\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n* * *<\/center><\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>American Robin, 138 Captains Dr, West Babylon, Suffolk, New York, United States. \u201cAmerican Robin singing on a roof before dawn. Bird gives a few call notes before flying off at the end of the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing deaths<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#trump\">Trump nostalgia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#encampments\">Encampments<\/a> news.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Biden Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cBiden on campus protesters: No \u2018right to cause chaos’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/05\/02\/biden-college-campus-protests-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u2022 Correct. Let\u2019s leave that to the Executive Branch!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Less than a year to go!<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/free.timeanddate.com\/countdown\/i8ubjj5e\/n179\/cf100\/cm0\/cu1\/ct0\/cs1\/ca0\/cr0\/ss0\/cac000\/cpc000\/pcfff\/tcfff\/fs100\/szw320\/szh135\/tatTime%20left%20to%20Election%20Day%2C%202024\/tac000\/tptTime%20since%20Event%20started%20in\/tpc000\/mac000\/mpc000\/iso2024-11-05T00:00:00\/bo2\/pd2\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"322\" height=\"137\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"swing\"\/>RCP Poll Averages, April 26:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"522\" height=\"924\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-270581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26.png 522w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26-169x300.png 169w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>National results are still moving Biden\u2019s way. But all the Swing States (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/03\/introduction-to-swing-states-in-the-presidential-election-of-2024-general-survey.html\">more here<\/a>) are moving Trump\u2019s way, although in tiny increments. It\u2019s hard to attribute this consistency to mere chance. \u201cAll\u201d with one exception: Pennsylvania. If Susie Wiles is such a brain genius, why isn\u2019t she fixing this?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cMichael Cohen TikTok videos, fundraising stun legal observers: May have \u2018torpedoed case against Trump’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/michael-cohen-tiktok-videos-fundraising-stun-legal-observers-torpedoed-case-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cMichael Cohen, who is supposed to be a star witness in NY v. Trump, might have \u2018torpedoed\u2019 the case before taking the stand by ranting about it on TikTok while fundraising, according to legal observers\u2026. ABC News <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/michael-cohen-cashing-trump-trial-tiktok-livestreams-problem\/story?id=109695141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">published an article Sunday<\/a> declaring Cohen\u2019s actions \u2018could be a problem, pointing out that Cohen has chimed in on former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker\u2019s testimony, has regularly \u2018railed against Trump,\u2019 has insisted the jury isn\u2019t \u2018bored\u2019 and can profit when followers shower him with gifts. TikTok allows viewers to donate \u2018gifts\u2019 as they watch users\u2019 livestreams\u2026. \u2018Michael Cohen through his narcissism and his ego may have just torpedoed the case against Trump,\u2019 [Michael] Avenatti told Fox News Digital from federal prison.\u201d \u201c(!!!!) More: \u2018The state can\u2019t win the case without him and because of his conduct in reviewing trial testimony in violation of the court\u2019s order, which just admitted to when speaking with ABC, the court must strike him as a witness, declare a mistrial, or both,\u2019 Avenatti continued. \u2018He had no business commenting on other witnesses\u2019 testimony.\u2019 Avenatti said Cohen is \u2018not even supposed to be hearing or learning of that testimony before he testifies\u2019 himself. \u2018Alvin Bragg and his team have a lot of explaining to do, in my view,\u2019 Avenatti said.\u201d \u2022 Entertaining!<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cNY vs. Trump: A trial in search of an imaginary crime\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/ny-vs-trump-trial-search-imaginary-crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cBragg\u2019s courtroom smear campaign against Trump continued with prosecution witness Keith Davidson, the Los Angeles lawyer for Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, who purportedly had an affair with Trump. Davidson negotiated the so-called \u201chush money\u201d payments for both his clients, which were completely lawful. Paying someone for their silence in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement is not a crime. Indeed, it\u2019s a staple of thousands of settlement agreements signed every day\u2026. Prosecutors also exploited the McDougal-Daniels imbroglio to backdoor a prominent mention in court of the infamous \u201cAccess Hollywood\u201d tape that proved damaging to Trump just weeks before the 2016 election. Such evidence should never be permitted since its scant probative value is materially outweighed by the prejudicial effect on the jury. No matter. That\u2019s exactly what Bragg wants.\u201d \u2022 The Molineux Rule once more\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump (R): \u201cIs Trump Nostalgia Enough?\u201d [Sean Trende, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2024\/04\/30\/is_trump_nostalgia_enough_150865.html#2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitics<\/a>]. \u201cThe political science literature is pretty consistent that . That\u2019s not good for Biden either: When asked how they would rate conditions in the economy today, 30% said \u2018good,\u2019 while 70% said \u2018poor.\u2019 That\u2019s better than the 18-82 split from mid-2022, but it\u2019s still worse than in the middle of the COVID shutdown, when it was a 34-65 breakdown. And it is far worse than the 70% \u2018good\u2019 rating Trump received in late 2019. We can repeat \u2018It\u2019s a long time until Election Day,\u2019 and that\u2019s true in a sense. But Election Day is also fast approaching; we\u2019re almost in May, and people start voting in September in some states. If voters still have a favorable view of Trump\u2019s presidency in a few months and think the incumbent president is a failure, the situation will quickly turn critical for Biden and the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cOn a day off from court, fired-up Trump hits swing states\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-68932499\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC<\/a>]. \u201cBut on Wednesday at a rally outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he seemed fired up as he spoke to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters for about an hour and a half\u2026. \u2018The trial is definitely going to increase his popularity,\u2019 said Nancy Ridge, a supporter from nearby Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, who was wearing a jacket printed with Mr Trump\u2019s mugshot on the back and the words \u2018Wanted: for president.\u2019 \u2018Especially among lower-class people who have been convicted of crimes or even falsely accused. They understand the justice system and how corrupt it can be,\u2019 she said. \u2018It\u2019s free publicity,\u2019 said Jerry Cleppe, another Trump fan waiting in a queue outside the event. \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s good or bad, it\u2019s attention. The trial is a good thing.\u2019\u2026. After his rally in Wisconsin, the former president hosted another event in Michigan.\u201d \u2022 So, MI and WI are the priorities (this week).<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump eyes 2 battleground states as he looks to tear down Dem \u2018blue wall\u2019 again\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-heads-back-to-two-key-battlegrounds-as-he-aims-to-tear-down-blue-wall-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cIt\u2019s the former president\u2019s second swing through the two Great Lakes swing states in a month\u2026. Biden has made multiple trips to Michigan and Wisconsin this year, and his campaign enjoys a formidable advantage in both states when it comes to organization and ground-game efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Biden (D): \u201cBiden\u2019s Electoral College Challenge\u201d [Ron Brownstein, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/67i3X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cPresident Joe Biden won a decisive Electoral College victory in 2020 by restoring old Democratic advantages in the Rust Belt while establishing new beachheads in the Sun Belt. But this year, his position in polls has weakened on both fronts. The result is that, even this far from Election Day, signs are developing that Biden could face a last-mile problem in the Electoral College. Even a modest recovery in Biden\u2019s current support could put him in position to win states worth 255 Electoral College votes, strategists in both parties agree. His problem is that every option for capturing the final 15 Electoral College votes he would need to reach a winning majority of 270 looks significantly more difficult\u2026. Biden\u2019s odds may particularly diminish if he cannot hold all three of the former \u2018blue wall\u2019 states across the Rust Belt that he recaptured in 2020 after Trump had taken them four years earlier: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Biden is running more competitively in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin than in any other swing states. But in Michigan, Biden has struggled in most polls, whipsawed by defections among multiple groups Democrats rely on, including Arab Americans, auto workers, young people, and Black Americans. As James Carville, the veteran Democratic strategist told me, if Biden can recover to win Michigan along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, \u2018you are not going to lose.\u2019 But, Carville added, if Biden can\u2019t hold all three, \u2018you are going to have to catch an inside straight to win.’\u201d And: \u201cMany operatives in both parties separate the six states Biden carried most narrowly into three distinct tiers. Biden has looked best in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Biden\u2019s position has been weakest in Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia. Michigan falls into its own tier in between.\u201d \u2022 The collective wisdom of Democratic strategists but still worth a read. <\/p>\n<p>Biden (D): \u201cDon\u2019t Forget the Backlash to the \u201960s\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/05\/02\/why-campus-chaos-should-give-democrats-ptsd-00155537\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cMost media retrospectives of the 1960s celebrate the marchers, the protests, the peace signs along with the compulsory Buffalo Springfield lyrics (\u201cThere\u2019s something happening here\/ But what it is ain\u2019t exactly clear\u201d). The reality is those upheavals were an enormous in-kind contribution to the political fortunes of the right. And if history comes even close to repeating itself, then the latest episode will redound to Donald Trump\u2019s benefit. Begin with this, unfortunately accurate, generalization: Protests of any kind, even those most justified, produce a sense of unease among the public\u2026. When upheaval began on college campuses, largely triggered by the escalation of the Vietnam War, this sense of disapproval grew sharply, and so did the political consequences. Ronald Reagan centered much of his 1966 campaign for governor of California on attacking the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley. He pledged to \u2018clean up the mess at Berkeley,\u2019 and denounced the \u2018beatniks, radicals and filthy speech advocates\u2019 who fueled \u2018anarchy and rioting.\u2019\u2026 The backlash against the left was a key part of the 1968 presidential race. Richard Nixon famously ran a campaign on \u2018law and order\u2019 \u2014 highlighting both urban and campus unrest. One commercial featured scenes of protest, as Nixon argued that \u2018in a system of government that provides for peaceful change, there is no cause that justifies a resort to violence.\u2019\u2026. The scenes of violence in Chicago outside the Democrats\u2019 1968 presidential convention, meanwhile, further contributed to the notion that left-wing lawlessness had gotten out of control. It was a nightmare event for Hubert Humphrey\u2019s beleaguered presidential campaign, one where the public overwhelmingly sided with the Chicago police, not the demonstrators. (And, of course, guess where Democrats are holding their 2024 convention: Chicago.)\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cRailroad Owned by RFK Jr.