Good morning. It’s Monday. Welcome back to the work week, unless you’re on vacation, in which case, color mew jealous.
I traveled for work this past weekend, and have a few observations to share:
- Flying has become even more miserable than it was prior to the pandemic. (I’m talking about the typical experience of an average person here, as I am sure that flying in private jets or whatever it is that wealthy people do is simply fabulous). The airlines – I’m looking at you, Spirit, though thankfully, I did not book with that carrier – are overbooked and understaffed. They’re cramming people into planes despite the rise of the Delta variant, and delays are standard. They barely even bother apologizing anymore. The airports, especially hubs like Atlanta and Detroit, are jam-packed. There’s a pandemic, people! Where are you all going? And a lot of amenities – like restaurants – are closed due to lack of staff.
- Americans suck at wearing masks. It really isn’t all that complicated: It covers the nose AND the mouth, folks, or it isn’t effective. But the vast majority of folks either can’t get the idea, or refuse to do so, putting the rest of us at risk. And there isn’t a whole lot the airlines can do about it. The pilot announced multiple times on my FOUR flights that it’s a federal mandate to have both your nose and mouth covered, and that if travelers refused to do so law enforcement would meet them at the gate. That never happened. People blithely went about spewing their germs everywhere – just like they always have.
I took a very long shower upon arriving at my destination, and also at home, where I am very glad to be and do not plan on leaving for some time.
It’s National Book Lovers Day. I happen to be a bibliophile – a person who collects and appreciates books – much to the chagrin of the people who share my space. My books seem to multiple overnight…or maybe I just keep buying them in my sleep.
Every few months I either donate them or give boxes away to strangers I meet on Instagram (this is 100 percent, true, BTW, I know some of you on whose doorsteps I dropped boxes or to whom I mailed out boxes are out there). Still, my nightstand is overflowing and there are piles of books on my bookshelves, which are sagging under their weight.
I also own two e-readers and, of course, a phone on which I can read and listen to hundreds upon thousands and books. And yet, I still buy them. I like the feeling of holding them in my hands…and also reading the bathtub, which is something that is ill-advised for clumsy people like tours truly who tend to drop electronics into water at the slightest provocation.
On this day in 1974, the highly publicized Watergate scandal caused Richard Nixon to step down as president of the United States…foreshadowing, anyone?
It’s going to be partly cloudy with a slight chance of a rain storm. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s and humidity will be about 70 percent. A proper August day.
In the headlines…
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide Melissa DeRosa stepped down yesterday as the governor faces potential criminal charges and calls for his own resignation over sexual harassment allegations.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve the people of New York for the past 10 years. New Yorkers’ resilience, strength, and optimism through the most difficult times has inspired me every day,” DeRosa secretary to the governor said in a statement.
Personally, the past 2 years have been emotionally and mentally trying. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such talented and committed colleagues on behalf of our state,” she continued, without mentioning Cuomo.
Her departure sent shock waves through Albany as political observers rushed to decipher what her resignation meant for Cuomo’s future. The governor has not left Albany since the report’s release on Tuesday as he conferred with advisers over how to proceed.
DeRosa announced her resignation the night before an interview with one of Cuomo’s accusers, Brittany Commisso, was scheduled to air on “CBS This Morning.”
“The governor needs to be held accountable,” Commisso, 32, said in a teased clip. “What he did to me was a crime. He broke the law.”
Cuomo’s lawyers launched an offensive against some of the women who accused him of sexual harassment while trying to paint him as a victim of a tainted investigation.
Chamber attorneys Paul Fishman and Mitra Hormozi along with Cuomo’s personal lawyer Rita Glavin attempted to offer a systematic and critical look at allegations laid out in the 168-page report, which they argued raise questions about its credibility.
Cuomo could face misdemeanor charges if investigators substantiate a criminal complaint accusing the governor of groping Commisso last year, the Albany County sheriff said Saturday.
Sheriff Craig Apple promised a “very comprehensive” investigation in partnership the Albany County district attorney’s office, but said it would be premature to commit to a timeline or say whether Cuomo himself will be questioned.
“We’re not going to rush this because of who he is. We’re not gonna delay it because who he is,” Apple said. “We’re going to conduct a very comprehensive investigation, and when the facts and all the data and the evidence is compiled.”
Democrats in the state Legislature confess they need a perfect impeachment to get rid of Cuomo.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee tasked with investigating Cuomo is expected to discuss its next steps for a potential impeachment today, but won’t likely draft articles or select impeachment managers.
Cuomo, who is widely expected to face impeachment proceedings that could get him tossed from office — and his lavish digs at the Executive Mansion in Albany — seemingly has no other place to call home.
In phone calls last week, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul sought advice on potential first steps in office, as well as whom to hire and which members of Cuomo’s administration might stay on if he resigned or was removed from office.
For Hochul, being marginalized by her boss might now be a blessing. She has forged deep reservoirs of political good will, spending much of her tenure on the road, highlighting the administration’s agenda and engaging in extensive on-the-ground politicking.
Hochul is a survivor who has a career of surprising political victories.
Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright, a Manhattan Democrat, was slated to host a $5,000-a-head fundraising for AG Tish James, but called it off after the Cuomo report was released.
John Oliver slammed Cuomo’s “irrelevant” defense against sexual harassment allegations.
Chris Cuomo “has a lot to say” and “should be grilled” about his brother’s sexual harassment scandal — but is being muzzled by top brass at CNN, network host Brian Stelter said.
Advocates are urging the embattled governor to swiftly sign a bill to increase funding for cash-strapped programs at special education preschools and private schools serving disabled kids, worried a delay could leave them without crucial services.
In non-Cuomo news…
Often elusive, the political center is holding steady in the Senate as a coalition of Democratic and Republican senators brushes off critics to push the $1 trillion infrastructure package toward final passage.
The Senate last night voted to end debate on the infrastructure bill, putting it on a glide path, albeit a lengthy one, to passing this week.
Final passage of the legislation is expected late tonight, or the wee hours of tomorrow at the latest, unless a deal is reached among all 100 senators to speed it up.
The bill is unlikely to have a big impact on growth in the next few years, economists say. Longer term, though, investments in highways, ports and broadband could make the economy more efficient and productive.
Biden delivered remarks on a potential infrastructure deal, the coronavirus pandemic and the July jobs report – but it was his tan suit that stole the show, just like Barack Obama’s did five years earlier.
Nearly 1,800 Americans directly affected by the Sept. 11 attacks are opposing Biden’s participation in any memorial events this year unless he upholds his pledge to declassify U.S. government evidence.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that he was hopeful the FDA will give full approval to the coronavirus vaccine by month’s end and predicted the potential move will spur a wave of vaccine mandates in the private sector as well as schools and universities.
“Mandates at the local level need to be done,” Fauci said.
Elderly people will likely need booster shots for COVID vaccines, Fauci predicted.
The entire state of New Jersey now falls under the CDC’s guidance for indoor mask-wearing, according to the federal agency’s latest map of virus transmission rates across the U.S.
The swift, startling resurgence of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations across the U.S. is causing corporate leaders to rip up playbooks for the next few months.
Tesla is telling workers at its Nevada battery factory they will be required to wear a mask indoors starting today regardless of vaccination status, joining the growing number of companies with such mandates as Covid-19 cases rise.
A year and a half since the first Covid-19 cases were identified, many countries in Asia-Pacific feel right back where they started.
The CDC recommending that students and faculty wear masks in school buildings. But the federal government doesn’t require it, leaving the ultimate decisions to states, cities and individual school districts, and causing confusion around the country.
Pediatric hospitals in Florida have become “completely overwhelmed” with young patients battling COVID-19 amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, a doctor says.
A federal judge has for now sided with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. in its bid to invalidate Florida’s rule that bars businesses from requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination from their customers.
Public health experts are urging more businesses and local officials to enact mask and vaccine requirements to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Lingering physical, mental and neurological symptoms from Covid-19 are affecting children as well as adults, including many who had mild reactions to the initial coronavirus infection.
With infections increasing once more, and hospitalization rising among older adults, health experts offer a timely warning: a coronavirus infection can look different in older patients.
Dick Farrel, a former right-wing radio host in Florida and anchor on Newsmax TV, has died of complications from Covid-19. He was a staunch and vocal opponent of the vaccines.
Obama was seen dancing without a face covering at his weekend 60th birthday bash in his luxury home in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Big Apple health investigators are conducting a massive phone blitz campaign to urge thousands of residents to get vaccinated for deadly bug.
The state announced the launch of Excelsior Pass Plus, a new way to prove your COVID-19 vaccination status that’s set to expand travel and consumer opportunities for New Yorkers.
Two weeks after Cuomo promised to fix the state’s beleaguered $2.4 billion rent relief program, the process is still a wreck, critics say.
New York City is transforming public spaces that have long been the domain of cars and may turn out to be one of the most important legacies of the coronavirus pandemic.
Diners are flocking back to NYC restaurants this summer, but owners still have trouble hiring, stocking kitchens and paying rent. And an uncertain autumn looms.
Sex abuse victims’ lawsuits continue to pour in as New York’s Child Victims Act nears its deadline to file.
Nearly three years after a limousine crash that killed 20 people in Schoharie, tougher federal laws governing limos across the country are in reach, marking a major victory for all of those involved, supporters said.
Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Warren counties yesterday joined Saratoga in having “high” transmission rates of COVID-19 – forcing the immediate Capital Region to join most of the nation in confronting yet another wave in the coronavirus pandemic.
All students returning to the Albany City School District can expect five days of in-person instruction, the first time an Albany school year will be fully in-person since the start of the 2019 – 2020 school year before the pandemic. Masks will be mandatory.
Albany suburbs are seeing a rise in diverse candidates for local offices this year.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan was joined by local elected officials, members of the Bar Association and community members at City Hall to swear in the newest city court judge, Ricja Rice, who fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Helena Heath.
The Frontier League has suspended Tri-City ValleyCats manager Pete Incaviglia and Sussex County manager Bobby Jones two games each for their altercation during Friday night’s game.
