Good morning, it’s Friday. There are 33 days until the autumnal equinox, though you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s already here, given the abrupt change in the weather we’ve seen of late.
The downward temperature trend is going to continue, as far as I can tell. Today will be an exception, with clear, sunny skies and the mercury flirting with 80 degrees. The weekend, though, will be a mixed bag, with more 80-something degree temperatures and partly sunny skies on Saturday, before heading back down into the mid-70s and a mix of sun and showers on Sunday.
When I do the forecast, I am focusing on the Capital Region because, selfishly, this is where I am located (most of the time), though I know some of you are elsewhere. I spend a lot of time monitoring the weather because I don’t like running or riding in the extreme heat or rain – particularly as I get older and more sensitive to this sort of thing.
This weekend, we are making a quick trip to Maine (sadly, for a memorial service and not some fun vacation-type activity), and so I’ve been monitoring the weather in the Portland area. For the record, it’s looking not too bad, with a mix of sun and clouds and temperatures in the mid-to-high 70s.
Though this will be a brief jaunt – and a lot of time in the car – I am going to try to make it a point to consume some local lobster.
One can, of course, eat lobster just about anywhere, but it hits different when it’s eaten as close to the source as possible. I find this is the case with most regional cuisine. In this age of globalization, you can get pretty much any type of food anywhere you go (within reason), but when you access it at its point of origin, it just hits different.
I have to confess with being largely disappointed by the quality of food we’ve experienced to date in Florida after purchasing a small house several years ago in Venice, which is in Sarasota County. I’m not sure what I expected – I guess really amazing, fresh seafood, given how close we are to the beach (1.5 miles). But, sadly, this hasn’t been the case.
If you’ve got recommendations, please hit me up.
I know this isn’t the case in all parts of Florida. For example, I’ve had amazing food in Key West and also in Miami – most of it heavily influenced by the proximity to Cuba and/or the presence of a vibrant Cuban ex-pat community. Cuban coffee and the Cuban sandwich – also known as a “Cubano”, “Sándwich cubano”, “mixto”, “Cuban mix”, or “Cuban pressed sandwich” – are the first things that come to mind.
I cannot say enough good things about Cuban coffee, which is basically like delicious liquid cocaine. The last time I was in Key West, I found a tiny little hole-in-the-wall stand on a side street that served nothing BUT coffee, and everyone spoke Spanish. I had a coffee so strong and so sweet that I was practically vibrating for the rest of the day. It was amazing, and I haven’t been able to find anything close to comparable since.
The Cuban sandwich, if you haven’t had the pleasure, is basically a gussied up ham-and-cheese, made with ham, slow-roasted roasted pork (ideally, this is a Cuban version known as “mojo“, which is traditionally pork shoulder that is marinaded in citrus juices, oil, and spices), dill pickles, Swiss cheese, and mustard, served on Cuban bread (a sort of baguette with an airy interior that is traditionally made with lard or vegetable shortening).
This delicious and affordable combination was brought to the U.S. by Cuban immigrants, many of whom worked in the cigar factories of Key West and Ybor City in Tampa. There are variations that you might encounter. For example, the Tampa version often includes salami, while the Miami version is usually pressed like a panini.
Happy National Cuban Sandwich Day. I can’t say that I know of anywhere in the 518 that does one of these justice, but if you’ve got a secret spot, by all means, share the love.
Since we’re already dispensed with the weather, let’s get right down to business.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump yesterday visited federal law enforcement at a U.S. Park Police operations center in Anacostia amid his crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C, touting what he described as significant changes to the nation’s capital.
Trump declared victory in the nation’s capital, 10 days after announcing the federal takeover of the Washington metro police force to “rescue” the city from crime.
“It’s like a different place, different city,” Trump said of D.C. “Now, I think right now it’s better than it has been in years and in a couple of weeks, it’s going to be far better.”
The Trump administration will begin reviewing all 55 million US visa holders to see if any have committed deportable offenses.
Anyone holding a US visa found with “indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organization” will have their permits to live in the US revoked and be deported.
