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A man suspected of helping another man bomb a fertility clinic in California has died in custody, officials said Tuesday.Daniel Park, 32, was accused of shipping bomb-making material to Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, who died in the May 17 explosion of a car outside the clinic in Palm Springs, a desert town east of Los Angeles.Four other people were wounded in the blast, which caused major damage to the building.No cause of death for Park was provided.Authorities say he and Bartkus met online and shared “pro-mortalist, anti-natalist” beliefs.Bartkus believed “that individuals should not be born without their consent and that non-existence is best,” the US Justice Department said in a statement earlier this month. Park shared this ideology.After the attack, Park fled to Europe but was arrested in Poland at the request of the United States and deported back home to face terrorism-related charges.Since his arrest this month Park was being held in federal custody and on Tuesday he was “found unresponsive” in a cell at a detention facility in Los Angeles, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.Officers tried to revive him but Park was later pronounced dead at a hospital.He was accused of shipping approximately 180 pounds (80 kilos) of ammonium nitrate,  which is used to make homemade bombs, to Bartkus.Authorities have said Park, who lived in Seattle, and Bartkus were together in the latter’s hometown of Twentynine Palms in January and February and ran bomb experiments.

New York Democrats were choosing Tuesday between an upstart 33-year-old Muslim socialist and a political veteran vying to come back from a sex harassment scandal as their candidate to lead the left-leaning city.The party’s primary contest has featured almost a dozen candidates seeking to become mayor of the biggest US city, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one.As voters cast ballots in a smothering heatwave, polls showed surprise challenger Zohran Mamdani and former state governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, at the top of the heap.Polls were set to close at 9:00 pm (0100 GMT Wednesday), but results may take time to finalize. The contest is ranked-choice, with voters asked to select five candidates in order of preference, and potentially neither Cuomo nor Mamdani getting the required majority. If no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote, election officials begin eliminating lowest-ranking candidates and recounting, a process that can take days. With the Democrats reeling nationally from Donald Trump’s presidential election last year, the high-profile city race has done little to calm party nerves.Cuomo stepped down as New York governor four years ago after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. He has also been accused of mismanaging the state’s response to the Covid pandemic.Staunchly pro-Israel Cuomo has led for most of the race, with massive name recognition as the son of another New York governor, as well as support from powerful centrist figures including former president Bill Clinton.Mamdani, meanwhile, is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America — the kind of niche, leftist affiliation that might work in the Big Apple but many analysts say the Democratic Party needs to discard to come back from the broader political wilderness.The fact that Mamdani speaks out for Palestinians and has accused Israel of “genocide” also makes him a prime target for Trump. His supporters include two other favorite Trump foils — fiery leftist Senator Bernie Sanders and progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”I see it as a referendum of the Democratic Party, whether we lean more towards the centrist candidate, who’s maybe from a different generation of politicians and people in society, or a younger, left-leaning, more ambitious, idealistic party,” voter Nicholas Zantal, 31, said.It was a contest unfolding under blazing heat, with thermometers topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (nearly 38 Celsius).- Big ideas, low experience -Currently a New York state assemblyman representing the borough of Queens, Mamdani stands out for his energetic campaigning style and eye-catching policy proposals that include freezing rent for many New Yorkers, providing free bus service, and universal childcare.And in a wildly expensive city, where a three-bedroom apartment can easily cost $6,000 a month, he has surged from behind.”Tomorrow is ours if we want it,” Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is of Indian descent, said late Monday in a social media post. “We are on the cusp of toppling a political dynasty, and delivering a New York everyone can afford.”Voter Eamon Harkin, 48, said prices were his “number one issue.””What’s at stake is primarily the affordability of New York,” he said.But Sheryl Stein, who works in tourism marketing, was skeptical.”I like youth,” she said. But Mamdani having “no experience and no proven track record to run the largest city in this country and one of the largest in the world, is pretty scary.”Cuomo is trying to capitalize on those concerns, telling supporters Monday that “this is not a job for a novice.””We need someone who knows what they’re doing on day one, because your lives depend on it.”Whoever gets the Democratic Party nomination will face several contenders in November — including the current, scandal-plagued mayor, Eric Adams, who is a Democrat but will run again as an independent.

