January 2, 2026
Jessica Corbett
During the afternoon inauguration ceremony—which followed an early morning swearing-in at the abandoned subway station beneath City Hall—Mamdani also called for taxing the rich as he reiterated the agenda that secured him over 1.1 million votes in November.
“Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try,” he said. “To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this: No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.”
“Here, where the language of the New Deal was born, we will return the vast resources of this city to the workers who call it home,” Mamdani vowed. “Not only will we make it possible for every New Yorker to afford a life they love once again, we will overcome the isolation that too many feel, and connect the people of this city to one another.”
The mayor said that “the cost of childcare will no longer discourage young adults from starting a family, because we will deliver universal childcare for the many by taxing the wealthiest few. Those in rent-stabilized homes will no longer dread the latest rent hike, because we will freeze the rent.”
“Getting on a bus without worrying about a fare hike or whether you’ll be late to your destination will no longer be deemed a small miracle, because we will make buses fast and free,” he continued. “These policies are not simply about the costs we make free, but the lives we fill with freedom. For too long in our city, freedom has belonged only to those who can afford to buy it. Our City Hall will change that.”
The ceremony also featured remarks from another early Mamdani supporter, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), as well as the swearing-in of Jumaane Williams for a third term as New York City’s public advocate and Mark Levine, the new comptroller.
“New York, we have chosen courage over fear,” said Ocasio-Cortez, whose district spans the Bronx and Queens. “We have chosen prosperity for the many over spoils for the few. And when the entrenched ways would rather have us dig in our feet and seek refuge in the past, we have chosen instead to turn towards making a new future for all of us.”
As NYC kicked off the new year with progressive city leadership, 2025 findings from the Bloomberg Billionaire Index sparked fresh wealth tax demands. According to the tracker, the world’s 500 richest people added a record $2.2 trillion to their collective fortunes last year. About a quarter of that went to just eight Big Tech billionaires: Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg.
In New York, Mamdani has proposed raising the state corporate tax rate from 8.85% to 11.5% and hiking taxes for individuals who make more than $1 million a year. Achieving those goals would require cooperation from state legislators.
Mamdani acknowledged Thursday that for much of history, the response from City Hall to the question of who New York belongs to has been, “It belongs only to the wealthy and well-connected, those who never strain to capture the attention of those in power.”
In the years ahead, he pledged, “City Hall will deliver an agenda of safety, affordability, and abundance, where government looks and lives like the people it represents, never flinches in the fight against corporate greed, and refuses to cower before challenges that others have deemed too complicated.”
“Together, we will tell a new story of our city,” the mayor said. “This will not be a tale of one city, governed only by the 1%. Nor will it be a tale of two cities, the rich versus the poor. It will be a tale of 8.5 million cities, each of them a New Yorker with hopes and fears, each a universe, each of them woven together.”
International Middle East Media
Center
A Palestinian child was killed by Israeli fire in northern Gaza on Thursday, as worsening winter conditions and unsafe displacement shelters led to the deaths of a woman, her daughter, and a three‑week‑old infant, underscoring the deepening humanitarian crisis across the Strip amid ongoing ceasefire violations.
Field reporters said the blaze spread rapidly through the makeshift shelter, injuring five others with severe burns.
Humanitarian agencies have long warned that overcrowded, poorly insulated tents—combined with unsafe heating methods pose deadly risks for displaced families.
In central Gaza, the three‑week‑old infant Malak Rami Ghneim died inside her family’s tent in the Nuseirat camp.
Aid groups and UN agencies have repeatedly cautioned that Israel’s restrictions on shelter materials, blankets, and heating supplies have left displaced families exposed to life‑threatening temperatures.
Heavy winter rains and intense winds have devastated displacement camps, flooding tents and destroying the few possessions families managed to salvage.
Al‑Jazeera correspondents documented widespread flooding in camps across central and southern Gaza, where children were seen standing in knee‑deep muddy water inside their shelters.
UN officials have reiterated calls for Israel to lift all barriers on the entry of humanitarian supplies, including tents, blankets, and fuel, which remain critically scarce.
Rising Death Toll Amid Ceasefire Violations
The overall Palestinian death toll in Gaza has risen to 71,271, with 171,233 wounded since October 7, 2023, the majority of whom are children, women, and elderly.
Medical officials reported that in the past 24 hours, hospitals received two fatalities—one newly killed and one recovered from under the rubble—along with one injury.
Dozens more remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings and in inaccessible areas, as emergency crews continue to face severe restrictions and repeated Israeli fire that prevents them from reaching affected zones.
Since the “ceasefire” announced on October 11, 2025, the number of Palestinians killed has reached 416, with 1,153 injured, and 683 bodies recovered from destroyed neighborhoods.
Al‑Jazeera’s latest reporting indicates that Israeli forces continue to conduct near‑daily violations of the ceasefire, including shootings, artillery fire, and airstrikes across multiple areas of the Strip.
Jessica Corbett
“Demanding that the wealthy and
large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes is not radical. It is
exactly the right thing to do,” declared Sanders—who endorsed Mamdani even
before his June primary victory over former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo and “the billionaire-backed status quo.”
