What did Zohran Mamdani say about defunding the police?published at 01:18 BST 17 October

01:18 BST 17 October

by Joshua Cheetham, BBC Verify

Zohran Mamdani has been heavily criticised, including by President Donald Trump, for his previous comments about the police. This topic was brought up earlier in tonight's debate.

In 2020, during nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Mamdani called for the defunding of the New York Police Department.

"We don't need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD" he wrote on X that year.

"There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt," he wrote, referencing city budget negotiations around proposed cuts to the NYPD.

"Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence."

Mamdani has since distanced himself from these comments, saying they were "out of step" with his current platform.

He issued an apology to the NYPD in a Fox News interview yesterday when challenged to do so.

During his campaign, Mamdani has said he does not want to defund New York’s police or reduce headcount, although he plans to cut down on overtime spending.

He has proposed creating a "Department of Community Safety" to shift some responsibilities away from police, and address the root causes of some crimes. The department would focus primarily on mental health services, gun violence reduction, victim services and educational schemes to reduce hate crime.

Mamdani explained during tonight's debate that his views on the topic have evolved since becoming a New York state assemblyman, as he's come to understand the NYPD's work.

Image source, Reuters

Curtis Sliwa has repeatedly mispronounced Zohran Mamdani's first name as the debate has gone on.

Mamdani has corrected him each time. At first, Mamdani politely offered Sliwa the correct pronunciation and said thank you after Sliwa made an effort to say it properly. When Sliwa mispronounced it again, Mamdani has appeared a bit more agitated.

During the primary debates, Mamdani also corrected Cuomo's mispronunciation of his name.

Affordability talk heats uppublished at 01:11 BST 17 October

01:11 BST 17 October

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

We're how halfway through the debate, and the conversation has moved to one of the animating issues of this campaign: affordability.

The candidates are debating everything from rental policy to public transportation. Moderators even asked them to say how much they spent on rent and groceries themselves, as many New Yorkers struggle to afford either.

Cuomo has criticised Mamdani for living in a rent-stablised apartment, even though his parents are wealthy (his mother is the filmmaker Mira Nair).

"If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him," Mamdani said of Cuomo. "If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me."

Mamdani is asked how he will make good on his promise to make NYC buses free.

He says he would do so by replacing the revenue the Metropolitan Transit Authority gets from bus fares.

He wants to do this by working with the state government to raise taxes on the top 1% of New York earners and hike the corporate tax rate.

"New Yorkers deserve better than the slowest buses in the country," he says.

Sliwa interjects, saying "half the people don't pay their bus fares anyway", and that Mamdani's plan would cripple public transit. Cuomo says free buses would attract homeless people.

With the cost of living taking centre stage as a major issue in this election, the three candidates are asked: How much do each of you spend on groceries and rent?

Here's how they respond:

Cuomo: $150 per week on groceries, $7,800 a month on rent

Sliwa: $175 per week on groceries, $3,100 in monthly rent

Mamdani: $125-150 per week on groceries, $2,300 a month on rent

• For context, $1 currently equals approximately £0.74

Image source, Reuters

Mamdani is asked about his campaign promise to freeze the rent on stabilised units.

He says data shows landlord profits are up, but still they keep raising rents.

"What I'm speaking about is actually reflecting the needs of these New Yorkers and the state of the market today," Mamdani says.

Cuomo hits back that freezing rent increases only kicks those increases down the road - you have to eventually raise the prices, Cuomo says, or buildings run the risk of going bankrupt.

He adds that Mamdani's plan does "nothing for the majority of renters who aren't in these rent-stabilised units".

"There's nothing for NYCHA," he adds, referring to the New York Housing Authority. "There's nothing for homeowners."

Some fiery moments so far, but little new infopublished at 00:56 BST 17 October

00:56 BST 17 October

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York

Less than halfway into the debate and we’ve hit some major topics already – the candidates’ experience and weaknesses, President Trump’s threats against New York to pull public funding and threats of deploying the National Guard, and Israel/Gaza.

It’s been a fast paced, energetic debate. Both Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo clearly rehearsed their answers, so we haven’t learned much new.

But it's been interesting to see these two men go head to head with just weeks to go until election day.

There have been a few tense exchanges and interruptions as they both try to score points. They are both holding their own.

This may be a local election, but we're already seeing why there's national intrigue in how this plays out.

Next, the topic of policing in the city is addressed. Cuomo says he would add 5,000 police officers to the force, put 1,500 officers in the subways, raise the starting salary, and improve the NYPD's relationship with the community.

Sliwa digs into both his opponents for previous statements about defunding the police, and says he would return qualified immunity to officers.

Mamdani says he will bring new ideas to lower crime, like his campaign promise to create a Department of Community Safety, which would set up dedicated teams of mental health workers to respond to relevant 911 calls.

Cuomo says there is a balance to be struck between the "sacred" right to protest and keeping order in the street.

He says New Yorkers are "afraid" of anarchy in the city and also afraid of Donald Trump's intervention.

Blocking public transit to protest is not acceptable, he says.

