A Final Debate in New York City

For the New York City mayoral race that has been written so much about. Fox News: New York City mayoral contenders relentlessly criticized their opponents as they made their final pitch to voters Wednesday night in the last debate before early voting starts this Saturday. Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, Independent candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa once again traded barbs on the debate stage, meeting for the second time in less than a week…. When asked if Mamdani has any regrets about his “longstanding” anti-Israel views, the Democratic socialist affirmed his commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers. “You won’t denounce ‘globalize the intifada,’ which means, ‘Kill Jews.’ There’s unprecedented fear in New York. It was not several rabbis. It was 650 rabbis who signed the letter, not several,” Cuomo said. While Mamdani refused to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” during the primary, he has since said he would “discourage” others from using the slogan (Fox News). Myron Magnet: Wow, a substantive NYC mayoral debate tonight. Moderators were excellent, candidates on good form. Loser: Mamdani. Cuomo and Sliwa did great (Magnet).

It Might Start With Mamdani, But It Won’t End With Mamdani

If the Islamist communist nominee does, in fact, win the race and becomes New York City’s next mayor, it will not end there. It will put fuel on the fire of hard-left candidates and push the party three or four steps further left. Wall Street Journal: Mr. Cuomo is right when he says there’s a “civil war” in the Democratic Party between the left and the centrists that is playing out in the city and across the country. If Mr. Mamdani wins, the move left will accelerate as more progressives run in primaries and cause other Democrats to shift left themselves…. The biggest risk is a socialist takeover of the Democratic Party. Sooner or later the party will retake the White House, as inevitably there will be a recession or voters will simply tire of the incumbents…. The country needs a sane and centrist Democratic Party as an alternative to the GOP in the post-Trump era (Wall Street Journal).

Another Drug Boat Finds Out Trump Administration Is Serious

 


This is the first strike on Pacific side of South America. War Secretary Pete Hegseth: Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific…. Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores, will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere. Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness—only justice (Hegseth). Secretary of State Rubio: “These are drug boats. If people want to stop seeing drug boats blown up, stop sending drugs to the United States” (Townhall). Wall Street Journal: The attack on what is known as a go-fast boat is the eighth reported U.S. strike on an alleged drug vessel and brings the announced death toll from the campaign to 34. The seven previous U.S. strikes were carried out in the Caribbean. Two survivors from a strike last week were repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador respectively (Wall Street Journal).

Race to Watch, 1: Virginia Governor; Earle-Sears v. Spanberger

Glenn Youngkin—the current Republican governor of Virginia—won the race in 2021 against the beltway creature Terry McAuliffe. Youngkin was the first Republican to win the seat since 2009. The Virginia Constitution prohibits consecutive terms—and thus Youngkin is not on the ticket. The GOP nominee is current Lt. Gov. and Marine Corp veteran Winsome Earle-Sears (Winsome). Democrats have put forward Abigail Spanberger—who has outraised Earle-Sears but has had a hard time distancing herself from the state’s Democrat nominee for Attorney General who had earlier explicitly advocated for the death of his political opponent. It should not have been a hard lift, especially in light of the political violence we’ve seen. Trafalgar polling has Earle-Sears down 2.2%–but within the margin of error and looking like she’s closing well (Trafalgar). Jennifer O’Connell of RedState takes a closer look, summing it up: It looks as though Winsome Earle-Sears has found her stride in this race, and not a moment too soon. Let’s hope it gets her across the finish line. If you are in Virginia and have not yet done so, go out and vote! (RedState). Early in-person voting began on September 19 (DOE).

Race to Watch, 2: New Jersey Governor; Ciattarelli v. Sherrill

The current New Jersey Governor—the Democrat Phil Murphy—is termed out. The Democrat nominee is Mikie Sherrill. Republicans have selected Jack Ciattarelli. Whose been down in most polls but Trafalgar has Ciattarelli within one—Sherril at 45% to 44% for Ciattarelli (Insider). GOP gains among Hispanics in the presidential cycle may serve to benefit Ciattarelli—who is running for the governor’s seat for the third time. Veteran political analyst Michael Barone: In those two-thirds or more Hispanic, Trump made major gains in 2024, reducing their average Democratic margins from 40% in 2020 to 12%. NBC analyst Steve Kornacki pointed out that if Ciattarelli in 2021 had won Trump 2024 percentages in majority nonwhite municipalities, he would have lost by only 0.3% (Examiner). Early voting in New Jersey begins on Saturday, October 25 (DOE).

