Good morning, it’s Tuesday.
I grew up in a rural-ish area, so I am certainly not a stranger to cows. But I don’t, as a rule, think too terribly much about them.
That changed this past weekend when, as I mentioned yesterday, I ran an ultra race called the Finger Lakes 50, which, as the event website clearly states, consists of a “16.5-mile loop covering singletrack trail, grassy pastures complete with grazing cows and cow pies, and dirt roads.” You run said loop once, twice, or three times to complete your designated distance (I did two loops for 33 miles).
This race was unique in a lot of ways, but one thing I’m pretty sure you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else was the need to open and close pasture gates at several points to ensure the aforementioned cows did not escape. I did not personally see any cows while out on the course, but they left plenty of traces behind – including fresh manure piles and muddy ruts hidden the grass, which are perfect for turning an ankle on.
It took me 8.5 hours to finish my two loops, so I had a lot of time to think about cows – though most of the time I was laser focused on not tripping over a root or rock and cracking my head open or getting sucked into the mud and losing a sneaker.
There are an estimated 1.5 billion cows in the world, 86.7 million of which were here in the U.S. as of January 2025. That’s down about 1 percent overall from 2024, even though the number of milk cows increased slightly.
To put that in perspective, there were 340.1 million people in the U.S. in 2024.
The world’s most populous country, India, has a population of about 1.46 billion. So, there are more cows on the planet than there are people living in ALL of India, where, by the way, cows are considered sacred by those who practice Hinduism (the country’s dominant religion), and so killing them is prohibited in most states. In some places, doing so could even be punishable by death.
Cows are, to put it mildly, big business. Cattle production in the U.S. consistently accounts for the largest share of total cash receipt for agricultural commodities, according to the USDA. And, as far as I can tell, we’re taking here about the beef industry, which is wholly separate from the dairy industry, which, by the way, is one of the leading agricultural activities here in New York.
The problem with cows is that they’re not exactly light on the environment. You’ve probably heard (I just typed “herd” and had to correct that – talk about a freudian slip!) about their contribution to the hole in the ozone, thanks to the enormous amount of methane they produce through their digestive process.
Apparently, just one cow can generate 220 TONS of methane annually through their burps alone, which is why ruminants are the No. 1 agricultural source of greenhouse gases worldwide. (That’s some carbon hoofprint, though apparently a lot of that depends on a cow’s diet, and there are promising indications that if they’re fed, say, seaweed instead of grass, their methane production can be reduced significantly).
Another problem with cows is that they require a lot of land on which to graze and/or for growing the feed crops that sustain them, which leads to deforestation, which reduces the number of trees available to absorb CO2 from the air. In addition, of course, there are the cow pies, which, in moderation might be not terrible for the soil, but when running off into the water in great quantities, well, you can see where that’s going.
In reading this missive – assuming you made it all the way to the bottom here – you’ve probably thought a lot more about cows than usual. And that’s appropriate, since today is Cow Appreciation Day. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re undeniably impactful…and also, in my opinion, cute, though perhaps not especially sweet smelling. (Sorry).
Also, for the record, I am fully aware that today’s photo of the day features a horse, not a cow. It was as close as I could get.
We will see an ever-so-slight break in the heat today, with highs reaching only into the low-to-mid-80s. It will be mostly cloudy, with the possibility of a stray rain shower or thunderstorm.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump revived his trade war threat with more than a dozen countries on, telling them that they would face steep tariffs on their exports as of Aug. 1 unless they agreed to trade deals by then.
The president targeted two of America’s closest foreign allies, Japan and South Korea, as well as Malaysia, Indonesia and South Africa.
Trump also officially extended the timeline for dozens of other countries to agree to deals with the United States or face tariffs, signing an executive order yesterday afternoon delaying the stiff levies that were supposed to snap back on July 9.
Stocks dropped lower midday after Trump announced 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea, set to go into effect Aug. 1, and continued to fall in the afternoon as he announced tariffs of varying rates from 25% to 40% on other countries.
When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House yesterday for dinner, he came bearing what has become the ultimate host gift for Trump: a letter nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize.
“I want to express the appreciation and admiration not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said before presenting the letter. “You deserve it,” Netanyahu added. “Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful,” Trump said.
Trump has said he thinks talks to end the war in Gaza have been “going along very well“, as he hosted Netanyahu and expressed confidence that Hamas was willing to end the 21-month conflict. “They want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire,” he said.
Netanyahu said that he wanted peace with Palestinians but described any future independent state as a platform to destroy Israel and for that reason sovereign power of security must remain with Israel.
Five Israeli soldiers were killed and two others seriously wounded during combat in northern Gaza today, the Israeli military said, without offering many details about the incident.
The death toll from a flood in Central Texas rose past 100, as the chance of finding more survivors faded on the fourth day of searching. Among the dead were at least 27 campers and staff members from a single summer camp, where 11 were still missing.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas acknowledged that lives could have been saved if there were flood-warning sirens along the river, and said they needed to be in place by next summer.
Rescuers and volunteers continued to hack through fallen trees and piles of debris in search of flood survivors. But the chances of finding anyone alive, four days after surging waters tore through Central Texas, grew increasingly remote.
Pressed on whether the disaster was exacerbated by his administration’s push to shrink federal agencies, including the National Weather Service, Trump deflected and appeared close to pointing the finger at his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Several major medical organizations are suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Health and Human Services over actions they call a “public health emergency that demands immediate legal action and correction.”
The six groups – including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) – and a pregnant woman filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
The health secretary has used peer pressure to persuade food makers to nix synthetic dyes. The candy industry – specifically M&Ms – is holding out, arguing American consumers like bright sweets.
The Department of Homeland Security ended deportation protections for tens of thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans in the United States, the latest in an expanding list of previously authorized newcomers to lose such protection.
