Mamdani was pitched to ‘SNL,’ but they passed for someone funny

 Mayor Zohran Mamdani almost made it onto New York’s most famed sketch show where the notably inexperienced politician could have shown off his improv skills somewhere other than City Hall.

Sources tell Page Six that Mamdani’s camp pitched him to appear on “Saturday Night Live,” during his campaign. But one source tells us that head honcho Lorne Michaels didn’t bite.

“Mamdani was pitched, but ultimately for creative reasons, they went with comedians instead,” a source tells Page Six.

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One source tells Page Six that Lorne Michaels turned down the idea.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Ramy Youssef ultimately wound up playing the democratic socialist in a sketch on Nov. 1, 2025 about the NYC mayoral debate. It also featured Miles Teller as former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and comic Shane Gillis as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

Mamdani then posted clips and video of himself laughing with Yussef about the uncanny resemblance on a FaceTime while the comic was still in costume.

“Live from New York’ I got roasted by,” Mamdani posted on his social media.

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We’re told Mamdani wasn’t on for “creative reasons.”Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC

“There were conversations about having Sliwa, Cuomo and Mamdani on, not necessarily together,” says a source. “There are always conversations about having anyone who is in the news on.”

Michaels’ door still seems open for a real-life, off-air cameo.

A source close to the SNL big told us that “Lorne is happy to meet with Mayor Mamdani.”

We hear Mamdani has not been pitched since he was elected, though his team could try and float him for musical guest. His 2010’s era rap career as Mr. Cardamom never panned out, with songs including one where he praised convicted terror-funding group the Holy Land Five.

Longtime NYC mayor Ed Koch hosted the show in 1983 and co-hosted again in May 1984. Rudy Giuliani hosted in November 1997 and appeared following the attacks on 9/11.

Donald Trump has also hosted the show twice. Once at the height of “The Apprentice” in 2004 and again in November 2015 when he was running for his first term as president.

We hear the days of having politicians pop up for cameos — like Kamala Harris showing up while being impersonated by Maya Rudolph or Hillary Clinton with Kate McKinnon — could now be more difficult due to a new FCC Equal Time Rule, which requires broadcast stations to give equal opportunities to candidates for the same office.

The rule was put into place Jan. 21, 2026, after Mamdani was elected into office in November.

An SNL spokesperson declined to comment on guestbooking. Mamdani’s spokesperson did not get back to us.

https://pagesix.com/2026/03/27/entertainment/zohran-mamdani-was-pitched-to-snl-but-they-passed-for-someone-funny/

'New Google tool allow users to scrub more personal data to keep safe from online thieves'

 Google is making it harder for scammers to steal your identity — and the effort can’t come soon enough.

The tech giant quietly updated its “Results about you” tool on Feb. 10, expanding it to allow users to scrub even more sensitive personal information from search results — including passport numbers, driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers — on top of the phone numbers, emails and home addresses the original tool already covered.

The timing is no accident. In 2025, the FTC received 3 million fraud reports from consumers who lost a staggering $15.9 billion to scammers, according to FTC Associate Director Lois Greisman, who testified before the Joint Economic Committee on Wednesday.

Identity theft can devastate victims in ways that go far beyond a drained bank account — scammers can impersonate their targets to land jobs, obtain medical care, claim government benefits, rack up credit card debt, or even drag a stolen identity into criminal investigations.

The update is rolling out over a period of weeks to US English users first.

To install the new feature on a Google App or on a browser, simply go to myactivity.google.com/results-about-you and the site provides a step-by-step guide to the updated “Results about you” tool.

There’s also a new, faster way to remove non-consensual explicit images.

“We understand that removing existing content is only part of the solution,” Google wrote in a blog post. “For added protection, the new process allows you to opt-in to safeguards that will proactively filter out any additional explicit results that might appear in similar searches.”

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The new feature will ask for a reason before removing the information.Google

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The new feature also helps users remove explicit sexual images.Google

Now, users just have to click on the three dots on an image, select “remove result,” then tap “It shows a sexual image of me.”

These features are currently rolling out for users who are over the age of 18.

To request removal of a result that shows personal info for a person under the age of 18, use the detailed removal request form.

The scans begin immediately after the form is submitted.

https://nypost.com/2026/03/28/us-news/new-google-tool-allow-users-to-scrub-more-personal-data-to-keep-safe-from-online-thieves/

Bristol Myers Squibb Data from Phase 4 Cobenfy Trial

 

Open Label Outpatient Switch Study Demonstrates Symptom Stability During Transition from Oral Atypical Antipsychotics to Cobenfy

High treatment completion and no discontinuations due to lack of efficacy observed across faster and slower switch strategies

 Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced data from a Phase 4 clinical trial evaluating the symptom stability, safety and tolerability of Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride) when switching adult outpatients with schizophrenia from an oral atypical antipsychotic to Cobenfy monotherapy. Through 8 weeks, patients remained stable with mean Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total scores remaining below baseline, and no new safety signals were observed, regardless of cross-titration duration. These findings provide important evidence to help inform treatment switch strategies in clinical practice. Data were presented at the 2026 Annual Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) taking place March 25-29 in Florence, Italy.

