Post by mhbruin on Feb 9, 2022 11:01:42 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 544 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
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California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Feb 9f)
January had NO rain or snow. February looks the same.
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
The Worst Way to Join the Mile High Club
A passenger was arrested at Heathrow Airport for allegedly raping a woman in business class on an overnight transatlantic flight from New Jersey.
The woman said she was attacked by a 40-year-old man while others slept on the flight from Newark on 31 January.
Officers boarded the United Airlines plane after it landed at 06:39 GMT and arrested the man who has since been released under investigation.
Get the Truck Off the Bridge
Truck drivers are blocking a key border crossing between the US and Canada, sparking fears of economic disruption.
While limited US-bound traffic is being allowed to cross the Ambassador Bridge in Ontario, Canada-bound lanes from Detroit remain closed.
Business associations have called for the bridge to be immediately cleared to ensure the steady flow of goods.
Truckers are demonstrating against a rule that requires them to be vaccinated to cross the US-Canada border. But the protests have grown to include anger at restrictions and at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government generally.
Another border crossing between Montana and Alberta has also been blocked.
The closure of the Ambassador Bridge is particularly significant because nearly 30% of annual trade between the US and Canada comes through it.
"I've already heard from automakers and food grocers," Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Tuesday. "This is really a serious cause for concern"
Maybe He Said, "Kick My Ass". That Should Be Her Response
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio said Tuesday that Republican Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky poked her in the back and told her "kiss my ass" after she asked him to wear a mask before boarding the US Capitol's subway system.
Beatty, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, said in a string of tweets, "Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague @rephalrogers to put on a mask while boarding the train. He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, 'kiss my ass.'"
"This is the kind of disrespect we have been fighting for years, and indicative of the larger issue we have with GOP Members flaunting health and safety mandates designed to keep us and our staff safe," Beatty continued. "@rephalrogers, when you are ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, you know where to find me."
What If Someone Wore a "Let's Go Brandon" Swimsuit?
A 12-year-old Black swimmer was nearly disqualified from a meet in Superior, Wisconsin, for wearing a Black Lives Matter swimsuit.
"An independent volunteer official inappropriately barred a student athlete from taking part in the meet, due to their 'Black Lives Matter' swimsuit, stating that it 'went against USA Swimming's policy of no political language,'" according to the Duluth Area Family YMCA, which sponsored the event Sunday at Superior High School.
The official who threatened to disqualify Leidy was overruled by YMCA officials, and she was allowed to continue participating in the swim meet, the Duluth YMCA said. The official has been banned from future swim meets hosted by the Duluth YMCA, the organization said.
N-Word Joe Proves He is a Republican By Playing the Victim
Joe Rogan says he’s a victim, slams clip of him using racial slur as a ‘political hit job’
“That video had always been out there and so they’re taking all this stuff I’ve ever said that’s wrong and smushing it all together,” Rogan said.
Death Sentence Chooses the Worst Black Person He Can Find
The fact that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis even knows that Black History Month is an actual thing is surprising, but that he ran a statewide essay contest about it contradicts everything he’s been attempting to do to erase Black people.
So what does DeSantis want the budding young minds of Florida to write about? Well, it isn’t actually impressive Black Americans, nope. He’s suggesting that students write about his anti-vaxxer, numbskull surgeon general, Dr. Joseph “I don’t know a thing about science” Ladapo. A Harvard-trained doc who denies standard COVID-19 mitigations like vaccines and masks over unproven treatments such as ivermectin and monoclonal antibodies.
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Tuesday declined to disclose whether he has received a coronavirus vaccine during a contentious confirmation hearing where Democrats pressed the state’s top doctor to promote the shots.
Why Is DeJoyless Still Running the Postal Service?
The Postal Service has a fleet of old, inefficient, gas-guzzling delivery vehicles—70% of the fleet is between 25 and 32 years old. Part of DeJoy’s 10-year plan for the agency is replacing that fleet with safer, modern vehicles, with air-conditioning and airbags and all the modern conveniences. DeJoy has secured an $11.3 billion contract with Oshkosh Defense for 165,000 trucks for the agency. When the initiative for the new vehicles was announced a year ago the USPS assured the public that “many” of those vehicles, but not all, would be electric. As it turns out, “many” in DeJoy speak is 10%. Which means 90% will be gas-powered.
