- Languages should only make special syntax for very common or very important needs. Neither applies here.

- It violates the longstanding Python rule that assignments don't escape the enclosing scope.

> It violates the longstanding Python rule that assignments don't escape the enclosing scope.

But doesn't that violate the longstanding Python rule that A Foolish Consistency is the Hobgoblin of Little Minds ?

The trick is tell when striving for consistensy is foolish and when it isn't. Otherwise you would always be able to fall back on this quote to justify creating unuseable code/frameworks/projects/languages.

No. Assignment leaking into enclosing scope is a bad idea.

Don’t assignments already escape scope?

if True: x = 1 print(x)

`if` blocks don't make a scope. Comprehensions do.

The "as NAME" phrasing already existed. No need to invent a third confusing colon syntax to assign variables.