“. . . There's this sense that [Left-leaning candidates] have to essentially be apologizing for their policy prescriptions and their stances. Mamdani has not done that . . . For the most part, he very much embraces who he is and what his policy prescriptions are.” - Felipe De La Hoz

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Description [original air date Oct 31, 2025]: Wherever you are in the country, you’ve probably heard the name “Zohran Mamdani”. New York City’s mayoral race is a national story, and it’s hard to overstate the significance of the leading candidate in this moment. If elected, Mamdani would become the first Muslim-American and only the second Democratic Socialist Mayor of the largest city in the U.S. His victory, on a promise to make New York affordable for working people, would have implications for politics everywhere. The race is already garnering both excitement and anxiety. President Trump is threatening to withhold federal funding for New York City if Mamdani wins. From Chicago to Dearborn, Michigan, journalists are watching. In this installment of “Meet the BIPOC Press”, Laura Flanders speaks with Felipe De La Hoz, investigative immigration and policy reporter whose work has been featured in The Intercept, The Washington Post, New York Mag and The Nation; Osama Siblani, publisher and founder of The Arab American News, the largest Arab American newspaper in the U.S., and Asha Ransby-Sporn, organizer and writer for In These Times and co-founder of Black Youth Project 100, where she led the group's national organizing program. Join us as we explore what a Mamdani victory would signal for the nation.

Guests:

• Felipe De La Hoz: Immigration & Policy Reporter, Epicenter NYC

• Asha Ransby-Sporn: Writer & Political Strategist; Columnist, In These Times

• Osama Siblani: Publisher, The Arab American News

Watch the special report on YouTube; PBS World Channel Sundays 11:30am ET, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airs on community radio across the country (check here to see if your station is airing the show) & is available as a podcast. The full uncut conversation is also available to podcast subscribers thanks to our member supporters.

RESOURCES:

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• Dolores Huerta Leads Protest Against California’s Largest Planned ICE Detention Center, by Steve Virgen, CA Neighborhood Reporter, July 30, 2025, 23ABC News KERO

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Full Episode Notes are located HERE.

Music Credit: "Libertango” by Stephan Wrembel’s from the ‘Django New Orleans II Hors Série’' courtesy of the artist, "Steppin" by Podington Bear and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper

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