Iran has shuttered the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for America’s blockade, with the Revolutionary Guard navy even firing at ships that dared approach; as almost a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the 34-mile-wide choke point, global marke…
Announcing the closure of 645 locations, 7-Eleven joined Macy’s in a brisk round of store downsizing this week—two more casualties of America’s evolving shopping habits. As e-commerce lures customers from physical shops and operating costs climb, companies are slashing their brick-and-mortar footprints, with plans to prune up to 150 Macy’s stores by 2028. Fewer shops may well mean higher prices—but at least our online carts never run out of parking.
Iran’s army claimed it had restored “strict control” over the Strait of Hormuz after the US maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, prompting threats to disrupt the waterway that carries a fifth of global oil. Tensions flared further as the Revolutionary Guard reportedly fired at a tanker, while Donald Trump thanked Tehran for “reopening” the strait—a gesture quickly overshadowed by gunboat diplomacy and some rather slippery definitions of normal.
New York City’s Department of Education fielded nearly 900 sexual misconduct complaints against staff in 2025, yet its Special Commissioner of Investigation pursued just 157 cases and substantiated 62 abuses—a rate it defends as robust compared to other city agencies. Many complaints are promptly sent elsewhere, with officials recommending a social media ban for employees. For some, transparency seems as elusive as disciplinary action.
Tomato prices in the United States hit $2.26 per pound this April, an eight-year peak, after the Trump administration slapped a 17% duty on Mexican tomatoes—displeasing salsa lovers and Hispanic restaurateurs, but delighting growers in Florida and Georgia. Since Mexico supplies 70% of America’s tomatoes, domestic farms and Canada can’t fill the gap; for now, we must budget for pricier salads and the true cost of protectionism.
New York’s policymakers now eye a second-home tax, aiming to shave a little gloss off the city’s famously vast wealth gap even as union rumblings and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s boycott of the Met Gala keep the affluent on edge. This cocktail of populist theatrics and fiscal creativity may not quite topple Fifth Avenue’s fortunes, but it certainly keeps realtors and party planners vigilant.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s latest public-private partnership, with Columbia University, will see $33 million in elevator upgrades to Manhattan’s 125th Street station proceed in one fell swoop, helping both the university’s campus and a weary old subway stop. With 57 stations made accessible since 2020 and dozens more in the pipeline, perhaps even New York staircases are finally bowing to reality’s incline.
Gabapentin, once a niche treatment for epilepsy and shingles-related nerve pain, has quietly soared in popularity in the United States, its prescriptions rising from 8.3 million in 2013 to over 17 million in 2022, according to Medicare. Its off-label use now spans anxiety, insomnia, and everyday aches—though doctors warn this enthusiasm often outpaces clear evidence, leaving many unsure if they’re receiving medicine or simply a fashionable placebo.
Bruce Blakeman, the Republican hopeful for New York’s governorship, unveiled an emphatically hands-on “100-day plan” featuring sharp tax cuts, a rollback of green energy spending, and the end of sanctuary state policies—moves he claims would staunch the exodus of disgruntled residents. With Gotham’s budgetary woes as Exhibit A, he promises fiscal discipline and safer streets; Democrats, meanwhile, suggest his blueprint should come with a pinch of salt.