Those Three Little Words
When the Republican Party voted to censure two of its own members of Congress last week at its winter meeting in Salt Lake City, it justified the move in part by declaring that efforts to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection amounted to the persecution of individuals engaging in “legitimate political discourse.”
QANON Ron Meets Pillow Guy. That Can't Be Good.
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin virtually attended a January 4, 2021, meeting hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, The Washington Post reported last week.
Two days before the January 6 Capitol riot, a group met at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC. Lindell told The Post the meeting was convened to talk over potentially delaying President Joe Biden's election certification.
There, roughly two-dozen attendees saw presentations about unfounded claims of election fraud — including false claims of international interference — The Post reported, citing attendees.
In an interview last week with Wisconsin radio station WTMG, Johnson said of the meeting that he didn't "believe that (delaying the certification of the election) was ever discussed. They were talking about what machines might have done."
Johnson previously held a hearing on December 16, 2020, about the election, when he was chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
In addition to Johnson, who video-conferenced in, Sen. Cynthia M. Lummis of Wyoming and Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota attended the meeting in person.
Paying Heaps of Money For Heaps
The regents of the University of California have agreed to pay more than $240 million to settle claims from 203 women who say that a former gynecologist-oncologist at the University of California at Los Angeles sexually abused them.
It was the second settlement involving James Heaps, who was affiliated with UCLA for decades, until 2018. Last summer, a California district court approved a $73 million agreement on behalf of former patients.
It is also one of several massive settlements in recent years by universities to resolve sexual abuse complaints against doctors, in many cases with plaintiffs claiming that university officials failed to take action over years. Allegations have rocked schools including the University of Michigan, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University, Michigan State University and the University of Southern California.
Last year, USC announced an agreement that brought its total legal settlement of claims alleging misconduct by former gynecologist George Tyndall, who had worked at the student health center for decades, to more than $1 billion.
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Bitcoin, Bitcoin, Who's Got the Bitcoin?
The Justice Department said Tuesday it has seized more than $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency and arrested two people in connection with the 2016 hack of a virtual currency exchange.
It’s the Justice Department’s largest financial seizure ever, officials said.
Arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday were Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife, Heather Morgan, 31. They were scheduled to make initial appearances in federal court in Manhattan at 3 p.m.
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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.
US Has the lowest number of COVID cases since Christmas
Meanwhile, the world surpasses 400 million known coronavirus cases
One Mask, Two Mask, Red Mask, Blue Mask
Though most health experts agree universal masking, along with vaccinations, remains the best public health strategy against the spread of the virus, people can still benefit from wearing a mask even if no one else around them is.
"You're certainly much better protected than you would be if you're not wearing a mask at all," said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law.
However, since the omicron variant is so contagious and still spreading so widely in the U.S., protection from a mask may be a bit less, regardless of one's vaccination status, said Cheryl Healton, dean of the New York University School of Global Public Health.
Those not wearing masks can transmit Covid-19 to them, and they can, in turn, transmit to others," Healton said.
A mask should still provide some protection in an unmasked setting, assuming it's well fitted and worn correctly, said Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The CDC has advice on its website for properly wearing a mask, saying it should cover one’s nose and mouth and be secured under the chin.
The type and quality of the mask matters, too. A CDC study released Friday found that people who consistently wear a high-quality mask, such as an N95 or KN95, in an indoor public setting appear to have the best chance of avoiding Covid. The CDC report looked at randomly selected California residents who had received either a negative or a positive Covid test from Feb. 18 to Dec. 1.
It found that when someone wore a cloth mask, the odds of testing positive for Covid infection were reduced by 56 percent. A surgical mask lowered the odds by 66 percent. People who wore an N95 or KN95 were 83 percent less likely to test positive for Covid.
And Don't Take Your Mask Off to Sneeze
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Nuclear Fusion Has Been "Close" for At Least 50 Years. Will It be Close For Another 50?
European scientists say they have made a major breakthrough in their quest to develop practical nuclear fusion - the energy process that powers the stars.
The UK-based JET laboratory has smashed its own world record for the amount of energy it can extract by squeezing together two forms of hydrogen.
If nuclear fusion can be successfully recreated on Earth it holds out the potential of virtually unlimited supplies of low-carbon, low-radiation energy.
The experiments produced 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds (11 megawatts of power).
This is more than double what was achieved in similar tests back in 1997.
It's not a massive energy output - only enough to boil about 60 kettles' worth of water. But the significance is that it validates design choices that have been made for an even bigger fusion reactor now being constructed in France.
