Good morning. It’s Thursday.
Last year I turned 50. In a month, I’ll be 51. I am not happy about this. But, as they say, I guess it beats the alternative.
Long before I hit the big 5-0, I started receiving pitch emails from AARP. I ignored them. I continue to ignore them. I’m just not ready to cross that bridge yet and officially admit to the world that I am old, though I guess technically I’m doing that right now?
Getting old is a reality for all of us. And we are living a lot longer than we used to, though life expectancy, on average, is dropping, which is rather alarming.
For the record, it fell to 77 in 2020, and then dropped yet again to just over 76, in 2021 – the largest decrease over a two-year span since the 1920s. (COVID, drug overdoses, and accidental injuries are largely driving this trend, FWIW).
Generally speaking, oldsters are steadily dominating the American population. By 2030, all the boomers will be 65 or older, and 1 in every 5 residents will be at retirement age. Just five years later, it’s projected that there will be 76.7 million Americans who are 18 or younger, but 78 million who are 65+.
There are a lot of societal implications here, not the least of which is the ever increasing demand for services – healthcare, housing, recreational, etc. – that cater to older individuals, who tend to grow more vulnerable as they age.
Around the word, the global population of those 60 years and older is predicted to more than double – from 900 million in 2015 to about 2 billion – in 2050, according to the World Health Organization, and abuse of this population is expected to rise exponentially.
Right now, about one in 6 people aged 60+ experienced some sort of abuse in a community setting over the past year, with higher rates in institutional settings like nursing homes, again according to the WHO. This problem was exacerbated – especially when it comes to physical and emotional abuse – by the isolation and lack of oversight that occurred during the Covid crisis.
There’s a whole range of elder abuse – from the aforementioned physical and emotional to financial and sexual. There’s also abuse through neglect. I’m not sure which one of these is worse…they all seem pretty terrible.
If you suspect elder abuse, there are a number of resources/hotlines you can reach out to. (Click here for a listing). A good starting point is to just make it a habit to check in on the older folks you know who might not have a lot of friends or family around them, just to make sure they’re OK.
Consider it a building up of good karma. Someday, it could be you needing a wellness check.
Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, designated as such by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011.
It looks like we’re going to get a brief break from the rain. It will be cloudy in the morning, and then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Temperatures will be in the mid-to-high 70s.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden vetoed SJ Res. 11, a Republican-backed bill that would’ve rolled back a 2022 EPA rule that set stronger vehicle emissions standards to reduce air pollution set to take effect in model year 2027.
Biden accepted the endorsement of major environmental organizations. The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, the Sierra Club, NextGen PAC and the Natural Resources Defense Council all endorsed him and Vice President Kamala Harris for reelection.
“If we don’t meet the requirements that we’re looking at, we’re in real trouble,” Biden said, adding that work of the groups “has never been more important than it is today. Together we’ve made a lot of progress so far, but we’ve got to finish the job.”
The backing of the four major green groups was no surprise, especially after last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included $370 billion in subsidies for clean energy projects.
Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert has introduced articles of impeachment against Biden for “his unconstitutional dereliction of duty at the southern border.”
Democratic senators advocated for an increase in the Labor Department’s budget to prevent abuse of migrant children during a hearing on unaccompanied minors at the border.
Fox News drew scrutiny this week for an on-air graphic that appeared to call Biden a “wannabe dictator.” In a statement, a spokesperson for the network said: “The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed.”
Biden and his team are in the midst of a high-stakes conversation with fellow NATO members on how and when Ukraine may join – a debate that could expose strains in the alliance ahead of a key summit.
Congressional Republicans have subpoenaed Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer, demanding he sit for a deposition this week.
Transgender advocate Rose Montoya is no longer welcome at White House events after posting on social media a video of herself and two others going topless for a time at Saturday’s Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn.
The former head of the House Intelligence Committee was spared censure by his colleagues for peddling accusations about the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election cycle.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is running for the White House in 2024, said any talk of pardoning former President Trump if he were to be convicted on the federal criminal charges he faces in the classified documents case is “premature.”
Trump’s campaign said it raised more than $7 million since the former president was indicted last week. Trump raised about $2 million alone at the first major fundraiser of his campaign, only hours after his arraignment in Miami.
