Post by mhbruin on Feb 24, 2022 9:47:52 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 552 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
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California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Feb 22)
January had NO rain or snow. February looks the same.
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Today's Worst Person in the World
Vladamir Putin. Putin attacks Ukraine after months saying he had no plans to do so
No contest
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Today's Second Worst Person in the World Nominees
Of Course they Needed to Report. They were VICE Principals. They Should Handle Vice.
Two assistant vice principals in Southern California have been arrested, accused of failing to notify authorities after three students came forward claiming they were sexually assaulted on the high school campus, officials say.
David Yang, 38, and Natasha Harris, 37, both assistant vice principals at Carter High School in Rialto, California, were arrested early Wednesday on school grounds.
Rialto police were notified on Feb. 16 about a sexual battery that occurred at the school regarding a 15-year-old female student who had been allegedly sexually assaulted by a 17-year-old male student "several times over the past three months,” according to a news release.
That victim reported the abuse to Yang and Harris in November 2021, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office said.
Detectives investigated the allegations and learned of two additional female students, 15 and 16, who were allegedly sexually assaulted by the same suspect.
The investigation found a second victim reported the assault to Yang and Harris in September 2021 and a third victim came forward in February this year.
However, no notification to police was made until Feb. 16.
If It's Possible, Texas Just Got Scarier.
She's Going to Let Her Husband Beat the Trans People? She Isn't Even Going to Do It Herself?
In an appearance with far-right radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, sitting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called for vigilante violence against trans people in public, claiming that it is necessary to stop the “grooming” of children and blaming mothers for turning their kids trans.
Greene said that if her daughter had a trans summer camp counselor, her husband would “beat” them “into the ground” and they would “be in jail. … This is exactly how we need to stand up against this stuff.” Trans people for years have faced a high level of violence; according to one recent study, “Transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault."
If She Wants to See Someone Pathetic, She Should Look in a Mirror. Wait! Vampires Don't Appear in a Mirrors.
During a broadcast minutes after Russia began invading Ukraine, Fox News host Laura Ingraham derided Ukraine’s leader for trying earlier to broker peace with the Russian president.
“We had kind of a really pathetic display from the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, earlier today ... where he in Russian ― he didn’t like to speak Russian ― but in Russian, he was essentially imploring Vladimir Putin not to invade his country,” Ingraham said during a call with former President Donald Trump.
Is Russia Invading the Wrong Country?
Stephen Colbert spent much of his Wednesday night monologue talking about the crisis in Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia. And he noted at least one prominent American figure who was squarely in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s corner: Donald Trump.
The ex-president praised Putin’s moves as “genius.” Then, his admiration took what Colbert called a “strange turn.”
“And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force,” Trump gushed. “We could use that on our southern border.”
That left Colbert puzzled. “So he wants Moscow to invade Mexico?” Colbert said.
Say It Loud, "I'm Cheap and I'm Proud!"
Two GOP lawmakers in Kentucky have apologized after using an anti-Semitic phrase during a discussion of a state lease agreement on Tuesday.
The state’s Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee was discussing leasing agreements when Republican state Rep. Walker Thomas could be heard on a hot mic laughing while asking if the state could “Jew them down on the price,” according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The committee chair, Republican state Sen. Rick Girdler, repeated Thomas’ words.
“We’ve got a representative up here [asking] if you could Jew them down a little bit on the price,” Girdler said before he apparently recognized that the language was offensive.
You Too Can Be a Cop. All It Takes is 8 Hours and $100. Does This Count as a Hunting License for Black People?
Gun safety advocates have condemned Tennessee legislation which would designate some gun owners as police, allowing civilians to carry firearms in locations usually reserved for law enforcement.
The proposed law, introduced in the Tennessee house and senate this month, “expands the definition of ‘law enforcement officer’” to include civilians who hold an enhanced handgun-carry permit – earned by taking an eight-hour handgun safety course and paying a $100 fee.
It comes as a separate bill which would allow 18-year-olds to apply for concealed-carry licenses was approved by a Tennessee house subcommittee on Tuesday.
Shannon Watts, founder of the gun safety group Moms Demand Action, told the Guardian: “Encouraging people to arm themselves and play police puts everyone at risk while making the jobs of actual law enforcement much more difficult.
“The process of obtaining a handgun permit doesn’t come anywhere close to the extensive training that real officers go through, and it’s ridiculous to equate the two. Extremist and dangerous bills like these are part of the gun lobby’s blatant attempt to codify and legalize armed vigilantism.”
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If you Attend a Party with 40 People, What are the COVID Odds?
