Good Monday morning. It’s going to be a short holiday week during which nothing much gets accomplished – much to my chagrin.
If you are even reading this and haven’t already departed for wherever it is you’re planning on spending Thanksgiving, your brain is probably already half checked out and more focused on food or football or Black Friday deals than on work.
I’m good with that, truly, I am. Just don’t mind me as I send a thousand emails and get all jittery when the “away” messages start pouring in en masse. It’s lonely here in Grinch-land. Sigh.
But since the majority of folks are talking turkey, I might as well join the crowd. If you are doing the cooking-the-big-meal thing, we are four days out from game time.
This means you should start defrosting the bird, assuming you’ve procured a frozen one and made room in the fridge to accommodate it, and perhaps prep some of the sides that take kindly to being made ahead.
This includes (according to the interwebs, because clearly I am no expert on this sort of thing) desserts, gravy and stuffing (yes, you really can make this ahead of time).
You probably got your holiday food shopping done over the weekend. I made the mistake of going to Whole Foods to pick up some non-essential, non-Thanksgiving related items. It was a veritable zoo. I did not adhere to the “don’t go at noon” rule of thumb, and definitely paid the price.
While we are all rushing around in a mad frenzy of purchasing and preparing, it’s easy to forget the part of the holiday season that is all about remembering those who are less fortunate than we are and about peace and love and goodwill towards all humankind.
That’s a good segue into the real heart of today’s post, which is that today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual observance held in memory of those who lost their lives as a result of acts of anti-transgender violence.
It comes just after Transgender Awareness Week (Nov. 13-19) during which members of the trans community and their allies engage in awareness and education efforts to combat prejudice and discrimination that too often is the root cause of violence.
Hate crimes against transgender and gender non-conforming people have increased exponentially, rising nearing 33 percent in 2022, according to statistics compiled by the FBI.
Hate and prejudice across the board seems to be having a heyday of late, but transgender individuals – particularly those who are of color – are more than four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.
Major brands from Budweiser to Target have been vilified and boycotted for marketing designed to be inclusive of the LGBTQIA community. It’s heartening to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade resist pressure from the right to reserve course on tolerance and inclusion. Of course, that’s not going to stop violence and hate in its tracks. But maybe it’s a start?
If you’re traveling for the holiday, we’re in for some yucky weather. I’ll be writing more about that in the coming days – maybe it will reverse course? There’s always hope, though it’s not looking terribly promising at the moment – especially not down in NYC.
For now, though, we’ll have clear, sunny skies today with temperatures in the high 30s. Brrr.
In the headlines…
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has died at the age of 96, according to the Carter Center.
Rosalynn Carter was a true life partner to former President Jimmy Carter who helped propel him from rural Georgia to the White House in a single decade and became the most politically active first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt
Jimmy Carter, 99, the longest-living president in American history, has been in hospice care since last February, but has thus far defied expectations regarding his life expectancy.
Reactions are pouring in from former U.S. presidents and first ladies over the death of former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
President Joe Biden’s approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency — 40% — as strong majorities of all voters disapprove of his handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
The poll finds Biden behind former Trump for the first time in a hypothetical general-election matchup, although the deficit is well within the poll’s margin of error for a contest that’s still more than 11 months away.
Biden has no plans for a lavish public celebration when he turns 81 today, even as Democrats search for a strategy to assuage voters’ concerns about his age by next year’s election.
The occasion will highlight how age has become Biden’s greatest liability entering the final campaign of his 53-year political career and a likely rematch with his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Biden penned an op-ed in The Washington Post where he discussed his framework for the Israel-Hamas war, saying the United States is “prepared to take our own steps” on the issue.
Biden said a two-state solution would be the road to peace for Israel and the civilians of Gaza, adding they must have equal measures of freedom, opportunity and dignity.
A deal between Israel and the militant group Hamas to release some hostages could be reached in the coming days, though no terms have been finalized yet, according to several U.S. officials.
