Good morning, it’s middle-of-the-week Wednesday. That just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? It’s all downhill from here, just sliding easily into the weekend.
Did you have one of those alphabet books when you were a kid that started “A is for…” and then went on from there through Z? I did, and assume everyone else did, too.
“A” was very frequently for “aardvark”, which is curious because an aardvark is not the most run-of-the-mill mammal on the planet. In fact, it is actually very rare and the only living species in the mammalian order Tubulidentata. So, logically speaking, why wouldn’t “A” be for something more relatable, like “ape” or “ant” or “angelfish” or even “alpaca”?
It’s one of life’s great mysteries, I guess.
Since we’re on the subject of “A” words and ants, an aardvark is NOT an anteater, though both animals do use their snouts (much longer on the anteater than the aardvark) and tongues to lap up the small bugs (termites, ants etc.) that make up the bulk of their respective diets, which they extract from the ground with their front claws (sharp on the anteater, blunt on the aardvark).
Aardvarks also eat one other thing – a type of cucumber that grows underground.
Anteaters live in Central and South America, while aardvarks hail from Sub-Saharan Africa. Aardvarks face the usual habitat stress that most animals deal with these days, compliments of climate change, development, etc. and so on. But they are not endangered.
They are, however, very alone in the world, as they have zero living relatives, which is a pretty unique situation. Apparently they also have very weird teeth, which lack enamel and are held together by a sort of naturally occurring cement.
For all their relative obscurity, (aside from Arthur Timothy Read, of children’s book fame, who, with all due respect, looks more than a mouse to me), aardvarks get two bites at the apple when it comes to recognition. March 19 is National Aardvark Day, while National Aardvark WEEK is the second week in March, which is the 10th through the 14th this year.
Remember yesterday, when I told you to enjoy the absolute gift of a spring day we received while you were able to do so? Well, welcome to upstate spring, AKA weather whiplash. Yesterday, the mercury flirted with 70 degrees and we all felt amazing.
Today? Well, first of all, we’re dipping back down into the 40s during the day and then the 30s when night falls. The sun will make an appearance early on, but it will grow increasingly cloudier and then there will be a chance of snow showers. Don’t despair, though, accumulation will likely be less than an inch.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum take effect today, escalating America’s trade spats with global competitors, including close allies already reeling from his on-and-off approach to trade penalties.
The tariffs of 25 percent on the metals hit imports that enter the US from any country in the world and is expected to raise costs for American manufacturers of cars, tin cans, solar panels and other products, potentially slowing the wider U.S. economy.
The European Union announced about $28 billion in planned retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports to the bloc early this morning, less than two hours after Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum took effect.
The new tariffs were briefly expected to go even higher for Canada. Trump said they would jump to 50% in response to Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s threat to impose a 25% surcharge on electricity imports into the United States to match the initial U.S. hike.
Ford backed off his threat, suspending a surcharge on exports of electricity to Michigan, New York and Minnesota, after speaking to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, while Trump indicated a doubling of U.S. tariffs for Canada was no longer likely.
Ford is now apologizing to the American people for the fallout from the ongoing trade negotiations between Canada and the United States — and calling for an end to the “chaos” to save “millions of jobs.”
Lutnick has been a fierce defender of Trump’s approach to tariffs and said over the weekend that Americans should “absolutely not” be concerned about a possible recession. But even if there is one, he said, it would be “worth it.”
The House passed legislation to fund the government through Sept. 30 and avert a shutdown at the end of the week, in a party-line vote that reflected how Republican fiscal hawks have swallowed their concerns about spending in deference to President Trump.
The 217-213 vote to approve the stopgap bill saw just one GOP defection, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, and pressures Senate Democrats to decide whether to back the measure or trigger a spending showdown with Trump and risk a potential shutdown.
With 53 Republicans in the upper chamber, at least seven Democrats will have to cross the aisle to break the filibuster and send the bill to Trump’s desk for a signatures. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has complicated that math saying he will vote against the CR.
The United States will resume sending military aid and intelligence to Ukraine after Ukraine agreed to a Trump administration proposal for a monthlong ceasefire, the U.S. and Ukraine said after talks in Saudi Arabia yesterday.
