What happened
Democrats triumphed in a trio of major elections yesterday – their first test since Donald Trump returned to the White House. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist from Queens, defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa to become the city’s first Muslim mayor. In Virginia and New Jersey, Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill both won decisive gubernatorial victories, giving Democrats control of key blue-state strongholds.

Who said what
“The next and last stop is City Hall,” Mamdani (pictured above) wrote on social media after his win.

Together, the election results “provided a much-needed morale boost for the party as it prepares for next year’s congressional mid-terms”, said France 24. Mamdani’s win is impressive, but he now “faces a daunting task: making New York affordable”, said Adam Gabbatt in The Guardian. “The democratic socialist promised free childcare, fast buses and a rent freeze.” The question is “can he deliver before New Yorkers lose patience?”

What next?
For one night “the Democrats are one big, happy party”, said Anthony Zurcher on the BBC. But as the mid-term elections approach next year “tensions are sure to mount and traditional fault lines could re-emerge”.

What happened
Dick Cheney, US vice president under George W. Bush from 2001-2009, has passed away at the age of 84 following complications from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.

Who said what
“History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence and seriousness of purpose to every position he held,” said Bush.

A controversial figure, Cheney (pictured above) was instrumental in waging the “war on terror” following the 9/11 attacks and was accused of ignoring international law during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. “Widely regarded as the most powerful vice president in American history,” he “preferred the backstage to the spotlight” and was “in many ways an inscrutable personality,” said The New York Times.

What next?
Cheney “was for decades a towering and polarising Washington power player”, and he leaves behind a complex legacy, said CNN. Once an icon for Republican hawks, in his later years he was “largely ostracised from his party over his intense criticism of President Donald Trump”.

Stone is “making a comeback” in the building industry after years of being “forgotten”, according to the BBC. With clear benefits to the environment, such as a lower carbon footprint than other traditional materials, the substance’s popularity is growing as a more sustainable – and nostalgic – alternative.

In warmer climates stone is valued for its cooling properties, but the benefits of stone in the UK could be much more varied.

The rise in demand seems to be particularly welcome north of the border. Scotland’s identity is “closely linked to its stone-built heritage”, said Historic Environment Scotland. Stone infrastructure is not only a “tangible link” to the country’s past, but it also stimulates financial opportunities. Millions of tourists see stonework – and the traditional aesthetic of stone walls and buildings – as a “huge draw”, and their arrival provides a “vital source of income” for local economies.

The most important aspect of stone is probably its “ecological value”, said Christiane Fath on World-Architects.com. Its benefits are manifold, wrote Fath. Created by natural processes, its production “consumes little energy” and its “buildings can be recycled” if approached intelligently.

“Building in brick is increasingly unsustainable,” said Amy Frearson in the Financial Times. Processing bricks involves additional ingredients like lime, sand and cement, even before the “energy cost of firing and shipping”.

“What price do you put on forever?” stone wall expert Kristie de Garis told Smithsonian magazine. “Mortared walls need to be redone roughly every 15 to 30 years. But there are dry stone walls still standing after thousands of years.”