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A shovel, hand weights and a construction hat now displayed in the foyer of New York City Hall are symbols of what Mayor Zohran Mamdani says are the "pothole politics" behind key achievements in his first 100 days in office. That's where we started our conversation this week during a wide-ranging interview for NPR's Newsmakers video podcast.

Sitting in the ornate Blue Room of City Hall underneath a portrait of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father who helped shape the nation, 34-year-old Mamdani ticked off all that he's been able to get done on his list of promises to voters:

"On day eight, we delivered $1.2 billion to make universal child care a reality across our city."

"We secured more than $30 million in settlements with bad landlords, [and] repaired more than 6069 apartments."

"We were able to secure nearly $100,000 a day for workers and small businesses that had been exploited by mega-corporations and delivery apps."

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A San Francisco-based coffee chain that sparked backlash with a policy to remove Pride flags from their stores has reversed its decision over a week later.

“I made a mistake and I am sincerely sorry,” said Mahesh Sadarangani, the chief executive of Philz Coffee, in a statement on Friday. “The Pride flag is a symbol of safety and belonging for people who don’t always find that in the world, and that is not something I want to take away from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/17/philz-coffee-pride-flags-californiaanyone who walks into a Philz."

Last week, in a statement to the Guardian, Sadarangani framed the move as a step toward inclusivity. He said other flags would also come down for consistency.

Backlash from Philz Coffee’s workers and customers was swift. An online petition expressing opposition to the policy, which appeared to be started by company baristas, racked up more than 7,300 signatures. The company has built a reputation on being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.

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The University of Michigan regent Jordan Acker, who helped lead the university’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian students, appears to have made obscene sexual comments about a Democratic party strategist in a group chat, messages provided to the Guardian reveal. The Slack messages, attributed to Acker, also include lewd comments about a female U-M student and a picture of her with her friends.

The messages were shared with the Guardian just days before a heated primary convention election for two open U-M board of regents seats. The board is the university’s governing body, and the usually low-profile race is especially tense this year as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian candidates compete for seats. The race has become a local flashpoint in the broader battle over criticism of Israel on campuses.

Acker is known to be a confrontational, pro-Israel leader at the large public university. He is an attorney who helped recruit the Michigan attorney general to bring highly unusual prosecutions against students, and, while he was on the board, it led a sprawling undercover surveillance operation against the students. The prosecutions and surveillance operations were dAcker is known to be a confrontational, pro-Israel leader at the large public university. He is an attorney who helped recruit the Michigan attorney general to bring highly unusual prosecutions against students, and, while he was on the board, it led a sprawling undercover surveillance operation against the students. The prosecutions and surveillance operations were dropped after Guardian stories on each. Acker has also drawn criticism for leading the university as it dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative amid pressure from Donald Trump.ropped after Guardian stories on each. Acker has also drawn criticism for leading the university as it dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative amid pressure from Donald Trump.

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Analilia Mejia, a progressive Democrat, pulled off a decisive win against a Republican opponent to serve the remaining term of a vacant New Jersey House seat.

The seat, representing New Jersey's 11th congressional district, was left empty after former Rep. Mikie Sherrill won the 2025 gubernatorial election. Mejia will remain in the seat for the next eight months, but that doesn't mean it's the end of her campaign efforts. To run in the November 2026 midterm election and nab a full two-year term in the seat, the progressive New Jersey organizer will need to win the Democratic midterm primary in June.

The race was primarily between Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway, a councilmember of Randolph, New Jersey. Mejia was the frontrunner in the general special election, but faced a crowded and costly Democratic primary in February that saw millions in outside spending. Hathaway was unopposed in his primary.

Mejia's win further narrows House Republicans' tight majority in the U.S. House.

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Michigan’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is a three-way dead heat, according to a new poll conducted for Drop Site News and Zeteo.

The poll from Data for Progress found that 22% of likely Democratic primary voters support Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed by Bernie Sanders and a vocal critic of Israel; 23% support Haley Stevens, a pro-Israel Democrat who is being backed by party leaders in Washington, D.C.; and 22% support Mallory McMorrow, the J Street-endorsed candidate positioning herself in between Stevens and El-Sayed.

Notably, a third of voters were undecided—and a majority (64%) said they are less likely to support a Senate candidate who receives donations from AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups, while 10% said they are more likely.

Data for Progress polled 515 likely Democratic primary voters in Michigan, from April 2-8. The poll tested what would happen in a two-way race, and found McMorrow would benefit more from El-Sayed dropping out than vice versa: His voters are more likely to consider McMorrow their second choice, whereas McMorrow’s are more likely to call Stevens their second choice, suggesting that McMorrow and El-Sayed are not simply splitting the more progressive vote.

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US Vice President JD Vance's address at an event on Tuesday drew widespread ridicule after images of sparsely filled seating circulated, with critics saying voters were increasingly unwilling to support politicians they see as backers of Israel’s wars on Iran and Palestine. 

Vance was also heckled at the event by what should have been a supportive and friendly crowd.

Posts shared across multiple platforms showed wide sections of empty seats at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event inside the Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia, fuelling commentary that attendance was far lower than expected.

Some social media users wrote that Americans were "done listening to Zionists", while others framed the turnout as a sign of growing public fatigue with US military adventurism in the Middle East.

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