The 55 million figure suggests that some people subject to review would currently be outside the United States with multiple-entry tourist visas, experts say.
For the first time in decades, more immigrants are leaving the United States than arriving, a new study finds, an early indication that Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda is leading people to depart — whether through deportation or by choice.
A federal judge yesterday ordered that no more immigrant detainees be sent to a center in the Florida Everglades, and that much of the facility be dismantled.
The Trump administration is ignoring a directive from Congress and refusing to fully fund a landmark H.I.V. program that is widely credited with saving millions of lives over the past two decades.
In a fractured ruling, the Supreme Court decided by a 5-to-4 vote that the Trump administration could for now cancel more than $780 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health.
The active shooting reported at Villanova University yesterday afternoon that sparked pandemonium during new student move-in was a “cruel hoax,” the school’s president said in a statement to the campus community.
Police had surged onto the university’s campus northwest of Philadelphia, as frightened students sheltered in place. But the school said there was no evidence of a gunman.
A 911 call at about 4:30 p.m. reported a shooter in a Villanova law school building with at least one wounded victim. Students received texts from an alert system saying “ACTIVE SHOOTER on VU campus. Move to secure location. Lock/barricade doors.”
California leaders yesterday approved a sweeping plan to elect more Democrats by redrawing congressional districts, delivering an immediate counterpunch to the gerrymandered map that Republicans in Texas are passing at the request of President Trump.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has raised $6.2 million in online contributions since he began his campaign a week ago for a ballot measure to redraw his state’s congressional maps this fall, a significant early haul ahead of what’s likely to be an expensive fight.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said it’s “game on” with plans to redraw the blue state’s congressional districts to favor Democrats as the Texas’ Legislature moves ahead with a GOP-led redistricting plan.
Hochul held a virtual call with state legislative leaders yesterday to strategize about a constitutional amendment to change the state’s redistricting process.
Canadians are continuing to shun crossing the border into New York state during the summer tourism season amid Trump’s trade war with our neighbors to the north.
New York may soon change how the state’s Parole Board considers the release of people serving life in prison for crimes committed when they were children.
New York lawmakers clashed with the state’s top health official over a multibillion-dollar contract the Department of Health has with a private company tasked with the management of a troubled home care program.
State lawmakers unveiled new bombshell evidence suggesting Hochul’s administration allegedly rigged a massive contract process for an $11 billion Medicaid home healthcare program.
The CDPAP program, which helps disabled and chronically ill New Yorkers, has had issues with timely pay and service since the state brought in a new operator to save money.
Trump won a huge, symbolic victory yesterday when a New York appeals court threw out the more than $500 million fine he owed in Attorney General Letitia James’ business fraud case.
One of three state correction officers who were convicted of federal charges of beating and choking a Black inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida County in April 2023 was sentenced to 37 months in prison.
New York Times reporters witnessed supporters of Mayor Eric Adams handing out cash-filled envelopes at campaign events in Chinese neighborhoods. Sometimes, that money went to reporters from Chinese-language outlets.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Adams’ former chief advisor and a volunteer on his reelection campaign, is among seven people facing new charges in the corruption investigation that has swirled around City Hall for two years, prosecutors in Manhattan announced.
Prosecutors allege Lewis-Martin exchanged political favors for cash, home renovations and a speaking role on a TV show. “If you were willing to pay, Ms. Lewis-Martin was open for business,” prosecutor Guy Tardanico said in court.
In one instance, prosecutors said, Lewis-Martin cleared red tape for the owner of a Queens karaoke bar who then wired $50,000 to the business account of her son.
The wide-ranging indictments also involve Lewis-Martin’s son, two siblings who own a prominent soundstage studio company in the city and a former state senator who works as a deputy commissioner at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
Top Adams administration official Jesse Hamilton, a former state senator, resigned after being charged in a sprawling bribery case alongside several other prominent allies of Adams.
The revelation that Adams’ former chief adviser allegedly took bribes in exchange for interfering with the controversial redesign of a busy Brooklyn thoroughfare marks a new moment in the fight over street safety in the five boroughs.
