The Morning: Cuomo’s comeback
The New York Times <nytdirect@nytimes.com>
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2025-06-12 13:06
Good morning. A passenger plane bound for London crashed in western India with more than 200 people aboard. Western officials say that Israel appears to be preparing to attack Iran. Plus, we have the latest from the immigration protests. More news is below. But first, we take a look at the New York mayor’s race.
Cuomo’s comeback
Andrew Cuomo shot to national fame in 2020 for his daily pandemic briefings as governor of New York. His political star fell just a year later, when he resigned in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. Now he is attempting a comeback in the New York City mayor’s race. The race has been turbulent. The incumbent, Eric Adams, was indicted on federal corruption charges that the Trump administration later dismissed. He is running for re-election, but not as a Democrat. That means the party’s nomination is up for grabs, and nearly a dozen candidates are on the ballot. Recent polls show that Cuomo is roughly 10 percentage points ahead of the No. 2 candidate, Zohran Mamdani. The Democrats’ final debate is tonight, and the primary is June 24. In today’s newsletter, I’ll answer some questions about Cuomo’s campaign, the field of competitors and what it all means for Democrats. Why is Cuomo ahead?He has broad name recognition after having served more than a decade as governor. He also has a huge campaign war chest and a $10 million super PAC behind him. His critics point to his baggage: the sexual harassment allegations, his handling of nursing home deaths during the pandemic, his vindictive management style. But many New Yorkers appear ready to give him a second chance. They seem to look back fondly at some of his achievements as governor, including the rebuilding of LaGuardia Airport. And this week he scored a coveted endorsement from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a major Democratic donor. Do other candidates have a chance?Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is popular with younger voters, has risen in the polls. He promises to freeze the rent on rent-stabilized apartments and to make buses free and fast. But several other candidates are trying to make a late surge.
The city uses ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank up to five candidates they support. If your top choice is eliminated, your vote is transferred to the next candidate on your ballot. The system can produce interesting alliances. Mamdani has forged a coalition with Lander and Adrienne Adams. If voters rank the three of them, and leave Cuomo off their ballot entirely, it could lead to an upset. What is the biggest issue?Many New Yorkers say working-class people can no longer afford to live in the city. Rents have soared, and homelessness is at record levels. Cuomo wants to raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour, which would be among the highest in the nation. Mamdani has called for an even higher minimum wage, $30 an hour by 2030, and wants to create city-owned grocery stores. And all of the candidates are talking about building affordable housing. The Times recently interviewed the eight leading candidates and asked them how much they pay for their rent or mortgage. Cuomo’s Manhattan apartment costs about $8,000 per month — far above the median rent in Manhattan of roughly $4,800. Mamdani says he pays about $2,200 in Queens. Does it matter outside New York?Many New Yorkers say they want their mayor to stand up to President Trump’s budget cuts and mass deportations. The election could reveal what type of Democrat they believe is best suited to do that. Cuomo is a moderate who has criticized the left wing of his party. He said at the first debate that he knew how to deal with Trump because he had warred with him as governor. “He can be beaten, but he has to know that he’s up against an adversary who can actually beat him,” Cuomo said. “And I can tell you this. I am the last person on this stage that Mr. Trump wants to see as mayor.” Mamdani, meanwhile, has been endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive congresswoman. He said at the first debate that Cuomo was unlikely to stand up to Trump because they had similar donors and wealthy supporters. “I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,” Mamdani said.
Demonstrations against Trump’s immigration raids continue to percolate across the country. Yesterday’s most intense clashes were on the West Coast. In downtown Los Angeles, police officers on foot and on horseback dispersed crowds in front of City Hall with flash bangs and foam rounds, shortly before a curfew took effect for a second night. Officers later fired foam bullets at dozens of protesters who marched in Koreatown, outside the curfew area. Hundreds of protesters in Seattle marched toward federal buildings. A few started a fire and blocked an intersection. And in Spokane, Wash., officers arrested more than 30 people during a demonstration that officials said had started when protesters tried to prevent an ICE vehicle from transporting detainees. Demonstrations outside the West Coast wound down with little confrontation: Protests in St. Louis ended by 6 p.m., and the Texas National Guard were absent at a march in San Antonio, although Gov. Greg Abbott had said he would deploy them. Follow our live blog for updates. For more
An interview with Gavin Newsom
A day after his fiery speech describing Trump’s deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles as an assault on democracy, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, spoke to Michael Barbaro on “The Daily.” Newsom, a possible Democratic presidential contender in 2028, called Trump a “stone-cold liar” and accused him of “trying create a problem so he can, quote unquote, solve it.” He invoked an exhibit at a Holocaust museum to describe the challenge facing Americans today. “I think we need to wake up, that what he wants is our silence,” he said. “And if we’re silent about that, then we are complicit as we see these fundamental rights erode.” Listen to the podcast interview.
India Plane Crash
Middle East
Trump Administration
Other Big Stories
Most government revenue comes from income taxes. When the House passed a bill to cut them, Republicans argued that Trump’s tariffs would make up the difference. The charts above show why that’s unlikely. In May, the Treasury collected more than $22 billion in tariff payments — a record. But it was still just 6 percent of that month’s total government revenue. Read our full analysis of the tariff plan.
Who should lead New York City? Times Opinion asked 15 New Yorkers to size up the Democratic candidates in the mayor’s race. Here’s who they think would be the best choice. Kathleen Kingsbury, the head of Opinion, explains the motivation behind the project: “In conversations with readers over the years, I’ve found that some of them don’t want simply a one-size-fits-all endorsement and seek deeper, more varied perspectives, reporting and ideas to help them ultimately make their own decisions.” If New York City is going to be a better place to live for the millions who call it home, the next mayor must address these six high-pressure issues, writes Mara Gay, a member of the editorial board. The Games Sale. Our best offer won’t last. Let the fun begin. Subscribe to New York Times Games for up to 75% off your first year. As a subscriber you can strengthen your strategy with Wordle Bot, reach Genius on Spelling Bee, play the Crossword and more.
A sonic genius: Brian Wilson, the leader of the Beach Boys, who transcended the breezy surf genre to create some of the most complex and beautiful pop music of the 1960s, died at 82. First look: Scientists captured footage of an Antarctic gonate squid, a deep-sea creature never before seen alive. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was this video from Livia Albeck-Ripka, a Times reporter who was shot with a crowd-control munition while covering the L.A. protests. Trending: Silentó, the rapper known for his viral hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting of his cousin.
N.B.A.: The Indiana Pacers reserve guard Bennedict Mathurin scored a game-high 27 points to secure his team a 116-107 win and a 2-1 series advantage against the Oklahoma City Thunder. M.L.B.: The Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins created a stir by saying he would never play for the Yankees, adding that the team had drafted his father and then traded him. That story wasn’t true.
Yes, we said critics with an “s.” For the first time, The Times will have two chief restaurant critics, and we will expand the franchise of full-length starred reviews beyond New York City. Tejal Rao, who has been on our staff since 2016, is based in Los Angeles and will spend most of her time traveling the country. Ligaya Mishan, who wrote our Hungry City column from 2012 to 2020, lives in Manhattan. We’re also no longer trying to hide their faces — they’ll make videos like this one to go with their reviews. We asked Ligaya and Tejal about their earliest restaurant memories, what they eat when off-duty, how they read menus and how they stay fit. Read our Q&A. More on culture
Put coconut water in your Paloma. Pack for a three-day trip in one “personal item.”
Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was uncloak. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com.
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