2:00PM Water Cooler 9/18/2024 | naked capitalism

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Bird Song of the Day

Gray Catbird, Indian Springs WMA, two-track road, Washington, Maryland, United States. “Adult male Gray Catbird singing from Black Locust at 14 meters at 0541. He was just sitting there singing.”

In Case You Might Miss…

1. Longshoremen to strike in two weeks (plus Boeing).
2. Sean “Diddy” Combs jailed in seamy Epstein-like music industry scandal.
3. Morning Consult: Kamala leads by 6%.

Politics

“So many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

Trump Assassination Attempts (Plural)

“Trump, Outrage and the Modern Era of Political Violence” [Peter Baker, New York Times]. The deck: “The latest apparent assassination attempt against the former president indicates how much the American political landscape has been shaped by anger stirred by him and against him.” More: “But it is a measure of how much political violence has become a part of modern American culture — not accepted, perhaps, but more and more expected — that the latest incident may make no more difference than the first. The shock from the shooting in Butler wore off relatively quickly as attention turned to other developments. The shock from this one may not last any longer.” • Lots of “both sides” here. But so far, the only attempted assassinations have been of Trump. So, if you accept the theory of stochastic terrorism, and you accept that “both sides do it,” then one side’s messaging is far more effective than the other. Oh, and Baker writes, of unnamed wannabe assassin Routh: “Days later, authorities said, a man who described himself online as a disaffected former Trump supporter made his way with a semiautomatic rifle to the former president’s Florida golf course, evidently looking to take a shot.” As I show here, Routh not only mentioned assassinating Trump in his book, he accepted the Democrat “our democracy” talking point, he was also a Democrat donor, and a passionate supporter of Ukraine (interviewed by many including the Times). Baker’s description is disingenuous at best.

* * *

2024

Less than sixty days to go!

Friday’s RCP Poll Averages:

A few polls post-debate, but as of this reading little change. To be fair, it might take some time for sentiment to settle; and the winning margins may at this point be so minute as to be undetectable. Still, the Democrats must be very puzzled to have virtual unanimity across the political spectrum that “Harris is the one” — it was a tidal wave, after the debate — and yet the election is a virtual tie. How can this be? Perhaps a few more Republicans, generals, or celebrities will turn the tide.

* * *

“Harris soars to record 6-point lead over Trump in post-debate poll” [Axios]. “Vice President Kamala Harris leapt to a six-point lead over former President Trump in the wake of last week’s presidential debate, according to a Morning Consult poll published Tuesday. Most polls before last Tuesday’s debate that saw Harris rattle Trump on a range of topics had the pair locked in a virtual dead heat. ‘A majority of likely voters — including 1 in 5 Republicans — believe Harris won the debate, and performance appears to be crystalizing her national lead over the former president,’ said Eli Yokley, political analyst at Morning Consult, in an emailed statement. Morning Consult pollsters surveyed 11,022 likely U.S. voters from Sept. 13-15 in the poll, which had an unweighted margin of error of +/-1 percentage point. Morning Consult notes that its survey showing support for Harris at 51% compared to 45% for Trump was a “new record” for the Democratic presidential nominee. ‘Her 51% of support among likely voters, which is also at a record high, is driven largely by her best figures to date among Democrats, Biden 2020 voters, liberals, women, 18- to 34-year-olds and millennials,’ it said. Morning Consult’s voter criteria includes any registered voters who say they’re highly likely to vote in the November election.”

* * *

Kamala (D): “Harris refuses to veer off script in her second high-profile interview” [Politico]. “Harris’ sit-down took place in front of a live audience, which included NABJ members as well as local students of historically Black colleges and universities. At several points throughout the event, members of the small crowd quietly took photos and videos of her answers. In part, Harris’ unwillingness on Tuesday to break from Biden’s approach underscores the challenges of running for office as the sitting vice president. While she has stressed on the campaign trail and in her debate against Trump that she is not Biden, disagreeing with him publicly is still a delicate matter. Not only are there personal relationships at play, but breaking with the president in public could undermine his negotiating power on the international stage.” On reparations: “On whether she would take executive action to create a commission to study reparations or if that was better handled by Congress, Harris said the latter.” On abortion: “Harris, who has repeatedly said that she would sign a bill to codify Roe v. Wade, was also asked whether she supports the restrictions that were outlined in the court decision. Roe v. Wade, which the Supreme Court overturned in 2022, is best known for protecting abortion rights. But it also stipulated limitations, permitting states to regulate the procedure in the pregnant person’s third trimester. In fact, the landmark Supreme Court case allowed states to ban abortion in the final trimester, as long as the law provided exceptions for the life of the mother. Abortion rights advocates do not support the restrictions in Roe, arguing that the government shouldn’t have any role in regulating abortion. But many voters prefer some but not unlimited abortion access.”

