\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nPatient readers, I have once more been swept up in the social whirl. More soon! \u2013lambert<\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Yard, Bledsoe, Tennessee, United States. Lot going on in \u201cYard\u201d (or \u201cmy yard\u201d?).<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#table\">New Covid charts<\/a> that Lambert does not like.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">Faiz Shakir<\/a> throws his hat in the DNC ring.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#britain\">Ancient Britain<\/a> a matriarchal society?<\/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>Biden Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"16.789473684211\">\n<p>\u201cBiden says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratified\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-equal-rights-amendment-era-16b554dfe913797a52f894b72684bc45\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. On the Friday before the inaugural? Thanks a bunch! Why not back in 2020, when it could have been part of the abortion battle? More: \u201c\u2018The Equal Rights Amendment is the law of the land,\u2019 Biden said even though presidents have no role in the constitutional process. He did not direct the leader of the National Archives to certify the amendment, as some activists have called for, sidestepping a legal battle. It was the latest in a collection of pronouncements that Biden has made in the waning days of his presidency as he tries to tie up loose ends and embroider [good word choice!] his legacy despite leaving after only one term.\u201d And: \u201cThe Equal Rights Amendment, which would ban discrimination based on gender, was sent to the states for ratification in 1972. Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it in 2000, although years past the deadline set by Congress, leading to a legal standoff over whether it could be considered valid\u2026. It\u2019s unlikely that Biden\u2019s support will have any impact. On Friday, the National Archives reiterated its position by saying \u2018the underlying legal and procedural issues have not changed.’\u201d \u2022 Oh. So I guess it\u2019s just a fundraising hook.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"87.408403361345\">\n<p>\u201cAn Expert in Grand Strategy Thinks Trump Is on to Something\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2025\/01\/16\/logic-trump-global-ambitions-canada-europe-greenland-00198656\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cDo you want a future in which Canada defects to the EU, Russia rules the Arctic and China runs Latin America? That\u2019s the default outcome of non-action.\u201d And: \u201cTrump\u2019s approach to international affairs reflects Americans\u2019 judgment that we are done building a world order \u2014 which we\u2019ve overseen from 1954 to 2008 \u2014and now must vigorously embrace an aggressively competitive approach to this multipolar world; in other words, be less the generous market-maker and more the selfish market-player. The world\u2019s superpowers (U.S., Europe, Russia, India, China) fear one another more and more. We sense an imperative in this re-regionalization\/decoupling era \u2014 one that screams get yours now before somebody else does!\u201d And here is the kicker: \u201cBut let\u2019s also get more real in our thinking and the terms we offer. Would that be enough political power and standing for Canadians to choose over admission into the EU? Say, 18 Senate seats and more congressional districts than California\u2019s 52 seats? That\u2019s a respectful offer. Greenland holds two seats in Denmark\u2019s 179-member parliament. Does that strike you as more empowering than two seats in the U.S. Senate? How about a $57 billion buy-out package that makes every Greenlander an instant millionaire? Does Trump have your undivided attention now?\u201d \u2022 Readers, what do you think? Should such an offer be made? Having been made, should it be accepted?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump Picks a Jet-Setting Pal of Elon Musk to Go Get Greenland\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/16\/us\/politics\/elon-musk-donald-trump-greenland.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cKen Howery is a quiet, unassuming tech investor who prioritizes discretion. And yet, he has ended up in the middle of two of the noisiest story lines of the incoming Trump administration. One is the expanding ambition of Elon Musk, Mr. Howery\u2019s close friend and fellow party-scene fixture since the two helped run PayPal 25 years ago. The other is the expansionist ambition of Mr. Musk\u2019s boss, President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has set his sights on buying Greenland, the world\u2019s largest island. As Mr. Trump\u2019s pick for ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Howery is expected to be central to what Mr. Trump hopes will be a real-estate deal of epic proportions. The only hitch is that Denmark, which counts Greenland as its autonomous territory, says the island is not for sale. Whether he likes it or not, Mr. Howery, a globe-trotter known for his taste for adventure and elaborate party planning, is likely to find himself in the middle of a geopolitical tempest. Mr. Trump has been explicit about his expectations for his new ambassador filling a once-sleepy post. When he announced Mr. Howery for the role, which requires Senate confirmation, he reiterated his designs on Greenland for the first time since winning the presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump selections for top jobs advance, despite initial controversy\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2025\/01\/17\/trump-nominees-bondi-hegseth-gabbard-patel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. \u201cWhen President-elect Donald Trump first unveiled his picks to staff his new administration, some of the more unconventional names sparked gasps and speculation that they could not amass enough support to be confirmed even in a GOP-controlled Senate\u2026. But three days ahead of Trump\u2019s return to the White House, many of his most prominent Cabinet choices have sailed relatively unscathed through their hearings and are poised to win confirmation as Republican senators rallied around them and appeared largely unwilling to defy Trump\u2019s wishes\u2026. Senate GOP opposition to many of the current Trump picks has not materialized, at least not publicly, after Matt Gaetz, Trump\u2019s original pick for attorney general, withdrew under pressure. No Republican lawmakers have said they will oppose Hegseth, though a handful have not made their intentions clear. Trump\u2019s nominees can lose three Republicans at most and still be confirmed if no Democrat backs them. It\u2019s rare for the Senate to reject presidential picks. But Hegseth\u2019s apparent glide path bodes well for some of Trump\u2019s other controversial choices, like former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Their hearings have not been scheduled but are expected soon. Kash Patel\u2019s nomination as FBI director is also considered a harder sell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScoop: Trump team sweats McConnell\u2019s vote on Tulsi Gabbard\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/17\/mcconnell-gabbard-senate-confirmation-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cPresident-elect Trump Trump\u2019s transition thinks Gabbard, the nominee for director of national intelligence, can get confirmed even with a \u201cno\u201d vote from McConnell. But his public opposition \u2014 if it materializes \u2014 could open the door to other GOP defectors\u2026. If Democrats have any chance \u2014 and it\u2019s slim \u2014 at helping drag down a Trump nominee, they see Gabbard as the most likely prospect. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer views the party\u2019s grilling of Hegseth as a success. He\u2019ll demand the same for their treatment of Gabbard, HHS nominee RFK Jr. and FBI director nominee Kash Patel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhite House\u2019s Pandemic Office, Busy With Bird Flu, May Shrink Under Trump\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7207599\/trump-bird-flu-pandemic-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Time<\/a>]. \u201cBy Inauguration Day on Monday, most of the pandemic office\u2019s staff will have cleared out their desks. The office, officially known as the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, or OPPR, is losing more than half of its 18-person staff as the Biden Administration hands off the duties to a Trump Administration that has yet to fill multiple key pandemic-response positions, according to two Biden Administration officials. The political appointees in charge of the office\u2014director Paul Friedrichs and deputy director Nikki Romanik\u2014are leaving to make way for potential Trump appointments, and several of the office\u2019s 14 career staffers, whose assignments to the White House office were temporary, are returning to their home agencies\u2026. Supporters of OPPR point to its work in recent months addressing the spread of a virulent strain of bird flu, which was first detected infecting U.S. dairy cattle in March.\u201d \u2022 <em>Supporters<\/em> do that? Oh\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump team \u2018having a good laugh\u2019 over Michelle Obama\u2019s \u2018deliberate\u2019 decision to skip inauguration: \u2018Didn\u2019t expect her to come anyway’\u201d [Page Six, <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2025\/01\/16\/gossip\/trump-team-having-a-good-laugh-over-michelle-obamas-decision-to-skip-inauguration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201cBarack and Michelle Obama\u2019s office announced this week that Michelle will skip the 60th inaugural ceremonies on Jan. 20, but that the former president will attend. Michelle also skipped former President Jimmy Carter\u2019s funeral on Jan. 9 because she was on an \u201cextended vacation\u201d in Hawaii.\u201d And: \u201c\u2018She\u2019s never been fake and she\u2019s never been phony. She\u2019s always been very deliberate about where and how she shows up,\u2019 the source said.\u201d But: \u201cShe showed up reluctantly for the election.\u201d Oh?!?!? So: \u201cThey were united, but she doesn\u2019t have to unify around [Trump]. She doesn\u2019t have to say anything. Her absence speaks volumes.\u201d \u2022 Ho hum.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"15.764705882353\">\n<p>\u201cTwo Watchdogs Were Rebuffed From Joining Trump\u2019s Cost-Cutting Effort\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/16\/us\/doge-trump-watchdogs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cPresident-elect Donald J. Trump\u2019s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has been on a hiring spree, looking for tech executives and conservative activists to dig into the federal government and look for rules and spending to cut. On Thursday, two activists from a left-leaning watchdog group asked: Where do we sign up? \u2018We write to request our appointment as members of the \u2018Department of Government Efficiency,\u201d wrote Norman Eisen and Virginia Canter, in a letter to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the leaders of Mr. Trump\u2019s unofficial effort that plans to slash regulations and spending. The Trump transition team\u2019s response: no. \u2018President Trump\u2019s Truth made clear we have no room in our administration for Democrats,\u2019 said Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition, in an email to The New York Times.\u201d \u2022 Hmm.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024 Post Mortem<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.262731481481\">\n<p>Get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.edu\/spotlight\/shirley-chisholm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Shirley Chisholm\u2019s<\/a> name out of your mouth:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.3461538461538\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.3076923076923\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">History made. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eBVKIEU2ps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/eBVKIEU2ps<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDemocrats\/status\/1880041868915777644\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>My Twitter feed is absolutely infested with saccharine posts from BIden Democrats that assume we\u2019re going to be sorry to see them go because of the great job they did, and the great people they are. It\u2019s driving me nuts. More of the same\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018One of the great tragedies of American politics\u2019: Biden ends 5 decades in public life\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/joe-biden\/joe-biden-ends-5-decades-public-life-one-greatest-tragedies-american-p-rcna183989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC<\/a>]. \u201cHe does not plan to hold the traditional final formal news conference.\u201d \u2022 Juice no good any more?<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018I\u2019m Urging You Not to Run\u2019: How Schumer Pushed Biden to Drop Out\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/17\/us\/politics\/schumer-biden-2024-election.html?unlocked_article_code=1.p04.D3Rb.sg4LPljl-qnD&smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cWhen Mr. Schumer arrived at Mr. Biden\u2019s beach house that summer day, he could hear the president shouting.