Good morning, it’s Wednesday.
We spent much of last Sunday cleaning up the yard, removing trees that fell in the last spring storm, collecting sundry debris from the lawn and carting it to the back of the property. It was a time-consuming and tiring exercise, and it looks like we might have to do it all over again, assuming the current weather forecast bears out.
Yet another storm is bearing down on the Northeast – the dreaded nor-easter – potentially bringing with it heavy rain, wet snow, and high winds. It has the potential to disrupt traffic and travel, creating dangerous driving conditions, cause power outages, bring down more trees, and more. Fun.
My trusty Apple watch informed me that while doing all that yard work, trudging back and forth, back and forth, I clocked just over two miles. In my own yard! So, there was a silver lining in that I got my steps in.
How many steps is enough? Well, the infamous 10,000 steps a day rule turns out to be something of an arbitrary goal, born of a pedometer marketing campaign launched ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Ample research has since indicated that walking is good for your health – both physical and mental – and though somewhere around 10,000 steps is a so-called “sweet spot” fr health benefits, even a modest daily increase can have a far-reaching positive impact.
Most adults fall far short of that goal, on average, though that largely depends on what they do for a living. People who deliver mail for a living, for example, tend to walk a LOT, and the same goes for fitness trainers and construction workers, while people who write fr a living (ahem) barely move at all.
Not only does walking improve your cardiovascular fitness and reduce your risk of heart disease, it also burns calories and can help with weight loss/maintenance. As an aside, of late, rucking – walking vigorously over varied terrain while wearing a weighted backpack – has become a big fitness trend, with its roots in military training.
Funny, back in my day, we just called it hiking, or maybe backpacking.
On the mental health side, walking has been shown to help reduce stress, clear your mind, and get your creative juices flowing.
Welcome, by the way, to National Walking Day, also National Biomechanics Day. (Biomechanics combines the study of the function, structure and mechanical aspects of biological systems – its basically the science of movement).
I touched on the weather at the top of this post. We’ll be continuing to track the aforementioned storm’s path and intensity. Today, we’re looking at rain transitioning to a wintry mix, with temperatures in the low 40s. Maybe not the best day for getting outside for a walk – bundle up and bring an umbrella if you brave the elements.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are still staring down significant segments of their electoral bases who aren’t on board. Holdouts continued to flex their muscles in primaries in New York, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Biden has faced opposition from activists encouraging Democrats to vote against him to send a message of disapproval for his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, and some Republican Trump critics are still voting for rivals who have dropped out.
Nikki Haley drew a notable slice of Republican voters in four states, while protest votes against the president over his support for Israel continued.
In Connecticut and Rhode Island, “uncommitted” broke 10 percent, while “uninstructed” registered just slightly below that mark in Wisconsin.
Activists in New York were urging voters to submit blank ballots in the Democratic presidential primary race in an effort to pressure Biden to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, since the state does not allow “uncommitted” votes in primaries.
Biden easily carried New York, winning all its 268 delegates.
Voters in Wisconsin approved adding language to the State Constitution that will forbid officials from accepting donations of money or staffing to help run elections.
A key Trump ally filed a complaint against a district judge out of Washington, DC, who appeared on CNN last week and took jabs at the former president.
Federal prosecutors told the judge overseeing Trump’s classified documents case that a “fundamentally flawed” order she issued was causing delays and asked her to quickly resolve a critical dispute about one of his defenses, leaving them time to appeal.
Trump returned to the campaign trail yesterday and, in two battleground states, again employed the violent imagery of a “bloodbath,” this time to link crime and illegal border crossings.
Trump’s attorneys renewed their effort to boot the presiding judge from the Stormy Daniels hush money case, doubling down on a failed argument that the jurist’s daughter was profiting from his prosecution.
Biden spoke on the phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping – their first conversation since an historic in-person summit in November and the latest in ongoing efforts by US and Chinese officials to defuse tensions between the two superpowers.
The call, which the White House called “candid and constructive,” came after a November summit produced renewed ties between the nations’ militaries and a promise of enhanced cooperation on stemming the flow from China fentanyl and its precursors.
The White House has cancelled a Ramadan iftar meal after several Muslim Americans declined the invitation in protest of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza, according to two people familiar with the matter.
A Palestinian American doctor walked out of a meeting with Biden before it was over yesterday evening, underscoring the high tensions, anger and concern from Arab, Palestinian and Muslim American communities amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Israeli strikes on an aid convoy run by the charity group World Central Kitchen killed seven of its workers in the Gaza Strip, setting off international outrage and underscoring the risks to humanitarian workers trying to alleviate a looming famine.
Biden has condemned Israel’s killing of seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza, saying he was “outraged and heartbroken” and accusing Israel of not doing enough to protect aid workers.
The strike has been a “standout incident” as far as the White House is concerned, a senior administration official said, prompting serious consternation and concern in what had already been a moment of high tensions between the US and Israel.
A spokesperson for Israel’s prime minister said that the country takes responsibility for its mistakes, referring to the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in central Gaza.
The Biden administration is pressing Congress to approve a plan to sell $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets to Israel, as President Biden resists calls to limit U.S. arms sales to Israel over its military offensive in Gaza.
Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines have issued tsunami warnings after a massive earthquake hit Taiwan.
Taiwan was rocked this morning by the island’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century, a magnitude 7.4 tremor that killed at least seven people, injured more than 700 others and trapped dozens of people.
