Archive November 5, 2025

New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has announced the leadership of his transition team, promising to form a “capable and compassionate” administration to lead the city and turn his election platform into policies.

Mamdani said in brief remarks on Wednesday that he is moving from the “poetry” of campaigning to the “beautiful prose of governing”.

“In the coming months, I and my team will build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” he said.

“We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”

Mamdani said his all-women transition team would be led by four co-chairs, including the former chief of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Lina Khan, who is a prominent antitrust advocate.

On Tuesday, the 34-year-old democratic socialist had defeated former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was backed by President Donald Trump, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to become the city’s first Muslim mayor.

He is set to take office on January 1, 2026.

The New York race had implications well beyond the city itself. It was seen as a reflection of the battle between progressive Democrats and the centrist, pro-Israel old guard of the party.

Mamdani’s campaign focused on affordability, promising to expand social programmes to help struggling families.

His plans include waiving fares for public buses, freezing rents for government-subsidised homes, and providing free childcare to residents.

Mamdani’s agenda will require working with state leaders to increase taxes on the highest earners to fund his programmes.

ADL to ‘monitor’ Mamdani administration

Although Mamdani’s campaign was focused on New York, his advocacy for Palestinian rights had taken centre stage throughout.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a major pro-Israel group, says it is launching a “comprehensive initiative to track and monitor policies and personnel appointments” of the incoming Mamdani administration in New York.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt hurled baseless accusations of anti-Semitism at Mamdani, saying that the mayor-elect “demonstrated intense animosity toward” Israel.

“We expect the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world to stand unequivocally against anti-Semitism in all its varied forms and support all of its Jewish residents just as he would all other constituents,” Greenblatt said.

“We will hold the Mamdani administration accountable to this basic standard.”

Mamdani has been critical of Israel over its human rights abuses. He has also pledged to protect Jewish New Yorkers, and throughout the campaign, he met with Jewish community leaders.

Mamdani defiant against Trump

Trump, who was born and raised in New York, had loomed heavily over the race. On Tuesday, he said any Jewish resident who would vote for Mamdani is “stupid”.

The United States president had also threatened to withhold funds to New York and deploy federal forces to the city if Mamdani is elected.

In his victory speech on Tuesday night, Mamdani sent a defiant message to Trump, saying that New York will show how to stop the US president.

“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said. “And if there is any way to defeat a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”

He added that addressing the root causes of Trump’s ascent to power, including income inequality, would also prevent the rise of others like him.

“So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” Mamdani said.

On Wednesday, the mayor-elect suggested that he would turn to the legal system if Trump moves against New York.

Asked by ABC News how he would stand up to Trump, Mamdani said: “The first thing is, you actually utilise the courts. You stop treating things as being law just by virtue of the fact that President Trump is saying them.”

Elections boost Democrats

Tuesday’s elections also saw Democrats score big wins in the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia.

Democrats also won two races for seats on Georgia’s utility board – statewide contests that were widely considered a litmus test of Trump’s appeal in the swing state.

Voters in California adopted a congressional map that would draw US House districts that favour Democrats.

The results represent a boost for Democrats ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Trump acknowledged the election setback, partly blaming the federal government shutdown for the results.

Late on Tuesday, Trump called on Republicans to abolish the filibuster – a Senate rule that requires 60 votes in the 100-seat chamber to pass major legislation – to facilitate what he called “voter reform”.

“Pass Voter Reform, Voter ID, No Mail-In Ballots,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “Save our Supreme Court from “Packing,’ No Two State addition, etc. TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!”

Trump has long opposed mail-in voting, a practice that is common in democracies across the world, baselessly claiming that it enables fraud.

In the 2024 elections, which Trump won, nearly 30 percent of Americans relied on mail-in voting to cast their ballots.

Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package will be discussed on Tesla’s board as major proxy advisory firms press shareholders to reject the deal.

If Musk secures what is the largest compensation package in corporate history, the outcome will be determined on Thursday.

Investors should vote against the package, according to proxy firms Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services. These organizations frequently influence large passive funds, which own significant stakes in the electric car manufacturer.

With declining global sales and investor confidence, Tesla has encountered mounting challenges this year.

Tesla reported a 13.5% decline in American sales in July. As US consumers scrambled to profit from a $7,500 EV tax credit that was scheduled to expire that month, they increased 7.4 percent in the third quarter ending in September compared to the same period the year before.

However, sales worldwide are declining as well. In October, new car registrations decreased by 59 percent in Portugal, 31 percent in Spain, and 89 percent in Sweden.

Tesla’s brand is harmed by political behavior.

Musk’s political profile amplifies that tension. He was appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency, the country’s largest employer, where he campaigned for massive layoffs.

Tesla’s reputation has been harmed by Musk’s political activism while its rivals have gained. Sales of other electric and hybrid vehicles increased by 22 percent between October 2022 and April 2025, according to a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research. According to the study, Tesla’s sales could have increased by 67 percent to 83 percent, or roughly 1 million to 1.26 million more vehicles, if Musk had avoided politics.

Robyn Denholm, the chair of the Tesla board, warned that rejecting Musk’s pay package could lead to his ouster despite these obstacles. She stated in a letter to shareholders last week that Musk’s leadership “is essential to the brand’s success.”

Tesla’s future depends on Musk’s continued involvement, according to experts.

We anticipate that Musk will receive the pay package by a significant margin in this pivotal moment. Tesla’s AI goals are largely dependent on the user. Tesla is Tesla, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives.