The Israeli military has released footage that it says shows hostages being taken into Gaza’s largest hospital after the deadly Hamas attacks of Oct. 7.
Health officials said that 31 premature infants were evacuated from a hospital in the Gaza Strip that has seen intense fighting between Israeli forces and the militant group Hamas.
In a news release, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the babies were evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza to another one in the southern part of the strip.
China welcomed officials from Arab and Muslim majority countries for talks on “de-escalating” the Israel-Hamas conflict as Beijing steps-up its efforts to play a role in establishing a ceasefire.
An Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea was hijacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who took 25 crew members hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Biden stressed that the U.S. is prepared to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers who are involved in attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Biden has reportedly directed top officials to prepare visa bans and sanctions for extremist Israeli settlers attacking and displacing Palestinians in the West Bank.
Biden visited naval installations in Virginia yesterday to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday week, introducing an early screening of the upcoming movie “Wonka” and sharing a “friendsgiving” meal with service members and their relatives.
Outgoing West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin ripped Biden and fellow Democrats for mishandling the border crisis — saying New York City is being unfairly saddled with millions of dollars in costs to shelter migrants.
Manchin alluded to a presidential run in the 2024 election while also criticizing Biden for being pulled to the “extreme left.”
Trump’s defense lawyers this week will offer a look into his business operations and continue the parade of expert witnesses testifying on his behalf in a Manhattan courtroom.
Trump picked up the Texas governor’s endorsement yesterday during a visit to a U.S.-Mexico border town and promised that his hard-line immigration policies in a second presidential term would make Greg Abbott’s “job much easier.”
“I’m here to tell you that there is no way, no way that America can continue under the leadership of Joe Biden as our president,” Abbott said in Edinburg, Texas, after he and Trump greeted Border Patrol agents.
A judge in Colorado has rejected an attempt to bar Trump from the state’s 2024 Republican presidential primary, waving off the argument raised by liberal groups that he had disqualified himself for a second term by attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump said that his wife, Melania, didn’t believe allegations that sex workers had urinated on him because he is a “germophobe.”
Far-right libertarian outsider Javier Milei has won Argentina’s presidential run-off poll, according to provisional results. Trump congratulated Milei on his victory, saying he would “Make Argentina Great Again!”.
The GOP chair of the bipartisan House Ethics Committee introduced a resolution to expel Rep. George Santos from Congress, citing the committee’s damning new report documenting violations of House rules and evidence of pervasive campaign fraud.
Lawmakers are expected to address the resolution at the end of the month once they return from the Thanksgiving holiday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said Santos “has to go away” following the release of a long-awaited report by the House Ethics Committee that claimed to have found “substantial evidence” of wrongdoing by the freshman congressman.
Just in time for the busiest travel season of the year, Hochul warns of a massive storm, expected to hit New York at the prime peak time for holiday travel next Wednesday into Thursday.
Hochul vetoed several bills, including the reconvening of the stretch limousine passenger safety task force.
A bid by Long Island’s Montaukett Indian Nation for state recognition was vetoed for a fifth time – the second by Hochul.
Hochul vetoed legislation Friday that would have established an expert panel to study the effects of artificial intelligence before recommending regulations.
Hochul signed a legislative package aimed at protecting the rights of tenants, not going as far as good cause eviction, but helps tenants with security, and in emergency situations.
Hochul signed into law a bill that aims to give prosecutors more latitude to go after fraudulent real estate transactions — and keep homeowners in their homes.
Hochul is getting a hard lesson on the MTA as she pushes her plan for a light rail Interborough Express between Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and Jackson Heights, Queens.
Brooklyn State Sen. Kevin Parker has been accused of raping a woman who was working with him to coordinate relief efforts for Haiti nearly 20 years ago, according to a new lawsuit.
The lawsuit, first reported by amNY, was filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act — which is set to expire next week. A spokesperson for state senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said that she is aware of the “disturbing” allegations.
