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"Democrats fret about MamViewsdani upset in New York City."

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By Sarah Naffa

June 26, 2025

In the news today: Zohran Mamdani’s upset in the New York City mayoral primary race has elevated divisions plaguing the Democratic Party nationally; some GOP senators are struggling over Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax bill; and the U.S. and Iran enter a new chapter in their relationship. Also, water traffic gives way to whales on Australia’s ‘humpback highway.’

Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani takes the stage at his primary election party, Wednesday, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

POLITICS

Democrats fret about national fallout after Mamdani stuns in New York City

The stunning success of Zohran Mamdani in the primary race for New York City mayor has exposed anew the fiery divisions plaguing the Democratic Party as it struggles to repair its brand nearly half a year into Donald Trump’s presidency. Read more.

Why this matters:

A fresh round of infighting erupted among Democratic officials, donors and political operatives on Wednesday. Many progressives cheered the emergence of the young and charismatic Mamdani, whose candidacy caught on with viral campaign videos and a focus on the cost of living. But the party’s more pragmatic wing cast the outcome as a serious setback in their quest to broaden Democrats’ appeal and move past the more controversial policies that alienated would-be voters in recent elections.
Indeed, Wednesday’s debate was about much more than who would lead America’s largest city for the next four years. Giddy Republicans viewed Mamdani’s success as a political gift that would help shape elections across New Jersey and Virginia this fall and into next year’s midterms. Trump took aim at Mamdani on social media, calling him “a 100% Communist Lunatic.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

POLITICS

Senate struggle over Medicaid cuts threatens progress on Trump’s big bill

One key unsettled issue stalling progress on Donald Trump’s big bill in Congress is particularly daunting: How to cut billions from health care without harming Americans or the hospitals and others that provide care? Read more.

Why this matters:

Republicans are struggling to devise a solution to the health care problem their package has created. Already, estimates say 10.9 million more people would be without health coverage under the House-passed version of the bill. GOP senators have proposed steeper reductions, which some say go too far.
A number of GOP senators, and the hospitals and other medical providers in their states, are raising steep concerns that the provider tax changes would decimate rural hospitals. In a plea to lawmakers, the American Hospital Association said the cuts won’t just affect those who get health coverage through Medicaid, but would further strain emergency rooms “as they become the family doctor to millions of newly uninsured people.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

WORLD NEWS

The US and Iran have had bitter relations for decades. After the bombs, a new chapter begins

For nearly a half century, the world has witnessed an enmity for the ages — the threats, the plotting, the poisonous rhetoric between the “Great Satan” of Iranian lore and the “Axis of Evil” troublemaker of the Middle East, in America’s eyes. But now comes a new chapter in U.S.-Iran relations, whether for the better or the even worse. Read more.

Why this matters:

In the first blush of a ceasefire agreement, even before Israel and Iran appeared to be fully on board, Trump exulted in the achievement. “God bless Israel,” he posted on social media. “God bless Iran.” He wished blessings on the Middle East, America and the world, too. This change of tone, however fleeting, came after the intense U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear-development sites this week, Iran’s retaliatory yet restrained attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar and the tentative ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump in the Israel-Iran war.
When it became clear that all hostilities had not immediately ceased after all, he took to swearing instead. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing,” he said on camera. In that moment, Trump was especially critical of Israel, the steadfast U.S. ally, for seeming less attached to the pause in fighting than the country that has been shouting “Death to America” for generations and is accused of trying to assassinate him.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

IN OTHER NEWS

READ

Defense spending: UK says it will buy F-35 jets capable of carrying nuclear bombs

State funeral dispute: Court order stops a former Zambian president’s burial in South Africa on the day of his funeral

Armenia: Authorities arrest an archbishop and accuse him of plotting against the government

1976 murder: Mississippi executes the longest-serving man on the state’s death row

Artificial colors: Nestle says it will remove artificial dyes from US foods by 2026

Wonsan-Kalma beach resort: North Korea will open its biggest tourist site next week

Today in History: In 1997, the first Harry Potter novel was published in the United Kingdom

WATCH

Northern lights forecast: How to catch auroras with NOAA's prediction tool

Croatian discovery: Sunken 18th century ship discovered by the stone walls of Dubrovnik

Heatwave: Elephants at the Budapest Zoo keep cool as heat spreads across Europe

Ancient rap: Lyrical dualists battle it out in traditional Cypriot rap showdown

A CHANGE OF PACE

Humpback whales breach off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Commuter traffic stops for whales on Australia’s humpback highway
In June and July, it’s not uncommon for whales to stop water traffic in Sydney. Winter in Australia heralds the opening of the so-called humpback highway, a migratory corridor along the country’s east coast used by about 40,000 of the massive creatures as they travel from feeding grounds in freezing Antarctica to tropical breeding areas off Queensland state.

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