Both legal teams in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs rested their case on Tuesday, ushering in the final phases of the high-profile proceedings gripping a Manhattan federal courthouse.US prosecutors finished questioning their 34th and final witness in the seventh week of testimony, after which the defense delivered a brief case in which they opted against calling anyone further to the stand.That included Combs himself: it is common for defendants not to testify in their own trial, as taking the mic could open them up to potentially incriminating themselves.In a short, standard exchange with Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs confirmed that he would not take the stand on his own behalf.”Is it your decision not to testify in this case?” the judge asked, to which Combs responded: “That is my decision, your honor.””It is solely my decision,” he continued, before adding that he came to that conclusion “with my lawyers.””It’s my decision to make. I’m making this freely.”The defense rested after presenting a number of exhibits, a process that lasted less than half-an-hour.It’s not abnormal for defense teams to opt against presenting witnesses; the obligation to prove guilt lies on prosecutors, and unless jurors decide they have, the defendant is presumed innocent.Marathon closing arguments are expected to begin on Thursday, after which jurors will be tasked with deciding the fate of the 55-year-old Combs, who faces life in prison if convicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation for purposes of prostitution.Also on Tuesday the defense presented to the judge their acquittal motion — an argument that the prosecution has not met its burden of proof for each of the five charges.Such efforts are common in these types of cases, but acquittals are almost never granted.- ‘Freak-offs’ -Since early May, prosecutors have aimed to draw connections across a web of witnesses, phone records and travel bookings in a bid to show that Combs was the kingpin of an enterprise that carried out crimes including bribery, arson and kidnapping to enforce his power and satisfy his every desire.The prosecution said the artist and entrepreneur trafficked women and men for drug-fueled sexual marathons, sometimes days-long encounters dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”Some of the events were filmed, and jurors have watched a number of sexually explicit clips.Government attorneys closed their questioning by offering reams of text messages and other records for jurors to review, documentation of dozens of freak-offs that they say also shows arrangements for prostitution and trafficking.As testimony of the last summary witness — someone brought in to explain data and records to jurors — wrapped up, prosecutor Maurene Comey delivered a staccato burst of questions to emphasize elements of charges related to transportation with the intent of prostitution.Combs denies all charges.Lawyers for Combs have insisted that what prosecutors have called sex trafficking was consensual.Three women have testified in graphic detail of harrowing sexual, physical and emotional abuse.The singer Casandra Ventura, Combs’s girlfriend for more than a decade, filed suit against Combs in 2023, a civil case that was settled out of court in less than 24 hours — but which opened the floodgates for a deluge of accusations against the one-time music industry powerhouse.She was among the key witnesses to testify at the trial, and jurors were repeatedly shown now-infamous surveillance footage of Combs violently kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel.A hotel security guard testified that he received $100,000 in a brown paper bag from Combs in exchange for the disturbing tape, which CNN published last year.Jurors are not sequestered but are instructed every day not to consume any media about the case — a mighty task, as news of the trial has permeated both traditional and social media.

Tens of millions of Americans sweltered outside or sought air-conditioned refuge as an “extremely dangerous” heat wave blanketed the eastern United States on Tuesday with record high temperatures.As a fierce sun reflected off the skyscrapers of New York, the normally frenetic Times Square was virtually deserted by mid-day as the mercury reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius), the hottest since 2012 in the Big Apple.By mid-afternoon Newark, New Jersey hit 103F (39.4C), according to the National Weather Service, and Philadelphia also reached 100F (38C). New Yorkers walked under umbrellas as they navigated the streets of Manhattan, while others sunbathed in swimsuits in parks.”It’s been kind of a cold spring. Then all of a sudden, boom, here it is,” Eleanor Burke, 82, told AFP of the heat, recalling how she took a dog for a walk the night before and “he almost looked like he was dead.”Soaring temperatures are straining the city’s power grid as people crank up their air conditioning. In the Bronx, a New York borough, a blackout left more than 34,000 homes without power, prompting energy supplier Con Edison to urge residents to moderate their electricity consumption.The NWS warned of East Coast temperatures of 97F-103F (36C-39.4C) on Tuesday, and a heat index — what the temperature feels like with humidity factored in — spiking as high as 110F (43.3C) for the New York metropolitan area.”Extremely dangerous heat persists across the Midwest and East Coast… affecting nearly half of the US population at 161 million people,” the NWS warned in an advisory, which also urged people to limit their physical activity due to poor air quality.”I don’t mind heat… but this of course is way too much,” said Maureen Brandon, 50, who said she walks in the shade and gets things done in the morning or evening outside of peak heat hours.In the US capital, temperatures also flirted with triple digits. The Washington Monument, the famed obelisk honoring America’s first president, was closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to “extreme heat in the DC area,” the National Park Service said.Passenger train company Amtrak announced speed restrictions on its East Coast tracks, which could cause delays.Meteorologists have described the intensifying weather pattern as a heat dome, a high-pressure system that traps air underneath and leads to steadily rising thermal readings.Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, leading to more fatalities than natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes.Scientists say extreme heat waves are a clear sign of global warming, and they are expected to become more frequent, longer, and more intense.Fueled by human-caused climate change, 2024 was the warmest year on record globally — and 2025 is projected to rank among the top three.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a “historic victory” on Tuesday after agreeing a ceasefire with Iran and insisted that his country’s arch-foe would never achieve a nuclear weapon.The premier’s comments, delivered in an address to the nation, came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was willing to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme.Pezeshkian insisted, however, that Iran would continue to “assert its legitimate rights” to the peaceful use of atomic energy.”Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Netanyahu said after the ceasefire ended 12 days of deadly air and missile strikes between the arch foes.”We have thwarted Iran’s nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt.”Israel’s strikes eventually drew in the United States, which on Sunday hit Iran’s underground nuclear facilities with powerful “bunker-buster” bombs that Israel lacked.After Iran retaliated with a missile attack Monday night targeting a US base in Qatar, President Donald Trump called for de-escalation, announcing the contours of a truce deal hours later.In a phone call Tuesday, Pezeshkian told his Emirati counterpart “to explain to them, in your dealings with the United States, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is only seeking to assert its legitimate rights”. “It has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and does not seek them,” he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, adding that Iran was “ready to resolve the issues… at the negotiating table”.Israel has said its war, which began on June 13, was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.Israel’s military said that its strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear programme “by years” and that the campaign against the country was now “entering a new phase”.After Trump angrily berated both sides for early violations of the truce on Tuesday, Tehran announced it would respect the terms of the deal if Israel did the same, while Israel said it had refrained from further strikes.- Claims of victory -Before Netanyahu spoke, Israel’s government said its military had removed the “dual existential threat” of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.”We’ve set Iran’s nuclear project back by years, and the same applies to its missile programme,” Israel’s chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a later statement.Iran’s top security body, meanwhile, said the Islamic republic’s forces had “compelled” Israel to “unilaterally” stand down.Its Revolutionary Guards also hailed a last-minute missile salvo fired at Israel as “a historic and unforgettable lesson to the Zionist enemy”.- Strikes on US base -Israeli strikes hit nuclear and military targets — killing scientists and senior military figures — as well as residential areas, prompting waves of Iranian missile fire on Israel.While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, it has been by far the most destructive confrontation between the arch-foes.The war culminated in US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites using massive bunker-busting bombs, followed by an Iranian reprisal targeting the largest US military facility in the Middle East.Trump shrugged off that response as “weak”, thanking Tehran for giving advance notice and announcing the outline of the ceasefire just hours later. – ‘Everyone is tired’ -Some Israelis on Tuesday welcomed the prospect of a truce.”Everyone is tired. We just want to have some peace of mind,” said Tel Aviv resident Tammy Shel, voicing hope for a lasting ceasefire. “For us, for the Iranian people, for the Palestinians, for everyone in the region.”In Iran, people remained uncertain whether the peace would hold. Amir, 28, fled from Tehran to the Caspian Sea coast and told AFP by phone, “I really don’t know… about the ceasefire but honestly, I don’t think things will return to normal.”Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 610 civilians and wounded more than 4,700, according to the health ministry.Iran’s attacks on Israel have killed 28 people, according to official figures and rescuers.The international community reacted with cautious optimism to the truce.Saudi Arabia and the European Union welcomed Trump’s announcement, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped “that this will be a sustainable ceasefire”.But French President Emmanuel Macron warned there was an “increased” risk that Iran would attempt to enrich uranium secretly following the strikes on its nuclear sites.During their talks, Iran and the United States had been at odds over uranium enrichment, which Tehran considers a “non-negotiable” right and which Washington has called a “red line”. After the truce was announced, Israel’s military chief Zamir said Israel’s focus would now shift back to Gaza.The Israeli opposition, the Palestinian Authority and the main group representing the families of Israeli hostages all called for a Gaza truce to complement the Iran ceasefire. burs-dcp/kir

