US Rep. Jerry Nadler visits US immigration court in Manhattan, in New York City, US, June 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado

Liam Elkind, a 26-year-old self-described “progressive” from New York City, has officially entered the Democratic primary race against US Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY), setting the stage for a showdown between a young upstart and a party elder with decades of experience.

Elkind, who is Jewish, released a video online Wednesday, drawing contrasts between himself and Nadler by touting his fresh ideas and young age. Nadler, his opponent, is 78 years old and running for his 18th term in the US House of Representatives.

With a self‑described platform of “fighting corruption, banning corporate PAC money, imposing term limits, [and] building more housing,” Elkind positioned himself as the antidote to what he called Democratic stagnation. In his video, Elkind paid tribute to Nadler’s decades‑long service, while also framing the congressman as emblematic of a party that has failed to deliver for its base. He argued that the Democratic Party has become increasingly ineffective, citing recent losses on health care and food‑stamp protections due to aging leadership.

“I appreciate [Nadler’s] 50 years in office. I grew up voting for him, but we need new leaders to meet this moment,” Elkind said.

Liam Elkind, a Democratic candidate in New York City, speaks into the camera as he launches his campaign. Photo: Screenshot

Elkind emphasized the need for new leadership to confront US President Donald Trump and restore faith in the Democratic Party. He has reportedly secured backing from high‑profile Democratic donors, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, signaling serious fundraising capability.

Nadler’s team immediately fired back. Spokesperson Rob Gottheim underscored the congressman’s strong electoral track record, including a commanding victory in last year’s general election, and called Elkind politically inexperienced. “Unfortunately, with this individual, I don’t think there’s any record to speak of,” Gottheim told CNN this week.

The district Elkind seeks to represent includes the Upper West Side and Upper East Side of Manhattan and has a significant number of Jewish voters.

This contest is not an isolated phenomenon. Elkind joins more than a dozen Democrats aged 70+ now facing challengers from younger, energized Gen‑Z and millennial activists, spotlighting a generational tug‑of‑war within the party.

Nadler has represented Manhattan since 1992, including the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and Midtown, earning a reputation as a progressive power within the House. Elkind, a native of Manhattan who currently resides in Chelsea, says he plans to relocate to the Upper West Side for the race.

Nadler also recently sparked backlash from many Jewish New Yorkers after he leaped to endorse controversial New York City Democratic primary winner Zohran Mamdani. Nadler has tasked his team with reaching out to the city’s Jewish leaders, encouraging them to support Mamdani in the general election.

Conversely, Elkind has not yet endorsed Mamdani. Citing his Jewish identity, Elkind expressed disappointment in Mamdani’s defense of the controversial slogan “globalize the intifada” during the mayoral primary.

Mamdani is an outspoken supporter of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to isolate Israel from the international community as a step toward its eventual elimination. Mamdani has also repeatedly refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, falsely suggesting the country does not offer “equal rights” for all its citizens, and promised to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York.

Elkind’s challenge reflects a broader undercurrent of discontent simmering within the Democratic base. Across the country, progressive and younger voters have grown increasingly frustrated with what they describe as a stagnant, risk-averse party leadership that’s failed to deliver on promises.

Director Joshua Oppenheimer at the MUBI Preview Screening for his feature film “The End” on the occasion of the 75th Berlinale at the Astor Filmlounge on 2/16/2025 in Berlin. Photo: IMAGO/Eventpress via Reuters Connect

More than 40 filmmakers signed a letter on Monday urging the distributor, production company, and streaming platform Mubi to condemn a new investor and rethink its working relationship with the latter because of its ties to the Israeli military.

Mubi, which streams films such as “The Substance,” announced in late May that it secured $100 million in funding from Sequoia Capital. The Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm has provided backing for the military defense technology startup Kela, founded in July 2024 by four veterans of Israeli military intelligence. According to an article published by Sequoia in March, Kela’s first focus is border protection, in response to the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but “in the long term, the ambition is to convert Israel into a defense tech hub for Western militaries — a source of strategic advantage for NATO and the US as they seek to deter their adversaries.”

