You may have noticed that there is a big nasty wave of heat overwhelming New York City right now, with temperatures potentially reaching triple-digits.
But the real heat dome, online, is about Mayor Zohran Mamdani asking New Yorkers to set their AC thermostats to 78 degrees to help protect the city’s overstressed power grid:
To be clear, while 78 degrees is obviously a lot of degrees cooler than outside temperatures right now, it’s still pretty balmy for hanging out inside. It’s less cooling the air so much as reducing its warmth to a level which isn’t unbearable, just not terribly comfortable, either.
But also, you know, to the barricades!
Various figures on the right were quick to lambast the socialist mayor for his guidance, which is the exact same (mostly ignored) guidance public officials always send out during any heat wave. Like Eric Adams, that leftist! Or the Trump administration’s Department of Energy, which, recommends that everyone set their ACs to 75 to 78 during heat waves (albeit when nobody is home).
