Economics of the vaccine mandate: https://news.yahoo.com/its-a-tough-call-concerns-loom-over-employer-vaccination-mandate-161625463.html . Apparently Chicken Little wrote this article. Let’s refocus. We have to get past the pandemic. The mandate is necessary because we have too many so-called adults who resist getting vaccinated or wearing masks. If you want to work someplace with more than 100 employees, you must be vaccinated (or test weekly). And these employers must turn away these potential employees unless the employer wants to pay for testing.
The mandate will pass legal muster: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/12/us-vaccine-mandates-workers-covid-republican-lawsuits . So the rules stated in the last paragraph are the law. And it will be safe to deal with businesses with 100 or more employees. For the others, their customers don’t know it’s safe unless those businesses also adopt the mandates.
Three Democratic governors give all adult citizens booster access: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-michelle-lujan-grisham-new-mexico-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-california-7ebb00a70a1de40ed1144d8645068aae . There really are two Americas right now.
The COVID plateau: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/12/health/covid-cases-winter-surge/index.html . We won’t be on the plateau for long. Indications are that we will head back up into the mountains.
Medicare Part B premium jumps over Alzheimer’s drug: https://apnews.com/article/medicare-health-care-costs-medication-alzheimers-disease-health-27a6250da20a6ba6af4820525c64afc4 . The FDA should never have approved this drug. All seniors are now going to take an economic hit for a drug of very questionable value.
Nursing homes allowed to lift most COVID restrictions: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-business-medicaid-medicare-a255b8b93fe023f77fca2b56257e3b7c . One hopes that every resident has recently received a booster shot.
WSJ: COVID accelerated decline in US church attendance: https://www.wsj.com/articles/church-pandemic-covid-online-11636728162 . Every cloud has a silver lining …
WSJ: Europe re-ups COVID restrictions despite high vaccination rates: https://www.wsj.com/articles/netherlands-set-to-revive-covid-19-restrictions-despite-high-vaccination-rate-11636726327 . This may be another predictor of tough times ahead in the US pandemic. However, much of Europe used the less-effective AstraZeneca vaccine.
More on OJ’s politicization of the pandemic and CDC: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/12/politics/house-committee-cdc-covid-trump-administration-response/index.html . The pandemic is a hoax …
US and China agree on additional measures for the pandemic, economic recovery and climate change: https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-xi-support-apec-declaration-ahead-of-us-china-summit-/6311221.html .
J&J to split into 2 companies: https://www.npr.org/2021/11/12/1055346617/johnson-split-public-health-care-company . My sense is this has nothing to do with business strategy and everything to do with avoiding liability for the talc lawsuits. They undoubtedly have an army of smart lawyers working on this. But since they were one big conglomerate at the time of the talc injuries, I don’t see how the liability is prevented from swimming upstream. Most everyone smells a rat here. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/johnson-johnson-plans-to-split-into-two-public-companies-11636715700 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/johnson-johnson-breakup-is-no-clean-sweep-11636735337 . And: https://www.wsj.com/articles/johnson-johnsons-breakup-what-to-know-11636715701 .
US job quits hit new record in September: https://www.usnews.com/news/economy/articles/2021-11-12/number-of-people-quitting-their-jobs-hits-record-44-million . A lot of this comes from workers moving within their industry for better pay and working conditions. Again, our significant economic dislocation continues. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/record-high-job-openings-persist-in-tight-labor-market-11636713002 .
The Astroworld tragedy: https://news.yahoo.com/astroworld-travis-scott-lawsuits-victims-benjamin-crump-whats-next-195958772.html . The Scott response insults the intelligence. No, you don’t go to a concert to die. So who is responsible for the 9 deaths? Someone in the Travis Scott orbit for sure. My money is on Travis, because Travis seems to only care about Travis. He is just protecting his brand, which in my view makes the brand worse than worthless. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/travis-scott-astroworld-tragedy-what-happened-11636478633 .
GOP leadership silent as threats against House members grow: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-fred-upton-paul-gosar-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-violence-8d30613294c2a0ab54f751b881b6ec4b . As disgusting as Orange Julius and Ted Cruz are, Kevin McCarthy is no better. The failure to respond just encourages the armed nuts out there.
Bannon indicted on contempt charges: https://apnews.com/article/steve-bannon-donald-trump-congress-mark-meadows-subpoenas-70fcf59323df874b4a0def1f4c1222cc . Bannon’s response is legally ludicrous. Executive privilege is available to the sitting president and his advisors for acts of governance. However, that does not include election activities. Bannon is a former advisor to a former president, and the matters here do not involve governance. So his argument has 3 critical elements, and he fails all of them. My advice would be to cut a deal with the committee ASAP. By letting it go to indictment, Bannon has compromised his one out. We’re never talking brain trust where OJ is involved. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-ex-trump-aide-steve-bannon-is-back-in-the-spotlight-11634841309 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/prosecutors-charge-trump-adviser-steve-bannon-for-defying-jan-6-panel-subpoena-11636751171 .
Mark Meadows pushes his luck: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/former-trump-aide-mark-meadows-fails-appear-jan-6-committee-n1283815 . Meadows was chief of staff at the time of the attempted overthrow of the government. So he meets 1 of the 3 critical elements. That still does not make even a colorable argument. Make a deal before you’re indicted, fool. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mark-meadows-declines-to-appear-before-jan-6-committee-11636750861 .
WSJ: Tensions rise in Belarus: https://www.wsj.com/articles/europe-sees-a-new-type-of-war-accusing-belarus-of-weaponizing-migrants-11636724990 . This article is included just to point out that this is not a new type of war. Russia weaponized the Syrian migrants in an attempt to destabilize the Western European democracies. And Belarus remains a client state of Russia. Their official currency is the ruble (seriously, although it has now been converted to a Belarusian ruble because of serious inflation in the country).