\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trump\">Trump transition<\/a> confirmation process.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#doge\">DOGE<\/a> as procurement capture?<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#wired\">Tiktok users<\/a> flee to RedNote.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing<\/a> delivery woes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\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>Spook Country<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.354956268222\">\n<p>\u201cHead of Infamous \u201cInformation Disorder\u201d Commission Promoted at NPR\u201d [Matt Taibbi, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.racket.news\/p\/head-of-infamous-information-disorder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Racket News<\/a>]. \u201cAmid a busy news day Monday, a familiar figure was named Chief Operating Officer of National Public Radio. Ryan Merkley, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspeninstitute.org\/people\/ryan-merkley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">directed<\/a> the Aspen Institute\u2019s Commission on Information Disorder and also appeared in the Twitter Files as Wikimedia\u2019s liaison to \u2018Industry Meetings\u2019 with federal law enforcement, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/13\/g-s1-42468\/npr-ceo-katherine-maher-names-ryan-merkley-chief-operating-officer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">elevated to the job<\/a> by NPR president\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.racket.news\/p\/new-npr-chief-katherine-mahers-guide-cd7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Titania McGrath clone<\/a> Katherine Maher\u2026. Merkley\u2019s name figured in several high-profile efforts to control \u2018disinformation\u2019 through aggressive content moderation\u2026. Digital censorship years ago expanded beyond removing content, as key actors saw opportunities to promote political objectives like correcting historical injustices or advancing diversity goals by expanding the definition of \u2018misinformation.\u2019 NPR has long been an outlet in alignment with Aspen ideas, which became clear when former business editor Uri Berliner last April penned a whistleblowing essay in The Free Press. Beliner pointed among other things to NPR\u2019s statement about the Hunter Biden laptop story: \u2018We don\u2019t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories.\u2019 It may be that these moves become moot shortly, but they\u2019re worth pointing out nonetheless.\u201d \u2022 Or maybe not. See Susie Wiles below.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"43.388346643005\">\n<p>Energy in the executive:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"709\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty-212x300.png 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>True or false, it\u2019s interesting that Haaretz published it, and \u201cit\u2019s out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Trump Factor: Gaza Ceasefire Deal Appears Close\u201d [Jeremy Scahill, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropsitenews.com\/p\/trump-israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dropsite News<\/a>]. \u201cThe fact that Trump emerged as the decisive player in pushing a potential ceasefire forward is evidence that Biden never used the full powers available to a sitting U.S. president to seal the deal in the summer. While Trump has publicly repeated his threat that he will \u2018unleash hell\u2019 on Hamas if the Israeli hostages are not freed, his pressure has not been solely focused on Hamas; Trump and his aides have made clear to Netanyahu that the president-elect expects Israel to comply with his demands, too. \u2018I understand\u2026 there\u2019s been a handshake and they are getting it finished\u2014and maybe by the end of the week,\u2019 Trump told Newsmax Monday night.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost 8,000 soldiers bussed in for Trump\u2019s \u2018peaceful transition’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/us\/news\/2025\/01\/13\/almost-8000-soldiers-washington-trump-inauguration-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201cAlmost 25,000 police officers and 7,800 soldiers will descend on Washington DC for Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration on Monday, officials have said, as the capital prepares for a \u2018peaceful transfer of power.\u2019 Two FBI field offices, a fleet of drones and more than 30 miles of fencing will be used to keep Mr Trump, other world leaders and attendees safe as he takes the presidential oath of office for the second time. Local and federal officials revealed the security plans for the ceremony on Monday, and said that despite receiving no specific threats against the president-elect, they are \u2018prepared\u2019 for the worst.\u201d \u2022 Presumably the \u201cworld leaders\u201d are also bringing their own security with them, too. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"confirmation\"\/>\u201cSome Trump nominees face confirmation delays with ethics and background checks behind schedule\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.govexec.com\/management\/2025\/01\/some-trump-nominees-face-confirmation-delays-ethics-and-background-checks-behind-schedule\/402168\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government Executive<\/a>]. \u201cSenate Republicans are pausing the confirmation process for some of President-elect Trump\u2019s picks to lead agencies over delays in the vetting process as watchdogs and Democrats continue to press leadership not to move forward without first considering the finances and other parts of would-be cabinet members\u2019 backgrounds. Lawmakers are hurrying to get at least some of Trump\u2019s nominees into place by Inauguration Day next week, though some Senate committee chairs have said they are awaiting background checks from the FBI or reviews by the Office of Government Ethics. Some of those steps were delayed after Trump\u2019s team spent months holding off the transition process. Many of Trump\u2019s intended cabinet picks were scheduled for confirmation hearings this week, but some of those have since been postponed as relevant committees are awaiting background information secretary-designates. That will likely mean Trump has fewer of his picks confirmed on his first day in office than Senate Republicans had initially hoped for.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cScoop: Trump team sets red line on Hegseth\u2019s FBI background check\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/14\/trump-hegseth-confirmation-fbi-background-check\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cDefense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth\u2019s confirmation hearing is becoming a test of will for Republicans on ensuring FBI files aren\u2019t distributed throughout the entire Senate. The Trump transition team is demanding that the president-elect\u2019s nominees be treated the same way they insist Joe Biden\u2019s were. That means no FBI background check access for rank-and-file senators, according to two people familiar with the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lawfare<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.858989424207\">\n<p>\u201cHunter Biden special counsel hits out at president\u2019s selective prosecution claim\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jan\/14\/hunter-joe-biden-special-counsel-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cThe criminal charges against Hunter Biden \u2018were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics\u2019, the prosecutor who led the inquiries said in a report that sharply criticized Joe Biden for having maligned the US justice department when the president pardoned his son. \u2018Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,\u2019 said Monday\u2019s report from special counsel David Weiss, whose team filed gun and tax charges against the younger Biden that resulted in felony convictions that were subsequently wiped away by a presidential pardon from his father.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"33.711579699786\">\n<p>\u201cUnderstanding DOGE as Procurement Capture\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.anildash.com\/\/2025\/01\/04\/DOGE-procurement-capture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Anil Dash<\/a>]. \u201cNow, imagine you were a tycoon who is also a defense contractor that is trying to sell hundreds of billions of dollars of military equipment to the government, and you know that the procurement process requires them to go with the lowest bidder. But, since you\u2019re a dude with hundreds of billions of dollars, it doesn\u2019t seem fair that the system isn\u2019t even more rigged in your favor. How would you \u201cfix\u201d this system? Well, you\u2019d have to capture procurement\u2026 Say you\u2019re a government employee trying to figure out who to buy rockets from. Maybe it better be from the guy who runs the \u201cdepartment\u201d that\u2019s in charge of deciding where money gets spent in the government! But what if you\u2019re that government employee and you\u2019re still trying to do things by the book, and follow the laws as written, and listen to the process that says you should go with the lowest bidder so you can spend less taxpayer money on things? Well, wouldn\u2019t it be a shame if the guy who runs the \u201cdepartment\u201d also ran a huge social media company, and also had started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/politics\/politics-news\/elon-musk-targets-federal-employees-harassment-doge-1235183987\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">mentioning individual government employees by name<\/a>, and had a rabid army of followers who consistently targeted those employees for violent threats \u2014 including death threats \u2014 and had in fact just carried out two different terrorist attacks in the last week while <a href=\"https:\/\/nevadacurrent.com\/briefs\/cybertruck-explosion-a-wake-up-call-not-terrorism-driver-wrote-on-iphone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">specifically talking about<\/a> how enemies of this new regime needed to be targeted for violence? Would that be enough to get you to reconsider following those written policies? Maybe so.\u201d \u2022 I don\u2019t say it\u2019s fanciful, and a phishing equilibrium is clearly possible, but I read it twice, and I don\u2019t see procurement capture <em>actually happening<\/em>. Something to watch. And\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk Is Expected to Use Office Space in the White House Complex\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/13\/us\/politics\/elon-musk-white-house-trump.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cThe space anticipated for Mr. Musk\u2019s use is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House. The location would allow Mr. Musk, who owns companies with billions of dollars in contracts with the federal government, to continue to have significant access to President-elect Donald J. Trump when he takes office this month.\u201d And: \u201cIt was not clear whether Vivek Ramaswamy, Mr. Musk\u2019s partner in leading the project, would also have office space in the Eisenhower building.\u201d Maybe Susie Wiles will let him have a kennel out on the lawn? Plus more on ethics rules and financial disclosures, criminal conflict of interest laws, FACA vs. \u201cspecial government employee status\u201d, and FOIA. I don\u2019t expect President Musk to care much about such things, but presumably some smart Republican lawyers can figure something out. Or maybe they\u2019ll just let \u2018er rip! Something to watch.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"11.932142857143\">\n<p>\u201cWashington Post traffic craters, loses $100M amid identity crisis as talent, readers flee: reports\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/13\/media\/washington-post-traffic-craters-loses-100m-amid-identity-crisis-as-talent-readers-flee-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201cThe Washington Post\u2019s readership reportedly cratered during Joe Biden\u2019s presidency \u2014 and the Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet lost $100 million last year alone \u2014 as the embattled paper continues to suffer an exodus of top talent. The left-leaning [sic] publication drew about 2.5 million to 3 million daily users to its site last summer, a fraction of the 22.5 million daily visitors at its peak when Biden took office in January 2021, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/newsletter\/01\/12\/2025\/letter-from-la?utm_source=newslettershare&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=flagshipnumbered6&_bhlid=0c02afe24cf3289135723ddac52b08dea95d36c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">internal data shared with Semafor<\/a>. The plummeting site traffic led the business to lose around $100 million on weak subscription and ad revenue in 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/media\/washington-post-challenges-trump-second-term-61ea6ed9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Wall Street Journal<\/a> reported.\u201d \u2022 I wonder what the Graham Family thinks of Jeff Bezos\u2019s stewardship.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Republican Funhouse<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"45.694259818731\">\n<p>\u201cTrump made the GOP a big-tent party. Now, he\u2019s stuck with the infighting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/01\/14\/trump-republicans-bannon-musk-00197996\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cA coalition of MAGA die-hards, tech bros and blue-collar workers were key to Donald Trump\u2019s November victory. Now, some of them are already at each other\u2019s throats. Free traders and protectionists are at odds over Trump\u2019s promise to enact \u2018universal\u2019 tariffs. Immigration hard-liners are butting heads with tech companies that support legal immigration. And isolationists are grappling with the president-elect\u2019s apparently increasingly expansionist global agenda. And days before he takes office some of Trump\u2019s most ardent original supporters have been the most resistant to the bigger tent.\u201d And: \u201cBut some Trump allies argue these divides are a feature \u2014 not a bug \u2014 of Trump\u2019s governing style. During his first administration, the president-elect was known for running his Cabinet like an executive boardroom: He brought together a cadre of diverse interests, let them duke it out and then, on his own, decided the path forward. That strategy, of encouraging competition among his advisers, allowed Trump to retain the ultimate decision-making authority and prevented any one group from gaining too much power.\u201d I believe FDR used a similar strategy. It\u2019s a good one. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Trump prepares to take power, MAGA can\u2019t stop the ugly infighting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/ZFUOe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. \u201c[T]he MAGA movement has always been a loosely stitched-together confederation led by a man with relatively few ideological convictions. It and he have always been much more animated by Trump the man than any particular set of ideals. And because Trump has proved so malleable, there is a premium on being the one in his ear. That dynamic is already leading to a rash of infighting over who grabs that ear and guides both Trump and his base.<\/p>\n<p>And the fight over what Trumpism means has gotten quite ugly quite quickly.\u201d \u2022 I disagree on \u201cideals.\u201d The H1B debate on X was policy, all the way. I awarded the win to MAGA, who knew the policy arguments cold (and had, in many cases, been personally affected). Trump sided with the tech bros against MAGA on that one (and who knows how that will play out). As for Trump being \u201cmalleable\u201d\u2026. I know it\u2019s a talking point, but is it true? What do readers think?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTexas Sends Millions to Crisis Pregnancy Centers. It\u2019s Meant to Help Needy Families, But No One Knows if It Works\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/texas-funding-anti-abortion-crisis-pregnancy-centers?utm_campaign=propublica-sprout&utm_content=1736654400&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ProPublica<\/a>]. \u201cYear after year, while Roe v. Wade was the law of the land, Texas legislators passed measures limiting access to abortion \u2014 who could have one, how and where. And with the same cadence, they added millions of dollars to a program designed to discourage people from terminating pregnancies. Their budget infusions for the Alternatives to Abortion program grew with almost every legislative session \u2014 first gradually, then dramatically \u2014 from $5 million starting in 2005 to $140 million after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion\u2026. But an investigation by ProPublica and CBS News found that the system that funnels a growing pot of state money to anti-abortion nonprofits has few safeguards and is riddled with waste\u2026. Lawmakers around the country are considering programs modeled on Alternatives to Abortion.