Good morning and welcome to this BONUS Day of 2024. It’s Leap Day! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this until as I was writing this post, but this year has 366 days instead of 365, which strikes me as really weird for some reason.
In case you’ve forgotten why we’ve been given the gift of an extra day – a whole additional 24 hours you didn’t have before! – here’s a reminder, compliments of no less an authority than NASA:
“It takes approximately 365.25 days for Earth to orbit the Sun — a solar year. We usually round the days in a calendar year to 365. To make up for the missing partial day, we add one day to our calendar approximately every four years. That is a leap year”.
To make things even more complicated, leap days technically are added to the calendar every four years, EXCEPT in the case of years that end in 00, EXCEPT if the 00-ending year happens to be a multiple of 400, in which case leap day comes back into the picture again.
So, at the turn of the millennium, even though that year was, in fact, divisible by 100, the year 2000 did have a Feb. 29, because it was ALSO divisible by 400.
Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense to me, either. But it does add to the mysterious aura and wonderful weirdness of the day.
Even though this day only comes around every four years (or so), there are a surprising number of traditions tied to this quirky occurrence.
For example, in a number of countries – England, Scotland, Ireland, Finland, and Denmark, notably – it was acceptable, even encouraged, for women to turn the tables on men and propose marriage on this day.
There are various versions of this tradition, depending on where the asking takes place. Women in Scotland were supposed to don red a red petticoat for the occasion, while Danish men who refused a women’s leap day proposal had to give her 12 pairs of gloves so she could more easily hide her ringless fingers.
There’s even rom-com about the women-asks-man leap day practice. It’s called, what else, Leap Year. It came out in 2010, and stars Amy Adams who plays a character named Anna Brady, who goes to visit her boyfriend (played by Matthew Goode) in Ireland to do the asking on Feb. 29.
Anthony, Texas has established itself as THE place to be for Leap Year babies. It throws a giant party for so-called “leapers” on Feb. 29 and then continues with a two-day festival.
And what would a party be without a signature cocktail? The Leap Day consists of Grand Marnier, sweet vermouth, gin, and lemon juice, and is sometimes described as the martini’s “colorful cousin.”
The cocktail was reportedly created specifically for the leap year celebration held at London’s Savoy Hotel on Feb. 29, 1928, and is believed to be responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail ever mixed. I find this hard to believe, as many alcoholic beverages could probably claim something similar. But there’s no scientific evidence on the subject that I know of.
I almost cannot bring myself to write a single word about the weather. It’s just damn depressing to admit that the high today will be 30 degrees or so and there’s a chance of snow showers, especially with the warm spell we enjoyed – along with some VERY high winds, and rain – over the past 24 hours. But, there you go.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden is fit for duty, his doctor reported yesterday following the president’s annual physical, in what is expected to be the last update on Biden’s health before November’s election. Biden, 81, last received his physical on Feb. 16, 2023
Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a memo there are “no new concerns” with the president’s health revealed by this year’s physical. The White House said earlier yesterday that no cognitive test was administered as O’Connor did not find it necessary.
“President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” O’Connor said.
Biden began introducing Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy into his sleeping routine over the past year to address symptoms of sleep apnea. He has also started talking esomeprazole (Nexium) to help with acid reflux, and he had a root canal in June 2023.
House Speaker Mike Johnson quipped that the reports Congressional leaders ganged up on him during this week’s meeting at the White House are “pretty accurate.”
Congressional leaders said they agreed to another short-term stopgap spending bill to head off a partial government shutdown at the end of the week, paving the way for a temporary path out of a stalemate that has repeatedly threatened federal funding.
Leaders including Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., secured an agreement for six funding bills, four of which were to expire tomorrow.
Those bills and their corresponding agencies, which included agriculture, veterans affairs and housing, will now remain funded through March 8. The rest of the government’s funding will be extended to March 22.
A federal judge in Texas ruled this week that the US House of Representatives violated the Constitution in how it used proxy voting to pass a major spending bill in late 2022.
Hunter Biden forcefully rejected House Republicans’ allegations that President Biden was improperly involved in his business dealings as he sat down with lawmakers as part of their sprawling impeachment inquiry into the president and his family.
Hunter BIden sharply rebuked House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry during a closed-door deposition yesterday, condemning their investigation as a “partisan political pursuit” that was based on a “false premise” and fueled by “lies.”
“For more than a year, your committees have hunted me in your partisan political pursuit of my dad,” he said. “You have trafficked in innuendo, distortion, and sensationalism, all the while ignoring the clear and convincing evidence staring you in the face.
The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he interfered with the 2020 election and set a course for a quick resolution.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he is hopeful the Supreme Court “puts a stop” to what he called an “abuse of power” aimed against Trump after the high court’s announcement.
The former president’s trial on charges of plotting to subvert the 2020 election will remain on hold while the justices consider the matter.
A New York appellate division judge ruled that multimillion-dollar penalties imposed on Trump in his civil fraud case will not be paused while he appeals the judgment; however, for now, the former president can apply for loans.
Trump, who is appealing the penalty in his civil fraud case, offered a bond of only $100 million to pause the judgment.
State Attorney General Letitia James opposed Trump’s request and asked for the former president to have to post the entire judgment, to ensure the state would be paid if he loses his appeal.
A state judge in Illinois ruled that Trump had engaged in insurrection and was ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot. The decision creates uncertainty for the state’s March election, in which early voting is already underway.
Trump will meet privately with Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, at the former president’s club in Florida next week, according to a person briefed on the plans.
The Supreme Court wrestled over whether the Trump administration acted lawfully in enacting a ban on bump stocks after one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
Mitch McConnell, the longtime top Senate Republican, said he would give up his spot as the party’s leader following the November elections, acknowledging that his Reaganite national security views had put him out of step with a party now headed by Trump.
