Good morning, it’s Tuesday. Another four-day week (more or less). I could get used to that.
It can be hard to stay upbeat when it’s subzero outside. Not enough fresh air and Vitamin D does that to a person.
It’s especially acute for those of us who aren’t terribly cheery to begin with. I am self-aware enough to know that most people do not view me as particularly bubbly or friendly. My own mother likes to describe me – fondly, I think – as “prickly.” I’m cool with that, I think. Porcupines are cute, in their own way.
With this in mind, it probably will surprise you not at all to learn that I’m not much of a hugger. I don’t like touching people I don’t know al that well – especially not in the winter when there are so many viruses floating around. Even shaking hands during this season is a little suspect (and honestly, there’s little worse than a bad handshake). A nice elbow bump, or even a simple nod in acknowledgement is fine by me.
This is not to say that i don’t LIKE hugs. I do, just under the right circumstances and with the right people. Hugs are great. They even have health benefits, releasing the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which can help reduce stress and pain, lower your blood pressure and even reduce your risk of heart disease.
Until I started researching this post in observation of National Hugging Day, I didn’t really give all that much thought to how humans got into the habit of hugging to begin with. We’ve been doing it for thousands upon thousands of years, so it’s an innate sort of behavior and somehow linked to survival – babies, for example, reach out from the cradle to be picked up cuddled – thought the behavior is not unique to homo sapiens as primates do it, too.
I did assume that it probably started with a desire to stay warm, though reading up on hugging, I did find one amusing suggestion that hugs are a sign of friendship because they require both hands and therefore cannot be executed by someone who wants to (literally) stab you. I guess they could, if pressed, stab you in the back with a short-handled knife or dagger, but using something larger – like a sword – would not be possible unless you had really long arms.
The average hug lasts about 3.17 seconds, according to one scientific study of spontaneous embraces, which seems long to me. It turns out that there are quite a few studies about hugging, including one that indicates most people lead from the right when they go in for an embrace.
There’s some debate over where the word “hug” originated. Some seem to believe it stems from the Old Norse word “hugga”, which means “to comfort”. Then again, maybe it actually stems from the German word “hegen”, which means to “foster” or to “cherish.” (If you’re really into this sort of thing and want to go down a rabbit hole, click here and/or here).
We could probably all do with a little more hugging in our lives. (As soon as I get over my general aversion, I’ll let you know). There’s a few TikTok influencer types who go around hugging strangers. This may well be a bridge too far for me, but I’m sure there’s a happy medium to be reached.
A renowned family therapist named Virginia Satir preached the following: “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” Now we all have something to shoot for.
You might consider increasing your hug quotient if for nothing else than to generate some body heat. The frigid temperatures will be continuing for the foreseeable future, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-to-high teens.
In the headlines…
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president at the Capitol Rotunda, marking a political comeback after being convicted of felonies, and promising to “completely and totally reverse” the actions of the man who drove him from office four years ago.
In his inaugural address, Trump vowed “the golden age of America” is starting as he listed his priorities — on trade, immigration and national security — while criticizing President Joe Biden, who sat nearby. Here’s his speech, annotated and fact-checked.
Trump also vowed to “stop all government censorship,” “bring back free speech to America,” and reverse what he described as the failings of his predecessor’s administration.
After his official address, Trump delivered unscripted remarks to supporters at Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center, where he returned to familiar campaign themes – like blasting “fake news.”
Trump issued a barrage of executive orders including steps to crack down on immigration and dismantle federal diversity initiatives, kicking off his presidency with a muscular use of power intended to signal a sharp reversal from existing policies.
Trump, in one of his first official acts, issued a sweeping grant of clemency to all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The newly sworn in president issued pardons to most of the defendants and commuting the sentences of 14 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers militia – most of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy.
Trump’s action paves the way for the release from prison of those found guilty of violent attacks on police, as well as leaders of far-right extremist groups convicted of failed plots to keep him in power after he lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden.
Trump will once again withdraw the United States from the Paris climate deal, the White House said, removing the world’s biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade.
The move deals a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming and once again distances the U.S. from its closest allies.
In the first late-night social media post of his second term, Trump said that his administration was in the process of removing “over a thousand” Biden administration appointees who had not already resigned.
After being sworn in, Trump signed a series of executive orders approving dozens of appointments, including acting designations across the government, as his appointees have yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
Trump has selected James McHenry, a lawyer specializing in immigration enforcement, to head up the Justice Department as acting attorney general.
Marco Rubio’s nomination to be secretary of state has been approved unanimously by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, according to a joint statement by the committee’s top Republican and Democratic members.
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to advance the nomination of Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to serve as defense secretary, on a party line vote of 14 to 13.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has approved the nomination of John Ratcliffe to serve as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency by a vote of 14-3, according to Congressional officials.
Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, invoking special presidential powers that allow him to unilaterally unlock federal funding for border wall construction and potentially to deploy the military and National Guard to the border.
