Mayor Zohran Mamdani is moving ahead with higher taxes on New York City’s wealthiest residents and corporations, dismissing concerns about triggering an exodus of millionaires from the nation’s financial center.

Zohran Mamdani, 34, became New York City’s 112th mayor on Thursday, using the Quran for his oath of office in what marks the first time the Islamic holy text has appeared at a mayoral swearing-in.

More than 20% of videos recommended to brand-new YouTube users are low-quality, AI-generated clips known as “AI slop,” according to a study released last month. Researchers at Kapwing analyzed the first 500 Shorts shown to a newly created account and identified 104 videos generated primarily by artificial intelligence. The same analysis found another 33% of recommendations consisted of similarly repetitive “brainrot” content.

Surgeons in eastern China have reported a world-first case in which a woman’s severed ear was grafted onto her foot to preserve its blood supply after a workplace accident involving heavy machinery left her with life-threatening injuries.

Police in Sydney, Australia, are investigating anti-Asian signage placed outside a local pharmacy after CCTV footage captured two men posting the signs late at night in November. The placard, which read “No Asian slum-city in St Marys” was discovered on Nov. 19 outside Morris Care and Advice Pharmacy in St Marys, a suburb in western Sydney. Police later collected CCTV footage from the pharmacy and launched an investigation into the incident on Dec. 10.

Vietnamese American advocate Amanda Nguyen said the intense online backlash following Blue Origin’s all-women spaceflight in April 2025 pushed her into a period of depression. In a public statement shared on Instagram on Sunday, the 34-year-old bioastronautics research scientist described the harassment as overwhelming and deeply personal in the months after the launch from West Texas. Before the flight, the mission had been widely covered as a milestone for women and representation in space.

Hiroshi Nagai, a 79-year-old Japanese illustrator known for nostalgic coastal scenes, says the Department of Homeland Security used his artwork without permission in a social media post promoting “100 million deportations.” The image, shared on DHS’s official X account on New Year’s Eve, depicts an idealized beach scene with text envisioning America after mass removals. After users alerted him to the post, Nagai publicly objected days later, writing in Japanese on X, “The image is being used without permission. What should I do about this?”

Former state representative Kaohly Her was sworn in Friday in St. Paul, Minnesota, becoming the first woman and the first Asian American to serve as mayor of the state capital. Her took office after winning last fall’s election and was formally inaugurated during public ceremonies held later in the day. She now begins her term as the city’s 47th mayor at a moment of heightened focus on representation, city finances and federal policy impacts.

Manhattan’s Chinatown has lost more than 20% of its Asian residents over the past decade, nearly quadruple the previous decade’s displacement rate, as Boston and Philadelphia’s historic Asian enclaves face similar pressures from luxury development and demographic shifts, according to a recent report by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).

An emotional video showing a Hmong American child describing racist bullying at school has gone viral as attention grows around the persistence of a mocking gesture targeting Asians. In the clip, elementary school student Adi tells her mother that her classmates would pull their eyes back when they see other Asian kids. The video has sparked discussion about how gestures normalized by adults can filter down to children.