Sliwa adds that protesters should not be allowed to wear masks.

Thirty minutes in, a heated debate under waypublished at 00:43 BST 17 October

00:43 BST 17 October

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

About a half hour in, the tone of the debate is as boisterous as you'd expect a debate between three big New York personalities to be.

Much of the heat is between Mamdani and Cuomo, who have taken swings at each other on everything from their respective records to Trump to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But Sliwa is holding his own as the only Republican on stage. The longtime New York media and political personality knows how to make himself heard. His voting bloc might be in the minority in New York City, but the 2024 election revealed that residents prioritise public safety issues. He's taking swings at both opponents in equal measure.

Image source, Reuters

The candidates are asked President Trump's threats to deploy the National Guard to New York City.

Sliwa praises Governor Kathy Hochul for sending National Guard troops into the subways after a woman was burned to death.

Mamdani says we do not need the National Guard here in New York City.

"If it was safety that President Trump was so concerned about, he would send them to the eight out of 10 states that have the highest levels of crime in this country," Mamdani says, which he says are all Republican.

Cuomo says Trump is not sending in the National Guard to cities around the country for any real function. It's all for power and control over Democratic cities, Cuomo says.

• You can read more about Trump's National Guard deployments here

Mamdani's political identitypublished at 00:37 BST 17 October

00:37 BST 17 October

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

The candidates are now tangling over Mamdani's political identity.

Mamdani has identified as a Democratic Socialist, a smaller political party in the US.

But he is running as a Democrat in this election - not unheard of New York City, which has a strong progressive political base.

Cuomo argues that Mamdani is not truly a Democrat.

Cuomo himself is running on an independent candidate line, after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.

Next, Cuomo is asked about his relationship with the Muslim community.

He says he is fond of and has been working with that "vital community in New York City".

He says Mamdani, who is Muslim, does not represent the Muslim community and his political positions do not even align with the faith.

Mamdani says Cuomo only visited a mosque after losing to him in the Democratic primary.

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

Mamdani is asked about where he stands on the phrase "globalise the intifada."

He responds that he's running to represent all New Yorkers, including Jewish New Yorkers, some of whom criticise that phrase.

He says he has learned that the phrase evokes "painful memories" for some Jewish people. He clarifies that he would discourage that language now, and reaffirms his support for Palestinians as well.

We're still on the topic of Gaza.

Sliwa and Cuomo say they applaud Trump and his administration in participating in brokering the ceasefire deal.

"I think it was a great accomplishment," Cuomo says. "I hope the peace holds."

Image source, Reuters

Mamdani - a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights - was asked about his previous remarks on Israel and Hamas, which have garnered criticism from some. Moderators ask what he thinks of Hamas and what he believes about how peace will be achieved.

He responds: "Of course I believe they should lay down their arms... a ceasefire means ceasing fire".

He says this action is important for the end of the "genocide" in Gaza and the release of more humanitarian aid into the devastated territory.

Cuomo interjects, saying that Mamdani's support for Palestinians "means from the river to the sea," referencing a slogan sometimes used at pro-Palestinian demonstrations which some Jewish people in the US and around the world have said they find offensive.

Cuomo now touts his own record of taking on President Donald Trump, who has threatened to repeal federal funding from New York.

"I fought Donald Trump," Cuomo says. "When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop."

Cuomo's pandemic record in the spotlightpublished at 00:21 BST 17 October

00:21 BST 17 October

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

Cuomo's pandemic record quickly came up. Cuomo faced criticism after the New York Times and others have reported that his governor's administration had obscured the number of people who died in nursing homes during the heat of the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020.

Mamdani asks, "Why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their death in nursing homes?"

Cuomo, rebutting, said that Mamdani's assertion was "totally false" and that "everyone did whatever they could in this state."

Cuomo says his heart breaks for New Yorkers and Americans who died in the pandemic.

Image source, Reuters

The candidates are asked what they think of Trump's keen interest in this election, including Trump calling Mamdani a "communist" and threatening to take federal funding from New York.

Mamdani says he would make it clear to the president that he is committed to delivering lowering cost of living to New Yorkers. He also criticised Trump for prosecuting political enemies and mass deporting people.

"If he every wants to come for New Yorkers in the way that he has been, he's going to have to get through me," he says.

First question reveals moderators' personaspublished at 00:18 BST 17 October

00:18 BST 17 October

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

The first question shows that we're dealing with a true assortment of New York personalities.

After a moderator asks them to write their own headline about their own theoretical mayorships, Cuomo firsts responds by asking how many characters he could use. He eventually responds with an answer that includes several verbally implied commas,talking about rent going down and education scores going up.

The other two candidates use the opportunity to instead deliver the opening remarks they probably prepared ahead of time.

Sliwa notes that he is not wearing his signature red beret tonight, because he was "talking to the people of New York City about the really serious issues of affordability, the cost of living."

Mamdani goes with a standard opening statement about transforing "the most expensive city of the United States of America."

He then segues into a headline that would feature him taking on Trump.