2:00PM Water Cooler 5/15/2024 | bare capitalism

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By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Chook Track of the Day

Oriole Warbler, Campement de Wassadou, Tambacounda, Senegal. “Duetting pair in ravine.” Go, Senegal!

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In Case You May Miss…

(1) Extra on Trump’s trial…

(2) Biden and Trump to debate (with out Kennedy).

(3) Uncooked milk fans resist H5N1 “fearmongering.”

(4) North Carolina’s horrid anti-masking legislation, and the way to ensure it doesn’t cross.

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Politics

“So most of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are actually a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

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2024

Lower than a half a 12 months to go!

RCP Ballot Averages, Might 10:

Nationwide outcomes now transferring Trump’s method. All the Swing States (extra right here) are actually in Trump’s column, together with Michigan and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania leans extra Trump this week than final. After all, it goes with out saying that these are all state polls, subsequently dangerous, and a lot of the outcomes are throughout the margin of error. Now, if both candidate begins breaking away in factors, as an alternative of tenths of a degree…. NOTE I modified the notation: Up and down arrows for will increase or decreases over final week, circles for no change. Purple = Trump. Blue can be Biden if he have been main anyplace, however he isn’t.

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Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “Cross-examination throws Michael Cohen off steadiness, however belabors level that he hates Trump” [FOX]. Ultimate paragraph: “How a lot of that is swaying the general public? Within the newest New York Occasions ballot, simply 29% of these in six battleground states say they’re paying ‘lots’ of consideration to Trump’s authorized woes.”

Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “Trump New York hush-money trial is much from a slam dunk” [BBC]. From again in April: “[Bragg] says Trump Group information have been falsified to hide or help prison exercise. However regardless that the trial begins on Monday, he has not specified the precise crime allegedly hidden. He has nonetheless given clues. In courtroom filings and interviews, Mr Bragg has mentioned Mr Trump violated each state and federal election legal guidelines, and state tax legal guidelines. “The District Lawyer’s workplace will not be precluded from presenting to the jury a wide range of different theories on type of why the information have been falsified,” says Shane T. Stansbury, a former assistant United States Lawyer in New York’s southern district. However he provides that , because it seems Mr Bragg intends to do. ‘ which are a part of this principle, so I believe we’re a good distance from having decision on this case,’ he says.” • Oh good.

Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “The Look of Michael Cohen: A Wreck in Search of a Race” [Jonathan Turley]. “The calculus of Alvin Bragg is now apparent. He’s relying on the jury convicting Trump whatever the proof. He believes that each one he wants is to examine the bins on the weather of the crime, irrespective of how unbelievable the automobile. The reason being that Bragg seemingly fears a directed verdict greater than a jury verdict. After the federal government closes its proof, the protection will transfer for a directed verdict on the premise that the proof is inadequate to maintain a conviction. In different phrases, when the prosecution rests this week, Trump’s counsel will stand and ask Merchan to finish the case earlier than it’s even given to the jury. Many people agree with that evaluation. After three weeks of testimony, there’s nonetheless confusion on what crime Trump was allegedly searching for to cowl up. Bragg has vaguely referred to utilizing the denotation of funds to Daniels as ‘authorized bills’ as a fraud dedicated to steal the election. Nonetheless, the election was over when these denotations have been made. Furthermore, many consider that such a characterization for funds associated to a nondisclosure settlement was correct. (Hillary Clinton’s marketing campaign claimed in the identical election that hiding the funding for the Steele file as authorized bills was completely correct). Decide Juan Merchan, in my opinion, has failed repeatedly to guard the rights of the accused on this case. Nonetheless, he can declare that there was sufficient alleged to present Bragg the prospect to make his case. To this point he has not carried out so and, if he’s actually impartial, Merchan ought to grant the movement.” • I believe Turley is table-pounding once more. I doubt very a lot Merchan will grant a directed verdict.

