At around $25 a pound, Parmigiano Reggiano is as expensive as it is delicious, making a budget-friendly alternative essential. Enter this chef-approved swap.
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Bananas Foster Brownies Recipe
Bananas in a sweet-spiced, rum-infused caramel are the star of the show in our easy yet impressive upside-down bananas Foster skillet brownies recipe.
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Menin’s AI moment
CITY HAL 9000: Amid a mad dash to try to regulate artificial intelligence, City Council Speaker Julie Menin is looking to make her mark.
The Manhattan lawmaker is planning to hold a hearing with all 51 members of the legislative body next week, and today confirmed the attendance of four major AI firms to discuss both the dangers the technology poses and a suite of Council bills that seek to protect New Yorkers.
“Leading experts and AI executives themselves are warning about the potentially grave risks of rapidly advancing AI, and governments have a responsibility to act,” Menin said in a statement announcing she issued a subpoena to SpaceXAI, the artificial intelligence company owned by Elon Musk, to compel the firm to attend.
Council hearings — even those run by lesser-known committees — are not known as concise affairs. And the notion of having all 51 members in the room to pepper AI executives with questions can only mean a marathon day with plenty of news coverage. (Remember Randy Mastro’s general counsel nomination hearing in 2024? No? You didn’t tune in for all 11 hours?)
Between the White House’s opposition to any type of AI regulation and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s desire for federal guardrails — though he has enacted an AI ban in elementary schools — a lane has opened for Menin to have her say in what has become one of the defining debates of the political moment.
Her muscular posture — her office dangled the possibility of subpoenas in front of the companies she sought for Monday’s hearing — shows she is not going to let it go to waste.
The package of bills being pursued by the Council includes a “kill switch” requirement and a new private right of action that would make it easier to sue AI companies. Menin is hoping to get input on that package Monday from artificial intelligence purveyors who agree that something needs to be done to slow the development of frontier AI models.
Google, which plans to be there Monday along with Anthropic, OpenAI and Meta, has released a white paper calling for a regulatory body that could develop safety standards along with audits for frontier AI models that are pushing the bounds of the technology. Separately, the firm has called for a regulatory framework for AI models like chatbots, which are already being used widely by the general public, and for the government to mitigate disruptions to the economy and workforce.
None of the firms have weighed in formally on the Council’s AI package, but one person with knowledge of the bills said there are early questions about how a “kill switch” activated in New York would affect a company’s services elsewhere around the globe, how the private right of action might interact with existing tort laws and whether there are downsides to retaining AI chat histories with consumers for extended periods of time.
Separately, there’s also the question of how the city’s AI bills would mesh with a separate AI regulation framework being pursued by Gov. Kathy Hochul. — Joe Anuta
From the Capitol
GATEWAY DREAMS: The long-awaited Gateway project reached a new milestone today: the start of tunnel boring under the Hudson River.
Hochul gathered with officials from New York and New Jersey to celebrate the latest stage of the development — which comes after more than a decade of planning and almost three years of construction work.
Following the “ceremonial launch” this morning, two hard-rock tunnel boring machines will be deployed this fall to construct a new rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York Penn Station. The machines are anticipated to clear about 30 feet of earth per day.
“We fought and beat efforts from the Trump administration to halt the Gateway project and today, that dream becomes a reality, with state of the art machinery operated by expert union workers starting their journey through soil and bedrock under the Hudson to Penn Station,” Hochul said in a statement. “This is a historic day for New York and a clear demonstration of our ambitions to once again be a state that dreams and builds big.”
Construction on Gateway began in late 2023, but the project previously faced a near-shutdown and temporary work stoppages after the Trump administration froze federal funds for it. The project resumed following legal action from New York and New Jersey. — Janaki Chadha
DON’T TRUST THE FILINGS: The state Democratic Committee is preemptively casting doubt on the accuracy of a disclosure report due to be filed by Republican opponent Bruce Blakeman on Friday.
If the past is any guide, the report won’t contain the definitive list of his financial activity. The campaign finance filing Blakeman submitted on July 15, for example, has since been amended on July 22, Aug. 13, Aug. 25 and Sept. 14.
As a result, a significantly different financial picture has formed compared to what was widely reported a couple months ago: Blakeman initially identified $3 million worth of contributions and $1.8 million in expenses over the spring; the latest amended version shows $4.5 million in contributions and $5 million in expenses. The total number of transactions disclosed went from 25,534 to 41,724.
Blakeman similarly resubmitted his March disclosure report four times and his January filing thrice.
“Either Blakeman wants to trick the press into reporting an inaccurate state of the race, or this guy sucks at math,” state Democratic Committee spokesperson Addison Dick said.