US prosecutors on Tuesday rested their case in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, as the music mogul’s defense team prepared to present their own evidence to jurors.Combs’s lawyers have said they will not call their own witnesses to testify in the trial, now in its seventh week in Manhattan federal court.Closing arguments are tentatively expected to begin on Thursday, after which jurors will be tasked with deciding the fate of the 55-year-old Combs, who faces life in prison if convicted.Following the prosecution’s 34th and last witness, the jurors headed to lunch while the defense presented their acquittal motion — an argument that the prosecution has not met its burden of proof.Such efforts are common in these types of cases, but acquittals are almost never granted.Later in the afternoon the defense is expected to introduce some exhibits and then rest their likely brief case, potentially by the end of Tuesday.It’s not abnormal for defense teams to opt against presenting witnesses; the obligation to prove guilt lies on prosecutors, and unless jurors decide they have, the defendant is presumed innocent.Since early May, prosecutors have aimed to draw connections across a web of witnesses, phone records and travel bookings, a bid to show that Combs was the kingpin of an enterprise comprised of high-ranking employees that carried out crimes including bribery, arson and kidnapping to enforce his power and satisfy his every desire.The prosecution said the artist and entrepreneur trafficked women and men for drug-fueled sexual marathons, sometimes days-long encounters dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”Some of the events were filmed, and jurors have watched a number of sexually explicit clips.Government attorneys closed their questioning by offering reams of text messages and other records for jurors to review, documentation of dozens of freak-offs that they say also shows arrangements for prostitution and trafficking.As testimony of the last summary witness — someone brought in to explain data and records to jurors — wrapped up, prosecutor Maurene Comey delivered a staccato burst of questions to emphasize elements of charges related to transportation with the intent of prostitution.Combs denies all charges.- No defense witnesses? -The defense’s decision not to call witnesses could indicate they believe their questioning of government witnesses could have cast enough doubt on the case against Combs.It could also mean they haven’t identified any witnesses who could help them.Lawyers for Combs have insisted that what prosecutors have called sex trafficking was consensual.Three women have testified in graphic detail of harrowing abuse that ranged from sexual, physical to emotional.The singer Casandra Ventura, Combs’s girlfriend for more than a decade, filed suit against Combs in 2023, a civil case that was settled out of court in less than 24 hours — but which opened the floodgates for a deluge of accusations against the one-time music industry powerhouse.She was among the key witnesses to testify at the trial, and jurors were repeatedly shown now-infamous surveillance footage of Combs violently kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel.A hotel security guard testified that he received $100,000 in a brown paper bag from Combs in exchange for the disturbing tape, which CNN published last year.Jurors are not sequestered but are instructed every day not to consume any media about the case — a mighty task, as news of the trial has permeated both traditional and social media.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers Tuesday that the central bank can afford to wait for the impact of tariffs before deciding on further interest rate cuts — despite President Donald Trump’s calls to slash levels.The Fed has a duty to prevent a one-time spike in prices from becoming an “ongoing inflation problem,” Powell said before the House Committee on Financial Services.”For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,” he added.His comments came after two Fed officials — Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman — recently suggested policymakers could cut rates as early as July.Powell declined to comment when asked about Waller’s views on a pathway to rate reductions.But he said officials could be inclined to lower rates sooner if inflation were weaker than expected or if the labor market deteriorated.The Fed has held the benchmark lending rate steady since its last reduction in December, bringing the level to a range between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent.Last week, Powell told reporters that it would make smarter decisions if it waited to understand how Trump’s tariffs impact the economy.The Fed chief said Tuesday that it should see the duties’ impact on consumer prices in June and July numbers, adding that a smaller effect than anticipated is also important for policymaking.Hours before Powell’s testimony, Trump again urged the chair of the independent Fed to slash rates, saying these should be “at least two to three points lower” as inflation remains benign.”I hope Congress really works this very dumb, hardheaded person, over,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.On Trump’s criticism, Powell said: “We always do what we think is the right thing to do, and you know, we live with the consequences.”New York Fed President John Williams separately supported maintaining the central bank’s monetary policy stance.”Much of the soft data we’ve seen in recent months captures the heightened uncertainty about the path of the economy,” he said in remarks prepared for a Tuesday event. “But it’s too early to say what the future trajectory of the hard data will be.”