\u2019s Megadonor Repeatedly Violated Environmental and Safety Laws\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.exposedbycmd.org\/2024\/05\/01\/railroad-owned-by-rfk-jr-s-megadonor-repeatedly-violated-environmental-and-safety-laws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Exposed by CMD<\/a>]. \u201cRobert F. Kennedy Jr. may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kennedy24.com\/environment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">claim<\/a> he will be \u2018the best environmental president in American history,\u2019 but the Republican industrialist bankrolling the super PAC behind his longshot bid for the White House has a long history of violating environmental laws. A Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) study of the railroad business that 81-year-old megadonor Timothy Mellon owned for 45 years shows numerous violations of federal and state environmental and safety laws, including a criminal conviction of the company for covering up a 2006 oil spill. Mellon\u2019s backing may be related to Kennedy\u2019s recent emergence as a climate skeptic and harsh critic of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Despite being a former environmental lawyer and \u2018crusader,\u2019 he has shifted his position so radically that former allies are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/robert-f-kennedy-jr-climate-change-18410994.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">calling<\/a> his campaign a \u2018climate disaster.\u2019 On the campaign trail, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwje5rHmtu-FAxXJ2DgGHTEJBmsQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fopinion%2Fopenforum%2Farticle%2Frobert-f-kennedy-jr-climate-change-18410994.php&usg=AOvVaw3TEn39FiRdMjMspSudnBog&opi=89978449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kennedy has called the climate crisis<\/a> \u2018a pretext for clamping down totalitarian controls, the same way the Covid crisis was,\u2019 blaming \u2018intelligence agencies,\u2019 \u2018the world economic forum,\u2019 and \u2018the billionaire boys\u2019 club at Davos\u2019 for efforts to control global warming. Kennedy also denounces the EPA as \u2018effectively run by the oil industry, the coal industry and the pesticide industry,\u2019 despite the fact that the fossil fuel industry and Republican state attorneys general have repeatedly sued the agency to challenge its regulations\u2026.. During this election cycle alone [Mellon] has given more than $50 million to GOP candidates and PACs, including over $20 million to the American Values 2024 super PAC that supports Kennedy\u2019s independent run for president. This represents almost half of the PAC\u2019s $43-million haul so far this cycle. At the same time, Mellon is financing former President Trump\u2019s third run for the White House.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy the Senate GOP is downplaying the chances of a red wave\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/05\/02\/red-senate-wave-mcconnell-2024-november-00155478\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cSenate Republicans are six months away from their most favorable Election Day map in a decade, with pickup opportunities in at least a half-dozen states \u2014 including sapphire-blue Maryland. Mitch McConnell isn\u2019t predicting a red wave ahead, though. There\u2019s a reason for that. The minority leader is clearly wary of his party overextending itself despite the advantageous conditions after the twin debacles of 2020 and 2022, when former President Donald Trump\u2019s embrace of flawed GOP nominees contributed to surprising Democratic wins. While former Senate GOP campaign chief Rick Scott (R-Fla.) predicted the party would win up to 55 seats in the midterms, Democrats ended up gaining a seat. So even though Republicans have room to compete in eight states, McConnell said in an interview that he\u2019s primarily focused on four for now\u2026. \u2018You take polls around Labor Day and begin to decide where you\u2019re going to play,\u2019 McConnell said. \u2018But we know where we\u2019re going to play for sure right now: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AZ: \u201cArizona Senate repeals near-total 1864 abortion ban in divisive vote\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/5\/2\/arizona-senate-repeals-near-total-1864-abortion-ban-in-divisive-vote?traffic_source=rss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Al Jazeera<\/a>]. \u201cThe Arizona Senate has voted to repeal the state\u2019s 1864 ban on abortion, which would otherwise have taken effect within weeks. The repeal was passed by the Senate in a 16-14 vote on Wednesday and is expected to be signed swiftly by Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat. Two Republican senators crossed party lines to vote in favour of repealing the ban. The Arizona House last week passed the measure after a handful of Republicans broke party ranks and voted with Democrats to send it to the Senate. \u2018We\u2019re here to repeal a bad law,\u2019 Senator Eva Burch, a Democrat, said from the floor. \u201cI don\u2019t want us honouring laws about women, written during a time when women were forbidden from voting.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Republican Funhouse<\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\n<p>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Yep:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">That whole scratch a liberal, and a fascist bleeds statement has never been more apparent than it is in this moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 AshleyStevens (@The_Acumen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/The_Acumen\/status\/1785696815783825823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>All factions of both parties partaking liberally of the fascist \u201cAll You Can Eat\u201d buffet.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"encampments\"\/>Northern Arizona University encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Can\u2019t make this up. At Northern Arizona University, the VP of Inclusion helped tear down the encampment tents set up by anti-genocide student protestors. 24 were arrested. Oh & the university suspended the SJP chapter. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kmlrUNRpBZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/kmlrUNRpBZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alexander Avi\u00f1a (@Alexander_Avina) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Alexander_Avina\/status\/1785783248963993645\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Same as at Columbia, where the cop-wielding President is a \u201cwoman of color.\u201d So much for identity politics, one would have thought.<\/p>\n<p>UCLA encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">*also not most staff, such as janitors, food service workers, library workers and so on. A general strike could help correct this power imbalance\u2026 \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Samuel Lutzker (@SamLutzker) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamLutzker\/status\/1785988546123415604\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Maybe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uaw4811.org\/updates\/strike-authorization-vote-announcement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a UAW 4811 strike<\/a> will ignite something\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>UCLA encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LA, y\u2019a\u2019ll sure know how to hold it tf down \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25\ud83e\udee1 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0xhB0na3dw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/0xhB0na3dw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 eyerollsandbloodlust (@eyerollsnblood) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eyerollsnblood\/status\/1785868688425734595\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The dastardly campers are cleverly concealing their connection to Soros by purchasing multi-colored tents\u2026 <\/p>\n<p>Dartmouth:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than 90 protesters arrested at Dartmouth College pro-Palestinian encampment\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/05\/01\/metro\/before-pro-palestinian-encampent-begins-dartmouth-warns-students-they-could-be-expelled-participating\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Boston Globe<\/a>]. \u201cHanover police said in a statement that they had been advised by the college that no tents would be allowed. Protesters put up a small grouping of four tents, and soon hundreds of people had gathered at the small encampment, singing songs and calling on the university to divest from companies that profit from war in Israel. By 8:30 p.m., about 30 state troopers and local police officers arrived on campus.\u201d \u2022 Seven cops oer tent.<\/p>\n<p>Brown encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It turns out that if you don’t call in anti-terror cops to beat, detain, and arrest your students, you can actually avoid escalating violence and chaos, and becoming headline news across the globe, and actually have a productive discussion with demonstrators on your campus. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hVKyQ39FCy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/hVKyQ39FCy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mehdirhasan\/status\/1785857756328583446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>This is the time-honored tactic of university administrators: Divert the student energy into a committee (and then, of course, sabotage the committee). <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Pandemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/Pages\/COVID-19\/CalSuWers-Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&subtopic=recurring-updates&indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/udwq.shinyapps.io\/sarscov2_surv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/see-the-numbers\/covid-19-in-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>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, 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). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>LEGEND<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1) <span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> for charts new today; all others are not updated.<\/p>\n<p>2) For a full-size\/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and \u201copen image in new tab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[1] (Biobot) Our curve has now flattened out at a level far above valleys under Trump. Not a great victory. Note also the area \u201cunder the curve,\u201d besides looking at peaks. That area is larger under Biden than under Trump, and it seems to be rising steadily if unevenly.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (Biobot) No backward revisons\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) KP.2 has entered the chat, at least in the model. As of May 11, genomic surveillance data will be reported biweekly, based on the availability of positive test specimens.\u201d \u201cBiweeekly: 1. occurring every two weeks. 2. occurring twice a week; semiweekly.\u201d Looks like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they\u2019re telling us variants are nothing to worry about. Time will tell.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) CDC seems to have killed this off, since the link is broken, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/surveillance\/resp-lens\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I think in favor of this <em>thing<\/em><\/a>. I will try to confirm. UPDATE Yes, leave it to CDC to kill a page, and then <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.cdc.gov\/#\/details?url=https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ncird\/surveillance\/respiratory-illnesses\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">announce it was archived a day later<\/a>. And heaven forfend CDC should explain where to go to get equivalent data, if any. I liked the ER data, because it seemed really hard to game.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Flattening out to a non-zero baseline. I suppose to a tame epidemiologist it looks like \u201cendemicity,\u201d but to me it looks like another tranche of lethality.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Still down. \u201cMaps, charts, and data provided by CDC, updates weekly for the previous MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Department Visits, Test Positivity) and weekly the following Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET\u2020\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Slight uptrend.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Posivitity) Uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants) JN.1 dominates utterly. And no mention of KP.2<\/p>\n<p>[11] Looks like the Times isn\u2019t reporting death data any more? Maybe I need to go back to The Economist\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US was unchanged from the prior week at 208,000 on the period ending April 27th, remaining at the lowest level in two months, and firmly below market expectations of 212,000. It was the fourth consecutive stronger-than-expected result, pointing to continued tightness in the US labor market and adding leeway for the Federal Reserve to delay interest rate cuts should inflation remain stubbornly above the central bank\u2019s target. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Factory Orders\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/factory-orders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cNew orders for US manufactured goods rose by 1.6% from the previous month to $584.5 billion in March of 2024, following a 1.2% increase in February, in line with expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Supply Chain: \u201cUnited States LMI Logistics Managers Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/lmi-logistics-managers-index-current\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Logistics Manager\u2019s Index in the US increased to 58.3 in March 2024, from 56.5 in February, marking the fastest expansion since September 2022. This indicates that the overall logistics industry is experiencing healthy growth, albeit at the lower end. The growth is attributed to long-planned inventory expansions and improved efficiency in warehousing and transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cWhistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/business\/whistleblower-josh-dean-of-boeing-supplier-spirit-aerosystems-has-died\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Seattle Times<\/a>]. \u201cJoshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died Tuesday morning after a struggle with . Known as Josh, Dean lived in Wichita, Kan., where Spirit is based. He was 45, had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle. He died after two weeks in critical condition, his aunt Carol Parsons said\u2026. Parsons said Dean became ill and went to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing just over two weeks ago. He was intubated and developed pneumonia and then a serious bacterial infection, MRSA\u2026. Dean was represented by a law firm in South Carolina that also represented Boeing whistleblower John \u2018Mitch\u2019 Barnett.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cWhistleblower Laws That Protect Lawbreakers\u201d [Maureen Tkacik, <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/infrastructure\/transportation\/2024-04-30-whistleblower-laws-protect-lawbreakers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">American Prospect<\/a>]. This article, excellent as usual, is really two articles, one on the topic in the headline, one buried. Here is the buried part: (1) \u201cAppearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, [Sam] Salehpour described an unsettling evening when his brand new tire began to flatten on the drive home. When he pulled over at a body shop, a mechanic discovered a nail. Just so you know, the mechanic told him, you didn\u2019t run over this nail; <em>it\u2019s not an accident<\/em>.\u201d (2) \u201cLater that afternoon, I got a text message from one of Barnett\u2019s old Boeing co-workers who\u2019d been fired from the Charleston plant for reporting a safety risk created by shoddy manufacturing. An FAA investigation had vindicated most of the whistleblower\u2019s allegations, only after they\u2019d withdrawn their AIR 21 complaint out of fear Boeing would force them to pay legal fees. Inside the whistleblower\u2019s text was a photo of a wheel missing two lug nuts; the car had been mysteriously wobbling, so they\u2019d pulled over to check. It had been years since they\u2019d left the company, but they could not shake the sense that someone, somewhere was still trying to exact revenge on them for speaking out. \u201cIf anything happens,\u201d they told me, not for the first time, \u201cI\u2019m not suicidal.’\u201d (3) \u201c\u201dJohn\u2019s boss always told him he was going to push him till he broke, and that\u2019s what they did,\u201d says Turkewitz, whose therapist has been helping him come to peace with the fact that Barnett likely did kill himself, and that his initial denial was in part influenced by guilt for having forced his client to relive six and a half years of daily micro- and macro aggressions in a grueling deposition.\u201d \u2022 Anybody other than me having some cognitive dissonance over (1) and (2) vs. (3)? And now we have another death, this one from \u201ca fast moving infection,\u201d not crude sabotage, but maybe they\u2019re more sophisticated up in Seattle? Not that I\u2019m foily.<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cA Lawsuit Argues Meta Is Required by Law to Let You Control Your Own Feed\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/qnoF1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wired<\/a>]. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/qnoF1\/https:\/\/knightcolumbia.org\/documents\/gu63ujqj8o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The suit<\/a> was filed by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University on behalf of researcher Ethan Zuckerman, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts\u2014Amherst. It attempts to take a federal law that has generally shielded social networks and use it as a tool forcing transparency\u2026. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is best known for allowing social media companies to evade legal liability for content on their platforms. Zuckerman\u2019s suit argues that one of its subsections gives users the right to control how they access the internet, and the tools they use to do so.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSection 230 (c) (2) (b) is quite explicit about libraries, parents, and others having the ability to control obscene or other unwanted content on the internet.\u201d \u2022 Interesting!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 36 Fear (previous close: 40 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 39 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated May 2 at 1:37:46 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolice Unions: What to Know and Why They Don\u2019t Belong in the Labor Movement\u201d [Kim Kelly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/what-to-know-police-unions-labor-movement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Teen Vogue<\/a>]. \u201cPolice unions have always been outliers among organized labor, and there are many reasons why the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union has long <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.iww.org\/PDF\/Constitutions\/CurrentIWWConstitution.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">refused<\/a> to allow cops (and prison guards) into its organization. For one thing, no other union members hold the legal ability to straight-up kill another human being while on the job\u2026. [Author Kristian Williams] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/Our_Enemies_in_Blue\/QWNhCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=police%20associations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">argues<\/a> that the shared workplace identity that makes up the \u201cthin blue line\u201d mentality for cops transcends other identity markers, and shows how they view themselves as police first, and everything else second. As such, police unions tend to keep their distance from the rest of the labor movement (unless they\u2019re cracking its members\u2019 skulls)\u2026. The cognitive dissonance that comes with knowing that members of <em>my<\/em> union are being beaten bloody and viciously arrested by members of <em>another<\/em> union that falls under that <em>same<\/em> AFL-CIO umbrella is sickening, as is the knowledge that we will have to fight our own leadership to force a change. But I know that there are a great many of us who are up for the challenge, and this battle is far from over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cKey Consciousness Connections Uncovered\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/consciousness-neuroimaging-brain-26017\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Neuroscience News<\/a>]. \u201cThe study involved high-resolution scans that enabled the researchers to visualize brain connections at submillimeter spatial resolution. This technical advance allowed them to identify previously unseen pathways connecting the brainstem, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and cerebral cortex. Together, these pathways form a \u2018default ascending arousal network\u2019 that sustains wakefulness in the resting, conscious human brain. The concept of a \u2018default\u2019 network is based on the idea that specific networks within the brain are most functionally active when the brain is in a resting state of consciousness. In contrast, other networks are more active when the brain is performing goal-directed tasks\u2026. The authors are currently conducting clinical trials to stimulate the default ascending arousal network in patients with coma after traumatic brain injury, with the goal of reactivating the network and restoring consciousness.\u201d \u2022 Fine, but when can we use this default network for advertising, or better yet, rent it?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: 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) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/05\/200pm-water-cooler-5-1-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From Carla:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-270962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Carla writes: \u201cThese cactus blooms last for only a day. For many years, the plant bloomed only once a year. The last few years it has bloomed more often. Always a treat!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/05\/200pm-water-cooler-5-2-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente. * * * Bird Song of the Day American Robin, 138 Captains Dr, West Babylon, Suffolk, New York, United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-spotlight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>American Robin, 138 Captains Dr, West Babylon, Suffolk, New York, United States. \u201cAmerican Robin singing on a roof before dawn. Bird gives a few call notes before flying off at the end of the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing deaths<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#trump\">Trump nostalgia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#encampments\">Encampments<\/a> news.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Biden Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cBiden on campus protesters: No \u2018right to cause chaos’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/05\/02\/biden-college-campus-protests-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u2022 Correct. Let\u2019s leave that to the Executive Branch!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Less than a year to go!<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/free.timeanddate.com\/countdown\/i8ubjj5e\/n179\/cf100\/cm0\/cu1\/ct0\/cs1\/ca0\/cr0\/ss0\/cac000\/cpc000\/pcfff\/tcfff\/fs100\/szw320\/szh135\/tatTime%20left%20to%20Election%20Day%2C%202024\/tac000\/tptTime%20since%20Event%20started%20in\/tpc000\/mac000\/mpc000\/iso2024-11-05T00:00:00\/bo2\/pd2\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"322\" height=\"137\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"swing\"\/>RCP Poll Averages, April 26:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"522\" height=\"924\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-270581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26.png 522w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26-169x300.png 169w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>National results are still moving Biden\u2019s way. But all the Swing States (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/03\/introduction-to-swing-states-in-the-presidential-election-of-2024-general-survey.html\">more here<\/a>) are moving Trump\u2019s way, although in tiny increments. It\u2019s hard to attribute this consistency to mere chance. \u201cAll\u201d with one exception: Pennsylvania. If Susie Wiles is such a brain genius, why isn\u2019t she fixing this?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cMichael Cohen TikTok videos, fundraising stun legal observers: May have \u2018torpedoed case against Trump’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/michael-cohen-tiktok-videos-fundraising-stun-legal-observers-torpedoed-case-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cMichael Cohen, who is supposed to be a star witness in NY v. Trump, might have \u2018torpedoed\u2019 the case before taking the stand by ranting about it on TikTok while fundraising, according to legal observers\u2026. ABC News <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/michael-cohen-cashing-trump-trial-tiktok-livestreams-problem\/story?id=109695141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">published an article Sunday<\/a> declaring Cohen\u2019s actions \u2018could be a problem, pointing out that Cohen has chimed in on former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker\u2019s testimony, has regularly \u2018railed against Trump,\u2019 has insisted the jury isn\u2019t \u2018bored\u2019 and can profit when followers shower him with gifts. TikTok allows viewers to donate \u2018gifts\u2019 as they watch users\u2019 livestreams\u2026. \u2018Michael Cohen through his narcissism and his ego may have just torpedoed the case against Trump,\u2019 [Michael] Avenatti told Fox News Digital from federal prison.\u201d \u201c(!!!!) More: \u2018The state can\u2019t win the case without him and because of his conduct in reviewing trial testimony in violation of the court\u2019s order, which just admitted to when speaking with ABC, the court must strike him as a witness, declare a mistrial, or both,\u2019 Avenatti continued. \u2018He had no business commenting on other witnesses\u2019 testimony.\u2019 Avenatti said Cohen is \u2018not even supposed to be hearing or learning of that testimony before he testifies\u2019 himself. \u2018Alvin Bragg and his team have a lot of explaining to do, in my view,\u2019 Avenatti said.\u201d \u2022 Entertaining!