Trump (R) (Bragg Merchan): “Trump Ought to Be Acquitted in Manhattan” [Andrew McCarthy, National Review]. That is properly value an entire and cautious learn. “Trump must be acquitted for the best of causes: Prosecutors can’t show their case — neither the case the grand jury really charged, 34 counts of felony business-records falsification, nor the case that elected progressive Democratic district legal professional Alvin Bragg has imagined into existence, an uncharged conspiracy to steal the 2016 election by suppressing politically damaging data in violation of federal campaign-finance legislation.” The enterprise information expenses: “Underneath §175.05 of New York’s penal legislation as related right here, to ascertain the misdemeanor, prosecutors should show that the accused ‘ . . . causes a entry [to be made] within the enterprise information of an enterprise’ (emphasis added). I’ve highlighted two components of the crime as a result of they’re discrete and it’s important to not conflate them. If fraudulent intent could possibly be assumed from the actual fact than an entry is fake, the legislature wouldn’t have added the phrases ‘with intent to defraud.’ Each components have to be proved — falsity and fraudulent intent.” And: “As for the entries within the Trump Group information, testimony at trial this week confirmed that the bookkeeping division logged funds as ‘authorized bills.’ Not a lot thought went into this: The bookkeeping division was utilizing a drop-down menu on a pc program designed within the early nineties, and routinely put funds to attorneys and associated bills on this common class. That apart, these have been authorized bills. Cohen was Trump’s lawyer when he negotiated the NDA with Daniels’ attorneys and paid the $130,000 to shut the deal. That’s an expense incurred in a authorized transaction.” McCarthy then goes on to debate Cohen’s installement funds, the place he thinks Bragg is on firmer floor, however this text was written earlier than Cohen’s testimony. On election theft: “Bragg’s fever dream, which he’s making an attempt to spin into an actionable conspiracy offense, is that Trump stole the 2016 election. However that’s partisan hyperbole, not a authorized principle. New York has no crime of “election theft”; within the prison legislation, there might be no conspiracy except the target of the conspiratorial enterprise is a criminal offense. By Bragg’s lights — to the extent I can wrap my mind round his rivalry — Trump schemed to deprive the nation of a Hillary Clinton presidency.” On marketing campaign finance, a possible object offense: “Federal campaign-finance legal guidelines are abstruse, so Congress unsurprisingly requires prosecutors to show willfulness past an affordable doubt in prison circumstances involving them. Bragg can’t come anyplace near offering such proof with respect to Trump’s supposed ‘intent’ to violate the legal guidelines concerning disclosure of marketing campaign expenditures. Bragg contends that Trump paid cash to hide damaging data (Stormy’s allegation of a tryst) that might have harmed his election bid. Even when that’s true, to bury data within the context of a marketing campaign will not be the identical factor as willfully transgressing the campaign-finance legal guidelines. There is no such thing as a proof that the marketing campaign legal guidelines factored into Trump’s considering in any respect. On the contrary, the proof cuts the opposite method Bragg’s prosecutors have made a lot of Trump’s hands-on administration model, his penchant for watching each penny and minimizing prices. If, as Bragg maintains, Trump believed that the Stormy NDA and the reimbursement of Cohen arising out of it have been marketing campaign expenditures beneath federal legislation, there isn’t a purpose to consider that Trump would have paid them out of his personal pocket; he would as an alternative have used marketing campaign funds.” And: “Add to this that the FEC — a federal company that really has jurisdiction to implement the marketing campaign legal guidelines and experience in making use of them — investigated Trump and determined to not proceed towards him. Why is that essential? As a result of the FEC is accountable for civil enforcement. The civil burden of proof of a violation is a mere preponderance of the proof, a major step down from the burden on prosecutors to show prison offenses past an affordable doubt. If the FEC concluded that it couldn’t prevail towards Trump on a civil-law customary, it’s absurd to suppose he could possibly be proved responsible on the daunting criminal-law customary.” • Once more, that is from Might 11, and doesn’t take Cohen’s testimony, which can communicate to intent, under consideration. Nonetheless value a learn!

Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “Prosecutors say Trump’s hush cash was ‘election interference.’ Will jurors — and voters — consider it?” [Politico]. “Regardless of its tabloid roots in a “catch and kill” scheme geared toward suppressing the tales of Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, Bragg’s defenders have described the scheme as a bid to win the White Home in 2016 by fraudulently concealing data from voters. On this framing, the hush cash scheme was a precursor to Trump’s bid to hold on to energy by illegitimate means 4 years later. ‘It’s an election interference gateway drug,’ mentioned Norm Eisen, a former Obama White Home ethics lawyer who served as a particular counsel to the Home Judiciary Committee through the first impeachment of Trump. Eisen is on the forefront of the trouble to rebrand the New York case and launched a ebook earlier this month titled, ‘Making an attempt Trump: A Information to His First Election Interference Legal Trial.’” High-quality. What statute did Trump violate? Extra: “[Former Federal Election Commissioner Bradley Smith] mentioned the difficulty on this case, as in Edwards’, isn’t simply whether or not the defendant had a common understanding of marketing campaign finance legislation, however might actually have identified for certain that what he was doing was unlawful. ‘The strongest argument for Trump is that actually there’s fairly a little bit of controversy over whether or not that is unlawful. Have a look at the FEC’s personal rulings,’ Smith mentioned. It’s unclear how Bragg’s prosecutors would meet that burden or if the decide would require them to. Pretrial motions didn’t actually tee up the difficulty. It’s more likely to come up because the attorneys debate jury directions or in a movement the protection sometimes makes asking the decide to toss the case after the prosecution’s witnesses have testified. Eisen mentioned he thinks Justice Juan Merchan will apply a decrease customary within the state prosecution [no doubt!]. ‘It’s a lot simpler than in federal courtroom,” Eisen mentioned. Nonetheless, there’s a danger to permitting prosecutors to get a conviction with out having to show that Trump knew he was breaking the legislation: That problem could possibly be and may result in any responsible verdicts towards Trump being overturned.”

Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “The more and more embarrassing particulars at Trump’s trial” [Aaron Blake, WaPo]. “Not solely has the testimony tied Trump to an objectively seedy plot to maintain Stormy Daniels’s and different folks’s allegations towards Trump from public view, however it additionally has sometimes featured some private particulars that would stay lengthy in 2024 voters’ recollections — and doubtlessly marketing campaign advertisements. And that’s not simply on the subject of the salacious particulars of the alleged sexual encounter.” • “Objectively seedy.” Why, it’s virtually as if that was Bragg’s purpose!

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Trump (R): “Crypto is Trump’s new weapon towards Biden” [Politico]. From final week: “Donald Trump is making presidential historical past yet again: He’s poised to be the primary main get together nominee to courtroom cryptocurrency merchants. It’s leaving some Democrats feeling uneasy. Trump advised crypto backers at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday that they ‘higher vote’ for him due to the way in which the Biden administration has unleashed a regulatory crackdown on the trade.” • Politico emptied its Rolodex on this one, however I’m guessing the reason is straightforward: Trump is making an attempt to peel away Kennedy voters, as a result of Kennedy is pro-crypto. That’s disconcerting, as a result of it means Trump is appearing like a traditional politician, assembling bundles of verticals. I hope Susie Wiles didn’t get him considering that method, however I attribute the change, if change it’s, to Trump being tied up in courtroom, and never with the ability to do A/B testing at rallies. Stoller agrees:

Trump (R): Wildwood, New Jersey:

Hmm. Goes with reader observations on lack of Trump yard indicators [musical interlude].

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Haley (R): “Nikki Haley gathers her donors and ignores Trump” [Politico]. “Throughout a personal, two-day donor retreat in Charleston, South Carolina, the previous South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador thanked a gaggle of round 100 donors and her group gave a presentation on her marketing campaign’s fundraising and technique. However Trump was barely talked about whilst Haley continues to rack up votes in primaries regardless of dropping out of the race in early March. As anticipated, Haley didn’t endorse the previous president through the retreat, nor did she encourage her supporters to again his marketing campaign, in response to attendees on the occasion. The Charleston retreat confirmed the previous GOP candidate continues to have the backing of an especially loyal group of donors and supporters who plan to maintain following her, regardless that she has but to announce her subsequent transfer past becoming a member of the Hudson Institute, a conservative Washington, D.C.-based suppose tank.” • Hmm.

