Melania\u2019s now a billionaire too, thanks to Bitcoin:<\/p>\n
\nWell, Melania is a Vogue girl who once ruled the fashion industry. Since she is so tall, this kind of boater hat seems to suit her best! Most importantly she knows how to wear & present any outfit. Her designer Adam Lippes owns credit for this as he knew what he was doing! The\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/pC6V9xGxSt<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9Xl9MHBpiy<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 UB citizen (@Ehdelhii) January 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center> <\/p>\n
Scamalot. (Surely, if the Democrats had or were attempting to have, an effective media operation, this joke \u2014 surely justified by the Trump family memecoins \u2014 would be all over the intertubes? Or have the tech bros sacralized bitcoin?)<\/p>\n
The Lannisters send their regards:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \nMelania’s elegant, occlusive, all-business, mafia boss hat said no one\u2014but especially not the media or their cameras \u2014will have access to her unless she grants it, not even to her facial expressions. pic.twitter.com\/uiRbMmk7fv<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Amanda Fortini (@amandafortini) January 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center> <\/p>\n
If this were a Vel\u00e1zquez, we would know the dominant figure:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \nMelania’s hat choice was brilliant. She shielded her eyes while in the presence of people who wanted to have her son left an orphan. Never let them know what you are thinking. pic.twitter.com\/NsRcEop7BP<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Old West (@OldWest1453) January 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center>
\n* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n Seating arrangement:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \nScaramucci: “[Trump] is a perfectionist with aesthetics. There was symbolism to the family in the front row, billionaires in the second row, and cabinet in the third row. And there’s messages there to corporate America and the global society: ‘Take a bended knee to me.'” ~AA pic.twitter.com\/JTepIKhPxm<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) January 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center> <\/p>\n
Refining Scaramucci:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \nTrump seating for the Inaugural: front row, family, second row, billionaires, third row, Cabinet.
MAGAs? Outside.<\/p>\n\u2014 Dare_L (@dare_l) January 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center> <\/p>\n
Trump Transition<\/p>\n
\n\u201cExclusive: Trump starts new term with 47% approval; Jan. 6 pardons unpopular, Reuters\/Ipsos poll finds\u201d [Reuters<\/a>]. \u2022 Not that high, meaning all the more reason for the Republican attaque \u00e0 outrance<\/a> and Democrat obstruction and, er, resistance (assuming the Democrats actually have a coherent strategy, which I doubt).<\/p>\n
Executive Orders (EOs):<\/p>\n
\u201cBehind-the-Scenes Aide Narrates Trump\u2019s Day One Executive Actions\u201d [RealClearPolitics<\/a>]. \u201cBack at the White House, on the evening of his second inauguration, President Trump did something on the first day that his predecessor never bothered to do in four years: He sat and took questions in the Oval Office as reporters peppered him with questions. It was the newest set piece in the second season of Trump, and in that moment, as the president signed executive order after executive order, an obscure staffer was catapulted to unlikely stardom. Will Scharf, the new White House staff secretary, stood by the president\u2019s side and before the cameras, announcing the actions just before Trump put his black Sharpie to paper. Asked Trump, \u2018What\u2019s this one?\u2019 Replied the staffer handing him paperwork bound in a black portfolio, \u2018Withdrawing from the World Health Organization.\u2019 Said the president, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s a big one.\u2019 In this way, Scharf served as impromptu master of ceremonies for the first step in the attempted erasure of former President Biden\u2019s legacy.\u201d And: \u201cA stack of those orders, each bound in black leather portfolios, had grown into a small mountain on the Resolute Desk by the end of the evening, each a step toward achieving what the president promised would be a \u2018golden age of America.\u2019 And in that moment, Scharf was the unexpected emcee. Soon the lawyer will recuse his speaking role and likely recede from public view. His influence within the White House, however, will not.\u201d \u2022 A well-engineered spectable indeed \u2014 especially since Scharf was only asked by Trump to do the honors at the last minute (a small insight into why his staff might be loyal to him).<\/p>\n
* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n \u201cTrump executive orders smash leftist pieties that kept America paralyzed\u2019 [Editorial Board, New York Post<\/a>]. More interesting is the take at the end: \u201cTrump\u2019s still giving his inner troll some room to play, renaming Alaska\u2019s Denali Mt. McKinley (as it was called pre-Obama) and the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. But his vision is blessedly forward-looking \u2014 to the better, brighter vistas that Biden and his party refuse to see. That willful blindness cost them the election. America, in love with the future as always, is right there with Trump.\u201d \u2022 The polling says that \u201cAmerica\u201d is not. So we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n \u201cTrump administration directs all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on leave\u201d [Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201d President Donald Trump\u2019s administration has moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off\u2026. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It\u2019s using one of the key tools utilized by the Biden administration to promote DEI programs across the private sector \u2014 pushing their use by federal contractors \u2014 to now eradicate them\u2026. [F]ederal workers are being asked to report to Trump\u2019s Office of Personnel Management if they suspect any DEI-related program has been renamed to obfuscate its purpose within 10 days or face \u2018adverse consequences.’\u201d That said, there are implementation issues: \u2018Despite the sweeping language of Trump\u2019s order, [Noreen Farrell, executive director of gender rights group Equal Rights Advocates] said, \u2018the reality of implementing such massive structural changes is far more complex.\u2019 \u2018Federal agencies have deeply embedded policies and procedures that can\u2019t simply be switched off overnight,\u2019 she added.\u201d \u2022 That\u2019s a lot of PMC, especially in Northern Virginia and Maryland, suddenly uncertain of their employment prospects.<\/p>\n
\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s Medicare Executive Order Explained\u201d [Newsweek<\/a>]. \u201cThe potential impact of rescinding executive order 14087 is as follows: 1. Halted development of cost-reduction models: The directive for the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and test new models aimed at lowering drug costs through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has been withdrawn. This move could slow or halt progress on initiatives that were designed to make prescription medications more affordable. 2. Potential increase in out-of-pocket expenses: Without the implementation of new models focused on reducing costs, Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries might continue to face high out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs, possibly affecting access to certain medications. 3. Uncertainty in future drug pricing policies: The rescission creates uncertainty regarding the federal government\u2019s approach to addressing prescription drug costs, which could leave beneficiaries unsure about future measures to control or reduce expenses.\u201d But as usual implementation: \u201cWhile the executive order has been rescinded, existing laws and regulations governing prescription drug pricing and Medicare and Medicaid policies remain in effect. However, the measures from the previous administration that they say was designed to save on costs has now been disrupted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA Trump Executive Order Could End The Government-Censorship Complex\u201d [The Federalist<\/a>]. \u201cTrump\u2019s executive order \u2014 just one in a slough of Inauguration Day measures \u2014 seeks to enforce the First Amendment, \u2018essential to the success of our Republic.’\u201d But once again implementation: \u201cIt is unclear what steps the Trump administration will take, pursuant to this order, to investigate or shut down agencies or partnerships that constitute the government-censorship complex.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrump\u2019s blanket Jan. 6 pardons stun Republicans on Capitol Hill\u201d [The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cPresident Trump\u2019s sweeping pardons of more than 1,500 people charged with crimes related to the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021, including individuals who assaulted police officers, stunned Republican lawmakers who witnessed firsthand the chaos on Capitol Hill four years ago. Trump\u2019s action, which defied assurances from his allies that he would examine convictions on a case-by-case basis and not grant clemency to people who committed violence, divided GOP senators and overshadowed talk about his first-100-days agenda. GOP lawmakers are largely willing to overlook the hundreds of people who entered the Capitol illegally four years ago, which disrupted the certification of former President Biden\u2019s victory by several hours, but pardoning people who assaulted Capitol Police, causing dozens of injuries, was hard to swallow. \u2018It is wrong to pardon individuals convicted of violent crime, especially when many of the victims of their violence were law enforcement officers,\u2019 Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said in a statement. Moran was expressing a view shared by many of his Senate GOP colleagues, even though many of them are reluctant to criticize Trump publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c22 states sue to stop Trump\u2019s order blocking birthright citizenship\u201d [Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cAttorneys general from 22 states sued Tuesday to block President Donald Trump\u2019s move to end a century-old immigration practice known as birthright citizenship guaranteeing that U.S.