By Lambert Strether of Corrente

Chook Music of the Day

Catbirds are within the Mimidae specie (!), like mockingbird and thrashers. Readers have stated they just like the mimicry, so hopefully MacCaulay Library has sufficient recordings to maintain us all happy, a minimum of for a time.

Black Catbird, CADO & STCU Alley, Chital Space, Louisville, Corozal, Belize.

In Case You Would possibly Miss…

1. Kamala’s stint at McDonalds: Truth or fiction?
2. Kennedy on wholesome meals, and on the surroundings.
3. Part 230 choice: “The enterprise mannequin of Huge Tech is over.”

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

2024

Lower than 100 days to go!

Friday’s RCP Ballot Averages:

Excellent news for Trump in that final week’s deterioration appears to have been slowed, though we will must see if Kamala will get a conference “bounce.” Bear in mind, nevertheless, that each one the fluctuations — the truth is, all of the leads — are throughout the margin of error. Should you learn many of the press, you’d suppose Kamala has this race within the bag. It’s not so. Do be aware, nevertheless, Trump’s deterioration in North Carolina: +2.4 final week to +0.9 this week, when OG pollster Sabato moved it to “toss-up” standing from “lean Republican.” No surprise Trump held a rally there this week. NOTE With Kennedy, it might appear, about to drop out, I began monitoring the nationwide share as “High Battlegrounds,” the place Trump’s shrinking lead is +0.1 this week (versus “5-Manner RCP Common, the place Harris led by +1.1 final week).

* * *

Kamala (D): “After Chicago: The Problem Going through Harris” [The Nation]. The deck: “Will she show clearly why she’s the true champion of working folks?” • No.

Kamala (D):

Snigger at how determined and dumb that is, however by no means cease being galled by the dangerous religion of MAGA loyalists who fake to care about any form of scruple. Low-character folks this near superior energy ought to fill you with contempt. https://t.co/uJzazwOyPa

— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) August 29, 2024

I learn the Washington Free Beacon story prime and backside (and it offers me no pleasure to say that). Moreover being good oppo, I assumed it was a stable piece of reporting (and it offers me no pleasure to say that). Readers, are you able to poke any holes within the story?

* * *

Trump (R): “Donald Trump lists the questions CNN should ask Kamala Harris in her first interview because the Democratic candidate” [Daily Mail]. “When she lastly sits for her first interview since changing into the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris should clarify why she has flip-flopped on so many insurance policies, why she has achieved nothing to safe the southern border whereas in energy, and why she wants a human protect alongside her, in keeping with one avid viewer of tv information, former President Donald J. Trump…. On the prime of his listing: What’s she hiding from? ‘Why isn’t it reside? It’s not a reside interview,’ he stated. ‘It’s an interview that’s going to be taped after which edited after which put out. In order that’s not even an interview.’” • He’s not flawed, is he? The Day by day Mail interviewed Trump at Mar-a-Lago:

Holy moley, that’s an terrible dangerous case of Empire-in-Decay decor. How preferable the elegant, youthful simplicity of Obama and Kamala’s tan fits. From this morning as soon as extra:

The way it began. The way it’s going.

Ten years later, and it is nonetheless look! https://t.co/NKXRGNgJPv pic.twitter.com/KeI1gn7HSg

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 28, 2024

* * *

Kennedy (R): A Republican operative:

NEW: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comes out with an ‘insane’ new proposal to finish weight problems in America which isn’t Ozempic.

Prepared for it?

Giving everybody three wholesome natural meals a day as a substitute of paying $3 trillion for Ozempic.

RFK argued in opposition to a brand new proposal that will… pic.twitter.com/0wFsecW7Sb

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 28, 2024

Nonetheless, is Kennedy so flawed?

And is that this so flawed?

In fact, we don’t really know from what place Kennedy would reviving that consensus within the subsequent Trump administration”

* * *

“The (Electoral) Politics of Age Gaps” [Crooked Timber]. “Regardless of being a Boomer, you could have seen that [Kamala’s] the younger, thrilling candidate…. Biden and Trump are actually fairly outdated…. It’s our electoral establishments trigger the US to have such astronomically outdated leaders. The 2-party system, lax marketing campaign and particularly marketing campaign finance legal guidelines, and the first system tilt the method closely in favor of individuals with time, cash and political curiosity — which, in our society, tends to be older folks. Mix this with the Child Growth and also you get the present state of affairs, enjoying out in gradual movement, a demographic wave not crashing however seeping into and drowning our politics. It’s telling that the one method our establishments prevented replicating their errors was by a catastrophic failure. How can a youthful politician win a major on this system? They will’t! Harris turned the nominee not by successful the first however by default.” • By default? Is that this dude kidding? Since when is coronation the default in a putatively democratic society?