\u201d \u2022 I wonder if Biden\u2019s book will include that detail\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"137.40043763676\">\n<p>\u201cThe DNC race for chair was a boring technocratic debate \u2014 until now\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/dnc-chair-race-bernie-sanders-faiz-shakir-rcna187846\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MSNBC<\/a>]. \u201cFormer Bernie Sanders campaign manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/elections\/former-bernie-sanders-campaign-manager-faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-race-rcna187794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Faiz Shakir has thrown his hat in the ring<\/a>. Since he\u2019s joining the race just a couple weeks before <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/politics\/2025-01-10-opening-dncs-black-box\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the DNC\u2019s members<\/a> vote, it will be a challenge for him to catch the front-runners\u2026. He\u2019s worked closely with the upper echelons of the party establishment, serving as an aide to former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He also had high-profile posts at the Center for American Progress, the premier think tank affiliated with the center-left party establishment. But he\u2019s also worked in the left wing of the party, most notably managing Sanders\u2019 2020 presidential campaign. That campaign was <a href=\"https:\/\/zeeshanaleem.com\/2020\/04\/11\/why-did-bernie-lose\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">far from perfect<\/a>, but Sanders came close to winning the Democratic presidential primaries, losing only after the moderate wing of the party consolidated behind Joe Biden [during the Night of the Long Knives orchestrated by Obama]. He also served as political director of the American Civil Liberties Union and is currently the executive director of More Perfect Union, an advocacy journalism nonprofit that <a href=\"https:\/\/perfectunion.us\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">describes its mission<\/a> as \u2018building power for the working class.’\u201d \u2022 Could do worse, I suppose\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFormer Bernie Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir enters DNC Chair race\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/01\/15\/faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-democrats-00198365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018We all seemingly agree \u2014 rhetorically at least \u2014 that focusing on winning back America\u2019s diverse working class is of utmost priority,\u2019 Shakir wrote in his letter to DNC members. \u2018But as I have listened to our candidates, I sense a constrained, status-quo style of thinking. .’\u201d\u2026 In his letter to members, Shakir laid out some of his platform for his bid, including a pledge to turn the DNC into \u2018an organizing army\u2019 with its own \u2018powerful media outlet\u2019 that will release its own \u2018compelling original content.’\u201d \u2022 OK, but if the new DNC is an\u201dorganizing army,\u201d what is the AFL-CIO for? I know, I know, \u201cdon\u2019t answer that,\u201d but you see the issue\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir, Ex-Bernie Sanders Campaign Chief, Joins Race for D.N.C. Chair\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/Lq9Du\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cMr. Shakir said his mission, should he win the post, would be to redefine the Democratic Party as the party of the working class.\u201d \u2018Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished (except by the Democrat PMC base, of course). More: \u201c[Shakir] described the Democratic brand as fundamentally \u2018tarnished,\u2019 \u2018broken\u2019 and in need of repair. \u2018It\u2019s late in the game,\u2019 he said of his entrance. \u2018If we can\u2019t have a bold [dread word; remember \u201cbold progressives\u201d?] debate about these issues \u2014 it\u2019s now or never.’\u201d And: \u201cThe intraparty debate over who will lead it has so far largely revolved around internal concerns such as how much money the national committee will allocate to state parties and who will or will not be awarded contracts to do the party\u2019s work.\u201d \u2022\u00a0That is, which consultants wet their beaks. It would be nice if Shakir could blow that away, but that seems dubious to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir\u2019s Late Entry Shakes Up the Race for DNC Chair\u201d [John Nichols, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. \u201cBut even if he may be coming from behind, Shakir\u2019s candidacy should ensure that the chair\u2019s race will be more sharply focused on ending the DNC\u2019s deference to economic elites\u2014a bedrock concern for Shakir, who has worked as a senior adviser for the anti-monopoly agitators at the American Economic Liberty Project.\u201d \u2022 That\u2019s the \u201cAmerican Economic Libert Project.\u201d Spell the name right, ffs. Still, very good news!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir, Bernie Sanders\u2019 former campaign chief, enters DNC race\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kget.com\/news\/politics\/ap-faiz-shakir-bernie-sanders-former-campaign-chief-enters-dnc-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cShakir acknowledged that it may be too late for him to win, but he said something was needed to shake up the race. \u2018It feels very fluid to me, that people are feeling,\u2019 he said. \u2018Democrats are in the wilderness, right? There\u2019s no real leader.’\u201d \u2022 Ouch!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFetterman was elected to challenge convention. Now, he\u2019s challenging his fellow Democrats\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/john-fetterman-trump-meeting-senate-pennsylvania-0ab534338747e899428bfb83735969c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. I don\u2019t agree with the headline at all. Fetterman\u2019s strategy was \u201cevery county, every vote.\u201d It was not policy-oriented at all. Fetterman won because he went out and asked for people\u2019s votes, and the voters concluded, rightly, that Mehmet Oz was a loon and worse, an out-of-stater, a fact that Fetterman\u2019s brilliant social media team drove home. More: \u201cFetterman\u2019s approach is reminding some Democrats of former Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both of whom clashed with their party during President Joe Biden\u2019s term, became political independents and didn\u2019t run for reelection.\u201d \u2022 Well, the party needs it\u2019s rotating villains, and now that Sinema and Manchin are gone, look who pops up.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Trump Wants to Unrig the Economy, I\u2019m In\u201d [Elizabeth Warren, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/JDwIS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u2022 Excuse my French, but Christ on a crutch, Liz! Has your party been calling Trump a fascist for four years or not? And now it\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/OjYoNL4g5Vg?si=Bn6TI26yXyhSGO7H\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Never mind<\/a>\u201c? Shakir is so, so right [pounds head on desk].<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump\u2019s Arms\u201d (interview) [Marc Andreesen, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/17\/opinion\/marc-andreessen-trump-silicon-valley.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201c[ANDREESEN:] Normie Democrat is what I call the Deal, with a capital D. Nobody ever wrote this down; it was just something everybody understood: You\u2019re me, you show up, you\u2019re an entrepreneur, you\u2019re a capitalist, you start a company, you grow a company, and if it works, you make a lot of money. And then the company itself is good because it\u2019s bringing new technology to the world that makes the world a better place, but then you make a lot of money, and you give the money away. Through that, you absolve yourself of all of your sins. Then in your obituary, it talks about what an incredible person you were, both in your business career and in your philanthropic career. And by the way, you\u2019re a Democrat, you\u2019re pro\u2013gay rights, you\u2019re pro-abortion, you\u2019re pro all the fashionable and appropriate social causes of the time. There are no trade-offs. This is the Deal.\u201d But: \u201c[A]fter Obama\u2019s re-election in 2012 through ultimately to 2016, things really started to change\u2026. the unifying thread here is, I believe it\u2019s the children of the elites. The most privileged people in society, the most successful, send their kids to the most politically radical institutions, which teach them how to be America-hating communists. They fan out into the professions, and our companies hire a lot of kids out of the top universities, of course. And then, by the way, a lot of them go into government, and so we\u2019re not only talking about a wave of new arrivals into the tech companies. We\u2019re also talking about a wave of new arrivals into the congressional offices. And of course, they all know each other, and so all of a sudden you have this influx, this new cohort. And my only conclusion is what changed was basically the kids. In other words, the young children of the privileged going to the top universities between 2008 to 2012, they basically radicalized hard at the universities, I think, primarily as a consequence of the global financial crisis and probably Iraq. Throw that in there also. But for whatever reason, they radicalized hard\u2026. It turned out to be a coalition of economic radicals, and this was the rise of Bernie Sanders, but the kids turned on capitalism in a very fundamental way. They came out as some version of radical Marxist, and the fundamental valence went from \u2018Capitalism is good and an enabler of the good society\u2019 to \u2018Capitalism is evil and should be torn down.\u2019 And then the other part was social revolution and the social revolution, of course, was the Great Awokening, and then those conjoined.\u201d \u2022 Well, fortunately the Democrats nobbled Sanders and prevented the social revolution part. But does Andreesen give them credit for that? N-o-o-o-o. Why, the ingratitude.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"21.953158268275\">\n<p>\u201cSupreme Court upholds TikTok ban, clears way for app to shut down in U.S. as soon as Sunday\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/supreme-court-tiktok-ban-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CBS<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate the petitioners\u2019 First Amendment rights,\u2019 the court said in a unanimous unsigned opinion, which upholds the lower court decision against TikTok. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch wrote separately, with Gorsuch agreeing with the outcome of the case but splitting with the court\u2019s reasoning. The court\u2019s ruling comes days before the law, which was passed with bipartisan majorities of Congress last April, is set to take effect. TikTok and a group of content creators who use the app argued the law infringes on their free speech rights, and the Supreme Court heard arguments in their bid to block it one week ago. \u2018There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok\u2019s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary,\u2019 the court\u2019s opinion said.’\u201d \u2022 I personally would prefer to hand my data over to the Chinese government, because what are they going to do with it? Rather than a US corporation, which has all kinds of ways of doing me harm.<\/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> Celebrity Watch<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6527777777778\">\n<p>Oddly, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/q4Ucd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">this page<\/a> has disappeared from the intertubes:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"132\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel-300x66.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.241935483871\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"13.343108504399\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Celebrities getting COVID at the hotel they\u2019re all staying at and let me remind you the industry-standard US film&TV industry COVID safety protocols (vaccines, quarantines, paid sick leave, masking, PCR testing of all crew) completely ended in May 2023 and not a single one spoke<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 thomas \ud83d\udee0 gazafunds.com\/all (@t_NYC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/t_NYC\/status\/1879175328226287950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Not that we\u2019re bitter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: I don\u2019t like a lot of this week\u2019s charts. In wastewater, too many red dots concentrated in the Midwest and the Atlantic coast, so I started circling areas in red, again. New York\u2019s weirdly persistent higher hospitalization rate continues. Traveler positivity is up, and worse, the dominant traveler variants are JN* and KP*, which, while present in the national variants, are very low. And in the two death charts, the projected deaths seem to have leveled out, when in the past they decreased. Nothing earth-shattering, but it does make me queasy, and it\u2019s well after the holiday bump.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.952157598499\">\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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2-300x209.