\u201d \u2022 NGOs, gotta love \u2019em.<\/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:\/\/skylab.cdph.ca.gov\/calwws\/\" 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\/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/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, KidDoc, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, thump, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p>Airborne Transmission<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"6.2985685071575\">\n<p>More good news from the schoolsL<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.2317073170732\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.6178861788618\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">California Department of Public Health has updated its Indoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools : <\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Requirements : 5 ACH or 30 CFM\/p (50 m3\/h\/p) <br \/>\u2013 Optimize the Mechanical Ventilation <br \/>\u2013 Open Doors and Windows <br \/>\u2013 Add Air Purifiers<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BgISGM7NAd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/BgISGM7NAd<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CAPublicHealth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@CAPublicHealth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R0JlxOc1rN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/R0JlxOc1rN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XEzEkfJido\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/XEzEkfJido<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 LET’S AIR (@nousaerons) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nousaerons\/status\/1857154003395895701\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">November 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t oppose handwashing, but couldn\u2019t AP have gotten a mask in there somewhere?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"678\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing-265x300.png 265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.856573705179\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 10<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Last week[2] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> (until next week):<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" style=\"align: left; margin-left: 0px !important; padding: 9px 0 9px 0;\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284945\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-300x187.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong> Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 21<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <strong>Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1-300x177.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-300x159.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Hospitalization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8961038961039\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data January 13:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> Janurary 9:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5-300x170.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl-287x300.png 287w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Positivity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5507246376812\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> January 13:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl-300x189.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" height=\"428\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285157\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5932203389831\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 23:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1-300x183.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1-300x211.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7551020408163\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-300x182.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed-300x184.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"205.40190191927\">\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) Seeing more red and more orange, but nothing new at major hubs. <\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, \u201cOmmicron,\u201d has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) A little uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely jumped.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward trend since, well, Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants). Positivity is new, but variants have not yet been released.<\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Inflation: \u201cUnited States Producer Prices\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/producer-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cProducer Prices in the United States increased to 146.84 points in December from 146.52 points in November of 2024. Producer Prices in the United States averaged 118.02 points from 2009 until 2024, reaching an all time high of 146.84 points in December of 2024\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Business Optimism: \u201cUnited States NFIB Business Optimism Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/nfib-business-optimism-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NFIB Small Business Optimism Index in the US soared to 105.1 in December 2024, the highest since October 2018, compared to 101.7 in November and beating forecasts of 100.8. It is also the second consecutive month the reading stays above the 51-year average of 98, due to an improved economic outlook following the election. \u201cSmall business owners feel more certain and hopeful about the economic agenda of the new administration.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing delivered less than half as many planes as Airbus last year\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/boeing-delivered-less-half-many-163500763.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Quartz<\/a>]. \u201cBoeing delivered 57 commercial aircraftin the fourth quarter of last year, and 348 for the entire year, the Virginia-based plane manufacturer reported Tuesday. That\u2019s down from a total of 611 deliveries in 2023\u2026. [Airbus] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbus.com\/en\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2025-01-airbus-reports-766-commercial-aircraft-deliveries-in-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reported<\/a> last week that it delivered 766 commercial aircraft in 2024 \u2014 a 4% year-over-year increase and the most since 2019.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing executive sees supply-demand balance by end of decade\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.investing.com\/news\/stock-market-news\/boeing-executive-sees-supplydemand-balance-by-end-of-decade-3812253\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Investing.com<\/a>]. \u201d Boeing expects to reach a balance between supply and market demand for passenger jets by the end of the decade, an executive said on Monday. \u2018From my perspective that\u2019s \u2026 about a five-year impact in terms of what we need to do \u2026 to get back to balance\u2019 from the current supply deficit, Darren Hulst, Boeing\u2019s vice president for commercial marketing, told the Airline Economics conference in Dublin.\u201d \u2022 Not next quarter, then?<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cAkasa Air grounds hundreds of pilots while awaiting Boeing MAX deliveries\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/articles\/akasa-air-pilots-grounded-boeing-max-aircraft-deliveries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aerotime<\/a>]. \u201cThe Indian low-cost-carrier Akasa Air has grounded hundreds of pilots after the number of Boeing 737 MAX deliveries slowed in 2024. According to the publication <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/hundreds-of-excess-pilots-grounded-at-akasa-as-plane-deliveries-retard\/article69088613.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hindu<\/a>, around 400 individuals out of 850 pilots are currently grounded, with only 60% currently needed to fly its fleet of 26 aircraft\u2026. Akasa Air co-founder and CEO Vinay Dube had initially scheduled to receive 72 aircraft by the fifth year of flying after its first commercial flight in August 2022. At the start of 2024 Akasa had received 22 MAX aircraft but deliveries slowed during the year with only three arriving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cThe chart that proves Boeing has lost its battle with Airbus\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/business\/2025\/01\/14\/the-chart-that-proves-boeing-has-lost-its-battle-airbus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201c[I]t is now six years since Boeing last occupied the top spot in the airliner industry\u2026. Nick Cunningham, an Aerospace analyst, said 2024 was \u2018Boeing\u2019s annus horribilis.\u2019 He said: \u2018You\u2019d imagine that things really can only get better for Boeing, but it\u2019s going to be a slow recovery because the problems run so deep. Kelly Ortberg, the new chief executive, is a really good man but there\u2019s an awful lot to come back from. It\u2019s a case of, \u2018If you want to fix it, you really wouldn\u2019t want to start from here.\u201d \u2026 Boeing said it will provide an update on its production outlook with full-year earnings at the end of this month.\u201d But: \u201cDespite its crushing lead over Boeing, Airbus is also suffering from supply-chain issues. It originally targeted 800 plane deliveries for 2024, later revising the goal to about 770.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cMeta Is Blocking Links to Decentralized Instagram Competitor Pixelfed\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.404media.co\/meta-is-blocking-links-to-decentralized-instagram-competitor-pixelfed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">404 Media<\/a>]. \u201cMeta is deleting links to Pixelfed, a decentralized Instagram competitor. On Facebook, the company is labeling links to Pixelfed.social as \u2018spam\u2019 and deleting them immediately. <a href=\"https:\/\/pixelfed.org\/servers?ref=404media.co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pixelfed is an open-source<\/a>, community funded and decentralized image sharing platform that runs on Activity Pub, which is the same technology that supports Mastodon and other federated services. Pixelfed.social is the largest Pixelfed server, which was launched in 2018 but has gained renewed attention over the last week. Bluesky user <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:n2okvbdq33c32ekbv6hfzdg2\/post\/3lfjk3mrdds23?ref=404media.co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AJ Sadauskas<\/a> originally posted that links to Pixelfed were being deleted by Meta; 404 Media then also tried to post a link to Pixelfed on Facebook. It was immediately deleted.\u201d And: \u201cPixelfed is experiencing a surge in user signups in recent days, after Meta announced that it would loosen its rules to allow users to call LGBTQ+ people \u201cmentally ill\u201d amid a host of other changes that shift the company overtly to the right. Meta and Instagram have also leaned heavily into AI-generated content. Pixelfed announced earlier Monday that it is launching an iOS app later this week.\u201d \u2022 Streisand effect, among other things.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 28 Fear (previous close: 26 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 35 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed).Last updated Jan 14 at 1:44:22 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Little bit of M.C. Escher going on?<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.9322033898305\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7966101694915\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">John Singer Sargent, Staircase in Capri <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3xXKG313dw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/3xXKG313dw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1878063279542620277\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"climate\"\/><strong>Climate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Change vs. more of the same:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.5\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.8\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The moment everything changed <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zQxnBSsoK7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/zQxnBSsoK7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Taylor McCoy \ud83e\udd96 (@TM9380) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TM9380\/status\/1878064946346434596\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"zeitgeist\"\/><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Case for Letting Malibu Burn\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2018\/12\/04\/the-case-for-letting-malibu-burn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Long Reads<\/a>]. \u2022 tl;dr: It always has. Well worth a read for the history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat sparked the Palisades fire? A beloved hiking trail may hold the grim answers\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2025-01-12\/on-an-ocean-view-trail-questions-swirl-about-what-and-who-started-palisades-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a>]. \u201cHikers and outdoor enthusiasts have long been drawn to Skull Rock north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades\u2026. Now, this area is the subject of an investigation as a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/live\/2025-01-10\/fire-los-angeles-california-eaton-palisades-updates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">starting point for the Palisades fire<\/a>, which burned thousands of structures last week\u2026. The general area was the site of a small fire on New Year\u2019s Eve that burned for a few hours before fire officials said they snuffed it out with help from a water-dropping helicopter\u2026. If it turns out the Palisades fire was caused by a rekindling of the earlier fire, it would fit a pattern. The massive Oakland Hills fire of 1991 \u2014 which destroyed more than 2,500 structures \u2014 exploded after firefighters thought they had contained it. That fire was originally six acres and was declared contained but not out.\u201d \u2022 This also is worth a read; good detail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk Exposed Over Right-Wing Lie on L.A. Fires\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/190157\/elon-musk-fact-check-water-shortage-la-fires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New Republic<\/a>]. \u201cElon Musk was fact-checked on his own livestream after making false statements about the California wildfires, and Gavin Newsom was quick to call out the tech mogul on social media. In a post on X Sunday night, the California governor <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GavinNewsom\/status\/1878661950021960013\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">posted<\/a> an excerpt from the livestream, where Musk was receiving a briefing with the command team handling the Palisades fire in Los Angeles. Musk asked an emergency official twice about water to fight the fires being available in the Malibu area but not in the Palisades. The official corrected Musk, pointing out there was not a water shortage but that the fire required much more water than could be pumped.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"guillotine\"\/><strong>Guillotine Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere Is No Safe Word\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/vQshe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Vultures<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cHow the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades.\u201d\u2022 This is exceptionally creepy and nasty \u2014 way beyond \u201cthey were careless people, Tom and Daisy\u201d \u2014 and I don\u2019t really want to excerpt it. However, if you\u2019ve seen oblique references to Neil Gaiman recently, this is the source.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood Omens Author Neil Gaiman Accused of Alleged Sexual Abuse By Multiple Women\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/neil-gaiman-alleged-sexual-abuse-allegations-8773823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">People<\/a>]. \u201cIn a Jan. 13 Vulture report, multiple women spoke on the record about their alleged experiences with the famed novelist, 64, including Scarlett Pavlovich, who formerly babysat for Gaiman and his ex-wife Amanda Palmer.