Good morning, it’s Thursday, and there was NO WAY IN HECK that I was going to start off with anything other than…
IT’S NATIONAL DOG DAY!
A whole day dedicated to pampering and spoiling and lavishing love on Henry – more than usual, I mean. Unfortunately for him, he’s starting the day with a vet appointment where he will be receiving a flu shot (or whatever passes for that for canines).
But you can bet that he’s going to get a big treat when he’s all done. AND he will go to daycare and live his best life splashing around in wading pools and playing with his furry buddies.
I do not want to think too hard about all the poor pandemic puppies who are either 1) now facing the harsh reality of having to spend the day without their human companions because back-to-work or school is upon us, or (worse yet), 2) getting returned or given up for adoption because their human companions didn’t realize just how much of a commitment dog ownership really is.
The NYT says that the whole “people are returning their pandemic pets in droves” storyline is not, in fact, the case, according to animal welfare organizations. I am going to choose to believe this, even though other outlets are reporting just the opposite.
Also, I do not want to think too hard about the stranded dogs and cats in Afghanistan, who need to be airlifted out before the Aug. 31 deadline set by the White House for all evacuations.
Actually, I’ve seen quite a few stories along these lines, so it looks like there might be multiple organizations and/or individuals who are engaged in the animal rescue effort.
It’s worth noting that the entire month of August – of which we have a few days left yet – is National Dog Month. I might have mentioned that in a previous post, but Henry tells me there’s never enough attention for dogs, as fas as he is concerned.
And I always listen to Henry.
Speaking of dogs, please, please, please keep them inside where it’s cool – or in the shade outside with plenty of water – because there’s a heat advisory in effect again through 8 p.m. tonight. Heat index values in the upper 90s are expected. We’ll have partly cloud skies with the chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm.
In the headlines…
Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to appoint state Sen. Brian Benjamin, a Harlem Democrat and senior assistant majority leader, as her lieutenant governor.
The selection of Benjamin, who is Black, underscores Hochul’s attempt to diversify her ticket as she mounts her first campaign for governor next year, choosing a potential running mate who could help broaden her appeal in the voter-heavy New York City region.
Hochul is to be in Harlem at 1 p.m. today with Benjamin for a “special announcement.” The event is scheduled for the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. state office building, one block east of the legendary Apollo Theater.
Benjamin, 44, was first elected to the Senate in 2017 and has served two terms. His seat covers all of Harlem and parts of the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights. He also ran a failed campaign for New York City comptroller earlier this year.
Hochul added more than 12,000 deaths to the state’s coronavirus death count following allegations that her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, had intentionally downplayed those numbers.
A number of lawmakers from both parties are now pointing fingers at state Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, who worked under Cuomo and who was responsible for COVID-19-related data reporting, saying he should be fired or resign.
Hochul said she’s cleaned house and removed individuals who allegedly contributed to a culture that allowed for sexual harassment under Cuomo.
“I’ve surrounded myself with talented (people), particularly young women, and I want them to be the role models to others that this is a place of people who want to work with their heart and passion and bring good services to the public,” she said.
Hochul’s office is now undertaking a more extensive 45-day review of other administration personnel that may also consider those who were involved in decisions surrounding nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hochul vowed that getting New York’s budding marijuana sales program off the ground will be a high priority.
Hochul’s daughter-in-law is a top lobbyist at a pharmaceutical firm that has been actively trying to influence state and federal lawmakers.
Hochul’s announcement of a universal mask mandate in all New York State K-12 schools was welcomed by some, opposed by others, and not unexpected.
Three DA’s offices are urging the state AG to either to delay or withhold from publicly releasing transcripts and other materials from its investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, concerned that may “hinder” criminal probes.
After a snafu in early August, members of the state Legislature held a long-awaited hearing on how New York could strengthen its laws on public ethics, and change the entities charged with enforcing them. Much of the focus of the hearing was JCOPE.
Cuomo could be forced to return the royalties gained from his $5.1 million book deal if it’s determined that he violated New York law, the top official sitting on the state’s ethics agency told lawmakers.
State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt called on state Attorney General Letitia James to update the public on her investigation into Cuomo’s suspected misuse of state resources in writing and promoting his $5.1 million coronavirus memoir.
Sen. Liz Krueger has proposed a constitutional amendment that would do away with and replace JCOPE and the Legislative Ethics Commission.
The leaders of Time’s Up, the advocacy group founded to fight workplace sexual misconduct, decided against issuing a statement in support of Cuomo’s first harassment accuser in December after consulting with the governor’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa.
Sandra Lee and fiancé Ben Youcef landed back in the U.S. last night, waiting to return home until her ex, Cuomo, had officially left office
In non-Albany news…
Americans in Afghanistan are being warned to stay away from the Kabul airport due to terror threats tied to the Islamic State.
Facing an Aug. 31 deadline, the U.S. must shift in a few days from evacuating thousands of Afghans and up to 1,500 Americans still in the country to the job of loading the remaining U.S. military personnel and essential equipment onto the final departing planes.
