Good morning, it’s Tuesday.
Another cloudy and potentially rainy day is on tap – the perfect sort of day to engage in some aspirational travel planning, if that’s the kind of thing you enjoy.
If you’re anything like me, there are some obvious big ticket “must see” items on your travel bucket list. (Assuming I can get over my intense fear of flying). Places like the Great Wall of China, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, India’s Taj Mahal.
You get the idea.
What do all these places – plus another 1,153 others (give or take) – have in common? They’re all World Heritage Sites, which are being officially celebrated today.
If you’re anything like me, you are vaguely familiar with the concept of a World Heritage Site, but perhaps a little fuzzy on what, exactly, that designation means and how it comes about.
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area that is covered by a set of legal protections established and administered by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list of World Heritage Sites is maintained by the World Heritage Centre, located in Paris.
As of this past January, there are 1,157 such sites spread across the globe – 900 cultural, 218 natural, and 39 a mixture of both.
Obtaining World Heritage Site status is not easy. There is a lengthy process, and once an application is nominated by a property’s owners or representative, and the application is drafted (a one to three-year timeframe), the review can stretch over another 18 months to two years.
The site in question must have “outstanding universal value,” meaning it is so exceptional that it absolutely must be protected and preserved for future generations to enjoy.
Said site must be unique, geographically and/or historically identifiable and/or have a special cultural and/or physical significance. This covers a wide range of places – from ancient ruins and historic buildings to islands, deserts, forests…you get the idea.
In short, to raise to the level of this sort of recognition and protection, a site has to be either an example of significant human accomplishment (ie, the Great Wall) or a place of unsurpassed natural beauty (ie, the Great Barrier Reef).
Of the 167 countries with World Heritage Sites, Italy has the most (58), followed by China (56) and Germany (51).
The US has a comparatively paltry 24, most of which fall into the natural beauty category, though there are a few historic buildings – Independence Hall in Philadelphia, for example, New York City’s Statue of Liberty – in the mix as well.
New National Heritage Sites are added to the list every year, but no site can be listed without the approval of their home country. UNESCO, however, has the unique power to delist a site if it not properly protected and maintained. This has happened only a handful of times since the program was established in the 1970s.
There are a few people out there on the interwebs who are trying to visit every World Heritage Site and documenting the experience.
That’s a pretty significant undertaking, requiring a lot of time and disposable income – especially since some sites are very remote and almost impossible to reach without access to a private boat or plane. Also, some are unfortunately located in countries that aren’t terribly safe due to ongoing armed conflicts and other threats.
This guy, Gary Arndt, for example, sold his house years ago to travel full time, and he has only just scratched the surface of World Heritage Sites. The Wisconsin native is up to 410. You can live vicariously through him by visiting his website: Everything-Everywhere.com.
And now that I’ve made you insanely jealous and questioning your life choices, let’s get to the news. I’m sure that will cheer you right up.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden has signaled he will veto Republican-led bills on D.C. police and transgender athletes if they reach his desk.
Biden won’t support “efforts to overturn commonsense police reforms such as: banning chokeholds; limiting use of force and deadly force; improving access to body-worn camera recordings; and requiring officer training on de-escalation and use of force.”
The Biden administration’s climate change agenda has spurred a lobbying boom driven by mineral and battery companies seeking a share of billions in federal incentives.
Biden yesterday called Ralph Yarl, a Black 16-year-old who was shot in Kansas City, Mo., after ringing the wrong doorbell, the White House confirmed.
The 84-year-old white man who shot Yarl, Andrew D. Lester, was initially taken into custody by police and released. Under mounting community pressure, the submitted the case file to the Clay County prosecuting attorney’s office, who charged Lester.
A grand jury in Ohio has decided not to charge eight Akron police officers in the death of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man shot dozens of times by the police after an attempted traffic stop and a chase last summer during which he shot at the police.
