Good morning, we’re one day away from the weekend. Well, two, technically speaking, if you count today, which I don’t because it’s already well underway on my end.
Happy Thursday.
On this day in 1804 a significant historical event occurred that would probably have been lost in the mists of time for a lot of us, had it not been for an unlikely hit musical that brought to life the story of one of our founding fathers through the magic of rap, hip-hop, and R&B.
I’m speaking, of course, of the phenomenon that was “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s life and his involvement in the American Revolution, using non-white actors to do so in a thoroughly modern way – or, as Miranda more aptly put it: “America then, as told by America now.”
A central focus of “Hamilton” is Alexander Hamilton’s complicated relationship with his political rival and arch-nemesis, Aaron Burr. It was on this day in 1804 that Burr killed Hamilton, first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, in a duel that took place at dawn in Weehawken, New Jersey.
Burr, who at the time was vice president of the nascent United States, shot Hamilton in the stomach, while Hamilton’s shot went wide and hit a tree branch somewhere above Burr’s head.
Hamilton and Burr had been feuding for some time. It all started when Burr ran in 1791 for the U.S. Senate against Hamilton’s father-in-law, Philip Schuyler. Burr won the election in the state legislature and then went on to become a power player in the New York Democratic-Republican Party in New York. Hamilton, meanwhile, was a top Federalist Party leader
By the time 1800 rolled around, Burr and Thomas Jefferson were presidential running mates, then tied in the Electoral College – a battle in which Jefferson came out on top in the end, thanks in no small part to Hamilton. He later did his damndest to ensure that his rival was a political persona non grata in the Jefferson administration.
The straw that reportedly broke the camels back between these two was a newspaper letter that maintained Hamilton had demeaned Burr’s character. Burr demanded an apology, or, at the very least, an explanation, but – of course – received neither.
So he did the only thing a gentleman of good standing at the time could do – he challenged Hamilton to a duel, which, in an ironic and sad twist, took place not far from the same spot where Hamilton’s eldest son, Philip, had died in a duel at the age of 19 in 1801. The loss of his son had plunged Hamilton into a deep depression from which he never fully recovered.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
For what it’s worth, the aftermath of the duel was not a happy period for Burr. Dueling had actually been outlawed in New York by 1804, and Burr had to leave the state to avoid getting arrested. This does not bode well for his desired political comeback, which never really materialized.
In fact, Burr was eventually tried for treason (on a matter unrelated to Hamilton’s death) and eventually acquitted. He lived as an expat for a time in Europe, returned to New York City and resumed practicing law. Burr died on Staten Island at the age of 80 in 1836.
There will be what appears to be a slight reprieve from the intense heat, with the highs “only” reaching into the mid-80s. It will be cloudy all day long, with a few showers early on.
In the headlines…
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to explicitly endorse Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, and encouraged her colleagues in Congress to pause from making public statements either for or against the president.
Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Pelosi, 84, said that she would back Biden “whatever he decides.”
Biden was seen by neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard, who specializes in Parkinson’s disease, at the White House on Jan. 17, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitted late Tuesday — hours after telling reporters the opposite at her regular briefing.
Actor George Clooney, a Biden fund-raiser, and Rep. Pat Ryan, a vulnerable Hudson Valley Democrat, said Biden should step aside.
Actor Michael Douglas joined the growing chorus of top Hollywood figures who have backed Biden but are now suggesting he should end his reelection bid, with the “Wall Street” actor saying he’s “deeply concerned” about the campaign
“For the good of our country, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside — to deliver on his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders,” Ryan wrote in a post on X.
Senator Peter Welch of Vermont became the first Democratic senator to publicly call on President Biden to withdraw as the party’s presidential candidate in the aftermath of his disastrous debate performance last month.
Splitting with Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado said Biden should end his campaign for reelection and make room for a new leader, the highest-ranking New York Democrat so far to do so.
Delgado wrote on X that while he has “immense respect and admiration” for Biden, “he can add to his legacy, showing his strength and grace, by ending his campaign and making room for a new leader.”
“The day after the president’s debate…he was in New York City. I was with him,” Hochul said. “He was very engaged with the crowd as we opened the National Stonewall Visitor Center to commemorate the birthplace of the LGBTQ movement.
Former President Donald Trump will meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Florida today, according to people familiar with the matter, less than a week after Orban met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
There is a lot of uncertainty in Japan about the next few years as a “transactional” Trump’s possible return to the Oval Office has raised business and regional security-related concerns, author William Pesek said.
As NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary with a summit in Washington this week, the alliance is facing familiar foes and challenges, including the possibility of another Trump presidency.
After decades of viewing China as a distant threat, NATO accused Beijing of becoming “a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” and demanded it halt shipments of “weapons components” and other tech critical to rebuilding the Russian military.
Trump is riding a winning streak at the Supreme Court. Michael D. Cohen, his fixer-turned-nemesis, is looking to break it by asking asked the court to let him sue the former president over claims that he violated his constitutional rights.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has introduced articles of impeachment against conservative Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas over their failure to disclose gifts they have received while serving on the court.
Ocasio-Cortez said that Congress has a “legal, moral, and democratic obligation to impeach” because the justices’ repeated failure to disclose they received millions of dollars in gifts from individuals with business before the court is “explicitly against the law.”
