Good Thursday morning. Two more sleeps until the weekend.
During our ill-fated and short-lived trip to the mountains of Corsica, we had a run-in with what I believe was a fox. I’m sure the whole story of this unfortunate undertaking will come out in full at some point, but today you’re just getting a tiny little window into the experience.
When a storm brought driving rain and howling winds to our campsite on the side of a remote mountain and flooded our lightweight tent, we sought shelter in a communal tent that had four picnic tables inside. Needless to say, between a wet sleeping bag and clothes, a sky-high anxiety level, and an uncomfortable “bed” of a clammy wooden picnic table, there wasn’t a lot of resting going down.
In between obsessively checking my dying Apple watch to see how much more time needed to elapse before the sun came up and we could pack the heck out of there, I heard a weird rustling sound from the far side of the tent.
I switched on my headlamp, and caught the outline of what I took to be a fox happily scrounging in the backpack that some unknown camper – not me or Steve – had unwisely left unattended on the tent’s floor.
The first thought that popped into my mind as I quickly switched off the headlamp and curled up at the furthest end of the picnic table from the animal was: “What if it’s rabid?”
Unbeknownst to me at the time, since there was no Wifi service available to check, Corsica is a “no risk” locale for rabies. France and other European countries are considered to be rabies-free when it comes to non-flying mammals.
But a healthy concern about rabies for those who spend a fair amount of time outdoors is warranted – significant anxiety is not, but we’ll get to that – as rabies can make animals act aggressively and try to bite, though this sort of behavior is not at all universal when it comes to rabies infections.
For the record, a rabid animal does not foam at the mouth, as Hollywood so often depicts. But they can drool excessively, which is probably how that widespread misconception was born.
First and foremost, what IS rabies?
According to the CDC, it is “a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal.” The virus infects the central nervous system and, left untreated, can be deadly. Any mammal – including humans – can contract rabies, though the vast majority of reported cases occur in wild animals, usually raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.
When I said above that it’s not necessary to get significantly bent out of shape over the possibility of contracting rabies, here’s why: It’s incredibly rare in the U.S., with only 1 to 3 cases reported annually.
Some 60,000 Americans get post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) (ie: vaccines) to prevent contracting a rabies infection after being bitten or scratched by an infected or potentially infected animal.
That said, the leading cause of infection is bats, which are the leading cause of the VERY FEW deaths that occur from rabies in this country.
If you come in contact with a bat, you should get in touch with a healthcare professional, since scratches and/or bites are usually small and could go unnoticed. If you can, capture the bat and bring it in for rabies testing. (Unfortunately, this requires removing the bat’s head from its body, and is always fatal).
Another high probability of the cause of a rabies infection is overseas travel where one might come in contact with an infected – and unvaccinated – dog. In New York, it is mandatory that almost all (except in cases where a vet deems it medically dangerous) pet dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies, and owners can be fined up to $200 if they fail to comply with this requirement and keep their furry companions’ up to date on this inoculation.
Today, if you hadn’t already suspected it, is World Rabies Day, which is a good time to re-familiarize yourself with the whys, and hows, and wherefores of rabies protection. Consider this a PSA.
It will be partly cloudy today – or partly sunny, if you’re inclined to be a “look on the bright side” sort of person – with temperatures in the low 70s.
In the headlines…
Speaker Kevin McCarthy toiled to build Republican support for a long-shot bid to avert a shutdown, floating a bill that would keep government funding flowing at vastly reduced levels while imposing stringent immigration restrictions demanded by conservatives.
The House and Senate are on a collision course as House Republicans have thrown cold water on the prospect of passing a bipartisan Senate proposal that contains additional aid to Ukraine.
President Joe Biden criticized McCarthy for heading towards a government shutdown, saying he’s choosing the speakership over the interest of the U.S.
The GOP-led House voted to reduce the salary of Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to $1, as right-wing lawmakers tried to transform a Pentagon spending bill and other funding measures into weapons to take aim at Biden, his agenda and his top officials.
Several of Donald Trump’s rivals stepped up their attacks against him in the second Republican presidential debate, urgently trying to dent the former president’s commanding primary lead during an event that often seemed like an undercard without him.
The seven GOP nomination contenders provided a handful of memorable moments at the debate, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley unloading what often seemed like the entire field’s pent-up frustration with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The meandering and at times indecipherable debate seemed to validate Trump’s decision to skip it.
Trump went to Michigan, aiming to capitalize on the autoworkers’ strike in a key state that could help decide the general election.
Trump tried to woo autoworkers in a rambling speech that took potshots at Biden, electric vehicles and Barack Obama while pushing culture war issues and fell short of supporting the core issues that have many UAW members now on strike.
The finding by a judge in a New York civil case that Trump committed fraud in valuing his real estate properties undermined the narrative of the business career that launched him in politics.
The judge overseeing the case said there would be no fast answers about the fate of the Trump Organization and its nearly dozen New York properties.
The judge overseeing Trump’s trial on charges of seeking to overturn the 2020 election denied his attempt to disqualify her from the case for supposedly being biased against him.
