By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Readers, I hope you all had a superb Thanksgivng and are trying ahead to the weekend to return! –lambert

Fowl Track of the Day

Northern Mockingbird, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–West Pond. Queens, New York, United States.

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In Case You Would possibly Miss…

  1. Did it actually take $500,000 to make Al Sharpton “pleasant”?
  2. Sanders on the 4 Freedoms (and Norman Rockwell).
  3. One other day, one other Boeing airworthiness directive. ALso, COMAC.

* * *

Politics

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

* * *

Trump Transition

“The Native Sheriffs Gearing As much as Assist Trump Carry Out Mass Deportations” [Wall Street Journal]. “Including to the complexity, a patchwork of state legal guidelines means sheriffs in some blue states legally can’t cooperate with ICE, whereas these in some pink states should, mentioned Jonathan Thompson, the manager director of the nonpartisan Nationwide Sheriffs’ Affiliation, whose members embrace about 70% of the nation’s 3,081 sheriffs… Trump’s advisers intend to penalize so-called sanctuary cities by chopping off what may quantity to billions of {dollars} in federal grants to them, in keeping with folks accustomed to their plans.” In the course of the Nullification Disaster, Andrew Jackson gained, and John C. Calhoun misplaced. Extra: “Thompson mentioned his group plans to satisfy quickly with members of Trump’s transition group, hoping to be taught extra concerning the scope, price and period of his deportation plan. In Thompson’s view, it’s clear the inflow of migrants in recent times has ‘created an infinite quantity of stress on native regulation enforcement, state regulation enforcement companies, throughout the nation, not simply alongside the border. It’s created havoc in lots of, many communities.’ He added state and native regulation enforcement, ‘and particularly sheriffs’ might be essential to Trump’s plans. Many conservative sheriffs throughout the U.S., from Texas to California to redder swaths of the northeast, now stand able to be pressure multipliers for ICE and its 6,000 brokers. Requested if he helps mass deportation, GOP Sheriff Richard Jones of Butler County, Ohio, replied: “Certain, I do. And so do the American folks…. Persons are uninterested in this.’” • Comedy interlude.

“Florida Has a Bizarre Political Tradition. It’s About to Take Over the White Home” [Politico]. “No different state can have that stage of concentrated affect within the subsequent administration. With Florida personalities enjoying such a central position, it’s essential to grasp simply what constitutes Florida political tradition…. As a lot as another state, Florida has been outlined by its migrants and its immigrants — principally everyone seems to be from elsewhere, be it from another state or another nation….. And now, the remainder of America may turn out to be just a little extra like Florida. Trump’s choose to steer the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon, is a vaccine security skeptic; Rubio is a conventional hawk with a from-the-cradle hatred of communism however a need to barter a fast finish to the Ukraine warfare; Bondi needs to go after ‘dangerous prosecutors’ very like DeSantis did with two state attorneys. They’ve the potential to being far more than Florida vibes to the nation and will reshape the nation within the picture of the Sunshine State.” • My impression of DeSantis is that he wasn’t prepared for the nationwide stage (even when he had not been confronting the Colossus of Mar-a-Lago). So I’m wondering if these Florida gamers will do higher than he did (Susie Wiles, in the meantime, is prepared for the nationwide againstage.

2024 Put up Mortem

“Al Sharpton’s acceptance of Kamala Harris marketing campaign’s $500K donation a ‘bridge too far’ for MSNBC colleagues” [New York Post]. “Harris sat down for a pleasant interview on Oct. 20 with Sharpton, an open supporter of Harris and the Democratic Occasion. Following Harris’ defeat by former President Donald Trump, FEC filings revealed the Harris marketing campaign gave two $250,000 donations to Sharpton’s nonprofit group in September and October. Nevertheless, the MSNBC weekend host didn’t open up to viewers the obvious battle of curiosity earlier than or after the interview. Neither did he disclose the donations to his bosses on the community, in keeping with the Free Beacon.” • What.