“While transitioning patients is common in schizophrenia, clinicians have historically had limited data to help guide these decisions, especially for differentiated treatments like Cobenfy,” said David Walling, PhD, principal investigator and chief clinical officer at Cenexel – CNS. “The data presented today provide much-needed insight into what happens during a switch to Cobenfy, notably that patients remained stable through 8 weeks of treatment regardless of a slower or faster cross-titration, which will help healthcare professionals make informed treatment decisions for adults living with schizophrenia.”

This 8-week, open-label trial evaluated two cross-titration strategies in adults with schizophrenia (n=105): tapering the existing atypical antipsychotic down over the faster 2 week (n=52) or slower 4 week (n=53) period while simultaneously up-titrating Cobenfy to the target dose of 125/30 mg BID, over two weeks in both arms. Patients were required to have a PANSS total score at or below 80 at screening and baseline, Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score of ≤4, and to be on a stable dose of an oral atypical antipsychotic for at least 6 weeks.

The primary objective of the trial was to evaluate the rate of all-cause Cobenfy discontinuation over a period of 8 weeks. Key secondary endpoints included Cobenfy discontinuation due to a lack of efficacy, incidence of, and discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs), change from baseline (CFB) to week 8 in the PANSS total score, CGI-S, Personal and Social Performance (PSP), and Medication Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ).

In the trial, approximately 86% of patients completed 8 weeks of treatment, with discontinuation rates of 15.1% (n=8) and 13.5% (n=7) in the slower and faster transition groups. No patients discontinued treatment with Cobenfy due to lack of efficacy. Mean changes in PANSS total scores from baseline to week 8 were −4.2 in the slower transition group and −3.1 in the faster transition group. Mean change in CGI-S scores was −0.2 in both the slower and faster transition groups. From baseline to week 8, mean PSP scores improved by 1.1 and 0.7 in the slower and faster transition groups, respectively.

https://investors.bms.com/iframes/press-releases/press-release-details/2026/Open-Label-Outpatient-Switch-Study-Demonstrates-Symptom-Stability-During-Transition-from-Oral-Atypical-Antipsychotics-to-Cobenfy-xanomeline-and-trospium-chloride/default.aspx

Saudi Pipeline That Bypasses Hormuz Hits 7 Million Barrel Goal

 

Saudi Arabia’s crucial East-West pipeline that circumvents the Strait of Hormuz is pumping oil at its full capacity of 7 million barrels a day, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Saudi Arabia has rolled out the contingency plan to boost exports through the pipeline to the Red Sea, as the effective closure of the strait due to the Middle East conflict has choked off Gulf oil producers’ main exit route. Flotillas of tankers have redirected to the port of Yanbu to collect the oil, providing an important lifeline for global supply.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-28/saudi-pipeline-that-bypasses-hormuz-hits-7-million-barrel-goal

'Pakistan's PM briefs Pezeshkian on peace efforts'

 Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that he held a phone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in which he briefed him on Pakistan's ongoing diplomatic push to de-escalate Iran's conflict with the United States by engaging Washington and "brotherly" Gulf and Islamic countries.

"I reiterated Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the continued Israeli attacks on Iran, including recent strikes on civilian infrastructure, and conveyed Pakistan’s solidarity with the brave people of Iran. Expressed, once again, my condolences on the tragic loss of precious lives and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured and displaced," Sharif said in a post on X.

The Pakistani prime minister previously revealed that his country is "ready" to host peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Pakistan's-PM-briefs-Pezeshkian-on-peace-efforts/65971725

Maersk halts operations in Oman after drone attack

 A.P. Moller-Maersk announced on Saturday that it suspended its operations at the Port of Salalah in Oman for approximately 48 hours, following this morning's drone attacks.

"Following the incident in which a terminal crane sustained damage, the port was immediately evacuated and operations across the facility were temporarily suspended," the Danish container shipping company stated, confirming that all of its crew are safe, and that no Maersk vessels or cargo have been affected. "The Port of Salalah remains in full cooperation with relevant authorities and Maersk’s current estimate is that operations will be on hold for approximately 48 hours. We will inform customers if there are any changes to this timeline as soon as information becomes available," the company added.

The Middle Eastern country's official Oman News Agency previously reported two drone attacks on the port, which injured one worker and damaged one of the drones, while Iran claimed it was targeting a United States military vessel.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Maersk-halts-operations-in-Oman-after-drone-attack/65971739

Kalshi Looks to Attract Bigger Investors after Getting Approval to Offer Margin Trading

 Kalshi is looking to attract bigger investors after getting approval to offer margin trading on its prediction markets platform. According to a March 24 filing with the National Futures Association, the company can now operate a futures commission merchant through an affiliate called Kinetic Markets LLC. While Kalshi is known for simple yes-or-no bets on events like elections or sports, these contracts are actually similar to financial products like futures. Therefore, adding margin trading brings the platform closer to how traditional financial markets operate.

https://www.tipranks.com/news/kalshi-looks-to-attract-bigger-investors-after-getting-approval-to-offer-margin-trading