From Jadakiss to Ms. Rachel: Tracking Mayor Mamdani’s ongoing cultural references

Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ☀️ Sunny and frigid, with highs in the mid 30s and wind gusts up to 35 mph.

It's Friday in New York City, where 34-year-old Mayor Zohran Mamdani seems to know who's who.

Jadakiss. Babbulicious. Mandy Patinkin. Ms. Rachel. He has either name-checked or appeared alongside them all during his first two weeks in office, and we've noticed.

Here's the start of our Mamdani cultural reference tracker, which we'll be updating — with your help — over the next four years.

And here's what else is happening:

• A federal appeals court yesterday reversed a lower court order that was preventing the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student and lawful United States resident who arrested last year for his pro-Palestinian activism.
• "It was rushed and sloppy": A source told Gothamist that top Mamdani transition officials opted not to complete the full vetting process before announcing one of his earliest hires, a misstep that allowed an appointee’s antisemitic tweets to go undetected.
• An update on New York City grocery prices: beef and orange juice costs are up, but overall, a basket of staple food items across 20 stores got slightly cheaper over the last six months, according to Gothamist's price tracking.
• One of New York’s major offshore wind projects — which had been halted by the Trump administration — is back on track after a judge granted a preliminary injunction for the project to continue.
  • Meanwhile, climate activists said Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address this week did little to assuage their growing concerns over her evolving stance on some environmental issues.
• Nearly 15,000 nurses at hospitals operated by NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai and Montefiore remain on strike. If you're an affected patient or health care worker, Gothamist and WNYC want to hear your story.
• What does it take for a stand-up comedian to get on stage at the venerated Comedy Cellar? Years of painful struggle.
• 📻 On the latest episode of NYC NOW: The rent is still too damn high, and other things New York renters need to know in 2026.

• Mayor Mamdani does not have any Black deputy mayors. ("It is acting out what Black people don’t like about the D.S.A.," said one prominent Black political consultant.)
• New York City Comptroller Mark Levine said the city could face a higher-than-expected $12 billion budget gap that Mamdani will have to find a way to close.
• The flu is still surging in New York City, particularly among kids.
• A Brooklyn judge has tossed a lawsuit aimed at removing the bike lane on Court Street.
• In other cycling news, this guy races subway cars on his bike to see if he can beat them to the end of the line.
• Police said armed robbers stole $100,000 worth of merchandise during a packed event at a Pokémon shop in the Meatpacking District this week.
• Ashley Tisdale's toxic mom group story might get turned into a major motion picture.
• It is not Whiskey Friday.