Good Thursday morning.
A few interesting things to note today. The internet is really a wonderful tool.
Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, which probably only means something to you if you’re Catholic – and also observant. It’s also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
“Corpus Christi” literally means the “Body of Christ” and refers to the elements of the Eucharist (AKA Holy Communion, Last Supper or Lord’s Supper).
It is a holy day of obligation in some countries, but the bishops of the U.S. petitioned the Holy See to remove three of the universal Holy Days of Obligation – Corpus Christi, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul – and to transfer the celebration of Epiphany to the nearest Sunday.
From what I can glean, the most notable way to mark this day is with a Eucharistic procession, which was once a very grand affair back in medieval times. Usually, the Pope presides over a mass and procession to mark this day, but apparently he has been suffering from knee pain of late and is unable to do so this year.
If religious observances – Catholic or otherwise – aren’t quite your thing, today is also International Day of Family Remittances, which, according to the UN, “recognizes more than 200 million migrant workers, women and men, who send money home to over 800 million family members.”
Though the amounts that are sent back by migrant workers can be fairly small, they do serve as a lifeline for many families living in developing countries, and apparently have increased five-fold over the past 20 years. These payments are collectively three times greater in value than any global development assistance formally provided to various governments.
And last, but certainly not least, today is World Sea Turtle Day, which falls on the birthday of Dr. Archie Carr, Sea Turtle Conservancy’s founder and “father of sea turtle biology.”
Sea turtles are the live representatives of a group of reptiles that have existed on Earth and traveled the seas for the last 100 million years. They live almost entirely in the water, as opposed to tortoises, which are land animals, EXCEPT when they come ashore to lay their eggs.
You can tell the difference thusly (other than the water vs. land thing): Generally speaking, though there are exceptions, tortoise has a higher domed shell, whereas a sea turtle is more streamlined for easier swimming.
Six tea turtle species are found in U.S. waters, all of which are listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act. Six of the seven are considered threatened or endangered, largely due to human lifestyles and actions.
Sea turtles migrate hundreds to thousands of miles annually between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Leatherback turtles are among the most highly migratory animals on earth, traveling as many as 10,000 miles each and every year.
It’s going to be cooler today with temperatures in the 70s, and rain showers in the morning giving way to cloudy skies in the afternoon.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden has demanded oil companies explain why they are cutting gasoline production in a letter viewed by Reuters, as prices soar to record highs right in the middle of the summer driving season.
In the letter written to gas companies including Marathon Petroleum, Valero Energy, Exxon, Phillips 66, Chevron, BP, and Shell, Biden criticized them for cutting back on oil refining to rake in higher profits.
“The crunch that families are facing deserves immediate action,” Biden wrote. “Your companies need to work with my Administration to bring forward concrete, near-term solutions that address the crisis.”
Biden ordered his health agency to begin efforts to ban conversion therapy and expand access to gender-affirming treatment after a slew of state attempts to limit transgender health care, particularly for children.
Other provisions instruct the Federal Trade Commission to look into whether the phrase “conversion therapy” amounts to deceptive marketing and order the Department of Health and Human Services to draft a “Bill of Rights for LGBTQ+ Older Adults.”
“I have no room in my heart for hatred and I have no time for intolerance, but we don’t live in a world where everyone feels that way, and this administration understands that more action is needed,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, who is transgender.
The order comes on the heels of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ move to end gender-affirming care for minors. The Republican governor also banned Medicaid from covering treatments such as hormone replacement therapies and sex reassignment surgery.
Biden announced another $1 billion in weapons for Ukraine, including anti-ship systems, artillery rockets and rounds for howitzers.
Western officials and arms experts caution that flooding the battlefield with advanced weapons is far slower and more difficult than it sounds, facing obstacles in manufacturing, delivery, training and compatibility — and in avoiding depletion of Western arsenals.
The leaders of France, Germany and Italy traveled to Ukraine today and will meet with the president for the first time since Russia’s invasion began in February.
The Federal Reserve launched its biggest broadside yet against inflation, raising benchmark interest rates three-quarters of a percentage point in a move that equates to the most aggressive hike since 1994.
Ending weeks of speculation, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee took the level of its benchmark funds rate to a range of 1.5%-1.75%, the highest since just before the Covid pandemic began in March 2020.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank broke from plans to hike rates at a slightly slower pace this month after late-breaking inflation data alarmed top officials.
The Jan. 6 committee released video of a pro-Trump congressman’s tour of the Capitol complex the day before the violent attack — and demanded answers from the lawmaker yesterday.
The panel released surveillance video of a tour of parts of the Capitol complex conducted by Representative Barry Loudermilk, Republican of Georgia, a day before the violence.
A lawyer advising President Donald Trump claimed in an email after Election Day 2020 to have insight into a “heated fight” among the Supreme Court justices over whether to hear arguments about the president’s efforts to overturn his defeat at the polls.
The benefits to America’s youngest children from COVID-19 vaccines far outweigh the negatives, an outside group of FDA advisors said.
Babies, toddlers and preschoolers appear on the verge of finally getting cleared to receive them after an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to recommend the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the group.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, 81, tested positive for COVID yesterday morning and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Fauci was positive on a rapid antigen test, the agency said in a statement. It added that he is fully vaccinated against the virus and has been boosted twice.