Kamala (D): “Because I’m Black” (identity #2, and not Indian (#1) or Woman of Color (#3, and I had thought the current idenity):

Harris on her message to Black men who are considering voting for Trump: “I’m working to earn their vote. Not assuming I’m going to have it because I’m Black, but because the policies and perspectives I have understand what we must do to recognize the needs of all communities” pic.twitter.com/xqhuqHflXZ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 17, 2024

It’s tiresome, keeping track. I don’t know how she does it!

Kamala (D): “Progressives hope Harris’ border shift is temporary” [Axios]. • Lol no.

* * *

GA: “AJC poll finds Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are locked in a tight race in Georgia” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]. “The Republican drew 47% support in the poll while Harris was at 44% — within the poll’s margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. About 7% of voters said they were undecided. Libertarian Chase Oliver and other third-party candidates polled below 1%.”

NV: “Economic worries boost Trump’s Hispanic support in battleground Nevada” [CNN]. • Interviews with small business owners.

PA: “Harris leads Trump in Pennsylvania — and two bellwether PA counties — exclusive poll finds” [USA Today]. “Along with Harris’ statewide edge over Trump, she leads in Erie and Northampton counties – two bellwether counties that have historically predicted who carries the state – separate USA TODAY/Suffolk University polls of both found…. Harris leads in Northampton County, which includes the cities of Easton and Bethlehem in East Pennsylvania, 50%-45% over Trump. Biden carried Northampton 50%-49% in the 2020 election. Trump carried Northampton 50%-46% over Clinton in 2016. In Northwest Pennsylvania, Harris leads Trump 48%-44% in Erie County, where Biden in 2020 won 50%-49% and Trump in 2016 won 49%-47%. Three hundred likely voters were surveyed in both county polls, which have margins of error of 5.7 percentage points. Helping drive Harris’ advantage in Northampton – which boasts a Latino population that is 13% of the county’s population – is the vice president’s 60%-25% lead among Latino voters in the county. Yet the common denominator in both counties and Pennsylvania as a whole is Harris’ dominance with female voters.”

Clinton Legacy

Yikes:

If Hillary’s insanely repressive measure were implemented — people spreading disinformation could be imprisoned — the first two to share a prison cell should be her and Maddow, who drowned the country in the Steele Dossier, Afla Bank servers and other demented debunked lies. https://t.co/DuWN8mmRaH

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 17, 2024

Realignment and Legitimacy

“Sachs & Mearsheimer: There Is Basically One Deep State Party Of Cheney, Harris, And Biden, Embodied By Victoria Nuland” (transcript) [RealClearPolitics].

JOHN MEARSHIEMER: No, I like to refer to the Republicans and Democrats and tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum.

There’s hardly any difference. I actually think the one exception is former President Trump. When he became president in 2017, he was bent on “beating back the deep state,” and becoming a different kind of leader on the foreign policy front. But he basically failed. And he has vowed that if he is elected this time, it will be different and he will beat back the deep state. He will pursue a foreign policy that is fundamentally different than Republicans and Democrats have pursued up until now.

The big question on the table is whether or not you think Trump can beat the deep state and these two established parties, and I bet against Trump.

MEARSHEIMER: When we talk about the ‘Deep State,’ we’re really talking about the Administrative State. It is very important to understand that starting in the late 19th and early 20th century, given developments in the American economy, it was imperative that we develop — and this is true of all Western countries — a very powerful central state that could ‘run the country.’ And over time, that state has grown in power.

