Two stabbings in Manhattan have put a spotlight on rising hate crimes in New York City, a troubling sign for residents amid a wider national mood of despair.

• A man stabbed two people on the Upper West Side, an Asian man and a Jewish man, reportedly yelling "Allahu Akbar"; both are expected to survive.
• Police are treating the attacks as possible hate crimes while also weighing mental health as a factor, and hate crimes in the city are up nearly 8% this year.
• About half of this year's attacks targeted Jewish people, and separate anti-Muslim incidents are also being investigated in Brooklyn and Queens.
• Mayor Mamdani condemned the stabbings, but critics tried to tie the violence to his criticism of Israel, sparking a fight over whether opposing genocide fuels antisemitism.

Outlook: The political blame game will continue, but the deeper driver — economic strain and mental health despair feeding all kinds of hate crimes — is unlikely to ease soon.