Long COVID hits one-eighth of patients: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-08-04/study-1-in-8-coronavirus-patients-will-develop-long-covid . Some prior estimates have indicated up to 30% of COVID patients suffer long COVID symptoms. Differing definitions of long COVID may be involved here. As the article indicates, as the virus continues to mutate, these findings may change.
South African death from COVID vaccine: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-08-04/south-africa-reports-first-death-causally-linked-to-covid-vaccine .
COVID surge in Russia: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-08-04/russia-sees-largest-covid-cases-daily-increase-since-april .
US declares monkeypox health emergency: https://apnews.com/article/monkeypox-public-health-emergency-us-f336fc99abd57f0866a38b578d5bb44c .
US leads world in monkeypox: https://www.aol.com/news/repeating-early-covid-mistakes-us-102045857.html . Other reporting says cases are now over 7,000, and 99% of patients are gay or bisexual men.
Polio community spread in New York: https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-08-04/polio-virus-found-in-more-ny-wastewater-after-recent-case . Hopefully someone is paying attention to halting this polio spread. Polio, obviously, is a more serious illness than monkeypox.
Australia’s bad flu season a warning for the US: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/australia-flu-season-warning-sign-us-this-year-rcna40123 . Ah, yet another reason points toward a US and global recession.
Lilly hit by lower insulin prices: https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-08-04/eli-lilly-quarterly-profit-falls-31-on-diabetes-drug-weakness . I am eager for Medicare to start negotiating drug prices. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/eli-lilly-revenue-falls-as-sales-of-covid-19-treatment-wanes-11659612127 .
WSJ: Weekly jobless claims rise to 260,000: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-jobless-claims-rose-last-week-to-near-high-for-year-11659617919 . Recession is here, and deepening …
WSJ: US mortgage rates drop below 5%, barely: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mortgage-rates-hit-4-99-dropping-below-5-for-first-time-since-april-11659621623 .
Bank of England predicts recession in fourth quarter: https://apnews.com/article/inflation-russia-ukraine-united-kingdom-3b41a590eda012fa9da043a53324d00b . Note the prediction that the recession will last through all of 2023. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bank-of-england-makes-biggest-rate-rise-since-1995-as-inflation-soars-11659611012 .
WSJ: Truss gains in UK prime minister race: https://www.wsj.com/articles/liz-truss-leads-race-to-become-next-u-k-prime-minister-11659609001 .
Sinema signs off on Inflation Reduction Act: https://apnews.com/article/biden-congress-government-and-politics-c8e87f1c559a09114355330e1af21143 . While stripped down from Build Back Better, this remains a huge win for Biden and for Democrats up for re-election in November. It is also a huge win for the American people and the planet. However, the Democrats apparently watered down the tax provisions to secure Sinema’s vote: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-sinema-reach-deal-on-inflation-reduction-act-after-key-changes-to-tax-policies/ar-AA10k4nq?cvid=7aecce7fb9d54a468c2def59e3e03653 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/kyrsten-sinema-gop-fuel-fears-for-fate-of-democrats-climate-plan-11659618001 .
Americans are unhappy and confused. So are the pollsters: https://news.yahoo.com/poll-trump-biden-2024-yougov-090012119.html . This poll contains a number of seemingly contradictory findings. However, the article’s attempt to make sense of the findings falls far short. Here is an alternate explanation which I believe is better supported by the figures.
A key finding is that most Democrats and Republicans do not want Biden to run again in 2024. Only 18% favor this, including only 29% of those “who voted for him”. This last finding is unverifiable by the poll; it would be stronger if they computed this for Democrats who voted for him. Why 18%? There are two obvious reasons. One, Biden would be 82 when re-elected. Two, he said as a candidate that he would be a one-term President. Biden does say he’s running again, but that’s because saying he’s not running again immediately makes him a lame duck president.
Still, if it came down to a Biden-Orange Julius match-up, Biden wins 45-42. How is that possible? This demonstrates that while OJ has high loyalty in his base, he also has very high negatives outside that base. It further suggests that if the Democrats can put forward a strong candidate (Gavin Newsom?), that candidate could crush OJ in 2024. Also, a lot can happen in two years – most likely, OJ will be indicted by DOJ. This poll suggests that will terminate OJ’s chances of return, especially if he is convicted.
The poll further finds a strong desire for a new centrist party. So we already have one – the Yang-Whitman “Forward Party”. Who cares? It starts off with essentially no support and is led by essentially no-name leaders of the past. More importantly, it has no policy positions. Once it does, it will have even less support. However, no one thinks the current GOP is capable of becoming a centrist party before it suffers a crushing defeat at the polls. Thus, the Democrats will remain positioned as the “more centrist” party, at least until they nominate a “more leftist” candidate for president.
Dick Cheney flushes Orange Julius: https://news.yahoo.com/dick-cheney-torches-trump-ad-210922278.html . What Cheney says is not opinion, it is fact. At some point, the GOP will let go of the OJ cult.
Alex Jones’ lawyer turns out to be less bright than Alex Jones: https://news.yahoo.com/alex-jones-text-messages-jan-6-committee-sandy-hook-lawyer-171334017.html . How can any lawyer fail to realize the significance of the notice he received from opposing counsel? This is phenomenal malpractice. However, that does not prevent the recipient from making Jones’ texts public, unless the judge chooses to seal them.
Alex Jones ordered to pay $4.11 million in compensatory damages to Sandy Hook parents: https://apnews.com/article/alex-jones-infowars-sandy-hook-verdict-edc1c705ed13b84398084bed91a85b37 . Every parent should know that they have to be their child’s advocate. That remains true even after the child’s murder. WSJ: We’re a day late and a dollar short: https://www.wsj.com/articles/alex-jones-testifies-that-sandy-hook-judgment-could-doom-his-media-empire-11659557590 . Wait, we’re catching up: https://www.wsj.com/articles/alex-jones-ordered-to-pay-4-1-million-to-parents-of-sandy-hook-victim-11659650317 .
DOJ files charges in Breonna Taylor shooting: https://news.yahoo.com/louisville-police-officers-breonna-taylor-charged-fbi-155919629.html . F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!!! As is presumably obvious to everyone, Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron is utterly incompetent: https://www.wlky.com/article/kentucky-ag-daniel-cameron-breonna-taylor-case/40812114# . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/justice-department-charges-four-louisville-officers-in-breonna-taylor-death-11659626892 .
Police change account of crash killing representative Jackie Walorski: https://apnews.com/article/indiana-congress-jackie-walorski-government-and-politics-561b83df42938f7a06853d031b3dcaa3 .
More indications that Ukraine is turning the artillery battle: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-ammo-depots-missile-systems-wiped-out-in-deadly-fighting-ukraine/ar-AA10kw2F?cvid=ef2d30423d13491d815955f190953fac . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-fires-on-bridges-rail-lines-to-disrupt-russian-defense-of-kherson-11659616141 .
WSJ: Ukraine’s path to increased grain exports: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-sees-path-to-surging-grain-exports-after-first-shipment-11659637312 .