Good morning, it’s Monday. Welcome back to work. I hope you had a glorious fourth (and fifth, and sixth, and seventh).
With the exception of the holiday evening, which was pretty harrowing thanks to dogs sent into an anxiety-laden tailspin by fireworks that lingered far into the wee hours, it was a pretty relaxing holiday weekend for me. I did a lot of nothing much, which was a switch – and a challenge.
I read some, cooked some, worked out, puttered around, took care of the doggos, and largely stayed out of the heat. I tend to lose my appetite for a wide swath of food options when it’s hot out, but one thing I can always manage to find room for this time of year is fruit.
By that I mean, fruit in season. Out of season fruit is just, well, sad. Generally tasteless, under-ripe or over-ripe, and not worth the trouble. We are spoiled in this country, thanks to the year-round availability of just about everything. But the truth is that fruit shipped halfway across the country in a refrigerated container – either by truck or by rail – and bred to be able to survive that journey is bound to be disappointing.
BUT, by contrast, fruit picked at the height of ripeness and enjoyed either in situ – because you’ve picked it yourself – or purchased from a farm stand is the ultimate summer indulgence. Stone fruit, strawberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries, and – one of my favorites – blueberries.
Late July to early August is peak blueberry season here in New York, weather depending, and yes, they do grow here. If you are lucky to find some growing wild while you’re out hiking or foraging, well, don’t sleep on that opportunity. Blueberries do grow through mid-September, depending on their locale.
For a long time I associated blueberries with Maine – probably because “Blueberries for Sal” was one of my favorite childhood books.
If you haven’t had the pleasure, it’s a story about a mother and her daughter, Sal, who set out to collect blueberries for winter and get mixed up with a mama bear and her cub engaged in a similar endeavor. (Spoiler alert: It’s a book for young people, so all’s well that ends well).
It turns out, however, that Washington State, followed by Oregon and Georgia, are actually the leading producers of blueberries in the U.S.. Maine isn’t even in the top 10, though New Jersey, interestingly, is. And this country, while it is among the top blueberry growers, pales in comparison to the crops found in Canada, Chile, and Mexico.
Blueberries, as you might have noticed, are having a moment. They’re in pretty much everything these days – salads, smoothies, sauces, ice creams, granolas, oatmeal, etc. and so forth. Why is this? Because blueberries, in case you hadn’t heard, are a so-called “superfood,” capable of doing everything from lowering your blood pressure to protecting you from cancer.
Blueberries might also help keep you young. They have some of the highest antioxidant activity of any fruit or vegetable, and the very thing that give them their distinctive deep blue color – anthocyanin – can help reduce inflammation and neutralize free radicals, which contribute to aging and disease. They’re also rich in fiber, which is woefully absent from the average American diet.
Americans are catching on to the blueberry craze. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we ate more than 2 pounds of fresh blueberries per person in 2019, up from half a pound in 2003. Wild blueberries, which, if you’re not into forging yourself, can be procured frozen, pack more antioxidants per serving than their cultivated cousins, but upping your intake of either variety can’t hurt – unless you’re allergic, of course.
It’s going to be very hot again today, with temperatures rising into the low 90s. Skies will be mainly sunny, with just a few clouds here and there.
In the headlines…
At least four senior House Democrats – including two from New York – reportedly told colleagues privately that it was time for President Biden to end his campaign, during a meeting to discuss his candidacy’s future after a disastrous debate performance.
Among those forcefully calling for Biden to stand down during a nearly two-hour call convened by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries yesterday afternoon were Reps. Jerry Nadler and Joe Morelle, according to two people familiar with the private session.
All four lawmakers hold top positions on key committees and bring the number of Democrats in Congress who have called for Biden to reconsider his bid for president to nearly a dozen.
The consensus during the session was that a change at the top of the ticket was needed to preserve the party’s chances of holding the White House and prevailing in the fight for control of Congress, the people said.
Contrary to previous reports, Senate Democrats will not be huddling today to discuss Biden’s reelection efforts – reportedly because leaked details of the gathering made it difficult to have a private conversation.
Biden’s struggles are opening the door for former President Donald Trump to make a play in multiple blue states, a possibility that wasn’t fathomed just weeks ago as Democrats continue to grapple with fallout from Biden’s costly debate performance.
Former Rep. Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign, says the vice president will be “increasing her role” in the campaign ahead of November’s election.
Trump’s process of choosing a running mate has created a new roster of rising Republicans with the potential to lead the ticket in 2028.
Biden used a highly anticipated TV interview to repeatedly reject taking an independent medical evaluation while blaming his disastrous debate performance on a “bad episode” and saying there were “no indications of any serious condition.”
“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, referring to the tasks he faces daily in a rigorous job. “Every day, I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world.”
Only “the Lord Almighty” could convince Biden that he should drop out of the race, he said.
The Philadelphia radio station WURD has parted ways with a host who interviewed Biden last Wednesday using questions provided to her by the Biden campaign, after the station said the interview violated its journalistic independence.
Biden told a gathering of Democratic governors that he needs to get more sleep and work fewer hours, including curtailing events after 8 p.m., according to two people who participated in the meeting and several others briefed on his comments.
Rep. Angie Craig, of Minnesota, on Saturday became the fifth House Democrat calling on Biden to exit the presidential race – the first swing state representative to do so.
Connecticut Sen. Murphy, said Biden’s first TV interview since his disastrous debate performance fell short of alleviating deep concerns about his age and mental acuity, and he has more work to do to convince voters he is fit to run for and win re-election.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s support for the president as a surrogate for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign hasn’t wavered. If anything, it has intensified.
“We have the best candidate running right now, and that is President Joe Biden,” the governor said on MSNBC Sunday, stumping for the president when he needs it most.
Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two deadly crashes of 737 Max jetliners, after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years.
Under the deal, Boeing agreed to pay a $243.6 million fine. An independent compliance monitor would also be installed to oversee compliance at Boeing for three years during a probationary period.
Boeing would also have to invest at least $455 million in compliance and safety programs, according to a U.S. prosecutors’ court filing late yesterday. The plea deal requires the approval of a federal judge to take effect.
France faced a hung parliament and deep political uncertainty after the three main political groups of the left, center and right emerged from snap legislative elections yesterday with large shares of the vote but nothing approaching an absolute majority.
The preliminary results upended widespread predictions of a clear victory for the National Rally, Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigrant party that dominated the first round of voting a week ago. Instead, the left-wing New Popular Front won 178 seats.
The political turmoil could rattle markets and the French economy, the EU’s second largest, and have far-ranging implications for the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and Europe’s economic stability.
Israelis yesterday marked nine months since the devastating Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7 and the start of the ensuing war in Gaza with a nationwide day of anti-government protests at a time that many here view as a pivotal juncture in the conflict.
Hamas is reportedly ready to reconsider its insistence that Israel commit to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza before signing an agreement that would usher in a temporary truce and begin a process to release the remaining hostages.
The apparent compromise by the militant group, which controlled Gaza before triggering the war with an Oct. 7 attack on Israel, could deliver the first pause in fighting since November and set the stage for further talks on ending the war.
The Israel Defense Force on Saturday confirmed carrying out an airstrike at a United Nations-run school in the central Gaza Strip, saying the facility was used by Hamas operatives as a command center.
Tropical Storm Beryl steamed toward Texas yesterday, gathering strength before its expected landfall as a hurricane Monday morning.
Beryl is expected to be a Category 1 storm when it reaches Texas, the National Hurricane Center said in a Sunday update. The storm has already caused several deaths and catastrophic damage across parts of the Caribbean.
Meteorologists predicted Beryl would make landfall near the town of Matagorda, around 80 miles south of Houston. About 200 miles of the Texas coastline — from Baffin Bay north to San Luis Pass — was under a hurricane warning.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing mild symptoms, his office announced, but his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, has tested negative and remains asymptomatic.
The couple were on a balcony at the White House with President Biden and first lady Jill Biden last Thursday for an Independence Day celebration.
Hochul provided New Yorkers with an update on COVID-19 on Saturday, as new variants contribute to increases in hospitalizations in parts of New York state and around the country.
Hospitalizations of those with the respiratory illness have increased compared to the same period last summer, but remain well below rates seen during the same time period in 2022, the statement emphasized.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed he was kicked out of his home in Westchester County last year after he began his campaign for president because his landlord supports Biden.
A mysterious former Republican’s victory over former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones in the Working Families Party primary could help shape one of the nation’s most important congressional swing races this fall.
Hochul recently announced that $20 million has been awarded to 17 community-based organizations that help refugees become employed while adjusting to their new homes in New York.
Hochul signed legislation to expand payment methods to enter New York State Parks, recreational facilities and historic sites. These facilities have only been accepting card payment for entry, but cash will now be accepted once again.
Hochul announced she had signed into law several pieces of legislation that are aimed at protecting marine animals and other wildlife populations.
The New York State Gaming Commission licensed a fourth company to sell lottery tickets online and through smartphone applications last week, as the digital gambling industry is continuing to expand.
State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, a close ally of Mayor Eric Adams, opened an exploratory committee to run for New York City Comptroller Saturday.
A series of disagreements with Eric Adams’ office led to the ouster of his corporation counsel, Sylvia Hinds-Radix, whose permanent replacement has not been named.
The office of City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams had staff block emails to lawmakers opposing the left-wing drumbeat of an Israel-Hamas cease-fire resolution — a disturbing pattern of “silencing Jewish voices,” critics claimed.
After being held out as an example of how a new state law was allowing NYC to quickly stamp out unlicensed cannabis shops, New City Smoke Shop is open again as errors in execution and legal challenges hamper efforts to shut down thousands of weed shops.
Mayor Adams joined Borough President Vito Fossella and law enforcement officials last Wednesday afternoon to get an inside look at the crackdown on illegal smoke shops conducted by authorities.
Some of the Big Apple’s poorest ZIP codes are reportedly being forced to bear the greatest brunt of the city’s migrant crisis — including a Queens neighborhood saddled with more shelters than any other part of the five boroughs.
Queen pols are fuming that the borough is being overloaded with migrants and are calling for other Big Apple neighborhoods to take their fair share of asylum seekers.
The Staten Island Railway should be stripped of promised new trains over the borough’s vocal opposition to the now-paused congestion-pricing program, an MTA board member suggested.
Three people were killed when a driver suspected of being under the influence crashed into a crowd celebrating the holiday at a New York City park Thursday, officials said.
Two teenage sisters drowned while swimming off Coney Island in Brooklyn as a thunderstorm rolled into the area Friday evening, the second such fatal episode at a New York City beach in less than a month.
Barely two weeks into summer, the number of drownings off New York City beaches this year has already equaled last year’s total of four and surpassed the previous year’s total of three.
An off-duty New York Police Department officer who was among four killed when a drunk driver plowed into a nail salon on Long Island last month was laid to rest Saturday.
The future of fireflies in North America is uncertain, researchers say, as warming temperatures affect the insects more than previously thought.
The City of Saratoga Springs is considering a bill that would establishing a permit system for rentals, require all short-term rentals to be registered with the state and licensed with some fees, and also that they be owner-occupied.
A judge has halted the city from paying $60,993 in legal fees for the Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran and his deputy, Stacy Connors, charges the two accumulated as part of an on-call pay probe.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
