Good Wednesday morning, welcome to mid-week.
Here’s a little history lesson: Today is Pan American Day, a holiday that commemorates the First International Conference of American States, which concluded on on this day in 1890, where the International Union of American Republics, the forerunner to the Organization of American States (OAS), was created.
The holiday was originally proposed by the organization in 1930, and was first observed that year.
The OAS, in case you didn’t know, which I certainly did not, was, according to its website, “established in order to achieve among its member states – as stipulated in Article 1 of the Charter – ‘an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence.'”
OAS members include almost all of the independent states of the Western Hemisphere, which includes the U.S. But, because of politics, it looks to me like not everyone is getting along at the moment. Schocker.
It’s also the International Day of Pink, which was created to advocate for a more inclusive and diverse world by encouraging young people to challenge social norms, ask more of their educators, and stand up against bullying towards their 2SLGBTQIA+ peers. (More on the origin story of this day can be found here).
And one more thing to mention before we get to the news: Today’s Google Doodle honors someone without whom the world would be a very different place: Johannes Gutenberg, the German inventor who, in the 15th century, introduced movable-type printing to Europe, sparking a revolution that helped spread knowledge to the masses.
Gutenberg’s revolutionary system allowed for the economical mass production of printed books. His invention became so synonymous with communication that it lent its name to a then-burgeoning mass media field called the press.
The Gutenberg Project, the oldest library of digitized books, is named in his honor. The volunteer effort encourages the creation and distribution of free e-books and counts more than 60,000 items in its collection.
The weather forecast for the next several days demonstrates that yes, we are indeed still in the throes of an upstate spring. Today we’ll see temperatures in the low 70s, with clouds and a slight chance of rain.
Two days from now – on Friday, that is – we’re in for clouds, temperatures in the low 40s and a mix of rain and….wait for it….snow. Yes. Snow. (But just in the morning, and that will change to all rain by afternoon).
So THAT’s something to look forward to.
In the headlines…
Injections of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine came to a sudden halt across the country yesterday after federal health agencies called for a pause in the vaccine’s use as they examine a rare blood-clotting disorder that emerged in six recipients.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will convene today for an emergency session, with a vote scheduled on “updated recommendations for use” before the group adjourns at 4:30 p.m. ET.
If you have received the J&J vaccine and experience a severe headache that does not go away, significant abdominal or leg pain that does not subside, or increasing shortness of breath, health officials want you to call your doctor immediately.
Says Dr. Anthony Facui: “It appears that this adverse event occurs between six days and 13 days. So if you’ve had it a month or two ago, I think you really don’t need to worry about anything.”
Nearly 7 million people in the U.S. have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to federal data.
The CDC is examining the case of a woman who died after getting the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Virginia.
Governments around the world are scrambling to sustain already slow-moving vaccination drives amid troublesome news of very rare but severe side effects from two of the most prominent vaccines developed to fight the pandemic.
Some public health officials fear that the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may fuel vaccine hesitancy and expose more Americans to a bigger danger: the coronavirus.
Getting a mammogram soon after getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Be warned: The vaccine might cause your lymph nodes to swell, which may be confused for a sign of breast cancer.
The World Health Organization has called on all countries to temporarily halt the sale of live animals that were captured in the wild at food markets.
Airlines are battling a scourge of passengers traveling with falsified Covid-19 health certificates.
New, searchable ZIP code-level data provides a close look at how contagious variants have kept New York’s case levels alarmingly high.
President Joe Biden will address a joint session of Congress for the first time on April 28.
Biden will withdraw American combat troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, declaring an end to the nation’s longest war and overruling warnings from his military advisers that the departure could prompt a resurgence of terrorist threats.
The decision, which Biden is expected to announce today, will keep thousands of U.S. forces in the country beyond the May 1 exit deadline that the Trump administration negotiated last year with the Taliban.
The news that the Biden administration plans to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks elicited a wide range of reactions in Washington — fitting for a conflict that has divided and befuddled the nation.
Arizona’s attorney general is suing the Biden administration, arguing its immigration policies are in violation of the National Environmental Protection Act — because illegal immigrants keep littering as they hop the border.
First Lady Jill Biden will undergo a “common medical procedure” this morning, the White House announced late last night, and the president will accompany her.
A scathing internal report serves up more evidence of Capitol Police lapses prior to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol siege — including that police ignored intelligence that a right-wing website posted a map of the Capitol complex’s underground tunnels.
In a 104-page document, the inspector general, Michael A. Bolton, criticized the way the Capitol Police prepared for and responded to the mob violence on Jan. 6. It will be the subject of a Capitol Hill hearing tomorrow.
Protests continued for a third night outside the police station in Brooklyn Center, Minn., yesterday following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright.
The former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Wright during a traffic stop last weekend will face criminal charges. She also has resigned her post.
The police chief who defended the officer who fatally shot Wright near Minneapolis Sunday abruptly resigned yesterday amid a situation of “chaos,” his replacement said.
Amid scandals, accusations and calls for his resignation, Gov. Andrew Cuomo seems determined to prove that the instincts that have gotten him into trouble can get him out of it too, according to an exhaustive NYT Magazine story looks back on his life.
Cuomo once likened himself to hot-headed mob scion Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather” — and bragged about his sexual prowess during a strategy session with his staffers, according to the aforementioned story.
Cuomo once complained about a Jewish holiday ritual and used an anti-transgender slur to humiliate a male aide, The New York Times’ Matt Flegheimer reported.
“These people and their f***ing tree houses,” Cuomo reportedly said, expressing frustration with a campaign appearance at a Sukkot event in 2006. (A spokesman denied the comment, noting the governor’s two sisters married Jewish men).
CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time” continues to drop viewers at an alarming rate as the big brother of namesake host Chris Cuomo is caught up in multiple scandals.
Cuomo yesterday streamed a carefully produced speech on his website, broadcasting from a parking lot at Angry Orchard, the Orange County hard cider producer. The governor hasn’t taken a question in-person from a reporter since December.
Cuomo is showing no signs of leaving office anytime soon, but the same cannot be said for top aides who have left his inner circle in recent weeks amid a growing litany of scandals.
The TU editorial board takes Cuomo to task for appearing to believe that the state’s ethics rules don’t apply to him.
Days after someone pulled off a prank changing the “NY TOUGH” light display on the Corning Tower to “NY TOUCH”, state maintenance workers used zip ties to secure the building’s window blinds, including ones those lowered to execute the caper.
Former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra said he sees no “moderate” Republican amid at least five candidates expressing interest in challenging Cuomo next year, and so might do so himself.
North Country Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik still also isn’t ruling out a 2022 run against Cuomo.
After over a year, New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) says it has secured $4 million for operating expenses in the state budget.
Cuomo pledged to move quickly to fill multiple vacancies on the state Court of Appeals in the coming weeks.
A pair of legal leaders from Queens have been short-listed for a seat on New York’s highest court.
A bill in the state Senate that would impose a carbon tax to help the state meet its green energy goals could cost New York motorists an extra 55 cents per gallon at the pump.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said the state’s $247.7 billion pension fund would be divesting from a half-dozen oil sands companies in keeping with a push to avoid investments that are contributing to greenhouses gases.
The White House graded New York’s infrastructure as a C-minus on a report card it issued to help make the case for Biden’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan.
Democrat Ray McGuire, a former top executive at Citigroup, has notched endorsements from Jay-Z, Nas and Diddy for his New York City mayoral run.
“New York is in a state of emergency,” Diddy says in a video the campaign released at midnight. “New York could be the first city that really does something bold to take care of the people. That’s why I was excited about this conversation, just knowing Ray.”
The Working Families Party voted to endorse NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer in his run for mayor – a big progressive boost for a candidate who has recently lagged in the polls.
Mayoral hopeful Andrew Yang was heckled and called “pro-cop” during a New York City bike ride protest into the police killing of Daunte Wright.
Police reform advocates declared victory after NYC unions moved to formally withdraw a lawsuit challenging disclosure of disciplinary records.
Signs of life have returned to Brooklyn’s Chinatown in Sunset Park, but businesses are struggling and racism and hate crimes have made things worse. “The neighborhood hasn’t recovered,” a restaurant manager said.
New York City will offer an in-person summer enrichment program up to five days a week to K-12 public-school students to help with learning loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, city officials said.
Come back to the subways, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers as he scolded MTA officials for suggesting they are unsafe and that more cops are needed to curb crime.
De Blasio vented his frustration with the agency during a subway ride with reporters in Upper Manhattan, insisting the mode of transportation is safe, citing the recent addition of 644 cops to its patrols.
The de Blasio’s administration has given an icy response to the Central Park Conservancy’s offer to take over the Wollman Rink from the Trump Organization.
COVID-19 school closures have plunged to zero after a change in City Hall protocols last week, according to Department of Education data.
Lincoln Center, which is holding a series of performances outdoors while its theaters remain closed by the pandemic, announced that it would transform the plaza around its fountain into a parklike environment by blanketing it with a synthetic lawn.
A nonprofit ethics watchdog has asked Congress’ independent ethics office to investigate Hudson Valley Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney for failing to disclose the sale of eight stocks until early April — months past a federally mandated deadline.
Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi joined a bipartisan group of nine lawmakers Sunday and Monday on a fact-finding tour of the Southern border in Texas amid a growing political divide over the nation’s immigration policy.
Republican Central NY Rep. John Katko has raised more than $436,000 for his re-election campaign – a personal record for the first quarter – despite backlash he received from Republicans for voting to impeach Donald Trump.
Trump said a New York law enabling Congress to ask for his state tax returns no longer applies because he isn’t president.
Two racehorses were killed when a fire broke out at a Belmont Park barn last night, while 58 others were safely evacuated.
The Democratic candidate for Saratoga County sheriff has died, leaving the committee in search of a new candidate to challenge Republican Michael Zurlo in the fall.
One day after resigning as head coach and president of football operations for the Albany Empire, Rob Keefe is employed again with the Indoor Football League’s Iowa Barnstormers.
The state-run mass vaccination site at the University at Albany is moving to Crossgates Mall, setting up inside the old Lord & Taylor space, whose footprint will enable up to three times as many shots a day.
The City of Albany is allowing restaurants to expand their outdoor seating areas again this year.
The Albany County Legislature unanimously passed two laws, one banning smoking in some apartment buildings and the other on school bus cameras.
The owners of Wasabi, a 3-year-old restaurant in Saratoga Springs that features all-you-can eat sushi, are developing a southern sibling to open in early June at 195 Wolf Road, home for more 35 years to Reel Seafood Co.
Apple scheduled an April 20 event dubbed “Spring Loaded,” the tech giant’s latest virtual gathering to unveil new gadgets.
A group of top Democratic Party pollsters acknowledged “major errors” in their 2020 polling — errors that left party officials stunned by election results that failed to come close to expectations in November.
Hank Azaria wants to apologize for this portrayal of an Indian character on “The Simpsons.”
Sexually transmitted diseases are at an all-time high for the sixth consecutive year, the CDC said in a new report.
Queen Elizabeth II returned to royal duties yesterday to honor the retirement of her household’s most senior official, just four days after the death of her husband, Prince Philip.
