COVID deaths: 1 in 500 Americans: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/572396-1-in-500-us-residents-has-died-of-covid-19-cnn-analysis . For those over 85, the number is 1 in 35, according to CBS. Some hoax.
NIH to study long COVID: https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/15/health/long-covid-nih-study/index.html . Whenever we make it through the pandemic, this will be one of the significant residual medical problems.
COVID surge in Tennessee worsens: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tennessee-covid-surge-new-cases/ .
Pennsylvania hospital will allow employees with natural immunity to refuse vaccination: https://www.mcall.com/coronavirus/mc-nws-coronavirus-st-lukes-vaccine-mandate-exemption-natural-immunity-20210913-pie6ycgsnra4pfqmdqlaamrjyi-story.html . This decision follows neither science nor logic. There have been multiple cases of people having COVID twice. In many of those cases the illness was worse the second time than the first. The vaccine is safe and effective. And this idiotic rule is going to encourage the dimwits in our population to have COVID parties. That way, by catching the disease, they can avoid vaccination. Do you see a problem here?
I have no plans to visit the Lehigh Valley. If you somehow get ill there in the future, please consider an air ambulance to get the hell out.
WSJ: Biden meets with 9 corporate executives for input on vaccine mandates: https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-to-meet-with-top-executives-on-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-11631696400 .
No-fridge COVID vaccine shows promise: https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/572394-no-fridge-coronavirus-vaccine-looks-promising . This seems very important for rural communities outside of developed countries.
Dr. Fauci responds to Nicki Minaj: https://www.today.com/health/dr-fauci-debunks-nicki-minaj-s-covid-19-vaccine-claim-t231136 . Did the founders anticipate this? No, for sure, but it is appalling that our society has come to this. If this makes you feel any better, the British are pants-down ridiculous on this “situation”: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-58571353 .
WSJ: The booster debate continues: https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-says-covid-19-vaccines-remain-effective-without-boosters-11631726504 . As this newsletter has said many times, efficacy is a complicated topic. However, it is obvious that older individuals benefit from the booster. As stated previously, the question is the lowest age at which it is safe to skip the booster.
The hard road of at-home testing gets harder: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/09/14/1037077480/an-epidemiologist-says-at-home-testing-is-key-to-stopping-covid . We have failed to prepare in this area. It is coming back to bite us again.
Pew polling on US public’s opinion of COVID restrictions: They’re worth it: https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/09/15/majority-in-u-s-says-public-health-benefits-of-covid-19-restrictions-worth-the-costs-even-as-large-shares-also-see-downsides/ .
WSJ: Hearing on Texas abortion law set for October 1: https://www.wsj.com/articles/justice-department-asks-federal-judge-to-quickly-block-texas-abortion-law-11631684768 .
Child tax credit highly popular with Republican voters, changes dynamics of reconciliation bill negotiations: https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2021-09-15/bidens-child-tax-credit-pays-big-in-republican-states-popular-with-voters . This excellent reporting from Reuters has significant implications. The main argument for this provision is that it has lifted 50% of poor children out of poverty (a terrific result). There has been the suggestion of targeting this to lower income levels in order to reduce its cost. However, targeting must now be done carefully to preserve its popularity.
It should not be a surprise that Utah is at the top of the list of states benefitting from this provision. But it is surprising that all 10 of the top states voted for Orange Julius, and that 9 of the 10 bottom states are Democratic. Here is the state-by-state data: https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-BIDEN/zgvombbaxvd/ .
Here are the details of how the credit works: https://news.yahoo.com/irs-sends-third-round-of-child-tax-credit-payments-201949733.html . 88% of American children are currently eligible.
Democrats look to reform California recall rules: https://apnews.com/article/california-recall-elections-california-legislature-recall-elections-1adf734ea4e67cbf7dcdf6c6f7486338 . No kidding. Many more voters could have voted not to recall Newsom (say 49% of the total) than the number who voted for the replacement (46 challengers were involved). How is that “one person, one vote”?
WSJ: Our calculator isn’t working today: https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-recall-effort-fails-gavin-newsom-remains-governor-11631678768 . Look, Newsom was asked to stay by 66% of the people. The 43.6% achieved by Elder in the just-over half of voters who voted for a replacement is meaningless. Elder temporarily got more listeners for his talk show. But he’s never going to be elected governor of California.
Jen Psaki rejects Republican calls to force out Milley: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/psaki-rejects-gop-calls-for-gen-mark-milleys-dismissal-saying-many-of-them-were-silent-as-trump-fomented-an-insurrection/ar-AAOtKzQ?li=BBnb7Kz . Once again, Jen Psaki has hit the corrupt nail on the head. She is the most talented political combatant of 2021. WSJ: Yeah, even we had to notice her, but we don’t like it: https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-expresses-confidence-in-mark-milley-after-reports-of-generals-talks-with-china-11631737118 .
The top dangers of artificial intelligence: https://news.yahoo.com/ex-google-exec-describes-4-top-dangers-of-artificial-intelligence-151942272.html . This is a thoughtful article based on input from a knowledgeable and experienced expert. The dangers he describes are: (1) changing the nature of warfare; (2) ignoring externalities (in layman’s terms, considerations outside the AI’s programming); (3) personal data risks; and (4) inability to explain consequential choices. Put differently, human thought has creative elements which AI does not have. Obviously, that is dangerous.
The latest twists in the bizarre South Carolina murder case: https://apnews.com/article/health-shootings-south-carolina-insurance-fraud-assisted-suicide-44624b2b2d58d13042daf2cfec88185a . Previously, we considered the shooting of this lawyer and the separate shootings and deaths of his wife and son. The only logical suspects were an unknown drug dealer or the lawyer himself.
Police now say the shooting of the lawyer is solved. He arranged the shooting to have himself killed, in order that his surviving son would collect his $10 million in life insurance. The shooter has confessed. He is a drug dealer whom the lawyer has known since at least 2013. So the logical inference is that these two have had an ongoing relationship. The shooter may well have been the lawyer’s drug supplier.
However, this leaves us with the murders of the wife and child. Suspicion now falls even more heavily on the lawyer. We know he arranged a shooting (his own) where murder was (apparently) the intended result. The drug dealer may have been the shooter of the wife and child, or involved in arranging it for the lawyer. Does he have an alibi? We also know lying to police has been part of the lawyer’s behavior. Additional lying remains a strong possibility here.
Here is another theory suggested to me today. Perhaps his plan all along was to leave the $10 million to the surviving son. To do that, he would need to get the wife and other son out of the way. That is a pretty gruesome theory, but this guy obviously made many poor decisions.
And, a criminal probe into another death in this household: https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-south-carolina-probe-death-housekeeper . When has one household been involved in so many bizarre situations?
Olympic Valley is the new name for Squaw Valley, with the resort renamed Palisades Tahoe: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/squaw-valley-renamed-palisades-tahoe . There are spectacular ski resorts ringing Lake Tahoe, particularly at the north end. The summer recreation here is also fabulous, and I particularly recommend hiking (which is at 7,000 to 8,000 feet) in Olympic Valley. The Washoe name is well memorialized in this area. It is the name of the county which touches Lake Tahoe on the Nevada side. Reno is the county seat. This renaming is long overdue; many western states have gotten rid of these offensive geographic references.