From Robert M. Wachter, a professor and chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
• Odds that someone at the party was infected: about 1 in 50. This was a back-of-the-envelope calculation that began with Florida’s test-positivity rate, 17 percent, which I adjusted downward because the guests were mostly asymptomatic vaccinated professionals from blue states who had undergone rapid tests that day.
• Based on the previous estimate, odds in a group of 40 people that at least one guest has covid: about 50-50.
• Assuming face-to-face chats with 15 people at the party, odds that I’d have a close exposure to an infected person: about 1 in 5. I didn’t worry about those on the other side of the room, particularly since I propped open two doors for ventilation.
• Odds of contracting the coronavirus from a close conversation with an infected person: about 1 in 10. This is a particularly hard piece of data to find, especially in the omicron era. My estimate draws on a study of the risk of one person in a household infecting another member.
• So, my chances of getting covid from attending this party: about 1 in 50
• Odds of needing to be hospitalized if I got covid, given my age and vaccination status: about 1 in 200
• Odds that I’d die if I got covid: about 1 in 1,400
• Odds that I’d get long covid in some form if I developed covid-19: about 1 in 20
• Finally, odds of infecting my elderly mom if I visited her while infected: about 1 in 3. Again, I drew on research on transmission within households.
To estimate probabilities for those other bad outcomes, beyond the 1-in-50 chance of getting infected, I multiplied fractions:
• Chance I’d be hospitalized for covid-19: 1 in 10,000
• Risk of dying of covid-19: 1 in 70,000
• Odds of developing long covid: 1 in 1,000
• Danger of infecting my mom: 1 in 150
It Isn't Over Till the Woman With the Weight Problem, Which is Probably Genetic, Sings
Plummeting Covid-19 case counts across the United States are leading to lifted mask mandates and more conversations about steps toward normalcy -- but more people are dying of the coronavirus now than during most points of the pandemic.
More than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths have been reported in the United States each day for the past month. Average daily deaths are falling, but from a very high point. They dipped just below that mark in recent days, to about 1,900 on Monday; the federal holiday may have delayed reporting.
Is That Politically Correct?
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Russia - Ukraine News
It's the First Coordinated Cyber and Military Invasion
The websites of Ukraine’s defense, foreign and interior ministries were unreachable or painfully slow to load Thursday morning after a punishing wave of distributed-denial-of-service attacks as Russia struck at its neighbor, explosions shaking the capital of Kyiv and other major cities.
In addition to DDoS attacks on Wednesday, cybersecurity researchers said unidentified attackers had infected hundreds of computers with destructive malware, some in neighboring Latvia and Lithuania.
What Happens in Ukraine Doesn't Stay in Ukraine
The standoff between the United States and Russia over the conflict in Ukraine has so far mainly played out on diplomatic and economic fronts.
But now, as Russia invades Ukraine and the United States imposes new sanctions on Russia, there are concerns that may change. The US government is on high alert for the possibility of the conflict spilling over into cyberspace, where Russia has shown an ability to cause significant disruption and damage in the past.
On Tuesday, a senior FBI cyber official warned US businesses and local governments that they should be vigilant against potential ransomware attacks, just days after multiple US agencies issued a similar warning to executives at major US banks, according to people with knowledge of both meetings.
The Russians are Behind Putin ... Behind Him NOT Invading
Citizens across the country are risking their lives working in resistance, advocating against the war. A poll released Thursday by the Levada Center, an independent Russian organization, found that only 45% of Russians favored the move to advance into Ukraine, The Guardian reported. A majority were against any violence toward another country.
“Today something happened that should have never happened. History will be the judge of these events. But today, I beg you, please stop the war,” Valery Meladze, the country’s most beloved singer, said in an emotional video in which he “begged” Russia to stop the war.
As Ukraine has advised an estimated 3 million citizens living in Russia to leave the country immediately, Ukrainians in Moscow are in a state of distress.
“I am embarrassed for my country. To be honest with you, I am speechless. War is always scary. We don’t want this,” Nikita Golubev, a 30-year old teacher, told The Guardian. “Why are we doing this?” he added.
Even QANON Ron Opposes the Invasion
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson denounced the attack on Ukraine by Russian forces last night, taking aim especially at Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Johnson, who sits on the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, declared Putin and those surrounding him were the only ones responsible for the conflict.
“They have stolen wealth from the Russian people, destabilized and done great harm to their European neighbors, and they’ve crossed another line that will yield untold horrors,” the Republican Senator continued.
Johnson urged European nations to “act with strength and resolve to prevent risking a wider conflict.” As for the United States role in the conflict, he said America needs to support our NATO allies as well as all freedom loving people.”
