First Thing: Mamdani wins NYC mayoral primary after Cuomo concedes

The democratic socialist is now the favorite to win the city’s mayoral election. Plus, meet the 17-year-old who ran the length of Britain

Good morning.

Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist, declared victory in New York City’s Democratic primary Tuesday night as former governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race.

With 93% of votes counted in the primary’s first round, the progressive who is now favored to become the city’s first Muslim mayor had 43.5% of the vote, with Cuomo trailing behind at 36.4%. As he conceded, Cuomo said Mamdani had run a “really smart and good and impactful campaign”.

Mamdani’s victory – after he ran on a cost-of-living platform that included rent freezes – comes amid deep fissures within his party, highlighted after two union leaders resigned from its top leadership board over the party’s direction.

What happens now? As neither candidate is likely to reach 50%, the board of elections will now add up people’s second-choice votes – from which Mamdani is expected to benefit more.

How likely is he to be elected mayor in November’s general mayoral election? Cuomo may still run as an independent, but Mamdani is the favorite, given incumbent Eric Adams’s unpopularity and the city voting heavily Democratic.

US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites only set program back by months, Pentagon report says

Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at the weekend did not destroy two of the sites and probably only delayed its nuclear program by a few months, according to two people familiar with a classified initial assessment report.

The report by the Pentagon’s intelligence arm found that key components of the nuclear program could be restarted within months and that much of its highly enriched uranium was moved before the strike.

How has the leaked report been received? Trump is angry about it – and the White House has claimed its an attempt to “demean” him.

To follow the latest updates on this rapidly developing story, head to our liveblog.

US to give $30m to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation despite Israeli forces killing hundreds near its distribution centers

The Trump administration has approved a $30m grant to the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), despite a chaotic rollout during which Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians near distribution centers policed by soldiers and private military contractors.

GHF’s critics say it has politicised the distribution of aid, as it reportedly collaborates with the Israeli government.

Insiders said the application for the grant was rushed through the state department unusually fast for a first-time applicant.

What does the US state department say? It refused to comment on internal deliberations, but a spokesperson said: “We are constantly looking for creative solutions to get aid into Gaza without it being looted by Hamas, and GHF stepped up.”

In other news …

A man on his honeymoon in Florida recently died after reportedly being struck by lightning from a storm several miles away.

An appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to return Jordin Melgar-Salmeron to the US after it wrongfully deported him to El Salvador.

Kenyans are marking the first anniversary of a storming of parliament last year, but there are fears the action could escalate.

A notorious 19-year-old Doge staffer nicknamed “Big Balls” has resigned from the US government, a White House official said.

Stat of the day: Just 20% of people in the US and Europe would try eating bugs

Despite up to 91% of people in the US and Europe saying they would be willing to try plant-based “alternative meats”, just about 20% would consider eating insects, polling has found. It seems most can’t get over the yuck factor, meaning encouraging them to eat insects is unlikely to help cut down on environmentally detrimental meat consumption. Efforts, therefore, should be directed elsewhere.

Don’t miss this: The 17-year-old who faced despair – and ran the length of Britain

Marcus Skeet is only 17, but he’s already battled a host of health issues, from type 2 diabetes and depression to anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. He also became a young carer after his dad developed dementia. After a suicide attempt, he began to walk – and then run. In April this year, he took on a mammoth task, running the length of Britain and raising £111,000 (about $150,000) for a mental health charity. Here, he recounts the highs and lows of the experience.

In the US, call or text Mental Health America at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor.

Climate check: Rise in legal challenges over carbon credit schemes

Judges are increasingly scrutinizing companies’ efforts to offset their emissions by buying carbon credits, an analysis of 3,000 climate-related lawsuits globally has found. They join advertising watchdogs in exercising skepticism, which have been dealing with dubious climate neutrality claims for several years.

Last Thing: Inside the revolting story of the infamous ‘poop cruise’

Cast your mind back to 2013’s grossest story: the cruise between Texas and Mexico that turned spectacularly disgusting after its sewage system broke down, leading its passengers’ social conditioning to near breaking point. You can now watch the pure chaos unfold in a wild new Netflix documentary – provided you’ve got a strong enough stomach.

Sign up

First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.

Get in touch

If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email [email protected].