Vaccine priorities: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/essential-workers-get-lost-in-the-vaccine-scrum-as-states-prioritize-the-elderly/ar-BB1dg9Vn?li=BBnb7Kz . Deaths are concentrated in the elderly. 80% are over age 65, and 95% are over age 50. As such, my view is that the elderly should be vaccinated first. If we knew more about persons most likely to become COVID long-haulers, I would also prioritize them. Hopefully, most elderly and essential workers will be vaccinated in the next 4 months.
COVID vaccine anaphylaxis risk: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/944936 . While rare, it is important that vaccination centers be prepared to deal with this potential side effect. There is also vaccine hesitancy risk here.
A COVID scanner?: https://www.mpo-mag.com/content-microsite/mpo_covid-19/2021-02-01/covid-hunter-scanner-detects-virus-non-invasively (link replaced 3/8/21; original link was to the Entrepreneur article; link provided in this article). I’m skeptical of these claims. Let’s see if they can receive FDA approval. If they can, the sales will be phenomenal.
WSJ: NFL does science better than CDC: https://www.wsj.com/articles/super-bowl-nfl-covid-cdc-11612104460 . Any way you read this, the government has failed to protect our health and the economy.
Will the new variants raise public health compliance?: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/30/health/variants-arrival-future-whats-next/index.html . I agree with the experts who are skeptical that the variants will motivate additional compliance. Some people may comply when someone they know dies, and that experience has become more common in the past few months. Additionally, there is now a mask mandate nationally, and experts have replaced disinformation in federal communications. So some compliance may increase.
WSJ: Will COVID kill cash?: https://www.wsj.com/articles/dont-bank-on-covid-19-killing-off-cash-just-yet-11612105200 . Online shopping is the true stake in cash’s heart.
West Virginia vaccination success: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/we-crushed-it-how-did-west-virginia-become-national-leader-n1256276 . Bottom line, they’ve had a plan in place for quite a while. What a novel concept …
WSJ: Vaccine road trips: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-yorkers-are-willing-to-drive-six-hours-to-nab-covid-19-vaccine-11612098000 .
Some nurses still decline vaccine: https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-health-care-workers-are-still-saying-no-to-a-covid-19-vaccine-11612089020 . The article implies but does not say that minority distrust of healthcare has led to many of these declinations (look at the hesitancy chart).
Almost 100,000 Americans died of COVID in January: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/31/health/us-coronavirus-sunday/index.html . Hospitalizations are dropping, however.
COVID workplace safety guidelines issued by DOL: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-labor/u-s-labor-department-issues-covid-19-workplace-safety-guidance-idUSKBN29Y2X9 .
COVID protests grow in Brazil: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/31/more-brazil-protests-over-bolsonaros-covid-19-response .
WSJ: COVID outbreaks in China dampen New Year’s travel, economy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-new-covid-19-outbreaks-trip-up-economic-momentum-11612078814 .
COVID state of emergency in Japan: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-01-31/japan-expected-to-extend-covid-19-state-of-emergency-media . At 5,766 deaths, Japan has just under 1.3% of the US total, which now exceeds 450,000.
WSJ: The market bubble: https://www.wsj.com/articles/markets-look-like-theyre-in-a-bubble-what-do-investors-do-now-11612089001 . Time will tell, however Hertz and Gameboy are examples of irrational gambling. That is not a good sign for the future direction of the market. More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/gambling-in-the-stock-market-im-shocked-11612101604 .
WSJ: Orange Julius’ judicial legacy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-appointees-poised-to-influence-legal-outcomes-for-decades-to-come-11612112401 . First of all, it’s McConnell’s legacy. Second, Biden is already on top of this problem: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/27/biden-supreme-court-reform-463126 .
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GOP moves to restrict voting rights: https://apnews.com/article/bills-voting-rights-elections-coronavirus-pandemic-voter-registration-0e94844d72d2a2bf8b51b1c950bd64fc . Voter suppression is un-American – period.
Myanmar military seizes power: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/myanmars-military-says-its-taking-over-as-world-leaders-look-on-in-shock/ar-BB1dgMCS?li=BBnb7Kz . Oh, voter fraud was involved. Where did that idea come from? WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-is-alarmed-by-reports-of-military-actions-in-myanmar-white-house-says-11612145833 .