Nuclear fusion is, as its name suggests, the fusing of two or more atoms into one larger one, a process that unleashes a tremendous amount of energy as heat.
Nuclear power used today is created by a different process, called fission, which relies on splitting, rather than fusing, atoms. But that process creates waste that can remain radioactive for tens of thousands of years. It's also potentially hazardous in the event of an accident, such as Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster, triggered by an earthquake and tsunami.
George W. Bush Thinks Nucular Fusion is Close, Too.
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One State is Safe For Journalists (Assuming the Police Pay Attention)
A federal judge has approved a settlement prohibiting Minnesota authorities from arresting, threatening to arrest, or using force against journalists.
In addition, officials with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) are not permitted to use chemical agents or to seize or intentionally damage journalists' equipment, according to an order from US District Judge Wilhelmina Wright.
Tuesday's settlement stemmed from police tactics used against journalists during protests over the deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright.
And journalists are not required to disperse even if police order protesters to do so during demonstrations, the order says.
The American Civil Liberties Union called the action groundbreaking and said it requires state law enforcement to be held accountable to the First Amendment.
That Leave 49 States and DC
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Why Is There a Supply Chain Issue? Here's One Reason.
The yearly turnover rate among long-haul truckers is 94%. And you wonder why you’re not getting your orders on time?
According to a 2019 study by the Labor Center at the University of California, Berkeley, the median annual pre-tax income of [Omar] Alvarez and his fellow port truckers, once their expenses are factored in, is a munificent $28,000.
“We have no health insurance,” Alvarez says. Like the majority of port truckers, he’s an immigrant who doesn’t qualify for Medicaid. “When I need to see a doctor,” he says, “I drive [not in his truck] to Tijuana.”
Perhaps one-fifth of port truckers actually are independent contractors; nearly everyone else is, like Alvarez, misclassified as independents. Over the past decade, dozens of lawsuits from misclassified drivers have resulted in judgments affirming that they’ve been misclassified and awarding them compensation from the companies that misclassified them. XPO recently paid a $30 million fine to a large number of its drivers. But neither XPO nor any of the other fined companies have stopped misclassification. It’s cheaper for them to pay a fine than to pay their drivers a living wage.
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Heard This One? I Didn't Think So.
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Tire Is Retired After 6 Years? Croc Was Tired Of It
A wild crocodile with a used motorcycle tire stuck around its neck for six years has finally been freed by an Indonesian bird catcher in a tireless effort that wildlife conservation officials hailed as a milestone Wednesday.
The 4.5-meter (14.8-foot) saltwater female crocodile has become an icon to the people in Palu, the capital city of Central Sulawesi. The beast was seen on the city’s river with the tire around its neck becoming increasingly tighter, running the risk of choking her.
Conservation officials were racing to rescue the crocodile since residents spotted the reptile in 2016, generating sympathy among residents and worldwide. In 2020, Australian crocodile wrangler Matthew Wright and American wildlife biologist Forrest Galante tried and failed to free the reptile.
In early January, 35-year-old bird catcher and trader Tili, who recently moved to the city, heard about the famous crocodile from his neighbors and determined to rescue the reptile after he saw her frequently sunbathing at a nearby estuary.
“I have experiences and skills in catching animals, not only birds, but farm animals that are released from the cage,” Tili, who goes by a single name, told The Associated Press. “I believe I can rescue the crocodile with my skills.”
He stringed ropes of various sizes into a trap tied to a tree near the river, and laid chickens, ducks and birds as bait. After three weeks of waiting and several failed attempts, the crocodile finally fell into the trap Monday night. With the help of two of his friends, Tili pulled the trapped crocodile ashore and sawed through the tire, which was 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) in diameter.
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Another Day, Another Tesla Recall
Tesla is recalling nearly 27,000 vehicles in the U.S. because the cabin heating systems may not defrost the windshield quickly enough, cutting visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
The latest in a series of recent recalls covers certain 2021 and 2022 Models 3, S, and X, and some 2020 through 2022 Model Y vehicles.
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It Was Approved in 2008 and No Track Has Been Laid
Another $5 billion has been added to the cost of California’s ambitious but long delayed high-speed rail line, according to estimates released Tuesday that show it could take $105 billion to finish the route from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
The figures were included in the California High Speed Rail Authority’s latest biennial business plan. The increases are partly due to commitments aimed at minimizing community disruption, such as distancing the train from the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in the Central Valley and tunneling tracks near the Burbank airport, project officials said.
