Good morning, it’s Monday.
During my 20-year reporting career I twice had the opportunity to be a pool reporter when the president came to town. What that means, basically, is that you get temporarily embedded with the traveling press corps that is based in Washington, D.C. and assigned to follow the president everywhere he goes.
Because there are only so many seats on the plane, a pool reporter’s job is to provide regular updates to other reporters who aren’t traveling with the president, which they can they use as part of their own stories.
You’re basically a glorified stenographer, though some pool reports are far better than others, since there’s no hard and fast rule about how you structure them or what you include, just that they’re accurate and fast.
It was a very interesting experience – equal parts exciting and boring, since a lot of the traveling press corps’ time is spent in holding rooms waiting for the president to come out of private meetings or big donor fundraisers or what have you.
There’s a lot of “hurry up and wait” involved and it is far from glamorous, though being part of the motorcade and getting to speed through closed-down roads of New York City that are normally choked with traffic is pretty cool. And you get to see places and people that most others don’t have access to.
This kind of reporting never really appealed to me. Anyone can cover a rally or a speech or a press conference or write up the daily announcement made by a president, governor, legislative leader or mayor. Digging, cultivating sources, and breaking your own stories is the real thrill of reporting.
Doing that kind of reporting takes time and resources, however, both of which are in short supply due to the endlessly shrinking traditional journalism industry, which I’m sure before long will be thoroughly lousy with AI-generated news.
There are still some reporters who are fighting the good fight, thankfully, and one of the most potent tools at their disposal – as well as for countless advocates, activists, lawyers, and in some cases just regular citizens – is the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), enacted in 1974 (and implemented three years later) to ensure a measure of accountability by providing public access to some, though not all, government records.
FOIL actually came after FOIA (the Freedom of Information Act), which was signed on July 4, 1966, by then-President Lyndon Banes Johnson (AKA LBJ) and requires are federal agencies disclose information requested by the public UNLESS it falls under one of nine exemptions that protect things like personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement.
New York was one of the last states in the nation (typical) to pass its own version of a law granting the public the right to information about its own government. FOIL, was first introduced by a Syracuse assembly member named John Terry in 1970, and then championed by his Watertown colleague, Assemblymember Donald Taylor, after Taylor left Albany to serve in Congress.
It will probably not surprise you an iota to learn that state agencies pushed back quite hard against mandated public disclosure. The only one that showed any interest was the state Consumer Protection Board. Even today, when compiling documents has arguably never been easier, thanks to technological advancements and mandated timetables, FOIL filers often have to wait a long time before seeing their requests – often heavily redacted – filled.
Still, I guess something is better than nothing. And so, I wish you a happy Freedom of Information Day, which we observe annually on the birthday of this country’s fourth president, James Madison, AKA “Father of the Constitution,” who was a staunch protector and champion of open government.
Freedom of Information Day falls at the beginning of Sunshine Week, March 15-21, “a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government.”
Today will be warmer than this past weekend was, thankfully, with temperatures rising into the high 50s and maybe even breaking into the low 60s. It will, however, be wet, with a steady rain in the morning that tapers off to showers by the afternoon.
In the headlines…
As the conflict with Iran expands and intensifies, President Trump’s options — to fight on, or to move toward declaring victory and pulling back — both carry deeply problematic consequences.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it’s planning to continue strikes on Iran for at least three more weeks. “We have thousands of targets ahead,” IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told CNN.
Oil prices rose and stocks were mixed today on persistent concerns that surging energy costs stemming from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran could drive inflation higher across the world.
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in the war involving Iran, delivering his strongest remarks yet on the conflict and urging leaders responsible for the fighting to halt violence after deadly strikes that hit schools and civilian areas.
Trump warned NATO faces a “very bad” future if the US allies fail to help reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, as oil prices soar during the Iran war.
Trump resurrected a pet nickname for New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman, calling her “Maggot” and just another SLEAZEBAG writer”, in his latest salvo against female reporters, threatening to sue both her and the newspaper.
Trump said he was “thrilled” to see the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr reviewing license renewal applications for broadcast corporations after accusing the media of perpetuating lies about Iran.
Trump is set to convene the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today to vote on plans to close the institution for renovations starting on July 6, according to an internal meeting agenda obtained by The New York Times.
Hundreds of TSA officers have quit over the federal budget battle that left them working without pay –fueling hours-long flight delays and Department of Homeland Security videos blaming Dems for the travel nightmare.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday to tout her controversial proposal aimed at lowering auto insurance premiums as a boon for New York City’s millions of subway and bus riders.
“Money we should be spending on great service is going to payoffs to well-connected billboard lawyers instead,” said Lieber. “Guys who actually think the M.T.A. is spelled A.T.M.”
An Astroturf group backed by the rideshare giant Uber has this year poured $8 million into supporting Gov. Hochul’s controversial agenda to lower auto insurance rates at the expense of some crash victims.
Demonstrators and the grassroots organization Citizen Action of New York held a rally in Ossining Saturday where they called on Hochul to forge a budget that prioritizes financially struggling New Yorkers while raising taxes on the state’s wealthiest.
Hochul called on the Trump administration to return $13.5 billion to New Yorkers and communities in the North Country.
Spending plans adopted by Democrats in the state Legislature aligned with Hochul’s proposal to slap a 75% wholesale tax on nicotine pouches, the small, tobacco-free products that have quietly become one of the fastest-growing alternatives to cigarettes.