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Biden (D): Biden challenges Trump:

Biden (D): “Biden, Trump comply with June presidential debate hosted by CNN” [Axios]. “President Biden and former President Trump have agreed to take part in a June 27 presidential debate hosted by CNN. The CNN debate units up a televised confrontation earlier than both candidate’s nominations are formally full and marks their first televised match-up since 2020. The candidates are threatening to chop the nonpartisan Fee on Presidential Debates, which has managed debates since 1988, out of the method. The talk shall be held in CNN’s Atlanta studios, the community introduced Wednesday. CNN mentioned no viewers members shall be current. The Biden marketing campaign views the present debates as ‘structured like an leisure spectacle’ that doesn’t implement its personal guidelines, per a letter to the fee launched Wednesday. The marketing campaign as an alternative desires to work instantly with broadcast networks that host each GOP and Democratic main debates. The letter proposes simply the 2 candidates and a moderator, with no viewers. It additionally suggests microphones that minimize off robotically at deadlines and when it’s not a candidate’s flip to talk.” • I’m glad to see the Fee on Presidential Debates get the chop, however why not the League of Girl Voters? Presumably as a result of Biden desires strict management over the atmosphere — therefore, no viewers, which I believe is unlucky. Simply choose viewers members at random.

Biden (D): “Biden Gives to Debate Trump, With Phrases, Shunning the Debate Fee” [New York Times]. “Mr. Biden and his high aides need the debates to begin a lot before the dates proposed by the Fee on Presidential Debates, so voters can see the 2 candidates facet by facet properly earlier than early voting begins in September. They need the talk to happen inside a TV studio, with microphones that robotically minimize off when a speaker’s time restrict elapses. They usually need it to be simply the 2 candidates and the moderator — with out the raucous in-person audiences that Mr. Trump feeds on and .” • I’m certain chopping out Kennedy fits Trump simply wonderful.

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Biden (D): “Playbook: The opposite trials hanging over 2024” [Politico]. “Two radio interviews Biden recorded with Black journalists will air in the present day, one in Milwaukee, and the opposite in Atlanta … on Thursday, Biden is ready to fulfill with plaintiffs from the landmark Brown v. Board of Training case and their households … on Friday, he’ll give remarks at an NAACP occasion that includes the Brown plaintiffs and members of the Little Rock 9 … on Saturday, he heads to Atlanta for a marketing campaign occasion … and on Sunday, he’ll give the graduation tackle at Morehouse Faculty, the legendary all-male HBCU, earlier than touring to Detroit for the annual NAACP Freedom Fund dinner. It’s fairly the run of occasions, and whereas most of those have been deliberate for a while, we’re nonetheless struck by (1) the timing — coming simply as the brand new NYT/Siena polls put a brand new highlight on his persistent weak point with Black voters — and (2) the conventionality of the outreach right here, which leans closely on a civil-rights focus that may not be particularly related to the younger and politically unengaged voters who’re dissatisfied with Biden and flirting with different candidates.” • Investing lots of the marketing campaign’s most useful useful resource — the candidate’s time — very early, and on a constituency I’d suppose that they had locked up.

Biden (D): “Panic or endurance? The Democrats’ dilemma as Biden stumbles out of the gate” [Washington Examiner]. “Trump’s leads aren’t huge, at the very least not in most locations, and by historic requirements shouldn’t be insurmountable. Trump is up by 1.2 factors nationally. The RealClearPolitics common exhibits him forward by simply 0.6 factors in Wisconsin. Biden and the Democrats have a cash benefit over Trump, enhanced by the truth that just one candidate faces staggering authorized payments. The Democratic marketing campaign equipment must be formidable. That is additionally extraordinarily early within the common election cycle. Democrats exceeded expectations in the midterm elections. They’ve added to their coalition greater propensity voters within the Trump period. Biden has dismissed ‘the polling information’ as having been ‘improper all alongside’ though that was as a lot a remark in regards to the public’s conclusions in regards to the financial system because the accuracy of the polls. That is an argument for trusting the method and the Biden marketing campaign to methodically erode Trump’s leads within the battleground states within the coming months as voters begin paying nearer consideration. It’s a safer guess, these Democrats contend, than making an attempt to drive out Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in favor of candidates who didn’t take part in a main course of the incumbent largely dominated.” • Harris actually does work as an insurance coverage coverage. If there’s to be one other candidate (Newsom, Pritzker, whoever) Harris must be thrown beneath the bus. I don’t see how that occurs, and Black voters can be sad (see above two hyperlinks) and really prepared to share their unhappiness. However I can’t think about a extra gravitas-free Presidential candidate than Harris. If the Democrat machine is able to placing her within the Oval Workplace, my hat shall be off to them.

