Good morning, it’s Wednesday.
It’s also National Buffalo Soldiers Day. Most of us probably recognize those worlds from the iconic Bob Marley song. It was actually one of the last songs he recorded, and was release two years after his death. (Marley actually had as much success posthumously as he did when he was alive; we should all be so lucky).
The day commemorates the formation of the first Army regiments comprised of African American soldiers From the Army website:
“In 1866, Congress passed the Army Organization Act, allowing former slaves to serve during the Civil War. Over 180,000 African American men made up six regiments and fought for the Union. Despite the current conflict they faced, they served their country with pride and distinction.”
Another interesting fact: The Buffalo Soldiers served as some of the first national park rangers when the Army was the official administrator of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks between 1891 and 1913, protecting against illegal grazing, poachers, timber thieves and wildfires.
There are differing theories about the origin of the name “Buffalo Soldiers“.
One holds that the Plains Indians who fought against them thought their dark, curly hair resembled the fur of their namesake animal. Another is that their bravery and ferocity in battle reminded the Indians of the way buffalo fought.
Of course, America being what it is, there is some not-so-nice history here.
Buffalo Soldier regiments were initially commanded by whites, and the troops often faced extreme racial prejudice from the establishment. Many officers, including George Armstrong Custer, refused to lead Black regiments, even if that cost them promotions.
Buffalo Soldiers could only serve west of the Mississippi River, because many whites didn’t want to see armed Black soldiers anywhere near in or even near their communities. And even when they stayed far away, they sometimes suffered deadly violence at the hands of civilians.
During the decades-long Indian Wars, (the irony of Blacks fighting against Indigenous people on behalf of whites, who treated both groups badly is not lost on anyone here), 18 Buffalo Soldiers were warded the Medal of Honor, which, in turn, helped to overcome resistance to the idea of black Army officers and paved the way for the first Black West Point graduate: Henry O. Flipper.
It’s also St. Olav’s Eve, a public holiday before Ólavsøka, it is the National Day of the Faroe Islands that commemorates King Olav the Second who brought Christianity to the Islands.
Don’t know where the Faroe Islands are? Yeah, I didn’t either…says the interwebs:
“A self-governing archipelago, part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It comprises 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean, connected by road tunnels, ferries, causeways and bridges.”
It’s going to be mostly sunny today, with highs in the mid-70s.
In the headlines…
Revising a decision made just two months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that people vaccinated against the coronavirus should resume wearing masks in public indoor spaces in parts of the country where the virus is surging.
“In recent days I have seen new scientific data from recent outbreak investigations showing that the Delta variant behaves uniquely differently from past strains of the virus that cause Covid-19,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told a media briefing.
Federal health officials still believe fully vaccinated individuals represent a very small amount of transmission. Still, some vaccinated people could be carrying higher levels of the virus than previously understood and potentially transmit it to others.
The White House is masking up again, just over two months after President Biden and senior government officials shed their face coverings in the biggest sign to date that the country was moving toward normalcy.
Biden will announce tomorrow a requirement that all federal employees and contractors be vaccinated against Covid-19, or be required to submit to regular testing and mitigation requirements, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
“That’s under consideration right now,” Biden told reporters when asked if he would impose a vaccine mandate for all government workers.
Saudi Arabia is set to impose one of the world’s most sweeping vaccine mandates in an attempt to combat hesitancy toward the Covid-19 shots in the kingdom, as governments globally try to confront a new surge in cases of the Delta variant.
Companies are encouraging their workers to get vaccinated as Covid-19 cases climb again. Yet relatively few workplaces are making shots required.
Three House Republican lawmakers filed a lawsuit accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of violating the Constitution when their pay was docked for refusing to wear face coverings on the House floor earlier this year.
The disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Black people, coupled with racial trauma from last summer, will make it harder for Black students to return to classrooms, Teachers College research showed.
Hundreds of bars in San Francisco will require present proof of vaccination or a negative test to drink indoors.
Some big companies that thrived at the height of Covid-19 are reporting slower growth, signaling that many consumers are reverting to pre-pandemic behavior.
Biden met with Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the lead Democratic negotiator on a bipartisan infrastructure deal, as talks continue to hinge on a handful of unresolved disagreements over funding levels and how to finance the agreement.
Lawmakers expressed renewed optimism that they were close to reaching a deal on a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure package as they worked through a series of 11th-hour holdups.
Biden is expected to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in lower Manhattan in September to mark 20 years since the devastating Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.
Biden warned that if the United States ended up in a “real shooting war” with a “major power” it could be the result of a significant cyber attack on the country, highlighting what Washington sees as growing threats posed by Russia and China.
A New Jersey woman can leave up several banners that use what local officials called an obscenity to express her hostility toward President Biden, a state court ruled.
Four police officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot told Congress of the brutal violence, racism and hostility they suffered as an angry mob they said acted in the name of Donald Trump beat, crushed and electrocuted them.