<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cNY vs. Trump: A trial in search of an imaginary crime\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/ny-vs-trump-trial-search-imaginary-crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cBragg\u2019s courtroom smear campaign against Trump continued with prosecution witness Keith Davidson, the Los Angeles lawyer for Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, who purportedly had an affair with Trump. Davidson negotiated the so-called \u201chush money\u201d payments for both his clients, which were completely lawful. Paying someone for their silence in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement is not a crime. Indeed, it\u2019s a staple of thousands of settlement agreements signed every day\u2026. Prosecutors also exploited the McDougal-Daniels imbroglio to backdoor a prominent mention in court of the infamous \u201cAccess Hollywood\u201d tape that proved damaging to Trump just weeks before the 2016 election. Such evidence should never be permitted since its scant probative value is materially outweighed by the prejudicial effect on the jury. No matter. That\u2019s exactly what Bragg wants.\u201d \u2022 The Molineux Rule once more\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump (R): \u201cIs Trump Nostalgia Enough?\u201d [Sean Trende, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2024\/04\/30\/is_trump_nostalgia_enough_150865.html#2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitics<\/a>]. \u201cThe political science literature is pretty consistent that . That\u2019s not good for Biden either: When asked how they would rate conditions in the economy today, 30% said \u2018good,\u2019 while 70% said \u2018poor.\u2019 That\u2019s better than the 18-82 split from mid-2022, but it\u2019s still worse than in the middle of the COVID shutdown, when it was a 34-65 breakdown. And it is far worse than the 70% \u2018good\u2019 rating Trump received in late 2019. We can repeat \u2018It\u2019s a long time until Election Day,\u2019 and that\u2019s true in a sense. But Election Day is also fast approaching; we\u2019re almost in May, and people start voting in September in some states. If voters still have a favorable view of Trump\u2019s presidency in a few months and think the incumbent president is a failure, the situation will quickly turn critical for Biden and the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cOn a day off from court, fired-up Trump hits swing states\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-68932499\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC<\/a>]. \u201cBut on Wednesday at a rally outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he seemed fired up as he spoke to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters for about an hour and a half\u2026. \u2018The trial is definitely going to increase his popularity,\u2019 said Nancy Ridge, a supporter from nearby Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, who was wearing a jacket printed with Mr Trump\u2019s mugshot on the back and the words \u2018Wanted: for president.\u2019 \u2018Especially among lower-class people who have been convicted of crimes or even falsely accused. They understand the justice system and how corrupt it can be,\u2019 she said. \u2018It\u2019s free publicity,\u2019 said Jerry Cleppe, another Trump fan waiting in a queue outside the event. \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s good or bad, it\u2019s attention. The trial is a good thing.\u2019\u2026. After his rally in Wisconsin, the former president hosted another event in Michigan.\u201d \u2022 So, MI and WI are the priorities (this week).<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump eyes 2 battleground states as he looks to tear down Dem \u2018blue wall\u2019 again\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-heads-back-to-two-key-battlegrounds-as-he-aims-to-tear-down-blue-wall-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cIt\u2019s the former president\u2019s second swing through the two Great Lakes swing states in a month\u2026. Biden has made multiple trips to Michigan and Wisconsin this year, and his campaign enjoys a formidable advantage in both states when it comes to organization and ground-game efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Biden (D): \u201cBiden\u2019s Electoral College Challenge\u201d [Ron Brownstein, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/67i3X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cPresident Joe Biden won a decisive Electoral College victory in 2020 by restoring old Democratic advantages in the Rust Belt while establishing new beachheads in the Sun Belt. But this year, his position in polls has weakened on both fronts. The result is that, even this far from Election Day, signs are developing that Biden could face a last-mile problem in the Electoral College. Even a modest recovery in Biden\u2019s current support could put him in position to win states worth 255 Electoral College votes, strategists in both parties agree. His problem is that every option for capturing the final 15 Electoral College votes he would need to reach a winning majority of 270 looks significantly more difficult\u2026. Biden\u2019s odds may particularly diminish if he cannot hold all three of the former \u2018blue wall\u2019 states across the Rust Belt that he recaptured in 2020 after Trump had taken them four years earlier: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Biden is running more competitively in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin than in any other swing states. But in Michigan, Biden has struggled in most polls, whipsawed by defections among multiple groups Democrats rely on, including Arab Americans, auto workers, young people, and Black Americans. As James Carville, the veteran Democratic strategist told me, if Biden can recover to win Michigan along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, \u2018you are not going to lose.\u2019 But, Carville added, if Biden can\u2019t hold all three, \u2018you are going to have to catch an inside straight to win.’\u201d And: \u201cMany operatives in both parties separate the six states Biden carried most narrowly into three distinct tiers. Biden has looked best in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Biden\u2019s position has been weakest in Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia. Michigan falls into its own tier in between.\u201d \u2022 The collective wisdom of Democratic strategists but still worth a read. <\/p>\n<p>Biden (D): \u201cDon\u2019t Forget the Backlash to the \u201960s\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/05\/02\/why-campus-chaos-should-give-democrats-ptsd-00155537\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cMost media retrospectives of the 1960s celebrate the marchers, the protests, the peace signs along with the compulsory Buffalo Springfield lyrics (\u201cThere\u2019s something happening here\/ But what it is ain\u2019t exactly clear\u201d). The reality is those upheavals were an enormous in-kind contribution to the political fortunes of the right. And if history comes even close to repeating itself, then the latest episode will redound to Donald Trump\u2019s benefit. Begin with this, unfortunately accurate, generalization: Protests of any kind, even those most justified, produce a sense of unease among the public\u2026. When upheaval began on college campuses, largely triggered by the escalation of the Vietnam War, this sense of disapproval grew sharply, and so did the political consequences. Ronald Reagan centered much of his 1966 campaign for governor of California on attacking the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley. He pledged to \u2018clean up the mess at Berkeley,\u2019 and denounced the \u2018beatniks, radicals and filthy speech advocates\u2019 who fueled \u2018anarchy and rioting.\u2019\u2026 The backlash against the left was a key part of the 1968 presidential race. Richard Nixon famously ran a campaign on \u2018law and order\u2019 \u2014 highlighting both urban and campus unrest. One commercial featured scenes of protest, as Nixon argued that \u2018in a system of government that provides for peaceful change, there is no cause that justifies a resort to violence.\u2019\u2026. The scenes of violence in Chicago outside the Democrats\u2019 1968 presidential convention, meanwhile, further contributed to the notion that left-wing lawlessness had gotten out of control. It was a nightmare event for Hubert Humphrey\u2019s beleaguered presidential campaign, one where the public overwhelmingly sided with the Chicago police, not the demonstrators. (And, of course, guess where Democrats are holding their 2024 convention: Chicago.)\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cRailroad Owned by RFK Jr.\u2019s Megadonor Repeatedly Violated Environmental and Safety Laws\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.exposedbycmd.org\/2024\/05\/01\/railroad-owned-by-rfk-jr-s-megadonor-repeatedly-violated-environmental-and-safety-laws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Exposed by CMD<\/a>]. \u201cRobert F. Kennedy Jr. may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kennedy24.com\/environment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">claim<\/a> he will be \u2018the best environmental president in American history,\u2019 but the Republican industrialist bankrolling the super PAC behind his longshot bid for the White House has a long history of violating environmental laws. A Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) study of the railroad business that 81-year-old megadonor Timothy Mellon owned for 45 years shows numerous violations of federal and state environmental and safety laws, including a criminal conviction of the company for covering up a 2006 oil spill. Mellon\u2019s backing may be related to Kennedy\u2019s recent emergence as a climate skeptic and harsh critic of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Despite being a former environmental lawyer and \u2018crusader,\u2019 he has shifted his position so radically that former allies are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/robert-f-kennedy-jr-climate-change-18410994.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">calling<\/a> his campaign a \u2018climate disaster.\u2019 On the campaign trail, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwje5rHmtu-FAxXJ2DgGHTEJBmsQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fopinion%2Fopenforum%2Farticle%2Frobert-f-kennedy-jr-climate-change-18410994.php&usg=AOvVaw3TEn39FiRdMjMspSudnBog&opi=89978449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kennedy has called the climate crisis<\/a> \u2018a pretext for clamping down totalitarian controls, the same way the Covid crisis was,\u2019 blaming \u2018intelligence agencies,\u2019 \u2018the world economic forum,\u2019 and \u2018the billionaire boys\u2019 club at Davos\u2019 for efforts to control global warming. Kennedy also denounces the EPA as \u2018effectively run by the oil industry, the coal industry and the pesticide industry,\u2019 despite the fact that the fossil fuel industry and Republican state attorneys general have repeatedly sued the agency to challenge its regulations\u2026.. During this election cycle alone [Mellon] has given more than $50 million to GOP candidates and PACs, including over $20 million to the American Values 2024 super PAC that supports Kennedy\u2019s independent run for president. This represents almost half of the PAC\u2019s $43-million haul so far this cycle. At the same time, Mellon is financing former President Trump\u2019s third run for the White House.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy the Senate GOP is downplaying the chances of a red wave\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/05\/02\/red-senate-wave-mcconnell-2024-november-00155478\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cSenate Republicans are six months away from their most favorable Election Day map in a decade, with pickup opportunities in at least a half-dozen states \u2014 including sapphire-blue Maryland. Mitch McConnell isn\u2019t predicting a red wave ahead, though. There\u2019s a reason for that. The minority leader is clearly wary of his party overextending itself despite the advantageous conditions after the twin debacles of 2020 and 2022, when former President Donald Trump\u2019s embrace of flawed GOP nominees contributed to surprising Democratic wins. While former Senate GOP campaign chief Rick Scott (R-Fla.) predicted the party would win up to 55 seats in the midterms, Democrats ended up gaining a seat. So even though Republicans have room to compete in eight states, McConnell said in an interview that he\u2019s primarily focused on four for now\u2026. \u2018You take polls around Labor Day and begin to decide where you\u2019re going to play,\u2019 McConnell said. \u2018But we know where we\u2019re going to play for sure right now: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AZ: \u201cArizona Senate repeals near-total 1864 abortion ban in divisive vote\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/5\/2\/arizona-senate-repeals-near-total-1864-abortion-ban-in-divisive-vote?traffic_source=rss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Al Jazeera<\/a>]. \u201cThe Arizona Senate has voted to repeal the state\u2019s 1864 ban on abortion, which would otherwise have taken effect within weeks. The repeal was passed by the Senate in a 16-14 vote on Wednesday and is expected to be signed swiftly by Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat. Two Republican senators crossed party lines to vote in favour of repealing the ban. The Arizona House last week passed the measure after a handful of Republicans broke party ranks and voted with Democrats to send it to the Senate. \u2018We\u2019re here to repeal a bad law,\u2019 Senator Eva Burch, a Democrat, said from the floor. \u201cI don\u2019t want us honouring laws about women, written during a time when women were forbidden from voting.