Trump moved to toss out a Biden-era program that allowed migrants fleeing four troubled nations to fly into the United States and remain in the country temporarily, part of a sweeping first-day crackdown on immigration.
Migrants waiting in Mexico to enter the US with the Biden administration’s CBP One app broke down in tears after learning their appointments were canceled immediately as Trump took office.
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, shared a warning on X to migrants thinking of crossing into the country: “All illegal aliens seeking entry into the United States should turn back now” or risk expulsion.
Some congressional Democrats condemned Trump’s first actions in office — including a pledge to end birthright citizenship — even as others are vowing to work with the president, at least for now.
Country music star Carrie Underwood had to sing “America the Beautiful” a cappella at Trump’s inauguration due to a technical difficulty with the music.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is out as the co-leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk, due to his interest in running for governor of Ohio, according to a spokesperson for the initiative.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino says his nation intends to maintain control of the Panama Canal, after Trump reiterated his intent to take control of the strategic waterway in his inaugural address.
Biden granted a wave of pre-emptive pardons in his final hours in office to guard members of his own family and other high-profile figures from a promised campaign of “retribution” by his incoming successor.
Biden pardoned five members of his family, including his brothers James B. Biden and Francis W. Biden, as well as others targeted by Trump like Gen. Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci and former Rep. Liz Cheney.
Biden also pardoned Ravi Ragbir, a leading voice for immigrant rights in New York City, allowing him to remain in the United States with his wife, Amy Gottlieb, after years of facing the threat of deportation.
The former president left office on a somber note. “We’re not leaving the fight,” he told supporters and members of his staff as he prepared to leave Washington.
After the inauguration, former VP Kamala Harris headed to Joint Base Andrews to take her last official flight home to California, supported by an all-female U.S. Air Force crew — the first time such a crew has operated a C-32 aircraft for the military branch.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — who banned transgender athletes from competing in girls sports on his turf — lauded Trump’s executive order defining sex as “male or female” only.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has personally appealed to Trump to kill the new congestion toll that Garden State commuters have to pay to enter Midtown Manhattan.
Murphy wrote a letter to the president saying that the surcharge on drivers entering Manhattan’s busiest area was a “disaster” for commuters and residents in his state.
Murphy is launching billboard ads to promote a $20 million program that will compensate New York-based firms that allow their employees who typically commute across the Hudson to instead work in New Jersey — and avoid the hated new $9 congestion toll.
Long Island Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi said he’s ready to work with Trump to fix the country’s broken immigration system — including bolstering border enforcement and cracking down on migrant criminals.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, US Climate Alliance co-chairs, delivered a letter to UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, making it clear to the global community that climate action will continue in the U.S.
Hochul attended Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events in New York City, while Mayor Eric Adams was in Washington, DC to attend the presidential inauguration.
Hochul addressed the Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater New York and Vicinity during its 57th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, emphasizing her commitment to supporting New Yorkers facing economic challenges.
Adams canceled his previously-scheduled New York City events celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.
Adams didn’t receive a call from Trump’s team until around 1 a.m. yesterday informing him the incoming president had personally asked he attend the inauguration, a spokesperson said for the mayor said.
The spokesperson said that Adams had accepted the invitation “on behalf of New York City,” adding: “As the mayor has repeatedly said, America has chosen a new national leader and we must work together to build a safer, stronger and more affordable.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a key Adams ally and Trump critic, questioned the wisdom of the mayor’s trip and said it had “political overtones.”
Black political and religious leaders criticized Adams’ decision to skip local MLK Day events. “Some that should be here celebrating Dr. King with us in this room have chosen to go to Washington to celebrate felon 47,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said.
The governor today will unveil the details behind her ambitious budget proposal for the next fiscal year.
New York City’s sanitation department is considering enlisting drones in its war on trash.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally shot on a highway in northern Vermont south of the Canadian border, authorities said.
Plug Power has closed on a $1.66 billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy that will allow the Slingerlands-based company to build up to six of its green hydrogen manufacturing facilities nationwide.
The Lake George Land Conservancy has purchased 45 acres that are mostly wetlands off Lake George in the town of Bolton.
A community march to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took place in the Office of General Services plaza concourse.
Army National Guard Lt. Col. John Harder of Nassau, an Iraq War veteran, assumed command of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion during a ceremony in Saratoga Springs.
Ohio State broke in another new playoff system for college football by winning it all, rising from the wreckage of a devastating rivalry game loss and running through a gantlet of blue bloods to a national title.
The Buckeyes delivered a 34-23 victory against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff championship game last night, winning the team’s first national title since 2014.
Cecile Richards, an activist and the former president of Planned Parenthood, died yesterday at the age of 67. She had been battling glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Richards oversaw the United States’ largest provider of reproductive health care and sex education from 2006 to 2018. She died at home, her family said in a statement. A former political organizer, Richards was a daughter of former Gov. Ann Richards of Texas.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
