Friday, thank you for arriving finally. Good morning, all.
Since this week took so much out of me, we’ll do a bit of a quick and dirty post this morning, celebrating two things I very much enjoy: Cake (especially of the chocolate variety), and exercise (specifically biking).
It’s kind of nice that the two things balance each other out. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing.
Today is Bike to Work Day, which occurs during National Bike Month (May) and comes at the tail end of Bike to Work Week (May 15-21). National Bike Month is, as the American League of Bicyclists states, is “a celebration of biking as transportation, as recreation, as essential to our well-being and everyday lives.”
According to the League, which purportedly masterminded Bike to Work Day back in the mid-50s, 40 percent of all trips in the U.S. are less than two miles long.
For a hop that short, cars don’t really make much sense – especially in an urban setting where parking is a challenge. Walking is an option, but that would take the average person just under an hour (unless they’re really pushing it, or have a very long stride).
Conversely, it takes about four to six minutes, on average, to bike a mile. So that cuts the timeframe down considerably – though again, in an urban setting you’re probably going to encounter traffic, pedestrians etc. Still probably faster than walking, though.
This is probably why bike share programs are so wildly popular.
Being a helmet evangelist (if you’ve been here since the beginning, you’re well aware of my habit of yelling at passing cyclists who aren’t protecting their heads), I wish more people who avail themselves of bike share programs would take the extra precaution of wearing a helmet. Then again, I so understand it’s kind of a bulky thing to schlep around with you all day.
Bike to Work Day is a real phenomenon. It has even been endorsed by the American Medical Association as part of its ongoing efforts to get modern-day humans, who have become collectively far too sedentary, to get off their keisters and get some exercise.
Perhaps you need a little incentive to get up and get moving? How about – aside from the health benefits etc. and so forth – the possibility of “earning” a little treat? Like, say, devil’s food cake? Yes, it has its own day, too.
Devil’s food cake is a richer, darker, and fluffier version of a traditional chocolate cake. It accomplishes this through the use of cocoa powder (sometimes Dutch cocoa) and extra baking soda – and maybe a dash of coffee or espresso powder to further deepen that chocolate flavor.
A standard chocolate cake, by contrast, usually employs heavier ingredients like melted chocolate, butter, cream, and/or milk.
Devil’s food cake is very similar to red velvet cake, except, of course, it’s not red. Also, a red velvet cake traditionally features a tangy liquid, like buttermilk, or even vinegar, which makes it a tad more tender.
As usual, there’s some debate about the origin story of devil’s food cake, but there is consensus that it is a wholly American creation. So put your patriot pants on and eat up!
The weather continues to be something of a mystery. Today looks pretty good, with temperatures inching back up into the low 70s and mostly sunny skies. But the weekend is shaping up to be a mixed bag, with cloudy skies and rain on Saturday and partly cloudy skies on Sunday. Temperatures will range from the mid-to-high 60s to the mid-70s.
I shouldn’t complain. It’s better than snow.
In the headlines…
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., introduced articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden over his handling of migrant crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border, which are unlikely to pass in a House that is deeply divided and with a thin GOP majority.
Greene accused Biden of abusing his power by “endangering the security of the United States and thwarting the will of Congress,” according to the articles.
Greene said at a press conference this will be the “first set” of articles she introduces against Biden, whom she said has purposefully failed to fulfill his responsibilities of the presidency.
New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman accused Greene of promoting racist tropes about Black men after she claimed to have felt “threatened” by his “physical mannerisms” during an argument on the steps of the Capitol.
For the first time in months, Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appear to be on the same page: The country cannot default on its debt and a compromise has to be reached to avert that outcome.
A G.O.P. demand to impose stricter work requirements on recipients of food stamps and other public benefits has drawn a Democratic backlash, underscoring the tricky politics at play in the negotiations.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and other Democrats are urging Biden to consider invoking the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to sidestep a fight with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling.