U.S. officials acknowledged the reality that tens of thousands of Afghan allies and others at high risk of Taliban reprisals would be left behind.
Representatives Seth Moulton and Peter Meijer said they could not get answers on the evacuation from the Biden administration, so they went to Afghanistan to see for themselves.
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol sent a wide-ranging records request to agencies across the federal government.
President Biden delivered a sarcastic answer to a reporter’s question about the ongoing evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan — but viewers couldn’t hear it because the audio feed from the White House cut out.
The Empire State is ready to accept more than 860 refugees in the coming weeks as the Biden Administration’s airlift brings thousands of desperate Afghan allies to the United States after their government fell to the Taliban and forced them to flee.
The U.S. program to help tenants and landlords struggling with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is still moving at a slow pace and has delivered a fraction of the promised aid, data released by the Treasury Department show.
More people in Florida are catching the coronavirus, being hospitalized and dying of Covid-19 now than at any previous point in the pandemic, underscoring the perils of limiting public health measures as the Delta variant rips through the state.
U.S. Covid-19 hospitalizations have surpassed 100,000 for the first time since January, nearly doubling since the start of August.
Federal regulators are likely to approve a Covid-19 booster shot for vaccinated adults starting at least six months after the previous dose rather than the eight-month gap they previously announced.
Moderna has completed the submission process for requesting full authorization for its coronavirus vaccine for individuals 18 and over, the company announced.
Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are reporting enhanced disease-fighting response from booster shots, an encouraging development in light of vaccines’ diminished effectiveness over time as the delta variant has turbocharged a fourth wave of infections in the U.S.
The Pfizer vaccine is associated with an increased risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, a large new study from Israel confirms. But the side effect remains rare, and Covid-19 itself is more likely to cause myocarditis, scientists reported.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on his banning of coronavirus vaccine mandates by issuing another executive order “maintaining the policy prohibiting the mandating of any COVID-19 vaccinations by any government entity” in the Lone Star State.
Two weeks after the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, reported Covid infections in the state have risen nearly sixfold.
Delta Airlines pivoted to a more punitive approach toward getting its workforce vaccinated against Covid-19, saying unvaccinated workers will pay a $200 monthly health insurance surcharge and could lose pay protection for missing work due to the disease.
Health care workers who refuse to get the coronavirus vaccine could be fired under an emergency edict expected to be approved today by the New York State Health Department.
The vast majority of New Yorkers who’ve been hospitalized with COVID since January did not receive a vaccination shot before seeking treatment, new statistics from the city revealed.
The city’s likely next mayor, Eric Adams, scrolled through his phone for over five minutes struggling to find proof that he’s been vaccinated against the coronavirus — before he could get in to his own press conference.
Emptied out by the pandemic, most churches in New York City do not require worshipers to be vaccinated. Rules vary from place to place.
Though tens of thousands of people are millions of dollars behind on their rent, New York City rent costs are soaring and are now the highest in the nation, ,surpassing San Francisco.
Due to concerns about the Delta variant and a widely unvaccinated youth population, a growing number of parents and public officials are calling for a remote learning option in New York City public schools this fall.
The NYC Department of Education has again delayed the announcement of a date for the specialized high school admissions exam — testing the patience of parents and students preparing to take it.
Albany’s police officers are suing the city over a law that would give greater disciplinary powers to the city’s police review board.
The Upstate Conservative Coalition, which was to host a talk with Scott Presler yesterday, is seeking a new venue after its original location, the Saratoga Springs-Wilton Elks Lodge, received “nasty messages and threats,” said its political director David Buchyn.
Chick-fil-A wants to open a new restaurant in Clifton Park, near the entrance of Clifton Park Center, where new zoning rules could get the company approved before Thanksgiving.
The Board of Trustees of The College of Saint Rose announced that interim president Marcia J. White has been unanimously appointed to stay on as president through June 2023.Art on Lark is happening on Saturday.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s effort to close the troubled Cafe Hollywood for two years was dealt a setback when the panel weighing the matter couldn’t round up enough members for a vote.
Republican mayoral candidate Alicia Purdy and Cafe Hollywood’s owner criticized Sheehan’s decision to close Cafe Hollywood, saying it was motivated by the fact that the bar mainly attracted patrons of color.
The destructive spotted lanternfly has made its first appearance in the Hudson Valley.
A federal judge in Michigan ordered sanctions against nine pro-Trump lawyers, ruling a lawsuit laden with conspiracy theories that they filed last year challenging the validity of the presidential election was “a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process.”
Facebook has approached academics and policy experts about forming a commission to advise it on global election-related matters, a move that would allow the social network to shift some of its political decision-making to an advisory body.
An ABC News staffer filed a lawsuit against Michael Corn, the former top producer of “Good Morning America,” alleging he sexually assaulted her and fostered a toxic work environment.
In a show of defiance that has baffled Hollywood, Sony Pictures Entertainment has signaled that it will keep Mike Richards on as executive producer of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune”, though he lost his on-air hosting gig.
