The Truth About Mamdani's NYC No One's Saying

- Welcome to Next Up, everybody.

I'm Mark Calprin. Thank you for being here. I'm Editor-in-Chief of two way and your host here for everything coming next up. Our guests today are two people.

I'm literally interested in pretty much everything. They have to think about everything. Don't get to talk them as often as I'd like to. But we have a rare honor. High privilege to speak today.

Lydia Moynihan Financial Corp. Respondent at the New York Post and her colleague Ricky Schlot reporter and columnist at America's finest newspaper. Ladies, thank you for being here.

- Glad to be here. - Well, thanks for being us. - You guys are both, thank you about the world and about the nation, but you're both New York

centuries right for a New York paper.

It's been the best of times in worst of times for New York of late and be a championship, the Taylor Swift wedding. Lots of great new restaurants on New York is New York, but also not everyone loves the mayor

and I was in New York for a few days this week and it smells horrible just beyond it. - Ladies, let's start, how's New York doing? If somebody said that for instance, your niece said I'm thinking of moving to New York City.

Lydia, what would you say about that? - There's a great Adam Smith quote. There's a lot of ruin in a nation and I think it's sort of captures this idea that sometimes something can be on the decline

that there's still a lot of institutional benefit to it. And so I think that's where we are in New York right now where I don't think so things are headed in the right direction at all. I mean, I reflect back to a few years ago

and I think was I just young and reckless taking this subway at midnight or was it really a different time?

“And I think the answer is it was a different time, right?”

Now I would say this is a city. Some wouldn't decline. There's a lot of garbage. It doesn't feel as safe. You walk around.

There is now a homeless encampment that kind of pops up from time to time on the west side. And to the extent that I can't, I like to leave the city now, but it still is New York City

and it's still the center of media and finance and whatnot, but again, I think it's gonna take some time for that to potentially decline, but I also think there's a lot of signs that things are not going in the right direction.

Obviously, runs now at an all-time high. You have folks like Jamie Diamond recently saying they're gonna move new jobs outside of the city. So look, I think there's a lot to be grateful for about New York but I don't think it's headed in the right direction.

- Ricky, can our nieces ride the subway at midnight? - No, definitely not. I think my experiences are a testament to that. But think of you wrong to say that Mom Donney has enough power to ruin New York

in just a few short months to Lydia's point. Obviously, the city is the city, but it also right now feels like a tale of two cities,

“very I think that you have a lot of people that are”

kind of being kept on their toes, much to their dismay by Mom Donney with whether that means letters coming in the mail and saying that your home may be a pietta tear and prove that you actually live here

or new threats of tax bills or threats of arresting world leaders when they come to the city. But then there's also I think a part of the city too that still is believing in Mom Donney's promises that think that even his most lofty ideas

are going to pan out and they're still pretty jubilant and hopeful. I mean, Mom Donney to his credit has maintained a pretty reasonable approval reading,

but I think that that might get deemed ultimately

as time goes on and a lot of the big promises that he's made have been will be challenged, I think, and not come to fruition ultimately. - Now, I've been arrested twice for a fuse and to pay the fairs on the bus.

So I do, I was told they'd be free, and I say to driver, I remember the election, the guy won. Why should people care about New York? - Greatest city in the world after Tokyo. Greatest city in the United States, important city.

We have a young charismatic mayor who got elected through a failure to be scrutinized to some extent who uses social media in a super sophisticated way and who is an avowed socialist. So it's not just about New York ladies and gentlemen,

there's a lot that's important here for everybody. So you guys jump in, talk amongst yourselves. What should people who don't live in New York who don't fall out every day as we do? What should they know about how this experiment

of socialist governance is going so far? - I mean, he's sort of the harbinger, I feel like of what the DSA wants to do.

“I think he's sort of still the golden boy”

of how to win over voters and to Ricky's point. I mean, the approval ratings, he's doing great. People are really optimistic and excited about him, which I think is going to decline as people realize, oh gosh, actually things aren't really improving.

He's still an incredibly skilled marketer. So the tip talking that we saw in the campaign, he's still doing that and he's still selling everything he does in a really performative in my opinion, kind of obnoxious way, there was an Instagram moment

to fix a drinking fountain public property

that had broken and everyone was celebrating that as heroic

“and you're like, no, you should just fix things”

without making it an Instagram photo off. So that annoys me and I think that's going to get bold when people realize things aren't actually improving. But I will say, I mean, he was asked over the weekend, or should say rather the last few days,

about kind of moving away from some of his earlier chances. So I do think there's been a sort of recalibration where he's having to be more realistic about, he's not going to defund the police. He's not going to actually implement some of the super radical policies

that he previously seems to embrace. And so I think that may be a sign that even if people run on the most radical agenda, it's very possible that once they get into office, and they see what's actually happening in this city, and they're confronted with crime

and all of these issues that they might not be quite as aggressive in implementing some of those policies as they would have thought they would be before they actually were in office. Yeah, and I would just add that I think that Mom Donu's strategy

so far is that it's just better to be caught trying and failing. And an example of that right now in action would be the attempts to start the Uspive city run grocery stores that he promised on the campaign and obviously generated a lot of attention and headlines for.

