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Mamdani says he still believes Trump is a ‘fascist’

admin - Latest News - November 23, 2025
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NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says he still believes President Trump is a threat to democracy after the two met in the Oval Office.



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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleNov. 23, 2025, 6:00 AM ESTBy Minyvonne BurkeOver the course of two decades, Ryan James Wedding went from a promising snowboarder competing in the Olympics to someone who officials have said is one of the most violent and ruthless criminals in the world, responsible for orchestrating murders and running a billion-dollar cocaine cartel.FBI Director Kash Patel compared the 44-year-old — whose nicknames include “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy” and “Giant” — to Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Wedding is accused of ordering a hit on a witness in the U.S. government’s case against him and enlisting assassins to murder rival traffickers.Canada’s Ryan Wedding competes in a snowboarding event at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.Tony Marshall – EMPICS / PA Images via Getty ImagesCourt documents say that Wedding’s crime spree began in 2008, six years after his failed Olympic debut. They detail the alleged dark journey of a young man in his 20s, who got into trouble following a drug deal gone wrong, to a callous criminal on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.It’s believed that Wedding is hiding in Mexico and is being protected by the cartel, federal officials said at a Wednesday news conference, announcing a $15 million reward for information that leads to his arrest and/or conviction.‘From shredding powder … to distributing powder’Wedding was born in Thunder Bay, Canada, a small city on the north shore of Lake Superior surrounded by wilderness and the Nor’Wester Mountains. It’s known for outdoor activities and breathtaking scenery. His parents were wealthy, Los Angeles Magazine reported, and his grandparents owned Mount Baldy ski resort in Thunder Bay. It was at the resort where Wedding learned to shred, according to the magazine.In 2002, he represented Canada at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. He didn’t perform his best, placing 24th in the parallel giant slalom event. With his Olympic debut failing to lead to fame and fortune, Wedding turned to a life of crime.“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said in a March press release.’I guess I lost my way’In 2008, federal prosecutors said Wedding traveled to San Diego with two other men to buy cocaine, court documents show. The dealer they had arranged to meet with was working undercover for the FBI. They were arrested, and Wedding’s case went to trial in November 2009.In opening statements, Wedding’s lawyer painted him as someone who had been “duped by an experienced drug dealer and career criminal,” according to court documents. The lawyer said Wedding was made out to be the “main guy.”A surveillance photo of Ryan Wedding provided by the FBI.FBIA jury found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, according to the court documents. At his sentencing in May 2010, Wedding apologized to the court and his family for his “stupid and irresponsible decisions” and said the idea of making easy money had lured him, even though he didn’t need the money.“I knew it was wrong, and I did it anyway,” he said, according to a transcript of the hearing.“In the past 24 months I’ve spent in custody, I’ve had an opportunity to see firsthand what drugs do to people, and honestly, I’m ashamed that I became a part of the problem for years,” he said. “I guess I lost my way.”The judge was so moved by Wedding’s apparent remorse that he imposed a lighter sentence, court records show. He was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison, but with time served, he was released in December 2011.Wedding’s regret was apparently short-lived. After his release, he founded his criminal drug enterprise, federal law enforcement said in an indictment unsealed Wednesday, charging him with murder, witness tampering and intimidation, money laundering and drug trafficking.Attorney General Pam Bondi stands near wanted poster for Canadian fugitive Ryan James Wedding as she speaks with reporters during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Nov. 19.Mark Schiefelbein / APLargest distributor of cocaine in CanadaIn Wednesday’s unsealed indictment, law enforcement detailed how Wedding’s organization, working with members of Mexican drug cartels, allegedly used boats and planes to move hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico. The organization then began using semitrucks to smuggle the drugs across the border from Mexico to its “hub” in Southern California, the indictment said. The cocaine would then be transported to Canada and other states, federal officials said.At the Wednesday news conference, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding’s organization is responsible for importing about 60 metric tons of cocaine a year into Los Angeles.“He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world,” she said. “He is currently the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada.”The indictment said Wedding’s organization “promoted a climate of fear” and is known for retaliating against rival drug traffickers, targeting people Wedding considered enemies and putting out hits on people cooperating with law enforcement.He allegedly put out a “multimillion dollar bounty” on a federal witness who was going to testify against him in a criminal case, according to the indictment. Wedding is alleged to have used a now-defunct Canadian website to post pictures of the witness and his wife to locate him, officials said.The witness was shot and killed in January at a restaurant in Medellín, Colombia, before he could testify, the Justice Department said in a news release.Wedding is also alleged to have enlisted the services of a Canadian-based assassin crew to kill another victim and directed the murders of two members of a family in Canada in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, according to the press release. A third family member survived the attack but was left with serious injuries.The wife, the ‘General’ and the attorneySeveral people, including Wedding’s wife, are alleged to have contributed to his reign of terror, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a news release.Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado, known as “the General,” allegedly provides protection for Wedding in Mexico, according to the release. Officials said Vazquez is believed to be a former Mexican law enforcement officer and uses law enforcement sources to find targets for Wedding.Wedding’s wife, Miryam Andrea Castillo Moreno, allegedly launders money for him and “has helped him conduct acts of violence,” the department said.A Canadian attorney named Deepak Balwant Paradkar allegedly provides what officials say is a “range of illegal services” that fall outside of the scope of a typical attorney. He is alleged to have helped Wedding with bribery and murder and introduced him to his drug traffickers, the Treasury Department said.Paradkar, 62, was arrested Tuesday.Minyvonne BurkeMinyvonne Burke is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News.
