Good morning, it’s Friday.
I’m a big fan of breakfast. Eggs, oatmeal, salad, bagels, toast – LOVE toast – fruit, coffee, protein smoothies, yogurt parfaits, pancakes, granola, smoked salmon. All are among my favorite foods; I can eat them any time of the day and be completely happy and satisfied.
As for the rest of the traditional daily meals, I generally do subscribe to the “breakfast like a king, dinner like a pauper” approach, because eating too late does not agree with me and messes with my already screwy sleep patterns. A light snack consumed a few hours before bed is more than sufficient, I find.
I could really take or leave lunch. Sometimes I don’t have a chance to eat breakfast until late in the morning, and then by the time I get hungry again, it’s almost dinnertime and I just sort of graze but don’t eat a full meal.
If I’m out for a lunch, that’s a different story. I do like a well-made sandwich as much as the next person, and am partial to deli salads as filling, including chicken, egg, and, of course, the old standby: Tuna.
There’s nothing worse than badly made tuna salad, though. And I am particular about it. I happen to like my tuna crunchy, with onions and celery and mayo and maybe some sweet pickle relish for a little extra flavor. I don’t love non-traditional add-ins like fruit or nuts, but I do think that the addition of potato chips – preferably Ruffles or Kettle Chips – to one’s tuna sandwich is a must-do.
Tuns is so versatile and has great nutritional value – lots of protein, relatively low in fat. It also has a long shelf life and is easy to mix into a wide range of dishes (I’m speaking here of the canned variety, though I wouldn’t turn down a well-cooked fresh tuna steak or tuna sashimi, either).
One does have to be cognizant of the mercury issue, particularly when it comes to specific species like yellowfin and albacore, which have higher levels than other types, like, say, skipjack.
I am not alone in my fondness for tuna, according to the National Fisheries Institute, which reports that Americans consume about 2.2 pounds of the canned version in 2022 alone. Canned tuna is No. 3 on the Top 10 list of the total fish consumed in the U.S. (In case you’re curious, shrimp was No .1, followed by salmon).
The global tuna market is very big business, with seven species – yellowfin, skipjack, bigeye, albacore, and Atlantic, Pacific, and southern bluefin – among the planet’s most valuable fishes. Earlier this year, a single bluefin that weighed just over 600 pounds sold for more than $1.3 million at an annual Tokyo fish auction in Tokyo. Organizers said that was the second-highest bid since the event began in 1999.
It probably won’t come as a surprise that certain tuna species are overfished, including Pacific bluefin, Atlantic tuna, and yellowtail, though management efforts have seen some success in building back fish populations.
It’s helpful that the tuna is a fairly resilient fish, according to NOAA, in part because it has a high reproductive rate, with each spawning female laying literally millions of eggs at a clip. A good number of those end up as food for some other species – such is the circle of life – but others manage to make it to adulthood, only to be rudely yanked from the water to end up in someone’s sandwich or sushi roll.
Today is World Tuna Day, declared as such in 2017 by the United Nations to help raise awareness about the need to preserve and conserve the species.
After a wonderful strength of sun and warmth, we’re heading into a spate of not-so-great weather – just in time for the weekend, sadly.
Today is going to be the best of the lot, it appears, with mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the high 70s. Tomorrow will be cooler – in the mid-60s – with occasional rain showers in the afternoon that continue into the evening. Sunday will bring more showers that turns into a steadier rain as the day progresses, and temperatures will again be in the low-to-mid 60s.
In the headlines…
The Trump administration officially eliminated a loophole that had allowed American shoppers to buy cheap goods from China without paying tariffs.
The move will help U.S. manufacturers that have struggled to compete with a wave of low-cost Chinese products, but it has already resulted in higher prices for Americans who shop online.
Chinese online retail giants like Shein and Temu relied on the so-called “de minimis” exemption to sell and ship low-value items directly to the US without having to pay duties or import taxes.
Trump used his commencement speech at the University of Alabama yesterday to take a victory lap over his administration’s first 100 days into his second term.
The president proclaimed that the University of Alabama’s spring graduating class is the first of “the Golden Age of America,” arguing that the students could become “the greatest generation” of Americans.
The largely receptive crowd often cheered at the scattershot injection into the speech of issues from the price of eggs to transgender rights, a microcosm of an era when even a graduation address cannot escape the politics of the moment.
Trump signed an executive order aiming to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS, accusing the outlets of producing biased coverage and “left-wing propaganda.”
Trump instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to end federal funding for NPR and PBS, to the extent allowed by law. The news outlets only receive a small portion of its funding from Congress, with the rest coming from donors and sponsors.
“Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence,” Trump wrote in the order.
The public broadcasting executive order, like many that have been signed by the president, could be challenged in court.
