\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether of Corrente<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Common Nightingale, Taliouline, Morocco. 28 minutes of nightingale, so grab a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#cannon\">Cannon throws out Smith\u2019s case.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#assassination\">Trump\u2019s would-be assassin <\/a> appeared in a Blackrock ad.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#biden\">Unelecting Biden<\/a>: How\u2019s that going?<\/p>\n<p>(4) <a href=\"#flu\">Responses to bird flu<\/a> still absurdly slow\u2026. <\/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>The Constitutional Order (Immunity)<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSupreme Court ruling on presidential immunity is more limited than it appears\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/4771547-supreme-court-presidential-immunity-rule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cThe new rule of \u2018absolute immunity\u2019 states that when the Constitution grants the president \u2018conclusive and preclusive\u2019 power \u2014 meaning that the Constitution delegates a specific government function to the executive branch alone \u2014 the legislative branch cannot make any laws, including criminal laws, to restrict him. So the president cannot be prosecuted for a veto or an appointment, for example. The president is also \u2018presumptively immune\u2019 for \u2018official acts\u2019 if a prosecution would intrude on executive branch power. To demonstrate that this rule is narrow, evaluate the argument proposed by the dissenting justices that a president who stages a coup, assassinates a rival, or takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon would now be immune from prosecution. None of these hypothetical fact patterns would qualify for \u2018absolute immunity,\u2019 because each involves competing Constitutional powers. In such cases, the president\u2019s acts would not be \u2018conclusive and preclusive.\u2019 Each would also involve unofficial conduct, which remains fully prosecutable. Presumptive immunity would be overcome for the same reasons. The specific holdings in the Trump ruling underscore this view. For example, the court held Trump immune for threatening to remove his attorney general if he did not comply with unlawful acts. Although this sounds disconcerting at first blush, the court decided only whether Trump is immune for alleged discussions with his own attorney general. The court did not hold, however, that a president would be immune for exercising the fearsome powers of the Department of Justice to extort state officials into corruptly overturning an election (the equivalent of a coup).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Trump Assassination Attempt<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"assassination\"\/>\u201cBlackRock Says Gunman From Trump Rally Appeared in Firm\u2019s Ad\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/blackrock-says-gunman-trump-rally-230119019.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201cCrooks was one of several students who appeared in the background of the 2022 ad and was unpaid, BlackRock, the world\u2019s largest money manager, said in a statement. The ad was filmed at Bethel Park High School, where Crooks graduated in 2022, and featured a teacher, the company said.\u201d \u2022 If Crooks was indeed a \u201ctroubled loner,\u201d he seems to be a socially competent one. Odd:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BlackRock pulls ad that featured Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/24ViyLsLGj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/24ViyLsLGj<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/y6xCpp2wGk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/y6xCpp2wGk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 New York Post (@nypost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nypost\/status\/1812833070132736435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Blackrock certainly wasn\u2019t on my Bingo card!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrateful, defiant Trump recounts surviving \u2018surreal\u2019 assassination attempt at rally: \u2018I\u2019m supposed to be dead’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/14\/us-news\/grateful-defiant-trump-recounts-surreal-assassination-attempt-at-rally-im-supposed-to-be-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018A lot of people say it\u2019s the most iconic photo they\u2019ve ever seen,\u2019 Trump said. \u2018They\u2019re right and I didn\u2019t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.\u2019 He added, \u2018I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot.’\u201d \u2022 \u201cIconic.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/trump-assassination-attempt-a-round-up.html#iconic\">Called it \ud83d\ude42<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Gunman and the Would-Be Dictator\u201d [David Frum, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/ivqT8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cFascism feasts on violence\u2026 Now the bloodshed that Trump has done so much to incite against others has touched him as well.\u201d \u2022\u00a0I admire <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/03\/15\/iraq-war-where-are-they-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">war criminal David Frum<\/a>\u2018s commitment to the bit. Never mind that we don\u2019t even know the assassin\u2019s motive; Carl Schmitt is the chef who served up the fascist smorgasbord from which <em>both<\/em> parties are feasting. If, as Schmitt has it, the central theme of politics is the friend\/enemy distinction, Democrats, by loudly declaring Trump to be the next Hitler, have provided anyone sufficiently gullible with a motive for assassination. After all, if you can\u2019t go back in time and kill baby Hitler, why not kill the real one in the here and now? The tendency of liberals to wish death on their enemies is well known (see Stoller, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@matthewstoller\/on-mocking-dying-working-class-white-people-d0ea653a91a9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">On Mocking Dying Working Class White People<\/a>\u201c). As for example:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"166\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons-300x100.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Granted, the Hampton\u2019s aren\u2019t the country, but \u201cThe ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas.\u201d Or:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sitting at outdoor restaurant in Hamptons as waitress told us what happened , lots of comments from other tables from very well off people about \u201d What did Trump think would happen behaving like he does ? \u201c<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 GardinerIslandCapital (@GardinerIsland) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GardinerIsland\/status\/1812294883367067749\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p> \u201cBoth sides are right \/ But both sides murder \/ I give up \/ Why can\u2019t they?\u201d \u2013X, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/32z8TjXePSQ?si=N1k1EF1eSLVWHa56\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018BlueAnon\u2019 conspiracy theories flood social media after Trump rally shooting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/0VfEo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cResearchers who track online conspiracies say liberals are increasingly vulnerable to \u2014 and generating \u2014 QAnon-like bursts of misinformation.\u201d After RussiaGate? You don\u2019t say. More: \u201cMinutes after Saturday\u2019s shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa., liberals began flooding social media platforms with conspiracy theories. They claimed the blood on former president Donald Trump\u2019s ear was from a theatrical gel pack; that the shooting was a \u2018false flag,\u2019 perhaps coordinated by the Secret Service in collaboration with the Trump campaign; that the scene of a bloodied Trump raising his fist under an American flag was \u2018#staged.\u2019 \u2018When did the Secret Service start allowing the President under duress to tell them \u2018to wait\u2019, then stand up to be seen by the crowd fist-pumping?\u201d one user posted on X. \u201cCan you blame me for thinking this is fake?\u2019 The shooting threw into overdrive a phenomenon dubbed \u2018BlueAnon\u2019 \u2014 a play on the right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon \u2014 that refers to liberal conspiracy theories online. As more Americans lose trust in mainstream institutions and turn to partisan commentators and influencers for information, experts say they are seeing a big uptick in the manufacture and spread of BlueAnon conspiracy theories, a sign that the communal warping of reality is spreading well beyond the right. \u2018The [Schmittian] good-versus-evil paradigm of QAnon has really taken hold of the anti-Trump movement and you\u2019re seeing two sides that feel like they are fighting a battle between good and evil,\u2019 said Mike Rothschild, author of \u201cThe Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult and Conspiracy Theory of Everything.’\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-81dEvJgThI?si=xOWfyonoAGrWaRcA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Musical interlude<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p12\">Less than a half 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\"\/>Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RCP<\/a> Poll Averages: CTUTP<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"916\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12-164x300.png 164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Second post-debate polling: No massive swing to Trump that I can see. It would be hilarious if the Biden Debate debacle had exactly the same effect as Trump\u2019s 34 bazillion felony convictions, i.e., none, both parties are so dug in. Of course, the Biden \u201cbuzz\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-11-2024.html#buzz\">yesterday<\/a>) is bad, and may yet have an effect. And who, may I ask, is making the buzz? 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>) still Brownian-motioning around. Of course, it goes without saying that these are all state polls, therefore bad, and most of the results are within the margin of error.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"biden\"\/>Unelecting Biden:<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The Calendar<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump rally shooting upends Democrats\u2019 Biden crisis\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/14\/house-democrats-biden-trump-rally-shooting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cCongressional Democrats\u2019 all-consuming angst over President Biden\u2019s candidacy has taken an abrupt backseat in lawmakers\u2019 minds in the wake of an assassination attempt against former President Trump. Democratic lawmakers say their immediate focus is on their personal security and that of their staffs, not on their party\u2019s political woes, helping to allow a crucial cooldown period for the embattled president. A second senior House Democrat told Axios that the Trump shooting has taken some of the heat off because it would \u2018be bad form to make any statements against President Biden.\u2019 Another Biden-skeptical Democrat, asked about lingering questions around the president\u2019s candidacy, told Axios: \u2018I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the focus right now.\u2019\u2026Most lawmakers who spoke to Axios said it is too early to say whether the cessation in tensions will last until the Democratic National Convention next month. But the second senior House Democrat offered one reason for why it might: \u2018We\u2019ve all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency.’\u201d \u2022 Not with a bang but a whimper? Because the stakes, objectively, are exactly the same after Trump\u2019s assassination as before.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The DNC<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDemocrats\u2019 Foremost Expert on Party Rules Explains How Biden Could Be Replaced\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/07\/13\/how-biden-could-be-replaced-at-democratic-convention-00167907\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. Elaine Kamarck is a longtime member of the DNC\u2019s rules committee and a scholar at the centrist Brookings Institution. \u201c\u2018The reason people tear their hair out is that people don\u2019t realize that the business of nominating a presidential candidate is ultimately party business,\u2019 Kamarck said. And .\u201d From July 13, though it seems like a week ago: \u201cI think if [Biden] was inclined to get out, he should do it as soon as possible before the convention so that the party can sort out who wants to run. And at this point, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a lot of people who want to run. I think that if he wants to get out, he should do it soon and let the party come together around Vice President Harris or perhaps somebody else, and do it in time for there to be a good convention. Remember that the convention planning is going on. They\u2019re writing a platform, they\u2019re already choosing speakers.\u201d \u2022 If replacing Biden with Harris were easy, it would have already have happened. So, who else? When? How? <\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Electeds<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlaybook: Can Trump pivot \u2014 and can Biden run out the clock?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2024\/07\/15\/can-trump-pivot-and-can-biden-run-out-the-clock-00168222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cNot a single Democrat has joined the effort calling for Biden to step aside since Saturday\u2019s horrific events. And given the hard sharp turn toward unity and security, few expect those numbers to grow in the coming days \u2014 especially with the press focused on the shooting and the Republican convention, rather than Biden. It\u2019s positive news for the embattled president, who \u2014 with five weeks until the Democratic convention \u2014 seems intent on running out the clock. Even Democrats who want Biden to step aside are now resigned to the notion that he\u2019s here to stay. \u2018I think this is over,\u2019 one Democratic aide told us, arguing that the news cycle was what was crushing Biden \u2014 and the story has now moved on\u2026. many continue to watch former Speaker NANCY PELOSI, the one person many think could shift the tide. \u2018At some point, Pelosi has to fish or cut bait here,\u2019 one Democratic aide.\u201d \u2022 What fish? What bait? <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"cannon\"\/>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago classified docs criminal case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/07\/15\/judge-dismisses-trumps-mar-a-lago-classified-docs-criminal-case-00168231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cUnder Cannon\u2019s view, the Justice Department lacks a legal basis to bring private lawyers into the department to head up special counsel investigations. Her conclusion would have nixed the appointment of Robert Mueller, named in 2017 to examine allegations of ties between Trump\u2019s presidential campaign and Russia, as well as that of Robert Hur, selected last year to investigate President Joe Biden\u2019s handling of classified records. Some other special counsels named from the department\u2019s existing ranks of prosecutors, though, would not have been impacted. Smith\u2019s team argued that the history of such appointments over the past quarter century meant Congress had blessed such arrangements, but Cannon disagreed.\u201d \u2022\u00a0No great loss. Was it Mueller liberal Democrats were naming their dogs after? <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648652\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648652.672.0_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is Cannon\u2019s opinion (PDF)<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"414\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon-300x207.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here is the Appointments Clause, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/constitution-conan\/article-2\/section-2\/clause-2\/appointing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Article II, Section 2, Clause 2<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and , shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Legal Information Institute\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/constitution-conan\/article-2\/section-2\/clause-2\/appointing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">interpretation<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>By default, the Appointments Clause requires that all \u201cOfficers of the United States\u201d be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.1 However, the Clause authorizes Congress to vest the appointment of \u201cinferior Officers,\u201d at its discretion, \u201cin the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.\u201d 2 Because of this language, the Supreme Court has recognized two classes of officers: (1) principal officers, who must be appointed by the President with the Senate\u2019s advice and consent; and (2) inferior officers, whose appointment Congress may assign to the President alone, the courts, or a department head. This dichotomy has led to questions about whether there are constitutionally significant differences between principal and inferior officers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I don\u2019t understand why Smith isn\u2019t an \u201cinferior officer,\u201d but apparently that\u2019s not Cannon\u2019s view. Perhaps legal mavens in the commentariat can comment.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses classified documents case against Donald Trump\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/b1b47009-6606-40ed-a370-a21a861aee3a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cCannon\u2019s ruling echoed misgivings about the DoJ special counsel expressed by Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, who wrote in a concurring opinion in the presidential immunity case that he had \u2018serious questions\u2019 about the constitutionality of the appointment. Smith is one of several special counsels appointed in recent years to manage politically sensitive investigations. A special counsel oversaw the probe into Biden\u2019s handling of classified documents, while another was named to investigate the conduct of Hunter Biden, the president\u2019s son, who was later charged with gun and tax offences. The ruling from Cannon could jeopardise both federal criminal cases. Meanwhile, two other criminal cases pending against Trump in state courts are also hitting hurdles.\u201d \u2022 Cannon\u2019s ruling can be appealed.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses Trump\u2019s federal classified docs case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/15\/trump-classified-documents-case-dismissed-cannon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cTrump, who at one point was staring down four criminal cases, is now unlikely to face another trial before Election Day.\u201d \u2022 So the lawfare strategy crashed, and now the Democrats don\u2019t seem to have another. And yet the race, as of last Friday, was still 50\/50, according to RCP averages. Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing if that was true <em>next<\/em> Friday?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201c\u201dPlaybook: Can Trump pivot \u2014 and can Biden run out the clock?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2024\/07\/15\/can-trump-pivot-and-can-biden-run-out-the-clock-00168222?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f112-dd93-ad7f-f917c5ee0002&nlid=630318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201c1. Trump rewrote his convention speech to focus on unity, he told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3082180\/trump-rewrites-republican-convention-speech-focus-unity-not-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Washington Examiner\u2019s Salena Zito<\/a>, a Pittsburgh native who was at the rally and scheduled to interview the former president afterward but instead found herself shielding her daughter from flying bullets. Pre-shooting, the address he was planning to give \u2018was going to be a humdinger,\u2019 he told Zito, whom he called up yesterday because he felt bad about missing her interview, we hear. \u2018Honestly, it\u2019s going to be a whole different speech now,\u2019 he continued. \u2018It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance.\u2019 2. Trump\u2019s team also spent much of yesterday reaching out to convention speakers and asking them to avoid focusing on the shooting or blaming the left for it \u2014 and instead center their attention on the fundamentals of the campaign. 3. The pivot was the brainchild of an early Sunday morning call with Susie Wiles, Chris LcvCivita, Jason Miller and pollster Tony Fabrizio. After hours of relentless and incendiary Republican attacks blaming Democrats for inciting the violence, the team agreed the party would need a reset: The convention shouldn\u2019t be about the shooting but about drawing a contrast with President Joe Biden on the issues Americans care about most. Alittle later, just before 8 a.m., we\u2019re told Trump personally drafted his own Truth Social post adopting the \u2018unify\u2019 messaging and clicked send. To understand the difficulty of this pivot is to understand just how badly Trump\u2019s team wants to win. Yes, they\u2019re upset about the shooting \u2014 more than upset: shaken, angry, worried. But . Using the convention to mount an all-out assault on Democrats or entertain conspiracy theories could cause that goodwill to evaporate as quickly as it appeared.\u201d \u2022 Amazing to think that Trump might take the high road (as Vance did not). As I asked once: Can Trump become a Face, after being a Heel for so long? (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kayfabe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kayfabe<\/a>: \u201cA wrestler may change from <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Face_(professional_wrestling)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">face<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Heel_(professional_wrestling)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">heel<\/a> (or vice versa) in an event known as a turn, or gradually transition from one to the other over the course of a long storyline.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cThe low road, the high road, and the way the wind blows\u201d [Nate Silver, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/the-low-road-the-high-road-and-the\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Silver Bulletin<\/a>]. \u201cIn the present moment, [the assassination attempt] at the very least makes Trump much more sympathetic and undermines the implicit premise of the Biden campaign to restore order and stability to America It perhaps also unlocks a <a href=\"https:\/\/modelthinkers.com\/mental-model\/permission-structure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">permission structure<\/a> to vote for Trump among a certain type of voter. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/13\/donald-trump-shots-fired-rally-elon-musk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Elon Musk<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/billionaire-bill-ackman-endorses-trump-us-presidential-race-2024-07-14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bill Ackman<\/a> officially endorsed Trump in the wake of the shooting, for instance. I don\u2019t think this is a particularly important development on its own, not least because Musk and Ackman were pretty obviously in the Trump camp to begin with (even if they hadn\u2019t admitted it publicly, or even to themselves). But those Americans in the pox-in-all-houses mindset \u2014 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/160-million-americans-are-eligible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">there are a lot of them<\/a> \u2014 might find it easier now to pull the lever for Trump. And Trump fans will now <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FrankLuntz\/status\/1812354526781018242?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">walk over glass<\/a> for their martyr.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cCalls grow for RFK Jr. to get Secret Service protection\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/blog-briefing-room\/4771060-calls-grow-for-rfk-jr-to-get-secret-service-protection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cShortly after the shooting at Trump\u2019s rally in Butler, Pa., where the former president was injured and one attendee was killed, political figures from both sides of the aisle emphasized the need for Kennedy to receive Secret Service protection.\u201d \u2022 This would not be hard to do, and even the molasses-brained Biden administration should have done it by now.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cBallot Access HQ\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kennedy24.com\/ballot-access\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kennedy Shanahan<\/a>]. An impressive effort with some weaknesses. Petitioning is complet in purple states. But that doesn\u2019t mean the ballots are approved and Kenney is on the ballot. Handy map:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk.png 1738w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-300x251.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-1024x858.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-768x643.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-1536x1287.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-624x523.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1738px) 100vw, 1738px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>To find out where Kennedy is actually on the ballot, you have to click on the individual state (poor UI\/UX). I clicked the swing states, and put a \u201c\u2611\ufe0f\u201d on the states where Kennedy has a ballot line. Kennedy is not on the ballot in Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Virginia. He is on the ballot in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly an \u2018October Surprise\u2019 can swing the presidential election\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4768662-biden-trump-october-surprise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cWhat, then, could cause a decisive shift in Biden or Trump\u2019s favor? Quite simply, the answer is an outside event. Or, as it\u2019s otherwise known, an October Surprise. To that end, given that Biden\u2019s and Trump\u2019s strengths and weaknesses are familiar to voters, it is more likely that a truly pivotal October Surprise comes in the form of a foreign policy development that either drastically helps or harms Biden\u2026. All of this is to say that if there is a major geopolitical crisis, Biden will play an outsized role. If he rises to the occasion, it will do more to address concerns over his fitness than virtually any press conference or campaign rally ever could.\u201d \u2022 Given early voting, \u201cOctober\u201d may be too late. With a little more time, I\u2019d research the earliest early voting in the Swing States\u2026.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Morning Joe\u2019 pulled from air Monday because of Trump shooting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/07\/14\/media\/msnbc-morning-joe-pulled-trump-assassination\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cThe decision by MSNBC to leave one of its most recognizable programs on the sidelines amid a seismic politics-driven news cycle, with the Republican National Convention getting underway in the wake of the Saturday shooting at Trump\u2019s campaign rally, is certain to raise eyebrows. A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the decision was made to avoid a scenario in which one of the show\u2019s stable of two dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole. Given the breaking news nature of the story, the person said, it made more sense to continue airing rolling breaking news coverage in the fraught political moment.\u201d \u2022 Anyone on Morning Joe from the Hamptons?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/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>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; 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:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" 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, KF, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Personal risk assessment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If the odds were like this \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffc<br \/>For winning the lottery <br \/>Everyone <br \/>Would buy a ticket <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gEhkG9asAq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/gEhkG9asAq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 oeuf \ud83d\udc4b\ud83c\udffbO (@mairE_keyL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mairE_keyL\/status\/1812165736753979417\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Regional breakdown:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ratio of people currently infected by region:<\/p>\n<p>Midwest: 1 in 79 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>South: 1 in 43 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>Northest: 1 in 79 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>West: 1 in 37 \u27a1\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/505zi2PaBt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/505zi2PaBt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JWeiland (@JPWeiland) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JPWeiland\/status\/1811845391987724679\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"flu\"\/>\u201cBird flu outbreak at Colorado farm as 5 workers reported positive: Experts warn of \u2018turning point,\u2019 call for urgent action\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/07\/15\/bird-flu-outbreak-colorado-farm-5-workers-test-positive-experts-warn-turning-point-urgent-action-health\/?abc123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018I am extremely concerned that we are on the brink of this being really already in humans\u2014and once it\u2019s in humans, it is going to be a real problem to control,\u2019 says Seema Lakdawala, a microbiologist and immunologist at Emory University who specializes in influenza. \u2018I will tell you that what has been driving me the past few months is trying to prevent H5 from becoming a pandemic\u2026I have never felt that we were as close as we are now.\u2019 In its own way [lol], the CDC echoes that concern, referencing in general terms the \u2018pandemic potential\u2019 of H5N1 and other novel flu viruses once humans are in the mix. But the agency added that it hasn\u2019t yet seen genetic changes in the virus that would make human transmission more likely, and it continues to judge the risk to the general public as low\u2026. \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as just a little conjunctivitis. or just a little respiratory (issue) when you\u2019re dealing with a deadly virus,\u201d [immunologist Rick Bright, a former federal health official] says. The virus, he adds, has already demonstrated the ability to mutate \u2018very easily, very quickly, and it can cause severe illness and death. So let\u2019s stop it in its tracks, not wait and see and let it get worse.\u2019 Whether the CDC will follow the experts\u2019 suggestions remains an open question. The agency\u2019s response so far has been muted, with no change in official recommendation. For those who\u2019ve been closely tracking this bird flu, though, the signs are ominous, and they warrant a proactive response-including vaccination of frontline farmworkers. \u2018That\u2019s why we have these stockpiles,\u2019 Seema Lackdawala says. \u2018It\u2019s surprising to me that they haven\u2019t been leveraged\u2026We always expected this at some point in time.’\u201d \u2022 Second verse, same as the first:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rick is not wrong here. This is unfolding more slowly than Covid did, but in the exact same manor. Lack of testing and visibility into the depth of spread, media and Congress focused on other issues so no coverage, and a feeling that we\u2019re waiting for a dam to break\u2026\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2642\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8J73AsyKW9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/8J73AsyKW9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeromeAdamsMD\/status\/1812827663033057725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cManner,\u201d but never mind! <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cExperimental reproduction of viral replication and disease in dairy calves and lactating cows inoculated with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b\u201d (preprint) [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2024.07.12.603337v1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bioRxiv<\/a>]. \u201cWe sought to experimentally reproduce infection with genotype B3.13 in Holstein yearling heifers and lactating cows. The heifers were inoculated by an aerosol respiratory route and the cows by an intramammary route. Clinical disease was mild in the heifers, but infection was confirmed by virus detection, lesions, and seroconversion. Clinical disease in lactating cows included decreased rumen motility, changes to milk appearance, and production losses consistent with field reports of viral mastitis. Infection was confirmed by high levels of viral RNA detected in milk, virus isolation, lesions in mammary tissue, and seroconversion. This study provides the foundation to investigate additional routes of infection, transmission, and intervention strategies.\u201d \u2022 Oh good.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAn invisible mask? Wearable air curtain, treated to kill viruses, blocks 99.8% of aerosols\u201d (press release) [<a href=\"https:\/\/news.engin.umich.edu\/2024\/07\/an-invisible-mask-wearable-air-curtain-treated-to-kill-viruses-blocks-99-8-of-aerosols\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">University of Michigan<\/a>]. \u201cAn air curtain shooting down from the brim of a hard hat can prevent 99.8% of aerosols from reaching a worker\u2019s face. The technology, created by University of Michigan startup Taza Aya, potentially offers a new protection option for workers in industries where respiratory disease transmission is a concern. Independent, third-party testing of <a href=\"https:\/\/taza-aya.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Taza Aya\u2018s<\/a> device showed the effectiveness of the air curtain, curved to encircle the face, coming from nozzles at the hat\u2019s brim. But for the air curtain to effectively protect against pathogens in the room, it must first be cleansed of pathogens itself. Previous research by the group of Taza Aya co-founder <a href=\"https:\/\/cee.engin.umich.edu\/people\/clack-herek-l\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Herek Clack<\/a>, U-M associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, showed that their method can remove and kill 99% of airborne viruses in farm and laboratory settings. \u201d And: \u201cTaza Aya\u2019s prototype features a backpack, weighing roughly 10 pounds, that houses the nonthermal plasma module, air handler, electronics and the unit\u2019s battery pack. The handler draws air into the module, where it\u2019s treated before flowing to the air curtain\u2019s nozzle array.\u201d And: \u201cIn October of that year, Taza Aya was named an awardee in the Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge\u2014a competition created by Johnson & Johnson Innovation in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program sought to encourage the development of technologies that could protect people from airborne viruses while having a minimal impact on daily life.\u201d \u2022 This is pretty neat. I\u2019d like to see some Chinese manufacturers take the ball and run with it, and reduce the weight of the backpack and start selling them for like a hundred bucks. <\/p>\n<p>5.3 million followers:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Plane be like\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Me be like\u2026<\/p>\n<p>We really need to clean up our indoor air, but until then thank you <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zhouliang_mask\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@zhouliang_mask<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LYXLvAscXh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/LYXLvAscXh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VitalikButerin\/status\/1812114231489110491\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Crypto bros not all bad?<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Crypto bro boarding a plane with a CO2 monitor and a respirator and schooling his 5M+ followers on indoor air quality and why catching airborne diseases is bad, actually, was not on my cc bingo card, but apparently the co-founder of Ethereum is one of us. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/YallMasking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#YallMasking<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 A. \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\ude37\ud83c\udf49\ud83d\udc9c (@coffeeteanxiety) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/coffeeteanxiety\/status\/1812244457380892750\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Celebrity Watch<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Masked Olympians:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">William Turner <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TMJXk9ref2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/TMJXk9ref2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1812393341465588015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Violet Affleck before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Violet Affleck: “To confront the Long COVID crisis I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers and mask mandates in county medical facilities. We must expand availability of tests and treatment.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zg4b7Z9vxy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/zg4b7Z9vxy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luckytran\/status\/1810866725941878915\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Her parents of course do not mask\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>Selma Hayek:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Actress Salma Hayek revealed she had a life threatening case of COVID-19 (5\/2020) & suffered from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LongCOVID?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#LongCOVID<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy doctor begged me to go to the hospital because it was so bad,\u201d Hayek said. \u201cI said, \u2018No, thank you. I\u2019d rather die at home.’\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/pwLC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#pwLC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#LC<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\uddf5\ud83e\uddf5\ud83e\uddf5 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Uc0hWs6pbP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Uc0hWs6pbP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Long COVID Foundation (@LongCFoundation) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LongCFoundation\/status\/1811605381279293718\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The Newest Must-Have Home Amenity for the Rich: Purified Air [<a href=\"https:\/\/kanebridgenews.com\/the-newest-must-have-home-amenity-for-the-rich-purified-air\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kanebridge News<\/a>]. \u201cLuxury homeowners are known to splurge on sleek kitchens, custom decor and art, but they are increasingly turning their attention to something less visible. Forest-fire smoke, the pandemic and increased awareness of sensitivities to mould and other irritants are making their interior environment a priority. Many are investing in complex systems and flexible designs that promise healthier indoor air but still include spaces, such as glass-enclosed rooms, that make being indoors feel natural. Listings are increasingly touting pollution-fighting amenities to lure home buyers. In Santa Rosa, Calif., a 13-acre estate for sale at $15 million has a whole-home air purifier. This spring, the Dovecote building, under construction in Manhattan\u2019s Harlem neighbourhood, will offer six, three-bedroom condos built to strict green and clean-air standards, starting at $1.5 million. Malin, founder of Troon Pacific, a San Francisco-based developer of $15 million to $45 million properties that he calls healthy homes, said he focuses on the smallest details that can affect air quality. New tools allow for more-precise measurement of various particulate matter and carbon dioxide levels, he added. \u2018Covid changed people\u2019s perspective on connecting air quality to health, and the [wildfires] only enhanced that.