Good morning, it’s Wednesday.
How is it that we are already almost through the first month of the year? In some ways, it has seemed never ending, but then I looked up and BAM! it was almost over. I won’t be sad to see the back end of January, let me tell you.
In case you’re keeping track, spring will be here in 50 days. Mud season will be here before you know it! Chin up!
I wrote a while ago about people who keep the festivities going well into the new year. I have noticed a few folks who are still clinging to their Christmas decorations – inside, this is! I saw a fully lit tree in someone’s living room window the other evening. It feels kind of jarring to me now. I know some might be nostalgic for what was in 2024 (compared to what is unfolding in 2025, I mean), but maybe it’s time to face facts and move on?
There are still things to celebrate. Exhibit A for today: the Lunar New Year (AKA Chinese New Year), which, according to the interwebs, marks the first day of the year in a traditional lunisolar calendar (in which the months are lunar, but the years are solar) and the start of spring.
The lunisolar calendar is still used in China to determine festival dates, though in civil society the 365-day, 12-month Gregorian calendar, widely accepted as the global standard, is observed.
The exact date of the Lunar New Year fluctuates, but this year falls on Jan. 29, 2025 (today), marking the start of the Year of the Snake – very fitting, given the subject of yesterday’s Rise and Shine post.
For the uninitiated, the zodiac animals follow one another in order and are repeated every 12 years. The line-up is as follows: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
Snakes, if you know even a little about them, are renowned for shedding their skins, which they do to grow, feel more comfortable, and rid themselves of parasites. So, in this coming year, perhaps we should all take a hint from our friend the snake, and work to be more adaptable and more sure of ourselves, accepting who we are while striving to be a better version of that.
It is traditional to hang lanterns to ring in the Lunar New Year, set off fireworks (to scare away evil spirits), get new clothes and fresh haircuts (to symbolize new beginnings), and also to exchange gifts of money in red envelopes (red is a lucky color), which are also a symbol of gratitude, good luck, and/or longevity, depending on who you ask.
Another tradition: Big banquets in which a series of “lucky” foods might feature prominently, including Jiaozi (dumplings); Dayu Daro, which translates into “big fish and big meat” (so, in other words, cooked whole); Chun Juan (spring rolls), and more.
You also might encounter – if you’re lucky – a lion dance performance, which is believed to bring good luck in the coming year.
It’s going to be decidedly un-snake friendly weather today, with gusty winds developing throughout the afternoon and reaching as high as 30 MPH. A shower of rain or wet snow is possible. Temperatures will be in the high 30s, but it will feel cold, raw, and wet.
In the headlines…
A federal judge has temporarily blocked an effort by the Trump administration to pause federal payments for grants and other programs, suspending a plan that caused widespread confusion yesterday.
The order by U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan ensures that federal agencies, states and other organizations that receive money from the federal government should continue to receive funds beyond a previously set deadline of yesterday at 5 p.m. ET.
AliKhan’s order came in response to a lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward, a liberal organization that argued that the directive violated the First Amendment and a law governing how executive orders are to be rolled out.
The current stay applies only to open programs that federally funded. The issuance of new funding is not affected by the court action.
The White House has sought to clarify that “the pause does not apply across-the-board” and that “any program that provides direct benefits to Americans” — like Social Security, Medicare and food stamps — “is explicitly excluded.”
Dozens of states, including New York, were reporting the Medicaid reimbursement portal was not working Tuesday. A White house spokesperson said it was expected to be back online shortly without affecting payments.
Supporters of the CHIPS and Science Act, the $52 billion program designed to “re-shore” the U.S. computer chip industry reacted warily about Trump’s executive order freezing all federal grants and loans until a review of the spending can be done.
Aiming to drastically reduce the size of the federal work force and push out people who do not support Trump’s political agenda, his administration offered roughly two million federal workers the option to resign but be paid through the end of September.
The Office of Personnel Management, which oversees federal civilian workers, emailed the offer, with a deadline of Feb. 6.
Trump yesterday signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal support for gender transitions for people under age 19, his latest move to roll back protections for transgender people across the country.
“It is the policy of the (US) that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” the order says.
It directs the Department of Health and Human Services to review the terms of insurance coverage under Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to end some gender-affirming care and gave the department 90 days to release a new set of best practices.
Six transgender members of the military are suing the Trump administration over an executive order banning trans troops from openly serving in the Armed Forces.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is scheduled to appear before the Senate Finance Committee today, facing questions about how he’d direct the federal Department of Health and Human Services and its $1.7 trillion budget.
Caroline Kennedy warned senators in a scathing letter, which she also posted a video of herself reading, not to confirm her cousin because he is a “predator” who is dangerously “addicted to attention and power.”
She cited his lack of experience, misinformed views on vaccines and personal attributes and she described how he led other family members “down the path of drug addiction.”
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green battled a measles outbreak on neighboring Samoa in 2019 that killed 83 people, mostly children. He says it was a preventable catastrophe wrought by RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine activism.
Jim Acosta, a CNN anchor who earned notice for grilling Trump administration officials in the White House Briefing Room, confirmed reports that he was leaving the network after nearly 20 years.
With his fraud trial in Manhattan a little over a month away, Stephen K. Bannon, a former adviser to Trump, is taking a page from the president’s legal playbook.
Eight of the 26 hostages that Hamas is expected to release in the coming few weeks are no longer alive, according to Israeli officials.