Anyone Want a Bargain on Russian Stocks? Just Pay in Dollars.
Russian stocks crashed by as much as 45% and the ruble hit a record low against the dollar on Thursday.
The VanEck Russia ETF fell more than 21% on Thursday, shedding nearly a quarter of its already depressed value after Russia invaded Ukraine.
It's Not a Good Time to Be Russian
The government should seize the assets of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, a Labour MP has said, citing concerns about alleged links to corruption.
Chris Bryant told MPs he had a leaked Home Office document which suggested the Chelsea Football Club owner should not be able to base himself in the UK.
Mr Bryant said it was written in 2019 and "little" had been done since then.
Pity the Poor Bitcoin Holder. You Can. I Don't. It's Still Overpriced by Around $35,000.
The price of bitcoin fell below $35,000 early Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
Bitcoin was trading at $34,969 as of 1:22 a.m. ET, according to CoinMarketCap. That's a decline of more than 8% compared to a day earlier.
The world's most valuable cryptocurrency fell below $40,000 over the weekend, and has continued to slide as the Ukraine crisis intensifies.
What Does Previous Guy Think? What Do You Think He Thinks?
Russia invaded Ukraine Wednesday night, and Donald Trump immediately called in to Fox News to blame the invasion on “a rigged election.” While the invasion is a “very sad thing for the world and the country,” Trump said, really, it’s all President Joe Biden’s fault rather than the fault of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the guy who invaded another country. If Trump had been in the White House, “this would not have happened,” Trump said.
The invasion wouldn’t have happened “for a very good reason, and I’ll explain that to you some day,” he said to Laura Ingraham. Perhaps that’s related to Trump’s own relationship with Putin, which he described on the call as, “I got along with him fantastically.”
Also on Wednesday evening, speaking at a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said of Putin, “I mean, he’s taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart.” This assessment of Putin’s smarts brought to you by a guy who, when Ingraham noted an amphibious assault on Ukraine, thought she was saying the U.S. had sent in troops.
Airborne Traffic Cops
Following overnight attacks by Russian forces on Ukraine, the overseas role of thousands of 82nd Airborne troops has changed.
Troops that were in place to “deter and assure” are now assigned to help with traffic at the border of Poland and Ukraine and to assist refugees fleeing the conflict, official sources told WTVD in Raleigh on Thursday.
With Ukrainian airspace shut down, military sources told ABC News they expect traffic at checkpoints, including citizens of NATO, to increase. European authorities declared it an “active conflict zone” Thursday evening.
Russia: Nyet. Qatar: Nim (That's Arabic for "Yes")
Manchester United bosses are 'preparing to not renew' the clubs partnership with Aeroflot as Russia attacked Ukraine on Thursday morning.
Aeroflot have been a major sponsor of United since 2013, the club and airline company also signed an agreement to extend the sponsorship in 2017.
The Mirror continues in their report to say, "the current agreement is set to run out in April - and United's new CEO Richard Arnold has no intention of renewing it".
United are did not use Aeroflot to fly to Madrid for their recent game against Atletico in the UEFA Champions League.
The club will be looking to agree a deal with a new airline partner, the Mirror say that "Qatar Airways is one option being considered".
Is Taiwan Next?
Taiwan's air force scrambled again on Thursday to warn away nine Chinese aircraft that entered its air defence zone, Taiwan's defence ministry said, on the same day that Russia invaded Ukraine, a crisis being watched closely in Taipei.
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COVID's Not the Only Epidemic
Firearm deaths have overtaken car crashes are the leading cause of death by trauma in the US, according to a new study.
In 2017, there were 1.44 million years of potential life lost due to firearm deaths, edging out that of motor vehicle crashes (1.37 million years), according to the study published Tuesday in the journal Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open. And that trend continued in 2018.
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Sticking It to Sickle Cell
New sickle cell treatment given to first patients in England
Sickle cell patients have begun receiving the first new treatment for the blood disorder in over 20 years.
The inherited condition can cause severe pain and organ failure, often requiring hospital admissions.
Crizanlizumab is given as a monthly infusion and is thought to cut visits to A&E by 40%.
Loury Mooruth, 62, received the treatment at Birmingham City Hospital, having suffered repeated periods of intense pain for decades.
Those with the condition suffer repeated periods of intense pain, called sickle cell crises.
"To have a crisis is pain beyond what you could ever experience," a patient says. "They give you a scale of one to 10 - but it is way beyond that."
