\n<\/p>\n
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Newnans Lake SF\u2013East Trail (Pithlachocco Trail), Alachua, Florida, United States. Virtuosic!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#lawfare\">Anti-Trump lawfare begins<\/a>\u2026 but with far, far more solid cases.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#omb\">OMB memo <em>RESCINDED<\/em><\/a>. That was fast!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#slowness\">A defense of slowness<\/a>.<\/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><a name=\"assassination\"\/>Trump Assassination Attempts (Plural)<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4814814814815\">\n<p>They disappeared The Claims Adjuster too:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4214876033058\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.495867768595\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\u2019s been six months since the Butler assassination attempt and we still know nothing about the man who shot Donald Trump, much less why he was allowed to do it. That should make you nervous. Sean Davis explains.<\/p>\n<p>(0:00) The Three Big Questions of the Trump Assassination Attempt\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Y6ZHachAut\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Y6ZHachAut<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TuckerCarlson\/status\/1880314289946567153\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"192.07845709787\">\n<p>Lambert here:<\/p>\n<p>From my armchair at 60,0000 feet, here is how I see Trump\u2019s executive orders and yesterday and today\u2019s barrage of communiqu\u00e9s from the OMB. A first approximation, things can change!<\/p>\n<p>First, the Democrat Party is like a rotten plank, and the Republicans were going to punch through it sooner or later. I feel sooner is better than later, because I have some optimism about a better outcome later if \u201cwe\u201d take the punch now, what with the various approaching and inter-related crises that will be worse and worse later.<\/p>\n<p>Because\u2013<\/p>\n<p>Second, the key point is not what the Republicans do (\u201cYou can trust the Republicans\u2026 To be Republicans\u201d) but <em>how Democrats react<\/em>. After all, Trump is not that popular; his victory in 2024 was solid, but not spectacular; and \u201cpausing\u201d programs upon which the working class depends might not be the best way for Trump to pivot his party to make that same working class his base. This implies an enormous power vacuum in the Democrat Party leadership, and politics abhors a vacuum. <em>Somebody<\/em> will step up, almost by definition not from the tired, flaccid, corrupt, and dull-witted party leadership, but \u201cout of nowhere.\u201d My thought was a city councillor from, say, Minnesota (plain-spoken and media savvy are musts); Yves wondered where our Huey Long is. Perhaps the Skunk Party!<\/p>\n<p>Third, the Medicaid shutdown fiasco (details to come below) shows some weaknesses in the Trump operation. Stoller is correct to say that Republicans want to govern, and Democrats shrink from it, but all the Republicans had to do to prevent the Medicaid shutdown when they wrote the OMB \u201cpause\u201d memo was to explicitly exempt Medicaid by name, as they did with Medicare and Social Security, in footnote 2. Everyone knows to read the footnotes, right? Well, apparently nobody in Stephen Miller\u2019s OMB did. I don\u2019t know how the screw-up happened \u2014 some reactionary dweeb thought Medicaid was part of Medicare? They hate poor people? Their AI had a hallucination? \u2014 but the same sort of thing happened with the Bush Administration, which discovered that you just can\u2019t swap in Liberty University lawyers for Harvard lawyers (Christianists though they may be). Or when they tried to reconstruct Iraq with twenty-something Young Republicans. In other words, just because Republicans <em>want<\/em> to govern doesn\u2019t mean they do it well.<\/p>\n<p>P.S. I don\u2019t want to imply that I\u2019m wedded to the Democrat Party; after all, the Republican Party was in the White House after only two election cycles. I don\u2019t take any of the existing alternative parties seriously; but that doesn\u2019t mean a new second party couldn\u2019t be created. My thought \u2014 blue sky though it is \u2014 is that Democrats 2.0 would be a dues paying party, an idea that worked so successfully for Labour in the UK that the spooks, the press, the Israeli Embassy, and the electeds all had to work hard to cripple it. So maybe Corbyn was onto something. Somebody more clever than I am would have to pencil it out, but dues <em>might<\/em> take the party out of the hands of the squillionaires. Enough dues, and you start offering member benefits, too. Why not? Blue skying wildly, the other major dues-paying institution in politics is\u2026 unions. Why not a Labor Party? Sounds crazy, but when you imagine the leverage that the Longshoreman, the railway workers, the truckers, and the airline stewardesses could exert if directed toward a single program at a single time\u2026 Well, \u201cThe power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>P.P.S. On the rescission of <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25506186\/m-25-13-temporary-pause-to-review-agency-grant-loan-and-other-financial-assistance-programs.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">OMB memo M-25-13<\/a> (belowP: I don\u2019t think the impulses behind the memo have changed. There seem to have been three drivers: (1) animus against \u201c<em>big gummint<\/em>\u201d generally; (2) animus against <em>NGOs<\/em>; (3) animus against DEI, but also other various \u201cirritable <em>mental gestures<\/em>.\u201d Taking these out of order: <em>Big Gummint<\/em> issues are also being handled at the personnel level (see the OPM material). <em>Mental Gestures<\/em> are not especially relevant \u2014 does anybody really believe that \u201cMarxist equity\u201d and \u201cGreen New Deal Social Engineering\u201d are sufficiently conceptualized to be \u201cidentified\u201d let alone \u201creviewed\u201d? DEI is the exception since it has an institutional apparatus to support it, but frankly, if the Republicans manage to kill it off, they\u2019ll be doing Democrats a favor. As for <em>NGOs<\/em>, I think they are the real target of the memo, which might rationally have been pared down to address them alone (and perhaps will be). Do recall, for example, that on the key Republican issue of immigration, the allocation of immigrants to towns and cities across the United States was handled, not by government, but by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-journal.org\/article\/charleroi-pennsylvania-grapples-with-surge-of-haitian-migrants?skip=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">an invisible albeit well-funded network of NGOs<\/a>, a policy that ought to be brought into the light of day and examined. So while the memo was poorly drafted, its rescission is a minor tactical victory.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>OMB memo M-25-13 -> Medicaid freeze-up -> reaction -> rescission. This link gives the best timeline and detail\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs some Medicaid sites freeze up, White House acts to clarify pause on grants and programs\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2025\/01\/28\/federal-grant-pause-disrupts-medicaid-trump-freeze-executive-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stat<\/a>]. \u2022\u00a0Summarizing the discourse as it flowed across my feed: M-25-13 explicitly exempted Medicare and Social Security from the freeze (or \u201cpause\u201d) in footnote 2. Medicaid was not exempted. And from footnote 1, \u201cassistance received directly by individuals\u201d was exempted, but that doesn\u2019t exempt Medicaid, which reimburses providers. Given the tenor of the memo (\u201ccareer and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities\u201d) it was rational for government officials to follow the letter of the memo as best they could and freeze the sites. Administration advocates framed this as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dvaughanci\/status\/1884323090399912199?s=12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">malicious compliance<\/a>,\u201d but putting attributed motives aside, I don\u2019t think compliance was irrational. The text is the text, after all. Accidentally or not, \u201cit\u2019s pretty obvious they just threw a big breaker switch on the federal government\u201d (though it would be nice to have reporting on the details of how the breaker switch was thrown). At this point, the memo was rescinded. I wonder if any heads will roll? For example, Stephen Miller\u2019s:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.2909090909091\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.8727272727273\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sure there are dumb media hoaxes but if you accidentally turn off Medicaid people notice. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TbnipAgkBx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/TbnipAgkBx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1884576639348052294\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201c[E]xplicitly excluded all aid and benefit programs\u201d is wrong; Miller appears not to have read his own memo (see discussion of footnotes 1 and 2 above.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhite House response adds to confusion on federal funding freeze\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/29\/g-s1-45313\/trump-federal-funding-freeze-reversed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PBS<\/a>]. \u201cThe Office of Management and Budget has rescinded its call for a pause on federal assistance, according to the agency\u2019s memo shared by Democracy Forward, which led a legal challenge over the effort. But the White House said that only the original memo calling for the freeze had been rescinded. The new memo says the heads of executive departments and agencies should contact their general counsels \u2018if you have questions about implementing the President\u2019s Executive Orders.