Since World War Two, the United States has been involved in every nook and cranny of the world, fighting wars here, there, and everywhere. And to do that, you need a very powerful administrative state that can help manage that foreign policy. But in the process, what happens is you get all of these high-level, middle-level, and low-level bureaucrats who become established in positions in the Pentagon, the State Department, and the intelligence community — you name it. And they end up having a vested interest in pursuing a particular foreign policy.

That particular foreign policy that they like to pursue is the one the Democrats and the Republicans are pushing. That’s why we talk about tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum with regard to the two parties. You could throw in the deep state as being on the same page as those other two institutions.

Syndemics

“I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison

Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; includes many counties; Wastewater Scan, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, but national data). “Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts” (especially on hospitalization by city).

Lambert here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To update any entry, do feel free to contact me at the address given with the plants. Please put “COVID” in the subject line. Thank you!

Resources, United States (Local): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater reports); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (dashboard); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).

Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (Government of Canada).

Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).

Hat tips to helpful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).

Stay safe out there!

Airborne Transmission: Covid

“Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: The Contrast between Indoors and Outdoors” [Fluids]. We linked to this here and here when it came out in March, but with the move indoors to school, it’s worth posting again. From the Discussion: “In the analysis above, we have explored the main differences that exist between indoor and outdoor environments with respect to the transmission of COVID-19. From this, a consistent picture emerges, which, although complex, helps to explain why the disease mainly spreads indoors. While much remains unknown about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, our analysis clearly shows that profound differences exist in the fluid dynamic behaviour of the two environments, which likely explains why the vast majority of COVID-19 infections occur within buildings and other confined spaces rather than outdoors…. Two issues in particular, the interaction between thermal plumes and ceilings and the entrainment of room air into exhalation plumes, appear to have been largely overlooked in the literature. Both are not a problem outdoors. Yet indoors, they present a major challenge because rooms are by definition confined and generally have ceilings. This means that indoors: (i) boluses of respiratory aerosols (high-concentration clouds) will tend to form at the ceiling and travel horizontally before descending through the breathing zone of the room occupants; and (ii) as the concentration of respiratory aerosols builds up in the room space, so the near-field exposure risk associated with exhalation plumes will tend to increase. Both these phenomena mean that the risk of transmission is much greater indoors compared with outdoors. They also highlight the inadequacy of the simplistic ‘near-field’–‘far-field’ analysis framework. In reality, in most indoor environments, the near-field and far-field exposure risks are inextricably linked—something that is not the case outdoors. Because exhalation plumes entrain air from the surrounding room space, a feedback loop exists between the far-field and near-field.”

“Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a university classroom based on real human close contact behaviors” [Science of The Total Environment]. From China. From the Abstract: “The risk of infection of susceptible students per 45-min lesson was 1%… When all students are wearing N95 respirators, the infection risk could be reduced by 96%… In a classroom with an occupancy rate of 50 %, after optimized arrangement of student distribution, the infection risk could be decreased by 62 %.” • I think the optimized arrange is front to back, i.e. “Let’s all sit in a circle!” is a bad idea.

Maskstravaganza

“Yes, we do need to bring back masks in medical settings” [Toronto Star]. “Many of my most vulnerable patients are keenly aware of the potential health risks this presents. Yet most say nothing and would never dream of asking their clinician to wear a mask. There are sound reasons for this.

The first has to do with long wait times. A visit to the specialist is a precious commodity that cannot be risked. Several months pass before patients are seen, raising the urgency for care. This is only the first of many factors to come that can silence even the most assertive of patients.

Many don’t want to appear disrespectful by asking their health-care workers to mask. They fear being labelled ‘difficult’ or ‘demanding’ and become distressed at the prospect of questioning their clinician’s judgment, even if it should put them in harm’s way. Patients become more passive when burdened with the anxiety, dread and fatigue that accompanies illness. Deep-seated fears are ignited that further increase the dependency on health-care workers and squelch any remaining likelihood of their requesting that their clinicians mask.” • You do you, except not.

Masking and virus size:

Al Haddrell has reached a significant conclusion regarding the size of the virus. The virus particles are predominantly found within the range of 1 to 5 microns. Consequently, there is no need to pursue filters of the highest grade for masks or air purifiers when the goal is to… https://t.co/v1npp8KZVW pic.twitter.com/p7KYykcU74

— Adam Wong (@Engineer_Wong) September 18, 2024

I’m a little confused about whether by “virus” is meant the aerosol particle that bears the virus. But an interesting line of inquiry!

