Good morning, it’s Wednesday and your short workweek is almost halfway over!
I’ve been spending some time in New York City and have mixed feelings about it. One thing that has struck me, though, is all the food waste – so MANY bags of garbage, and so much consumption that is occurring all around, all the time.
This is particularly striking given the number of homeless and hungry people on the street. How can we be a city, a state, and a country with so much bounty and yet so much need? Hunger and food insecurity are on the rise and that problem is likely only to get worse, thanks to the rapidly rising cost of basic staples (and no, not just eggs, though that’s an oft-cited example) and the rapidly declining amount of public assistance available to support programs on which hungry people rely.
A recent report from the state comptroller’s office found that food prices in the New York City metro area had risen just over 25 percent since 2019, and the implementation of tariffs, combined with the ending of federal food subsidy programs, promises to make an already bad situation worse.
The Community Service Society of New York’s 2024 Annual Survey of Housing and Economic Security statewide survey of residents found 22% of New Yorkers experienced food insecurity in the past year. For households with children, the rate was 27%.
For the record, the definition of “food insecurity” is “a household-level condition of limited or uncertain access to enough food to sustain a healthy life.” In other words, it’s not just about hunger and it’s not just about access to any type of food, but rather the ability to access safe, nutritionally adequate food in a socially acceptable manner, as per the USDA.
Sadly, this is not an “only in New York” phenomenon. Hunger and food insecurity are worsening across the nation and the globe. According to the United Nations, 343 million people across 74 countries experienced acute food insecurity in 2022, while 1.9 million are experiencing catastrophic hunger. The main causes of hunger are: conflict, climate change, economic challenges, and displacement forced by one of the aforementioned causes or something else entirely.
You know I generally shy away from political commentary on this site, but I can’t help but point out that experts predict that the federal funding cuts implemented by the Trump administration will dramatically increase hunger and disease around the world – including right here in the U.S.
Adding insult to injury, the so-called “big beautiful bill” that is currently making its leisurely way through Congress includes major changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest nutrition aid program, such as expanded work requirements, restricted exemptions for families, and demands for increased state financial participation.
SNAP, in case you’re not familiar, had more than 42 million participants as of last December – including close to 3 million New Yorkers, about 15 percent of the entire state population. More than half of SNAP participants in New York are families with kids.
On average, the per person SNAP benefit was approximately $189. In New York, the per person, per day benefit is just shy of $6.50, which is why a growing number of people are also seeking to supplement their household groceries through other means – like food pantries.
There’s a lot more statistics where these came from, but at the risk of making this post ever longer and more unwieldy, I’ll cut things off here by noting that it’s World Hunger Day, which was founded by The Hunger Project in 2011 to call attention to the global food crisis. The nonprofit organization is focused on the impact of climate change on sustainability and agriculture, as increasingly frequent extreme weather events take a disproportionate toll on vulnerable, lower-income communities.
It will be overcast and a little on the humid side today, with temperatures in the mid-to-high 70s. There’s a chance of occasional rain showers after midnight.
In the headlines…
As the Trump administration tries to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has been threatening to upend the talks by striking Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities, according to officials briefed on the situation.
President Donald said that Canada is “considering” his offer of joining the United States as the 51st state in exchange for no-cost protection by the proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system.
The president’s latest offer to Canada comes after King Charles reaffirmed Canada’s sovereignty and declared it “strong and free” in a historic address to Canada’s parliament.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow speedy deportations of migrants to countries other than their own, despite a federal judge’s ruling that they must be first allowed a “meaningful opportunity” to object.
Trump’s campaign of retribution against elite law firms is not going so well. A judge struck down his executive order seeking to crush WilmerHale, one of several firms the president says have wronged him or have done work for his political opponents.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk — who spearheaded the cost-cutting efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — said he was “disappointed” to see the massive legislative package of Republican priorities make it through the House.
A federal judge denied the federal government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Musk, in his role leading the U.S. DOGE Service, is exercising unchecked power in violation of the Constitution.
The Trump administration is suing North Carolina and its State Board of Elections for failing to maintain an accurate voter roll.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday announced the lawsuit, which accuses the state of not doing enough to prevent voter fraud after using a state voter registration form that did not require individuals to provide identifying information.
Trump says he’ll be issuing a pardon for Todd and Julie Chrisley, a couple who starred in a reality TV show before being jailed in a multi-million dollar fraud and tax evasion case.
The State Department yesterday suspended foreign students’ visa appointments as it weighs expanded guidelines for screening applicants’ social media accounts, according to an internal cable.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women.
In a 58-second video posted on the social media site X, Kennedy said he removed COVID-19 shots from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for those groups.
The Secret Service has suspended two uniformed officers reportedly caught on camera fighting each other outside former President Obama’s home. During the brawl, one officer allegedly grabbed her radio and threatened to “whoop this girl’s ass.”
National Public Radio, along with three local stations, has sued Trump, calling illegal his efforts to defund public media by Executive Order.
A federal judge yesterday temporarily thwarted the Trump administration’s bid to kill Manhattan’s congestion pricing — ensuring the controversial program will stay in place until at least June 9.
US District Judge Lewis Liman issued an order that temporarily prevents the US Transportation Department from withholding federal funding from New York.
Gov. Kathy Hochul lauded the judge’s order as a “win” for New York in the battle over congestion pricing, saying it blocks the Trump administration from “retaliating against New York” for continuing the program, which is the first of its kind in the nation.