The project's price tag has steadily risen since voters first approved nearly $10 billion in bond money for it in 2008, when the total cost was pegged at $40 billion. In the years since, the costs have kept climbing amid struggles to obtain the necessary land and other delays. Today, the rail authority is far short of the money it needs to complete the full project.
The first part of the line will run through the Central Valley; construction is underway on a 119-mile segment where the trains will first be tested before the track is extended to take passengers from Merced to Bakersfield. No track has yet been laid, but the authority has obtained 90% of the land parcels it needs for the first segment and more than half the full 500-mile (804-kilometer) route is now environmentally cleared, according to the business plan.
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Huh? DeJoyless Did This?
The House on Tuesday advanced a major financial overhaul of the ailing U.S. Postal Service, relieving it of tens of billions of dollars in liabilities that agency leaders said prevented it from modernizing and providing efficient service.
The bill, which passed 342 to 92, marks a major breakthrough for the mail agency and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who made the legislation the centerpiece of his 10-year postal restructuring plan.
The Postal Service has implored Congress to help fix its balance sheet for nearly 15 years, and agency leaders are cautiously optimistic about prospects for the Postal Service Reform Act in the Senate. It has 27 co-sponsors in the upper chamber, including 14 Republicans, sufficient support to defeat a potential filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the chamber would vote on the legislation by the end of next week, citing its bipartisan popularity.
Democrats have hailed the legislation as crucial to the preservation of the Postal Service and its ability to reach nearly every American household six days a week. Republicans say the bill vindicates DeJoy’s initiatives and a conservative approach for a smaller mail service.
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Here's a Great Question
The IRS already knows how much tax you’ll owe, so why do Americans have to pay so much to file their tax returns?
Let Me Guess. Is It the Tax Preparation Lobby?
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CDC doesn't do a good job of reporting around holidays.
Doses Administered 7-Day Average | Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses | Number of People 2 or More Doses | New Cases 7-Day Average | Deaths 7-Day Average | |
| Feb 9 | |||||
| Feb 8 | 602,606 | 251,312,470 | 213,061,117 | ||
| Feb 7 | 611,742 | 251,176,199 | 212,920,278 | 247,319 | 2,404 |
| Feb 6 | 627,161 | 251,070,439 | 212,806,521 | 291,471 | 2,294 |
| Feb 5 | 655,591 | 250,915,858 | 212,657,682 | 298,890 | 2,331 |
| Feb 4 | 680,135 | 250,731,754 | 212,481,465 | 313,117 | 2,404 |
| Feb 3 | 719,986 | 250,593,665 | 212,336,183 | 343,563 | 2,371 |
| Feb 2 | 494,092 | 250,378,993 | 212,130,684 | 378,015 | 2,403 |
| Feb 1 | 510,477 | 250,184,240 | 211,954,555 | 415,552 | 2,369 |
| Jan 31 | 575,732 | 250,029,773 | 211,818,885 | 446,355 | 2,287 |
| Jan 30 | 603,030 | 249,892,470 | 211,695,131 | 497,296 | 2,234 |
| Jan 29 | 595,871 | 249,695,301 | 211,533,229 | 522,626 | 2,261 |
| Jan 28 | 626,946 | 249,473,925 | 211,343,818 | 543,016 | 2,265 |
| Jan 27 | 643,725 | 249,267,851 (I don't know why) | 211,162,083 | 577,748 | 2,300 |
| Jan 26 | 962,958 | 251,518,114 | 210,850,212 | 596,859 | 2,288 |
| Jan 25 | 1,011,603 | 251,289,667 | 210,682,471 | 627,294 | 2,246 |
| Jan 24 | 1,201,186 | 250,964,433 | 210,459,963 | 692,359 | 2,166 |
| Jan 23 | 1,101,405 | 250,763,600 | 210,358,008 | 663,908 | 1,936 |
| Jan 22 | 1,002,322 | 250,568,431 | 210,229,586 | 686,715 | 1,939 |
| Jan 21 | 1,035,111 | 250,262,153 | 210,021,766 | 716,829 | 1,974 |
| Jan 20 | 1,094,988 | 250,028,635 | 209,842,610 | 726,870 | 1,843 |
| Jan 19 | 1,135,453 | 249,702,939 | 209,509,297 | 744,615 | 1,749 |
| Jan 18 | 1,158,537 | 249,393,487 | 209,312,770 | 755,095 | 1,669 |
| Jan 17 | No Data | 736,350 | 1,746 | ||
| Jan 16 | No Data | 771,131 | 1,851 | ||
