Good morning, it’s Wednesday.
I just checked and so far I have not slipped once and written “2024” instead of “2025.”
Two weeks into the new year, this feels like an accomplishment, given that I can’t, as a rule, keep much of anything related to dates straight. If a certain work colleague of mine is reading this post, he has likely having a chuckle at the memory of me driving to Cooperstown last summer for an event that was actually an entire month later than the day on which I arrived.
I love the Pioneer Valley – it’s beautiful, but not terribly accessible. Driving there twice in a four-week span is kind of a lot. I also fairly regularly space out and drive myself to places I routinely go – the gym, most notably – when I’m not actually intending to head there.
I need to pay more attention, you’re thinking. Yes, yes I do.
I just get stuck a lot up in my own head is the problem. And the hamsters up there have been BUSY of late, let me tell you. I’ve been ruminating a lot about a whole slew of things, including weird childhood memories that keep popping up inexplicably.
It might be because a woman who I went to high school with – one of those incredibly beautiful and popular people who you didn’t just want to know but to BE – passed away recently. Ever since, my social media feeds have been full of old photos and my dreams of old acquaintances.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing. I have not for many years been back to Flatbush Avenue, which was where my maternal grandmother did all her shopping, and was the source of any number of foods that I strongly associate with childhood. This includes the most incredibly bagels – I have no idea where she bought them, exactly – that more or less ruined me for any other bagel ever since.
Where they the best bagels? Probably not. I mean, they were good, because they were from Brooklyn. But they weren’t artisanal or anything. They were basic, onion, poppy, sesame, plain, pumpernickel, or raisin. None of this blueberry, fresh toast, rainbow swirl, what have you for my traditionalist grandmother.
She also brought bags of them with her every time she visited upstate, because she was convinced we were unable to obtain true deli foods in New Paltz (she was right). We kept them in the freezer and hoped (or I did, anyway) that they would last us until the next time she made the trip.
I don’t eat a lot of bagels these days. One, they aren’t terribly good for you – especially not the massive, carb bombs that masquerade as bagels in so many fast casual establishments. And two, they are almost universally disappointing. I want a bagel with chew. A bagel with a crust. A bagel with heft. A bagel worth the caloric expenditure.
If you know of a place in the Capital Region where I can find said bagel, please let me know.
I’m definitely not in the majority when it comes to avoiding bagel consumption. According one online statistic, 202.07 million Americans ate bagels in 2020, and that figure was projected to increase to 205.34 million in 2024. That’s a lot of dough – both figuratively and literally.
I am not going to get into the back and forth about who invented the bagel, which has long been the subject of considerable debate. If you want to go deep on that, click here, here, or here.
Today, as you might have guessed, is National Bagel Day. Whether you decide to indulge and observe with a sandwich, a schmear, etc. is up to you. But know that there are a number of deals out there to help you do it, if you so choose.
Carbs do make for easy energy/fuel, which your body is going to need to keep you warm if you’re planning on spending any time outside today. It’s going to be a chilly one – again – with temperatures in the mid-to-high-20s. The sun might make a brief appearance in the morning, but the clouds will win out by afternoon.
In the headlines…
President-elect Donald Trump said that he will create a new government agency called the External Revenue Service “to collect tariffs, duties, and all revenue” from foreign sources as he readies new import tariffs ahead of his inauguration next week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order following the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend Trump’s inauguration next week, her office said, without providing an explanation for her decision. Her husband, former President Barack Obama, will be on hand.
As Trump and Republican senators push to confirm nominees, the FBI is working under tight deadlines on hundreds of background investigations, with hearings being set in some cases before the bureau even receives the documents required to finish the reports.
Democratic senators pressed Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for defense secretary, about his lack of experience for the top Pentagon post and allegations related to his treatment of women and excessive drinking. He has denied wrongdoing.
Hegseth’s four-hour hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee was strikingly contentious. Democrats derided him as blatantly unqualified to oversee the Defense Department’s three million employees and $849 billion budget.