The filmmakers who signed the letter written by Film Workers for Palestine – an international collective representing more than 9,000 creatives – claimed that Mubi’s financial success “is now explicitly tied to the genocide in Gaza, which implicates all of us that work with Mubi.”

“We don’t believe an arthouse film platform can meaningfully support a global community of cinephiles while also partnering with a company invested in murdering Palestinian artists and filmmakers,” added the group of filmmakers, which include Joshua Oppenheimer, Radu Jude, Aki Kaurismäki, and Miguel Gomes. “We expect our partners, at a minimum, to refuse to be complicit in the horrific violence being waged against Palestinians,” they further stated.

The Algemeiner obtained a copy of the letter. 

The filmmakers asked Mubi to adhere to calls made by Film Workers for Palestine, which demanded that the streaming platform publicly condemn Sequoia Capital “for genocide profiteering”; remove Sequoia partner Andrew Reed from Mubi’s board of directors; include a new Mubi “ethical policy” for all future company investments; and adhere to the guidelines of  two anti-Israel initiatives – the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

Film Workers for Palestine told The Algemeiner on Thursday more filmmakers have signed the letter since its publication, including Todd Chandler, Silvan Zürcher, Dominga Sotomayor, Robert Colom-Vargas, Kathryn Hamilton, and Ramon Zürcher.

Mubi did not respond to The Algemeiner‘s request for comment about the letter. The company said in a released statement in June that it decided to seek investment from Sequoia Capital to “accelerate our mission of delivering bold and visionary films to global audiences.” It added that the venture capital firm has a “50-plus year history of partnering with founders to help turn their ideas into world-changing businesses.”

“We chose to work with Sequoia because the firm, and our Sequoia Partner Andrew Reed, support MUBI’s mission and want to help us scale and bring great cinema to even more people around the world,” Mubi explained. “Over the last several days, some members of our community have commented on the decision to work with Sequoia given their investment in Israeli companies and the personal opinions expressed by one of their partners. The beliefs of individual investors do not reflect the views of MUBI. We take the feedback from our community very seriously, and are steadfast in remaining an independent founder-led company.”

Multiple Mubi programming partners as well as venues collaborating with Mubi Fest – an annual, worldwide film festival – ended partnerships with the company because of its ties to Sequoia Capital. Those that have decided to withdraw their partnerships with Mubi include ‘Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), Mexico City’s Cineteca Nacional, the Cinemateca de Bogota, and Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Photo: Iran’s Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned against excessive water consumption which he said was untenable for the country and could leave Tehran facing severe shortages by September, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.

Faced with resource mismanagement and over-consumption, Iran has faced recurrent electricity, gas, and water shortages during peak demand months.

“In Tehran, if we cannot manage and people do not cooperate in controlling consumption, there won’t be any water in dams by September or October,” Pezeshkian said on Thursday.

The country has faced drought conditions for the last five years according to the director of the Environmental Protection Organization Sheena Ansari and the Meteorological Organization recorded a 40 percent drop in rainfall over the last four months compared to a long-term average.

“Neglecting sustainable development has led to the fact that we are now facing numerous environmental problems like water stress,” Ansari told state media on Thursday.

Excessive water consumption represents a major challenge for water management in Iran, with the head of Tehran province’s water and wastewater company Mohsen Ardakani telling Mehr news agency that 70 percent of Tehran residents consume more than the standard 130 liters a day.

Natural resource management has been a chronic challenge for authorities, whether it is natural gas consumption or water use, as solutions require major reforms, notably in the agricultural sector which represents as much as 80 percent of water consumption.

On Wednesday, Pezeshkian rejected a government proposal to impose a day-off on Wednesdays or having a one-week holiday during the summer, saying that “closing down is a cover-up and not a solution to the water shortage problem.”

In the summer of 2021, protests took place against water shortages in southwestern Iran.