Impeaching a Supreme Court justice, like impeaching the president, requires meeting a very high bar.
A judge signaled he’ll dismiss Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy after a chaotic hearing in which the judge threatened to cut off the ex-mayor’s microphone for interjecting. Judge Sean Lane said he’d make a final ruling on the complex matter on Friday afternoon.
State cannabis regulators proposed scrapping a rule that barred its licensed pot stores from offering price discounts on their marijuana products — which, they argued, put them at a disadvantage with illegal operators.
A former top doctor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center allegedly stole nearly $1.5 million from the public hospital to fund an extravagant lifestyle that included luxury travel and a premier pet resort, prosecutors said.
New York Republicans slammed a series of race-based lawsuits trying to uproot up the voting process in several towns – calling the litigation an effort to bump conservatives from office.
Nearly half of Jewish voters have felt at risk because of their religious identity while living in the Empire State — while more than a third said that New York is no longer a safe haven for their people, a shocking new poll reveals.
A New York City panel heard a deluge of impassioned testimony both for and against Mayor Eric Adams’ sweeping plan to overhaul city zoning rules to build more housing across the five boroughs.
Continuing to house tens of thousands of migrants in city shelters — with no end in sight — is “not sustainable,” an official in Adams’ administration said.
A PAC run by a close ally of Adams, which raised more than $1 million from people who support him, is making some curious out-of-state expenditures.
Adams’ administration is still pushing elected officials to use a controversial online form to request meetings with agency leaders and certain services — leading some lawmakers to consider legislation to upend the protocol, a key council member said.
A City Council bill that could give the lawmaking body considerably more sway over approving — and rejecting — mayoral appointees went into law late Monday night after the deadline to veto it passed.
The City Council has ponied up $2 million for small mental-health “clubhouses” at risk of closing when their contracts expire Sept. 30, but the funds aren’t enough to keep all of them open indefinitely, advocates warn.
A century-old West Village recreation center has been closed for repairs for five years — but city officials said the space is in such bad shape they’re now considering tearing it down altogether.
Kara Ahmed, the deputy chancellor who oversaw New York City’s early childhood education programs during a turbulent two-and-a-half year period, is leaving her post, she told staffers in a Tuesday morning video conference.
An NYPD recruit died yesterday during training, police said. Officers rushed Officer Edgar Ordonez from the scene at Rodmans Neck in the Bronx to Jacobi Medical Center, but he could not be saved.
Families are still leaving large US cities, with the number of young children in New York City down by almost a fifth since the beginning of the pandemic, according to an analysis of the latest census data.
A “military and security consulting” firm that never delivered on its promise to ship COVID masks to New York at the peak of the pandemic is being sued by the city to pay back the flubbed $15 million contract.
Wearing a face mask or covering in public in Nassau County to conceal one’s identity could result in a misdemeanor charge with a fine of up to $1,000, according to a new bill majority Republican legislators have proposed.
Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, is recruiting 75 armed citizens, many of them former police officers, for a force of “special deputies” to be activated whenever he chooses. The new force has drawn vocal opposition.
Federal authorities are investigating after two planes appeared to veer too close for comfort over Syracuse Monday, according to dashcam video captured from a distance.
Federal environmental officials said they need to collect more data from the Hudson River before they determine how well six years of dredging completed in 2015 to clean up the river is working.
The state Commission on Correction twice faulted the Albany County jail’s supervision of two inmates who died of overdoses in 2021 and 2022.
Members of the city’s planning commission and the City Council are outraged over a proposal by Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello to scrap the commission and create a new planning board made up of her own appointees.
Two environmental conservation officers in training at Lake George for the safe handling of rattlesnakes were dispatched to take care of the real thing after one of the venomous vipers snuck into a nearby hotel.
GE Vernova said it plans to spend $22 million to build the latest generation of gas turbine generators at the company’s downtown plant to meet growing national and international demand for electricity.
On the heels of what can only be deemed a resounding success for the first Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, the traditional 40-day meet — which kicks off today — is sure to pack plenty of punch, too.
Saratoga County’s tourism-dependent economy is thriving several years removed from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
A property previously owned by both the actor Sylvester Stallone, and separately the cookbook author and Vogue food columnist Barbara Kafka, has hit the market in Garrison, New York, with an asking price of $4.29 million.
Opening statements began yesterday in the involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin, nearly three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on the New Mexico set of the Western film “Rust.”
Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson focused on Baldwin’s reckless behavior on set, saying he violated the “cardinal rules of firearm safety” by pointing a gun at a person and pulling the trigger. She also said the evidence would show the firearm was in “perfect order”.
Alex Spiro, one of Baldwin’s attorneys, said that no one on set knew that the gun had a live bullet in it and that the cast and crew were assured multiple times that Baldwin’s gun was “cold.”
Baldwin’s Hamptons home is still up for sale despite a $10 million price cut as the actor’s involuntary manslaughter trial begins.
CNN’s top leader announced 100 job cuts as well as a digital strategy that would include a new subscription-only digital offering by the end of the year.
“CNN is one of the world’s most successful multi-platform global news brands, but we can’t thrive as a company unless we find new sources of revenue to offset the structural pressures on legacy income streams,” CEO Mark Thompson wrote in a memo to staff.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
