Socialist Zohran Mamdani skirted tough questions and offered few specifics as he smoothly swatted off a barrage of attacks from ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a heated first general mayoral election debate Thursday.

Hochul offered up the political lifeline to Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday at an event in Astoria, telling reporters that she would scrounge up funding somehow to help the Democratic nominee's top agenda items, such as universal childcare.