\u201d Palmer doesn\u2019t come out real well either. But: \u201cGaiman has denied all allegations since 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan nonviolent struggle defeat a dictator? This database emphatically says yes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/wagingnonviolence.org\/2025\/01\/can-nonviolent-struggle-defeat-a-dictator-this-database-emphatically-says-yes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Waging Non-Violence<\/a>]. \u201c[T]he <a href=\"http:\/\/nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Global Nonviolent Action Database,<\/a> or GNAD, built by the Peace Studies department at Swarthmore College. Freely accessible to the public, this database \u2014 which launched under my direction in 2011 \u2014 contains over 1,400 cases of nonviolent struggle from over a hundred countries, with more cases continually being added by student researchers. [T]he database details at least 40 cases of dictators who were overthrown by the use of nonviolent struggle, dating back to 1920. These cases \u2014 which include some of the largest nations in the world, spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America \u2014 contradict the widespread assumption that a dictator can only be overcome by violence. What\u2019s more, in each of these cases, the dictator had the desire to stay, and possessed violent means for defense. Ultimately, though, they just couldn\u2019t overcome the power of mass nonviolent struggle.\u201d \u2022 I would like for this to be true. I would also want to check those 40 cases for contamination by spook-driven color revolution, and the geopolitical context. (For example, you can conceptualize the fall of the East German regime as a case of non-violent struggle, but surely the larger context of anarchistic relations between states matters as well?)<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cChinese social media app RedNote tops App Store chart ahead of TikTok ban\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2025\/1\/13\/24342986\/rednote-xiaohongshu-chinese-social-media-app-tiktok-ban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Verge<\/a>]. \u201cRedNote, the Chinese social media app also known as Xiaohongshu, rose to the number one spot on the Apple App Store as a US ban closes in on TikTok. The app offers a mix of pictures, short-form videos, and text posts across \u2018follow,\u2019 \u2018explore,\u2019 and \u2018nearby\u2019 feeds\u2026. RedNote, which launched in 2013 as a shopping-focused app, now has more than 300 million monthly active users and surpassed $1 billion in profit last year, according to Bloomberg\u2026. ikTok users may be flocking to RedNote now, but the ban also implicates other Chinese-owned apps, including RedNote, WeChat, and the other apps run by ByteDance like Lemon8 and CapCut.\u201d \u2022 Still the most encouraging news I\u2019ve heard in some time (though wait \u2019til the various governments involved stir up trouble):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.7303664921466\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.8010471204188\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My Chinese Spy and I reunited on RedNote <\/p>\n<p>Now in their American spy \ud83e\udd27\ud83d\udda4 She\u2019s been my spy on TikTok \ud83d\udda4 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EdyuSLFtTF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/EdyuSLFtTF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u2606 Kaden \u2625 (@AmdusciasShadow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmdusciasShadow\/status\/1879175214753624419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>And:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.2269938650307\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.680981595092\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Americans are helping the Chinese with their English homework in the comments of RedNote\ud83d\ude2d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/phHLUsG0TY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/phHLUsG0TY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Massimo (@massmandato) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/massmandato\/status\/1878888591537111360\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Did I mention the government:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7409638554217\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"9.9759036144578\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Leftists are now flocking to RedNote, an app owned by the CCP and knockoff of TikTok. <\/p>\n<p>Users notice that for some odd reason Luigi Mangione is heavily promoted by the algo. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Q3PkhhxNRs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Q3PkhhxNRs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Susie Wiles (@RealSusiewiles) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealSusiewiles\/status\/1879173819761602877\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That Wiles is instantly on top of this speaks well of her capacities as a government official, but one might question exactly <em>why<\/em> our government thinks social media is so important\u2026..<\/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\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-13-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From Doug:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Doug writes: \u201cAmaryllis and callicarpa from the front yard. The warm fall has produced some odd pairings such as this.\u201d Neat concept for a climate-related photobook\u2026 <\/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. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. If you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .entry-content --><\/p>\n<footer class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\tThis entry was posted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/category\/water-cooler\" rel=\"category tag\">Water Cooler<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-14-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-14T14:00:51-05:00\">January 14, 2025<\/time><\/a><span class=\"by-author\"> by <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/author\/lambert-strether\" title=\"View all posts by Lambert Strether\" rel=\"author\">Lambert Strether<\/a><\/span><\/span>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info\" wp_automatic_readability=\"20.197005056398\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .author-avatar --><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-description\" wp_automatic_readability=\"35.467911318553\">\n<h2>About Lambert Strether<\/h2>\n<p>Readers, I have had a correspondent characterize my views as realistic cynical. Let me briefly explain them. I believe in universal programs that provide concrete material benefits, especially to the working class. Medicare for All is the prime example, but tuition-free college and a Post Office Bank also fall under this heading. So do a Jobs Guarantee and a Debt Jubilee. Clearly, neither liberal Democrats nor conservative Republicans can deliver on such programs, because the two are different flavors of neoliberalism (\u201cBecause markets\u201d). I don\u2019t much care about the \u201cism\u201d that delivers the benefits, although whichever one does have to put common humanity first, as opposed to markets. Could be a second FDR saving capitalism, democratic socialism leashing and collaring it, or communism razing it. I don\u2019t much care, as long as the benefits are delivered. <br \/>\n <br \/>\nTo me, the key issue \u2014 and this is why Medicare for All is always first with me \u2014 is the tens of thousands of excess \u201cdeaths from despair,\u201d as described by the Case-Deaton study, and other recent studies. That enormous body count makes Medicare for All, at the very least, a moral and strategic imperative. And that level of suffering and organic damage makes the concerns of identity politics \u2014 even the worthy fight to help the refugees Bush, Obama, and Clinton\u2019s wars created \u2014 bright shiny objects by comparison. Hence my frustration with the news flow \u2014 currently in my view the swirling intersection of two, separate Shock Doctrine campaigns, one by the Administration, and the other by out-of-power liberals and their allies in the State and in the press \u2014 a news flow that constantly forces me to focus on matters that I regard as of secondary importance to the excess deaths. What kind of political economy is it that halts or even reverses the increases in life expectancy that civilized societies have achieved? I am also very hopeful that the continuing destruction of both party establishments will open the space for voices supporting programs similar to those I have listed; let\u2019s call such voices \u201cthe left.\u201d Volatility creates opportunity, especially if the Democrat establishment, which puts markets first and opposes all such programs, isn\u2019t allowed to get back into the saddle. Eyes on the prize! I love the tactical level, and secretly love even the horse race, since I\u2019ve been blogging about it daily for fourteen years, but everything I write has this perspective at the back of it.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .author-link\t-->\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-description -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-info --><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- .entry-meta --><br \/>\n\t<!-- #post --><\/p>\n<nav class=\"nav-single\">\n<h3 class=\"assistive-text\">Post navigation<\/h3>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-previous list-posts-older\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/01\/wanting-more-for-brics-than-brics-wants-for-itself.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> Wanting More for BRICS Than BRICS Wants for Itself<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-next list-posts-newer\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/nav>\n<p><!-- .nav-single --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #comments .comments-area --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #content --><br \/>\n<!-- #primary --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #secondary --><\/p>\n<footer id=\"colophon\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- .site-info --><br \/>\n\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- #colophon --><br \/>\n\t\t<!-- #main.wrapper --><br \/>\n<!-- #page --><br \/>\n<!-- .mobile-menu-wrap --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Blog Reader Pooling - removed 09\/16\/2015 by M. Lacourse --><br \/>\n<!-- <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"nc-hide\" src=\"http:\/\/t.blogreaderproject.com\/t.gif?c9a0f3c0f2425bc76f3b4c3baf750ea8\" alt=\"\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\"> --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp footer --><\/p>\n<\/td>\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\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-14-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. * * * In<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89710,"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-89709","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\/89709","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=89709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trump\">Trump transition<\/a> confirmation process.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#doge\">DOGE<\/a> as procurement capture?<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#wired\">Tiktok users<\/a> flee to RedNote.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing<\/a> delivery woes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\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>Spook Country<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.354956268222\">\n<p>\u201cHead of Infamous \u201cInformation Disorder\u201d Commission Promoted at NPR\u201d [Matt Taibbi, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.racket.news\/p\/head-of-infamous-information-disorder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Racket News<\/a>]. \u201cAmid a busy news day Monday, a familiar figure was named Chief Operating Officer of National Public Radio. Ryan Merkley, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspeninstitute.org\/people\/ryan-merkley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">directed<\/a> the Aspen Institute\u2019s Commission on Information Disorder and also appeared in the Twitter Files as Wikimedia\u2019s liaison to \u2018Industry Meetings\u2019 with federal law enforcement, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/13\/g-s1-42468\/npr-ceo-katherine-maher-names-ryan-merkley-chief-operating-officer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">elevated to the job<\/a> by NPR president\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.racket.news\/p\/new-npr-chief-katherine-mahers-guide-cd7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Titania McGrath clone<\/a> Katherine Maher\u2026. Merkley\u2019s name figured in several high-profile efforts to control \u2018disinformation\u2019 through aggressive content moderation\u2026. Digital censorship years ago expanded beyond removing content, as key actors saw opportunities to promote political objectives like correcting historical injustices or advancing diversity goals by expanding the definition of \u2018misinformation.\u2019 NPR has long been an outlet in alignment with Aspen ideas, which became clear when former business editor Uri Berliner last April penned a whistleblowing essay in The Free Press. Beliner pointed among other things to NPR\u2019s statement about the Hunter Biden laptop story: \u2018We don\u2019t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories.\u2019 It may be that these moves become moot shortly, but they\u2019re worth pointing out nonetheless.\u201d \u2022 Or maybe not. See Susie Wiles below.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"43.388346643005\">\n<p>Energy in the executive:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"709\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty-212x300.png 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>True or false, it\u2019s interesting that Haaretz published it, and \u201cit\u2019s out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Trump Factor: Gaza Ceasefire Deal Appears Close\u201d [Jeremy Scahill, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropsitenews.com\/p\/trump-israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dropsite News<\/a>]. \u201cThe fact that Trump emerged as the decisive player in pushing a potential ceasefire forward is evidence that Biden never used the full powers available to a sitting U.S. president to seal the deal in the summer. While Trump has publicly repeated his threat that he will \u2018unleash hell\u2019 on Hamas if the Israeli hostages are not freed, his pressure has not been solely focused on Hamas; Trump and his aides have made clear to Netanyahu that the president-elect expects Israel to comply with his demands, too. \u2018I understand\u2026 there\u2019s been a handshake and they are getting it finished\u2014and maybe by the end of the week,\u2019 Trump told Newsmax Monday night.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost 8,000 soldiers bussed in for Trump\u2019s \u2018peaceful transition’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/us\/news\/2025\/01\/13\/almost-8000-soldiers-washington-trump-inauguration-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201cAlmost 25,000 police officers and 7,800 soldiers will descend on Washington DC for Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration on Monday, officials have said, as the capital prepares for a \u2018peaceful transfer of power.\u2019 Two FBI field offices, a fleet of drones and more than 30 miles of fencing will be used to keep Mr Trump, other world leaders and attendees safe as he takes the presidential oath of office for the second time. Local and federal officials revealed the security plans for the ceremony on Monday, and said that despite receiving no specific threats against the president-elect, they are \u2018prepared\u2019 for the worst.\u201d \u2022 Presumably the \u201cworld leaders\u201d are also bringing their own security with them, too. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"confirmation\"\/>\u201cSome Trump nominees face confirmation delays with ethics and background checks behind schedule\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.govexec.com\/management\/2025\/01\/some-trump-nominees-face-confirmation-delays-ethics-and-background-checks-behind-schedule\/402168\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government Executive<\/a>]. \u201cSenate Republicans are pausing the confirmation process for some of President-elect Trump\u2019s picks to lead agencies over delays in the vetting process as watchdogs and Democrats continue to press leadership not to move forward without first considering the finances and other parts of would-be cabinet members\u2019 backgrounds. Lawmakers are hurrying to get at least some of Trump\u2019s nominees into place by Inauguration Day next week, though some Senate committee chairs have said they are awaiting background checks from the FBI or reviews by the Office of Government Ethics. Some of those steps were delayed after Trump\u2019s team spent months holding off the transition process. Many of Trump\u2019s intended cabinet picks were scheduled for confirmation hearings this week, but some of those have since been postponed as relevant committees are awaiting background information secretary-designates. That will likely mean Trump has fewer of his picks confirmed on his first day in office than Senate Republicans had initially hoped for.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cScoop: Trump team sets red line on Hegseth\u2019s FBI background check\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/14\/trump-hegseth-confirmation-fbi-background-check\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cDefense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth\u2019s confirmation hearing is becoming a test of will for Republicans on ensuring FBI files aren\u2019t distributed throughout the entire Senate. The Trump transition team is demanding that the president-elect\u2019s nominees be treated the same way they insist Joe Biden\u2019s were. That means no FBI background check access for rank-and-file senators, according to two people familiar with the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lawfare<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.858989424207\">\n<p>\u201cHunter Biden special counsel hits out at president\u2019s selective prosecution claim\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jan\/14\/hunter-joe-biden-special-counsel-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cThe criminal charges against Hunter Biden \u2018were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics\u2019, the prosecutor who led the inquiries said in a report that sharply criticized Joe Biden for having maligned the US justice department when the president pardoned his son. \u2018Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,\u2019 said Monday\u2019s report from special counsel David Weiss, whose team filed gun and tax charges against the younger Biden that resulted in felony convictions that were subsequently wiped away by a presidential pardon from his father.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"33.711579699786\">\n<p>\u201cUnderstanding DOGE as Procurement Capture\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.anildash.com\/\/2025\/01\/04\/DOGE-procurement-capture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Anil Dash<\/a>]. \u201cNow, imagine you were a tycoon who is also a defense contractor that is trying to sell hundreds of billions of dollars of military equipment to the government, and you know that the procurement process requires them to go with the lowest bidder. But, since you\u2019re a dude with hundreds of billions of dollars, it doesn\u2019t seem fair that the system isn\u2019t even more rigged in your favor. How would you \u201cfix\u201d this system? Well, you\u2019d have to capture procurement\u2026 Say you\u2019re a government employee trying to figure out who to buy rockets from. Maybe it better be from the guy who runs the \u201cdepartment\u201d that\u2019s in charge of deciding where money gets spent in the government! But what if you\u2019re that government employee and you\u2019re still trying to do things by the book, and follow the laws as written, and listen to the process that says you should go with the lowest bidder so you can spend less taxpayer money on things? Well, wouldn\u2019t it be a shame if the guy who runs the \u201cdepartment\u201d also ran a huge social media company, and also had started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/politics\/politics-news\/elon-musk-targets-federal-employees-harassment-doge-1235183987\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">mentioning individual government employees by name<\/a>, and had a rabid army of followers who consistently targeted those employees for violent threats \u2014 including death threats \u2014 and had in fact just carried out two different terrorist attacks in the last week while <a href=\"https:\/\/nevadacurrent.com\/briefs\/cybertruck-explosion-a-wake-up-call-not-terrorism-driver-wrote-on-iphone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">specifically talking about<\/a> how enemies of this new regime needed to be targeted for violence? Would that be enough to get you to reconsider following those written policies? Maybe so.\u201d \u2022 I don\u2019t say it\u2019s fanciful, and a phishing equilibrium is clearly possible, but I read it twice, and I don\u2019t see procurement capture <em>actually happening<\/em>. Something to watch. And\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk Is Expected to Use Office Space in the White House Complex\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/13\/us\/politics\/elon-musk-white-house-trump.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cThe space anticipated for Mr. Musk\u2019s use is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House. The location would allow Mr. Musk, who owns companies with billions of dollars in contracts with the federal government, to continue to have significant access to President-elect Donald J. Trump when he takes office this month.\u201d And: \u201cIt was not clear whether Vivek Ramaswamy, Mr. Musk\u2019s partner in leading the project, would also have office space in the Eisenhower building.\u201d Maybe Susie Wiles will let him have a kennel out on the lawn? Plus more on ethics rules and financial disclosures, criminal conflict of interest laws, FACA vs. \u201cspecial government employee status\u201d, and FOIA. I don\u2019t expect President Musk to care much about such things, but presumably some smart Republican lawyers can figure something out. Or maybe they\u2019ll just let \u2018er rip! Something to watch.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"11.932142857143\">\n<p>\u201cWashington Post traffic craters, loses $100M amid identity crisis as talent, readers flee: reports\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/13\/media\/washington-post-traffic-craters-loses-100m-amid-identity-crisis-as-talent-readers-flee-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201cThe Washington Post\u2019s readership reportedly cratered during Joe Biden\u2019s presidency \u2014 and the Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet lost $100 million last year alone \u2014 as the embattled paper continues to suffer an exodus of top talent. The left-leaning [sic] publication drew about 2.5 million to 3 million daily users to its site last summer, a fraction of the 22.5 million daily visitors at its peak when Biden took office in January 2021, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/newsletter\/01\/12\/2025\/letter-from-la?utm_source=newslettershare&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=flagshipnumbered6&_bhlid=0c02afe24cf3289135723ddac52b08dea95d36c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">internal data shared with Semafor<\/a>. The plummeting site traffic led the business to lose around $100 million on weak subscription and ad revenue in 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/media\/washington-post-challenges-trump-second-term-61ea6ed9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Wall Street Journal<\/a> reported.\u201d \u2022 I wonder what the Graham Family thinks of Jeff Bezos\u2019s stewardship.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Republican Funhouse<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"45.694259818731\">\n<p>\u201cTrump made the GOP a big-tent party. Now, he\u2019s stuck with the infighting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/01\/14\/trump-republicans-bannon-musk-00197996\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cA coalition of MAGA die-hards, tech bros and blue-collar workers were key to Donald Trump\u2019s November victory. Now, some of them are already at each other\u2019s throats. Free traders and protectionists are at odds over Trump\u2019s promise to enact \u2018universal\u2019 tariffs. Immigration hard-liners are butting heads with tech companies that support legal immigration. And isolationists are grappling with the president-elect\u2019s apparently increasingly expansionist global agenda. And days before he takes office some of Trump\u2019s most ardent original supporters have been the most resistant to the bigger tent.\u201d And: \u201cBut some Trump allies argue these divides are a feature \u2014 not a bug \u2014 of Trump\u2019s governing style. During his first administration, the president-elect was known for running his Cabinet like an executive boardroom: He brought together a cadre of diverse interests, let them duke it out and then, on his own, decided the path forward. That strategy, of encouraging competition among his advisers, allowed Trump to retain the ultimate decision-making authority and prevented any one group from gaining too much power.\u201d I believe FDR used a similar strategy. It\u2019s a good one. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Trump prepares to take power, MAGA can\u2019t stop the ugly infighting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/ZFUOe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. \u201c[T]he MAGA movement has always been a loosely stitched-together confederation led by a man with relatively few ideological convictions. It and he have always been much more animated by Trump the man than any particular set of ideals. And because Trump has proved so malleable, there is a premium on being the one in his ear. That dynamic is already leading to a rash of infighting over who grabs that ear and guides both Trump and his base.<\/p>\n<p>And the fight over what Trumpism means has gotten quite ugly quite quickly.\u201d \u2022 I disagree on \u201cideals.\u201d The H1B debate on X was policy, all the way. I awarded the win to MAGA, who knew the policy arguments cold (and had, in many cases, been personally affected). Trump sided with the tech bros against MAGA on that one (and who knows how that will play out). As for Trump being \u201cmalleable\u201d\u2026. I know it\u2019s a talking point, but is it true? What do readers think?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTexas Sends Millions to Crisis Pregnancy Centers. It\u2019s Meant to Help Needy Families, But No One Knows if It Works\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/texas-funding-anti-abortion-crisis-pregnancy-centers?utm_campaign=propublica-sprout&utm_content=1736654400&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ProPublica<\/a>]. \u201cYear after year, while Roe v. Wade was the law of the land, Texas legislators passed measures limiting access to abortion \u2014 who could have one, how and where. And with the same cadence, they added millions of dollars to a program designed to discourage people from terminating pregnancies. Their budget infusions for the Alternatives to Abortion program grew with almost every legislative session \u2014 first gradually, then dramatically \u2014 from $5 million starting in 2005 to $140 million after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion\u2026. But an investigation by ProPublica and CBS News found that the system that funnels a growing pot of state money to anti-abortion nonprofits has few safeguards and is riddled with waste\u2026. Lawmakers around the country are considering programs modeled on Alternatives to Abortion.\u201d \u2022 NGOs, gotta love \u2019em.<\/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:\/\/skylab.cdph.ca.gov\/calwws\/\" 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\/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/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, KidDoc, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, thump, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p>Airborne Transmission<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"6.2985685071575\">\n<p>More good news from the schoolsL<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.2317073170732\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.6178861788618\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">California Department of Public Health has updated its Indoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools : <\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Requirements : 5 ACH or 30 CFM\/p (50 m3\/h\/p) <br \/>\u2013 Optimize the Mechanical Ventilation <br \/>\u2013 Open Doors and Windows <br \/>\u2013 Add Air Purifiers<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BgISGM7NAd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/BgISGM7NAd<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CAPublicHealth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@CAPublicHealth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R0JlxOc1rN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/R0JlxOc1rN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XEzEkfJido\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/XEzEkfJido<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 LET’S AIR (@nousaerons) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nousaerons\/status\/1857154003395895701\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">November 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t oppose handwashing, but couldn\u2019t AP have gotten a mask in there somewhere?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"678\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing-265x300.png 265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.856573705179\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 10<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Last week[2] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> (until next week):<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" style=\"align: left; margin-left: 0px !important; padding: 9px 0 9px 0;\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284945\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-300x187.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong> Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 21<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <strong>Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1-300x177.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-300x159.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Hospitalization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8961038961039\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data January 13:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> Janurary 9:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5-300x170.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl-287x300.png 287w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Positivity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5507246376812\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> January 13:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl-300x189.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" height=\"428\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285157\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5932203389831\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 23:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1-300x183.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1-300x211.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7551020408163\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-300x182.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed-300x184.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"205.40190191927\">\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) Seeing more red and more orange, but nothing new at major hubs. <\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, \u201cOmmicron,\u201d has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) A little uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely jumped.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward trend since, well, Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants). Positivity is new, but variants have not yet been released.<\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Inflation: \u201cUnited States Producer Prices\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/producer-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cProducer Prices in the United States increased to 146.84 points in December from 146.52 points in November of 2024. Producer Prices in the United States averaged 118.02 points from 2009 until 2024, reaching an all time high of 146.84 points in December of 2024\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Business Optimism: \u201cUnited States NFIB Business Optimism Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/nfib-business-optimism-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NFIB Small Business Optimism Index in the US soared to 105.1 in December 2024, the highest since October 2018, compared to 101.7 in November and beating forecasts of 100.8. It is also the second consecutive month the reading stays above the 51-year average of 98, due to an improved economic outlook following the election. \u201cSmall business owners feel more certain and hopeful about the economic agenda of the new administration.