| Jan 15 | 1,268,202 | 248,707,432 | 208,995,438 | 788,628 | 1,858 |
| Jan 14 | 1,286,773 | 248,338,448 | 208,791,862 | 798,335 | 1,784 |
| Jan 13 | 1,291,013 | 247,987,225 | 208,564,894 | 794,587 | 1,730 |
| Jan 12 | 1,234,672 | 247,695,845 | 208,182,657 | 782,765 | 1,729 |
| Jan 11 | 1,213,113 | 247,321,023 | 207,954,605 | 761,535 | 1,656 |
| Jan 10 | 1,307,445 | 247,051,363 | 207,796,335 | 750,996 | 1,633 |
| Jan 9 | 1,331,635 | 246,812,939 | 207,662,071 | 674,406 | 1,552 |
| Jan 8 | 1,286,783 | 246,447,823 | 207,452,448 | 680,330 | 1,544 |
| Feb 16, 2021 | 1,716,311 | 39,670,551 | 15,015,434 | 78,292 |
| At Least One Dose | Fully Vaccinated | % of Vaccinated W/ Boosters | |
| % of Total Population | 75.7% | 64.3% | 42.4% |
| % of Population 5+ | 80.5% | 68.2% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 85.4% | 72.8% | 43.7% |
| % of Population 18+ | 87.3% | 74.4% | 45.6% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 88.5% | 65.1% |
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Feb 9f)
January had NO rain or snow. February looks the same.
| Percent of Average for this Date | Last Week | 2 Weeks ago | 3 Weeks ago | 4 Weeks ago | 5 Weeks ago | 6 Weeks ago | |
| Northern Sierra Precipitation | 105% (59% of average for full season) | 113% | 124% | 134% | 149% | 158% | 170% |
| San Joaquin Precipitation | 92% (51%) | 99% | 110% | 121% | 138% | 156% | 170% |
| Tulare Basin Precipitation | 84% (46%) | 91% | 101% | 112% | 127% | 145% | 151% |
| Snow Water Content - North | 80% (58%) | 89% | 117% | 128% | 135% | 134% | |
| Snow Water Content - Central | 80% (57%) | 89% | 114% | 129% | 148% | 148% | |
| Snow Water Content - South | 81% (57%) | 92% | 121% | 135% | 160% | 158% |
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
The Worst Way to Join the Mile High Club
A passenger was arrested at Heathrow Airport for allegedly raping a woman in business class on an overnight transatlantic flight from New Jersey.
The woman said she was attacked by a 40-year-old man while others slept on the flight from Newark on 31 January.
Officers boarded the United Airlines plane after it landed at 06:39 GMT and arrested the man who has since been released under investigation.
Get the Truck Off the Bridge
Truck drivers are blocking a key border crossing between the US and Canada, sparking fears of economic disruption.
While limited US-bound traffic is being allowed to cross the Ambassador Bridge in Ontario, Canada-bound lanes from Detroit remain closed.
Business associations have called for the bridge to be immediately cleared to ensure the steady flow of goods.
Truckers are demonstrating against a rule that requires them to be vaccinated to cross the US-Canada border. But the protests have grown to include anger at restrictions and at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government generally.
Another border crossing between Montana and Alberta has also been blocked.
The closure of the Ambassador Bridge is particularly significant because nearly 30% of annual trade between the US and Canada comes through it.
"I've already heard from automakers and food grocers," Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Tuesday. "This is really a serious cause for concern"
Maybe He Said, "Kick My Ass". That Should Be Her Response
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio said Tuesday that Republican Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky poked her in the back and told her "kiss my ass" after she asked him to wear a mask before boarding the US Capitol's subway system.
Beatty, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, said in a string of tweets, "Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague @rephalrogers to put on a mask while boarding the train. He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, 'kiss my ass.'"
"This is the kind of disrespect we have been fighting for years, and indicative of the larger issue we have with GOP Members flaunting health and safety mandates designed to keep us and our staff safe," Beatty continued. "@rephalrogers, when you are ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, you know where to find me."
What If Someone Wore a "Let's Go Brandon" Swimsuit?
