE agents in Chicago earlier this month. We are demanding justice for our friend and neighbor Silverio, for him, and especially for his family, for his children who are now left alone.

In other immigration news, ICE has detained the superintendent of schools in Des Moines, Iowa's largest school district. Ian Roberts had led the school district since 2023. The Department of Homeland Security claims Roberts did not have work authorization. Profiles of Roberts say he was born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from Guyana. New York Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday he's dropping out of the mayoral race. President Trump and New York business leaders pressured Adams to drop out in order to help disgrace former governor Andrew Cuomo beat Zoran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist Assembly member who upset Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary in June. Cuomo is now running as an independent.

after headlines will air an exclusive interview with Zoran Mamdani, just minutes after he learned that Eric Adams had pulled out yesterday. In Grand Blank, Michigan, an Iraq war veteran attacked a Mormon church Sunday, killing at least four people and injuring eight others. Authorities say Thomas Sanford rammed his vehicle into the church and began shooting at parishioners. Sanford then set the church on fire. The gunman was then shot dead by officers. Sanford is a former Marine who served one combat tour in Iraq. Meanwhile, in North Carolina and Iraq War veteran has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder after he opened fire at a packed waterfront bar in Southport, North Carolina, killing three people and injuring five others. Nigel Mack's Edge is accused of firing the shots from a boat. He was later caught by the Coast Guard. He'd served in the Marines from two 2003 to 2009 and served two tours in Iraq. President Trump confirmed he'll be attending a meeting of the country's top generals and admirals ordered by War Secretary Pete Heggseth at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, scheduled for Tuesday.

The orders provided no reason for the unusual and unprecedented event. Eugene Fidel, a military law expert at Yale Law School, told the Washington Post, the last-minute meeting, quote, should be tremendously concerning to the American people, unquote. Earlier this year, Heggseth called for a 20% reduction of four-star generals and fired more than a dozen senior military officials. It comes as the White House has recently renamed the Department of Defense, the Department of War. President Trump's expected to meet with four top congressional leaders at the White House today to prevent a government shutdown. Congress says until Tuesday to fund the government with a spending measure that would garner 60 votes in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are calling for funding to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act and to reverse cuts to Medicaid and other health programs that Republicans recently cut.

The Supreme Court ruled Friday to allow the Trump administration to withhold $4 billion in foreign aid that had been approved by Congress. The court's three liberal justices dissented with Justice Elena Kagan, writing, quote, the stakes are high at issue is the allocation of power between the executive and Congress, unquote. A lawyer who represents the AIDS Vaccine and Advocacy Coalition, which sued the Trump administration, said the ruling, quote, will also have a grave humanitarian impact on vulnerable communities throughout the world, unquote. Meanwhile, the conservative majority on the court warned their decision is a ten, temporary one, and quote, should not be read as a final determination on the merits. In international news, Russia launched nearly 600 drones and more than 40 cruise missiles at Ukraine,

hitting Kiev and other cities over Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The onslaught killed at least four people and wounded at least 70. It comes as Bloomberg reports British, French and German envoys privately warned Russia that NATO members would shoot down any Russian aircraft violating European airspace. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky said Ukraine had received a patriot defense system from Israel and that two more systems would arrive in the fall. The largest indigenous rights organization in Ecuador accused the armed forces of shooting and killing an indigenous community member of Ryan Fuarez in protests over rising fuel prices in Ecuador. Meanwhile, the Ecuador and armed forces claimed protesters held 17 soldiers hostage. Amazon Watch issued a statement over the, quote, criminalization and harassment of the indigenous movement and social organizations in Ecuador, unquote.

Missouri's governor signed into Law Sunday a new Trump-backed congressional map designed to flip a seat in Kansas City, currently held by Democrats over to the Republicans. The seat is held by Democratic Congress member Emmanuel Cleaver, and the new map reduces the number of black and minority residents in Cleaver's district. At least three lawsuits have been filed in Missouri contending the map is illegal. since it takes place outside the usual once in a decade cycle for redrawing congressional maps. It comes as Texas approved a new congressional map earlier this year that would flip five Democratic-leaning seats. The NFL has announced the Puerto Rican musical superstar Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl halftime show. He recently concluded a historic 30 concert residency in San Juan Puerto Rico, but he's refused to perform form anywhere else in the United States because he feared ice would conduct raids at his performances.

