Good morning, it’s Friday. You made it! (Well, almost, just get through this day and the weekend will be here before you know it).
I have been a member of USAA, which provides banking, insurance, and investment services for current and former US military service members and their families for more than 3 decades. I am not a veteran myself, but I am the daughter and step-daughter of veterans (Army and Marines, respectively).
I don’t think all that often about my USAA card until I present it to someone who mistakenly – probably because of my haircut? – thinks I’m the one with the military service background and thanks me for my sacrifice. I always correct them, but also those moments remind me to, in turn, thank my step-pop and my dad for what they gave up in service to small-d democracy.
If I WAS, in fact, a veteran, I would be part of a pretty elite club.
Women make up only just over 11 percent of the U.S. veteran population, with some 2.1 million of them living across the nation. Women are, however, projected to be the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population (in part because they live longer on average than men), projected to reach 18 percent of all living vets by 2040, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Women haven’t been allowed to legally serve in the military for all that terribly long. It wasn’t until this day in 1948 that then-President Truman signed into law the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, which officially allowed women to serve as permanent, regular members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The act formally recognized the vital contributions of the approximately 350,000 women who had served during World War II, creating a path forward for women to have professional military careers.
It also laid the foundation for future legislative victories for women service members, such as the repeal in 1967 by then-President LBJ of a 2 percent cap on the number of women who could serve in the enlisted ranks and opened high-ranking general and admiral roles to women officers.
Women have not been formally allowed to serve in all military combat roles until VERY recently – 2016, to be exact. The Pentagon took several years after the January 2013 lifting of the Combat Exclusion Policy to open all previously restricted frontline ground combat, infantry, armor, and special operations positions to qualified women service members.
Today is National Women Veterans Recognition Day, which commemorates the 78th anniversary of the 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act. It is not, contrary to what its name suggests, a women-specific version of Veterans Day – a day that honors and recognizes ALL veterans, regardless of their gender.
There are both national and state-specific observances of this day. According to a resolution passed by the state Assembly, New York is home to approximately 714,000 women veterans, which is a pretty significant portion of the 2.1 million living across the nation.
This might be a good day – if you have a moment – to pay a visit to the New York State Women Veterans Memorial, located on Madison Avenue near the State Museum. It’s very much worth a look, in my opinion. It depicts, according to the website linked above, an “eight-foot-high bronze statue by Albany artist Hy Rosen depicts Liberty standing on the crown of England (as in the New York State flag), breaking free from the bonds of colonization.”
Reminder: A heat advisory remains in effect through 8 p.m. tonight. Temperatures will soar into the 90s, with scattered thunderstorms potentially developing later in the day.
Tomorrow, Saturday, it will be mostly sunny and still hot, with highs in the high 80s. Sunday will bring much of the same, temperature-wise, though it will be cloudy in the morning with occasional showers developing in the afternoon.
Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Stay out of the sun if you can. Check on your neighbors. Wear sunscreen and cover up with light layers if you do venture outside for an extended period of time.
In the headlines…
President Trump canceled impending US strikes and a purported plan to storm Iran’s Kharg Island, saying that an agreement between Washington and Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin nuclear negotiations was “all wrapped up.”
Iran’s state broadcaster, quoting the spokesman for the country’s foreign ministry, said that “nothing has been finalized.” Earlier this week, Trump had claimed a peace deal was imminent, but hours later, the two countries attacked each other.
“Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have…cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” he said on Truth Social.
Members of Congress departed Washington without acting to extend one of the government’s most powerful surveillance authorities for collecting information on foreign threats overseas, all but assuring that the law will expire as scheduled on Saturday.
Lawyers for President Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday filed an appeal of an order to remove the president’s name from the institution.
The U.S. Postal Service has proposed a new rule that would allow it to refuse to deliver mail ballots in states that don’t turn over voter rolls to the federal government.
SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite maker, officially finalized its initial public offering price to become the world’s largest stock market debut, in a testament to the tech mogul’s influence and people’s belief in his business vision.
SpaceX confirmed its I.P.O. price was set at $135 a share and that it would sell more than 555 million shares, according to a company statement. That means SpaceX would raise around $75 billion from its offering, putting its valuation at $1.77 trillion.
Trump announced that he is nominating U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, top prosecutor in New York’s influential Southern District, to be the next director of national intelligence.
The selection of Clayton comes after the president faced a revolt from lawmakers over his choice for an interim director without any relevant experience, Bill Pulte, a top housing official.
With Clayton’s nomination to become director of national intelligence, the Manhattan federal prosecutors he has overseen for the past year are bracing for what’s next.
New York state is on track to spend $277 billion this year – nearly $9 billion more than what Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last month when she proclaimed a “general agreement” on the budget.
According to the financial plan, which the state put out Wednesday afternoon, the difference came “almost entirely due to a $10 billion upward adjustments to estimated Federal spending.”
High-speed broadband access could be coming to every homeless shelter across New York state under a newly passed bill awaiting Hochul’s signature.
An environmental bill that on paper had enough support to pass the Assembly failed to secure a vote after a lobbying blitz led in part by people close to the speaker.
