Happy Sunday, everyone! Welcome to the Six.
New York has done it. It has likely elected a self-labeled (not media-called) socialist as the city’s next mayor.
What to know: Zoran Mamdani is 33 years of age and Muslim. He’s also someone who believes not just in big government, but in government-owned systems and businesses. He believes in equal access to resources and institutions (health, education) and that the “rich” should pay for it. That’s socialism, and by the late fall, if Mamdani wins the general election (Tuesday was technically just a primary), the largest city in the United States will have a member of the Socialist Party in charge.
Predictably, there are comparisons between Mamdani and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. And where there is certainly philosophical alignment, Mamdani's campaign messaging is one of “for all,” while Johnson’s actions as mayor have been mostly racially biased. As often happens, candidates campaign one way, perform duties in office another. We have two years of runway with Johnson; Mamdani, who still has to win the November general election, would not officially take office until early 2026.
Wild times we are living in.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
DID THAT JUST HAPPEN? HOW?
Why the NYC mayor election is such a big national story… Well, for the reasons outlined above. But also, it’s a big blow to the Democrats. They could not have nominated a more establishment candidate—a 67-year-old white guy Andrew Cuomo—and he got whacked by a man half his age in a high-turnout election (over 1 million registered Democrats voted Tuesday, high by NYC primary standards). In this piece from Nate Silver, he writes the results “show there’s an appetite for leftist candidates — Mamdani is a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America — provided they emphasize cost-of-living issues rather than the culture wars” and how “the Democratic establishment is out to lunch, with much of it backing Cuomo, an obviously flawed candidate who came to prominence because of his family name, who hasn’t lived in New York City in decades, and whose preferred ‘bagel’ order consists of an English muffin.”
F1: THE MOVIE OUT THIS WEEKEND
Apple’s new movie F1 releases this weekend… with a 60-year-old lead actor, Brad Pitt. It’s projected to bring in $50 million to $60 million in revenue opening weekend. However, other projections estimate F1 earning much lower—$35 million to $40 million to start—and with a budget of $200 million, which means the film needs to get momentum internationally, where most of the F1 fans are anyway, to come close to making back its budget. This a good article from the Huddle Up newsletter on the financing of the film—Apple partnered with Old School Hollywood studio Warner Bros.—and how the production took two years, with the director “capturing footage during actual Grand Prix weekends,” and how the “film blends big money, sports marketing, and movie magic.” Early audience reviews are outstanding.
ONE WEEK, NO FOOD
A writer and his wife consume nothing but water for seven days. “The biggest surprise was just how much more time we had on our hands. I was struck by how much of the day I normally spend attending to my digestive needs: shopping, cooking, eating, washing dishes, cleaning up, even moving one’s bowels. Eliminating the simple act of eating frees up much more time than you’d think.” Isn’t that why we invented packaged, processed foods? An interesting idea for an article, nonetheless.
IT’S COOPER FLAGG’S AMERICA
Switching to sports… The NBA draft was this week. As expected, the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg, the teenage phenom who played one season at Duke. When Flagg plays his first game for the Mavs this October, he will still be 18 years old. Flagg is the most famous athlete from the state of Maine since Joan Benoit, who won the 1984 Olympic women’s marathon gold medal (Benoit also took first place in the Chicago Marathon the following year). The Ringer sent a reporter to Maine to hang out with Flagg, who comes across as a grounded young man from a normal nuclear family who just so happens to be a generational basketball talent.
THE MARGINAL PARENT
Thoughts on fatherhood from a man who, in his fifties, became a parent to four boys in the space of eighteen months (a single and then identical triplets). The author admits his wife does more, but his contribution is valuable. He writes how he is "the last gallon in the tank… What is demanded of husbands and fathers is less dramatic but no less necessary: It is cold out there, and who knows what is lurking alongside the highway?"
R.I.P. FRED SMITH
And finally… Sad news this week on the passing of FedEx founder Fred Smith. Smith modernized speedy package delivery when he founded Federal Express with just a few planes in the early 1970s (“when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight”) and, over the decades, transformed FedEx into a billion-dollar global giant. The premise for the brilliant 2000 film “Castaway” was a FedEx employee who gets stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. The employee, played by Tom Hanks, is eventually rescued, and the movie ends with him delivering the one package that survived Hanks’ years on the island. So many roads…which one to take?
Have a great rest of your weekend and July 4 holiday.
We’ll be back here again on July 13.
Have a suggestion for The Kerr Report? Send email to jonjkerr@gmail.com.
Hi Jon, good morning to you. Thanks for the Kerr Report. It is always appreciated. Enjoy the July 4th holiday with family and talk soon. Cheers