Zohran Mamdani ce l’ha fatta. Il politico 34enne del Partito Democratico americano è il nuovo sindaco eletto di New York e entrerà ufficialmente in carica il prossimo 1 gennaio. Ha vinto col 50,4% dei voti un’elezione contesa sconfiggendo l’ex governatore Andrew Cuomo, da lui già affrontato alle primarie interne, che si è fermato poco oltre il 41%, nonostante l’invito a sostenerlo del Partito Repubblicano e del presidente Donald Trump.

Mamdani ha fatto una corsa solitaria e in salita contro tutti: attaccato perché socialista democratico e musulmano, accusato di inesperienza, criticato addirittura da Israele per il presunto “antisemitismo”, l’ex consigliere statale e progressista radicale ha vinto mobilitando il voto giovanile in un’elezione partecipata da quasi 2 milioni di cittadini della Grande Mela, poco meno del 50% del totale, un boom di affluenza contro il 23% registrato nel 2021.

La geografia della vittoria di Mamdani

Mamdani stravince a Bushwick (82-15) e Harle (71-26) e in 8 su 10 dei quartieri della città più popolosa d’America, mentre Cuomo conquista solo l’Upper East Side e Midwood. A Staten Island Cuomo vince di 33 punti, negli altri quattro borough è invece Mamdani nel complesso a emergere: +5% nel Queens, +10% a Manhattan, +11% nel Bronx, +20% a Brooklyn.

Qui hanno fatto presa le proposte del candidato di abbattere i costi degli affitti, risolvere la crisi abitativa, rendere più inclusivo e progressista il modello sociale della città. Trasversalmente, pesa anche l’effetto-etnia. Secondo le proiezioni del New York Times, è in vantaggio su tutte le categorie delle minoranze: asiatici (4%), ispanici (20%) e neri (26%). Nel suo discorso di festeggiamento ha dichiarato che New York continuerà a restare “una città di immigrati” e rivendicato la sua affiliazione ai Socialisti Democratici d’America (Dsa).

La storia dei sindaci di New York nati all’estero

Sindaco più giovane dai tempi di Hugh J. Grant, eletto nel 1889 a 31 anni, primo musulmano a riuscire nell’impresa, Mamdani non è il primo nato all’estero a conquistare la poltrona di primo cittadino della Grande Mela. 24 dei 95 sindaci che New York ha avuto dal 1665 a oggi erano nati fuori dal territorio americano. 19 di essi erano dell’era coloniale, ma ce ne sono stati cinque nell’ultimo secolo e mezzo parimenti provenienti dall’estero, tra cui l’italo-americano Vincent R. Impellitteri, sindaco dal 1950 al 1953 e nato a Isnello, in provincia di Palermo.

Ora per Mamdani arriverà una fase critica: quella della trasposizione delle promesse in programma di governo. L’attivo politico dem dovrà passare dalla fase di lotta, casa per casa e strada per strada, a quella dell’amministrazione e del pragmatismo. La scommessa è forte: governare le conseguenze sociali del boom mondiale di una città come New York da sinistra, ricucire in forma progressiva fragilità e disuguaglianze, vincere lo scetticismo di chi accusa Mamdani di essere un comunista senza capacità amministrative.

“The Red Apple” titola in prima pagina il New York Post, reiterando questa narrazione. A Mamdani il compito di convincere gli scettici e applicare un programma che si ripropone di sconvolgere dalle fondamenta il Partito Democratico. E di interrogarlo su cosa voglia fare il mondo progressista un anno dopo la sconfitta con Donald Trump.

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L'articolo Il volo di Mamdani: batte Cuomo ed è il nuovo sindaco di New York proviene da InsideOver.

L’elezione del sindaco di New York non è solo un voto amministrativo, ma è uno spartiacque politico che in questo caso può raccontare molto delle nuove tendenze che si stanno evolvendo oltre Atlantico. Oggi gli elettori della Grande Mela sono chiamati a votare per il sindaco e il consiglio comunale in un voto che vede un canovaccio chiaro: il favorito, il 34enne candidato democratico Zoran Mamdani, contro tutti.

