The Algorithm Age

Fox News commentator Jason Chaffetz tossed a stunning accusation at Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, claiming the New York City mayoral candidate “just wants to eradicate Jews” and “doesn’t believe in them.” The inflammatory assertion by Chaffetz – a former Republican congressman from Utah– comes as conservatives and centrist Democrats have widely smeared Mamdani as “antisemitic” – largely over his “refusal to condemn” the pro-Palestinian slogan “globalize the intifada.” While saying he doesn’t use the phrase or endorse it , Mamdani has added that his role as “the mayor is not to police language” while arguing that the term can mean different things to different people. He’s also vowed to tackle the “crisis of antisemitism” in the city, pushing for a significant increase in funding for anti-hate crime prevention. During an interview with The Bulwark, for instance, he said that while he sympathized with those who feel “intifada” is associated with violence against Isra...