Good morning, it’s Thursday.
First a brief programming note: Due to circumstances outside my control – namely, being born – I will be taking tomorrow off to mark my next trip around the sun. As a result, there will be no “Rise and Shine” tomorrow, Friday, July 25, 2025.
Regularly scheduled posting will return Monday, bright and early. Happy birthday to me.
I know that the rap against Americans – or one of the big ones, anyway – is that we’re too in love with our cars. The truth is that we drive more, on average, than residents in other countries around the world. Even for short trips (those a mile or less), we opt for driving over walking, cycling, or public transit (if it’s available) far more often than Europeans.
Some of that is due to the sheer size of our nation. Approximately 30 European countries, each with a distinct culture and government and language, can fit within the land mass of the continental U.S., which is really quite astonishing when you think about it.
Another reason is that, as a nation, we have prioritized investment in building car-dependent infrastructure and communities, with limited public transportation options – especially outside major cities. In many places across America, if you don’t have a car, your mobility (and options for housing, working, shopping, recreation etc.) is severely limited.
Gas prices in this country have also historically been far cheaper than elsewhere in the world, while getting your license is not terribly difficult, which puts driving in reach (assuming you have a car) for far more people. Over time, the ability to get into your car and drive wherever and whenever you’d like has come to be synonymous with freedom, prosperity, and the American Dream.
All of this car dominance has resulted in a lot of not-good things – suburban sprawl, air and noise pollution that contribute to climate change, traffic that not only generates emissions but wastes time, and higher rates of accident-related injury and fatalities.
But I would argue that there is at least one good thing that American car culture has spawned – drive throughs, or, as they are more colloquially known, “dive thrus.”
Stay with me here.
Sometimes, remaining in the car and opting to use the drive through to pick up your prescription, do your banking, get your coffee or food etc. just makes sense. It’s convenient, though not necessarily always faster than going inside (that pharmacy line can be LONG), and also limits the amount of time you actually have to spend talking to someone else.
Yes, sometimes it’s just too peopley out there, and yet I still want my caffeine fix in the form of an iced quad espresso with vanilla sweet cream foam. Also, if the dogs happen to be in the car and I don’t want to leave them unattended, the drive thru is a great option – plus, pup cups. IYKYK.
And when I say “option” I do mean that I like to have the choice of driving through OR going inside, rather than being forced ONLY to drive through, as occurred during COVID. Sometimes I actually do enjoy talking to strangers. Not often, mind you, but it happens.
The drive thru is a uniquely American invention. The first TRUE drive thru – complete with an intercom system for ordering – was installed at an In-N-Out Burger in Baldwin, CA, in 1948. Prior to that, an establishment called Red’s Giant Hamburger on the iconic Route 66 in Springfield, MO, pioneered the concept with a drive-up window for ordering and procuring your food, as opposed to waiting in the lot for a carhop to bring your order out to you.
Today, there are an estimated 200,000 drive thrus across the country, which Americans patronize an estimated 6 billion – yes, with a B – times a year. At some leading fast food chains like McDonald’s, drive thru orders account for about 70 percent or more of annual sale.
Despite their long-standing place in American culture, however, some communities are now having second thoughts about drive thrus and seeking to ban them – or at least curtail their numbers by placing a moratorium on new construction – in an effort to reduce congestion and sprawl and cut down on vehicular accidents.
For better or worse, drive thrus appear here to stay. And they’re so iconic that they have a whole day dedicated to celebrating their existence, compliments of the erstwhile fast food giant Jack in the Box. Some participating franchises and/or chains – like Dunkin’, Chik-fil-A, and Krispy Kreme – are running special deals – check your local listings before heading out.
After two glorious days of low humidity and sunshine, we’re heading back into hot and sticky territory, with temperatures soaring into the low 90s. Skies will be partly cloudy and/or partly sunny, depending on your point of view.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump was told by Attorney General Pam Bondi that he’s mentioned “multiple times” in files related to the probe of notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, according to multiple reports.
Bondi told Trump in May that his name appears alongside many other prominent people in Justice Department documents about the Epstein case, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported.
A federal judge in Florida denied a request by the Trump administration to release grand jury transcripts from an investigation into Epstein, stymying efforts by the president to blunt criticism from many of his supporters.
