By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Fowl Music of the Day
Purple-winged Blackbird (California Bicolored) Moonglow Dairy (Fri-Solar solely; closed Mon-Thur), Monterey, California, United States. “Refrain from a few of a bunch of no less than 20 birds in a small hedgerow adjoining to a feedlot.” Love the “Moonglow Dairy” (with hours). Have any readers visited?
Politics
“So lots of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in actual fact a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
2024
Lower than a yr to go!
* * * Trump (R) “Billionaires sought to assist fund Trump bond in civil fraud case, sources say” [Reuters]. “Billionaire hedge fund founder John Paulson was concerned within the behind-the-scenes effort by donors involved about Trump’s authorized woes and seeking to assist present cash towards the bond, two of the sources advised Reuters. Oil and gasoline magnate Harold Hamm was additionally concerned, a type of sources stated… A fourth supply, a Trump ally, stated he had direct data of 1 donor who provided greater than $10 million towards the bond over the weekend, earlier than being advised it was not obligatory. After Monday’s courtroom resolution permitting a smaller bond, Trump stated he would now have the ability to pay…. Surety firms would have probably required Trump to put up about $558 million in collateral for the unique bond, or 120% of the judgment, in accordance with Trump’s attorneys. Full particulars of the billionaires’ efforts to lift funds, similar to how a lot every donor had doubtlessly pledged, weren’t instantly out there. . It was not clear whether or not the mega-donors would supply to assist fund the brand new bond.” • Musical interlude.
Trump (R): “Trump’s New York hush cash case is ready for trial April 15” [Associated Press]. “Choose Juan M. Merchan scoffed on the protection’s calls to delay the case longer or throw it out fully due to a last-minute doc dump that had bumped the first-ever trial of a former president from its scheduled Monday begin. Trump vowed to enchantment the ruling. Barring one other delay, the presumptive Republican nominee can be on trial as a felony defendant in simply three weeks — an inauspicious homecoming within the metropolis the place he grew up, constructed an actual property empire and gained wealth and superstar that propelled him to the White Home. The trial, involving allegations associated to hush cash paid throughout Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign to cowl up marital infidelity claims, had been in limbo after his attorneys complained a couple of current deluge of practically 200,000 pages of proof from a earlier federal investigation into the matter.” 200,000 pages looks as if moderately so much. However: “Assistant District Legal professional Matthew Colangelo stated the variety of related, usable, new paperwork within the just lately offered proof ‘is sort of small’ — round 300 information or fewer. Trump’s attorneys contend 1000’s of pages are doubtlessly necessary and require painstaking overview. They argued the delayed disclosures warranted dismissing the case or no less than pushing it off three months. ‘We aren’t doing our jobs if we don’t independently take a look at the brand new materials,’ Blanche advised the decide. ‘Each doc is necessary.’ The DA’s workplace denied wrongdoing and blamed Trump’s attorneys for bringing the time crunch upon themselves by ready till Jan. 18 to subpoena the information from the U.S. legal professional’s workplace — a mere 9 weeks earlier than the trial was initially supposed to begin.”
Trump (R): “Trump’s media firm valued at nearly $8 bln in sturdy Wall St debut” [Reuters]. “Shares of Donald Trump’s Trump Media & Know-how Group surged as a lot as 59% on Tuesday of their Nasdaq debut, lifted by the previous U.S. president’s supporters and offering him a possible windfall as he grapples with the prices of a number of authorized instances.” • Useful chart:
Onerous to see how that holds up.