At least four foreign nationals are trapped in Taiwan after the island was hit by its most powerful earthquake in 25 years, according to the National Fire Agency (NFA).
Mayor Eric Adams expressed confidence that Albany will find a way to crackdown on retail theft this budget cycle, despite Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders being at odds over how to do so.
A pair of brutally attacked Big Apple retail workers have joined the chorus of critics lashing out at state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie over his soft stance on violent criminals, claiming he is flat-out “wrong’’ and just doesn’t “care.”
Retail employees near Heastie’s Bronx office say they are regularly forced to deal with violent armed shoplifters — and live in constant fear they’ll be the next Big Apple store worker attacked on the job.
“I was simply asked a question of, ‘Do I believe that increasing penalties deters crime,’ and I gave a simple answer, ‘No,’ ” Heastie told reporters. “I don’t believe, in the history of increasing penalties, has that ever been the reason that crime has gone down.”
Schools Chancellor David Banks traveled to Albany yesterday, meeting with state legislators to make a last-minute pitch for including an extension of mayoral control in the upcoming state budget.
As state budget negotiations drag into the second day past the start of the new fiscal year with no deal in place, discussions around housing may have hit yet another hiccup.
Turkey’s consul general sent a letter to members of the state Senate Finance Committee discouraging them from passing a resolution to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a major conflict in Cyprus.
Hochul announced a new FAFSA completion program through the City University of New York amid program rollout woes that could block tens of thousands of young people from attending college.
Onondaga County officials are seeking to halt new rules governing when elections can be held, asserting action taken by Hochul unconstitutionally usurps their ability to govern by home rule.
A former police officer who prosecutors say was the ringleader of a campaign donations scheme to help Adams during his winning 2021 run was sentenced yesterday, authorities said.
Dwyane Montgomery was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and was prohibited from hosting political fundraisers or soliciting contributions on behalf of any campaign for a year during his sentencing.
Adams cited the “corrosiveness of TikTok” when discussing reports of multiple women being punched across New York City in recent weeks.
Adams defended police brass and the NYPD’s press shop after top officers unleashed a flood of combative social media posts aimed at police critics over the weekend.
Adams and top members of the NYPD spent much of the past three days lashing out at a columnist who criticized their response to subway crime, the latest instance of the city’s top officials attacking people they disagree with on official social-media accounts.
“I want the leaders of the administration to stand up for police officers who are placing their lives on the line,” Adams said. “My order to them is I’m tired of everyone talking down on the people who are placing their lives on the front lines.”
Adams appeared to confirm that the intervention of his brother in an argument between top mayoral adviser Timothy Pearson and an NYPD chief is “part of a review” of the fallout from sexual harassment allegations filed by a retired sergeant against Pearson.
Adams cast his ballot for Biden in New York’s presidential primary – a vote that comes after months of simmering tensions between the two officials over the city’s migrant crisis.
New York City’s AI chatbot that frequently advises businesses to break the law will continue to remain publicly accessible, Adams acknowledged yesterday at a press conference.
The company behind gun detection technology that was previewed in the subway by Adams faces multiple lawsuits and federal investigations.
New York state’s first legislative staff union, which represents some 370 City Council staffers, is on the verge of landing its first contract after nearly two years of bargaining, according to union members and Council leadership.
The New York City Marathon is being asked to pay roughly $750,000 a year to make up for toll revenue lost while the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is closed during the annual race.
Islamic institutions in the Big Apple are struggling to keep up with the needs of the city’s migrant population as an increasing number of asylum seekers come from Muslim-majority African countries.
Dozens of streets across New York City will go car-free for a single day later this month as part of the local transportation department’s annual Earth Day celebration.
Grand Central Madison, the MTA’s gleaming new Long Island Rail Road terminal set 150 feet underground, might be New York City’s safest train station.
Ex-Gov. David Paterson, the first black New Yorker to serve as the state’s chief executive, is endorsing Westchester County Executive George Latimer to topple lefty “Squad” Rep Jamaal Bowman in the hotly contested June Democratic primary.
A total eclipse will be visible in the North Country this coming Monday — but only if the skies are clear that afternoon. Fortunately, current predictions show mostly sunny skies. But meteorologists say a lot can change in a week.
Members of the FBI, New York State Police and the New York Police Department were back yesterday at two Orange County horse farms they previously raided last year as part of an investigation into the Gambino crime family.
Late in Monday’s Regional 2 final at MVP Arena between Iowa and LSU, ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo took a shot at the host city, saying: “Good luck finding something to do in Albany,” which sparked a mayoral response and a stir on social media.
Lobo, a former W.N.B.A. star who played for the University of Connecticut, later apologized, writing on social media that she was familiar with Albany, having spent a number of weekends there to coach her children’s sports teams.
“No shade intended towards the capital city and the outstanding job they did hosting the regional,” she wrote. But the damage was done. Millions had tuned in to the broadcast. In short, all eyes were on Albany.
Todd Shapiro, a former spokesman for Ivana Trump and the owner of the “War Room Tavern” in Albany, called for local bars and restaurants to cancel their ESPN subscription and for Lobo to apologize. Author William Kennedy also weighed in.
Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation’s board of directors announced the appointment of Stephanie Raymond as president. She’ll also take over as CEO upon incumbent CEO Christopher Capone’s retirement later this year.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