Florida is the only state in the nation that has not placed an order with the federal government for doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for young children, saying the distribution process is “convoluted.”
Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid isn’t effective for people who are vaccinated and healthy.
The WHO will meet next week to pick a new name for the pathogen known as monkeypox after a group of scientists noted that its current appellation appears to link the virus to Africa, which is inaccurate, not to mention discriminatory.
The WHO’s top official in Europe called for urgent action by the authorities and civic groups to control fast-rising cases of monkeypox that he said posed a real risk to public health.
Payton Gendron, the 18-year-old white man accused of hunting and killing 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket last month, could face the death penalty.
Gendron was charged with federal hate crimes and weapons violations, in a complaint that included new details about the depth of his racist hatred.
The Justice Department charged Gendron with 26 counts of hate crimes and a firearms offense that carries the potential penalty of death, even as Attorney General Merrick Garland has put a moratorium on federal executions.
Mayor Eric Adams has officially backed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s bid for a full term in office, boosting the front-runner’s campaign less than two weeks before the June 28 primary.
The relationship between the two marks a shift from that of their two predecessors — Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio — whose rivalry and squabbles often slowed decision-making and came at the detriment of city residents.
There are less than two weeks left before the Democratic primary in the race for New York governor — and with early voting starting this weekend, each of the candidates is looking for a boost in tonight’s debate.
New York state will provide $3.3 million to fund summer jobs for disadvantaged youth on Long Island and around the state, Hochul announced.
Hochul was on vote-rich Long Island yesterday to highlight agreements inked more than two months ago for pre-Kindergarten and day care funding, as well as property tax relief.
Two of New York’s largest labor unions are endorsing Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado’s campaign just in time for his first and only debate performance before Election Day.
Delgado fended off attacks from progressive activist Ana Maria Archila in the only televised debate ahead of the June 28 Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Harry Wilson is walking back claims that fellow contender Rep. Lee Zeldin asked him to join his “ticket.”
Rep. Mondaire Jones used a congressional COVID rule to assign another lawmaker to vote for him on more than a dozen bills in the House of Representatives — while he partied on the French Riviera at HBO star Issa Rae’s lavish wedding.
Republicans are trolling former Mayor Bill de Blasio as he makes a congressional run with various embarrassing animal incidents during his term — including his fatal dropping of “Staten Island Chuck” on Groundhog Day.
State Education Department Commissioner Betty Rosa accused North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik of dabbling in conspiracies with her questions about critical race theory, but the congresswoman countered the schools boss has yet to fully address her concerns.
State lawmakers will hold a hearing next week to address concerns about Hochul’s controversial plan to use the tax revenues from 10 new skyscrapers to fund renovations at Penn Station.
The deans of New York’s 15 accredited law schools announced a rigorous vetting process to select nominees for the state’s new 11-member Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, which was created to overhaul the existing state ethics panel.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a frequent critic of moderate Democrats in her own party, has accused the speaker of the New York City Council of playing “dirty politics” against several progressive Democrats.
Ocasio-Cortez continued to battle the mainstream wing of her own party ahead of this month’s New York primaries, railing against lawmakers that support increased police funding in a tweet last night.
In rolling out his housing plan this week, Adams has refused to offer a target for how many affordable apartment units he would like to see developed in the city over a given time frame, contending it’s counterproductive to be “throwing out numbers” like that.
Adams maintained his vague new housing plan doesn’t include a targeted goal for a number of apartments created — because he followed advice from housing activists and homeless New Yorkers.
Adams blamed a reduction in the city’s swimming programs on a “national lifeguard shortage”, but said he’s still searching for ways to ensure swimming lessons are available to city kids this summer.
City Councilman Erik Bottcher plans to introduce a bill today that would require the city to pay for mental health clinicians at homeless shelters that serve parents and children.
Ghislaine Maxwell, in a plea for mercy two weeks before she is to be sentenced in her sex-trafficking case, blamed her actions on parental cruelty and on her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, whom she was accused of helping recruit and abuse underage girls.
The John Hinckley Jr. concert in Brooklyn, an oddity that was scheduled to feature the music of a man best known for trying to kill a U.S. president, was canceled by the venue, which cited fears of a backlash in a “dangerously radicalized, reactionary climate.”
A notorious 1980s Brooklyn drug kingpin serving a minimum 75-year prison term on a double murder rap won a step toward freedom when a judge tossed his conviction.
Enrollment losses in New York City public schools are even sharper than the city initially predicted, according to new data released yesterday.
Members of the Sheriff’s Department towed away a dozen brightly colored trucks, from which pot edibles and joints were allegedly being sold at the Crossroads of the World.
The Bethlehem Town Board moved forward last week with purchasing hundreds of acres of farmland for agricultural protection purposes, one of the largest local municipal farmland protection actions ever done in the Hudson Valley.
State investigators charged a Brunswick man with swindling more than $17,000 in unemployment benefits — even as he worked as a supervisor at the state Department of Taxation and Finance.
The Albany County Legislature is considering legislation that would add a printed warning to every firearm purchase in the county, a move that comes in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas.
A controversial development proposal along Saratoga Lake is drawing renewed public fire.
Record rainfall and mudslides forced closures at Yellowstone just as tourism season ramped up. Virtually none of America’s national parks are untouched by extreme weather and climate change.
