By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Hen Track of the Day

Northern Mockingbird, Spencer, Indiana, United States. “Nonetheless singing incessantly via the night time. All these audios recorded from toilet window at 3:27, 3:33, 3:58, and 4:01 (final one does have passing automotive–wonderful how a lot noise it makes). As I used to be leaving may hear one other particular person singing off to the E.”

In Case You May Miss…

1. Trump, the world’s biggest troll.
2. Hegseth et al. nonetheless alive.
3. “RuissiaGate Remnants”;
4. The Claims Adjuster roundup.

Politics

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

Trump Transition

World’s Biggest Troll (1):

“The Governor of the Nice State of Canada” 😂 pic.twitter.com/CeJHB3i9w8

— Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) December 10, 2024

World’s Biggest Troll (2):

Listed below are my new Trump Perfumes & Colognes! I name them Struggle, Struggle, Struggle, as a result of they signify us WINNING. Nice Christmas presents for the household. Go to https://t.co/8O1nm58fxA. Merry Christmas, and Completely happy New Yr!

Donald Trump Fact Social 01:11 PM EST 12/08/24… pic.twitter.com/JYamMQeHYr

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Fact Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 8, 2024

* * *

“Trump allies undertake new technique for nominees: Make the doubters pay” [Politico]. “Donald Trump’s transition staff entered a crucial week of nomination conferences on Capitol Hill with a brand new head of steam, emboldened by a swarm of grassroots assist and a stress marketing campaign that has revived Pete Hegseth’s hopes for Protection secretary and given them confidence about different controversial nominees, too. In current days, allies of Trump adopted an strategy that’s not novel for the president-elect and his followers: Make life extraordinarily uncomfortable for anybody who dares to oppose him. The swarm of MAGA assaults that Sen. Joni Ernst has skilled is a warning of what’s in retailer for others who specific skepticism of his personnel decisions.”

“Rising momentum for Cupboard picks who may outline Trump’s second time period” [CNN]. “he Cupboard affirmation drama round Donald Trump’s most provocative picks [is] principally about Trump himself, and the sort of presidency he desires, the one he’ll find yourself getting, and the hopes of his MAGA motion that he’ll stand agency on his vow to shake the federal administrative state to its core and enact his and their revenge.” As for Ernst: “The Iowa Republican had confronted warnings on social media that she’d encounter a main problem in 2026 if she didn’t shelve her reservations about Hegseth. The president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., final week, as an example, amplified a publish on X that identified that Ernst had been amongst nearly all GOP senators who voted to substantiate President Joe Biden’s Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin, saying that anybody who did so after which criticized Hegseth was possibly ‘within the fallacious political get together!’”

“‘I Assist Pete’: Ernst Modifications Tune Following Second Hegseth Assembly” [The Federalist]. “Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, indicated she is going to affirm Pete Hegseth as the following secretary of protection on Monday. The announcement marks a stark pivot for Ernst, who has been main a behind-the-scenes effort to tank Hegseth’s nomination. ‘I respect Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the method,’ Ernst mentioned in a press launch. ‘Following our encouraging conversations, Pete dedicated to finishing a full audit of the Pentagon and deciding on a senior official who will uphold the roles and worth of our servicemen and girls — primarily based on high quality and requirements, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to forestall sexual assault inside the ranks. As I assist Pete via this course of, I look ahead to a good listening to primarily based on reality, not nameless sources.’”

“Key GOP senators start to fall in line to assist Kash Patel and hold door open for Pete Hegseth” [CNN]. “Prime GOP senators on Monday signaled assist for Donald Trump’s plan to oust the present FBI director in favor of firebrand loyalist Kash Patel, whereas maintaining the door open for Pete Hegseth, who faces a slate of misconduct allegations, because the president-elect’s decide to run the Pentagon…. It’s nonetheless early within the vetting course of for Trump’s Cupboard nominees and affirmation votes received’t happen till subsequent yr. However it’s clear that GOP senators are being cautious to select their battles and cautious of how they strategy the president-elect’s picks.”

* * *

“Chilly Shoulder: Democrats Ignore Tulsi Gabbard’s Request To Meet” [CNN]. Worst of all, Gabbard was a DNC vice-chair, however resigned to endorse Sanders. “There’s some proof that skepticism of a muscular international coverage has gained traction amongst youthful Democrats and independents within the final 4 or 5 years. When Hillary Clinton questioned Gabbard’s logic and loyalty, Gabbard punched again. In a sequence of tweets, she referred to as the previous secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee “the queen of warmongers” and “personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Social gathering.’” • The place’s the lie?

The #Resistance

“Sanctuary cities resist Trump’s deportation plan. It may price their residents” [USA Today]. “Whereas a post-election ballot by YouGov for CBS Information reveals {that a} huge 73% of adults need President-elect Donald Trump to prioritize the repatriation of unlawful migrants, the [Denver Mayor Mike Johnston] pledged to not solely have Denver police ‘stationed on the county line to maintain (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) out’ but additionally that ‘you’ll have 50,000 Denverites there.’ Johnston mentioned it will be like a ‘Tiananmen Sq. second’ and answered sure when questioned whether or not he’d be able to go to jail. That second quickly handed, nonetheless, as attorneys apparently defined to the mayor that armed resistance to the federal authorities is commonly referred to as – await it – rebellion.” • Oopsie.