“We’ve won,” Hochul said, adding that the Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy “can issue as many letters and social media posts as he wants, but a court has blocked the Trump Administration from retaliating against New York for reducing traffic and investing in transit.”
Shootings in New York state are down 9% so far in 2025 compared to the same period last year, Hochul announced, which is the lowest level of gun violence the state has seen since the state began tracking this data nearly 20 years ago.
At time when Republicans and Democrats seem to disagree on everything, a new Siena College poll finds strong, bipartisan approval for several provisions in the recently passed New York state budget.
All 57 New York counties will be receiving funds for a $56.5 million Summer Youth Employment program designed to help at-risk youth from low-income households, Hochul announced.
New York’s 22-day correction officer strike stressed out Hochul more than any other time in her tenure, leaving the governor to question whether she would lose control of the prison system to unguarded prisoners in riots across the state.
Amid projections for New York to lose at least two more congressional seats after the 2030 census count, a bill that would create a state census office for more accurate counting is being considered at the Capitol.
Amanda Lefton is inheriting a tangle of challenges as the next commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, the mammoth agency responsible for conserving the state’s natural resources and enforcing its environmental laws.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams filed a lawsuit challenging the city Campaign Finance Board’s decision to deny him millions of dollars in public matching funds.
Adams’ lawsuit against the board, filed in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn, accuses the board of violating city, state and federal rules and seeks the release of $3.4 million that would bolster his long-shot reelection bid.
“If the CFB has any evidence beyond the indictment, it would have relied on that evidence publicly to support its determination because of its stated commitment to transparency,” Robert Spolzino, an attorney for Adams’ campaign, wrote in the complaint.
Adams announced plans to attend – on the taxpayers’ dime – a Bitcoin event in Las Vegas, where he’ll be a featured speaker alongside tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Vice President J.D. Vance.
The mayor is scheduled as a ‘featured speaker’ at crypto-event company DNA House’s conference, alongside household names in crypto like biotech tycoon and former political hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy and Bryan Johnson of Venmo.
Adams wants to give a breath of life to dozens of vacant lots in Brooklyn and Queens by turning them into small public parks, and proposed setting aside $30 million in next year’s city budget to target sites that could be turned into green spaces.
The co-founder of Netflix and the chief executive of New York’s largest health care provider are among the latest business titans to pour money into a super PAC boosting Andrew Cuomo’s run for mayor, fresh filings show.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has yet to endorse a mayoral candidate, and the timing of her decision is key if she wants to influence the outcome of the June 24 Democratic primary.
According to a new internal poll from Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, Cuomo received 40%, Mamdani received 27% and no other candidate cracked double digits in the first round of ranked choice voting.
Memorial Day weekend in the Big Apple saw the fewest number of shootings of any holiday since such data were first recorded 32 years ago, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
A third person accused of kidnapping a man and torturing him for nearly three weeks to steal his Bitcoin fortune surrendered to the police in New York City yesterday morning, Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s plan to build a casino next to Citi Field took a step forward as state lawmakers moved to clear one of the project’s major remaining hurdles. The bill, which the state Assembly approved, now heads to Hochul’s desk.
The New York City District Council of Carpenters, Laborers’ International Union of North America and Mason Tenders are officially endorsing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for re-election.
Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres urged the Capitol Police to investigate alleged threats from a baby-faced anti-Israel activist who urged support for the gunman accused of killing two Israel Embassy staffers in DC
The food delivery company DoorDash plans to spend as much as $2 million to boost a handful of New York City Council candidates in the June 24 Democratic primary.
Cassie Ventura was reportedly rushed to the labor and delivery unit of a New York City hospital yesterday, just two weeks after the pregnant R&B singer testified in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial in Manhattan.
A new, highly infectious COVID-19 strain that has led to a spike in hospitalizations in China has now been detected in the US, including cases in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Rent Guidelines Board lowered the range of potential rent increases for some 2 million New Yorkers in an unusual redo vote yesterday – a move that comes as the issue of freezing rents has taken center stage in the contentious mayoral race.
Landlords who get public money to house the most vulnerable New Yorkers — including people who were recently homeless and those with mental illness and substance abuse disorder — sought eviction warrants for nearly 300 people this year, data show.
A Bronx high schooler from Venezuela showed up for a routine immigration court date. ICE was waiting. His detention appears to be the first reported instance of immigration officials apprehending a student in the city this year.
Adams said that immigrants should still attend their court dates and go to school in the wake of the detainment of a Bronx high school student — while emphasizing that what immigration authorities do is out of his hands.
Several hundred New York City high school students walked out of class yesterday to protest the Trump administration’s threats to immigrant students and higher education.
A former state trooper who was fired after testing positive last year for amphetamines has filed a lawsuit against the State Police seeking to get her job back.
While the Saratoga Springs City Court tries to resolve tickets issued to two demonstration organizers, another activist announced he was ticketed by city police.
City of Schenectady police are among only a handful of law enforcement agencies in New York that are using drones as a first responder to emergency calls.
Firefighters extinguished a fire yesterday afternoon in the kitchen of the clubhouse at Saratoga Race Course, officials said.
A Turkish immigrant who was arrested last year and accused of forcing a 15-year-old girl into his car and raping her in Albany’s South End pleaded guilty to third-degree rape earlier this month. He faces deportation after his scheduled sentencing in July.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
