Appointments and Executive Changes

• Mamdani Names Transportation Chief With Job of Making Buses Fast and Free - As commissioner of New York City’s Department of Transportation, Michael Flynn will seek to implement one of the new mayor’s central campaign planks.
• The Countdown Begins: New York City Awaits Mayor Mamdani - Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in shortly after the New Year’s Eve ball drops, in a private ceremony held at a shuttered relic of the city’s subway.
• On His Last Day, Adams Drops From View but Still Flexes His Muscle - Mayor Eric Adams had one public appearance on his schedule, but that didn’t stop him from naming a third charter commission in the last hours of his administration.
• Mamdani Reverses Call to End Mayoral Control of NYC Public Schools - The mayor-elect’s turnaround came as he selected Kamar Samuels to lead New York City’s school system at a precarious moment.
• Mamdani Chooses a Veteran N.Y.C. Education Leader as Schools Chancellor - The selection of Kamar Samuels, who leads schools on the West Side of Manhattan, could help Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani craft his schools agenda.
• Katherine Maher of NPR Has Come Out on Top Despite Battles With Trump and the CPB - Katherine Maher has taken an unyielding approach to NPR’s biggest battles — which has sometimes put her at odds with her colleagues in public media.
• Why Russia Is Likely to Reject the New US-Ukrainian Peace Plan - The first draft essentially called for Ukraine’s surrender. The revised version includes the security guarantees Kyiv wants to prevent future Russian aggression.
• Trump Administration Orders Nearly 30 U.S. Ambassadors to Leave Their Posts - A union representing career diplomats said such a mass recall had never happened in the history of the U.S. Foreign Service.
• Elise Stefanik Drops Out of N.Y. Governor’s Race and Will Leave Congress - Ms. Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman and staunch ally of President Trump, abruptly ended her bid to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul and said she would not seek another House term.
• The Putin Confidant Who Pushed Back Against Russia’s War in Ukraine - Dmitri N. Kozak had worked with President Vladimir V. Putin for three decades before quitting in September. His associates described his break with the Russian leader.