Good Monday morning.
If you are a carb lover, do I have news for you.
It’s World Pasta Day! This is not only a real thing, but it’s a deadly serious undertaking that was launched in 1995 by the World Pasta Congress. Yep. As of 1995, both the Congress and the Day exist.
Apparently, this is an opportunity for the world’s leading pasta producers to gather and discuss challenges to their industry – like the dreaded low-carb/no-carb movement, and the gluten-free phenomenon.
It turns out that pasta is actually a low-glycemic and good-for-you food. .(OK, don’t shoot the messenger here, I’m sure that big pasta is probably behind the science of that…but we can all agree that pasta, in moderation, is probably not nearly as bad as, say, deep fried, bacon-wrapped Oreos, right?)
Also, that only holds true for pasta that is made from durum wheat, which has a very dense and compact structure. By Italian law, dried pasta must be made with 100 percent durum semolina flour and water.
Reportedly, one cup of cooked pasta has the same amount of dietary fiber as a slice of whole-grain bread, and more than 15 different vitamins and minerals, including calcium, iron, potassium, thiamin, and niacin. (Who only eats a single cup of pasta, you ask? Well, that’s a different conversation entirely).
Also, the findings of a 2016 study published in the journal Nature found that thousands of Italians who had high pasta intake tended to have lower BMIs and healthier waist circumferences compared to people who ate less pasta.
Again, serving size matters here, as the average amount consumed for this study was just 3 ounces…again, who in the U.S. eats just three ounces of…anything? Right.
Of course, pasta also has the benefit of being more or less sustainable – it’s meatless! – and also fairly affordable.
A single serving has several grams of protein, though that percentage goes down if you opt for the gluten-free variety because gluten is, by definition, wheat protein. Though, you can boost your protein-pasta intake by going for something like…chickpea pasta. (I have never had it and therefore cannot personally vouch for it, but I hear it’s not bad).
If you know the Marco Polo story, then you’re aware that pasta did not originate in Italy. He brought it home from China, where noodles were made from rice flour and water. Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing pasta to America after returning home from a stint as serving as ambassador to France.
As I’ve said before, I prefer my carbs in bread form. Pasta just sits really heavily on my stomach. But don’t let my aversions stop you from indulging today.
It’s a good day to stay inside and eat some nice warm pasta, as we’re in for more rain with temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s.
In the headlines…
After weeks of feuding between moderate and progressive Democrats and his agenda’s several brushes with extinction, the President’s double play of social spending and a bipartisan infrastructure program may finally come to fruition this week.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed confidence that a deal between Democrats to salvage Joe Biden’s ambitious social agenda was “pretty much there”, paving the way for a possible vote in Congress later this week.
Pelosi, 81, declined to answer when asked if she planned to seek another term next year.
Biden huddled with key Democrats to iron out crucial spending and tax provisions as they raced to wrap up their expansive social safety net legislation before his appearance at a U.N. climate summit next week.
Biden hosted Sen. Joe Manchin in Delaware yesterday as the two sought to finalize an agreement on Biden’s domestic agenda, according to multiple people familiar with the meeting.
It’s unclear what the final price tag will be on the larger plan, but the source said that Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, has informed Democratic leaders he’s open to $1.75 trillion.
A new annual tax on billionaires’ unrealized capital gains is likely to be included to help pay for the vast social policy and climate package lawmakers hope to finalize this week, senior Democrats said.
Republican pollster John McLaughlin predicted that former President Donald Trump would win in a “landslide right now” against Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris because of their declining poll numbers.
The last Biden administration Cabinet-level position that hasn’t been filled is the director of the Office of Management and Budget — an agency that not many Americans are familiar with but is an incredibly powerful part of the federal government.
The highly contagious delta variant has evolved into an even more imposing version of itself. Dubbed delta plus, the variant of the variant is being monitored very carefully by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), its director said.
Children across the U.S. have returned to school in person and many daycare centers have reopened with vaccinated staffers. Still, a shortage of child-care workers is sending ripples across the U.S. workforce.