The 34-year-old mayor on Thursday
described Brooklyn-born Sanders—50 years his senior—as “the man whose
leadership I seek most to emulate, who I am so grateful to be sworn in by
today.”
During the afternoon inauguration ceremony—which followed an early morning swearing-in at the abandoned subway station beneath City Hall—Mamdani also called for taxing the rich as he reiterated the agenda that secured him over 1.1 million votes in November.
“Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try,” he said. “To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this: No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.”
“Here, where the language of the New Deal was born, we will return the vast resources of this city to the workers who call it home,” Mamdani vowed. “Not only will we make it possible for every New Yorker to afford a life they love once again, we will overcome the isolation that too many feel, and connect the people of this city to one another.”
The mayor said that “the cost of childcare will no longer discourage young adults from starting a family, because we will deliver universal childcare for the many by taxing the wealthiest few. Those in rent-stabilized homes will no longer dread the latest rent hike, because we will freeze the rent.”
“Getting on a bus without worrying about a fare hike or whether you’ll be late to your destination will no longer be deemed a small miracle, because we will make buses fast and free,” he continued. “These policies are not simply about the costs we make free, but the lives we fill with freedom. For too long in our city, freedom has belonged only to those who can afford to buy it. Our City Hall will change that.”
The ceremony also featured remarks from another early Mamdani supporter, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), as well as the swearing-in of Jumaane Williams for a third term as New York City’s public advocate and Mark Levine, the new comptroller.
“New York, we have chosen courage over fear,” said Ocasio-Cortez, whose district spans the Bronx and Queens. “We have chosen prosperity for the many over spoils for the few. And when the entrenched ways would rather have us dig in our feet and seek refuge in the past, we have chosen instead to turn towards making a new future for all of us.”
As NYC kicked off the new year with progressive city leadership, 2025 findings from the Bloomberg Billionaire Index sparked fresh wealth tax demands. According to the tracker, the world’s 500 richest people added a record $2.2 trillion to their collective fortunes last year. About a quarter of that went to just eight Big Tech billionaires: Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg.
In New York, Mamdani has proposed raising the state corporate tax rate from 8.85% to 11.5% and hiking taxes for individuals who make more than $1 million a year. Achieving those goals would require cooperation from state legislators.
Mamdani acknowledged Thursday that for much of history, the response from City Hall to the question of who New York belongs to has been, “It belongs only to the wealthy and well-connected, those who never strain to capture the attention of those in power.”
In the years ahead, he pledged, “City Hall will deliver an agenda of safety, affordability, and abundance, where government looks and lives like the people it represents, never flinches in the fight against corporate greed, and refuses to cower before challenges that others have deemed too complicated.”
“Together, we will tell a new story of our city,” the mayor said. “This will not be a tale of one city, governed only by the 1%. Nor will it be a tale of two cities, the rich versus the poor. It will be a tale of 8.5 million cities, each of them a New Yorker with hopes and fears, each a universe, each of them woven together.”
A Palestinian child was killed by Israeli fire in northern Gaza on Thursday, as worsening winter conditions and unsafe displacement shelters led to the deaths of a woman, her daughter, and a three‑week‑old infant, underscoring the deepening humanitarian crisis across the Strip amid ongoing ceasefire violations.
Field reporters said the blaze spread rapidly through the makeshift shelter, injuring five others with severe burns.
Humanitarian agencies have long warned that overcrowded, poorly insulated tents—combined with unsafe heating methods pose deadly risks for displaced families.
In central Gaza, the three‑week‑old infant Malak Rami Ghneim died inside her family’s tent in the Nuseirat camp.
Aid groups and UN agencies have repeatedly cautioned that Israel’s restrictions on shelter materials, blankets, and heating supplies have left displaced families exposed to life‑threatening temperatures.
Heavy winter rains and intense winds have devastated displacement camps, flooding tents and destroying the few possessions families managed to salvage.
Al‑Jazeera correspondents documented widespread flooding in camps across central and southern Gaza, where children were seen standing in knee‑deep muddy water inside their shelters.
UN officials have reiterated calls for Israel to lift all barriers on the entry of humanitarian supplies, including tents, blankets, and fuel, which remain critically scarce.
Rising Death Toll Amid Ceasefire Violations
The overall Palestinian death toll in Gaza has risen to 71,271, with 171,233 wounded since October 7, 2023, the majority of whom are children, women, and elderly.
Medical officials reported that in the past 24 hours, hospitals received two fatalities—one newly killed and one recovered from under the rubble—along with one injury.
Dozens more remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings and in inaccessible areas, as emergency crews continue to face severe restrictions and repeated Israeli fire that prevents them from reaching affected zones.
Since the “ceasefire” announced on October 11, 2025, the number of Palestinians killed has reached 416, with 1,153 injured, and 683 bodies recovered from destroyed neighborhoods.
Al‑Jazeera’s latest reporting indicates that Israeli forces continue to conduct near‑daily violations of the ceasefire, including shootings, artillery fire, and airstrikes across multiple areas of the Strip.
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