Trump's Nassau nod

One, I'm going to find out of the This is WSHU's After All Things with daily news and culture from around Long Island Sound. President Trump will appear Friday with NASA County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Stargazers will be treated to one of the best celestial shows of the year tomorrow. New York adds whale awareness to a mandatory boat operator safety course. Plus flock cameras continue to spark debate in our region and beyond. Those stories and more are coming up. I'm Sabrina Garon. President Trump will appear Friday afternoon with NASA County Executive Bruce Blakeman. The New York Public News Network's Jimmy Vilkind reports the visit comes as Bruce Blakeman campaigns against Governor Kathy Hochul. Bruce Blakeman says in a statement that he's, quote, grateful that Trump is going to tour the county's law enforcement facilities. Bruce Blakeman often touts his friendship with the president, including during a recent campaign stop in Albany. I have philosophical differences with President Trump on some things, and some things I don't. In most things, I think that we are completely allied together on the important things. The Democratic governor's campaign says Bruce Blakeman is a, quote, Maga fanboy and says Kathy Hochul is pushing back on Trump-backed cuts to federal health care spending. Polls show most New York voters have an unfavorable view of the president. In Albany, I'm Jimmyvillekind for the New York Public News Network. The Trump administration is suing Connecticut over a state law that allows undocumented residents to pay in-state tuition. WSHU's Molly Ingram reports. Federal prosecutors argue that the Connecticut law discriminates against U.S. citizens. They say the state should be offering that tuition discount to everyone in the country if they're willing to give it to undocumented residents. The law has been in place since 2011. To qualify for in-state tuition, a student is required to complete four years of high school in CT and receive a diploma. The Trump administration has filed similar lawsuits against 16 other states. In a statement, Governor Ned Lamont... and Attorney General William Tong said they planned to fight the lawsuit and remain committed to education access for everyone. Molly Ingram, WSHU News. Stargazers will be treated to one of the best celestial shows of the year tomorrow before sunrise on Wednesday, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune will appear across the eastern horizon. That'll be followed by a partial solar eclipse around midday tomorrow. And then the Perseid meteor shower will be. week Wednesday night into the pre-dawn hours of Thursday. Jim Bader is with the Strasenburg Planetarium at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Meteor showers are when you have a bunch of meteors happening at one time, or in the case of words that people might recognize more often shooting stars. The annual Perseids are one of the most plentiful meteor showers with about 50 to 100 visible per hour, according to NASA.

Watch out for whales. That's the newest lesson for boat operators enrolled in New York's boating safety course. Plus, the conversations over flock cameras continue. That and more is ahead. What haunts you? A ghost story? A family story? A story you've never told anyone before. WSHU and the Westport Writers Workshop invite Connecticut Riders to take part in Connecticut Voices, a new storytelling collaboration. Start writing, revising, and fine-tuning your original story now. Submissions open September 1st. The winning writer will receive $250 and the chance to tell your story on WSHU. Learn more at WSHU.org. Haziness in Connecticut today is thanks to wildfire smoke from California, Idaho, Utah, and more Western states. The CDC recommends sensitive groups take extra precautions as wildfire smoke can cause irritation to your eyes, throat, and lungs. Eight finalists have been selected in a New York Islanders fan-designed jersey contest. That's out of more than 80,000 submissions. The winning look will serve as a third jersey for the hockey team for the 2027-28 season. You can vote at New York Islanders.com slash fan vote. Looking forward to fall, while the farmer's almanac has released its 2026 predictions for peak fall foliage in New England, they say northern Connecticut could see fall colors as early as September 13th, and full peak for the whole state is expected around October 26th. Holbrook residents weighed in on a proposed Amazon Package Center Monday night. The $1 billion development would be the largest Amazon facility on Long Island. If approved, it could take up to two years to complete construction.

Watch out for whales. That's the newest lesson for boat operators enrolled in New York State's mandatory boating safety course. WSHU's Desiree Diorio explains. Governor Kathy Hogle has signed into law a measure that requires education about how to avoid collisions with the marine mammals. It'll be included in the mandatory safety course required for all New York State boat operators. Animal advocates had pushed for the law as part of the 2026 legislative session. They say education is more important than ever, as humpback whales and the endangered North Atlantic right whale spend more time off Long Island. Fishing nets and boat collisions are the top two causes of death for whales, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Desiree DiOrio, WSHU News. Automated license plate reading cameras are stirring up a lot of controversy pretty much everywhere, including Connecticut. After a public outcry, Governor Lamont said cities and towns should hold off on using the tech. Today, Connecticut police chiefs defended the cameras. WSHU's Davis Dunovan has more. Police chiefs from across the state met in Milford with reps from the companies who make the cameras. Farmington police chief, Paul Malanson said the license plate readers or LPRs have made his town safer. In the last 10 months, we've had three homicides. This LPR has played a critical role in all three of those homicides and solving them. Every chief in this state that has these can go over scenario after scenario after scenario where it has helped solve a crime. Advocates say police can only keep the footage for up to 21 days and can't use it for immigration or other purposes or share it with federal authorities without a warrant. But critics say the cameras violate civil rights, including the right to privacy, and they say departments aren't always transparent enough about who's using them. Davis Dunovan, WSHU News.

For the latest from Around Long Island Sound, listen to us on the radio online with our free app or tune in right here, of course, to the After All Things podcast every weekday evening. If you haven't yet, check out our brand new merch shop over at WSHU.org. Find teas, hats, mugs, and so much more, just click on shop. I'm Sabrina Garon. Have a great rest of your day, and we'll talk tomorrow.