And Asada Shakur has died in Havana. She died Thursday at the age of 78. She was a legendary figure within the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. She was convicted in the May 2nd, 1973 killing the New Jersey State Trooper during a shootout that left one of her fellow activists dead. She was shot twice by police during the incident. In 1979, she managed to escape from jail and later fled to Cuba where she received political asylum. Asada Shakur long proclaimed her innocence.

We'll hear her in her own words later in the broadcast. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace report. When we come back, New York Mayor Eric Adams drops out of the mayoral race after pressure from President Trump and business leaders to narrow the race and help disgrace former governor Andrew Cuomo beat the Democratic candidate, Zeran Mamdani. We have an exclusive. It was minutes after Adams pulled out of the race

that Zeran Mamdani joined us in our studio and responded. He'll talk about what that means, and also he'll talk about his platform. Stay with us. Sunny Love, oh, Inky Love, oh, Inky Love. No real home, but Inky Love. Sunny Singh, performing in our Democracy Now studio, This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday he's dropping out of the mayoral race. This comes after President Trump and New York business leaders pressured Adams and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to drop out in order to narrow the race and help disgrace former governor Andrew Cuomo beat the Democratic candidate, Suran Mamdani. The Democratic Socialist Assembly member shocked the political establishment when he tried.

frowned Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary in June. Cuomo is now running as an independent. Last September, Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges in a scheme spanning nearly a decade. Prosecutors allege Adams engaged in a long-running conspiracy in which he solicited and knowingly accepted illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors and corporations. In exchange, Adams allegedly helped Turkey's government open a new 36-story consular building near the United Nations here in New York without a fire inspection. Trump's Justice Department dismissed the charges earlier this year in what was seen as a quid pro quo in exchange for Adams implementing Trump's crackdown on immigrants. President Trump reportedly considered offering Adams a position in his administration,

possibly ambassador, to Saudi Arabia if he dropped out. If elected, Zoran Mamdani, would become New York City's first Muslim mayor. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, moved with his family to New York at the age of seven is the son of the renowned academic and author Mahmoud Mamdani and Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair. On Sunday, Democracy Now is Nirmine Sheikh and I sat down with Zoran Mamdani in our studio. An hour after Eric Adams announced its withdrawal from the mayoral race as polls show Cuomo is well behind Mamdani. Trump does not want to become mayor of New York. That's right, Zohan Mandani. He's in our studio. to talk about this breaking news and more.

Sohran Mamdani, welcome back to Democracy Now. It's great to have you with us. Respond. The significance of Adams dropping out of the race. Does this surprise you? You know, it is something that has been rumored for quite some time that this would be the month, this would be the week, this would be the day, and today we've finally seen it.

Yet it is also an encapsulation of so much of what has characterized, Eric Adams' mayorality, is decisions at the behest of Donald Trump and his billionaire. donors and at the expense of working-class New Yorkers. And what we see in this moment is very much what we saw the day we started this campaign on October 23rd and necessity to finally stand up to the days of big money and small ideas being what characterizes City Hall and instead delivering for the very working-class New Yorkers that are being priced out of that same city. Well, let's go to what Eric Adams had to say in a nine-minute video message announcing

his decision to drop out. New York Mayor Eric Adams did not mention you, Zohran, or Andrew Cuomo by name, but he said this, which has been viewed as criticism of your campaign. Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer to destroy the very system we built together over generations. That is not changed. That is chaos. Instead, I urge New Yorkers to choose leaders not by what they promised, but by what they have delivered. So, Zerran, your response? Well, you know, I am not surprised to hear any of these critiques or points from Eric Adams because it is Eric Adams's mayorality that has delivered us with a city where one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty. And in that same video, he diagnoses what the

issues are that New Yorkers face. He speaks about the necessity of lowering costs, of improving quality of life, of keeping New Yorkers safe. And I don't contest the diagnosis. I contest his delivery, however. This is a mayor who raised the rent by 12% on more than 2 million New Yorkers, a mayor who priced New Yorkers further out of child care, a mayor who has time and time again exacerbated a cost of living crisis, whether by raising the water bill or supporting Con Edison when they wanted to raise gas and electric. And so I wouldn't take advice on addressing that same crisis from the man who's been inflaming it time and time again. Well, could you say, what do you think the impact of his dropping out will have on your

electoral prospects? I think it's very much the same race. We have seen over the course of this race, especially in the final weeks and months of the primary, that Andrew Cuomo wanted nothing more than a one-on-one fight with me. And we gave him exactly that, and then we beat him by 13 points. And we continue to be just as confident. And yet what separates us from these other candidates is that we're not focused on them. We're focused on New Yorkers. New Yorkers deserve leadership that is thinking about how to benefit the people of the city.

