Good morning. It’s Friday.
I would say “thankfully,” the weekend is here. But I have a lot of work to catch up on this weekend, so it’s really an extension of the work week, mostly, though without the slew of incoming phone calls (I hope) and emails (ditto)…or at least fewer than usual.
Americans, as you’re probably aware, are very big on snacking, and also sweets. It’s a well-known fact that our sweets are actually sweeter, on average, than those produced in other countries.
We also decided a while back to declare war on fat, and in order to make foods from which fat was removed still palatable (at least those that are mass produced), we added a lot of sugar.
Since we’re on the topic, Americans consume more sugar than any other population across the globe. Our average per capita sugar consumption is 126.4 grams a day, which is more than ten times the lowest recommended daily intake (11 grams).
According to the WHO, one should have at most 25 grams a day for improved health outcomes. That’s just shy of 6 teaspoons. I challenge you to stay under that. Unless you’re existing on a purely whole foods diet, I’m willing to bet you can’t. (Read the labels and prove me wrong).
Some research has shown that sugar is a “gateway drug” – more addictive even than cocaine. Overconsumption can lead to all sorts of ills – from weight gain to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more.
And here’s where I make an unpredictable and probably completely illogical segue…I am not a person who believes is complete abstinence. Discipline? Yes. Complete eradication of all substances? Not usually, though it’s true that I don’t drink, but that’s more because I hate the way it makes me feel than for the detrimental impact it has on your body and your health long-term.
Life is short, and sweet things are, well, delicious. Moderation is key, and, in my opinion, if you’re going to indulge, make it count. The indulgence of choice for many Americans, as it turns out, is cookies. The average American consumes about three+ cookies a day, which adds up to 35,000 cookies over the course of a lifetime. Collectively, we scarf down about 2 billion cookies annually.
And not just any cookies, chocolate chip cookies, which are about as American as you can get, and came to us compliments of Toll House. (The world’s best-selling cookie, FWIW, is the Oreo, and I’ve got to say, I’d take a chocolate chip cookie – even a store bought one, over an Oreo any day of the week).
There are quite literally thousands of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. You’ve probably heard of Alison Roman’s infamous cookies that broke the internet…if not, you must live under a rock. Salted chocolate chunk shortbread cookies? Yes, please and thanks. (But preferably someone other than me is baking them).
I’m not entirely sure how I got from chastising you for eating too much sugar to encouraging you to go out and buy salted butter, flour and gourmet chocolate chunks by the pound. But here we are. Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!
There are deals to be had at participating stores, and if you happen to be on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, look for a giant milk chocolate chip cookie statue, compliments of Crumbl, which will also be handing out freebies while supplies last.
Today is looking kinda crummy (see what I did there?) from a weather standpoint, with the potential for severe thunderstorms and temperatures in the high 70s. Saturday and Sunday are shaping up nicely, though, with partly cloudy skies (which could also be seen as partly sunny) and temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s.
In the headlines…
Former president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he plotted to overturn the 2020 election before and after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The former president appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith.
The scene at the courthouse was tumultuous yet tightly controlled. Security was heavy as Trump supporters and detractors cheered outside. Trump flew in from his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., for the court appearance that lasted roughly 30 minutes.
Trump said “it’s a great honor” to face arraignment in the Jan. 6 probe as he prepared to head to Washington, D.C. for his arrest.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy falsely compared the former president’s “stolen” election claims to actions taken by Democrats Hillary Clinton and Al Gore after they lost their White House bids.
The share of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who believe that President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win was not legitimate has ticked back up, according to a new CNN poll fielded throughout July.
Biden appeared to make a dig at his predecessor, Trump, when he unveiled a brand new “Dark Brandon” meme.
The president called for the immediate release of Niger’s democratically elected head-of-state amid an apparent coup there. This marks the first time Biden has commented on the situation in Niger since last week’s military takeover.
A federal appeals court said that the Biden administration could continue enforcing its tough asylum policy on the southern border for at least several more weeks, while government lawyers appeal a judge’s order striking it down.
Hunter Biden’s business associate, Devon Archer, testified before the House Oversight Committee that he has no knowledge that Joe Biden changed U.S. foreign policy to help his son, according to transcripts of his testimony released yesterday.
Archer testified that Hunter Biden was selling “the brand,” and it was the elder Biden who “brought the most value to the brand,” according to the transcript. But he also said he wasn’t aware the president had engaged in any wrongdoing.
