New variant names: Alpha (UK, B.1.1.7); Beta (South Africa, B.1.351); Gamma (Brazil, P.1); Delta (India, B.1.617.2); Epsilon (US, B.1.427 or B.1.429); Zeta (Brazil, P.2); Eta (UK/Nigeria, B.1.525); Theta (P.3, Philippines); Iota (US – NY, B.1.526); Kappa (India, B.1.617.1). Confused? Yea, me too, that’s the reason for the list. Up until today, the variants have generally been referred to on this site (and elsewhere) by their country of origin, or less frequently their scientific name.
Indian variant (Delta) is showing unusual symptoms: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-07/gangrene-hearing-loss-point-to-delta-variant-being-more-severe
US pleads for citizens to get vaccinated as Delta becoming the dominant strain in the UK: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-08/fauci-urges-u-s-vaccinations-as-harmful-variant-spreads-in-u-k .
Andy Slavitt, the top White House adviser on the COVID response, steps down Wednesday: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/top-biden-coronavirus-adviser-andy-slavitt-announces-last-day-white-n1269962 . Slavitt’s temporary appointment was limited to 130 days.
Biden’s 70% vaccination goal by July 4 looks increasingly unlikely: https://apnews.com/article/us-news-coronavirus-pandemic-health-government-and-politics-e8ca280afabb5040c21e13201cd82dda .
Pfizer expands vaccine trials for children under 12: https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2021/06/pfizer-expands-covid-vaccine-testing-in-kids-under-12.html . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccines-for-young-children-move-ahead-in-testing-11623168758 . Moderna expects results in the fall.
Florida, Alabama abandon daily COVID reporting: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-06-08/florida-alabama-no-longer-reporting-daily-coronavirus-data . Sure, who needs data? These two governors fly blind anyway.
WSJ: The lab leak theory gains momentum: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-report-concluded-covid-19-may-have-leaked-from-wuhan-lab-11623106982 . But momentum is not evidence. Except for the conspiracy theorists, we do not have an answer yet.
Quality of COVID tests weakened by variants: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/06/coronavirus-tests-variants/619112/ .
Meanwhile, another questionable vaccination incentive emerges: Joints for Jabs: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-06-08/washington-state-allows-for-free-marijuana-joints-with-coronavirus-vaccine .
Millions of J&J doses may go to waste: https://www.wsj.com/articles/millions-of-j-j-covid-19-vaccines-are-at-risk-of-expiring-in-june-11623152775 .
Using a fake vaccination card is a federal crime: https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2021/6/8/22524198/fake-coronavirus-vaccine-cards-illegal-etsy-amazon . So, selling them on Etsy and Amazon is not a great idea. I would think the seller is an accomplice to the crime if a buyer uses one. And why else would a buyer want one?
WSJ: Peru vote remains close: https://www.wsj.com/articles/perus-leftist-candidate-leads-tight-presidential-vote-11623172601 .
WSJ: New Israeli government installation Sunday: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-israeli-coalition-government-set-to-be-sworn-in-sunday-11623151179 .
The rich do not pay their fair share in taxes: https://apnews.com/article/personal-taxes-business-ab6466a9dcc211907a753ccfb7660959 . If you didn’t know this, you’re not paying attention. This has been true since at least World War II. The problem has become more acute as income inequality has grown. The basic income tax system is progressive – meaning the rich pay more. But Social Security, sales taxes and many other taxes are regressive (the poor pay more as a percentage of income). This is easy to remedy, but we never fix it. This is how lobbyists get paid, and why the tax system is so complex.
I focused on tax in law school, because this is a fundamental component of “how you play the game”. But there was no justification for this tax result then and none now, except for corruption. It is particularly galling in a country where the poor go to war and the rich don’t. Of all the areas where getting back to basic principles would improve the country, this is it. And if we simplified and enforced the tax code, a huge amount of intellectual capital in law and accounting would be freed up for something more productive.
WSJ: Details of the G7 global corporate minimum tax proposal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-we-know-about-the-g-7s-global-corporate-tax-proposal-11623150042 .
WSJ: Democrats struggle to modify For the People Act: https://www.wsj.com/articles/manchins-opposition-to-voting-bill-leaves-democrats-searching-for-way-forward-11623169785 .
More on the global drug bust: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1269920 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/fbi-sting-using-anom-platform-leads-to-global-roundup-of-suspects-11623165556 . So, 800 arrested, $48 million in currency and 8 tons of cocaine seized. Research indicates that this amount of cocaine has a street value of about $1.5 billion (reported values vary considerably). Interestingly, drug busts of this size have occurred before. The EU seized 23 metric tons in February: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-authorities-seize-23-tons-of-cocaine-in-biggest-ever-haul/a-56676952 . Costa Rica seized 5 tons in February 2020: https://abc7chicago.com/costa-rica-drug-bust-cocaine/5939574/ . Philadelphia seized 17 tons in June 2019: https://abc7news.com/over-17-tons-of-cocaine-worth-$1-billion-seized-at-philly-port/5351897/ .
One must believe this is a small portion of international cocaine traffic. A reasonable estimate for international illegal drug trade is $500 billion annually: https://www.talkingdrugs.org/report-global-illegal-drug-trade-valued-at-around-half-a-trillion-dollars . More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_drug_trade .
The increasing risks from jackware: https://news.yahoo.com/ransomware-jackware-115229732.html . As mentioned over the last few days, cybersecurity is currently in a rapid state of evolution. This is a very clear infrastructure problem that is not highways and bridges.
Senate report on January 6 insurrection: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-96054d62518a7be4c3f30231f51beaf5 .
Meanwhile, the insurrection continues: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/iraq-veteran-stands-by-telling-judge-f-all-of-you-has-no-regrets-about-capitol-riot/ar-AAKQ4P3?li=BBnb7Kz . So, this guy may or may not be competent to stand trial. But what he is saying is consistent with much of what the GOP and other insurrectionists are saying. Still, violating Rule #1 is not a good idea. His attorney provided best available defense by folding his client’s remarks back into the competence issue.
WSJ: Boeing: We build planes, sort of, when we feel like it: https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeings-new-air-force-one-jets-could-arrive-late-cost-more-11623187963 . Boeing’s high standards of reliability have obviously flown out the window.
Will the housing market crash?: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-the-u-s-housing-market-heading-for-a-crash-heres-what-the-experts-say-11619023745 . Sure — sometime. The question is when and at what price level. I started looking at this today based on comments by Business Insider describing Bank of America’s current analysis. First of all, the most likely cause of a crash is housing oversupply, and that is more typically local than national. The most common cause of a national crash is a rapid rise in interest rates, which is also currently unlikely. As to BoA, here is my response: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-america-most-important-segment-132100753.html . You will note the article is from September 2018. If you listened to these experts then, you’re screwed now. Just sayin’ …
WSJ: Marauding elephants on the move: https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-herd-of-wild-elephants-wandering-across-china-captivates-millions-11623167516 .