- ‘Still strong’ -Powell maintained Tuesday that it is unclear how concerns over US trade policies could affect future spending and investment.”Increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity,” he said.For now, Powell said: “Despite elevated uncertainty, the economy is in a solid position.””I wouldn’t want to point to a particular meeting,” he noted of the possibility of a July rate cut. “I don’t think we need to be in any rush, because the economy is still strong.”Given that “credibility on inflation is hard-won,” he said officials are proceeding cautiously.While inflation has eased, it remains above the bank’s longer-run two percent goal.Since returning to the presidency, Trump has imposed a 10 percent tariff on almost all trading partners and steeper rates on imports of steel, aluminum and autos.Economists warn levies could fuel inflation and hit economic growth, although widespread effects have so far been muted.This is partly because Trump has backed off or postponed his most punishing salvos. Businesses also stockpiled inventory in anticipation of the duties, avoiding immediate price hikes.Although the Fed has penciled in two rate cuts this year, there is growing divergence among policymakers about whether it can lower rates at all in 2025.Powell said a “significant majority” of the Fed’s rate-setting committee still feels it will be appropriate to reduce rates later this year.He pushed back on narratives of the dollar’s decline as “premature” too, expressing belief that it remains the top safe haven currency.On conflict in the Middle East, Powell noted “it’s too early to know what any economic implications might be.”

New York Democrats were choosing Tuesday between an upstart 33-year-old Muslim socialist and a political veteran vying to come back from a sex harassment scandal as mayoral candidate to lead the left-leaning city.The party’s primary contest has featured a cast of a dozen seeking to lead the biggest US city, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one.As voters cast ballots in a smothering heatwave, polls showed surprise challenger Zohran Mamdani and former state governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, at the top of the heap.With the Democrats reeling nationally from Donald Trump’s election last year, the high-profile city race has done little to calm party nerves.Cuomo stepped down as New York governor four years ago after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. He has also been accused of mismanaging the state’s response to the Covid pandemic.Staunchly pro-Israel Cuomo has led for most of the race, with massive name recognition as the son of another New York governor, as well as backing from powerful centrist figures including former president Bill Clinton.Mamdani, meanwhile, is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America — the kind of niche, leftist affiliation that might work in the Big Apple but many analysts say the Democratic Party needs to discard to come back from the broader political wilderness.The fact that Mamdani speaks out for Palestinians and has accused Israel of “genocide” also makes him a prime target for Trump. His supporters include two other favorite Trump foils — fiery leftist Senator Bernie Sanders and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”I see it as a referendum of the Democratic Party, whether we lean more towards the centrist candidate, who’s maybe from a different generation of politicians and people in society, or a younger, left-leaning, more ambitious, idealistic party,” voter Nicholas Zantal, 31, said.It was a contest unfolding under blazing heat, with thermometers topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (nearly 38 degrees Celsius).- Big ideas, low experience -Currently a New York state assemblyman representing the borough of Queens, Mamdani stands out for his energetic campaigning style and eye-catching policy proposals that include freezing rent for many New Yorkers, providing free bus service, and universal childcare.And in a wildly expensive city, where a three-bedroom apartment can easily cost $6,000 a month, he has surged from behind.”Tomorrow is ours if we want it,” Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is of Indian descent, said late Monday in a social media post. “We are on the cusp of toppling a political dynasty, and delivering a New York everyone can afford.”Voter Eamon Harkin, 48, said prices were his “number one issue.””What’s at stake is primarily the affordability of New York,” he said.But Sheryl Stein, who works in tourism marketing, was skeptical.”I like youth,” she said. But Mamdani having “no experience and no proven track record to run the largest city in this country and one of the largest in the world, is pretty scary.”Cuomo is trying to capitalize on those concerns, telling supporters Monday that “this is not a job for a novice.””We need someone who knows what they’re doing on day one, because your lives depend on it.”Results from the primary may take time to finalize.The contest is ranked-choice, with voters asked to select five candidates in order of preference, and potentially neither Cuomo nor Mamdani getting the required more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid elimination rounds.Whoever gets the Democratic Party nomination will face several contenders in November — including the current, scandal-plagued mayor, Eric Adams, who is a Democrat but will run again as an independent.