The decision is all but certain to frustrate the Trump administration’s frantic bid to show that no secrets remain from the government’s investigations into Epstein.
A key House subcommittee yesterday voted to subpoena the Justice Department for its files regarding the investigation into Epstein, after a few Republicans broke with their party to join Democrats in backing the move.
Roy Black, a Florida lawyer who helped Epstein avoid a lengthy federal prison sentence in 2007 after the disgraced financier pleaded to prostitution charges involving a minor, is dead at 80.
Trump is scheduled to visit the Federal Reserve’s headquarters today, joining other administration officials who have requested a site tour because of scrutiny of the central bank’s renovations.
Trump signed a trio of executive orders related to artificial intelligence (AI) yesterday, focusing on boosting data center construction and the adoption of American technology while targeting “woke” AI.
The three executive orders seek to fast-track permitting for data centers, promote the export of the American technology stack abroad and bar “woke” AI systems from federal contracting.
“America is the country that started the A.I. race,” Trump said in a speech last night in front of administration officials and tech executives. “And as president of the United States, I’m here today to declare that America is going to win it.”
A second court ruled that Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship still cannot go into effect anywhere in the country following the Supreme Court’s recent decision that claws back nationwide injunctions.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on Wednesday that four Democratic-led states were entitled to a nationwide injunction, because any narrower block would fail to provide them complete relief.
The Supreme Court yesterday allowed Trump to fire the three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a five-member group that monitors the safety of items like toys, cribs and electronics.
The Justice Department announced the formation of a task force to look into unsubstantiated allegations by Trump that President Barack Obama and his aides ordered an investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign’s connections to Russia to destroy Trump.
The announcement, which came in an ambiguous, bare-bones statement on the department’s website, was a continuation of Mr. Trump’s campaign of retribution.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, are suing right-wing podcaster Candace Owens over claims she made that the first lady was born a man.
The defamation lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court, is seeking an unspecified amount of damages from Owens, who alleged in a series called “Becoming Brigitte” that France’s first lady stole another person’s identity before transitioning to a woman.
A judge sentenced the killer of four Idaho college students to life in prison with no chance of parole. Bryan Kohberger declined to speak or explain his motives, which the victims’ family members, close followers of the case and even Trump wanted him to do.
Judge Steven Hippler described Kohberger, 30, as a coward who had “slithered” into a home in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022 and fatally stabbed the victims.
“This unfathomable and senseless act of evil has caused immeasurable pain and loss,” Hippler said. “Parents who took their children to college in a truck filled with moving boxes had to bring them home in hearses lined with coffins.”
Kohberger was expected to go through a lengthy and highly publicized trial in August. But in a surprise turn, he pleaded guilty on July 2 as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
“We have never, to this day, found a single connection between him and any of the four victims or the two surviving roommates,” Idaho State Police Lt. Darren Gilbertson said during a news conference after the hearing.
Rep. Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, plans to seek re-election in his crucial Hudson Valley swing seat next year rather than run for governor.
Lawler had been openly exploring a challenge to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, but with Republicans preparing to defend a minuscule House majority, he was under intense pressure from Trump and congressional allies to run for re-election.
Lawler said that running for reelection to the House was “the right thing to do for me and my family and my district,” adding: “Keeping the House majority is critical if we are going to continue to move this economy in the right direction.”
North Country GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik praised Lawler (no longer her potential primary opponent) as a “great, effective and hardworking” lawmaker. She plans to make a decision on a gubernatorial campaign after the November elections.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado further aligned himself with disgruntled advocates and users of the state’s Medicaid-funded CDPAP, calling the ongoing transition of the home care program to a private contractor a “failure of leadership” under Hochul.
A panel of state officials released a draft of the first energy plan in a decade, affirming the state’s need for a rapid growth in clean energy development to reach the state’s environmental goals and meet power demands from increased domestic manufacturing.
The panel unanimously agreed yesterday to release a draft of a 15 year state energy plan for public comment.
Members of the state’s Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board disagreed yesterday about a proposal to make a recommendation to state leaders about how they should backfill additional federal cuts to recovery programs included in Trump’s budget request.
Columbia University has reached a settlement with the federal government resolving multiple investigations and restoring access to hundreds of millions of dollars in frozen research funding, officials said yesterday.