Race to Watch, 3: Attorney General, Virginia: Miyares v. Jones

Few would have anticipated that a state AG race would get such nation attention and—likely—could have up-ticket implications on the governor’s race and national implications on the Democrat brand and their misplaced moral compass. First, the polling: Trafalgar has the Republican Jason Miyares up 5 points over the Democrat Jay Jones (Trafalgar). Stacey Matthews of RedState: The attorney general race in Virginia was certainly not a race anyone could have predicted would turn around the way it has, and so quickly as Election Day draws nearer. We’ve documented how the Democrat nominee, Jay Jones, has become mired in scandals of his own making, with the one understandably getting the most attention statewide and nationally centering around texts he sent in 2022 in which he fantasized about murdering a former GOP colleague in the House of Delegates, as well as the man’s children dying…. Anything can happen, of course, but if the current numbers are a reliable indicator, it’s looking like Jones will go down in defeat a second time (the first time was in the 2021 attorney general primary) in his bid to become attorney general, thanks in part to his apparent belief in Democrat privilege and that he is somehow above the law (RedState).

Race to Watch, 4: Hew Hampshire, US Senate: Former Sen. John Sununu

This is actually not a vote happening this November—but November 2026. The narrow margins in both chambers of Congress have both parties looking for opportunities for a gain, a pickup. And that’s exactly what the GOP sees in the announcement from Sununu on Wednesday: Former Sen. John E. Sununu said Wednesday that he is running to reclaim the seat he held for a single term before Democrat Jeanne Shaheen ousted him in 2008. Shaheen is retiring next year. “Maybe you’re surprised to hear that I’m running for the Senate again. I’m a bit surprised myself. Why would anyone subject themselves to everything going on there right now?” Sununu said in a launch video posted online Wednesday morning. “Well, somebody has to step up and lower the temperature. Somebody has to get things done” …. And Sununu faces another former senator, Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts before moving to New Hampshire and mounting an unsuccessful bid to unseat Shaheen in 2014. Brown was the president’s first-term ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa and is now seeking his own political comeback by positioning himself as the more Trump-aligned candidate in the race (Politico).

ICJ: Israel Must Allow UNWRA to Distribute Aid; Israel: Not So Fast

Those who have tracked with UNRWA over the years and—in particular—in the wake of the horrific Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, have witnessed a UN organization that is a collaborator with and protector of the Islamist terror group. Times of Israel: The International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on Wednesday, asserting that Israel is legally obligated to allow the UN’s controversial Palestinian relief agency to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, and stating that the provision of aid to the Strip during the war there has been inadequate (Times of Israel). Israel’s response was blunt. From their Foreign Ministry: Israel categorically rejects the ICJ’s “advisory opinion,” which was entirely predictable from the outset regarding UNRWA. This is yet another political attempt to impose political measures against Israel under the guise of “International Law” (Israel). Hillel Neuer of United Nations Watch provides the receipts: Hundreds of pages of evidence: UNRWA Hired Hamas Terror Chiefs to Run Education System (Neuer).

The Mess in Malibu

In the wake of the Palisades fire the inept elected leaders in Southern California has resulted former homeowners fleeing, rich foreign buyers swooping in to by precious land and resident’s fearing what will come of their beach-front gem on the Pacific. Los Angeles Times: Nearly a year after the Palisades fire, Malibu has issued just four rebuilding permits compared to hundreds in Pacific Palisades. Property values are plummeting as burned lots sell at 20-60% discounts, with frustrated homeowners choosing to sell rather than navigate stringent permitting. Locals fear Malibu’s identity will change as international buyers and developers snap up properties while residents struggle with costly regulations…. Cars wind through a gauntlet of traffic cones and caution tape. Sweeping ocean views are sullied by hollow shells of graffiti-tagged homes and miles of chain-link fencing. Nearly a year after the Palisades fire, one of Southern California’s most iconic communities is frozen in place (LA Times). Daily Mail: Real estate mogul Grant Cardone has also been impacted by the updated FEMA policy and may be forced to demolish his home, even though it survived the blaze. His home only sustained smoke damage in the fire and is a ‘perfect structure,’ Cardone told KTTV. But FEMA’s new rules state that homes needing repairs that exceed 50 percent of their value must comply with the flood policy, so he may be facing demolition. ‘This is beyond insanity,’ Cardone said. ‘None of this was fire-damaged. I’ve never been threatened by water, never had a flood, never had any risk of water in my home’ (Daily Mail).

Minnesota Supreme Court: Biological Male Powerlifter Must Be Able to Compete in Women’s Division

The Trump administration has made significant progress in protecting women’s sports, but highest court in Minnesota makes it clear: The leftist ideologues won’t go gently into that good night. New York Sun: Minnesota’s Supreme Court says that a transgender powerlifter should be allowed to compete in women’s events, finding that USA Powerlifting’s prohibition on their participation violated the state’s antidiscrimination laws…. In a ruling on Wednesday, the Minnesota Supreme Court said that “a policy that expressly prohibits transgender women from competing in the women’s division of a powerlifting competition is facially discriminatory and constitutes direct evidence of discrimination based on sexual orientation.” … However, the impact of the decision may be short-lived, as the U.S. Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments this term on state laws banning transgender students from competing on sports teams that do not correspond to their biological sex. Opponents of the laws, such as the ACLU, have said the high court’s decision could have implications beyond school sports teams (New York Sun).