Sickle cell disease causes red blood cells to distort and become sticky, blocking vessels and restricting oxygen supply, which triggers excruciating pain.
Crizanlizumab, a monoclonal antibody, binds to a protein on blood cells, preventing them from clumping.
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We've Reached a Mifepristone Milestone
More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than surgery, an upward trend that spiked during the pandemic with the increase in telemedicine, a report released Thursday shows.
In 2020, pills accounted for 54% of all U.S. abortions, up from roughly 44% in 2019.
The preliminary numbers come from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. The group, by contacting providers, collects more comprehensive abortion data than the U.S. government.
Use of abortion pills has been rising since 2000 when the Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone — the main drug used in medication abortions.
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Where's Waldo the Afghani?
More than one-third of the 67,380 Afghans processed at U.S. military sites following their evacuation from Afghanistan have been resettled in Texas, California and Virginia, while the rest have joined over 200 communities in 46 other states and the District of Columbia.
The Biden administration over the weekend relocated all evacuees from temporary housing facilities it set up at military sites, completing the initial stage of a massive effort to resettle Afghans who assisted American forces or were otherwise determined to be in danger in Afghanistan, which was reconquered by the Taliban last summer.
Texas, California and Virginia had received 10,494, 8,301 and 5,171 evacuated Afghans as of February 22, respectively, according to the internal State Department statistics, which have not been previously reported. The three states have robust refugee resettlement infrastructures, as well as large Afghan American communities.
Texas, California, and Virginia Get Much-Needed Workers
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It's Hard Not to Be Suspicious, But We Really Don't Know What Happened
A man arrested during a traffic stop Wednesday died in jail hours after he was taken into custody, Milwaukee police said.
The 20-year-old was pulled over for a traffic violation around 1:55 a.m. Wednesday, police said. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant and had "suspected illegal narcotics," Milwaukee Police Chief Norman said Wednesday night. Details of the warrant weren't immediately available.
About 16 hours after the traffic stop -- around 5:53 p.m. -- the man was found to be in medical distress during a routine cell check at the Milwaukee Police District 5 office, Norman said. Officers provided life-saving measures until they were relieved by the Milwaukee Fire Department, police said in a news release.
The man was later pronounced dead.
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Followers of a Con Artist Are Easily Conned
Over 100,000 people have downloaded the “Truth Social” app on Android. The problem? It’s not Donald Trump’s new inevitable business failure of a social media app, which doesn’t have a presence on Android. (I’m told one will be available in “two weeks,” though.) It’s actually a fake version called "MAGA Hub - Truth Social Trump."
The fake version has been the top search result on Android ever since February 8th, which is the date the “real” Truth Social app (disastrously) debuted. Thousands of cultists have already downloaded it onto their phones and tablets, and many paid for the “premium” service for $28.99. Without grasping the irony, many users took to Twitter to express their displeasure of technical glitches, spam, surprise billing, and --for those who figured out it was fake—for being duped.
Naturally, there are plenty who others who think it’s real. These cultists are leaving messages they think are truly being read by Trump. Others are leaving gushing reviews: “Love it, love trump, love freedom of speech, love right wing news, I love unbiased information with no fact checking.” (Sadly, his aversion to fact checking is why he paid almost 30 bucks for this fake app.)
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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 24 | 417,363 | 253,307,984 | 215,253,201 | ||
| Feb 23 | 425,810 | 253,179,401 | 215,129,430 | 75,208 | 1,674 |
| Feb 22 | 425,178 | 253,055,679 | 215,006,201 | 79,539 | 1,602 |
| Feb 21 | No Data | 78,306 | 1,872 | ||
| Feb 20 | No Data | 98,012 | 1,872 | ||
| Feb 19 | 473,537 | 252,791,817 | 214,745,073 | 100,129 | 1,890 |
| Feb 18 | 491,120 | 252,650,507 | 214,602,856 | 103,462 | 1,920 |
| Feb 17 | 493,892 | 252,539,755 | 214,474,721 | 112,653 | 1,998 |
| Feb 16 | 516,988 | 252,400,057 | 214,218,580 | 121,664 | 2,020 |
| Feb 15 | 544,184 | 252,277,758 | 214,104,148 | 134,468 | 2,100 |
| Feb 14 | 546,667 | 252,144,326 | 213,962,983 | 146,921 | 2,208 |
| Feb 13 | 555,669 | 252,054,215 | 213,869,678 | 161,197 | 2,196 |
| Feb 12 | 486,374 | 251,926,344 | 213,734,419 | 168,881 | 2,197 |
| Feb 11 | 568,820 | 251,755,851 | 213,563,173 | 175,395 | 2,241 |
| Feb 10 | 580,896 | 251,655,172 | 213,430,434 | 190,401 | 2,305 |
| Feb 9 | 591,786 | 251,467,303 | 213,246,140 | 215,418 | 2,313 |
| Feb 8 | 602,606 | 251,312,470 | 213,061,117 | 230,602 | 2,303 |
| 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 |
| 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 | 76.3% | 64.8% | 43.4% |
| % of Population 5+ | 81.1% | 68.9% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 86.0% | 73.3% | 44.9% |
| % of Population 18+ | 87.8% | 74.9% | 46.8% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 88.7% | 66.0% |
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Feb 22)
January had NO rain or snow. February looks the same.