\u2019 But Karoline Leavitt, the White House spokeswoman, told reporters that the move simply meant a recession of the memo. She said efforts to \u2018end the egregious waste of federal funding\u2019 will continue. She said the OMB memo has been rescinded \u2018to end any confusion on federal policy created by the court ruling and the dishonest media coverage.\u2019 The administration expects that rescinding the memo will end the court case against it. After widespread confusion from the initially very broad memo calling for a halt in federal assistance, pending review, the White House tried Tuesday to further clarify which programs would not be affected, later specifying that it would not impact Medicaid and SNAP programs, for example. This latest statement from the White House is likely to add to the confusion rather than clarify it.\u201d As for the power of the purse: \u201cThe order provided an early litmus test for just how willing Congressional Republicans would be to cede their power of the purse in deference to the leader of their party \u2013 even temporarily\u2026. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it \u2018an application of common sense,\u2019 and said it would \u2018be harmless in the end.’\u201d \u2022 Is it possible to be a constitutionalist and a consequentialist at the same time? Johnson seems to think so, but I\u2019m not so sure\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"lawfare\"\/>Lawfare, but with far more solid cases:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLawsuit claims systems behind OPM governmentwide email blast are illegal, insecure\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fedscoop.com\/opm-email-federal-workforce-lawsuit-server-privacy-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FedScoop<\/a>]. \u201cA lawsuit filed in federal court Monday alleges that the Office of Personnel Management set up an on-premise server to conduct last week\u2019s mass email blast to federal employees and store information it received in response without doing a privacy impact assessment on the system as required by law. Filed by two anonymous federal employees in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the class-action lawsuit calls for OPM to stop the use of the system until the agency can show that it\u2019s lawfully conducted a privacy assessment. The two employees accuse OPM officials of deploying the new server \u2014 which is said to be \u2018retaining information about every employee of the U.S. Executive Branch\u2019 or potentially doing so through systems linked to it \u2014 in a \u2018rapid\u2019 manner without building proper security measures into it or assessing the privacy impacts as required by the E-Government Act of 2002. On Friday, OPM sent a mass email to employees across the federal government \u2014 though not every federal employee received it, including one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit \u2014 to test \u2018a new distribution and response list,\u2019 asking recipients to reply \u2018yes.\u2019 Over the weekend, federal employees received another test \u2018to confirm that an email can be sent and replied to by all government employees.\u2019 Some agency and department heads gave guidance to their employees that the emails from OPM could be trusted. The complaint goes on to say: \u2018OPM has not conducted a PIA for this unknown email server or any system which collects or maintains Personally Identifiable Information (\u2018PII\u2019) obtained from its use,\u2019 nor has a chief information officer or equivalent agency official signed off on an assessment. Finally, such an assessment would need to be made publicly available for review. \u2018,\u2019 the lawsuit states. \u2018Plaintiffs are being materially harmed by this inaction because they are being denied information about how these systems \u2014 which will be rich in PII about every employee of the U.S. Executive Branch \u2014 are being designed and used.\u2019 As a measure of relief, the plaintiffs call for an injunction of the systems involved in the matter until OPM conducts the required privacy assessment.\u201d \u2022 Alternatively, Trump <em>could<\/em> have set up the servers in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago\u2026..<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump Hit With New Lawsuit for Funneling Sensitive Info to Elon Musk\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/190784\/trump-lawsuit-funneling-info-federal-workers-elon-musk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New Republic<\/a>]. \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s administration has been hit with a <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276820\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276820.1.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> over allegedly collecting federal employee information and directing it to an employee of Elon Musk. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Monday, alleges that employee data is going to Amanda Scales, who, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/amandascales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a>, works for xAI, a private corporation of which Musk is the CEO. This would violate federal laws on transparency and put the sensitive information of federal employees into the hands of a private corporation.\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276820\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276820.1.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is the filing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/AK3Tu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wired<\/a>]. \u201cSources within the federal government tell WIRED that the highest ranks of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)\u2014essentially the human resources function for the entire federal government\u2014are now controlled by people with connections to Musk and to the tech industry. Among them is a person who, according to an online r\u00e9sum\u00e9, was set to start college last fall. Scott Kupor, a managing partner at the powerful investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, stands as Trump\u2019s nominee to run the OPM. \u2026. Amanda Scales is, as has been reported, the new chief of staff at the OPM. She formerly worked in talent for xAI, Musk\u2019s artificial intelligence company, according to her LinkedIn. Before that, she was part of the talent and operations team at Human Capital, a venture firm with investments in the defense tech startup Anduril and the political betting platform Kalshi; before that, she worked for years at Uber. Her placement in this key role, experts believe, seems part of a broader pattern of the traditionally apolitical OPM being converted to use as a political tool.\u201d And: \u201cAccording to the same sources, other people at the top of the new OPM food chain include two people with apparent software engineering backgrounds, whom WIRED is not naming because of their ages. One, a senior adviser to the director, is a 21-year-old whose online r\u00e9sum\u00e9 touts his work for Palantir, the government contractor and analytics firm cofounded by billionaire Peter Thiel, who is its chair. (The former CEO of PayPal and a longtime Musk associate, Thiel is a Trump supporter who helped bankroll the 2022 Senate campaign of his prot\u00e9g\u00e9, Vice President JD Vance.) The other, who reports directly to Scales, graduated from high school in 2024, according to a mirrored copy of an online r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and his high school\u2019s student magazine; he lists jobs as a camp counselor and a bicycle mechanic among his professional experiences, as well as a summer role at Neuralink, Musk\u2019s brain-computer interface company.\u201d \u2022 Analytically, I don\u2019t think \u201cMusk\u2019s lackeys\u201d is correct framing. This is a Flex-Net centered on Silicon Valley. As for the 21-year-old\u2026. One of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/jeff-bercovici\/peter-thiel-young-blood.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Thiel\u2019s blood bags<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFederal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/donald-trump-pause-federal-grants-aid-f9948b9996c0ca971f0065fac85737ce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cA federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives\u2026. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the funding freeze only minutes before it was scheduled to take effect. The administrative stay, prompted by a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups that receive federal money, lasts until Monday afternoon. Another court hearing is scheduled that morning to consider the issue.\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/69583571\/national-council-of-nonprofits-v-office-of-management-and-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is the docket<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276842\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276842.1.0_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is the filing<\/a>. NOTE This filing concerns the OMB memo now rescinded. BWA-HA-HA-HA! I picked the best posssible day to get a late start!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"omb\"\/> OMB memo M-25-13 rescinded:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7553191489362\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6170212765957\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8 Trump\u2019s White House OMB rescinds federal aid freeze. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/u6lyLSQQhu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/u6lyLSQQhu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PeterAlexander\/status\/1884661943715176503\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>At least somebody in the White House has the strength of mind to cut their losses, even at the cost of allowing the Democrats a minor tactical victory!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s Attempt to Usurp Congress\u2019s Spending Power\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/volokh\/2025\/01\/28\/trumps-attempt-to-usurp-congresss-spending-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reason<\/a>]. The rescission of OMB memo M-25-13 aside: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3347171\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">As in his first term<\/a>, Trump is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/protecting-the-american-people-against-invasion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">again planning<\/a> to deny federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions unless they accept his dictates on immigration policy. Earlier, he suspended <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/national-security\/trump-order-freezing-foreign-aid-halts-programs-worldwide-prompts-confusion-and-rush-for-waivers-af2b6ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">nearly all foreign aid programs<\/a>, except those for Israel and Egypt. Trump also recently threatened to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-wildfire-aid-los-angeles-gavin-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">withhold disaster relief funds from California<\/a>, unless they adopt his preferred changes to state election law. More generally, he and his underlings have far-reaching plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2025\/01\/28\/can-trump-cancel-government-funds-through-impoundment-what-to-know-as-he-pauses-all-federal-assistance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u2018impound\u2019 federal spending they disapprove of<\/a>. In combination, this is a massive assault on Congress\u2019 power over federal spending. The <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/browse\/essay\/artI-S8-C1-2-1\/ALDE_00013356\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spending Clause of the Constitution is clear<\/a> in giving Congress, not the president, the power to allocate federal spending. When it comes to conditions imposed on grants to state and local governments, the Supreme Court has <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/volokh\/2024\/11\/27\/trumps-plans-to-coerce-sanctuary-cities-likely-to-run-afoul-of-the-constitution-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">long made clear<\/a> that they too must be imposed by Congress, and meet a number of other requirements, as well. Such conditions must, among other things, 1) be enacted and clearly indicated by Congress (the executive cannot make up its own grant conditions), 2) be related to the purposes of the grant in question (e.g. \u2013 grants for health care or education cannot be conditioned on immigration enforcement), and 3) not be \u2018coercive.\u2019 Thus, for example, even Congress could not condition disaster aid on changes in state election law, because the two issues are not related. Some might argue that many of the Administration\u2019s actions on spending are no big deal because they are only \u201ctemporary.\u201d But if the White House can \u2018temporarily\u2019 withhold congressionally allocated funds for a month, why not for two months, or for two years? There is no logical stopping point here.\u201d \u2022 Massive triers, these guys. And a lot of parallel lines of attack. I\u2019m a little amazed that the House \u2014 which I would think values having the power of the purse \u2014 is rolling over for this. What do these guys have on Mike Johnson, anyhow?<\/p>\n<p>Nomination<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>RFK (1):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7134328358209\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"14.283582089552\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I absolutely agree with RFK Jr’s critique of America’s food supply. It urgently needs an overhaul<\/p>\n<p>But he’s nominated for HHS<\/p>\n<p>NOT the U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/p>\n<p>And his thoughts on health issues like HIV and vaccines are categorically undefendable and extremely dangerous<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Craig Spencer MD MPH (@Craig_A_Spencer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Craig_A_Spencer\/status\/1884634343236084074\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>RFK (2):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.8925619834711\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.2644628099174\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">RFK Jr says we need to more ‘value based care’ and more privatized insurance, claims Medicaid isn’t ‘working for anyone.’ It’s basically Cato style libertarianism. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Bt5zTpdOyq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Bt5zTpdOyq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1884634569707512217\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>RFK (3):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7557251908397\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.618320610687\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is what oligarchy looks like. They\u2019re not hiding it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vf149XiepE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/vf149XiepE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mehdirhasan\/status\/1884438683782148232\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 2024 Post Mortem<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"4.3396226415094\">\n<p>I\u2019m stealin\u2019 back to my same old used to be:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.953531598513\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.4386617100372\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kamala Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff just decided he’d like to represent giant private equity firms for the corporate law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher that once employed Robert Bork. Hooray! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GfQflAgG6r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/GfQflAgG6r<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1883890758949941571\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"18.627316403569\">\n<p>\u201c\u2018A 5 Alarm F-ing Fire\u2019: Trump\u2019s Federal Funding Freeze Is Jolting Some Dems Into Fight Mode\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/democrats-direct-assault-federal-spending-freeze_n_67991b1ee4b0f8946ae298e3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HuffPo<\/a>]. \u201cDemocrats on Capitol Hill are fuming about President Donald Trump\u2019s Monday night announcement that he is freezing all federal grants and loans, a stunning action that appears as unconstitutional as it is harmful to millions of Americans\u2026. Nearly two dozen Democrats on Tuesday opposed confirmation of Trump\u2019s transportation secretary nominee, Sean Duffy, who is relatively noncontroversial. Some explicitly said their reason was because of the president\u2019s freeze on federal money.\u201d \u2022 I suppose it\u2019s a step up from a sternly worded letter.<\/p>\n<p>Please kill me now:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.8851351351351\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.2432432432432\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is great. This crew has a pretty impressive track record of winning tough races with the kind of creative, working-class messaging that Dems need now <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/722plAOx0r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/722plAOx0r<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jonfavs\/status\/1883938663131930939\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re gonna pry that \u201cfight\u201d meme from their cold, dead hands\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>Not such a bad idea:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.7090909090909\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.1272727272727\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I agree with Tim Snyder: it is time for Democrats to form a Shadow Cabinet just like they do in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SethAbramson\/status\/1884416721865330793\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>The base is not happy (but is also completely addled by RussiaGate, Trump Derangement Syndrome, and too much brunch, so what do you do):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.8412162162162\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.8918918918919\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are hearing this exact sentiment from so many of our members right now. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oENCBAPvq0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/oENCBAPvq0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Leah Greenberg (@Leahgreenb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Leahgreenb\/status\/1883938555556422086\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/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><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Everything\u2019s gone dark except for trusty New York State hospitalization (daily), Walgreen\u2019s positivity (weekly), and the Cleveland Clinic? Readers, do you have any suggestions about alternatives at state level? Thank you! How I wish we had Biobot back\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.840040241449\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6190476190476\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 13<\/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=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong> Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 18<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <strong>Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 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=\"3.8356164383562\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data January 27:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 24:<\/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-10.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-10.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-10-300x168.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2-288x300.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=\"2.5714285714286\">\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 27:<\/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 18:<\/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-states-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-2-300x189.