Some of the world’s biggest companies are betting consumers will keep paying more for products from coffee to toilet paper.
The U.S. was one of the first countries to begin vaccinating, and by summer, was leading most nations in getting shots in arms. Today, 87 percent of people in Portugal are fully vaccinated, according to the Our World in Data project at Oxford University.
Children ages 5 to 11 may be eligible for Covid vaccines by early next month, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, who projected a timetable for young Americans to be vaccinated with at least one dose by early November, and to be fully immunized by the holidays.
“”I’m going to empower the parents immediately to do what I know they know is best for their kids. That’s why we are working to get the vaccines in schools and in clinics,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for Fauci to be fired over a “lack of judgment,” contending that President Biden’s chief medical adviser lied about research the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded in Wuhan, China.
With the lowest COVID-19 infection rate among all states as of Friday, California, which has some of the strictest mask and vaccination mandates in the country, has managed to flip the script as the former U.S. epicenter of the pandemic.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he is looking to enact legislation that will provide a $5,000 bonus to police officers to relocate to Florida, where they can avoid vaccine mandates.
A mob of anti-vaxxers stormed Brooklyn’s Barclays Center yesterday as violence erupted at a rally to support Nets hoopster Kyrie Irving, who is refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran announced that he has tested positive for Covid-19.”
Quick note to tell you that I’ve sadly tested positive for Covid, so I’m now self-isolating and following government guidelines,” the 30-year-old said in a statement posted to his verified Instagram account. He’ll be performing from home.
The willingness of some workers to give up their livelihoods rather than get the Covid vaccine helps explain the country’s struggle to contain the pandemic.
These workers represent only a tiny fraction of overall employees, not even 1% in some workplaces. But it can add up to thousands of people in many states.
A member of a scientific coalition advising Puerto Rico’s government on the coronavirus pandemic recently joked about the island’s high Covid-19 vaccination rate, attributing it to the proliferation of drug store chains on the island.
Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto is urging others to get vaccinated after testing positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 booster shots were approved in Rensselaer County. The shots will be given out at health clinics beginning next week.
Rhode Island plans to create supervised spaces for users to inject illegal drugs – the first state to do so – in a big test of the idea that reducing harm to drug users is more effective than criminalization.
Hochul has hired a number of former de Blasio administration aides and officials to key position in Albany, including top spots such as state operations director, health commissioner and advisors tied to her 2022 gubernatorial reelection campaign.
Hochul was in Syracuse Saturday, posing with the Stanley Cup as the Syracuse Crunch are the AHL affiliate of the Stanley Cup champs, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Hochul announced her support for Syracuse mayoral candidate Khalid Bey at a rally marking the first day of early voting.
In recent weeks, state AG Tish James’ campaign team has made four significant new hires, most prominently Celinda Lake, the veteran Democratic strategist who served as one of the two lead pollsters for Biden in the 2020 campaign.
Multiple investigations into preferential COVID-19 testing that ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration provided for the well-connected have stalled, and individuals with knowledge of the practice said they were never interviewed.
The State Police shook up the leadership of a special unit assigned to protect the governor’s office after Cuomo was found to have directed the appointment of a young female trooper to the unit who later became a victim of his alleged sexual harassment.
New York’s powerful budget director Robert Mujica recently accused CUNY officials of misleading him about plummeting enrollment — and questioned why they’re seeking hefty hikes in state and city aid given the lagging figures.
A package of four bills meant to aid formerly incarcerated people in New York was signed into law by Hochul, her office announced.
Nationwide, advocates pushing to end certain civil protections for public officials are turning their attention to a New York bill.
The number of marijuana plants seized by police across New York has plummeted this year as many law enforcement agencies have abandoned their once-annual missions — often aided by State Police helicopters — to locate and remove the crops.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is demanding the state Legislature investigate the Suffolk County OTB’s controversial $120 million purchase of a popular Long Island casino from Delaware North, a company with close ties to Hochul.
The Daily News says Suffolk County DA Tim Sini, has proven in his first term to be a crackerjack prosecutor with the judgment to push back firmly on New York’s most naïve criminal justice reforms, and endorses his re-election.