The university will pay more than $220 million, including $200 million over three years to the federal government and another $21 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In exchange for the return research grant funds, Columbia will also pledge to follow laws banning the consideration of race in admissions and hiring, and follow through on commitments to reduce campus antisemitism and unrest that it agreed to in March.
New York’s top Democrats are moving cautiously when it comes to newly minted mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, slow-walking their interactions with the youthful progressive candidate and so far holding off on endorsing him.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been informally advising Mamdani on how to win his general election bid in November, reportedly urging him to move to the center as he faces off against Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro advised Mamdani to rein in “blatantly antisemitic’ supporters, according to a new Jewish Insider interview.
“I’ll say this about Mamdani or any other leader,” Shapiro said. “If you want to lead New York, you want to lead Pennsylvania, you want to lead the United States of America, you’re a leader.”
The remarks from Shapiro, who is considered a likely Democratic candidate for president in 2028, are the latest sign that Mamdani still has work to do to win over some of the prominent figures in the party.
Mamdani may well be far out of sight, visiting family in Uganda some 7,000 miles from New York City. But he is clearly not far from the minds of Republicans.
Omar Fateh, a young democratic socialist, beat out an establishment Democrat for the party’s endorsement in the Minneapolis mayor’s race. But the parallels with Mamdani in New York might end there.
Long known for his brash style, short temper and bullying tactics, Cuomo said he had adopted a “softer” approach during the primary campaign that did not work, so now he’s done being nice.
New York City public school students won’t be allowed to use their phones or smartwatches during the school day this fall under a new citywide policy announced yesterday.
Adams and Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said the rule aims to limit distractions and protect students’ mental health, aligns with a new state law and was approved by the city’s Panel for Educational Policy.
The criminal investigations of former senior members of the Adams administration appear to be on hold as the fallout from the dismissal of the mayor’s corruption charges continues, according to legal experts and attorneys involved in the cases.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams are calling on the city’s Buildings and Fire departments to inspect conditions inside ICE holding cells on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza.
Adams said he would “look into” conditions at 26 Federal Plaza after advocacy groups and local pols complained of “inhumane treatment” at the ICE facility.
Adams said he does not oppose federal immigration agents wearing masks during their operations, calling it a matter of officer safety, as the city braces for a surge in enforcement by federal agents.
Adams is burning Albany for marijuana legalization bringing the smell of weed “everywhere” in New York City. “I think it should be relegated to certain areas that you could smoke marijuana, not throughout the entire street,” he said.
The grocery delivery giant Instacart is putting pressure on Adams to veto a bill expanding the city’s minimum pay rule to grocery delivery workers – and is vowing to sue if he does not.
Adams announced a new committee, led by New York City Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, within the NYPD that will look to use drones in order to keep the city safe.
Thousands of residents in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan will soon be able to tap into free Wi-Fi through a new program that aims to bridge the digital divide in neighborhoods throughout New York City.
The three-year pilot program, named “Liberty Link,” is funded with $3.2 million in federal funds and will provide free or low-cost Wi-Fi to 35 affordable housing buildings, reaching 2,200 households in upper Manhattan and the Bronx, according to City Hall.
Three people were injured— including two young girls — after a partial building collapse in Queens yesterday afternoon, police said.
The incident happened shortly after 5 p.m. near 245-13 Jericho Turnpike in Bellerose, when scaffolding came down outside a furniture store, striking a 25-year-old man in the back and hitting a nearby Jeep. The girls were in the vehicle.
A Bronx judge has fined the landlord of a Belmont apartment building $10.14 million in what appears to be one of the largest housing court judgements ever.
GE Vernova posted earnings of $492 million on $9.1 billion in revenue for the three months that ended June 30, beating expectations of Wall Street analysts, triggering a demand for the company’s stock.
A 57-year-old prisoner found dying Friday in the medical unit of the Albany County jail died of a heart condition, Sheriff Craig Apple said.
Cohoes and Watervliet police officials told the Times Union there has been an uptick in criminal incidents involving young people, based mostly on anecdotal evidence.
State Police are searching the path Luciano Frattolin may have taken along the Northway before his daughter was found dead this weekend.
An “unknown person” set fire to an 8-foot cross at a church in Kingston early yesterday, the city’s police department said.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
