Happy Tuesday Everyone! Today’s newsletter: 1,094 words…4 mins
🗞 Today’s Edition: NYC’s Mayoral Endgame, Hamas Fighters Trapped In Tunnels, Afghanistan’s Earthquake, Rome’s Medieval Tower Crumbles, VP Dick Cheney Dies, NJ Gov Race… & much more!
🚨 Watch For:
NYC Mayoral Election: Today
NJ Governor Election: Today
📜THE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
🗽NYC’s Mayoral Endgame: Chaos, Clout, and Communist Panic
New York’s mayoral race has officially gone full reality TV. In the final stretch:
Barack Obama called Mamdani but REFUSED to endorse him
TX Gov. Greg Abbott, never one to miss the spotlight, joked he’d slap a 100% “exit tariff” on New Yorkers trying to flee to Texas if Mamdani wins
🤔 What’s Happening With The Candidates:
Sliwa, the streetwise underdog, refuses to quit, packing borough rallies with an organic fan army that makes the other two look algorithmic.
New Yorkers flood him on any street asking to take selfies and promising to vote for him, even though the odds are completely against him.
Cuomo has been canvassing across the city with his daughter Michaela; running on experience, and more importantly, the anti-Mamdani vote.
💣 But the week’s real chaos came from Zohran Mamdani, whose campaign antics went nuclear.
👀 Phony Endorsement:
He called several Jewish congregations and asked to visit—only the Satmar Hasidic community said yes.
Hours later, Zohran posted pictures of the meeting, saying they’d endorsed him, based on one rabbi giving his personal endorsement in a post on a website.
Backlash: The Satmar Hasidic community promptly blasted a statement saying they hadn’t endorsed him—and that they actually endorse Cuomo.
They even put out an official statement in the press. As always, no acknowledgement of wrongdoing from the Mamdani camp. No apologies.
🏀 The Knicks: Mamdani also made an appearance in the backrows of a Knicks game and posted pics; completely ignoring/downplaying the fact that the Knicks sent him a cease and desist order last month for swiping their logo and making it appear as though they had endorsed him.
🗳 Unprecedented Voter Turnout: As of 3 PM today (6 hrs until polls close), over 1.4 million ballots are in—already crushing 2021's entire turnout (1.15M).
Early voting alone was 4x the last race. Projections point to the highest mayoral election turnout since 1969. New Yorkers are showing up like their life depended on it, and the final count could near 2 million.
⚡Bottom line: Polymarket and Kalshi odds still tilt Mamdani, Wall Street’s having heart palpitations, and New Yorkers are Googling “dual citizenship.” The city that never sleeps might go full comatose if Mamdani actually wins.
♟️THE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
Rome’s 13th century Torre dei Conti
🇮🇹 Rome’s Medieval Marvel Crumbles Mid-Renovation
A partial collapse hit Rome’s 13th-century Torre dei Conti on Nov. 3, sending debris clouds over streets near the Colosseum.
The tower, built by Pope Innocent III, was in the final phase of a €6.9M restoration when two major sections gave way.
Rescuers pulled several workers to safety, but one—Octav Stroici, a Romanian laborer—died after being trapped for 11 hours.
⚡Bottom line: Prosecutors are probing for negligence as restoration work halts.
🕯Afghanistan Quake Levels History and Hope
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattled northern Afghanistan early Nov. 3, killing at least 27 and injuring nearly 1,000 across six provinces.
The epicenter hit near Mazar-i-Sharif, damaging the 15th-century Blue Mosque — one of Islam’s most iconic landmarks.
With power lines from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan down, entire regions face blackouts as winter looms.
The UN and local agencies are scrambling to deliver aid, but with foreign funding cut since 2021, Afghanistan’s disaster response is paper-thin.
⚡Bottom line: Another quake, same crisis — only fewer rescuers left.
🥷 Hamas Fighters Trapped in Gaza’s Ghost Tunnels
Roughly 200 Hamas operatives remain trapped in southern Gaza tunnels now under Israeli control, mainly near Rafah.
Israel has ruled out any safe passage, despite reports suggesting the fighters could be freed in exchange for hostage remains.
Netanyahu’s office insists there’ll be no deal without disarmament, as Israel continues tunnel-clearing ops.
Hamas, meanwhile, has begun returning bodies of Israeli hostages, but still holds several captives.
⚡Why it matters: Hamas built an underground fortress that became a graveyard. Israel's betting starvation + airstrikes beats negotiation. Expect more hostage bodies "found" as bargaining chips before this ends.
🗽THE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
VP Dick Cheney
🇺🇸 New Jersey’s Nail-Biter: Sherrill vs. Ciattarelli, Round 3
The Jersey Governor’s race is tighter than a Turnpike merge. Mikie Sherrill, ex–Navy pilot and four-term Dem Rep, faces Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican CPA.
Trump’s backing Jack; Obama’s stumping for Mikie
Sherrill (D) pitches a utility rate freeze, branding Ciattarelli (R) as "100% MAGA"
Ciattarelli (R) fires back on affordability and slammed Sherrill's military record after a Naval Academy file release scandal
Polls show Sherrill up 5–7 points, but turnout’s everything.
⚡Bottom line: This race could forecast 2026—and Trump’s staying power in blue states.
🕯Dick Cheney, Dead At 84 — The “Shadow President” Of The Bush Era.
Former VP Dick Cheney died Monday at 84 from complications linked to pneumonia and heart issues.
The ultimate power broker of the post-9/11 era, Cheney shaped U.S. foreign policy, the Iraq War, and the “war on terror” more than many Presidents did.
Tributes poured in from allies like President Bush and Condi Rice, while President Trump, a vocal critic of the “forever wars” has stayed notably silent.
⚡Bottom line: The most powerful VP in modern history just left the stage and he leaves behind a legacy of unmatched influence—and endless debate.
🤖 CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AI’s Black Mirror Moments
🥶Bitcoin Breaks Below $100K — Crypto Bros Sweating Again
Bitcoin fell under $100,000 Tuesday for the first time since June, sliding as investors bailed from risky bets tied to AI-fueled stock mania.
BTC dipped to $99,966, while Ether tanked nearly 9%.
⚡Analysts say retail buyers aren’t “buying the dip” like before — and without fresh catalysts, crypto could be headed for a cold winter.
📉 Palantir Tumbles 8% As Karp Lashes Out At Burry
Palantir shares dropped 8% Tuesday despite beating Q3 estimates and lifting guidance.
CEO Alex Karp called out Michael Burry and other short sellers, calling their bets “market manipulation” and “bats--- crazy.”
Analysts warn the stock’s 254 forward P/E makes it vulnerable, especially as AI hype cools.
⚡Karp insists Palantir is executing flawlessly—but Wall Street isn’t buying the optimism.
📺 FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
NYC Power Lunch Fact
The term "blue-chip" for a stable, valuable company comes from poker, where the blue chips are the highest value.