But there's currently an immigrant-led coalition that's already planning to sue.

“I think that a lot of his plans kind of in this more radical vein”

are going to end up getting cut down ultimately.

But it's still because they're never tried, actually.

In my view, in some ways, kind of hurts his critics on the national level because there's nowhere to point and say, well, this is what actually happens when you implement these most radicals. Socialist policy is especially now that we're seeing

socialists run and oftentimes run for the first time in all these different areas of the country with varying degrees of success. So I think Mom Donu is able to still be the person to point to because he's not actually been able to try everything

that he is wanted to and promise to. Yeah, really well said. And I just just one more in the mayor and then I want to talk about populist rebellion. What's he doing well?

I know you both generally critical of him

and both a little bit surprises.

I am about his approval rings. But besides social media, in terms of actually doing the job,

“do you either of you credit him with doing anything well at this point?”

Yeah, I mean, I can take that. I think that he's pretty successfully managed to divorce socialist policies from the sort of woke accesses. And sometimes he obviously crosses that line. That I do think that he's pulled the messaging together.

He's not the same person as the man who is tweeting in 2020, putting a middle finger up to a Christopher Columbus statue. He's separating these policies from the vibes that are often. So off putting two voters. And I think on a national level,

that could actually make these policies much more appealing to people because if it's not thumpled up with all the other sort of woke garbage that we collectively dispense with, then it just becomes about affordability and not the DSA. And it's entirety.

Yeah, Lydia, you think he's doing good? Yeah, I mean, look, I tend to agree with her. I also think once you sort of get into a well-oiled machine that is a government bureaucracy, it's actually tough to make any changes good or bad.

And so I do think in any kind of role, you often make these grandiose promises in the reality of the day is there's a huge deep state as Trump would put it or just a bureaucracy of people that have been doing this for years and years and years and it's actually kind of challenging

to make those changes. But I do think the rhetoric still matters and I still speak with people who are leaving, particularly Jewish voters who continue to be really alarmed, there was the stabbing recently,

and he's still sort of unwilling to tell off the most radical extremists in his party. And so I think he's still trying to do that dance. Again, I think there's still a lot of cost playing is mayor, but I think to the most part,

you'd have to be really strategic and surgical to get in and implement everything that you want to do. I just don't think that's the reality of the way that our system is set up that you think implement all of those changes. But I do think the rhetoric is continuing

to alarm a lot of voters and a lot of people who are increasingly heading to the exits. I'm looking forward already to the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Center Christmas tree. See how he does it that.

Okay, I want you guys to now wax your most philosophical, your best to toe fill, your best big thing. Palantir, great American success story. A company that helps other companies and governments take data and analyze it in a way to be more effective.

Great American success story. Flock cameras all over America, helping law enforcement,

And the AI, America's hope for the future. These are three extraordinary American success stories that the populace left the populace right are trying to run out of town, constantly getting torches and pitchforks

and saying no flock cameras, no data centers, no palentir. What is the through line on this? Why is there so much hostility towards successful American technology? I think the Flock cameras to me

are the most interesting element here because there's such a clear sort of non-partisan element to the populace protest that you're talking about. Certainly, this same could be said about AI and Palantir,

“but I think the Palantir thing is a little more of a left issue”

and probably anti-AI sentiments too, but the Flock cameras seem to have really activated people. I have to admit, like the libertarian in me is actually with the protestors who are upset about how these are being deployed.

There's 120,000 of them that are active across the United States, and while they have been used in about 20% of the investigations in any jurisdiction where they are deployed, I do think that there is a legitimate privacy concern because there's not a national sort of set

of regulations around how long this data, which, by the way, if you don't know a Flock camera,

basically can track at any time whatever license plates

and log the license plates that pass the camera on a road or at an intersection. And so it's basically a database of people's movements. And we've not yet regulated, you know, does a police office need to make a record of every single time

that this data's accessed and why, in by whom, because there have been already a couple dozen stalking incidents as a result of Flock cameras. There was one former deputy who was kicked out of his role or kicked out of the department, because he looked at a woman

who he was having an affair with her movements more than 1,600 times, which is obviously a pretty concerning use of these cameras, but there's also just not a clear sort of statute and a how long this data should be held because it's not just being recorded for people

who are accused of a crime or suspected of a crime, but just from all Americans, which I spoke to a few constitutional experts for the story that I recently did for the post about Flock cameras. And they seem to pretty much agree that this could be

a fourth amendment issue, because that would protect Americans against unreasonable searches and seizures

and creating a database of basically everyone

in an areas movement is to me, at least as a libertarian, pretty concerning.