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cPeople\u2019s perspective.\u201d Not all of them, and one can only wonder why. Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">i come into casual contact w rich ppl due to my job <\/p>\n<p>when i tell you they never stopped covid precautions lol. everything they implemented is now permanent<\/p>\n<p>all their home air filters got swapped out, personalized medicine, staff wearing masks 24\/7, etc<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \ud83c\udf38 (@livelaughlmao) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/livelaughlmao\/status\/1812619584807239794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Can readers confirm?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe summer surge of COVID in the US and the implications of the anti-public health policy\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsws.org\/en\/articles\/2024\/07\/15\/zcfo-j15.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WSWS<\/a>]. \u201cThe US is in the midst of an accelerating summer COVID wave, the ninth such wave since March 2020. The current epicenters are located in the West (one in 37 infected) and the South (one in 43) of the country. Given the complete abandonment of all public health measures, including vaccination, this development is being driven more by waning population immunity coming off the winter peak and less by any unusual \u2018seasonality\u2019 patterns to SARS-CoV-2\u2026. No principled public health figure has ever defined an endemic state as a perpetual saturation of the population with a viral pathogen as is the current situation.\u201d \u2022 Nope. Though I don\u2019t know why WSWS doesn\u2019t go ahead and say \u201ceugenicist\u201d rather than \u201canti-public health.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"covid\"\/>Lambert here: CDC claims (albeit with an exculpatory footnote) to update its vaunted National Wastewater Surveillance System data every Friday by 8pm. It has not updated the data since June 24. If it\u2019s not updated by Monday, I can only conclude that the data is really, really ugly. Stay safe out there!<\/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] (CDC) This week\u2019s wastewater map, with hot spots annotated. Worse than <em>two<\/em> weeks ago. New York is a hot again, and Covid is spreading up the Maine Coast just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, in another triumph for Administration policy. <\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) LB.1 coming up on the outside.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) This is the best I can do for now. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Now acceleration, which <em>is<\/em> compatible with a wastewater decrease, but still not a good feeling .(The New York city area has form; in 2020, as the home of two international airports (JFK and EWR) it was an important entry point for the virus into the country (and from thence up the Hudson River valley, as the rich sought to escape, and then around the country through air travel.)<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). This is the best I can do for now. Note the assumption that Covid is seasonal is built into the presentation, which in fact shows that Covid is <em>not<\/em> seasonal. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Still going up! (Because there is data in \u201ccurrent view\u201d tab, I think white states here have experienced \u201cno change,\u201d as opposed to have no data.)<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Still going up!<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Up. Those sh*theads at CDC have changed the chart so that it doesn\u2019t even run back to 1\/21\/23, as it used to, but now starts 1\/1\/24. There\u2019s also no way to adjust the time rasnge. CDC really doesn\u2019t want you to be able to take a historical view of the pandemic, or compare one surge to another. In an any case, that\u2019s why the shape of the curve has changed.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants) Same deal. Those sh*theads. <\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, but positivity up.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/ny-empire-state-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NY Empire State Manufacturing Index declined to -6.6 in July 2024, slightly below market expectations of -6. New orders remained stable, while shipments saw a slight increase. Delivery times improved and supply availability stayed the same. Inventories decreased, reflecting ongoing challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 57 Greed (previous close: 51 Neutral) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 52 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 12 at 12:26:44 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p>Rapture Index: Closes unchanged [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.raptureready.com\/rapture-ready-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rapture Ready<\/a>]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 186. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) \u2022 Not what the climate coverage implies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Permaculture<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Restoring a landscape dominated by bracken, a thread:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">First, some basics. Bracken is a native fern, that emerges from the ground annually in late spring and summer. Its fronds can form a dense mass + grow to 2m or more.<\/p>\n<p>It then collapses and dies off in the autumn, its energies subsumed into a deep underground network of rhizomes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UzhXAvvfB8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/UzhXAvvfB8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eoghan Daltun \ud83c\udf0d (@IrishRainforest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IrishRainforest\/status\/1811632547236815000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I wonder if there\u2019s an equivalent approach for kudzu\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Book<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelax to Mesmerizing Aerial Views of Iceland\u2019s \u2018Glacial Flour\u2019 Pulsing Through Waterways\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2024\/07\/jan-erik-waider-iceland-rivers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">This is Colossal<\/a>]. \u201cAs glaciers expand and recede, they have the capacity to grind rock so fine that geologists refer to the pulverized material as glacial flour. It slips down rivers and into lakes, carrying the otherworldly turquoise hue through a unique and resilient ecosystem. In Iceland, the blue-green color is complemented by rivers that flow yellow, thanks to sulfur from nearby volcanoes, or red from dissolved ferrous iron\u2014also known as bog iron. Coursing over rock and black sand, the streams take on dazzling, rhythmic patterns.\u201d \u2022 For example:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275052\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Looks like the surface of Jupiter!<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sailors\u2019 delight?<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">William Turner <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TMJXk9ref2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/TMJXk9ref2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1812393341465588015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Deal With the Devil: What the Age-Old Faustian Bargain Reveals About the Modern World\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/a-deal-with-the-devil-what-the-age-old-faustian-bargain-reveals-about-the-modern-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Literary Hub<\/a>]. \u201cThe legend of the Devil\u2019s contract is the most alluring, the most provocative, the most insightful, the most important story ever told. It concerns a humanity strung between Heaven and Hell, the saintly and the satanic; how a man could trade his soul for powers omnipotent, signing a covenant with the Devil so that he could briefly live as a god before being pulled down to Hell\u2026. [T]he Devil\u2019s hoof-prints can be found across the wide swatch of history, in our willingness to embrace power and engage in exploitation, to summon self-interestedness and to conjure cruelty\u2026. Marlowe staged [Doctor Faustus] at the very beginning of what is increasingly being called the Anthropocene, the geological epoch in which humanity was finally able to impose its will (in an almost occult manner) upon the earth. There are costs to any such contract, as the wisdom of the legend has it\u2026 It may be appropriate to rechristen this age the Faustocene. Because whether or not the Devil is real, his effects in the world are.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The 420<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongress Accidentally Legalized Weed Six Years Ago\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/archive\/2024\/07\/hemp-marijuana-legal-thc\/678988\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201crive through durham, north carolina, where I live, and you might get the impression that marijuana is legal here. Retail windows advertise thc in glittery letters and neon glass, and seven-pointed leaves adorn storefronts and roadside sandwich boards. The newest business near my house is the Stay Lit Smoke Shop, where an alien ripping a bong invites you to use the drive-through. In fact, neither medical nor recreational marijuana is legal in North Carolina. Technically, we\u2019re getting high on hemp. This is probably not what Congress had in mind when it passed the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, commonly called the 2018 Farm Bill, which made the production of hemp\u2014cannabis\u2019s traditionally nonpsychoactive cousin\u2014legal for the first time in nearly a century. Lawmakers who backed hemp legalization expected the plant to be used for textiles and nonintoxicating supplements, such as CBD oil and shelled hemp seeds (great on an acai bowl). They didn\u2019t realize that, with some chemistry and creativity, hemp can get you just as high as the dankest marijuana plant. The upshot is that although recreational marijuana use is allowed in only 24 states and Washington, D.C., people anywhere in the U.S. can get intoxicated on hemp-derived THC without breaking federal law. These hemp-based highs are every bit as potent as those derived from the marijuana available in legalization states.\u2019 \u2022 Finally some good news\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Virginia Woolf\u2019s list-making paved the way for her literary experiments\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/dnCIQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cEach day followed a pattern. Woolf noted the weather; any insects or birds seen on her walk (\u201c3 perfect peacock butterflies\u201d); her daily tally of mushrooms or blackberries (\u201cA record find\u201d, \u201cEnough for a dish\u201d); gardening or domestic activities (\u201cMade chair cover after tea\u201d); what was happening in the fields (\u201cGerman prisoners cutting wheat with hooks\u201d); what she had for supper (\u201cEating our own broad beans \u2014 delicious\u201d); and the price of rationed goods (\u201cEggs 2\/9 doz. from Mrs Attfield\u201d). Adhering to a structure in her diary gave shape to her convalescence. Woolf rarely used \u201cI\u201d and yet we catch sight of her out walking, or sewing on the terrace in a straw hat. It\u2019s not by chance that she wrote the laundry list on the inside cover of this notebook. During this period, listmaking and diary-keeping became part of the same practice of paying attention to small things and of setting down her experience, sparely and without flourish, on the page. To biographers, this slender diary has appeared inconsequential compared with the weightier stuff of her later longhand diaries and letters.\u201d \u2022 Well worth a read, especiallly if you write. I love lists!<\/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\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-11-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From CH:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"488\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed-300x244.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>CH writes: \u201cFritillary on milkweed, Asheville, NC.\u201d At least I <em>think<\/em> it\u2019s a fritillary (from my high school butterfly collecting days). Readers?<\/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!\n<\/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\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-15-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day Common Nightingale, Taliouline, Morocco. 28 minutes of nightingale, so grab a cup of coffee. *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81989,"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-81988","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\/81988","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=81988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Common Nightingale, Taliouline, Morocco. 28 minutes of nightingale, so grab a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#cannon\">Cannon throws out Smith\u2019s case.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#assassination\">Trump\u2019s would-be assassin <\/a> appeared in a Blackrock ad.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#biden\">Unelecting Biden<\/a>: How\u2019s that going?<\/p>\n<p>(4) <a href=\"#flu\">Responses to bird flu<\/a> still absurdly slow\u2026. <\/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>The Constitutional Order (Immunity)<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSupreme Court ruling on presidential immunity is more limited than it appears\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/4771547-supreme-court-presidential-immunity-rule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cThe new rule of \u2018absolute immunity\u2019 states that when the Constitution grants the president \u2018conclusive and preclusive\u2019 power \u2014 meaning that the Constitution delegates a specific government function to the executive branch alone \u2014 the legislative branch cannot make any laws, including criminal laws, to restrict him. So the president cannot be prosecuted for a veto or an appointment, for example. The president is also \u2018presumptively immune\u2019 for \u2018official acts\u2019 if a prosecution would intrude on executive branch power. To demonstrate that this rule is narrow, evaluate the argument proposed by the dissenting justices that a president who stages a coup, assassinates a rival, or takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon would now be immune from prosecution. None of these hypothetical fact patterns would qualify for \u2018absolute immunity,\u2019 because each involves competing Constitutional powers. In such cases, the president\u2019s acts would not be \u2018conclusive and preclusive.\u2019 Each would also involve unofficial conduct, which remains fully prosecutable. Presumptive immunity would be overcome for the same reasons. The specific holdings in the Trump ruling underscore this view. For example, the court held Trump immune for threatening to remove his attorney general if he did not comply with unlawful acts. Although this sounds disconcerting at first blush, the court decided only whether Trump is immune for alleged discussions with his own attorney general. The court did not hold, however, that a president would be immune for exercising the fearsome powers of the Department of Justice to extort state officials into corruptly overturning an election (the equivalent of a coup).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Trump Assassination Attempt<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"assassination\"\/>\u201cBlackRock Says Gunman From Trump Rally Appeared in Firm\u2019s Ad\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/blackrock-says-gunman-trump-rally-230119019.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201cCrooks was one of several students who appeared in the background of the 2022 ad and was unpaid, BlackRock, the world\u2019s largest money manager, said in a statement. The ad was filmed at Bethel Park High School, where Crooks graduated in 2022, and featured a teacher, the company said.\u201d \u2022 If Crooks was indeed a \u201ctroubled loner,\u201d he seems to be a socially competent one. Odd:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BlackRock pulls ad that featured Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/24ViyLsLGj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/24ViyLsLGj<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/y6xCpp2wGk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/y6xCpp2wGk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 New York Post (@nypost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nypost\/status\/1812833070132736435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Blackrock certainly wasn\u2019t on my Bingo card!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrateful, defiant Trump recounts surviving \u2018surreal\u2019 assassination attempt at rally: \u2018I\u2019m supposed to be dead’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/14\/us-news\/grateful-defiant-trump-recounts-surreal-assassination-attempt-at-rally-im-supposed-to-be-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018A lot of people say it\u2019s the most iconic photo they\u2019ve ever seen,\u2019 Trump said. \u2018They\u2019re right and I didn\u2019t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.\u2019 He added, \u2018I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot.’\u201d \u2022 \u201cIconic.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/trump-assassination-attempt-a-round-up.html#iconic\">Called it \ud83d\ude42<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Gunman and the Would-Be Dictator\u201d [David Frum, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/ivqT8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cFascism feasts on violence\u2026 Now the bloodshed that Trump has done so much to incite against others has touched him as well.\u201d \u2022\u00a0I admire <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/03\/15\/iraq-war-where-are-they-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">war criminal David Frum<\/a>\u2018s commitment to the bit. Never mind that we don\u2019t even know the assassin\u2019s motive; Carl Schmitt is the chef who served up the fascist smorgasbord from which <em>both<\/em> parties are feasting. If, as Schmitt has it, the central theme of politics is the friend\/enemy distinction, Democrats, by loudly declaring Trump to be the next Hitler, have provided anyone sufficiently gullible with a motive for assassination. After all, if you can\u2019t go back in time and kill baby Hitler, why not kill the real one in the here and now? The tendency of liberals to wish death on their enemies is well known (see Stoller, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@matthewstoller\/on-mocking-dying-working-class-white-people-d0ea653a91a9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">On Mocking Dying Working Class White People<\/a>\u201c). As for example:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"166\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons-300x100.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Granted, the Hampton\u2019s aren\u2019t the country, but \u201cThe ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas.\u201d Or:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sitting at outdoor restaurant in Hamptons as waitress told us what happened , lots of comments from other tables from very well off people about \u201d What did Trump think would happen behaving like he does ? \u201c<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 GardinerIslandCapital (@GardinerIsland) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GardinerIsland\/status\/1812294883367067749\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p> \u201cBoth sides are right \/ But both sides murder \/ I give up \/ Why can\u2019t they?