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-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><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.68\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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> January 18<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><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 style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> <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 11<\/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-variants-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-300x230.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-ccd-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ccd-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ccd-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=\"3.9634146341463\">\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 16:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> Janurary 16:<\/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-8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-8.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-8-300x169.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-hospitalization-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1-288x300.png 288w\" 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 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=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 30:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 30<\/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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png 608w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2-300x161.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\"\/><\/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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2-300x210.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=\"3.7777777777778\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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 11:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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 11:<\/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-death-positivity.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-positivity.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-positivity-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-death-ed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-ed.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-ed-300x174.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"123.10462882096\">\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>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Industrial Production\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/industrial-production-mom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cIndustrial production in the United States surged by 0.9% in December 2024, marking the strongest increase since February and significantly surpassing market expectations of a 0.3% rise. A key driver of this growth was a 0.2 percentage point contribution from the production of aircraft and parts, following the resolution of a work stoppage at a major aircraft manufacturer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Capacity: \u201cUnited States Capacity Utilization\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/capacity-utilization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cCapacity utilization in the US rose sharply to 77.6% in December of 2024, the highest since August, to rebound from the downwardly revised 77% recorded in the two prior months, which were the lowest since May 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Housing: \u201cUnited States Housing Starts\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/housing-starts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cHousing stars in the United States surged by 15.8% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.499 Million units in December of 2024, the most since March 2021. It is the highest number of starts since February 2024, above market expectations of a softer increase to 1.320 Million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cKABOOM! SpaceX rocket EXPLODES as vid shows glowing debris raining down\u2026but upbeat Elon Musk says \u2018entertainment is guaranteed!’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/tech\/13315545\/elon-musks-starship-rocket-explodes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The U.S. Sun<\/a>]. \u201cIncredible footage shows glowing debris raining down across the sky after the 400ft behemoth failed after launching from Boca Chica, southern Texas, on Thursday\u2026. Confirming the explosion, SpaceX wrote on X: \u201cStarship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn.\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cRapid unscheduled disassembly\u201d is, of course, GENIUS. Hat tip, McKinsey?<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cApple pauses AI-generated news alerts after headline notification errors\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/17\/apple-ai-news-alerts-fake-headlines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cThe BBC lodged an official complaint after the Apple Intelligence summaries generated an inaccurate headline of a report by the British outlet that incorrectly represented a report on Luigi Mangione, the suspect in last month\u2019s killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, by suggesting he had committed suicide\u2026. Following the BBC false headline controversy, the nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/rsf-urges-apple-remove-its-new-generative-ai-feature-after-it-wrongly-attributes-false-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reporters Without Borders<\/a> called generative AI services \u201ca danger to the public\u2019s right to reliable information on current affairs.’\u201d \u2022 As if anybody cared about <em>that<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 38 Fear (previous close: 28 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 26 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jan 17 at 1:37:47 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"britain\"\/>\u201cAncient burials reveal \u2018remarkable\u2019 women-dominated society in UK. \u2018Relatively rare’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/nation-world\/world\/article298658353.html?taid=678a8cef7adf430001490241&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">News and Observer<\/a>]. \u201cWhen the Romans reached Britain in the first century, they were shocked to find \u2018remarkable\u2019 women standing in their way. Female tribal leaders Cartimandua and Boudica became legends, leading uprisings that destroyed Roman towns and challenged the authority of the empire, and women in their community were able to own property, divorce and lead the Celtic armies. Julius Caesar himself noted the seemingly exotic practice of British women taking more than one husband in his book \u2018Commentarii de Bello Gallico.\u2019 But, because bodies were commonly cremated, excarnated or placed in wetlands during the Iron Age, proof of these powerful matriarchal lineages was absent from the archaeological record in Britain \u2014 until now\u2026. \u2018This was the cemetery of a large kin group,\u2019 study author Lara Cassidy, a professor genetics at Trinity College, said in the release. \u2018We reconstructed a family tree with many different branches and found most members traced their maternal lineage back to a single woman, who would have lived centuries before. In contrast, relationships through the father\u2019s line were almost absent.\u2019 This means when a man was ready to marry, he would have left his community to go and join his wife\u2019s, and that family land would have been passed from mother to daughter, Cassidy said. \u2018This is the first time this type of system has been documented in European prehistory and it predicts female social and political empowerment,\u2019 Cassidy said. \u2018It\u2019s relatively rare in modern societies, but this might not always have been the case.’\u201d \u2022 Headline from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-024-04214-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the original<\/a> (abstract only): \u201cWomen were at the centre of social networks in Iron Age Britain.\u201d<\/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-1-14-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From Wukchumni:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Wukchumni writes: \u201cSunrise over the Garfield Grove, Sequoia NP.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. 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-1-17-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-17T14:00:09-05:00\">January 17, 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\/mbridge-a-bank-of-international-settlements-project-hyped-by-brics-fans-as-a-way-to-evade-sanctions-shut-down.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> mBridge, a Bank of International Settlements Project Hyped by BRICS Fans as a Way to Evade Sanctions, Shut Down<\/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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Patient readers, I have once more been swept up in the social whirl. More soon! \u2013lambert<\/p>\n
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Yard, Bledsoe, Tennessee, United States. Lot going on in \u201cYard\u201d (or \u201cmy yard\u201d?).<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#table\">New Covid charts<\/a> that Lambert does not like.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">Faiz Shakir<\/a> throws his hat in the DNC ring.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#britain\">Ancient Britain<\/a> a matriarchal society?<\/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>Biden Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"16.789473684211\">\n<p>\u201cBiden says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratified\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-equal-rights-amendment-era-16b554dfe913797a52f894b72684bc45\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. On the Friday before the inaugural? Thanks a bunch! Why not back in 2020, when it could have been part of the abortion battle? More: \u201c\u2018The Equal Rights Amendment is the law of the land,\u2019 Biden said even though presidents have no role in the constitutional process. He did not direct the leader of the National Archives to certify the amendment, as some activists have called for, sidestepping a legal battle. It was the latest in a collection of pronouncements that Biden has made in the waning days of his presidency as he tries to tie up loose ends and embroider [good word choice!] his legacy despite leaving after only one term.\u201d And: \u201cThe Equal Rights Amendment, which would ban discrimination based on gender, was sent to the states for ratification in 1972. Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it in 2000, although years past the deadline set by Congress, leading to a legal standoff over whether it could be considered valid\u2026. It\u2019s unlikely that Biden\u2019s support will have any impact. On Friday, the National Archives reiterated its position by saying \u2018the underlying legal and procedural issues have not changed.’\u201d \u2022 Oh. So I guess it\u2019s just a fundraising hook.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"87.408403361345\">\n<p>\u201cAn Expert in Grand Strategy Thinks Trump Is on to Something\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2025\/01\/16\/logic-trump-global-ambitions-canada-europe-greenland-00198656\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cDo you want a future in which Canada defects to the EU, Russia rules the Arctic and China runs Latin America? That\u2019s the default outcome of non-action.\u201d And: \u201cTrump\u2019s approach to international affairs reflects Americans\u2019 judgment that we are done building a world order \u2014 which we\u2019ve overseen from 1954 to 2008 \u2014and now must vigorously embrace an aggressively competitive approach to this multipolar world; in other words, be less the generous market-maker and more the selfish market-player. The world\u2019s superpowers (U.S., Europe, Russia, India, China) fear one another more and more. We sense an imperative in this re-regionalization\/decoupling era \u2014 one that screams get yours now before somebody else does!\u201d And here is the kicker: \u201cBut let\u2019s also get more real in our thinking and the terms we offer. Would that be enough political power and standing for Canadians to choose over admission into the EU? Say, 18 Senate seats and more congressional districts than California\u2019s 52 seats? That\u2019s a respectful offer. Greenland holds two seats in Denmark\u2019s 179-member parliament. Does that strike you as more empowering than two seats in the U.S. Senate? How about a $57 billion buy-out package that makes every Greenlander an instant millionaire? Does Trump have your undivided attention now?\u201d \u2022 Readers, what do you think? Should such an offer be made? Having been made, should it be accepted?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump Picks a Jet-Setting Pal of Elon Musk to Go Get Greenland\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/16\/us\/politics\/elon-musk-donald-trump-greenland.