It’s Monday of Christmas week, which translates into getting very little work done for most people.
The COVID surge appears to have put a damper on a lot of plans, though there are still reports of crowds expected at airports and on the roads, so I guess some people are still traveling for the holiday.
Me? I’ll be staying put, though this seems like a good time to mention that Rise and Shine will be taking a bit of a break between Christmas and New Year’s. We’ll be back on Jan. 2, 2022 to hit the reset button, and hopefully kick off a more hopeful, productive, and overall HEALTHY 12 months.
Don’t worry. I’ll remind you again.
I don’t think we need to engage in the Christmas countdown at this point. If you haven’t ordered your gifts by now, it’s safe to say you won’t be getting your presents in time for the big day, though UPS and FedEx and even the U.S. Postal Service have all been working overtime, I’ve noticed – much to Henry’s glee. He really loves the FedEx man in particular, because he always has treats and also lets Hen get up and sniff around in this truck cab for any lunch crumbs that might have dropped.
If you think of it, take a moment to thank the hardworking folks who are delivering joy to your doorstep, and maybe leave them a few snacks or a nice tip while you’re at it. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.
Santa isn’t the only one who needs fuel to make deliveries, you know.
Today is National Sangria Day, which I find a little off, since it’s usually marketed as a warm weather drink. In case you’re not familiar, sangria is wine mixed with whatever you happen to have on hand, usually fruit, juice, spices, a sweetener, and liquor.
The earliest versions of this fresh and fruity drink are believed to have been made some 2,000 years ago by the Romans, who weren’t always sure that their water was bacteria-free and so mixed it with wine – just to be on the safe side.
This beverage was called “hippocras,” and was sometimes served warm, in which case, it would be mulled wine, which feels a lot more wintery and appropriate for the holidays.
Sangria was popularized in Europe and didn’t really take off here in the U.S. until the 1964 World’s Fair in (where else?) New York. Spain’s sponsored pavilion featured the drink, and Americans reportedly went wild for it.
Apparently, under EU law, modern sangria must be made in Spain or Portugal and have less than 12 percent alcohol by volume. Ah, the Europeans and their strict terroir requirements. Gotta love that.
The big storm we were supposed to have over the weekend turned out to be something of a dud, at least in the Albany area. I am not at all sorry about this. It looks like we’re in for rain and snow showers on Christmas Day, but it will be dry until then. Today will be in the mid-30s with mostly sunny skies.
In the headlines…
Sen. Joe Manchin, a crucial vote in the narrowly divided Senate, dealt a stunning blow to the Build Back Better plan over the weekend when he came out as a “no” vote, which the White House said was “at odds” with commitments he made to the president.
“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation,” Manchin said,” citing concerns about adding to the national debt, rising inflation and the spread of the latest coronavirus variant. “I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there. This is a no.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Manchin’s decision represents “a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate.”
The wide-ranging legislation includes more than a half-trillion dollars in climate-related spending, the largest such investment in U.S. history.
House Republicans have begun mapping aggressive probes of the Biden administration if they win back the majority — including inquiries into the origins of COVID, a leak of IRS data about billionaires, and accusations the NSA spied on Tucker Carlson.
Biden will deliver a speech tomorrow addressing the omicron variant and unveil new steps the administration is taking to help communities in need of assistance.
The president “will announce new steps the Administration is taking to help communities in need of assistance, while also issuing a stark warning of what the winter will look like for Americans that choose to remain unvaccinated,” Psaki wrote on Twitter.
Francis Collins, the departing director of the National Institutes of Health, told NPR the United States could see 1 million COVID-19 cases a day. “I know people are tired of this,” Collins said. “But the virus is not tired of us.”
Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin swore she would only get vaccinated against COVID-19 “over my dead body.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci tried to downplay last week’s comments by Vice President Kamala Harris that the White House never saw Omicron “coming,” insisting the Biden administration was only blindsided by the “extent of the mutations” of the virus strain.
Fauci said Americans should be “prudent” if they plan to travel over the holiday season.