The talks in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, brought new momentum to cease-fire negotiations that had faltered after a public confrontation at the White House between the Ukrainian and U.S. presidents.
The Education Department announced yesterday that it was firing more than 1,300 workers, effectively gutting the agency that manages federal loans for college, tracks student achievement and enforces civil rights laws in schools.
The layoffs mean that the department, which started the year with 4,133 employees, will now have a work force of about half that size after less than two months with Trump in office.
Impacted staff will be placed on administrative leave starting March 21, a statement from the Education Department said. They will receive full pay and benefits through June 9, senior officials added.
The Trump administration intends to eliminate EPA offices responsible for addressing the disproportionately high levels of pollution facing poor communities, according to a memo from former Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin, the agency administrator.
Zeldin said he had terminated $20 billion in climate change grants issued by the Biden administration under the Inflation Reduction Act, escalating a legal conflict over whether the Trump administration was encroaching on the authority of Congress.
A nonprofit that was awarded nearly $7 billion by the Biden administration to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects has sued the EPA, accusing it of improperly freezing a legally awarded grant.
Elon Musk has signaled to Trump’s advisers in recent days that he wants to put $100 million into groups controlled by the Trump political operation. It is unheard-of for a White House staffer to make such large political contributions to support his boss’ agenda.
Trump announced his intention to buy a Tesla this week to support his close adviser Musk, who is the CEO of the car company.
“I’m going to buy because number one, it’s a great product. As good as it gets. Number two, because this man [Elon Musk] has devoted his energy and his life to doing this, and I think he has been treated unfairly,” Trump told reporters.
A federal judge declined to block Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF).
A judge today is expected to scrutinize the constitutional issues at play in the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate and permanent legal resident who was arrested over the weekend and taken to a Louisiana detention center.
As hundreds of demonstrators made their way through Lower Manhattan to protest Khalil’s detention, the White House defended the arrest and rebuked the school for what it called lack of cooperation.
About a dozen protesters were cuffed as they clashed with NYPD officers during a demonstration in support of Khalil, police said. Throngs of protesters blocked a downtown Manhattan street, despite repeated warnings from police to clear the roadway.
Khalil’s wife said she and her husband were returning to their apartment after breaking their Ramadan fast when immigration agents confronted them and arrested him in a case that has prompted protests calling for his release.
Khalil, who holds a green card as a legal permanent U.S. resident, isn’t charged with a crime. But the Trump administration says he should be deported because of his protest activity, which it equates with anti-Semitism and support for terrorism.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams refused to weigh in on the arrest of Khalil – a stark contrast to the reactions of many of their fellow Democrats, including several of Adams’ mayoral challengers, who argue it’s illegal and undermines free speech.
“The federal government determines who will be deported from this country, not the mayor of the City of New York, and not any mayor determines that,” Adams said. “We don’t know the full scope of the investigation.”
ICE in past years has reportedly gained access to troves of data from sanctuary cities that could aid its raids and enforcement actions. Among that information is data from the vast network of license plate readers active across the US.
More than 2,000 correction officers who are being terminated after they declined to report for duty following a statewide prison strike are being prohibited from trying to get their jobs back or from working for any other state agency.
The deal to end the strikes was contingent on 85 percent of officers’ returning to work by Monday. Not enough went back to meet the threshold, but Hochul declared the strike over and said the state would fulfill its obligations under the agreement.
Hochul signed an executive order that bars the hiring of individuals who continue to participate in strike actions from being hired for state jobs.
Plans to impose a statewide cellphone ban are underway at the state Capitol, but legislative leaders are inclined to have individual school districts take charge of how it gets done.
Hochul, alongside Common Sense Media, announced a significant push for “bell-to-bell” distraction-free schools in New York, aiming to restrict smartphone use throughout the entire school day.
Backers of Hochul’s proposed “bell-to-bell” ban on the use of smartphones in schools are calling out Democrats in the state Senate for pushing to “water down” the proposal.
Hochul’s marquee budget proposals are facing new pushback, with top legislators now saying a plan to send rebate checks to taxpayers should only apply to seniors.
Continuing her trend of stronger rhetoric against the GOP, the governor repeatedly criticized her potential gubernatorial opponent Rep. Mike Lawler during the Albany Somos conference last weekend.
