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December 17, 2025
Politics Nationwide: New York City Gets a New Mayor, California Passes Prop 50
By: Jasmine Galvan Production Editor
One of Mamdani’s major factors men- tioned was his push to make living more afford- able. This plan consisted of universal childcare, a rent freeze, and city-owned grocery stores. Andrew Cuomo’s policies also included the need to make living more affordable in New York City. His plans included increasing the supply of affordable housing, expanding affordable health-
will go down in history as the first Uganda-born, Muslim mayor. Also starting in 2026, California’s Prop 50 will begin to take effect. Proposition 50 tempo- rarily replaces California’s existing congressional districts with an alternative map designed to elect more Democrats. By the end of the race, Prop 50 passed with 64.6% For California, this means that California voters will now be able to cast their votes on temporary Congressional redistricting maps. These votes would eventually come to an end in 2030. The Democratic Party was in favor of Prop 50, as they argued that the passing of the proposition would level the playing field for mid-term elections, put the power in the hands of California voters rather than politi- cians, and commit to fair redistricting. The Republican Party was opposed to Prop 50, and they argued that the proposition would repeal landmark voter-approved elec- tion reforms, and that it was a massive waste of taxpayer money. As the year 2025 comes to an end, New York City and California prepare for the coming political shifts.
After a spate of elections nationwide, the results seem to be in favor of the Democratic Party in comparison to the losses they faced last year. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has won the 2025 may- oral election in New York City. The election took place on November 5th, 2025, and it ended with a close race between Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo. The numbers of the mayoral election ended at 1,036,051 votes for Mamdani, and 854,995 for Cuomo. On that same day, residents of Califor- nia also voted for or against Proposition 50 in the state of California. California voters were able to place their votes by mail and at a drop- off ballot site. Mayoral elections take place every four years in New York City. This election made Mamdani the 111th mayor of New York City. Zohran Mamdani was the nominee of the Democratic Party, and Andrew Cuomo was the nominee of the Republican Party. During a debate held on the 22nd of Oc- tober, 2025, candidates Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani, and Curtis Silwa were asked a series of questions about how they plan on creating a change in New York City.
care access, making transportation affordable, and improving overall incomes. On January 1, 2026, Madani will officially take the place of New York City’s mayor. His win
The 2025 Government Shutdown: Effects and Updates By: Julia Fragus Production Editor The government is now open after 43 days of being shut down, labeling it as the longest gov- ernment shutdown in United States history. The impact it left has spread across the country, especially for programs such as SNAP that rely on steady federal support. After stretching 43 days, on November 12, 2025, abilities. Without funds, payments were not guar- anteed for the month of November, which caused nationwide confusion for many families. Food banks across the country saw sudden spikes in demand, while community organizations and local governments stepped in to help. Many federal workers and others depen- dent on federal income and services dealt with missed paychecks, delayed benefits, and financial stress. On November 10, 2025, the Senate passed a compromise funding bill that combined full year funding for several departments. The House approved the bill by a close vote, and was imme- diately signed by Donald Trump to end the 43 day shutdown. However, many services,
the government reopened after congressional action. The shutdown began when Congress failed to pass the necessary funding bills for the new fiscal year. Mandatory programs that relied on funding were deeply affected by the shut- down, such as the Supple- mental Nutrition Assistance Program. As the shutdown continued and funding lapsed, the USDA an-
programs, and operations sus- pended or delayed during the shutdown will still face long- term recovery. National programs that rely on steady funding still face con- sequences of the shutdown. Scientific research programs, federal weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, and housing assistance all experi- enced major setbacks. The government shutdown led to long-term research deadlines being missed, grants
nounced on October 31 that it would suspend regular SNAP payments for the month of Novem- ber. SNAP is depended on by millions of Americans each month to buy groceries. Over 42 million people receive SNAP benefits, including children, seniors, and people with dis-
The shutdown also affected many layers of
expired, and data not collected.
government and civilians.
This shutdown changed how the U.S. gov-
900,000 federal employees were temporar- ily laid off without pay and non-essential agencies were shut down. Along with that, travel disruptions emerged and government services were delayed.
ernment operates moving forward.
Congress and the public have been encour- aged to push harder for budget reform and auto- matic funding protections.
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