* * * Trump (R): “Forensic psychiatrist on bodily indicators of Trump’s psychological decline: “Modifications in motion and gait” [Salon]. “Dr. John Gartner, a outstanding psychologist and contributor to the bestselling e-book ‘The Harmful Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Psychological Well being Specialists Assess a President,’ has repeatedly warned in a collection of conversations about Trump’s obvious challenges in cognition and communication that one thing appears to be very flawed with the ex-president… Dr. Gartner’s makes an attempt to sound the alarm about Trump’s conduct have been joined by the a whole lot of medical professionals who’ve signed his Change.org petition, ‘We diagnose Trump with possible dementia: A petition for licensed professionals solely.’ To disclaim the apparent about Donald Trump’s evidently diseased thoughts is to disclaim actuality and to disregard the actual risk {that a} man who’s already morally and ethically corrupt and now seems to be experiencing issues together with his pondering might be again within the White Home with the superior duty and energy of the presidency – together with the only authority to order the usage of America’s nuclear weapons. Trump’s thoughts and total conduct and character should not only a nationwide emergency however a world disaster as properly. Due to a dedication to horserace journalism, pretend objectivity and steadiness, self-interest and concern, the mainstream American information media – particularly the elite agenda-setting information media – has largely ignored Donald Trump’s apparent struggles with communication and cognition.” • Two can play the armchair prognosis sport. I’m solely stunned that the Democrats havnen’t finished it for Kennedy already. This man’s actually churning it out–
Trump (R): “‘Hastening his deterioration’: Dr. John Gartner on affect of courtroom trials on ‘Trump’s fragile mind’” [Salon]. • Word that if that is an express rationale for lawfare, it’s much more cynical than I might have imagined, and I do strive.
* * * Biden (D): “Combating for”:
Kamala and I aren’t finished reducing well being care and prescription drug prices and bettering well being take care of the American folks.
This is our plan to construct on that progress: pic.twitter.com/al3XY65rB8
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 26, 2024
I can’t be the one one who sees how dumb that trope is. However I suppose it’s focus-grouped, so, oh properly. (In the meantime, why on earth isn’t Medicaid property restoration on that record?)
Biden (D): “The Biden Marketing campaign Is Quietly Getting ready a Trump Ambush” [The Daily Beast] “‘It’s aggressive,’ a supply inside the Biden marketing campaign stated, requesting anonymity to talk candidly of the temper contained in the re-election crew. ‘There’s plenty of journey, there’s plenty of work. It’s all thrilling. We’re heading into this closing fundraiser of the month with the previous presidents [Obama and Clinton], however it’s aggressive.’ Benefiting from a considerable fundraising lead, the Biden marketing campaign is specializing in two key areas: journey and organizing. Since his State of the Union, Biden has visited each main battleground state… Trump, however, has solely finished a rally in Ohio and one other within the battleground state of Georgia since Tremendous Tuesday… Second, the Biden marketing campaign goes full steam forward on hiring within the battleground states, approaching 100 discipline places of work with greater than 130 staffers unfold throughout eight main battleground states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, in addition to North Carolina and New Hampshire… Chris LaCivita—a high Trump marketing campaign adviser who can be the chief working officer of the Republican Nationwide Committee—rejected the concept the previous president’s crew ought to disclose its organizing plans. ‘By combining forces and operations, The Trump marketing campaign and RNC are deploying operations which are fueled by passionate volunteers who care about saving America and firing Joe Biden. We don’t really feel obligated nevertheless to debate the specifics of our technique, timing and techniques with members of the Information Media,’ LaCivita advised The Day by day Beast.” • LaCivita’s onto one thing there….
* * * Kennedy (I):
Get to know my operating mate, Nicole Shanahan:https://t.co/8deogGhnXP pic.twitter.com/fZM3HZKexQ
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) March 26, 2024
She actually seems to be assured on the podium (I all the time take a look at folks’s ft; she has a powerful stance). And examine her to the competitors. Harris? Shanahan seems to be fairly good. Whoever Trump’s contemplating today, like Rubio? I have to admit I hoped for an actual populist… However who’s on that quick record?. We’ll should see how she does on the path. Fairly the profession change for a former patent legal professional.
Kennedy (I): “Biden and Trump know Kennedy’s VP alternative is a sport changer” [The Hill]. “The 38-year-old Shanahan has a outstanding life story. She grew up on welfare, is Asian-American, a lawyer, the California-based founder and president of Bia-Echo Basis — a nonprofit that points grants for points together with reproductive rights, equality, felony justice reform and the setting — is a single mom to a daughter with autism and is the previous spouse of Google cofounder Sergey Brin. Other than her entrepreneurial background, excessive vitality and intelligence, Shanahan instantly amplifies or outright fills a number of wants of the Kennedy marketing campaign. She will be able to converse on to feminine voters, the high-tech neighborhood, younger voters, minority voters, the working poor, the disenfranchised — and dissatisfied Democrats. Shanahan additionally instantly checks one other vital field for Kennedy: A number of states require an introduced vice-presidential operating mate to get on the poll. With Shanahan now on the ticket, it’ll create each media consideration and elevated momentum inside these states.”