After four people were killed and 32 others, mostly teenagers, were injured in a shooting at a 16th birthday party in a small city in Alabama Saturday night, residents returned to work and school with no official information about who opened fire or why.
A Washington County, NY man was charged with murder in the killing of a 20-year-old Saratoga County woman, Kaylin Gillis, who was in a car that mistakenly drove into his driveway this past weekend, officials said.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy began laying out House Republicans’ plan to lift the debt limit and curb spending in a speech at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday in which he tried to amp up the pressure on Democrats to negotiate.
Clashing with Biden, who has called for raising the debt limit with no conditions, the Republican speaker went to Wall Street to pitch what he called a “responsible, sensible” solution.
Senate Republicans are prepared to block Democratic efforts to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, ratcheting up pressure on the 89-year-old Californian to resign or return quickly to allow Biden’s judicial nominees to be confirmed.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who sits on the committee, became the most recent Republican to voice opposition to replacing Feinstein while she recovers at home from having shingles, signaling an uphill battle Senate Democrats face in securing a replacement.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is scheduled to return this week after a medical absence following a fall and concussion. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who sought treatment for clinical depression, also plans to be back in the Capitol, his office said.
Biden’s job performance remain negative across most of the country, including in battlegrounds like Arizona and Georgia that were pivotal to his 2020 victory, marking a stubborn continuation of his standing a year ago as he prepares to launch a re-election bid.
Closed-door meetings about when to roll out the president’s campaign are intensifying. Still, with no serious primary challenge and Republicans infighting, he feels little pressure to formally announce his 2024 run.
Tomorrow, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to formally announce that he is challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination for president. His vaccine skepticism gives him something in common with another candidate: former President Donald J. Trump.
Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe says the “only explanation” and “plausible assessment” for the COVID-19 global pandemic is a leak from a Chinese Communist Party-controlled lab.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. is urging a House Republican chairing the committee investigating the origins of the coronavirus to “respect science” and stop “targeting China” just days before a hearing is scheduled.
China’s economy rebounded in the first three months of the year after Beijing dismantled its heavy-handed Covid-19 controls, teeing up a revival in growth that is expected to buoy the global economy as the U.S. and European economies slow.
The Chinese economy grew 4.5 percent in early 2023, a sizable pickup from the end of 2022, when the relaxation of pandemic prevention measures led to a wave of illness.
The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Manhattan to highlight what members claim is rampant crime in New York City. But Democrats say the hearing’s real purpose is to interfere with the Manhattan DA after Trump’s indictment.
The Committee, led by Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, a Trump ally, held a field hearing near DA Alvin Bragg’s offices to examine the Democrat’s “pro-crime, anti-victim” policies.
With signs saying “No Sham Hearings” and “Enough, Lock Jim Up,” protesters engaged in a little street theater outside the federal building in Lower Manhattan. “This is a political stunt,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler said.
Mayor Eric Adams slammed Jordan and other House Republicans for pulling a “political stunt” and “hypocrisy” for the hearing held to examine Bragg’s crime policies.
A Manhattan judge denied Trump’s request for a one-month delay in the trial of a lawsuit against him by E. Jean Carroll, a magazine writer who has accused him of raping her in the mid-1990s.
Jury selection begins next Tuesday in Carroll’s lawsuit alleging that Trump raped her in a New York dressing room and defamed her years later when he denied it took place, said she wasn’t his “type,” and suggested she made up the story to promote a new book.
Embattled Long Island Republican Rep. George Santos launched his reelection bid yesterday despite being mired in scandals over false claims about his background and questions about his campaign finances.
“Good isn’t good enough, and I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done,” Santos said in a statement. “I’m proud to announce my candidacy to run for re-election and continue to serve the people of NY-3.”
Shortly before posting his intention to run for re-election to Twitter, he declined to confirm the announcement, telling a New York Times reporter, “I’m not confirming anything for you.”