La corsa a decidere chi sarà il primo degli 8 milioni di abitanti della città più popolosa degli Usa (oltre 20 con l’area metropolitana) quest’anno sarà, al contempo, un test sul modello gestionale delle metropoli del pianeta, un referendum interno al Partito Democratico americano sulle tendenze che dovrà seguire a un anno e un giorno dalla rovinosa sconfitta di Kamala Harris contro Donald Trump, un test sulla percezione del presidente in carica nella sua città di origine e di fronte a precise categorie dell’elettorato.

L’ascesa di Mamdani

Mamdani, che ha scalato i dem da giovane consigliere statale 34enne vincendo a sorpresa le primarie contro l’ex governatore Andrew Cuomo, tenta il colpo gobbo: provare a vincere per governare una metropoli di rango globale, se non “la Metropoli” per antonomasia, da sinistra, mettendo al centro la politica dal basso (grassroot politics), la lotta al costo della vita, il calmiere degli affitti.

Per anni tutte le maggiori città del pianeta hanno trainato l’economia dei servizi, la crescita finanziaria e, con esse, crescenti livelli di disuguaglianza. Il Partito Democratico americano ha voluto governare in maniera progressista la globalizzazione, spesso ibridandosi coi potentati espressione di questi trend. Mamdani ha cambiato tutto: “Nelle primarie di giugno, Mamdani non si è limitato a battere le probabilità: ha fatto saltare la porta dai cardini, rimodellando l’elettorato e sfruttando il voto preferenziale per ottenere una schiacciante vittoria di 12,8 punti, che ha avuto ripercussioni sulla politica del Paese”, nota il New York Times.

Mamdani, sull’onda lunga della pressione dei Democratic Socialist of America sul partito e dell’influenza di Bernie Sanders e Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, ha vinto le primarie puntando su temi innovativi. Tra questi, la condanna senza appello del genocidio israeliano a Gaza.

Cuomo da Clinton a Trump

La scelta di Cuomo di sfidarlo da indipendente, sostenuto dal sindaco dem uscente Eric Adams che ha deciso di non candidarsi per la rielezione, ha cambiato le carte in tavola, rendendo la partita una battaglia per l’anima di New York e mettendo in secondo piano il conservatore duro e puro Curtis Silwa, candidato repubblicano.

L’obiettivo di Cuomo è unire un fronte comune dei “no Mamdani” e la sua coalizione va da Bill Clinton, che lo ha appoggiato nelle primarie, a Donald Trump, che in un’intervista a 60 Minutes ha detto di non avere dubbi: tra un “cattivo democratico”, come ha definito Cuomo, e un “comunista”, sceglierebbe il “cattivo democratico”, indicando la sua preferenza di fatto. Il figlio di Trump, Eric, ha endorsato ufficialmente Cuomo così come Bill Ackman, Ceo di Pershing Square Capital Management[ e grande donatore di The Donald, e l’ex sindaco Michael Bloomberg. Non è previsto ballottaggio, vale il voto uninominale maggioritario: sarò showdown totale alle urne. Non ci si può nascondere e fare pretattica. Alle urne i newyorkesi decideranno per il loro futuro e per quello di un pezzo di America. Capendo dove si incamminerà l’opposizione a un anno dalla disfatta presidenziale.

Noi di InsideOver ci mettiamo cuore, esperienza e curiosità per raccontare un mondo complesso e in continua evoluzione. Per farlo al meglio, però, abbiamo bisogno di te: dei tuoi suggerimenti, delle tue idee e del tuo supporto. Unisciti a noi, abbonati oggi!

L'articolo New York al voto, un test per l’America: Mamdani contro tutti proviene da InsideOver.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that the U.S could be the new epicenter of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic. The American death toll has surpassed 1,384 as of March 27, with 93,329 reported cases and 2,424 recoveries. WHO’s spokeswoman Margaret Harris said there had been a large acceleration of Covid-19 infections in the U.S.