The #Resistance

“Blue States Will Discover Preventing Trump Is No Easy Proposition” [Governing]. “Can Newsom and the opposite Democratic governors who’ve vowed to hitch him actually Trump-proof their states? In the event that they fail, would that imply an enormous crack within the basis of federalism? And in the event that they succeed, simply how united would america be?.. Not all Democratic governors have agreed on the pitched-battle technique. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has intentionally stood again from Newsom’s confrontational method and mentioned she needed to search out ‘some shared priorities’ with Trump [who is the head of a fascist movement, let us remember] “We’ve labored with a Trump administration earlier than,” she mentioned, and thought they’d determine do it once more. Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania governor who practically grew to become Kamala Harris’ operating mate, mentioned— twice — in his post-election assertion that he ‘needed to get issues performed.’” And: “[T]right here’s a restrict to how successfully they’ll resist Trump’s insurance policies. If as president Trump determined to take a seat on catastrophe assist or refuse to approve waivers for environmental or health-care plans, Democratic governors may discover themselves lengthy on rhetoric however brief on outcomes. And if the states determine to combat Trump in court docket, as California usually did efficiently within the first Trump administration, the battle might be a lot more durable this time. The primary time round, California efficiently fought a lot of its judicial battles within the federal Ninth Circuit Courtroom of Appeals. Trump, nevertheless, named 10 of the 29 judges on the circuit. Meaning California will now have to choose its battles far more fastidiously, with an eye fixed particularly on which circumstances to file through which courts. Totally Trump-proofing their states, due to this fact, is greater than Democratic governors can accomplish.”

“Why Didn’t They Riot?” [Tom Klingenstein]. “For a lot of… the downbeat response to Trump’s victory appeared misplaced, given the feverish severity of how Democrats had articulated the stakes of this election. In her ultimate month… The floor rationalization, after all, is that the Democrats didn’t actually consider any of it… Even when the management of the Democratic Occasion and its surrogates within the media have been merely producing outrage, thousands and thousands of People of their audiences now consider, with conviction, that the lengthy evening of fascism has lastly descended on America….. In brief, we didn’t see post-election violence or mass protests as a result of the dimensions of Trump’s victory meant that such rioting would seem — at the very least briefly — because the offended self-indulgence of a minority that had been legitimately overwhelmed on the poll field. However the riots will come quickly sufficient, and Antifa will menace the streets as soon as once more.” • Hmmm.

“Girls have interaction in mass ‘primal scream’ in wake of Trump victory: ‘Launch our ache’” [FOX}. “Remarkable footage shows Wisconsin women screaming in unison towards Lake Michigan in the wake of Vice President Harris’s Nov. 5 loss to President-elect Trump. The footage, which recently went viral on social media, was originally posted by a Facebook user named Tamara Gibbs. The event took place at Klode Park in Whitefish Bay on Nov. 9. The extraordinary video shows around two dozen adult women screeching at the water. The screams eventually reach a crescendo, as video shows the shrieks getting gradually louder and louder until the group stopped…. ‘We need to start organizing… We have the opportunity to, in-state, in two years, take back the legislature,’ one woman said to roaring applause.” • Oh.

Realignment and Legitimacy

The “Four Freedoms” might be a good place to start, but Sanders has form; he is not the one to do the starting (not that I see anybody else):

If we must have fours, I prefer the Bearded One’s, though I admit they are negatives (yin) to FDR’s positives (yang). Good stuff, but as I said….

Syndemics

“I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison

* * *

Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; includes many counties; Wastewater Scan, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, but national data). “Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts” (especially on hospitalization by city).

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 “COVID” in the subject line. Thank you!

Resources, United States (Local): 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 reports); 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 (wastewater); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).

Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (Government of Canada).

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

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, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).

Stay safe out there!

Maskstravaganza

“Testing and Masking Policies and Hospital-Onset Respiratory Viral Infections” [JAMA]. “Most hospitals have stopped testing all sufferers for SARS-CoV-2 upon admission and requiring masking. Ten hospitals within the Mass Normal Brigham hospital system ended each these precautions concurrently in Might 2023 however restarted masking for well being care staff in January 2024 throughout a winter respiratory viral surge…. On this examine, stopping common masking and SARS-CoV-2 testing was related to a big improve in hospital-onset respiratory viral infections relative to group infections. Restarting the masking of well being care staff was related to a big lower.” And: “Nosocomial respiratory viral infections stay related to elevated size of keep and better mortality in hospitalized populations.” • Elevated size of keep = revenue. Hilariously, Smile Nazi Erica Shenoy is Affiliate Chief of the An infection Management Unit at Mass Normal Brigham, and is preventing common use of respirators in hospitals tooth and nail at HICPAC. One can solely marvel what her motivation could be.

