Good Monday morning.
In case you are one of those ambitious yet slightly nutty people who plan to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd – or even maybe just a handful – it will either freak you out completely or fill you with delight to know that we are less than two weeks out (10 days, to be exact) from the big meal.
By this time, you have likely given thought to the menu and delegated the dishes that you don’t want to make. (Being deliberate about this is always a good idea if you don’t want to end up with, say, five pumpkin pies – though personally, I wouldn’t be terribly sad about that, and I think pies do freeze well).
You shouldn’t start your actual food shopping for at least another few days, though hopefully you already pre-ordered your turkey. If it’s frozen, the defrosting process can officially begin (in the fridge, assuming you’ve cleared out enough space) when you’re six days out from the holiday.
I am not, for the record, cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I don’t have any desire to do so, and neither does anyone else in my immediate family. We are going out for T-Day, and this suits me just fine.
I’m mostly looking forward to taking some time off and spending it with my family – furry and otherwise. This is about the moment when I start feeling really overwhelmed and looking forward to the turn of the year when I can start things afresh.
I am going to try mightily during the Thanksgiving break NOT to turn on the computer – a pledge I usually fail horribly at making good on (exhibit A: It’s a lovely – though brisk – November Saturday afternoon and I’m pre-typing this post).
I do a lot of writing. Sometimes I wonder just how many words I have composed in the 51+ years I’ve been on the planet. Hundreds of thousands, easily. I spent the bulk of my time communicating (or trying to) – both verbally and via the written word.
Every once in a while, some well-meaning person will suggest that I write a book. Every time I go to the bookstore, which is admittedly a lot less than I used to, and I see all the remaindered books that they can barely give away, I am reminded of why I don’t take anyone up on that offer.
There are a lot of political memoirs, novels, biographies, analyses etc. of varying lengths and qualities in the world already. I can’t imagine that I would have anything of actual substance to add.
I also just don’t have the discipline. Now, you might find this surprising, because clearly I am sufficiently motivated to get up every day at the crack of dawn and bang out these bon mots that land in your respective in-boxes on the regular.
Just this morning missive – on my more verbose days – is apparently more than the daily requirement that Ernest Hemingway held himself to (500 words), but less than what Stephen King, one of the literary world’s most prolific authors writes (2,000 words).
This means King is churning out, on average, about 60,000 words a month, which is A LOT of words, but also just shy of the 50,000 participants agree to pen during National Novel Writing Month (AKA: NaNoWriMo).
So, 50,000 is a pretty daunting number, when you look at it head on. But when you consider that November has 30 days – including eight weekend days and the Thanksgiving holiday – and you divide 50,000 by 30, it breaks down to just 1,666 words a day, which is really pretty reasonable.
The trick, though, is consistency. You can’t skip a day, because that word tally will start to creep up on you pretty quickly. Never fear, though. It turns out that NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that “believes in the transformational power of creativity” and has lots of tips, tricks, and tools to help writers along.
The history of National Novel Writing Month, which started in 1999 in -where else? – San Francisco, is worth a read. Some fairly well-known novelists have participated, and the website helps keep you on track by counting your words. (Like a Fitbit for writers, as they say).
Since we’re already at Nov. 13, we are officially 21,658 words behind schedule, which is a big number So, I’m thinking maybe next year. Something to aspire to. That gives me plenty of time to try to come up with a plot for a novel, or maybe resurrect that political crime thriller I’ve been toying with for years.
Nothing really to write home about (see what I did there?) when it comes to the weather forecast. A typical mid-November day is on tap with temperatures in the mid-40s and cloudy skies.
In the headlines…
The United States stepped up attacks on armed groups in Syria over the weekend, while Israel continued to strike a militia in Lebanon, in a reminder of the risk of a wider conflict as Israel pushes deeper into the Gaza Strip in its fight against Hamas.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said that Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City was “no longer operational,” as power outages and shortages of fuel continued to wreak havoc on Gaza’s health facilities amid raging battles between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that the Israeli Army was the only force that could take military responsibility for Gaza after the war and guarantee his country’s security.
Netanyahu claimed on CNN that Hamas is only calling for humanitarian pauses in Gaza to let up the fighting against the group.
Israel is looking ahead to a long-term plan for Gaza and is discussing the issue with the United States, according to Ambassador Michael Herzog.
The Biden administration has received stark warnings from American diplomats in the Arab world that its strong support for Israel’s destructive and deadly military campaign in Gaza “is losing us Arab publics for a generation.”
A half a million people packed the streets of London Saturday in a Pro-Palestine protest that was among the largest demonstrations ever held in the city, while a group of Americans staked out Biden’s home in Delaware.
