It has been a real pleasure to watch so many Americans enjoy what might just be a pivotal moment in American politics, with the victory of Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim and South Asian to win the office of mayor of New York.

In a joyous interview with former Democrat labor secretary Robert Reich last week, Mamdani (that’s MAMDANI – which he spelt out loud and proud when opponents repeatedly mispronounced his name) said that if you treat young people with the respect they deserve, they will join with you. And he was right. He campaigned on the cost of living and took joy in his richly multicultural city, he stood up on Palestine and made peace with many of the city’s Jewish voters.

Reich labelled him the future of the Democratic Party.

But what happened is bigger than just one Democratic Socialist of South Asian descent. Reich put it this way: “Anti-Trump sentiment won the day, with near-record Democratic turnouts. All the winners — including California’s Gavin Newsom — presented a positive vision of the future sharply at odds with Trump’s dark, vindictive one. They all spoke of a government that works on behalf of all the people, not just the well-off. This bodes well for the Democrats in next year’s Congressional mid-term elections, if they can keep up the momentum.”

That is the good news for this week, and it was welcome.

We have been fully immersed in the 50-year anniversary of the Dismissal of the Whitlam Government, as we creep closer to the day, Tuesday, 11 November.

I know many of you have been impatient to listen to the third Pearlcast on the topic and it is out today. You can find it on the website or wherever you get your podcasts from; just search for Pearlcast.

P&I is the only site where you can get first-hand, comprehensive coverage from the man who was there, John Menadue; he has written a new series of articles to mark the occasion. Patricia Edgar has covered the role of the media, and from today we feature a fully updated and revised series from Jon Stanford, along with many others. There is no better place to listen and read about the most shocking political event in Australian history.

Another anniversary: David Armstrong’s Asian Media report is four years old this week. It is the best digest of regional news and commentary in the nation. Make sure you caught it on Saturday.

This Friday, I am very excited to be offering the vote of thanks for Joseph Camileri’s Conversations at the Crossroads 2025 Annual Oration in Melbourne. This year it will feature Antoinette Lattouf who will speak on “Ink Against Empire from Courtroom to Newsroom – Why human rights can’t survive without a free press.” Julian Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, will also offer a response.

It will be an opportunity to address issues of critical significance: freedom of speech, the role of the media, human rights and solidarity with the oppressed.

The event, to be held on Friday, 14 November, begins with the Conversation at the Crossroads AGM at 5.45 pm (AEDT), which is open to the public. Important announcements will be made regarding priorities for the coming two years. After an indulgent light supper, it will be time for the 2025 Annual Oration. Melburnians can attend in person; others can join online. Full details and registration here.

Until next time.