By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Fowl Tune of the Day
American Woodcock, E. Gwillimbury Twp.; Brown Hill, Ontario, Canada. “A recording of the flight sounds. No. flights: 1 flight (0:00-0.58) – floor calls – flight 2 (3:31-4:29) flight 3 (4:37-5:32).” 17’38” of peents (title worthy of John Cage). 1962!
In Case You Would possibly Miss…
(1) Seattle Clear Air Collective
(2) Presidential immunity argued on the Supreme Courtroom.
(3) Susie Wiles, feared political operative and Trump’s proper hand individual.
(4) AI infesting Etsy crochet sample market.
Search for the Helpers
My e mail deal with is down by the plant; please ship examples of “Helpers” there. In our more and more determined and fragile neoliberal society, on a regular basis regular incidents and tales of “the communism of on a regular basis life” are what I’m searching for (and never, say, the Pink Cross in Hawaii, and even the UNWRA in Gaza).
Politics
“So most of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in actual fact a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
The Constitutional Order (Riot)
Trump v. United States, the Presidential immunity case through which oral arguments have been heard yesterday. There’s lots of sound and fury about this, lots of aghastitude, lots of Trumpian grandiosity, and I don’t say the problems are simple, however they don’t seem to be difficult. First the pragmatics–
“US Supreme Courtroom indicators delay in ruling on Trump’s declare of absolute immunity” [France24]. “The energetic questioning of all 9 justices left the robust impression that the court docket was not headed for the kind of speedy, consensus choice that may permit a trial to start rapidly.” • Nothing mistaken with kicking the can down the street, eh?
“The Final Factor This Supreme Courtroom Might Do to Shock Us” [Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern, Slate]. Regardless of the aghastitude, Slate presents the 2 poles of the argument: (1) “[Justice Sonia Sotomayor] responded in what may solely be heard as a cri de coeur: ‘Secure democratic society wants good religion of public officers,’ she mentioned. ‘That good religion assumes that they may comply with the regulation.’ The justice famous that regardless of all of the protections in place, a democracy can typically ‘doubtlessly fail.’ She concluded: ‘In the long run, if it fails utterly, it’s as a result of we destroyed our democracy on our personal, isn’t it?’ and (2): “[B]y that time we had heard each Alito and Gorsuch opine that presidents have to be protected in any respect prices from the whims of overzealous deep state prosecutors brandishing ‘imprecise’ prison statutes.” • Sotomayer appears blissfully unaware of the realities of lawfare, not attainable to observe in good religion; Alito and Gorsuch appear OK with, say, Obama whacking US residents, plural, with drone strikes (the precedent may come in useful this summer season!) It appears to me that Trump has, as normal, managed to seek out his solution to a horrid edge case; what the Supreme Courtroom is making an attempt to do is, in essence, lots just like the Third World drawback of making an attempt to put in writing a Structure to forestall the navy from staging a coup (or from writing a brand new Structure and granting themselves retroactive immunity). In such a case, and maybe for us, “auxiliary precautions” have failed, and “a dependence on the individuals” is the one “main management” remaining.
Biden Administration
2024
Lower than a yr to go!
★RCP Ballot Averages, April 26:
Nationwide outcomes are nonetheless transferring Biden’s approach. However all of the Swing States (extra right here) are transferring Trump’s approach, though in tiny increments. It’s arduous to attribute this consistency to mere probability. “All” with one exception: Pennsylvania. If Susie Wiles is such a mind genius, why isn’t she fixing this?
* * * Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “Trump may keep away from trial this yr on 2020 election costs. Is the hush cash case a worthy proxy?” [Orlando Sentinel]. “Richard Painter, a College of Minnesota Regulation College professor and former affiliate White Home counsel in the course of the George W. Bush administration, mentioned he believed the info of the case met the proof wanted to find out whether or not a felony had been dedicated that violated marketing campaign regulation, however added, ‘The election interference half, I’ve somewhat little bit of hassle on this.’ Richard Hasen, a UCLA regulation faculty professor, mentioned the New York case doesn’t examine to the opposite election-related costs Trump faces. ‘We are able to draw a reasonably vivid line between trying to alter vote totals to flip a presidential election and failing to reveal embarrassing info on a authorities type,’ he wrote in a current Los Angeles Instances column. In an e mail, Hasen mentioned New York prosecutors have been calling the case election interference ‘as a result of that reinforces what will be the solely case heard earlier than the election.’ Some mentioned prosecutors’ choice to characterize the New York case as election interference gave the impression to be a technique designed to boost its visibility.”