\u201d \u2013X, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/32z8TjXePSQ?si=N1k1EF1eSLVWHa56\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018BlueAnon\u2019 conspiracy theories flood social media after Trump rally shooting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/0VfEo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cResearchers who track online conspiracies say liberals are increasingly vulnerable to \u2014 and generating \u2014 QAnon-like bursts of misinformation.\u201d After RussiaGate? You don\u2019t say. More: \u201cMinutes after Saturday\u2019s shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa., liberals began flooding social media platforms with conspiracy theories. They claimed the blood on former president Donald Trump\u2019s ear was from a theatrical gel pack; that the shooting was a \u2018false flag,\u2019 perhaps coordinated by the Secret Service in collaboration with the Trump campaign; that the scene of a bloodied Trump raising his fist under an American flag was \u2018#staged.\u2019 \u2018When did the Secret Service start allowing the President under duress to tell them \u2018to wait\u2019, then stand up to be seen by the crowd fist-pumping?\u201d one user posted on X. \u201cCan you blame me for thinking this is fake?\u2019 The shooting threw into overdrive a phenomenon dubbed \u2018BlueAnon\u2019 \u2014 a play on the right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon \u2014 that refers to liberal conspiracy theories online. As more Americans lose trust in mainstream institutions and turn to partisan commentators and influencers for information, experts say they are seeing a big uptick in the manufacture and spread of BlueAnon conspiracy theories, a sign that the communal warping of reality is spreading well beyond the right. \u2018The [Schmittian] good-versus-evil paradigm of QAnon has really taken hold of the anti-Trump movement and you\u2019re seeing two sides that feel like they are fighting a battle between good and evil,\u2019 said Mike Rothschild, author of \u201cThe Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult and Conspiracy Theory of Everything.’\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-81dEvJgThI?si=xOWfyonoAGrWaRcA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Musical interlude<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p12\">Less than a half 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\"\/>Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RCP<\/a> Poll Averages: CTUTP<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"916\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12-164x300.png 164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Second post-debate polling: No massive swing to Trump that I can see. It would be hilarious if the Biden Debate debacle had exactly the same effect as Trump\u2019s 34 bazillion felony convictions, i.e., none, both parties are so dug in. Of course, the Biden \u201cbuzz\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-11-2024.html#buzz\">yesterday<\/a>) is bad, and may yet have an effect. And who, may I ask, is making the buzz? 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>) still Brownian-motioning around. Of course, it goes without saying that these are all state polls, therefore bad, and most of the results are within the margin of error.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"biden\"\/>Unelecting Biden:<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The Calendar<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump rally shooting upends Democrats\u2019 Biden crisis\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/14\/house-democrats-biden-trump-rally-shooting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cCongressional Democrats\u2019 all-consuming angst over President Biden\u2019s candidacy has taken an abrupt backseat in lawmakers\u2019 minds in the wake of an assassination attempt against former President Trump. Democratic lawmakers say their immediate focus is on their personal security and that of their staffs, not on their party\u2019s political woes, helping to allow a crucial cooldown period for the embattled president. A second senior House Democrat told Axios that the Trump shooting has taken some of the heat off because it would \u2018be bad form to make any statements against President Biden.\u2019 Another Biden-skeptical Democrat, asked about lingering questions around the president\u2019s candidacy, told Axios: \u2018I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the focus right now.\u2019\u2026Most lawmakers who spoke to Axios said it is too early to say whether the cessation in tensions will last until the Democratic National Convention next month. But the second senior House Democrat offered one reason for why it might: \u2018We\u2019ve all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency.’\u201d \u2022 Not with a bang but a whimper? Because the stakes, objectively, are exactly the same after Trump\u2019s assassination as before.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The DNC<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDemocrats\u2019 Foremost Expert on Party Rules Explains How Biden Could Be Replaced\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/07\/13\/how-biden-could-be-replaced-at-democratic-convention-00167907\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. Elaine Kamarck is a longtime member of the DNC\u2019s rules committee and a scholar at the centrist Brookings Institution. \u201c\u2018The reason people tear their hair out is that people don\u2019t realize that the business of nominating a presidential candidate is ultimately party business,\u2019 Kamarck said. And .\u201d From July 13, though it seems like a week ago: \u201cI think if [Biden] was inclined to get out, he should do it as soon as possible before the convention so that the party can sort out who wants to run. And at this point, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a lot of people who want to run. I think that if he wants to get out, he should do it soon and let the party come together around Vice President Harris or perhaps somebody else, and do it in time for there to be a good convention. Remember that the convention planning is going on. They\u2019re writing a platform, they\u2019re already choosing speakers.\u201d \u2022 If replacing Biden with Harris were easy, it would have already have happened. So, who else? When? How? <\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Electeds<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlaybook: Can Trump pivot \u2014 and can Biden run out the clock?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2024\/07\/15\/can-trump-pivot-and-can-biden-run-out-the-clock-00168222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cNot a single Democrat has joined the effort calling for Biden to step aside since Saturday\u2019s horrific events. And given the hard sharp turn toward unity and security, few expect those numbers to grow in the coming days \u2014 especially with the press focused on the shooting and the Republican convention, rather than Biden. It\u2019s positive news for the embattled president, who \u2014 with five weeks until the Democratic convention \u2014 seems intent on running out the clock. Even Democrats who want Biden to step aside are now resigned to the notion that he\u2019s here to stay. \u2018I think this is over,\u2019 one Democratic aide told us, arguing that the news cycle was what was crushing Biden \u2014 and the story has now moved on\u2026. many continue to watch former Speaker NANCY PELOSI, the one person many think could shift the tide. \u2018At some point, Pelosi has to fish or cut bait here,\u2019 one Democratic aide.\u201d \u2022 What fish? What bait? <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"cannon\"\/>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago classified docs criminal case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/07\/15\/judge-dismisses-trumps-mar-a-lago-classified-docs-criminal-case-00168231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cUnder Cannon\u2019s view, the Justice Department lacks a legal basis to bring private lawyers into the department to head up special counsel investigations. Her conclusion would have nixed the appointment of Robert Mueller, named in 2017 to examine allegations of ties between Trump\u2019s presidential campaign and Russia, as well as that of Robert Hur, selected last year to investigate President Joe Biden\u2019s handling of classified records. Some other special counsels named from the department\u2019s existing ranks of prosecutors, though, would not have been impacted. Smith\u2019s team argued that the history of such appointments over the past quarter century meant Congress had blessed such arrangements, but Cannon disagreed.\u201d \u2022\u00a0No great loss. Was it Mueller liberal Democrats were naming their dogs after? <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648652\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648652.672.0_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is Cannon\u2019s opinion (PDF)<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"414\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon-300x207.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here is the Appointments Clause, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/constitution-conan\/article-2\/section-2\/clause-2\/appointing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Article II, Section 2, Clause 2<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and , shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Legal Information Institute\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/constitution-conan\/article-2\/section-2\/clause-2\/appointing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">interpretation<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>By default, the Appointments Clause requires that all \u201cOfficers of the United States\u201d be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.1 However, the Clause authorizes Congress to vest the appointment of \u201cinferior Officers,\u201d at its discretion, \u201cin the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.\u201d 2 Because of this language, the Supreme Court has recognized two classes of officers: (1) principal officers, who must be appointed by the President with the Senate\u2019s advice and consent; and (2) inferior officers, whose appointment Congress may assign to the President alone, the courts, or a department head. This dichotomy has led to questions about whether there are constitutionally significant differences between principal and inferior officers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I don\u2019t understand why Smith isn\u2019t an \u201cinferior officer,\u201d but apparently that\u2019s not Cannon\u2019s view. Perhaps legal mavens in the commentariat can comment.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses classified documents case against Donald Trump\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/b1b47009-6606-40ed-a370-a21a861aee3a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cCannon\u2019s ruling echoed misgivings about the DoJ special counsel expressed by Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, who wrote in a concurring opinion in the presidential immunity case that he had \u2018serious questions\u2019 about the constitutionality of the appointment. Smith is one of several special counsels appointed in recent years to manage politically sensitive investigations. A special counsel oversaw the probe into Biden\u2019s handling of classified documents, while another was named to investigate the conduct of Hunter Biden, the president\u2019s son, who was later charged with gun and tax offences. The ruling from Cannon could jeopardise both federal criminal cases. Meanwhile, two other criminal cases pending against Trump in state courts are also hitting hurdles.\u201d \u2022 Cannon\u2019s ruling can be appealed.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses Trump\u2019s federal classified docs case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/15\/trump-classified-documents-case-dismissed-cannon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cTrump, who at one point was staring down four criminal cases, is now unlikely to face another trial before Election Day.\u201d \u2022 So the lawfare strategy crashed, and now the Democrats don\u2019t seem to have another. And yet the race, as of last Friday, was still 50\/50, according to RCP averages. Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing if that was true <em>next<\/em> Friday?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201c\u201dPlaybook: Can Trump pivot \u2014 and can Biden run out the clock?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2024\/07\/15\/can-trump-pivot-and-can-biden-run-out-the-clock-00168222?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f112-dd93-ad7f-f917c5ee0002&nlid=630318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201c1. Trump rewrote his convention speech to focus on unity, he told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3082180\/trump-rewrites-republican-convention-speech-focus-unity-not-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Washington Examiner\u2019s Salena Zito<\/a>, a Pittsburgh native who was at the rally and scheduled to interview the former president afterward but instead found herself shielding her daughter from flying bullets. Pre-shooting, the address he was planning to give \u2018was going to be a humdinger,\u2019 he told Zito, whom he called up yesterday because he felt bad about missing her interview, we hear. \u2018Honestly, it\u2019s going to be a whole different speech now,\u2019 he continued. \u2018It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance.\u2019 2. Trump\u2019s team also spent much of yesterday reaching out to convention speakers and asking them to avoid focusing on the shooting or blaming the left for it \u2014 and instead center their attention on the fundamentals of the campaign. 3. The pivot was the brainchild of an early Sunday morning call with Susie Wiles, Chris LcvCivita, Jason Miller and pollster Tony Fabrizio. After hours of relentless and incendiary Republican attacks blaming Democrats for inciting the violence, the team agreed the party would need a reset: The convention shouldn\u2019t be about the shooting but about drawing a contrast with President Joe Biden on the issues Americans care about most. Alittle later, just before 8 a.m., we\u2019re told Trump personally drafted his own Truth Social post adopting the \u2018unify\u2019 messaging and clicked send. To understand the difficulty of this pivot is to understand just how badly Trump\u2019s team wants to win. Yes, they\u2019re upset about the shooting \u2014 more than upset: shaken, angry, worried. But . Using the convention to mount an all-out assault on Democrats or entertain conspiracy theories could cause that goodwill to evaporate as quickly as it appeared.\u201d \u2022 Amazing to think that Trump might take the high road (as Vance did not). As I asked once: Can Trump become a Face, after being a Heel for so long? (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kayfabe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kayfabe<\/a>: \u201cA wrestler may change from <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Face_(professional_wrestling)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">face<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Heel_(professional_wrestling)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">heel<\/a> (or vice versa) in an event known as a turn, or gradually transition from one to the other over the course of a long storyline.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cThe low road, the high road, and the way the wind blows\u201d [Nate Silver, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/the-low-road-the-high-road-and-the\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Silver Bulletin<\/a>]. \u201cIn the present moment, [the assassination attempt] at the very least makes Trump much more sympathetic and undermines the implicit premise of the Biden campaign to restore order and stability to America It perhaps also unlocks a <a href=\"https:\/\/modelthinkers.com\/mental-model\/permission-structure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">permission structure<\/a> to vote for Trump among a certain type of voter. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/13\/donald-trump-shots-fired-rally-elon-musk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Elon Musk<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/billionaire-bill-ackman-endorses-trump-us-presidential-race-2024-07-14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bill Ackman<\/a> officially endorsed Trump in the wake of the shooting, for instance. I don\u2019t think this is a particularly important development on its own, not least because Musk and Ackman were pretty obviously in the Trump camp to begin with (even if they hadn\u2019t admitted it publicly, or even to themselves). But those Americans in the pox-in-all-houses mindset \u2014 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/160-million-americans-are-eligible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">there are a lot of them<\/a> \u2014 might find it easier now to pull the lever for Trump. And Trump fans will now <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FrankLuntz\/status\/1812354526781018242?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">walk over glass<\/a> for their martyr.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cCalls grow for RFK Jr. to get Secret Service protection\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/blog-briefing-room\/4771060-calls-grow-for-rfk-jr-to-get-secret-service-protection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cShortly after the shooting at Trump\u2019s rally in Butler, Pa., where the former president was injured and one attendee was killed, political figures from both sides of the aisle emphasized the need for Kennedy to receive Secret Service protection.\u201d \u2022 This would not be hard to do, and even the molasses-brained Biden administration should have done it by now.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cBallot Access HQ\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kennedy24.com\/ballot-access\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kennedy Shanahan<\/a>]. An impressive effort with some weaknesses. Petitioning is complet in purple states. But that doesn\u2019t mean the ballots are approved and Kenney is on the ballot. Handy map:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk.png 1738w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-300x251.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-1024x858.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-768x643.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-1536x1287.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-624x523.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1738px) 100vw, 1738px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>To find out where Kennedy is actually on the ballot, you have to click on the individual state (poor UI\/UX). I clicked the swing states, and put a \u201c\u2611\ufe0f\u201d on the states where Kennedy has a ballot line. Kennedy is not on the ballot in Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Virginia. He is on the ballot in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly an \u2018October Surprise\u2019 can swing the presidential election\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4768662-biden-trump-october-surprise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cWhat, then, could cause a decisive shift in Biden or Trump\u2019s favor? Quite simply, the answer is an outside event. Or, as it\u2019s otherwise known, an October Surprise. To that end, given that Biden\u2019s and Trump\u2019s strengths and weaknesses are familiar to voters, it is more likely that a truly pivotal October Surprise comes in the form of a foreign policy development that either drastically helps or harms Biden\u2026. All of this is to say that if there is a major geopolitical crisis, Biden will play an outsized role. If he rises to the occasion, it will do more to address concerns over his fitness than virtually any press conference or campaign rally ever could.