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-2-300x198.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5932203389831\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 30:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 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=\"3.76\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 11:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 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=\"127.86406020448\">\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>There are no official statistics of interest today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing plans to wrap up rework in \u2018shadow factories\u2019 this year\u201d [FlightGlobal]. \u201cBoeing has made progress winnowing its once-massive inventory of undelivered 737 Max and 787s and is now preparing to shutter so-called \u201cshadow factories\u201d in which it has been completing rework on the aircraft.\u201d Shadow factories. First I\u2019ve head. More: \u201cMany of Boeing\u2019s stored 737s and 787s have required rework due to manufacturing issues. At one point, Boeing was sitting on some 450 undelivered 737 Max and 120 undelivered 787s. So far this year, Boeing has already delivered around 10 of the 55 737 Max 8s in its inventory at end-2024, says West. \u2018We now expect to shut down the shadow factory mid-year, and to deliver all the remaining [Max 8s] to customers within the year.\u2019 Boeing intends to complete rework on the 25 undelivered 787s in \u2018early 2025\u2019, though deliveries of those jets will run into next year, West adds. Several production quality issues, including those affecting 737 Max aft-pressure bulkheads and 787 fuselages, have forced Boeing to rework already produced aircraft. Boeing has been conducting the time-intensive and expensive work on 787s at its production site in Everett and on 737 Max aircraft at a site in Moses Lake, Washington.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Oh. I think Deming would have had something to say about all this. <\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cOpenAI says it has evidence China\u2019s DeepSeek used its model to train competitor\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/a0dfedd1-5255-4fa9-8ccc-1fe01de87ea6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u2022 Somebody call a w-h-a-a-a-mbulance! OpenAI ripped off the entire internet \u2014 the Bearded One calls this \u201coriginal accumulation\u201d \u2014 and know they\u2019re whinging about theft?<\/p>\n<p>Tech: If you think it\u2019s worth it:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.4776785714286\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.4330357142857\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Motherboard: Gigabyte MZ73-LM0 or MZ73-LM1. We want 2 EPYC sockets to get a massive 24 channels of DDR5 RAM to max out that memory size and bandwidth.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GCYsoYaKvZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/GCYsoYaKvZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matthew Carrigan (@carrigmat) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/carrigmat\/status\/1884244372201554020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 46 Neutral (previous close: 44 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 42 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jan 29 at 1:05:03 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Musical Interlude<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The only band the mattered:<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Know Your Rights (Live) (Remastered)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y2w7OUtx45k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201c#1 You have the right not to be killed.\u201d That song is a propos, but I accidentally had autoplay on, and so this came up, actually my favorite:<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Straight to Hell (Live) (Remastered)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wPjGlrMtzpA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>One of the better anti-war songs\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"slowness\"\/>\u201cA defence of slowness at the end of the world\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/longerramblings.substack.com\/p\/a-defence-of-slowness-at-the-end\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Sarah\u2019s Substack<\/a>]. Contradicts the above a bit, I suppose. Ah well, nevertheless. \u201cSpencer Greenberg of Clearer Thinking recently wrote that believing you only have one option is dangerous. Grasping to preserve what you believe is your sole choice can lead to poor decision-making, like tolerating abuse in a relationship or staying in the wrong job. I think this argument extends to believing you have very little time. To live in the shadow of an impending singularity can make every opportunity appear as one of an ever-dwindling number. It can end in money you wish you hadn\u2019t spent, sex you wish you hadn\u2019t had, or nights you wish you hadn\u2019t drunk so much. It can obscure opportunities whose benefits might take longer to manifest. Staying in the Slow World can guard against impulsivity. It can expand your menu of options, and make you more likely to take bets that will pay off in longer timelines (which we might be lucky enough to get!). It\u2019s ok to comfort yourself with age-old adages meant to stave off myopicism \u2013 that you\u2019re still young, that you\u2019ve got your whole life ahead of you and that there\u2019s always next year. It\u2019s ok to really believe these adages and to live as if they are true.\u201d \u2022 I think the \u201csingularity\u201d is Silly Valley foofrah bred from too much stupid money sloshing about. But slow (as in Slow Food) is still good.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All bets are off\u201d [Cory Doctorow, <a href=\"https:\/\/pluralistic.net\/2025\/01\/29\/which-side-are-you-on-2\/#strike-three-yer-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pluralistic<\/a>]. \u201cWhen unions are outlawed, only outlaws will have unions. Unions don\u2019t owe their existence to labor laws that protect organizing activities. Rather, labor laws exist because once-illegal unions were formed in the teeth of violent suppression, and those unions demanded \u2013 and got \u2013 labor law. Bosses have hated unions since the start, and they\u2019ve really hated laws protecting workers. Dress this up in whatever self-serving rationale you want \u2013 \u2018the freedom to contract,\u2019 or \u2018meritocracy\u2019 \u2013 it all cashes out to this: when workers bargain collectively, value that would otherwise go to investors and executives goes to the workers. I\u2019m not just talking about wages here, either. If an employer is forced \u2013 by a union, or by a labor law that only exists because of union militancy \u2013 to operate a safe workplace, they have to spend money on things like fire suppression, PPE, and paid breaks to avoid repetitive strain injuries. In the absence of some force that corrals bosses into providing these safety measures, they can use that money to pay themselves, and externalize the cost of on-the-job injuries to their workers.\u201d \u2022 Worth reading in full.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Taking the Frecciarossa 500 set from Reggio Calabria to Turin, Italy\u2019s longest high-speed rail journey:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.3947368421053\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4631578947368\">\n<p lang=\"qme\" dir=\"ltr\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9nN9rjuDOo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/9nN9rjuDOo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 @nonstopeurotrip.com on \ud83e\udd8b (@nonstopeurotrip) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nonstopeurotrip\/status\/1884563180619272505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>The video shows that Italy puts up <em>glass<\/em> anti-noise barriers, so you can still see the view. Not concrete blocks!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWatch the path of a raindrop from anywhere in the world\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/river-runner-global.samlearner.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">River Runner Global<\/a>].\u2022 Fun!<\/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-1-24-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From RM:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mushroom_ponderosa.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-286274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mushroom_ponderosa.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mushroom_ponderosa-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>RM writes: \u201cMushrooms encircling the base of dead and burned ponderosa pine.\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-1-29-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-29T14:00:55-05:00\">January 29, 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\/the-bogus-justification-for-ai-uptake-and-the-real-reason-for-the-scam.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> The Bogus Justification for AI Uptake and the Real Reason for the Scam<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-next list-posts-newer\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/nav>\n<p><!-- .nav-single --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #comments .comments-area --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #content --><br \/>\n<!-- #primary --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #secondary --><\/p>\n<footer id=\"colophon\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- .site-info --><br \/>\n\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- #colophon --><br \/>\n\t\t<!-- #main.wrapper --><br \/>\n<!-- #page --><br \/>\n<!-- .mobile-menu-wrap --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Blog Reader Pooling - removed 09\/16\/2015 by M. Lacourse --><br \/>\n<!