And exhale. We made it to Friday. Somehow. Not sure how that happened. But it did.
We’ll do a mix silly and serious today. Starting with a dose of history.
On this day in 1773, one of the most well-known political protests in history occurred at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts.
American colonists who were fed up with the mother country (England) for imposing “taxation without representation” on them in an effort to dig itself out of debt, took out their frustrations by dumping 342 chests of tea that had been imported by the British East India company into Boston harbor.
This was the colonists’ first significant symbolic “screw you” to the British as they chaffed against being unable to self govern. It was an act of defiance that rallied likeminded patriots across the 13 colonies to stand up – and eventually fight – for their independence.
This event came to be known as the Boston Tea Party.
There were actually a series of taxes imposed on the colonists by the British, starting with the Stamp Act of 1765, which impacted pretty much anything printed – from playing cards to newspapers.
And then two years later come the Townshend Acts, which expanded the taxes even further to include essentials like paint, paper, glass, lead, and – wait for it – tea.
Following the Boston Massacre, which started as a street brawl between colonies and some British soldiers and ended with six colonists dead and one injured, the British eventually repealed all the taxes EXCEPT the tea tax. (They would have been giving up a lot of revenue, as the colonies alone went through about 1.2 million pounds of tea annually).
FWIW, the US consumed over 3.8 billion gallons of tea in 2018, compared to 146 billion cups of coffee drunk across the nation annually.
The Boston Tea Party took place almost two years before the Revolutionary War began in earnest on April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord, but it did lay the groundwork for the uprising.
OK, enough heavy history. Onto the fun stuff. Today, for those who care about this sort of thing, is Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. (Also known as National Ugly Sweater Day, if you want to be ecumenical about it). I’m not sure where this trend came from, and personally I am NOT at all down with it. But if it’s your jam, then enjoy.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, OF COURSE, there’s an origin story to the ugly holiday sweater, and it dates back to the 1950s.
They didn’t really become a cultural phenomenon, however, until the 80s (like so many really unattractive things, sorry), thanks to pop culture touchstones like “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
We are now smack in the middle of a winter storm warning, which will last until 10 a.m. tomorrow. Says the National Weather Service:
Heavy wet snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 5 to 14 inches. The highest snowfall totals will be west of Albany and the Hudson River. Expect generally 5 to 9 inches in extreme eastern Albany and southern Washington Counties.
Periods of rain and snow will continue throughout the day, and temperatures will be in the mid-to-high 30s. Things are looking potentially pretty gnarly. Be careful out there.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden’s administration released more than 13,000 records of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, but it fell short of fully complying with the spirit of a 30-year-old law demanding transparency by now.
With this action, about 98% of all documents related to the 1963 killing have now been released and just 3% of the records remain redacted in whole or in part, according to the National Archives, which controls the JFK Assassination Records Collection.
“This has been a commitment of the president,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “President Biden believes all information related to President Kennedy’s assassination should be released to the greatest extent possible, consistent with national security.”
A district court judge stayed the Biden administration’s cancellation of the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy that forced thousands of asylum-seekers to wait for their immigration hearings south of the border.
The ruling marks a setback in Biden’s effort to end the controversial Trump-era policy, which sends certain non-Mexican citizens who entered the US back to Mexico – instead of detaining them or releasing them – while their immigration proceedings play out.
“It’s a common sense policy to prevent people from entering our country illegally,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted after the ruling. “Texas wins again, for now.”
As federal immigration authorities continue to release migrants by the thousands, El Paso officials and local charities are near a breaking point in the sprawling border city.
First lady Jill Biden, despite being so worn out from a recent circuit of White House events that she lost her voice, is now seriously looking ahead to her husband running for reelection in 2024. That’s a tidal shift from her position just three months ago.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer both described President Biden’s first term in the White House as “excellent” and said he should run again in 2024.
Congress cleared a one-week spending bill to avert a government shutdown this weekend, buying additional time for lawmakers to resolve frenzied negotiations over a broader spending package to keep agencies and departments funded through next fall.
The U.S. House passed a bill that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate.
The bill, which passed 233-191 with some Republican support, would offer voters in the U.S. territory three options: statehood, independence or independence with free association.