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WI: “Biden marketing campaign works to woo Black voters in key swing state of Wisconsin” [ABC]. “In his fourth journey to Wisconsin already this 12 months, President Joe Biden on Wednesday, at an intimate [i.e., controlllable in case of disaster] marketing campaign occasion within the swing state, sought out Black voters to discuss the stakes in November… On Wednesday the marketing campaign introduced a brand new $14 million paid media funding for Might that features seven-figure investments into African American, Hispanic, and AAPI media. Wisconsin has particular political significance. It’s a part of the essential ‘blue wall’ within the Midwest that voted Democratic for many years earlier than Trump’s candidacy. Biden solely gained the state over Trump in 2020 by some 20,000 votes. A loss in November would seemingly be a significant blow to his reelection effort. In keeping with the most recent Marquette Regulation College polling, simply 37% of Black voters in Wisconsin say they’re ‘very enthusiastic’ about November’s presidential election. The coveted group makes up almost 7% of the state’s inhabitants, in response to the 2020 census and 21% in Milwaukee. In a current Washington Publish/Ipsos ballot, Biden faces extra issues with Black People by way of turnout. The ballot discovered that 62% of Black People say they’re ‘completely sure to vote,’ down from 74% in June 2020.”

WV: “Jan. 6 felony rioter Derrick Evans loses GOP Home main in West Virginia” [NBC News]. “Evans’ fundraising emails, with topic traces like “I did time in Jail for Trump,” have highlighted his actions on Jan. 6 as a promoting level for his candidacy. One advert even featured inventory video of faux FBI brokers busting by way of a window feet-first, when, actually, video exhibits that Evans’ 2021 arrest was comparatively mundane…. [Rep. Carol Miller], who was first elected to the Home in 2018, is a supporter of Trump, and he or she aligned with him in almost all of her votes when he was in workplace. Miller was even one in all 147 Republicans who voted towards certifying Joe Biden’s victory after the Capitol assault. Trump didn’t endorse in Miller’s main.” • Ten paragraphs on the riot (not an “revolt,” hmm) however no precise outcomes (!), which have been Reed 63%, Miller 37%.

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“Column: A lesson from Presidents Biden and Trump — the brand new regular is nonstop crises” [Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times]. “‘Individuals are reeling from the sense that we are able to’t get moving into the best route,’ mentioned Celinda Lake, one in all Biden’s high pollsters, relating sentiments from voters in focus teams. ‘They’ve been shocked by occasions they by no means anticipated: Afghanistan, the battle in Ukraine, Gaza, even the wildfires in Maui and the collapse of the bridge in Baltimore.’” • To not point out a pandemic during which 1,000,000 folks died. “Focus” appears moderately like a misnomer….

Democrats en Déshabillé

“Can the 2024 DNC Thwart Chicago Protests by Going Digital?” [Ed Kilgore, New York Magazine]. • They’d l-o-o-o-v-e to go digital. If Biden slips a cog, they cease the tape. And if the Conference leads to a smoke-filled room, no person will have the ability to cowl it. The protesters are simply giving them a helpful excuse for what they wish to do anyway.

Pandemics

“I’m in earnest — I can’t equivocate — I can’t excuse — I can’t retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison

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Covid Sources, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; contains many counties; Wastewater Scan, contains drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Common Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).

Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be at liberty to contact me on the tackle given with the crops. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!

Sources, United States (Native): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater stories); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (dashboard); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).

Sources, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).

Sources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).

Hat tricks to useful 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, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).

Keep secure on the market!