And too often politicians, be it Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams, the meetings that they have or the phone calls with someone like Donald Trump, They're only speaking about themselves. It's time to actually think about New Yorkers. So in the New York City mayor of race, the Republican nominee who's still in the race, Curtis Sliwa, says at least seven wealthy individuals have offered him money to end his campaign. He says he's going to stay in the race, if you can talk about that, who you think these seven wealthy individuals are. And are they the same people who are funding ads to the tune of millions of dollars,

against you? Well, I can tell you there's no shortage of Trump donors who are seeking to influence this election, who are looking to spend more money than I would even tax them to try and stop our campaign. And at the same time of Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Slewa, Curtis Slewa is the one that I would trust the most. And I do think it is very real that there are many who are threatened by our campaign and our politics of putting working people at the heart of this city's focus and are trying to do everything in their power. And we've seen that with Donald Trump being on the phone with Andrew Cuomo trying to do everything in his power to ensure that they stop this movement. And the sad news for them is that they won't be

able to. Is this going to change your strategy in any way where you now, it's gone from a four-person race to a three-person race. But of course, people are saying that with Eric Adams out of the race, it's much closer to a two-person race. You and your leading opponent, Andrew Cuomo. We will have the same focus as we've always had on working-class New Yorkers, their struggle to afford this city. And also to be very clear with New Yorkers that the reason that Donald Trump is seeking to clear the lane for Andrew Cuomo is because he knows that Andrew Cuomo will clear their lane for Donald Trump's agenda. There is a reality to the fact that it takes two to tango, and these are the two people that are so often on New Yorkers' minds as an example of the

politics we have to leave in the past. Well, indeed, Zoran, your entire platform has focused principally on affordability. And as you said, helping the working class. But what appeared surprising to some in the Democratic primary is that Cuomo had a double-digit lead over you in low-income neighborhoods. So how do you explain that and what are you doing to assuage whatever the concerns of this constituency are? You know, when I started this race and I was here on the first day of the campaign, I was also here on primary day, and I'm very happy to be back. I spoke about the fact that I was a state assembly member who at that time was polling, let's say, 1% and that's being charitable to me. that's rounding up. And I think for much of the campaign, it was introducing myself and our movement to New Yorkers. And we introduced ourselves to quite a few, which by the end of that primary meant

that we won close to 600,000 votes. And yet that work still continues. Because when I'm running against Andrew Cuomo, it's not just his name or his record that comes to mind for New Yorkers. It's also that of his father. And so for many New Yorkers, that was the association that they began the race with. And now we are building a coalition that shows our agenda is one that will deliver that affordability to each and every New Yorker. So let's talk about affordability and talk about your planks. I mean, I think people are looking at this all over the country. And the question people have is, how can this be afforded?

For example, when you have free child care, when you have free buses, you put a rent-freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. So housing and city-owned grocery stores. go through your planks. It's not that it's never been tried in the country and in many cases very successfully, but you're putting it all together. And I think it requires an approach that addresses this crisis across the lives of New Yorkers. New Yorkers are not just bus riders or parents.

They are all of these things at once while also many of them being tenants. And as you've said, there is a precedent for all of these commitments. When we talk about freezing the rent, that's something that doesn't come at a fiscal cost to the city of New York. It is through the power we have of the Rent Guidelines Board to tell the landlords of those more than 2 million New Yorkers that they cannot raise the rent for these four years, to provide relief to those tenants to the tune of close to $7 billion. And also to still work with those landlords to reduce the cost burdens they're facing from insurance, from the water bill, from Con Edison, because it's not a competition, it's a question of ensuring that this is affordable and workable for each and every New Yorker. And if we think about universal child care, the cost of universal child care is around $6 billion, significant amount of money, has to be put in a context of a $116 billion municipal budget, more than $250 billion state budget,

and also the context of the fact that it's costing us nearly four times as much to not have affordable child care. And what I mean by that is a few years ago there was a study of the economic costs of that lack of affordable child care, and it found it close to $23 billion, because it is, after housing, the leading cost pushing New Yorkers out of the city, which makes sense, given that it's $25,000 a year for a New Yorker to find child care for their one kid. And so this is an agenda that delivers on that, and it's one that also understands when you are faced with these costs, you are faced with a political choice. And it's a choice, I believe, we have to make for working New Yorkers.