\u201d \u2022 Given early voting, \u201cOctober\u201d may be too late. With a little more time, I\u2019d research the earliest early voting in the Swing States\u2026.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Morning Joe\u2019 pulled from air Monday because of Trump shooting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/07\/14\/media\/msnbc-morning-joe-pulled-trump-assassination\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cThe decision by MSNBC to leave one of its most recognizable programs on the sidelines amid a seismic politics-driven news cycle, with the Republican National Convention getting underway in the wake of the Saturday shooting at Trump\u2019s campaign rally, is certain to raise eyebrows. A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the decision was made to avoid a scenario in which one of the show\u2019s stable of two dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole. Given the breaking news nature of the story, the person said, it made more sense to continue airing rolling breaking news coverage in the fraught political moment.\u201d \u2022 Anyone on Morning Joe from the Hamptons?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/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>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; 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:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" 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, KF, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Personal risk assessment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If the odds were like this \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffc<br \/>For winning the lottery <br \/>Everyone <br \/>Would buy a ticket <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gEhkG9asAq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/gEhkG9asAq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 oeuf \ud83d\udc4b\ud83c\udffbO (@mairE_keyL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mairE_keyL\/status\/1812165736753979417\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Regional breakdown:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ratio of people currently infected by region:<\/p>\n<p>Midwest: 1 in 79 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>South: 1 in 43 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>Northest: 1 in 79 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>West: 1 in 37 \u27a1\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/505zi2PaBt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/505zi2PaBt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JWeiland (@JPWeiland) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JPWeiland\/status\/1811845391987724679\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"flu\"\/>\u201cBird flu outbreak at Colorado farm as 5 workers reported positive: Experts warn of \u2018turning point,\u2019 call for urgent action\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/07\/15\/bird-flu-outbreak-colorado-farm-5-workers-test-positive-experts-warn-turning-point-urgent-action-health\/?abc123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018I am extremely concerned that we are on the brink of this being really already in humans\u2014and once it\u2019s in humans, it is going to be a real problem to control,\u2019 says Seema Lakdawala, a microbiologist and immunologist at Emory University who specializes in influenza. \u2018I will tell you that what has been driving me the past few months is trying to prevent H5 from becoming a pandemic\u2026I have never felt that we were as close as we are now.\u2019 In its own way [lol], the CDC echoes that concern, referencing in general terms the \u2018pandemic potential\u2019 of H5N1 and other novel flu viruses once humans are in the mix. But the agency added that it hasn\u2019t yet seen genetic changes in the virus that would make human transmission more likely, and it continues to judge the risk to the general public as low\u2026. \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as just a little conjunctivitis. or just a little respiratory (issue) when you\u2019re dealing with a deadly virus,\u201d [immunologist Rick Bright, a former federal health official] says. The virus, he adds, has already demonstrated the ability to mutate \u2018very easily, very quickly, and it can cause severe illness and death. So let\u2019s stop it in its tracks, not wait and see and let it get worse.\u2019 Whether the CDC will follow the experts\u2019 suggestions remains an open question. The agency\u2019s response so far has been muted, with no change in official recommendation. For those who\u2019ve been closely tracking this bird flu, though, the signs are ominous, and they warrant a proactive response-including vaccination of frontline farmworkers. \u2018That\u2019s why we have these stockpiles,\u2019 Seema Lackdawala says. \u2018It\u2019s surprising to me that they haven\u2019t been leveraged\u2026We always expected this at some point in time.’\u201d \u2022 Second verse, same as the first:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rick is not wrong here. This is unfolding more slowly than Covid did, but in the exact same manor. Lack of testing and visibility into the depth of spread, media and Congress focused on other issues so no coverage, and a feeling that we\u2019re waiting for a dam to break\u2026\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2642\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8J73AsyKW9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/8J73AsyKW9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeromeAdamsMD\/status\/1812827663033057725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cManner,\u201d but never mind! <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cExperimental reproduction of viral replication and disease in dairy calves and lactating cows inoculated with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b\u201d (preprint) [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2024.07.12.603337v1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bioRxiv<\/a>]. \u201cWe sought to experimentally reproduce infection with genotype B3.13 in Holstein yearling heifers and lactating cows. The heifers were inoculated by an aerosol respiratory route and the cows by an intramammary route. Clinical disease was mild in the heifers, but infection was confirmed by virus detection, lesions, and seroconversion. Clinical disease in lactating cows included decreased rumen motility, changes to milk appearance, and production losses consistent with field reports of viral mastitis. Infection was confirmed by high levels of viral RNA detected in milk, virus isolation, lesions in mammary tissue, and seroconversion. This study provides the foundation to investigate additional routes of infection, transmission, and intervention strategies.\u201d \u2022 Oh good.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAn invisible mask? Wearable air curtain, treated to kill viruses, blocks 99.8% of aerosols\u201d (press release) [<a href=\"https:\/\/news.engin.umich.edu\/2024\/07\/an-invisible-mask-wearable-air-curtain-treated-to-kill-viruses-blocks-99-8-of-aerosols\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">University of Michigan<\/a>]. \u201cAn air curtain shooting down from the brim of a hard hat can prevent 99.8% of aerosols from reaching a worker\u2019s face. The technology, created by University of Michigan startup Taza Aya, potentially offers a new protection option for workers in industries where respiratory disease transmission is a concern. Independent, third-party testing of <a href=\"https:\/\/taza-aya.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Taza Aya\u2018s<\/a> device showed the effectiveness of the air curtain, curved to encircle the face, coming from nozzles at the hat\u2019s brim. But for the air curtain to effectively protect against pathogens in the room, it must first be cleansed of pathogens itself. Previous research by the group of Taza Aya co-founder <a href=\"https:\/\/cee.engin.umich.edu\/people\/clack-herek-l\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Herek Clack<\/a>, U-M associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, showed that their method can remove and kill 99% of airborne viruses in farm and laboratory settings. \u201d And: \u201cTaza Aya\u2019s prototype features a backpack, weighing roughly 10 pounds, that houses the nonthermal plasma module, air handler, electronics and the unit\u2019s battery pack. The handler draws air into the module, where it\u2019s treated before flowing to the air curtain\u2019s nozzle array.\u201d And: \u201cIn October of that year, Taza Aya was named an awardee in the Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge\u2014a competition created by Johnson & Johnson Innovation in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program sought to encourage the development of technologies that could protect people from airborne viruses while having a minimal impact on daily life.\u201d \u2022 This is pretty neat. I\u2019d like to see some Chinese manufacturers take the ball and run with it, and reduce the weight of the backpack and start selling them for like a hundred bucks. <\/p>\n<p>5.3 million followers:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Plane be like\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Me be like\u2026<\/p>\n<p>We really need to clean up our indoor air, but until then thank you <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zhouliang_mask\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@zhouliang_mask<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LYXLvAscXh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/LYXLvAscXh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VitalikButerin\/status\/1812114231489110491\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Crypto bros not all bad?<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Crypto bro boarding a plane with a CO2 monitor and a respirator and schooling his 5M+ followers on indoor air quality and why catching airborne diseases is bad, actually, was not on my cc bingo card, but apparently the co-founder of Ethereum is one of us. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/YallMasking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#YallMasking<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 A. \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\ude37\ud83c\udf49\ud83d\udc9c (@coffeeteanxiety) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/coffeeteanxiety\/status\/1812244457380892750\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Celebrity Watch<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Masked Olympians:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">William Turner <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TMJXk9ref2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/TMJXk9ref2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1812393341465588015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Violet Affleck before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Violet Affleck: “To confront the Long COVID crisis I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers and mask mandates in county medical facilities. We must expand availability of tests and treatment.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zg4b7Z9vxy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/zg4b7Z9vxy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luckytran\/status\/1810866725941878915\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Her parents of course do not mask\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>Selma Hayek:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Actress Salma Hayek revealed she had a life threatening case of COVID-19 (5\/2020) & suffered from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LongCOVID?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#LongCOVID<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy doctor begged me to go to the hospital because it was so bad,\u201d Hayek said. \u201cI said, \u2018No, thank you. I\u2019d rather die at home.’\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/pwLC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#pwLC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#LC<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\uddf5\ud83e\uddf5\ud83e\uddf5 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Uc0hWs6pbP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Uc0hWs6pbP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Long COVID Foundation (@LongCFoundation) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LongCFoundation\/status\/1811605381279293718\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The Newest Must-Have Home Amenity for the Rich: Purified Air [<a href=\"https:\/\/kanebridgenews.com\/the-newest-must-have-home-amenity-for-the-rich-purified-air\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kanebridge News<\/a>]. \u201cLuxury homeowners are known to splurge on sleek kitchens, custom decor and art, but they are increasingly turning their attention to something less visible. Forest-fire smoke, the pandemic and increased awareness of sensitivities to mould and other irritants are making their interior environment a priority. Many are investing in complex systems and flexible designs that promise healthier indoor air but still include spaces, such as glass-enclosed rooms, that make being indoors feel natural. Listings are increasingly touting pollution-fighting amenities to lure home buyers. In Santa Rosa, Calif., a 13-acre estate for sale at $15 million has a whole-home air purifier. This spring, the Dovecote building, under construction in Manhattan\u2019s Harlem neighbourhood, will offer six, three-bedroom condos built to strict green and clean-air standards, starting at $1.5 million. Malin, founder of Troon Pacific, a San Francisco-based developer of $15 million to $45 million properties that he calls healthy homes, said he focuses on the smallest details that can affect air quality. New tools allow for more-precise measurement of various particulate matter and carbon dioxide levels, he added. \u2018Covid changed people\u2019s perspective on connecting air quality to health, and the [wildfires] only enhanced that.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cPeople\u2019s perspective.\u201d Not all of them, and one can only wonder why. Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">i come into casual contact w rich ppl due to my job <\/p>\n<p>when i tell you they never stopped covid precautions lol. everything they implemented is now permanent<\/p>\n<p>all their home air filters got swapped out, personalized medicine, staff wearing masks 24\/7, etc<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \ud83c\udf38 (@livelaughlmao) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/livelaughlmao\/status\/1812619584807239794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Can readers confirm?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe summer surge of COVID in the US and the implications of the anti-public health policy\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsws.org\/en\/articles\/2024\/07\/15\/zcfo-j15.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WSWS<\/a>]. \u201cThe US is in the midst of an accelerating summer COVID wave, the ninth such wave since March 2020. The current epicenters are located in the West (one in 37 infected) and the South (one in 43) of the country. Given the complete abandonment of all public health measures, including vaccination, this development is being driven more by waning population immunity coming off the winter peak and less by any unusual \u2018seasonality\u2019 patterns to SARS-CoV-2\u2026. No principled public health figure has ever defined an endemic state as a perpetual saturation of the population with a viral pathogen as is the current situation.\u201d \u2022 Nope. Though I don\u2019t know why WSWS doesn\u2019t go ahead and say \u201ceugenicist\u201d rather than \u201canti-public health.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"covid\"\/>Lambert here: CDC claims (albeit with an exculpatory footnote) to update its vaunted National Wastewater Surveillance System data every Friday by 8pm. It has not updated the data since June 24. If it\u2019s not updated by Monday, I can only conclude that the data is really, really ugly. Stay safe out there!<\/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] (CDC) This week\u2019s wastewater map, with hot spots annotated. Worse than <em>two<\/em> weeks ago. New York is a hot again, and Covid is spreading up the Maine Coast just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, in another triumph for Administration policy. <\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) LB.1 coming up on the outside.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) This is the best I can do for now. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Now acceleration, which <em>is<\/em> compatible with a wastewater decrease, but still not a good feeling .(The New York city area has form; in 2020, as the home of two international airports (JFK and EWR) it was an important entry point for the virus into the country (and from thence up the Hudson River valley, as the rich sought to escape, and then around the country through air travel.)<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). This is the best I can do for now. Note the assumption that Covid is seasonal is built into the presentation, which in fact shows that Covid is <em>not<\/em> seasonal. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Still going up! (Because there is data in \u201ccurrent view\u201d tab, I think white states here have experienced \u201cno change,\u201d as opposed to have no data.)<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Still going up!<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Up. Those sh*theads at CDC have changed the chart so that it doesn\u2019t even run back to 1\/21\/23, as it used to, but now starts 1\/1\/24. There\u2019s also no way to adjust the time rasnge. CDC really doesn\u2019t want you to be able to take a historical view of the pandemic, or compare one surge to another. In an any case, that\u2019s why the shape of the curve has changed.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants) Same deal. Those sh*theads. <\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, but positivity up.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/ny-empire-state-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NY Empire State Manufacturing Index declined to -6.6 in July 2024, slightly below market expectations of -6. New orders remained stable, while shipments saw a slight increase. Delivery times improved and supply availability stayed the same. Inventories decreased, reflecting ongoing challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 57 Greed (previous close: 51 Neutral) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 52 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 12 at 12:26:44 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p>Rapture Index: Closes unchanged [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.raptureready.com\/rapture-ready-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rapture Ready<\/a>]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 186. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) \u2022 Not what the climate coverage implies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Permaculture<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Restoring a landscape dominated by bracken, a thread:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">First, some basics. Bracken is a native fern, that emerges from the ground annually in late spring and summer. Its fronds can form a dense mass + grow to 2m or more.<\/p>\n<p>It then collapses and dies off in the autumn, its energies subsumed into a deep underground network of rhizomes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UzhXAvvfB8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/UzhXAvvfB8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eoghan Daltun \ud83c\udf0d (@IrishRainforest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IrishRainforest\/status\/1811632547236815000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I wonder if there\u2019s an equivalent approach for kudzu\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Book<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelax to Mesmerizing Aerial Views of Iceland\u2019s \u2018Glacial Flour\u2019 Pulsing Through Waterways\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2024\/07\/jan-erik-waider-iceland-rivers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">This is Colossal<\/a>]. \u201cAs glaciers expand and recede, they have the capacity to grind rock so fine that geologists refer to the pulverized material as glacial flour. It slips down rivers and into lakes, carrying the otherworldly turquoise hue through a unique and resilient ecosystem. In Iceland, the blue-green color is complemented by rivers that flow yellow, thanks to sulfur from nearby volcanoes, or red from dissolved ferrous iron\u2014also known as bog iron. Coursing over rock and black sand, the streams take on dazzling, rhythmic patterns.