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Airborne Transmission

“Nukit Tempest Evaluation” [Joey Fox, It’s Airborne]. “Nukit lately created a brand new air cleaner known as the Tempest, which I believe could possibly be the perfect one available on the market for a lot of conditions. It makes use of the PC followers to make sure excessive clear air supply price with very low noise…. That is presently the perfect mannequin for individuals who need a sturdy {and professional} wanting air cleaner. If I used to be requested to design an area with in room air cleaners, that is could possibly be the most suitable choice, so I’m pickier with this than every other one I’ve seen.”• Though Fox does recommend enhancements, this an enormous thumbs up for Naomi Wu’s firm from a extremely credible North American supply.

Transmission: H5N1

“How briskly is chook flu spreading in US cows? ‘We don’t know’” [The Hill]. “‘With out testing, with out surveillance, we don’t know [of the spread],’ [Erin Sorrell, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security] mentioned. ‘We’re not in a position to basically transfer ahead with an improved method to defending agricultural employees from occupational exposures if we don’t perceive how they have been uncovered, and the potential danger of extra folks being uncovered and contaminated.’ … Farmers have been reluctant to permit federal well being officers onto their land to check doubtlessly contaminated cattle amid uncertainty about how their companies can be impacted. Farmworkers have additionally been reluctant to take part in screening, and consultants mentioned it’s seemingly as a consequence of a mixture of fears over job loss, immigration standing, language obstacles and common mistrust in public well being programs. ‘They’re socioeconomically weak. … In some circumstances, it sort of requires the buy-in of the employer to have interaction in surveillance of those employees. And that hasn’t occurred in a considerable technique to date,’ mentioned Jessica Leibler, an environmental epidemiologist at Boston College’s faculty of public well being.” • [Family blog] their companies in the event that they rely on contaminated cattle. After all, that may by no means occur, as a result of libertarians will instantly begin yammering about tyranny. They usually’re gonna yammer us all the way in which into the subsequent pandemic.

“Flu season is over, however there’s a viral surge in California wastewater. Is it avian flu?” [Los Angeles Times]. “An uncommon surge in flu viruses detected at wastewater remedy crops in California and different elements of the nation is elevating considerations amongst some consultants that H5N1 chook flu could also be spreading farther and sooner than well being officers initially thought. Within the final a number of weeks, wastewater surveillance at 59 of 190 U.S. municipal and regional sewage crops has revealed an out-of-season spike in influenza A flu viruses — a class that additionally contains H5N1. The testing — which is meant to watch the prevalence of ‘regular’ flu viruses that have an effect on people — has additionally proven a reasonable to excessive upward pattern at 40 websites throughout California, together with San Francisco, Oakland and San Diego. Nearly each metropolis examined within the Bay Space exhibits reasonable to excessive will increase of kind A viruses…. ‘There appears to be an outbreak all through California, and, so far as I do know, they haven’t reported any contaminated cows in that state but,’ mentioned Marc Johnson, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology on the College of Missouri, referring to the cluster of yellow and orange dots on the WastewaterSCAN map. Johnson is amongst quite a lot of consultants urging the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention to check particularly for H5N1 and to make these outcomes public.” • Looks as if what CDC from butchering the Covid assessments was to keep away from testing, and, if testing occurs, conceal the outcomes so long as doable. Why the heck isn’t Maskless Mandy on the market jawboning the farmers? Or, for that matter, Biden? Extra from Johnson:


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“Uncooked-milk followers plan to drink up as consultants warn of excessive ranges of H5N1 virus” [Ars Technica]. “To drink uncooked milk at any time is to flirt with harmful germs. However, amid an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 chook flu in US dairy cows, the dangers have ratcheted up significantly. Well being consultants have stepped up warnings towards consuming uncooked milk through the outbreak, the scope of which continues to be unknown. But, uncooked milk fans are undaunted by the heightened danger. The California-based Uncooked Milk Institute known as the warnings ‘clearly fearmongering.’ The institute’s founder, Mark McAfee, advised the Los Angeles Occasions this weekend that his clients are, actually, particularly requesting uncooked milk from H5N1-infected cows. In keeping with McAfee, his clients consider, with out proof, that instantly consuming excessive ranges of the avian influenza virus will give them immunity to the lethal pathogen.” • An issue which will resolve itself, over time….

Maskstravaganza

(The thread features a pattern electronic mail.)

