Good morning, it’s Wednesday, and we have some nice symmetry in today’s date – the 25th day of the month in the year 2025.

Given the historic, recording-breaking heat and the historic, potentially paradigm-shifting outcome in the New York City Democratic primary for mayor, I thought it would be fitting to take a moment to look back and find out what else of note happened today.

It turns out there’s quite a lot that’s worth mentioning, so here, in no particular order, is a speedy compendium of stuff, in no particular order:

  • On this day in 1967, The Beatles performed “All You Need is Love” on a BBC program called Our World, which was broadcast to an international audience, reaching 26 different countries all at the same time. Some 400 million people saw the performance, which catapulted the Fab Four into the collective consciousness. (It’s Global Beatles Day).
  • Also in this day in 1950, the Korean War began (a fitting thing to mention, given what’s occurring between Israel, Iran, and the U.S. right now), as forces from the country’s communist North attacked the South. The result was a conflict that dragged on for over three years, and caused the deaths of an estimated 4 million people, the vast majority of whom – about 3 million – were civilians.
  • In 2009 on this day, music legend Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 from an overdose of propofol and other prescription painkillers, AND actress Farrah Fawcett, of Charlie’s Angels fame, also died at the age of 62 after battling a rare form of anal cancer. Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter two years after the pop star’s death, and sentenced to four years behind bars, of which he served only two.
  • This is a good one to note as we wrap up Pride Month: on this day in 1978, the first versions of the rainbow flag that has become synonymous with LGBTQ+ pride, made a debut appearance at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. The flag was created by an openly gay artist at the urging of Harvey Milk, who was one of the nation’s first openly gay elected officials and also has a Capital Region connection (he was a UAlbany graduate, Class of ’51).
  • Another history-making moment, culturally speaking, but in a very different way – on this day in 1947, The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, was published. In case you are not familiar, though I’m not sure how that might be, this book was the journal of a 13-year-old Jewish girl that was discovered in the Amsterdam attic where she and her family hid out for two years from the Nazis, until they were ratted out to the Gestapo and captured. The book was – and continues to be – impactful for many reasons, not the least of which is that it remains the first introduction for many people, especially young people, to the Holocaust and its many horrors.

The big news, as mentioned at the outset of this post, was the heat. with many places – including New York City – setting or tying records. Central Park hit 96 degrees – a high not seen since 1888. The heat dome that is gripping much of the eastern part of the nation, and pushing temperatures dangerously high, won’t dissipate for several days yet, but it will be ever so slightly cooler today in the Albany area, with highs in the low 90s and sunny-to-partly cloudy skies.

In the headlines…(NOTE: In a bit of a departure, we’ll kick things off with local, New York news and then turn to national stories).

Democratic Socialist Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani stunned political observers across the country as he looked set to win the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

While a winner hasn’t been officially declared, Cuomo didn’t wait for the entire vote to be tabulated to concede. Less than two hours after the polls closed, he told his supporters that “tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night.”

Mamdani, 33, galvanized voters with an energetic campaign focused on affordability and stitched together a coalition that largely consisted of white, Asian and Latino voters in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. He would be the city’s first Muslim mayor.

“I will be the mayor for every New Yorker, whether you voted for me, for Gov. Cuomo or felt too disillusioned by a long, broken political system to vote at all. I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani’s success in one of the first major Democratic primaries since President Donald Trump returned to the White House reverberated across the country and offered a potential road map for Democrats searching for a path back to power.

Cuomo, 67, told The New York Times in a phone call shortly after his concession speech that he was still considering whether to run in the November general election on an independent line.

The national Democratic establishment struggled to absorb the startling ascent of a democratic socialist in New York City who embraced a progressive economic agenda and diverged from the party’s dominant position on the Middle East.

Albany Chief City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs recognized the historic moment when she declared victory in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary last night, as she is on route to being the city’s first Black mayor.

“We actually embrace diversity, equity and inclusion. We are fighters. We are prideful, we are fierce and we are protectors of Albany,” Applyrs told her supporters.

Sean Ryan, who has represented North Buffalo, the Upper West Side and the Elmwood Village among other towns outside of Buffalo in the State Senate since 2021, won 46.4% of the total vote in Buffalo Democratic mayoral primary last night.