Hochul walked in the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Buffalo, where her family founded the local Irish center.
New York’s charter school educators say they’re being frozen out of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s big new universal childcare expansion.
Attorney General Letitia James has taken action against Valve Corporation, a popular and influential gaming company, alleging the loot box system used in its games such as Counter-Strike 2 and Team Fortress 2 constitute illegal gambling under New York law.
The New York State Museum announced Friday the 16 individuals who will guide the vision for the institution’s $150 million revitalization.
New York City officials issued a weather alert for today, warning that heavy rainfall, strong winds and thunderstorms could hit the city.
More than a quarter of New Yorkers lived in poverty in 2024, and more than 50 percent said high costs prevented them at least once that year from doing things like buying food, paying their utility bills or seeing a doctor, according to a new report.
At once, Mahmood Mamdani’s fame was eclipsed by his son’s. At the same time, the election of Zohran Mamdani has attracted new interest in his father’s work.
Mayor Mamdani condemned rhetoric coming from an anti-Israel author who called the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks “spectacular” on Friday, and defended his wife for working with the author.
Mamdani’s response to his wife’s work connected to Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa has sparked blowback from some of his own supporters, who say he risks reinforcing harmful narratives that conflate support for Palestinians with anti-Jewish sentiment.
Mamdani plans to meet with some Jewish leaders today amid concerns he and his wife have been hostile to worries about anti-Israel rhetoric — but critics say it’s nothing more than a “photo op.’’
More than a dozen spoke extensively to the New York Times about what they see as a disconnect between Mamdani’s public and private personas, but insisted on remaining anonymous because they feared the consequences of angering him.
Two-and-a-half months into Mamdani’s administration, a picture is emerging of a mayor who picks up the phone when business leaders call, even if they are bound to disagree.
Mamdani reportedly dropped out of talks to appear on CBS after a “nail in the coffin” X post from editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Mamdani is establishing the first Mayor’s Office for LGBTQIA+ affairs and appointing the first out trans person, Taylor Brown, to lead a New York City office as director.
Taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for the legal representation of former Mayor Eric Adams aide Tim Pearson in lawsuits accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation, Corporation Counsel Steve Banks said Friday.
Adams’ former deputy mayor Randy Mastro ripped Mamdani, saying he made “rookie mistakes” in his budget planning, which has already spooked crucial bond-rating agencies.
The Greater New York Hospital Association said that ICE activity in hospitals has not increased during Trump’s second term. Immigration lawyers say enforcement in hospitals still appears to be uncommon.
Mamdani got a warm welcome on Friday from one of the city’s most influential labor leaders at a Manhattan luncheon hosted by the James Connolly Irish American Labor Coalition, where he was praised as a true union ally.
The Mamdani administration is looking to hire a “borough-based jails czar,” according to a job listing posted by the mayor’s office on Friday.
Mamdani said he would be unleashing a citywide pothole repair blitz over the past weekend, and the numbers appear to back it up.
New York City spent roughly $81,000 per person on homeless services last year — amounting to a whopping $368 million in total bills, a shocking new state report found.
Jack Schlossberg has a skeleton clad in clothes from his slain presidential grandfather John F. Kennedy in his home — and a bizarre reason for keeping the macabre display.
For months, Staten Island residents and environmental officials have tried and failed to identify the source of a stench described as a revolting combo of rotten eggs and broccoli.
Police are investigating the death of a 55-year-old man found unresponsive at the Penn Station subway stop on Saturday evening.
A New York state trooper was injured early Sunday after being struck during a traffic stop on the Thruway in the town of Mamaroneck, according to a state police press release.
Temperatures in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley are expected to rise above 60 degrees today, bringing the potential for rain, wind gusts that could reach 40 mph and thunderstorms, before diving into the 20s by nightfall.
An Albany Law School student who took his own life after what law enforcement officials described as a failed terrorism incident targeting an energy substation in Nevada had allegedly also considered a plan to carry out a mass shooting at Siena University.
High winds impacted St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the Capital Region on Saturday, including causing at least one outdoor event cancellation.
The fate of Debar Pond Lodge, a 1940 two-story Great Camp designed by Adirondack architect William Distin, continues to be uncertain, as advocates of the lodge look for new ways to save it.
Law enforcement and fire officials were conducting a recovery mission Saturday after a person was reported to be in the Hudson River near the Dunn Memorial Bridge late Friday afternoon.
The City of Albany’s Industrial Development Agency is poised to take away $14 million in tax breaks from a troubled and long-delayed project on Western Avenue that residents have come to call simply “1211.”
Common Council member Owusu Anane was a sponsor of a 2024 bill that formed a task force dedicated to creating a new municipal flag for Albany, which is now working on refining the details of a competition intended to accomplish that goal.
There are so few high schoolers at Catholic Central that they will all be moved to Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons this fall, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany announced.
“One Battle After Another” won the biggest battle of awards season — with newly minted Best Director Paul Thomas Anderson also taking home the Oscar for Best Picture.
Anderson’s epic, adapted from the Thomas Pynchon novel, “Vineland,” won six of the 13 awards for which it was nominated at Sunday’s 98th Academy Awards.
Here’s a full list of the Oscars nominees and winners.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
