While most of the headlines focused on the Trump-Mamdani meeting as a spectacle, the key thing the two men seemed to rally around was the word “affordability” and how it goes with another word, “crisis.”
My guess is that Trump the builder was curious how Mamdani won the NYC mayor’s race and the younger man told him — their compatibility (for now) may rest on a conversation as simple as that.
For all the talk of inflation in grocery prices and health insurance costs, the core of the affordability crisis is the high cost of housing, both for renters and homebuyers. This has been true in urban areas like NYC for years now..
And it is increasingly true in rural areas as well — a political reality Trump is well aware of.
The average age of a first-time homebuyer in the U.S. is now around 40, which until recently was considered the onset of middle age. No longer — in this economy, you’re still a kid at 40.
Take Zohran Mamdani as a case in point. He’s 34 and lives in a rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment in Queens. He doesn’t own a home yet but he does, however, own a 4-acre plot of land in Uganda.
Mamdani has ideas to address the housing crisis in New York and at least some of those ideas no doubt appealed to Trump, the builder-politician.
And BTW, none of this has anything to do with labels like left or right, Democrat or Republican, socialist or fascist.
It’s pure practical politics right down the middle of main street in today’s America.
HEADLINES:
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will resign, after fallout with Trump (CNBC)
President Heaps Praise on Mamdani and New York’s Future (NYT)
‘We agree on a lot more than I would have thought,’ Trump says after meeting Mamdani (BBC)
What If the Most Dangerous Man in the Administration Isn’t Donald Trump? (The Bulwark)
How billionaires seized unprecedented power over American politics (WP)
Judge dismisses charges against Chicago woman shot by Border Patrol (NBC)
Abbott, Republican lawmakers’ comments cited in court order overturning Texas’ congressional gerrymander (Texas Tribune)
The swing state of North Carolina has emerged as a new front in Trump’s immigration crackdown, and Democrats have spotted an opportunity. (Reuters)
U.S. pushing Ukraine to sign peace deal by Thanksgiving or lose support (WP)
Trump Presents Ukraine With a ‘Very Tough Choice’ (Foreign Policy)
Trump’s Devastating Plan for Ukraine (Atlantic)
The female crash test dummy has been a long time coming — but she isn’t here yet (NPR)
In reversal, Coast Guard again classifies swastikas, nooses as hate symbols (WP)
Kennedy Says He Told CDC to Change Website’s Language on Autism and Vaccines (NYT)
“Embarrassing” and “Horrifying”: CDC Workers Describe the New Vaccines and Autism Page (Mother Jones)
MAHA idealism meets political reality as RFK Jr. attempts to wrangle a growing movement (AP)
Trump’s Angry Tirade Calling for “Death” to Dems Just Backfired Badly (TNR)
In reversal, DOJ says Comey indictment was reviewed by full grand jury (ABC)
In Mozambique, an ISIS insurgency is newly energized as US cuts impact aid programs (CNN)
A drying-up Rio Grande basin threatens water security on both sides of the border (AP)
The Ghislaine Maxwell Emails (Atlantic)
How the classic anime ‘Ghost in the Shell’ predicted the future of cybersecurity 30 years ago (TechCrunch)
Ubisoft Reveals Teammates – An AI Experiment to Change the Game (Ubisoft)
A teddy bear powered by AI told safety testers about knives, pills and sex (AP)
The A.I. Boom Has Found Another Gear. Why Can’t People Shake Their Worries? (NYT)
JD Vance Cries In Bathroom After Trump Uses ‘Piggy’ Nickname On Someone Else (Onion)
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