“This is how I’m going to die, defending this entrance,” Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell recalled thinking, testifying at the emotional opening hearing of the congressional panel investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
The three-hour hearing was the opening act for the committee that’s preparing to investigate all of the circumstances surrounding the January 6 insurrection, including the role played by Trump.
Speaking at a news conference just as the House kicked off its hearings, Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik attempted to shift blame, saying: “Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility as speaker of the House for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6.”
The Senate has reached a bipartisan deal on a $2 billion supplemental spending bill that would add funding for Capitol Police and the National Guard, security upgrades for Congress, and expedite the resettlement of Afghans who helped American troops.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s declaration that more than 300,000 municipal workers must get vaccinated against the coronavirus or agree to weekly testing was an unwelcome surprise to many of the city’s municipal unions.
Roughly 60% of municipal employees have received at least one shot — compared with 71% of the city’s entire adult population, according to data released by the mayor’s office.
LL Cool J, Elvis Costello, Andrea Bocelli, Carlos Santana and the New York Philharmonic will join Bruce Springsteen and other artists next month at the starry Central Park concert that the city is planning to herald its comeback from the pandemic.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is “reviewing the CDC’s new recommendations (on masks) closely in consultation with federal and state health experts.”
Cuomo said New Yorkers will continue to stay smart and follow the science “during this next phase of the pandemic,” though he stopped short of backing the CDC recommendations.
Cuomo announced that $200 million is available for the fifth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).
Democratic mayoral candidate Eric Adams declared his opposition to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s socialist “movement” — which includes defunding the police and shuttering prisons — during a fundraiser co-hosted by a Republican City Council member.
Adams is signaling that his door is open to members of the city’s business sector who have been in a cold war with de Blasio.
Eric Adams is heading to Washington, D.C. today to meet with New York’s Democratic lawmakers to discuss federal help for the Big Apple.
Police on Long Island tried to pull over a speeding motorist shortly before he veered into oncoming traffic and struck an Uber head on in a collision that killed five people, including both drivers, officials said.
Two teen suspects were arrested over their alleged role in the brutal beatdown of a 44-year-old off-duty FDNY firefighter in a Queens park, police said.
Brooklyn federal prosecutors sold off “imprisoned Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli’s one-of-a-kind copy of the Wu-Tang Clan album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” as part of the convicted fraudster’s $7.4 million forfeiture judgement.
Hide your weed! That was the message de Blasio and top city health officials had for New York City parents who indulge in edible marijuana as more and more young children are being hospitalized after getting into Mom and Dad’s stash.
The mayor also blasted Cuomo for New York’s slow rollout of a legal recreational pot program.
A certification process highlighting energy-efficient cannabis cultivators and a tax credit to complement it are key sustainability proposals of an industry white paper released by New York’s Castetter Cannabis Group.
The paper also called for state regulators to develop a strategy for data collection and analysis of license holders’ operations.
Next month, the Excluded Workers Fund is expected to start taking applications. This week the eligibility criteria was published on the state’s Department of Labor website. Critics say the requirements will make it very difficult for many of the workers to access any cash.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the Capital Region is inching back up to levels that haven’t been seen in months, causing some business to go back to all-too-familiar limits.
A federal judge granted preliminary approval to a proposed $65 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit involving three companies blamed for polluting public and private water supplies in and around the village of Hoosick Falls.
Former Guilderland town justice Richard Sherwood will not be leaving prison early, regardless of how unpleasant he finds life behind bars.
Albany County Legislator Sam Fein will again run in a primary challenge next year against Cohoes Democratic Assemblyman John McDonald. (He challenged McDonald in 2020 but lost).
Glenville officials fielded calls about a bear ambling through backyards. Their message: Take down your bird feeders and secure your trash.
The Uncle Sam Parking Garage will be closed indefinitely starting today — the second time in two years the city has shut it down.
A gas line rupture in Colonie caused residents to self evacuate.
Simone Biles said she did not suffer an injury at the Tokyo Olympics as the decision to pull out of the gymnastics team final shocked the world.
After shakily completing one vault, Biles briefly left the arena and then took herself out of the competition. Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Grace McCallum had to finish without her.
Biles said after the competition that she had hoped to compete for herself, but “felt like I was still doing it for other people.” She added, “So that just, like, hurts my heart, because doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people.”
Without Biles, the Russian Olympic Committee became Olympic team champions, beating out the second-place United States by more than three points.
Biles said she is withdrawing from tomorrow’s individual all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics, a decision that comes a day after she pulled herself out of the team competition saying she wasn’t in the right mental place to continue.
Australian gold medalist Kaylee McKeown was so excited after winning the women’s 100-meter backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics that she inadvertently dropped an F-bomb on live TV.
On her third try at these games, Katie Ledecky bounced back from the worst finish of her brilliant Olympic career and claimed the first-ever gold medal in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle.