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing delivered less than half as many planes as Airbus last year\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/boeing-delivered-less-half-many-163500763.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Quartz<\/a>]. \u201cBoeing delivered 57 commercial aircraftin the fourth quarter of last year, and 348 for the entire year, the Virginia-based plane manufacturer reported Tuesday. That\u2019s down from a total of 611 deliveries in 2023\u2026. [Airbus] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbus.com\/en\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2025-01-airbus-reports-766-commercial-aircraft-deliveries-in-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reported<\/a> last week that it delivered 766 commercial aircraft in 2024 \u2014 a 4% year-over-year increase and the most since 2019.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing executive sees supply-demand balance by end of decade\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.investing.com\/news\/stock-market-news\/boeing-executive-sees-supplydemand-balance-by-end-of-decade-3812253\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Investing.com<\/a>]. \u201d Boeing expects to reach a balance between supply and market demand for passenger jets by the end of the decade, an executive said on Monday. \u2018From my perspective that\u2019s \u2026 about a five-year impact in terms of what we need to do \u2026 to get back to balance\u2019 from the current supply deficit, Darren Hulst, Boeing\u2019s vice president for commercial marketing, told the Airline Economics conference in Dublin.\u201d \u2022 Not next quarter, then?<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cAkasa Air grounds hundreds of pilots while awaiting Boeing MAX deliveries\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/articles\/akasa-air-pilots-grounded-boeing-max-aircraft-deliveries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aerotime<\/a>]. \u201cThe Indian low-cost-carrier Akasa Air has grounded hundreds of pilots after the number of Boeing 737 MAX deliveries slowed in 2024. According to the publication <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/hundreds-of-excess-pilots-grounded-at-akasa-as-plane-deliveries-retard\/article69088613.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hindu<\/a>, around 400 individuals out of 850 pilots are currently grounded, with only 60% currently needed to fly its fleet of 26 aircraft\u2026. Akasa Air co-founder and CEO Vinay Dube had initially scheduled to receive 72 aircraft by the fifth year of flying after its first commercial flight in August 2022. At the start of 2024 Akasa had received 22 MAX aircraft but deliveries slowed during the year with only three arriving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cThe chart that proves Boeing has lost its battle with Airbus\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/business\/2025\/01\/14\/the-chart-that-proves-boeing-has-lost-its-battle-airbus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201c[I]t is now six years since Boeing last occupied the top spot in the airliner industry\u2026. Nick Cunningham, an Aerospace analyst, said 2024 was \u2018Boeing\u2019s annus horribilis.\u2019 He said: \u2018You\u2019d imagine that things really can only get better for Boeing, but it\u2019s going to be a slow recovery because the problems run so deep. Kelly Ortberg, the new chief executive, is a really good man but there\u2019s an awful lot to come back from. It\u2019s a case of, \u2018If you want to fix it, you really wouldn\u2019t want to start from here.\u201d \u2026 Boeing said it will provide an update on its production outlook with full-year earnings at the end of this month.\u201d But: \u201cDespite its crushing lead over Boeing, Airbus is also suffering from supply-chain issues. It originally targeted 800 plane deliveries for 2024, later revising the goal to about 770.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cMeta Is Blocking Links to Decentralized Instagram Competitor Pixelfed\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.404media.co\/meta-is-blocking-links-to-decentralized-instagram-competitor-pixelfed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">404 Media<\/a>]. \u201cMeta is deleting links to Pixelfed, a decentralized Instagram competitor. On Facebook, the company is labeling links to Pixelfed.social as \u2018spam\u2019 and deleting them immediately. <a href=\"https:\/\/pixelfed.org\/servers?ref=404media.co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pixelfed is an open-source<\/a>, community funded and decentralized image sharing platform that runs on Activity Pub, which is the same technology that supports Mastodon and other federated services. Pixelfed.social is the largest Pixelfed server, which was launched in 2018 but has gained renewed attention over the last week. Bluesky user <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:n2okvbdq33c32ekbv6hfzdg2\/post\/3lfjk3mrdds23?ref=404media.co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AJ Sadauskas<\/a> originally posted that links to Pixelfed were being deleted by Meta; 404 Media then also tried to post a link to Pixelfed on Facebook. It was immediately deleted.\u201d And: \u201cPixelfed is experiencing a surge in user signups in recent days, after Meta announced that it would loosen its rules to allow users to call LGBTQ+ people \u201cmentally ill\u201d amid a host of other changes that shift the company overtly to the right. Meta and Instagram have also leaned heavily into AI-generated content. Pixelfed announced earlier Monday that it is launching an iOS app later this week.\u201d \u2022 Streisand effect, among other things.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 28 Fear (previous close: 26 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 35 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed).Last updated Jan 14 at 1:44:22 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Little bit of M.C. Escher going on?<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.9322033898305\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7966101694915\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">John Singer Sargent, Staircase in Capri <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3xXKG313dw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/3xXKG313dw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1878063279542620277\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"climate\"\/><strong>Climate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Change vs. more of the same:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.5\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.8\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The moment everything changed <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zQxnBSsoK7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/zQxnBSsoK7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Taylor McCoy \ud83e\udd96 (@TM9380) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TM9380\/status\/1878064946346434596\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"zeitgeist\"\/><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Case for Letting Malibu Burn\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2018\/12\/04\/the-case-for-letting-malibu-burn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Long Reads<\/a>]. \u2022 tl;dr: It always has. Well worth a read for the history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat sparked the Palisades fire? A beloved hiking trail may hold the grim answers\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2025-01-12\/on-an-ocean-view-trail-questions-swirl-about-what-and-who-started-palisades-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a>]. \u201cHikers and outdoor enthusiasts have long been drawn to Skull Rock north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades\u2026. Now, this area is the subject of an investigation as a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/live\/2025-01-10\/fire-los-angeles-california-eaton-palisades-updates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">starting point for the Palisades fire<\/a>, which burned thousands of structures last week\u2026. The general area was the site of a small fire on New Year\u2019s Eve that burned for a few hours before fire officials said they snuffed it out with help from a water-dropping helicopter\u2026. If it turns out the Palisades fire was caused by a rekindling of the earlier fire, it would fit a pattern. The massive Oakland Hills fire of 1991 \u2014 which destroyed more than 2,500 structures \u2014 exploded after firefighters thought they had contained it. That fire was originally six acres and was declared contained but not out.\u201d \u2022 This also is worth a read; good detail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk Exposed Over Right-Wing Lie on L.A. Fires\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/190157\/elon-musk-fact-check-water-shortage-la-fires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New Republic<\/a>]. \u201cElon Musk was fact-checked on his own livestream after making false statements about the California wildfires, and Gavin Newsom was quick to call out the tech mogul on social media. In a post on X Sunday night, the California governor <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GavinNewsom\/status\/1878661950021960013\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">posted<\/a> an excerpt from the livestream, where Musk was receiving a briefing with the command team handling the Palisades fire in Los Angeles. Musk asked an emergency official twice about water to fight the fires being available in the Malibu area but not in the Palisades. The official corrected Musk, pointing out there was not a water shortage but that the fire required much more water than could be pumped.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"guillotine\"\/><strong>Guillotine Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere Is No Safe Word\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/vQshe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Vultures<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cHow the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades.\u201d\u2022 This is exceptionally creepy and nasty \u2014 way beyond \u201cthey were careless people, Tom and Daisy\u201d \u2014 and I don\u2019t really want to excerpt it. However, if you\u2019ve seen oblique references to Neil Gaiman recently, this is the source.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood Omens Author Neil Gaiman Accused of Alleged Sexual Abuse By Multiple Women\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/neil-gaiman-alleged-sexual-abuse-allegations-8773823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">People<\/a>]. \u201cIn a Jan. 13 Vulture report, multiple women spoke on the record about their alleged experiences with the famed novelist, 64, including Scarlett Pavlovich, who formerly babysat for Gaiman and his ex-wife Amanda Palmer.\u201d Palmer doesn\u2019t come out real well either. But: \u201cGaiman has denied all allegations since 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan nonviolent struggle defeat a dictator? This database emphatically says yes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/wagingnonviolence.org\/2025\/01\/can-nonviolent-struggle-defeat-a-dictator-this-database-emphatically-says-yes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Waging Non-Violence<\/a>]. \u201c[T]he <a href=\"http:\/\/nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Global Nonviolent Action Database,<\/a> or GNAD, built by the Peace Studies department at Swarthmore College. Freely accessible to the public, this database \u2014 which launched under my direction in 2011 \u2014 contains over 1,400 cases of nonviolent struggle from over a hundred countries, with more cases continually being added by student researchers. [T]he database details at least 40 cases of dictators who were overthrown by the use of nonviolent struggle, dating back to 1920. These cases \u2014 which include some of the largest nations in the world, spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America \u2014 contradict the widespread assumption that a dictator can only be overcome by violence. What\u2019s more, in each of these cases, the dictator had the desire to stay, and possessed violent means for defense. Ultimately, though, they just couldn\u2019t overcome the power of mass nonviolent struggle.\u201d \u2022 I would like for this to be true. I would also want to check those 40 cases for contamination by spook-driven color revolution, and the geopolitical context. (For example, you can conceptualize the fall of the East German regime as a case of non-violent struggle, but surely the larger context of anarchistic relations between states matters as well?)<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cChinese social media app RedNote tops App Store chart ahead of TikTok ban\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2025\/1\/13\/24342986\/rednote-xiaohongshu-chinese-social-media-app-tiktok-ban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Verge<\/a>]. \u201cRedNote, the Chinese social media app also known as Xiaohongshu, rose to the number one spot on the Apple App Store as a US ban closes in on TikTok. The app offers a mix of pictures, short-form videos, and text posts across \u2018follow,\u2019 \u2018explore,\u2019 and \u2018nearby\u2019 feeds\u2026. RedNote, which launched in 2013 as a shopping-focused app, now has more than 300 million monthly active users and surpassed $1 billion in profit last year, according to Bloomberg\u2026. ikTok users may be flocking to RedNote now, but the ban also implicates other Chinese-owned apps, including RedNote, WeChat, and the other apps run by ByteDance like Lemon8 and CapCut.\u201d \u2022 Still the most encouraging news I\u2019ve heard in some time (though wait \u2019til the various governments involved stir up trouble):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.7303664921466\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.8010471204188\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My Chinese Spy and I reunited on RedNote <\/p>\n<p>Now in their American spy \ud83e\udd27\ud83d\udda4 She\u2019s been my spy on TikTok \ud83d\udda4 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EdyuSLFtTF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/EdyuSLFtTF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u2606 Kaden \u2625 (@AmdusciasShadow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmdusciasShadow\/status\/1879175214753624419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>And:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.2269938650307\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.680981595092\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Americans are helping the Chinese with their English homework in the comments of RedNote\ud83d\ude2d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/phHLUsG0TY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/phHLUsG0TY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Massimo (@massmandato) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/massmandato\/status\/1878888591537111360\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Did I mention the government:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7409638554217\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"9.9759036144578\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Leftists are now flocking to RedNote, an app owned by the CCP and knockoff of TikTok. <\/p>\n<p>Users notice that for some odd reason Luigi Mangione is heavily promoted by the algo. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Q3PkhhxNRs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Q3PkhhxNRs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Susie Wiles (@RealSusiewiles) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealSusiewiles\/status\/1879173819761602877\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That Wiles is instantly on top of this speaks well of her capacities as a government official, but one might question exactly <em>why<\/em> our government thinks social media is so important\u2026..<\/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\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-13-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From Doug:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Doug writes: \u201cAmaryllis and callicarpa from the front yard. The warm fall has produced some odd pairings such as this.