The Senate has passed the annual defense authorization bill, sending the $858 billion measure to Biden’s desk for his signature just before the year-end deadline. The bill also rescinds a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for members of the military.
Biden mocked former President Trump for teasing a “major announcement” that turned out to be a new line of digital Trump trading cards.
Money from sales of the digital trading cards, which depict the former president as characters like a superhero and a “Top Gun”-style fighter pilot, will go directly to him instead of his 2024 campaign.
Purchase of the NFTs gives customers a chance to win “prizes,” such as dinner with the former president, or a golfing excursion on one of Trump’s properties.
A group of 40 House Democrats, led by Rep. David Cicilline (R.I.), introduced legislation to bar Trump from holding future federal office under the 14th Amendment.
Trump unloaded on polling showing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis beating him in a head-to-head matchup for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump announced a series of aggressive and ambitious proposals to undo what he characterized as the suppression of free speech in the United States if he is elected president in 2024.
Democratic investigators on the House Intelligence Committee have alleged that US intelligence agencies may have lost a critical opportunity to gather useful information on the Covid-19 pandemic’s origins by failing to pivot its collection resources earlier.
In a report released yesterday, the Democrats also laid out perhaps the most detailed timeline to date of the litany of warnings the intelligence community offered the Trump administration in the early days of the pandemic.
Claudine Gay, the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, will be Harvard’s first Black leader, and the second woman to hold the presidency. She will take office just as the university faces a Supreme Court decision on affirmative action.
Three men convicted of aiding a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan in 2020 received lengthy sentences that could put them in prison for at least seven years.
U.S. stock losses deepened, after central bank officials on both sides of the Atlantic signaled they have more work to do to tame inflation and a batch of fresh data heightened recession fears.
The number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 211,000 for the week ended December 10, according to data released by the Department of Labor.
That’s a drop of 20,000 from the previous week’s total, which was upwardly revised to 231,000; and the lowest level since September. Economists were expecting claims to be 230,000.
U.S. retail sales fell more than expected in November, likely payback after surging in the prior month, while the labor market remains tight, with the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits declining last week.
November retail sales fell 0.6% from the prior month for the biggest decline this year, the Commerce Department said. Budget-conscious shoppers pulled back sharply on holiday-related purchases, home projects and autos.
An attorney disciplinary board found at least one misconduct violation against former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, although the finding is preliminary and nonbinding.
A hearing committee with the D.C. Bar Board on Professional Responsibility (BPR), based in Washington, D.C., said a disciplinary counsel that brought ethics charges against Giuliani had proved at least one violation and recommended he be disbarred.
Americans can order four more free COVID-19 tests through the mail. It’s part of the Biden administration’s plan to deal with an increase in COVID cases sparked by indoor holiday gatherings.
“We don’t want this winter to look like last winter or the winter before, and it doesn’t have to,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the White House Covid-19 response coordinator. “We need people to get that vaccine.”
Gripped with grief, anxiety and depression, many in China want a national reckoning over the hard-line “zero Covid” policy. Holding the government to account may be a quixotic quest.
State health officials are urging New Yorkers to get their annual flu shot, particularly those 6 months and older, after the state announced its first pediatric flu-related death of the season.
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, continued to employ her longtime chief of staff in spite of his “known propensity to sexually harass and to commit sexual assault and batteries,” according to a lawsuit filed by a former aide to James.
Sofia Quintanar, 33, alleges that James’ ex chief of staff, Ibrahim Khan, who resigned after being hit with multiple sexual harassment complaints, forcefully shoved his tongue down her throat at a political fundraiser in Brooklyn and James covered it up.
A Manhattan judge appeared to side with Andrew Cuomo in the disgraced ex-governor’s bid to have New York taxpayers fund his legal defense in a lawsuit accusing him of sexually harassing a female state trooper.
Dogs, cats and rabbits will no longer be sold at New York pet stores under a bill Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law that is intended to combat inhumane breeding operations.
“Dogs, cats, and rabbits across New York deserve loving homes and humane treatment,” the governor said. “I’m proud to sign this legislation, which will make meaningful steps to cut down on harsh treatment and protect the welfare of animals across the state.”
Hochul vowed she would do everything in her power to make sure there are ‘no new taxes’ stemming from the 2023 New York state budget.