“I have not been accused of any wrongdoing, and my focus remains on serving the 8.5 million New Yorkers by making our city safer and more affordable every day,” Adams said in a written statement sent in response to questions about alleged corruption.
Adams’ leading November general election rivals pounced on the latest round of corruption charges against his former top adviser, as well as a report that another ex-top aide, Winnie Greco, tried to hand a journalist a cash-stuffed potato chip bag the day before.
Handing a reporter $300 in cash hidden inside a crumpled bag of sour cream and onion potato chips may seem “very unusual” — “but not if you know Winnie” Greco, a lawyer for the disgraced City Hall advisor said.
Andrew Cuomo, took a jab at Adams when he handed out bags of chips to reporters at a press conference. “Sometimes a bag of chips is just a bag of chips,” the former governor said.
The latest addition to the pool of Democrats seeking to challenge Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins is doubling down on Zohran Mamdani-style socialism, says the chief of the state’s Republican Party.
Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh, a Democratic Socialist whose campaign has drawn parallels to Mamdani, lost the endorsement of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).
Fateh, 35, is challenging Mayor Jacob Frey, a two-term incumbent who has raised significantly more money. The endorsement of Fateh stood to make party resources and valuable voter databases available to his campaign.
A majority of New York City voters are turned off by Mamdani’s past anti-police stance — but he remains the candidate to beat for mayor, a new poll released this week claims.
Insiders say black voters are not warming up to the Democratic socialist since roundly rejecting him in June’s primary.
Philanthropist Elizabeth Simons, daughter of the late billionaire hedge fund investor Jamie Simons, donated $250,000 to the pro-Mamdani super PAC New Yorkers for Lower Costs.
A sixth person has died in the Legionnaire’s disease outbreak in Central Harlem, the most deaths since a 2015 Bronx outbreak that claimed 16 lives, according to an update yesterday by the city health department.
The MTA inspector general’s office did an undercover field study, where it turned over 24 “lost’ items to transit workers in early 2024 — and was only able to retrieve one of them months later.
An Ohio man turned himself in to police this week after allegedly throwing a green sex toy during a New York Liberty game that struck a 12-year-old girl in the leg, police said.
An illegal weed shop operating from the first floor of a Bronx apartment building was shut down — for a second time — with authorities arresting 11 people and confiscating about 2,000 pounds of cannabis products worth $5 million, officials said.
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko was blocked from inspecting an immigration detention facility outside of Buffalo this week, the latest in a pattern of Department of Homeland Security officials blocking oversight visits.
Milton Highway Superintendent David Forbes was charged with second-degree assault after he shoved another person to the ground, causing an injury in the fall that left the person with a brain bleed, according to documents filed in a local town court.
The next structure to succeed the Uncle Sam Parking Garage could be Uncle Sam Apartments. Troy officials this week began reviewing developer R.J. Valente’s plans to build an apartment building on the property between River and Third streets.
With final approval granted this week, Gulfstream Developers is moving forward with plans to build a community of miniature rental homes — commonly referred to as “tiny homes” — for older adults near the Troy-Schaghticoke border by summer 2026.
Jerry Burrell Park in Schenectady’s Hamilton Hill neighborhood will be rocking this weekend with the musical sounds and sweet smell of food representing Black and Latin culture from around the globe.
Two senior care facilities on Rockefeller Road in Delmar, once owned by the nonprofit Lutheran Care Network, have been sold to a New Jersey health care company.
A Ballston Spa councilman’s dairy farm, already plagued with a stubborn listeria outbreak, is now facing a court order to comply with zoning codes associated with its conservation easement and agritourism.
The City of Albany’s Industrial Development Agency is demanding that the owners of 1211 Western Ave. sign an agreement in order to continue to receive tax breaks associated with the project.
While the state is offering free associate’s degrees to adults, Rensselaer County is extending a similar offer to younger students. Any Rensselaer County resident who graduated from high school and can’t afford college can get up to $2,500 to learn at HVCC.
The community’s ideas for the future of the former College of Saint Rose campus in Albany are endless. Housing, a senior center, art space, hospice, YMCA, restaurants, educational opportunities, job training, a public pool and more.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