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cKen Howery is a quiet, unassuming tech investor who prioritizes discretion. And yet, he has ended up in the middle of two of the noisiest story lines of the incoming Trump administration. One is the expanding ambition of Elon Musk, Mr. Howery\u2019s close friend and fellow party-scene fixture since the two helped run PayPal 25 years ago. The other is the expansionist ambition of Mr. Musk\u2019s boss, President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has set his sights on buying Greenland, the world\u2019s largest island. As Mr. Trump\u2019s pick for ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Howery is expected to be central to what Mr. Trump hopes will be a real-estate deal of epic proportions. The only hitch is that Denmark, which counts Greenland as its autonomous territory, says the island is not for sale. Whether he likes it or not, Mr. Howery, a globe-trotter known for his taste for adventure and elaborate party planning, is likely to find himself in the middle of a geopolitical tempest. Mr. Trump has been explicit about his expectations for his new ambassador filling a once-sleepy post. When he announced Mr. Howery for the role, which requires Senate confirmation, he reiterated his designs on Greenland for the first time since winning the presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump selections for top jobs advance, despite initial controversy\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2025\/01\/17\/trump-nominees-bondi-hegseth-gabbard-patel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. \u201cWhen President-elect Donald Trump first unveiled his picks to staff his new administration, some of the more unconventional names sparked gasps and speculation that they could not amass enough support to be confirmed even in a GOP-controlled Senate\u2026. But three days ahead of Trump\u2019s return to the White House, many of his most prominent Cabinet choices have sailed relatively unscathed through their hearings and are poised to win confirmation as Republican senators rallied around them and appeared largely unwilling to defy Trump\u2019s wishes\u2026. Senate GOP opposition to many of the current Trump picks has not materialized, at least not publicly, after Matt Gaetz, Trump\u2019s original pick for attorney general, withdrew under pressure. No Republican lawmakers have said they will oppose Hegseth, though a handful have not made their intentions clear. Trump\u2019s nominees can lose three Republicans at most and still be confirmed if no Democrat backs them. It\u2019s rare for the Senate to reject presidential picks. But Hegseth\u2019s apparent glide path bodes well for some of Trump\u2019s other controversial choices, like former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Their hearings have not been scheduled but are expected soon. Kash Patel\u2019s nomination as FBI director is also considered a harder sell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScoop: Trump team sweats McConnell\u2019s vote on Tulsi Gabbard\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/17\/mcconnell-gabbard-senate-confirmation-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cPresident-elect Trump Trump\u2019s transition thinks Gabbard, the nominee for director of national intelligence, can get confirmed even with a \u201cno\u201d vote from McConnell. But his public opposition \u2014 if it materializes \u2014 could open the door to other GOP defectors\u2026. If Democrats have any chance \u2014 and it\u2019s slim \u2014 at helping drag down a Trump nominee, they see Gabbard as the most likely prospect. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer views the party\u2019s grilling of Hegseth as a success. He\u2019ll demand the same for their treatment of Gabbard, HHS nominee RFK Jr. and FBI director nominee Kash Patel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhite House\u2019s Pandemic Office, Busy With Bird Flu, May Shrink Under Trump\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7207599\/trump-bird-flu-pandemic-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Time<\/a>]. \u201cBy Inauguration Day on Monday, most of the pandemic office\u2019s staff will have cleared out their desks. The office, officially known as the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, or OPPR, is losing more than half of its 18-person staff as the Biden Administration hands off the duties to a Trump Administration that has yet to fill multiple key pandemic-response positions, according to two Biden Administration officials. The political appointees in charge of the office\u2014director Paul Friedrichs and deputy director Nikki Romanik\u2014are leaving to make way for potential Trump appointments, and several of the office\u2019s 14 career staffers, whose assignments to the White House office were temporary, are returning to their home agencies\u2026. Supporters of OPPR point to its work in recent months addressing the spread of a virulent strain of bird flu, which was first detected infecting U.S. dairy cattle in March.\u201d \u2022 <em>Supporters<\/em> do that? Oh\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump team \u2018having a good laugh\u2019 over Michelle Obama\u2019s \u2018deliberate\u2019 decision to skip inauguration: \u2018Didn\u2019t expect her to come anyway’\u201d [Page Six, <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2025\/01\/16\/gossip\/trump-team-having-a-good-laugh-over-michelle-obamas-decision-to-skip-inauguration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201cBarack and Michelle Obama\u2019s office announced this week that Michelle will skip the 60th inaugural ceremonies on Jan. 20, but that the former president will attend. Michelle also skipped former President Jimmy Carter\u2019s funeral on Jan. 9 because she was on an \u201cextended vacation\u201d in Hawaii.\u201d And: \u201c\u2018She\u2019s never been fake and she\u2019s never been phony. She\u2019s always been very deliberate about where and how she shows up,\u2019 the source said.\u201d But: \u201cShe showed up reluctantly for the election.\u201d Oh?!?!? So: \u201cThey were united, but she doesn\u2019t have to unify around [Trump]. She doesn\u2019t have to say anything. Her absence speaks volumes.\u201d \u2022 Ho hum.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"15.764705882353\">\n<p>\u201cTwo Watchdogs Were Rebuffed From Joining Trump\u2019s Cost-Cutting Effort\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/16\/us\/doge-trump-watchdogs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cPresident-elect Donald J. Trump\u2019s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has been on a hiring spree, looking for tech executives and conservative activists to dig into the federal government and look for rules and spending to cut. On Thursday, two activists from a left-leaning watchdog group asked: Where do we sign up? \u2018We write to request our appointment as members of the \u2018Department of Government Efficiency,\u201d wrote Norman Eisen and Virginia Canter, in a letter to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the leaders of Mr. Trump\u2019s unofficial effort that plans to slash regulations and spending. The Trump transition team\u2019s response: no. \u2018President Trump\u2019s Truth made clear we have no room in our administration for Democrats,\u2019 said Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition, in an email to The New York Times.\u201d \u2022 Hmm.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024 Post Mortem<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.262731481481\">\n<p>Get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.edu\/spotlight\/shirley-chisholm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Shirley Chisholm\u2019s<\/a> name out of your mouth:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.3461538461538\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.3076923076923\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">History made. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eBVKIEU2ps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/eBVKIEU2ps<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDemocrats\/status\/1880041868915777644\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>My Twitter feed is absolutely infested with saccharine posts from BIden Democrats that assume we\u2019re going to be sorry to see them go because of the great job they did, and the great people they are. It\u2019s driving me nuts. More of the same\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018One of the great tragedies of American politics\u2019: Biden ends 5 decades in public life\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/joe-biden\/joe-biden-ends-5-decades-public-life-one-greatest-tragedies-american-p-rcna183989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC<\/a>]. \u201cHe does not plan to hold the traditional final formal news conference.\u201d \u2022 Juice no good any more?<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018I\u2019m Urging You Not to Run\u2019: How Schumer Pushed Biden to Drop Out\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/17\/us\/politics\/schumer-biden-2024-election.html?unlocked_article_code=1.p04.D3Rb.sg4LPljl-qnD&smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cWhen Mr. Schumer arrived at Mr. Biden\u2019s beach house that summer day, he could hear the president shouting.\u201d \u2022 I wonder if Biden\u2019s book will include that detail\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"137.40043763676\">\n<p>\u201cThe DNC race for chair was a boring technocratic debate \u2014 until now\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/dnc-chair-race-bernie-sanders-faiz-shakir-rcna187846\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MSNBC<\/a>]. \u201cFormer Bernie Sanders campaign manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/elections\/former-bernie-sanders-campaign-manager-faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-race-rcna187794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Faiz Shakir has thrown his hat in the ring<\/a>. Since he\u2019s joining the race just a couple weeks before <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/politics\/2025-01-10-opening-dncs-black-box\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the DNC\u2019s members<\/a> vote, it will be a challenge for him to catch the front-runners\u2026. He\u2019s worked closely with the upper echelons of the party establishment, serving as an aide to former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He also had high-profile posts at the Center for American Progress, the premier think tank affiliated with the center-left party establishment. But he\u2019s also worked in the left wing of the party, most notably managing Sanders\u2019 2020 presidential campaign. That campaign was <a href=\"https:\/\/zeeshanaleem.com\/2020\/04\/11\/why-did-bernie-lose\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">far from perfect<\/a>, but Sanders came close to winning the Democratic presidential primaries, losing only after the moderate wing of the party consolidated behind Joe Biden [during the Night of the Long Knives orchestrated by Obama]. He also served as political director of the American Civil Liberties Union and is currently the executive director of More Perfect Union, an advocacy journalism nonprofit that <a href=\"https:\/\/perfectunion.us\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">describes its mission<\/a> as \u2018building power for the working class.’\u201d \u2022 Could do worse, I suppose\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFormer Bernie Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir enters DNC Chair race\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/01\/15\/faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-democrats-00198365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018We all seemingly agree \u2014 rhetorically at least \u2014 that focusing on winning back America\u2019s diverse working class is of utmost priority,\u2019 Shakir wrote in his letter to DNC members. \u2018But as I have listened to our candidates, I sense a constrained, status-quo style of thinking. .’\u201d\u2026 In his letter to members, Shakir laid out some of his platform for his bid, including a pledge to turn the DNC into \u2018an organizing army\u2019 with its own \u2018powerful media outlet\u2019 that will release its own \u2018compelling original content.’\u201d \u2022 OK, but if the new DNC is an\u201dorganizing army,\u201d what is the AFL-CIO for? I know, I know, \u201cdon\u2019t answer that,\u201d but you see the issue\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir, Ex-Bernie Sanders Campaign Chief, Joins Race for D.N.C. Chair\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/Lq9Du\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cMr. Shakir said his mission, should he win the post, would be to redefine the Democratic Party as the party of the working class.\u201d \u2018Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished (except by the Democrat PMC base, of course). More: \u201c[Shakir] described the Democratic brand as fundamentally \u2018tarnished,\u2019 \u2018broken\u2019 and in need of repair. \u2018It\u2019s late in the game,\u2019 he said of his entrance. \u2018If we can\u2019t have a bold [dread word; remember \u201cbold progressives\u201d?] debate about these issues \u2014 it\u2019s now or never.’\u201d And: \u201cThe intraparty debate over who will lead it has so far largely revolved around internal concerns such as how much money the national committee will allocate to state parties and who will or will not be awarded contracts to do the party\u2019s work.\u201d \u2022\u00a0That is, which consultants wet their beaks. It would be nice if Shakir could blow that away, but that seems dubious to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir\u2019s Late Entry Shakes Up the Race for DNC Chair\u201d [John Nichols, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. \u201cBut even if he may be coming from behind, Shakir\u2019s candidacy should ensure that the chair\u2019s race will be more sharply focused on ending the DNC\u2019s deference to economic elites\u2014a bedrock concern for Shakir, who has worked as a senior adviser for the anti-monopoly agitators at the American Economic Liberty Project.\u201d \u2022 That\u2019s the \u201cAmerican Economic Libert Project.\u201d Spell the name right, ffs. Still, very good news!