America in Brief

President Donald Trump Meets NYC Mayor-elect; the Supreme Court takes on Texas redistricting case

President Donald Trump meets with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (L) in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 21, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

President Trump Meets With NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani

President Donald Trump met with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Nov. 22 to discuss the city’s plans in what appeared to be a cordial meeting following months of disagreement.

Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Trump and Mamdani, 34, a self-described Democratic Socialist, both agreed that it was productive.

“We had a meeting today that actually surprised me,” Trump said.

“We have one thing in common. We want this city of ours that we love to do very well. And I wanted to congratulate the mayor.”

They discussed a number of topics related to the city, including lowering prices and policing in the city.

A woman looks at a U.S. congressional district map as the Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting meets to hear invited testimony on congressional plan C2308 at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 6, 2025. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Supreme Court Blocks Ruling Striking Down Texas Congressional Map

The U.S. Supreme Court, in an emergency ruling, has temporarily restored a newly redrawn election map in Texas that a panel of judges had struck down.

The redistricting has been part of a Republican attempt to redraw electoral boundaries in order to gain Republican seats.

A panel of federal judges in Texas on Nov. 18 ruled that the redrawn map was racially discriminatory.

The stay by SCOTUS allows the redistricting to remain in place while judges discuss the case further.

At least 51 Democratic lawmakers left Texas in August, protesting Republican efforts to vote on the redistricting, which was eventually passed.

This has led California to redraw its electoral maps in favor of Democrats in a retaliatory move.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, on Nov. 17, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

House Votes to Condemn Socialism

The U.S. House took to the floor on Nov. 21 to denounce “the horrors of socialism,” in a resolution that passed 285–98.

It was introduced by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), a daughter of Cuban exiles, who described socialist policies as being “fundamentally incompatible with America’s founding principles.”

The resolution denounces various dictators throughout history and warns of its dangers having “repeatedly led to famine and mass murders, and the killing of over 100,000,000 people worldwide.”

A resolution doesn’t hold any legal power; it’s merely a statement by Congress to express an opinion.

The vote was made ahead of self-described Socialist Democrat New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s visit to the White House.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 22, 2025. Eric Gay /AP Photo

Texas Designates Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorists

Texas has designated the Muslim Brotherhood and American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott released a proclamation on Nov. 18, forbidding them from purchasing land in Texas.

“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’” Abbott said in a statement.

“The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable.”

Cair Legal Defense Fund, along with The Muslim Legal Fund of America, has filed a lawsuit in response, describing the designation as “unconstitutional and defamatory.”