-born children are citizens regardless of their parents\u2019 status. Trump\u2019s roughly 700-word executive order, issued late Monday, amounts to a fulfillment of something he\u2019s talked about during the presidential campaign. But whether it succeeds is far from certain amid what is likely to be a lengthy legal battle over the president\u2019s immigration policies and a constitutional right to citizenship. The Democratic attorneys general and immigrant rights advocates say the question of birthright citizenship is settled law and that while presidents have broad authority, they are not kings.\u201d And: \u201cRatified in 1868 in in the aftermath of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment says: \u2018All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.’\u201d \u2022 A strict constructionist reading the Fourteenth Amendment would surely support the Democrats.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n \u201cHow Trump Is Pushing at Limits of Presidential Power in Early Orders\u201d [Charlie Savage, New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cOn Monday, as Mr. Trump took the oath of office to begin his second term, he asserted a muscular vision of presidential power. He not only revived some of the same expansive understandings of executive authority that were left unaddressed, but went even further with new claims of sweeping and inherent constitutional clout. Among a blizzard of executive orders, Mr. Trump instructed prosecutors not to enforce a law that bans the popular social media app TikTok until its Chinese owner sells it. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had signed the measure into law after it passed with broad bipartisan support, and the Supreme Court unanimously upheld it. Whatever the law\u2019s merits, the Constitution says presidents \u2018shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.\u2019 Mr. Trump offered no clear explanation for how he has any legitimate power to instead suspend the law, making only a vague gesture toward his \u2018constitutional responsibility\u2019 for national security, foreign policy \u2018and other vital executive functions.’\u201d And several of the EOs (border security; energy) depend on invoking Presidential emergency powers. \u201cBut facts matter little to whether or when it is legal for presidents to invoke emergency power, declarations that are governed by the National Emergencies Act of 1976. That law does not tightly define the circumstances under which presidents may determine that an emergency exists, leaving them with essentially unfettered discretion to unlock exigent powers for themselves. But previous presidents adhered to norms of self-restraint.\u201d \u2022 The Norms Fairy sheds another tear.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n AI:<\/p>\n
\u201cTrump announces private-sector $500 billion investment in AI infrastructure\u201d [Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cU.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a private sector investment of up to $500 billion to fund infrastructure for artificial intelligence, aiming to outpace rival nations in the business-critical technology. Trump said that ChatGPT\u2019s creator OpenAI, SoftBank (9984.T), opens new tab and Oracle (ORCL.N), opens new tab are planning a joint venture called Stargate, which he said will build data centers and create more than 100,000 jobs in the United States. These companies, along with other equity backers of Stargate, have committed $100 billion for immediate deployment, with the remaining investment expected to occur over the next four years. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison joined Trump at the White House for the launch. The first of the project\u2019s data centers are already under construction in Texas, Ellison said at the press conference. Twenty will be built, half a million square feet each, he said. The project could power AI that analyzes electronic health records and helps doctors care for their patients, Ellison said.<\/p>\n
\u2022 That will be awesome; we\u2019ll be able to have AI-powered upcoding<\/a> then, or wherever the return is greatest (i.e., wherever fraud and rental extraction is maximized). Commentary:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \nOmg pic.twitter.com\/UYM3eNpikc<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Daniel (@growing_daniel) January 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center> <\/p>\n
\u201cTrump highlights partnership investing $500 billion in AI\u201d [Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cStill, the regulatory outlook for AI remains somewhat uncertain as Trump on Monday overturned the 2023 order signed by then-President Joe Biden to create safety standards and watermarking of AI-generated content, among other goals, in hopes of putting guardrails on the technology\u2019s possible risks to national security and economic well-being.\u201d \u2022 Implementation again.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpenAI Stargate is a $500B bet: America\u2019s AI Manhattan Project or costly dead end?\u201d [VentureBeat<\/a>]. \u2022 With the Manhattan Project, we had Albert Einstein\u2019s blessing and the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me of European science. With Stargate, we\u2019ve got Sam Altman (and doubtless SBF, if he weren\u2019t in jail).<\/p>\n
