Good morning, it’s Thursday.

I’m not sure how much time you’ve spent contemplating the burrito, which, traditionally speaking, is a Mexican dish that consists of a tortilla (usually flour, though ancient civilizations deployed corn) wrapped around a melange of ingredients such as meat, cheese, rice, beans, vegetables and various condiments.

This is ideally a handheld meal, though if overstuffed – as has become the rule rather than the exception in modern-day versions – can turn into a sloppy mess.

The word “burrito” means “little donkey” in Spanish, and that may or may not have something to do with an origin story.

Maybe it was coined by the vendor who sold these delicacies from a donkey cart, wrapping foodstuffs in tortillas to keep them warm and also more convenient for his customers. Or maybe “burrito” was the not-so-affectionate or kind nickname a different vendor gave to the children to whom he sold his wares.

Yet another theory is that the rolled-up shape of a burrito resembles either a donkey’s ears or the pack rolls that donkeys traditionally transported.

The story that at least one Mexican food expert finds most credible is that the burrito originated in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora, which is known for growing wheat, and that early versions were easily portable vehicles for repurposing leftover rice and beans.

These days, there are all types of burritos – breakfast burritos with eggs and potatoes, dessert burritos with fruit and chocolate, vegetarian burritos with tofu and veggies. One thing that the burrito is NOT, at least colloquially, is a sandwich, which, according to the dictionary is a light meal consisting of two pieces of bread or bread-like substance (like a cookie) with a filling in between.

Though, according to New York’s highly specific and (in my opinion) often inexplicable tax law, that is not actually the case. For tax purposes in New York, a burrito IS considered a sandwich, as it falls under the classification of “wraps.” This classification means that a burrito is subject to sales tax, as sandwiches are, as per a 2019 bulletin from the state Department of Tax and Finance.

For the record, the Tax and Finance Department’s definition of a “sandwich” is very broad, including hoagies and open-faced varieties like a Welsh rarebit, which is hot cheese, ale, mustard, and/or Worcestershire sauce on bread.

Also, if you want to really get complicated on this subject – a sliced bagel with cream cheese spread on it is taxed, but a cream cheese-stuffed bagel – sort of like a savory Twinkie – apparently is not. If you purchase a whole bagel – or a bag of whole bagels – and a tub of cream cheese on the side and do the slicing and schmearing yourself, you are also NOT subject to the bagel tax.

The answer to the “is a burrito a sandwich” question actually varies from state to state, and in several instances the courts have weighed in. I think we can all agree, however, that burritos are tasty. And if you are in agreement with that statement, then you’ll be happy to know that today is National Burrito Day and there are many deals available to help you celebrate.

It’s going to be warmer today, with temperatures rising through the 60s and topping out near – but not quite at – 70 degrees. We might see some showers in the morning, but that will give way to just clouds in the afternoon. There might be a few powerful wind gusts of up to 40 mph, so hold on to your proverbial hats.

In the headlines…

President Donald Trump declared a national economic emergency and announced tariffs of at least 10% across all countries, with even higher rates for 60 countries deemed the “worst offenders,” according to White House officials.

The 10 percent tariff will go into effect on Friday. The higher reciprocal tariff will go into effect on April 9 at 12:01 a.m. Trump also announced a 25 percent tariff on all foreign-made automobiles that will take effect at 12:01 a.m. April 3.

One of the highest tariff rates of 49% will be levied on all Cambodian imports, according to a poster Trump displayed at a Rose Garden event. Among the other newly announced tariff rates are 46% for Vietnam, 34% for China and 20% for the European Union.

U.S. stock futures cratered as Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs of at least 10% and even higher for some countries, raising the risks of a global trade war that hits the already sputtering U.S. economy.

The world’s biggest economies reacted swiftly to Trump’s latest round of tariffs, warning of retaliation against what they described as a counterproductive move.

As markets in Asia dropped sharply today in response to the tariffs, China vowed to take countermeasures to “safeguard its own rights and interests.” Its state media described the tariffs as “self-defeating bullying.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen slammed Trump’s imposition of a 20 percent tariff on EU goods and vowed to retaliate, saying the bloc was “prepared to respond” – likely by striking services.

Service sectors — which include the finance, travel, engineering and medical industries and more — make up the bulk of the American economy. Exports of these services brought more than $1 trillion into the US last year.

Economist Justin Wolfers responded to the president’s tariff announcements with a chart showing that the policy will give the United States “the highest tariff rates of any industrialized country. And it’s not even close.”

The Senate approved a measure that would block some of the tariffs Trump has imposed on Canada, with a handful of Republicans joining Democrats to pass a resolution that would halt levies set to take effect this week. The effort is likely to stall in the House.

A coalition of health researchers, unions and other stakeholders filed a lawsuit challenging the abrupt cancellation of billions of dollars in research grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as unconstitutional. 

Alongside extensive reductions to the staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Trump administration has reportedly asked the agency to cut $2.9 billion of its spending on contracts.

The extensive layoffs of federal health workers that began on Tuesday will greatly curtail the scope and influence of the CDC, the world’s premier public health agency, an outcome long sought by conservatives critical of its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Trump administration has abruptly laid off the entire staff running a $4.1 billion program to help low-income households across the United States pay their heating and cooling bills.

The firings threaten to paralyze the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which was created by Congress in 1981 and helps to offset high utility bills for roughly 6.2 million people from Maine to Texas during frigid winters and hot summers.