| Percent of Average for this Date | Last Week | 2 Weeks ago | 3 Weeks ago | 7 Weeks ago | |
| Northern Sierra Precipitation | 93% (60%) | 99% (59%) | 105% (59% of average for full season) | 113% | 170% |
| San Joaquin Precipitation | 80% (51%) | 86% (51%) | 92% (51%) | 99% | 170% |
| Tulare Basin Precipitation | 75% (47%) | 79% (46%) | 84% (46%) | 91% | 151% |
| Snow Water Content - North | 61% (52%) | 68% (53%) | 80% (58%) | 89% | 134% |
| Snow Water Content - Central | 71% (59%) | 75% (57%) | 80% (57%) | 89% | 148% |
| Snow Water Content - South | 67% (54%) | 74% (54%) | 81% (57%) | 92% | 158% |
Today's Worst Person in the World
Vladamir Putin. Putin attacks Ukraine after months saying he had no plans to do so
No contest
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Today's Second Worst Person in the World Nominees
Of Course they Needed to Report. They were VICE Principals. They Should Handle Vice.
Two assistant vice principals in Southern California have been arrested, accused of failing to notify authorities after three students came forward claiming they were sexually assaulted on the high school campus, officials say.
David Yang, 38, and Natasha Harris, 37, both assistant vice principals at Carter High School in Rialto, California, were arrested early Wednesday on school grounds.
Rialto police were notified on Feb. 16 about a sexual battery that occurred at the school regarding a 15-year-old female student who had been allegedly sexually assaulted by a 17-year-old male student "several times over the past three months,” according to a news release.
That victim reported the abuse to Yang and Harris in November 2021, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office said.
Detectives investigated the allegations and learned of two additional female students, 15 and 16, who were allegedly sexually assaulted by the same suspect.
The investigation found a second victim reported the assault to Yang and Harris in September 2021 and a third victim came forward in February this year.
However, no notification to police was made until Feb. 16.
If It's Possible, Texas Just Got Scarier.
She's Going to Let Her Husband Beat the Trans People? She Isn't Even Going to Do It Herself?
In an appearance with far-right radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, sitting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called for vigilante violence against trans people in public, claiming that it is necessary to stop the “grooming” of children and blaming mothers for turning their kids trans.
Greene said that if her daughter had a trans summer camp counselor, her husband would “beat” them “into the ground” and they would “be in jail. … This is exactly how we need to stand up against this stuff.” Trans people for years have faced a high level of violence; according to one recent study, “Transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault."
If She Wants to See Someone Pathetic, She Should Look in a Mirror. Wait! Vampires Don't Appear in a Mirrors.
During a broadcast minutes after Russia began invading Ukraine, Fox News host Laura Ingraham derided Ukraine’s leader for trying earlier to broker peace with the Russian president.
“We had kind of a really pathetic display from the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, earlier today ... where he in Russian ― he didn’t like to speak Russian ― but in Russian, he was essentially imploring Vladimir Putin not to invade his country,” Ingraham said during a call with former President Donald Trump.
Is Russia Invading the Wrong Country?
Stephen Colbert spent much of his Wednesday night monologue talking about the crisis in Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia. And he noted at least one prominent American figure who was squarely in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s corner: Donald Trump.
The ex-president praised Putin’s moves as “genius.” Then, his admiration took what Colbert called a “strange turn.”
“And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force,” Trump gushed. “We could use that on our southern border.”
That left Colbert puzzled. “So he wants Moscow to invade Mexico?” Colbert said.
Say It Loud, "I'm Cheap and I'm Proud!"
Two GOP lawmakers in Kentucky have apologized after using an anti-Semitic phrase during a discussion of a state lease agreement on Tuesday.
The state’s Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee was discussing leasing agreements when Republican state Rep. Walker Thomas could be heard on a hot mic laughing while asking if the state could “Jew them down on the price,” according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The committee chair, Republican state Sen. Rick Girdler, repeated Thomas’ words.
