The new mayor of New York, the government shutdown, and Grokipedia
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The new mayor of New York, the government shutdown, and Grokipedia
Welcome to our press review of events in the United States. Every Wednesday we look at how the Swiss media have reported and reacted to three major stories in the US – in politics, finance and science.
The Swiss woke up today to the news that a “democratic socialist” had been elected mayor of uber-capitalist New York. How did they react, and what could Zohran Mamdani’s victory mean for US politics as a whole?
This week I also look at the “devastating consequences” of the longest-ever US government shutdown, and what Grokipedia, Elon Musk’s AI-based online encyclopaedia, gets right – and wrong – about the Swiss president.
Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has been elected mayor of New York. The Swiss media have been looking at how radical his policies really are – and what the Democratic Party can learn from him.
“New Yorkers have chosen a man who embodies the exact opposite of the American president. A challenge to the America of the octogenarian, which could lead to other resistance fighters elsewhere,” wrote Le Temps in Geneva on Wednesday morning, a few hours after Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral race. The paper was so excited it got Trump’s age wrong (at 79 he’s not an octogenarian).
The paper said that the first Muslim mayor of the largest US city demonstrated that democracy, “under attack from the Republican’s methods, is alive and well. Zohran Mamdani brought together the disappointed and the worried. He inspired them. He even made people dream, something that New Yorkers obviously particularly needed”.
Much has been made of the fact that Mamdani describes himself as a democratic socialist – Trump has called him a communist. “Some of the 34-year-old’s ideas are based on classic social democratic recipes and would hardly attract attention in Europe. However, other proposals are indeed radical,” the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) wrote.
Mamdani’s plans for a rent freeze and a minimum wage of $30 (CHF24) in New York have generated the most headlines. “A minimum wage of $30 would turn low-wage sectors such as the catering and transport industries upside down. Restaurants would probably have to lay off staff and raise prices,” the NZZ said, noting that the US-wide minimum wage is currently $7.25 and in New York it’s $16.50.
Mamdani also wants to offer free childcare for all children until they reach the age of five – “available in many European countries” said the NZZ – as well as free city buses and urban grocery shops. “The big question is where this money would come from.”
Are there any lessons the Democratic Party can learn from last night’s result (Democrats also won races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia)? “New York is not America, and Zohran Mamdani is not a good role model for the Democrats per se. Although in some respects he is,” wrote the Tages-Anzeiger. “While a candidate with Mamdani’s profile would have no chance of being elected president, […] the Democrats could learn from him if they’re looking for an answer to Donald Trump. Mamdani recently said that the answer to Trump is to create an alternative. An alternative that embodies what New Yorkers want to see so desperately in their city: ‘a city that believes in the dignity of everyone who calls this place their home’.”
“Nevertheless, even Democrats remain uneasy, as moderate members fear a shift to the left, which could ultimately play into the hands of Trump’s Republicans,” said Swiss public television, SRF. “Zohran Mamdani’s fans don’t care: for them, he is the new face of the Democrats. Someone who could also take on the man in the White House.”
- Election live tickerExternal link – RTS (French)
- Zohran Mamdani, the first sign of resistance to Donald TrumpExternal link – Le Temps (French)
- Now election campaigner Mamdani must deliverExternal link – SRF (German)
- How radical are Zohran Mamdani’s proposals really?External link – NZZ (German, paywall)
- What the Democrats can learn from New York’s new mayorExternal link – Tages-Anzeiger (German, paywall)
More and more people are feeling the consequences of the longest-ever US government shutdown, with queues forming at food banks. Swiss public radio SRF looks at the “devastating consequences” of the budget dispute.
In a neighbourhood in southeast Washington, DC, food is being handed out in a warehouse: basic foodstuffs such as flour and sugar, tinned food, but also fresh vegetables, eggs and milk. The service is not only for those in need but now also for government employees.
“Not everyone who works for the government is rich,” says Tracy, who has just brought a shopping trolley full of food to distribute. “Plus, the cost of living here in Washington is incredibly high. That’s why many people feel the loss of wages quickly.”
Government employees who don’t normally rely on free food are now queuing up, SRF reported on Monday. They are ashamed and don’t want to talk about it.
For others, queuing for food is nothing new. But the situation has worsened for them too, as they no longer receive a food allowance – on average just under $200 (CHF160) a month – from the government. “Why do the poorest of all people have to suffer?” asks single mother Sheila.
Anger at politicians is growing. Congress is increasingly polarised: the Democrats are demanding that the subsidies for the national state health insurance programme be extended, but the Republicans and the White House reject this. As the Republican majority is slim, they also need votes from Democrats to get the budget through the Senate. Both parties are trying to blame each other for the shutdown.
In representative surveys, a larger proportion of respondents blame the Republicans for the current situation, SRF reported. “However, it’s striking that most respondents don’t blame one of the two parties but the members of Congress as a whole.”
Sheila is among them. “They are millionaires,” she told SRF. “If I went to the Capitol, they couldn’t even tell me how much milk or eggs cost.” But she says she doesn’t want to let them get her down – she already knows how to bake cornbread without milk.
- No more money for food aid: the shutdown in the US hits the poorestExternal link – Neue Zürcher Zeitung (German, paywall)
Last week billionaire Elon Musk launched Grokipedia, an AI-based online encyclopaedia that he hopes to position as a rival to Wikipedia. The platform raises questions about the future of online knowledge, says Blick, which took Grokipedia for a spin.
Blick analysed the Grokipedia entry for Karin Keller-Sutter, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year. Although it was “largely OK”, Blick found several errors: Grokipedia said Keller-Sutter succeeded Guy Parmelin as president (it’s the other way around); it also said she replaced Thomas Hefti in the Senate (she replaced Eugen David – Hefti is from a different canton); and there’s an incorrect description of the Swiss debt brake.
“Nothing major overall, but still inaccurate,” Blick concluded, adding that it couldn’t find an edit button. “Of course, not all Wikipedia entries are beyond reproach and are sometimes hijacked by competing political groups. Nevertheless, [Wikipedia] is now the foundation of knowledge on which the internet is based. And, ironically, so is Grokipedia.” Grokipedia, Blick pointed out, has simply taken over many entries from Wikipedia.
“Wouldn’t it be better if Musk used his financial resources to help make Wikipedia better, rather than destroying it?” Blick said.
What exactly is Musk’s problem with Wikipedia? In a podcast, Swiss public radio RTS asks this question and whether AI really could produce more neutral and reliable knowledge than Wikipedia’s millions of contributors.
- News reportExternal link on the launch of Grokipedia – RTS (French)
- Why is Elon Musk attacking Wikipedia?External link – RTS podcast (French)
The next edition of ‘Swiss views of US news’ will be published on Wednesday, November 12. See you then!
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