Increased diabetes risk after COVID: https://news.yahoo.com/covid-increased-risk-diabetes-new-study-203254291.html . The risk is highest in the first 3 months after a COVID infection. This is an awful example of long COVID.
Zero COVID causes iPhone plant riot: https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-social-media-covid-apple-inc-de96ca707008f1ae48820ed573c56865 . Meanwhile, China expands lockdowns as cases rise: https://apnews.com/article/health-business-china-beijing-covid-503f456d60db49fde9b0d49bd68a908f . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/much-of-china-locks-down-with-no-end-to-zero-covid-in-sight-11669206633 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/iphone-factory-workers-clash-with-police-at-covid-hit-plant-in-china-11669193001 .
Vaccinated people now majority of COVID deaths: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/covid-is-no-longer-mainly-a-pandemic-of-the-unvaccinated-here-s-why/ar-AA14sw71?cvid=f4c9a13f9e1b4efcb7f8f649994c39e1 . Well, yes, 58% is a majority of the deaths. But the vaccinated are also a majority of the US population. Many of the vaccinated are failing to keep with the boosters (I just had my third booster today).
WSJ: Thanksgiving creates possible COVID surge: https://www.wsj.com/articles/thanksgiving-poses-next-covid-19-test-as-u-s-looks-to-dodge-severe-surge-11669180213 . This represents the combination of new variants with the widespread failure to keep up with the booster shots.
Measles now imminent global threat: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/measles-imminent-global-threat-due-pandemic-cdc-who-rcna58576 .
Will World Cup gatherings fuel Brazil’s latest COVID wave?: https://www.todayonline.com/world/world-cup-gatherings-may-fuel-brazils-latest-covid-wave-experts-warn-2054781 . Yes. We know how highly contagious COVID is.
Georgia Supreme Court reinstates abortion ban: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/georgia-abortion-ban_n_637e522ae4b0b7f65302f0ce . WSJ: State-by-state status of abortion access: https://www.wsj.com/articles/where-abortion-is-legal-and-where-it-loses-protections-without-roe-v-wade-11656080346 . More on Georgia: https://www.wsj.com/articles/georgias-six-week-abortion-ban-reinstated-by-state-supreme-court-11669224954 .
Demographic crisis in South Korea: https://apnews.com/article/health-business-south-korea-demographics-589d1cd13582f22498dc64a707c75a4d .
How Putin’s regime will collapse: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/11/23/how-exactly-could-the-putin-regime-collapse-a79451 . Wait, so how exactly can the Moscow Times publish this? For one thing, the author is no longer in Russia: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-opposition-politician-leaves-country-jail/32057580.html .
WSJ: Weekly jobless claims rise to 240,000: https://www.wsj.com/articles/jobless-claims-rise-but-remain-near-prepandemic-lows-11669211632 .
WSJ: Credit Suisse continues to swoon: https://www.wsj.com/articles/credit-suisse-warns-of-1-6-billion-loss-after-clients-pull-money-11669190614 .
Majority of Fed governors favor slowing rate hikes: https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-prices-government-and-politics-3dac7ecefb67c8c076b7d1e5fd6363a1 . The problem with this viewpoint is that inflation is nowhere near 2%. My view continues to be that the December increase will be data driven, and we must wait for the data released before the next Fed meeting. That said, a 50 basis point increase is still a large increase. More: https://www.usnews.com/news/economy/articles/2022-11-23/fed-minutes-anticipate-a-slowdown-in-interest-rate-hikes-soon-and-a-recession-in-2023-as-likely . Remember that Powell said the Fed would take a recession in order to slow inflation to their 2% target. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stocks-markets-dow-update-11-23-2022-11669203263 .
WSJ: Steep holiday discounts this year: https://www.wsj.com/articles/retailers-holiday-discounts-are-steeper-this-year-cfos-say-11669158347 . Remarkably, the Journal misses all of the key points: (1) Of course you try to lower inventory in advance of a recession; (2) Part of the high inventory comes from unwinding kinks in the supply chain; (3) the contraction of margins could improve the inflation figures, however that is misleading long-term because underlying wholesale prices are still rising.
WSJ: How crypto’s collapse may have helped the economy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-cryptos-collapse-may-have-done-the-economy-a-favor-11669215926 . The Journal’s thesis may be correct, but again it misses the main reason. The economy is awash in money because of the poor financial controls over the massive bailout monies (especially under OJ). But the crypto collapse is wringing some significant amount of speculative investment out of existence.