-- <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"nc-hide\" src=\"http:\/\/t.blogreaderproject.com\/t.gif?c9a0f3c0f2425bc76f3b4c3baf750ea8\" alt=\"\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\"> --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp footer --><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-29-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Newnans Lake SF\u2013East Trail (Pithlachocco Trail), Alachua, Florida, United States. Virtuosic! * * * In Case You Might<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90334,"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-90333","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\/90333","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=90333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Newnans Lake SF\u2013East Trail (Pithlachocco Trail), Alachua, Florida, United States. Virtuosic!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#lawfare\">Anti-Trump lawfare begins<\/a>\u2026 but with far, far more solid cases.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#omb\">OMB memo <em>RESCINDED<\/em><\/a>. That was fast!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#slowness\">A defense of slowness<\/a>.<\/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><a name=\"assassination\"\/>Trump Assassination Attempts (Plural)<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4814814814815\">\n<p>They disappeared The Claims Adjuster too:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4214876033058\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.495867768595\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\u2019s been six months since the Butler assassination attempt and we still know nothing about the man who shot Donald Trump, much less why he was allowed to do it. That should make you nervous. Sean Davis explains.<\/p>\n<p>(0:00) The Three Big Questions of the Trump Assassination Attempt\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Y6ZHachAut\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Y6ZHachAut<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TuckerCarlson\/status\/1880314289946567153\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"192.07845709787\">\n<p>Lambert here:<\/p>\n<p>From my armchair at 60,0000 feet, here is how I see Trump\u2019s executive orders and yesterday and today\u2019s barrage of communiqu\u00e9s from the OMB. A first approximation, things can change!<\/p>\n<p>First, the Democrat Party is like a rotten plank, and the Republicans were going to punch through it sooner or later. I feel sooner is better than later, because I have some optimism about a better outcome later if \u201cwe\u201d take the punch now, what with the various approaching and inter-related crises that will be worse and worse later.<\/p>\n<p>Because\u2013<\/p>\n<p>Second, the key point is not what the Republicans do (\u201cYou can trust the Republicans\u2026 To be Republicans\u201d) but <em>how Democrats react<\/em>. After all, Trump is not that popular; his victory in 2024 was solid, but not spectacular; and \u201cpausing\u201d programs upon which the working class depends might not be the best way for Trump to pivot his party to make that same working class his base. This implies an enormous power vacuum in the Democrat Party leadership, and politics abhors a vacuum. <em>Somebody<\/em> will step up, almost by definition not from the tired, flaccid, corrupt, and dull-witted party leadership, but \u201cout of nowhere.\u201d My thought was a city councillor from, say, Minnesota (plain-spoken and media savvy are musts); Yves wondered where our Huey Long is. Perhaps the Skunk Party!<\/p>\n<p>Third, the Medicaid shutdown fiasco (details to come below) shows some weaknesses in the Trump operation. Stoller is correct to say that Republicans want to govern, and Democrats shrink from it, but all the Republicans had to do to prevent the Medicaid shutdown when they wrote the OMB \u201cpause\u201d memo was to explicitly exempt Medicaid by name, as they did with Medicare and Social Security, in footnote 2. Everyone knows to read the footnotes, right? Well, apparently nobody in Stephen Miller\u2019s OMB did. I don\u2019t know how the screw-up happened \u2014 some reactionary dweeb thought Medicaid was part of Medicare? They hate poor people? Their AI had a hallucination? \u2014 but the same sort of thing happened with the Bush Administration, which discovered that you just can\u2019t swap in Liberty University lawyers for Harvard lawyers (Christianists though they may be). Or when they tried to reconstruct Iraq with twenty-something Young Republicans. In other words, just because Republicans <em>want<\/em> to govern doesn\u2019t mean they do it well.<\/p>\n<p>P.S. I don\u2019t want to imply that I\u2019m wedded to the Democrat Party; after all, the Republican Party was in the White House after only two election cycles. I don\u2019t take any of the existing alternative parties seriously; but that doesn\u2019t mean a new second party couldn\u2019t be created. My thought \u2014 blue sky though it is \u2014 is that Democrats 2.0 would be a dues paying party, an idea that worked so successfully for Labour in the UK that the spooks, the press, the Israeli Embassy, and the electeds all had to work hard to cripple it. So maybe Corbyn was onto something. Somebody more clever than I am would have to pencil it out, but dues <em>might<\/em> take the party out of the hands of the squillionaires. Enough dues, and you start offering member benefits, too. Why not? Blue skying wildly, the other major dues-paying institution in politics is\u2026 unions. Why not a Labor Party? Sounds crazy, but when you imagine the leverage that the Longshoreman, the railway workers, the truckers, and the airline stewardesses could exert if directed toward a single program at a single time\u2026 Well, \u201cThe power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>P.P.S. On the rescission of <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25506186\/m-25-13-temporary-pause-to-review-agency-grant-loan-and-other-financial-assistance-programs.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">OMB memo M-25-13<\/a> (belowP: I don\u2019t think the impulses behind the memo have changed. There seem to have been three drivers: (1) animus against \u201c<em>big gummint<\/em>\u201d generally; (2) animus against <em>NGOs<\/em>; (3) animus against DEI, but also other various \u201cirritable <em>mental gestures<\/em>.\u201d Taking these out of order: <em>Big Gummint<\/em> issues are also being handled at the personnel level (see the OPM material). <em>Mental Gestures<\/em> are not especially relevant \u2014 does anybody really believe that \u201cMarxist equity\u201d and \u201cGreen New Deal Social Engineering\u201d are sufficiently conceptualized to be \u201cidentified\u201d let alone \u201creviewed\u201d? DEI is the exception since it has an institutional apparatus to support it, but frankly, if the Republicans manage to kill it off, they\u2019ll be doing Democrats a favor. As for <em>NGOs<\/em>, I think they are the real target of the memo, which might rationally have been pared down to address them alone (and perhaps will be). Do recall, for example, that on the key Republican issue of immigration, the allocation of immigrants to towns and cities across the United States was handled, not by government, but by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-journal.org\/article\/charleroi-pennsylvania-grapples-with-surge-of-haitian-migrants?skip=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">an invisible albeit well-funded network of NGOs<\/a>, a policy that ought to be brought into the light of day and examined. So while the memo was poorly drafted, its rescission is a minor tactical victory.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>OMB memo M-25-13 -> Medicaid freeze-up -> reaction -> rescission. This link gives the best timeline and detail\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs some Medicaid sites freeze up, White House acts to clarify pause on grants and programs\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2025\/01\/28\/federal-grant-pause-disrupts-medicaid-trump-freeze-executive-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stat<\/a>]. \u2022\u00a0Summarizing the discourse as it flowed across my feed: M-25-13 explicitly exempted Medicare and Social Security from the freeze (or \u201cpause\u201d) in footnote 2. Medicaid was not exempted. And from footnote 1, \u201cassistance received directly by individuals\u201d was exempted, but that doesn\u2019t exempt Medicaid, which reimburses providers. Given the tenor of the memo (\u201ccareer and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities\u201d) it was rational for government officials to follow the letter of the memo as best they could and freeze the sites. Administration advocates framed this as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dvaughanci\/status\/1884323090399912199?s=12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">malicious compliance<\/a>,\u201d but putting attributed motives aside, I don\u2019t think compliance was irrational. The text is the text, after all. Accidentally or not, \u201cit\u2019s pretty obvious they just threw a big breaker switch on the federal government\u201d (though it would be nice to have reporting on the details of how the breaker switch was thrown). At this point, the memo was rescinded. I wonder if any heads will roll? For example, Stephen Miller\u2019s:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.2909090909091\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.8727272727273\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sure there are dumb media hoaxes but if you accidentally turn off Medicaid people notice. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TbnipAgkBx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/TbnipAgkBx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1884576639348052294\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201c[E]xplicitly excluded all aid and benefit programs\u201d is wrong; Miller appears not to have read his own memo (see discussion of footnotes 1 and 2 above.