More than 100,000 demonstrators in Paris and cities across France took to the streets yesterday to show their solidarity with the country’s Jews and to deplore antisemitic acts that have multiplied across the nation since Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Chris Christie said he wanted to “capture the brutality” with his “own eyes” as the former New Jersey governor became the first 2024 Republican aspirant to tour Israel since the bloody Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas.
The former New Jersey governor and chief G.O.P. antagonist to the former president cited Donald Trump’s rhetoric of intolerance and faulted him for a lack of ambition on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod warned that Biden’s “age issue” was consistent in polling and added that it was the “one thing” they can’t reverse, “no matter how effective” the president is behind the scenes.
With the U.S. facing increasing involvement in two wars, Biden addressed current and former service members at Veterans Day ceremonies Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery.
When the clatter of someone tripping interrupted Biden’s remarks at a recent Illinois event, he paused and asked, “You OK? I want the press to know that wasn’t me.”
When Biden meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, there will be no such thing as a small detail.
The talks aren’t likely to produce a major thaw in the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship. Instead, the fact that the meeting is happening at all is viewed by White House aides as a positive sign after months of friction.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who tried carving out a space in the Republican presidential field with a hopeful message built on his life story of rising from poverty to be the only Black GOP member of his chamber — is suspending his campaign.
“When I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign,” Scott said.” “I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me: not now.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled his proposal on Saturday to avoid a partial government shutdown by extending government funding for some agencies and programs until Jan. 19, and continuing funding for others until Feb. 2.
In a written statement, Johnson said his plan “will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded-up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess,” but it drew criticism from conservatives.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said he has not yet figured out whether he will rerun for his congressional seat in 2024.
McCarthy, who was ousted in unprecedented fashion more than a month ago, railed on the Republicans who voted for his removal — and bluntly predicted that one of his detractors would lose reelection next year.
McCarty had particularly sharp words for Matt Gaetz, the conservative hardliner who spearheaded his ouster, saying the Republican party would benefit “tremendously” if Gaetz were to leave Congress.
Rep. Brian Higgins, a longtime House Democratic member from Western New York, said he will leave Congress before the end of his current term after growing frustrated with dysfunction in Washington.
“I’ve always been a little impatient, and that trait has helped us deliver remarkable progress for this community,” Higgins said in a statement. “But the pace in Washington, D.C. can be slow and frustrating, especially this year.”
Donald Trump is pushing for his federal election interference trial in Washington to be televised, joining media outlets that say the American public should be able to watch the historic case unfold.
The request to Judge Tanya Chutkan was short on legal arguments and long on bluster, and it faces an uphill battle as federal courts generally prohibit cameras.
Despite losing the 2020 election, Trump came to believe a fringe conspiracy theory that he could be reinstated long after leaving office and before the next election, a new book by ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl reveals.
Trump, on a day set aside to celebrate those who have defended the United States in uniform, promised to honor veterans in part by assailing what he portrayed as America’s greatest foe: the political left.
Rep. Elise Stefanik filed a complaint Friday against state Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, the judge presiding over Trump’s civil fraud trial.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has taken multiple votes against Israel and antisemitism issues in recent weeks — in defiance of the overwhelming majority of members from her own party, records show.
Representing neighboring districts in the Bronx, Ocasio-Cortez and Ritchie Torres have staked sharply divergent positions on the Israel-Hamas war.
Retired NYPD cop Alison Esposito has a real shot to pick up a battleground congressional seat for Republicans by toppling upstate Democratic incumbent Rep. Pat Ryan next year, an internal GOP poll claims.
F.B.I. agents seized Mayor Eric Adams’s electronic devices in what appeared to be a dramatic escalation of a criminal inquiry into whether his 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government and others to funnel money into its coffers.
The FBI approached the mayor on the street, asked his security to step aside and confiscated two iPhones and an iPad. They were returned a few days later.
Federal authorities are investigating whether Adams, weeks before his election two years ago, pressured FDNY officials to sign off on the Turkish government’s new high-rise consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns with the building.
Federal investigators probing Adams’ 2021 campaign are now zeroing in on a series of texts suggesting he helped fast-track the opening of the Turkish government’s new diplomatic headquarters in Manhattan.
The seizure is a dramatic escalation of the federal probe into whether foreign money was funneled to his campaign, bringing it directly to the mayor.
Adams said he was “doing my basic duties as the borough president, and what I’m really hoping is that these periodic leaks stop.” He added: “We’re cooperating, we need to do this together so all the facts can come out.”
A Brooklyn construction company being scrutinized by the FBI as part of an investigation into Adams’ fundraising was hit with more than $400,000 in fines the past two decades for ignoring building safety violations, records show.
Adams marched with military veterans down Fifth Avenue Saturday in the city’s 104th annual Veterans Day Parade, the largest of its kind in the nation.
Vito Pitta, Mayor Adams’ longtime campaign compliance lawyer, has been getting paid by the campaign for consulting and legal services at the same time as his government relations firm has lobbied the administration on behalf of a variety of private interests.