“We’ve got a representative up here [asking] if you could Jew them down a little bit on the price,” Girdler said before he apparently recognized that the language was offensive.
You Too Can Be a Cop. All It Takes is 8 Hours and $100. Does This Count as a Hunting License for Black People?
Gun safety advocates have condemned Tennessee legislation which would designate some gun owners as police, allowing civilians to carry firearms in locations usually reserved for law enforcement.
The proposed law, introduced in the Tennessee house and senate this month, “expands the definition of ‘law enforcement officer’” to include civilians who hold an enhanced handgun-carry permit – earned by taking an eight-hour handgun safety course and paying a $100 fee.
It comes as a separate bill which would allow 18-year-olds to apply for concealed-carry licenses was approved by a Tennessee house subcommittee on Tuesday.
Shannon Watts, founder of the gun safety group Moms Demand Action, told the Guardian: “Encouraging people to arm themselves and play police puts everyone at risk while making the jobs of actual law enforcement much more difficult.
“The process of obtaining a handgun permit doesn’t come anywhere close to the extensive training that real officers go through, and it’s ridiculous to equate the two. Extremist and dangerous bills like these are part of the gun lobby’s blatant attempt to codify and legalize armed vigilantism.”
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If you Attend a Party with 40 People, What are the COVID Odds?
From Robert M. Wachter, a professor and chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
• Odds that someone at the party was infected: about 1 in 50. This was a back-of-the-envelope calculation that began with Florida’s test-positivity rate, 17 percent, which I adjusted downward because the guests were mostly asymptomatic vaccinated professionals from blue states who had undergone rapid tests that day.
• Based on the previous estimate, odds in a group of 40 people that at least one guest has covid: about 50-50.
• Assuming face-to-face chats with 15 people at the party, odds that I’d have a close exposure to an infected person: about 1 in 5. I didn’t worry about those on the other side of the room, particularly since I propped open two doors for ventilation.
• Odds of contracting the coronavirus from a close conversation with an infected person: about 1 in 10. This is a particularly hard piece of data to find, especially in the omicron era. My estimate draws on a study of the risk of one person in a household infecting another member.
• So, my chances of getting covid from attending this party: about 1 in 50
• Odds of needing to be hospitalized if I got covid, given my age and vaccination status: about 1 in 200
• Odds that I’d die if I got covid: about 1 in 1,400
• Odds that I’d get long covid in some form if I developed covid-19: about 1 in 20
• Finally, odds of infecting my elderly mom if I visited her while infected: about 1 in 3. Again, I drew on research on transmission within households.
To estimate probabilities for those other bad outcomes, beyond the 1-in-50 chance of getting infected, I multiplied fractions:
• Chance I’d be hospitalized for covid-19: 1 in 10,000
• Risk of dying of covid-19: 1 in 70,000
• Odds of developing long covid: 1 in 1,000
• Danger of infecting my mom: 1 in 150
It Isn't Over Till the Woman With the Weight Problem, Which is Probably Genetic, Sings
Plummeting Covid-19 case counts across the United States are leading to lifted mask mandates and more conversations about steps toward normalcy -- but more people are dying of the coronavirus now than during most points of the pandemic.
More than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths have been reported in the United States each day for the past month. Average daily deaths are falling, but from a very high point. They dipped just below that mark in recent days, to about 1,900 on Monday; the federal holiday may have delayed reporting.
Is That Politically Correct?
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Russia - Ukraine News
It's the First Coordinated Cyber and Military Invasion
The websites of Ukraine’s defense, foreign and interior ministries were unreachable or painfully slow to load Thursday morning after a punishing wave of distributed-denial-of-service attacks as Russia struck at its neighbor, explosions shaking the capital of Kyiv and other major cities.
In addition to DDoS attacks on Wednesday, cybersecurity researchers said unidentified attackers had infected hundreds of computers with destructive malware, some in neighboring Latvia and Lithuania.
What Happens in Ukraine Doesn't Stay in Ukraine
The standoff between the United States and Russia over the conflict in Ukraine has so far mainly played out on diplomatic and economic fronts.
But now, as Russia invades Ukraine and the United States imposes new sanctions on Russia, there are concerns that may change. The US government is on high alert for the possibility of the conflict spilling over into cyberspace, where Russia has shown an ability to cause significant disruption and damage in the past.
On Tuesday, a senior FBI cyber official warned US businesses and local governments that they should be vigilant against potential ransomware attacks, just days after multiple US agencies issued a similar warning to executives at major US banks, according to people with knowledge of both meetings.