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir, Bernie Sanders\u2019 former campaign chief, enters DNC race\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kget.com\/news\/politics\/ap-faiz-shakir-bernie-sanders-former-campaign-chief-enters-dnc-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cShakir acknowledged that it may be too late for him to win, but he said something was needed to shake up the race. \u2018It feels very fluid to me, that people are feeling,\u2019 he said. \u2018Democrats are in the wilderness, right? There\u2019s no real leader.’\u201d \u2022 Ouch!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFetterman was elected to challenge convention. Now, he\u2019s challenging his fellow Democrats\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/john-fetterman-trump-meeting-senate-pennsylvania-0ab534338747e899428bfb83735969c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. I don\u2019t agree with the headline at all. Fetterman\u2019s strategy was \u201cevery county, every vote.\u201d It was not policy-oriented at all. Fetterman won because he went out and asked for people\u2019s votes, and the voters concluded, rightly, that Mehmet Oz was a loon and worse, an out-of-stater, a fact that Fetterman\u2019s brilliant social media team drove home. More: \u201cFetterman\u2019s approach is reminding some Democrats of former Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both of whom clashed with their party during President Joe Biden\u2019s term, became political independents and didn\u2019t run for reelection.\u201d \u2022 Well, the party needs it\u2019s rotating villains, and now that Sinema and Manchin are gone, look who pops up.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Trump Wants to Unrig the Economy, I\u2019m In\u201d [Elizabeth Warren, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/JDwIS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u2022 Excuse my French, but Christ on a crutch, Liz! Has your party been calling Trump a fascist for four years or not? And now it\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/OjYoNL4g5Vg?si=Bn6TI26yXyhSGO7H\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Never mind<\/a>\u201c? Shakir is so, so right [pounds head on desk].<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump\u2019s Arms\u201d (interview) [Marc Andreesen, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/17\/opinion\/marc-andreessen-trump-silicon-valley.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201c[ANDREESEN:] Normie Democrat is what I call the Deal, with a capital D. Nobody ever wrote this down; it was just something everybody understood: You\u2019re me, you show up, you\u2019re an entrepreneur, you\u2019re a capitalist, you start a company, you grow a company, and if it works, you make a lot of money. And then the company itself is good because it\u2019s bringing new technology to the world that makes the world a better place, but then you make a lot of money, and you give the money away. Through that, you absolve yourself of all of your sins. Then in your obituary, it talks about what an incredible person you were, both in your business career and in your philanthropic career. And by the way, you\u2019re a Democrat, you\u2019re pro\u2013gay rights, you\u2019re pro-abortion, you\u2019re pro all the fashionable and appropriate social causes of the time. There are no trade-offs. This is the Deal.\u201d But: \u201c[A]fter Obama\u2019s re-election in 2012 through ultimately to 2016, things really started to change\u2026. the unifying thread here is, I believe it\u2019s the children of the elites. The most privileged people in society, the most successful, send their kids to the most politically radical institutions, which teach them how to be America-hating communists. They fan out into the professions, and our companies hire a lot of kids out of the top universities, of course. And then, by the way, a lot of them go into government, and so we\u2019re not only talking about a wave of new arrivals into the tech companies. We\u2019re also talking about a wave of new arrivals into the congressional offices. And of course, they all know each other, and so all of a sudden you have this influx, this new cohort. And my only conclusion is what changed was basically the kids. In other words, the young children of the privileged going to the top universities between 2008 to 2012, they basically radicalized hard at the universities, I think, primarily as a consequence of the global financial crisis and probably Iraq. Throw that in there also. But for whatever reason, they radicalized hard\u2026. It turned out to be a coalition of economic radicals, and this was the rise of Bernie Sanders, but the kids turned on capitalism in a very fundamental way. They came out as some version of radical Marxist, and the fundamental valence went from \u2018Capitalism is good and an enabler of the good society\u2019 to \u2018Capitalism is evil and should be torn down.\u2019 And then the other part was social revolution and the social revolution, of course, was the Great Awokening, and then those conjoined.\u201d \u2022 Well, fortunately the Democrats nobbled Sanders and prevented the social revolution part. But does Andreesen give them credit for that? N-o-o-o-o. Why, the ingratitude.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"21.953158268275\">\n<p>\u201cSupreme Court upholds TikTok ban, clears way for app to shut down in U.S. as soon as Sunday\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/supreme-court-tiktok-ban-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CBS<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate the petitioners\u2019 First Amendment rights,\u2019 the court said in a unanimous unsigned opinion, which upholds the lower court decision against TikTok. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch wrote separately, with Gorsuch agreeing with the outcome of the case but splitting with the court\u2019s reasoning. The court\u2019s ruling comes days before the law, which was passed with bipartisan majorities of Congress last April, is set to take effect. TikTok and a group of content creators who use the app argued the law infringes on their free speech rights, and the Supreme Court heard arguments in their bid to block it one week ago. \u2018There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok\u2019s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary,\u2019 the court\u2019s opinion said.’\u201d \u2022 I personally would prefer to hand my data over to the Chinese government, because what are they going to do with it? Rather than a US corporation, which has all kinds of ways of doing me harm.<\/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> Celebrity Watch<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6527777777778\">\n<p>Oddly, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/q4Ucd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">this page<\/a> has disappeared from the intertubes:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"132\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel-300x66.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.241935483871\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"13.343108504399\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Celebrities getting COVID at the hotel they\u2019re all staying at and let me remind you the industry-standard US film&TV industry COVID safety protocols (vaccines, quarantines, paid sick leave, masking, PCR testing of all crew) completely ended in May 2023 and not a single one spoke<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 thomas \ud83d\udee0 gazafunds.com\/all (@t_NYC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/t_NYC\/status\/1879175328226287950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Not that we\u2019re bitter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: I don\u2019t like a lot of this week\u2019s charts. In wastewater, too many red dots concentrated in the Midwest and the Atlantic coast, so I started circling areas in red, again. New York\u2019s weirdly persistent higher hospitalization rate continues. Traveler positivity is up, and worse, the dominant traveler variants are JN* and KP*, which, while present in the national variants, are very low. And in the two death charts, the projected deaths seem to have leveled out, when in the past they decreased. Nothing earth-shattering, but it does make me queasy, and it\u2019s well after the holiday bump.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.952157598499\">\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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2-300x209.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-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><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.68\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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> January 18<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><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 style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> <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 11<\/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-variants-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-300x230.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-ccd-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ccd-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ccd-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=\"3.9634146341463\">\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 16:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> Janurary 16:<\/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-8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-8.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-8-300x169.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-hospitalization-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1-288x300.png 288w\" 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 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=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 30:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 30<\/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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png 608w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2-300x161.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\"\/><\/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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2-300x210.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=\"3.7777777777778\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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 11:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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 11:<\/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-death-positivity.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-positivity.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-positivity-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-death-ed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-ed.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-ed-300x174.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"123.10462882096\">\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>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Industrial Production\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/industrial-production-mom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cIndustrial production in the United States surged by 0.9% in December 2024, marking the strongest increase since February and significantly surpassing market expectations of a 0.3% rise. A key driver of this growth was a 0.2 percentage point contribution from the production of aircraft and parts, following the resolution of a work stoppage at a major aircraft manufacturer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Capacity: \u201cUnited States Capacity Utilization\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/capacity-utilization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cCapacity utilization in the US rose sharply to 77.6% in December of 2024, the highest since August, to rebound from the downwardly revised 77% recorded in the two prior months, which were the lowest since May 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Housing: \u201cUnited States Housing Starts\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/housing-starts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cHousing stars in the United States surged by 15.8% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.499 Million units in December of 2024, the most since March 2021. It is the highest number of starts since February 2024, above market expectations of a softer increase to 1.320 Million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cKABOOM! SpaceX rocket EXPLODES as vid shows glowing debris raining down\u2026but upbeat Elon Musk says \u2018entertainment is guaranteed!’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/tech\/13315545\/elon-musks-starship-rocket-explodes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The U.S. Sun<\/a>]. \u201cIncredible footage shows glowing debris raining down across the sky after the 400ft behemoth failed after launching from Boca Chica, southern Texas, on Thursday\u2026. Confirming the explosion, SpaceX wrote on X: \u201cStarship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn.\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cRapid unscheduled disassembly\u201d is, of course, GENIUS. Hat tip, McKinsey?