Sequelae: Covid

“New report warns long COVID could be ‘mass disabling event’” [Insurance Business]. “Canada’s chief science adviser has released a report on long COVID, warning that it could have significant long-term impacts on the country’s economy. In the report, Dr. Mona Nemer called COVID-19 the ‘head’ of the pandemic and long COVID its ‘tail,’ citing the debilitating effects of the disease that can linger long after the initial infection. She estimated that 10-20% of people with COVID-19 develop long COVID or post-COVID condition (PCC), with symptoms including high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, chronic fatigue, brain fog, muscle pain, and blurred vision. ‘Some patients have not recovered two to three years after the initial infection and it is uncertain whether a proportion may ever fully recover,’ Nemer said in the report, adding that the lack of consensus on a clear definition and diagnostic criteria can make it difficult to lodge claims for social assistance, disability supports, and insurance. There could be wider socio-economic implications too, as analysis of long COVID in other countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, indicated “significant impacts on the labour market and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in addition to health costs and demands.’”

Personal Risk Assessment

“People can’t make “risk assessments” without knowing the risks” [The Gauntlet]. “US politicians pushed us all ‘back to normal’, a common refrain from the top was that we ‘had the tools’ to deal with COVID, and that individuals could now make their own decisions about what sorts of risks they were comfortable taking. I’ve written at length about the absurdity of attempting to individualize what is a collective problem. What was once a libertarian, far-right wing idea – disease control should be the territory of individuals, not society at large- was first promoted by Republicans, then mainstreamed by liberals in order to paint Biden’s failed vaccine-only herd-immunity strategy as a success. As we settled into a cycle of endless waves of disease driven by rapidly evolving new variants, our government and public health bodies continued to promote the fantasy that everyone can make their own decisions about whether or not to get infected. Of course, anyone who does make the ‘risk assessment’ that catching COVID is unsafe for them is functionally shut out of society. It’s hardly a choice freely made, as the social and economic punishments for failing to ‘return to normal’ continue to intensify.” Meanwhile: “The current CDC Director, Mandy Cohen, has never tweeted the words “cognitive damage,” “brain damage” or “brain fog.” Neither has former CDC Director Rachelle Walensky.”

Elite Maleficence

UK Covid inquiry going nicely for the droplet dogmatists:

The truly ironic thing is that, during ‘The Long Pause’, the only sound you can hear is the faint hum of the HEPA air filters cleaning the air in the room…

…while Dr Ritchie contemplates whether ventilation is only a useful precaution if Covid is airborne.

(H/t @Hermione1963) https://t.co/pJm5QRWiZ6

— Cat in the Hat 🐈‍⬛ 🎩 🇬🇧 (@_CatintheHat) September 18, 2024

IPC = Infection Prevention and Control. And what a great job they did. I wonder if we will ever have a similar commission in the United States?

* * *

“Part 1: We Don’t Have to Wonder if the Great Barrington Declaration Could Have “Worked”. In the Real World, It Failed” [Science-Based Medicine]. “he Great Barrington Declaration (GBD) was published on October 4th, 2020. It was written under the watchful eye of a pro-tobacco, child-labor advocate, and it claimed we could rid ourselves of the virus by spreading the virus. The GBD claimed we could end the pandemic by April 2021 at the latest, but only if everyone worked in perfect unison…. In the GBD’s vision, the entire country would be informed of their Declaration, and after this, everyone would unite to abruptly and radically shift their entire approach to the pandemic. Citizens would voluntarily and appropriately sort themselves ‘vulnerable’ or ‘not vulnerable’ categories, and everyone would play their assigned role. 230 million or so unvaccinated, ‘not vulnerable’ Americans, most of whom had been diligently trying to avoid the virus thus far, would instantly reverse course and embrace ‘natural infection’. That some of them would get really sick and die would not be a reason for anyone to abandon the project.” • We don’t need to worry about our Journey into a LIbertarian Future anymore. We’re here!

TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts

Housing: “Housing Starts” [Trading Economics]. “Housing starts in the United States soared by 9.6% from the previous month to an annualized rate of 1.356 million units in August of 2024, firmly above market expectations of 1.31 million units, rebounding from the near 7% plunge in the previous period to record the sharpest increase in nine months.”

Supply Chain: “With Two Weeks Left and No Talks, Industry Prepares for ILA Strike” [Maritime Executive]. “Today marks two weeks till the likely first day of a crippling strike for containers and Ro-Ro traffic at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports as the International Longshoremen’s Association has refused to resume negotiations on the master contract. With no signs of government intervention despite urging from shippers, the industry is looking for alternatives while analysts attempt to forecast the impact…. [The ILA] issued a new statement focusing entirely on wages and rehashing old wage increases, or the lack thereof, dating back to the 1990s. Citing inflation and years of low increases, the ILA says ‘spotty yearly increases’ are history. The ILA said it will reject the USMX (United States Maritime Alliance) position on new entry wage, and calls for large increases. The union writes that it has been preparing for over a year and the time is now to take a ‘stand and fight a higher level of wages.’ Without indicating any willingness to resume the negotiations which have been at an impasse since June, the ILA says a strike ‘seems more likely.’”

Supply Chain: “Longshoremen at key US ports threatening to strike over automation and pay” [ABC]. “The International Longshoremen’s Union is demanding significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container movements that are used in the loading or loading of freight at 36 U.S. ports. Whenever and however the dispute is resolved, it’s likely to affect how freight moves in and out of the United States for years to come. If a strike were resolved within a few weeks, consumers probably wouldn’t notice any major shortages of retail goods. But a strike that persists for more than a month would likely cause a shortage of some consumer products, although most holiday retail goods have already arrived from overseas.”

Supply Chain: “Biden won’t block potential strike at East Coast ports, administration official says” [Reuters]. “U.S. President Joe Biden does not intend to invoke a federal law to prevent a port strike on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico if dockworkers fail to secure a new labor contract by an Oct. 1 deadline, an administration official said on Tuesday…. ‘We’ve never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now,’ the Biden administration official told Reuters.”

Supply Chain: “US beef market debates effect of potential International Longshoremen’s Association strike” [S&P Global]. “‘Letting the ILA [strike] play out would be a disaster politically,’ said a US beef buyer. A transportation specialist said, ‘[there is] no way that the union is going to put the Democrats in such a bad position that would allow them to lose the election.’ According to industry sources, it appears that marine terminal operators and ocean carriers, specifically the Mediterranean Shipping Company, are prepared for the strike to begin. The Mediterranean Shipping Company is seen as a bellwether in the global shipping market, sources said. Following the strike, a motion will be presented by the group to force the ILA to return to work for 45 days. If no resolution is reached within that period, another motion will be filed to extend the working period. In this scenario, an arbitrator will be appointed by the court within the time frame to help develop a resolved contract. Although beef and other meats are not the largest volume cargo received in East Coast ports, it is likely to be the most affected, as refrigerated containers and the generator sets that power them are in short supply, according to industry specialists. Companies with freight in reefers will want freight removed in advance of the strike and all at once, further limiting the supply, said the transportation specialist. Most US beef buyers have not changed their buying habits or shipping plans. So far, beef prices have not changed in response to the possibility of strike.”

Manufacturing: “Boeing announces broad rolling furloughs keyed to Machinists strike” [Seattle Times]. “Boeing on Wednesday said it will institute furloughs for a large number of U.S.-based workers for the duration of the Machinists strike that began last week. Employees will take one week of furlough every four weeks on a rolling basis as long as the strike lasts, President and CEO Kelly Ortberg wrote in a message sent to all Boeing workers. Ortberg said he and his leadership team will take a ‘commensurate pay reduction’ for the duration of the strike. He didn’t specify the pay cut amount. Boeing and the Machinists are meeting Wednesday to continue negotiations after restarting talks Tuesday. The Machinists called Tuesday a frustrating day and said the two sides weren’t close in reaching a deal.” • “Commensurate”? Like zero?

