COVID air sanitizing spray coming: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2023-06-27/reckitt-creates-air-sanitizing-spray-effective-against-coronavirus . Reckitt owns the Lysol brand.
COVID fraud approaches $200 billion: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/biggest-fraud-generation-looting-covid-relief-program-known-ppp-n1279664 . So what group of morons designed PPP? You know. The PPP was signed into law on March 27, 2020 by Orange Julius. The fraud occurred because the payouts were untargeted, as the US lacked the administrative structure to target the program: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paycheck_Protection_Program . So one clear lesson of the pandemic is that we need to consider how to save jobs now, before another pandemic occurs. That could include a more infectious and deadly version of COVID at any time. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/treasury-shouldnt-have-given-pandemic-aid-to-trucking-company-report-finds-889cd7ad . This appears to be a separate issue under the CARES Act from the fraud discussed above.
Walgreens suffers COVID sales drop: https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2023-06-27/walgreens-cuts-profit-forecast-on-lower-covid-vaccine-demand . This is precisely what will make us vulnerable to a new COVID variant. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/walgreens-wba-q3-earnings-report-2023-5d1d81ca .
WSJ: Malaria outbreak in the US: https://www.wsj.com/articles/malaria-is-contracted-within-u-s-borders-for-first-time-in-two-decades-138fb7d . Yes, but a day late from other media sources.
More fungal meningitis cases link to Mexico cosmetic surgery: WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-deaths-in-fungal-meningitis-outbreak-linked-to-cosmetic-surgeries-in-mexico-8a48f43b .
WSJ: Ozempic alternatives advance: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-drugs-that-are-gaining-on-ozempic-71cdeb51 .
Mental enhancement through drugs in Silicon Valley: WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/silicon-valley-microdosing-ketamine-lsd-magic-mushrooms-d381e214 .
WSJ: Norovirus outbreaks explode on cruise ships: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cruises-norovirus-viking-infections-illness-96d022ed . I don’t call these ships floating Petri dishes for nothing.
A new employee benefit: Grandternity leave: WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/grandparents-get-their-version-of-parental-leave-825fa88c . The country is slowly coming to a broader understanding of family leave.
WSJ: South Koreans get younger as we recycle the news: https://www.wsj.com/articles/south-korea-age-law-change-1a9efc03 . Okay, this is interesting, but the Journal ran (and we reported) this news on December 9, 2022. The same author, Dasl Yoon, is involved in both articles. What is the Journal doing? Several other news agencies are reporting this change today because South Korea’s change is effective tomorrow. It seems to me that the Journal should have followed its typical practice of updating the original article, but for some reason they did not here.
US home prices decline: WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-home-prices-posted-first-annual-decline-since-2012-in-april-a5d0bbdc . This is the first decline since 2011.
WSJ: China’s local governments faked property sales to inflate revenues: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-local-governments-used-fake-property-deals-to-boost-revenues-2e141906 . China’s property valuation crisis continues, although $12 billion is not a back-breaking amount in the general scheme of things.
WSJ: Why Sequoia Capital split its firm between the US and China: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sequoia-made-a-fortune-investing-in-the-u-s-and-china-then-it-had-to-pick-one-f13e7b91 .
Prigozhin now in Belarus: https://news.yahoo.com/plane-belonging-russian-mercenary-chief-105158644.html . Russia has also dropped charges against Prigozhin. And Wagner appears to be demilitarizing: https://www.wsj.com/articles/wagner-is-preparing-to-hand-over-heavy-weapons-russian-military-says-723e7a53 . So a part of the originally announced plan played out today, but the fate of Wagner operations remains unclear.
Lukashenko claims he convinced Putin not to kill Prigozhin: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/lukashenko-claims-he-persuaded-putin-not-to-kill-wagner-boss-prigozhin/ar-AA1d7XZf?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=a1e7006d9e2840b487d01eb51876fb9a&ei=96 .
Who helped Prigozhin?: The borscht hits the fan: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-747990 . For sure American officials planted this information with the New York Times to further undermine the Russian military structure. Is the speculation here, or US propaganda? Let’s think this through. Prigozhin would never have done this without a strong belief that others in Putin’s military would support him. How did Prigozhin’s troops take over Russia’s Southern Military Headquarters with essentially no opposition and then quickly drive over 500 miles toward Moscow?
This could not possibly have occurred without Russian troops being ordered not to engage. So who gave the orders? Putin claims he gave the orders in order to entrap Prigozhin. But if that is true, and Putin knew all along, why didn’t he annihilate Prigozhin? Why did Prigozhin’s troops go over 500 miles with no opposition? This strongly suggests that Putin did not know of Prigozhin’s plan in advance, in which case there are other traitors in the upper military ranks.
The US claims may be propaganda designed to push Russia’s leadership into further chaos, but that will only happen if some of this rings true to Putin. This episode is by no means over.
WSJ: Ukraine war endangers Russia’s stability: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-turmoil-shows-a-forever-war-in-ukraine-hurts-putin-5cbb8738 .
WSJ: Ukraine gets its stuff back: https://www.wsj.com/articles/amid-missiles-and-tanks-ukraine-wins-a-round-f214d152 .