Realignment and Legitimacy

“Democrats and Republicans greet Covid spike with a collective shrug” [Poltico]. A tranche of one million corpses, and all they will accomplish that shrug. To be honest, Trump can’t take credit score for Operation Warp Pace due to the anti-vax dogmatists in his base (together with Kennedy), and Biden can’t take credit score for any as a substitute of an enormously efficiently public relations effort that destroyed the creditibility of public well being as a really perfect. Biden may also take credit score for by no means giving Trump credit score for the vaccines he guess the farm on together with his “vax-only” technique — a Trump legacy Biden promptly squandered. No surprise they’re silent. Extra: “‘Voters don’t prefer it being introduced up in any respect,’ stated Celinda Lake, a Democratic strategist and pollster for Biden’s 2020 marketing campaign, who marveled on the near-total absence of masks at a Democratic conference the place roughly 20,000 folks crammed into Chicago’s United Heart for per week. ‘They need to recover from it.’” • Ah, a Celinda Lake. She was the pollster who left “Medicare for All” off a voter survey on well being care coverage in Maine, till activists pressured her so as to add it_{MR SUBLIMINAL Not that I’m one to harbor a grudge}‘These poeple. And: “”For most individuals, Covid is much less about getting an an infection and extra a couple of time frame when our lives have been tremendous disrupted — and that’s behind us,” stated Ashish Jha, the Biden White Home’s former Covid response coordinator. “We do nonetheless have a public well being drawback, however it’s now not in any method a substantive societal drawback.’” • What a psycho Jha is. In what method is Lengthy Covid not a “substantive societal drawback”? To not point out the more and more seen lack of govt perform on a mass foundation.

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 tackle 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 experiences); 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 (dashboard); 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, 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!

Maskstravaganza

“Depart These Youngsters Alone” [John Snow Project]. “Change masks with turban, hijab, crucifix or Star of David and see how you are feeling in regards to the victimized little one and the individuals who’ve been bullying them. Discuss to members of the COVID-safe group and also you’ll perceive that this kind of bullying is commonplace…. The ignorant amongst us consider an infection is an efficient factor, that it trains the immune system and makes us stronger. We’ve beforehand written in regards to the error of this belief9. If an infection made us stronger, the areas of the world which have probably the most illness would have the perfect inhabitants well being and life expectancy. The other is true… As an alternative of bullying a baby sturdy sufficient to be the one particular person sporting a masks in class, these being merciless ought to present some humility and confront the chance the kid could be higher knowledgeable about human well being or have personal causes for persevering with to be cautious. Public well being our bodies and public establishments ought to do extra to guard private alternative and stop bullying and stigmatization for masking. In any case, we live in a world of particular person accountability and a person shouldn’t be penalized for selecting to be accountable.” • For instance:

circle to do the fitting factor. Not solely to guard himself, but in addition to be citizen.

He’s damaged. He has been intentionally damaged & shamed by ADULTS. It’s cowardly for RESPONSIBLE ADULTS to not assist kids.

— 🔬🔭🧭👨‍💻🏞️👾🤖🌡️ (@DcrInYYC) August 28, 2024

Sequelae: Covid

“Does Lengthy COVID Result in Alzheimer’s? A New Research Took an Surprising Flip” [Being Patient]. “The researchers checked out a gaggle of members from COVID restoration clinics, evaluating 100 with none cognitive complaints, 79 who had irregular outcomes on a cognitive evaluation indicating cognitive impairment, and 57 who complained about cognitive points although they scored usually on a cognitive check. Hu and his colleagues took cerebrospinal fluid and blood from each teams of individuals with cognitive complaints to measure protein biomarkers and have a look at what genes the immune cells are turning on or off to see whether or not there was an overlap with Alzheimer’s illness. ‘We didn’t discover vital numbers of individuals with Alzheimer’s illness markers within the cerebrospinal fluid,’ Hu stated. ‘The various molecular pathways being lively in Lengthy COVID don’t correspond to Alzheimer’s illness.’ However 9 months after the preliminary an infection, what the researchers did discover was that the immune cells behaved as in the event that they have been nonetheless preventing off a viral an infection. About 50 p.c of the cognitively impaired members confirmed gradual enchancment after two years. The members whose immune cells mounted an interferon response — a pathway utilized by the immune system to struggle viruses — confirmed cognitive enchancment. ‘,’ Hu stated. ‘.’”