The Nassau County executive’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment. — Bill Mahoney
FROM CITY HALL
‘NOT IN AN INSHALLAH TIMELINE’: Mamdani said today he’ll release a plan “soon” for disbanding the controversial NYPD unit he pledged to get rid of last year as a candidate — and he’s leaving god out of it.
“I will fulfill that promise. The only question is the timeline of it … It’ll be not in an inshallah timeline, but an actual one,” he told reporters at a press conference in Manhattan, using the Arabic phrase for godwilling. “The critical point of it is just how to ensure we’re doing so while protecting New Yorkers’ rights and keeping New Yorkers safe, and that’s something that we’re going to share more information about soon.”
Mamdani made the comments after Playbook asked what’s causing the holdup on breaking up the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, especially in light of the unit being deployed Thursday to arrest activists, including politicians close with the mayor, protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As a candidate last year, Mamdani was adamant that he would, if elected, abolish the SRG over concerns about its heavy-handed responses to protests.
But since taking office in January, the mayor has dragged his feet on the pledge. When asked about the status of it, he’s typically just said he’s continuing conversations with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch — making today’s comments stand out.
A spokesperson for the NYPD declined to comment on Mamdani’s remarks. But the spokesperson did note that video posted to social media showed the SRG officers who effected arrests at last week’s anti-Netanyahu demonstrations acted peacefully and were joined by NYPD Community Affairs personnel who informed protesters they would be detained.
A political moderate, Tisch has defended using the SRG, once even cracking a joke that seemed aimed at highlighting the static between her and the mayor on the topic.
The fate of the SRG is among a number of issues Tisch and Mamdani have clashed on. They also hold divergent views on the issue of the NYPD’s gang database, with Mamdani promising last year to abolish it while Tisch calls it a critical tool that her department uses “every day.” — Chris Sommerfeldt
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Hochul picked up an endorsement today from Planned Parenthood’s PAC in her bid for a second term.
In receiving the endorsement, Hochul touted her work in declaring the state as a “safe haven” for reproductive health care, creating a first-in-the nation paid prenatal leave program and increasing the child tax credit. Planned Parenthood Empire State Votes PAC Chair Robin Chappelle Golston said that the governor “understands what is at stake during relentless federal attacks.”
The group also backed Hochul, the first female governor of New York, when she ran for a full term in 2022.
Hochul’s opponent, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, has described himself as a “pro-choice Republican.” — Madison Fernandez
IN OTHER NEWS
— ZOHRAN’S SHADOW: Hochul is counting on Mamdani to stump for her reelection campaign, but the governor’s advisers are still figuring out the best way for him to do that. (The New York Times)
— SEX ED: A new study from the New York Civil Liberties Union found that many school districts have selected an abstinence-only sex education curriculum. (Times Union)
— JOB HUNT: As New York City government continues to reel from staff vacancies, Mamdani is opening a walk-in municipal jobs center to speed up hiring. (amNewYork)
Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Politics
A flier seen Sept. 2, 2026, on a bulletin board at the University of Alaska Anchorage campus gives information about the 988 suicide-prevention hotline established in 2022. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
I remember the feeling of panic that set in years ago when my daughter told me and my husband she had been feeling incredibly sad for an extended period of time and that a friend of hers had been self-harming recently. Even with years of EMS training and experience working directly with young people with mental health needs, I felt temporarily paralyzed when it came to my own teen and her close friend.
It’s never easy to acknowledge that a child needs help. But the fact that she felt comfortable opening up to us was the first step. It gave us an opportunity to listen, take her concerns seriously, connect her with support and keep checking in. It reminded me that suicide prevention isn’t only about knowing what to do when a crisis happens. It’s also about creating the relationships and trust that allows young people to speak up when something is wrong.
For families across Alaska, moments like these can carry enormous weight. And the data show just how many young people may be struggling.
In late August, the Alaska Department of Health released new data on youth suicide. Between 2016 and 2025, we lost 174 Alaska children and teens ages 10 to 18 to suicide. Suicides in 2025 were the highest on record over the previous ten years. Alaska’s youth suicide rate runs nearly six times the national average.
The struggle reaches much further than even these losses. In the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey data compiled in KIDS COUNT Alaska, nearly 1 in 4 high school students said they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.
Many of Alaska’s kids are struggling, and it’s critical we help before a child or teen reaches the tipping point. Preventing suicide takes work throughout the year, but there’s never been a better time to start helping than during Suicide Prevention Month, which is September.
The science says that young people who feel connected to their school and family report suicidal thoughts at far lower rates. An additional caring adult in a child’s life like an afterschool provider, coach or educator can be an important source of support. So can a welcoming school, strong friendships and access to mental health care.
So, what does prevention look like in everyday life?
It looks like showing up. Eat dinner together. Learn the name of your child’s new friend. Make it to the game, the recital, the fish camp. And, you don’t have to be a parent. Teachers, coaches, neighbors and afterschool professionals send the same message when they take a vested interest in a child: you matter and belong.