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhite House response adds to confusion on federal funding freeze\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/29\/g-s1-45313\/trump-federal-funding-freeze-reversed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PBS<\/a>]. \u201cThe Office of Management and Budget has rescinded its call for a pause on federal assistance, according to the agency\u2019s memo shared by Democracy Forward, which led a legal challenge over the effort. But the White House said that only the original memo calling for the freeze had been rescinded. The new memo says the heads of executive departments and agencies should contact their general counsels \u2018if you have questions about implementing the President\u2019s Executive Orders.\u2019 But Karoline Leavitt, the White House spokeswoman, told reporters that the move simply meant a recession of the memo. She said efforts to \u2018end the egregious waste of federal funding\u2019 will continue. She said the OMB memo has been rescinded \u2018to end any confusion on federal policy created by the court ruling and the dishonest media coverage.\u2019 The administration expects that rescinding the memo will end the court case against it. After widespread confusion from the initially very broad memo calling for a halt in federal assistance, pending review, the White House tried Tuesday to further clarify which programs would not be affected, later specifying that it would not impact Medicaid and SNAP programs, for example. This latest statement from the White House is likely to add to the confusion rather than clarify it.\u201d As for the power of the purse: \u201cThe order provided an early litmus test for just how willing Congressional Republicans would be to cede their power of the purse in deference to the leader of their party \u2013 even temporarily\u2026. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it \u2018an application of common sense,\u2019 and said it would \u2018be harmless in the end.’\u201d \u2022 Is it possible to be a constitutionalist and a consequentialist at the same time? Johnson seems to think so, but I\u2019m not so sure\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"lawfare\"\/>Lawfare, but with far more solid cases:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLawsuit claims systems behind OPM governmentwide email blast are illegal, insecure\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fedscoop.com\/opm-email-federal-workforce-lawsuit-server-privacy-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FedScoop<\/a>]. \u201cA lawsuit filed in federal court Monday alleges that the Office of Personnel Management set up an on-premise server to conduct last week\u2019s mass email blast to federal employees and store information it received in response without doing a privacy impact assessment on the system as required by law. Filed by two anonymous federal employees in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the class-action lawsuit calls for OPM to stop the use of the system until the agency can show that it\u2019s lawfully conducted a privacy assessment. The two employees accuse OPM officials of deploying the new server \u2014 which is said to be \u2018retaining information about every employee of the U.S. Executive Branch\u2019 or potentially doing so through systems linked to it \u2014 in a \u2018rapid\u2019 manner without building proper security measures into it or assessing the privacy impacts as required by the E-Government Act of 2002. On Friday, OPM sent a mass email to employees across the federal government \u2014 though not every federal employee received it, including one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit \u2014 to test \u2018a new distribution and response list,\u2019 asking recipients to reply \u2018yes.\u2019 Over the weekend, federal employees received another test \u2018to confirm that an email can be sent and replied to by all government employees.\u2019 Some agency and department heads gave guidance to their employees that the emails from OPM could be trusted. The complaint goes on to say: \u2018OPM has not conducted a PIA for this unknown email server or any system which collects or maintains Personally Identifiable Information (\u2018PII\u2019) obtained from its use,\u2019 nor has a chief information officer or equivalent agency official signed off on an assessment. Finally, such an assessment would need to be made publicly available for review. \u2018,\u2019 the lawsuit states. \u2018Plaintiffs are being materially harmed by this inaction because they are being denied information about how these systems \u2014 which will be rich in PII about every employee of the U.S. Executive Branch \u2014 are being designed and used.\u2019 As a measure of relief, the plaintiffs call for an injunction of the systems involved in the matter until OPM conducts the required privacy assessment.\u201d \u2022 Alternatively, Trump <em>could<\/em> have set up the servers in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago\u2026..<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump Hit With New Lawsuit for Funneling Sensitive Info to Elon Musk\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/190784\/trump-lawsuit-funneling-info-federal-workers-elon-musk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New Republic<\/a>]. \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s administration has been hit with a <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276820\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276820.1.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> over allegedly collecting federal employee information and directing it to an employee of Elon Musk. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Monday, alleges that employee data is going to Amanda Scales, who, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/amandascales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a>, works for xAI, a private corporation of which Musk is the CEO. This would violate federal laws on transparency and put the sensitive information of federal employees into the hands of a private corporation.\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276820\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276820.1.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is the filing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/AK3Tu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wired<\/a>]. \u201cSources within the federal government tell WIRED that the highest ranks of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)\u2014essentially the human resources function for the entire federal government\u2014are now controlled by people with connections to Musk and to the tech industry. Among them is a person who, according to an online r\u00e9sum\u00e9, was set to start college last fall. Scott Kupor, a managing partner at the powerful investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, stands as Trump\u2019s nominee to run the OPM. \u2026. Amanda Scales is, as has been reported, the new chief of staff at the OPM. She formerly worked in talent for xAI, Musk\u2019s artificial intelligence company, according to her LinkedIn. Before that, she was part of the talent and operations team at Human Capital, a venture firm with investments in the defense tech startup Anduril and the political betting platform Kalshi; before that, she worked for years at Uber. Her placement in this key role, experts believe, seems part of a broader pattern of the traditionally apolitical OPM being converted to use as a political tool.\u201d And: \u201cAccording to the same sources, other people at the top of the new OPM food chain include two people with apparent software engineering backgrounds, whom WIRED is not naming because of their ages. One, a senior adviser to the director, is a 21-year-old whose online r\u00e9sum\u00e9 touts his work for Palantir, the government contractor and analytics firm cofounded by billionaire Peter Thiel, who is its chair. (The former CEO of PayPal and a longtime Musk associate, Thiel is a Trump supporter who helped bankroll the 2022 Senate campaign of his prot\u00e9g\u00e9, Vice President JD Vance.) The other, who reports directly to Scales, graduated from high school in 2024, according to a mirrored copy of an online r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and his high school\u2019s student magazine; he lists jobs as a camp counselor and a bicycle mechanic among his professional experiences, as well as a summer role at Neuralink, Musk\u2019s brain-computer interface company.\u201d \u2022 Analytically, I don\u2019t think \u201cMusk\u2019s lackeys\u201d is correct framing. This is a Flex-Net centered on Silicon Valley. As for the 21-year-old\u2026. One of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/jeff-bercovici\/peter-thiel-young-blood.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Thiel\u2019s blood bags<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFederal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/donald-trump-pause-federal-grants-aid-f9948b9996c0ca971f0065fac85737ce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cA federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives\u2026. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the funding freeze only minutes before it was scheduled to take effect. The administrative stay, prompted by a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups that receive federal money, lasts until Monday afternoon. Another court hearing is scheduled that morning to consider the issue.\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/69583571\/national-council-of-nonprofits-v-office-of-management-and-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is the docket<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276842\/gov.uscourts.dcd.276842.1.0_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is the filing<\/a>. NOTE This filing concerns the OMB memo now rescinded. BWA-HA-HA-HA! I picked the best posssible day to get a late start!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"omb\"\/> OMB memo M-25-13 rescinded:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7553191489362\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6170212765957\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8 Trump\u2019s White House OMB rescinds federal aid freeze. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/u6lyLSQQhu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/u6lyLSQQhu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PeterAlexander\/status\/1884661943715176503\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>At least somebody in the White House has the strength of mind to cut their losses, even at the cost of allowing the Democrats a minor tactical victory!