The Senate passed a resolution to reinstate its formal dress code, following bipartisan backlash to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision to nix the longtime requirement for formal attire in the Senate chamber.
The bipartisan bill from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney requires members to abide by a real dress code – not an unwritten custom – when on the Senate floor, that includes a coat, tie, and slacks for men.
Before the measure passed, Sen. John Fetterman said he would wear business attire when presiding over the Senate floor. Following the vote, Fetterman’s office released a brief statement that included a viral meme photograph of the actor Kevin James.
House Republicans today will hold the first public hearing in their impeachment inquiry into President Biden, starting at 9:30 a.m.
The inquiry will focus on answering four key questions related to the commander in chief’s alleged involvement in his family’s extensive foreign business dealings.
GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee released more than 700 pages of IRS whistleblower documents, providing ample fodder for the newly launched impeachment inquiry against Biden that will center on his son’s foreign business dealings.
Democrats were quick to push back, asserting that GOP lawmakers cherry-picked information that gives a distorted view of the allegations against the Bidens.
The White House plans to introduce a highly anticipated executive order in the coming weeks dealing with artificial intelligence.
A Montana man has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging he threatened to kill President Biden and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, both Democrats, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana said.
For the first time in history, Biden formally designated a week to honor educational institutions that serve Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students — particularly those from low-income, first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds.
Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, facing federal bribery charges for the second time in less than a decade, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom yesterday and pleaded not guilty.
Menendez, 69, wearing a slate gray pinstripe suit with a paisley blue tie, appeared at court with his wife, Nadine, 56, who is also charged and pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Menendez was released on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond by the judge, Ona T. Wang. Ms. Menendez was released on a $250,000 bond, secured by their residence in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Now that the U.S. government has stepped back from issuing Covid vaccines, long-term care operators have yet to start administering shots to protect one of the most vulnerable populations.
A proposed law would force states to recover billions of dollars from waste and fraud in the federal food stamps program that were ignored during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For many New Yorkers, the hunt for the latest COVID-19 vaccine has been anything but smooth.
In a surge of legal briefs this week, frustrated leaders from across the political spectrum asked the Supreme Court to revisit lower court decisions that they say have hobbled their ability to bring homeless encampments under control.
During a rare visit to New York this week, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott commended Democrats Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul for publicly pressuring President Biden to do more to alleviate the city’s migrant crisis.
“Let me be clear: I will not be taking advice from Greg Abbott,” Hochul fired back.
At first, Adams appeared to avoid addressing the Texas governor’s NYC visit, dodging reporters’ questions throughout the day, but later issued a statement attacking Abbott for using migrants as “political pawns.”
Abbott both defended his program bussing migrants from the border to sanctuary cities like New York and trivialized Adams’ complaints about the strain it has put on the city’s resources.
Abbott then slammed New York City Democrats as “inhumane” and blamed Biden’s border policies for the tragic fentanyl poisoning of a toddler at a Bronx daycare.
An East Harlem apartment functioning as a state-licensed day care site was being used by the son of the site’s operator to produce 3-D-printed “ghost” guns and parts for them, officials said.
New York City officials are offering conflicting counts on the number of Venezuelan migrants eligible for work permits, renewing questions about how the city is processing and surveying the more than 60,000 migrants currently in its shelter system.
Officials in Mayor Adams’ administration walked back the mayor’s claim that only 15,000 Venezuelans staying in city shelters are eligible for a newly expanded form of immigration status that can put them on a fast track to work permits.
New York City is helping its homeless and low-income residents move upstate — after a slew of northern municipalities refused to take some of its asylum seekers.
The Adams administration remains focused on getting New York City out from under its right to shelter laws, and a judge has given mayor’s team one more week to make its case.
Adams’ administration plans to disseminate new flyers at the U.S. southern border discouraging migrants from coming to New York City — but the leaflets contain misleading information on what services would be available to them in the Big Apple.
Brooklyn’s Democratic Party leader is dragging race and class into the city’s migrant crisis, claiming the wealthier whiter neighborhoods in her borough are not shouldering their fair share of shelters.
New York City is poised to become the country’s largest municipality to require that its fleet of vehicles produce zero carbon emissions in the coming years.
New York City approved just over 400 short-term rentals amid a crackdown on unauthorized listings across Airbnb and other booking platforms, according to new data released yesterday.
Hochul signed legislation into law that aims to help combat human trafficking in the state, her office said.
The state ethics commission conducted its first meeting following a state Supreme Court justice’s decision earlier this month that found the agency was created in violation of the state constitution and must suspend its work pending the outcome of any appeal.
The man accused of attacking former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin during his campaign for New York governor last year pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced.
New York State is prohibiting the purchase or use of facial recognition technology in schools, the state Department of Education announced.
Passenger rail service on Saturday and Sunday will bypass Schenectady and Niagara Falls on westbound trains. That’s due to a track reconfiguration that the CSX freight train service is working on west of the Electric City.
The director and all but one staff member of the Rockwell Falls Public Library have resigned and the library is closed until further notice, according to a message on the library’s website and a handwritten note taped to its front door.
A Schoharie couple is suing the town over the planned construction of a 540,000-square-foot warehouse facility next to their home.