Biden arrived in Japan yesterday for a truncated Asia visit meant to bolster allies amid China’s growing military and economic ambitions. Two of Biden’s three stops were scrapped so he could return to DC for negotiations over raising the US debt ceiling.
Biden invited Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape to DC later this year for a summit with Pacific island nations after he canceled a scheduled visit to the country because of the debt limit stalemate in Congress, according to the White House.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Biden aimed to showcase the strength of their alliance ahead of a Group of Seven summit where topics will include Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Korea’s ballistic nuclear threats and an increasingly forceful China.
The U.S. announced a new sanctions package to punish Russia for its war in Ukraine, as Biden attended a summit of the leaders of the world’s most powerful advanced economies.
The Pentagon has significantly reduced its estimate of the value of weapons it has sent to Ukraine, freeing up at least $3 billion to keep Ukrainian troops supplied in their war against Russia over the next several months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Japan this weekend to address Biden and other G-7 leaders, drawing on this city’s tragic history as a backdrop for his latest plea to secure more military and financial support.
Biden and fellow world leaders were unveiling tough new sanctions on Russia as they prepare to hear in-person from Zelensky, who officials said was planning a dramatic trip to Japan as he continues to appeal for military assistance amid Russia’s invasion.
In a rare defeat for Biden on judicial nominations, Michael Delaney has formally withdrawn from consideration to be a 1st Circuit Court of Appeals judge.
Top Democrats are scrambling for ways to avoid a catastrophe in New Hampshire in which Biden may not appear on the primary ballot, ceding the first unofficial contest of 2024 to a fringe candidate.
Biden hopes to win reelection in 2024 by defending his victories in 2020 battleground states — but also expanding the map into states like North Carolina and Florida that Democrats haven’t won since Barack Obama.
Former President Trump responded to the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government’s hearing, claiming that he too is a “victim” of the “weaponization.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida all but declared his presidential candidacy, telling donors and supporters on a call that only three “credible” candidates were in the race and that only he would be able to win both the Republican primary and the general election.
Latest revelations from the special counsel’s probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents deepen a sense that a grave political moment is approaching.
Trump-era Attorney General Bill Barr says he believes the former president will be “very exposed” legally if he was playing “any games” with the documents marked as classified that were kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Timothy Parlatore, one of the lawyers representing Trump in the federal investigations into his handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has resigned from the former president’s legal team.
The Georgia prosecutor leading an investigation into Trump and his allies announced remote work days for most of her staff during the first three weeks of August, asking judges not to schedule trials for part of that time as she prepares to bring charges.
New York is starting to experience a slowdown in money flowing into the state’s coffers, a decline that comes just as temporary federal pandemic aid has largely dried up, and the newly approved $229 billion budget increased spending.
New York state’s economy lost more than 25,000 jobs in the private sector in April, the state Department of Labor reported.
Utility bills could be easier to pay for many New Yorkers under a package of bills advanced in the state Senate as lawmakers seek to address increased costs for ratepayers.
Judge Joseph Zayas was formally appointed the new chief administrative judge for New York’s court system, making him the first Latino judge to serve in the post.
The state OGS said it had determined through a “standard, thorough review” that a child care operation run by Democratic Assembly leaders in the Legislative Office Building “does not require a license or registration under its current operations.”
AG Letitia James said her office has reached a $4.3 million restitution agreement with a New York City-based cryptocurrency trading platform that she said charged exorbitant fees and failed to register with her office as a commodity broker-dealer.
The Hochuls’ use of a state-owned Bills Stadium suite reignited concerns from good-government advocates who have long taken issue with the set up, as well as a separate Hochul-negotiated deal to build a new stadium with significant taxpayer-backed funds.
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo regrets throwing his former top aide and pal Joe Percoco under the bus years ago — after Percoco’s fraud corruption conviction got tossed by the US Supreme Court last week.
Adams chided City Council members in a private migrant crisis briefing for treating his team with “total disrespect” — and then threatened to have the call cut short if any of the lawmakers struck a disagreeable tone.