Ryan defeated acting Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon in a multi-candidate field. During the campaign, Ryan went after Scanlon over his handling of city finances and the budget, accusing him of “rubber stamping” bad budgets. 

Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens won the Democratic primary for Syracuse mayor, making her highly likely to be the city’s first Black leader.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg won the Democratic nomination for another term in office, fending off a more moderate challenger, Decision Desk HQ projects. 

Mark Levine was poised to clinch the Democratic primary for city comptroller, capping an under-the-radar race that focused heavily on Trump.

Brooklyn City Council Member Justin Brannan said in a statement that he had called Levine to congratulate him and to “wish him the best as he takes on this extremely important role at this critical time.”

Jumaane Williams, the progressive organizer who as New York City’s public advocate emerged as one of the most prominent critics of Mayor Eric Adams, handily won the Democratic primary for the office.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal appeared to defeat Council Member Keith Powers in the Democratic primary for Manhattan borough president, moving him closer to making history as the first openly gay person elected to a borough-wide position.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson secured the Democratic nomination for a second term, defeating Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. with 68.53% of the vote, according to preliminary results from the Board of Elections.

In a closely-watched race, Brooklyn Councilmember Shahana Hanif has held on to her seat with a commanding lead in the preliminary first-round vote tally. But many other close contests will likely head to the full ranked vote count to determine a winner.

The cease-fire deal that ended the fiercest and longest war between Israel and Iran was holding this morning, more than 24 hours after President Trump declared that it was in effect.

A preliminary classified U.S. report says the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran set back the country’s nuclear program by only a few months, according to officials familiar with the findings.

Trump administration officials slammed a leaked preliminary intelligence assessment of the damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities by weekend US airstrikes that the president has touted as a massive success. 

Trump was meeting with NATO leaders today at the alliance’s annual summit, where discussions about military spending in light of Russia’s assault on Ukraine were at risk of being overshadowed by the cease-fire between Israel and Iran.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, referred to herself as a “silly girl” in response to Trump’s scathing social media attack against the far-left lawmaker. 

A federal judge issued a ruling blocking the Trump administration from withholding funds for electric vehicle charger infrastructure from 14 states. 

U.S. District Judge Tana Lin said the government overstepped their Constitutional authority by refusing to disperse dollars attached to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by former President Biden.

Scorching, record-breaking temperatures kept many people indoors throughout the metropolitan region, strained the electrical grid and stoked concerns among those who are the most vulnerable to the heat, including older New Yorkers and the very young.

The New York Independent System Operator, the North Greenbush-based entity that oversees the state’s wholesale electrical market and high-voltage transmission system, issued a warning yesterday, calling on residents to conserve electricity.

An Energy Warning is issued when NYISO’s operating reserves fall below 1,965 megawatts and are not expected to recover for at least 30 minutes.

Federal prosecutors and defense lawyers rested their cases at Sean Combs’s sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial on Tuesday, and the music mogul announced that he would not be testifying in his own defense.

Interim U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III is scheduled to appear before a panel of federal judges from New York’s Northern District on Friday, where he will make his case for being appointed to the position permanently.

Employees at a Capital Region nursing home are complaining that what they say are low wages and insufficient staffing are creating unhygienic and unsafe conditions for workers and the nearly 150 elderly residents at the privately owned facility

The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear arguments from lawyers for Alain Kaloyeros and other former defendants in the so-called “Buffalo Billion” case who asked the nation’s highest court to block prosecutors from trying them again for alleged bid-rigging.

Prosecutors are expected to file new charges carrying the potential for the death penalty against Teresa Youngblut, a young woman arrested for her role in a shooting that killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont, according to Youngblut’s attorney.

More than 160 acres of Rensselaer have been designated by the state as a Brownfield Opportunity Area, a status designed to help revitalize historically polluted and underdeveloped communities across New York. 

It will cost more to lay your head in a hotel in Saratoga County beginning next year. At the end of May, the state Senate and Assembly approved an increase in the county’s bed tax from 1% to 3%.

A proposed city ordinance to ban “camping” Saratoga Springs streets will bar anyone from sleeping or laying on any city property. And those who do would pay $100 for the first offense and $250 for the second offense, after an initial warning from city police.

Photo credit: George Fazio.