As for Democrats’ response to Santos’ re-election announcement, Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle probably summarized it best: “Frankly, I can think of no better representative of the modern day GOP’s stance on honesty and integrity than George Santos.”
New York lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed yesterday to a 3-day temporary extension of state funding as an overhaul deal remains up in the air, but progress made on key issues.
After weeks of holding up the budget over her proposal to further tweak the state bail laws, Hochul and legislative leaders have reportedly all but finalized a deal that would give judges greater discretion to set bail in violent felony cases.
The move would clarify that for eligible offenses, judges are allowed to consider setting bail they deem necessary to ensure a defendant returns to court, after jurists complained about ambiguities in existing state law.
Thanks but no thanks. That’s been the message from unions, business groups and real-estate interests approached about donating to an advertising campaign backing Hochul’s budget priorities, according to nine people tied to the various industries.
Following a three-hour hearing, the state Senate’s Judiciary Committee voted to advance Judge Rowan Wilson to a full floor vote to be the next chief judge on the state Court of Appeals.
Wilson’s decision in a rape case did raise questions from Republicans and Democrats alike.
If confirmed by the full Senate today, as is widely expected, Wilson, 62, a prominent jurist who currently sits on the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, will become the state’s first Black chief judge.
Attorneys and legal experts cited the success of the Judicial Nominating Commission and urged lawmakers not to pass legislation to change the state constitution and alter the selection process, which they say will make it highly politicized.
A 20-year-old man was shot in the head during a drive-by shooting outside of the Bronx offices of State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie yesterday afternoon, police and law enforcement sources said.
Assemblyman Juan Ardila ditched a pro-bail reform rally at the Capitol yesterday before refusing to answer questions from The NY Post about sexual misconduct allegations made against him by two women.
For the first time in a long time, New York City’s real estate industry just spent a full calendar year working with both a governor and a New York City mayor to advance the kind of policies they want.
A listening tour is being launched by the Hochul administration for the public to provide input on how to spend $4.2 billion on environmental infrastructure upgrades around New York.
Lawmakers are lashing out at left-wing housing activists threatening to protest outside their homes for not supporting a plan to put most apartment units in New York State under rent protections.
A report released by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office found New York took in $2.9 billion more than initially expected in tax revenue for the fiscal year that ended April 1.
The state Education Department has proposed “clarifying” and adding limits on how and when students can be physically restrained or placed in seclusion in school settings.
Adams vowed to reduce emissions tied to city food procurements by 33 percent by 2030, unveiling data showing that in New York City, food consumption rivals transportation as a source of planet-warming gases.
“It is easy to talk about the emissions that’s coming from buildings and how it impacts our environment, but we now have to talk about beef,” Adams said of his greens for green initiative.
New data released by the city shows that 20% of the Big Apple’s greenhouse gas emissions are tied to food — the third largest source behind buildings, which contribute 34% of emissions in the city, and transportation, which causes 22%.
Two men were arrested and charged with conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government in connection with a secret police outpost they operated in Manhattan’s Chinatown, federal officials announced.
Citing a shortage of drivers, the Greater Glens Falls Transit service has altered and cut back bus routes in the city — and more cutbacks will likely be coming.
Inflation has hit the Capital Roots community garden program, with the cost of a plot rising from $30 to $45 this year.
State Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch denied a motion by Nauman Hussain’s legal team to delay the Schoharie limousine crash trial so that prosecutors could subpoena FBI Director Christopher Wray for details on an investigation into Hussain’s father.
McDonald’s announced tweaks to its Big Mac, McDouble and standard hamburgers and cheeseburgers, including softer buns and onions added to the patties on the grill. The chain is also adding more sauce to its Big Mac burgers.
Canada’s main public broadcaster said that it was pausing activity on Twitter, becoming the latest media outlet to refrain from posting because of the social-media platform’s policy on labeling accounts.
SpaceX postponed trying to launch its Starship rocket for the first time after an apparent problem with a component that often bedevils spacecraft operators: a valve.