Manhattan elected officials are asking Adams for detailed plans on the city’s opening of Midtown’s iconic Roosevelt Hotel as it prepares to reopen as an “asylum seeker arrival center” to handle the crush of new immigrants this Friday.
First the city tried hotels, then tents, then a cruise ship terminal, then school gyms. All this was met with resistance and opposition. As migrants have continued to cross the border, the mayor pleaded for understanding — and ideas.
State Assemblyman Brian Maher is calling for an investigation into a well-known veterans advocate — accusing her of lying when she claimed ex-military were getting booted from hotels to make way for the flood of migrants up north.
Sullivan County blasted New York City yesterday ahead of the afternoon arrival of a busload of migrants to a local hotel where a toddler died earlier this month.
City officials moved to close down the welcome center inside the Port Authority bus terminal where a bustling network of volunteers have greeted arriving migrants for the past nine months, advocates said.
A City Council bill calls for creating a licensing structure that would allow outdoor dining structures to exist in roadways, but only from April through November. Sidewalk cafes would be allowed year-round.
In the latest front in New York City’s fight against the proliferation of trash and rats, city officials plan to require restaurants and bodegas to set out trash in containers instead of bags.
The NYPD defended its overspending at a City Council hearing as the city continues to funnel millions of taxpayers’ dollars on overtime pay for officers and settling police misconduct cases.
The NYPD’s federal monitor has put the department on notice — giving it two weeks to turn over dozens of datasets and documents to the city’s police watchdog tasked with investigating claims of racial bias.
Family and friends will mourn Jordan Neely, who was killed aboard an F train, at Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem today.
The funeral is slated to begin with a private viewing in the morning, followed by a livestreamed ceremony. Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy.
Investigators appear to have identified one of the two men seen on video helping ex-Marine Daniel Penny restrain Neely during the subway confrontation earlier this month that left the homeless man dead.
A straphanger who witnessed the fatal subway confrontation between Penny and Neely earlier this month called Penny a “hero” for restraining the homeless man before his death.
New York does not require bystanders to act when someone is in danger, but the killing on the F train has residents debating when they should step in.
New York City’s public library officials said a potential “breaking point” may still be on the horizon — possibly ending Sunday operations and six-day service at several locations — despite a recent Adams administration about-face on another round of cuts.
The chancellor of New York City’s school system announced that the city has revoked its ban on the use of ChatGPT in public schools.
Chancellor David Banks wrote in an op-ed, published by Chalkbeat, that while the school system proceeded with “initial caution” concerning artificial intelligence (AI) programs earlier this year, they will now work to integrate the programs into the curriculum.
New York City’s population is continuing to flounder in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic — and most city-dwellers have flocked to southern states, new data shows.
Novelist Salman Rushdie spoke at the annual PEN America gala last night, his first in-person appearance since he was viciously stabbed last year.
The man who allegedly shot Kaylin Gillis, 20, when the car she was riding in turned around in his driveway has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge, with additional charges also added of reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence.
Southwest Airlines starting July 11 will begin offering daily direct flights to and from Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C.
One of the three city police officers involved in the November shootout on Broadway in Saratoga Springs has resigned from the department.
The City of Schenectady may hire a consultant to oversee a contentious and protracted debate around the fair and equitable distribution of nearly $15 million in COVID-relief monies to fund a variety of community and city building projects.
The Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center of Albany is looking for volunteers for an Alzheimer’s clinical study, putting an emphasis on the recruitment of people of color.
The president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority is retiring. Mike Pratt has led ORDA since 2017.
The Supreme Court ruled that Andy Warhol was not entitled to draw on a prominent photographer’s portrait of Prince for an image that his estate licensed to a magazine, limiting the scope of the fair-use defense to copyright infringement in the realm of visual art.
The armorer on the set of the “Rust’ film filed a motion to dismiss charges related to a 2021 shooting that left one person dead and another injured.