* * * I’m right here for it:
A North Texas faculty trainer and U.S. Military veteran has legally modified his identify to Actually Anyone Else and introduced he’s operating for U.S. president. https://t.co/D5f2DCKd2X
— NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) March 26, 2024
Lastly, anyone asks for my vote (hat tip Martin Oline). Options for Vice President? “Meteor Strike”?
Spook Nation
The organs of state safety converse:
Mike Rogers defends unconstitutional, warrantless surveillance of Individuals—telling the Home Intelligence Committee that “anyone have to be doing one thing precisely proper” on the NSA. “You’ll be able to’t have your privateness violated in case you don’t know your privateness is violated, proper?” pic.twitter.com/MIx9PHII5G
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) March 26, 2024
Mentioned each voyeur, hidden digicam AirBnB host, and upskirt photographer ever. And each spook, in fact.
Realignment and Legitimacy
Attention-grabbing. Readers, ideas?
A tragedy:
One factor I’ve seen to date on this 2024 election. Not one candidate from any celebration nor independents has been in a position to host a rally that comes even remotely near drawing in tens of 1000’s of individuals like #Bernie2016 and #Bernie2020 did. These had been some unimaginable occasions. pic.twitter.com/tKjDd0MJWt
— The Bern Identification (@bern_identity) March 26, 2024
And I don’t imply “tragedy” mockingly or frivolously. “There stays, then, the character between these two extremes— that of a person who just isn’t eminently good and simply, but whose misfortune is led to not by vice or depravity, however by some error or frailty. He have to be one who is very famend and affluent—a personage like Oedipus, Thyestes, or different illustrious males of such households.”
#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
Sources, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; contains many counties; Wastewater Scan, contains drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Basic Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).
Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be at liberty to contact me on the tackle given with the crops. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
ake impact by summer time. The transfer by the Democratic administration angered board members, who referred to as it a ‘last-minute stunt’ that undermines their regulatory course of. It additionally sparked a protest by warehouse staff, who quickly shut down the assembly as they waved indicators declaring that ‘Warmth Kills!’ and loudly chanted, ‘What do we would like? Warmth safety! When do we would like it? Now!’” • Gavin Newsom, the employee’s good friend.
Sources, 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 stories); 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).
Sources, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).
Sources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).
Hat tricks to useful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).
Keep protected on the market!
An infection
“Is It Harmful to Hold Getting COVID-19?” [Time]. From January 2024: “Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, scientific epidemiologist at Washington College in St. Louis, research Lengthy COVID: a situation marked by well being results that linger after an infection. ‘Reinfection stays consequential,’ he says. In a paper revealed in Nature Drugs in 2022, he discovered that individuals who had gotten COVID-19 no less than twice skilled increased charges of short- and long-term well being results, together with coronary heart, lung, and mind points, in comparison with those that had been solely contaminated as soon as.” • Al-Aly was additionally outstanding on the current Senate Lengthy Covid hearings. I’m made considerably extra optimistic than readers may count on by seeing the press diverge from the standard knowledge of denial and minimization so inspired by the general public well being institution. Word additionally the hyperlink to the whole, free article in Nature; the a lot maligned medical publishing trade deserves plenty of credit score for open-sourcing a lot of their Covid materials; and right here is Al-Aly’s article, doing the great work is was supposed to do.
