Five minutes with Zohran Mamdani: Universal child care plans revealed and more

Today's newsletter curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ☀️ Sunny, highs in the lower 50s and gusty to start the day.

It's Thursday in New York City, where Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is on his way to Puerto Rico for the annual Somos gathering of New York political insiders.

But first, he devoted five minutes to speak with our senior politics reporter, Brigid Bergin, about his transition team, his plans to provide child care for every kid "from six weeks to five years of age," whether he'll commit to Brian Lehrer's weekly "Ask The Mayor" call-in segment and more.

Read the interview.

Here's what else is happening:

• Meet Mamdani's transition team leaders: former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, United Way of New York City CEO Grace Bonilla, former Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog and Elana Leopold, who held several senior roles during the Bill de Blasio administration.
  • For his first political meeting as mayor-elect, Mamdani had a power lunch with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a Nepalese restaurant in Jackson Heights.
• Voters on Tuesday ousted the Bronx's only Republican city councilmember, electing Democrat Shirley Aldebol over incumbent Kristy Marmorato.
• Residents of Yorkville’s Isaac Houses will soon vote on whether to keep the NYCHA complex entirely public or to partner with private companies to manage and repair the property.
• A novel program known as “hotspotting,” which uses a combination of technology and old-fashioned human connection to identify and help people at highest risk of a drug overdose, could be contributing to Staten Island's recent decline in overdose deaths.
• Police said four adults were found dead in an apartment at the Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx yesterday after an apparent murder-suicide.
• The FDNY said an explosion injured seven firefighters responding to a car and trash fire in Longwood in the Bronx yesterday.
• Mayor Eric Adams is offering 2,900 former city workers who lost their jobs after refusing to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates a path to return.
• State officials said they were increasing security funding for select sensitive locations, like synagogues and yeshivas, after several Jewish sites were vandalized yesterday.

• Mayor-elect Mamdani said life is different now that he's famous. (For example, he recently mentioned a Thai restaurant he likes at it caused the place to get a little overwhelmed with orders.)
• Is Sen. Chuck Schumer out of touch? He doesn't think so, but others do.
• Bill de Blasio is enjoying all this.
• So are the voters who live in Hudson Yards.
• Dave Portnoy is not enjoying the election results, to the point that he's considering moving Barstool's offices to Hoboken.
• FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said he'll step down before Mamdani takes office.
• The Vatican has clarified that Mary was not the co-redemptrix and people claiming to see apparitions of her are mistaken.
• Police in Ireland have clarified that a mysterious animal roaming County Clare was not a lion, but in fact a dog with a funny haircut.