It looks like asking. If you’re worried about a young person, ask directly: “Are you thinking about suicide?” Asking does not increase suicidal thoughts or behavior. Listen without judgment, help them connect with support and keep checking in.
It looks like taking a training and finding community. Alaska-based organizations like National Alliance on Mental Illness Alaska and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Alaska chapters host trainings and family support groups to help Alaskan families and educators.
It looks like knowing where to turn. Call or text 988 anytime, whether you’re struggling or worried about someone else. Support is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day. Save the number in your phone and in your kid’s phone. Talk to your child about how asking for help is a sign of strength — and live that message by showing them that you know how to ask for help from others, too.
Preventing child abuse and neglect means supporting families before problems become crises. That’s the focus of Alaska Children’s Trust’s work, and it matters for suicide prevention, too. The supports that keep families strong also protect a young person’s mental health: welcoming afterschool programs, time with caring adults, connection to culture and mental health care families can reach.
For our family, it meant spending more time together, enrolling in therapy and participation in a Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling program. Those interventions helped us — but it’s important that each child’s needs are addressed in a way that works for them.
Suicide Prevention Month is a good time to take a first step and check in with a young person in your life. Make time to listen and keep checking in after September ends.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988. Help is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day.
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Following USC’s loss to Oregon at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, I’m stuck with the thought that USC is not a bad football team but a Lincoln Riley football team. And Lincoln Riley football hasn’t played for a national title, let alone won one, or won a single college football playoff game. Riley’s teams have been middling, mid. And, even more disgusting for fans of Riley’s Oklahoma and USC teams, his teams shrink against a clear-and-obvious contender on the opposing sideline instead of proving they could, eventually, win the national title. Saturday night featured such a chance for Riley against Dan Lanning and Oregon, but Saturday night against Lanning’s Ducks, Riley’s team lost a game that felt exactly like the kind it should win. But in a second half shootout, against an (extraordinary) backup quarterback — and entering a season where Riley himself even said this is the best team and best alignment with USC administration he’s ever had — the Trojans could not keep the Ducks from dashing the belief that this USC is any different from any other Lincoln Riley team. It’s not just the 41-27 loss in Los Angeles. It’s the quintessential way in which Riley’s team lost. It was the way he’s lost so many others as head coach: with a defense that can’t keep up with his explosive offense, a defense that plays knowing the offense is not likely to be on the field for long, a defense that will watch its offense score knowing that its job isn’t to pitch shutouts but to keep the opposition just one point weaker on the scoreboard. That is a nearly impossible way to win national championships and antithetical to complimentary football. Teams that cannot play complimentary football do not win national titles. Last season’s Trojans defense finished averaging 23.0 points and 350.8 yards allowed per game, the fewest in both categories since Riley took over. Progress is good, but let’s not pretend those are small numbers. This season, Riley’s defense has given up at least 26 points in four out of five games this season and its opponents are currently averaging 354.8 yards a game. And now, that defense has its own drama after Desman Stephens II’s dirty hit on Oregon starting quarterback Dante Moore, who was hit so viciously he was immediately taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. As for Riley himself, he will probably never shake that his exit from Oklahoma is one of the pillars holding up the story of his legacy and a foreshadowing of the expectations to come — and his not meeting them, again. In his last press conference as head coach at Oklahoma, Riley made his job seem like one where he lived for the players. Players who fought for him. Players who sacrificed for him. Players who wanted to win a national championship with him. “I’m heartbroken for our players,” Riley said in 2021 following a 37-33 loss to Oklahoma State in the last edition of the Bedlam series. “It’s a horrible feeling, that’s the only way I can describe it. We’ve had a chance to win this league six years in a row, and we’re not gonna have a chance to do that this year. It’s a gut punch. I hate it for our players. They fought their [expletive] off tonight, they really did. We had guys laying it on the line, we had guys playing hurt, we had a couple guys that had the flu and probably shouldn’t even have been out there.” He even addressed rumors around his potential exit as head coach at Oklahoma. “I’m not gonna be the next head coach at LSU. I have no concerns about our administration, our [athletics director], or our president. We’ve been through a lot together. This isn’t our first rodeo together. We always have conversations about the future. With all that’s changing right now in the college landscape, all that’s getting ready to change for us as at some point here. “When we transition into a new conference, those are always conversations that we’re going to have, and we’ll be having those yearly, no matter. All of us are trying to make this place better and make this program better. You don’t do that without working together and conversing with each other. We’re going to continue to do that. We work well together, and we’re going to keep working well together.” Less than 24 hours later, he accepted the job he’s had for the last five years at USC. And that was