Good Wednesday morning.
Sorry for the late posting time. I – like much of the rest of the country – was up way past my bedtime watching the returns come in. And by the time I did go to bed, sleep was even more elusive than usual.
Ironically – or maybe intentionally? – today is National Stress Awareness Day. Talk about well-timed.
This day falls on the first Wednesday in November, and was established by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA), a UK-based organization, which, for the past half century, has been “promoting sound knowledge and best practice in stress management, mental health and wellbeing, both nationally and internationally.”
Technically speaking, this day was created to raise awareness about the impact of psychological distress in the workplace and elevate potential strategies to address it. But, the current status of our country right now, I’m going to take some liberties and address stress more broadly.
Perhaps the outcome of the presidential race was something you hoped for. If that’s the case, this post is most definitely not for you. Go back to sleeping it off, or celebrating or whatever it was you were up to.
We all know that stress can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. To be clear, some stress is a good thing. So-called “good” stress helps you stay alert and motivated, meet your goals, and generally avoid danger. Bad stress can have the exact opposite effect, making you anxious and decreasing your ability to concentrate and perform.
Stress causes your body to release hormones – namely cortisol – that trigger the so-called “fight-or-flight” response. When this happens, your heart rate increases, your breathing speeds up, your muscles tense – basically, all the things necessary for your body to get ready to either defend you from danger or run from it.
Cortisol also raises your blood sugar levels, enhances the brain’s use of glucose, and makes available substances that repair tissues – again, all necessary if you’re heading into a situation that requires self-defense or fleeing. It regulates the metabolism and also has an impact on both immune functions and inflammation.
You can see where things are going here. Chronic stress means too much cortisol, which can impact your sleep, your weight, your blood pressure and your overall wellbeing.
Of course, there are things that might be causing you stress that are outside your control – things like, say, a too-close-to-call presidential election. Or a job. Or a sick loved one. Or climate change. You can’t do a whole heck of a lot to impact any of these things one way or another, but you can learn some tips and tricks to manage your stress, hopefully bringing it into check and reducing its negative impact on your life.
Some of the tips are pretty obvious: Eat well, exercise, get adequate sleep (assuming that it’s not negatively impacted by your stress), take breaks, and learn relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, yoga, or prayer. Other options are perhaps are less top of mind – get outside more, laugh, strengthen your personal relationships, volunteer, set limits (toxic people and/or stressful situations don’t necessarily need to be in your life, assess and act accordingly).
I know I’m going to be availing myself of some – or maybe even all – of these in some combination over the coming weeks. Be kind to yourself and others, if you can.
It will again be unseasonably warm today, with temperatures in the mid-70s. Skies will be mostly cloudy, and there’s a slight chance of a rain shower.
In the headlines…
Donald Trump was elected the 47th U.S. president, an extraordinary comeback for a man who refused to accept defeat four in 2020, sparked a violent insurrection at the Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
The former president captured battleground states that for weeks had been considered a tossup. The race was both improbable and historic.
At 78, Trump is the oldest person ever to win a U.S. presidential election. He will be the first president in 132 years — since Grover Cleveland — to serve two nonconsecutive terms in office. He’s also the first ever to have been convicted of crimes.
Voters embraced Trump’s pledge to seal the southern border by almost any means, to revive the economy with 19th-century-style tariffs that would restore American manufacturing and to lead a retreat from international entanglements and global conflict.
Trump’s win denies Kamala Harris, the vice president, what would have been her own historic milestone: becoming the first woman president of the United States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump, saying his “historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between” the countries.
New opportunities to reset relations between Moscow and Washington have opened up, the influential head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said after Trump declared victory.
Trump has said he would transform America’s relationship with both allies and adversaries. Notably, he has pledged to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, increase tariffs and deport millions.
A man was arrested trying to enter the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center while carrying a torch and a flare gun, Capitol Police said.
“Our officers just arrested a man who was stopped during our screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC),” police said in a statement on social media. “The man smelled like fuel, had a torch and a flare gun.”
Trump’s presidential campaign reportedly revoked or rejected credentials for several journalists who were slated to cover his election night watch event at Mar-a-Lago in seeming retaliation for stories he didn’t like.
A ballot measure that would have enshrined abortion rights in the Florida Constitution reportedly failed, delivering a major defeat to proponents who had hoped to restore broad access to the procedure in the nation’s third-largest state.
California voters approved by a massive margin a ballot measure to more harshly punish certain crimes — with the initiative garnering a whopping 70.6% support with nearly 7.6 million ballots counted.
Republicans have won control of the U.S. Senate, retaking the chamber for the first time in four years. It gives the GOP a major power center and a lead role in confirming the next Cabinet, as well as any Supreme Court justice appointment that might arise.
Republicans picked up Senate seats in West Virginia and Ohio and won an unexpectedly close race in Nebraska. Tight races in swing states will determine their margin in the chamber.
Control over the House of Representatives is still up for grabs, with dozens of races yet to be called.
Voters for the first time elected two Black women to serve simultaneously in the Senate and sent an openly transgender lawmaker to Congress.
In New York, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand glided to re-election, easily winning another six-year term as the junior senator from New York over longshot Republican challenger Mike Sapraicone, a retired NYPD detective.