Relatives of victims of impaired drivers flooded the state Capitol yesterday to demand that Albany close a legal loophole they say allows drugged-up killers off the hook.
A fast-approaching April 1 deadline to transition of the Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program has many stakeholders and lawmakers worried about a significant disruption in service.
Mayor Eric Adams proclaimed an imminent start to his reelection bid in a freewheeling press conference that included a discourse on his federal bribery case and an admission that he’s stopped reading the news.
The judge weighing the Justice Department’s request to dismiss corruption charges against Adams has canceled a hearing scheduled for Friday, indicating a ruling could be imminent.
Adams revealed he hasn’t read or listened to the news during the tumultuous past four weeks. “I sleep so much better, I just feel so much at ease,” he said during his weekly briefing with reporters.
Adams has embraced a problematic NYPD unit led by his longtime allies. The relationship between Adams and the unit was so tight that the mayor was given access to a special livestream feed from the team’s body-worn cameras.
One of the most prominent national Jewish advocacy groups effusively praised mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo and ripped Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani as “members and supporters of the antisemitic, anti-Israel Democrats Socialists of America.”
More than 160 liberal Democratic lawmakers, officials and activists have drafted a letter to party leaders opposing Cuomo’s comeback bid for New York City mayor — and urging them to do the same.
Pressure is building on Columbia University to enact an official campus mask ban as Jewish alumni groups compare anti-Israel protesters hiding their identities to the KKK and elected officials, including Adams, say the face coverings give cover to criminals.
Hundreds of researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center are starting to get notice of canceled grants as the Trump administration slashes $400 million in federal funding to the university.
A $7.5 million donation from the Japanese electronics and media giant Sony will help establish the Sony Audio Institute, a multifaceted partnership at N.Y.U.’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. It is set to open this spring.
Rat sightings are trending down citywide but some neighborhoods are seeing massive spikes — with one area in Queens hit with a 119% increase in 311 complaints about the vermin last year.
A group backed by a wealthy Republican donor has unveiled a new vision for Penn Station that aligns with Trump’s demand for classical architecture to be the standard for federal buildings.
A watchdog has slapped an ethics complaint against “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accusing her of misusing taxpayer funds on dance “training.”
The police this week were searching for a man and a woman connected to the death of a 3-year-old boy abandoned at a hospital in Brooklyn, according to an internal police report.
The NYPD assaulted two Muslim women and forcibly removed their hijabs during an August protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week against the city alleging excessive force and civil rights violations.
The Silver Moon Bakery, a beloved Upper West Side institution for 24 years, is closing this month after nearly a quarter-century in business due to a lease dispute.
The Elizabeth Street Garden is once again facing eviction. An eviction notice, filed in Manhattan housing court March 5, puts the garden’s owners on notice that they could be kicked out of the popular green space as soon as March 24.
The woman who accused former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson of sexual assault two years ago dropped her case against him this week, an attorney for Tyson said.
Jackson Demolition Service filed a lawsuit this week seeking to prevent the Advance Albany County Alliance from awarding a $14 million contract to demolish the Central Warehouse to a partnership of two Long Island firms.
Two Albany schools were evacuated after a crash led to a gas leak yesterday afternoon.
The attorney for the former Saratoga Springs commissioner of public works has filed a motion to dismiss an official misconduct charge against Jason Golub, saying the allegations against him are “fatally flawed” and do not constitute a crime.
A new law set to be reviewed by Albany County legislators this month seeks to improve communication between county officials, health department staff and local municipalities when drinking water abnormalities are detected in neighboring areas.
A lawyer for the family of a 2018 Schoharie limousine crash victim claims that mechanics at the Mavis Discount Tire knew years before the crash that the rear brake line on the stretch Ford Excursion limo had a deadly leak but did not warn the vehicle’s owner.
Kelly McDermott, an Albany midwife who was prosecuted for falsifying thousands of COVID-19 vaccination cards and destroying vaccine doses, died Monday after spending 30 days in home confinement.
Southwest Airlines will soon end its popular “bags fly free” policy, the carrier announced in an email to customers yesterday morning.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