“And I think it to your point fits into this broader fear”

of surveillance or fear of being followed around by big tech corporations and also fear of sort of emerging between the government and some of these big tech companies to collaborate in surveillance projects. So I asserted them with the populist on this one, I guess.

- I get the abuse of the you documented them well and I get how angry people are about the notion of either big government spying on them from a libertarian point of view or a left-wing point of view. But their security cameras all over the country.

These are just better security cameras because the cameras are really good and they're AI enabled in a way that allows people to process the data. They have to be safeguards, they're have to be safeguards,

but are the anti-flock people, the deflockers? Are they going to go down and take every security camera in America, though? Or just a different expectation of being in a private space where there is a private security camera

being deployed versus being on a public road and it's being deployed by the government itself.

“I think that would be what most of the critics would say to that.”

- But their cameras, the government wants access to somebody's camera, they get it, right? If you want my ring doorbell, they're going to get it. The cameras in all everywhere. What that any street in America does?

- Typically, they would need a warrant, though, to get it. And I think that's part of what the flock situation is, is like, maybe we can set up a system in which a police officer needs a warrant to access some data through this mock data. This is, I do think that there are obvious reforms

that would make this a lot more palatable to people.

But the problem is, they're popping up pretty quietly

in all these places around the country and people are realizing it. And I think understandably, reacting really viscerly and emotionally to it, whereas if we had those sorts of basic safeguards that were consistent and respected our constitutional rights,

then I probably, to your point, would be more like any other camera that's theoretically pick up your license plate. - Yeah, I agree with that. Lydia, not since Israel and APEC have I seen such an aptitude on the PR front with all these tech companies, AI companies

and flock and a palentier. Like, they have a story to tell, but their critics have just defined them as evil big tech. What is wrong? What's wrong with these people?

Like, hire some good PR people and tell your story. What's the point? Why are they doing it? - I'll get into palentier in a moment.

in time where Americans have never been more skeptical

of big government and big tech. And I, I'm reminded, I mean, I was still a younger person when this happened, but I, by the way, they remember the debate about the Patriot Act. And that was happening, of course, at just time

“where people, I think we're much more optimistic”

about government's ability to protect its citizens. They weren't as wary of government abuse. And they weren't really as wary or even really familiar with what big tech looked like. Now you look at basically trust and approval

of big tech and big government, each is under 20%. And so I think people are rightfully, really skeptical about what this could look like. And we also have sort of seen these scary incidents of we've been learning about how China is a surveillance state

that's, you know, the CCP has a complete overview of basically what everyone is doing there at any given moment. And so I think people are rightfully alarmed and pushing back.

I also think, at least in the case of a flock,

we are seeing that that company is now trying to implement some reforms even just yesterday. They see EEO set, for instance, they're not gonna hold data for 30 days. Now it's gonna be seven days.

So I do think there's, in this sort of push-in poll, we are seeing some positive outcomes where now these companies, they are under scrutiny and they're trying to make necessary reforms. On the data centerpiece, again,

“I think Americans are just inherently skeptical,”

oftentimes of new things and again, because of what's happened previously, where they've seen jobs be outsourced. I think they're just, they're a little skeptical about what this is gonna look like.

The data center story though is interesting because you are seeing increasingly red states and blue states to take such a different approach.

And many communities that actually have embraced

the data center and bear in my, I get it. Like, I think they look really hideous and I would not want one of my, in my backyard and get there are communities with, say, 60,000 people in Louisiana that have embraced data centers.

And now there are communities, have teachers regarding $50,000 bonuses each year. They don't have to really pay as much sales tax. They previously did. So those communities, it's a really a question.

Do you wanna be quite, or do you wanna be rich? And so we are seeing towns that are choosing to be rich and they're embracing it. They're enjoying it and it's been transformative for them.

And then in blue states, much less so. And again, I'm not making a judge because I understand the fact that these are very ugly, brutalist, sort of looking, looking structures. But I think it's interesting to see the way

that those are adopted. I also think, and I don't want to overstate this, but especially when it comes to data centers, that is sort of the sink one known for winning when it comes to AI.

And so I think it would be sort of naive to assume that our foreign adversaries aren't looking for ways to exploit tension. And we know that CCP billionaires, and again, it's a very natural instinct to want

to be skeptical something that's huge and ugly coming into your community. But I also think that's very much been amplified by our foreign adversaries. Like, why is it that people would rather have a nuclear reactor

near them than a data center? That doesn't seem like an organic or a natural thing to have that degree of fear about something. I think that's its own thing. Palantir, I'll actually, I just wrote a story

about this, Palantir has kind of a cult following. So look, I think there are a lot of people again who are skeptical of the data. And how it's being used. I also think Palantir is quite outspoken about their willingness

to cooperate with ICE and another government agencies that people in my cases aren't huge fans of. But I also think there's a lot of people who see Palantir and Dr. Carp, who's the CEO, who takes a lot of outspoken positions.

I think they're a lot of young men in particular. They sort of see this as a pro-innovation pro-america company. And they have quite a vast emerged department. And people are excited spending 50 bucks on a hat because they actually think it's based, as the kids say,

and want to be aligned with that brand. So I think it's a little different in each case. But I'm not, I'm not mad about Americans' skepticism. I think what does that Benjamin Franklin quote, "He who sacrifices liberty for security gets neither?"

- Brilliant. All right, lastly, go with me down the hypothetical. You're at the girls' brunch with your friend, AOC, under this hypothetical, you three are good friends. And three, if you're having brunch in a couple cosmos in,

AOC says to you, "Ladies, how am I doing?"

“Okay, Lydia, you first, and you have to start your answer,”

just like one or two sentences with the word "girlfriend." Go ahead. - Hey, girl. Why aren't you? - Well, it's my way, brunch.

You should be having a Mosa or a Thanksgiving pancake. - Make a trip. - Make a champagne. Go ahead. - What would you say to her if you were a girlfriend?

What would you say to her? You know, it's so fascinating, though, about AOC, is I'm somebody who's diametrically opposed

And yet, I watch her videos. And I think, oh, she's, she's cool. She's likable. The way she presents herself, she's just naturally very good at reaching people,

at coming across as normal and likable. And that is a huge asset. And it's so interesting on the egg-free thing,

“because I think that might have been the most brilliant,”

technique, or sort of approach that I've seen about I'll just take it a long time, because I don't know if she was even intending for this, but egg-free thing, it's actually a really hard thing

to be critical of a lot of women do it.

It's becoming increasingly popular. And so she, because people hate her, basically, had all of these people on the right attacking her for egg-free thing, which, of course, is a crazy thing to attack somebody for.

So she's such a polarizing force, no matter what she does, it's like a Trump-right people hate Trump. And if he does something, they'll attack him, just because they hate him. And we're seeing that on the left with AOC.

And anything, it's kind of an AOC-drangement syndrome that the right would be really silly to fall into. You shouldn't reflexively criticize anybody, just because you dislike them. And so that's kind of what we saw with the egg-free thing.

And it put the right and a really bad spot.

“So look, I think she's being really clever.”

And again, through all of this, she's portraying herself as so relatable. And she's obviously very savvy, one of the Democrats do not endorse and embrace Graham Platner.

So I don't know if it's 40 chess or if it's just great instincts, but she is very clever that the laughing off the woke one thing really was troubling to me, because you can't dismiss something that ruined lives. But I think in terms of just presenting herself,

she's doing really well. - Yeah, all right, I wish we could get into the woke thing, but we don't have time. Rick, I'm gonna summarize what Littia says, as you go, girl, what would you say to your friend AOC

over a branch of Shiasi as she's doing this week? - Yeah, I would agree that definitely distancing from woke one is smart, but it's also kind of dangerous in a way,

“because I think that one of the biggest issues”

that Kamala Harris ran into was prior statements of having been woke herself and trying to then say, oh, I didn't really mean that we want in prison, illegal immigrants to have taxpayer funded sex changes while they're incarcerated.

And AOC is somebody who has previously advocated for defunding the police who's previously definitely moved with the tide when woke one came in. And now I think on the national level,

the most important thing for socialist like her

is to very clearly distance from the DSA, which is saying that they want to do all manner of crazy things like public ownership of corporations and abolishing this Senate. So I think there's definitely wisdom in her strategy

of distancing from woke one, but there's also danger because clips exist forever, tweets exist forever, and that was really disastrous for Kamala Harris when she tried to do the same thing. - Yeah, well said, ladies, thank you for being here.

You can read their work at the New York Post, they're amongst the best writers and smartest thinkers, which is not easy to be at the New York Post, 'cause there are a lot of talented people there. Thanks to both for being here again,

go to the post website as get the alerts, that's what I do.

So you make sure you never miss a word, they write.

Thank you both, grateful, good to see ya. - Thank you so much. - Thank you, Mark. All right, that's it for today's episode. We'll be back Tuesday with another brand new episode for this summer of fun.

We'll see ya then, please subscribe, like, do all that stuff, blah, blah, blah. So you always know what's coming next up. (upbeat music)