First lady Dr. Jill Biden is emerging as a prominent voice taking on Republicans and Trump since his indictment – even as the White House has maintained a stay-silent strategy on the legal case.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges, says he’s seeking a “speedy trial,” “consistent with the public interest and the rights of the accused.” But “speedy” in the federal justice system is a relative term. It may be months before Trump’s trial begins.
Judge Aileen M. Cannon, under scrutiny for past rulings favoring the former president, has presided over only a few criminal cases that went to trial.
The former president is surrounded by people who have provided testimony and evidence to federal investigators. He’s not supposed to discuss the case with any of them.
In a rare bit of good legal news for Trump, the Westchester County district attorney’s office has ended a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization without bringing any charges.
Vineyards and apple orchards across the Northeast are still gauging damage from a late-season frost in May that wiped out a third to most of the crop for some growers who say it’s the worst frost damage they have ever seen.
Supporters for changing New York’s criminal justice laws have a to-do list for the state Assembly when lawmakers return for a brief, two-day session starting next Tuesday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is remaining silent days after lawmakers sent a bill to her desk that would begin the process of the Empire State considering reparations as a way to make amends for slavery.
Hochul said that she hopes to double the number of state troopers hired in New York during the next year.
As she presided over the graduation of 238 new members of the New York State Police, Hochul urged them to be part of an effort to restore trust.
The number of extreme risk protection orders and temporary orders has steadily increased this year, according to data released by New York state court officials.
Hochul said her administration would look into how such waterborne tourist attractions across the state could be made safer, after a tour boat capsized in a tunnellike cavern in western New York this week.
Target’s move to pull some LGBTQ-themed merchandise from stores following customer backlash “is wrong,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a tweet, while urging the retailer to reverse its decision.
James said she’s had threats on her life amidst partisan anger fueled by Trump’s legal cases and is concerned about lone wolf-style attacks.
The UJA-Federation of New York, one of the largest Jewish philanthropies in the nation, has appointed Daniel Rosenthal, a Democratic member of the state Assembly from Queens, to fill a top position at the nonprofit.
New York was a below-average state for its more than four million kids in 2021, ranking 30th in the union for the well-being of children, a study found.
As Mayor Eric Adams considers vetoing a package of housing assistance measures, members of the City Council are going to bat for their bills, setting up a potential legislative showdown among Democrats ahead of budget negotiations later this month.
The storm clouds over Adams’ young administration — a tsunami of migrant arrivals, yawning deficits, an ever-worsening housing crisis — grew darker after the resignation of his history-making police commissioner, Keechant Sewell, sources and experts say.
Adams defended the purview of Sewell a day after the NYPD leader resigned after just 1.5 years on the job. He castigated the press corps and accused them of fabricating a storyline that Sewell was undermined at the department.
A coalition of community groups is taking aim at Adams’ proposed cuts to some social services by launching a digital advertising campaign.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day announced a revised order meant to bar New York City from transporting migrants to stay within the county.
The number of office key cards used in the Big Apple last week crossed the 50 percent threshold for the first time since Covid struck more than three years ago, after weeks of it being stuck in the 40s, data collected by an office security firm shows.
Former Marine Daniel Penny has reportedly been indicted on a charge of second-degree manslaughter in the chokehold killing of Jordan Neely last month.
The district attorney’s office initially charged Penny with manslaughter in the second degree. It was not immediately clear whether the grand jury voted to indict him on any other charge.
A Queens man was charged with stabbing and killing a man during a dispute on a New York City subway train on Tuesday night in Brooklyn, the police said.
The Rent Guidelines Board is preemptively cracking down on protests ahead of a highly anticipated vote next week at which the panel could raise rates for the city’s 1 million rent-stabilized households by as much as 7%.
In a memo released Tuesday, the board announced a venue change for the final vote next Wednesday as well as a ban on “items that are reasonably likely to disrupt the proceedings, such as noisemakers and drums” — a move ridiculed by advocates.
Starting today, motorists will have to pay significantly more for parking at LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports — up to $89 a day for those who don’t reserve a spot in advance.
Samaritan Hospital is expected to close its maternity unit within six months, eliminating the only birthing facility in Rensselaer County, hospital officials confirmed.
Less than a week after announcing the cancellation of its hugely popular Fourth of July Fireworks spectacular over security concerns, the Village of Scotia now says the show will go on as scheduled.
The real estate holding company controlled by city Councilwoman Emily Menn, who is running in this month’s Democratic primary for council president, owes more than $215,000 in unpaid property taxes, according to city records.