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September 25, 2025
Sept. 24, 2025, 8:47 PM EDTBy Tom Llamas, Marlene Lenthang and Ignacio TorresActing ICE Director Todd Lyons called the shooting Wednesday morning at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, which killed one detainee and critically wounded two, his “worst nightmare.”For Lyons, who previously worked in a Dallas ICE office, the shooting “really hit home.””Seeing the photos today, some of the bullets were in an office that I used to have there,” he said on “Top Story with Tom Llamas.” “It’s just a horrible feeling. People always ask me what’s the thing that keeps me up at night. It’s the safety of the men and women of ICE.”Follow live updates hereThree detainees were shot when gunfire rang out around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday. One victim died at the scene, and the two others were taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds, Dallas police said. No ICE officers were hurt.”My heart goes out that detainee’s family. We’re charged with their protection, their custody. Nothing like that should happen,” Lyons said.The shooter, who multiple senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation identified as Joshua Jahn, had fired from a nearby roof or an elevated position down into the field office’s sally port, ICE said.The shooter was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, ICE said. A bullet found near the shooter bore messages that were “anti-ICE” in nature, the Dallas office of the FBI said, calling the attack an act of “targeted violence.”Lyons said he learned the shooter fired bullets “indiscriminately,” striking windows and lobby doors, and that the shooter fired upon the sally port, where detainees are brought in. The victims were shot while they were in vehicles, he said.”The detainees weren’t outside a vehicle. The shooter was just shooting at random vehicles inside. They were still hit inside the vehicle,” Lyons said. “There were some brave men and women on the ground that went into those vans, were pulling those detainees out while they’re under fire.”He said the shooting was particularly alarming because it happened in the morning commute hours, near an interstate, apartments and businesses, meaning more people could have been hurt.”This was a targeted attack on ICE, but this really could’ve hurt anyone,” Lyons said.Lyons said there has been an increase in attacks “on ICE officers and agents nationwide.””It’s bad enough the men and women of ICE have to go out there and put themselves in harm’s way, doing their law enforcement mission, but never thinking that in our own facility, our own location, we take sniper fire in a major city,” he said.His message to ICE agents is: “I totally have their back.””My No. 1 mission is making sure they go home to their families every night,” he said.Tom LlamasTom Llamas is a senior national correspondent for NBC News and anchor of “Top Story With Tom Llamas” on NBC News NOW.Marlene LenthangMarlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.Ignacio TorresIgnacio Torres is a coordinating producer for NBC News.
October 8, 2025
Oct. 8, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Angela Yang and Jared PerloLynn White was out of options. Behind on payments for her mobile home in Long Beach, California, and facing an eviction notice, she had no money for a lawyer. So she accepted a court-appointed attorney and lost.But White wanted to appeal. So, she decided to consult ChatGPT. Having previously used AI to generate videos for her small music production business, she thought it might be able to help in the legal arena, too.“It was like having God up there responding to my questions,” White said after using the chatbot and an AI-powered search engine called Perplexity to help represent herself in court.