The Russians are Behind Putin ... Behind Him NOT Invading
Citizens across the country are risking their lives working in resistance, advocating against the war. A poll released Thursday by the Levada Center, an independent Russian organization, found that only 45% of Russians favored the move to advance into Ukraine, The Guardian reported. A majority were against any violence toward another country.
“Today something happened that should have never happened. History will be the judge of these events. But today, I beg you, please stop the war,” Valery Meladze, the country’s most beloved singer, said in an emotional video in which he “begged” Russia to stop the war.
As Ukraine has advised an estimated 3 million citizens living in Russia to leave the country immediately, Ukrainians in Moscow are in a state of distress.
“I am embarrassed for my country. To be honest with you, I am speechless. War is always scary. We don’t want this,” Nikita Golubev, a 30-year old teacher, told The Guardian. “Why are we doing this?” he added.
Even QANON Ron Opposes the Invasion
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson denounced the attack on Ukraine by Russian forces last night, taking aim especially at Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Johnson, who sits on the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, declared Putin and those surrounding him were the only ones responsible for the conflict.
“They have stolen wealth from the Russian people, destabilized and done great harm to their European neighbors, and they’ve crossed another line that will yield untold horrors,” the Republican Senator continued.
Johnson urged European nations to “act with strength and resolve to prevent risking a wider conflict.” As for the United States role in the conflict, he said America needs to support our NATO allies as well as all freedom loving people.”
Anyone Want a Bargain on Russian Stocks? Just Pay in Dollars.
Russian stocks crashed by as much as 45% and the ruble hit a record low against the dollar on Thursday.
The VanEck Russia ETF fell more than 21% on Thursday, shedding nearly a quarter of its already depressed value after Russia invaded Ukraine.
It's Not a Good Time to Be Russian
The government should seize the assets of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, a Labour MP has said, citing concerns about alleged links to corruption.
Chris Bryant told MPs he had a leaked Home Office document which suggested the Chelsea Football Club owner should not be able to base himself in the UK.
Mr Bryant said it was written in 2019 and "little" had been done since then.
Pity the Poor Bitcoin Holder. You Can. I Don't. It's Still Overpriced by Around $35,000.
The price of bitcoin fell below $35,000 early Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
Bitcoin was trading at $34,969 as of 1:22 a.m. ET, according to CoinMarketCap. That's a decline of more than 8% compared to a day earlier.
The world's most valuable cryptocurrency fell below $40,000 over the weekend, and has continued to slide as the Ukraine crisis intensifies.
What Does Previous Guy Think? What Do You Think He Thinks?
Russia invaded Ukraine Wednesday night, and Donald Trump immediately called in to Fox News to blame the invasion on “a rigged election.” While the invasion is a “very sad thing for the world and the country,” Trump said, really, it’s all President Joe Biden’s fault rather than the fault of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the guy who invaded another country. If Trump had been in the White House, “this would not have happened,” Trump said.
The invasion wouldn’t have happened “for a very good reason, and I’ll explain that to you some day,” he said to Laura Ingraham. Perhaps that’s related to Trump’s own relationship with Putin, which he described on the call as, “I got along with him fantastically.”
Also on Wednesday evening, speaking at a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said of Putin, “I mean, he’s taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart.” This assessment of Putin’s smarts brought to you by a guy who, when Ingraham noted an amphibious assault on Ukraine, thought she was saying the U.S. had sent in troops.
Airborne Traffic Cops
Following overnight attacks by Russian forces on Ukraine, the overseas role of thousands of 82nd Airborne troops has changed.
Troops that were in place to “deter and assure” are now assigned to help with traffic at the border of Poland and Ukraine and to assist refugees fleeing the conflict, official sources told WTVD in Raleigh on Thursday.
With Ukrainian airspace shut down, military sources told ABC News they expect traffic at checkpoints, including citizens of NATO, to increase. European authorities declared it an “active conflict zone” Thursday evening.
Russia: Nyet. Qatar: Nim (That's Arabic for "Yes")
Manchester United bosses are 'preparing to not renew' the clubs partnership with Aeroflot as Russia attacked Ukraine on Thursday morning.
Aeroflot have been a major sponsor of United since 2013, the club and airline company also signed an agreement to extend the sponsorship in 2017.
The Mirror continues in their report to say, "the current agreement is set to run out in April - and United's new CEO Richard Arnold has no intention of renewing it".
United are did not use Aeroflot to fly to Madrid for their recent game against Atletico in the UEFA Champions League.
