Happy Monday Everyone! Today’s newsletter: 1,058 words…4 mins
🗞 Today’s Edition: Mayor Eric Adams Fortifies NYC Before Socialist Turn, Mexico’s Gen Z Uprising Tests Sheinbaum’s Grip, Bangladesh Sentences Exiled PM To Death, House GOP Pushes Epstein Files Release, Mamdani Joins Starbucks Strike… & much more!
🚨 Watch For:
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to visit the White House: Tuesday, Nov 18th
📜THE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
🗽Mayor Eric Adams Fortifies NYC Before Socialist Turn
Mayor Eric Adams is using every lever of executive power in his final months to shield New York City from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming far-left agenda.
His moves—on housing, rent regulation, and Jewish community safety—reflect a clear objective: lock in institutional guardrails before January 2026.
🌱 Elizabeth Street Garden = Strategic Parkland:
Adams formally designated the Elizabeth Street Garden as city parkland, transferring it to the Parks Department.
The effect: Mamdani cannot build housing on the Nolita site without state approval, a hurdle that could delay or derail the project entirely.
Adams’ team frames this as preserving green space; Mamdani allies see it as a direct block on a signature housing pledge.
🏠 Rent Freeze Firewall:
Mamdani promised to impose a rent freeze on 1M of the city’s rent-stabilized units (25% of the city’s rental units).
But Adams still controls a crucial chokepoint: The Rent Guidelines Board.
Six board seats are expiring; and Adams is moving to fill all of them—ensuring the next board may reject or delay any freeze proposal.
Impact: Protects 25% of NYC apartments from policy whiplash and stabilizes the broader rental market.
✡️Diplomatic Trip to Israel
Adams’ visit to Israel—meeting PM Netanyahu and addressing rising antisemitism—was a high-signal show of support for NYC’s Jewish community.
He warned New York’s Jewish community that it “must prepare itself” and that “everything is not fine,” emphasizing community safety during a period when Mamdani’s positions on Israel have drawn threats and violence against Jews.
💡Bottom line: Adams is building structural guardrails—not headlines—to preserve stability as NYC enters its most ideologically divided transition in its history.
♟️THE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
🇲🇽 Mexico’s Gen Z Uprising Tests Sheinbaum’s Grip
Mexico is facing its largest youth-led unrest in years as Gen Z activists flood the National Palace after the assassination of Uruapan’s reformist mayor Carlos Manzo Rodríguez, a rare politician willing to confront cartel power.
His Nov. 1 killing ignited nationwide fury over corruption, impunity, and spiraling violence.
Clashes erupted when protesters breached palace barricades; police deployed tear gas, leaving 120+ injured and dozens detained.
President Claudia Sheinbaum dismissed the movement as opposition-backed and bot-amplified, but the anger is organic—and growing.
💡Bottom line: A generational revolt is challenging Mexico’s security failures and the government’s narrative.
🇫🇷 🇺🇦 France Arms Ukraine for the Long War
Ukraine just inked its biggest fighter jet deal ever: up to 100 Rafale F4s from France by 2035.
Zelensky and Macron also locked in 8 SAMP/T air-defense systems, new drone tech, and joint production lines—a long-term bet on Ukraine’s defense industry, not just battlefield survival.
The Rafales give Kyiv true air-to-air and missile-intercept capability, a leap beyond its aging Soviet fleet.
First deliveries land within three years.
💡Bottom line: Paris just became Kyiv’s most important aerospace partner since the war began.
🇧🇩 Bangladesh Sentences Exiled PM To Death
Bangladesh just entered its most volatile era in decades: Former PM Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia.
Convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity tied to the 2024 crackdown that killed 1,000+ protesters.
Hasina—now exiled in India—calls the ruling a “kangaroo court” run by the Yunus government, which critics say rose to power through a “color revolution” masked as student protests.
Since Hasina is outside the country and has been tried in absentia, the death sentence is largely symbolic and depends on international cooperation for any extradition attempt.
💡Why it matters: India won't extradite (death penalty = diplomatic kryptonite). But Bangladesh now looks like a failed state speed run—Yunus faces minority crackdown accusations, opposition purges, and zero legitimacy.
🗽THE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
⚖ House GOP Pushes Epstein Files Release
The Republican-controlled House is set to vote Nov. 19 to release the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files, including DOJ materials on his alleged crimes and connections.
President Trump, who once dismissed the effort as a “Democrat hoax,” now supports disclosure in a stunning reversal.
⚡Senate approval remains uncertain, leaving the release hanging on political calculations and high-profile scrutiny.
☕ Mamdani Joins Starbucks Strike
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani urged New Yorkers to boycott Starbucks during a nationwide strike by 1,000+ unionized baristas.
Posting on social media, he framed the boycott as solidarity: “No contract, no coffee.”
The move highlights Mamdani’s pro-labor, progressive stance and signals how he may challenge corporate interests once in office.
⚡Reactions are mixed—supporters praise union support, critics warn of potential fallout for workers and consumers alike.
🤖 CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AI’s Black Mirror Moments
💵 Buffett Finally Dives Into Google
Alphabet jumped 3% after Berkshire Hathaway revealed a $4.3B stake, its 10th largest holding.
The bet likely came from Buffett lieutenants Todd Combs or Ted Weschler, signaling a gradual tech shift as the Oracle nears retirement.
Despite decades of hesitation on high-growth tech, Berkshire may prefer Alphabet’s massive cash flow, AI push, and relative discount vs. peers.
⚡With Greg Abel taking the reins, this could be a preview of a more tech-forward Berkshire portfolio.
🚗 Ford Takes Used Cars to Amazon
Ford is letting franchised dealers sell certified preowned vehicles on Amazon, letting customers finance, complete paperwork, and schedule pickups online.
So far, 160+ U.S. dealers have signed on, with a dozen fully live.
Vehicles come with CPO inspections, warranties, and a 14-day/1,000-mile money-back guarantee.
⚡The move expands Amazon Autos’ reach, following partnerships with Hyundai and Hertz, and shows automakers testing digital sales without bypassing franchised dealer laws.
📺 FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
Annie Moore with her brothers Anthony (11) and Philip (7)
The First American Immigrant
January 1, 1892: The very first immigrant processed was 17-year-old Annie Moore from County Cork, Ireland. She arrived on the S.S. Nevada with her little brothers, got a $10 gold coin as a welcome gift, and started the American dream for millions.
Annie went on to marry, have 11 kids, and live quietly on the Lower East Side until 1924.