Sequelae
“BioTRUST Diet launches Everlasting Thoughts for cognitive assist” [Nutraceutical Business Review]. “The novel product options PLT’s Nutricog Cognitive Efficiency Complicated, an ingredient that has been clinically demonstrated to supply vital enhancements throughout a number of cognitive domains, together with studying, reminiscence, consideration, focus and government perform.” • I’m not endorsing this product [shudder]. I’m questioning whether or not there’s an upsurge in merchandise like this, since plainly could be a very good proxy for folks’s self-perceived lack of cognitive perform, as a consequence of Covid an infection. Can readers counsel a analysis technique right here?
TABLE 1: Day by day Covid Charts
LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new at the moment; all others should not up to date.
2) For a full-size/full-resolution picture, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Home windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open picture in new tab.”
NOTES
[1] (Biobot) Our curve has now flattened out on the degree of earlier Trump peaks. Not a terrific victory. Word additionally the world “underneath the curve,” moreover peaks. That space is bigger underneath Biden than underneath Trump, and it appears to be rising steadily if inconsistently.
[2] (Biobot) Backward revisions, I hate them.
[3] (CDC Variants) As of Might 11, genomic surveillance information can be reported biweekly, primarily based on the supply of optimistic check specimens.” “Biweeekly: 1. occurring each two weeks. 2. occurring twice every week; semiweekly.” Appears like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they’re telling us variants are nothing to fret about. Time will inform.
[4] (ER) “Charts and information offered by CDC, updates Wednesday by 8am. For the previous yr, utilizing a rolling 52-week interval.”
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Appears like a really gradual leveling off to a non-zero baseline, to me.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Nonetheless down. “Maps, charts, and information offered by CDC, updates weekly for the earlier MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Division Visits, Check Positivity) and weekly the next Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET†”.
[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.
[8] (Cleveland) Flattening.
[9] (Vacationers: Posivitity) Now up, albeit within the rear view mirror.
[10] (Vacationers: Variants) JN.1 dominates totally.
Stats Watch
There are not any official statistics of curiosity at the moment.
Manufacturing: “Subsequent Boeing CEO must be ‘1,000%’ on high of security and tradition: Buttigieg” [Washington Examiner]. “White Home officers said on March 15 that the Federal Aviation Administration and the Nationwide Transportation Security Board had been ‘taking the motion’ to make sure that Boeing airplanes are protected to fly on sooner or later. Nevertheless, they didn’t make clear if President Joe Biden believes that Boeing planes are protected for shoppers proper now.” • Oh. Good to see Petey taking level on the difficulty, although.
In the present day’s Worry & Greed Index: 68 Greed (earlier shut: 67 Greed) [CNN]. One week in the past: 74 (Greed). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Mar 27 at 1:55:00 PM ET.
Information of the Wired
“Two nights of damaged sleep could make folks really feel years older, finds research” [Guardian]. “The researchers ran two research. Within the first, 429 folks aged 18 to 70 answered questions on how outdated they felt and on what number of nights, if any, they’d slept badly previously month. Their sleepiness was additionally rated in accordance with a typical scale utilized in psychology analysis. For every day of poor sleep the volunteers felt on common three months older, the scientists discovered, whereas those that reported no unhealthy nights within the previous month felt on common practically six years youthful than their true age. It was unclear, nevertheless, whether or not unhealthy sleep made folks really feel older or vice versa. Within the second research, the researchers quizzed 186 volunteers aged 18 to 46 on how outdated they felt after two nights of plentiful sleep, during which they stayed in mattress for 9 hours every night time, and two nights once they slept for under 4 hours an evening. After two nights of restricted sleep, the contributors felt on common 4.44 years older than once they had ample sleep. Feeling older was linked, unsurprisingly, to feeling sleepier. ‘If you wish to really feel younger, a very powerful factor is to guard your sleep,’ Balter stated. Writing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the psychologists describe variations in folks’s responses to sleep loss relying on whether or not they had been a morning particular person, who woke and went to mattress early, or a night one who rose late and retired late. Night sorts sometimes felt older than their true age even after loads of sleep, however morning sorts had been hit more durable in how outdated they felt when their sleep was disrupted.” • Completely night particular person right here. And it’s true that once I labored the night time shift (“the lobster shift,” why?) it was so much more durable. I’d stroll house from the mill, cease for breakfast, after which fall asleep. It wasn’t straightforward.
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