BA.2.12.1 now dominant US variant: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2022-05-24/cdc-new-omicron-subvariant-ba-2-12-1-takes-over-as-dominant-coronavirus-strain . The Omicron variant was responsible for 58% of new cases reported last week.
WSJ: COVID vaccine and drug sales plateau: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-and-drug-sales-once-booming-plateau-11653384780 .
Vaccine patent waiver struggle continues: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-05-24/ngos-urge-biden-to-push-for-changes-to-wtos-covid-waiver-text .
WSJ: Smallpox vaccine production ramping up to counter monkeypox: https://www.wsj.com/articles/smallpox-vaccine-enters-wider-production-amid-monkeypox-outbreak-11653329895 .
COVID cases explode in Taiwan: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-05-24/taiwan-kept-covid-below-15-000-cases-for-all-2021-now-it-has-80-000-a-day-testing-its-new-model .
COVID cases rise in South America: https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-buenos-aires-argentina-caribbean-23dbfe568a6904e2187175844d9fd97a .
US birth rate rises for first time in 7 years: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-05-24/u-s-births-rise-for-the-first-time-in-seven-years-in-2021 . An alternate theory would be that working from home creates more time together. And remember, pregnancies occurring after March 2020 generate 2021 births. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-births-increase-for-first-time-since-2014-11653364861 .
WSJ: Hey, we just learned about the concept of “biological age”: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-old-are-you-really-meet-your-biological-age-11653388802 . Ahem. This concept has been around for a very long time. I remember our entire office being asked to fill out a survey questionnaire, after which we received individual results (confidentially) based on a computer model. This was in 1985.
Gunman kills at least 18 grade-school children and 2 adults in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-school-shooting-live-updates-272c7a5db6413da5022652013a2521da . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/suspected-shooter-at-texas-elementary-school-in-custody-after-incident-11653422735 . The 18-year-old gunman purchased two automatic rifles on his 18th birthday. He shot and killed his grandmother before his rampage at the elementary school. UPDATE: Sources now report a 19th child has died.
This has happened many times before, and we continue to do nothing. We are a broken society. This isn’t about moral or political courage. It is way past time to protect innocent people (and especially children) from nuts with guns. The most obvious solution is to license gun ownership, and screen anyone applying for a license for mental health issues. And to state the absolutely obvious, there is nothing in the Constitution that prevents us from protecting citizens from gun violence.
WSJ: Ukraine war could push over 70 countries into debt default: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-ukraine-war-precipitates-a-triple-crisis-in-poor-nations-11653406985 .
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp crushes OJ’s pick to beat him: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/24/1100739768/georgia-trump-kemp-perdue-abrams-primary-election-lies . OJ bailed on his pick, Perdue, about 10 days ago when it was abundantly clear that Kemp would win easily. However, as this demonstrated the limited value of an OJ endorsement, OJ held a rally with Perdue last night. Meanwhile, Mike Pence rallied with Kemp. Brad Raffensperger also beat his OJ-picked primary opponent: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/brad-raffensperger-targeted-trump-wins-ga-gop-primary-secretary-state-rcna30192 .
And OJ backed out of his endorsement of Mo Brooks. Brooks’ numbers then improved, and he is heading into a runoff: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/25/1101130940/katie-britt-and-u-s-rep-mo-brooks-are-headed-for-an-alabama-senate-runoff . However, Brooks appears unlikely to win the runoff.
GOP serving fruitcake three times a day: https://news.yahoo.com/hed-poll-61-of-trump-voters-agree-with-idea-behind-great-replacement-conspiracy-theory-090004062.html . People fed a steady diet of racist lunacy refuse their vaccination shots.
WSJ: Jen Psaki to join MSNBC this fall: https://www.wsj.com/articles/jen-psaki-to-join-msnbc-as-on-air-contributor-this-fall-11653400801 .
WSJ: MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropy continues: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mackenzie-scotts-latest-donation-brings-total-giving-to-more-than-12-billion-11653412336 .