The first batch of migrants was bused to Floyd Bennett Field’s makeshift tent city in Brooklyn yesterday, and wanted no part of it.
City Hall confirmed some families did not want to come to settle at the shelter while acknowledging there was no other placement for migrants if they declined the site.
The Adams administration has dropped a controversial plan to house migrants at a former Catholic school on Staten Island.
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged his successor Gov. Kathy Hochul to deploy the National Guard to protect Jews amid a rise in antisemitism following the Hamas-Israel war raging in the Middle East.
Data shows antisemitic, Islamophobic and anti-Arab incidents are acute in New York, which is home to many cultures and religions, and numerous universities.
Hochul was in a celebratory mood her first day at Somos as she touted various Democratic successes around the state and vowed to flip five congressional seats to help win back control of the House.
Hochul signed into law seven new bills impacting veterans, aimed at making sure men and women serving in uniform have access to the programs and services that they and their families deserve.
Hochul this week will reportedly sign a long-debated bill to automatically seal the criminal records of millions of New Yorkers a certain period after their sentencing, continuing a years-long Democratic crusade in Albany of passing criminal justice reform.
The insurance companies for organizations such as churches, hospitals, schools and Boy Scouts troops are refusing to pay claims for thousands of alleged child sex abuse victims, an advocacy group claims.
The public will get its first glimpse today of what might become the state’s new high school graduation requirements.
New York residents could face skyrocketing heating bills under the state’s new “green” policies — which may not even have a significant impact on greenhouse-gas emissions, a new study warns.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is urging the Biden administration to halt its plan to ban menthol cigarettes, saying the move would only lead to an illicit market and potentially deadly clashes such as the Eric Garner case.
New York has lost 10 billionaires in the last four years — three of whom fled to Florida — leaving tax coffers lighter by tens of millions of dollars annually.
Kristy Marmorato, the Republican who has captured a City Council seat in the Democratic-dominated east Bronx, said her historic victory signaled that her neighbors want moderation in their elected officials.
Five members of the NYPD — including three members of the Bomb Squad — are suing the city for $75 million, claiming their careers were ended by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
A fire in a Brooklyn row house early yesterday morning left three people dead and 14 people injured, police officials said.
A highly anticipated project in Brooklyn to convert organic waste into natural gas for heating fuel has gone offline only months after being activated, city officials acknowledged — and there’s no clear timeline for its return.
Democratic Councilman Francisco Moya, of Queens, is cracking down on the “Market of Sweethearts” in his district by introducing a bill that would authorize the city to inspect brothels camouflaging themselves as massage parlors.
A grenade was found near Holocaust Memorial Park in Brooklyn Saturday morning and the NYPD Bomb Squad was called in, authorities said. The device was subsequently deemed “inert.”
Complaints about bed bugs across New York City reportedly have surged 17% so far this year — with 2,667 cases of the bloodsuckers reported between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, compared to 2,276 in the same period last year.
Dozens of racehorses were killed last week when an arsonist set fire to a barn at the Tioga Downs Casino Resort in Nichols, leaving their owners devastated.
Fuel cell maker Plug Power lost more than 40 percent of its market value on Friday after company officials announced a huge loss for the third quarter of the year that was exacerbated by supply chain issues with hydrogen, which powers its fuel cells.
Two jail guards, a prisoner, a nurse and a relative of the prisoner were charged with conspiracy after Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino said an investigation tied them to a plot to smuggle marijuana into the local jail.
Amtrak service was suspended between New York City and Albany yesterday afternoon, after city agencies deemed a privately-owned parking garage along the route posed a risk to the rail system, the rail carrier announced.
Amtrak’s Empire Line runs underneath the garage in Manhattan, which the passenger train company said has “structure issues.” City Department of Building engineers quickly descended on the garage once officials caught wind of the commuter nightmare.
Months after reaching what it called “a tipping point” in its ability to house and care for animals, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society is again struggling with overflowing dog kennels and increasingly stretched capacity.
Customers “physically detained” a man police said entered a Mexican restaurant and grocery on Route 9 in Halfmoon to rob it while threatening he had a gun.
Five months after the Albany Empire arena football franchise went out of business, two former owners are in dispute over who owns its field system inside MVP Arena.
During an exhibition of Capital Region Black-owned businesses over the weekend, owners discussed marketing challenges and emphasized the importance of promotional opportunities.
Cut off from the Hudson River since 1994, Castleton-On-Hudson is pushing the state to slow down passenger trains running through the village and install state-of-the-art safety gates to allow residents to safely cross the Amtrak rail lines.
Union football can breathe a big sigh of relief. The Garnet Chargers are back in the NCAA Division III football tournament.
Photo credit: George Fazio