Trump announced a major shakeup in his national security team, tapping Mike Waltz to be his United Nations ambassador while Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fill the national security adviser post on an acting basis.
Vice President J.D. Vance denied claims that Waltz’s move was a demotion or a direct result of Pentagon leaks.
New York Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan, a former Army intelligence officer, criticized Waltz’s “brazen disregard” for the U.S. military over his use of the Signal group chat to facilitate talk about an attack.
A federal judge permanently barred the Trump administration from invoking the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century wartime law, to deport Venezuelans it has deemed to be criminals from the Southern District of Texas, saying use of the statute was illegal.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to require all new vaccines to be tested against placebos and to develop new vaccines without using mRNA technology, raising questions about whether Covid boosters will be available in the fall.
HHS has not offered details on the timing of the placebo plan or specify the vaccines involved.
Experts warn that requiring placebo-controlled trials before clearing new versions would delay availability of updated Covid shots by months, putting vulnerable people at risk.
For Gov. Kathy Hochul, expected to face a hotly contested re-election next year, the messaging behind the budget — “your family is my fight” — may well be a preview of her campaign strategy and perhaps one that Democrats might follow in next year’s midterms.
Hochul pledged at Grand Central Terminal to work toward further driving down crime in the New York City subway system as her proposed blitz of subway safety spending made it through budget negotiations in Albany unscathed.
Hochul appeared in midtown, flanked by members of the state police and National Guard, to talk about how safe the New York City subway is and how she’s pushing to make it even safer.
New York lawmakers are considering a measure that would dramatically weaken their oversight over religious schools, potentially a major victory for the state’s Hasidic Jewish community.
The state Business Council and a consortium of building industry stakeholders filed a lawsuit challenging new freshwater wetland regulations that took effect in January and, they allege, will exacerbate the affordable housing crisis by expanding protected areas.
As he campaigns for re-election, Mayor Eric Adams has spent the week teasing new details in an optimistic budget that largely ignores the pressures of looming federal cuts and a potential recession driven by Trump’s tariffs.
Adams released a “best ever” $115.1 billion budget proposal that cites more than 70 investments ranging from education, housing vouchers, food assistance and increased funds for nonprofit social service providers.
Adams’ plan allocates more than $1 billion in new spending on child care, education and other initiatives and uses another $1 billion to plug a migrant crisis funding gap.
Some budget experts, however, said the proposal had little margin for error should the country plummet into a recession or should Congress and the president continue to slash city funding.
Adams, who faces an uphill re-election battle, unveiled his 2026 executive budget during a campaign-like event from his alma mater Bayside High School in Queens, rather than City Hall, from which such announcements have traditionally been done.
A half dozen candidates running for mayor are calling for a rent freeze for over a million rent-stabilized apartments — but Adams could make that goal difficult to fulfill, not just this year but into any successor’s term.
The Adams administration is balking at a state-level plan to rescue a popular child care program from a looming fiscal cliff, painting it as an attempt by state leaders to shift costs to the city.
New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber – an Adams appointee – said he has been uniquely embroiled in ethical issues, referencing a five-count bribery case and raids and phone seizures.
City Comptroller and mayoral hopeful Brad Lander called on Adams to allow an independent party to handle all matters related to how and when to defend the city’s sanctuary laws.
Long Island Republicans blasted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s latest tax crunch on suburban businesses — calling for an audit of the chronically cash-strapped agency.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers took aim at accuser Miriam Haley’s high-flying life, and her decision to seek out civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred, during her first day of cross-examination at the movie mogul’s sexual assault retrial in Manhattan.
About 1,500 demonstrators, many of them lawyers in business attire, jammed the plaza outside Manhattan’s federal courthouse as part of the National Law Day of Action, chanting in favor of the rule of law and hoisting pocket Constitutions to the sky.
A 46-year-old man was charged this week with fatally stabbing a rider on a New York City subway train last week after the two got into an argument during the morning rush.
For decades, factories in Hoosick Falls purged toxic “forever chemicals” into soil and water supplies, triggering a wave of litigation and the establishment of hazardous waste sites. A new lawsuit contends the pollution has also contaminated the area’s trees.
The coach of the Westhill High School boys’ lacrosse team has addressed the hazing incident that attracted national attention and resulted in the cancellation of his team’s season and 11 of his players turning themselves in to authorities to face charges.
Police have charged a 17-year-old from the city with arson and other felonies for setting a massive fire that destroyed a former glove and knitting factory and two other nearby businesses Tuesday, authorities said.
A 24-year-old Mexican man charged with attempted murder in two separate stabbings in South Troy on different days last month also has alleged ties to organized crime, according to federal authorities.
Developers say residents can expect some slight tweaks to a major redevelopment proposal in the heart of downtown Troy.
Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello has so far identified two “good prospects” for potentially filling a six-figure management position subject to turnover in recent times.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