“We are now seeing a very large acceleration in cases in the U.S. So, it does have that potential,” Harris said.

The Global Impact of Coronavirus

The virus, which started in a wet market in Wuhan, China, has infected more than 572,000 worldwide and killed 26,348, with 129,949 recoveries. The symptoms sometimes overlap with those of the flu and other respiratory illnesses such as the cough, fever, and shortness of breath.

Several states in the U.S have slapped a lockdown to contain the outbreak, including New York and California. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the closure of non-essential businesses and banned all gatherings and events.

Previously, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a total lockdown and told the state’s 40 million people to stay at home. Drugstores, banks, laundries, and gas stations are still open, while restaurants can only provide take-out services.

Italy and Spain’s Rising Coronavirus Death Tolls

The Covid-19 death tolls in Italy and Spain have reached an alarming level. Italy and Spain’s coronavirus fatalities are now higher than China, despite the decrease in the number of deaths in the past two days.

Meanwhile, the US reports it now has more than 93,300 Covid-19 cases as Italy’s death toll surges past 9,100.

The alarming Covid-19 fatality rate in Italy is linked to several factors: the limited number of Covid-19 tests (as the tests only focused on people with acute symptoms while many people get infected without showing any signs at all), its aging population (23 percent of the Italian population are 65 or older), and loose social distancing measures despite the tough lockdown measures.

A video showing Italian mayors ranting at residents for ignoring social distancing rules recently went viral on social media. A Chinese doctor deployed in northern Italy complained about how Italians tended to underestimate the outbreak. Both Italy and Spain have been under lockdown for almost a month, however, the quarantine may be extended due to the increase in the number of Covid-19 deaths.

Indonesia’s Coronavirus Cases Surpass 1,000

As of March 27, Indonesia has recorded 1,046 positive cases of Covid-19 and 87 deaths, whilst 46 patients have recovered from it. The number of Covid-19 cases doubled in three days, jumping from 172 on March 17 to 369 on March 20.

A study from a London-based Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases released on Monday March 23 estimated that only 2 percent of Covid-19 infections in Indonesia have been reported. The research predicted that the actual figure of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia is around 34,300: even higher than that in Iran, as ABC quoted.

The Indonesian Government tried to calm down in responding to experts’ forecasts that Indonesia could be like either Wuhan or Italy if its Covid-19 cases are not contained swiftly.

“We won’t be like that,” said Indonesia’s government spokesperson for Covid-19 mitigation, Dr. Achmad Yurianto, referring to the comparison to the outbreaks in Italy and China.

Indonesia has not imposed a nationwide lockdown like Italy and Spain. However, Jakarta has called on local residents to obey stay-at-home and social distancing rules. The emergency status for Covid-19 has also been extended until May 29, with offices, malls to remain closed until early April.

L'articolo These Countries’ Covid-19 Death Rates Are Alarming proviene da InsideOver.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the United States may soon find itself as the epicenter of the Covid-19 global outbreak. Spokesperson Margaret Harris issued the warning alongside troubling statistics regarding the virus’ spread on Tuesday. Together, the US and Europe accounted for 85% of new cases worldwide on Monday, Reuters reported.

US Can’t Control The Spread

“We are now seeing a very large acceleration in cases in the US. So it does have [the potential to become the new epicenter],” Harris said.

Both the size and intensity of the outbreak are increasing in the US with the infection count at nearly 55,000 as of Tuesday, according to BBC News. New York has been considerably blindsided by the disease and makes up nearly half of all American cases. The White House said the Covid-19 spread within New York City itself accounts for 60% of all new cases in the nation. 

“The [infection] forecaster said to me, ‘We were looking at a freight train coming across the country. We’re now looking at a bullet train,’” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

An outbreak in New York City — the nation’s most populous city — threatens the entirety of the country. Travelers to and from New York state as a whole have already been advised to self-quarantine for two weeks after returning from it. Those left within the state face dire circumstances unless it can get a grip on the virus spread.