Prevention

On private danger evaluation:

Superstar Watch

“Neil Younger Explains Loopy Horse Tour Cancelation, Says He’s Planning To Return To The Highway With Promise Of The Actual” [Stereogum]. Younger: “‘I used to be doing nice and we have been shifting proper alongside,’ Younger stated. ‘Everyone’s loving the exhibits. Then I simply wakened one morning on the bus and I stated, ‘I can’t do that. I gotta cease.’ It was like I felt sick once I considered happening stage. My physique was telling me, ‘You gotta cease.’ So I listened to my physique. Then it will get into all of the authorized issues: ‘You bought this, you bought that, folks purchased tickets, they did this, they did that.’ I perceive that. What issues to me is the artwork of enjoying, and the music. That’s what issues. That’s what folks cherished. That’s what they arrive to see. But when that’s not there, me going just isn’t occurring. My physique advised me to not do it.’” • Superb so far as it goes, and extra sincere than most, however why not fear about infecting the followers?

Elite Maleficence

CDC won’t or can’t suppose by the implications of the truth that #CovidIsAirborne, one in all which is safety must be layered, Swiss Cheese-style:

Glad to see. Would add KN95 masks or N95 respirators are extremely efficient at lowering quantity of viruses inhaled if another person is sick in a house, and isolation of an contaminated particular person in a negatively pressurized house is mostly simple (fan blowing out window) & reduces unfold. https://t.co/3Q7Plfqyjk

— Richard Corsi, PhD, PE (Texas) (@CorsIAQ) August 28, 2024

All of the layers should be advocated for, and the overall precept defined.

Sadly, all docs are usually not like IM Doc:

Why Medical doctors Don’t Acknowledge the Risks of C19

This is without doubt one of the finest explanations I’ve come throughout. And it’s written by a physician. pic.twitter.com/M6TWN6SZs7

— #9 Dream (@GayFabFourFan) August 27, 2024

Union management betrays employees, movie at 11:

Can @UFT clarify why COVID-19 just isn’t on this listing of 27 “illnesses & illnesses it’s possible you’ll encounter as a public faculty educator” whereas 1.2 million folks within the U.S. are getting contaminated each day?

Was this unintended or intentional?

Academics, college students & households need to know!🤷‍♀️/1 pic.twitter.com/qdMZau0uZv

— Vanessa Sica Kasabach (@VSicaKasabach) August 28, 2024

Social Norming

The whinging about so-called lockdowns continues to appall:

In 2020 colleges have been closed for ~8 weeks within the U.S.

4 years later persons are nonetheless blaming myriad well being and studying points on these comparatively quick closures.

But no one can reply why kids utterly leaving faculty for 3 months yearly has by no means induced such issues.

— Covid Warning KP.2 + KP.3 + KP.3.1.1. + LB.1 (@CovidCaution) August 28, 2024

TABLE 1: Day by day Covid Charts

Lambert right here: Since issues are dangerous out on the West Coast, I went searching for California hospitalization knowledge to check with New York’s, and located this: “As a result of adjustments in reporting necessities for hospitals, CDPH is now not together with hospitalization knowledge on the CDPH dashboard. CDPH stays dedicated to monitoring the extreme outcomes of COVID-19 and influenza, together with the influence on hospitals. CDC’s Nationwide Healthcare Security Community (NHSN) will stay open to simply accept knowledge, and CDC and CDPH strongly encourage all amenities to proceed reporting.” Thanks, Mandy!

[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). The visualization suppresses what’s, in share phrases, a major enhance.

[7] (Walgreens) Fiddling and diddling.

[8] (Cleveland) Leaping.

