Good morning, it’s Thursday.
Please be aware that the following post will contain content that could be distressing to some people.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is 24/7 hotline for immediate crisis support. Also, while “988” replaced the ten-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), on July 16, 2022, the original number still works.
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, which, as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMSA) says is “a time to raise awareness, promote hope, and normalize help-seeking,” adding:
This month is dedicated to recognizing the warning signs for suicide, encouraging open conversations about mental health, and connecting people to proven treatment and resources. When we stand together in strength, dignity, hope, and purpose, we can make a difference—we can help save lives.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 727,000 people died by suicide in 2021 across the globe. CDC data show that here in the U.S. alone, more than 49,000 people died by suicide in 2023 – 1 death every 11 minutes.
Many more people – 12.8 million – seriously thought about suicide, while 3.7 million made a plan to take their own life, and 1.5 million attempted to do so. These figures are staggering and distressing – even more so when you learn that they have been slowly and steadily trending upward for some time.
More men die by suicide than women, and though older adults (85+) have the highest rate of suicide, it is the second leading cause of death for young people (after unintentional injuries). For those age 10-24, the suicide rate increased 62 percent between 2007 and 2021. This extremely troubling trend coincides with a deterioration in youth mental health, with 4 n 10 U.S. high school students reporting feeling sad or hopeless, according to the CDC.
National Suicide Prevention Week was first established in May 1974 by the American Association of Suicidology, in part because it was widely believed that the highest number of suicides occurs in the spring. In 2008, the week was moved to September to align with a global effort by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the WHO to raise awareness about and combat suicides.
Interestingly, a recent white paper reviewed epidemiological trends in suicide attempts and deaths and suggested this awareness month would better serve those at risk of self-harm if it were moved back to May. But, as far as my limited internet sleuthing skills can determine, the truth related to seasonal suicide rates is, in fact, complicated and varies by age group.
For example, one study found that for young people – Americans aged 15-24 – the highest spike in suicides occurs in the fall, specifically September through October, while the rate among all other age groups peaks in the late spring/early summer. One consistent finding, though, is that – contrary to popular belief – a high number of suicides do not occur in the dark, cold, winter or around the often-fraught holiday season.
I’m sure that you, like me, might have read the extremely upsetting recent New York Times report about a young man who turned to ChatGPT-40 to confide about his emotional struggles.
Instead of providing him with the support and help a human -parent, friend, teacher, coach, or therapist – (hopefully) would have done and identifying potentially damaging behavior, AI instead oh-so-helpfully answered all this kid’s questions about how to end his own life, and ultimately (I believe) enabled him to do so.
Predictably, this has touched off a spate of public debate over how to control AI and ensure appropriate safeguards for young people who turn to ChatGPT in distress – even though it was not the first such report.
Frankly, I think these discussions, though perhaps well-intentioned, are displaced. Why are we not talking about investing in our strained mental health system and ensuring that everyone who might need in-person assistance can get it, regardless of where they live, the color of their skin, and how much money they earn?
Then maybe we can tackle the much more difficult underlying question of what’s making us all so depressed, lonely, and anxious.
In the meantime, now would be a good time to familiarize – or re-familiarize – yourself with the warning signs of suicide, and a good time for me to remind you of where we started out today’s post, because it bears repeating:
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is 24/7 hotline for immediate crisis support. Also, while “988” replaced the ten-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), on July 16, 2022, the original number still works.
It’s going to be slightly warmer today, with temperatures in the low 80s. Skies will be generally sunny, with a few afternoon clouds and the possibility of a stray thunderstorm or shower.
In the headlines…
Harvard University won a crucial legal victory in its clash with the Trump administration, when a federal judge said that the government had broken the law by freezing billions of dollars in research funds in the name of stamping out antisemitism.
The ruling may not be the final word on the matter, but the decision by Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the U.S. District Court in Boston was an interim rebuff of the Trump administration’s campaign to remake elite higher education by force.
“A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” wrote Burroughs.
The United States and Mexico said that they would move forward with security cooperation to dismantle organized crime groups, focusing on drug-trafficking cartels, and to limit migration while respecting each other’s “sovereignty.”
The Trump administration declared the start of a new and potentially violent campaign against Venezuelan cartels, defending a deadly U.S. military strike on a boat officials said was carrying drugs even as experts questioned the legality of the attack.
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to rescue Trump’s tariffs that have been invalidated by lower courts, setting up a major test of his trade policies and his expansion of executive power.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the justices to decide by Sept. 10 whether to review the case and to schedule oral argument for the first week of November — just one month after the court’s new term begins.
Trump’s pick to join the Federal Reserve, Stephen Miran, will try to alleviate concerns that he could seek to undermine the central bank’s longstanding independence from the White House if confirmed to serve on the Board of Governors.
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex ring called for the release of all files on the notorious pedophile and one said the abuser’s “biggest brag” was his cozy relationship with Trump.
“The truth is: Epstein had a free pass. He bragged about his powerful friends, including our current President Donald Trump,” said Chauntae Davies, one of Epstein’s victims, at a dramatic news conference outside the U.S. Capitol. “It was his biggest brag, actually.”
Republican rebels ramped up the pressure on their party to force the Trump administration to release its files Epstein, hosting victims of the convicted sex offender at the Capitol, where they delivered harrowing pleas for Congress to act.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she got “a lot” of pushback from the White House over supporting a discharge petition aiming to force the administration to release all of the documents related Epstein.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to nominate seven new advisers to a scientific committee that recommends which vaccines Americans should take and when, according to two former federal officials with knowledge of the matter.
The House voted late yesterday to advance a 211-mile industrial road that would cut through pristine Alaskan wilderness to reach a proposed copper and zinc mine, handing a victory to the company behind the contentious mining venture.
A dozen businesses, including five in New York City, are being charged with violating state laws regulating the sale of vaping products in what Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling the biggest-ever crackdown of its kind in New York.
After months of investigation, including undercover online purchases, the state Health Department’s Bureau of Investigations and State Police charged several vape dealers with unlawful shipment and transport of vapor products, a class A misdemeanor.
The White House fired back at Hochul after the Democratic lawmaker took a swipe at Trump over a major change coming for NFL fans.
Hochul announced the start of the fall foliage travel season throughout New York State. An I LOVE NY integrated marketing campaign will encourage travelers to plan a fall getaway, and weekly foliage reports return on September 10.
The U.S. Justice Department has asked a judge to issue a ruling declaring that New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act is unconstitutional, calling it a “lawless overreach” and asking that a motion for summary judgment in the case should be granted.
AG Letitia James is suing the far-right anti-immigration nonprofit VDARE, alleging founders Peter and Lydia Brimelow siphoned millions in charitable funds into family-controlled entities, including $1.4 million to buy a “medieval-style castle” in West Virginia.
James is asking a state court to dissolve the organization, redirect its remaining assets to legitimate charities, and bar the Brimelows from managing or fundraising for any New York charity.
Mayor Eric Adams returned from an unexpected trip to Florida yesterday to mounting speculation that he is on the verge of dropping his long-shot re-election bid as an independent.
The New York Times reported that advisers to Trump have weighed giving Adams a job in the administration – along with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa – to clear a path for Andrew Cuomo to challenge Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani.
Adams has been offered a position at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a person with direct knowledge of the offer who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about a sensitive matter.
The White House has remained silent after a new report claims advisors to Trump have discussed offering Adams a position within the Trump administration in the hopes it would hurt Mamdani’s election odds.
Asked about the possibility during an unrelated press conference in the Bronx, Adams said he had no plans to exit the race. “I have a job. I’m running for my reelection. I am still doing that, and I’m looking forward to getting reelected,” he said.
“Mayor Adams has not met with Donald Trump — don’t believe the noise,” Adams campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said. “He is not dropping out of the race.”
Mamdani called reports that the White House is considering administration jobs for Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa an “affront to our democracy” and “outrageous.”
If New York City’s incumbent mayor quits the race, Cuomo’s struggling campaign would likely get an immediate boost.
Former Gov. David Paterson said senior advisers in Adams’ campaign were becoming increasingly frustrated with a lack of strategy, messaging and direction from the campaign. The team hoped to double down on its outreach to Black voters.
Mamdani said that he won’t participate in any debates in the New York City mayor’s race other than two next month that were organized by the local campaign finance board.
The prominent leader of New York City’s leading charter network has sent out an SOS to supporters as the schools face the prospect of a new mayor opposed to their expansion.
Former NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein called the “precious little” Mamdani has said about his education plans “alarming.”
Mamdani was asked if he feels he could go to-to-toe with Trump over potential deployments of National Guard troops, in an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes last night.
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will rally with Mamdani in New York City this coming weekend.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch touted the NYPD’s gang database as key in combating the rising gang violence in the Bronx — a tool that Mamdani has vowed to abolish.
With just two months until New York City voters cast ballots in the mayor’s race, Sliwa sought to distinguish himself from his opponents by emphasizing public safety as a cornerstone of his campaign.
Massive subway meltdowns made this summer the most hellish for straphangers since 2018, data shows — but MTA honcho Janno Lieber still insisted that the transit agency had a “good summer.”
The city Department of Health is suggesting cutting the number of liquor stores in the Big Apple as a way to curb health-threatening booze abuse.
City data suggest that rat sightings are declining. But horror stories are everywhere, and a single rat in a stroller is enough to set off a panic.
The prestigious all-women’s Barnard College laid off an eight-month pregnant custodian in a bid to skip out on paying her maternity leave while keeping a more junior male worker, according to a grievance from her union.
Luckin Coffee, a dominant chain from China, arrived in the city in June vowing to inject “new vitality” into American coffee culture.
Investor Julia Koch and other members of the billionaire Koch family have agreed to buy a minority stake in the Giants, Bloomberg first reported.
A Schoharie County man who lost his home through a fraudulent deed theft scheme was awarded nearly $1.2 million in damages recently after an Albany judge ruled he had been the victim of a real estate flipper’s “wanton dishonesty and evil bent.”
UAlbany revealed this week that students at Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences in India (RUAS) will be able to earn graduate certificates in semiconductor manufacturing from UAlbany.
Following a city judge’s verdict on Friday, which found Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran guilty of three violations under the state’s Freedom of Information Law, Saratoga Springs’ City Council voted to censure Moran.
Dry weather, along with a record 49 days of racing at the Saratoga Race Course, contributed to a bump in customers at shops, hotels and restaurants from June through August in the Spa City.
An Albany resident is suing a UAlbany food court restaurant on sexual harassment grounds. In the case, Sarah Seymour is alleging that she was sexually harassed through texts by a general manager at The Halal Shack at the University at Albany Campus Center.
CBS6’s Greg Floyd has announced his retirement after 45 years in broadcast journalism. ” I’m turning 67 in November, and after a period of reflection, I decided that now is the time to step back,” he said.
A woman branded as the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty to selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed him, becoming the fifth and final defendant charged in Perry’s overdose death to admit guilt.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