* * * * * * Biden (D): “Scoop: Biden modifications strolling routine to Marine One” [Axios]. “President Biden has launched a change to his White Home departure and return routine. As an alternative of strolling throughout the South Garden to and from Marine One by himself, he’s now typically surrounded by aides. With aides strolling between Biden and journalists’ digicam place outdoors the White Home, the visible impact is to attract much less consideration to the 81-year-old’s halting and stiff gait. Some Biden advisers have informed Axios they’re involved that movies of Biden strolling and shuffling alone — particularly throughout the grass — have highlighted his age. Weeks in the past the president informed aides that he’d favor a much less formal strategy, a White Home official informed Axios. He instructed that they stroll with him. White Home staffers and reporters alike observed the sudden change in Biden’s stroll routine starting in mid-April, after greater than three years through which he’d sometimes walked solo. Senior aides comparable to deputy chiefs of workers Bruce Reed and Annie Tomasini and shut adviser Mike Donilon are amongst those that’ve walked with the president throughout the garden to and from the helicopter.Because the change, some advisers suppose the pictures of Biden’s walks to and from the helicopter are higher, and so they anticipate him to proceed to have aides be part of him.” • Most scrutinized man on earth….
Biden (D): “Contained in the failed White Home coup to oust Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre” [New York Post]. ” High aides to President Biden secretly hatched a plan this previous fall to interchange White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre by recruiting outdoors allies to nudge her out the door, The Put up has realized. Jean-Pierre, who made historical past in Could 2022 by turning into the primary black and first overtly homosexual individual to carry the place, had developed the exasperating behavior of studying canned solutions instantly from a binder to reporters at her common briefings — providing what her superiors considered as a less-than-compelling pitch for the 81-year-old Biden as he readied his re-election marketing campaign. De facto White Home communications chief Anita Dunn, 66, the spouse of Biden private lawyer Bob Bauer, informed colleagues she had determined to name in distinguished Democrats to elucidate to Jean-Pierre, 49, that the time was ripe to maneuver on, sources informed The Put up…. ‘Karine doesn’t have an understanding of the problems and she or he reads the e-book [binder] word-for-word,’ mentioned the second supply, including that the state of affairs is made worse by the truth that ‘she thinks she’s doing a tremendous job.’ ‘She doesn’t have a grasp of the problems and doesn’t spend the time to be taught,’ this individual mentioned. ‘These points will not be second nature to individuals. Israel and Gaza is an ideal instance. It’s very nuanced. Jen would have calls with individuals to really feel well-versed sufficient to go to the briefing.’ ‘There’s an infinite quantity of labor that goes into preparing,’ the primary supply mentioned, ‘and constantly she doesn’t put in that stage of labor.’” • Jean-Pierre refusing to be muscled by Anita Dunn?! That’s fairly one thing!
* * * “With DNC nomination set for after Ohio deadline, legislators negotiate to make sure Biden is on poll” [FOX]. “OP Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman informed reporters Wednesday that productive discussions are beneath approach between each legislative chambers and each political events about the best way to repair the truth that the Democratic Nationwide Conference, the place Biden is to be formally nominated, falls after Ohio’s poll deadline of Aug. 7. The conference might be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago. ‘Actually, it’s one thing that’s going to occur. We have to deal with it,’ Huffman mentioned, seeming to regulate his earlier stance that it was ‘a Democratic drawback’ that was as much as the Common Meeting’s minority celebration to work out. He mentioned the reply could also be added to an current invoice or it could possibly be contained in a stand-alone measure…. As Ohio nears the Could 9 cutoff set by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, laws meant to make sure Biden will seem on fall ballots in Alabama cleared the state’s Senate Tuesday. The Alabama invoice provides lodging to the president like these made 4 years in the past for then-President Donald Trump.” • Good. A minimum of partisanship hasn’t gone utterly around the twist.