And I think that there are two clear revenue streams to raise the money necessary to fund this. And that is? That is raising personal income taxes on the top 1% of New Yorkers. That's New Yorkers who make a million dollars or more a year. by 2% and raising the state's top corporate tax rate to match that of New Jersey. Together, those two initiatives would raise $9 billion. I think they're the most straightforward, productive means of doing so. But if people have other ideas to raise the same money, I encourage it.

Interestingly, on child care, what can you learn from New Mexico, which became the first and only state in the country to offer free child care to a majority of families three years ago? According to the Guardian, the program lifted 120,000 people above the poverty line. I think it shows that this is possible. It shows that it's not only necessary, but it is a question of our own political will. And we don't have to look as far as New Mexico, frankly, because right here in New York City, the previous mayoral administration delivered universal pre-K.

And that was something that showed us the possibility of city government meeting the needs of working New Yorkers. And if we do not meet these needs, we will see, continue to see, parents and aspiring parents leave this city in order to find a place where they can afford that child care. It's time for us to actually deliver on it so we can keep people here and actually have room for others to join us as well. So, Ron, you mentioned earlier, of course, housing is one of the central, you've made it one of the central issues in your campaign, because it's true that New York City, one of the biggest issues is that people can no longer afford housing.

You're focusing in particular on deed theft. If you could explain what it is and your plans to create an office of deed theft prevention. Absolutely. You know, the affordability agenda we have is one that doesn't just speak to tenants. It also speaks to homeowners. And since 2015, we've seen more than 3,500 instances of deed theft take place across New York City. Deed theft, for those who don't know, is something that disproportionately targets older New Yorkers. They tend to be black and brown New Yorkers, where an individual will knock on the door of one of those same New Yorkers and say,

do you need assistance in resolving your inheritance or refinancing your home, preying upon their desire to actually pass that home onto their next generation or to ensure that they can stay in that home? And there are so many of those New Yorkers who have been lost the title to their own home through this kind of being preyed upon. And so our office would take advantage of the new state rules that have allowed the city greater enforcement authority on this issue. It would also fund for about $20 million lawyers and further legal assistance for New Yorkers who would then be proactively reached out to by the city of New York and would look at the example of a tangled title fund in Pennsylvania and bring the success of that here so that the city is assisting New Yorkers in insurance. that their next generation can inherit their home, as opposed to leaving them to the prey of someone who would look to actually engage in deed theft.

Well, let's talk, Zodan, about issues that, of course, are very relevant to people in New York, but the principal action is happening elsewhere and what you've commented on many times, namely what's unfolding in Gaza. Right now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was just here in New York, scheduled to meet a Trump on Monday.

So if you could talk about what you've heard from New Yorkers on this issue? You know, I can tell you I have heard from New Yorkers across the five boroughs a real sense of despair and horror at the genocide that we've seen in Gaza and an understanding of complicity as Americans in the funding of this genocide. And New Yorkers are looking for someone to be their mayor who will focus on this city, who will deliver for the people of this city, and someone who also, amidst all of that, has the moral clarity to have a politics of consistency.

And that's what has been at the heart of our campaign, a consistent belief in the universality of ideals like humanity, like justice, like safety, and the ways in which Benjamin Netanyahu's genocide of Palestinians is a violation not only of those ideals, but also of international law. And we've seen that in the issuing of a warrant for his arrest by the international criminal court. I wanted to go to a journalist questioning Netanyahu at a White House dinner hosted by Donald Trump in July. Or on the long time who didn't rank socialists to the vocal critic of Israel. I know yourself and have said he would arrest you if you came to New York City if he was mayor. Is that something you take seriously? Are you concerned about that? No, no, I'm not concerned about that.

Oh, well, look, I'm going to come there with President Trump and we'll see what the – how do you know who the mayor will be? I don't know that. Do we know that? He's going to be very fine, and who does – We don't know who the mayor is going to be yet, but this is a communist. He's not a socialist. He's a communist.

And he said some really bad things about Jewish people. And he said some really bad things about a lot of people. And I think he's going through a little bit of a honeymoon right now. But he might make it. But, you know, it all comes through the White House. He needs the money through the White House. He needs a lot. He's going to behave.