The state Appellate Division’s Third Department has overturned a preliminary injunction that stopped raids on hemp stores across New York, rejecting retailers’ claims that the searches are unconstitutional.
A key prize in New York’s Millionaire for Life game could become far harder to win. That’s according to changes proposed by the state Gaming Commission, which aims to shift the prize structure for the multi-state lottery game.
A coalition advocating for patients with disabilities filed federal lawsuits seeking to scrap New York and Illinois’ controversial doctor-assisted suicide laws for allegedly treating the terminally ill as “disposable.”
After persuading state lawmakers to give it more time, New York City Public Schools released a plan to reduce class sizes that allocates $244 million to hire new teachers across 360 schools.
The 68-page draft is required by a 2022 state law, which set the caps between 20 and 25 students, depending on their grade level.
The Mamdani administration plans to spend more than $1 billion to hire new teachers and construct new space at school buildings to comply with New York’s new class size law, even as overall enrollment in the public school system drops.
Mamdani reportedly flexed his political muscle to nab exclusive seats to the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden — potentially running afoul of city ethics rules — and downplayed how much he paid for the hot ticket.
Mamdani and Knicks owner James Dolan could be forced to bury the hatchet if the team clinches an NBA championship — for potentially the biggest ticker-tape victory parade in New York City’s history.
For Dolan, the famously irascible owner of the New York Knicks, a sudden feud with Mamdani seemed in character, and unsurprising to longtime Madison Square Garden Kremlinologists.
Mamdani is opening the door to larger Knicks watch parties at Madison Square Garden, despite a disagreement with the team’s owner that led to the cancellation of Game 4’s watch party outside MSG.
Just one hour before the kickoff for the 2026 World Cup, the Mamdani administration finally released the full list of more than 100 free watch parties to celebrate the world’s game in all five boroughs.
Just in time for the FIFA World Cup, which kicked off yesterday across the US, Canada, and Mexico, the mayor’s office dropped a trio of affordable NYC-inspired soccer jerseys.
An NYPD officer assigned to Mamdani’s Gracie Mansion security detail was indicted on attempted murder and other charges after prosecutors said he held a man at gunpoint and fired into a parked car while off duty in the Bronx, striking a passenger in the head.
Citadel founder Ken Griffin appears to be making good on his promise to “double down” on Miami — just weeks after he became the unwitting face of Mamdani’s campaign to tax the rich.
A Manhattan federal judge cleared former City Comptroller Brad Lander of charges that he obstructed an elevator at a downtown immigration detention center last year, handing the congressional candidate a legal victory three days before early voting starts.
“I’m genuinely moved by the rule of law,” the 56-year-old former city comptroller told reporters as he choked up outside Manhattan federal court, clad in a gray suit and New York Knicks cap that still had a sticker on the brim.
A democratic socialist backed by Mamdani leads Rep. Adriano Espaillat in this month’s Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District, according to polling conducted for Justice Democrats by Data for Progress.
Super PACs tied to the nation’s leading AI giants have transformed the closing weeks of a race for a coveted New York City House seat by unleashing staggering amounts of money to shape its outcome and a national debate over regulating the industry.
Two NYC City Council weighed competing visions for the future of the Central Park carriage horse industry yesterday, two days after a horse named Deniz collapsed and died Tuesday night.
The speaker of the City Council, Julie Menin, announced a proposal to build affordable housing atop three aging libraries, one each in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.
The legend of OG Anunoby grew even larger yesterday when two Big Apple boroughs declared official days to honor the Knicks star whose unbelievable tip-in clinched the team’s miraculous comeback in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Tempers are flaring at an East Village co-op over the board potentially selling one of its parking lots without keeping shareholders in the loop.
A Rikers Island Correction captain has been arrested for forcing her subordinates to pay her, buy her gifts and drive her to restaurants and a casino while on duty, according to federal prosecutors.
A pro wrestling-loving day care director who embezzled millions from a swanky Brooklyn preschool pleaded guilty to her crimes Thursday, and could face more than six years behind bars for her low blow.
A five-judge appeals court upheld Kevin Monahan’s conviction in the April 15, 2023, shooting death of Kaylin Gillis, the 20-year-old woman he killed when he opened fire on an SUV that turned around in the driveway of his Hebron home.
The 2026 Capital PRIDE Parade and Festival will take place Sunday, bringing music, food, and vendors to Washington Park for the celebration of the region’s LGBTQ community.
While other colleges are cutting arts and humanities, Russell Sage College has decided to expand them, hiring two “elite talent” performing arts professors, committing $2 million in facility upgrades, and adding at least two new programs.
Archaeologists working at Fort Ticonderoga have recently uncovered and preserved more than 500 artifacts, including several items linked to Continental Army soldiers who were stationed there in 1776.
The town of Dresden in Washington County has been unable to do business since March when two board members resigned, leaving the government without a quorum.
After an airplane towing a glider crashed at Saratoga County Airport last month, a fire consumed much of the wreckage left behind, a preliminary NTSB report on the fatal crash shows. But surveillance footage and an interview with a survivor revealed new details.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
