Zohran Mamdani swept into City Hall with bold promises to fix New York's affordability crisis. But as he prepares to govern America's biggest city, he faces budget gaps, political resistance, and high-stakes choices that will test his movement.

New York

Mamdani is set to assume office as New York City's mayor, with his official swearing-in taking place at midnight in a ceremony at the old city hall subway station. He will make history as the first mayor to be sworn in on a Quran, followed by a larger public ceremony with thousands in attendance.

As he begins his term, Mamdani faces significant challenges, including the need for state legislative support to fund major initiatives such as universal free childcare and free citywide bus service. He will also retain Police Commissioner Jessica Tish, aiming to address concerns about law enforcement and implement potential cultural changes within the police department.

Mamdani faces early tests at City Hall

Laura, first of all, Mamdani, what he's coming in to power tonight at midnight. Is that how this works? Yes, that's that's how it always works. It's not unusual. He'll be sworn in officially tonight at midnight in a ceremony that's going to take place, a subterranean ceremony, um, in the old decommissioned city hall subway station, he'll be sworn in on, uh, a Quran, the first mayor in New York city history to be sworn in on a Quran. And then he will, uh, be, uh, participating in another ceremony tomorrow afternoon with a much larger audience, um, about 4,000 people. Uh, and, and I'll take the oath off oath of office. Laura, um, you know, for a president, we think, uh, boy, the first 100 days are critical here. How about for the mayor of New York city? What are the to do list for him on, you know, as he gets rolling here? Well, I think he's going to be taking office as the mayor of a city with the largest, most competitive media environment in the country. I think it's fair to say. Um, and so every move that he makes from now on is going to be closely scrutinized. And he has a bunch of different benchmarks over the next couple of months that will show us how successful he might be in his first year. Um, he's going to need significant help from, uh, the New York state legislature and New York's governor in order to get funding or approval for some of the initiatives. He said that he wants and will quickly be able to see in the next couple of weeks, um, after the state budget is released and as negotiations get underway for the New York state budget, whether or not he's going to achieve any of his agenda there, and in fact, be able to get any sort of tax increases or revenue raisers to help pay for some really expensive items that he wants to offer New York city residents. Like a universal free childcare program or free citywide bus service. I don't want to sound like an old curmudgeon, but will he be able to get police to arrest people for breaking the law? Because I see people breaking the law in this city all the time with police, just sitting on the corner, doing nothing about it. Should I have any optimism there, Laura? Well, he is retaining the police commissioner from, uh, outgoing mayor, Eric Adams commissioner, Jessica Tish. She's presided over some, uh, a decrease in, in crime rates and a bunch of different major crime categories. Um, but yes, he is nominally in charge of the police department and they're supposed to follow his lead. Uh, but, but those are, um, potential cultural changes, uh, that, that would have to be worked through with, with the police commissioner and the mayor.

Russia's defense ministry released video footage on Wednesday (December 31) of what it said was a downed drone at a briefing intended to show Ukraine tried this week to attack a presidential residence and challenge Kyiv's denials that such an attack took place.

Moscow

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Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

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Council of the City of Sydney

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Caracas

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Washington

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The United Arab Emirates says it's withdrawing its remaining forces from Yemen. The move comes after Saudi Arabia bombed a port in Yemen, saying it targeted an arms shipment intended for a UAE-backed separatist force.

Al Mukalla

Saudi Arabia bombs port in Yemen

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The Kremlin said Tuesday it would toughen its negotiating position in talks on ending the war in Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of attacking a Russian presidential residence — an allegation that Kyiv said was baseless and intended to prolong the conflict.

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China fired rockets into waters off northern and southern Taiwan on Tuesday (December 30) and deployed new amphibious assault ships alongside bomber aircraft and destroyers on the second day of its most extensive war games.

Taipei City

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President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed an alleged drug-related site was targeted during a recent strike, saying, "they load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats and now we hit the area." Trump did not say when the strike happened or exactly where.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370 that went missing in 2014 with 239 people on board is expected to resume Tuesday (December 30). The Malaysian government and a private marine robotics company say they will use advances in technology to aid in the search.

Kuala Lumpur

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Krong Poi Pet

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U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States could support another major strike on Iran were it to resume rebuilding its ballistic missile or nuclear weapons programs and warned Hamas of severe consequences if it does not disarm.

Florida

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U.S. hit an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, Trump says, as Pentagon carries out another deadly strike in the Pacific. This claim follows a series of U.S. strikes on boats in the Eastern Pacific, raising the total number of known strikes to 31 and resulting in over 100 deaths.

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The Taiwanese government says it has placed its forces on alert as China intensifies its military presence in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and launches air, navy and rocket drills around the island.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is denying Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s claim that Ukraine tried to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence in northern Russia.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

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CBC’s Kris Reyes highlights the biggest AI advancements in 2025 along with the continued calls to establish clear boundaries in an effort to prevent misuse.

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Russia accused Ukraine on Monday (December 29) of trying to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence in northern Russia, although it provided no evidence to back up an assertion that Kyiv dismissed as baseless and designed to undermine peace negotiations.

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Two helicopters collided above Hammonton, New Jersey, and one person has died, officials say. CBS News' Elaine Quijano reports.

Hammonton

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U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Monday (December 29) as questions linger about the future of the U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza.

Palm Beach

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British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua was involved in a road accident on Monday in Makun, Ogun State, south-west Nigeria.

Makun

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President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida on Sunday. Trump said he thinks both men are ready for peace.

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