He'll behave. He better behave. Otherwise, he's going to have big problems. So if you can respond to both President Trump and Netanyahu, Trump has been going after you, since you announced, he talked about detaining you, checking whether he might be able to deport you, talking about you as a communist. You, in exchange, talk about Trump-proofing New York. You know, I think it's, it is a sad reality in this country where we have a president who ran an entire campaign premised on cheaper groceries and

lowering the cost of living. And what he has instead delivered time and again, is an exacerbating of that very crisis all while focusing on the persecution of his supposed political enemies. And when we talk about Trump-proofing the city, it's not just the question of hiring the 200 additional lawyers at our law department to bring us back to the staffing levels prior to the pandemic. It's a question of actually standing up and fighting Donald Trump. And fighting Donald Trump, because what his agenda is doing is endangering the welfare of New Yorkers. This bill that he recently ushered through Washington, D.C., it throws millions of New Yorkers off of their health care. It steals snap benefits from so many

hungry New Yorkers. And it does all of this in the interests of the largest wealth transfer that we've seen in this country. And to do those things while speaking about a cost of living crisis, it is truly a betrayal of so much of what his campaign was premised on and an illustration of why he is so fearful of our campaign. Because unlike him, we don't just diagnose this crisis. We will deliver on it. We will actually ensure that we have New Yorkers who can afford the city that they call home, that we freeze the rent for more than two million New Yorkers. We make buses fast and free, which are currently the slowest ones in the nation, and we deliver universal child care. And that's what Donald Trump is afraid of, the

stark contrasts between our delivery of those things and what he has done as the president of this country. So Ron Mamdani, what does it mean to be a Democratic socialist? You know, I think of the words of Dr. King from decades ago who said, call it democracy or call it democratic socialism. There must be a better distribution of wealth for all of God's children in this country. And New Yorkers understand that. We're in the wealthiest city, in the wealthiest country, in the history of the world, and one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty. When I walked into this interview, I walked past a New Yorker who was sleeping on the street. That's the level of poverty in this city, and yet it's happening amidst great wealth. And the vision for this

city has to be one that understands the dignity of working people must return to the heart of our politics. And to focus on that is to fulfill the ideals that brought so many to politics in the first place, and the abandonment of it has been what's pushed so many away from it. So Zaharan, let's talk about some of the support that you've received that was perhaps almost unprecedented, and in this case unprecedented, over the weekend you received an endorsement from Bend the Ark Jewish Action. The very first time the organization has endorsed anyone in a mayoral race. In their endorsement, they wrote, we are really very excited about Zaharan and his platform,

not in spite of our commitment to Jewish values, but because of them. So if you could talk about this endorsement. You know, I am honored to have the endorsement of Bend the Ark, and to be the first municipal candidate to receive it, it really is a privilege. And it showcases the fact that this coalition that we have, it is a coalition that not only continues to expand, but also looks to reflect the beauty and the breadth of this city. And one of the many things that makes the city so special

are the close to one million Jewish residents of this city. And I take very seriously my responsibility and my opportunity to not only protect Jewish New Yorkers, but to celebrate so much of what they have brought the city and so much of what it means to be a city with such a thriving community. And I think of this period of the High Holy Days as one where our politics and our politicians would do well to learn from the lessons of these very holidays that seek to impart a reflection on what the prior year has been, an atonement, and a real level of humility. as to what it means to lead. And that is the kind of lessons that I hope to learn in delivering leadership to this city. I was getting messages from congregants

at Rosh Hashanah when you went to a synagogue then. And also hearing about the reports of a woman handing you stickers she'd made with a picture of bagels and locks in a message urging Jewish voters to support Mr. Mandani. And on the stickers, it said,

reject the smear campaign, join the smear campaign. Yes, yes. This is very creative. And I think it's a reflection that for all of the fear-mongering that we've seen in this race, part of the reason that I sit before you as the Democratic nominee is because of the support of so many Jewish New Yorkers, of all generations.

And I'm so excited by that support and the prospect of building that support by reaching out to Jewish New Yorkers across the five boroughs, including at their synagogues. And finally, Zoran, we know you have to go, but, you know, many people have talked about the fact that you mobilize so much of the youth vote. But you also mobilized a lot of the South Asian vote, many people voting for the first time in a mayoral election and Muslim communities as well. You'll be, if you win, the first Muslim mayor of New York, the first South Asian mayor. So if you could say, you know, how important was that support to you?