Russia continues pummeling civilian targets: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-40fcb95d1940825b99188256ee218d0d . This behavior constitutes an ongoing war crime. WSJ: The Pope is on the same page: https://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-compares-russias-war-against-ukraine-to-genocide-11669211401 . More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-strikes-maternity-ward-in-southern-ukraine-11669196039 .
FTX bankruptcy: More questions about regulatory oversight: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/crypto-firm-ftx-s-ownership-of-a-u-s-bank-raises-questions/ar-AA14twxS?cvid=fe520e5baef7484f9b3d6ab2c16067bb . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ftx-hires-ex-regulators-to-investigate-firms-collapse-11669233784 .
Mass shooting in southeastern Virginia: https://apnews.com/article/walmart-shooting-chesapeake-virginia-b52927596381aa65efed367ce0c81c83 . I did not report the mass shooting in Colorado at the Q Club, and for that I apologize. These horrific incidents serve to sadly demonstrate how common mass shootings now are. When defined as 4 or more people killed or wounded, there have been over 600 this year – almost 2 a day. We are the only country in the developed world with anything like this sort of statistic. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/walmart-employee-mass-shooting-chesapeake-virginia-11669183175 .
Blame for this sits at the doorstep of the GOP members of Congress, who refuse to act, and of the late but not great Justice Scalia, who acted dishonestly in DC v Heller (2008). Scalia, it turns out, was only a strict constructionist when it produced the result he wanted. So he ignored the opening phrase of the Second Amendment, “A well-regulated militia”, to create an individual right to gun ownership that had never existed in the prior 232 years of the Republic. The Brady Bill worked. It should be reinstated.
OJ has reported significant tax losses for many years: https://thehill.com/policy/finance/3747791-accountant-testifies-trump-reported-significant-tax-losses-for-a-decade/ . Nothing about the tax losses is surprising. This is the way you build a fortune in real estate. You own properties that generate positive cash flow, but use depreciation to carry them as a loss each year for tax purposes. Of more interest is the wildly different valuations used between the loan applications and the tax reporting. That is fraud.
Federal appeals court may shut down OJ special master process: https://www.salon.com/2022/11/23/goodbye-cannon-experts-say-judges-controversial-pro-order-doomed-after-hostile-hearing/ .
Former AG Barr calls for GOP to move past OJ: https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3746717-barr-warns-trump-will-burn-the-whole-house-down-calls-for-new-gop-leader/ . The chorus opposing OJ rises.
Arizona governor moves past Kari Lake: https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-phoenix-doug-ducey-government-and-politics-1424be6b938d47a27a81c007aab5bade . Meanwhile, Kari Lake refuses to understand that her 15 minutes of fame are over: https://www.nationalreview.com/news/i-still-have-hope-defeated-arizona-gubernatorial-candidate-kari-lake-insists-race-isnt-over/ . So hope is not evidence. Go away. WSJ: The Arizona AG candidate’s no-evidence lawsuit: https://www.wsj.com/articles/gop-candidate-for-arizona-attorney-general-sues-to-reverse-election-11669244190 . Again, go away. The only thing you’ve proved is that you’re unfit to be attorney general.
Murkowski wins, Palin and OJ lose again: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/sen-lisa-murkowski-wins-re-election-alaska-fending-trump-backed-challe-rcna58447 .
WSJ: Sponsian: A newly discovered Roman emperor?: https://www.wsj.com/articles/gold-coins-ancient-rome-emperor-sponsian-11669229082 . This seems odd. If indeed this dude was in Romania at the time it was separated from the rest of the empire, it seems more plausible that he was the leader in Romania, but not of the entire empire. So that seems to be the theory of this article. But if so, why call him a Roman emperor? At best, he was a Romanian emperor.
World Cup 2022: Japan defeats Germany: https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-2022-germany-upset-by-a-japan-team-that-its-own-bundesliga-helped-create-150110177.html . Seems like a fictional World War II headline, right? This stunning upset gets little play because of the remarkable upset of Argentina by Saudi Arabia yesterday. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-germany-world-cup-11669217060 . Next up: US v England on Friday: https://www.wsj.com/articles/usa-england-world-cup-preview-qatar-2022-11669228851 . My view is that the US is likely to lose this match, and they have to try to hold the loss to a one goal margin: https://www.wsj.com/articles/usa-england-world-cup-preview-qatar-2022-11669228851 .