Democrats en déshabillé

“Russiagate Remnants” [Michael R. Caputo, Racket News]. “All of us agree the unique Russiagate conspiracy continues even right now. The Russia hoax was created by Hillary Clinton aide Jake Sullivan, who carries on together with his lies right now as President Joe Biden’s nationwide safety advisor. Christopher Steele, the British spy employed by Clinton to create the dodgy file, and his Fusion GPS co-conspirator Glenn Simpson are nonetheless doing the identical work for comparable purchasers. Andrew Weissmann, Peter Strzok, John Brennan, and extra nonetheless peddle their lies. Parts of the unique conspiracy have been woven into Ukrainian meddling within the 2016 American election, then bogus Trump impeachments, January sixth prosecutions, anti-Trump lawfare, and Particular Counsel Jack Smith’s Mar-a-lago raid. FBI Director Patel can show the unique 2016 conspiracy continues right now. A lot of the proof stays in federal and public databases. Preemptive pardons apart, which means Sullivan, Weissmann, Mary McCord, Steele, Simpson, Victoria Nuland, Alexander Vindman, Eric Ciaramella, Smith, and others should be within the jackpot. We agree with lawyer Mike Davis: these perpetrators doubtlessly violated 18 U.S.C. § 241 and 242, federal civil rights statutes that prohibit conspiracies to violate the rights of others.” • Price studying in full.

Syndemics

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hat tricks to useful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, KidDoc, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).

Keep secure on the market!

Airborne Transmission

“AirFanta 3Pro Evaluation – A Excessive-Efficiency But Reasonably priced Air Air purifier” [BreatheSafeAir]. “After having the 3Pro arrange inside my workplace for over two weeks now, I’m joyful to have the ability to current my full assessment of the gadget. For anybody unaware, this air purifier is designed to filter an enormous quantity of air (we are going to focus on the CADR and extra quickly!) at a comparatively inexpensive value. It does this by being basically a pre-assembled CR (Corsi-Rosenthal) Field – a type of air air purifier that was itself created as a result of want for inexpensive and efficient air purification gadgets. Whereas the 3Pro doesn’t embrace the everyday DIY facet of conventional CR Packing containers, it has the benefit of getting confirmed efficiency (no want to fret about whether or not your DIY field is efficient!) and being able to exit of the field. Nevertheless, maybe my favorite facet of this gadget over conventional CR Packing containers is how simply obtainable it’s. Whereas this most likely isn’t a problem for anybody within the U.S. or Europe, I discover it exhausting to supply good HEPA filters in New Zealand at an inexpensive value. The 3Pro ensures I don’t run into this situation.” • Price a learn in the event you’re out there. Possibly a Christmas present to a beloved one you wish to hold alive and mind damage-free?

TABLE 1: Each day Covid Charts

Small Enterprise Optimism: “United States NFIB Enterprise Optimism Index” [Trading Economics]. “The NFIB Small Enterprise Optimism Index within the US jumped to 101.7 in November 2024, the very best studying since June 2021, in comparison with 93.7 in October and beating forecasts of 94.2. Additionally it is the primary time in 34 months that the studying is above the 50-year common of 98, in response to the presidential election. “The election outcomes sign a serious shift in financial coverage, resulting in a surge in optimism amongst small enterprise house owners. Essential Avenue additionally grew to become extra sure about future enterprise situations following the election, breaking an almost three-year streak of file excessive uncertainty. House owners are significantly looking forward to tax and regulation insurance policies that favor robust financial progress in addition to reduction from inflationary pressures. As well as, small enterprise house owners are desirous to increase their operations”, NFIB Chief Economist Invoice Dunkelberg.”

Manufacturing: “Unique-Boeing restarts 737 MAX manufacturing a month after strike ended, sources say” [Reuters]. “Manufacturing resumed on Friday, mentioned one of many sources, who all spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk with media. Boeing declined to remark. The manufacturing restart had not been beforehand reported. The top of the Federal Aviation Administration, Mike Whitaker, advised Reuters on Thursday that Boeing had not but resumed 737 MAX manufacturing however deliberate to take action later this month.”

Manufacturing: “Boeing shares leap as 737 MAX manufacturing reportedly resumes” [Sharecast]. “The inventory was up practically 5% at $164.80 by 1034 in New York, buying and selling at ranges not seen since late-August.”

Tech: “AI slop is already invading Oregon’s native journalism” [Oregon Public Broadcasting (PI)]. “The Each day Tidings seems to be the primary time an Oregon information outlet has stolen the identities of actual journalists to trick native readers with AI-generated content material. The aim is seemingly to deceive Oregonians into giving clicks — and the ensuing advert income — to whoever is behind the web site.” • Horrid element. Theft and fraud all the way in which down.

