Rethinking individual COVID protections: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-assess-covid-19-risks-after-easing-of-cdc-guidelines-11660446933 . Again, I regard the CDC’s approach as capitulation to the public’s lack of discipline. So if anything, individuals should increase their risk prevention. Long COVID remains a significant danger.
Brits authorize Moderna’s Omicron-specific vaccine: https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-bbda6ba6107b3c839e42925136007fed . US approval is likely. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-k-approves-moderna-omicron-containing-covid-19-booster-vaccine-11660564620 .
Defense secretary COVID positive again: https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-lloyd-austin-government-and-politics-a7f5f41c00cd09b5133eae5ac9dc4721 .
Kaiser strike in Northern California: https://www.wsj.com/articles/kaiser-permanente-mental-health-workers-go-on-strike-in-northern-california-11660588325 . Remember, there is a significant shortage of mental health workers right now. So my advice to Kaiser is settle ASAP.
Polio found in Jerusalem: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-08-15/explainer-why-has-polio-been-found-in-london-new-york-and-jerusalem-and-how-dangerous-is-it .
Biden signing ceremony for the Inflation Reduction Act on Tuesday: https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-climate-and-environment-9a7f349fa7b07387d20ad603f2ff4875 . Remember, this bill contains major health provisions and revolutionary climate change funding, paid for new taxes on the wealthy and corporations. However, it didn’t receive a single GOP vote in the House or Senate. Again, the GOP is not an effective opposition party, it’s just oppositional.
US stock market isn’t heeding the Fed: https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-08-15/as-fed-warns-of-turbulence-ahead-markets-remove-their-seat-belts . Obviously, the inflation problem is much worse than in 2019. Rates have reached their current level in 7 months (versus 38 months in 2019) for that reason, and because the Fed got so far behind the curve on inflation. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-are-betting-yet-again-that-inflation-will-cool-11660433352 . Just keep in mind that for every buyer there is a seller, and vice versa.
WSJ: Sinema’s support for Arizona’s drought: https://www.wsj.com/articles/farm-conservation-efforts-get-20-billion-bounty-from-climate-health-and-tax-bill-11660557781 . So who’s kidding who here? Lake Powell and Lake Mead are running out of water. Therefore, it makes no sense to subsidize growing crops in Arizona if that means no water to drink in Phoenix or LA.
Dollar strengthens as Chinese economy weakens: https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-08-14/aussie-kiwi-fall-as-chinas-recovery-falters-yuan-eases-on-surprise-pboc-rate-cut . China cuts interest rates in response: https://apnews.com/article/china-beijing-xi-jinping-economy-4147f50f8db90a95f7defe700279fff9 .
WSJ: Ukraine preps for southern counteroffensive: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-urges-civilians-to-leave-kherson-as-it-prepares-bid-to-retake-russian-held-territory-11660565675 .
Mar-a-Lago documents raise national security issues: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-search-mar-lago-raises-critical-national-security/story?id=88381428 . This article misses a very central point. Secret documents are not just about content. They are also about the procedures and personnel involved in collecting the information. Each document individually offers the possibility of “reverse engineering” to determine how the information was collected, and thus represents a serious risk to our intelligence sources and methods. The large group represents an unprecedented unforced error in keeping the country safe.
In this absurd breach of national security, Orange Julius puts his narcissism above everyone and everything else. Once again, he demonstrates his utter unfitness for involvement in any position of responsibility.
Trevor Noah pulls apart OJ’s “defenses”: https://www.yahoo.com/now/trevor-noah-mock-trump-endless-045553890.html . Noah’s underlying points are accurate, and he makes them in a memorable way.
DOJ opposes media request to unseal affidavit for Mar-a-Lago search: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/doj-opposes-news-media-request-unseal-trump-search/story?id=88400822 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/merrick-garland-weighed-search-of-trumps-mar-a-lago-for-weeks-11660601292 . Let’s clarify two points. First, Garland must have been certain that classified documents would be recovered. So that evidence is likely described in the warrant. Second, the search had to occur in order to retrieve the documents. But Garland reached a preliminary conclusion about charging Orange Julius before the search. Garland surely realizes the implications of arguing probable cause, and that politics is like 4-dimensional chess. He has thought this through.
Meanwhile, a former federal prosecutor sees deep trouble for Orange Julius in the charge regarding violation of the Espionage Act: https://abcnews.go.com/US/federal-prosecutor-reveals-powder-keg-fbi-raid-trump/story?id=88295447 . Evidence released so far does not justify the prosecutor’s assumption that documents were leaked, and the law does not require that for violations to occur: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/13/23304194/the-espionage-act-trump-documents-mar-a-lago .
The Rude Dude is now a target of the Georgia election probe: https://www.npr.org/2022/08/15/1117587473/giuliani-georgia-election-2020-investigation-trump . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-judge-says-sen-lindsey-graham-must-testify-before-georgia-grand-jury-11660578510 .
OJ Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg to plead guilty in tax fraud case: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-org-ex-official-allen-weisselberg-expected-plead-guilty-tax-case-rcna43227 . This could involve a plea deal in exchange for testimony against OJ. Yay! The tax fraud case against the OJ Organization is currently scheduled for late October. So this timing does not seem likely to be coincidence. More: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-organization-post-weisselberg-deal/ .
Pennsylvania who vowed to kill FBI agents and die before arrest has been arrested: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/pennsylvania-man-arrested-threats-fbi-mar-lago-search-rcna43209 . By the way, according to UPI, this goofball lives just north of “Pittsburg”: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2022/08/15/charges-threats-kill-FBI-agents-Trump-search/3831660613882/ . Sigh …
WSJ: Business travel may not come back: https://www.wsj.com/articles/betting-on-corporate-travel-is-risky-business-11660577941 . Duh. Monday through Friday in the office is not coming back. Zoom is suddenly a permanent fixture of business meetings. All of the trends are against business travel. And because these trends save money, they are here to stay.
WSJ: The Tiger Woods of geezers: https://www.wsj.com/articles/steven-alker-champions-tour-11660530908 . The Journal can be so ridiculous. Steve Alker was born July 28, 1971. Tiger Woods was born December 30, 1975. So this guy is 4½ years older than Tiger.