William Hochul Jr., Gov. Kathy Hochul’s husband, will leave the Buffalo-based hospitality company Delaware North on Aug. 15.
His role with the company has created several potential conflicts of interest for his wife Hochul during her time in office, but she says they are in no way connected to his decision.
Gov. Hochul announced $108 million for schools to support mental health and learning loss as a result from the pandemic.
The new state matching fund, the $100 million Recover from COVID School Program, will provide funding to create or expand programs to help students address trauma caused by the pandemic, prioritizing school districts with the highest need.
Hochul recently previewed a year-long celebration of the centennial anniversary of the founding of New York’s statewide park and historic site system to take place in 2024.
Howard Zucker, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s health commissioner — who backed the state’s controversial COVID-19 nursing home policies — has been hired by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A lawsuit filed by four military veterans against the OCM is the latest case in which regulators of the industry have been accused of violating the provisions of the law that legalized marijuana by prioritizing licenses for individuals with prior drug convictions.
Students for Fair Admissions won its Supreme Court case against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Now, it’s focusing on a possible new target: the military academies – including West Point.
The restaurant industry is an immigrant entryway into the U.S. job market and for some a launching pad for entrepreneurial success.
New York City will begin housing dozens of migrants in Brooklyn’s popular, family-friendly McCarren Park Play Center as soon as this weekend, officials announced.
Dozens of migrants who have been camping outside the Adams administration’s asylum seeker arrival center in Manhattan were given beds after some of them spent nearly a week sleeping on the sidewalk amid overcrowding in the city’s shelter systems.
The White House had still not provided any details yesterday of the liaison it promised to assist New York City with its crippling migrant surge — a full week after pledging to send help.
Former New York City Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich has reportedly been charged with corruption in a sealed indictment.
Under a bill passed by the City Council, restaurants will be permitted to continue offering licensed outdoor dining in pandemic-era roadside sheds — as long as the structures are torn down by Nov. 30 and only erected again the following March 31.
The bill, which has the support of Mayor Eric Adams, aims to strike a balance by retaining a popular al fresco program while regulating it more closely, allowing for the clearing of abandoned or ugly dining sheds.
Dozens of New York City council members have urged the Biden administration to step in and crackdown on bogus paper license plates amid a drastic influx of so-called “ghost cars” flooding Big Apple streets.
Four months after the dramatic collapse of a lower Manhattan parking garage that killed one and left five injured, the New York City Council is introducing a slate of new bills to address garage safety.
NYPD officers stopped Bronx honors student Nyeem Sophas this week in a police program touted by Mayor Adams to curb gun violence that civil rights advocates say illegally targets young Black men.
The disgraced ex-head of the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association tried pleading for mercy before he was sentenced to two years in federal prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the union.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will begin its long-awaited fare-beating crackdown next month on city buses — following $315 million in losses last year.
At least 13 people were hurt when an LIRR train with about 100 passengers on board derailed in Queens yesterday morning.
Penn Station was partially evacuated during rush hour last night as authorities investigated a “suspicious package” that turned out to be a false alarm.
Street vending is booming in neighborhoods across the city — from Jackson Heights to Bushwick to Kingsbridge — according to elected officials, advocates and vendors themselves.
A chemistry professor in New York lured at least three women to the Bronx from El Salvador, promising them a better life. Instead, he raped, sexually assaulted and sexually abused them, federal prosecutors said yesterday.
The esteemed Guggenheim has now joined the MET and Whitney — bumping up admission prices by 20% as museums across the country struggle to regain pre-pandemic visitor levels.
Pizza-review legend Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, gave Morrette’s King Steak House in Schenectady a rave review — 7.9 out of 10 on the signature beef sandwich with marinara and a “10-point-11 on vibes” inside the restaurant.
Union College announced it is changing its nickname to Garnet Chargers (from the Dutchmen and Dutchwomen) following nearly 10 months of exploration and discussions.
The National Labor Relations Board scheduled a Feb. 26 hearing on a complaint filed by a union against the Capital Roots nonprofit nutrition group over efforts to organize their employees.
It is now illegal to carry a gun while drunk or high in public in Saratoga Springs.
Brownies, a CBD store on Central Avenue, is poised to expand into a full-service cannabis retailer now that it has a license to do so.
A fellow actor has been charged with “grossly negligent” conduct in the June collision that caused the death of veteran Hollywood actor Treat Williams.