\u201d Neat concept for a climate-related photobook\u2026 <\/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. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. If you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .entry-content --><\/p>\n<footer class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\tThis entry was posted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/category\/water-cooler\" rel=\"category tag\">Water Cooler<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-14-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-14T14:00:51-05:00\">January 14, 2025<\/time><\/a><span class=\"by-author\"> by <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/author\/lambert-strether\" title=\"View all posts by Lambert Strether\" rel=\"author\">Lambert Strether<\/a><\/span><\/span>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info\" wp_automatic_readability=\"20.197005056398\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .author-avatar --><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-description\" wp_automatic_readability=\"35.467911318553\">\n<h2>About Lambert Strether<\/h2>\n<p>Readers, I have had a correspondent characterize my views as realistic cynical. Let me briefly explain them. I believe in universal programs that provide concrete material benefits, especially to the working class. Medicare for All is the prime example, but tuition-free college and a Post Office Bank also fall under this heading. So do a Jobs Guarantee and a Debt Jubilee. Clearly, neither liberal Democrats nor conservative Republicans can deliver on such programs, because the two are different flavors of neoliberalism (\u201cBecause markets\u201d). I don\u2019t much care about the \u201cism\u201d that delivers the benefits, although whichever one does have to put common humanity first, as opposed to markets. Could be a second FDR saving capitalism, democratic socialism leashing and collaring it, or communism razing it. I don\u2019t much care, as long as the benefits are delivered. <br \/>\n <br \/>\nTo me, the key issue \u2014 and this is why Medicare for All is always first with me \u2014 is the tens of thousands of excess \u201cdeaths from despair,\u201d as described by the Case-Deaton study, and other recent studies. That enormous body count makes Medicare for All, at the very least, a moral and strategic imperative. And that level of suffering and organic damage makes the concerns of identity politics \u2014 even the worthy fight to help the refugees Bush, Obama, and Clinton\u2019s wars created \u2014 bright shiny objects by comparison. Hence my frustration with the news flow \u2014 currently in my view the swirling intersection of two, separate Shock Doctrine campaigns, one by the Administration, and the other by out-of-power liberals and their allies in the State and in the press \u2014 a news flow that constantly forces me to focus on matters that I regard as of secondary importance to the excess deaths. What kind of political economy is it that halts or even reverses the increases in life expectancy that civilized societies have achieved? I am also very hopeful that the continuing destruction of both party establishments will open the space for voices supporting programs similar to those I have listed; let\u2019s call such voices \u201cthe left.\u201d Volatility creates opportunity, especially if the Democrat establishment, which puts markets first and opposes all such programs, isn\u2019t allowed to get back into the saddle. Eyes on the prize! I love the tactical level, and secretly love even the horse race, since I\u2019ve been blogging about it daily for fourteen years, but everything I write has this perspective at the back of it.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .author-link\t-->\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-description -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-info --><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- .entry-meta --><br \/>\n\t<!-- #post --><\/p>\n<nav class=\"nav-single\">\n<h3 class=\"assistive-text\">Post navigation<\/h3>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-previous list-posts-older\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/01\/wanting-more-for-brics-than-brics-wants-for-itself.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> Wanting More for BRICS Than BRICS Wants for Itself<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-next list-posts-newer\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/nav>\n<p><!-- .nav-single --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #comments .comments-area --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #content --><br \/>\n<!-- #primary --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #secondary --><\/p>\n<footer id=\"colophon\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- .site-info --><br \/>\n\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- #colophon --><br \/>\n\t\t<!-- #main.wrapper --><br \/>\n<!-- #page --><br \/>\n<!-- .mobile-menu-wrap --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Blog Reader Pooling - removed 09\/16\/2015 by M. Lacourse --><br \/>\n<!-- <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"nc-hide\" src=\"http:\/\/t.blogreaderproject.com\/t.gif?c9a0f3c0f2425bc76f3b4c3baf750ea8\" alt=\"\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\"> --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp footer --><\/p>\n<\/td>\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\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-14-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. * * * In<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89710,"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-89709","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\/89709","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=89709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trump\">Trump transition<\/a> confirmation process.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#doge\">DOGE<\/a> as procurement capture?<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#wired\">Tiktok users<\/a> flee to RedNote.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing<\/a> delivery woes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\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>Spook Country<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.354956268222\">\n<p>\u201cHead of Infamous \u201cInformation Disorder\u201d Commission Promoted at NPR\u201d [Matt Taibbi, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.racket.news\/p\/head-of-infamous-information-disorder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Racket News<\/a>]. \u201cAmid a busy news day Monday, a familiar figure was named Chief Operating Officer of National Public Radio. Ryan Merkley, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspeninstitute.org\/people\/ryan-merkley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">directed<\/a> the Aspen Institute\u2019s Commission on Information Disorder and also appeared in the Twitter Files as Wikimedia\u2019s liaison to \u2018Industry Meetings\u2019 with federal law enforcement, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/13\/g-s1-42468\/npr-ceo-katherine-maher-names-ryan-merkley-chief-operating-officer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">elevated to the job<\/a> by NPR president\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.racket.news\/p\/new-npr-chief-katherine-mahers-guide-cd7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Titania McGrath clone<\/a> Katherine Maher\u2026. Merkley\u2019s name figured in several high-profile efforts to control \u2018disinformation\u2019 through aggressive content moderation\u2026. Digital censorship years ago expanded beyond removing content, as key actors saw opportunities to promote political objectives like correcting historical injustices or advancing diversity goals by expanding the definition of \u2018misinformation.\u2019 NPR has long been an outlet in alignment with Aspen ideas, which became clear when former business editor Uri Berliner last April penned a whistleblowing essay in The Free Press. Beliner pointed among other things to NPR\u2019s statement about the Hunter Biden laptop story: \u2018We don\u2019t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories.\u2019 It may be that these moves become moot shortly, but they\u2019re worth pointing out nonetheless.\u201d \u2022 Or maybe not. See Susie Wiles below.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"43.388346643005\">\n<p>Energy in the executive:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"709\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/haaretz_salty-212x300.png 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>True or false, it\u2019s interesting that Haaretz published it, and \u201cit\u2019s out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Trump Factor: Gaza Ceasefire Deal Appears Close\u201d [Jeremy Scahill, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropsitenews.com\/p\/trump-israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dropsite News<\/a>]. \u201cThe fact that Trump emerged as the decisive player in pushing a potential ceasefire forward is evidence that Biden never used the full powers available to a sitting U.S. president to seal the deal in the summer. While Trump has publicly repeated his threat that he will \u2018unleash hell\u2019 on Hamas if the Israeli hostages are not freed, his pressure has not been solely focused on Hamas; Trump and his aides have made clear to Netanyahu that the president-elect expects Israel to comply with his demands, too. \u2018I understand\u2026 there\u2019s been a handshake and they are getting it finished\u2014and maybe by the end of the week,\u2019 Trump told Newsmax Monday night.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost 8,000 soldiers bussed in for Trump\u2019s \u2018peaceful transition’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/us\/news\/2025\/01\/13\/almost-8000-soldiers-washington-trump-inauguration-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201cAlmost 25,000 police officers and 7,800 soldiers will descend on Washington DC for Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration on Monday, officials have said, as the capital prepares for a \u2018peaceful transfer of power.\u2019 Two FBI field offices, a fleet of drones and more than 30 miles of fencing will be used to keep Mr Trump, other world leaders and attendees safe as he takes the presidential oath of office for the second time. Local and federal officials revealed the security plans for the ceremony on Monday, and said that despite receiving no specific threats against the president-elect, they are \u2018prepared\u2019 for the worst.\u201d \u2022 Presumably the \u201cworld leaders\u201d are also bringing their own security with them, too. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"confirmation\"\/>\u201cSome Trump nominees face confirmation delays with ethics and background checks behind schedule\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.govexec.com\/management\/2025\/01\/some-trump-nominees-face-confirmation-delays-ethics-and-background-checks-behind-schedule\/402168\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government Executive<\/a>]. \u201cSenate Republicans are pausing the confirmation process for some of President-elect Trump\u2019s picks to lead agencies over delays in the vetting process as watchdogs and Democrats continue to press leadership not to move forward without first considering the finances and other parts of would-be cabinet members\u2019 backgrounds. Lawmakers are hurrying to get at least some of Trump\u2019s nominees into place by Inauguration Day next week, though some Senate committee chairs have said they are awaiting background checks from the FBI or reviews by the Office of Government Ethics. Some of those steps were delayed after Trump\u2019s team spent months holding off the transition process. Many of Trump\u2019s intended cabinet picks were scheduled for confirmation hearings this week, but some of those have since been postponed as relevant committees are awaiting background information secretary-designates. That will likely mean Trump has fewer of his picks confirmed on his first day in office than Senate Republicans had initially hoped for.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cScoop: Trump team sets red line on Hegseth\u2019s FBI background check\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/14\/trump-hegseth-confirmation-fbi-background-check\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cDefense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth\u2019s confirmation hearing is becoming a test of will for Republicans on ensuring FBI files aren\u2019t distributed throughout the entire Senate. The Trump transition team is demanding that the president-elect\u2019s nominees be treated the same way they insist Joe Biden\u2019s were. That means no FBI background check access for rank-and-file senators, according to two people familiar with the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lawfare<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.858989424207\">\n<p>\u201cHunter Biden special counsel hits out at president\u2019s selective prosecution claim\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jan\/14\/hunter-joe-biden-special-counsel-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cThe criminal charges against Hunter Biden \u2018were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics\u2019, the prosecutor who led the inquiries said in a report that sharply criticized Joe Biden for having maligned the US justice department when the president pardoned his son. \u2018Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,\u2019 said Monday\u2019s report from special counsel David Weiss, whose team filed gun and tax charges against the younger Biden that resulted in felony convictions that were subsequently wiped away by a presidential pardon from his father.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"33.711579699786\">\n<p>\u201cUnderstanding DOGE as Procurement Capture\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.anildash.com\/\/2025\/01\/04\/DOGE-procurement-capture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Anil Dash<\/a>]. \u201cNow, imagine you were a tycoon who is also a defense contractor that is trying to sell hundreds of billions of dollars of military equipment to the government, and you know that the procurement process requires them to go with the lowest bidder. But, since you\u2019re a dude with hundreds of billions of dollars, it doesn\u2019t seem fair that the system isn\u2019t even more rigged in your favor. How would you \u201cfix\u201d this system? Well, you\u2019d have to capture procurement\u2026 Say you\u2019re a government employee trying to figure out who to buy rockets from. Maybe it better be from the guy who runs the \u201cdepartment\u201d that\u2019s in charge of deciding where money gets spent in the government! But what if you\u2019re that government employee and you\u2019re still trying to do things by the book, and follow the laws as written, and listen to the process that says you should go with the lowest bidder so you can spend less taxpayer money on things? Well, wouldn\u2019t it be a shame if the guy who runs the \u201cdepartment\u201d also ran a huge social media company, and also had started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/politics\/politics-news\/elon-musk-targets-federal-employees-harassment-doge-1235183987\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">mentioning individual government employees by name<\/a>, and had a rabid army of followers who consistently targeted those employees for violent threats \u2014 including death threats \u2014 and had in fact just carried out two different terrorist attacks in the last week while <a href=\"https:\/\/nevadacurrent.com\/briefs\/cybertruck-explosion-a-wake-up-call-not-terrorism-driver-wrote-on-iphone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">specifically talking about<\/a> how enemies of this new regime needed to be targeted for violence? Would that be enough to get you to reconsider following those written policies? Maybe so.\u201d \u2022 I don\u2019t say it\u2019s fanciful, and a phishing equilibrium is clearly possible, but I read it twice, and I don\u2019t see procurement capture <em>actually happening<\/em>. Something to watch. And\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk Is Expected to Use Office Space in the White House Complex\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/13\/us\/politics\/elon-musk-white-house-trump.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cThe space anticipated for Mr. Musk\u2019s use is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House. The location would allow Mr. Musk, who owns companies with billions of dollars in contracts with the federal government, to continue to have significant access to President-elect Donald J. Trump when he takes office this month.\u201d And: \u201cIt was not clear whether Vivek Ramaswamy, Mr. Musk\u2019s partner in leading the project, would also have office space in the Eisenhower building.