\u201d \u2022 For example:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275052\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Looks like the surface of Jupiter!<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sailors\u2019 delight?<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">William Turner <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TMJXk9ref2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/TMJXk9ref2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1812393341465588015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Deal With the Devil: What the Age-Old Faustian Bargain Reveals About the Modern World\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/a-deal-with-the-devil-what-the-age-old-faustian-bargain-reveals-about-the-modern-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Literary Hub<\/a>]. \u201cThe legend of the Devil\u2019s contract is the most alluring, the most provocative, the most insightful, the most important story ever told. It concerns a humanity strung between Heaven and Hell, the saintly and the satanic; how a man could trade his soul for powers omnipotent, signing a covenant with the Devil so that he could briefly live as a god before being pulled down to Hell\u2026. [T]he Devil\u2019s hoof-prints can be found across the wide swatch of history, in our willingness to embrace power and engage in exploitation, to summon self-interestedness and to conjure cruelty\u2026. Marlowe staged [Doctor Faustus] at the very beginning of what is increasingly being called the Anthropocene, the geological epoch in which humanity was finally able to impose its will (in an almost occult manner) upon the earth. There are costs to any such contract, as the wisdom of the legend has it\u2026 It may be appropriate to rechristen this age the Faustocene. Because whether or not the Devil is real, his effects in the world are.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The 420<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongress Accidentally Legalized Weed Six Years Ago\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/archive\/2024\/07\/hemp-marijuana-legal-thc\/678988\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201crive through durham, north carolina, where I live, and you might get the impression that marijuana is legal here. Retail windows advertise thc in glittery letters and neon glass, and seven-pointed leaves adorn storefronts and roadside sandwich boards. The newest business near my house is the Stay Lit Smoke Shop, where an alien ripping a bong invites you to use the drive-through. In fact, neither medical nor recreational marijuana is legal in North Carolina. Technically, we\u2019re getting high on hemp. This is probably not what Congress had in mind when it passed the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, commonly called the 2018 Farm Bill, which made the production of hemp\u2014cannabis\u2019s traditionally nonpsychoactive cousin\u2014legal for the first time in nearly a century. Lawmakers who backed hemp legalization expected the plant to be used for textiles and nonintoxicating supplements, such as CBD oil and shelled hemp seeds (great on an acai bowl). They didn\u2019t realize that, with some chemistry and creativity, hemp can get you just as high as the dankest marijuana plant. The upshot is that although recreational marijuana use is allowed in only 24 states and Washington, D.C., people anywhere in the U.S. can get intoxicated on hemp-derived THC without breaking federal law. These hemp-based highs are every bit as potent as those derived from the marijuana available in legalization states.\u2019 \u2022 Finally some good news\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Virginia Woolf\u2019s list-making paved the way for her literary experiments\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/dnCIQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cEach day followed a pattern. Woolf noted the weather; any insects or birds seen on her walk (\u201c3 perfect peacock butterflies\u201d); her daily tally of mushrooms or blackberries (\u201cA record find\u201d, \u201cEnough for a dish\u201d); gardening or domestic activities (\u201cMade chair cover after tea\u201d); what was happening in the fields (\u201cGerman prisoners cutting wheat with hooks\u201d); what she had for supper (\u201cEating our own broad beans \u2014 delicious\u201d); and the price of rationed goods (\u201cEggs 2\/9 doz. from Mrs Attfield\u201d). Adhering to a structure in her diary gave shape to her convalescence. Woolf rarely used \u201cI\u201d and yet we catch sight of her out walking, or sewing on the terrace in a straw hat. It\u2019s not by chance that she wrote the laundry list on the inside cover of this notebook. During this period, listmaking and diary-keeping became part of the same practice of paying attention to small things and of setting down her experience, sparely and without flourish, on the page. To biographers, this slender diary has appeared inconsequential compared with the weightier stuff of her later longhand diaries and letters.\u201d \u2022 Well worth a read, especiallly if you write. I love lists!<\/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\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-11-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From CH:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"488\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed-300x244.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>CH writes: \u201cFritillary on milkweed, Asheville, NC.\u201d At least I <em>think<\/em> it\u2019s a fritillary (from my high school butterfly collecting days). Readers?<\/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!\n<\/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\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-15-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day Common Nightingale, Taliouline, Morocco. 28 minutes of nightingale, so grab a cup of coffee. *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81989,"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-81988","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\/81988","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=81988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Common Nightingale, Taliouline, Morocco. 28 minutes of nightingale, so grab a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#cannon\">Cannon throws out Smith\u2019s case.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#assassination\">Trump\u2019s would-be assassin <\/a> appeared in a Blackrock ad.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#biden\">Unelecting Biden<\/a>: How\u2019s that going?<\/p>\n<p>(4) <a href=\"#flu\">Responses to bird flu<\/a> still absurdly slow\u2026. <\/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>The Constitutional Order (Immunity)<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSupreme Court ruling on presidential immunity is more limited than it appears\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/4771547-supreme-court-presidential-immunity-rule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cThe new rule of \u2018absolute immunity\u2019 states that when the Constitution grants the president \u2018conclusive and preclusive\u2019 power \u2014 meaning that the Constitution delegates a specific government function to the executive branch alone \u2014 the legislative branch cannot make any laws, including criminal laws, to restrict him. So the president cannot be prosecuted for a veto or an appointment, for example. The president is also \u2018presumptively immune\u2019 for \u2018official acts\u2019 if a prosecution would intrude on executive branch power. To demonstrate that this rule is narrow, evaluate the argument proposed by the dissenting justices that a president who stages a coup, assassinates a rival, or takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon would now be immune from prosecution. None of these hypothetical fact patterns would qualify for \u2018absolute immunity,\u2019 because each involves competing Constitutional powers. In such cases, the president\u2019s acts would not be \u2018conclusive and preclusive.\u2019 Each would also involve unofficial conduct, which remains fully prosecutable. Presumptive immunity would be overcome for the same reasons. The specific holdings in the Trump ruling underscore this view. For example, the court held Trump immune for threatening to remove his attorney general if he did not comply with unlawful acts. Although this sounds disconcerting at first blush, the court decided only whether Trump is immune for alleged discussions with his own attorney general. The court did not hold, however, that a president would be immune for exercising the fearsome powers of the Department of Justice to extort state officials into corruptly overturning an election (the equivalent of a coup).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Trump Assassination Attempt<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"assassination\"\/>\u201cBlackRock Says Gunman From Trump Rally Appeared in Firm\u2019s Ad\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/blackrock-says-gunman-trump-rally-230119019.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201cCrooks was one of several students who appeared in the background of the 2022 ad and was unpaid, BlackRock, the world\u2019s largest money manager, said in a statement. The ad was filmed at Bethel Park High School, where Crooks graduated in 2022, and featured a teacher, the company said.\u201d \u2022 If Crooks was indeed a \u201ctroubled loner,\u201d he seems to be a socially competent one. Odd:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BlackRock pulls ad that featured Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/24ViyLsLGj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/24ViyLsLGj<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/y6xCpp2wGk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/y6xCpp2wGk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 New York Post (@nypost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nypost\/status\/1812833070132736435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Blackrock certainly wasn\u2019t on my Bingo card!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrateful, defiant Trump recounts surviving \u2018surreal\u2019 assassination attempt at rally: \u2018I\u2019m supposed to be dead’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/14\/us-news\/grateful-defiant-trump-recounts-surreal-assassination-attempt-at-rally-im-supposed-to-be-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018A lot of people say it\u2019s the most iconic photo they\u2019ve ever seen,\u2019 Trump said. \u2018They\u2019re right and I didn\u2019t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.\u2019 He added, \u2018I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot.’\u201d \u2022 \u201cIconic.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/trump-assassination-attempt-a-round-up.html#iconic\">Called it \ud83d\ude42<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Gunman and the Would-Be Dictator\u201d [David Frum, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/ivqT8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cFascism feasts on violence\u2026 Now the bloodshed that Trump has done so much to incite against others has touched him as well.\u201d \u2022\u00a0I admire <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/03\/15\/iraq-war-where-are-they-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">war criminal David Frum<\/a>\u2018s commitment to the bit. Never mind that we don\u2019t even know the assassin\u2019s motive; Carl Schmitt is the chef who served up the fascist smorgasbord from which <em>both<\/em> parties are feasting. If, as Schmitt has it, the central theme of politics is the friend\/enemy distinction, Democrats, by loudly declaring Trump to be the next Hitler, have provided anyone sufficiently gullible with a motive for assassination. After all, if you can\u2019t go back in time and kill baby Hitler, why not kill the real one in the here and now? The tendency of liberals to wish death on their enemies is well known (see Stoller, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@matthewstoller\/on-mocking-dying-working-class-white-people-d0ea653a91a9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">On Mocking Dying Working Class White People<\/a>\u201c). As for example:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"166\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hamptons-300x100.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Granted, the Hampton\u2019s aren\u2019t the country, but \u201cThe ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas.\u201d Or:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sitting at outdoor restaurant in Hamptons as waitress told us what happened , lots of comments from other tables from very well off people about \u201d What did Trump think would happen behaving like he does ? \u201c<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 GardinerIslandCapital (@GardinerIsland) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GardinerIsland\/status\/1812294883367067749\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p> \u201cBoth sides are right \/ But both sides murder \/ I give up \/ Why can\u2019t they?\u201d \u2013X, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/32z8TjXePSQ?si=N1k1EF1eSLVWHa56\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018BlueAnon\u2019 conspiracy theories flood social media after Trump rally shooting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/0VfEo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cResearchers who track online conspiracies say liberals are increasingly vulnerable to \u2014 and generating \u2014 QAnon-like bursts of misinformation.\u201d After RussiaGate? You don\u2019t say. More: \u201cMinutes after Saturday\u2019s shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa., liberals began flooding social media platforms with conspiracy theories. They claimed the blood on former president Donald Trump\u2019s ear was from a theatrical gel pack; that the shooting was a \u2018false flag,\u2019 perhaps coordinated by the Secret Service in collaboration with the Trump campaign; that the scene of a bloodied Trump raising his fist under an American flag was \u2018#staged.\u2019 \u2018When did the Secret Service start allowing the President under duress to tell them \u2018to wait\u2019, then stand up to be seen by the crowd fist-pumping?\u201d one user posted on X. \u201cCan you blame me for thinking this is fake?\u2019 The shooting threw into overdrive a phenomenon dubbed \u2018BlueAnon\u2019 \u2014 a play on the right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon \u2014 that refers to liberal conspiracy theories online. As more Americans lose trust in mainstream institutions and turn to partisan commentators and influencers for information, experts say they are seeing a big uptick in the manufacture and spread of BlueAnon conspiracy theories, a sign that the communal warping of reality is spreading well beyond the right. \u2018The [Schmittian] good-versus-evil paradigm of QAnon has really taken hold of the anti-Trump movement and you\u2019re seeing two sides that feel like they are fighting a battle between good and evil,\u2019 said Mike Rothschild, author of \u201cThe Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult and Conspiracy Theory of Everything.’\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-81dEvJgThI?si=xOWfyonoAGrWaRcA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Musical interlude<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p12\">Less than a half 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\"\/>Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RCP<\/a> Poll Averages: CTUTP<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"916\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12-164x300.png 164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Second post-debate polling: No massive swing to Trump that I can see. It would be hilarious if the Biden Debate debacle had exactly the same effect as Trump\u2019s 34 bazillion felony convictions, i.e., none, both parties are so dug in. Of course, the Biden \u201cbuzz\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-11-2024.html#buzz\">yesterday<\/a>) is bad, and may yet have an effect. And who, may I ask, is making the buzz? 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>) still Brownian-motioning around. Of course, it goes without saying that these are all state polls, therefore bad, and most of the results are within the margin of error.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"biden\"\/>Unelecting Biden:<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The Calendar<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump rally shooting upends Democrats\u2019 Biden crisis\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/14\/house-democrats-biden-trump-rally-shooting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cCongressional Democrats\u2019 all-consuming angst over President Biden\u2019s candidacy has taken an abrupt backseat in lawmakers\u2019 minds in the wake of an assassination attempt against former President Trump. Democratic lawmakers say their immediate focus is on their personal security and that of their staffs, not on their party\u2019s political woes, helping to allow a crucial cooldown period for the embattled president. A second senior House Democrat told Axios that the Trump shooting has taken some of the heat off because it would \u2018be bad form to make any statements against President Biden.\u2019 Another Biden-skeptical Democrat, asked about lingering questions around the president\u2019s candidacy, told Axios: \u2018I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the focus right now.\u2019\u2026Most lawmakers who spoke to Axios said it is too early to say whether the cessation in tensions will last until the Democratic National Convention next month. But the second senior House Democrat offered one reason for why it might: \u2018We\u2019ve all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency.’\u201d \u2022 Not with a bang but a whimper? Because the stakes, objectively, are exactly the same after Trump\u2019s assassination as before.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The DNC<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDemocrats\u2019 Foremost Expert on Party Rules Explains How Biden Could Be Replaced\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/07\/13\/how-biden-could-be-replaced-at-democratic-convention-00167907\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. Elaine Kamarck is a longtime member of the DNC\u2019s rules committee and a scholar at the centrist Brookings Institution. \u201c\u2018The reason people tear their hair out is that people don\u2019t realize that the business of nominating a presidential candidate is ultimately party business,\u2019 Kamarck said. And .\u201d From July 13, though it seems like a week ago: \u201cI think if [Biden] was inclined to get out, he should do it as soon as possible before the convention so that the party can sort out who wants to run. And at this point, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a lot of people who want to run. I think that if he wants to get out, he should do it soon and let the party come together around Vice President Harris or perhaps somebody else, and do it in time for there to be a good convention. Remember that the convention planning is going on. They\u2019re writing a platform, they\u2019re already choosing speakers.\u201d \u2022 If replacing Biden with Harris were easy, it would have already have happened. So, who else? When? How? <\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Electeds<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlaybook: Can Trump pivot \u2014 and can Biden run out the clock?