Good Monday morning.
You’ve probably seen the amusing meme about the 12 “seasons” of upstate New York weather that circulates around the interwebs whenever we have a significant departure from the seasonal norm.
If you’ve somehow missed it, the list is: Winter, Fool’s Spring, Second Winter, Spring of Deception, Third Winter, The Pollening, Actual Spring, Summer, Hell’s Front Porch, False Fall, Second Summer, Actual Fall. And usually there’s an arrow with the words “we are here” pointing to whatever level the poster deems appropriate.
This past week was “Fool’s Spring” for sure. Near record-high temperatures in the 50s and even 60s around the state lulled us into a false sense of security that somehow this year we had escaped the worst of winter’s wrath. Nope. Sorry to burst your weather bubble, but it’s still only early February and, as such, another storm is headed our way.
A nor’easter is forecast to hit region sometime late tonight (or maybe even after midnight) and lasting well into tomorrow, bringing with it a period of heavy snow and gusty winds. Things are still in flux, with the best case scenario resulting in just a few inches of accumulation and the worst case resulting in upwards of a foot.
So far, the former looks more likely than the latter, but given the moodiness of the weather these days, it’s hard to tell for sure.
You know the drill: Bread, eggs, milk, shovels, heavy sweaters etc.
Living in this region is a little bit of the “only the strong survive” situation. (I guess the weak relocate permanently somewhere warmer?) And that is supposedly the heart of Darwinism and the theory of natural selection. Actually, what naturalist and Charles Darwin REALLY said on the matter is a bit more nuanced:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives,
not the most intelligent that survives.
It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
In other words, it is the species that is best able to evolve – and quickly – in order to accommodate a rapidly-changing environment that has the best chance of survival. Darwin’s theory of evolution is still being debated to this day, as it is considered (in some corners) anti-religious.
Darwin was born on this day in 1809, and in honor of his incredible accomplishments and the significant mark he left on the scientific community – and general population – today is Darwin Day.
Brief aside before we get to the news and since we have already dispensed with the weather. I had to look up the identity of individual depicted in the statue in today’s photo, which is located more or less across the the Court of Appeals building in Albany.
It’s Lewis A. Swyer, a founding member of the New York State Council on the Arts and owner of a construction company, L.A. Swyer Construction Co., that built a number of well-known local landmarks – most notably, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) amphitheater, for which he served as chairman of the board, and also the National Museum of Dance.
In the headlines…
Israel’s military said early this morning that it had conducted a “wave of attacks” on Rafah meant to divert attention as two hostages were freed. Dozens of Palestinians were killed in Rafah overnight, according to the Gazan health ministry.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed home the two Israeli-Argentine hostages – Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 – rescued overnight in joint operations with the Israel Defense Forces in Rafah.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu and “reaffirmed” his stance the Israel Defense Forces should not proceed with the military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah “without a credible and executable plan” to ensure the safety of civilians.
Netanyahu said that his government was working on a plan to evacuate people from the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, as his country’s allies continued to voice concern about Israel’s expected ground assault there.
Senators yesterday voted to move forward with a $95 billion aid package to fund Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, a positive sign that the long-awaited foreign aid could have the votes to pass after a weekend of slow-going negotiations.
“I can’t remember the last time the Senate was in session on Super Bowl Sunday, but as I’ve said all week long, we’re going to keep working on this bill until the job is done,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday on the Senate floor.
The Senate voted 67-27 to end debate on whether to add the supplemental bill’s language into the shell bill the upper chamber is using to advance that bill, surpassing the filibuster threshold; 18 Republicans joined Democrats to advance the supplemental.
White House officials and Democrats fanned out to defend Biden’s mental fitness yesterday, reflecting the rising anxiety in the president’s administration over a special counsel report that fueled concern about his age.
“This is a report that went off the rails,” Bob Bauer, Biden’s personal lawyer, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “A shabby work product.”
Donald Trump this week faces a ruling in a civil fraud case that could drain his cash coffers. He may also receive a court date for what would be the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.
Trump said on Saturday that, while president, he told the leaders of NATO countries that he would “encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that had not paid the money they owed to the military alliance.
Trump’s suggestion the US would not protect Nato allies failing to spend enough on defense “undermines all of our security”, the Western military alliance’s chief has said.
Even allowing for the usual bombast of one of his campaign rallies, where he made his declaration, Trump may now force Europe’s debate into a far more public phase.
Trump made a fresh jab at his GOP opponent Nikki Haley’s husband during a rally Saturday afternoon, questioning his whereabouts as he’s deployed overseas.
