Suicide concerns with Ozempic: https://www.wsj.com/articles/europe-is-probing-whether-ozempic-use-raises-risk-of-suicidal-thoughts-8c82533e . With the current rush to weight loss drugs, regulators and the company must address this concern as quickly as possible.
WSJ: Longevity for a price: https://www.wsj.com/articles/longevity-clinics-aging-living-longer-2b98e773 .
WSJ: Increased capital requirements for large US banks: https://www.wsj.com/articles/feds-barr-says-nations-biggest-banks-need-more-capital-abf3bee8 . Observers expected this regulatory change for months, as a response to recent banking failures.
Turkey okays Sweden’s application ahead of NATO summit: https://apnews.com/article/nato-joe-biden-ukraine-turkey-sweden-babfa62c0e9f0a76e5417a50c7701b2d . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-races-to-secure-turkish-support-for-nato-bid-2452c14f . Later press reports indicate Erdogan suggested to the Turkish press that he “tied” the deal to Turkish admission to the EU, but everyone else understands the independence of these two questions. Hungary will go along, and then Sweden will join NATO. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is not working in the way he imagined.
WSJ: Disneyworld attendance slips: https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-world-crowds-universal-studios-florida-36b0a579 . DeMentis’ Disney war just looks stupider and stupider. Disney also made a mistake with overly aggressive price increases.
WSJ: Bell’s lead legacy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/lead-cables-louisiana-telecoms-59f36ffe .
Twitter is losing usage to Threads: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rapid-rise-of-threads-appears-to-be-hurting-twitter-f557ba6e . Musk’s misguided management of Twitter takes another hit.
WSJ: China economy faces deflation: https://www.wsj.com/articles/deflation-looms-in-china-as-rebound-continues-to-lose-steam-b0d66d7e .
WSJ: Hey, we just figured out this “two axes” thing: https://www.wsj.com/articles/despite-yellen-u-s-china-decoupling-has-momentum-of-its-own-9389d6d . Sigh …
Nut World (House GOP conservatives) speaks, incoherently as usual, on government spending: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-gop-conservatives-send-mccarthy-ultimatum-funding-government-rcna93549 . Apparently every time a spending bill comes up, these people want cuts. Everyone knows that when these cuts are reduced to actual program cuts, they are unpopular. So these people continue to play a game that does not represent governance and does not have a rational outcome.
House GOP Hunter Biden investigation appears to have no substance: https://www.alternet.org/the-right-wing/gal-luft/ . When your “very credible witness” is on the run from the FBI, you have a problem.
US appeals ban on contact with social media companies: https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-requests-stay-order-that-restricted-biden-officials-contacting-social-media-2023-07-10/ . Legal commentators generally regard this decision as something out of MAGA world. The government contacted social media companies to stop the spread of misinformation about COVID vaccines and election conspiracies. This conduct is desirable and appears to be lawful and appropriate. Because of the often rapid spread of dangerous misinformation on the Internet, we are now struggling with effective regulation that does not abridge First Amendment rights.
Putin and Prigozhin met days after insurrection: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-prigozhin-wagner-russia-mutiny-ukraine-fighters-rcna93366 . The Russian story in this war gets increasingly crazy. Is Prigozhin a more powerful figure with Putin than any of the military’s leaders? We reported yesterday on what seems to be a quiet purge. Why would the Kremlin publicize this event?
Chinese man kills 6 at kindergarten in southern China: https://apnews.com/article/china-school-stabbing-dc96128f8c2b2df2f13c11c82a3fcec6 . The man’s child was struck by a car driven by one of the people killed. The comments by AOL readers of this article are in my view bizarre: https://www.aol.com/news/man-knife-kills-6-people-062118414.html . Several point out that you can kill multiple people with a knife, so guns in this country are not the problem. Others point out that the crime rate in China is very low because the Chinese “DOJ” is “no-nonsense”, although one responds that you can’t trust any data out of China, and there may be much more crime than is reported.
On the facts: (1) The US is the most violent developed nation in the world, and guns dominate our societal violence; (2) The US legal system is designed to recognize individual rights, and specifically to protect the innocent; and (3) I would agree that Chinese data in general is subject to suspicion, as for example their COVID reporting is simply not credible.
On the analysis: The readers make up their own facts, and jump to illogical conclusions from their fake evidence. Most state their points in an angry, confrontational manner. My conclusion is that they are mostly GOP voters whose anger dominates any rational thinking. Their abject inability to apply critical analysis to the events of the day is a huge problem in our democracy. We will survive only if the majority of the population remains committed to rational thought and engages in civil discourse. As a society, right now we are coming up short. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/six-killed-in-knife-attack-at-china-kindergarten-34c3f42b .
DeMentis responds to falling poll numbers: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4087732-desantis-on-reports-of-stalled-2024-campaign-media-does-not-want-me-to-be-the-nominee/ . So perhaps the media does not want Ron to be the GOP nominee. However, based on his poll numbers, GOP voters don’t want him either.
Larry Nasser survives prison stabbing: https://apnews.com/article/larry-nassar-gymnastics-stabbed-prison-98c5ca2052f0ebce4a785f5fa2b2ede2 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/larry-nassar-doctor-who-sexually-abused-gymnasts-stabbed-in-prison-1f1c7e7a .
PGA board member resigns over LIV deal: https://sports.yahoo.com/pga-board-member-resigns-over-034622761.html . Most fans and most PGA golfers agree that the deal is ethically reprehensible. Finally someone in power did something in protest. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/sports/golf/pga-tour-liv-golf-senate-hearing-59260c22 .