With the one-year lookback window in its twilight stage, a tsunami of Adult Survivors Act lawsuits remain pending on New York’s dockets against people and institutions spanning the public and private sectors and continue to pour in, according to the state.
New York once again has the dubious distinction of being labeled “the least free state” in America, according to a report issued by libertarian-leaning think tank The Cato Institute.
New data from the U.S. Department of Education shows about half of New York public schools had one or more law enforcement officers working at least part-time in the 2020-21 school year, a notable increase from prior years.
More than three years after the pandemic struck New York, leading to a months-long shutdown of businesses, nearly 40,000 state government workers have not fully returned to their offices, including roughly 2,500 employees who work completely remote.
Mayor Eric Adams set up a legal defense fund Friday as federal investigators conduct a public corruption probe focused on his 2021 campaign.
The Eric Adams Legal Defense Trust enables the mayor to raise money to pay legal fees without violating strict city laws on politicians receiving gifts.
Legal experts say that the mayor could be in real trouble. “If a bribe is proven, the criminal consequences could be tremendous – years in prison,” said Jacob Eisler, a professor of election law and anti-corruption at Florida State University.
As Brooklyn borough president, Adams attended nearly 80 events over eight years to celebrate Turkey — including a flag-raising in 2015, a charity ball in 2018 and a Zoom meeting with the Turkish consul in 2020.
Errol Louis: “(D)on’t let the coverage lead you to conclude that this scandal will necessarily take down Eric Adams.”
The federal probe and the migrant crisis represent a political double whammy for the mayor, a former New York City policeman who campaigned on his personal story and a promise to reduce crime.
Adams officially tapped veteran Bronx restaurateur Jeffrey Garcia as the city’s new “nightlife mayor” on Friday — even though there’s a hiring freeze in place across all city government agencies due to budgetary concerns.
Adams is urging the city’s richest to open their wallets to help the city weather a financial storm created by the ongoing migrant crisis, days after the city unveiled deep budget cuts.
The City Council is expected to “roll over” and allow most if not all of the controversial budget cuts proposed by Adams, sources predicted.
Bronx native and superstar rapper Cardi B went off about the U.S. government and officials after Adams announced budget cuts across all departments, saying that “crimes are gonna go through the roof” because of the plan to chop the NYPD budget.
Demonstrators held a rally outside New York City Hall Friday to call on City Council to stop Adams’ controversial budget cuts from going through.
Adams’ health team is launching a $4 million “vaccine equity” campaign aimed at curbing infections and deaths from the latest coronavirus strains and the flu, predominantly in the city’s poorer communities.
A Brooklyn councilwoman who was arrested last month after carrying a pistol to a pro-Palestinian rally at Brooklyn College has had charges dismissed against her after it was found that the weapon was unloaded and inoperable.
The NYPD is spending $500 million on a new radio system it calls more reliable and secure. But the public will no longer be able to monitor what officers are doing minute to minute.
Revel’s ridership has declined steeply amid safety concerns and growing competition from Citi Bike and personal e-bikes and mopeds, which is why it ceased services over the weekend.
What would a canal connecting downtown to the Hudson River look like in the city of Albany? That’s something panelists discussed Saturday at the second annual Albany Canal Symposium.
An EMT with the Ravena Rescue Squad suffered minor injuries in an encounter during a medical emergency response in the village, squad leaders said.
Two former students are suing a small private school in Rensselaer County for what they allege was unwanted and repeated sexual abuse by former faculty members.
1st National Bank of Scotia marked its 100th anniversary by renovating the main branch to replicate its original appearance.
Twenty-four percent of the adult population in the City of Saratoga Springs drinks excessively, making it the “drunkest” city in New York state, according to a recent study.
The blowback over Elon Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X gathered steam on Friday, as several major advertisers on his social media platform cut off their spending after his comments.
Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team, according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour broke records in North America, but has faced tragedy and mishaps during a three-day stretch of concerts in Rio de Janeiro.
Photo credit: George Fazio
