The Iran war collides with Mamdani's message on high costs: From the Politics Desk

From the Politics DeskThe Iran war collides with Mamdani's message on high costs: From the Politics DeskPlus, Democrats post another overperformance in a special House election. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleMamdani slams Iran war, echoes Tupac: ‘We always have money for war and not to feed the poor’01:19Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 17, 2026, 5:00 PM EDTBy The Politics DeskWelcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.In today’s edition, Kristen Welker previews her interview with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani that’s airing on “Meet the Press” this weekend. Plus, Steve Kornacki dives into yet another Democratic overperformance in a special election. And we have the latest updates from the Iran war.Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.The Iran war collides with Mamdani’s message on high costsAnalysis by Kristen WelkerIt’s not every day that a politician quotes Tupac in an interview. But that’s what happened this week when I sat down with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as he navigates his first year in office. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, and President Donald Trump, a Republican, arguably won their races with similar messages, promising to bring down costs. That resulted in some overlap between their supporters in their respective elections.With the war in Iran leading to rising gas prices, I asked Mamdani if there’s anything he could or would do to help bring down some of the high costs facing New Yorkers right now. And that’s where Tupac came in.“We are looking to deliver relief to New Yorkers, frankly even from before this war. Because while war has exacerbated a cost-of-living crisis, that is a crisis that existed...