January 26, 2026

Now, on to the news…

A group linked to a designated foreign terrorist organization has become prevalent at the University of Washington. Meet the Tariq El-Tahrir Student Network.

It’s the youth arm of Masar Badil, a political organization with ties to the terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and to Samidoun, a “sham charity.” It has worked with SUPER UW (Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return at the University of Washington) to organize an online seminar featuring a reported Hamas terrorist. (SUPER UW caused $1 million in damage during a building occupation last May.) And it has fostered connections between hostile foreign nations and activists.

“The connection between a student protest organization (SUPER UW) and the youth wing of a terrorist proxy (Tariq El-Tahrir) gives a glimpse into the extreme edge of campus activism—and potentially provides a hook for legal action,” Stu Smith writes.

Read more about the groups and what their influence says about campus activism.

Shortly after New York City’s mayoral primary, the city of Boca Raton dropped $70,000 on a roughly 30-foot-by-50-foot billboard in Times Square. Its message: “NYtoBoca.” Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, meanwhile, spoke with New York executives about moving their corporate headquarters to Florida. And after Zohran Mamdani’s victory, Singer appeared on news networks to promote his city.

Indeed, Boca has been working hard to lure disgruntled New Yorkers turned off by the prospect of higher taxes, less policing, and Mamdani’s promised “warmth of collectivism.”

“Reporting suggests some disenchanted New Yorkers are taking up Singer’s offer,” Paul du Quenoy and Judith Miller write. “The morning after the election, the mayor reported getting calls from prospective new Boca residents. Talbot Sutter, CEO of a North Palm Beach real estate agency, told local media that Mamdani’s election has been ‘completely a game changer’ for his business.”

Read more about the potential exodus.

It didn’t take long for Mayor Zohran Mamdani to announce that the city would intervene in Pinnacle Group’s bankruptcy proceedings. The property manager had been accused of being a “slumlord” and a greedy gentrifier, pushing rents higher than stabilization limits allowed.

But in many ways, Pinnacle’s bankruptcy stems from the “pro-tenant” policies that activists had pushed for. “New York State rendered Pinnacle unable to keep its apartment stock habitable; then New York City sought to punish it for that outcome,” Adam Lehodey explains. “If Mamdani truly cares about tenants, he should recognize the role that landlords play in delivering and maintaining the city’s housing stock.”

Read more here.

The Manhattan Institute is proud to serve as the Principal Institutional Partner for the Sun Valley Policy Forum’s 2026 Winter Summit in the iconic resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho on February 11, 2026.

We are thrilled to join Joe Lonsdale and MI senior fellow Christopher F. Rufo for an evening on principled leadership and the future of American institutions in an AI-driven era. Please click here to learn more about the Sun Valley Policy Forum and our partnership and to purchase tickets at a discounted rate for friends of the Manhattan Institute.

“Lying to one’s professors and university administrators is good training for dealing with corporate life after graduation. So . . . silver lining.”

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David C., commenting on college students self-censoring 

Photo credit: JASON REDMOND / Contributor / AFP via Getty Images