A 12-year-old Black swimmer was nearly disqualified from a meet in Superior, Wisconsin, for wearing a Black Lives Matter swimsuit.
"An independent volunteer official inappropriately barred a student athlete from taking part in the meet, due to their 'Black Lives Matter' swimsuit, stating that it 'went against USA Swimming's policy of no political language,'" according to the Duluth Area Family YMCA, which sponsored the event Sunday at Superior High School.
The official who threatened to disqualify Leidy was overruled by YMCA officials, and she was allowed to continue participating in the swim meet, the Duluth YMCA said. The official has been banned from future swim meets hosted by the Duluth YMCA, the organization said.
N-Word Joe Proves He is a Republican By Playing the Victim
Joe Rogan says he’s a victim, slams clip of him using racial slur as a ‘political hit job’
“That video had always been out there and so they’re taking all this stuff I’ve ever said that’s wrong and smushing it all together,” Rogan said.
Death Sentence Chooses the Worst Black Person He Can Find
The fact that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis even knows that Black History Month is an actual thing is surprising, but that he ran a statewide essay contest about it contradicts everything he’s been attempting to do to erase Black people.
So what does DeSantis want the budding young minds of Florida to write about? Well, it isn’t actually impressive Black Americans, nope. He’s suggesting that students write about his anti-vaxxer, numbskull surgeon general, Dr. Joseph “I don’t know a thing about science” Ladapo. A Harvard-trained doc who denies standard COVID-19 mitigations like vaccines and masks over unproven treatments such as ivermectin and monoclonal antibodies.
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Tuesday declined to disclose whether he has received a coronavirus vaccine during a contentious confirmation hearing where Democrats pressed the state’s top doctor to promote the shots.
Why Is DeJoyless Still Running the Postal Service?
The Postal Service has a fleet of old, inefficient, gas-guzzling delivery vehicles—70% of the fleet is between 25 and 32 years old. Part of DeJoy’s 10-year plan for the agency is replacing that fleet with safer, modern vehicles, with air-conditioning and airbags and all the modern conveniences. DeJoy has secured an $11.3 billion contract with Oshkosh Defense for 165,000 trucks for the agency. When the initiative for the new vehicles was announced a year ago the USPS assured the public that “many” of those vehicles, but not all, would be electric. As it turns out, “many” in DeJoy speak is 10%. Which means 90% will be gas-powered.
Those Three Little Words
When the Republican Party voted to censure two of its own members of Congress last week at its winter meeting in Salt Lake City, it justified the move in part by declaring that efforts to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection amounted to the persecution of individuals engaging in “legitimate political discourse.”
QANON Ron Meets Pillow Guy. That Can't Be Good.
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin virtually attended a January 4, 2021, meeting hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, The Washington Post reported last week.
Two days before the January 6 Capitol riot, a group met at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC. Lindell told The Post the meeting was convened to talk over potentially delaying President Joe Biden's election certification.
There, roughly two-dozen attendees saw presentations about unfounded claims of election fraud — including false claims of international interference — The Post reported, citing attendees.
In an interview last week with Wisconsin radio station WTMG, Johnson said of the meeting that he didn't "believe that (delaying the certification of the election) was ever discussed. They were talking about what machines might have done."
Johnson previously held a hearing on December 16, 2020, about the election, when he was chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
In addition to Johnson, who video-conferenced in, Sen. Cynthia M. Lummis of Wyoming and Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota attended the meeting in person.
Paying Heaps of Money For Heaps
The regents of the University of California have agreed to pay more than $240 million to settle claims from 203 women who say that a former gynecologist-oncologist at the University of California at Los Angeles sexually abused them.
It was the second settlement involving James Heaps, who was affiliated with UCLA for decades, until 2018. Last summer, a California district court approved a $73 million agreement on behalf of former patients.
It is also one of several massive settlements in recent years by universities to resolve sexual abuse complaints against doctors, in many cases with plaintiffs claiming that university officials failed to take action over years. Allegations have rocked schools including the University of Michigan, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University, Michigan State University and the University of Southern California.
Last year, USC announced an agreement that brought its total legal settlement of claims alleging misconduct by former gynecologist George Tyndall, who had worked at the student health center for decades, to more than $1 billion.
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Bitcoin, Bitcoin, Who's Got the Bitcoin?