New York Democrats were choosing Tuesday between an upstart 33-year-old Muslim socialist and a political veteran vying to come back from a sex harassment scandal as mayoral candidate to lead the left-leaning city.The party’s primary contest has featured a cast of a dozen seeking to lead the biggest US city, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one.As voters cast ballots in a smothering heatwave, polls showed surprise challenger Zohran Mamdani and former state governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, at the top of the heap.With the Democrats reeling nationally from Donald Trump’s election last year, the high-profile city race has done little to calm party nerves.Cuomo stepped down as New York governor four years ago after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. He has also been accused of mismanaging the state’s response to the Covid pandemic.Staunchly pro-Israel Cuomo has led for most of the race, with massive name recognition as the son of another New York governor, as well as backing from powerful centrist figures including former president Bill Clinton.Mamdani, meanwhile, is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America — the kind of niche, leftist affiliation that might work in the Big Apple but many analysts say the Democratic Party needs to discard to come back from the broader political wilderness.The fact that Mamdani speaks out for Palestinians and has accused Israel of “genocide” also makes him a prime target for Trump. His supporters include two other favorite Trump foils — fiery leftist Senator Bernie Sanders and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”I see it as a referendum of the Democratic Party, whether we lean more towards the centrist candidate, who’s maybe from a different generation of politicians and people in society, or a younger, left-leaning, more ambitious, idealistic party,” voter Nicholas Zantal, 31, said.- Big ideas, low experience -Currently a New York state assemblyman representing the borough of Queens, Mamdani stands out for his energetic campaigning style and eye-catching policy proposals that include freezing rent for many New Yorkers, providing free bus service, and universal childcare.And in a wildly expensive city, where a three-bedroom apartment can easily cost $6,000 a month, he has surged from behind.”Tomorrow is ours if we want it,” Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is of Indian descent, said late Monday in a social media post. “We are on the cusp of toppling a political dynasty, and delivering a New York everyone can afford.”Voter Eamon Harkin, 48, said prices were his “number one issue.””What’s at stake is primarily the affordability of New York,” he said.But Sheryl Stein, who works in tourism marketing, was skeptical.”I like youth,” she said. But Mamdani having “no experience and no proven track record to run the largest city in this country and one of the largest in the world, is pretty scary.”Cuomo is trying to capitalize on those concerns, telling supporters Monday that “this is not a job for a novice.””We need someone who knows what they’re doing on day one, because your lives depend on it.”Results from the primary may take time to finalize.The contest is ranked-choice, with voters asked to select five candidates in order of preference, and potentially neither Cuomo nor Mamdani getting the required more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid elimination rounds.Whoever gets the Democratic Party nomination will face several contenders in November — including the current, scandal-plagued mayor, Eric Adams, who is a Democrat but will run again as an independent.

A Mississippi man who has been on Death Row for 49 years is to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, one of two executions scheduled in the United States this week.Richard Jordan, 79, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1976 for the murder of Edwina Marter, the wife of a bank executive in the town of Gulfport.Jordan, a shipyard worker, kidnapped Marter from her home and demanded a $25,000 ransom.He was apprehended when he went to pick up the money.Jordan confessed to murdering Marter and led the authorities to her body, which had been hidden in a forest. She had been shot.Jordan is to be executed at 6:00 pm Central Time (2300 GMT) at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.One other execution is scheduled to be carried out in the United States this week.Thomas Gudinas, 51, is to be put to death by lethal injection at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Tuesday at the Florida State Prison in Raiford.Gudinas was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of Michelle McGrath, who was last seen leaving a bar in the city of Orlando in the early hours.McGrath’s battered body was found the next day and Gudinas was arrested shortly afterwards.Florida has carried out more executions — six — than any other US state so far this year.The execution in Mississippi will be the first in the southern state since December 2022.There have been 23 executions in the United States this year: 18 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a facemask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.The use of nitrogen gas as an execution method has been denounced by UN experts as cruel and inhumane.The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”