Generally talking up helps:

Hopefully this difficulty landed on the Artwork Director’s desk, and coverage was modified. And Kudos to @NewsMedical.

Immune Dysregulation

“The identification of a SARs-CoV2 S1 protein derived peptide with super-antigen-like stimulatory properties on T-cells” (preprint) [bioRxiv]. From the Summary: “Extreme COVID-19 can set off a cytokine storm, resulting in acute respiratory misery syndrome (ARDS) with similarities to superantigen-induced poisonous shock syndrome. An impressive query is whether or not SARS-CoV-2 protein sequences can immediately induce inflammatory responses. On this examine, we establish a area within the SARS-CoV-2 S1 spike protein with sequence homology to bacterial super-antigens (termed P3)…. In vivo experiments in mice revealed that the administration of P3 led to a big upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Whereas the medical significance of P3 in COVID-19 stays unclear, its homology to different mammalian proteins suggests a possible position for this peptide household in human irritation and autoimmunity.” • Leonardi (see right here) does a contented dance:

Others resist:

Testing and Monitoring: Wastewater

I assume the dairies are dumping contaminated milk into the sewers, underneath cowl of darkness?

Be aware that might be the optimistic situation….

* * *

TABLE 1: Day by day Covid Charts

Lambert right here: Regardless that the Covid numbers appear low, please keep in mind that the information shouldn’t be practically pretty much as good because it as soon as was, that it lags, and that the draw back dangers of catching Covid are appreciable. For individuals who have developed their very own private protocols, I wouldn’t chill out them. Perhaps subsequent yr.

Wastewater
This week[1] CDC November 18 Last week[2] CDC (until next week):

Variants [3] CDC November 23 Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC November 16

Hospitalization
★ New York[5] New York State, data November 27: ★ National [6] CDC November 28:

Positivity
National[7] Walgreens November 25: ★ Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic November 23:

Travelers Data
Positivity[9] CDC November 4: Variants[10] CDC November 4:

Deaths
Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC November 2: Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC November 2:

LEGEND

1) ★ for charts new today; all others are not updated.

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

NOTES

[1] (CDC) Good news!

[2] (CDC) Last week’s wastewater map.

[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* still popular. XEC has entered the chat. That WHO label, “Ommicron,” has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.

[4] (ED) Down.

[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Steadily down.

[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Actually improved; it’s now one of the few charts to show the entire course of the pandemic to the present day.

[7] (Walgreens) Down.

[8] (Cleveland) Down.

[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Down.

[10] (Travelers: Variants). Now XEC.

[11] Deaths low, positivity down.

[12] Deaths low, ED down.

Stats Watch

There are no official statistics of interest today.

* * *

Manufacturing: “FAA Calls For Check Of Drag Brace Lower Lock Link On Boeing 787 Landing Gear” [Simple FLying]. “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that a specific inspection process was not completed during the manufacturing process of the drag brace lower lock link assemblies for the Boeing 787’s main landing gear (MLG), mandating operators to either check maintenance records or inspect whether certain drag brace lower links were installed on the aircraft. The regulator issued the airworthiness directive (AD) despite one airline [American] saying that a requirement bulletin (RB) was sufficient… According to the FAA, undetected cracks could lead to a fracture of the drag brace lower lock link assembly, potentially resulting in the MLG’s collapse and subsequent loss of directional control while the aircraft is on the ground. The regulator’s worst-case scenario pointed to a potential runway excursion and wing box fuel tank penetration.” • At some point, presumably, alll this will be cleaned up….

Manufacturing: “Boeing’s new CEO clips corporate jet trips in show of restraint” [Seattle Times]. “Ortberg’s edict has curtailed flights to Boeing’s major operations centers in Seattle (commercial planemaking); Washington (corporate headquarters, defense arm); and Dallas (services unit). The prior set-up made it easy for top executives to commute from afar. Former CEO Dave Calhoun flew in from homes in New Hampshire and South Carolina, and his senior leadership team was scattered in places like Connecticut and Toronto. Flights have fallen off to Charleston, South Carolina, and nearby Savannah, Georgia; White Plains, New York, close to Chief Financial Officer Brian West’s Connecticut home; and Toronto, where information technology head Susan Doniz is based. Calhoun, West and Doniz declined to comment for the story, a Boeing spokesperson said. While Ortberg, like his predecessors, travel in a private jet, he is relocating to Seattle.” • “Must”?