The U.S. is heading for “a tough few weeks to months” as the omicron variant of coronavirus rapidly spreads, Fauci said.
Two prominent Democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey, announced separately yesterday that they had tested positive with a breakthrough case of the coronavirus.
Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado also revealed that he has tested positive for Covid-19.
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis called on Biden to stop calling the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine a “booster” because of recent data that shows that a third jab is needed to adequately protect against the new omicron variant.
Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen (R), a vocal critic of coronavirus vaccine mandates, died Friday at age 52, the Associated Press reported, weeks after reportedly testing positive for the coronavirus while abroad.
Warren, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, tweeted that she tested positive with what she called “a breakthrough case” and has so far experienced only mild symptoms. Her 86-year-old brother died of the coronavirus last year.
There is currently no evidence that the new Covid-19 omicron variant is any less severe than the delta variant, according to the early findings of a study by the U.K.’s Imperial College London.
Health authorities in New Zealand have said they believe a 26-year-old man’s death is connected to a side effect from Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
More than 40 passengers aboard a Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas cruise ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Covid will become an endemic disease as early as 2024, Pfizer executives said Friday, meaning the virus will transition from a global emergency to a constant presence causing regional outbreaks across the world — much like the flu.
New restrictions were set in place in Europe in an effort to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus as a top U.S. health official warned that the variant is likely to strain American hospitals in the coming weeks.
Facing an alarming increase in pro athletes testing positive for the coronavirus, the N.B.A. announced that it would postpone five games, bringing to seven the total number of coronavirus-related postponements in the N.B.A. this season.
Harvard University students will not be returning to campus at the start of the new year due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, fueled in part by the omicron variant.
A record surge in COVID-19 cases, a sudden wave of major event cancelations and the specter of new mandates and shutdowns have dimmed holiday spirits.
Canada announced it is reinstating its COVID-19 testing requirement for trips of less than 72 hours starting tomorrow, just days before Christmas holiday travel.
Just days away from a holiday weekend, Americans are grappling with whether to change their traveling or gathering plans.
Covid-19’s accelerating spread has hampered operations and slowed sales at some companies in a matter of days, but many say they hope precautions adopted during previous surges will help them get through. Restaurants were among those immediately hit.
Supply-chain disruptions are threatening to rob some companies of holiday sales, leaving them short on packaging and transportation at a critical time of year.
Waiting times for Covid-19 tests are growing in parts of the U.S. as concerns over the Omicron variant, new infections and the coming holidays drive up demand.
Governor Kathy Hochul plans to bring the requirement for all school-age children to New York. However, the decision must first pass the state Legislature.
They do meet in January so our requirement for a vaccine would be in place for next school year,” Hochul said of state lawmakers. “It’s absolutely something we’re looking at very seriously.”
Thousands of state workers have been ordered to wear masks at work, prompting complaints across the sprawling workforce this week as the Hochul administration also moved forward with a plan to have nearly all employees back in the office by Jan. 3.
Hochul, in numbers released Saturday, reported nearly 22,000 New Yorkers tested positive statewide on Friday to eclipse the mark of 21,027 set just one day earlier.
New York reported its highest number of COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the second consecutive day the Empire State set a record for daily infections.
Yesterday marked another one-day record for COVID-19 cases in New York state. Of the 267,422 tests administered, 22,478 — or 8.4% — came back positive.
The Democratic leaders of both Long Island counties have joined with dozens of Republican officials around the state to defy Hochul’s private-sector mask mandate — and boost the ranks of renegade county governments to nearly two-thirds the total.
Hochul said she hopes fully vaccinated people can go about their “regular activities” and that she doesn’t want to go back to 2020 economic shutdowns that she said amounted to an “artificial suppression based on fear.”
Hochul said that she is planning to introduce legislation that includes a booster shot within the definition of being “fully vaccinated.”
After touring a vaccination center at Crossgates Mall Saturday and thanking the health care workers there, Hochul urged people to get a third vaccination shot.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and Mayor-elect Eric Adams delivered a joint address yesterday to promote vaccinations and booster shots to try and curb the current spread that has already delivered record pandemic numbers.