Hesgeth has won over Sen. Joni Ernst. The Iowa senator said that she will be voting to confirm him to the next Defense secretary, a crucial endorsement for a nomination that seemed to be on shaky ground a few weeks ago.
The Armed Services Committee is reportedly expected to vote on Hegseth’s nomination next Monday evening, following Trump’s inauguration.
Ross Worthington is expected to be Trump’s head speechwriter in the White House, which may be an indication that there will be a heavy focus on policy in the second Trump administration.
Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans met yesterday to discuss where they might find billions of dollars in potential cuts to existing health care programs — including by making changes to the safety-net program Medicaid.
U.S. securities regulators sued Elon Musk in federal court in Washington in an enforcement action arising from his $44 billion purchase of Twitter, now called X.
The lawsuit against Musk, who has become a close adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump, is likely to be one of the more contentious final acts of the Securities and Exchange Commission under Gary Gensler, its departing chair.
Carrie Underwood, who has long been mum on her political stance, is defending her decision to perform at Trump’s second inauguration.
Underwood said in a statement that she is “honored” to participate in the swearing-in celebration, adding: “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
After more than 15 months of nearly uninterrupted fighting in Gaza, diplomats trying to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas expressed cautious hope yesterday that a deal could finally be within reach.
But that optimism was tempered — by the uncertainty of whether both sides would ultimately agree, by what details could still change and by the experience of months past in which cease-fire talks repeatedly collapsed.
Trump’s upcoming inauguration is a major reason why a Gaza truce is closer than ever to being signed, a former Israeli diplomat said.
With 43 days left before the start of Stephen K. Bannon’s trial in Manhattan, he asked a judge this week to be allowed to replace his lawyers for a second time, a move that could delay the trial. Again.
President Yoon Suk Yeol became the first sitting South Korean leader to be detained for questioning by criminal investigators on Wednesday, ending a weekslong standoff over his declaration of martial law that thrust the country into a political crisis.
Reports of a surge in cases of a respiratory virus in China have evoked dark echoes of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic almost exactly five years ago.
Firefighters across the Los Angeles region battled new wildfires that ignited in dry riverbeds and parched vegetation yesterday, as strong winds that have created dangerous fire conditions over the past week swept again across Southern California.
It may take weeks or longer for firefighters to fully extinguish the two most destructive fires that have ravaged parts of the Los Angeles area, fire officials warned.
A week after flames leveled huge swaths of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, Southern California remained under a severe fire threat as residents struggled to comprehend the scale of the loss.
The Los Angeles City Council adopted a number of resolutions yesterday to help residents recover from the damage of the wildfires and return to normalcy, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles Fire Department did not pre-position about 1,000 available firefighters and dozens of fire engines on January 7 as winds picked up, ahead of the destructive Palisades Fire.
Obesity should be assessed in a way that goes beyond the standard measure of body mass index, or B.M.I., according to a new definition of the condition released by an international commission.
Its report, published yesterday in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, makes the case for focusing on how much body fat and what medical complications the person has, not just their weight.
The new guidance considers how excess fat is distributed around the body and how it affects organ function and daily life, paving the way for two new obesity categories.
Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered her fourth State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza, outlining an agenda that she contends will make New York more affordable and that includes government giveaways such as one-time rebate checks.
Child care, housing costs and public safety were the New York governor’s top issues as she outlined her policy plans for the year and for a re-election fight in 2026.
Police officers would be aboard every overnight train in New York City for the next six months under a new subway safety plan announced by Hochul.
“I want to see more uniformed police officers,” Hochul said in her annual State of the State address. “Not just on the platforms, but more importantly on every single train overnight — 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. — for the next six months.”
Hochul wants to cut state income taxes by $1 billion over the next two years — part of an agenda aimed at combating voters’ economic concerns that helped deliver Trump’s victory.