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s Attempt to Usurp Congress\u2019s Spending Power\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/volokh\/2025\/01\/28\/trumps-attempt-to-usurp-congresss-spending-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reason<\/a>]. The rescission of OMB memo M-25-13 aside: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3347171\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">As in his first term<\/a>, Trump is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/protecting-the-american-people-against-invasion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">again planning<\/a> to deny federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions unless they accept his dictates on immigration policy. Earlier, he suspended <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/national-security\/trump-order-freezing-foreign-aid-halts-programs-worldwide-prompts-confusion-and-rush-for-waivers-af2b6ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">nearly all foreign aid programs<\/a>, except those for Israel and Egypt. Trump also recently threatened to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-wildfire-aid-los-angeles-gavin-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">withhold disaster relief funds from California<\/a>, unless they adopt his preferred changes to state election law. More generally, he and his underlings have far-reaching plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2025\/01\/28\/can-trump-cancel-government-funds-through-impoundment-what-to-know-as-he-pauses-all-federal-assistance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u2018impound\u2019 federal spending they disapprove of<\/a>. In combination, this is a massive assault on Congress\u2019 power over federal spending. The <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/browse\/essay\/artI-S8-C1-2-1\/ALDE_00013356\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spending Clause of the Constitution is clear<\/a> in giving Congress, not the president, the power to allocate federal spending. When it comes to conditions imposed on grants to state and local governments, the Supreme Court has <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/volokh\/2024\/11\/27\/trumps-plans-to-coerce-sanctuary-cities-likely-to-run-afoul-of-the-constitution-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">long made clear<\/a> that they too must be imposed by Congress, and meet a number of other requirements, as well. Such conditions must, among other things, 1) be enacted and clearly indicated by Congress (the executive cannot make up its own grant conditions), 2) be related to the purposes of the grant in question (e.g. \u2013 grants for health care or education cannot be conditioned on immigration enforcement), and 3) not be \u2018coercive.\u2019 Thus, for example, even Congress could not condition disaster aid on changes in state election law, because the two issues are not related. Some might argue that many of the Administration\u2019s actions on spending are no big deal because they are only \u201ctemporary.\u201d But if the White House can \u2018temporarily\u2019 withhold congressionally allocated funds for a month, why not for two months, or for two years? There is no logical stopping point here.\u201d \u2022 Massive triers, these guys. And a lot of parallel lines of attack. I\u2019m a little amazed that the House \u2014 which I would think values having the power of the purse \u2014 is rolling over for this. What do these guys have on Mike Johnson, anyhow?<\/p>\n<p>Nomination<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>RFK (1):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7134328358209\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"14.283582089552\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I absolutely agree with RFK Jr’s critique of America’s food supply. It urgently needs an overhaul<\/p>\n<p>But he’s nominated for HHS<\/p>\n<p>NOT the U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/p>\n<p>And his thoughts on health issues like HIV and vaccines are categorically undefendable and extremely dangerous<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Craig Spencer MD MPH (@Craig_A_Spencer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Craig_A_Spencer\/status\/1884634343236084074\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>RFK (2):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.8925619834711\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.2644628099174\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">RFK Jr says we need to more ‘value based care’ and more privatized insurance, claims Medicaid isn’t ‘working for anyone.’ It’s basically Cato style libertarianism. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Bt5zTpdOyq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Bt5zTpdOyq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1884634569707512217\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>RFK (3):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7557251908397\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.618320610687\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is what oligarchy looks like. They\u2019re not hiding it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vf149XiepE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/vf149XiepE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mehdirhasan\/status\/1884438683782148232\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 2024 Post Mortem<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"4.3396226415094\">\n<p>I\u2019m stealin\u2019 back to my same old used to be:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.953531598513\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.4386617100372\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kamala Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff just decided he’d like to represent giant private equity firms for the corporate law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher that once employed Robert Bork. Hooray! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GfQflAgG6r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/GfQflAgG6r<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1883890758949941571\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"18.627316403569\">\n<p>\u201c\u2018A 5 Alarm F-ing Fire\u2019: Trump\u2019s Federal Funding Freeze Is Jolting Some Dems Into Fight Mode\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/democrats-direct-assault-federal-spending-freeze_n_67991b1ee4b0f8946ae298e3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HuffPo<\/a>]. \u201cDemocrats on Capitol Hill are fuming about President Donald Trump\u2019s Monday night announcement that he is freezing all federal grants and loans, a stunning action that appears as unconstitutional as it is harmful to millions of Americans\u2026. Nearly two dozen Democrats on Tuesday opposed confirmation of Trump\u2019s transportation secretary nominee, Sean Duffy, who is relatively noncontroversial. Some explicitly said their reason was because of the president\u2019s freeze on federal money.\u201d \u2022 I suppose it\u2019s a step up from a sternly worded letter.<\/p>\n<p>Please kill me now:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.8851351351351\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.2432432432432\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is great. This crew has a pretty impressive track record of winning tough races with the kind of creative, working-class messaging that Dems need now <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/722plAOx0r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/722plAOx0r<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jonfavs\/status\/1883938663131930939\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re gonna pry that \u201cfight\u201d meme from their cold, dead hands\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>Not such a bad idea:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.7090909090909\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.1272727272727\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I agree with Tim Snyder: it is time for Democrats to form a Shadow Cabinet just like they do in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SethAbramson\/status\/1884416721865330793\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>The base is not happy (but is also completely addled by RussiaGate, Trump Derangement Syndrome, and too much brunch, so what do you do):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.8412162162162\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.8918918918919\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are hearing this exact sentiment from so many of our members right now. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oENCBAPvq0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/oENCBAPvq0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Leah Greenberg (@Leahgreenb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Leahgreenb\/status\/1883938555556422086\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/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><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Everything\u2019s gone dark except for trusty New York State hospitalization (daily), Walgreen\u2019s positivity (weekly), and the Cleveland Clinic? Readers, do you have any suggestions about alternatives at state level? Thank you! How I wish we had Biobot back\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.840040241449\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6190476190476\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 13<\/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=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong> Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 18<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <strong>Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 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=\"3.8356164383562\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data January 27:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 24:<\/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-10.