The weekend review of the newsies
Covid’s not going anywhere but up.
Nearly one-third of the U.S. population lives in counties rated as having “high” transmission levels by the CDC. Cases are rising especially in the South and West.
Many people now see the pandemic as part of the fabric of modern life rather than an urgent health emergency. Some of that is simply a widespread recalibration of risk. This is not the spring of 2020 anymore. Few people remain immunologically naive to the virus. They may still get infected, but the immune system — primed by vaccines or previous bouts with the virus — generally has deeper layers of defense that prevent severe disease.
But the death rate from covid-19 is still much higher than the mortality from influenza or other contagious diseases. Officials have warned of a possible fall or winter wave — perhaps as many as 100 million infections in the United States — that could flood hospitals with covid patients. Beyond the direct suffering of such a massive outbreak, there could be economic disruptions as tens of millions of people become too sick to work.
Funny that. The latest science indicates a deadly virus can’t be wished away on any known star and if you’d rather just die, fine, go ahead. But if you insist on spreading it to otherts, well, excuse me while I curse you and your parentage.
Oh yippee, Steve Bannon wants to talk to the Why Hang Mike Pence Committee. Expert analyst Marcy Wheeler isn’t buying the BS from the master propagandist who’s repeatedly tried to destroy the US government though. The DOJ isn’t fooled, either.
He’s trying to beat the rap by claiming there’s too much bad publicity while seeding the clouds to make the publicity turn a sprinkle into a flood.
The media is happy to feast on controversy even when it serves no useful purpose for the country as a whole.
Oath Keeper Grand Poobah Stewart Rhodes also wants to appear for the Committee on live TV to recreate the magic of Ollie North when he evaded conviction for his criminal actions regarding Nicaragua. The Committee, so far, has not been successfully baited.
French President Macron told President Biden that the oil producers in the Gulf of Middle East Robewear told him they can’t pump more oil to alleviate price pressures. Both men know this is also bullshit because, like, neither was born yesterday.
Politicians everywhere have to use the arts of diplomatically telling white lies to avoid offending each other and provoking public hissy fits, but there’s a handful that go beyond verbal attacks on their critics, preferring to slaughter them.
Vladdy Putin’s Poison Parasols come to mind. Kim Jong Ugh of North Korea has taken out even his own relatives. And so has the Saudi Prince of Texas-sized Bonesaw Massacres who also likes to do the bloody cut to journalists.
This makes ex-President Trump green with envy, but hey, maybe Republican state legislatures will overthrow the majority of voters in 2024 and give him a second chance to lynch any non-players on his former team of succubi (Pence, former chiefs of staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and their executive assistants when they say too much to the Committee).
The Saudi Prince with his $2 billion deal with Trump’s son-in-law jhas already tipped his hand. And red state oil producers like Texas and Louisiana are happy to rake in record profits for the investors and CEOs of Big Oil, since it means more tax revenues for their state treasuries.
So the old advice of figuring out politics and macro-economics still applies: Follow the Money. Only this one has a lot of blood mixed in on that trail.
The Prince and Putin will do anything they can to get Donald Trump elected in 2024 and keeping pump prices high is the easiest way they can do it. No matter who dies, because - eh - people are expendable in the minds of psychopaths.
Some pretty sad news I forgot to mention from 2 weeks ago: The AG of Michigan botched the prosecution of the people whose wheeling and dealing exposed thousands of children in Flint, Michigan heavily exposed to water-borne lead. That stuff does brain damage and lowers IQ. It was an outrageous outcome for all those kids of every economic class, color, creed, etc.
What can voters in Michigan do? Vote for the Republican Party that caused this health crisis? Vote for the Democrat AG who botched their prosecution?
I think a third choice should be in order.
I think Monday deserves a little more light than all that so here’s Peter Sellers.