More details emerge on XBB.1.5: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/omicron-subvariant-xbb-1-5-the-dominant-covid-strain-in-the-u-s-surges-in-major-metro-areas-with-slightly-different-symptoms/ar-AA15Ynle?cvid=476cf0c648e744e5a59351db26a6267f . Note that the symptoms look more like the common cold than previous COVID strains. XBB.1.5 now produces 75% of cases in the Northeast: https://www.alternet.org/this-alarming-subvariant-now-accounts-for-75-percent-of-new-19-infections-in-the-northeastern-us-cdc/ .
XBB.1.5 most transmissible COVID strain yet: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/04/new-covid-strain-xbb-00076320 . COVID may now be the most transmissible virus humans have experienced.
US should emphasize prevention measures: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3797124-experts-urge-domestic-action-against-winter-covid-surge/ . One can hardly argue with this, although many Americans refuse to listen. Prevention has the additional benefits of tamping down flu and RSV cases.
Chinese distrust government’s Zero COVID U-turn: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/5/chinas-zero-covid-u-turn-leads-to-loss-of-faith-in-leadership . WSJ: Why the U-turn happened: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-xi-jinping-reversed-his-zero-covid-policy-in-china-11672853171 .
The Chinese are now burning bodies in the streets: https://www.yahoo.com/now/videos-show-bodies-china-being-225918686.html . Again, we watch China commit mass murder on its citizenry.
Progress on brain cancer vaccine: https://gizmodo.com/an-experimental-cancer-vaccine-turned-tumor-cells-into-1849950013 .
Puzzling pattern of a dangerous paralytic childhood disease: https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/generalinfectiousdisease/102458 .
WSJ: Walgreen’s will sell abortion pill: https://www.wsj.com/articles/walgreens-will-sell-the-abortion-pill-pharmacy-says-11672870977 . The FDA has allowed expansion beyond mail-order pharmacies.
WSJ: Fed rates could rise to 5.4%: https://www.wsj.com/articles/feds-kashkari-sees-rates-rising-to-5-4-11672840931 . My view is very close to Kashkari’s, and he actually has a meaningful say in the results.
Another major tech layoff: https://news.yahoo.com/salesforce-cuts-10-of-its-workforce-we-hired-too-many-people-122806630.html . Salesforce has about 80,000 employees, so the layoff affects approximately 8,000 employees. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/salesforce-under-its-biggest-cloud-yet-11672858963 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/salesforce-to-lay-off-10-of-workforce-reduce-offices-11672836369 .
Amazon increases its layoff: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/04/amazon-says-it-will-cut-over-18000-jobs-more-than-initially-planned.html . As the initial plan was 10,000, this is a significant increase. However, Amazon has 1.6 million workers, so the layoff affects barely 1% of their employees. Also, the holiday season nears its finish for this major retailer. WSJ: What? We don’t understand math: https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-lay-off-over-17-000-workers-more-than-first-planned-11672874304 .
The calamitous incompetence of the Russian military: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-government-d809e26412b12fa590f3f81e6b1faeff . We know that US intelligence is helping the Ukrainians. But no one knew how absurdly incompetent the Russian military’s performance would be. WSJ: Blame it on the (dead) troops: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-blames-cellphone-use-for-deadly-ukrainian-strike-11672814476 .
Episode #2 of “Kevin Can’t Count”: same as Episode #1: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/01/04/kevin-mccarthy-loses-sixth-round-of-votes-in-chaotic-speaker-election-as-gop-claims-progress-in-negotiations/?sh=70855a683002 . As many problems as Hollywood has, they’d fire the writers of this series. There’s no storyline, just chaos.
Washington Post finds the humor in the Speaker debacle: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/jeffries-has-now-received-more-lifetime-votes-for-speaker-than-boehner/ar-AA15YJka?cvid=1b66419e3ece402b9e6f8890791ff31d . Since more votes are coming, Jeffries will rack up still more votes. He may even be the lifetime vote leader when all this is done. Even if McCarthy does eventually win, Jeffries is already 56 or so votes ahead of him.
A Democratic deal for Kevin: https://www.rawstory.com/democrat-floats-deal-that-would-allow-kevin-mccarthy-to-be-house-speaker/ . This is nuts, you say? You’d be right, but it does make some sense. Right now, Kevin looks less and less likely to make a deal with 15 of the 20 holdouts. If he really wants to be Speaker, this could do it if almost all Democrats sign on. The downside is that it will piss off many in the GOP, who see the Speaker as the leader of the majority party. However, if Democrats retake the House in 2024, Kevin will be permanently out. So it may be one term or none for Kevin.
GOP money cuts deal for McCarthy Speakership: https://nypost.com/2023/01/05/congressional-leadership-fund-club-for-growth-to-support-mccarthys-bid/ .
Proud Boys seditious conspiracy trial nears: https://apnews.com/article/proud-boys-washington-state-government-district-of-columbia-legal-proceedings-merrick-garland-25247c2384b86c7ba3c248c897f82a57 . The government’s success with the Oath Keepers does not bode well for these defendants. Like Kevin McCarthy, they would be well-advised to make a deal.
Dairy fire unleashes melted butter tsunami: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dairy-plant-fire-melted-butter-clogs-storm-drains-portage-canal-wisconsin/ . So many pun possibilities here. Given the season, I’m going with “You butter not pout”.
NFL’s Damar Hamlin shows “signs of improvement”: https://sports.yahoo.com/reports-bills-safety-damar-hamlin-had-to-be-resuscitated-once-family-is-taking-ordeal-day-to-day-051547081.html . It’s good news that he only had to be resuscitated once. However, he is clearly very critically ill. WSJ: NFL mental health concerns: https://www.wsj.com/articles/damar-hamlin-injury-update-bills-nfl-mental-health-11672809192 . The Journal rightly focuses on a very big collateral problem here. More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/damar-hamlin-update-injury-bills-11672862120 .