The Justice Department said Tuesday it has seized more than $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency and arrested two people in connection with the 2016 hack of a virtual currency exchange.
It’s the Justice Department’s largest financial seizure ever, officials said.
Arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday were Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife, Heather Morgan, 31. They were scheduled to make initial appearances in federal court in Manhattan at 3 p.m.
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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.
US Has the lowest number of COVID cases since Christmas
Meanwhile, the world surpasses 400 million known coronavirus cases
One Mask, Two Mask, Red Mask, Blue Mask
Though most health experts agree universal masking, along with vaccinations, remains the best public health strategy against the spread of the virus, people can still benefit from wearing a mask even if no one else around them is.
"You're certainly much better protected than you would be if you're not wearing a mask at all," said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law.
However, since the omicron variant is so contagious and still spreading so widely in the U.S., protection from a mask may be a bit less, regardless of one's vaccination status, said Cheryl Healton, dean of the New York University School of Global Public Health.
Those not wearing masks can transmit Covid-19 to them, and they can, in turn, transmit to others," Healton said.
A mask should still provide some protection in an unmasked setting, assuming it's well fitted and worn correctly, said Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The CDC has advice on its website for properly wearing a mask, saying it should cover one’s nose and mouth and be secured under the chin.
The type and quality of the mask matters, too. A CDC study released Friday found that people who consistently wear a high-quality mask, such as an N95 or KN95, in an indoor public setting appear to have the best chance of avoiding Covid. The CDC report looked at randomly selected California residents who had received either a negative or a positive Covid test from Feb. 18 to Dec. 1.
It found that when someone wore a cloth mask, the odds of testing positive for Covid infection were reduced by 56 percent. A surgical mask lowered the odds by 66 percent. People who wore an N95 or KN95 were 83 percent less likely to test positive for Covid.
And Don't Take Your Mask Off to Sneeze
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Nuclear Fusion Has Been "Close" for At Least 50 Years. Will It be Close For Another 50?
European scientists say they have made a major breakthrough in their quest to develop practical nuclear fusion - the energy process that powers the stars.
The UK-based JET laboratory has smashed its own world record for the amount of energy it can extract by squeezing together two forms of hydrogen.
If nuclear fusion can be successfully recreated on Earth it holds out the potential of virtually unlimited supplies of low-carbon, low-radiation energy.
The experiments produced 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds (11 megawatts of power).
This is more than double what was achieved in similar tests back in 1997.
It's not a massive energy output - only enough to boil about 60 kettles' worth of water. But the significance is that it validates design choices that have been made for an even bigger fusion reactor now being constructed in France.
Nuclear fusion is, as its name suggests, the fusing of two or more atoms into one larger one, a process that unleashes a tremendous amount of energy as heat.
Nuclear power used today is created by a different process, called fission, which relies on splitting, rather than fusing, atoms. But that process creates waste that can remain radioactive for tens of thousands of years. It's also potentially hazardous in the event of an accident, such as Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster, triggered by an earthquake and tsunami.
George W. Bush Thinks Nucular Fusion is Close, Too.
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One State is Safe For Journalists (Assuming the Police Pay Attention)
A federal judge has approved a settlement prohibiting Minnesota authorities from arresting, threatening to arrest, or using force against journalists.
In addition, officials with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) are not permitted to use chemical agents or to seize or intentionally damage journalists' equipment, according to an order from US District Judge Wilhelmina Wright.
Tuesday's settlement stemmed from police tactics used against journalists during protests over the deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright.
And journalists are not required to disperse even if police order protesters to do so during demonstrations, the order says.
The American Civil Liberties Union called the action groundbreaking and said it requires state law enforcement to be held accountable to the First Amendment.
That Leave 49 States and DC
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Why Is There a Supply Chain Issue? Here's One Reason.
The yearly turnover rate among long-haul truckers is 94%. And you wonder why you’re not getting your orders on time?
According to a 2019 study by the Labor Center at the University of California, Berkeley, the median annual pre-tax income of [Omar] Alvarez and his fellow port truckers, once their expenses are factored in, is a munificent $28,000.
“We have no health insurance,” Alvarez says. Like the majority of port truckers, he’s an immigrant who doesn’t qualify for Medicaid. “When I need to see a doctor,” he says, “I drive [not in his truck] to Tijuana.”