Trump claimed credit for Taylor Swift’s financial success, calling a possible endorsement of Biden “disloyal to the man who made her so much money.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized yesterday following symptoms pointing to an “emergent bladder issue,” the Pentagon said.
Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., at 2:20 p.m., a Pentagon spokesman, Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, said in the military’s initial statement.
Former Rep. Bob Turner, who knows something about upset wins, is making the call that Republican Mazi Pilip will upset Democrat Tom Suozzi in the special election tomorrow for the seat of disgraced serial liar George Santos.
On the last day of early voting in the contest for Santos’ vacated House seat, both candidates played it safe in a final sprint ahead of tomorrow’s special election, when a snowstorm is set to batter Western Long Island.
The race between establishment Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican newcomer Mazi Pilip is expected to be a nail-biter.
Early voting ended yesterday evening in the closely watched special election.
After decades in decline, Republicans have resurrected their old-school machine in the New York suburbs. They will be tested in this special House election.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is urging New Yorkers in parts of the state to prepare for a storm system that could bring heavy snow, gusty winds and coastal flooding.
A new law that took effect yesterday will require businesses in New York to clearly post the cost of purchasing items with a credit card, including any surcharges being imposed, for customers before checkout.
The Hochul administration is quietly using taxpayer dollars to gift cash payments to thousands of migrants who don’t qualify for typical welfare assistance.
Fifty three percent of New York voters said authorities are doing only a fair or poor job in enforcing a flavored vape ban, compared to 27% who considered the efforts either good or excellent, a poll conducted for the state Association of Convenience Stores found.
Attorney General Letitia James expanded a lawsuit against cryptocurrency companies on Friday, amending the complaint her office filed in October to include allegations that the companies defrauded investors out of an additional $2 billion.
As New York City struggles to address its worst housing shortage in a half-century, Hochul visited a lot in the fast-changing Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn to highlight a rare home-creation success: a groundbreaking for a 654-unit development.
New York City is locking up more teenagers and keeping them longer behind bars, according to an early report card of Mayor Adams’ second full year in office.
New York City plans to implement an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew at 20 more migrant shelters beginning today, Adams’ office said.
The rules will affect more than 3,600 migrants — nearly half of whom are single, adult men.
Adams said he’d consider property tax breaks for middle-class co-op and condo owners who have to pay for pricey building upgrades when a new “green” mandate kicks in.
Con Sofrito, a low-key Bronx restaurant popular with Adams and NYPD officials, has agreed to shut down this summer as part of a bitter court battle over an illegal party room operated on the premises, records reveal.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Friday, accused of shooting a Brazilian tourist in Times Square the night before and then firing twice at a police officer while fleeing the scene, officials said.
New York City officials plan to turn six waterfront locations into maritime shipping hubs as a way to handle the booming number of e-commerce deliveries across the five boroughs.
A Bronx lawmaker has introduced legislation that would require the New York City government to create a “municipal human milk bank” to collect, store and distribute donated breast milk to feed babies.
Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein is making a last-ditch bid to reverse his 2020 Manhattan sex crimes conviction — with his lawyer claiming that “noise” from the #MeToo movement thwarted the Hollywood producer’s right to a fair trial.
Increasingly, migrants from Latin America are risking their lives to cross illegally into the United States along New York’s northern border.
The state AG’s office has been investigating allegations of systemic sexual harassment and discrimination of female correction officers at a North Country jail, a facility where at least two former female inmates also have said they were sexually abused.
The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the state Commission of Correction seeking to resolve a dispute over the nonprofit’s efforts to obtain records about investigations into physical and sexual assault complaints in New York jails.
District Attorney David Soares’ decision to pay himself a bonus of more than $22,000 using state grant funds last year likely violated the county charter as well as state law, according to an outside law firm’s analysis submitted to the Albany County comptroller.
The Kansas City Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls in 19 years, downing the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Las Vegas. Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the team has won Super Bowls in three of the past five seasons.
Biden congratulated the Kansas City Chiefs: “With their third Super Bowl win in just five seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t just champions today – they’re a dynasty. Congratulations, Chiefs Kingdom,” he said on X.
Biden posted on TikTok for the first time yesterday with a Super Bowl-themed question and answer, signaling what could be a push for the youth vote in his reelection campaign.
R&B and pop sensation Usher revisited the biggest hits of his past, singing and dancing his way through a high-energy Super Bowl halftime show performance packed with big-name cameos.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