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2024\/07\/15\/can-trump-pivot-and-can-biden-run-out-the-clock-00168222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cNot a single Democrat has joined the effort calling for Biden to step aside since Saturday\u2019s horrific events. And given the hard sharp turn toward unity and security, few expect those numbers to grow in the coming days \u2014 especially with the press focused on the shooting and the Republican convention, rather than Biden. It\u2019s positive news for the embattled president, who \u2014 with five weeks until the Democratic convention \u2014 seems intent on running out the clock. Even Democrats who want Biden to step aside are now resigned to the notion that he\u2019s here to stay. \u2018I think this is over,\u2019 one Democratic aide told us, arguing that the news cycle was what was crushing Biden \u2014 and the story has now moved on\u2026. many continue to watch former Speaker NANCY PELOSI, the one person many think could shift the tide. \u2018At some point, Pelosi has to fish or cut bait here,\u2019 one Democratic aide.\u201d \u2022 What fish? What bait? <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"cannon\"\/>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago classified docs criminal case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/07\/15\/judge-dismisses-trumps-mar-a-lago-classified-docs-criminal-case-00168231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cUnder Cannon\u2019s view, the Justice Department lacks a legal basis to bring private lawyers into the department to head up special counsel investigations. Her conclusion would have nixed the appointment of Robert Mueller, named in 2017 to examine allegations of ties between Trump\u2019s presidential campaign and Russia, as well as that of Robert Hur, selected last year to investigate President Joe Biden\u2019s handling of classified records. Some other special counsels named from the department\u2019s existing ranks of prosecutors, though, would not have been impacted. Smith\u2019s team argued that the history of such appointments over the past quarter century meant Congress had blessed such arrangements, but Cannon disagreed.\u201d \u2022\u00a0No great loss. Was it Mueller liberal Democrats were naming their dogs after? <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648652\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648652.672.0_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is Cannon\u2019s opinion (PDF)<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"414\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cannon-300x207.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here is the Appointments Clause, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/constitution-conan\/article-2\/section-2\/clause-2\/appointing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Article II, Section 2, Clause 2<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and , shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Legal Information Institute\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/constitution-conan\/article-2\/section-2\/clause-2\/appointing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">interpretation<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>By default, the Appointments Clause requires that all \u201cOfficers of the United States\u201d be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.1 However, the Clause authorizes Congress to vest the appointment of \u201cinferior Officers,\u201d at its discretion, \u201cin the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.\u201d 2 Because of this language, the Supreme Court has recognized two classes of officers: (1) principal officers, who must be appointed by the President with the Senate\u2019s advice and consent; and (2) inferior officers, whose appointment Congress may assign to the President alone, the courts, or a department head. This dichotomy has led to questions about whether there are constitutionally significant differences between principal and inferior officers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I don\u2019t understand why Smith isn\u2019t an \u201cinferior officer,\u201d but apparently that\u2019s not Cannon\u2019s view. Perhaps legal mavens in the commentariat can comment.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses classified documents case against Donald Trump\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/b1b47009-6606-40ed-a370-a21a861aee3a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cCannon\u2019s ruling echoed misgivings about the DoJ special counsel expressed by Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, who wrote in a concurring opinion in the presidential immunity case that he had \u2018serious questions\u2019 about the constitutionality of the appointment. Smith is one of several special counsels appointed in recent years to manage politically sensitive investigations. A special counsel oversaw the probe into Biden\u2019s handling of classified documents, while another was named to investigate the conduct of Hunter Biden, the president\u2019s son, who was later charged with gun and tax offences. The ruling from Cannon could jeopardise both federal criminal cases. Meanwhile, two other criminal cases pending against Trump in state courts are also hitting hurdles.\u201d \u2022 Cannon\u2019s ruling can be appealed.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cJudge dismisses Trump\u2019s federal classified docs case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/15\/trump-classified-documents-case-dismissed-cannon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cTrump, who at one point was staring down four criminal cases, is now unlikely to face another trial before Election Day.\u201d \u2022 So the lawfare strategy crashed, and now the Democrats don\u2019t seem to have another. And yet the race, as of last Friday, was still 50\/50, according to RCP averages. Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing if that was true <em>next<\/em> Friday?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201c\u201dPlaybook: Can Trump pivot \u2014 and can Biden run out the clock?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2024\/07\/15\/can-trump-pivot-and-can-biden-run-out-the-clock-00168222?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f112-dd93-ad7f-f917c5ee0002&nlid=630318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201c1. Trump rewrote his convention speech to focus on unity, he told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3082180\/trump-rewrites-republican-convention-speech-focus-unity-not-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Washington Examiner\u2019s Salena Zito<\/a>, a Pittsburgh native who was at the rally and scheduled to interview the former president afterward but instead found herself shielding her daughter from flying bullets. Pre-shooting, the address he was planning to give \u2018was going to be a humdinger,\u2019 he told Zito, whom he called up yesterday because he felt bad about missing her interview, we hear. \u2018Honestly, it\u2019s going to be a whole different speech now,\u2019 he continued. \u2018It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance.\u2019 2. Trump\u2019s team also spent much of yesterday reaching out to convention speakers and asking them to avoid focusing on the shooting or blaming the left for it \u2014 and instead center their attention on the fundamentals of the campaign. 3. The pivot was the brainchild of an early Sunday morning call with Susie Wiles, Chris LcvCivita, Jason Miller and pollster Tony Fabrizio. After hours of relentless and incendiary Republican attacks blaming Democrats for inciting the violence, the team agreed the party would need a reset: The convention shouldn\u2019t be about the shooting but about drawing a contrast with President Joe Biden on the issues Americans care about most. Alittle later, just before 8 a.m., we\u2019re told Trump personally drafted his own Truth Social post adopting the \u2018unify\u2019 messaging and clicked send. To understand the difficulty of this pivot is to understand just how badly Trump\u2019s team wants to win. Yes, they\u2019re upset about the shooting \u2014 more than upset: shaken, angry, worried. But . Using the convention to mount an all-out assault on Democrats or entertain conspiracy theories could cause that goodwill to evaporate as quickly as it appeared.\u201d \u2022 Amazing to think that Trump might take the high road (as Vance did not). As I asked once: Can Trump become a Face, after being a Heel for so long? (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kayfabe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kayfabe<\/a>: \u201cA wrestler may change from <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Face_(professional_wrestling)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">face<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Heel_(professional_wrestling)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">heel<\/a> (or vice versa) in an event known as a turn, or gradually transition from one to the other over the course of a long storyline.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cThe low road, the high road, and the way the wind blows\u201d [Nate Silver, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/the-low-road-the-high-road-and-the\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Silver Bulletin<\/a>]. \u201cIn the present moment, [the assassination attempt] at the very least makes Trump much more sympathetic and undermines the implicit premise of the Biden campaign to restore order and stability to America It perhaps also unlocks a <a href=\"https:\/\/modelthinkers.com\/mental-model\/permission-structure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">permission structure<\/a> to vote for Trump among a certain type of voter. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/13\/donald-trump-shots-fired-rally-elon-musk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Elon Musk<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/billionaire-bill-ackman-endorses-trump-us-presidential-race-2024-07-14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bill Ackman<\/a> officially endorsed Trump in the wake of the shooting, for instance. I don\u2019t think this is a particularly important development on its own, not least because Musk and Ackman were pretty obviously in the Trump camp to begin with (even if they hadn\u2019t admitted it publicly, or even to themselves). But those Americans in the pox-in-all-houses mindset \u2014 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/160-million-americans-are-eligible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">there are a lot of them<\/a> \u2014 might find it easier now to pull the lever for Trump. And Trump fans will now <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FrankLuntz\/status\/1812354526781018242?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">walk over glass<\/a> for their martyr.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cCalls grow for RFK Jr. to get Secret Service protection\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/blog-briefing-room\/4771060-calls-grow-for-rfk-jr-to-get-secret-service-protection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cShortly after the shooting at Trump\u2019s rally in Butler, Pa., where the former president was injured and one attendee was killed, political figures from both sides of the aisle emphasized the need for Kennedy to receive Secret Service protection.\u201d \u2022 This would not be hard to do, and even the molasses-brained Biden administration should have done it by now.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cBallot Access HQ\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kennedy24.com\/ballot-access\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kennedy Shanahan<\/a>]. An impressive effort with some weaknesses. Petitioning is complet in purple states. But that doesn\u2019t mean the ballots are approved and Kenney is on the ballot. Handy map:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk.png 1738w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-300x251.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-1024x858.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-768x643.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-1536x1287.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rfk-624x523.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1738px) 100vw, 1738px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>To find out where Kennedy is actually on the ballot, you have to click on the individual state (poor UI\/UX). I clicked the swing states, and put a \u201c\u2611\ufe0f\u201d on the states where Kennedy has a ballot line. Kennedy is not on the ballot in Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Virginia. He is on the ballot in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly an \u2018October Surprise\u2019 can swing the presidential election\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4768662-biden-trump-october-surprise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cWhat, then, could cause a decisive shift in Biden or Trump\u2019s favor? Quite simply, the answer is an outside event. Or, as it\u2019s otherwise known, an October Surprise. To that end, given that Biden\u2019s and Trump\u2019s strengths and weaknesses are familiar to voters, it is more likely that a truly pivotal October Surprise comes in the form of a foreign policy development that either drastically helps or harms Biden\u2026. All of this is to say that if there is a major geopolitical crisis, Biden will play an outsized role. If he rises to the occasion, it will do more to address concerns over his fitness than virtually any press conference or campaign rally ever could.\u201d \u2022 Given early voting, \u201cOctober\u201d may be too late. With a little more time, I\u2019d research the earliest early voting in the Swing States\u2026.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Morning Joe\u2019 pulled from air Monday because of Trump shooting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/07\/14\/media\/msnbc-morning-joe-pulled-trump-assassination\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cThe decision by MSNBC to leave one of its most recognizable programs on the sidelines amid a seismic politics-driven news cycle, with the Republican National Convention getting underway in the wake of the Saturday shooting at Trump\u2019s campaign rally, is certain to raise eyebrows. A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the decision was made to avoid a scenario in which one of the show\u2019s stable of two dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole. Given the breaking news nature of the story, the person said, it made more sense to continue airing rolling breaking news coverage in the fraught political moment.\u201d \u2022 Anyone on Morning Joe from the Hamptons?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/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>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; 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:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" 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, KF, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Personal risk assessment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If the odds were like this \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffc<br \/>For winning the lottery <br \/>Everyone <br \/>Would buy a ticket <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gEhkG9asAq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/gEhkG9asAq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 oeuf \ud83d\udc4b\ud83c\udffbO (@mairE_keyL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mairE_keyL\/status\/1812165736753979417\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Regional breakdown:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ratio of people currently infected by region:<\/p>\n<p>Midwest: 1 in 79 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>South: 1 in 43 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>Northest: 1 in 79 \u2b06\ufe0f<br \/>West: 1 in 37 \u27a1\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/505zi2PaBt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/505zi2PaBt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JWeiland (@JPWeiland) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JPWeiland\/status\/1811845391987724679\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"flu\"\/>\u201cBird flu outbreak at Colorado farm as 5 workers reported positive: Experts warn of \u2018turning point,\u2019 call for urgent action\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/07\/15\/bird-flu-outbreak-colorado-farm-5-workers-test-positive-experts-warn-turning-point-urgent-action-health\/?abc123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018I am extremely concerned that we are on the brink of this being really already in humans\u2014and once it\u2019s in humans, it is going to be a real problem to control,\u2019 says Seema Lakdawala, a microbiologist and immunologist at Emory University who specializes in influenza. \u2018I will tell you that what has been driving me the past few months is trying to prevent H5 from becoming a pandemic\u2026I have never felt that we were as close as we are now.\u2019 In its own way [lol], the CDC echoes that concern, referencing in general terms the \u2018pandemic potential\u2019 of H5N1 and other novel flu viruses once humans are in the mix. But the agency added that it hasn\u2019t yet seen genetic changes in the virus that would make human transmission more likely, and it continues to judge the risk to the general public as low\u2026. \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as just a little conjunctivitis. or just a little respiratory (issue) when you\u2019re dealing with a deadly virus,\u201d [immunologist Rick Bright, a former federal health official] says. The virus, he adds, has already demonstrated the ability to mutate \u2018very easily, very quickly, and it can cause severe illness and death. So let\u2019s stop it in its tracks, not wait and see and let it get worse.\u2019 Whether the CDC will follow the experts\u2019 suggestions remains an open question. The agency\u2019s response so far has been muted, with no change in official recommendation. For those who\u2019ve been closely tracking this bird flu, though, the signs are ominous, and they warrant a proactive response-including vaccination of frontline farmworkers. \u2018That\u2019s why we have these stockpiles,\u2019 Seema Lackdawala says. \u2018It\u2019s surprising to me that they haven\u2019t been leveraged\u2026We always expected this at some point in time.’\u201d \u2022 Second verse, same as the first:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rick is not wrong here. This is unfolding more slowly than Covid did, but in the exact same manor. Lack of testing and visibility into the depth of spread, media and Congress focused on other issues so no coverage, and a feeling that we\u2019re waiting for a dam to break\u2026\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2642\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8J73AsyKW9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/8J73AsyKW9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeromeAdamsMD\/status\/1812827663033057725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cManner,\u201d but never mind! <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cExperimental reproduction of viral replication and disease in dairy calves and lactating cows inoculated with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b\u201d (preprint) [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2024.07.12.603337v1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bioRxiv<\/a>]. \u201cWe sought to experimentally reproduce infection with genotype B3.13 in Holstein yearling heifers and lactating cows. The heifers were inoculated by an aerosol respiratory route and the cows by an intramammary route. Clinical disease was mild in the heifers, but infection was confirmed by virus detection, lesions, and seroconversion. Clinical disease in lactating cows included decreased rumen motility, changes to milk appearance, and production losses consistent with field reports of viral mastitis. Infection was confirmed by high levels of viral RNA detected in milk, virus isolation, lesions in mammary tissue, and seroconversion. This study provides the foundation to investigate additional routes of infection, transmission, and intervention strategies.\u201d \u2022 Oh good.