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Republican Funhouse<\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\n<p>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Yep:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">That whole scratch a liberal, and a fascist bleeds statement has never been more apparent than it is in this moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 AshleyStevens (@The_Acumen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/The_Acumen\/status\/1785696815783825823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>All factions of both parties partaking liberally of the fascist \u201cAll You Can Eat\u201d buffet.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"encampments\"\/>Northern Arizona University encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Can\u2019t make this up. At Northern Arizona University, the VP of Inclusion helped tear down the encampment tents set up by anti-genocide student protestors. 24 were arrested. Oh & the university suspended the SJP chapter. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kmlrUNRpBZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/kmlrUNRpBZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alexander Avi\u00f1a (@Alexander_Avina) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Alexander_Avina\/status\/1785783248963993645\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Same as at Columbia, where the cop-wielding President is a \u201cwoman of color.\u201d So much for identity politics, one would have thought.<\/p>\n<p>UCLA encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">*also not most staff, such as janitors, food service workers, library workers and so on. A general strike could help correct this power imbalance\u2026 \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Samuel Lutzker (@SamLutzker) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamLutzker\/status\/1785988546123415604\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Maybe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uaw4811.org\/updates\/strike-authorization-vote-announcement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a UAW 4811 strike<\/a> will ignite something\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>UCLA encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LA, y\u2019a\u2019ll sure know how to hold it tf down \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25\ud83e\udee1 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0xhB0na3dw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/0xhB0na3dw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 eyerollsandbloodlust (@eyerollsnblood) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eyerollsnblood\/status\/1785868688425734595\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The dastardly campers are cleverly concealing their connection to Soros by purchasing multi-colored tents\u2026 <\/p>\n<p>Dartmouth:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than 90 protesters arrested at Dartmouth College pro-Palestinian encampment\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/05\/01\/metro\/before-pro-palestinian-encampent-begins-dartmouth-warns-students-they-could-be-expelled-participating\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Boston Globe<\/a>]. \u201cHanover police said in a statement that they had been advised by the college that no tents would be allowed. Protesters put up a small grouping of four tents, and soon hundreds of people had gathered at the small encampment, singing songs and calling on the university to divest from companies that profit from war in Israel. By 8:30 p.m., about 30 state troopers and local police officers arrived on campus.\u201d \u2022 Seven cops oer tent.<\/p>\n<p>Brown encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It turns out that if you don’t call in anti-terror cops to beat, detain, and arrest your students, you can actually avoid escalating violence and chaos, and becoming headline news across the globe, and actually have a productive discussion with demonstrators on your campus. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hVKyQ39FCy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/hVKyQ39FCy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mehdirhasan\/status\/1785857756328583446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>This is the time-honored tactic of university administrators: Divert the student energy into a committee (and then, of course, sabotage the committee). <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Pandemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/Pages\/COVID-19\/CalSuWers-Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&subtopic=recurring-updates&indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/udwq.shinyapps.io\/sarscov2_surv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/see-the-numbers\/covid-19-in-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>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, 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). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>LEGEND<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1) <span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> for charts new today; all others are not updated.<\/p>\n<p>2) For a full-size\/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and \u201copen image in new tab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[1] (Biobot) Our curve has now flattened out at a level far above valleys under Trump. Not a great victory. Note also the area \u201cunder the curve,\u201d besides looking at peaks. That area is larger under Biden than under Trump, and it seems to be rising steadily if unevenly.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (Biobot) No backward revisons\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) KP.2 has entered the chat, at least in the model. As of May 11, genomic surveillance data will be reported biweekly, based on the availability of positive test specimens.\u201d \u201cBiweeekly: 1. occurring every two weeks. 2. occurring twice a week; semiweekly.\u201d Looks like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they\u2019re telling us variants are nothing to worry about. Time will tell.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) CDC seems to have killed this off, since the link is broken, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/surveillance\/resp-lens\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I think in favor of this <em>thing<\/em><\/a>. I will try to confirm. UPDATE Yes, leave it to CDC to kill a page, and then <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.cdc.gov\/#\/details?url=https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ncird\/surveillance\/respiratory-illnesses\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">announce it was archived a day later<\/a>. And heaven forfend CDC should explain where to go to get equivalent data, if any. I liked the ER data, because it seemed really hard to game.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Flattening out to a non-zero baseline. I suppose to a tame epidemiologist it looks like \u201cendemicity,\u201d but to me it looks like another tranche of lethality.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Still down. \u201cMaps, charts, and data provided by CDC, updates weekly for the previous MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Department Visits, Test Positivity) and weekly the following Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET\u2020\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Slight uptrend.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Posivitity) Uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants) JN.1 dominates utterly. And no mention of KP.2<\/p>\n<p>[11] Looks like the Times isn\u2019t reporting death data any more? Maybe I need to go back to The Economist\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US was unchanged from the prior week at 208,000 on the period ending April 27th, remaining at the lowest level in two months, and firmly below market expectations of 212,000. It was the fourth consecutive stronger-than-expected result, pointing to continued tightness in the US labor market and adding leeway for the Federal Reserve to delay interest rate cuts should inflation remain stubbornly above the central bank\u2019s target. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Factory Orders\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/factory-orders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cNew orders for US manufactured goods rose by 1.6% from the previous month to $584.5 billion in March of 2024, following a 1.2% increase in February, in line with expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Supply Chain: \u201cUnited States LMI Logistics Managers Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/lmi-logistics-managers-index-current\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Logistics Manager\u2019s Index in the US increased to 58.3 in March 2024, from 56.5 in February, marking the fastest expansion since September 2022. This indicates that the overall logistics industry is experiencing healthy growth, albeit at the lower end. The growth is attributed to long-planned inventory expansions and improved efficiency in warehousing and transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cWhistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/business\/whistleblower-josh-dean-of-boeing-supplier-spirit-aerosystems-has-died\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Seattle Times<\/a>]. \u201cJoshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died Tuesday morning after a struggle with . Known as Josh, Dean lived in Wichita, Kan., where Spirit is based. He was 45, had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle. He died after two weeks in critical condition, his aunt Carol Parsons said\u2026. Parsons said Dean became ill and went to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing just over two weeks ago. He was intubated and developed pneumonia and then a serious bacterial infection, MRSA\u2026. Dean was represented by a law firm in South Carolina that also represented Boeing whistleblower John \u2018Mitch\u2019 Barnett.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cWhistleblower Laws That Protect Lawbreakers\u201d [Maureen Tkacik, <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/infrastructure\/transportation\/2024-04-30-whistleblower-laws-protect-lawbreakers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">American Prospect<\/a>]. This article, excellent as usual, is really two articles, one on the topic in the headline, one buried. Here is the buried part: (1) \u201cAppearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, [Sam] Salehpour described an unsettling evening when his brand new tire began to flatten on the drive home. When he pulled over at a body shop, a mechanic discovered a nail. Just so you know, the mechanic told him, you didn\u2019t run over this nail; <em>it\u2019s not an accident<\/em>.\u201d (2) \u201cLater that afternoon, I got a text message from one of Barnett\u2019s old Boeing co-workers who\u2019d been fired from the Charleston plant for reporting a safety risk created by shoddy manufacturing. An FAA investigation had vindicated most of the whistleblower\u2019s allegations, only after they\u2019d withdrawn their AIR 21 complaint out of fear Boeing would force them to pay legal fees. Inside the whistleblower\u2019s text was a photo of a wheel missing two lug nuts; the car had been mysteriously wobbling, so they\u2019d pulled over to check. It had been years since they\u2019d left the company, but they could not shake the sense that someone, somewhere was still trying to exact revenge on them for speaking out. \u201cIf anything happens,\u201d they told me, not for the first time, \u201cI\u2019m not suicidal.’\u201d (3) \u201c\u201dJohn\u2019s boss always told him he was going to push him till he broke, and that\u2019s what they did,\u201d says Turkewitz, whose therapist has been helping him come to peace with the fact that Barnett likely did kill himself, and that his initial denial was in part influenced by guilt for having forced his client to relive six and a half years of daily micro- and macro aggressions in a grueling deposition.\u201d \u2022 Anybody other than me having some cognitive dissonance over (1) and (2) vs. (3)? And now we have another death, this one from \u201ca fast moving infection,\u201d not crude sabotage, but maybe they\u2019re more sophisticated up in Seattle? Not that I\u2019m foily.<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cA Lawsuit Argues Meta Is Required by Law to Let You Control Your Own Feed\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/qnoF1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wired<\/a>]. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/qnoF1\/https:\/\/knightcolumbia.org\/documents\/gu63ujqj8o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The suit<\/a> was filed by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University on behalf of researcher Ethan Zuckerman, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts\u2014Amherst. It attempts to take a federal law that has generally shielded social networks and use it as a tool forcing transparency\u2026. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is best known for allowing social media companies to evade legal liability for content on their platforms. Zuckerman\u2019s suit argues that one of its subsections gives users the right to control how they access the internet, and the tools they use to do so.