* * *
Democrats en Déshabillé
Realignment and Legitimacy
“Dangerous Management Is a Nationwide-Safety Menace” [Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal]. “I typically learn the memoirs of up to date British politicians. As soon as I learn weighty biographies by severe historians of the greats—Gladstone, Disraeli, Churchill, Harold Macmillan—however present leaders don’t appear nice, and don’t final. They typically write memoirs, nevertheless, and I learn them to horrify myself… Why is that this price mentioning, since everybody appears to have observed a deterioration of their high quality? As a result of our foes know. The character of our leaders appears to me a national-security challenge. My concern is that historical past will see it this manner: On the precise second America’s foes determined to grow to be extra public of their antipathy and deadlier of their calculations—”again to blood,” as Tom Wolfe mentioned, when it comes to the character of peoples’ future loyalties—at that very same second our leaders within the West have been turning into extra frivolous and unfocused, extra superficial, than ever in trendy instances. I think our foes discover this. It’s maybe a part of why they’ve grow to be extra aggressive. Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, no matter else they have been, nobody ever thought they have been buyable or shallow of their development of America’s that means and pursuits. Their successors appear to lack a comparable inside stature…. The unseriousness of our leaders isn’t a small and amusing tabloid story however a actuality that must startle us. Leaders of different nations extrapolate from our leaders, whom they know. They suppose that as they’re, we’re. It contributes to the ability of the argument, of their councils of state, that the West has misplaced its approach…. One notably good man right here, one exceptionally good lady there, may start to show it round, or may on the very least startle overseas leaders and make them reappraise. That may be long-term challenge for us as residents: Get a greater class of people to enter the enterprise of main us.” • Third World considering: “Get a greater class of people.” That’s not how our system was designed! “If males have been angels, no authorities can be needed. If angels have been to control males, neither exterior nor inside controls on authorities can be needed. In framing a authorities which is to be administered by males over males, the nice problem lies on this: you could first allow the federal government to manage the ruled; and within the subsequent place oblige it to manage itself. A dependence on the individuals is, little question, the first management on the federal government; however expertise has taught mankind the need of auxiliary precautions. This coverage of supplying, by reverse and rival pursuits, the defect of higher motives, may be traced via the entire system of human affairs, non-public in addition to public.” –Federalist 51. That’s the system that has been rigorously demolished and changed with blobs and vibes.
Pandemics
“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
Covid Sources, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; consists of many counties; Wastewater Scan, consists of drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Common 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 deal with given with the vegetation. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
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!
Maskstravaganza
“Behind the masks: Why the brand new US campus protestors cowl their faces” [Semafor]. “The very first thing you see are the masks — the N-95s, the surgical masks, the patterned fabric masks, the bandanas — which largely vanished from American life during the last two years however are a defining function of America’s swelling left-wing protest tradition. College members at New York College hyperlink arms to guard a “Gaza solidarity encampment,” most of them sporting face masks. Activists block journey throughout the Golden Gate Bridge, all of them in masks. Members of the March on DNC 2024 coalition present as much as their Chicago press convention in face masks, eradicating them solely when it’s their flip to talk. Almost one yr after the official finish of the federal COVID-19 emergency declaration, the common use of face masks for non-immunocompromised individuals has pale from American life. Out of doors masking, mandated in lots of states in the course of the peak of the pandemic, grew to become even rarer after a 2022 CDC advisory scaled it again. However that gradual return to barefaced life by no means reached left-leaning protests, the place face masks are broadly used and inspired. A part of the explanation, say organizers, stays an try and make some extent about publicity to COVID-19 and different well being dangers, which some within the left-wing protest actions imagine stay dire. And half is the specter of a unique sort of publicity — from being captured by facial recognition expertise or turning into doxxed (their private info being shared on-line) by counter-protesters. ‘To us, the optics are speaking that we deny the Biden administration’s narrative about COVID — that it’s now not an enormous deal,” mentioned Olan Mijana, a spokesman for the March on DNC 2024 coalition. “It’s about collective security, and it’s additionally about connecting this COVID neglect to the very points that we’re marching on the DNC for.’” • I don’t suppose this text is right; I’ve seen constant complaints from the immunocompromised that left-leaning areas don’t implement common masking in any respect; and never simply the brunch varieties, both. In any case, masking immunocompromized individuals at the moment are doubly othered, because of the left’s fecklessness again at the beginning of the pandemic.
Elite Maleficence
Twitter community-corrects the droplet goons at WHO:
Shockingly, @Twitter has accomplished what @WHO has REFUSED to do for two.5 years.
