Philadelphia restores indoor masking mandate: https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-philadelphia-d7f5dacf0ae4ac004e5b15dd58362360 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/philadelphia-to-reinstate-indoor-mask-mandate-11649703481 .
Government considers extending transportation masking mandate: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/health-care-%e2%80%94-whats-different-about-the-new-covid-case-increase/ar-AAW72lk?li=BBnb7Kz .
WHO tracks BA4 and BA5: https://www.aol.com/news/says-analysing-two-omicron-covid-122909031-141053508.html . Clearly, Omicron is not only more transmissible than earlier variants, it is creating a wide variety of subvariants.
Pelosi tests negative for COVID: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-04-11/u-s-house-speaker-pelosi-tests-negative-for-covid .
WSJ: COVID vaccines have low heart risk: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccines-carry-low-risk-of-heart-conditions-studies-find-11649716211 .
COVID after age 50 may increase risk of shingles: https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2022/04/11/COVID-19-shingles/4431649694981/ . Great, just great.
COVID and pregnancy: https://www.womanandhome.com/us/health-wellbeing/covid-vaccines-and-pregnancy-fertility-periods/ . This article, from Great Britain, attempts to dispel pregnancy and infertility myths around vaccination. The article fails to explain clearly that mRNA vaccines involve only a snippet of the virus and so involve very little risk in relation to a vaccine using live or dead virus. In the myth-busting business, the British should speak better English.
Shanghai COVID outbreak continues to worsen: https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/11/asia/china-shanghai-lockdown-culver-intl-hnk-dst/index.html . US orders consular staff out of Shanghai: https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-china-shanghai-55d6a352e9d97fdd2a1cbd83d87f6685 .
WSJ: Chinese lockdowns drag down economy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-auto-sales-drop-more-than-10-as-covid-restrictions-hit-11649650032 . And Chinese inflation rises: https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-inflation-rises-as-lockdowns-ukraine-war-drive-up-prices-11649659509 .
Ukraine repulses initial Russian attacks on eastern front: https://www.aol.com/news/ukraine-prepares-russian-assault-calls-023507165-102446695.html . These are just probes. The Russians appear to be amassing a sizable tank force before attacking. Still, the question is whether the Ukrainians can stop them with their anti-tank weapons. I am also wondering if, as spring proceeds, the tanks will again bog down. Also, they are assembling via mostly paved roads. But we have already seen that such an approach for assault does not work well in battle (consider the Kyiv convoy).
Mariupol mayor says more than 10,000 civilians dead from Russian attacks: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-ap-top-news-europe-7d747ae240e9abbfb1951fd4ad27882a .
Russia defaults on foreign debt: https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/11/investing/russia-default-sp/index.html . Russia has taken another step backward from the international community. They cannot win now, regardless of whether they win or lose against Ukraine. WSJ: Russian railway default: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-railways-ruled-in-default-as-sanctions-ensnarl-payments-11649693669 .
The Russian problem in the Baltic states: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russian-speakers-estonia-epitomize-two-worlds-russia-west-rcna22789 . So, it is interesting how many Russians have chosen to live just outside its borders.
Yes, Sweden and Finland look to join NATO this summer: https://news.yahoo.com/report-sweden-and-finland-to-join-nato-over-ukraine-invasion-173515441.html . More: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/11/swedens-ruling-party-launches-debate-on-nato-membership . This confirms yesterday’s report and offers much more detail. My sense is that Finland is almost certain to join, and Sweden is likely. Just to reaffirm, Putin has made an historic strategic error. We are so fortunate that OJ is so fundamentally incompetent that our democracy managed to survive four years of his lunacy. I shudder to think where we’d be if OJ was in office at the time of Putin’s invasion. Shudder. Every time.
Meanwhile, Russia warns Sweden and Finland against joining NATO: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-warns-sweden-finland-against-joining-nato/ar-AAW64Ws?li=BBnb7Kz . The Russians seem to have lost all sense of current reality.
US slow to resettle Ukrainians: https://www.aol.com/news/explainer-why-isnt-u-accepting-040543228-193239363.html .
Cheney pushes Select Committee for criminal referral of Orange Julius: https://www.yahoo.com/now/jan-6-panel-enough-evidence-172455039.html . This needs to happen sooner than later to neutralize OJ claims of timing for political purposes.
John Eastman to be guest of honor at goose roast: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-lawyer-amid-clash-jan-committee-pushing-decertify/story?id=83965757 . However, that sucker is already cooked.
Another January 6 insurrectionist convicted on all counts by jury: https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-biden-congress-virginia-riots-aa94f1664014d4b08d190329d79d5804 . Prosecutors are clearly sending a message that insurrectionists need to negotiate a deal.
Biden bans sale of “ghost guns”: https://news.yahoo.com/biden-ghost-gun-crackdown-atf-nominee-193416343.html .
Washington decorum: Tom Cotton, “a little maggot-infested man”: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/dnc-chairman-jaime-harrison-slams-tom-cotton-as-a-little-maggot-infested-man-after-the-republican-senator-suggested-ketanji-brown-jackson-would-defend-nazis/ar-AAVVaUk?li=BBnb7Kz .