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSection 230 (c) (2) (b) is quite explicit about libraries, parents, and others having the ability to control obscene or other unwanted content on the internet.\u201d \u2022 Interesting!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 36 Fear (previous close: 40 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 39 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated May 2 at 1:37:46 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolice Unions: What to Know and Why They Don\u2019t Belong in the Labor Movement\u201d [Kim Kelly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/what-to-know-police-unions-labor-movement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Teen Vogue<\/a>]. \u201cPolice unions have always been outliers among organized labor, and there are many reasons why the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union has long <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.iww.org\/PDF\/Constitutions\/CurrentIWWConstitution.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">refused<\/a> to allow cops (and prison guards) into its organization. For one thing, no other union members hold the legal ability to straight-up kill another human being while on the job\u2026. [Author Kristian Williams] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/Our_Enemies_in_Blue\/QWNhCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=police%20associations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">argues<\/a> that the shared workplace identity that makes up the \u201cthin blue line\u201d mentality for cops transcends other identity markers, and shows how they view themselves as police first, and everything else second. As such, police unions tend to keep their distance from the rest of the labor movement (unless they\u2019re cracking its members\u2019 skulls)\u2026. The cognitive dissonance that comes with knowing that members of <em>my<\/em> union are being beaten bloody and viciously arrested by members of <em>another<\/em> union that falls under that <em>same<\/em> AFL-CIO umbrella is sickening, as is the knowledge that we will have to fight our own leadership to force a change. But I know that there are a great many of us who are up for the challenge, and this battle is far from over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cKey Consciousness Connections Uncovered\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/consciousness-neuroimaging-brain-26017\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Neuroscience News<\/a>]. \u201cThe study involved high-resolution scans that enabled the researchers to visualize brain connections at submillimeter spatial resolution. This technical advance allowed them to identify previously unseen pathways connecting the brainstem, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and cerebral cortex. Together, these pathways form a \u2018default ascending arousal network\u2019 that sustains wakefulness in the resting, conscious human brain. The concept of a \u2018default\u2019 network is based on the idea that specific networks within the brain are most functionally active when the brain is in a resting state of consciousness. In contrast, other networks are more active when the brain is performing goal-directed tasks\u2026. The authors are currently conducting clinical trials to stimulate the default ascending arousal network in patients with coma after traumatic brain injury, with the goal of reactivating the network and restoring consciousness.\u201d \u2022 Fine, but when can we use this default network for advertising, or better yet, rent it?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: 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) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/05\/200pm-water-cooler-5-1-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From Carla:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-270962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Carla writes: \u201cThese cactus blooms last for only a day. For many years, the plant bloomed only once a year. The last few years it has bloomed more often. Always a treat!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/05\/200pm-water-cooler-5-2-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente. * * * Bird Song of the Day American Robin, 138 Captains Dr, West Babylon, Suffolk, New York, United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-spotlight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>American Robin, 138 Captains Dr, West Babylon, Suffolk, New York, United States. \u201cAmerican Robin singing on a roof before dawn. Bird gives a few call notes before flying off at the end of the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing deaths<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#trump\">Trump nostalgia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#encampments\">Encampments<\/a> news.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Biden Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cBiden on campus protesters: No \u2018right to cause chaos’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/05\/02\/biden-college-campus-protests-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u2022 Correct. Let\u2019s leave that to the Executive Branch!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Less than a year to go!<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/free.timeanddate.com\/countdown\/i8ubjj5e\/n179\/cf100\/cm0\/cu1\/ct0\/cs1\/ca0\/cr0\/ss0\/cac000\/cpc000\/pcfff\/tcfff\/fs100\/szw320\/szh135\/tatTime%20left%20to%20Election%20Day%2C%202024\/tac000\/tptTime%20since%20Event%20started%20in\/tpc000\/mac000\/mpc000\/iso2024-11-05T00:00:00\/bo2\/pd2\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"322\" height=\"137\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"swing\"\/>RCP Poll Averages, April 26:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"522\" height=\"924\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-270581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26.png 522w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/rcp_2024-04-26-169x300.png 169w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>National results are still moving Biden\u2019s way. But all the Swing States (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/03\/introduction-to-swing-states-in-the-presidential-election-of-2024-general-survey.html\">more here<\/a>) are moving Trump\u2019s way, although in tiny increments. It\u2019s hard to attribute this consistency to mere chance. \u201cAll\u201d with one exception: Pennsylvania. If Susie Wiles is such a brain genius, why isn\u2019t she fixing this?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cMichael Cohen TikTok videos, fundraising stun legal observers: May have \u2018torpedoed case against Trump’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/michael-cohen-tiktok-videos-fundraising-stun-legal-observers-torpedoed-case-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cMichael Cohen, who is supposed to be a star witness in NY v. Trump, might have \u2018torpedoed\u2019 the case before taking the stand by ranting about it on TikTok while fundraising, according to legal observers\u2026. ABC News <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/michael-cohen-cashing-trump-trial-tiktok-livestreams-problem\/story?id=109695141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">published an article Sunday<\/a> declaring Cohen\u2019s actions \u2018could be a problem, pointing out that Cohen has chimed in on former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker\u2019s testimony, has regularly \u2018railed against Trump,\u2019 has insisted the jury isn\u2019t \u2018bored\u2019 and can profit when followers shower him with gifts. TikTok allows viewers to donate \u2018gifts\u2019 as they watch users\u2019 livestreams\u2026. \u2018Michael Cohen through his narcissism and his ego may have just torpedoed the case against Trump,\u2019 [Michael] Avenatti told Fox News Digital from federal prison.\u201d \u201c(!!!!) More: \u2018The state can\u2019t win the case without him and because of his conduct in reviewing trial testimony in violation of the court\u2019s order, which just admitted to when speaking with ABC, the court must strike him as a witness, declare a mistrial, or both,\u2019 Avenatti continued. \u2018He had no business commenting on other witnesses\u2019 testimony.\u2019 Avenatti said Cohen is \u2018not even supposed to be hearing or learning of that testimony before he testifies\u2019 himself. \u2018Alvin Bragg and his team have a lot of explaining to do, in my view,\u2019 Avenatti said.\u201d \u2022 Entertaining!<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cNY vs. Trump: A trial in search of an imaginary crime\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/ny-vs-trump-trial-search-imaginary-crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cBragg\u2019s courtroom smear campaign against Trump continued with prosecution witness Keith Davidson, the Los Angeles lawyer for Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, who purportedly had an affair with Trump. Davidson negotiated the so-called \u201chush money\u201d payments for both his clients, which were completely lawful. Paying someone for their silence in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement is not a crime. Indeed, it\u2019s a staple of thousands of settlement agreements signed every day\u2026. Prosecutors also exploited the McDougal-Daniels imbroglio to backdoor a prominent mention in court of the infamous \u201cAccess Hollywood\u201d tape that proved damaging to Trump just weeks before the 2016 election. Such evidence should never be permitted since its scant probative value is materially outweighed by the prejudicial effect on the jury. No matter. That\u2019s exactly what Bragg wants.\u201d \u2022 The Molineux Rule once more\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump (R): \u201cIs Trump Nostalgia Enough?\u201d [Sean Trende, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2024\/04\/30\/is_trump_nostalgia_enough_150865.html#2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitics<\/a>]. \u201cThe political science literature is pretty consistent that . That\u2019s not good for Biden either: When asked how they would rate conditions in the economy today, 30% said \u2018good,\u2019 while 70% said \u2018poor.\u2019 That\u2019s better than the 18-82 split from mid-2022, but it\u2019s still worse than in the middle of the COVID shutdown, when it was a 34-65 breakdown. And it is far worse than the 70% \u2018good\u2019 rating Trump received in late 2019. We can repeat \u2018It\u2019s a long time until Election Day,\u2019 and that\u2019s true in a sense. But Election Day is also fast approaching; we\u2019re almost in May, and people start voting in September in some states. If voters still have a favorable view of Trump\u2019s presidency in a few months and think the incumbent president is a failure, the situation will quickly turn critical for Biden and the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cOn a day off from court, fired-up Trump hits swing states\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-68932499\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC<\/a>]. \u201cBut on Wednesday at a rally outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he seemed fired up as he spoke to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters for about an hour and a half\u2026. \u2018The trial is definitely going to increase his popularity,\u2019 said Nancy Ridge, a supporter from nearby Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, who was wearing a jacket printed with Mr Trump\u2019s mugshot on the back and the words \u2018Wanted: for president.\u2019 \u2018Especially among lower-class people who have been convicted of crimes or even falsely accused. They understand the justice system and how corrupt it can be,\u2019 she said. \u2018It\u2019s free publicity,\u2019 said Jerry Cleppe, another Trump fan waiting in a queue outside the event. \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s good or bad, it\u2019s attention. The trial is a good thing.\u2019\u2026. After his rally in Wisconsin, the former president hosted another event in Michigan.\u201d \u2022 So, MI and WI are the priorities (this week).<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump eyes 2 battleground states as he looks to tear down Dem \u2018blue wall\u2019 again\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-heads-back-to-two-key-battlegrounds-as-he-aims-to-tear-down-blue-wall-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cIt\u2019s the former president\u2019s second swing through the two Great Lakes swing states in a month\u2026. Biden has made multiple trips to Michigan and Wisconsin this year, and his campaign enjoys a formidable advantage in both states when it comes to organization and ground-game efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Biden (D): \u201cBiden\u2019s Electoral College Challenge\u201d [Ron Brownstein, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/67i3X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cPresident Joe Biden won a decisive Electoral College victory in 2020 by restoring old Democratic advantages in the Rust Belt while establishing new beachheads in the Sun Belt. But this year, his position in polls has weakened on both fronts. The result is that, even this far from Election Day, signs are developing that Biden could face a last-mile problem in the Electoral College. Even a modest recovery in Biden\u2019s current support could put him in position to win states worth 255 Electoral College votes, strategists in both parties agree. His problem is that every option for capturing the final 15 Electoral College votes he would need to reach a winning majority of 270 looks significantly more difficult\u2026. Biden\u2019s odds may particularly diminish if he cannot hold all three of the former \u2018blue wall\u2019 states across the Rust Belt that he recaptured in 2020 after Trump had taken them four years earlier: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Biden is running more competitively in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin than in any other swing states. But in Michigan, Biden has struggled in most polls, whipsawed by defections among multiple groups Democrats rely on, including Arab Americans, auto workers, young people, and Black Americans. As James Carville, the veteran Democratic strategist told me, if Biden can recover to win Michigan along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, \u2018you are not going to lose.