Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani are showing what ‘pro-family’ means | Arwa Mahdawi

The governor and mayor unveiled a plan for free childcare in New York City. Is the family values' party listening?

I think we all need a little cheering up, don't you? So allow me to interrupt the steady stream of violent authoritarianism and state-sponsored murder in your feed with some good news. New York City, which already provides free preschool for three- and four-year-olds, is a step closer to providing free universal childcare for two-year-olds. On Thursday, Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan for the free childcare program, which they said will start by focusing on high-need areas" and then gradually expand to cover the city. The mayor said he expected about 2,000 children to be covered by the program this fall.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist