Good morning, it’s Tuesday.
There is a distinct death of good news these days, I think we can all agree. I am not, for the record, speaking here about “feel good” stories that media outlets sometimes tout in response to complaints about too many doom and gloom headlines – things that, in my opinion, too often focus on fluffy stuff about puppies and small children.
This is not to say there isn’t room in the news world for fluffy stories, just that using them to counteract all the so-called “hard” news, which generally trends negative, isn’t terribly powerful or productive in the eyes of this reformed journalist.
The news is particularly dire when it comes to the environment. Extreme weather. Spiking temperatures. Dying species. Rising sea levels. Polluted air, water, and soil. The list goes on and on. It’s hard to combat this veritable torrent of negativity. BUT, there is one bright spot amid all the darkness…
The ozone layer.
I don’t know about you, but the ozone later – or, more specifically the HOLE in it, which was discovered over the Earth’s southernmost tip by scientists at the British Antarctic Survey in 1985 – caused me a lot of sleepless nights. I was 13 at the time, a very anxious teenager who was very much worried about the fate of the planet.
The ozone, by the way, is located in the stratosphere (the second later of the Earth’s atmosphere) and is responsible for filtering out harmful radiation from the sun’s rays. This is crucial to protecting life as we know it on this planet – it’s basically a natural forcefield.
Knowing this, it was understandably very alarming to learn that a very large and deep hole in the ozone layer has been forming for some time over Antarctica each year, especially in the spring, and continues to do so.
OK then, where is the good news, you ask?
Well, it turns out that the ozone layer is slowly but surely recovering, thanks to global efforts to phase out most ozone-depleting substances (ODS) – most notably chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – under the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which was signed on this date by a record number of countries (197 countries and the European Union).
The protocol achieved universal ratification by January 2012, thanks to South Sudan – a first for any international environmental treaty. It has also been amended six times to make it stronger by establishing formal phase-out schedules and added new controlled substances. There’s a climate change benefit, too, since ozone-depleting substances often do double-duty in contributing to greenhouse gases.
I distinctly remember when the whole CFC panic set in, as aerosol everything (deodorant, hairspray, etc.) was suddenly a no-no. But the inconvenience over losing these and other small luxuries was – in my mind, at least – dwarfed by the fear of the damage the the ozone hole would do to life as we know it.
Sadly, the ozone layer’s healing process is very slow, in part because the atmospheric lifetime of CFCs is 50+ years. So while progress is being made, a full recovery for the ozone layer won’t likely occur until 2070 – or even later, given the additional impact of climate change.
Happy anniversary, Montreal Protocol! In your honor, today is the International Day for Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
Another fantastic day is on deck, with intervals of clouds and sun and temperatures again and unseasonably warm high temperatures in the low 80s.
In the headlines…
Israel’s military launched a ground incursion into Gaza City early this morning, according to three Israeli officials, embarking on a risky operation to take control of a key urban area even as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain there.
The incursion began on the outskirts of Gaza City, where the Israeli military has escalated its airstrikes and accelerated its destruction of high-rise towers over the last week. One of the officials said it is going to be “phased and gradual” at the beginning.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel confirmed the start of a new phase in the war when he appeared in a Tel Aviv courtroom to give testimony in his corruption trial.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI), which does not speak on behalf of the world body and has faced harsh Israeli criticism, found that “genocide is occurring in Gaza and is continuing to occur.”
President Donald Trump is ramping up his attacks on the left in the wake of last week’s killing of Charlie Kirk, providing fuel to the White House’s efforts to clamp down on left-leaning groups and institutions.
Trump and his top allies suggested that the suspect in Kirk’s death was part of a coordinated movement that was fomenting violence against conservatives, without presenting evidence that such a network existed.
Vice President JD Vance called for a crackdown on left-wing activism after Kirk’s murder. Joined by top MAGA figures, he sought to put the blame for a rising tide of political violence on the left even though several Democrats have also been victims of bloodshed.
“This is not a both sides problem,” Vance said as he guest-hosted Kirk’s popular podcast. “One side has a much bigger and more malignant problem.”
The FBI’s no. 2 man said that he suspects that Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson could have been “aided and abetted’’ by an “extended network’’ — alluding to “multiple warning signs” he gave leading up to the assassination.
Robinson apparently confessed to killing Kirk in an online message to nearly three dozen people the day after the assassination. “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all,” reads a chat message he purportedly sent through online community Discord.
American workers – from Delta pilots to MSNBC pundits and public school teachers – are being sacked from their jobs for mocking Kirk’s assassination in social media posts.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post that American Airlines pilots “who were caught celebrating” the assassination were “immediately grounded and removed from service.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for a “peaceful national divorce” between conservative and liberal America after Kirk’s murder, insisting in a social media post that the killing proves the US is too politically divided to continue as a single nation.
House GOP leaders are aiming to pass a stopgap spending bill this week that funds the government through Nov. 20, as lawmakers face an end-of-the-month shutdown deadline.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters on Capitol Hill that the text of the continuing resolution (CR) is being delayed because of ongoing talks on increased security for members of Congress.
The imminent deadline for government funding has put enhanced Obamacare tax credits in the limelight as Democrats seek to pressure Republicans into extending subsidies that have helped expand health insurance coverage.
Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times in his latest use of legal action targeting a major media outlet.
In his latest bid to reshape the American economy, Trump has endorsed ending the decades-long practice of public companies sharing their financial results once each quarter.
The Senate voted last night to confirm Stephen Miran to the Federal Reserve Board, bringing it a step closer to Trump’s vision as he pressures the central bank to lower interest rates.
Miran was confirmed in a 48-47 vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was the only Republican to vote against him. No Democrats crossed the aisle.
A panel of federal judges blocked Trump from removing Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board, hours before she and other top Fed officials are set to begin a meeting about whether to lower interest rates.
Two of three judges on the appeals court panel said the Trump administration had “not satisfied the stringent requirements for a stay pending appeal.”
Trump said that the U.S. military had carried out a strike on a second Venezuelan boat, alleging that the ship was helmed by “narcoterrorists” and carrying “illegal narcotics” headed to the United States.
Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor who handled criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, is contesting her abrupt July firing in a lawsuit that challenges Trump’s claim of sweeping presidential power.
Trump slammed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for her endorsement of progressive Zohran Mamdani in his bid for mayor of New York City.
In a post on Truth Social, the president appeared to warn of withholding federal funds from the state as punishment for Hochul’s endorsement.
Hochul seemingly got little-to-nothing in exchange for her bombshell endorsement Mamdani — except to appease the far-left in a desperate attempt to stave off a real primary challenge next year, insiders said.
Hochul’s endorsement could help her in next year’s gubernatorial election as much as it helps his quest for City Hall. And it could mean Mamdani would have a much easier time enacting his campaign agenda if he wins in November.
The governor’s endorsement of Mamdani failed to move the needle with her fellow centrist Democratic elected officials, but did scramble the donor class and alarmed centrists who worry about the impact on next year’s midterm elections.
After Hochul finally endorsed him for mayor over the weekend, Mamdani declined to immediately return the favor yesterday by backing her own reelection bid, saying: “My focus is on November.”
Less than a month after declaring “we are at war” with Republicans, Hochul called for a truce in the use of incendiary political rhetoric as she convened a bipartisan news conference with other lawmakers and said there needs to be a “reset moment.”
Social media companies will have to vastly restrict how they target young users, as the scaffolding of new rules supporting a landmark New York algorithm law begins to take shape.
State AG Letitia James released a draft set of regulations on how the state will enforce a 2024 law meant to protect kids online by restricting their access to addictive algorithmic feeds and nighttime social media notifications, including age confirmation rules.
A powerful and potentially deadly new group of synthetic opioids known as nitazenes are infiltrating New York’s drug supply, even as the state still struggles with a fentanyl-fueled addiction crisis.
In an interview with The New York Times former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the situation in Gaza had become “horrific,” called for an immediate end to the war and gently distanced himself from Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There is no doubt that the people of New York and the nation see the continued carnage that is happening and are deeply, deeply disturbed and want it over, and believe it has gone on way too long,” Cuomo said.
Cornell Belcher, Cuomo’s newly hired mayoral campaign pollster, blasted the ex-governor as “arrogant” and “out of touch” in 2021 after he resigned amid sexual misconduct accusations.
New York City is overwhelmingly described by its voters as unaffordable, and voters’ desire for a mayor they believe can bring change outpaces their desire for one with experience.
Mamdani could be the second coming of former lefty Mayor John Lindsay if elected to City Hall — a controversial and polarizing tax-and-spend figure during the 1960s-1970s blamed for the infamous fiscal crisis that nearly bankrupted the city.
Mamdani is holding his ground as the frontrunner in the race for NYC mayor with another poll released yesterday showing the Democratic nominee with a significant lead and beating Cuomo in a head-to-head contest.
While Cuomo carried most black precincts in the Democratic primary in June, nearly half, or 47%, of likely Black voters said they would back Mamdani in the general election, compared to 26% for Cuomo, 11% for Adams and 5% for Sliwa, the poll says.
Mamdani said he would drop a Holocaust remembrance group’s definition of “antisemitism” if he becomes mayor — a turnaround that has some Jewish rights advocates on edge.
Next month, Crain’s New York Business will bring the election directly to business leaders in a forum featuring at least two leading candidates: Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
The romantic partner of a senior New York City corrections official was detained by immigration agents last month in the Bronx amid what is perhaps a watershed moment in the city’s conflict over Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Randy Mastro, Mayor Eric Adams’ powerful top deputy, is trying to find a way to block a controversial plan to build a housing complex in the Bronx for ex-cons with serious health problems — even though the mayor has been a big supporter of the project.
City Council members were furious after the Adams administration skipped on a hearing reviewing the impacts of Trump’s budget cuts on New York City yesterday.
The pace of hiring in New York City government is too slow, Adams said, adding: ” I hate the process. We’re trying to shorten that process.”
Council Member Joann Ariola has defended her decision to support a vote overriding Adams’ veto of legislation decriminalizing illegal street vending amid fierce criticism from City Hall, describing her vote as a “protest”.
A new lawsuit alleges officials of the union representing New York City school bus drivers rigged a June leadership election in favor of their preferred candidates — among them the president’s romantic partner, whom the suit alleges was not eligible for the post.
Authorities said the NYPD opened fire during a confrontation between two teenage boys in East Harlem last night, leaving a 15-year-old wounded.
Sunsets in the New York City area this year will no longer fall after 7 p.m. starting this week, according to the National Weather Service. Central Park will have its last post-7 p.m. sunset tomorrow.
A LIRR strike that promised to cause travel nightmares for “screwed” commuters was shelved for at least several months as union officials took an unprecedented move to get the Trump administration involved.
The unions said their workers had voted to authorize a strike — but announced they had also asked Trump to convene an emergency board to broker a deal, which triggers a negotiating process that delays a strike for eight months.
Three people including a former police officer pleaded guilty to operating Long Island brothels that facilitated a prostitution ring.
Environmental regulators failed to deter harm by allowing the S.A. Dunn Landfill in Rensselaer and East Greenbush to continue operations, the New York Civil Liberties Union has claimed in a newly filed amicus brief.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan is making a public push to get the city’s inclusionary zoning law repealed before her term ends.
Voters go to the polls today to decide whether to raise Troy Public Library’s tax levy higher than ever before.
Police are searching for a 53-year-old landscaper they believe killed his girlfriend at the couple’s local home before vanishing into the Adirondack Mountains.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
