Good Monday afternoon in New York City, where the putrid puddle of Flatbush can't be a pleasant sight in this heat.
Here's what else is happening:
- An Air Quality Health Advisory is in effect until at least 11 p.m.
- Long Island oysters were mistakenly slandered earlier this season with claims that they were sitting in filthy water when they're not, but the P.R. fallout has nonetheless damaged the industry.
- Here's a long profile of Brooklyn's own Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the would-be House Speaker who "is not perceived as someone who holds strong positions on many issues."
- Queens' own Nicki Minaj has become a top-tier celebrity Trump fan, and skeptics are wondering if she's aiming for a pardon for her husband, who was convicted for failing to register as a sex offender. (A former Trump campaign staffer said a pardon has never been discussed.)
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged that his pied-à-terre tax hype video filmed outside Ken Griffin's apartment was a mistake, but that won't keep his adversaries from bringing it up.
- Cuba is reportedly considering attacking Key West with drones.
- Between the fibermaxxing trend and economic insecurity, beans are in.
- And finally, what a gathering:
