2:00PM Water Cooler 6/29/2023 | bare capitalism

By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Fowl Music of the Day

American Goldfinch, Audrey Carroll Audubon Sanctuary, Frederick, Maryland, United States. “Quiet vocalization accompanied by wing flicking.”

Politics

“So lots of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in reality a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

Biden Administration

“TL(PM) DIGEST: Nonetheless no ‘Ukraine fatigue’ in sight” [The Liberal Patriot]. “A brand new Reuters/Ipsos ballot reveals that just about two-thirds of Individuals again continued army help to Ukraine, with majorities of Republicans (56 %) and independents (57 %) becoming a member of 81 % of Democrats in favor of ongoing help. Two-thirds additionally say that they’re extra more likely to assist a presidential candidate who backs army help to Ukraine as nicely. Why does it matter? These outcomes present that often-predicted ‘Ukraine fatigue’ has nonetheless but to overhaul the American public—and that assist for Ukraine’s battle towards Russian aggression must be seen as a political winner throughout celebration strains. Predictions that the American individuals will finally get uninterested in backing Kyiv have repeatedly fallen in need of the mark, at the same time as many ‘America First’ conservatives rail towards continued help. Good politics and good coverage don’t at all times coincide, however on Ukraine they very a lot appear to take action. President Biden and the bipartisan coalition in favor of help to Ukraine have little to concern politically for doing the fitting factor right here.”

2024

I assume it’s time for the Countdown Clock!

* * *

“President Biden denies he was current throughout alleged Hunter Biden 2017 textual content” [CNN]. “President Joe Biden on Wednesday emphatically denied that he was concerned or current when his son Hunter Biden is alleged to have texted a Chinese language enterprise accomplice in 2017, claiming that he was sitting along with his father. Requested whether or not he was concerned within the enterprise dealings or was sitting with Hunter when the message was despatched, Biden advised reporters Wednesday, ‘No. I wasn’t.’ Requested once more, Biden replied extra forcefully, ‘No.’ The White Home has beforehand declined to say whether or not Biden was current in the course of the alleged alternate. The questions referred to a portion of the testimony wherein a IRS supervisor-turned-whistleblower advised Home lawmakers that Justice Division prosecutors denied requests to look into messages allegedly from Hunter Biden the place he used his father as leverage to strain a Chinese language firm into paying him. ‘,’in response to testimony the whistleblower gave to Congress, which quotes from texts which might be allegedly from Hunter Biden to the CEO of a Chinese language fund administration firm. The message continues: ‘Inform the director that I wish to resolve this now earlier than it will get out of hand. And now means tonight.’ The message goes onto say, ‘I’ll make sure that between the person sitting subsequent to me and each particular person he is aware of and my skill to ceaselessly maintain a grudge that you’ll remorse not following my path. I’m sitting right here ready for the decision with my father.’” • Hunter — pricey Hunter! — is somewhat imperious, right here. I’m wondering the place he will get that from?

“Biden has began utilizing CPAP machine for sleep apnea” [Axios]. “President Biden has just lately began to make use of a CPAP machine to deal with his sleep apnea, the White Home confirmed Wednesday…. Biden began utilizing the machine just lately to enhance his sleep high quality, per a White Home official. Earlier medical data from 2008 confirmed that Biden had a recurring challenge of sleep apnea, a standard situation wherein ‘your respiratory stops and restarts many occasions whilst you sleep,’ per the Nationwide Institutes of Well being.” • Naturally, I checked: “Sleep apnea linked to long-COVID signs” [CIDRAP].

* * *

“Trump sues E. Jean Carroll for defamation over post-trial rape declare” [Boston Globe]. “The previous president on Tuesday night time filed a counterclaim accusing Carroll of trashing his popularity by publicly accusing him of rape throughout a Might 10 look on CNN, regardless of jurors concluding a day earlier that his actions in the course of the alleged 1996 assault hadn’t gone that far. Trump ‘has been the topic of great hurt to his popularity, which, in flip, has yielded an inordinate quantity of damages sustained in consequence,’ in response to the submitting.” • It’s like the entire Trump subsection is over-run with lawsuits….

“Joe Rogan praises Trump for ‘good’ reply declaring he would finish Russia-Ukraine struggle as president” [FOX]. “Rogan then lamented that the anti-war left of his youth is lacking in motion, saying institution Democrats and Republicans seem united to delay the struggle in Ukraine. ‘They’re all united on this concept that they need to proceed. There’s nobody, whether or not it’s a Republican or a Democrat,” he noticed, recalling that Democrats of the previous had been “at all times anti-war, at all times.’” Not so! Extra: ‘He went on to say, ‘That is the primary time the place the Democrats are, like, wholesale shopping for the narrative and ‘We now have to cease Putin. We now have to assist Ukraine.’ I imply, what number of Democrat, peaceable folks that used to have syringes of their Twitter bio now have a Ukraine flag?’ Rogan praised Trump for his rhetoric in a CNN City Corridor in Might, the place the 2024 candidate boasted he might finish the Russia-Ukraine struggle in a single day if he had been re-elected president. ‘If I’m president, I’ll have that struggle settled in at some point, 24 hours,’ Trump declared, saying he would meet with presidents of each international locations.”

“Trump desires to maintain ‘communists’ and ‘Marxists’ out of the US. Right here’s what the regulation says” [Associated Press]. “Throughout his speech Trump stated he would use a selected part of U.S. immigration regulation — Part 212 (f) — to bar ‘all communists and all Marxists.’ That part provides broad authority to bar individuals who aren’t U.S. residents getting into the nation if their entry can be ‘detrimental to the pursuits of america.’ … He additionally stated there must be a “new regulation” to handle communists and Marxists who grew up in America, however didn’t elaborate on what it will embody.” • I’m certain liberal Democrat will get behind this, so what’s the problem?

* * *

“DeSantis desires Disney trial held after presidential election” [Orlando Sentinel]. The deck: “Disney’s attorneys suggest July 15, 2024, the identical day the Republican Nationwide Conference begins in Milwaukee.” Extra: “DeSantis has made his quarrel with Disney a centerpiece of his bid for president. He devoted a chapter in his ebook “The Braveness to be Free’ to Disney. However David Jolly, a political analyst crucial of the governor, stated he thinks DeSantis has overplayed his hand. The difficulty gained’t translate nicely with common election voters, and his Republican major challengers have an avenue to assault him for meddling with enterprise, he stated. ‘For a governor that constructed his marketing campaign on a slogan of by no means again down, he certain is operating away from this challenge,’ stated Jolly, a former Tampa Bay-area congressman.” • Really, I feel DeSantis is true on the deserves (although I don’t know if he’s promoting it that means). Disney’s “tourism oversight district” (“Reedy Creek“) appears like an unlucky mixture of a company and a sovereign state, to me. Not one thing conservatives must be any favor of.

“Comedians are beginning to mock Ron DeSantis. What it means for the 2024 candidate” [McClatchy]. “DeSantis’ entrance into fashionable web tradition will be learn two methods. On one hand, it alerts his rising relevance in a major marketing campaign that features 10 different GOP candidates: There aren’t any Nikki Haley or Tim Scott impressionists — no less than not but. However, most research of political humor present it having an overwhelmingly adverse impact on individuals’s opinions of the particular person being parodied….. There are caveats to the thesis. [Dr. Jody Baumgartner, a professor of political science at East Carolina University] stated the higher identified the politician is, the much less affect an impersonation has on mass notion. Because of this continued impressions of the previous president gained’t transfer the dial irrespective of how humorous or prevalent they’re. ‘The Trump humor gained’t have any impact in any way. And I imply none,’ Baumgartner stated.” • I learn the jokes. They’re not superb.

* * *

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s rise to semi-prominence, defined” [Vox]. “The 37-year-old former biotech CEO and first-time candidate has been omnipresent within the media. He’s been campaigning vigorously within the early states. And in current months, he’s polled comparably with candidates like Mike Pence and Nikki Haley, within the hunt for third place behind Trump and DeSantis — getting between 1 and 5 % assist nationally. That’s not precisely a ballot surge that terrifies the frontrunners simply but, but it surely’s nonetheless spectacular for an unknown to rise to that degree. Ramaswamy has gotten up to now via a mix of expertise, message, and cash. After making an estimated half-billion-dollar fortune from his biotech startup ($10 million of which he’s put into his marketing campaign up to now), Ramaswamy grew to become an outspoken commentator criticizing ‘woke capitalism,’ continuously spotlighted on Fox Information. His pocketbook and networking skill additionally helped him get onto the conservative teams occasion circuit. The mainstream media, in the meantime, has realized Ramaswamy is prepared and keen to take any interview, and that he makes for good TV, although it might come at a price for the journalist conducting the interview. Throughout a CNN look, host Don Lemon grew to become exasperated with Ramaswamy’s unusual historic claims in regards to the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation’s function within the civil rights motion, and huffed, ‘It’s insulting that you simply’re sitting right here, no matter ethnicity you’re, ‘splaining to me what it’s wish to be Black in America.’ Lemon was fired by CNN days later, and the interview reportedly performed a job. Ramaswamy had been speaking nonsense, however what did that matter? He’d owned the lib.” • Ten million isn’t a lot.

* * *

“RFK Jr.: ‘I’m proud that President Trump likes me’” [The Hill]. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to criticize former President Trump on Wednesday night time and stated he was flattered by current feedback from Trump praising him as a ‘common sense man.’ Requested by moderator Elizabeth Vargas what Kennedy thinks about Trump, Kennedy stated: “I’m not going to assault different individuals personally.” He then went a step additional, expressing delight that he has obtained constructive affirmations just lately from Trump, who’s embroiled in authorized troubles because the main Republican presidential contender within the GOP major. He additionally referred to the previous president in current tense. ‘I’m proud that President Trump likes me,’ he stated. Trump was the most recent determine on the fitting to defend Kennedy in an look this week on ‘The Howie Carr Present.’ ‘Simply grasp in,’ Trump suggested Kennedy. ‘He’s been very good to me, I’ve really had a really good relationship with him over time. He’s a really sensible man, and a very good man.’”

Glenn is making “rhetorically adept” do somewhat loads of work. The clip is on vaccines:

What shocked me once I interviewed RFK is he is way more rhetorically adept than I had identified. He is solely getting higher.

For the crime of difficult Biden and his proxy struggle in Ukraine, he’ll, after all, be mauled by company media. We’ll see if he can discuss round them: https://t.co/LZPnEX36ln

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 29, 2023

RFK: “I’ve by no means been anti-vaccine…. Vaccines must be examined.” Wellie, I’m making an attempt to keep away from placing on my yellow waders right here, so I went again to 2005’s “Lethal Immunity” (since retracted by each Rolling Stone and Slate) the place RFK, within the course of of creating his bones with the anti-vax group, quotes one Mark Blaxill approvingly and unqualifiedly: “The injury brought on by vaccine publicity is very large. It’s larger than asbestos, larger than tobacco, larger than something you’ve ever seen.” (The Rolling Stone article focuses on thimerosal, alleged to trigger autism in a examine by one Andrew Wakefield retracted for fraud.) And don’t gish gallop me on this. NOTE * One of many savage ironies right here, after all, is that the actions of each our public well being authorities and Large Pharma on Covid vaccines had been so egregious as to throw gasoline on the anti-vax fireplace. We mandated what we should always not have (vaccines) and didn’t mandate what we should always have (non-pharmaceutical interventions).

Republican Funhouse

“Home Republicans embark on a mission: Avenge Trump” [NBC]. “Home Republicans are utilizing the powers of their majority to hold out Donald Trump’s quest for retribution towards his political adversaries, bolstering the indicted former president’s 2024 marketing campaign message that he’s the sufferer of a wide-ranging conspiracy by ‘villains’ who have to be introduced down. The battle to avenge Trump started on the primary day of the brand new Congress, and it has grown almost six months into the GOP majority, led by Trump’s staunchest allies within the convention and normally getting a serving to hand from Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. They’re combating to ‘expunge’ his impeachments. They’ve punished his most outspoken Democratic critics. They’re investigating regulation enforcement entities that charged Trump. They crafted a ‘weaponization’ panel that channels his grievances. Swing-district Republicans are in a bind between the needs of their pro-Trump GOP base and Trump-skeptical independents.” And: “Within the newest transfer to prop up Trump, key Republicans are pushing to expunge his two impeachments — one in 2019 for abuse of energy by pressuring Ukraine’s president to research his marketing campaign rival Joe Biden and one in 2021 for inciting the Jan. 6 rebellion. The resolutions, which might go with a majority vote within the Home, would quantity to a symbolic pro-Trump vote with out authorized or sensible affect. Trump was acquitted each occasions due to inadequate Senate Republican votes to convict.” • “Expunge” appears like a phrase some marketing consultant made up…

2020 Put up Mortem

“Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss was an inside job” [NY Post]. “Rating half some extent for Donald Trump. It seems he was on to one thing along with his declare the 2020 election was rigged, although not in the way in which he thinks. The soiled deed didn’t occur in workplaces in Arizona or Georgia, the place Republicans supposedly had been banished whereas Democrats counted duffel baggage filled with late-arriving votes. Nor did Trump lose as a result of computer systems had been wired to rob him of victory. As a substitute, the dishonest that seemingly denied Trump a second time period was very near residence. In truth, it was an inside job. There are quite a few bombshells within the congressional testimony of two IRS whistleblowers, however essentially the most important is that members of Trump’s Division of Justice helped to tip the 2020 election to his opponent by slow-walking the investigation into Hunter Biden. The interference with the probe started as quickly because it seemed like Joe Biden was going to win the Democrats’ nomination. That’s the allegation made by supervising agent Gary Shapley, who detailed steps he and different IRS investigators needed to take to assemble proof towards Hunter for enormous tax fraud and different crimes. They deliberate to execute search warrants in New York, California, Arkansas and Washington, DC. Shapley stated he and different IRS investigators needed to take to assemble proof towards Hunter for enormous tax fraud and different crimes. Additionally they needed to go looking Joe Biden’s Delaware visitor home as a result of Hunter spent loads of time there. The probers laid out their plan in a possible trigger memo, but it surely was inexplicably rejected by DOJ attorneys. ‘After former Vice President Joseph Biden grew to become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in early April 2020, profession DOJ officers dragged their toes on the IRS taking these investigative steps,’ Shapley testified. ‘By June 2020, those self same profession officers had been already delaying overt investigative actions.’ Noting that the rejections got here lengthy earlier than the probes ran afoul of the Justice Division’s rule to ‘stand down’ on political instances inside 60 or 90 days of an election, Shapley stated bluntly: ‘It was obvious that DOJ was purposely slow-walking investigative actions on this matter.’” • The entire Hunter Biden’s laptop computer imbroglio, together with the letter from 50 former (lol) intelligence operatives “baselessly,” because the phrase is, claiming the laptop computer was a Russian plant, together with the media suppression, very a lot in proof in The Twitter information, was there for anybody to see in the course of the election itself. I’ll by no means perceive why Trump didn’t make a frontal assault on his actual enemies in the course of the election, as an alternative of going the election theft route after the occasion. Maybe the spook involvement scared him off, which doesn’t bode nicely for a second Trump administration.

Democrats en Déshabillé

Affected person readers, evidently individuals are really studying the back-dated put up! However I’ve not up to date it, and there are numerous updates. So I should do this. –lambert

I’ve moved my standing remarks on the Democrat Social gathering (“the Democrat Social gathering is a rotting corpse that may’t bury itself”) to a separate, back-dated put up, to which I’ll periodically add materials, summarizing the addition right here in a “dwell” Water Cooler. (Hopefully, some Bourdieu.) It seems that defining the Democrat Social gathering is, in reality, a tough downside. I do suppose the paragraph that follows is on level all the way in which again to 2016, if not earlier than:

The Democrat Social gathering is the political expression of the category energy of PMC, their base (lucidly defined by Thomas Frank in Pay attention, Liberal!). ; if the Democrat Social gathering didn’t exist, the PMC must invent it. . (“PMC” modulo “class expatriates,” after all.) Second, all of the working components of the Social gathering reinforce one another. Go away apart characterizing the relationships between parts of the Social gathering (ka-ching, however not totally) these parts comprise a community — a Flex Internet? An iron octagon? — of funders, distributors, apparatchiks, electeds, NGOs, and miscellaneous mercenaries, with property within the press and the intelligence group.

Observe, after all, that the category energy of the PMC each expresses and is proscribed by different lessons; oligarchs and American gentry (see ‘industrial mannequin’ of Ferguson, Jorgensen, and Jie) and the working class spring to thoughts. Suck up, kick down.

* * *

“Candidate Says Mississippi Democratic Social gathering Chair ‘Undermined Democracy,’ Ought to Be Changed” [Mississippi Free Press]. “The report says the 77-year-old celebration chair despatched a reply that included [Mississippi Democratic Party State Executive Director Andre Wagner] and the DNC officers wherein he harshly criticized the state government director. ‘Mr. Wagner, you don’t communicate for the chair, and you’re out of order,’ Mississippi Right this moment reported [Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Tyree Irving] as saying. “I’m an completed jurist. I do know and perceive issues that you simply can not know or perceive as a result of: you would not have the training degree, you don’t possess the non-public or vicarious expertise that I’ve, and you realize nothing in regards to the historic political panorama of Mississippi. You aren’t ready to talk for the Mississippi Democratic Social gathering or say how the Mississippi Democratic Social gathering will spend any funds with out being granted that authority to talk, and it has not been granted to you. You’re a salaried worker and nothing else. You might want to discover your house and keep in it.’” • Expensive me!

Realignment and Legitimacy

“One of many Most Efficient Political Fundraising Pitches Is Really a Rip-off” [Politico]. “Have you ever obtained an e mail or textual content message from a politician promising that your contribution might be matched 2x, 10x or have a 1,500 % affect? Should you’ve contributed to a candidate just lately, you’re seemingly on donor lists that lead to a continuing bombardment of e mail and textual content message solicitations that includes some variation of those claims…. With tens of millions of match solicitations hitting inboxes each day, have you ever ever questioned who’s matching your contribution? In nearly each case, no person is. It’s a rip-off…. [M]ost everyone seems to be doing it. Democrats and Republicans, state and federal candidates, campaigns and committees, are all getting in on the rip-off, enabled by fundraising distributors who privately acknowledge the seediness of all of it. Campaigns are so hooked on the tactic that some demand distributors make use of it or else.” • Examples:

Seems to be just like the stuff Mothership does for Democrats….

#COVID19

“I’m in earnest — I can’t equivocate — I can’t excuse — I can’t retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison

Assets, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; contains many counties); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information). NEW “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Normal Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).

Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort.

Assets, United States (Native): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater studies); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (dashboard); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).

Assets, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).

Assets, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).

Hat tricks to useful readers: anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (9), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Utah, Bob White (3).

Keep secure on the market!

Search for the Helpers

I like individuals who will help out like this a lot:

“Is that for air? I used to be confused b/c I knew I hadn’t turned the ceiling system up.”

In order that’s one thing to ask about/for. Flip it on & up, guys.

“Sure,” I stated. “The CO2 is excessive in right here, & C02 is a proxy for different issues individuals exhale.”

“A tiny bit excessive, or actually excessive?” /2

— J. Offir, Ph.D. (@dontwantadothis) June 28, 2023

And the ethical:

“Is that for air? I used to be confused b/c I knew I hadn’t turned the ceiling system up.”

In order that’s one thing to ask about/for. Flip it on & up, guys.

“Sure,” I stated. “The CO2 is excessive in right here, & C02 is a proxy for different issues individuals exhale.”

“A tiny bit excessive, or actually excessive?” /2

— J. Offir, Ph.D. (@dontwantadothis) June 28, 2023

Celeb Watch

“Madonna Discovered Unresponsive, Rushed To NYC ICU: Supervisor, Report” [Upper East Side Patch]. “The famed singer developed a severe bacterial an infection and can spend a number of days in an ICU, her supervisor wrote on Instagram.”

Immune System Dysregulation?

“When COVID meets Candida: exploring the alarming surge of C. auris in Israel” [News Medical Life Sciences]. “C. auris incidence in 2021-22 corresponded with the surge in coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19) instances. Surges in C. auris instances occurred in January-March 2021, June-November 2021, and January-Might 2022, synchronous with the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron waves, respectively.”

“Abdomen Virus Spreads By Cruise Ships at Quickest Tempo in Years” [Wall Street Journal]. • ‘Tis a thriller!

“Lab employees, monkeys take a look at constructive for tuberculosis at Norton Shores biomedical analysis facility” [WZZM]. • ‘Tis a thriller!

“Why tuberculosis instances have risen lately after many years of decline” [NBC]. • ‘Tis a thriller!

“Tuberculosis rising after pandemic-era decline; NY caseload 40% larger than nationwide charge” [Gothamist]. • ‘Tis a thriller!

Prevention

“COVITRAP Anti Covid Nasal Spray 150 Sprays” [DrewInSeAsia Shop]. “COVITRAP Anti Covid Nasal Spray 150 Sprays.” • Dear, at $25.00 a pop. I can’t advocate this vendor, besides to say that the location appears to have improved from the final time I visited. Nonetheless ready for approval in, say, Israel (I checked the Enovid vendor, however no pleasure).

Science Is Popping

“One thing Terrible”

Lambert right here: I’m getting the sensation that the “One thing Terrible” is likely to be a sawtooth sample — variant after variant — that averages out to a completely excessive plateau. Plenty of exceptionally nasty sequelae, most certainly deriving from immune dysregulation (says this layperson). To which we’d add mind injury, together with persona adjustments therefrom.

* * *

“Lengthy-term results of SARS-CoV-2 an infection on human mind and reminiscence” [Nature]. From the Summary: “This evaluation primarily gives the molecular foundations for understanding the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 invading human mind and the molecular foundation of SARS-CoV-2 an infection interfering with human mind and reminiscence, that are related to the immune dysfunction, syncytia-induced cell loss of life, the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 an infection, microclots and biopsychosocial facets.” • Useful chart:

Case Information

NOT UPDATED From BioBot wastewater information from June 26:

For now, I’m going to make use of this nationwide wastewater information as the very best proxy for case information (ignoring the medical case information portion of this chart, which in my opinion “goes dangerous” after March 2022, for causes as but unexplained). At the least we are able to spot developments, and examine present ranges to equal previous ranges.

Variants

NOT UPDATED From CDC, June 24:

Lambert right here: Undecided what to make of this. I’m used to seeing a brand new variant take down the beforehand dominant variant. Right here it appears like we’ve a “tag group,” all working collectively to chop XBB.1.5 all the way down to dimension. I certain hope the volunteers doing Pangolin, on which this chart relies upon, don’t all transfer on the inexperienced fields and pastures new (or have their entry to services minimize by directors of ailing intent).

CDC: “As of Might 11, genomic surveillance information might be reported biweekly, based mostly on the provision of constructive take a look at specimens.” “Biweeekly: 1. occurring each two weeks. 2. occurring twice every week; semiweekly.” Seems to be like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they’re telling us variants are nothing to fret about. Time will inform.

Covid Emergency Room Visits

From CDC NCIRD Surveillance, from June 24:

NOTE “Charts and information offered by CDC, updates Wednesday by 8am. For the previous 12 months, utilizing a rolling 52-week interval.” So not your complete pandemic, FFS (the implicit message right here being that Covid is “identical to the flu,” which is why the seasonal “rolling 52-week interval” is suitable for each_{MR SUBLIMINAL I hate these individuals a lot}. Discover additionally that this chart reveals, no less than for its time interval, that Covid is not seasonal, regardless that CDC is making an attempt to get us to consider that it’s, presumably to allow them to piggyback on the prevailing institutional equipment for injections.

Positivity

NOT UPDATED From Walgreens, June 26:

-1.5%. Nonetheless chugging alongside, although absolutely the numbers are nonetheless very small relative to June 2022, say.

From CDC June 5:

Lambert right here: That is the CDC’s “Traveler-Based mostly Genomic Surveillance” information. They are saying “maps,” however I don’t see one….

Deaths

Iowa COVID-19 Tracker, June 28:

Lambert right here: The WHO information is nugatory, so I changed it with the Iowa Covid Information Tracker. Their methodology: “These information have been sourced, by way of the API from the CDC: https://information.cdc.gov/NCHS/Situations-Contributing-to-COVID-19-Deaths-by-Stat/hk9y-quqm. This visualization updates on Wednesday evenings. Information are provisional and are adjusted weekly by the CDC.” I can’t appear to get a pop-up that reveals a complete of the three causes (prime proper). Readers?

Whole: 1,168,100 – 1,167,832 = 268 (268 * 365 = 97,820 deaths per 12 months, right now’s YouGenicist™ quantity for “residing with” Covid (fairly a bit larger than the minimizers would love, although they will discuss themselves into something. If the YouGenicist™ metric retains chugging alongside like this, I may must resolve that is what the powers-that-be think about “mission completed” for this specific tranche of loss of life and illness).

• “CNN analyst slammed after writing COVID deaths are being overcounted: ‘TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATE” [New York Post] “[Leanna] Wen, who writes an occasional Washington Put up column offering her observations on the pandemic, masking and different COVID-related topics, cited sources claiming that almost all ‘sufferers recognized with COVID are literally within the hospital for another sickness.’ The article is titled, ‘We’re overcounting COVID deaths and hospitalizations. That’s an issue.’ … Wen started her column with some obvious skepticism in regards to the CDC’s newest COVID-19 loss of life stats: ‘In response to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, america is experiencing round 400 COVID deaths daily. At that charge, there can be almost 150,000 deaths a 12 months. However are these Individuals dying from COVID or with COVID?’ The physician claimed that ‘Understanding this distinction is essential to placing the persevering with toll of the coronavirus into perspective. Figuring out how seemingly it’s an an infection will lead to hospitalization or loss of life helps individuals weigh their very own threat.’” • Properly, that doesn’t assist my private threat evaluation for vascular illness, mind injury, Lengthy Covid, or any illness ensuing from immune dysregulation, all of which might be labeled as “with” and never “from.” Nevertheless, I commend Wen for her dedication to the minimizing bit, ka-ching. In the meantime:

Extra Deaths

NOT UPDATED Extra deaths (The Economist), printed June 28:

Lambert right here: Nonetheless some encouragement! Undecided why this was up to date so quickly; it used to take weeks. The little blip upward? Based mostly on a machine-learning mannequin. (The CDC has an extra estimate too, however because it ran ceaselessly with a large typo within the Legend, I figured no person was actually taking a look at it, so I received rid it. )

Stats Watch

Employment State of affairs: “United States Preliminary Jobless Claims” [Trading Economics]. “The variety of Individuals submitting for unemployment advantages fell by 26,000 from the prior week’s 20-month excessive to 239,000 on the week ending June twenty fourth, the sharpest drop since October 2021 and beneath market estimates of 265,000. The outcomes considerably prolonged the interval of labor-market resilience to larger borrowing prices from the Federal Reserve, easing current issues of a marked softening.”

GDP: “United States GDP Progress Fee” [Trading Economics]. “The US financial system grew by an annualized 2% on quarter in Q1 2023, nicely above 1.3% within the second estimate, and forecasts of 1.4%. Shopper spending development accelerated greater than anticipated to 4.2%, the strongest in almost two years (vs 3.8% within the second estimate) regardless of stubbornly excessive inflation. Spending on sturdy items surged 16.3% and companies rose 3.2%.”

Right this moment’s Concern & Greed Index: 79 Excessive Greed (earlier shut: 77 Greed) [CNN]. One week in the past: 75 (Excessive Greed). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Jun 29 at 1:45 PM ET.

The 420

“Fowl That Can Learn Everybody’s Ideas Welcomed As Keynote Speaker Of Psychedelics Convention” [The Onion]. • Sounds just like the “iridescent magpie” must be my subsequent chook….

Guillotine Watch

“Girls Interviewing for Invoice Gates’s Personal Workplace Had been Requested Sexually Express Questions” [Wall Street Journal]. • How… Epstein-esque.

Information of the Wired

Paying it ahead or maybe easy neighborliness:

Contact data for vegetation: Readers, be happy to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a test if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me pictures of vegetation. Greens are wonderful! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! If you need your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it at first of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize through the use of your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From CH:

CH writes: “Significantly admire the ‘No extra Might’ hyperlink and succinct commentary. Connected is my prolonged model ‘no mow springtime’ with some crimson and purple clover in bloom. City Durham, central NC.”

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not lined by the annual NC fundraiser. So should you see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see anyplace else, please don’t hesitate to specific your appreciation in tangible type. Bear in mind, a tip jar is for tipping! Common constructive suggestions each makes me really feel good and lets me know I’m heading in the right direction with protection. Once I get no donations for 5 or ten days I get anxious. Extra tangibly, a continuing trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I think about that trickle when setting fundraising objectives:

Right here is the display screen that can seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:

Should you hate PayPal, you may e mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I provides you with instructions on easy methods to ship a test. Thanks!