Good Tuesday morning.
I tried very hard to figure out a smart way to meld together two things that are very important to me and happen to be celebrated today – dogs and women’s rights – but I just couldn’t do it.
Instead, you’re getting two mini posts for the price of one today. First, let us start with dogs, because I will take any chance I can get to talk about my pack. Today is National Dog Day, and If you’ve been here a minute, you know I am a dog mom extraordinaire to three doodles – small, medium, and large.
As my other half likes to remind me, they are completely useless, if you are the sort of person who expects an animal to work for a living (herding, guarding, guiding, etc.) To me, though, they are perfect. They provide unconditional love, endless entertainment, and yes, some moments of frustration – are you truly a dog owner if you haven’t cleaned up pee, poop, or puke at an ungodly hour of the morning? – and they give me a reason to get up in the morning, even on my worst days.
There is a reason why dogs are considered America’s favorite pet, with just over 65 million households owning at least one, compared to roughly 46.5 million cat households. Interestingly, more women than men – 57 percent to 43 percent – say their dog is just as much a member of their family as any human.
I won’t lie, having three dogs is as challenging as it is rewarding. They are a lot like toddlers – I imagine, because I never had any human children – but they are permanently stuck in the phase of being unable to do anything for themselves.
This is particularly a problem when you want to travel; I have tried the boarding route and really hated it. Thankfully, we have found a network of reliable and likable dog sitters who the dogs more or less behave for (as much as they behave at all). This is truly a blessing.
The purpose of National Dog Day is to honor dogs of all kinds and also raise awareness about the number of dogs out there who are in desperate need to forever homes.
I cannot dwell on this too long because it makes me incredibly sad, but in 2024 alone somewhere around 5.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters, according to the ASPCA, and about 4.2 million of those were adopted. If you’re in the market for a dog, please consider a shelter dog. I didn’t and there are definitely days I feel badly about that – not that I regret my trio of crazies, to be clear, but I know there are so many other doggos out there in need of help.
Onto part II of today’s post, National Women’s Equality Day. On this day in 1920, then-Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. This occurred after Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on Aug. 18, 1920, which achieved the required three-fourths majority for full ratification.
This was the culmination of a decades-long effort by the suffragists and their allies, which included a number prominent New Yorkers such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cody Stanton, and Lucretia Mott, among others.
I’m particularly proud that the Empire State played a key role in the struggle for women’s voting rights, including but not limited to 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and the state’s passage in 1917 the suffrage amendment. (Note: If you haven’t made a pilgrimage to Seneca Falls yet, you really should – summer’s not over yet!)
Fall roadtrips – especially upstate as the leaves are turning – are nice, too. And, as an added bonus, there are ample opportunities to stop for warm apple cider doughnuts to fuel your travels.
The temperatures continue their downward, fall-like trend, which, depending on your seasonal preferences, is a welcome development or the end of days, conceptually speaking. I’ve even noticed a few trees already starting to change and leaves are dropping on my running routes – even as I continue to sweat my brains out like it’s August.
Today will be in the mid-70s and we will again see intervals of clouds of sun. Great dog walking weather, IMHO.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump directed the Defense Department to take a larger role in domestic law enforcement, including by “quelling civil disturbances,” as he threatens to broaden deployments of the National Guard in cities run by his political enemies.
Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois has a message for Trump: Keep the military out of Chicago, pushing back against the president’s offhand declaration that he would send the military into the city, as he had done in Los Angeles and Washington.
Pritzker said that personal attacks from Trump “are just evidence of a guy who’s still living in fifth grade” after Trump recently commented on Pritzker’s weight.
“It takes one to know one on the weight question,” Pritzker said yesterday. “And the president, of course, himself, is not in good shape. So, he ought to respond to that from me.”
Trump signed an executive order that threatens to pull federal funding and grants “to the maximum extent permitted by law” in states and cities that have what he characterized as “cashless bail” statutes.
In a press release that accompanied the order, the White House put New York front and center, highlighting a handful of stories where suspects in New York were released without bail and were subsequently accused of committing another crime.
New York leaders largely adopted a wait-and-see approach to Trump’s executive order aiming to end cashless bail — with some saying his edict wouldn’t apply to the Empire State while Republicans applauded the move.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul accused Trump of not understanding how New York’s law works and noted the many modifications that have been made to the reforms in the years since it was initially enacted.
Trump also signed an executive order that aims to prosecute burning of the American flag, even though the Supreme Court has ruled it is legitimate political expression protected by the First Amendment.
The order instructs the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute, “to the fullest extent permissible under any available authority,” anyone caught burning the Stars and Stripes, on the grounds that the action “is likely to incite imminent lawless action.”
The president wants to prosecute protesters who desecrate the American flag, but his order concedes that such protests are typically covered by the First Amendment.
Trump moved to fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook over allegations she committed mortgage fraud. “I have determined that there is sufficient cause to remove you from your position,” he wrote in a letter to Cook, which was posted on Truth Social.
Trump justified the firing, which he said was effective immediately, by pointing to allegations that Cook may have falsified records to obtain favorable terms on a mortgage.
Trump, appearing beside President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea as the decades-old alliance between their two nations shows signs of strain, heaped praise on the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and stressed their positive relationship.