\u201d Maybe Susie Wiles will let him have a kennel out on the lawn? Plus more on ethics rules and financial disclosures, criminal conflict of interest laws, FACA vs. \u201cspecial government employee status\u201d, and FOIA. I don\u2019t expect President Musk to care much about such things, but presumably some smart Republican lawyers can figure something out. Or maybe they\u2019ll just let \u2018er rip! Something to watch.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"11.932142857143\">\n<p>\u201cWashington Post traffic craters, loses $100M amid identity crisis as talent, readers flee: reports\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/13\/media\/washington-post-traffic-craters-loses-100m-amid-identity-crisis-as-talent-readers-flee-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201cThe Washington Post\u2019s readership reportedly cratered during Joe Biden\u2019s presidency \u2014 and the Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet lost $100 million last year alone \u2014 as the embattled paper continues to suffer an exodus of top talent. The left-leaning [sic] publication drew about 2.5 million to 3 million daily users to its site last summer, a fraction of the 22.5 million daily visitors at its peak when Biden took office in January 2021, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/newsletter\/01\/12\/2025\/letter-from-la?utm_source=newslettershare&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=flagshipnumbered6&_bhlid=0c02afe24cf3289135723ddac52b08dea95d36c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">internal data shared with Semafor<\/a>. The plummeting site traffic led the business to lose around $100 million on weak subscription and ad revenue in 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/media\/washington-post-challenges-trump-second-term-61ea6ed9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Wall Street Journal<\/a> reported.\u201d \u2022 I wonder what the Graham Family thinks of Jeff Bezos\u2019s stewardship.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Republican Funhouse<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"45.694259818731\">\n<p>\u201cTrump made the GOP a big-tent party. Now, he\u2019s stuck with the infighting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/01\/14\/trump-republicans-bannon-musk-00197996\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cA coalition of MAGA die-hards, tech bros and blue-collar workers were key to Donald Trump\u2019s November victory. Now, some of them are already at each other\u2019s throats. Free traders and protectionists are at odds over Trump\u2019s promise to enact \u2018universal\u2019 tariffs. Immigration hard-liners are butting heads with tech companies that support legal immigration. And isolationists are grappling with the president-elect\u2019s apparently increasingly expansionist global agenda. And days before he takes office some of Trump\u2019s most ardent original supporters have been the most resistant to the bigger tent.\u201d And: \u201cBut some Trump allies argue these divides are a feature \u2014 not a bug \u2014 of Trump\u2019s governing style. During his first administration, the president-elect was known for running his Cabinet like an executive boardroom: He brought together a cadre of diverse interests, let them duke it out and then, on his own, decided the path forward. That strategy, of encouraging competition among his advisers, allowed Trump to retain the ultimate decision-making authority and prevented any one group from gaining too much power.\u201d I believe FDR used a similar strategy. It\u2019s a good one. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Trump prepares to take power, MAGA can\u2019t stop the ugly infighting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/ZFUOe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. \u201c[T]he MAGA movement has always been a loosely stitched-together confederation led by a man with relatively few ideological convictions. It and he have always been much more animated by Trump the man than any particular set of ideals. And because Trump has proved so malleable, there is a premium on being the one in his ear. That dynamic is already leading to a rash of infighting over who grabs that ear and guides both Trump and his base.<\/p>\n<p>And the fight over what Trumpism means has gotten quite ugly quite quickly.\u201d \u2022 I disagree on \u201cideals.\u201d The H1B debate on X was policy, all the way. I awarded the win to MAGA, who knew the policy arguments cold (and had, in many cases, been personally affected). Trump sided with the tech bros against MAGA on that one (and who knows how that will play out). As for Trump being \u201cmalleable\u201d\u2026. I know it\u2019s a talking point, but is it true? What do readers think?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTexas Sends Millions to Crisis Pregnancy Centers. It\u2019s Meant to Help Needy Families, But No One Knows if It Works\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/texas-funding-anti-abortion-crisis-pregnancy-centers?utm_campaign=propublica-sprout&utm_content=1736654400&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ProPublica<\/a>]. \u201cYear after year, while Roe v. Wade was the law of the land, Texas legislators passed measures limiting access to abortion \u2014 who could have one, how and where. And with the same cadence, they added millions of dollars to a program designed to discourage people from terminating pregnancies. Their budget infusions for the Alternatives to Abortion program grew with almost every legislative session \u2014 first gradually, then dramatically \u2014 from $5 million starting in 2005 to $140 million after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion\u2026. But an investigation by ProPublica and CBS News found that the system that funnels a growing pot of state money to anti-abortion nonprofits has few safeguards and is riddled with waste\u2026. Lawmakers around the country are considering programs modeled on Alternatives to Abortion.\u201d \u2022 NGOs, gotta love \u2019em.<\/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:\/\/skylab.cdph.ca.gov\/calwws\/\" 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\/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/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, KidDoc, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, thump, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p>Airborne Transmission<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"6.2985685071575\">\n<p>More good news from the schoolsL<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.2317073170732\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.6178861788618\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">California Department of Public Health has updated its Indoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools : <\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Requirements : 5 ACH or 30 CFM\/p (50 m3\/h\/p) <br \/>\u2013 Optimize the Mechanical Ventilation <br \/>\u2013 Open Doors and Windows <br \/>\u2013 Add Air Purifiers<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BgISGM7NAd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/BgISGM7NAd<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CAPublicHealth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@CAPublicHealth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R0JlxOc1rN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/R0JlxOc1rN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XEzEkfJido\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/XEzEkfJido<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 LET’S AIR (@nousaerons) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nousaerons\/status\/1857154003395895701\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">November 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t oppose handwashing, but couldn\u2019t AP have gotten a mask in there somewhere?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"678\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ap_handwashing-265x300.png 265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.856573705179\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 10<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Last week[2] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> (until next week):<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" style=\"align: left; margin-left: 0px !important; padding: 9px 0 9px 0;\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284945\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-300x187.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong> Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 21<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <strong>Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1-300x177.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-300x159.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Hospitalization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8961038961039\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data January 13:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> Janurary 9:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-5-300x170.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalizaiton-natl-287x300.png 287w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Positivity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5507246376812\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> January 13:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl-300x189.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" height=\"428\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285157\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5932203389831\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 23:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1-300x183.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1-300x211.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7551020408163\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 4:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-300x182.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed-300x184.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"205.40190191927\">\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) Seeing more red and more orange, but nothing new at major hubs. <\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, \u201cOmmicron,\u201d has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) A little uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely jumped.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward trend since, well, Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants). Positivity is new, but variants have not yet been released.<\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Inflation: \u201cUnited States Producer Prices\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/producer-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cProducer Prices in the United States increased to 146.84 points in December from 146.52 points in November of 2024. Producer Prices in the United States averaged 118.02 points from 2009 until 2024, reaching an all time high of 146.84 points in December of 2024\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Business Optimism: \u201cUnited States NFIB Business Optimism Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/nfib-business-optimism-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NFIB Small Business Optimism Index in the US soared to 105.1 in December 2024, the highest since October 2018, compared to 101.7 in November and beating forecasts of 100.8. It is also the second consecutive month the reading stays above the 51-year average of 98, due to an improved economic outlook following the election. \u201cSmall business owners feel more certain and hopeful about the economic agenda of the new administration.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing delivered less than half as many planes as Airbus last year\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/boeing-delivered-less-half-many-163500763.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Quartz<\/a>]. \u201cBoeing delivered 57 commercial aircraftin the fourth quarter of last year, and 348 for the entire year, the Virginia-based plane manufacturer reported Tuesday. That\u2019s down from a total of 611 deliveries in 2023\u2026. [Airbus] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbus.com\/en\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2025-01-airbus-reports-766-commercial-aircraft-deliveries-in-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reported<\/a> last week that it delivered 766 commercial aircraft in 2024 \u2014 a 4% year-over-year increase and the most since 2019.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing executive sees supply-demand balance by end of decade\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.investing.com\/news\/stock-market-news\/boeing-executive-sees-supplydemand-balance-by-end-of-decade-3812253\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Investing.com<\/a>]. \u201d Boeing expects to reach a balance between supply and market demand for passenger jets by the end of the decade, an executive said on Monday. \u2018From my perspective that\u2019s \u2026 about a five-year impact in terms of what we need to do \u2026 to get back to balance\u2019 from the current supply deficit, Darren Hulst, Boeing\u2019s vice president for commercial marketing, told the Airline Economics conference in Dublin.\u201d \u2022 Not next quarter, then?<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cAkasa Air grounds hundreds of pilots while awaiting Boeing MAX deliveries\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/articles\/akasa-air-pilots-grounded-boeing-max-aircraft-deliveries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aerotime<\/a>]. \u201cThe Indian low-cost-carrier Akasa Air has grounded hundreds of pilots after the number of Boeing 737 MAX deliveries slowed in 2024. According to the publication <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/hundreds-of-excess-pilots-grounded-at-akasa-as-plane-deliveries-retard\/article69088613.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hindu<\/a>, around 400 individuals out of 850 pilots are currently grounded, with only 60% currently needed to fly its fleet of 26 aircraft\u2026. Akasa Air co-founder and CEO Vinay Dube had initially scheduled to receive 72 aircraft by the fifth year of flying after its first commercial flight in August 2022. At the start of 2024 Akasa had received 22 MAX aircraft but deliveries slowed during the year with only three arriving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cThe chart that proves Boeing has lost its battle with Airbus\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/business\/2025\/01\/14\/the-chart-that-proves-boeing-has-lost-its-battle-airbus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201c[I]t is now six years since Boeing last occupied the top spot in the airliner industry\u2026. Nick Cunningham, an Aerospace analyst, said 2024 was \u2018Boeing\u2019s annus horribilis.\u2019 He said: \u2018You\u2019d imagine that things really can only get better for Boeing, but it\u2019s going to be a slow recovery because the problems run so deep. Kelly Ortberg, the new chief executive, is a really good man but there\u2019s an awful lot to come back from. It\u2019s a case of, \u2018If you want to fix it, you really wouldn\u2019t want to start from here.\u201d \u2026 Boeing said it will provide an update on its production outlook with full-year earnings at the end of this month.\u201d But: \u201cDespite its crushing lead over Boeing, Airbus is also suffering from supply-chain issues. It originally targeted 800 plane deliveries for 2024, later revising the goal to about 770.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cMeta Is Blocking Links to Decentralized Instagram Competitor Pixelfed\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.404media.co\/meta-is-blocking-links-to-decentralized-instagram-competitor-pixelfed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">404 Media<\/a>]. \u201cMeta is deleting links to Pixelfed, a decentralized Instagram competitor. On Facebook, the company is labeling links to Pixelfed.social as \u2018spam\u2019 and deleting them immediately. <a href=\"https:\/\/pixelfed.org\/servers?ref=404media.co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pixelfed is an open-source<\/a>, community funded and decentralized image sharing platform that runs on Activity Pub, which is the same technology that supports Mastodon and other federated services. Pixelfed.social is the largest Pixelfed server, which was launched in 2018 but has gained renewed attention over the last week. Bluesky user <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:n2okvbdq33c32ekbv6hfzdg2\/post\/3lfjk3mrdds23?ref=404media.co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AJ Sadauskas<\/a> originally posted that links to Pixelfed were being deleted by Meta; 404 Media then also tried to post a link to Pixelfed on Facebook. It was immediately deleted.