\u201cModerna spikes as Oracle\u2019s Larry Ellison touts AI-driven mRNA vaccines\u201d [Seeking Alpha<\/a>]. \u201cAt a press conference convened at the White House to announce the launch of Stargate, a $500B AI initiative, Ellison said that artificial intelligence could be used to develop personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccines and early tumor detection.\u201d \u2022 Presumably treatments, not vaccines, and rented on a subscription basis\u2026. Commentary:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \nTwo days into this administration and we\u2019re already talking about using AI to pump out personalized mRNA vaccines<\/p>\n
We need to hold Trump\u2019s feet to the fire and make it clear this is NOT the direction we want things headed towards<\/p>\n
\u2014 SOVEREIGN BRAH \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f\u26a1\ufe0f (@sovereignbrah) January 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center>
\n* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n Elon:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Maga movement is out to get Elon Musk \u2013 and so is China\u201d [Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Telegraph<\/a>]. MAGA over H1B (rightly). \u201cIf it were possible to short a public figure with maximum leverage, Elon Musk would surely be the top target. The political and enterprise value of \u201cMusk Inc\u201d is built on treacherous ideological sands\u2026. Tesla has suffered its first year of falling car sales worldwide<\/a>. It is running into ferocious competition on price and quality in China and is rapidly losing German market share in electric vehicles (EV) to BMW and Mercedes\u2026. The driving rationale for the parabolic spike in the share price since Donald Trump\u2019s election is the belief that Musk will enjoy techno-regulatory privilege and crony capitalist favour. The Tesla chief was still in good enough grace to earn a spot with the Trump family at the inauguration\u2026 His privilege is recompense for spending a quarter of $1bn helping Trump over the line in swing states \u2013 whether by fostering free speech or by exploiting the black arts of algorithmic propaganda, depends on your angle of view.\u201d But: \u201cThe problem with the market\u2019s political bet on Tesla is that Musk has already made himself arch-enemy of the Maga priesthood, who increasingly regard him as a globalist carpet-bagger. They think he is trying to subvert the ethno-cultural revival of the American nation state, spreading money around to capture the Trump movement for his own purposes.\u201d And: \u201cMusk has manoeuvred himself into an invidious position, caught between the Chinese Communist Party and the Maga movement and reliant on the fickle favour of a volatile American president. Those Icarus wings of beeswax and feathers have flown too close to the sun.\u201d \u2022 Bannon didn\u2019t plant this, since he\u2019s quoted in the article. I wonder if anyone else did?<\/p>\n
\u201cElon Musk\u2019s salute falls flat: Why far-right trolling isn\u2019t working this time around\u201d [Amanda Marcotte, Salon<\/a>]. \u201cMost people, if they made this gesture innocently, would be upset about the neo-Nazis trying to claim common cause with them. As Ed Kilgore argued at New York Tuesday<\/a>, \u2018there is an easy way to clear this up, particularly for someone who owns a major social-media platform and uses it very often.\u2019 All Musk needs to do is \u2018make the gesture of denouncing fascism aggressively.\u2019 He adds that explicitly rejecting fascism and white nationalism \u2018should be worth a few dozen tweets, wouldn\u2019t you say?’\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cDimon says he and Musk have \u2018hugged it out’\u201d [The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cJPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Wednesday that he and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have \u201chugged it out\u201d and resolved their differences, after Dimon\u2019s bank sued the tech billionaire\u2019s electric vehicle firm in 2021\u2026. JPMorgan Chase sued Tesla in 2021, demanding $162 million from Musk\u2019s firm as part of a stock warrant deal. The dispute centered on a 2018 tweet from the Tesla CEO, suggesting he might take the company private, and the subsequent changes in Tesla\u2019s value. The tweet also prompted a lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that Musk and Tesla each paid $20 million to resolve in 2018. JPMorgan dropped the lawsuit against Telsa last month after the two companies reached a settlement\u2026. Dimon said Wednesday he wished Musk and DOGE the best as they embark on their cost-cutting efforts. \u2018I think it is completely rational for someone to look at our government and say it\u2019s been ineffective,\u2019 Dimon told CNBC.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Wizard of Kalorama\u2122<\/p>\n
\nUntrue:<\/p>\n
\n\nThe DNC has always struggled with respect to social media messaging\u2026always been weak. <\/p>\n
But the fact that they posted this cringe, resist lib video in 2025 is wild. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s like they\u2019ve learned no lessons. pic.twitter.com\/en9tyFHnkm<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@yashar) January 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI stand between you and the pitchforks\u201d (of bankers) and \u201clook forward and not back\u201d (to torturers).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Democrats en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n
