Mon: Biden Ate McCarthy's Lunch in These Negotiations

Fox Noise Goes Full McCarthy (Joe, not Kevin).  They Wreck a Family's Life With Lies.

This past fall, a police report in Foster County, North Dakota claimed that a 42-year-old man named Shannon Brandt had run over 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson after he allegedly accused the teen of being part of a "Republican extremist group."

The case drew outrage among right-wing media personalities, many of whom linked Ellingson's killing to President Joe Biden's speeches slamming "MAGA Republicans" as an inspiration.

But as the New York Times reports, this narrative around the murder has largely turned out to be untrue, as police subsequently determined that Brandt's actions were not politically motivated.

What's more, the Foster County prosecutor who brought charges against Brandt never mentioned anything about Ellingson being targeted for violence due to his political beliefs.

IN OTHER NEWS: 'We are incredibly resilient': Students vow to make DeSantis' takeover of their school miserable

Nonetheless, the national attention from Fox News created a firestorm in McHenry, North Dakota, a tiny town of just 64 residents.

Or as Ashley Brandt-Duda, Brandt's sister, told the Times, "everything just exploded" thanks to Fox News' sensationalizing of the story.

"Ms. Brandt-Duda said her parents left their home in McHenry out of concern for their safety. When they returned about a week later, they found more than 50 threatening messages on their answering machine," reports the Times. "The county court and sheriff’s offices also received numerous threats, according to multiple local officials."

The report concludes by noting that coverage of Ellingson's murder almost completely died on Fox News once it was determined to have not been political -- but no prime time hosts ever acknowledged that this was the case.

Let's Talk Turkey

You can spot Turkey's global strategic significance - which has starkly increased against the backdrop of the Ukraine war - by the A-list potpourri of world leaders who rushed to congratulate Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his election win on Sunday night.

First out of the box was Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He was so keen to stroke the ego of his Turkish counterpart and fellow "strongman" leader that he didn't even wait for the official results of the vote before singling out Mr Erdogan's "independent foreign policy" as a reason for his victory.

We can safely assume the Turkish policy that Russia is particularly fond of is Mr Erdogan's refusal to ostracise the Kremlin after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, even as Turkey's allies in Nato imposed sanctions and slashed their energy reliance on Russia.

Trade between Turkey and Russia even increased significantly since the start of the war in Ukraine.

But also hot on Mr Putin's congratulatory heels on Sunday were US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Despite their dislike of Mr Erdogan's cosying up to the Kremlin and his slashing of free speech and democratic norms at home during his first two decades in power, to them Turkey is a crucial - if difficult and unpredictable - ally of the West.

Turkey is a key member of the Nato military alliance, taking part in all its missions.

Mr Erdogan may maintain close ties with Russia - but he also provides military aid to Ukraine.

He famously brokered a deal whereby Russia ended a blockade on Ukraine grain supplies, allowing them to flow to parts of the world that rely on them. He also - after long hesitation - gave his official approval to Russia's neighbour Finland joining Nato.

Once a passionate advocate of Turkey joining the EU, Mr Erdogan these days speaks of "making Turkey great again".

Another Sign of Putin's Impotence

Russia’s Interior Ministry on Monday issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham following his comments related to the fighting in Ukraine.

Lindsey Graham? That Nobody? They Should Pick Somebody Important, Like Oprah.

Maybe Those People Still Wearing Masks Have the Right Idea

The past winter was a heavy one for respiratory viruses, dominated by surges of RSV, influenza and Covid-19. But just as it was winding down, a little-known virus that causes many of the same symptoms – a lower lung infection, hacking cough, runny nose, sore throat and fever – was just picking up steam.

Cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, spiked this spring, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s respiratory virus surveillance systems. It filled hospital intensive care units with young children and seniors who are the most vulnerable to these infections. At its peak in mid-March, nearly 11% of tested specimens were positive for HMPV, a number that’s about 36% higher than the average, pre-pandemic seasonal peak of 7% test positivity.

Most people who caught it probably didn’t even know they had it, however. Sick people aren’t usually tested for it outside of a hospital or ER. Unlike Covid-19 and the flu, there’s no vaccine for HMPV or antiviral drugs to treat it. Instead, doctors care for seriously ill people by tending to their symptoms.

Studies show that HMPV causes as much misery in the US each year as the flu and a closely related virus, RSV. One study of patient samples collected over 25 years found that it was the second most common cause of respiratory infections in kids behind RSV. A study in New York conducted over four winters found that it was as common in hospitalized seniors as RSV and the flu. Like those infections, HMPV can lead to intensive care and fatal cases of pneumonia in older adults.