\u201d And: \u201cPixelfed is experiencing a surge in user signups in recent days, after Meta announced that it would loosen its rules to allow users to call LGBTQ+ people \u201cmentally ill\u201d amid a host of other changes that shift the company overtly to the right. Meta and Instagram have also leaned heavily into AI-generated content. Pixelfed announced earlier Monday that it is launching an iOS app later this week.\u201d \u2022 Streisand effect, among other things.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 28 Fear (previous close: 26 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 35 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed).Last updated Jan 14 at 1:44:22 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Little bit of M.C. Escher going on?<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.9322033898305\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7966101694915\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">John Singer Sargent, Staircase in Capri <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3xXKG313dw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/3xXKG313dw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impression_ists\/status\/1878063279542620277\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"climate\"\/><strong>Climate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Change vs. more of the same:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.5\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.8\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The moment everything changed <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zQxnBSsoK7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/zQxnBSsoK7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Taylor McCoy \ud83e\udd96 (@TM9380) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TM9380\/status\/1878064946346434596\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"zeitgeist\"\/><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Case for Letting Malibu Burn\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2018\/12\/04\/the-case-for-letting-malibu-burn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Long Reads<\/a>]. \u2022 tl;dr: It always has. Well worth a read for the history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat sparked the Palisades fire? A beloved hiking trail may hold the grim answers\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2025-01-12\/on-an-ocean-view-trail-questions-swirl-about-what-and-who-started-palisades-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a>]. \u201cHikers and outdoor enthusiasts have long been drawn to Skull Rock north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades\u2026. Now, this area is the subject of an investigation as a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/live\/2025-01-10\/fire-los-angeles-california-eaton-palisades-updates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">starting point for the Palisades fire<\/a>, which burned thousands of structures last week\u2026. The general area was the site of a small fire on New Year\u2019s Eve that burned for a few hours before fire officials said they snuffed it out with help from a water-dropping helicopter\u2026. If it turns out the Palisades fire was caused by a rekindling of the earlier fire, it would fit a pattern. The massive Oakland Hills fire of 1991 \u2014 which destroyed more than 2,500 structures \u2014 exploded after firefighters thought they had contained it. That fire was originally six acres and was declared contained but not out.\u201d \u2022 This also is worth a read; good detail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk Exposed Over Right-Wing Lie on L.A. Fires\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/190157\/elon-musk-fact-check-water-shortage-la-fires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New Republic<\/a>]. \u201cElon Musk was fact-checked on his own livestream after making false statements about the California wildfires, and Gavin Newsom was quick to call out the tech mogul on social media. In a post on X Sunday night, the California governor <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GavinNewsom\/status\/1878661950021960013\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">posted<\/a> an excerpt from the livestream, where Musk was receiving a briefing with the command team handling the Palisades fire in Los Angeles. Musk asked an emergency official twice about water to fight the fires being available in the Malibu area but not in the Palisades. The official corrected Musk, pointing out there was not a water shortage but that the fire required much more water than could be pumped.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"guillotine\"\/><strong>Guillotine Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere Is No Safe Word\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/vQshe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Vultures<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cHow the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades.\u201d\u2022 This is exceptionally creepy and nasty \u2014 way beyond \u201cthey were careless people, Tom and Daisy\u201d \u2014 and I don\u2019t really want to excerpt it. However, if you\u2019ve seen oblique references to Neil Gaiman recently, this is the source.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood Omens Author Neil Gaiman Accused of Alleged Sexual Abuse By Multiple Women\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/neil-gaiman-alleged-sexual-abuse-allegations-8773823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">People<\/a>]. \u201cIn a Jan. 13 Vulture report, multiple women spoke on the record about their alleged experiences with the famed novelist, 64, including Scarlett Pavlovich, who formerly babysat for Gaiman and his ex-wife Amanda Palmer.\u201d Palmer doesn\u2019t come out real well either. But: \u201cGaiman has denied all allegations since 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan nonviolent struggle defeat a dictator? This database emphatically says yes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/wagingnonviolence.org\/2025\/01\/can-nonviolent-struggle-defeat-a-dictator-this-database-emphatically-says-yes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Waging Non-Violence<\/a>]. \u201c[T]he <a href=\"http:\/\/nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Global Nonviolent Action Database,<\/a> or GNAD, built by the Peace Studies department at Swarthmore College. Freely accessible to the public, this database \u2014 which launched under my direction in 2011 \u2014 contains over 1,400 cases of nonviolent struggle from over a hundred countries, with more cases continually being added by student researchers. [T]he database details at least 40 cases of dictators who were overthrown by the use of nonviolent struggle, dating back to 1920. These cases \u2014 which include some of the largest nations in the world, spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America \u2014 contradict the widespread assumption that a dictator can only be overcome by violence. What\u2019s more, in each of these cases, the dictator had the desire to stay, and possessed violent means for defense. Ultimately, though, they just couldn\u2019t overcome the power of mass nonviolent struggle.\u201d \u2022 I would like for this to be true. I would also want to check those 40 cases for contamination by spook-driven color revolution, and the geopolitical context. (For example, you can conceptualize the fall of the East German regime as a case of non-violent struggle, but surely the larger context of anarchistic relations between states matters as well?)<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cChinese social media app RedNote tops App Store chart ahead of TikTok ban\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2025\/1\/13\/24342986\/rednote-xiaohongshu-chinese-social-media-app-tiktok-ban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Verge<\/a>]. \u201cRedNote, the Chinese social media app also known as Xiaohongshu, rose to the number one spot on the Apple App Store as a US ban closes in on TikTok. The app offers a mix of pictures, short-form videos, and text posts across \u2018follow,\u2019 \u2018explore,\u2019 and \u2018nearby\u2019 feeds\u2026. RedNote, which launched in 2013 as a shopping-focused app, now has more than 300 million monthly active users and surpassed $1 billion in profit last year, according to Bloomberg\u2026. ikTok users may be flocking to RedNote now, but the ban also implicates other Chinese-owned apps, including RedNote, WeChat, and the other apps run by ByteDance like Lemon8 and CapCut.\u201d \u2022 Still the most encouraging news I\u2019ve heard in some time (though wait \u2019til the various governments involved stir up trouble):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.7303664921466\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.8010471204188\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My Chinese Spy and I reunited on RedNote <\/p>\n<p>Now in their American spy \ud83e\udd27\ud83d\udda4 She\u2019s been my spy on TikTok \ud83d\udda4 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EdyuSLFtTF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/EdyuSLFtTF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u2606 Kaden \u2625 (@AmdusciasShadow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmdusciasShadow\/status\/1879175214753624419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>And:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.2269938650307\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.680981595092\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Americans are helping the Chinese with their English homework in the comments of RedNote\ud83d\ude2d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/phHLUsG0TY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/phHLUsG0TY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Massimo (@massmandato) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/massmandato\/status\/1878888591537111360\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Did I mention the government:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7409638554217\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"9.9759036144578\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Leftists are now flocking to RedNote, an app owned by the CCP and knockoff of TikTok. <\/p>\n<p>Users notice that for some odd reason Luigi Mangione is heavily promoted by the algo. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Q3PkhhxNRs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Q3PkhhxNRs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Susie Wiles (@RealSusiewiles) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealSusiewiles\/status\/1879173819761602877\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That Wiles is instantly on top of this speaks well of her capacities as a government official, but one might question exactly <em>why<\/em> our government thinks social media is so important\u2026..<\/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\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-13-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From Doug:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DSC00394amaryllis-in-the-fall-reduced-pixels-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Doug writes: \u201cAmaryllis and callicarpa from the front yard. The warm fall has produced some odd pairings such as this.\u201d Neat concept for a climate-related photobook\u2026 <\/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. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. If you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .entry-content --><\/p>\n<footer class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\tThis entry was posted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/category\/water-cooler\" rel=\"category tag\">Water Cooler<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-14-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-14T14:00:51-05:00\">January 14, 2025<\/time><\/a><span class=\"by-author\"> by <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/author\/lambert-strether\" title=\"View all posts by Lambert Strether\" rel=\"author\">Lambert Strether<\/a><\/span><\/span>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info\" wp_automatic_readability=\"20.197005056398\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .author-avatar --><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-description\" wp_automatic_readability=\"35.467911318553\">\n<h2>About Lambert Strether<\/h2>\n<p>Readers, I have had a correspondent characterize my views as realistic cynical. Let me briefly explain them. I believe in universal programs that provide concrete material benefits, especially to the working class. Medicare for All is the prime example, but tuition-free college and a Post Office Bank also fall under this heading. So do a Jobs Guarantee and a Debt Jubilee. Clearly, neither liberal Democrats nor conservative Republicans can deliver on such programs, because the two are different flavors of neoliberalism (\u201cBecause markets\u201d). I don\u2019t much care about the \u201cism\u201d that delivers the benefits, although whichever one does have to put common humanity first, as opposed to markets. Could be a second FDR saving capitalism, democratic socialism leashing and collaring it, or communism razing it. I don\u2019t much care, as long as the benefits are delivered. <br \/>\n <br \/>\nTo me, the key issue \u2014 and this is why Medicare for All is always first with me \u2014 is the tens of thousands of excess \u201cdeaths from despair,\u201d as described by the Case-Deaton study, and other recent studies. That enormous body count makes Medicare for All, at the very least, a moral and strategic imperative. And that level of suffering and organic damage makes the concerns of identity politics \u2014 even the worthy fight to help the refugees Bush, Obama, and Clinton\u2019s wars created \u2014 bright shiny objects by comparison. Hence my frustration with the news flow \u2014 currently in my view the swirling intersection of two, separate Shock Doctrine campaigns, one by the Administration, and the other by out-of-power liberals and their allies in the State and in the press \u2014 a news flow that constantly forces me to focus on matters that I regard as of secondary importance to the excess deaths. What kind of political economy is it that halts or even reverses the increases in life expectancy that civilized societies have achieved? I am also very hopeful that the continuing destruction of both party establishments will open the space for voices supporting programs similar to those I have listed; let\u2019s call such voices \u201cthe left.\u201d Volatility creates opportunity, especially if the Democrat establishment, which puts markets first and opposes all such programs, isn\u2019t allowed to get back into the saddle. Eyes on the prize! I love the tactical level, and secretly love even the horse race, since I\u2019ve been blogging about it daily for fourteen years, but everything I write has this perspective at the back of it.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .author-link\t-->\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-description -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-info --><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- .entry-meta --><br \/>\n\t<!-- #post --><\/p>\n<nav class=\"nav-single\">\n<h3 class=\"assistive-text\">Post navigation<\/h3>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-previous list-posts-older\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/01\/wanting-more-for-brics-than-brics-wants-for-itself.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> Wanting More for BRICS Than BRICS Wants for Itself<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-next list-posts-newer\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/nav>\n<p><!-- .nav-single --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #comments .comments-area --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #content --><br \/>\n<!-- #primary --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #secondary --><\/p>\n<footer id=\"colophon\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- .site-info --><br \/>\n\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- #colophon --><br \/>\n\t\t<!-- #main.wrapper --><br \/>\n<!-- #page --><br \/>\n<!-- .mobile-menu-wrap --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Blog Reader Pooling - removed 09\/16\/2015 by M. 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Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. * * * In<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89710,"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-89709","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\/89709","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=89709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}