Inform us that the “FACT: COVID-19 is NOT AIRBORNE” message from !WHO “was not confirmed on the time, and is NOW CONFIRMED FALSE”
Will @WHO please affirm they agree and apologize?@mvankerkhove? @DrTedros? pic.twitter.com/wcRvMW8wsV
— Prof. Jose-Luis Jimenez (@jljcolorado) October 6, 2022
TABLE 1: Every day Covid Charts
LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new immediately; all others will not be 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 at a stage far above valleys beneath Trump. Not a fantastic victory. Be aware additionally the realm “beneath the curve,” in addition to taking a look at peaks. That space is bigger beneath Biden than beneath Trump, and it appears to be rising steadily if erratically.
[2] (Biobot) No backward revisons….
[3] (CDC Variants) As of Could 11, genomic surveillance information might be reported biweekly, based mostly on the supply of optimistic take a look at specimens.” “Biweeekly: 1. occurring each two weeks. 2. occurring twice per week; semiweekly.” Seems like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they’re telling us variants are nothing to fret about. Time will inform.
[4] (ER) CDC appears to have killed this off, for the reason that hyperlink is damaged, I believe in favor of this factor. I’ll attempt to affirm. UPDATE Sure, depart it to CDC to kill a web page, after which announce it was archived a day later. And heaven forfend CDC ought to clarify the place to go to get equal information, if any. I appreciated the ER information, as a result of it appeared actually arduous to sport.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Flattening out to a non-zero baseline. I suppose to a tame epidemiologist it appears to be like like “endemicity,” however to me it appears to be like like one other tranche of lethality.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Nonetheless down. “Maps, charts, and information supplied by CDC, updates weekly for the earlier MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Division Visits, Take a look at Positivity) and weekly the next Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET†”.
[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.
[8] (Cleveland) Slight uptrend.
[9] (Vacationers: Posivitity) Uptick.
[10] (Vacationers: Variants) JN.1 dominates completely.
[11] Seems just like the Instances isn’t reporting demise information any extra? Possibly I want to return to The Economist….
Stats Watch
Inflation: “United States Core PCE Value Index Annual Change” [Trading Economics]. “The US core PCE worth index, the Federal Reserve’s most popular gauge to measure inflation, rose by 2.8% from the earlier yr in March 2024, the least since March 2021, as in February. Figures got here above market forecasts of two.6%.”
The Financial system:
Individuals are making $70-80K per yr promoting restaurant reservations in NYC on the secondary market 😯 pic.twitter.com/xOGfoeEsLY
— Tanay Jaipuria (@tanayj) April 23, 2024
At present’s Worry & Greed Index: 43 Worry (earlier shut: 40 Worry) [CNN]. One week in the past: 32 (Impartial). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Apr 26 at 1:54:00 PM ET.
Class Warfare
“Can Biden Revive the Fortunes of American Employees?” [Paul Krugman, New York Times]. • What an absurdly wrong-headed query. The actual query: “Can American staff revive the fortunes of American staff?”
“‘The working class can’t afford it’: the surprising fact in regards to the cash bands make on tour” [Guardian]. “For this text, the Guardian has seen 12 tour funds sheets for varied bands and artists various from up-and-comers to firmly established and profitable acts, all of whom often undertake headline excursions throughout the UK in venues starting from 150 to 2,500 capability. Nearly all of those lead to losses. Understandably, most shared their steadiness sheets on the situation of anonymity. One four-piece indie band, whose final two albums went High 10 within the UK charts, reported a lack of £2,885 from a six-day UK tour. The one tour that exhibits something resembling wholesome revenue was a 29-date tour for a solo artist who got here away with £6,550. Not unhealthy going for a month’s work however, as Martin factors out, ‘that’s then his touring accomplished for the following six months. So it’s not sufficient cash…. The query is: who else will be capable to afford to pursue music as a pastime? ‘It depresses me what number of center and higher class individuals there are within the music business,’ says supervisor Potts. ‘As a result of the working class simply can’t afford to fork out £150 a day for van rent. The one artists doing which might be individuals who have deeper pockets and may afford to take the hit.’”
Information of the Wired
Contact info for vegetation: Readers, be at liberty to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn how to ship me a examine in case you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn how to ship me pictures of vegetation. Greens are tremendous! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! If you’d like your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it at the beginning of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize by utilizing your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From DL:
DL writes: “Gorse at Glendalough, County Wicklow, Eire, on Holy Thursday, 2019.”
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