NY Times published Mamdani college application story to avoid getting scooped by Christopher Rufo: Report

The New York Times pushed out its controversial report on New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's Columbia University application to avoid being scooped, Semafor reported Sunday. 

Two people familiar with the Times' process told Semafor that the paper knew other journalists were working to publish the same story, specifically conservative activist Christopher Rufo.

The Times reported on Thursday that Mamdani, when asked his race on his 2009 college application to Columbia University...