“I don’t believe raising taxes at a time when we just cut taxes makes sense,” Hochul said from the Capitol, referencing this year’s property tax relief for middle-class New Yorkers.
Lawmakers are eyeing an early return to the State Capitol next week to give themselves a pay raise and potentially limit their outside income.
Hochul expects lawmakers would include a ban or cap on outside income if they return to Albany for a special session next week to vote for a pay increase, she said.
If the Legislature’s Democratic supermajority is to quickly move through a pay raise and limits on outside income, it could leave at least three dozen returning lawmakers with the prospect of having to give up their private sector earnings.
A bill introduced by Hudson Valley Assemblywoman Didi Barrett would create a mapping tool so local leaders can proactively pinpoint where renewable energy projects might best fit into their communities.
A “Buy American” bill backed by upstate lawmakers and a major union has county highway departments warning of soaring prices and a shortage of rock salt.
Hochul announced 14 new transformational projects in North Tonawanda as a part of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative Award.
The state revealed signage that will be used to help customers identify legal cannabis dispensaries as the state continues to crack down on a burgeoning crop of illegal retailers that have set up shop around New York City.
The “New York State Licensed Cannabis Dispensary” verification tool will be posted in the windows of legally licensed retail dispensaries, which are set to begin opening before the end of this year.
Hochul signed a bill aimed at expanding the state’s hemp market by promoting collaborative partnerships to identify more opportunities to utilize the crop and its derivatives for packaging, construction and other purposes.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced the creation of a joint task force to weed out illegal dispensaries, between the New York City sheriff’s office, the NYPD, the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protections and the State OCM.
Adams, during a City Hall press conference, said the legal weed market is “under threat” from the large black market and “counterfeit” sales flourishing throughout the five boroughs.
More than 600 pounds of weed was confiscated by the New York City Sheriff’s Office and other agencies as part of a recent two-week crackdown on unlicensed pot peddlers across the five boroughs.
Adams and his team are worried a steady flow of migrants to New York City will turn into a flood when a Trump-era immigration order ends next week — with the mayor also expressing growing anxiety that neither Hochul nor Biden have offered help.
Adams said he’s “extremely pleased” with his administration’s homeless outreach efforts in the subway system — even though recently released data shows more than two-thirds of the people targeted by the sweeps gave up their shelter beds within a week.
Local groups are known for opposing new development. But amid a housing shortage, one community board representing parts of Manhattan’s West Side wants to see a lot more.
Nine days after an audacious cyberattack struck the Metropolitan Opera, forcing its website offline, paralyzing its box office and hobbling its ability to sell tickets, the company announced that those services had been restored.
The Board of Regents wants all 4-year-olds to have free preschool by 2030 and then expand that to all 3-year-olds by 2035.
GlobalFoundries has started the process of laying off employees in Malta and other sites across the globe as it seeks to reduce its costs amid an expected drop in revenue in 2023.
Uncommon Grounds is now open in Stuyvesant Plaza. The location marks the coffee shop’s fourth location in the Capital Region. Plans to add the location have been in the works since July 2021, when the plaza initially announced the expansion.
Eleven projects in Troy will be splitting almost $10 million as part of the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
The 1 Monument Square project was left out of the $9.7 million in Troy Downtown Redevelopment Initiative approvals, but city officials said they’re discussing other state funding alternatives to get it built.
The average asking rent for a market-rate apartment in the Albany metro area increased $115 per month over the past two years, according to data collected by CoStar Group Inc. That works out to a 11.6% increase.
Saratoga Springs’ most expensive home is back on the market for $17.9 million. ‘Palazzo Riggi’, the palatial home owned by Michele Riggi and the late Ronald Riggi, was re-listed for sale this week. More here.
Garo Derian sold his self-storage business in Bethlehem’s Glenmont hamlet for $21.2 million, according to deeds recently filed in the Albany County clerk’s office.
A man who videotaped the interior of Village Hall has sparked the Board of Trustees to unanimously pass a resolution that prohibits videotaping and photography in the village’s office building without consent – potentially a 1st Amendment violation.
Cohoes City Court Judge Thomas Marcelle is headed to state Supreme Court.
Twitter suspended several journalists who have been covering owner Elon Musk and his tumultuous ownership of the social media company.