De Blasio said the city was weighing whether the annual New Year’s Eve ball-drop celebration in Times Square would be held as planned amid the Omicron virus variant’s rapid spread through New York City.
New York City is opening more COVID testing sites, de Blasio announced, predicting the omicron variant will drive a brief but steep spike in cases in the coming weeks.
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a gubernatorial candidate, says schools should immediately return to remote learning as the Omicron coronavirus variant sweeps across the city.
The mayor-elect of New York City wants his top officials to be emotionally intelligent, characterizing it as his “No. 1 criteria.”
As Adams prepares to take office, his support for closing Rikers appears to be on a collision course with his promises to crack down on crime and accommodate local opposition to the new jail sites. It is unclear how, or if, the measure will survive the impact.
Adams announced Friday that he’s appointing two former federal prosecutors as his chief legal counsel in City Hall and as commissioner of the Department of Investigation.
Adams is vowing to re-open talks to help bring New York City FC its own stadium — a message being hailed by Major League Soccer’s newest champs.
Queens Councilwoman Adrienne Adams, who secured the votes needed to become the leader of the 51-member legislative body in 2022, is lobbying the state to award a casino license on her home turf at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park.
In an early political setback for Eric Adams, Adrienne Adams emerged from a hard-fought race with the votes she needed to be council speaker.
Adrienne Adams is the first woman to represent the district that covers the diverse neighborhoods of Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village and South Ozone Park in Queens.
Outgoing City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has been telling friends and advisors of plans to start his own government-relations consulting shop.
The NYC Education Department is creating its first-ever division of full-time staffers dedicated solely to the needs of the 7,600 public school students in foster care.
Despite a bid to protect it from a contentious rezoning plan, the Elizabeth Street Garden in SoHo will be replaced by housing units.
An NYPD lieutenant has been transferred to a new detail after a scantily-clad rookie cop was caught on camera giving him a lap dance during their Bronx precinct’s holiday party.
A convicted cop killer serving time for the 1984 Brooklyn murder of NYPD Transit Officer Irma “Fran” Lozada was granted parole release earlier this month — and the officer’s brothers and sisters in blue are furious.
In next year’s June primary, lower Manhattan Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou will challenge a fellow Democrat, state Sen. Brian Kavanagh — in what she described as an effort to shake up “our same old broken system.”
Niou has been a rising star on the progressive left while Kavanagh has built a reputation as a pragmatic liberal who can get things done in Albany.
Voting rights advocates are pushing for the state Assembly to approve a bill that would ensure voters who cast affidavit ballots at the wrong polling place don’t have their votes entirely invalidated.
The council working on the beginning stages of a plan to dramatically reduce greenhouse gases in the state is looking into how reducing wood smoke could benefit the health of upstate New Yorkers.
By many measures, NYU is the worst or among the worst schools for leaving families and graduate students drowning in debt. Many of its graduate-school alumni earn low salaries, despite their expensive degrees.
There has been a surge in violence at Crossgates Mall in recent weeks, much of it attributed to teenagers who have randomly assaulted other patrons and are occasionally armed with guns or knives, according to law enforcement sources.
The Mechanicville City Council gave almost everyone – including council members – a 2.25 percent raise for next year. But two employees were singled out for much higher raises, creating uncomfortable questions.
Carmine James DeCrescente Sr., — beer mogul, saxophonist, family man — has died at age 94, succumbing to complications from a COVID-19 infection.
Buffalo’s mayor thinks the Bills’ new home should be outside of Buffalo in Orchard Park.
“Daily Show” host Trevor Noah has sued the Hospital for Special Surgery and an orthopedic surgeon following an alleged botched surgery last year.
Drakeo the Ruler, a West Coast rapper known for his offbeat cadence and jerky rhythm, was fatally stabbed on Saturday night during an altercation at a Los Angeles festival where several artists were scheduled to perform. He was 28.
Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis star whose account of sexual coercion by a former Communist Party leader ignited tensions and galvanized calls for boycotts of the Winter Olympics, has reversed her assertion that she had been sexually assaulted by the official.