There are a number of not-yet-called House races in New York, but it looks like the Democrats flipped NY-19, which ended up being the most expensive congressional race in the country. (Democrat Josh Riley defeated Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro).
In Central New York, Democratic state Sen. John Mannion ousted GOP Rep. Brandan Williams and will be the will be the first Democrat to represent the Syracuse-area congressional district since Rep. Dan Maffei lost and left office in 2015.
In the Hudson Valley, GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, who has been talked about as a potential future gubernatorial contender, held off a challenge from former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones. (That race was just called by the AP this morning).
Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan, who ran on reproductive rights and gun control, will be representing the Hudson Valley in Washington for another term, claiming victory over his Republican challenger Alison Esposito in the race to represent NY-18.
On Long Island, Republican Rep. Nick LaLota defeated former CNN anchor John Avlon, the Democratic candidate, to win reelection.
Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi eked out a victory over his GOP challenger Mike LiPetri in NY-3, and Democrat Lauren Gillen declared victory over Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito in NY-4.
Proposition 1, an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in New York state’s constitution, passed last night – a relief to state Democrats after a rockier-than-expected rollout.
On the state legislative front, Democrats held their tight grip on control of both houses while Republicans struggled again to flip more seats for the third election cycle since they lost control of the Senate chamber six years ago.
After a close shave of an election in 2022, Democratic Assembly Member Stacey Pheffer Amato improved her standing against her second-time GOP challenger Tom Sullivan, but held off declaring formally victory.
New York City voters delivered a win to Mayor Eric Adams, approving four of his five ballot proposals that modestly change the City Charter to empower the executive branch of government.
This was a bit of positive news for an embattled mayor who has received anything but this year, and the win strengthens him in his ongoing power struggle with the City Council.
Adams confirmed he cast his vote for Harris as he headed into the polls yesterday – just one day after he bizarrely refused to say her name.
The NYC Board of Elections sent technicians out to polling sites across Queens yesterday after reports that machines at several locations were rejecting ballots.
Tensions were high and lines were long at poll sites across Queens as ballot-scanning machines spit out ballots back at people hoping to cast their vote in today’s election.
A longshot Republican Assembly candidate perhaps better known as a serial sperm donor was taken into custody on Election Day and summonsed for harassing voters at a Queens polling site, police said.
New York’s most powerful political figures believe that the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act that is pumping tens of billions of federal dollars into upstate New York’s high-tech economy should be safe whether or not Republicans win the White House.
Democrat Lee Kindlon won the Albany County District Attorney race, receiving 65% of the vote, and beating both Republican Ralph Ambrosio and incumbent David Soares.
Soares ran a write-in campaign; there were just 4,390 write-in ballots. Ambrosio, the first Republican to run for the district attorney position since 2004, had 48,085 votes at that time.
In non-election news…
Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, yesterday over differences on the prosecution of the war in Gaza — a risky step at a moment when Israel is fighting on two fronts.
Netanyahu’s move sparked protests across the country, including a large gathering near the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu named Israel Katz, the foreign minister, as the country’s new defense minister. Katz has been a staunch ally of the prime minister and is viewed as unlikely to criticize or push back against his hard-line approach to cease-fire discussions.
New York state has enough power plants operating or being built to meet demand over the next 10 years, according to the NYISO, even taking into account new data centers, cryptocurrency facilities, and other “large loads” seeking to connect to the grid.
Lawyers for the two election workers seeking to collect on a $148 million defamation judgment against Rudy Giuliani found that he had largely cleared out his Upper East Side home.
Giuliani brazenly rolled up to a Florida polling site yesterday in the vintage Mercedes he’s been ordered to surrender to Georgia election workers he defamed.
The Albany area will likely set another record for fall weather today, as the mercury spikes to a balmy 76 degrees.
The CEOs of New York hospitals personally poured around $275,000 into state and federal races where health care and reproductive rights have been defining campaign issues.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was held in contempt by a state court for refusing to turn over plea deal documents with Dr. Robert Hadden, who was later convicted as a sexual predator.
Running influencer Matt Choi is apologizing amid backlash for violating the rules of the road during Sunday’s New York City Marathon and has been banned from participating in future iterations of the coveted race.
“I have no excuses, full stop,” Choi said. “I was selfish on Sunday.” He said his choice had consequences, including endangering runners and blocking people from getting water.
The Atlantic sturgeon survived the ice age and outlasted the dinosaurs, but the 250 million-year-old forage fish might not survive the modern age.
The TU’s Chris Churchill is taking the DEC to task for being willing to work with polluters but dealing harshly with the owners of a beloved Instagram squirrel star named P’Nut.
A controversial nonprofit and its development partners are embroiled in a dispute arising from the nonprofit’s attempts to buy one of Hudson’s largest affordable housing complexes.
While it appeared the City of Saratoga Springs has finally settled the monthslong differences over filling its City Council vacancy with a temporary appointee and a special election, it has not. The battle continues to rage.
A South Colonie high school student was recently arrested on charges of photographing a student with autism in a bathroom and then sharing the photo online.
A wholly renovated Washington Tavern, intended to bring back the spirit of the original that was in business for 47 years at 250 Western Ave. in Albany, is scheduled to open Friday, Nov. 15.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
