Alzheimer’s drug disproportionately benefits whites: https://www.aol.com/promising-alzheimers-drugs-may-benefit-090433137.html . We have not yet unraveled the mysteries of Alzheimer’s, so the role of amyloid plaque is not yet fully understood. Also note that Ashkenazi Jews have a disproportionate susceptibility to the disease: https://www.jpost.com/science/article-745168 . As this group has historically had an isolated gene pool, whites excluding this group would have even lower average susceptibility.
It could be that amyloid plaque is a causative factor is whites, but a less important factor in other groups. Study groups involving Black and Hispanic patients, including genetic analysis, could help further our understanding of Alzheimer’s.
Leprosy becoming endemic in Central Florida: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/leprosy-endemic–central-florida-cdc-what-to-know-disease/ . Did you need another reason not to vacation in Florida?
WSJ: Is it worth it to own stocks?: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-benefit-of-owning-stocks-over-bonds-keeps-shrinking-20528203 . Comparing earnings to bond yield is the appropriate comparison. What this shows is that stocks are currently considerably overvalued.
WSJ: Low-end shopping malls drop 50% to 70% in value: https://www.wsj.com/articles/local-malls-stuck-in-death-spiral-plunge-in-value-a7998b7d . As this newsletter has noted often, commercial real estate in the US has a serious valuation problem. There will be pain for owners and lenders as this reality sinks in.
WSJ: China’s economy continues to struggle: https://www.wsj.com/articles/small-investors-are-a-big-problem-in-china-374f8345 . More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-economy-stutters-forward-as-growth-concerns-linger-1be8acb2 .
Biden keeps Space Command in Colorado: https://apnews.com/article/space-command-biden-colorado-alabama-382b12b57733848fd1d083227aefa0bf . Sensitive military operations are safer in the center of the country than on the coasts, because missile flight times are greater no matter where their launch is from outside the United States (think submarine launches). That’s why NORAD is headquartered in Colorado. And also, screw you, Tommy Tuberville. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/reversing-trump-biden-orders-space-command-to-stay-in-colorado-87c01965 .
Risks of Orange Julius’ Truth Social: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattnovak/2023/07/29/how-truth-social-could-be-weaponized-by-donald-trump-in-2024/?sh=396e92e043bc . While we are some distance away from this weaponization, Forbes points out that the distance is not that great. Truth Social is open to the public, and in all likelihood DOJ and the FBI are monitoring OJ’s Truth Social platform for litigation evidence in the current cases. However, the MAGA Maniacs used encrypted communications before January 6, and they are certainly capable of doing so again. Obviously, this structure did not exist before January 6, and it is part of the increased danger of the present environment.
Georgia OJ election fraud indictment nears: https://www.reuters.com/legal/judge-rejects-trumps-bid-disqualify-georgia-prosecutor-probing-him-filing-2023-07-31/ . The attempts of a defendant to go on offense typically fail. That’s why they’re called defend-ants. OJ is not getting much legal value for the $40 million spent in legal fees so far this year. More: https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-georgia-grand-jury-investigation-30f7874b58137831cfa5dd86415a9e9f .
Are OJ’s legal fees $40 million or $20 million?: https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-legal-expenses-are-nowhere-close-to-reports-according-to-federal-election-commission-filing . According to the filing, they’re $20 million. But if that’s true, on what did the PAC spend $100 million over the last year? Maybe they invested in those OJ NFT cards … This matter needs more explanation …
DeMentis’ “comeback” seems to have left out the comeback part: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-awkward-comeback-effort-rcna97317 . You cut the ticket price from $50 to $1? You started an hour late? And you got 30 people? That’s a ton of mistakes for one day. Maybe you should fire more people, Ron.
Senator Chris Murphy calls out Justice Alito as “stunningly wrong”: https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/4127893-murphy-conservative-supreme-court-justices-see-themselves-as-politicians/ . As Murphy points out, quite obviously the Constitution gives Congress some power over the Supreme Court. The Court’s independence traces to Chief Justice Marshall’s famous opinion in Marbury v Madison (1803), which established independent judicial review. That is clearly not the same thing as an independent Court, as Murphy points out. Murphy is also indirectly reaffirming that Congress and the President have the right to pack the Supreme Court.
WSJ: We are not smart enough to interview Justice Alito: https://www.wsj.com/articles/samuel-alito-the-supreme-courts-plain-spoken-defender-precedent-ethics-originalism-5e3e9a7 . I passed over this trash “interview” the Journal published on Friday because it’s more of a praise piece than actual news. However, this educated rebuttal of both the interview and Justice Alito’s ridiculous viewpoints is well worth reading, and the Journal piece is needed for context: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/07/alito-supreme-court-feud-sotomayor-kagan-jackson.html . Alito’s swipe at the liberals clearly demonstrates that he does not think about the issues the liberals raise. If he did, he should see clear differences in their approach, as this author concisely documents. Alito really is not a knowledgeable lawyer – he’s just a political hack, and a very poor one at that.
UPDATE: Yellow Trucking bankruptcy: https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/31/business/yellow-corp-closing/index.html . In addition to the 22,000 Teamsters out of work, 8,000 non-union employees lost their jobs. The article notes that the backbreaker was not the union contract, but the $1.5 billion in debt carried by the company. The debt came from a merger with its main rival, while non-union companies ate away its market share. Note that the recent major contract with UPS (300,000 Teamsters) is helpful to the Teamsters pension fund in dealing with the Yellow Trucking failure. But then there’s self-driving trucks …
Lori Vallow Daybell sentenced to life in prison without parole: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lori-vallow-sentenced-life-prison-murders-2-children-romantic-rival-rcna97312 . This horrific, years long murder case nears its end. Her mental health evaluation said she suffered from “hyper religiosity”. In any event, she is a narcissistic egomaniac, and rambled insanely at her sentencing.
Illogical Musk threatens to sue researchers who have found a rise in hate speech on X-Twitter: https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-lawsuit-cchd-twitter-x-hate-speech-extremism-434a80631f9e76833ee30387c04dd290 . So Musk wants to encourage all speech but punish research? If the research has flaws, Musk should provide research showing the actual situation. Musk really has no business in the social media business, because he does not understand the responsibilities surrounding free speech.
Hubble Telescope finds a planet with the hiccups: https://www.aol.com/news/hubble-space-telescope-sees-planet-175812204.html . As the article notes, the term for this phenomenon in astronomy is “weird”.
WSJ: Pac-12 (now 9) struggles: https://www.wsj.com/sports/football/colorado-pac-12-big-12-ucla-usc-fbefe47b . There is considerable pressure on Oregon to have an outstanding football season this year. We will see.
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure ends as Paul Reubens passes at 70: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/paul-reubens-actor-best-known-pee-wee-herman-dies-70-rcna97343 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/paul-reubens-pee-wee-herman-creator-and-actor-dies-at-70-3b39db38 .