\nMaybe we should shut down the DNC until we find out what\u2019s going on:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \nThe DNC has always struggled with respect to social media messaging\u2026always been weak. <\/p>\n
But the fact that they posted this cringe, resist lib video in 2025 is wild. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s like they\u2019ve learned no lessons. pic.twitter.com\/en9tyFHnkm<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@yashar) January 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center> <\/p>\n
\u201cHouse Democrats privately squirm about their leadership and message\u201d [Punchbowl News<\/a>]. \u201cThe problem for Democrats is two-fold. Trump\u2019s hardline approach to immigration is popular, including deporting migrants, although Americans are still queasy when it comes to large-scale efforts that involve a heavy-handed government approach. Secondly, with Biden and Kamala Harris no longer in power, Democrats lack a leader. Members are asking themselves whether it\u2019s former President Barack Obama, a Democratic governor, Jeffries, Harris or someone else\u2026. House Democratic leaders opted not to whip against the Laken Riley Act, which ended up getting 48 Democratic votes. A revised Senate version will come back up for a final House vote today before it heads to Trump\u2019s desk. Some Democrats wish Jeffries had taken a tougher stance against the bill, which allows ICE to take custody of migrants accused of certain crimes. But Jeffries likely would have gotten flack from Frontliners if he\u2019d pressured members to vote no. In one of the first Democratic caucus meetings after the bruising November election, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), who represents a competitive district along the southern border, warned Democratic leaders not to tell him how to vote, according to a source familiar with the interaction. So far, Jeffries seems to be walking a very careful line. He\u2019s made clear to members that they need to be able to vote their districts. Yet Jeffries is also counseling them not to take the Republican bait. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who has been very outspoken on this issue, says House Democrats need to take the lead for the party since they have the best chance of winning back power in 2026. That puts Jeffries in the spotlight. \u2018This is where the action is. This is where the margin is tightest. This is where we\u2019re within striking distance of winning the majority back,\u2019 Ocasio-Cortez said. \u2018That would mean our leader and our leadership here.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0I\u2019m so old I remember when Sanders won the Hispanic counties along the Rio Grande. Speaking of so-called \u201cfrontliners.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Are Democrats Joining Republicans and Voting for the Anti-Immigrant Laken Riley Act?\u201d [Newsweek<\/a>]. \u201cIt\u2019s no surprise that Republicans supported this measure, as it aims to crack down on migrant crime. What\u2019s mystifying is why some Democrats got behind this bill to hand Trump a victory on his signature issue. The Laken Riley Act is legally, logistically, and constitutionally unsound\u2014and misguided Democrats helped make it happen. The Laken Riley Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to jail undocumented immigrants accused of burglary and theft, putting them on track for deportation. The key word here is accused. Under the measure\u2019s provisions, people charged with minor crimes can be locked up without bail before they are convicted, even if charges against them are dropped. This flies in the face of the presumption of innocence, and violates due process, which the Supreme Court has ruled applies to undocumented immigrants\u2026. Worse, the Laken Riley Act allows state attorneys general to sue the government over everything from individual immigration enforcement decisions to immigration policies. Why would 48 House Democrats, along with 12 senators like Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.) support this measure? Because political survival seems to be more important to them than legal and civil rights. Reeling from Trump\u2019s presidential victory, these Democrats want to show that they can be tough on illegal immigration. How disappointing that they embraced a bill predicated on the unfounded link between migrants and criminality. It is this sort of political cowardice that leads progressives to feel discouraged by their own party.\u201d\u2022 Oh, I\u2019m way beyond \u201cdiscouraged.\u201d<\/p>\n
The beatings will continue until the dogs eat the dog food:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \nreally wild that Trump is going scorched earth and liberal media\u2019s response is to just keep platforming the same liberals who helped create the backlash conditions for the rampage pic.twitter.com\/3RUsYRf3Fo<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 David Sirota (@davidsirota) January 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center> <\/p>\n
And why is the dude in the middle wearning slippers and what looks like pajamas?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n
\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
* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (CDC<\/a>,
