NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted Wednesday that he isn’t dropping his reelection campaign after reports he had been approached about potentially taking a job with the federal government.
Trump administration intermediaries recently reached out to people close to Adams, a Democrat, to discuss whether he would be open to abandoning his reelection campaign to take a federal job, according to a person familiar with those conversations.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of those conversations.
It was unclear how far those talks progressed, but as media reports about them multiplied, Adams insisted in interviews and through a spokesperson that he had no intention of dropping out of the contest against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
“Mayor Adams has not met with Donald Trump — don’t believe the noise. He is not dropping out of the race,” said his campaign spokesperson, Todd Shapiro.
After Mamdani romped in the Democratic primary, which Adams had skipped, some pundits suggested that the 33-year-old democratic socialist might be unbeatable in the general election unless either Cuomo or Adams dropped out.
During a series of television interviews where he had intended to talk about his efforts to fight crime in the city, Adams battled back against the idea that he might leave the race.
“If there’s any changes in this race, I will announce that,” Adams told Fox 5. “Right now, we’re moving straight ahead to do — No. 1, serve this city as we’re currently doing, doing a darn good job. And we’re looking forward to reelection.”
After spending Tuesday in Florida after his 65th birthday, Adams was asked whether he met with anyone from the Trump administration while there. The mayor would only say that he “met with several political figures,” including Miami’s Republican mayor.
“I met with several political figures in Florida,” he told PIX11, saying the trip was to “deal with some personal issues.”
Adams, in that interview, pushed back against questions about whether he would exit the contest but added: “I’ve never had a problem finding jobs as I transition.”
Later Wednesday, Adams reiterated at an unrelated news conference that he’s still running for reelection and didn’t go to Florida to “seek a job,” adding that he often receives job offers from boards, educational institutions and others who have been impressed with what he’s done with the city.
The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday night.
Mamdani held a news conference in Manhattan on Wednesday, calling the reports “an affront to democracy.”
“We know that this city will decide its own future. And we know that it is New Yorkers that we will turn to to make that decision in November, not the White House in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Adams had previously quit the Democratic primary after he was charged in a federal corruption case. The Trump administration successfully moved to drop the case so the mayor could better assist with the president’s immigration agenda, which freed Adams up to run as an independent in the general election, but has not helped his image in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.
A spokesperson for Cuomo, who is now running as an independent candidate, did not immediately return a request for comment.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn’t ending his reelection campaign
https://arab.news/vzfm3
NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn’t ending his reelection campaign
New ‘superfood’ transforms livelihoods in India’s rural east
- Known as fox nut or lotus seed, makhana is rich in protein, dietary fiber, minerals
- Most of the world’s makhana production is in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states
BIHAR: Wading through knee-deep, stagnant water, Mahesh Mukhia plunges his hands into the mud, pulling up handfuls of sludge that he and others toss into a large, partially submerged basket.
After a while, they shake the basket to drain away the water and debris. What remains is makhana — round black seeds that have lately gained popularity as India’s new superfood.
A regional Indian snack, also known as fox nut or lotus seed, makhana is the edible seed of the prickly waterlily. The plant grows in freshwater ponds and wetlands in southern and eastern Asia.
After makhana seeds are handpicked from pond beds, cleaned, and sun-dried, they are roasted at high heat so their hard black shells crack open and release the white, popcorn-like puffed kernels, which are eaten as snacks or used in dishes.
It has long been known for its nutritional value — high in plant-based protein and dietary fiber, the seeds are also rich in minerals and gluten-free — which over the past few years have helped it gain global attention and are transforming farmlands in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states.
“Earlier, people were not researching it but now, after research, makhana’s nutritional values have been highlighted. Now this is a superfood. That’s why demand is growing everywhere,” said Mahesh Mukhia, a farmer in Kapchhahi village in Bihar’s Darbhanga district, whose family has been harvesting the seeds for generations.
“The difference is that my forefathers did farming in a traditional way, but we’ve learnt to do it in a scientific way,” Mukhia told Arab News.
“There is Bhola Paswan Shastri Agricultural College in the neighboring Purnea district. I went there for training. After I started practicing farming the way I learnt, the yield increased by more than 30 percent.”
Makhana farming is highly labor-intensive, starting with the cultivation of water lilies in shallow ponds. The plants require constant monitoring as they are sensitive to water levels and pests.
Harvesting takes place between August and October. Workers pluck the seeds by hand and then dry them under the sun for several days before they can be processed.
The processing and roasting of makhana also require significant effort. The dried seeds are first de-shelled by manually cracking them, followed by multiple rounds of roasting to make them crisp.
Whole families are involved in the production, which has been expanding since 2020, when the state government introduced the Makhana Development Scheme.
Besides training in farming and processing, growers who cultivate fox nut receive $820 per hectare.
“The rate has also gone up. The makhana that we used to sell at 200-300 ($2-$3) rupees per kg is now selling at 1,000 ($12) or 1,500 rupees per kg,” Mukhia said.
“Makhana farmers are now making a profit. Those who are growing makhana are earning well, those who are popping it are also doing well, and those involved in trading are making profits too. We are getting good demand from everywhere. I just received an order for 25 tonnes recently.”
Bihar currently produces over 85 percent of India’s makhana and accounts for most of the world’s production, according to Ministry of Commerce and Industry estimates.
According to reports by the Indian Brand Equity Foundation and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, India accounts for roughly 85 to 90 percent of the world’s production.
Farmland where the crop is grown has increased many times over the past decade and can now be compared to the area covering half of New York City.
More than 600,000 people are involved in the makhana industry in Bihar, according to Niraj Kumar Jha, Darbhanga district’s horticulture officer.
“Earlier, we were cultivating 5,000 hectares in the Kosi and Mithlanchal regions. But now it has expanded to 35,000 hectares, and with many supportive schemes, farmers are increasingly encouraged to grow makhana,” he said.
“We are strengthening our marketing channels. We’ll reach the metro cities as well as world markets ... We can see that makhana is growing very popular, not only in India.”