Hochul unveiled a a proposal offering free tuition for residents pursuing associate degrees in high-demand fields, such as nursing, teaching, technology and engineering.
The program would cover books and fees and be eligible to New York residents between the ages of 25 and 55 who enroll in associate degree programs in nursing, teaching, technology, engineering and other fields at colleges operated by CUNY and SUNY.
The largest, fastest e-bikes may soon require a license and registration, according to a proposal made by Hochul in her annual State of the State plan.
Hudson Valley GOP Rep. Mike Lawler preemptively slammed Hochul’s “State of the State” speech, deeming her promises as worthless as her leadership.
The owner of New York’s nuclear power plants is applying for federal funding to evaluate building one or more small modular reactors at its Nine Mile Point site in Oswego, Hochul said in the book that accompanied her State of the State speech.
Mayor Eric Adams showed support for Hochul after she shared her vision for the upcoming year at the annual State of the State address.
As a candidate, Adams pledged to cut NYPD overtime spending in half. He vowed to identify police officers who abuse the opportunity for extra pay and subject them to discipline. But since he took office, overtime spending has reached record highs.
Adams broke bread with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — a powerful GOP leader and Trump ally – last night on Long Island.
Socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has raked in a sizable $642,339 in the latest fundraising period, getting checks from 6,502 unique donors, his team announced.
Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie’s mayoral campaign has raised enough money from enough donors to unlock more than $2.3 million in public matching funds this week, according to a memo from his team.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has ordered a review of a little-known vehicle unit amid concerns that some NYPD executives may be using cars that are earmarked for investigators.
A Queens man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for attempting to kidnap a 5-year-old boy off a Richmond Hill sidewalk in July 2021, the Queens District Attorney announced.
An “out of control” NYPD officer used excessive force when he punched a man 13 times inside a Harlem apartment, Manhattan prosecutors said during closing statements in his criminal trial.
A bus monitor who was looking at her cellphone and wearing earbuds when a disabled 6-year-old girl was strangled by her wheelchair harness was convicted of child endangerment.
Rutgers University, after a more than yearlong review, has declined to create a separate prohibition against caste-based discrimination, bucking a nationwide trend among colleges and universities.
The university made the announcement on Monday, arguing that current policies barring discrimination based on religion, ancestry, national origin and race were sufficient to also prohibit caste discrimination.
A former judge who resigned from the bench after threatening to shoot Black teenagers at a party has been hired for a key legal post by an upstate New York county.
The ex-judge, Erin P. Gall, a Republican, is now an assistant attorney for Herkimer County. Local Democrats said they were appalled by the appointment, while a Republican leader defended it.
The state is adding to its $40 million investment in its North Creek Ski Bowl project near its Gore Mountain alpine center because of the need for a septic system that the host municipality has been unable to build or afford.
Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, the guiding force of Capital Repertory Theatre since being named its artistic director in spring 1995 and its indefatigable champion through times both heady and perilous, will leave the company at the end of this year.
The town of Berne is suing Hochul to force her administration to name a person to the town’s five-member board, five months after three resignations left the body without the quorum necessary to conduct official business.
A $100 contribution to the unsuccessful Assembly campaign of well-known local activist Joe Seeman is under review by the state Campaign Finance Board because it appears to have been made under a false name.
A former project manager with the Niskayuna Town Hall’s phone service provider is blaming her employer for the clandestine recording of calls to and from the building for nearly two years.
The best-selling author Neil Gaiman denied allegations of sexual abuse and assault made against him by multiple women and reported in an explosive New York magazine article this week.
In a statement on his website, Gaiman emphatically denied engaging in “nonconsensual sexual activity with anyone.”
Catherine, Princess of Wales, said yesterday that her cancer was in remission, lifting a major cloud from the British royal family, which had struggled with serious health concerns for both her and King Charles III.
“It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery,” Catherine, the wife of Prince William, wrote on Instagram.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