Appearing eager to insert himself into one of the thorniest issues in Korean politics, Trump repeatedly mentioned having a good rapport with Kim, said the North had “great potential” as a country, and even offered to arrange a meeting between Kim and Lee.
The Department of Defense (DOD) tech innovation chief stepped down from his role, the latest departure, coming just days after DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth ousted three top military officials last week.
Days before House lawmakers return to Washington after a six-week summer break, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, seeking documents for their review of the federal government’s investigation.
In the subpoena, Rep. James E. Comer of Kentucky, demanded financial records, Epstein’s will, video recordings from his many residences and calendar entries detailing his meetings and dinners with famous people. Some of that has already been released.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was set to meet with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch hours after Trump signed an executive order threatening to cut federal funding to jurisdictions with cashless bail policies, a police department spokesperson said.
In the 30-minute sitdown, Tisch made clear there was no need for the National Guard in New York City, stating that the NYPD has public safety and crime issues under control, a police source said.
Commissioner Tisch reportedly also noted the city’s record-low number of shootings and shooting victims, and touted the department’s use of drone technology to solve crimes and its quality-of-life teams.
Bondi also planned to appear in Brooklyn federal court to mark the guilty plea of Mexican drug trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Hochul’s reelection campaign launched its first ad of the cycle yesterday morning – “A Mom From Buffalo” – featuring some of her more memorable moments over the past year.
This time around, Hochul is leaning heavily into her increasingly vocal opposition to the Trump administration and her growing national presence as a resistance governor.
Hochul visited Niagara Falls High School to spotlight a major change coming to classrooms across the state: a ban on student cellphone use during the school day.
Four years after her predecessor’s resignation propelled her to the top of state government, Hochul is calling her tenure a rousing success on issues from public safety and affordability to women’s rights and the environment.
Hochul says she may refer the case involving the Buffalo Police Department and Erie County Sheriff’s Chief D.J. Granville to State Attorney General Letitia James for criminal investigation and possible prosecution.
The owners of a string of embattled nursing homes across New York will pay the state $12 million to settle claims of financial fraud and neglect of elderly residents at a Syracuse facility, the state attorney general’s office said.
Lauren Shields has spent most of her life helping other desperate patients receive an organ donation. Now the 25-year-old — who has a New York state law named after her — is in the same powerless position of waiting and hoping to receive the gift of life.
Mayor Eric Adams and his campaign gave no indication that his longtime confidant Ingrid Lewis-Martin would be asked to stop her volunteer work on his reelection campaign, despite a fresh round of corruption charges against her.
Lewis-Martin was not the first person close to Adams to score a job on a show filmed at the Argentos’ Broadway Stages: in 2020, Adams’ son Jordan Coleman served as actor Forest Whitaker’s personal assistant during the show’s second season.
Several dozen business owners rallied behind Adams‘ re-election campaign, as the mayor promised to double the number businesses in New York City in his next term.
Investigators found that the cash Winnie Greco, a former top aide to Adams, slipped into an opened bag of Herr’s sour cream and onion chips and handed to a reporter came to $300 – 10 twenties and a single one hundred dollar bill.
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani said that he would complete a slew of bus and bike lane projects scaled back or killed by the Adams administration if he’s elected to lead the city.
Mamdani said if he wins November’s general election, he’d restore an overhaul to McGuiness Boulevard that was approved by the city transportation department and local community board more than two years ago.
Mamdani blasted Adams in the wake of the latest scandals involving his inner circle, calling the new allegations of corruption “ludicrous”.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez attempted to drag Mamdani with an Instagram workout video, captioning the post: “Socialism VS Capitalism.”
Millions of people will go to the polls in New York City in November, but in a closely watched election for mayor it’s a high-profile, highly unpopular former New Yorker – President Trump – who is attracting most of the attention.
Livery drivers with the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers rallied outside Gov. Hochul’s midtown office yesterday, calling for an end to the city’s testing of driverless taxi cars by tech giant Waymo.
The Chinese Consulate in Manhattan has mobilized community groups to defeat candidates who don’t fall in line with the authoritarian state.
New cases of Legionnaires’ disease have slowed to a trickle as the deadly Harlem outbreak appears to wane. The case count ticked up to 113 on Monday, with just one new diagnosis added over the weekend, according to city data.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office says two New Jersey brothers scammed four senior women out of nearly $400,000, through schemes that often began with pop-ups on the seniors’ computers.
Hundreds of sensors placed throughout New York City measure water as it rises, then send the data to an interactive map available to the public.
Schenectady City Councilman Joe Mancini, 65, will step down from his city government position on Sept. 12 to focus on his health, well-being, and next chapter in life.
Work has begun to remove asbestos from the vacant Lincoln Square towers. The remediation is the first step toward the eventual demolition and redevelopment of the former public housing site.
Computer chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries said it has made “adjustments” to its workforce at Fab 8 in Saratoga County, even though is in the midst of a $16 billion expansion of its operations in Malta and at its older chip factory outside Burlington, Vt.
The trial of a Saratoga Springs councilman ticketed for allegedly failing to comply with the state’s Freedom of Information Law pertaining to three records requests began with nearly two hours of testimony from the city’s former FOIL officer, Robin McFee.
Chrystal Stone is leaving WNYT after two years at the station she announced on social media. The Dallas native joined NewsChannel 13 in September 2023 as a sports reporter.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