And explain your decision, in fact, to emphasize the fact that you're both a Muslim, South Asian, and in fact also African. You know, these are parts of my identity. They are parts of what has formed me and my life over the course of both. being a New Yorker and even before that. And I think it's a desire at the heart of our politics to ensure that these electoral outcomes, these contests that we have, that they actually reflect the city at large. Too often New York City politics is focused on an ever-narrowing group of New Yorkers, the ones who vote every primary. And yet we know that there are so many New Yorkers

who call the city home just in the manner of those voters, but are not spoken to with the same respect, are not given the same kind of time. And from the beginning of this race, We said we wanted this race to look like the entire city. And that means speaking to the very South Asian and Muslim New Yorkers that too often have been looked at as at best there to be for a photo op as opposed to New Yorkers who are also suffering from this affordability crisis. So, Ron Ram Dani, we are broadcasting this on Monday. We spoke to you on Sunday right after Adams said he's pulling out of the election campaign. We also spoke to you the day after he was. indicted on corruption charges. Of course, Trump would dismiss those charges later. But I also wanted

to ask you, on this day, Monday that we broadcast this, apparently the Democratic leaders will be at the White House, Hakeem Jeffries, a minority leader, Chuck Schumer, meeting with Trump over the whole issue of the budget and whether the country is going to be shut down. I want to know which is more contentious. That meeting, Trump, Schumer, and Hakeem Jeffries, or their meetings, Hakeem Jeffries and Schumer, with you. I was just watching Senator Van Hollen, who is really castigating his fellow Democrats, who had not yet supported you. Many have, from corporate Democrats, conservative Democrats on to progressives.

But talk about that. Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, not having supported you yet, even though you are the Democratic primary candidate. And what is being said in these meetings? They keep saying they're talking to you. Yes, we have had a number of meetings, and I've appreciated the meetings because the focus of the meetings has been on the fact that New Yorkers are facing twin crises, authoritarianism from Washington, D.C., and affordability crisis from the inside. And we often tend to separate these out. We think about democracy as an ideal that must be protected, but not that democracy also has to be able to deliver on the material needs of working people.

And it was Ferrell LaGuardia that said you cannot preach liberty to a starving land. you have to be able to deliver on both fronts. And to me, in these meetings, the focus has been how to do so. And I would say that the meeting that they will have with Donald Trump is going to be far more contentious than the ones that we've had. Ours have been focused on New Yorkers. Donald Trump is focused on himself and his donors. And it is time to showcase the cost of the legislation that he has ushered through

what it would mean for New Yorkers' lives. I mean, I was at a hospital in the Bronx just a few days ago, speaking to 1199 members who were telling me that these cuts, they could decimate their ability to take care of New Yorkers in their toughest moments and in their best moments. And yet that is the agenda that Donald Trump is pursuing. And I continue to be hopeful and to be focused on the necessity of turning back that legislation, ensuring those cuts do not come to pass in the manner that they have been written. We're going to end where we intended to begin today before Eric Adams announced that he's dropping out, which became top news. And that is by you

saying your name. Of course, your main opponent, Andrew Cuomo, continually mispronounces your name. I want you to respond to that. This is how he does it. I'm running against a man named Zoran Mandami. He's a socialist. If you can respond to that and tell us how you say it, your full name. Zaharan Kwame Mamdani. And I think what has been offensive to me is not whether a New Yorker can say my name on their first attempt or their second, but that what Andrew Cuomo has done is deliberately mispronounce that name. And it is something whose meaning is not, it's not just about me. It's about how so many New Yorkers have to deal with this in their own workplace, in their own lives. You know, I was at a mosque recently for Friday prayers, and I asked the uncles

and the aunties there to raise their hands if they've ever had to deal with the basic indignity of having the name that they were given, be butchered time and again with an intention of belittling them. And hand after hand after hand raised. And that shows me the ways in which so many have been overlooked at the very least. And our campaign, it's not a campaign to ensure that everyone can say my name. It's a campaign to ensure that each and every New Yorker is celebrated for the fullest version of themselves, who they actually are and belonging to the fabric of this gorgeous mosaic, as David Dinkins once called it. And your middle name, Kwame, where it comes from? I was named by my father after Kwame and Krumah, the first prime minister of Ghana. And it is

a point of pride for me and a reflection of the fact that I would also be the first immigrant mayor of this city and generations. I was born in Kampala, Uganda, and East Africa moved here, and I was seven. It was the city where I grew up, the city where I met my wife, the city where I got my citizenship, and hopefully the city I will lead. Leading New York City mayoral candidates are on Mamdani, speaking with us Sunday just after Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the mayoral race. When we come back, thousands protest in New York, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the United Nations. And then Asada Shakur, in her own words, stay with us.

