Good morning, it’s Wednesday that’s acting like Monday. Welcome to the weird three-day rest of your workweek.
We are moving into sniffling, sneezing, cold and flu season. I am 100 percent not here for that. I did get my flu shot a few weeks ago, but I think I’m going to pass on the updated Covid vaccine.
This is NOT because of our MAHA health secretary, mind you, though he certainly did make it harder for those who do want extra protection against the virus to get it. I’m just going to focus on trying to keep myself as healthy as possible – washing my hands, building up my immune system etc. – and see how that goes.
For a hypochondriac like myself, this is a particularly challenging season, because everything seems to start with “flulike” symptoms – from the mildest cold to far more serious afflictions that I spend a lot of time working about. Things like pneumonia, for example.
Pneumonia, in case you’re not familiar, is the term for when the air sacs in your lungs get infected and inflamed, filled with fluid and/or pus, making it very difficult to breathe. Lobar pneumonia impacts sections in one or both lungs, while the bronchial version impacts patches throughout both lungs.
There are 30 different causes of pneumonia, but three TYPES.
It is most often caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, which usually occurs when you’re wakened in some way due to age, a weakened immune system, alcohol or cigarette use etc., though it can also be viral, sparked by illnesses like Covid, the flu, and RSV. A far less common cause is a fungi, which usually threatens only those with compromised immune systems.
Though pneumonia does share symptoms with other illnesses, the best differentiator is that it usually comes on slowly – unlike, say, the flu, which hits you like a freight train with a sudden onset of body aches, fever, and deep exhaustion. Pneumonia, by contrast, develops over time, with symptoms like a cough in the chest that produces green or yellow phlegm and is accompanied by pain when you breathe in deeply.
Pneumonia CAN be a complication of the flu, and you’re probably going to require a chest X-ray to get an accurate diagnosis. You’ve probably also heard about something called “walking pneumonia“, which isn’t a medical term but is basically exactly what it sounds like – a mild case that has you feeling miserable, but not miserable enough to be bed ridden.
The three types of pneumonia include – community-acquired (when one person spreads it to another), healthcare acquired (when you develop the illness after a stay in a healthcare setting), and ventilator associated (when you develop the illness after being on a machine that – ironically – helps you breathe).
Pneumonia can be deadly, accounting for millions of emergency room visits and thousands of deaths every year. You can be vaccinated against a bacterial pneumonia infection, though that isn’t recommended unless you’re very young, very old, or immunocompromised.
The best way to prevent getting pneumonia is pretty much the standard protocol for staying healthy overall – wash your hands often, don’t smoke, eat a good diet, stay away from people who are sick, disinfect surfaces that get touched a lot, and get plenty of exercise and rest.
Today is World Pneumonia Day, which was established to raise awareness about what has become the single biggest infectious killer of adults and children across the globe.
I’m not sure about you, but I was most definitely not prepared for this early taste of winter we’ve been experiencing of late. Today will bring more clouds, though there’s thankfully no snow in the forecast, with temperatures topping out int he low 40s.
In the headlines…
The House will vote on reopening the federal government today after lawmakers’ funding bill survived a key hurdle earlier in the morning.
House Democratic leaders proposed a three-year extension of the soon-to-expire ObamaCare subsidies at the center of the shutdown fight.
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is coming to an end, but the central issue that caused it — the staggering cost of health care — isn’t going away soon. It will continue to bedevil President Trump, especially as the midterm elections draw closer.
Trump said that the apparent near end of the nation’s longest government shutdown was a “very big victory” for Republicans during a Veterans Day speech that mixed the traditional solemnity of the day with a string of bare-knuckle political arguments.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said that “no one really knows” who’s heading up his party in both chambers of Congress as tensions flare among Democrats over the ongoing government shutdown.
The Supreme Court extended a block until Thursday night on lower court orders requiring the Trump administration to make full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments during the government shutdown.
The court did not reflect a decision on the underlying legal merits of the case, but kept on hold November food stamps for roughly 42 million recipients for another two days as the House prepares to vote on the funding package that recently cleared the Senate.
Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, yesterday refused to say when he would roll back the restrictions on flights at 40 busy airports, even with an apparent end to the government shutdown on the horizon.
Duffy warned of “massively more disruption” in air travel if the ongoing government shutdown, which has lasted for more than a month, continues into the weekend.
More than 10% of flights could be delayed nationally, Duffy warned – adding that some airlines may even decide to ground their fleets altogether. “You may find airlines that stop flying. Full stop,” he said.
Even if the government ends the flight restrictions in place at 40 busy airports that contributed to widespread disruptions over the weekend, it will take days for airlines to recover. And longstanding challenges to the nation’s aviation system remain.
President Trump has floated the idea of 50-year mortgages — a bold, if controversial, attempt to make buying a home more affordable while the median age of buyers skyrockets and mortgage demand remains low.
Details remain hazy, but Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said over the weekend the administration is “working on” the proposal, which he called a “complete game changer.”
Hotel guests around the world were left “homeless” when they were evicted from their rentals with only hours of notice after Marriott-backed chain Sonder filed for bankruptcy, creating a vacation “nightmare” for hundreds.
Sonder, a short-term rental and boutique hotel company that had a licensing deal with Marriott, abruptly went out of business, stranding guests worldwide.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a historic multiyear partnership to strengthen ties between New York and the Dominican Republic.
Linda Sun, an ex-top state aide who lived a life of luxury allegedly fueled by millions of dollars in kickbacks from China, is headed to trial — and the case could expose a brazen Beijing influence campaign in the highest reaches of Albany.
Opening arguments in the trial are expected today. The case is the latest in which federal prosecutors claim that the Chinese government is seeking to influence American politics.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani touted his affordable housing agenda yesterday as he bucked the New York City Veterans Day Parade to visit with former servicemen in The Bronx.
Mamdani’s secretive newly named chief of staff Elle Bisgaard-Church is a Democratic Socialists of America true believer who convinced the far-left group to back him for mayor and helped craft his “Department of Community Safety,” insiders said.
City Councilwoman and fierce Zionist Inna Vernikov has invited Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to the city Jan. 1 — the day of the swearing-in of Mayor-elect Mamdani, who has vowed to try to arrest Bibi when he visits next.
A school board member in Putnam County thanked Big Apple voters for bringing on the “Islamic takeover of western society” by electing Mamdani as mayor — sparking outrage from parents, local reports said.
The days may be numbered for the Elizabeth Street Garden because Mamdani has vowed to evict the garden’s private operators from the city-owned lot to make way for an affordable housing development that aims to help formerly homeless seniors.
Some Jewish students in New York City “are scared” about what Mayor-elect Mamdani’s victory means for their lives on campus, saying that the democratic socialist’s win is “a huge blow to the New York City Jewish community.”
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, will launch his campaign today to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in New York’s 12th Congressional District, he revealed in an email to supporters.
The Kennedy scion perhaps best known as a social media commentator is entering a crowded race against sitting elected officials. Schlossberg’s campaign website was already love Tuesday featuring the slogan: “A new generation of leadership for New York.”
As he prepares a Congressional run, J.F.K.’s grandson, 32, admits, “I’m not for everybody.” Rep. Nadler is likely to back his longtime aide and protégé, the state assemblyman Micah Lasher, who has already announced his candidacy.
The chairman of New York City’s police oversight board has resigned, citing intense pressure from the head of the city’s largest police union, whom he accused of waging a “campaign of lies” against him.
The 2025 New York City Veterans Day Parade marked the 250th anniversary of America’s military, featuring over 20,000 participants, 280 marching units and 150 vehicles along Manhattan’s 5th Avenue.
One month after traveling to Albania, Mayor Eric Adams held a reception at Gracie Mansion, which did not appear on his public schedule, with government officials from the Balkan nation and other members of the local Albanian community.
Adams is supporting a 16-year-old Bronx high schooler nabbed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the city formally filing papers backing his lawsuit seeking to halt his deportation.
Members of the New York City Council are set to introduce legislation that will make it easier to create affordable housing for artists.
Patrick Brady, the married 42-year-old fire department veteran, who died tragically in the line of duty over the weekend, will be mourned at a wake in Brooklyn on Friday and a funeral mass Saturday in his Queens neighborhood before being laid to rest.
There are certain givens about most New York City pubs: The bar is sticky, the rent is staggering, cash tips are preferred and — lesser-known, but equally true — the liability insurance is crushingly expensive.
The Empire State Building lit up in celebration of Polish Independence Day this past Monday night for the first time, after years of lobbying to green-light the cultural display.
Contenders for full-scale casino licenses in New York City predict an economic boom fueled by gambling. Experts say that’s not what has happened elsewhere.
Little Italy’s top pasta purveyors are boiling over potential price spikes brought on by President Trump’s tariffs that could see packages of the “staple” food reach $10, which shop owners fear will be more than customers are willing to shell out.
Real estate behemoth Cushman & Wakefield revealed on Veterans Day that it would hire 600 more former armed forces members and reservists next year – as a top executive for the company stressed that veterans boost business
The Albany Common Council wants to reduce Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s proposed tax hike to try to ease financial strain on city residents facing increases in both property taxes and trash collection fees.
A crash on Interstate 87 snarled northbound traffic ahead of last night’s evening commute.
Hoosick Falls police said a woman was found with illicit drugs after she fled from a village officer, reaching speeds as high as 100 mph before crashing en route to the Rensselaer Plateau.
A six-member team at a Dollar General in Middleburgh, NY, allegedly walked off en masse last week, citing poor working conditions and stolen time.
It wasn’t a squeaker: Nearly 90% of voters said no to the Stephentown Memorial Library’s budget proposal last week. And some people can’t quite believe it.
Plug Power has put plans to build up to six new hydrogen production plants across the country on hold, despite having been provided $1.66 billion in federal loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