<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cApple pauses AI-generated news alerts after headline notification errors\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/17\/apple-ai-news-alerts-fake-headlines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cThe BBC lodged an official complaint after the Apple Intelligence summaries generated an inaccurate headline of a report by the British outlet that incorrectly represented a report on Luigi Mangione, the suspect in last month\u2019s killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, by suggesting he had committed suicide\u2026. Following the BBC false headline controversy, the nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/rsf-urges-apple-remove-its-new-generative-ai-feature-after-it-wrongly-attributes-false-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reporters Without Borders<\/a> called generative AI services \u201ca danger to the public\u2019s right to reliable information on current affairs.’\u201d \u2022 As if anybody cared about <em>that<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 38 Fear (previous close: 28 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 26 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jan 17 at 1:37:47 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"britain\"\/>\u201cAncient burials reveal \u2018remarkable\u2019 women-dominated society in UK. \u2018Relatively rare’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/nation-world\/world\/article298658353.html?taid=678a8cef7adf430001490241&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">News and Observer<\/a>]. \u201cWhen the Romans reached Britain in the first century, they were shocked to find \u2018remarkable\u2019 women standing in their way. Female tribal leaders Cartimandua and Boudica became legends, leading uprisings that destroyed Roman towns and challenged the authority of the empire, and women in their community were able to own property, divorce and lead the Celtic armies. Julius Caesar himself noted the seemingly exotic practice of British women taking more than one husband in his book \u2018Commentarii de Bello Gallico.\u2019 But, because bodies were commonly cremated, excarnated or placed in wetlands during the Iron Age, proof of these powerful matriarchal lineages was absent from the archaeological record in Britain \u2014 until now\u2026. \u2018This was the cemetery of a large kin group,\u2019 study author Lara Cassidy, a professor genetics at Trinity College, said in the release. \u2018We reconstructed a family tree with many different branches and found most members traced their maternal lineage back to a single woman, who would have lived centuries before. In contrast, relationships through the father\u2019s line were almost absent.\u2019 This means when a man was ready to marry, he would have left his community to go and join his wife\u2019s, and that family land would have been passed from mother to daughter, Cassidy said. \u2018This is the first time this type of system has been documented in European prehistory and it predicts female social and political empowerment,\u2019 Cassidy said. \u2018It\u2019s relatively rare in modern societies, but this might not always have been the case.’\u201d \u2022 Headline from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-024-04214-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the original<\/a> (abstract only): \u201cWomen were at the centre of social networks in Iron Age Britain.\u201d<\/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-1-14-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From Wukchumni:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Wukchumni writes: \u201cSunrise over the Garfield Grove, Sequoia NP.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. 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-1-17-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-17T14:00:09-05:00\">January 17, 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\/mbridge-a-bank-of-international-settlements-project-hyped-by-brics-fans-as-a-way-to-evade-sanctions-shut-down.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> mBridge, a Bank of International Settlements Project Hyped by BRICS Fans as a Way to Evade Sanctions, Shut Down<\/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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More soon! \u2013lambert Bird Song of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89842,"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-89841","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\/89841","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=89841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Yard, Bledsoe, Tennessee, United States. Lot going on in \u201cYard\u201d (or \u201cmy yard\u201d?).<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#table\">New Covid charts<\/a> that Lambert does not like.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">Faiz Shakir<\/a> throws his hat in the DNC ring.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#britain\">Ancient Britain<\/a> a matriarchal society?<\/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>Biden Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"16.789473684211\">\n<p>\u201cBiden says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratified\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-equal-rights-amendment-era-16b554dfe913797a52f894b72684bc45\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. On the Friday before the inaugural? Thanks a bunch! Why not back in 2020, when it could have been part of the abortion battle? More: \u201c\u2018The Equal Rights Amendment is the law of the land,\u2019 Biden said even though presidents have no role in the constitutional process. He did not direct the leader of the National Archives to certify the amendment, as some activists have called for, sidestepping a legal battle. It was the latest in a collection of pronouncements that Biden has made in the waning days of his presidency as he tries to tie up loose ends and embroider [good word choice!] his legacy despite leaving after only one term.\u201d And: \u201cThe Equal Rights Amendment, which would ban discrimination based on gender, was sent to the states for ratification in 1972. Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it in 2000, although years past the deadline set by Congress, leading to a legal standoff over whether it could be considered valid\u2026. It\u2019s unlikely that Biden\u2019s support will have any impact. On Friday, the National Archives reiterated its position by saying \u2018the underlying legal and procedural issues have not changed.’\u201d \u2022 Oh. So I guess it\u2019s just a fundraising hook.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"87.408403361345\">\n<p>\u201cAn Expert in Grand Strategy Thinks Trump Is on to Something\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2025\/01\/16\/logic-trump-global-ambitions-canada-europe-greenland-00198656\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cDo you want a future in which Canada defects to the EU, Russia rules the Arctic and China runs Latin America? That\u2019s the default outcome of non-action.\u201d And: \u201cTrump\u2019s approach to international affairs reflects Americans\u2019 judgment that we are done building a world order \u2014 which we\u2019ve overseen from 1954 to 2008 \u2014and now must vigorously embrace an aggressively competitive approach to this multipolar world; in other words, be less the generous market-maker and more the selfish market-player. The world\u2019s superpowers (U.S., Europe, Russia, India, China) fear one another more and more. We sense an imperative in this re-regionalization\/decoupling era \u2014 one that screams get yours now before somebody else does!\u201d And here is the kicker: \u201cBut let\u2019s also get more real in our thinking and the terms we offer. Would that be enough political power and standing for Canadians to choose over admission into the EU? Say, 18 Senate seats and more congressional districts than California\u2019s 52 seats? That\u2019s a respectful offer. Greenland holds two seats in Denmark\u2019s 179-member parliament. Does that strike you as more empowering than two seats in the U.S. Senate? How about a $57 billion buy-out package that makes every Greenlander an instant millionaire? Does Trump have your undivided attention now?\u201d \u2022 Readers, what do you think? Should such an offer be made? Having been made, should it be accepted?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump Picks a Jet-Setting Pal of Elon Musk to Go Get Greenland\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/16\/us\/politics\/elon-musk-donald-trump-greenland.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cKen Howery is a quiet, unassuming tech investor who prioritizes discretion. And yet, he has ended up in the middle of two of the noisiest story lines of the incoming Trump administration. One is the expanding ambition of Elon Musk, Mr. Howery\u2019s close friend and fellow party-scene fixture since the two helped run PayPal 25 years ago. The other is the expansionist ambition of Mr. Musk\u2019s boss, President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has set his sights on buying Greenland, the world\u2019s largest island. As Mr. Trump\u2019s pick for ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Howery is expected to be central to what Mr. Trump hopes will be a real-estate deal of epic proportions. The only hitch is that Denmark, which counts Greenland as its autonomous territory, says the island is not for sale. Whether he likes it or not, Mr. Howery, a globe-trotter known for his taste for adventure and elaborate party planning, is likely to find himself in the middle of a geopolitical tempest. Mr. Trump has been explicit about his expectations for his new ambassador filling a once-sleepy post. When he announced Mr. Howery for the role, which requires Senate confirmation, he reiterated his designs on Greenland for the first time since winning the presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump selections for top jobs advance, despite initial controversy\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2025\/01\/17\/trump-nominees-bondi-hegseth-gabbard-patel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. \u201cWhen President-elect Donald Trump first unveiled his picks to staff his new administration, some of the more unconventional names sparked gasps and speculation that they could not amass enough support to be confirmed even in a GOP-controlled Senate\u2026. But three days ahead of Trump\u2019s return to the White House, many of his most prominent Cabinet choices have sailed relatively unscathed through their hearings and are poised to win confirmation as Republican senators rallied around them and appeared largely unwilling to defy Trump\u2019s wishes\u2026. Senate GOP opposition to many of the current Trump picks has not materialized, at least not publicly, after Matt Gaetz, Trump\u2019s original pick for attorney general, withdrew under pressure. No Republican lawmakers have said they will oppose Hegseth, though a handful have not made their intentions clear. Trump\u2019s nominees can lose three Republicans at most and still be confirmed if no Democrat backs them. It\u2019s rare for the Senate to reject presidential picks. But Hegseth\u2019s apparent glide path bodes well for some of Trump\u2019s other controversial choices, like former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Their hearings have not been scheduled but are expected soon. Kash Patel\u2019s nomination as FBI director is also considered a harder sell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScoop: Trump team sweats McConnell\u2019s vote on Tulsi Gabbard\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/17\/mcconnell-gabbard-senate-confirmation-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cPresident-elect Trump Trump\u2019s transition thinks Gabbard, the nominee for director of national intelligence, can get confirmed even with a \u201cno\u201d vote from McConnell. But his public opposition \u2014 if it materializes \u2014 could open the door to other GOP defectors\u2026. If Democrats have any chance \u2014 and it\u2019s slim \u2014 at helping drag down a Trump nominee, they see Gabbard as the most likely prospect. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer views the party\u2019s grilling of Hegseth as a success. He\u2019ll demand the same for their treatment of Gabbard, HHS nominee RFK Jr. and FBI director nominee Kash Patel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhite House\u2019s Pandemic Office, Busy With Bird Flu, May Shrink Under Trump\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7207599\/trump-bird-flu-pandemic-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Time<\/a>]. \u201cBy Inauguration Day on Monday, most of the pandemic office\u2019s staff will have cleared out their desks. The office, officially known as the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, or OPPR, is losing more than half of its 18-person staff as the Biden Administration hands off the duties to a Trump Administration that has yet to fill multiple key pandemic-response positions, according to two Biden Administration officials. The political appointees in charge of the office\u2014director Paul Friedrichs and deputy director Nikki Romanik\u2014are leaving to make way for potential Trump appointments, and several of the office\u2019s 14 career staffers, whose assignments to the White House office were temporary, are returning to their home agencies\u2026. Supporters of OPPR point to its work in recent months addressing the spread of a virulent strain of bird flu, which was first detected infecting U.S. dairy cattle in March.