October 7, 2025
Oct. 7, 2025, 4:42 PM EDTBy Angela YangTaylor Swift’s fans are used to scouring her videos and social media posts for hidden messages about her albums.But after the release of “The Life of a Showgirl,” some Swifties have said their hunt for clues led them down a rabbit hole of speculation around whether artificial intelligence was used in a series of promotional videos for the album.The 12 videos were part of a promotional scavenger hunt released by Google, which sent fans on a search for 12 orange doors hidden across 12 cities (for her 12th album) around the world. On each of the doors was a QR code revealing video clues to the puzzle, which pieced together a phrase that fans needed to search through Google. The hunt ultimately led to the lyric video for the album’s opening track, “The Fate of Ophelia.”While deciphering the video clues, some fans online said they noticed wonky text, muddled details and objects that disappear, or shape-shift against the laws of physics. Using the hashtag #SwiftiesAgainstAI on X, they began accusing the videos of utilizing generative AI. Swift has not personally promoted the orange door campaign, and it’s unclear how involved she was in the production of the clips, which were also briefly posted to her YouTube account as Shorts. On Swift’s YouTube channel, the shorts now appear to be unavailable. Swift’s recently dropped music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” and 12 lyric videos for the “Showgirl” album, are all still up on her channel. None use AI.A representative for Swift did not provide comment for the story. Google did not respond to a request for comment.Swift, a victim of AI deepfakes, has long expressed her support for artists’ rights to own their work, which some of her fans online said is what made them so disappointed when they saw the promotional videos, as AI systems are often trained on datasets containing copyrighted work.Some fans pointed out that Swift appeared to use hand-painted props on the set of the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” noting that the music icon has long been very thoughtful about the presentation of her work. “When so much effort has been put into the rest of the album rollout … I think it is very, very lazy and disappointing to use generative AI to create videos a human being very much could have done,” Rachel Lord, a self-described fan of Swift, said in a TikTok video. “I think it’s very important that we as fans talk about how much we disagree with this, because if we don’t talk about it, they’re just going to continue with it,” she said, emphasizing that she’s not “hating on Taylor.”The controversy arose amid some mixed reviews for Swift’s latest album, which topped Spotify charts and sold 2.7 million copies in its first day of release. While many have praised the upbeat bops on “The Life of a Showgirl,” others have said the tracks lack the kind of lyricism they have come to expect of Swift.Swift’s diehard fan base has traditionally come to her defense amid any backlash. The AI speculation and the subsequent criticism, however, appeared to come just as much from her fans as her detractors.In a Reddit post about the orange door promo clips in the popular r/TaylorSwift community, a moderator wrote: “The videos are most likely AI generated. We typically do not allow AI content, but given that this is somehow related to the album push we are clearly going to keep this thread going.”Several are calling on Swift — who has not commented on the AI speculation — to make a statement about the matter.“Dear @taylornation13, We expected a decent album promo but we noticed that the promotion on cities were made by A.I,” wrote one X user who describes themself as a “taywarrior” and Swiftie in their bio. The post had been viewed more than 1.3 million times as of Tuesday afternoon.“A.I has a large impact on the environment and wildlife because of its LARGE water consumption and more,” the user added. “Please learn better next time. #SwiftiesAgainstAI.”The use of AI in media production has been a polarizing subject in the entertainment industry. As generative AI tools become increasingly integrated into film, TV and music production, artists have railed against the technology due to concerns over labor displacement as well as AI companies’ scraping of human-made work without consent or compensation.Outside of vocal pushback from artists and studios, AI image, video and music generators have been hit with numerous copyright infringement lawsuits from authors, artists, news outlets, mass media companies and music labels.Some of Swift’s defenders have argued that the seemingly AI-generated quirks in the videos might be explained with computer-generated imagery. Others have insisted that CGI would not cause objects to morph, blur or disappear when the camera moves.Swift has not condemned the use of AI usage as a whole, but she has previously condemned its misuse. In a 2024 Instagram post endorsing Kamala Harris for president, Swift addressed President Donald Trump’s attempt to tout an AI image of her.“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site,” Swift wrote. “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.”Angela YangAngela Yang is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.
October 3, 2025
Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 3, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Erika EdwardsMeasles outbreaks continue to simmer and spread across the country, with cases now popping up quickly in Minnesota.On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health alerted residents that it had confirmed 10 new cases since Monday, bringing the state’s tally so far this year to 18.“We have been worried about this all year,” said Dr. Chase Shutak, a pediatrician and medical director at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis. “When the outbreaks began in Texas, all of us anticipated that it would eventually work its way up into our state.”Shutak was referring to a massive measles outbreak in West Texas, which totaled 762 cases. Ninety-nine patients needed to be hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, and two young girls died. In Minnesota, as of Thursday afternoon one child had been hospitalized at Children’s Minnesota, a spokesperson said. Most of the Minnesota cases are among families who traveled within the U.S., according to the state’s health department. None of the children had received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. It was unclear, however, whether the patients were old enough to qualify for the shots, usually given in two doses starting around age 1. Arizona, too, is dealing with a large, growing outbreak that has spread across the area bordering southwestern Utah. Fifty-nine cases have been confirmed in Arizona, with one hospitalization. Most cases are in Mohave County, located in the state’s far northwestern corner, bordering Utah. “You can safely say that we are actually a part of Northern Arizona’s outbreak,” said David Heaton, public information officer for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. “There’s one town that straddles the state line, and all of our cases appear to be linked.”Forty-four measles cases have been identified in Utah, largely among unvaccinated young people. Five needed to be admitted to the hospital but have since recovered, Heaton said.If outbreaks continue around the country until the end of January, the United States will lose its status of having had eliminated measles 25 years ago. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 1,544 confirmed measles cases. Of those, just 21 cases were diagnosed in people visiting the U.S. from other countries. The government shutdown hasn’t affected the CDC’s monitoring of the ongoing measles spread, according to a person in leadership who was not authorized to speak to the media.Falling vaccination ratesA recent NBC News investigation found notable declines in childhood vaccination rates in more than three-quarters of counties and jurisdictions since 2019. And among states with data on kids who get the MMR vaccine, 67% don’t have enough coverage for herd immunity.
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