The club will be looking to agree a deal with a new airline partner, the Mirror say that "Qatar Airways is one option being considered".
Is Taiwan Next?
Taiwan's air force scrambled again on Thursday to warn away nine Chinese aircraft that entered its air defence zone, Taiwan's defence ministry said, on the same day that Russia invaded Ukraine, a crisis being watched closely in Taipei.
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COVID's Not the Only Epidemic
Firearm deaths have overtaken car crashes are the leading cause of death by trauma in the US, according to a new study.
In 2017, there were 1.44 million years of potential life lost due to firearm deaths, edging out that of motor vehicle crashes (1.37 million years), according to the study published Tuesday in the journal Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open. And that trend continued in 2018.
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Sticking It to Sickle Cell
New sickle cell treatment given to first patients in England
Sickle cell patients have begun receiving the first new treatment for the blood disorder in over 20 years.
The inherited condition can cause severe pain and organ failure, often requiring hospital admissions.
Crizanlizumab is given as a monthly infusion and is thought to cut visits to A&E by 40%.
Loury Mooruth, 62, received the treatment at Birmingham City Hospital, having suffered repeated periods of intense pain for decades.
Those with the condition suffer repeated periods of intense pain, called sickle cell crises.
"To have a crisis is pain beyond what you could ever experience," a patient says. "They give you a scale of one to 10 - but it is way beyond that."
Sickle cell disease causes red blood cells to distort and become sticky, blocking vessels and restricting oxygen supply, which triggers excruciating pain.
Crizanlizumab, a monoclonal antibody, binds to a protein on blood cells, preventing them from clumping.
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We've Reached a Mifepristone Milestone
More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than surgery, an upward trend that spiked during the pandemic with the increase in telemedicine, a report released Thursday shows.
In 2020, pills accounted for 54% of all U.S. abortions, up from roughly 44% in 2019.
The preliminary numbers come from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. The group, by contacting providers, collects more comprehensive abortion data than the U.S. government.
Use of abortion pills has been rising since 2000 when the Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone — the main drug used in medication abortions.
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Where's Waldo the Afghani?
More than one-third of the 67,380 Afghans processed at U.S. military sites following their evacuation from Afghanistan have been resettled in Texas, California and Virginia, while the rest have joined over 200 communities in 46 other states and the District of Columbia.
The Biden administration over the weekend relocated all evacuees from temporary housing facilities it set up at military sites, completing the initial stage of a massive effort to resettle Afghans who assisted American forces or were otherwise determined to be in danger in Afghanistan, which was reconquered by the Taliban last summer.
Texas, California and Virginia had received 10,494, 8,301 and 5,171 evacuated Afghans as of February 22, respectively, according to the internal State Department statistics, which have not been previously reported. The three states have robust refugee resettlement infrastructures, as well as large Afghan American communities.
Texas, California, and Virginia Get Much-Needed Workers
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It's Hard Not to Be Suspicious, But We Really Don't Know What Happened
A man arrested during a traffic stop Wednesday died in jail hours after he was taken into custody, Milwaukee police said.
The 20-year-old was pulled over for a traffic violation around 1:55 a.m. Wednesday, police said. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant and had "suspected illegal narcotics," Milwaukee Police Chief Norman said Wednesday night. Details of the warrant weren't immediately available.
About 16 hours after the traffic stop -- around 5:53 p.m. -- the man was found to be in medical distress during a routine cell check at the Milwaukee Police District 5 office, Norman said. Officers provided life-saving measures until they were relieved by the Milwaukee Fire Department, police said in a news release.
The man was later pronounced dead.
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Followers of a Con Artist Are Easily Conned
Over 100,000 people have downloaded the “Truth Social” app on Android. The problem? It’s not Donald Trump’s new inevitable business failure of a social media app, which doesn’t have a presence on Android. (I’m told one will be available in “two weeks,” though.) It’s actually a fake version called "MAGA Hub - Truth Social Trump."
The fake version has been the top search result on Android ever since February 8th, which is the date the “real” Truth Social app (disastrously) debuted. Thousands of cultists have already downloaded it onto their phones and tablets, and many paid for the “premium” service for $28.99. Without grasping the irony, many users took to Twitter to express their displeasure of technical glitches, spam, surprise billing, and --for those who figured out it was fake—for being duped.
Naturally, there are plenty who others who think it’s real. These cultists are leaving messages they think are truly being read by Trump. Others are leaving gushing reviews: “Love it, love trump, love freedom of speech, love right wing news, I love unbiased information with no fact checking.” (Sadly, his aversion to fact checking is why he paid almost 30 bucks for this fake app.)
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