Cuomo is desperately seeking more medical supplies from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but it risks running out of equipment soon. New York state has 7,000 ventilators on-hand currently, but it anticipates it will need 30,000 as the infection rate continues to climb.

Trump: We Must Be Open for Business By Easter

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has begun promoting the idea of reopening the US for business, possibly as early as Easter on April 12. 

“Out country wasn’t built to be shut down. This is not a country that was built for this,” Trump declared at a Monday evening briefing. “America will again and soon be open for business. Very soon. A lot sooner than three for four months that somebody was suggesting.”

The Trump administration promoted a “15 Days to Slow the Spread” plan, in which America recently passed the halfway point. It was designed to slow the spread of Covid-19, but the numbers show it is not working. Trump, however, prefers to ease the guidelines after the 15 days to restart the economy regardless.

Reopening Before Virus has Peaked Could Be Dangerous and Useless

What would a reopened US economy look like if the virus persists and follows its current trajectory? Likely it would be far different than what Trump desires. The US economy is built on consumerism, but a disease spreading around does little to encourage a shopping spree. The aerospace industry — manufacturing and airlines — has been one of the hardest hit by the virus outbreak, but would it restart by April 12 if Trump gives the all clear? While domestic flights could conceivably resume, other nations across the globe will likely still be under lockdown, thus eliminating the possibility of international travel.

Furthermore, Trump’s idea of reopening the economy in two weeks — medical concerns aside — ignores the possibility of local governments and individual businesses refusing to reopen. Part of the reason why the virus is hitting the US so hard is because Trump refused to spearhead a shutdown from Washington. He did not call in the National Guard to enforce a curfew or run off beach-goers. He did not impose strict penalties for violating the shelter-in-place order like Saudi Arabia.

The Trump administration largely left it up to states and businesses to decide how to best handle the crisis. Consequently, they may decide to keep handling it even when Trump proclaims victory.

‘We Haven’t Even Reached the Peak of This Pandemic Yet’

If the economy were to gear up again by April 12, and business forced employees to return to work, the virus rate would undoubtedly skyrocket even further and risk overloading an already-crippled healthcare system. Doctors are understandably warning against the idea. 

“We’re going to completely overwhelm the hospital system” unless the administration increases restrictions, said Dr. Tina Tan, board member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “Loosening restrictions makes absolutely no sense if you look at it from a health perspective. I really think now that people are worth more than actually trying to save the economy right now.”

Dr. Greg Poland, vaccine researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said he expects infections to continue to rise, even with current restrictions in place. 

“We haven’t even reached the peak of this pandemic yet,” Poland said.

Targeting At-Risk Demographics

Still, there are voices who agree with the president that the US must start to focus on how to resume the economy.

“You turned off the engine quickly,” Cuomo said. “How do you now start or begin to restart or plan the restart of that economic engine? Separate task, but something that we have to focus on.”

Lloyd Blankfein, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, proposed letting lower risk demographics — such as younger  people — return to work. Could the US economy slowly come back to life by targeting at-risk demographics and allowing others to resume life as usual? Potentially, but there is the possibility of asymptomatic carriers returning to work then transporting the disease back to their older family members at home. Thus the disease would not die out, only slow down.

If the US is to beat coronavirus, it must do what the rest of the world is doing: remain shut down until new cases taper off. The strategy worked in China, which is reopening its economy. It’s a strategy Italy and the UK are also employing, and it’s what Trump should do as the leader of the nation that currently has the second-highest case count in the world. 

L'articolo Trump Wants to Reopen US As WHO Warns US is Next Covid Epicenter proviene da InsideOver.

In the United States the State of New York surpassed Washington State’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases, reaching 524 cases as of the morning of Saturday, March 14. New York City, which has the highest population density among the country’s major cities with a population of over 8 million people, confirmed its 213^th case, with one death Friday night.

NY Governor Cuomo: ‘The Infection Rate Will Be Massive’

The Governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo said only 20 percent of those cases are hospitalized, as he said he expected thousands of additional cases statewide. “The infection rate will be massive,” he said. From Wednesday, March 11, to Friday, 13, the number of cases there had tripled. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio predicted that there would be over 1,000 cases in the city only by next week.