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAn invisible mask? Wearable air curtain, treated to kill viruses, blocks 99.8% of aerosols\u201d (press release) [<a href=\"https:\/\/news.engin.umich.edu\/2024\/07\/an-invisible-mask-wearable-air-curtain-treated-to-kill-viruses-blocks-99-8-of-aerosols\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">University of Michigan<\/a>]. \u201cAn air curtain shooting down from the brim of a hard hat can prevent 99.8% of aerosols from reaching a worker\u2019s face. The technology, created by University of Michigan startup Taza Aya, potentially offers a new protection option for workers in industries where respiratory disease transmission is a concern. Independent, third-party testing of <a href=\"https:\/\/taza-aya.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Taza Aya\u2018s<\/a> device showed the effectiveness of the air curtain, curved to encircle the face, coming from nozzles at the hat\u2019s brim. But for the air curtain to effectively protect against pathogens in the room, it must first be cleansed of pathogens itself. Previous research by the group of Taza Aya co-founder <a href=\"https:\/\/cee.engin.umich.edu\/people\/clack-herek-l\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Herek Clack<\/a>, U-M associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, showed that their method can remove and kill 99% of airborne viruses in farm and laboratory settings. \u201d And: \u201cTaza Aya\u2019s prototype features a backpack, weighing roughly 10 pounds, that houses the nonthermal plasma module, air handler, electronics and the unit\u2019s battery pack. The handler draws air into the module, where it\u2019s treated before flowing to the air curtain\u2019s nozzle array.\u201d And: \u201cIn October of that year, Taza Aya was named an awardee in the Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge\u2014a competition created by Johnson & Johnson Innovation in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program sought to encourage the development of technologies that could protect people from airborne viruses while having a minimal impact on daily life.\u201d \u2022 This is pretty neat. I\u2019d like to see some Chinese manufacturers take the ball and run with it, and reduce the weight of the backpack and start selling them for like a hundred bucks. <\/p>\n<p>5.3 million followers:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Plane be like\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Me be like\u2026<\/p>\n<p>We really need to clean up our indoor air, but until then thank you <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zhouliang_mask\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@zhouliang_mask<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LYXLvAscXh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/LYXLvAscXh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VitalikButerin\/status\/1812114231489110491\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Crypto bros not all bad?<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Crypto bro boarding a plane with a CO2 monitor and a respirator and schooling his 5M+ followers on indoor air quality and why catching airborne diseases is bad, actually, was not on my cc bingo card, but apparently the co-founder of Ethereum is one of us. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/YallMasking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#YallMasking<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 A. \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\ude37\ud83c\udf49\ud83d\udc9c (@coffeeteanxiety) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/coffeeteanxiety\/status\/1812244457380892750\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Celebrity Watch<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Masked Olympians:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">William Turner <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TMJXk9ref2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/TMJXk9ref2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1812393341465588015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Violet Affleck before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Violet Affleck: “To confront the Long COVID crisis I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers and mask mandates in county medical facilities. We must expand availability of tests and treatment.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zg4b7Z9vxy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/zg4b7Z9vxy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luckytran\/status\/1810866725941878915\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Her parents of course do not mask\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>Selma Hayek:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Actress Salma Hayek revealed she had a life threatening case of COVID-19 (5\/2020) & suffered from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LongCOVID?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#LongCOVID<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy doctor begged me to go to the hospital because it was so bad,\u201d Hayek said. \u201cI said, \u2018No, thank you. I\u2019d rather die at home.’\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/pwLC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#pwLC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#LC<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\uddf5\ud83e\uddf5\ud83e\uddf5 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Uc0hWs6pbP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Uc0hWs6pbP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Long COVID Foundation (@LongCFoundation) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LongCFoundation\/status\/1811605381279293718\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The Newest Must-Have Home Amenity for the Rich: Purified Air [<a href=\"https:\/\/kanebridgenews.com\/the-newest-must-have-home-amenity-for-the-rich-purified-air\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kanebridge News<\/a>]. \u201cLuxury homeowners are known to splurge on sleek kitchens, custom decor and art, but they are increasingly turning their attention to something less visible. Forest-fire smoke, the pandemic and increased awareness of sensitivities to mould and other irritants are making their interior environment a priority. Many are investing in complex systems and flexible designs that promise healthier indoor air but still include spaces, such as glass-enclosed rooms, that make being indoors feel natural. Listings are increasingly touting pollution-fighting amenities to lure home buyers. In Santa Rosa, Calif., a 13-acre estate for sale at $15 million has a whole-home air purifier. This spring, the Dovecote building, under construction in Manhattan\u2019s Harlem neighbourhood, will offer six, three-bedroom condos built to strict green and clean-air standards, starting at $1.5 million. Malin, founder of Troon Pacific, a San Francisco-based developer of $15 million to $45 million properties that he calls healthy homes, said he focuses on the smallest details that can affect air quality. New tools allow for more-precise measurement of various particulate matter and carbon dioxide levels, he added. \u2018Covid changed people\u2019s perspective on connecting air quality to health, and the [wildfires] only enhanced that.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cPeople\u2019s perspective.\u201d Not all of them, and one can only wonder why. Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">i come into casual contact w rich ppl due to my job <\/p>\n<p>when i tell you they never stopped covid precautions lol. everything they implemented is now permanent<\/p>\n<p>all their home air filters got swapped out, personalized medicine, staff wearing masks 24\/7, etc<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \ud83c\udf38 (@livelaughlmao) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/livelaughlmao\/status\/1812619584807239794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Can readers confirm?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe summer surge of COVID in the US and the implications of the anti-public health policy\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsws.org\/en\/articles\/2024\/07\/15\/zcfo-j15.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WSWS<\/a>]. \u201cThe US is in the midst of an accelerating summer COVID wave, the ninth such wave since March 2020. The current epicenters are located in the West (one in 37 infected) and the South (one in 43) of the country. Given the complete abandonment of all public health measures, including vaccination, this development is being driven more by waning population immunity coming off the winter peak and less by any unusual \u2018seasonality\u2019 patterns to SARS-CoV-2\u2026. No principled public health figure has ever defined an endemic state as a perpetual saturation of the population with a viral pathogen as is the current situation.\u201d \u2022 Nope. Though I don\u2019t know why WSWS doesn\u2019t go ahead and say \u201ceugenicist\u201d rather than \u201canti-public health.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"covid\"\/>Lambert here: CDC claims (albeit with an exculpatory footnote) to update its vaunted National Wastewater Surveillance System data every Friday by 8pm. It has not updated the data since June 24. If it\u2019s not updated by Monday, I can only conclude that the data is really, really ugly. Stay safe out there!<\/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] (CDC) This week\u2019s wastewater map, with hot spots annotated. Worse than <em>two<\/em> weeks ago. New York is a hot again, and Covid is spreading up the Maine Coast just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, in another triumph for Administration policy. <\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) LB.1 coming up on the outside.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) This is the best I can do for now. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Now acceleration, which <em>is<\/em> compatible with a wastewater decrease, but still not a good feeling .(The New York city area has form; in 2020, as the home of two international airports (JFK and EWR) it was an important entry point for the virus into the country (and from thence up the Hudson River valley, as the rich sought to escape, and then around the country through air travel.)<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). This is the best I can do for now. Note the assumption that Covid is seasonal is built into the presentation, which in fact shows that Covid is <em>not<\/em> seasonal. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Still going up! (Because there is data in \u201ccurrent view\u201d tab, I think white states here have experienced \u201cno change,\u201d as opposed to have no data.)<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Still going up!<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Up. Those sh*theads at CDC have changed the chart so that it doesn\u2019t even run back to 1\/21\/23, as it used to, but now starts 1\/1\/24. There\u2019s also no way to adjust the time rasnge. CDC really doesn\u2019t want you to be able to take a historical view of the pandemic, or compare one surge to another. In an any case, that\u2019s why the shape of the curve has changed.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants) Same deal. Those sh*theads. <\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, but positivity up.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/ny-empire-state-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NY Empire State Manufacturing Index declined to -6.6 in July 2024, slightly below market expectations of -6. New orders remained stable, while shipments saw a slight increase. Delivery times improved and supply availability stayed the same. Inventories decreased, reflecting ongoing challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 57 Greed (previous close: 51 Neutral) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 52 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 12 at 12:26:44 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p>Rapture Index: Closes unchanged [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.raptureready.com\/rapture-ready-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rapture Ready<\/a>]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 186. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) \u2022 Not what the climate coverage implies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Permaculture<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Restoring a landscape dominated by bracken, a thread:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">First, some basics. Bracken is a native fern, that emerges from the ground annually in late spring and summer. Its fronds can form a dense mass + grow to 2m or more.<\/p>\n<p>It then collapses and dies off in the autumn, its energies subsumed into a deep underground network of rhizomes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UzhXAvvfB8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/UzhXAvvfB8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eoghan Daltun \ud83c\udf0d (@IrishRainforest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IrishRainforest\/status\/1811632547236815000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I wonder if there\u2019s an equivalent approach for kudzu\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Book<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelax to Mesmerizing Aerial Views of Iceland\u2019s \u2018Glacial Flour\u2019 Pulsing Through Waterways\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2024\/07\/jan-erik-waider-iceland-rivers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">This is Colossal<\/a>]. \u201cAs glaciers expand and recede, they have the capacity to grind rock so fine that geologists refer to the pulverized material as glacial flour. It slips down rivers and into lakes, carrying the otherworldly turquoise hue through a unique and resilient ecosystem. In Iceland, the blue-green color is complemented by rivers that flow yellow, thanks to sulfur from nearby volcanoes, or red from dissolved ferrous iron\u2014also known as bog iron. Coursing over rock and black sand, the streams take on dazzling, rhythmic patterns.\u201d \u2022 For example:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275052\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waider-4-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Looks like the surface of Jupiter!<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sailors\u2019 delight?<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">William Turner <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TMJXk9ref2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/TMJXk9ref2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1812393341465588015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Deal With the Devil: What the Age-Old Faustian Bargain Reveals About the Modern World\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/a-deal-with-the-devil-what-the-age-old-faustian-bargain-reveals-about-the-modern-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Literary Hub<\/a>]. \u201cThe legend of the Devil\u2019s contract is the most alluring, the most provocative, the most insightful, the most important story ever told. It concerns a humanity strung between Heaven and Hell, the saintly and the satanic; how a man could trade his soul for powers omnipotent, signing a covenant with the Devil so that he could briefly live as a god before being pulled down to Hell\u2026. [T]he Devil\u2019s hoof-prints can be found across the wide swatch of history, in our willingness to embrace power and engage in exploitation, to summon self-interestedness and to conjure cruelty\u2026. Marlowe staged [Doctor Faustus] at the very beginning of what is increasingly being called the Anthropocene, the geological epoch in which humanity was finally able to impose its will (in an almost occult manner) upon the earth. There are costs to any such contract, as the wisdom of the legend has it\u2026 It may be appropriate to rechristen this age the Faustocene. Because whether or not the Devil is real, his effects in the world are.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The 420<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongress Accidentally Legalized Weed Six Years Ago\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/archive\/2024\/07\/hemp-marijuana-legal-thc\/678988\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201crive through durham, north carolina, where I live, and you might get the impression that marijuana is legal here. Retail windows advertise thc in glittery letters and neon glass, and seven-pointed leaves adorn storefronts and roadside sandwich boards. The newest business near my house is the Stay Lit Smoke Shop, where an alien ripping a bong invites you to use the drive-through. In fact, neither medical nor recreational marijuana is legal in North Carolina. Technically, we\u2019re getting high on hemp. This is probably not what Congress had in mind when it passed the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, commonly called the 2018 Farm Bill, which made the production of hemp\u2014cannabis\u2019s traditionally nonpsychoactive cousin\u2014legal for the first time in nearly a century. Lawmakers who backed hemp legalization expected the plant to be used for textiles and nonintoxicating supplements, such as CBD oil and shelled hemp seeds (great on an acai bowl). They didn\u2019t realize that, with some chemistry and creativity, hemp can get you just as high as the dankest marijuana plant. The upshot is that although recreational marijuana use is allowed in only 24 states and Washington, D.C., people anywhere in the U.S. can get intoxicated on hemp-derived THC without breaking federal law. These hemp-based highs are every bit as potent as those derived from the marijuana available in legalization states.\u2019 \u2022 Finally some good news\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Virginia Woolf\u2019s list-making paved the way for her literary experiments\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/dnCIQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cEach day followed a pattern. Woolf noted the weather; any insects or birds seen on her walk (\u201c3 perfect peacock butterflies\u201d); her daily tally of mushrooms or blackberries (\u201cA record find\u201d, \u201cEnough for a dish\u201d); gardening or domestic activities (\u201cMade chair cover after tea\u201d); what was happening in the fields (\u201cGerman prisoners cutting wheat with hooks\u201d); what she had for supper (\u201cEating our own broad beans \u2014 delicious\u201d); and the price of rationed goods (\u201cEggs 2\/9 doz. from Mrs Attfield\u201d). Adhering to a structure in her diary gave shape to her convalescence. Woolf rarely used \u201cI\u201d and yet we catch sight of her out walking, or sewing on the terrace in a straw hat. It\u2019s not by chance that she wrote the laundry list on the inside cover of this notebook. During this period, listmaking and diary-keeping became part of the same practice of paying attention to small things and of setting down her experience, sparely and without flourish, on the page. To biographers, this slender diary has appeared inconsequential compared with the weightier stuff of her later longhand diaries and letters.\u201d \u2022 Well worth a read, especiallly if you write. I love lists!<\/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\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-11-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From CH:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"488\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/monarch_milkweed-300x244.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>CH writes: \u201cFritillary on milkweed, Asheville, NC.\u201d At least I <em>think<\/em> it\u2019s a fritillary (from my high school butterfly collecting days). Readers?<\/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!\n<\/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\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-15-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day Common Nightingale, Taliouline, Morocco. 28 minutes of nightingale, so grab a cup of coffee. *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81989,"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-81988","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\/81988","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=81988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}