Tech: “23andMe sees independent board directors quit en masse” [TechCrunch]. “23andMe, the personal genomics company, went public in early 2021 via a merger with a blank check company that valued it at $3.5 billion. Then its fortunes began to sink. Fading interest in DNA kits – 23andMe’s main product – was one driver. So was news last year that hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million of its users. CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki now reportedly wants to take the 18-year-old company private. After her own proposal to buy it was rebuffed by its board in July, she was given time to wangle another deal. But its independent directors announced Tuesday evening they’ve lost faith that another proposal is coming, adding that because of Wojcicki’s ‘concentrated voting power,’ they’re done, effective immediately. The company’s market cap closed the day at $173 million. Losing its glittering board – which included Sequoia Capital’s Roelof Botha and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, among five others – will likely drive its shares down further. One question is whether a shareholder lawsuit might follow.” • That’s a damned shame. Wojcicki was once married to Sergey Brin.

Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 57 Greed (previous close: 54 Neutral) [CNN]. One week ago: 39 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Sep 18 at 1:46:09 PM ET.

Gallery

Liberty leading the people:

(Sorry about Twitter’s cropping; click the image to see the whole thing.)

Health

What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, except not:

Class Warfare

“Resurgent Unions Flex Muscle at Boeing, Stellantis and East Coast Ports” [Reuters]. “Across the United States, labor unions are striking, threatening strikes and asserting their clout in ways that haven’t been seen in decades. Major ports on the East Coast, Boeing, and automaker Stellantis are all engaged in current or potential labor actions.” • And hopefully negotiating all their contracts to end on May 1, 2028.

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs jailed by judge after sex trafficking indictment” [Associated Press]. ” Sean “Diddy” Combs headed to jail Tuesday to await trial in a federal sex trafficking case that accuses him of presiding over a sordid empire of sexual crimes protected by blackmail and shocking acts of violence. The music mogul is charged with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. The indictment against him lists allegations that go back to 2008. He’s accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes dayslong sexual performances dubbed ‘Freak Offs.’… The Bad Boy Records founder is accused of sexually abusing and using physical force toward women and getting his personal assistants, security and household staff to help him hide it all. Prosecutors say he also tried to bribe and intimidate witnesses and victims to keep them quiet.” • Combs pleaded innocent.

“Diddy trolled by 50 Cent AGAIN over viral ‘1000 baby oil bottles’ claims in rapper’s shock indictment after arrest” [Daily Mail]. • As so often with the Daily Mail, the headline says it all.

“Diddy’s arrest for sex trafficking sends shockwaves through music industry with ‘at least five execs’ at record labels worried” [Daily Mail] • As above. Because (from March)–

“Diddy’s Homes Reportedly Fitted With Hidden Cameras In Every Room” [Blast]. Maybe all the super-rich do this. Why not? More: “The rapper has been accused of fitting his home with multiple hidden cameras and then using the footage to allegedly blackmail party attendees… According to court documents filed by Diddy’s former employee, Rodney’ Lil Rod’ Jones, the rapper purportedly installed multiple hidden cameras in his properties located in Los Angeles and on Star Island. Those cameras supposedly captured alleged disturbing footage of his guests including “celebrities, athletes, politicians, international dignitaries, and music label executives.” • Hoo boy. I wonder if Mossad has these tapes too. Kidding!

“United States of America vs. SEAN COMBS a/k/a “Puff Daddy,” a/k/a “P. Diddy”, a/k/a “PD, a/k/a “Love” (PDF) [United States District Court, Southern District of New York]. The indictment. And from August–

👉🏿 “The Domination Tour” [Maureen Tkacik, Prospect]. The deck: “Four decades of intensifying corporate concentration turned the music industry into a wasteland of institutionalized control and abuse. Are antitrust enforcers ready to reckon with that?” Much detail on the Britney Spears conservatorship, “some of the tawdriest episodes of institutionalized abuse to the uppermost echelons of corporate America.” Tkacik comments:

I didn’t have time to aggregate photos of all Diddy’s “friends.” He had a lot! Among them:

News of the Wired

A “Great Ball Contraption” (apparently a genre big in Japan):

Contact information for plants: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. From CF:

CF writes: From the Conservatory Garden in Central Park, NYC. like the Abutilon leaves, which look like maps!”