Supreme Court rejects looney-tunes “independent legislature” theory: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-republicans-north-carolina-elections-dispute-rcna68630 . The Federalist Society is a conservative legal group that advocates for their members for Supreme Court seats and screwball legal theories that favor white power. Started in 1982 by 3 conservative law students [including Ted Olson (!)] and their professors [Antonin Scalia (!!) and Robert Bork (!!!)], this cup of poison has been brewing for 40 years.
As the article notes, while states conduct federal elections, these nuts wanted to give the state legislatures supreme authority over the process, allowing them to even violate state constitutional provisions (to promote white power). That violates the system of checks and balances fundamental to our theory of government, and could only attract 2½ nuts on the Court – Thomas, Alito and Gorsuch (who in my view is only half-nuts, up to now). The good news is that Amy Coney Barrett managed to vote with the majority in what should have been an easy case.
By the way, the “moot” case argument is completely dishonest. The NC Supreme Court had ruled against the NC legislature. Then, when the NC court shifted to majority Republican, the court reheard the case and allowed the severe gerrymandering originally proposed. They were trying to save the independent legislature theory by giving the US Supreme Court a way out of hearing this dog of a case. That was a political, not judicial, act. The dissenters wanted to allow that political BS. Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, said no. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-upholds-state-courts-power-to-prevent-gerrymanders-a3daf149 .
UPDATE: Clarence Thomas is unhappy about being sent back to the fringe: https://news.yahoo.com/clarence-thomas-isnt-happy-supreme-153029400.html . First, by his own admission, Thomas has been an angry black man his entire adult life, so nothing has changed. Second, at bottom this case is about the integrity of the US judicial system, which of course Thomas does not respect by his actions or words.
The knowledgeable ramp up their criticism of GOP politicians: https://www.rawstory.com/rick-scott-2661939731/ . Notable is the comment from Shannon Watts: https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1673721089288196096 . Her point is that social programs (yes, socialism) are heavily funding Florida. If you count the financial contribution of grandparents who bring their families to Disney World, Florida cannot exist in its current structure without socialism.
Former Orange Julius aide angry at OJ’s handling of classified documents: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-tape-alyssa-farah-griffin/ . This woman was also an aide to General Mark Milley. She is rightly furious. Hopefully, some of the MAGA Maniacs will listen to her.
Meanwhile, OJ files a truly ridiculous lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll: https://www.reuters.com/legal/trump-sues-e-jean-carroll-defamation-after-jury-finds-he-sexually-abused-her-2023-06-28/ . Good grief, who are these lawyers? Obviously, the fact that the jury did not find that she proved he raped her forms no basis whatsoever for a defamation suit. If OJ and his lawyers had any such proof that there was no rape, they should have introduced it in the original suit and asked for summary judgment. They did not. The judge let it go to the jury, believing there was a genuine issue of fact. This case should be tossed unless the OJ lawyers immediately offer additional proof. If they can’t, they should face sanctions. This is abuse of Ms. Carroll and of the courts.
OJ-touted electric truck company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/electric-truck-company-touted-trump-incredible-concept-files-bankruptcy . If Fox is now running articles on OJ’s screw-ups, they literally have enough material from here to eternity. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-lordstown-motors-dies-lordstowns-ev-business-survives-5f542671 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/lordstown-motors-bankruptcy-sues-foxconn-5c7a0f46 . So apparently Rupert Murdoch wanted this story to appear across his brands.
Lady Gaga to testify in Dangerfield widow’s fraud lawsuit: https://radaronline.com/p/lady-gaga-called-to-testify-lawsuit-millions-rodney-dangerfields-widow-business-deal-court/ . Some days the news is much stranger than fiction.
WSJ: SBF heads to trial in October: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sam-bankman-fried-loses-bid-for-dismissal-of-criminal-charges-8a1be18a . Elsewhere, Nevada looks to shutter Prime Trust: https://www.wsj.com/articles/nevada-files-to-place-crypto-custodian-prime-trust-into-receivership-15c97b8 . Things just get worse for crypto.
Ryan Seacrest to replace Pat Sajak: https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/ryan-seacrest-will-succeed-pat-sajak-host-wheel-fortune-rcna91432 . Among those names in public discussion, this was the obvious choice. I also suspect that Vanna White’s proposal was that she would host and that Pat’s daughter, Maggie, would turn letters. My guess is that Vanna (age 66) will retire in the next 2 seasons or less, as Pat will be around through next season: https://www.cinemablend.com/television/vanna-white-lawyered-up-wheel-of-fortune-future-could-go-different-directions .
“Pizza” fresco found in Pompeii: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-747875 . This is wild. Yes, the painting looks like a pizza. No, it can’t be a pizza in the modern sense because, for example, tomatoes came from the New World. Pompeii was destroyed in 79 AD, around the time it was invented in southern Italy. However, this very well could be a direct ancestor of the modern pizza, born in Naples (just north of Pompeii). It is believed to be a type of focaccia (hearth bread).
Finally, palm oil without the palm: https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/palmless-grip-zippers-pull-zips-leggings/ . The question is now whether the company can economically brew this oil at volume. I would bet they can, as halting the current deforestation is an important objective many people are willing to pay for. On cheap land, the necessary volume can be achieved at a lower economic cost than processing palms for oil.
Julian Sands, 65, found dead 5 months after disappearing on Mt. Baldy: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/julian-sands-dead-missing-room-with-a-view-1235656147/ .