devastating for at least one of the players Riley claimed to hurt for after a loss that crushed any chance of the Sooners reaching the College Football Playoff in 2021. “Oh, I was heartbroken, man,” former Oklahoma defensive end Isaiah Thomas told me. “But it’s just more so how he left,” he added, “telling us that he got the call after the game, thought about it overnight, slept on it, made the decision that day. So that kind of rubbed me the wrong way.” Such was — is — the feeling for many, especially after Riley took what would become the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner with him from Norman to USC and began the arduous task of returning the Trojans to their early 21st century glory. Remember, that’s why USC hired Riley, and that is the reason Riley chose USC: to win national championships — plural. Having made the CFP four times as a coach at Oklahoma and three times as a head coach, the thought was he’d have USC back in the CFP in short order. Surely, it wouldn’t be long before the Trojans were not just one of the teams to beat but the team to beat in this modern era of the sport. He is the best developer of quarterbacks in the sport with three Heisman Trophy and three first No. 1 overall draft selections. He is renowned as a play-caller for an offensive scheme that is more explosive than a struck match in a warehouse full of gasoline-soaked fireworks. But the glaring weakness on every team he has head-coached is the same this year as it has been in years past: Even with a College Football Hall of Famer calling the defense in Gary Patterson, Riley’s team has allowed 25 points or more in three of its first four games, including 35 to Rutgers in a one-score game. The only good news for Riley and USC fans heading into Week 5 is that this loss to Oregon does not count them out of the College Football Playoff. It also might not count them out of making the Big Ten championship game to better qualify for the postseason tournament. Of course, they’ll have to go through Ohio State, Penn State, a newly plucky Wisconsin, Indiana and UCLA to do it. And they might. The bad news for USC fans, though, isn’t news at all. It’s a feeling. It’s the same sickening feeling Oklahoma fans had at the end of each CFP game Riley coached for it: This team isn’t good enough to win the national title, and a Riley team might never be.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
While it’s no secret that fast food isn’t quite the reliably cheap choice as it was in decades past, you can still find several affordable gems.
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After a while, your standard mashed potatoes can become a bit boring. To shake things up, try incorporating a bit of this flavorful ingredient.
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So many actors from the ‘Yellowstone’ franchise are involved with this, it’s a wonder Taylor Sheridan didn’t write it himself. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
So many actors from the ‘Yellowstone’ franchise are involved with this, it’s a wonder Taylor Sheridan didn’t write it himself. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
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Teresa Giudice is shedding more light on the alarming airport incident involving her daughter.
As we previously reported, Milania Giudice posted a video in which she’s seen freaking out on her mom and telling her to “shut the f–k up” during a confrontation with airport police.
Milania quickly deleted the clip, but if she thought the drama would end there, she’s got another thing coming.
Newly released police bodycam footage from last week’s chaotic confrontation at Tampa International Airport captures Teresa making a startling claim about Milania’s recent struggles.
While speaking with an officer, Teresa said that Milania had been dabbling in hard drugs.
“I just want to save your life,” Teresa can be heard telling her daughter in the footage (per Page Six).
She then tells an officer that Milania “had fentanyl in her system.”
Milania, meanwhile, appears to offer an explanation of her own.
“’Cause I was laced, I go to college,” she says, according to the footage.
The exchange appears to reference an incident that occurred before Milania was taken to a hospital and subsequently placed under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows someone to be temporarily detained for a mental health evaluation.
It is not clear from the footage exactly when the alleged fentanyl exposure occurred, whether Milania received medical treatment for it, or what she means by saying she was “laced.”
In other portions of the bodycam footage, Teresa and Milania’s older sister, Gia Giudice, are seen trying to communicate with her as police officers assist the family.
Gia reportedly tells officers that the family had hired a counselor to help Milania.
Teresa can again be heard emphasizing that she wants to protect her daughter.
“I want to save your life,” she tells Milania.
The footage comes just days after Milania’s very public meltdown at the airport.
Milania shared the original video of the confrontation, in which she repeatedly asked, “This is what we do now?”
Teresa responded by telling her daughter that she loved her, while Gia urged everyone to let Milania do what she wanted.
Milania then snapped at her mother, telling the Real Housewives of New Jersey star to “shut the f–k up.”
Police were called after Milania reportedly became separated from her family and counselor. Authorities were told she had been experiencing suicidal thoughts and a mental breakdown.
Milania’s representative later said she was “under the care of professionals” and surrounded by people who love her as she navigates an “incredibly difficult time.”
That difficult period has included her May arrest on a simple assault charge and the recent death of her childhood friend Victoria.
For now, Teresa and her family appear determined to get Milania whatever help she needs.
And judging by this latest bodycam footage, they’re taking that mission very seriously.
Milania Giudice Had Fentanyl In Her System Ahead of Airport Meltdown, Teresa Giudice … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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