White House trumpets vaccine mandate success: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-analysis-touts-gains-from-covid-19-vaccine-requirements/ar-AAPdH7h?li=BBnb7Kz .
LA approves strict vaccine mandate for activity in public: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-los-angeles-health-57e9f1de7f9636f0567b00f7f551e41e .
Kaiser Permanente suspends 2,200 unvaccinated employees: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-gavin-newsom-california-oakland-90d6b5486fe565ff6cb14327f2582aeb . The employees remain on unpaid leave until they complete vaccination. If they remain unvaccinated as of December 1, their suspensions become Permanente.
ESPN employer vaccine mandate in the spotlight: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/espn-sidelines-sage-steele-after-comments-network-s-vaccine-mandate-n1280901 . Let’s see. You go on a podcast and call your employer’s vaccine mandate “sick”. You also criticize the former President of the United States for identifying as black when “his black dad was nowhere to be found”. So people get fired for lapses in judgment not nearly as severe as this. That seems likely to happen here. However, if it does, Sage Steele will never replace her ESPN salary.
Another suit filed against Montana law banning employer vaccine mandates: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-legislature-laws-montana-983bf6e340ce85326f1db9b002690943 .
US to buy $1 billion in COVID rapid testing kits: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-10-06/us-to-buy-1-billion-worth-of-rapid-covid-tests . Dr. Mina mirrors my frustration with the lack of testing in the US: The kits may come “just in time for them to no longer be as effective against Delta”. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-administration-to-spend-1-billion-to-boost-rapid-covid-19-tests-11633557322 .
US 2021 COVID death toll higher than 2020: https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-covid-more-deaths-2021-than-in-2020-johns-hopkins-coronavirus-20211006-2fpfjpomqzflnkpjgqtxf6mioy-story.html . Sadly, Dr. Trepka’s analysis fails on its face. There were no vaccinations in 2020. A majority of adults are now vaccinated. The 2021 death toll would obviously be higher without the availability of the vaccines. Similarly, herd resistance is much higher in 2021 than it was in 2020, due to both vaccines and infection survivors. Cases are higher this year because (1) it takes time for a pandemic to spread; (2) Delta is more dangerous; and (3) we have consistently re-opened too early.
140,000 American children have lost a parent to COVID: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/children-left-140000-kids-lost-parent-covid-rcna2672 . Some hoax.
WSJ: Malaria vaccine advances: https://www.wsj.com/articles/worlds-first-malaria-vaccine-gets-who-backing-for-sub-saharan-africa-11633535575 .
Federal judge orders Texas to suspend its abortion law: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-business-texas-courts-5eb085acee67615da3623212953220c9 . To clarify the article, EVERYONE understands this is a vigilante justice scheme – that is the entire point. Texas “deputized” citizens as enforcement agents (with a $10,000 bounty) so that the state could argue the resulting actions were not government actions. This gives the plaintiffs no one to sue. Most everyone understands that this law fails on its merits. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-judge-blocks-texas-abortion-law-11633568447 .
The question is whether this bizarre stunt helps Mississippi in its abortion law case coming to the US Supreme Court October 15. Conservatives argue that the Texas insanity makes Mississippi law look more reasonable. It is possible that Roberts has lost control over the 5 more conservative justices and they will rush to void Roe v Wade. However, the massive backlash over the Court’s previous ruling allowing the Texas law to go into effect should give them considerable pause about the future of the rule of law if Roe is overturned.
Debt ceiling deal will apparently pass: https://news.yahoo.com/senate-moves-toward-short-term-debt-ceiling-agreement-222152791.html . Other reporting indicates McConnell and Senate Republicans were feeling intense pressure from the business community and their donors. So McConnell decided to blink first (turtles do blink). Because the next refresh will come in December, the Democrats face increased pressure on completing their reconciliation bill done before the next round on the debt.
Texas school shooting: https://apnews.com/article/arlington-texas-school-shooting-274867ce4be5e615da14659bbfd692cb . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-school-shooting-injures-4-suspect-at-large-11633541743 . Wait, what? The shooting occurred after an argument in class. So kids come to class armed in Texas? The school needs to install metal detectors at the entrances, if only to give peace of mind to those inside the school.
WSJ: Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognizes advances in organic catalysts: https://www.wsj.com/articles/nobel-prize-in-chemistry-awarded-to-two-scientists-for-work-on-molecular-tool-11633515089 .
WSJ: Red Sox beat Yankees in wild card game: https://www.wsj.com/articles/red-sox-beat-yankees-wild-card-11633520125 . The Yanks’ starter gave up 3 runs and was pulled after getting just 6 outs. Basically, that was game over. Because Tampa Bay won the AL East division, both the Red Sox and the Yankees ended up in the play-in game. Both had 92-70 regular season records.