Unite by Fatumato Jouara, performing in our Democracy Now studio. This is Democracy Now. On Friday, we were in the streets outside the United Nations. I'm Amy Goodman. This is Democracy Now. Inside the United Nations today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

gave his address to the UN General Assembly. This is a part of what he said. The final elements, the final remnants of Hamas, are holed up in Gaza City. They vow to repeat the atrocities of October 7th again and again and again, no matter how diminish their forces. That is why Israel must finish the job. That is why we want to do so as fast as possible. As Netanyahu spoke, scores of delegates walked out of the UN General Assembly. This week, Western countries like Britain and Australia, France, Portugal, Canada, Belgium, and others

join more than 150 other countries in recognizing the state of Palestine. That leaves only the United States on the UN Security Council not to have recognized Palestine. Outside the UN today, thousands protested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Up, up with reparation. Up, up with remiration. Down with occupation. I'm Nazisa. I'm with the Palestinian youth movement, and we're here to demand the arrest of Netanyahu, the wanted war criminal, and to demand an arms embargo in Israel for its genocide

against Palestinians. Well, you know, he's not going to come to the UN without meeting the resistance of this city. You know, and we're seeing, you know, that now we even have a mayoral candidate who's saying that if he's elected mayor, he won't allow Netanyahu to set foot in this city without arresting him. And so we're seeing the growing international isolation of Netanyahu, his block, and Israel, and that's what we're here to solidify. Symbolic rejection of Netanyahu isn't enough. Turning their backs on Netanyahu isn't enough.

They need to take action as member states of the United Nations and impose real sanctions, an arms embargo and a trade embargo on Israel. My name is Reid Brody. I'm an international war crimes prosecutor. Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted by the international crime. criminal court for war crimes, crimes against humanity, for using starvation as a weapon of war. He is a fugitive from justice. States that are parties to the ICC have a duty to arrest them, and even states like the United States, which aren't parties, have a duty to arrest

war criminals. The United States is complicit in the war crimes being committed in Israel. The bombs that are being used to destroy Palestinian homes and schools and how are American bombs. The campaign of extermination that Israel is carrying out is being done with American political support. The United States should be arresting him, not faking him. My name is Nida al-Afee. I'm a member of the Palestinian youth movement,

and I'm here with the thousands of people to say, you know, Netanyahu should not be at the UNGA. Actually, he should be tried for his crimes at the Hague. And, you know, we're all here the same way we have been for the past two years, demanding that governments and leaders take real action to end the genocide that has only escalated, right? For it to have reached this level of atrocities

and for him to still have a spot at the UNGA, it's absolutely egregious. And that's why I think now more than ever, people are more agitated, people are more angry. I mean, we see in Italy, you know, millions of people have gone on strike, right? And here the streets are filled with thousands of people when in Yahoo's room, when he was speaking to the UNGA, was mostly empty.

My name is Lita Hirschman Levy, and I'm a member of Jewish Voice for Peace. I'm disgusted that our country would allow this war criminal here. There is no reason for him to be here. He should be locked up. He should not have any power as far as I'm concerned. He is a war criminal. He is perpetuating and creating a genocide in Gaza. He is murdering thousands of Palestinians.

This is not in the name of Jewish safety. It goes against everything that Judaism stands for. I'm horrified that this is happening in my name as a Jewish person. I'm the descendant of Holocaust survivors. My grandparents were Holocaust survivors. He is not welcome here. He is a war criminal. And this has to end.

Palestine needs to be free, liberated. with the right to return home. Voices from the streets as thousands march to the United Nations demanding the arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and an end to Israel's war on Gaza. Special thanks to Jenny Keenan and Safwatnizal. Inside the UN, more than 100 diplomats from over 50 countries walked out in protest during Netanyahu's remarks at the General Assembly. Meanwhile, outside the UN, Colombian President Gustavo Petro joined protesters Friday,

calling for an international intervention to end Israel's genocide. He also urged U.S. troops to disobey orders from President Trump. The global force has to be bigger than that of the United States. That's why from here, from New York, I ask all of the soldiers of the Army of the U.S. not to point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump, obey the orders of humanity. The Trump administration said Friday. it had revoked President Petro's visa for joining the pro-Palestinian protest outside the U.N.

In response, Petro wrote online, quote, revoking it for denouncing genocide shows the U.S. no longer respects international law, unquote. This is Democracy Now. I'm Amy Goodman. We end today's show with the words of Asada Shakur, who died in Havana, Cuba Thursday at the age of 78. She was a legendary figure within the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. Asada Shakur was convicted in the May 2nd, 1973 killing of a New Jersey state trooper during a shootout that left one of her fellow activists dead. She was shot twice by police during the incident. In 1979, she managed to escape from jail and flee to Cuba, where she received political asylum. She long proclaimed her innocence.