The state of New York has approximately 3,000 intensive care unit (ICU) beds only, and Governor Cuomo said about 80% of them are already occupied. Those numbers may look relatively small compared to the swelling numbers in countries outside of China, such as Italy and South Korea. But a number of cases are yet to be confirmed — even yet to be tested. Numerous people who said they have the coronavirus symptoms are complaining of being rejected tests throughout the country.

The Nation Faces the Same Problem as NYC: Overwhelmed Facilities

New York City hospitals are considered as some of the world’s best, but their impotence in the face of an imminent outbreak reflects a nationwide challenge. Hospitals and other facilities are widely expected to be overwhelmed as infections are on the rise.

Various analysts say the whole American healthcare system is unprepared to deal with the abrupt surge of infections expected to occur within weeks, in a country that is home to over 327 million people. The outbreak has taken the lives of 50 Americans as of Saturday morning, with 2,443 confirmed cases nationwide. But officials still cite the unavailability of widespread tests.

The number of infected people, who are still likely to spread the virus as there has been no major lockdown or containment yet, remains unclear. Many fear the fate of the United States will be the same as that of Italy, where in a span of three weeks only the spread of the virus overloaded the health care system.

“This is where Italy got into trouble,” Governor Cuomo said on Friday. “They didn’t have enough ICU beds to handle the number of patients who needed intensive care. That is going to be a problem in this state and in this country.”

A Potential Nightmare Scenario for America

By late February, the lack of testing still posed a problem. The United States was testing very few people per capita compared to any developed country. Under federal rules, only the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a small government agency, could conduct approved tests. Private laboratories were in discussions with CDC about developing their own tests, but the CDC turned them down because of a lack in demand.

Although the outbreak occurred relatively late in the United States, US officials and particularly President Trump are accused of delaying their reaction to the virus and downplaying its perils. Critics said the White House should have taken action weeks earlier to secure emergency funding for public health agencies to manage the epidemic.

But it wasn’t until last Friday that President Donald Trump announced a national emergency. To him, the virus had been a far and overseas problem, not worthy of immediate action, whereas many people had already contracted the virus amid unavailable tests.

“We only have five people. Hopefully, everything’s going to be great,” he said on January 30.

Trump’s Statements About Coronavirus

Trump also made a series of statements that experts say highly affected public understanding in the United States, having even suggested using flu vaccine to counter the virus. Following the outbreak in Washington State that ensued a confirmed first case on January 21, Trump said the number of cases was declining in the country and, later in early March, that “anybody who needs a test gets a test.”

Yet none of these statements is true, not even the latest statement. Many people who are not able to prove that they had been in close contact with a confirmed case are still being denied the coronavirus test. Many have put themselves in isolation as they have noticed evident symptoms of the virus but were still denied access to hospitals and facilities for tests. Others still roam free and are expected to work and conduct their lives as per usual.

Following a meeting with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, President Trump still painted a positive picture on Saturday, saying the United States was “doing very good, when you compare this to what’s happening around the world.” He added that the national emergency had “opened up avenues we would never be able to open up without it.”

Congress Responds to Coronavirus

A bill that had been voted for after declaring the national emergency is set to provide paid sick leaves for workers affected by the virus and free tests for those who need it. Critics still say it is unclear how authorities will determine who qualify for free leaves and free tests.

Previously on Friday, the New York Times reported that the CDC was “considering some grim scenarios, including the possibility that some 2.4 million to 21 million people across the United States could require hospitalization.” This would potentially “crush the nation’s medical system, which has only about 925,000 staffed hospital beds.”

The CDC’s assumptions dated from last month and were yet to be made public, the New York Times also reported.