\u201d \u2022 <em>Supporters<\/em> do that? Oh\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump team \u2018having a good laugh\u2019 over Michelle Obama\u2019s \u2018deliberate\u2019 decision to skip inauguration: \u2018Didn\u2019t expect her to come anyway’\u201d [Page Six, <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2025\/01\/16\/gossip\/trump-team-having-a-good-laugh-over-michelle-obamas-decision-to-skip-inauguration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201cBarack and Michelle Obama\u2019s office announced this week that Michelle will skip the 60th inaugural ceremonies on Jan. 20, but that the former president will attend. Michelle also skipped former President Jimmy Carter\u2019s funeral on Jan. 9 because she was on an \u201cextended vacation\u201d in Hawaii.\u201d And: \u201c\u2018She\u2019s never been fake and she\u2019s never been phony. She\u2019s always been very deliberate about where and how she shows up,\u2019 the source said.\u201d But: \u201cShe showed up reluctantly for the election.\u201d Oh?!?!? So: \u201cThey were united, but she doesn\u2019t have to unify around [Trump]. She doesn\u2019t have to say anything. Her absence speaks volumes.\u201d \u2022 Ho hum.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"15.764705882353\">\n<p>\u201cTwo Watchdogs Were Rebuffed From Joining Trump\u2019s Cost-Cutting Effort\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/16\/us\/doge-trump-watchdogs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cPresident-elect Donald J. Trump\u2019s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has been on a hiring spree, looking for tech executives and conservative activists to dig into the federal government and look for rules and spending to cut. On Thursday, two activists from a left-leaning watchdog group asked: Where do we sign up? \u2018We write to request our appointment as members of the \u2018Department of Government Efficiency,\u201d wrote Norman Eisen and Virginia Canter, in a letter to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the leaders of Mr. Trump\u2019s unofficial effort that plans to slash regulations and spending. The Trump transition team\u2019s response: no. \u2018President Trump\u2019s Truth made clear we have no room in our administration for Democrats,\u2019 said Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition, in an email to The New York Times.\u201d \u2022 Hmm.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024 Post Mortem<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.262731481481\">\n<p>Get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.edu\/spotlight\/shirley-chisholm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Shirley Chisholm\u2019s<\/a> name out of your mouth:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.3461538461538\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.3076923076923\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">History made. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eBVKIEU2ps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/eBVKIEU2ps<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDemocrats\/status\/1880041868915777644\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>My Twitter feed is absolutely infested with saccharine posts from BIden Democrats that assume we\u2019re going to be sorry to see them go because of the great job they did, and the great people they are. It\u2019s driving me nuts. More of the same\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018One of the great tragedies of American politics\u2019: Biden ends 5 decades in public life\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/joe-biden\/joe-biden-ends-5-decades-public-life-one-greatest-tragedies-american-p-rcna183989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC<\/a>]. \u201cHe does not plan to hold the traditional final formal news conference.\u201d \u2022 Juice no good any more?<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018I\u2019m Urging You Not to Run\u2019: How Schumer Pushed Biden to Drop Out\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/17\/us\/politics\/schumer-biden-2024-election.html?unlocked_article_code=1.p04.D3Rb.sg4LPljl-qnD&smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cWhen Mr. Schumer arrived at Mr. Biden\u2019s beach house that summer day, he could hear the president shouting.\u201d \u2022 I wonder if Biden\u2019s book will include that detail\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"137.40043763676\">\n<p>\u201cThe DNC race for chair was a boring technocratic debate \u2014 until now\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/dnc-chair-race-bernie-sanders-faiz-shakir-rcna187846\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MSNBC<\/a>]. \u201cFormer Bernie Sanders campaign manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/elections\/former-bernie-sanders-campaign-manager-faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-race-rcna187794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Faiz Shakir has thrown his hat in the ring<\/a>. Since he\u2019s joining the race just a couple weeks before <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/politics\/2025-01-10-opening-dncs-black-box\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the DNC\u2019s members<\/a> vote, it will be a challenge for him to catch the front-runners\u2026. He\u2019s worked closely with the upper echelons of the party establishment, serving as an aide to former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He also had high-profile posts at the Center for American Progress, the premier think tank affiliated with the center-left party establishment. But he\u2019s also worked in the left wing of the party, most notably managing Sanders\u2019 2020 presidential campaign. That campaign was <a href=\"https:\/\/zeeshanaleem.com\/2020\/04\/11\/why-did-bernie-lose\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">far from perfect<\/a>, but Sanders came close to winning the Democratic presidential primaries, losing only after the moderate wing of the party consolidated behind Joe Biden [during the Night of the Long Knives orchestrated by Obama]. He also served as political director of the American Civil Liberties Union and is currently the executive director of More Perfect Union, an advocacy journalism nonprofit that <a href=\"https:\/\/perfectunion.us\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">describes its mission<\/a> as \u2018building power for the working class.’\u201d \u2022 Could do worse, I suppose\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFormer Bernie Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir enters DNC Chair race\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/01\/15\/faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-democrats-00198365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018We all seemingly agree \u2014 rhetorically at least \u2014 that focusing on winning back America\u2019s diverse working class is of utmost priority,\u2019 Shakir wrote in his letter to DNC members. \u2018But as I have listened to our candidates, I sense a constrained, status-quo style of thinking. .’\u201d\u2026 In his letter to members, Shakir laid out some of his platform for his bid, including a pledge to turn the DNC into \u2018an organizing army\u2019 with its own \u2018powerful media outlet\u2019 that will release its own \u2018compelling original content.’\u201d \u2022 OK, but if the new DNC is an\u201dorganizing army,\u201d what is the AFL-CIO for? I know, I know, \u201cdon\u2019t answer that,\u201d but you see the issue\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir, Ex-Bernie Sanders Campaign Chief, Joins Race for D.N.C. Chair\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/Lq9Du\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cMr. Shakir said his mission, should he win the post, would be to redefine the Democratic Party as the party of the working class.\u201d \u2018Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished (except by the Democrat PMC base, of course). More: \u201c[Shakir] described the Democratic brand as fundamentally \u2018tarnished,\u2019 \u2018broken\u2019 and in need of repair. \u2018It\u2019s late in the game,\u2019 he said of his entrance. \u2018If we can\u2019t have a bold [dread word; remember \u201cbold progressives\u201d?] debate about these issues \u2014 it\u2019s now or never.’\u201d And: \u201cThe intraparty debate over who will lead it has so far largely revolved around internal concerns such as how much money the national committee will allocate to state parties and who will or will not be awarded contracts to do the party\u2019s work.\u201d \u2022\u00a0That is, which consultants wet their beaks. It would be nice if Shakir could blow that away, but that seems dubious to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir\u2019s Late Entry Shakes Up the Race for DNC Chair\u201d [John Nichols, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/faiz-shakir-dnc-chair-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. \u201cBut even if he may be coming from behind, Shakir\u2019s candidacy should ensure that the chair\u2019s race will be more sharply focused on ending the DNC\u2019s deference to economic elites\u2014a bedrock concern for Shakir, who has worked as a senior adviser for the anti-monopoly agitators at the American Economic Liberty Project.\u201d \u2022 That\u2019s the \u201cAmerican Economic Libert Project.\u201d Spell the name right, ffs. Still, very good news!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFaiz Shakir, Bernie Sanders\u2019 former campaign chief, enters DNC race\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kget.com\/news\/politics\/ap-faiz-shakir-bernie-sanders-former-campaign-chief-enters-dnc-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cShakir acknowledged that it may be too late for him to win, but he said something was needed to shake up the race. \u2018It feels very fluid to me, that people are feeling,\u2019 he said. \u2018Democrats are in the wilderness, right? There\u2019s no real leader.’\u201d \u2022 Ouch!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFetterman was elected to challenge convention. Now, he\u2019s challenging his fellow Democrats\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/john-fetterman-trump-meeting-senate-pennsylvania-0ab534338747e899428bfb83735969c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. I don\u2019t agree with the headline at all. Fetterman\u2019s strategy was \u201cevery county, every vote.\u201d It was not policy-oriented at all. Fetterman won because he went out and asked for people\u2019s votes, and the voters concluded, rightly, that Mehmet Oz was a loon and worse, an out-of-stater, a fact that Fetterman\u2019s brilliant social media team drove home. More: \u201cFetterman\u2019s approach is reminding some Democrats of former Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both of whom clashed with their party during President Joe Biden\u2019s term, became political independents and didn\u2019t run for reelection.\u201d \u2022 Well, the party needs it\u2019s rotating villains, and now that Sinema and Manchin are gone, look who pops up.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Trump Wants to Unrig the Economy, I\u2019m In\u201d [Elizabeth Warren, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/JDwIS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u2022 Excuse my French, but Christ on a crutch, Liz! Has your party been calling Trump a fascist for four years or not? And now it\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/OjYoNL4g5Vg?si=Bn6TI26yXyhSGO7H\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Never mind<\/a>\u201c? Shakir is so, so right [pounds head on desk].<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump\u2019s Arms\u201d (interview) [Marc Andreesen, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/17\/opinion\/marc-andreessen-trump-silicon-valley.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201c[ANDREESEN:] Normie Democrat is what I call the Deal, with a capital D. Nobody ever wrote this down; it was just something everybody understood: You\u2019re me, you show up, you\u2019re an entrepreneur, you\u2019re a capitalist, you start a company, you grow a company, and if it works, you make a lot of money. And then the company itself is good because it\u2019s bringing new technology to the world that makes the world a better place, but then you make a lot of money, and you give the money away. Through that, you absolve yourself of all of your sins. Then in your obituary, it talks about what an incredible person you were, both in your business career and in your philanthropic career. And by the way, you\u2019re a Democrat, you\u2019re pro\u2013gay rights, you\u2019re pro-abortion, you\u2019re pro all the fashionable and appropriate social causes of the time. There are no trade-offs. This is the Deal.\u201d But: \u201c[A]fter Obama\u2019s re-election in 2012 through ultimately to 2016, things really started to change\u2026. the unifying thread here is, I believe it\u2019s the children of the elites. The most privileged people in society, the most successful, send their kids to the most politically radical institutions, which teach them how to be America-hating communists. They fan out into the professions, and our companies hire a lot of kids out of the top universities, of course. And then, by the way, a lot of them go into government, and so we\u2019re not only talking about a wave of new arrivals into the tech companies. We\u2019re also talking about a wave of new arrivals into the congressional offices. And of course, they all know each other, and so all of a sudden you have this influx, this new cohort. And my only conclusion is what changed was basically the kids. In other words, the young children of the privileged going to the top universities between 2008 to 2012, they basically radicalized hard at the universities, I think, primarily as a consequence of the global financial crisis and probably Iraq. Throw that in there also. But for whatever reason, they radicalized hard\u2026. It turned out to be a coalition of economic radicals, and this was the rise of Bernie Sanders, but the kids turned on capitalism in a very fundamental way. They came out as some version of radical Marxist, and the fundamental valence went from \u2018Capitalism is good and an enabler of the good society\u2019 to \u2018Capitalism is evil and should be torn down.