Manufacturing: “‘Mayday!’: New details emerge after Boeing plane makes emergency landing at Mirabel airport” [CTV News]. “‘During deceleration after landing with the flaps retracted at Montreal-Mirabel airport, the left main landing gear collapsed until the left engine touched the ground. The aircraft continued on its engine-supported path until it came to a complete stop on the runway,’ the [federal Transportation Safety Board’s] summary of the incident stated. The agency said there was no fire but the plane sustained ‘significant damage.’” • On the bright side, a pretty robust airframe, it would seem.

Manufacturing: “Why Africa won’t shut the door on Boeing” [Times Aerospace]. “Production rates of the 737… have been capped by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at 38 – the rate existing prior to the Alaska Airlines incident – until the FAA is satisfied that Boeing has got a grip of the situation. So, what does all this mean for African airlines? Probably less than in other regions of the world. Relatively few African carriers buy new aircraft direct from Boeing. Many tend to acquire second-hand machines… Will Boeing’s problems deter African airlines from placing future orders with the US manufacturer? Probably not; both Boeing and Airbus have huge order backlogs – place an order for a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320neo today and you are unlikely to have it in service much before the end of the decade. African airlines that want to order from Boeing will probably take comfort from the fact that, by the time the new aircraft arrive, the company’s current problems will – hopefully – have been ironed out.”

Manufacturing: “COMAC: The quiet giant challenging the Airbus-Boeing duopoly” [Aerotime]. “COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) was officially formed on May 11, 2008, the product of a joint effort from various Chinese companies and institutions: (Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), Aluminum Corporation of China, Baosteel, Sinochem, Shanghai Guosheng Corporation and the SASAC (which manages Air China, China’s flag carrier). COMAC is therefore more akin to a conglomerate, a la United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in Russia, which in turn encompasses famous names such as Ilyushin, Tupolev or Sukhoi. As such, COMAC regroups all China’s aircraft manufacturing capacities through 13 different companies, military and civilian alike and is government-owned.” Concluding: “Now what’s next for COMAC? There’s no shortage of challenges awaiting the Chinese manufacturer. In the near-term future, COMAC will have to digest a steep learning curve on the supply-chain side of the manufacturing process to address demand and increase delivery rates…. [T]he commercial airplanes market has virtually shrunk to an Airbus/Boeing duopoly for the past 25 years with Embraer and ATR in a different league. Therefore, it can be said that COMAC is the first real challenger to the duopoly, a welcome new entrant that will push the European and US manufacturers to be more innovative.” • Hmm. No Chinese engines, I believe.

* * *

Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 66 Greed (previous close: 65 Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 60 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Nov 29 at 11:29:59 AM ET.

Gallery

And now for something completely different:

Information of the Wired

“Musk admits X throttles hyperlinks as ‘information influencers’ take over” [WaPo]. “. Links are lifeblood for web publishers, and they can be handy for users who want to point each other to original sources, in-depth reporting or delightful content. Adding a link to a post also can be an indicator of credibility on social media – a sign that you aren’t just spouting off but have outside evidence to support your claims and are happy for your audience to check it out for themselves. But tech giants have come to see links as a drain on the bottom line, because they pull users’ valuable eyeballs away from the platform…. As traditional media that report the news have lost audience and stature, social media influencers who talk about the news have thrived, according to a recent nationally representative survey by Pew Research. The survey found that 1 in 5 Americans — and 37 percent of adults under 30 — say they regularly get news from influencers on social media. Some 85 percent of those influencers maintain a presence on X.” • Blogosphere about to stage a comeback? Even a fraction of 100 – 37 = 63% is a big market with a lot of room for small players…

* * *

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About Lambert Strether

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 (“Because markets”). I don’t much care about the “ism” 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’t much care, as long as the benefits are delivered.

To me, the key issue — and this is why Medicare for All is always first with me — is the tens of thousands of excess “deaths from despair,” 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 — even the worthy fight to help the refugees Bush, Obama, and Clinton’s wars created — bright shiny objects by comparison. Hence my frustration with the news flow — 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 — 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’s call such voices “the left.” Volatility creates opportunity, especially if the Democrat establishment, which puts markets first and opposes all such programs, isn’t 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’ve been blogging about it daily for fourteen years, but everything I write has this perspective at the back of it.













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