Government spokesman David Mencer told reporters that Israel had received a list from the Palestinian armed group overnight that provided information on the status of the hostages.
Following the information provided by Hamas on the hostages expected to be released, families were informed by the military that Hamas’s information aligned with previous military assessments and there were dire concerns about their fates.
In the latest release of federal test scores, educators had hoped to see widespread recovery from the learning loss incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, the results tell a grim tale, especially in reading: The slide in achievement has only continued.
The percentage of eighth graders who have “below basic” reading skills according to NAEP was the largest it has been in the exam’s three-decade history — 33 percent. The percentage of fourth graders at “below basic” was the largest in 20 years, at 40 percent.
The NAEP report offers no explanation for why students are faltering, and the results were especially disappointing after the federal government gave schools $190 billion to aid in pandemic recovery.
Federal agents began multiple immigration enforcement actions in New York City yesterday in a visible and publicized show of force that included Trump’s newly installed Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem.
New York state may cooperate with federal immigration officials on cases where a person is suspected of crossing the border without stopping at an official port of entry or re-entering after being deported, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration.
Hochul promised a public “list” that would outline how New York would cooperate with federal immigration authorities under President Trump – but that list was never released.
The Legal Aid Society announced new resources to aid undocumented New Yorkers and families of mixed immigration status amid sweeping and aggressive deportation efforts by the Trump administration.
A new section on Legal Aid’s website — the Know Your Rights Hub — provides information for people whose parents or other family members are undocumented and what to do if a loved one is taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa quietly received a pay increase of $155,000 within the past six months as part of a decision to bring her annual salary in line with superintendents of many local school districts.
Republican state lawmakers want an avenue for New York’s school districts to opt out of the zero-emission school bus requirement imposed by state law.
Former U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro is reportedly expected to be appointed by Trump to lead the Federal Transit Administration.
Mayor Eric Adams, on a limited public schedule this week due to health concerns, met privately Monday night with two key labor leaders, and sources familiar with the matter said one of them affirmed support for the mayor’s reelection during their sit-down.
Adams spoke privately at Gracie Mansion to Manny Pastreich, president of building service workers union 32BJ SEIU, and Rich Maroko, who heads the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.
The mayor also departed Gracie mansion for several hours late Monday night, though his staff has said he’s too sick to maintain a public schedule.
Adams, who has vowed to refrain from publicly criticizing Trump, inched close to violating that pledge in the wake of the president’s funding freeze, issuing a statement expressing something akin to concern.
Trump’s long-promised ICE raids on the Big Apple drew outrage from prominent progressive city pols — who blasted Adams’ “lack of leadership”.
Noem vowed to personally take part in future law enforcement raids in search of illegal migrants after participating in a pre-dawn operation that netted authorities a violent Tren de Aragua ringleader and other “career criminals” hiding out in New York City.
A congressional committee has called on Adams and the Democratic mayors of three other sanctuary cities to attend a hearing next month investigating their “obstructionist policies” and lack of cooperation with Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
An Adams spokesman said the mayor “has made clear that New York City is committed to working with our federal partners to fix our broken immigration system” and focus on those entering the country who commit “violent crimes.”
The City Council’s small Republican caucus is facing an internal crisis after half of its members contested the validity of an election for a new minority leader that took place yesterday and elevated Staten Island Councilman David Carr to the role.
Former Manhattan Borough Presidents Gale Brewer and Ruth Messinger are throwing their weight behind state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal’s bid to become the next person to hold that job.
Relatives of nursing home residents who died from COVID-19 are demanding a “public meeting” with ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo over his handling of the pandemic — saying “he needs to face us” before thinking about another run for office.
New York City officials, intent on increasing residents’ life expectancy after a pandemic-era decline from which the city has not fully recovered, released an ambitious plan that focuses on reducing deaths from cancer and chronic illnesses.
Of the various left-leaning candidates in the mayor’s race, Sen. Zellnor Myrie has a strong anti-law enforcement record. Today, he’ll release a public safety plan that calls for hiring more than 3,000 police officers and increasing the ranks of detectives by 2,000.
The city Department of Investigation’s inspector general criticized some of the NYPD’s top-ranking officers for “irresponsible and unprofessional” behavior on social media in a report published yesterday.
The 44-page report found that NYPD executives’ social media accounts – including those of NYPD Chief of Department John Chell and Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry – violated city policies “related to being courteous and civil.”
The Shack is back. Reporters who cover the nation’s largest police force are moving back inside the department’s headquarters after being exiled more than a year ago to an outside facility.
A broader array of community groups serving drug users in New York City will soon be able to take advantage of the millions of dollars the city has received through legal settlements with opioid manufacturers, city officials said at a City Council hearing.
The owner of the famed Bryant Park Grill – a mainstay near the Public Library in Midtown for three decades – was left fuming after his lease was not renewed in favor of a fancier eatery helmed by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Newburgh schools Superintendent Jackielyn Manning Campbell has been suspended amid an investigation, according to a statement from board President Christine Bello.
A leader in the Saratoga Springs Black Lives Matter movement, Lexis Figuereo, was found not guilty this week in city court on a charge of disorderly conduct that stemmed from an April 2023 City Council meeting.
The owner of an Albany midwifery clinic who was charged last year with issuing thousands of fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards was sentenced this week to four years of probation in federal court.
After a painstaking 2½-year-long review process, city leaders voted to reduce the speed limit to 25 mph in most parts of the municipality.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