Kinzinger forms anti-Orange Julius PAC: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-impeachments-adam-kinzinger-political-action-committees-3e221ef16b7324026a280729da68ee0c . For the moment, Kinzinger is in the minority in his party. But this is a hopeful sign that the Republican Party could have a truth-related future. More: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-rep-adam-kinzinger-launches-new-pac-to-challenge-republicans-who-support-trump/ar-BB1dgOo4?li=BBnb7Kz .
Orange Julius names new impeachment defense team: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-trials-impeachments-south-carolina-d1d2b8d5b76c68acdde662b3b7e00c82 (link replaced 5/8/21). More: https://www.mediaite.com/trump/one-of-trumps-new-impeachment-lawyers-represented-roger-stone-and-says-jeffrey-epstein-didnt-kill-himself-the-other-declined-to-prosecute-bill-cosby/ . Quality just follows Orange Julius around, doesn’t it? WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-adds-new-lawyers-for-impeachment-trial-after-lead-attorneys-exit-11612143087 .
Ten Senate Republicans offer bipartisan negotiations: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/31/biden-senate-republicans-covid-relief-464057 . More: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-bb7f90e28ab160cba510df3b40723fe5 .
Here’s my initial reaction, posted to the WSJ article* soon after its release:
“The center of this issue is whether the centrists or the extremes govern the future of the US — it is bigger than the stimulus package, as important as that is. The major media outlets all ran stories about noon Eastern — there was a coordinated release of this information for maximum impact.
Biden can get most of what he’s asked, tossing away (for now) stuff that was in the bill for negotiating purposes. The Republican centrists get a chance to reassert sanity over Greene, Boebert, and the huge number of Congressional Republicans whose priority is not the country or legislation, but not getting primaried. Maybe we’ll get the country back at some point.”
This situation displays the political machinations of Congress as few do. The “10” was chosen very purposely – it means all 50 Senate Democrats have to go along, giving power to people like Joe Manchin and Kristin Sinema. The Democrats have staked out reconciliation and quick passage as a way of forcing Republicans to the table. It adds another dimension as to why the impeachment trial was delayed two weeks. The Democrats under Biden are absolutely trying to help the Republican centrists against Trump. McConnell has already positioned himself to slide to the center; Kevin McCarthy has not.
And by the way, the deal is not done – that is evident from the partial nature of the 10’s proposal. But it is staged – I suspect the Republicans can come up with 2 more votes if Manchin and Sinema defect. The package is not final to give an opening to look for more Republican votes, but there are likely not many.
I did go back to the WSJ article an hour after posting just to see what the “discussion” was. There are some thoughtful people developing the unity theme almost equally offset by bitter Trumpsters pitching the Fox News talking points (that is, anger, not thought or persuasion). Actually I’m somewhat encouraged by this balance, which is much more toward the center than WSJ “discussion” has been in the past. But that may only be because some Trumpsters are currently discouraged.
And now some predictions, just for fun. Stimulus passes rather quickly (with 60 votes), perhaps before the impeachment trial in 9 days (that would be a victory for the Democrats). The Republican partial proposals are mostly adopted, with negotiations on the stuff not talked about there. The package will be around $1.2 trillion, maybe a little more.
I thought minimum wage was just in the bill to be tossed, but there is the possibility of a compromise – say, $12, which while not $15 is much better than $7.25.
There will be more than 5 Senate Republican votes for impeachment – Portman for one, perhaps some others from the 10, and any Republican who is compelled by conscience or by desire to move away from Orange Julius. Democratic chances for retaining both the House and Senate in 2022 have improved.
Update: Biden invites Republicans to White House to discuss relief proposal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ten-republican-senators-ask-biden-to-work-with-them-on-coronavirus-relief-11612098418 . More: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/biden-invite-republican-senators-white-house .
* The WSJ article referenced ends in 8418, now in the paragraph directly above this footnote. After publishing in the morning, the article was rewritten late in the evening to reflect the Biden invitation.