WHO: COVID end in sight: https://apnews.com/article/health-covid-geneva-pandemics-united-nations-38b887027e4277892747133fea0bfe21 . I have very little confidence in these people. There is no COVID end in sight ever, because the disease will become endemic. The question is when we move from pandemic to endemic. The decrease in deaths ignores the possibility of new variants, the increasing risks of long COVID, and the reopening of schools. Right now my best guess is a transition to endemic status in spring or summer of 2023. We still need a universal coronavirus vaccine to really turn the corner.
Dangerous respiratory virus in California: https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/virus-worry-ev-d68-cause-152638345.html .
Zero COVID policy starves Xinjiang and the Uyghurs: https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-shanghai-government-and-politics-e40fb7fdd74f395571b7604fa6ee5d3e .
Monkeypox drops in the West while Africa remains short of vaccines: https://apnews.com/article/monkeypox-health-covid-north-america-b85599a19cca854b1d49e83d4ebe0cc9 .
WSJ: Supreme Court declines to help Yeshiva University’s discrimination against LGBTQ+ students: https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-declines-yeshiva-universitys-bid-to-deny-recognition-of-gay-student-group-11663201206 . What interests me here is that Brett Kavanaugh joined the 5-4 majority, following Roberts as he used to do more regularly. Perhaps the legitimacy discussion is getting to him. This is reminiscent of “the switch in time that saved nine”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_switch_in_time_that_saved_nine . But it’s just one case …
Speculation on Fed rate hikes: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/legendary-investor-mark-mobius-says-151829177.html . I do not agree that the Fed will go as high as 9% or that they will do it in 1% or 2% chunks. It is true that as a matter of economic theory, the interest rate should be above the inflation rate to halt inflation. However, the Fed still thinks that current inflation is the result of transitory factors, even if the transition has been slow. I think the Fed will stay in the 50 to 75 basis point range for each increase; higher looks like panic.
And inflation will start coming down. So I don’t think the rates will go as high as 7%, and would currently predict 6% as the peak. However, Biden cannot allow a prolonged railroad strike to occur: https://apnews.com/article/health-covid-government-and-politics-87bc3c3e0120b8258557767576262d89 . If that happens, a new, broad-based inflationary round will start, and all bets are off. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/railroad-union-says-workers-voted-against-proposed-labor-deal-as-strike-looms-11663170265 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/possible-rail-stoppage-could-fuel-more-inflation-11663179267 .
WSJ: Speculation on Fed rate hikes: https://www.wsj.com/articles/markets-keep-making-the-same-mistake-about-inflation-11663163494 . Good heavens! Yes, the Fed is going beyond 4%. The Journal criticizes the market for underestimating, and then underestimates. I saw this after writing the previous two paragraphs, and it does not change my view.
Zelensky visits newly retaken territory: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kharkiv-804757178408e1fdfbb69c3d149faf9b . The Ukrainians now have demonstrated firm control of a rail center critical to Russia’s supply lines in eastern Ukraine. The counteroffensive has turned the tide more rapidly than anyone hoped.
Russian reverses in Ukraine are leading to uprising against Russia and its clients across Central Asia: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/14/former-soviet-states-eye-opportunities-as-russia-suffers-ukraine-rout . In addition to all these conflicts, other reports indicate Georgia may look to retake territory it has lost over the years. It is looking more and more like Putin is leading the collapse of Russia’s influence across all of its satellites.
Things looking up for Democrats in Georgia: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3642982-quinnipiac-georgia-poll-finds-warnock-ahead-abrams-kemp-too-close-to-call/ . If Stacey wins, Georgia may zip past purple to blue. Expect the GOP to pour a ton of money in, which is money they can’t spend elsewhere.
Schumer hammers GOP on backing away from their abortion extremism: https://www.rawstory.com/chuck-schumer-abortion/ . “The dog who caught the bus” is an apt analogy. Schumer apparently received an unreported cajones transplant.
DeMentis’ fakery is showing: https://news.yahoo.com/what-is-woke-math-in-florida-public-school-teachers-bristle-at-de-santis-changes-to-education-120355910.html . I can’t forget the GOP operative who described DeMentis as “a bigger jerk than OJ ever was”. That will become increasingly apparent as time passes. Charlie Crist has a good chance of knocking this clown off in November.
At DOJ request, judge unseals more of Mar-a-Lago affidavit: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-subpoenas-government-and-politics-7996b97001d36fba1088c66599bb7f08 . So the OJ legal team keeps thrashing around, giving DOJ the opportunity to make more of its case public. The judge is now listening to DOJ. It’s about time, and could spell more trouble for OJ’s delaying tactics. Meanwhile, DOJ continues to ratchet up the pressure on the judge: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/14/trump-documents-justice-department-irreparable-harm . The judge either reverses her course, or gets reversed on appeal. And DOJ has told her the appeal will happen quickly. More: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-09-14/judges-rulings-poised-to-shape-trump-document-investigation .
Meadows complies with DOJ subpoena: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ex-trump-chief-of-staff-complies-with-subpoena-over-jan-6-events-cnn/ar-AA11QbKR?cvid=0b0fef807f7e484f9ca9e0be0133f082 . The walls around OJ just closed in a little more.
Senate opens another investigation into OJ’s criminal behavior: https://thehill.com/homenews/3641681-doj-pressure-allegations-lead-to-newest-political-quagmire-facing-trump/ . We already knew OJ treated the DOJ as his lawyers. However, these particular allegations are a shocking misuse of DOJ, even for OJ.
Oath Keepers lawyer breaks Rule No. 1: https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/14/politics/oath-keepers-judge-mehta-argument/index.html . Gawd, all these people affiliated with OJ are just plain nuts. Judge Mehta is well-known and highly respected. As we know, litigation Rule No. 1 is, Don’t piss off the judge. Did this attorney get her degree at a barber college?