The Big Elections to Watch This Week, and a Louvre Heist Update

0:02From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Monday, November 3rd. Here's what we're covering.

0:13Have you seen the latest polls? We are right where we need to be. Right where we need to be. Across the country tomorrow, from New Jersey to California. What this is all about is Democrats getting back on our toes, not our heels. Voters will go to the polls for the first major election since President Trump returned to office. The races are essentially all state and local, so they won't directly affect Trump's tight grip on power in Washington. But they will offer a critical look at whether Democrats are able to energize voters as the opposition party. There are closely watched races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia.

0:57And in California, the Times has been talking to voters who are going to the polls there. I think especially what's going on across the country, it's, in my eyes, has, I don't know if mobilized is the word, but more people are more engaged. In that state, they'll be casting ballots in a special election where Democrats have raised over$100 million to try and pass a measure that would redraw the state's congressional maps, a counterpunch to efforts by Republican lawmakers in red states to do the same. Meanwhile. I'm ready to win a city we can afford. Are we ready to make history? The most high-profile race in the country is playing out in New York City.

1:39There, Zoran Mamdani, the 34-year-old state assemblyman and democratic socialist, is leading in the polls for mayor. He's become a national figure after running a social media-savvy campaign centered on the cost of living and promising progressive measures like free buses and rent freezes. We want fresh blood. We want a fresh face. I get it. New York City, you can have a major crisis at any given time. I don't think they want a mayor who has no experience or ability to do the job. Mamdani's main opponent is former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 after roughly a dozen women accused him of sexual harassment.

2:20He's been trying to highlight his record that includes raising the state's minimum wage. Already, four times as many New Yorkers have voted early this year compared to the last mayoral election. and Mondani is 10 to 20 points ahead in most polls. Some people have compared him to a left-wing version of you, charismatic, breaking the old rules. What do you think about that? Well, I think I'm a much better looking person than him, right? In an interview on 60 Minutes over the weekend, President Trump weighed in on the race, falsely framing Mondani as a communist. He's been a frequent critic of the candidate for months, even threatening to withhold billions of federal dollars from the city if Mondani wins.

3:02It's going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there.

3:22Now, a couple more quick updates on the Trump administration. Two federal judges in two separate rulings have found the administration acted unlawfully in refusing to tap emergency reserves to keep funding the country's food stamps program. Money for SNAP, which roughly 42 million Americans rely on for help buying groceries, was set to start running out over the weekend due to the government shutdown. But now the administration has been ordered to use the emergency funds to provide at least partial payments to SNAP recipients. Still, President Trump has warned that people's November benefits will be delayed.

3:59And in an interview on CNN, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said there are still legal issues that have to be worked out in court. Is the administration going to appeal the ruling by the judge? Is that what you mean by the courts need to weigh in? Because the courts have weighed in. No, but there's a process that has to be followed. So we've got to figure out what the process is. President Trump wants to make sure that people get their food benefits. So it could be done by Wednesday? Could be. Could be. And five Democratic senators could cross the aisle and open the government by Wednesday. Also, I think the tests we're talking about right now are system tests.

4:34These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call non-critical explosions. Energy Secretary Chris Wright went on Fox News over the weekend and clarified President Trump's earlier comments about nuclear testing. He said the tests Trump has ordered up would not involve detonating nuclear warheads, but rather testing, quote, the other parts of a nuclear weapon. So this is not something where people who live in the Nevada desert should expect to see a mushroom cloud at some point? No, no worries about that. No worries about that. The U.S. last conducted an explosive test of a nuclear weapon in 1992.

5:10Neither China nor Russia has carried out a confirmed detonation since the 90s either. The only nation that's regularly been doing nuclear tests in the past quarter century is North Korea.

5:25In Paris, prosecutors giving an update on the heist at the Louvre have said that a crucial piece of evidence in tracking down the suspects has been DNA. So far, at least five people have been arrested. The lead prosecutor said they found the DNA of two of the alleged thieves on the window they climbed through and on one of the high-powered motor scooters they used to get away. She said investigators also found the DNA of an accomplice on the truck-mounted ladder used to reach the museum's balcony. The thieves tried unsuccessfully to light that truck on fire before they fled. All three of those suspects already had their DNA on file because of their criminal histories, mostly for theft.

6:07It's underscored how essential DNA has become to investigators. Like the U.S., France has a database of millions of DNA profiles collected from people suspected or convicted of crimes over the last several decades. Notably, in France, people who refuse to give a sample face at least a year in prison and a fine of around$17 ,000. Despite the arrests, investigators are still looking for the missing crown jewels.

6:42In Ukraine, the Times has been covering how the military is leaning into an incentive program that rewards soldiers based on the targets they hit. The program revolves around armed drones, which are responsible for a vast majority of casualties on the front lines. And there's now a whole point system for attacks captured on video. Wound a Russian soldier, eight points. Kill a Russian soldier? 12. Destroy a tank? That's worth 40 points. They submit those videos to a central office in Kiev that then verifies that. So after a target is verified, then the unit gets the points. And they can exchange them for drones, for electronic warfare, jamming equipment, things like that.

7:25My colleague Kim Barker has been covering the gamification of the war in Ukraine. She says the program rewards units that are particularly effective with their drone attacks by giving them even more resources to buy equipment. And she spoke with officials who said the program has helped motivate soldiers after more than three years of grueling battle. Russia has its own incentive program, but they just pay a bounty. They'll pay a certain amount for hitting a helicopter, or they'll pay a certain amount for hitting a tank. What they're doing in Ukraine is they're awarding points and then plowing that back into the war.

8:00Kim says that since the competition launched last year, Ukrainian troops have ordered more than 80 ,000 drones and other electronic warfare systems using points from the incentive program.

8:17And finally. He's coming for it. Oh, my goodness. The New York City Marathon came down to a photo finish yesterday. Are you kidding me? Right behind you. the closest ever in the race's history. Benson Kipbruto was so confident in his lead, he raised his arms just short of the finish line, seemingly unaware that another runner was hot on his heels. That little celebration almost cost him, but he managed to get across the line three hundredths of a second faster. The women's winner, meanwhile, Helen O 'Beary, champion for the second time, had a cool 16-second lead over her closest competitor. Both Kiprudo and Obiri are from Kenya, as were all the other top finishers in the men's and women's races.

9:04They were cheered on by huge crowds that gathered to watch the more than 50 ,000 runners. Some good inspirational signs this year included, Who needs toenails? and The government isn't running, but you are. Other notable participants this weekend included a 91-year-old man from Japan, this year's oldest runner. He told The Times he didn't even get into running until his mid-70s when he signed up for a 5K. And the award for packing the most into your marathon day might go to Jordan Litz. He's currently starring as Prince Fierro in Wicked on Broadway. So he had to run the race fast enough to give himself time to get back to his dressing room for the Sunday matinee.

9:47Just, you know, two back-to-back Broadway shows after running a full marathon. Sure, no sweat. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, a look at Amazon's plan to replace half a million workers with robots. Or, as the company has considered calling them, co-bots. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.