New York's New Mayor Takes a Stand on Old Orders

New York City's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, made waves on Friday by undoing a bunch of executive orders from his predecessor, Eric Adams. Adams had issued these orders after being charged in 2024 with some serious allegations, including taking illegal campaign money and fancy trips from Turkish folks who wanted to sway him. One of Adams' orders let federal agents, like immigration officers, use a spot on Rikers Island, the city's main jail. But guess what? A court later shut that down. Mamdani, who's Muslim and has been accused of antisemitism because he supports Palestinians in Gaza, said he's all about funding measures to stop hate crimes and protecting Jewish New Yorkers. He remembered September 26, 2024, the day Adams was charged, as a day when many New Yorkers lost faith in their city's politics. Mamdani believes the government should focus on the public's needs, not just the needs of those in power.In April, a U. S. judge tossed out the charges against Adams, a Democrat, after the Justice Department said the case was a distraction. Mamdani, who's on the left wing of the Democratic Party, has butted heads with Republican President Donald Trump over immigration policies. On Thursday, Mamdani revoked orders by Adams that stopped city institutions from pulling investments from Israel and defined antisemitism using a specific international standard. Some Islamic groups are happy with Mamdani's moves, but Israel's Foreign Ministry isn't. They posted on X, saying Mamdani is adding fuel to the fire by undoing the antisemitism definition and lifting restrictions on boycotting Israel.