\u2019 And then the other part was social revolution and the social revolution, of course, was the Great Awokening, and then those conjoined.\u201d \u2022 Well, fortunately the Democrats nobbled Sanders and prevented the social revolution part. But does Andreesen give them credit for that? N-o-o-o-o. Why, the ingratitude.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"21.953158268275\">\n<p>\u201cSupreme Court upholds TikTok ban, clears way for app to shut down in U.S. as soon as Sunday\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/supreme-court-tiktok-ban-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CBS<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate the petitioners\u2019 First Amendment rights,\u2019 the court said in a unanimous unsigned opinion, which upholds the lower court decision against TikTok. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch wrote separately, with Gorsuch agreeing with the outcome of the case but splitting with the court\u2019s reasoning. The court\u2019s ruling comes days before the law, which was passed with bipartisan majorities of Congress last April, is set to take effect. TikTok and a group of content creators who use the app argued the law infringes on their free speech rights, and the Supreme Court heard arguments in their bid to block it one week ago. \u2018There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok\u2019s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary,\u2019 the court\u2019s opinion said.’\u201d \u2022 I personally would prefer to hand my data over to the Chinese government, because what are they going to do with it? Rather than a US corporation, which has all kinds of ways of doing me harm.<\/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> Celebrity Watch<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6527777777778\">\n<p>Oddly, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/q4Ucd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">this page<\/a> has disappeared from the intertubes:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"132\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/hotel-300x66.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.241935483871\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"13.343108504399\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Celebrities getting COVID at the hotel they\u2019re all staying at and let me remind you the industry-standard US film&TV industry COVID safety protocols (vaccines, quarantines, paid sick leave, masking, PCR testing of all crew) completely ended in May 2023 and not a single one spoke<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 thomas \ud83d\udee0 gazafunds.com\/all (@t_NYC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/t_NYC\/status\/1879175328226287950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Not that we\u2019re bitter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: I don\u2019t like a lot of this week\u2019s charts. In wastewater, too many red dots concentrated in the Midwest and the Atlantic coast, so I started circling areas in red, again. New York\u2019s weirdly persistent higher hospitalization rate continues. Traveler positivity is up, and worse, the dominant traveler variants are JN* and KP*, which, while present in the national variants, are very low. And in the two death charts, the projected deaths seem to have leveled out, when in the past they decreased. Nothing earth-shattering, but it does make me queasy, and it\u2019s well after the holiday bump.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.952157598499\">\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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2-300x209.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-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><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.68\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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> January 18<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><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 style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> <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 11<\/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-variants-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-300x230.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-ccd-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ccd-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ccd-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=\"3.9634146341463\">\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 16:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> Janurary 16:<\/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-8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-8.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-8-300x169.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-hospitalization-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1-288x300.png 288w\" 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 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=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 30:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 30<\/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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png 608w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2-300x161.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\"\/><\/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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2-300x210.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=\"3.7777777777778\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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 11:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> 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 11:<\/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-death-positivity.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-positivity.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-positivity-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-death-ed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-285673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-ed.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-ed-300x174.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"123.10462882096\">\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>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Industrial Production\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/industrial-production-mom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cIndustrial production in the United States surged by 0.9% in December 2024, marking the strongest increase since February and significantly surpassing market expectations of a 0.3% rise. A key driver of this growth was a 0.2 percentage point contribution from the production of aircraft and parts, following the resolution of a work stoppage at a major aircraft manufacturer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Capacity: \u201cUnited States Capacity Utilization\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/capacity-utilization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cCapacity utilization in the US rose sharply to 77.6% in December of 2024, the highest since August, to rebound from the downwardly revised 77% recorded in the two prior months, which were the lowest since May 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Housing: \u201cUnited States Housing Starts\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/housing-starts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cHousing stars in the United States surged by 15.8% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.499 Million units in December of 2024, the most since March 2021. It is the highest number of starts since February 2024, above market expectations of a softer increase to 1.320 Million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cKABOOM! SpaceX rocket EXPLODES as vid shows glowing debris raining down\u2026but upbeat Elon Musk says \u2018entertainment is guaranteed!’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/tech\/13315545\/elon-musks-starship-rocket-explodes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The U.S. Sun<\/a>]. \u201cIncredible footage shows glowing debris raining down across the sky after the 400ft behemoth failed after launching from Boca Chica, southern Texas, on Thursday\u2026. Confirming the explosion, SpaceX wrote on X: \u201cStarship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn.\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cRapid unscheduled disassembly\u201d is, of course, GENIUS. Hat tip, McKinsey?<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cApple pauses AI-generated news alerts after headline notification errors\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/01\/17\/apple-ai-news-alerts-fake-headlines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cThe BBC lodged an official complaint after the Apple Intelligence summaries generated an inaccurate headline of a report by the British outlet that incorrectly represented a report on Luigi Mangione, the suspect in last month\u2019s killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, by suggesting he had committed suicide\u2026. Following the BBC false headline controversy, the nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/rsf-urges-apple-remove-its-new-generative-ai-feature-after-it-wrongly-attributes-false-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reporters Without Borders<\/a> called generative AI services \u201ca danger to the public\u2019s right to reliable information on current affairs.’\u201d \u2022 As if anybody cared about <em>that<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 38 Fear (previous close: 28 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 26 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jan 17 at 1:37:47 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"britain\"\/>\u201cAncient burials reveal \u2018remarkable\u2019 women-dominated society in UK. \u2018Relatively rare’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/nation-world\/world\/article298658353.html?taid=678a8cef7adf430001490241&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">News and Observer<\/a>]. \u201cWhen the Romans reached Britain in the first century, they were shocked to find \u2018remarkable\u2019 women standing in their way. Female tribal leaders Cartimandua and Boudica became legends, leading uprisings that destroyed Roman towns and challenged the authority of the empire, and women in their community were able to own property, divorce and lead the Celtic armies. Julius Caesar himself noted the seemingly exotic practice of British women taking more than one husband in his book \u2018Commentarii de Bello Gallico.\u2019 But, because bodies were commonly cremated, excarnated or placed in wetlands during the Iron Age, proof of these powerful matriarchal lineages was absent from the archaeological record in Britain \u2014 until now\u2026. \u2018This was the cemetery of a large kin group,\u2019 study author Lara Cassidy, a professor genetics at Trinity College, said in the release. \u2018We reconstructed a family tree with many different branches and found most members traced their maternal lineage back to a single woman, who would have lived centuries before. In contrast, relationships through the father\u2019s line were almost absent.\u2019 This means when a man was ready to marry, he would have left his community to go and join his wife\u2019s, and that family land would have been passed from mother to daughter, Cassidy said. \u2018This is the first time this type of system has been documented in European prehistory and it predicts female social and political empowerment,\u2019 Cassidy said. \u2018It\u2019s relatively rare in modern societies, but this might not always have been the case.’\u201d \u2022 Headline from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-024-04214-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the original<\/a> (abstract only): \u201cWomen were at the centre of social networks in Iron Age Britain.\u201d<\/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-1-14-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From Wukchumni:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-285667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/garfield-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Wukchumni writes: \u201cSunrise over the Garfield Grove, Sequoia NP.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. 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-1-17-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-17T14:00:09-05:00\">January 17, 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\/mbridge-a-bank-of-international-settlements-project-hyped-by-brics-fans-as-a-way-to-evade-sanctions-shut-down.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> mBridge, a Bank of International Settlements Project Hyped by BRICS Fans as a Way to Evade Sanctions, Shut Down<\/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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More soon! \u2013lambert Bird Song of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89842,"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-89841","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\/89841","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=89841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}