\u2019 But, Carville added, if Biden can\u2019t hold all three, \u2018you are going to have to catch an inside straight to win.’\u201d And: \u201cMany operatives in both parties separate the six states Biden carried most narrowly into three distinct tiers. Biden has looked best in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Biden\u2019s position has been weakest in Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia. Michigan falls into its own tier in between.\u201d \u2022 The collective wisdom of Democratic strategists but still worth a read. <\/p>\n<p>Biden (D): \u201cDon\u2019t Forget the Backlash to the \u201960s\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/05\/02\/why-campus-chaos-should-give-democrats-ptsd-00155537\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cMost media retrospectives of the 1960s celebrate the marchers, the protests, the peace signs along with the compulsory Buffalo Springfield lyrics (\u201cThere\u2019s something happening here\/ But what it is ain\u2019t exactly clear\u201d). The reality is those upheavals were an enormous in-kind contribution to the political fortunes of the right. And if history comes even close to repeating itself, then the latest episode will redound to Donald Trump\u2019s benefit. Begin with this, unfortunately accurate, generalization: Protests of any kind, even those most justified, produce a sense of unease among the public\u2026. When upheaval began on college campuses, largely triggered by the escalation of the Vietnam War, this sense of disapproval grew sharply, and so did the political consequences. Ronald Reagan centered much of his 1966 campaign for governor of California on attacking the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley. He pledged to \u2018clean up the mess at Berkeley,\u2019 and denounced the \u2018beatniks, radicals and filthy speech advocates\u2019 who fueled \u2018anarchy and rioting.\u2019\u2026 The backlash against the left was a key part of the 1968 presidential race. Richard Nixon famously ran a campaign on \u2018law and order\u2019 \u2014 highlighting both urban and campus unrest. One commercial featured scenes of protest, as Nixon argued that \u2018in a system of government that provides for peaceful change, there is no cause that justifies a resort to violence.\u2019\u2026. The scenes of violence in Chicago outside the Democrats\u2019 1968 presidential convention, meanwhile, further contributed to the notion that left-wing lawlessness had gotten out of control. It was a nightmare event for Hubert Humphrey\u2019s beleaguered presidential campaign, one where the public overwhelmingly sided with the Chicago police, not the demonstrators. (And, of course, guess where Democrats are holding their 2024 convention: Chicago.)\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cRailroad Owned by RFK Jr.\u2019s Megadonor Repeatedly Violated Environmental and Safety Laws\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.exposedbycmd.org\/2024\/05\/01\/railroad-owned-by-rfk-jr-s-megadonor-repeatedly-violated-environmental-and-safety-laws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Exposed by CMD<\/a>]. \u201cRobert F. Kennedy Jr. may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kennedy24.com\/environment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">claim<\/a> he will be \u2018the best environmental president in American history,\u2019 but the Republican industrialist bankrolling the super PAC behind his longshot bid for the White House has a long history of violating environmental laws. A Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) study of the railroad business that 81-year-old megadonor Timothy Mellon owned for 45 years shows numerous violations of federal and state environmental and safety laws, including a criminal conviction of the company for covering up a 2006 oil spill. Mellon\u2019s backing may be related to Kennedy\u2019s recent emergence as a climate skeptic and harsh critic of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Despite being a former environmental lawyer and \u2018crusader,\u2019 he has shifted his position so radically that former allies are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/robert-f-kennedy-jr-climate-change-18410994.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">calling<\/a> his campaign a \u2018climate disaster.\u2019 On the campaign trail, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwje5rHmtu-FAxXJ2DgGHTEJBmsQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fopinion%2Fopenforum%2Farticle%2Frobert-f-kennedy-jr-climate-change-18410994.php&usg=AOvVaw3TEn39FiRdMjMspSudnBog&opi=89978449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kennedy has called the climate crisis<\/a> \u2018a pretext for clamping down totalitarian controls, the same way the Covid crisis was,\u2019 blaming \u2018intelligence agencies,\u2019 \u2018the world economic forum,\u2019 and \u2018the billionaire boys\u2019 club at Davos\u2019 for efforts to control global warming. Kennedy also denounces the EPA as \u2018effectively run by the oil industry, the coal industry and the pesticide industry,\u2019 despite the fact that the fossil fuel industry and Republican state attorneys general have repeatedly sued the agency to challenge its regulations\u2026.. During this election cycle alone [Mellon] has given more than $50 million to GOP candidates and PACs, including over $20 million to the American Values 2024 super PAC that supports Kennedy\u2019s independent run for president. This represents almost half of the PAC\u2019s $43-million haul so far this cycle. At the same time, Mellon is financing former President Trump\u2019s third run for the White House.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy the Senate GOP is downplaying the chances of a red wave\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/05\/02\/red-senate-wave-mcconnell-2024-november-00155478\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cSenate Republicans are six months away from their most favorable Election Day map in a decade, with pickup opportunities in at least a half-dozen states \u2014 including sapphire-blue Maryland. Mitch McConnell isn\u2019t predicting a red wave ahead, though. There\u2019s a reason for that. The minority leader is clearly wary of his party overextending itself despite the advantageous conditions after the twin debacles of 2020 and 2022, when former President Donald Trump\u2019s embrace of flawed GOP nominees contributed to surprising Democratic wins. While former Senate GOP campaign chief Rick Scott (R-Fla.) predicted the party would win up to 55 seats in the midterms, Democrats ended up gaining a seat. So even though Republicans have room to compete in eight states, McConnell said in an interview that he\u2019s primarily focused on four for now\u2026. \u2018You take polls around Labor Day and begin to decide where you\u2019re going to play,\u2019 McConnell said. \u2018But we know where we\u2019re going to play for sure right now: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AZ: \u201cArizona Senate repeals near-total 1864 abortion ban in divisive vote\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/5\/2\/arizona-senate-repeals-near-total-1864-abortion-ban-in-divisive-vote?traffic_source=rss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Al Jazeera<\/a>]. \u201cThe Arizona Senate has voted to repeal the state\u2019s 1864 ban on abortion, which would otherwise have taken effect within weeks. The repeal was passed by the Senate in a 16-14 vote on Wednesday and is expected to be signed swiftly by Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat. Two Republican senators crossed party lines to vote in favour of repealing the ban. The Arizona House last week passed the measure after a handful of Republicans broke party ranks and voted with Democrats to send it to the Senate. \u2018We\u2019re here to repeal a bad law,\u2019 Senator Eva Burch, a Democrat, said from the floor. \u201cI don\u2019t want us honouring laws about women, written during a time when women were forbidden from voting.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Republican Funhouse<\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\n<p>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Yep:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">That whole scratch a liberal, and a fascist bleeds statement has never been more apparent than it is in this moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 AshleyStevens (@The_Acumen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/The_Acumen\/status\/1785696815783825823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>All factions of both parties partaking liberally of the fascist \u201cAll You Can Eat\u201d buffet.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"encampments\"\/>Northern Arizona University encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Can\u2019t make this up. At Northern Arizona University, the VP of Inclusion helped tear down the encampment tents set up by anti-genocide student protestors. 24 were arrested. Oh & the university suspended the SJP chapter. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kmlrUNRpBZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/kmlrUNRpBZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alexander Avi\u00f1a (@Alexander_Avina) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Alexander_Avina\/status\/1785783248963993645\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Same as at Columbia, where the cop-wielding President is a \u201cwoman of color.\u201d So much for identity politics, one would have thought.<\/p>\n<p>UCLA encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">*also not most staff, such as janitors, food service workers, library workers and so on. A general strike could help correct this power imbalance\u2026 \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Samuel Lutzker (@SamLutzker) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamLutzker\/status\/1785988546123415604\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Maybe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uaw4811.org\/updates\/strike-authorization-vote-announcement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a UAW 4811 strike<\/a> will ignite something\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>UCLA encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LA, y\u2019a\u2019ll sure know how to hold it tf down \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25\ud83e\udee1 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0xhB0na3dw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/0xhB0na3dw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 eyerollsandbloodlust (@eyerollsnblood) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eyerollsnblood\/status\/1785868688425734595\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The dastardly campers are cleverly concealing their connection to Soros by purchasing multi-colored tents\u2026 <\/p>\n<p>Dartmouth:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than 90 protesters arrested at Dartmouth College pro-Palestinian encampment\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/05\/01\/metro\/before-pro-palestinian-encampent-begins-dartmouth-warns-students-they-could-be-expelled-participating\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Boston Globe<\/a>]. \u201cHanover police said in a statement that they had been advised by the college that no tents would be allowed. Protesters put up a small grouping of four tents, and soon hundreds of people had gathered at the small encampment, singing songs and calling on the university to divest from companies that profit from war in Israel. By 8:30 p.m., about 30 state troopers and local police officers arrived on campus.\u201d \u2022 Seven cops oer tent.<\/p>\n<p>Brown encampment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It turns out that if you don’t call in anti-terror cops to beat, detain, and arrest your students, you can actually avoid escalating violence and chaos, and becoming headline news across the globe, and actually have a productive discussion with demonstrators on your campus. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hVKyQ39FCy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/hVKyQ39FCy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mehdirhasan\/status\/1785857756328583446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">May 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>This is the time-honored tactic of university administrators: Divert the student energy into a committee (and then, of course, sabotage the committee). <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Pandemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/Pages\/COVID-19\/CalSuWers-Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&subtopic=recurring-updates&indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/udwq.shinyapps.io\/sarscov2_surv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/see-the-numbers\/covid-19-in-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>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, 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). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>LEGEND<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1) <span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> for charts new today; all others are not updated.<\/p>\n<p>2) For a full-size\/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and \u201copen image in new tab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[1] (Biobot) Our curve has now flattened out at a level far above valleys under Trump. Not a great victory. Note also the area \u201cunder the curve,\u201d besides looking at peaks. That area is larger under Biden than under Trump, and it seems to be rising steadily if unevenly.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (Biobot) No backward revisons\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) KP.2 has entered the chat, at least in the model. As of May 11, genomic surveillance data will be reported biweekly, based on the availability of positive test specimens.\u201d \u201cBiweeekly: 1. occurring every two weeks. 2. occurring twice a week; semiweekly.\u201d Looks like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they\u2019re telling us variants are nothing to worry about. Time will tell.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) CDC seems to have killed this off, since the link is broken, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/surveillance\/resp-lens\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I think in favor of this <em>thing<\/em><\/a>. I will try to confirm. UPDATE Yes, leave it to CDC to kill a page, and then <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.cdc.gov\/#\/details?url=https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ncird\/surveillance\/respiratory-illnesses\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">announce it was archived a day later<\/a>. And heaven forfend CDC should explain where to go to get equivalent data, if any. I liked the ER data, because it seemed really hard to game.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Flattening out to a non-zero baseline. I suppose to a tame epidemiologist it looks like \u201cendemicity,\u201d but to me it looks like another tranche of lethality.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Still down. \u201cMaps, charts, and data provided by CDC, updates weekly for the previous MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Department Visits, Test Positivity) and weekly the following Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET\u2020\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Slight uptrend.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Posivitity) Uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants) JN.1 dominates utterly. And no mention of KP.2<\/p>\n<p>[11] Looks like the Times isn\u2019t reporting death data any more? Maybe I need to go back to The Economist\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US was unchanged from the prior week at 208,000 on the period ending April 27th, remaining at the lowest level in two months, and firmly below market expectations of 212,000. It was the fourth consecutive stronger-than-expected result, pointing to continued tightness in the US labor market and adding leeway for the Federal Reserve to delay interest rate cuts should inflation remain stubbornly above the central bank\u2019s target. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Factory Orders\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/factory-orders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cNew orders for US manufactured goods rose by 1.6% from the previous month to $584.5 billion in March of 2024, following a 1.2% increase in February, in line with expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Supply Chain: \u201cUnited States LMI Logistics Managers Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/lmi-logistics-managers-index-current\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Logistics Manager\u2019s Index in the US increased to 58.3 in March 2024, from 56.5 in February, marking the fastest expansion since September 2022. This indicates that the overall logistics industry is experiencing healthy growth, albeit at the lower end. The growth is attributed to long-planned inventory expansions and improved efficiency in warehousing and transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cWhistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/business\/whistleblower-josh-dean-of-boeing-supplier-spirit-aerosystems-has-died\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Seattle Times<\/a>]. \u201cJoshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died Tuesday morning after a struggle with . Known as Josh, Dean lived in Wichita, Kan., where Spirit is based. He was 45, had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle. He died after two weeks in critical condition, his aunt Carol Parsons said\u2026. Parsons said Dean became ill and went to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing just over two weeks ago. He was intubated and developed pneumonia and then a serious bacterial infection, MRSA\u2026. Dean was represented by a law firm in South Carolina that also represented Boeing whistleblower John \u2018Mitch\u2019 Barnett.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cWhistleblower Laws That Protect Lawbreakers\u201d [Maureen Tkacik, <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/infrastructure\/transportation\/2024-04-30-whistleblower-laws-protect-lawbreakers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">American Prospect<\/a>]. This article, excellent as usual, is really two articles, one on the topic in the headline, one buried. Here is the buried part: (1) \u201cAppearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, [Sam] Salehpour described an unsettling evening when his brand new tire began to flatten on the drive home. When he pulled over at a body shop, a mechanic discovered a nail. Just so you know, the mechanic told him, you didn\u2019t run over this nail; <em>it\u2019s not an accident<\/em>.\u201d (2) \u201cLater that afternoon, I got a text message from one of Barnett\u2019s old Boeing co-workers who\u2019d been fired from the Charleston plant for reporting a safety risk created by shoddy manufacturing. An FAA investigation had vindicated most of the whistleblower\u2019s allegations, only after they\u2019d withdrawn their AIR 21 complaint out of fear Boeing would force them to pay legal fees. Inside the whistleblower\u2019s text was a photo of a wheel missing two lug nuts; the car had been mysteriously wobbling, so they\u2019d pulled over to check. It had been years since they\u2019d left the company, but they could not shake the sense that someone, somewhere was still trying to exact revenge on them for speaking out. \u201cIf anything happens,\u201d they told me, not for the first time, \u201cI\u2019m not suicidal.’\u201d (3) \u201c\u201dJohn\u2019s boss always told him he was going to push him till he broke, and that\u2019s what they did,\u201d says Turkewitz, whose therapist has been helping him come to peace with the fact that Barnett likely did kill himself, and that his initial denial was in part influenced by guilt for having forced his client to relive six and a half years of daily micro- and macro aggressions in a grueling deposition.\u201d \u2022 Anybody other than me having some cognitive dissonance over (1) and (2) vs. (3)? And now we have another death, this one from \u201ca fast moving infection,\u201d not crude sabotage, but maybe they\u2019re more sophisticated up in Seattle? Not that I\u2019m foily.<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cA Lawsuit Argues Meta Is Required by Law to Let You Control Your Own Feed\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/qnoF1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wired<\/a>]. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/qnoF1\/https:\/\/knightcolumbia.org\/documents\/gu63ujqj8o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The suit<\/a> was filed by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University on behalf of researcher Ethan Zuckerman, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts\u2014Amherst. It attempts to take a federal law that has generally shielded social networks and use it as a tool forcing transparency\u2026. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is best known for allowing social media companies to evade legal liability for content on their platforms. Zuckerman\u2019s suit argues that one of its subsections gives users the right to control how they access the internet, and the tools they use to do so.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSection 230 (c) (2) (b) is quite explicit about libraries, parents, and others having the ability to control obscene or other unwanted content on the internet.\u201d \u2022 Interesting!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 36 Fear (previous close: 40 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 39 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated May 2 at 1:37:46 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolice Unions: What to Know and Why They Don\u2019t Belong in the Labor Movement\u201d [Kim Kelly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/what-to-know-police-unions-labor-movement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Teen Vogue<\/a>]. \u201cPolice unions have always been outliers among organized labor, and there are many reasons why the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union has long <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.iww.org\/PDF\/Constitutions\/CurrentIWWConstitution.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">refused<\/a> to allow cops (and prison guards) into its organization. For one thing, no other union members hold the legal ability to straight-up kill another human being while on the job\u2026. [Author Kristian Williams] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/Our_Enemies_in_Blue\/QWNhCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=police%20associations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">argues<\/a> that the shared workplace identity that makes up the \u201cthin blue line\u201d mentality for cops transcends other identity markers, and shows how they view themselves as police first, and everything else second. As such, police unions tend to keep their distance from the rest of the labor movement (unless they\u2019re cracking its members\u2019 skulls)\u2026. The cognitive dissonance that comes with knowing that members of <em>my<\/em> union are being beaten bloody and viciously arrested by members of <em>another<\/em> union that falls under that <em>same<\/em> AFL-CIO umbrella is sickening, as is the knowledge that we will have to fight our own leadership to force a change. But I know that there are a great many of us who are up for the challenge, and this battle is far from over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cKey Consciousness Connections Uncovered\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/consciousness-neuroimaging-brain-26017\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Neuroscience News<\/a>]. \u201cThe study involved high-resolution scans that enabled the researchers to visualize brain connections at submillimeter spatial resolution. This technical advance allowed them to identify previously unseen pathways connecting the brainstem, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and cerebral cortex. Together, these pathways form a \u2018default ascending arousal network\u2019 that sustains wakefulness in the resting, conscious human brain. The concept of a \u2018default\u2019 network is based on the idea that specific networks within the brain are most functionally active when the brain is in a resting state of consciousness. In contrast, other networks are more active when the brain is performing goal-directed tasks\u2026. The authors are currently conducting clinical trials to stimulate the default ascending arousal network in patients with coma after traumatic brain injury, with the goal of reactivating the network and restoring consciousness.\u201d \u2022 Fine, but when can we use this default network for advertising, or better yet, rent it?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: 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) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/05\/200pm-water-cooler-5-1-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From Carla:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-270962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cactus-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Carla writes: \u201cThese cactus blooms last for only a day. For many years, the plant bloomed only once a year. The last few years it has bloomed more often. Always a treat!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/05\/200pm-water-cooler-5-2-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente. * * * Bird Song of the Day American Robin, 138 Captains Dr, West Babylon, Suffolk, New York, United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-spotlight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}