Musk is the CEO of Tesla during the war, and nobody else will ever replace him. Despite Musk’s political baggage, this is Tesla’s most significant chapter of growth since the AI Revolution.

Tesla has increased its investments in AI technology. The company hopes to launch its Optimus humanoid robot technology in the late summer of this year as part of its ongoing development.

Performance indicators

Musk’s compensation depends on how well he performs. It has 12 ambitious market-cap goals, each of which calls for the company to be valued at $8.5 trillion within ten years, starting at $2.4 trillion. The current market cap for Tesla is $1.48 trillion.

Additionally, the performance indicators include deliveries made on all fronts for three straight months, with deliveries totaling 20 million vehicles, 1 million AI bot sales, and 1 million driverless robot axis. Less than 2 million vehicles were sold by the business last year.

As each milestone is reached, Musk gains additional shares. Over the course of the 10-year program, he must also continue to serve as CEO or take on a higher executive-level position.

As earlier this year he was accused of neglecting company obligations while spending time in Washington, DC, critics contend that the plan does not encourage Musk to refocus on Tesla.

“Let’s be clear: Elon Musk is already one of the wealthiest people on earth. His current stake in Tesla, which is currently worth tens of billions, should typically serve as an incentive sufficient to boost performance. Democratic New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who controls 3.3 million shares through New York State’s pension fund, said in remarks on Monday that the idea that another significant equity award will somehow shift a man who is hopelessly distracted is illogical and contrary to the evidence.

Musk’s public image has quickly deteriorated in the face of declining sales and growing political unrest. Musk’s influence on the brand’s reputation was one reason for the decline in sales.

A Gallup poll found that Musk was viewed favorably by 43% of Americans in February and unfavorably by 47%.

With ratings of 33 percent and 61 percent, he was the most unpopular influential figure among Americans by August, trailing only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, who has been accused of war crimes.

Ives contends that investors are unlikely to be affected by the negative effects of Musk’s reputation.

According to Ives, “investors want Musk to be the next CEO for the next ten years, and they view optics as noise.”

Tesla did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, promised that his first budget would contain a bold plan for “generational investments” to bolster the country’s economy and withstand a trade war with the US. However, some analysts believe it to be a missed opportunity.

According to analysts, Carney’s budget ultimately failed to have the ambitions it was supposed to. This was made possible by the fact that it was his government’s leader, who relyed on political rivals to survive.

The Business Council of Canada senior vice president for policy Theo Argitis said, “This isn’t a generational budget.” On some fronts, it goes in the right direction, but I believe Carney wasn’t as ambitious as he could have been.

According to Argitis, there isn’t enough to accelerate private investment to the required level of growth.

This budget won’t change the economy if you want to, he said.

US tariffs, slow growth, and US tariffs

The impact of tariffs that US President Donald Trump has imposed on Canada are causing the country’s economy to grow slowly.

Carney criticized the notion that he had been too cautious on Wednesday, saying the tariffs and the uncertainty they had created would cost about 1.8 percent of the GDP.

He remarked that the government’s approach to the budget has undergone a significant change, noting that the government has pledged to reduce official spending and made unprecedented tax changes to encourage business investment.

However, Carney is not necessarily the politician to blame, according to Elizabeth McCallion, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto, as more and more Canadians try to put food on the table.

She said, “Canadians are aware that there are many things that are beyond Carney’s control.” They dislike Donald Trump more than Carney, according to them.

Carney’s minority government, which has just seven legislators,  a lack of funding, and no permanent leader, will likely be able to pass the budget without enough seats.

Carney’s government will pass the budget vote if they simply abstain, which is anticipated after November 17.

“Even if someone gets into this budget, it won’t be enough to set off elections.” No party should now be wanting to leave. Even the Liberals, no. voters, too? Anyone who tries will be punished, according to pollster Darrell Bricker, global CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.

Nearly half of Canadians preferred Carney as prime minister, according to a poll conducted by Nanos Research this week, compared to 27 percent for Pierre Poilievre, the party’s official opposition leader.

The New Democrats praised some of the proposed measures, including those that would increase infrastructure spending in the name of unions, but they also criticized the government’s plan to reduce the public sector workforce and other measures as “a step in the wrong direction.”

spending cuts, but improvements to infrastructure

The budget commits to spending $ 280 billion ($200 billion US) on new infrastructure over the course of five years, while cutting $ 42.6 billion ($60 billion) in government spending.

The proposed deficit, which Ottawa estimated to be $ 78 billion Canadian ($55. 3 billion US) for the upcoming fiscal year, more than double the deficit from the previous year, is another contentious issue. It would drop to $57 billion ($40.4bn) by 2030.

Prior to now, Poilievre had made a number of important budget demands, including keeping the deficit under $29 billion Canadian ($29.8 billion).

Poilievre also criticized the budget for allowing the consumption of taxes on groceries, work, energy, and home construction on Tuesday.

However, one Acadie-Annapolis district Conservative representative, Chris D’Entremont, sounded convinced. Although the government will still have a minority, he announced on Tuesday that he had joined Carney’s Liberals. In Canada, there are comparatively few political reversals.

Robert Asselin, who was formerly a Liberal minister’s advisor and now conduces a group of research universities, claimed Carney could have made much more money to stimulate growth, but that would have most likely led to a deficit over $100 billion Canadian ($71 billion).

You can’t simply turn around the world’s 10th largest economy with one budget, said Drew Fagan, a visiting professor at Yale University with a background in global affairs.