“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular time,” McConnell, who turned 82 last week, said in a speech on the Senate floor announcing his intentions. “I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them.”
His decision was not a surprise. McConnell suffered health challenges, including a serious fall last year, and experienced some episodes where he momentarily froze in front of the media.
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) was sworn into the House yesterday, reclaiming the seat he previously held and shrinking the GOP’s already slim majority in the chamber.
Suozzi’s entrance into Congress further narrows an already slim GOP majority in Congress, which now holds 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats.
That means the GOP can only lose two votes to pass a measure, a task made even more difficult by potential absences and divisions across the House Republican Conference.
Suozzi will have to begin defending his seat almost as soon as he takes it. Nassau County Republican leaders in recent days have been meeting with prospective candidates to challenge Suozzi in November as they wait for the redistricting dust to settle.
Suozzi told members of Congress to “Wake up!” adding, ““The people are sick and tired of finger-pointing and petty partisan politics.” He chastised Republicans and Democrats alike for “letting ourselves be bullied by our base”.
Americans ages 65 and older should receive an additional dose of the latest Covid vaccine this spring, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The spring shot would be a second dose of the most recent iteration of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Novavax vaccines introduced in the fall. People who are immunocompromised are already eligible for additional doses of the vaccine.
The agency’s independent vaccine advisers voted yesterday to recommend the additional shot, and CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen endorsed the recommendation.
The multi-year battle to draw New York’s 26 congressional boundaries for the remainder of the decade may have concluded yesterday afternoon, with Democrats positioning themselves to pick up at least one additional seat in the House.
Democrats in New York adopted a new congressional map, using their supermajorities in the State Legislature to draw district lines that would improve their chances of winning the House majority in November, but not drastically.
The newly approved map offers a slight boost to Rep. Nick LaLota’s (R) seat in the 1st Congressional District, changing it from one that Biden would have barely won in 2020 to one that now edges toward former President Trump, according to analysts.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the new congressional map that gives the party a modest boost in a few battleground districts, helping their candidates in a heavily contested election year when New York House races could determine control of Congress.
Although the changes could hurt Republicans in House races in the fall, the GOP said that it would not sue over the map. Before the new map was unveiled this week, Republicans had fretted that Albany’s ruling Democrats might aggressively redraw district lines.
State lawmakers also passed a bill that limits the filing of lawsuits against the changes to Democrat-friendly counties Erie, Albany, Westchester and New York.
Hochul visited New York City to drum up support for her latest proposals for shutting down the unlicensed marijuana shops that have exploded in number in the wake of the legalization of recreational cannabis.
“These illicit vendors flagrantly violate our laws by selling to kids, evading our taxes, and engaging in fraudulent advertising about their products,” Hochul said. “Every day that these shops are open, they endanger public health and hurt people.”
Hochul called out major social media platforms, accusing them of promoting illegal marijuana shops in New York. She urged the state Legislature to give localities ways to padlock the doors of the industry and shut down violators.
Hochul has made no secret of her goal to scale back state spending across agencies. But among some rural state lawmakers, her plan to save $77 million on prisons is driving backlash.
Hundreds of State University of New York and City University of New York students gathered at the state Capitol yesterday to call on lawmakers to increase funding for New York’s public college systems.
Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a new economic plan geared toward addressing climate change and creating 5,000 new jobs — and which his administration predicted will generate $55 billion of “economic impact” for the city.
The Green Economy Action Plan includes $100 million for climate tech startups at the Brooklyn Army Terminal’s Climate Innovation Hub, 12,000 “green economy” apprenticeships by 2040 and new EV charging stations at JFK Airport and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Adams and NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams are at odds over the city’s sanctuary laws when it comes to migrants committing crimes.
The Democrat-controlled New York City Council has been blasted as “out of touch” by local Republicans for swatting down Mayor Adams’ call to change the Big Apple’s sanctuary policy in order to more easily deport migrants accused of crimes.
The City Council passed legislation that beefs up penalties for sales of uncertified e-bike batteries, including by authorizing the padlocking of stores caught repeatedly hawking the illegal devices.
Adams has a new accessory, a red scarf that’s a potent symbol of the Chinese Communist Party. He has been seen wearing the scarf, which represents the blood of the Chinese Red Guards who gave their lives for communism, in the last few weeks.
A Queens business owner who illegally converted his furniture store into a boarding house for migrants ran a similar makeshift shelter in the Bronx that was raided yesterday, officials and sources said.
The recent surge in subway violence came in the months after the number of cops underground plummeted to levels not seen in years, according to data reviewed by The NY Post.
A plan for a concert hall at New York City’s only casino could bring superstar acts such as Katie Perry and Enrique Iglesias to Queens.
A letter from the NYPD entered in a UK court case by Prince Harry and Megan Markle claims that arrests could soon be made in the dangerous paparazzi chase they were involved in last year — but sources say there is not sufficient evidence to charge anyone.
After steady criticism about the ski trail operations at Whiteface Mountain, the head of the Olympic Regional Development Authority has summoned the general manager of a sister resort, Belleayre Ski Center to help out.
It appears the Capital Region’s two Macy’s locations will remain open as the retailer prepares to close 150 of its stores.
After 46 years, the Freihofer’s Run for Women, a longstanding tradition in the Capital Region, has been renamed as the Delightful Run for Women. (The title sponsor is now Sara Lee Delightful Bread).
The Albany Common Council voted 5-0 this week to appoint Democrat John Frainier as the new councilman for the city’s Sixth Ward.
Photo credit: George Fazio