NC’s anti-mask legislation (2):

NC’s anti-mask legislation (3):

However why the saggy blue….

Elite Maleficence

Cleansing the air for themselves, however not for us:

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Lambert right here: Affected person readers, I’m going to must rethink this fantastically formatted desk. Appears like Biobot information nonetheless capabilities, CDC variant information capabilities, ER visits are lifeless, New York hospitalization appears to be lifeless since 5/1 [No, it’s alive!], when CDC stopped obligatory hospital information assortment, Walgreens capabilities, Cleveland Clinic capabilities, CDC traveler’s information capabilities, New York Occasions loss of life information has stopped. (Be aware that the 2 metrics the hospital-centric CDC cared about, hospitalization and deaths, have each gone down). Ideally I’d exchange hospitalization and loss of life information, however I’m undecided how. I may also develop the wastewater part to incorporate (yech) Verily information, H5N1 if I can get it. Ideas and sources welcome.

TABLE 1: Day by day Covid Charts

LEGEND

1) ★ for charts new in the present day; all others aren’t up to date.

2) For a full-size/full-resolution picture, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Home windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open picture in new tab.”

NOTES

[1] (Biobot) Slight upward motion, supported by yesterday’s Walgreen’s positivity.

[2] (Biobot) No backward revisons….

[3] (CDC Variants) FWIW, provided that the mannequin utterly missed KP.2.

[4] (ER) CDC appears to have killed this off, because the hyperlink is damaged, I believe in favor of this factor. I’ll attempt to affirm. UPDATE Sure, go away it to CDC to kill a web page, after which announce it was archived a day later. And heaven forfend CDC ought to clarify the place to go to get equal information, if any. I preferred the ER information, as a result of it appeared actually onerous to recreation.

[5] (Hospitalization: NY) The information is now updating once more. I suppose to a tame epidemiologist it appears to be like like “endemicity,” however to me it appears to be like like one other tranche of lethality.

[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Nonetheless down. “Maps, charts, and information offered by CDC, updates weekly for the earlier MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Division Visits, Check Positivity) and weekly the next Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET†”.

[7] (Walgreens) Slight uptick.

[8] (Cleveland) Leveling out.

[9] (Vacationers: Posivitity) Flattens.

[10] (Vacationers: Variants) JN.1 dominates completely. Nonetheless no point out of KP.2

[11] Appears just like the Occasions isn’t reporting loss of life information any extra? Possibly I would like to return to The Economist….

Stats Watch

Inflation: “United States Client Value Index (CPI)” [Trading Economics]. “The patron value index in america rose by 3.4% year-over-year to 313.548 factors in April 2024, following a 3.5% enhance in March and under the market consensus of a 3.4% advance. ” • 3.4% < 3.4%?
Manufacturing: “United States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index” [Trading Economics]. “The NY Empire State Manufacturing Index fell to -15.6 in Might 2024 from -14.3 within the earlier month, under the market consensus of -10.0. The studying steered that enterprise exercise declined for a sixth consecutive month in New York State, with new orders falling considerably and unfilled orders persevering with to shrink whereas shipments held regular. Supply occasions shortened, and inventories have been little modified. Labor market situations remained weak, with employment and hours labored persevering with to maneuver decrease.”

Retail: “United States Retail Gross sales YoY” [Trading Economics]. “Retail Gross sales in america elevated 3% year-on-year in April 2024, following a downwardly revised 3.8% acquire in March.”

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Manufacturing: “DOJ: Boeing breached 2021 security settlement that prevented expenses for crashes” [Axios]. “The Division of Justice mentioned Boeing breached its obligations beneath a 2021 settlement that allowed it to keep away from prison prosecution for 2 deadly 737 MAX crashes, in response to a courtroom submitting Tuesday. Underneath the settlement, Boeing paid greater than $2.5 billion to settle prison expenses associated to a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration allegations in reference to the FAA’s investigation into the jet crashes that killed 346 folks in 2018 and 2019. The DOJ mentioned in a letter to U.S. District Decide Reed O’Connor in Fort Value, Texas, that Boeing did not ‘design, implement, and implement a compliance and ethics program to stop and detect violations of the U.S. fraud legal guidelines all through its operations,’ per Reuters.” • Whoopsie.