Biobot<\/a><\/del>; includes many counties; Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC<\/a>; Walgreens<\/a>); \u201cIowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201cInfection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\nLambert 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
Resources, United States (Local): AK (dashboard<\/a>); AL (dashboard<\/a>); AR (dashboard<\/a>); AZ (dashboard<\/a>); CA (dashboard<\/a>; Marin, dashboard<\/a>; Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (dashboard<\/a>; wastewater<\/a>); CT (dashboard<\/a>); DE (dashboard<\/a>); FL (wastewater<\/a>); GA (wastewater<\/a>); HI (dashboard<\/a>); IA (wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (dashboard<\/a>, Boise; dashboard<\/a>, wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, Spokane County<\/a>); IL (wastewater<\/a>); IN (dashboard<\/a>); KS (dashboard<\/a>; wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (dashboard<\/a>); MA (wastewater<\/a>); MD (dashboard<\/a>); ME (dashboard<\/a>); MI (wastewater<\/a>; wastewater<\/a>); MN (dashboard<\/a>); MO (wastewater<\/a>); MS (dashboard<\/a>);
MT (dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (dashboard)<\/a>; ND (dashboard<\/a>; wastewater<\/a>); NE (dashboard<\/a>); NH (wastewater<\/a>); NJ (dashboard<\/a>); NM (dashboard<\/a>); NV (dashboard<\/a>; wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (dashboard<\/a>); OH (dashboard<\/a>); OK (dashboard<\/a>);OR (dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (dashboard<\/a>); RI (dashboard<\/a>); SC (dashboard<\/a>); SD (dashboard<\/a>); TN (dashboard<\/a>); TX (dashboard<\/a>); UT (wastewater<\/a>); VA (wastewater<\/a>); VT (dashboard<\/a>); WA (dashboard<\/a>; dashboard<\/a>); WI (wastewater<\/a>); WV (wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\nResources, Canada (National): Wastewater (Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n
Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater<\/a>); QC (les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n
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
Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n
Airborne Transmission<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAerosol research shows how easily COVID-19 can be caught through the air\u201d [Medical Xpress<\/a>]. A 2023 study<\/a>, linked to here. But: \u201cSince the beginning of the pandemic, there have been discussions about how COVID-19 infections spread. Jakob L\u00f6ndahl, professor in aerosol technology and a colleague of Alsved, was one of those who got involved with the \u2018new virus\u2019 early on. He paused his research on norovirus to investigate whether the infection from the then unknown virus was airborne. Much new knowledge about airborne transmission has emerged since the pandemic, and researchers now want to see if it can be applied to infectious diseases other than COVID-19. \u2018The work on COVID-19 has raised many new questions. Do viral aerosols from other respiratory infections such as rhinoviruses, influenza and RSV spread in the same way as viruses from COVID-19? When is the risk of infection highest? How effective are our various protective measures? There are many questions we are working on now,\u2019 concludes L\u00f6ndahl.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Indeed! And one might mention H5N1 as well.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Treatment: Covid<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAzvudine beats paxlovid in reducing COVID-19 deaths\u201d [News-Medical<\/a>]. \u201cThe present multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted in Henan and Xinjiang provinces, China, involving hospitalized patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 5, 2022, and January 31, 2023. The study population included 37,606 patients from ten hospitals in Henan and 3,270 patients from one hospital in Xinjiang\u2026. The primary outcome was all-cause death, with 469 deaths observed: 288 in the azvudine group and 181 in the Paxlovid group. Kaplan\u2013Meier analysis showed a significantly lower risk of death in the azvudine group compared with Paxlovid (p = 0.038). Multivariable Cox regression analysis confirmed this, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.676-0.987, p = 0.036). Composite disease progression occurred in 681 patients: 446 in the azvudine group and 235 in the Paxlovid group\u2026. Sensitivity analyses supported the accuracy of these findings. Results remained consistent across multiple methods of handling missing data, alternative matching models, and the exclusion of early discharges or deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n
\n[sigh]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \n\u201cOSHA is now terminating the rulemaking via this rule because.. any ongoing risk by COVID-19.. would be better addressed.. in a rulemaking addressing infectious diseases more broadly.\u201d
dude my coworker swabbed someone for flu, covid and strep without a mask on the other day and\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/9Y9sAgl8lD<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014 collagen machine broke (@chronicallybeee) January 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n
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
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png\")
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<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-death-positivity.png\")
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