New York recorded a slight increase in population in the year leading up to last July, with an influx of migrants contributing to a shift in the state’s downward slide that started with the coronavirus pandemic, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

In the wake of the high-profile detention of a mother and her three children upstate by federal immigration agents, immigrant advocates are again demanding that state lawmakers pass legislation banning New York jails and prisons from contracting with ICE.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said it was “just plain cruel” for ICE agents to detain a family, including a child in third grade, from their home in Sackets Harbor.

Hochul, advocacy groups and school leaders expressed shock and alarm over the detention of three children and their mother as Trump’s administration continues efforts to deport hundreds of noncitizens without any court proceedings or criminal charges.

New York is on the verge of becoming the next state to ban cellphone use during school hours — a victory for its Democratic governor who has been pushing to drastically limit the “endless disruptions from social media” on students.

The state’s budget director says that if federal cuts to vital services come to pass in Congress’ final budget plan, the state will have to make its own cuts. Nearly $91 billion of Hochul’s $252 billion executive budget proposal comes from the federal government.

Hochul has proposed new prison reforms meant to ease staffing shortages as part of state budget negotiations, while the head of the state Department of Corrections said he wants to release qualifying incarcerated individuals early for the same reason.

Multiple lawmakers have briefly conferenced proposals from Hochul to expand opportunities for people in prison to reduce long sentences with credits for good behavior or job training — a priority the governor included in this year’s legislative agenda.

Oneida County has won its request for an injunction against Hochul’s executive order that stopped local agencies from hiring terminated corrections officers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy slammed Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on X, accusing both of discounting safety risks in New York City subways.

A federal judge ended New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ legal saga with a scathing ruling yesterday, with the judge suggesting that the Department of Justice could be using Adams’ case to advance Trump’s immigration agenda.

The judge, Dale E. Ho of Federal District Court in Manhattan, dismissed corruption charges against Adams, ending the first criminal case against a New York City mayor in modern history and underscoring how Trump’s DOJ is using its power to advance his agenda.

Ho refused to let the government retain the option of reinstating the case, as Trump’s Justice Department had sought. Yes this does not mean that Adams’s path to winning a second term this year will be any easier.

“Everything here smacks of a bargain: Dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” the judge wrote in his 78-page decision. He suggested that the DOJ’s arguments about impropriety and timing were misleading and insincere.

Ho said that his hands were essentially tied – even though he has concerns about the Justice Department’s reasons to dismiss the case – he could not force them to prosecute a defendant.

Hours after a federal judge granted the Trump administration’s request to dismiss the corruption charges against him, Adams suggested at a news conference in front of Gracie Mansion that Trump’s Justice Department was doing God’s will.

Adams plugged FBI Director Kash Patel’s book on the “deep state” at the end of his remarks reacting to the corruption case against him officially being dropped. “I’m going to encourage every New Yorker to read it,” he said. 

Adams stood on the back steps of Gracie Mansion to defiantly declare he is  going to run — and prevail — in the upcoming mayoral race. 

“I don’t see how in three months he can win the Democratic primary,” said former Gov. David Paterson. “But an independent candidacy is an interesting play.”

City Council leaders claimed the Big Apple’s coffers are flush with billions more in cash than the mayor’s office projected – and they want to use the extra dough to spend millions on education, mental health and housing services.

New York restaurants with “conditional approvals” for outdoor dining will be able to get liquor licenses, the city announced yesterday — ending fears it would be a boozeless al fresco season for most Big Apple eateries.

Ex-City Councilman Dan Halloran — who spent years in federal prison for a $200,000 bribery scheme to rig a mayoral election — has been arrested and charged for having hundreds of child sex abuse videos on his phone, according to authorities.

The MTA announced plans to roll out its first fully redesigned subway map in more than 40 years, a move transit officials said will make New York City’s byzantine transit system easier to navigate.

The revamped map takes its cues from a 1970s throwback that was cheered by design connoisseurs and reviled by many traditionalists. It is the first major overhaul of the subway map to be introduced by the authority in almost 50 years.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards accused a group of Queens residents of racism for blocking concert permits at one the city’s most popular music venues, saying their efforts to shut down shows at Forest Hills Stadium reeked of bias and exclusion.

N.Y.U. Langone Health cancelled a McGill University professor’s planned speech on humanitarian crises the night before she was scheduled to deliver it, even though she had already traveled from Canada to New York City, due to concerns about its tone.

Five months after the seizure and euthanasia of Peanut the squirrel, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said it is reviewing its protocol for dealing with illegal wildlife to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The New York attorney general’s office said that it would not file charges against a police officer who fatally shot a 13-year-old boy in Utica, N.Y., because it did not believe the evidence would convince a jury that the officer’s use of force was unjustified.

NY-21 Democratic candidate Blake Gendebien plans to challenge GOP U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik in 2026, now that her long-delayed appointment as U.N. ambassador has been scrapped by the White House.

Charges of antisemitism and liberal bias and dismay over cuts to the opera budget have led to a small mutiny at Chautauqua Institution. And this was after the attack on Salman Rushdie.

Trees were being cut down this week at a well-known former dairy farm on Kenwood Avenue in Bethlehem as developers prepare the site for a 52-lot housing development.

Eight months after it effectively fired former CEO Phil Calderone, the Albany County Airport Authority released a report from an accounting firm that identified several financial and management issues the firm says occurred during Calderone’s tenure.

Photo credit: George Fazio.