January 27, 2026 NEW YORK, NY Twenty-six days. That’s all the "honeymoon" period Mayor Zohran Mamdani got before Mother Nature decided to test his socialist-leaning administration with a bone-chilling, city-stopping blizzard.
As of Monday, Jan. 26, the city is thawing out, but the political heat is just starting to rise.
The Human Toll: Seven Bodies in the Cold
The most sobering news from City Hall is the report of seven deaths during the "Code Blue" emergency. While Mamdani was quick to caution that autopsies are pending, the optics are grim.
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The Defense: The Mayor insisted that outreach teams made over 170 placements into shelters and hospitals.
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The Reality: Critics are already questioning if the city’s "involuntary transport" policy—moving the vulnerable to hospitals as a "last resort"—came too late for those found in the snow.
Remote Learning or Remote Chaos?
Mamdani officially announced that schools will reopen Tuesday, ending a one-day pivot to virtual learning. But "Day One" of remote school was anything but smooth. Parents across the five boroughs reported a "digital blackout" with Google Classroom failing to load, leaving 375,000 students in a lurch.
In a move that defines his "Man of the People" brand, Mamdani spent the morning logging into virtual classrooms and helping neighbors dig out their cars—famously refusing to wear a hat until his hair literally froze.
Ploughs, Politics, and Parting Gifts
While Mamdani claims "every street was plowed," residents at bus stops and crosswalks might beg to differ. Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson faced a grilling over why transit hubs remained buried under mounds of grey slush while main arteries were cleared for cars.
