Brain hemorrhages in two Danish hospital staff after AstraZeneca vaccination: https://thehill.com/policy/international/europe/544189-two-danish-patients-have-brain-hemorrhages-following-astrazeneca . The drip, drip, drip of AstraZeneca problems continues.
Europe fumbles vaccination: https://sports.yahoo.com/why-europes-astra-zeneca-vaccine-fumble-could-be-bad-news-for-the-us-090020186.html . Recent events have created considerable vaccine skepticism in Europe about AstraZeneca. This in turn could spill into Africa and Asia.
Will the US follow Europe into another COVID wave?: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/europe/coronavirus-europe-third-wave-intl/index.html . With our failure to put in place all the public health tools (genomic testing, contact tracing), rapid vaccination is our only weapon. The Biden administration has done everything it can to deploy that weapon. We don’t know to what extent Texas’ Abbott and Florida’s DeMentis will screw that up with their anti-science re-opening declarations.
Spring break emergency in Miami Beach: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/miami-beach-declares-state-emergency-over-spring-break-crowds-n1261673 . For the governor to brag about his COVID performance is … well, Dementis.
How expert are the experts?: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/scientists-underestimated-the-coronavirus-%e2%80%94-and-are-racing-to-keep-up-with-evolution/ar-BB1ekNbq?li=BBnb7Kz . We are a culture of armchair quarterbacks. The key to me is that the mRNA vaccine technology offers a rapid response mechanism to virus mutation. We’ve never had that before, and it is quite clearly sorely needed. Without it, the pandemic would have been much, much worse.
Focus on New York nursing home deaths: https://apnews.com/article/us-news-new-york-coronavirus-pandemic-nursing-homes-08cd2ed9c308d30f7de28b9f5ae7a83b . A part of the New York problem appears to be poor response to the pandemic in a small number of nursing homes. This data needs to be checked against their relative size to really understand whether the death rates are out of the ordinary.
Brazilian variant found in New York: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-york-has-its-first-case-brazilian-coronavirus-variant-n1261674 . In a highly mobile world, there are downsides to being a melting pot.
Fauci points out UK variant spread in US: https://www.axios.com/fauci-uk-variant-us-coronavirus-infections-70fbc1da-661d-4171-a44c-a811ba4ae509.html . No surprise here.
Half of UK adults have received first vaccine dose: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56469092 . Here is a real-time nationwide test of the UK variant against the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Brazil looking to get vaccine from US: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil/brazil-in-talks-with-united-states-for-excess-covid-19-vaccines-foreign-ministry-says-idUSKBN2BC0M3?il=0 . This is the next logical step after Canada and Mexico. It revives the Monroe doctrine. It also puts Biden in position to address the “Orange Julius Jr.” problem in Brazil. This will not go unnoticed throughout the Western Hemisphere. We now have the production capacity coming online to turn the tide worldwide. We just need to be sure the supply chain remains full.
The race continues in Chile: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil/brazil-in-talks-with-united-states-for-excess-covid-19-vaccines-foreign-ministry-says-idUSKBN2BC0M3?il=0 .
How should the US distribute its vaccine surplus?: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/20/us-is-set-to-have-a-vaccine-surplus-how-should-it-use-the-doses . The ultimate distribution will be a combination of these approaches. It absolutely is wise to plan this distribution now. I expect the White House is already doing that.
Coronavirus protests continue in Germany despite rising cases: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-anti-lockdown-protest-turns-violent-in-kassel/a-56938225 . Far-right elements globally see “protest” as a cover for violence. This is behind attempts to blame far-left elements – the goal is conflict, not protest.
Republic of Congo opposition candidate has COVID: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-03-20/republic-of-congo-candidate-hospitalized-with-covid-19 .
Foreign visitors barred from Tokyo Olympics: https://variety.com/2021/sports/asia/tokyo-olympics-bar-foreign-fans-1234935065/ . This will be a major hit to businesses which had planned on Olympic income. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/spectators-from-overseas-to-be-barred-from-tokyo-olympics-11616241099 .
There’s a lot of coronavirus in bat populations: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/03/19/979314118/next-pandemic-scientists-fear-another-coronavirus-could-jump-from-animals-to-hum . This does not make coronavirus like influenza medically. But it does show that coronavirus is likely permanently embedded in the global human population at our present state of medical knowledge.
WSJ: COVID’s effect on global military spending: https://www.wsj.com/articles/arms-industry-usually-a-bastion-of-resilience-is-quieted-by-covid-19-11616253101 . To put this material in perspective, US military spending is almost half of the world’s total at $732 billion, and more than 3 times that of China: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/military-spending-defense-budget . The recent news that China would quickly defeat us in a regional war in Asia demonstrates the lack of flexibility in our military investments. Some of the stuff we are doing is the equivalent of the Polish cavalry in World War II. We may end up just letting China absorb Hong Kong and Taiwan. More: https://nypost.com/2021/03/11/us-war-games-over-china-threat-warn-of-likely-defeat-report/ .
Biden allies to build war chest: https://www.wsj.com/articles/pro-biden-group-to-raise-unlimited-sums-wont-disclose-donors-11616258669 . Escalating the finance war only makes sense if the Democrats spend this money wisely. The 2020 Senate races indicated that Democrats could not flip reddish Senate seats, even with popular candidates and heavy funding (Maine, Iowa, and Montana). Bloomberg’s $100 million in Florida also went down the rabbit hole.
Filibuster reform keeps moving: https://www.vox.com/2021/3/20/22341271/feinstein-filibuster-reform-talking-joe-manchin-kyrsten-sinema-joe-biden-senate-60-votes . Moving where is the question. Modest reform will not produce real change. However, listening to Flyin’ Ted might do it. It’s like moving to Hell. More: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/20/dianne-feinstein-senate-filibuster-477305 . Still more: https://www.salon.com/2021/03/20/joe-manchins-filibuster-demands-might-end-up-making-republican-obstruction-even-worse/ . Hey, at least we’re actually talking about policy again.
Is the filibuster racist?: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/legal-expert-dismisses-absurd-democratic-claims-filibuster-is-rooted-in-racism/ar-BB1eLFRE?li=BBnb7Kz . So the filibuster’s most famous uses are against civil rights legislation but it’s not racist? The fundamental issue is that the Senate is unrepresentative. Originally stacked as the primary bulwark preserving slavery, it now promotes rural dominance over urban areas. By promoting minority rule within minority rule, the filibuster is fundamentally undemocratic. That has never changed in over 200 years.
Conservative movement files for intellectual bankruptcy: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/heritage-foundation-mocked-for-defending-british-monarchy-from-american-radical-left/ar-BB1eMQYn?li=BBnb7Kz . It looks like a Chapter 7 filing – complete liquidation. We know there’s nothing left of the Republican Party. It turns out they’re reinventing themselves as the Tories.
Nuts 2.0: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/20/revealed-man-behind-fast-growing-cult-becoming-the-new-qanon-sabmyk-network . How can people believe this lunacy? Is this the social consequence of “reality” TV?
How real election fraud works: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/florida-democrats-allege-evidence-of-real-voter-fraud-call-for-gop-state-senator-to-resign/ar-BB1eLNAL?li=BBnb7Kz .