Eric Adams, a vegan, meditating ex-police officer is on the cusp of becoming New York City’s new mayor. Which version of him would show up at City Hall?
A court decision to temporarily block Mayor Bill de Blasio’s controversial new retiree health benefits policy got a warm welcome from Adams, who promised he wouldn’t “traumatize” retired city workers when it comes to their health coverage.
Adams — who has landed in some hot water during the campaign over transparency issues in his political and private life — urged the city’s likely next comptroller, Brad Lander, to “audit the hell” out of his administration if they’re both elected next month.
Adams rallied supporters in Chinatown this past weekend as early voting got underway.
New Yorkers heading to the polls for the general election have the chance to make some big changes, with major ramifications, to the state constitution.
“Schneps Media wholeheartedly endorses Adams as the right person at the right time to lead the city to a robust recovery.”
If you want to run a fool’s errand, you could try to categorize to politics of Republican NYC mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa.
In a candid account of his long and complicated love life, Sliwa opened up to The NY Post about his four marriages and other rocky romances — including how he got into fistfights with bigots while defending his first wife, a Black woman, in the mid-1970s.
Ex-Rep. Vito Fossella’s attempted political comeback in the race for Staten Island borough president is one of the marquee down ballot contests in the Nov. 2 election.
New York City’s attempts to divorce itself from Trump could end up sticking taxpayers with a $30 million bill.
A judicial inquiry is set to begin today over allegations by Eric Garner’s family that city officials, including by de Blasio and former police commissioners, neglected their duties by failing to fully investigate Garner’s fatal 2014 arrest.
As Broadway shows resume performance after the long pandemic shutdown, some of the biggest plays and musicals are making script and staging changes to reflect concerns that intensified after last year’s protests against racism and police misconduct.
A foul-mouthed man who punched an 11-year-old girl in the face at a Manhattan park’s dog run was arrested Saturday, police said.
The Albany Diocese of the Episcopal Church came close to acknowledging Saturday that clergy in the church are allowed to perform same sex marriage. But a pastor blocked the vote with a procedural amendment.
Three upstate cities – Syracuse, Buffalo, and Albany – are among the biggest hot spots for rats — again.
A Buffalo City Hall agency that was raided two years ago by federal agents has given $20 million in funds over the past eight years to contributors to Mayor Byron Brown’s campaign.
Buffalo Democratic mayoral candidate India Walton picked up her second big endorsement in two days, as Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced that she is backing the primary winner over Brown, who is waging a write-in campaign.
Actress and 2018 New York candidate for governor Cynthia Nixon and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stumped for Walton this past weekend.
Hochul announced $8.4 million for two Capital Region homeless housing developments that are intended to create or preserve 148 permanent and transitional housing units for women and their families.
Mechanicville is playing a chess game against a beaver family, and the beavers are winning.
Schenectady’s Oneida Middle School will open for classes today after authorities concluded there are no safety concerns as a result of an alleged online threat made against the school over the weekend.
A knot of problems with Amazon’s system for handling paid and unpaid leaves has led to devastating consequences for workers.
In the days before the fatal shooting on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie “Rust,” prop guns used in the Western film accidentally discharged at least twice, according to people familiar with the daily operations of the production.
The film’s director, who was wounded in the shooting, told investigators that he had believed that the gun was safe and that it had been described as a “cold gun” in firearm safety announcements.
Baldwin practiced pulling a revolver from his holster, showing the director how he planned to reach across his body, draw the gun and point it at the camera, according to a search-warrant affidavit released yesterday.
An investigation into the incident on the New Mexico film set is ongoing, with Baldwin saying in a Twitter post Friday that he is fully cooperating. He also wrote that his “heart is broken” for Hutchins’ loved ones.
An “absolutely devastated” Baldwin is pulling the plug on his other work projects after the movie-set mishap that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Many elements of the incident remain unclear, including what type of gun was used, what type of projectile hit the crew, how many projectiles there were, who had prepared the gun for use on set and whether or not that person followed safety protocols.