In 1998, Democracy Now aired her reading an open letter to Pope John Paul II during his trip to Cuba. She wrote the message after New Jersey state troopers sent the Pope a letter asking him to call for her extradition. This is Asada Shakur. My name is Asada Shakur, and I was born and raised in the United States. I am a descendant of Africans who were kidnapped and brought to the Americas as slaves. I spent my early childhood in the racist segregated South. I later moved to the northern part of the country, where I realized that black people were equally victimized by racism and oppression. I grew up and became a political activist, participating in student struggles, the anti-war movement,

and most of all in the movement for the liberation of African Americans in the United States. I later joined the Black Panther Party, an organization that was targeted by the Cointel Pro Program, a program that was set up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to eliminate all political opposition to the U.S. government's policies, to destroy the black liberation movement in the United States, to discredit activists, and to eliminate potential leaders. Under the Cointel Pro program, many political activists were harassed, imprisoned, murdered, or otherwise neutralized. As a result of being targeted by Cointel Pro, I, like many other young people, were faced with a threat of prison, underground, exile, or death. The FBI, with the help of local police agencies, systematically fed false accusations and fake news articles to the press, accusing me and other activists of crimes we did not commit.

Although in my case, the charges were eventually dropped or I was eventually acquitted, the national and local police agencies created a situation where, based on their fault, accusations against me, any police officer could shoot me on site. It was not until the Freedom of Information Act was passed in the mid-70s that we began to see the scope of the United States government persecution of political activists. At this point, I think that it is important to make one thing very clear. I have advocated and I still advocate revolution changes in the structure and in the principles that govern the United States. I advocate self-determination for my people and for all oppressed people inside the United States.

I advocate an end to capitalist exploitation, the abolition of racist policies, the eradication of sexism, and the elimination of political repression. if that is a crime then I am totally guilty to make a long story short I was captured in New Jersey in 1973 after being shot with both

arms held in the air and then shot again from the back I was left on the ground to die and when I did not I was taken to a local hospital where I was threatened beaten and tortured In 1977, I was convicted in a trial that can only be described as a legal lynching.

In 1979, I was able to escape with the aid of some of my fellow comrades. I saw this as a necessary step, not only because I was innocent of the charges against me, but because I knew that the racist legal system in the United States, I would receive no justice. justice. I was also afraid that I would be murdered in prison. I later arrived in Cuba, where I am currently living in exile as a political refugee. The New Jersey State Police and other law enforcement officials say they want to see me brought to justice. But I would like to know what they mean by justice. Is torture justice? I was kept in solitary confinement for more than two years, mostly in men's prisons. Is that justice? My lawyers were threatened with imprisonment

and imprisoned. Is that justice? I was tried by an all-white jury without even the pretext of impartiality, and then sentenced to life in prison plus 33 years, is that justice? Let me emphasize that justice for me is not the issue I am addressing here. It is justice for my people that is at stake. When my people receive justice, I am sure that I will receive it too. I ask nothing for myself. I only ask you to examine the social reality, of the United States

and to speak out against the human rights violations that are taking place. On this day, the birthday of Martin Luther King, I am reminded of all those who gave their lives for freedom. Most of the people

who live on this planet are still not free. I ask only that you continue to work and pray to end oppression in political repression. It is my heartfelt belief that all the people on this earth deserve justice, social justice, political justice, and economic justice.

I believe it is the only way we will ever achieve peace and prosperity on this earth. I hope that you enjoy your visit to Cuba. This is not a country that is rich in material wealth, but it is a country that is rich, in human wealth, spiritual wealth, and moral wealth. Respectfully yours, Asada Shakur, Havana, Cuba. That was Asada Shakur, reading an open letter to the Pope in 1998. The Black Liberation activist died on Thursday at the age of 78 in Cuba, where she had political asylum.

That does it for our show. Happy birthday to Paul Powell. This coming weekend, I'll be speaking Saturday, October 4th, at the Roxy Theater in San Francisco, doing a Q&A after the Jewish Film Institute's special documentary screening of Steal the Story, please. A new documentary about Democracy Now. Sunday, October 5th, I'll be in Berkeley at Banffa for a screening of the documentary, again with the Oscar-nominated director's Tia Lesson and Carl Deal. On Friday, October 17th, I'll be in Santa Fe at the Lensick Theater. and October 18th and 19th at the Woodstock Film Festival. Go to DemocracyNow.org for details. I'm Amy Goodman.