Worst-Case Scenario in the USA

The worst-case scenario, one of the governmental agency’s four projections, predicts that between 160 million and 214 million people in the United States could be infected during the contagion that could last months or even over a year. 200,000 to 1.7 million people could die. But experts also say those projections date too far ahead and that many developments could drastically change those numbers. Other commentators said the CDC’s assumptions remain accurate for the most part, blaming current officials and the Trump Administrations’ incompetence in dealing with the epidemic.

So far, 49 states and the District of Columbia have confirmed cases.

L'articolo The U.S. Is Unprepared for the Coronavirus proviene da InsideOver.

As the number of new Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases surge worldwide, panic buying has led to the scarcity of hand sanitizers, masks, as well as spices that allegedly have anti-inflammatory properties and upgrade the body’s immune system. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the state’s hand sanitizer brand due to the skyrocketing price of the product on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.

“You can’t get [hand sanitizer] on the market, and when you can, it’s very expensive,” said Cuomo as Adage reported, revealing the name of the product, called “NYS Clean.” The governor added that the state has recorded 142 COVID-19 infections so far. As of Thursday, March 5, the price of a 12-ounce Purell sanitizer stood at $ 50 on Amazon.

Do-It-Yourself Hand Sanitizer

The surging price of hand sanitizer has triggered some people’s creativity and they have begun to make their own. They usually mix 60 percent alcohol, aloe vera gel, and essential oils to make their DIY sanitizer,as Grow reported..

Coronavirus has similar symptoms to common flu and has killed more than 3,500 globally so far. The virus was first discovered at a wet market in Wuhan, China, and spread quickly to more than 100 countries, sparking worldwide panic.

Mask Hoarding

Face masks are the most needed items as the outbreak has yet to slow down. In Indonesia, a box containing 50 covers is sold 60 Euro (around Rp 900,000) at e-commerce platforms.

One of the employees at a private hospital in Depok, West Java, told InsideOver that many people have been unable to find masks since the new coronavirus outbreak started. The hospital management will prioritize its employees first when it can get boxes of masks.

“We apologize to patients for not providing masks as everything is hard to find here,” one of the nurses told InsideOver on Tuesday, March 10.

The nurse also added that healthy people don’t need to wear face masks unless a doctor advises him or her to do so.

CDC: Face Masks are for Sick People or Those in Close Contact, Not Everyone

The U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) echoed the statement by saying that face masks are only for those infected with respiratory illnesses, medical staff, and caregivers who have close contacts with people with suspected COVID-19 symptoms.

“CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including Covid-19,” the agency told in its official website.

The scarcity of face masks amid the rising cases of COVID-19 has triggered profiteers to produce counterfeit masks. At the end of February, China grabbed around 31 million bogus face covers, as Kyodo news reported.

Coronavirus infection has infected more than 110,000 globally, more than 80,000 are in China, as John Hopkins CSSE data showed. However, the number of new cases was trending down as of Monday, March 9.

Healing Spices are Sold Out

Ginger, turmeric, and curcumin have been among the hottest items as those spices are believed to have properties to improve immunity. The three spices are often used in cooking and traditional drink or known as jamu in Indonesia.

In some of the traditional markets in Indonesia, the prices of red ginger surged to 100,000 Indonesian Rupiah per kilo ($6.97 USD). In grocerie stores, a shopper admitted finding it hard to find red ginger in good condition. Currently, Indonesia has recorded 27 positive coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, March 10. The first two cases of COVID-19 in the country were announced in early March and sparked panic buying across the archipelago.

A molecular biology professor at Airlanga University, Surabaya Prof.C.A Nidom suggested that Indonesians can consume Indonesia’s authentic spices to tackle the COVID-19. However, another expert claimed most Indonesians misunderstand the professor’s statement as if those spices can cure the illness caused by COVID-19.

“There is no clinical testing or test on humans that back the claim (that ginger, curcumin, turmeric, lemongrass, and other spices can cure the new coronavirus),” said Dr. Danang Ardiyanto, a researcher specializing in traditional medicines Suara quoted, adding that those spices can only boost immunity.

L'articolo Masks, Sanitizers, and Spices Are Getting Scarce Amid Rise of COVID-19 proviene da InsideOver.