Perhaps one-fifth of port truckers actually are independent contractors; nearly everyone else is, like Alvarez, misclassified as independents. Over the past decade, dozens of lawsuits from misclassified drivers have resulted in judgments affirming that they’ve been misclassified and awarding them compensation from the companies that misclassified them. XPO recently paid a $30 million fine to a large number of its drivers. But neither XPO nor any of the other fined companies have stopped misclassification. It’s cheaper for them to pay a fine than to pay their drivers a living wage.
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Heard This One? I Didn't Think So.
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Tire Is Retired After 6 Years? Croc Was Tired Of It
A wild crocodile with a used motorcycle tire stuck around its neck for six years has finally been freed by an Indonesian bird catcher in a tireless effort that wildlife conservation officials hailed as a milestone Wednesday.
The 4.5-meter (14.8-foot) saltwater female crocodile has become an icon to the people in Palu, the capital city of Central Sulawesi. The beast was seen on the city’s river with the tire around its neck becoming increasingly tighter, running the risk of choking her.
Conservation officials were racing to rescue the crocodile since residents spotted the reptile in 2016, generating sympathy among residents and worldwide. In 2020, Australian crocodile wrangler Matthew Wright and American wildlife biologist Forrest Galante tried and failed to free the reptile.
In early January, 35-year-old bird catcher and trader Tili, who recently moved to the city, heard about the famous crocodile from his neighbors and determined to rescue the reptile after he saw her frequently sunbathing at a nearby estuary.
“I have experiences and skills in catching animals, not only birds, but farm animals that are released from the cage,” Tili, who goes by a single name, told The Associated Press. “I believe I can rescue the crocodile with my skills.”
He stringed ropes of various sizes into a trap tied to a tree near the river, and laid chickens, ducks and birds as bait. After three weeks of waiting and several failed attempts, the crocodile finally fell into the trap Monday night. With the help of two of his friends, Tili pulled the trapped crocodile ashore and sawed through the tire, which was 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) in diameter.
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Another Day, Another Tesla Recall
Tesla is recalling nearly 27,000 vehicles in the U.S. because the cabin heating systems may not defrost the windshield quickly enough, cutting visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
The latest in a series of recent recalls covers certain 2021 and 2022 Models 3, S, and X, and some 2020 through 2022 Model Y vehicles.
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It Was Approved in 2008 and No Track Has Been Laid
Another $5 billion has been added to the cost of California’s ambitious but long delayed high-speed rail line, according to estimates released Tuesday that show it could take $105 billion to finish the route from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
The figures were included in the California High Speed Rail Authority’s latest biennial business plan. The increases are partly due to commitments aimed at minimizing community disruption, such as distancing the train from the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in the Central Valley and tunneling tracks near the Burbank airport, project officials said.
The project's price tag has steadily risen since voters first approved nearly $10 billion in bond money for it in 2008, when the total cost was pegged at $40 billion. In the years since, the costs have kept climbing amid struggles to obtain the necessary land and other delays. Today, the rail authority is far short of the money it needs to complete the full project.
The first part of the line will run through the Central Valley; construction is underway on a 119-mile segment where the trains will first be tested before the track is extended to take passengers from Merced to Bakersfield. No track has yet been laid, but the authority has obtained 90% of the land parcels it needs for the first segment and more than half the full 500-mile (804-kilometer) route is now environmentally cleared, according to the business plan.
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Huh? DeJoyless Did This?
The House on Tuesday advanced a major financial overhaul of the ailing U.S. Postal Service, relieving it of tens of billions of dollars in liabilities that agency leaders said prevented it from modernizing and providing efficient service.
The bill, which passed 342 to 92, marks a major breakthrough for the mail agency and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who made the legislation the centerpiece of his 10-year postal restructuring plan.
The Postal Service has implored Congress to help fix its balance sheet for nearly 15 years, and agency leaders are cautiously optimistic about prospects for the Postal Service Reform Act in the Senate. It has 27 co-sponsors in the upper chamber, including 14 Republicans, sufficient support to defeat a potential filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the chamber would vote on the legislation by the end of next week, citing its bipartisan popularity.
Democrats have hailed the legislation as crucial to the preservation of the Postal Service and its ability to reach nearly every American household six days a week. Republicans say the bill vindicates DeJoy’s initiatives and a conservative approach for a smaller mail service.
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Here's a Great Question
The IRS already knows how much tax you’ll owe, so why do Americans have to pay so much to file their tax returns?
Let Me Guess. Is It the Tax Preparation Lobby?
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