Former President Barack Obama met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a child care center where they read to preschoolers and led a singalong.
The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked his 100th day in office just over a week ago, is also trying to build a working relationship with Republican President Donald Trump.
Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book “Alone and Together” to the children and leading a singalong of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
The former two-term president and standard-bearer for the Democratic Party has offered to be a sounding board for Mamdani, 34, whose star power, youth and progressive agenda has made him stand out in Democratic politics.
Mamdani took office in January after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live, centering his agenda on refocusing the vast power of government toward helping the city’s struggling working class.
Mamdani has met twice with Trump at the White House in November and February to discuss issues affecting New York.
Despite those friendly meetings, their relationship has shown signs of strain recently, with Trump posting on social media Thursday that Mamdani was “DESTROYING New York” with his taxing policies and threatened to pull federal funding for the city.
Former President Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in the Bronx in New York, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Former President Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in New York, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Former President Barack Obama, left, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani read a book to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in New York, on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
VANCOUVER, British Colombia (AP) — A Canadian man facing murder charges for allegedly selling lethal substances online to people at risk of self-harm has agreed to plead guilty to 14 counts of counseling or aiding suicide, his lawyer said on Saturday.
In turn, Canadian prosecutors will withdraw all 14 murder charges filed against Kenneth Law, lawyer Matthew Gourlay told The Associated Press in a email.
“The plea will be to the charges of aiding suicide,” he said in an email. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation first reported the plea.
Law will make a virtual appearance by Zoom before a Newmarket, Ontario, court on Monday afternoon for the purpose of further scheduling, Gourlay said. The plea and the sentencing will take place at a later date.
Calls to Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General weren't immediately answered.
Canadian police say Law, from the Toronto area, used a series of websites to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be deadly if ingested. They say he is suspected of sending at least 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries.
Authorities in the United States, Britain, Italy, Australia and New Zealand also have launched investigations.
It is against the law in Canada for someone to recommend suicide, although assisted suicide has been legal since 2016 for people aged at least 18. Any adult with a serious illness, disease or disability may seek help in dying, but they must ask for assistance from a physician.
Law has been in custody since his arrest at his Mississauga, Ontario, home in May 2023.
According to the Canadian Criminal Code, abetting suicide carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. A murder conviction automatically means life in prison, with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.
Associated Press writer Rob Gillies reported from San Francisco.
FILE - York Regional Police Inspector Simon James speaks during a news conference in Mississauga, Ont., Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, with the image of Kenneth Law, a Canadian man accused of selling lethal substances on the internet to people at risk of self harm, seen on screen. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP, FIle)