The decision to end Temporary Protected Status for migrants from those countries takes effect in two months, the DHS said.
The US Justice Department and FBI concluded sex offender Jeffrey Epstein did not have a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life – contradicting long-held conspiracy theories about the infamous case.
Right-wing influencers who have long promoted conspiracy theories about convicted Epstein are turning their ire on the Trump administration over the new Department of Justice memo seeking to debunk those theories.
The I.R.S. said that churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates to their congregations, carving out an exemption in a decades-old ban on political activity by tax-exempt nonprofits.
The agency made that statement in a court filing intended to settle a lawsuit filed by two Texas churches and an association of Christian broadcasters.
Travelers at some airports, including LaGuardia, may no longer need to undergo one of the most loathed requirements of security screening. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Transportation Security Administration is letting people keep their shoes on.
A TSA memo on the subject is reportedly said to have cited technological advancements and a reevaluation of potential threats as deciding factors in the shoe statute’s reversal.
A Border Patrol official declared yesterday that agents will be sticking around Los Angeles until their “mission is accomplished” as Mayor Karen Bass lashed out at federal law enforcement conducting an apparent immigration sweep at a local park.
Heavily armed officer with ICE, Customs and Border Protection and the military units deployed by Trump arrived at MacArthur Park in force, with the agents seen carrying rifles and traveling across the grounds on foot, horseback and in armored vehicles.
After a report that former Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is considering challenging Rep. Mike Lawler in the midterms, the Hudson Valley Republican sarcastically weighed in on the prospect of a rematch with the man he unseated four years ago.
Maloney’s entrance into the race would give Democrats a proven fundraiser and a political operative in what would likely be one of the most expensive races in the country (assuming Lawler doesn’t run for governor).
Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, announced that immigration agents will increase arrests in New York City as part of a broader crackdown on sanctuary jurisdictions.
Mayoral Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani’s SAT score has been revealed after the democratic socialist was sharply criticized over the revelation that he listed himself as African American on his application to Columbia University.
Former Gov. David Paterson, along with several other political leaders, held a press conference in Midtown to discuss New York City’s mayoral election, calling on members of the Democratic party to come together to defeat Mamdani.
Paterson called on city leaders in business, education and political spaces to help “put together a search” to assess which candidate is best positioned to win the general election and to govern the city.
Mayor Eric Adams said that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the number one obstacle standing in the way of his reelection and called for him to step aside. He also revealed Cuomo had asked him to do the same. Neither is budging so far.
“I said, ‘Andrew, are you that level of arrogance?’ I’m the sitting mayor, the sitting mayor of the City of New York,” Adams claimed he told Cuomo. “And you expect me to step aside when you just lost to Zohran by 12 points.”
A third independent candidate, Jim Walden, suggested that a poll be taken in the fall to determine who among what he referred to as the four “free-market candidates” has the best chance of defeating Mamdani in a race that “pits capitalism against socialism.”
Adams made clear that he had no interest in dropping out just as he started his campaign, claiming the energy, fundraising and support is all “overwhelming.”
Italian Americans were outraged at Mamdani after a social media post resurfaced showing him flipping the bird at a statue of Christopher Columbus and calling for its removal.
Balthazar owner Keith McNally — whose SoHo hotspot has been a magnet for A-listers and one-percenters for years — is throwing his support behind Mamdani.
The leadership of the Manhattan Democratic Party overwhelmingly endorsed Mamdani for mayor after he appeared before the executive members. Party leader and Harlemite Keith Wright, who backed Cuomo in the Democratic primary, voted “aye.”
The Florida Council of 100 penned an open letter to Big Apple business titans declaring “uncertainty is the enemy of sound decision-making” after Mamdani won a Democratic Party primary campaigning on hiking corporate taxes.
New York City street vendors would no longer face misdemeanor charges and jail for violating the city’s vending laws, under a new bill passed by the City Council.
Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, a Democrat from Queens and sponsor of the bill, said the measure will “decriminalize” street vending. The bill, Int. 47, is scheduled to go into effect at the end of December.
The Police Department is investigating the death of an 18-year-old woman in a cell at a Bronx police station early Saturday, the authorities said.
Barnard College has settled a lawsuit brought by Jewish and Israeli students who said they faced severe and pervasive antisemitism on campus, with administrators pledging that they will maintain a “zero tolerance” policy regarding discrimination and harassment.
“Today’s settlement reflects our ongoing commitment to maintaining a campus that is safe, welcoming and inclusive for all members of our community,” Laura Ann Rosenbury, the president of Barnard, said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blasted MTA brass for giving the feds the “runaround” over the agency’s handling of concerning increases in crime on the New York City rails.
A massive streetside swimming pool set up in the Bronx is heating up on social media, just as daredevils began testing the patience of the NYPD by dangerously plunging into the water off nearby building scaffolding.
Two Capital Region research colleges have agreed to start sharing their valuable resources — including three rare microscopes — amid the uncertainty of future federal grants.
Saratoga Springs fire Chief Joseph Dolan, who spent more than two years on administrative leave after being accused of misconduct for getting paid by the city at the same time he was getting paid by the state, has been reinstated.
Both of the two new charter schools proposed for the City of Schenectady have been rejected by the State University of New York.
A Schenectady County man is believed to have drowned Sunday evening after attempting to rescue his girlfriend from Great Sacandaga Lake, authorities said.
Jaedyn Shomo, the woman who drowned in a July 4 pontoon boat outing on Lake George, was a 2022 Shaker High School graduate whose coaches remember her as a formidable presence and leader during her years as a student athlete.
Operation At Ease, a nonprofit that pairs shelter dogs with veterans and first responders, is planning several events to help mark its 10th anniversary celebration.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