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-10.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-10-300x168.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2-288x300.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=\"2.5714285714286\">\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 27:<\/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 18:<\/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-states-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-2-300x189.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-2-300x198.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5932203389831\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 30:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> December 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=\"3.76\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 11:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 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=\"127.86406020448\">\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>There are no official statistics of interest today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing plans to wrap up rework in \u2018shadow factories\u2019 this year\u201d [FlightGlobal]. \u201cBoeing has made progress winnowing its once-massive inventory of undelivered 737 Max and 787s and is now preparing to shutter so-called \u201cshadow factories\u201d in which it has been completing rework on the aircraft.\u201d Shadow factories. First I\u2019ve head. More: \u201cMany of Boeing\u2019s stored 737s and 787s have required rework due to manufacturing issues. At one point, Boeing was sitting on some 450 undelivered 737 Max and 120 undelivered 787s. So far this year, Boeing has already delivered around 10 of the 55 737 Max 8s in its inventory at end-2024, says West. \u2018We now expect to shut down the shadow factory mid-year, and to deliver all the remaining [Max 8s] to customers within the year.\u2019 Boeing intends to complete rework on the 25 undelivered 787s in \u2018early 2025\u2019, though deliveries of those jets will run into next year, West adds. Several production quality issues, including those affecting 737 Max aft-pressure bulkheads and 787 fuselages, have forced Boeing to rework already produced aircraft. Boeing has been conducting the time-intensive and expensive work on 787s at its production site in Everett and on 737 Max aircraft at a site in Moses Lake, Washington.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Oh. I think Deming would have had something to say about all this. <\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cOpenAI says it has evidence China\u2019s DeepSeek used its model to train competitor\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/a0dfedd1-5255-4fa9-8ccc-1fe01de87ea6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u2022 Somebody call a w-h-a-a-a-mbulance! OpenAI ripped off the entire internet \u2014 the Bearded One calls this \u201coriginal accumulation\u201d \u2014 and know they\u2019re whinging about theft?<\/p>\n<p>Tech: If you think it\u2019s worth it:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.4776785714286\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.4330357142857\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Motherboard: Gigabyte MZ73-LM0 or MZ73-LM1. We want 2 EPYC sockets to get a massive 24 channels of DDR5 RAM to max out that memory size and bandwidth.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GCYsoYaKvZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/GCYsoYaKvZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matthew Carrigan (@carrigmat) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/carrigmat\/status\/1884244372201554020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 46 Neutral (previous close: 44 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 42 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jan 29 at 1:05:03 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Musical Interlude<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The only band the mattered:<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Know Your Rights (Live) (Remastered)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y2w7OUtx45k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201c#1 You have the right not to be killed.\u201d That song is a propos, but I accidentally had autoplay on, and so this came up, actually my favorite:<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Straight to Hell (Live) (Remastered)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wPjGlrMtzpA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>One of the better anti-war songs\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"slowness\"\/>\u201cA defence of slowness at the end of the world\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/longerramblings.substack.com\/p\/a-defence-of-slowness-at-the-end\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Sarah\u2019s Substack<\/a>]. Contradicts the above a bit, I suppose. Ah well, nevertheless. \u201cSpencer Greenberg of Clearer Thinking recently wrote that believing you only have one option is dangerous. Grasping to preserve what you believe is your sole choice can lead to poor decision-making, like tolerating abuse in a relationship or staying in the wrong job. I think this argument extends to believing you have very little time. To live in the shadow of an impending singularity can make every opportunity appear as one of an ever-dwindling number. It can end in money you wish you hadn\u2019t spent, sex you wish you hadn\u2019t had, or nights you wish you hadn\u2019t drunk so much. It can obscure opportunities whose benefits might take longer to manifest. Staying in the Slow World can guard against impulsivity. It can expand your menu of options, and make you more likely to take bets that will pay off in longer timelines (which we might be lucky enough to get!). It\u2019s ok to comfort yourself with age-old adages meant to stave off myopicism \u2013 that you\u2019re still young, that you\u2019ve got your whole life ahead of you and that there\u2019s always next year. It\u2019s ok to really believe these adages and to live as if they are true.\u201d \u2022 I think the \u201csingularity\u201d is Silly Valley foofrah bred from too much stupid money sloshing about. But slow (as in Slow Food) is still good.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All bets are off\u201d [Cory Doctorow, <a href=\"https:\/\/pluralistic.net\/2025\/01\/29\/which-side-are-you-on-2\/#strike-three-yer-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pluralistic<\/a>]. \u201cWhen unions are outlawed, only outlaws will have unions. Unions don\u2019t owe their existence to labor laws that protect organizing activities. Rather, labor laws exist because once-illegal unions were formed in the teeth of violent suppression, and those unions demanded \u2013 and got \u2013 labor law. Bosses have hated unions since the start, and they\u2019ve really hated laws protecting workers. Dress this up in whatever self-serving rationale you want \u2013 \u2018the freedom to contract,\u2019 or \u2018meritocracy\u2019 \u2013 it all cashes out to this: when workers bargain collectively, value that would otherwise go to investors and executives goes to the workers. I\u2019m not just talking about wages here, either. If an employer is forced \u2013 by a union, or by a labor law that only exists because of union militancy \u2013 to operate a safe workplace, they have to spend money on things like fire suppression, PPE, and paid breaks to avoid repetitive strain injuries. In the absence of some force that corrals bosses into providing these safety measures, they can use that money to pay themselves, and externalize the cost of on-the-job injuries to their workers.\u201d \u2022 Worth reading in full.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Taking the Frecciarossa 500 set from Reggio Calabria to Turin, Italy\u2019s longest high-speed rail journey:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.3947368421053\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4631578947368\">\n<p lang=\"qme\" dir=\"ltr\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9nN9rjuDOo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/9nN9rjuDOo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 @nonstopeurotrip.com on \ud83e\udd8b (@nonstopeurotrip) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nonstopeurotrip\/status\/1884563180619272505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>The video shows that Italy puts up <em>glass<\/em> anti-noise barriers, so you can still see the view. Not concrete blocks!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWatch the path of a raindrop from anywhere in the world\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/river-runner-global.samlearner.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">River Runner Global<\/a>].\u2022 Fun!<\/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-1-24-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From RM:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mushroom_ponderosa.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-286274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mushroom_ponderosa.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mushroom_ponderosa-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>RM writes: \u201cMushrooms encircling the base of dead and burned ponderosa pine.\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-1-29-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-29T14:00:55-05:00\">January 29, 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\/the-bogus-justification-for-ai-uptake-and-the-real-reason-for-the-scam.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> The Bogus Justification for AI Uptake and the Real Reason for the Scam<\/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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Virtuosic! * * * In Case You Might<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90334,"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-90333","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\/90333","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=90333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}