The Bezzle: Controversy–

However “the aim of a system is what it does” (Stafford Beers). The complete thread is price studying.

Right this moment’s Worry & Greed Index: 51 Impartial (earlier shut: 49 Impartial) [CNN]. One week in the past: 56 (Greed). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Dec 10 at 10:48:20 AM ET.

Gallery

Seems like a parrot’s feathers:

Healthcare

Smile Nazis vs. The Adjuster:

Inconsistencies abound:

A J6er weighs in:

Why the heck not?

Character reference:

What do our medical doctors assume?

The Pelosi connection:

Zeitgeist Watch

“The Gradual, Quiet Demise of American Romance” [The Atlantic]. “As a reporter masking fashionable relationship, I’ve spoken with lots of women and men who’ve reluctantly given up the seek for love. I imagine that folks can have wealthy, fulfilling lives with or with out companions; I additionally know that courtship has by no means been straightforward. However analysis helps the concept that, in recent times, america has seen a very pronounced disaster of religion in romance. The Pew Analysis Middle, in an evaluation of census knowledge, discovered that as of 2019, 38 p.c of adults have been unpartnered—that’s, not married or dwelling with a companion—in contrast with 29 p.c in 1990. In a survey Pew carried out that very same yr, half of single adults mentioned they weren’t searching for dates. When Pew divided that end result by gender, it discovered that 61 p.c of single males mentioned they have been trying to date or discover a relationship whereas solely 38 p.c of single girls mentioned the identical. In different phrases, straight partnerships appear to be going out not with a 4B-style bang however with a whimper. And nonetheless refined the shift may appear, it has enormous implications for women and men: how they deal with one another, whether or not they’re prepared to belief one another, and the way they’ll construct their futures—collectively or aside.” • Hmm.

Guillotine Watch

“Anger at plan to show Nazi tunnels into bunker for super-rich” [Yahoo News]. Higher there than within the corridors of energy on the EU and NATO. Oh, wait…. “A German property developer has sparked outrage with a plan to show a World Conflict II tunnel system right into a luxurious bunker for wealthy survivalists who concern the outbreak of World Conflict III. Family of the jail labourers who constructed it underneath the Nazis are aghast on the enterprise enterprise that’s providing a crypto-currency referred to as ‘BunkerCoin’ as entry tokens to the promised apocalypse shelter.” • After all, Crypto.

Class Warfare

“The Tech Baron In search of to Purge San Francisco of ‘Blues’” [Gil Duran, The New Republic]. April 2024. “‘What I’m actually calling for is one thing like tech Zionism,” [Balaji Srinivasan] mentioned.” • Oh.

Information of the Wired

“Color within the Center Ages” [Medievalists.net]. “Michel Pastoureau writes that “the true medieval reverse for white was not a lot black as purple.” This may be seen in the way in which Europeans tailored chess. When the sport was adopted in Europe, the items and chessboard have been painted in white and purple, contrasting with the black and purple units frequent in India and the Center East. It was solely in the direction of the top of the Center Ages that the white versus black dichotomy grew to become extra favoured. A key issue on this shift was the appearance of printing, the place black ink was used on white paper, reinforcing the notion of those colors as pure opposites.”

“Don’t throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the results of studying media on studying comprehension” [Educational Research Review] 2018. From the Dialogue: “The outcomes of the 2 meta-analyses within the current examine yield a transparent image of display screen inferiority, with decrease studying comprehension outcomes for digital texts in comparison with printed texts, which corroborates and extends earlier analysis (Kong et al., 2018; Singer & Alexander, 2017b; Wang et al., 2007). These outcomes have been constant throughout methodologies and theoretical frameworks.” And: ” our outcomes point out that the display screen inferiority impact has elevated prior to now 18 years, and that there have been no variations in media results between age teams. These stunning findings counsel that we can not idly await display screen inferiority to vanish as youngsters are uncovered to digital gadgets earlier and earlier of their lives, as adults achieve extra expertise with the expertise, or as expertise improves. The info counsel that display screen inferiority is a serious problem throughout age teams that turns into extra extreme because the presence of expertise will increase.” • Actually conforms to my priors!

Contact info for vegetation: Readers, be at liberty to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a verify in case you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me pictures of vegetation. Greens are high-quality! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! If you would like your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it firstly of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize through the use of your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From EM:

Mild on the finish of the tunnel?

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not coated by the annual NC fundraiser. Materials right here is Lambert’s, and doesn’t specific the views of the Bare Capitalism web site. In case you see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see anyplace else, please don’t hesitate to specific your appreciation in tangible kind. Keep in mind, a tip jar is for tipping! Common optimistic suggestions each makes me really feel good and lets me know I’m heading in the right direction with protection. Once I get no donations for 3 or 4 days I get frightened. Extra tangibly, a relentless trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I consider that trickle when setting fundraising objectives: