Inside the DSA’s Hostile Takeover of the Democratic Party. Plus. . .

It’s Tuesday, November 4. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Eli Lake on the FBI surveillance operation that targeted top Republicans. Batya Ungar-Sargon reports on a schism in MAGA World over who will lead NASA. “Against the Machine” author Paul Kingsnorth on Honestly. Plus: Spiral, Episode Four. And more.

But first: Election Day in New York.

When I started covering Zohran Mamdani back in January, he was just a curiosity: a former rapper (under the names Zohran Kwame, Mr. Cardamom, and Young Cardamom) with radical chic parents and a thin track record as a lawmaker in the New York State Assembly. He was an also-ran, a far-fetched candidate for New York City mayor who made viral videos and promised to freeze the rent—but had no chance of winning. Or so everyone thought.

In the weeks and months that followed, it became clear that I was reporting on a very different and much bigger phenomenon. It turned out to be the story of how the capital of capitalism picked a socialist as its Democratic candidate for mayor and—if the polls are remotely correct—will vote him in today as the city’s next leader.

But this isn’t just about New York City. It’s a national story about the Democratic Party—and why its establishment class is being cast aside.

Part of the answer is surprisingly simple: the Democratic Socialists of America, the far-left group Zohran Mamdani belongs to.

And no matter where the vote count winds up tonight, the DSA isn’t going anywhere. Mamdani’s improbable rise is just the beginning, as my report today explains. Across the country, dozens of candidates are running in Mamdani’s image, either now or in 2026, from Omar Fateh in the Minneapolis mayor’s race to Robert LeVertis Bell in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

Many in the Democratic establishment fear it’s a sign of things to come—and, as I report today, the DSA has grand designs for Congress, the White House, and what one DSA document describes as the end of the “barbaric order of capitalism.”

Read my report on how the Democratic fringe went mainstream. And, later tonight, join us for our Election Night coverage starting at 8:30 p.m. ET. Our livestream will bring you real-time reactions and insightful commentary as results roll in from key races in New Jersey, Virginia and, last but not least, New York.

Click here to add a reminder to your calendar. I’ll see you then.

—Olivia Reingold

Spiral Episode 4: Bring It On

Samantha Woll—the beloved president of the last remaining synagogue in downtown Detroit—is murdered outside her home. Police arrest a prime suspect, and the prosecution believes their case is airtight—until he takes the stand in today’s episode. Nothing is what it seems in this real-life murder mystery. Don’t miss the latest installment of Spiral, a new podcast from The Free Press. And catch up on the previous episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

Do you ever feel anxious or despairing, even in our age of abundance? Paul Kingsnorth argues that this unease isn’t madness, but awareness—a symptom of our centuries-long struggle against what he calls “the Machine.” In his new book, Against the Machine, Kingsnorth argues the West isn’t dying but already dead—and explores what it might take to bring it back to life.

The founders of Hooters have completed their reacquisition of the brand and embarked upon a “re-Hooterization” campaign. (John M. Chase via Getty Images)

• President Donald Trump told New Yorkers that “you must vote” for Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor over the “Communist” Zohran Mamdani, saying they “have no choice” but to vote for the former governor even if they do not like him. Trump also warned that a vote for Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa “is a vote for Mamdani.” The New York City polls close Tuesday at 9 p.m.

• Across the Hudson River, Democratic congresswoman Mikie Sherrill narrowly leads former Republican state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey’s tight gubernatorial race, according to the latest polls. As with other races across the country, candidates’ allegiance to the president looms large in the voting booth. “Democrats might be lukewarm about Sherrill, but they’ll crawl over broken glass to vote against Trump,” one expert told Newsweek.

• Trump’s approval rating fell to a new second-term low, according to CNN polling. His 37 percent approval rating is just one point higher than at the same time during his first term in 2017. Meanwhile, 67 percent of Democrats are “extremely motivated” to vote in next year’s midterms, compared to 46 percent of Republicans, according to the poll.

• The Supreme Court will hear a case tomorrow challenging the constitutionality of President Trump’s tariffs. The case will determine the scope of power that the president can authorize under a law bestowing “emergency power” to the executive branch during a crisis. (Read Charles Lane’s piece on why “It’s Time for the Supreme Court to Confront Trump.”)

• Ahead of Donald Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping last week, senior White House officials—including Secretary of State Marco Rubio—blocked Nvidia’s bid to sell AI chips to China, according to The Wall Street Journal. The officials warned—as Matt Pottinger did in our pages last week—that approving the chip sales would pose a grave national security threat to the U.S.

• Actor and director Justin Baldoni will forfeit a potential $400 million settlement in his defamation and extortion lawsuit against actress Blake Lively after missing a court-imposed deadline to amend his claims. Baldoni’s suit followed a sexual harassment suit Lively filed against him.

• The Agricultural Department will partially fund SNAP benefits after a weekend ruling by two federal judges obliging the Trump administration to tap into contingency funds. The emergency fund the government plans to use has around $4.6 billion available, enough to fund about half of the regular benefits of the SNAP program—which serves about 42 million Americans.

• The founders of Hooters completed their reacquisition of the restaurant brand, embarking on a “re-Hooterization” campaign that includes uniforms that “return the original look.” The previous owner replaced servers’ shorts with a skimpier version. Also coming back: the original hand-breaded chicken wing recipe.

The Free Press earns a commission from any purchases made through all book links in this article.