Manufacturing: “Ex-Boeing engineer sidelined after a 787 critique defends troubled airplane” [Dominic Gates, Seattle Times]. “Salehpour’s primary allegations heart on how the big 787 fuselage sections are mounted along with a “splice plate” across the round be a part of between them. (He made separate allegations about poor manufacturing high quality on Boeing’s 777 jet.) His concern on the 787 is how Boeing offers with tiny gaps at these main fuselage joins. These gaps aren’t alongside the circumference of the be a part of however contained in the plane, between the splice plate and the pores and skin of the fuselage. Salehpour claims the forces Boeing mechanics apply to shut these gaps throughout last meeting can injury the carbon composite pores and skin across the fasteners on the be a part of — risking a significant structural failure… Hart-Smith [also a Boeing dissident] believes Salehpour is mistaken. His evaluation helps Boeing’s insistence that the 787 fuselage gaps aren’t a security danger. Salehpour is ‘proper in principle that if you must apply an excessive amount of drive to shut the gaps throughout meeting, that would injury the construction,’ Hart-Smith mentioned in a cellphone interview from Australia. ‘Nevertheless it seems the gaps aren’t sufficiently big to make that occur. ‘It’s not a security problem.’” • That may be good.

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In the present day’s Worry & Greed Index: 59 Greed (earlier shut: 52 Impartial) [CNN]. One week in the past: 41 (Worry). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Might 15 at 1:49:41 PM ET.

The Gallery

A non-creepy Balthus!

Class Warfare

“Trypillia mega-sites: a social levelling idea?” [Antiquity]. “Explanations for the emergence and abandonment of the Chalcolithic Trypillia mega-sites have lengthy been debated. Right here, the authors use Gini coefficients based mostly on the sizes of roughly 7000 homes at 38 Trypillia websites to evaluate inequality between households as an element within the rise and/or demise of those settlements. The outcomes point out quickly lowered social inequality at mega-sites. It was solely after a number of generations that elevated social differentiation re-emerged and this will likely clarify the following abandonment of the mega-sites. The outcomes point out that will increase in social complexity needn’t be related to higher social stratification and that giant aggregations of inhabitants can, for a time at the very least, discover mechanisms to cut back inequality.” • Hmm.

Information of the Wired

“How Google Turned Evil” [Dana Blankenhorn, Facing the Future]. “When an organization loses its ardour, when it tosses worker morale within the sink, it’s time to stroll away. I dumped my Alphabet (Google) inventory final week. Google started shedding its method the day co-founders Larry Web page and Sergey Brin left. They’re now the sixth and seventh richest folks on this planet. Their fortunes, taken collectively, would rank them 1st, by an enormous margin. What are they doing? Not a lot. Web page ‘invests in start-ups’ and ‘life extension.’ Brin has hosted a child bathe the place adults wore diapers. These are not severe folks. But each retain their voting inventory which means they, and in time their youngsters, shall be absolute rulers of all Google domains.” • Oh.

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Contact data for crops: Readers, be at liberty to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a examine in case you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me photographs of crops. Greens are wonderful! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! If you would like your deal with to seem as a credit score, please place it firstly of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize by utilizing your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From IM:

IM writes: “The dearth of pines didn’t go unnoticed. A ponderosa pine from the traditional gneiss bluffs above vaseaux lake within the south okanagan. Greater than 400 days outdated I’m guessing.” In response to yesterday’s bonus plant, which I repost, with commentary:

I ought to pair this with a pine tree, however I don’t appear to have one within the queue….

And a pine tree magically appeared!

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Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not coated by the annual NC fundraiser. So in the event you see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see anyplace else, please don’t hesitate to specific your appreciation in tangible kind. Bear in mind, a tip jar is for tipping! Common constructive suggestions each makes me really feel good and lets me know I’m heading in the right direction with protection. Once I get no donations for 3 or 4 days I get nervous. Extra tangibly, a relentless trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I think about that trickle when setting fundraising objectives:

Right here is the display screen that may seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:

In the event you hate PayPal, you possibly can electronic mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I provides you with instructions on the best way to ship a examine. Thanks!

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