It's the Brian Laris show on WNYC. Good morning, everyone. Well, 2026 is starting a lot like 2025.

And it take a weekend off from following the news, turn off your news org notifications

for a couple of days, and it's like you were Rip Van Winkle after being asleep for 20 years.

So by now you know the U.S. invaded and says it is running Venezuela, but do you know that during

his first four days in office, Mayor Mamdani established what he calls

an office of mass engagement and announced the creation of what he calls rental rip-off hearings?

Have you wondered what he might say to members of New York's Venezuelan community, many of whom

might like Trump's removal of Maduro?

Did you know the mayor personally called President Trump to object to

the Venezuela action? He told reporters this about that.

I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act

and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change,

to the violation of federal international law, and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day.

So later in the hour, we will discuss Trump Venezuela and its many ramifications, including

that Trump threw yet another woman politician who supported him under the bus when it came

his time to support her.

But first, the mayor's around Mamdani era day five.

With me now, Juan Manuel Benitez, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Professor,

member of the opinion leader group called the New York Editorial Board,

host of the podcast, Juan Manuel Benitez wants to know,

and former host of Porto Politica, the politics show on Spanish language,

New York One Noticius, and Josh Greenman, managing editor of the New York

...