Mamdani says New York child care expansion a real step to fulfilling campaign pledge
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ambitious campaign pledge to offer universal child care took a significant step forward Thursday.
Appearing together, Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a plan to increase spending on child care starting this year with the goal of eventually providing universal child care throughout the state for kids under 5.
In an interview with All Things Considered, Mamdani said the announcement means the state will commit $1.21 billion for New York City “to take the first steps towards universal child care.”
The city will be able to fund fixes to make universal care for 3-year-olds “a reality” and work toward enrolling about 2,000 kids aged 2 this fall, Mamdani added. He also praised Hochul for her partnership and for her commitment to fund the plan over the next two years.
Unfulfilled promises have turned New Yorkers away from politics, Mamdani said, adding that “if we want people to believe in our democracy, we have to show them that our democracy can actually deliver for them.”
Speaking to NPR’s Juana Summers, Mamdani discussed how the city and state will pay for and manage the expanded childcare program, the challenges posed by the Trump administration’s freeze on national childcare assistance funding and immigration enforcement.
Listen to the full interview by hitting the blue play button above.
The web copy was written by Obed Manuel.
US military used laser to take down Border Protection drone, lawmakers say
The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, members of Congress said Thursday, and the Federal Aviation Administration responded by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas.
Deadline looms as Anthropic rejects Pentagon demands it remove AI safeguards
The Defense Department has been feuding with Anthropic over military uses of its artificial intelligence tools. At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts and access to some of the most advanced AI on the planet.
Pakistan’s defense minister says that there is now ‘open war’ with Afghanistan after latest strikes
Pakistan's defense minister said that his country ran out of "patience" and considers that there is now an "open war" with Afghanistan, after both countries launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border attack.
Hillary Clinton calls House Oversight questioning ‘repetitive’ in 6 hour deposition
In more than seven hours behind closed doors, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton answered questions from the House Oversight Committee as it investigates Jeffrey Epstein.
Chicagoans pay respects to Jesse Jackson as cross-country memorial services begin
Memorial services for the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to honor his long civil rights legacy begin in Chicago. Events will also take place in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born and began his activism.
In reversal, Warner Bros. jilts Netflix for Paramount
Warner Bros. says Paramount's sweetened bid to buy the whole company is "superior" to an $83 billion deal it struck with Netflix for just its streaming services, studios, and intellectual property.
