Good morning, dear readers,
Almost exactly a year after the election in the USA, Americans are now looking to the east of the Republic. The mayoral elections in New York and the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia are a first test of mood for Donald Trump.
The greatest interest is in the elections in the largest city in the United States – where a political surprise is on the horizon. With Zohran Mamdani, a man who wants to radically change New York is leading the polls. The 34-year-old is aiming for a redistribution of power and resources.
Local transport should be free, child care should be cheaper, supermarkets should be in the hands of the city. This is to be financed by a tax increase for large corporations and millionaires. Projects that resonate with residents. In the most recent polls, Mamdani was ahead by between five and 26 percentage points. You can read more about Zohran Mamdani in this piece.
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The president doesn’t like Donald Trump’s hometown in the hands of a socialist. Late Monday evening (local time) on Truth Social, Trump expressed his support for Mamdani’s closest competitor, Andrew Cuomo – and not the defeated Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. But even Donald Trump can’t do without threats. If Mamdani really wins, he will only give his “beloved hometown the minimum amount of federal funding.”
Donald Trump is threatened with punishment
Also of particular importance are the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, which are the only ones in the year after the presidential election. They are seen as the ultimate test of mood for the party in the White House. Since 1973, at least one of the two states has always elected a governor from a party other than that of the incumbent president.
This time it looks as if both states are leaning towards the Democrats and voters are giving Donald Trump a slap in the face. Because Republican Glenn Younkin is not allowed to run again after two terms in office, a new appointment is being sought in Virginia. Abigail Spanberger leads the polls by around ten percentage points ahead of Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. Maybe it’s because of the polls that Trump hasn’t publicly supported her yet, or maybe it’s because Earle-Sears once described the US president as a “burden on Republicans.”
However, the race looks much closer in New Jersey, where the Democrat Mikie Sherrill only has a narrow lead over the Republican candidate. In a real tirade, Trump tried to turn the tide on Monday evening (local time). “Virginia and New Jersey, remember: A vote for the Democrats, especially these two losers, means doubling, tripling or even quadrupling your energy costs,” Trump ranted in all caps at Truth Social. As usual, he did not provide any evidence for the claim.
Julian Draxler about a night that still haunts him to this day
It is perhaps the darkest day in the history of the national football team. When the DFB team took part in the international match in Paris in November 2015, three explosive devices detonated near the stadium. 130 people die and 97 are seriously injured in Islamist attacks in Paris.
Ten years after the attack, ex-national player Julian Draxler is still feeling the aftereffects today. He feels “no longer comfortable in large, uncontrollable crowds,” says Draxler in an interview with my colleagues Christian Ewers and Nico Schnurr.
Since 2023, Draxler has been playing in Qatar, where he witnessed the Israeli rocket attack on a Hamas delegation in September. “My wife and I were just about to go out the door to pick up our three-year-old son from daycare when we heard a loud bang. The windows in our house were shaking,” remembers Draxler. Read the whole interview here:
That changes when you retire
The pension will probably increase again by around 3.7 percent on July 1, 2026. Last July the pension was increased by 3.74 percent. This emerges from a draft of the pension report, which the government still has to give its final approval. This means that pensions could again rise faster than inflation in 2026, as it is currently around 2.3 percent.
The final pension increase is usually determined by the federal government in the spring. If the increase remains at 3.7 percent, the 21 million pensioners would receive 3.70 euros more for every 100 euros in pension from July. We’ll show you exactly what that amounts to and how much:
And otherwise? More headlines
- Germany dreams of an Olympic summer fairy tale – in Munich
- Supply of charging stations is improving slightly
- Judge ends Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit against Blake Lively
This will happen on Tuesday, November 4th
- The Federal Constitutional Court decides on the regulation on triage
- In Brussels, the EU environment ministers want to agree on an EU climate target for 2040
- In the Champions League, Eintracht Frankfurt will face SSC Napoli from 6:45 p.m., and Bayern Munich will face the reigning Champions League winners from 9 p.m Paris Saint-Germain as a guest
Our star+ recommendation of the day
Long frowned upon, then celebrated: cabbage is considered a rising star in the vegetable box. The fact that nutritional doctors also love it is due to a few very special ingredients.
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I wish you a good start to the day!
Take care!
Max silk thread