[9] (Vacationers: Positivity) Up. These sh*theads at CDC have modified the chart in order that it doesn’t even run again to 1/21/23, because it used to, however now begins 1/1/24. There’s additionally no approach to alter the time vary. CDC actually doesn’t need you to have the ability to take a historic view of the pandemic, or evaluate one surge to a different. In an any case, that’s why the form of the curve has modified.

[10] (Vacationers: Variants) The brand new variant in China, XDV.1, just isn’t exhibiting up right here.

[11] Deaths low, however positivity up.

[12] Deaths low, ED up.

Stats Watch

Employment State of affairs: “United States Preliminary Jobless Claims” [Trading Economics]. “The variety of folks claiming unemployment advantages within the US fell by 2,000 from the earlier week to 231,000 on the interval ending August twenty fourth, in step with market expectations of 232,000. Regardless of this lower, the determine remained nicely above the averages seen earlier this yr, reinforcing the continuing development of a softening labor market, as highlighted by the July jobs report and the numerous downward revision to nonfarm payrolls for the yr ending in March.”

GDP: “United States GDP Development Fee” [Trading Economics]. “Actual gross home product (GDP) within the US grew at an annual price of three.0% within the second quarter of 2024, up from 2.8% within the preliminary estimate and 1.4% within the first quarter. The upward revision was primarily because of elevated shopper spending (2.9% vs 2.3% earlier reported).”

Income: “United States Company Income” [Trading Economics]. “Company income within the US rose by 1.7% from the earlier interval to $2,774 trillion within the second quarter of 2024, rebounding from the two.7% decline within the earlier quarter, in keeping with a preliminary estimate. The rebound was led by the bounce in undistributed income (5.6% vs -11.6% in Q1) amid the restoration for web money stream with stock valuation adjustment (3.3% vs -2.9%).” • No matter that means.

Retail: “Amazon is utilizing my grocery purchases to promote me pharmaceuticals” [Vox]. “he weirdest factor occurred to me not too long ago. I ordered some groceries on Amazon Contemporary. Once you try, Amazon recommends extra stuff you may like to purchase, often associated to your buy. However this time, Amazon provided up ‘Remedies for Excessive Ldl cholesterol’ together with a hyperlink for an Amazon One Medical session in addition to hyperlinks to prescription drugs. That’s bizarre, as a result of my physician and my spouse are the one individuals who find out about my ldl cholesterol numbers. They’re fairly good, too! However there are actually knowledge factors, together with my age, my meals preferences, and my previous purchases, possibly even information tales I’ve learn elsewhere on the net, which may recommend I’d be candidate for a statin, the kind of cholesterol-lowering remedy Amazon advisable to me.” • Ah, statins.

Tech: “Judges Rule Huge Tech’s Free Journey on Part 230 Is Over” [Matt Stoller, BIG]. The deck: “Algorithms are now not a Get out of Jail free card. The Third Circuit dominated that TikTok should stand trial for manipulating kids into harming themselves. The enterprise mannequin of huge tech is over.” • Huge if true.

Tech: “I spent a night on a fictitious net” [Paul Kinlan]. Learn the bio first: “I lead the Chrome Developer Relations staff at Google.” Now learn the put up and picture what to means for people who really create the content material harvested by AI thieves.

Tech: “X caught blocking hyperlinks to NPR, claiming the information website could also be ‘unsafe’” [Tech Crunch]. “X, the Elon Musk-owned platform previously generally known as Twitter, is marking some hyperlinks to information group NPR’s web site as ‘unsafe’ when customers click on by to learn the newest story about an altercation between a Trump marketing campaign staffer and an Arlington Nationwide Cemetery worker. The warning being displayed is usually utilized to malicious hyperlinks, like these containing malware, and different varieties of deceptive content material or spam. Nonetheless, on this case, the net web page being blocked is an NPR information report, elevating questions on whether or not or not Musk’s X is actively attempting to cease the information story from spreading.” • Information report, or dogpile? Onerous to inform today…

At this time’s Worry & Greed Index: 52 Impartial (earlier shut: 52 Impartial) [CNN]. One week in the past: 51 (Impartial). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Aug 28 at 12:57:20 PM ET.

Gallery

I suppose may view the tree as having been flattened onto the canvas, reasonably like a Mercator projection, however I believe apple timber needs to be spherical (so name me a Philistine).

Information of the Wired

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