By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Fowl Tune of the Day
Brown Thrasher, Parc de la Survivance, Les Maskoutains, Quebec, Canada.
In Case You May Miss…
- Warren v. Hegseth, Ernst v. Hegseth.
- Biden-installed roadblocks to Schedule F.
- Democrat management disaster.
Politics
“So lots of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in truth a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
One of many few helpful questions requested on the Pete Hegseth listening to. Regardless of advocating that Generals be barred from working within the protection trade for 10 years after they retire, Hegseth, upon questioning from Sen. Warren, refuses to decide to the identical normal for himself! pic.twitter.com/mQQD8xgljp
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 14, 2025
Warren v. Hegseth (2):
JUST IN: Viewers begins cracking up after Pete Hegseth stumps Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren.
Warren: “You might be fairly certain each Normal who serves shouldn’t go immediately into the protection trade for 10 years, however you are not prepared to make that very same pledge?
Hegseth: “I am not a… pic.twitter.com/ELmpwlNyxF
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 14, 2025
Lambert right here: I award this spherical to Tracey. Not that I settle for the revolving door metaphor (FlexNets are the place it’s at), however whether or not one wears a swimsuit or a uniform whereas strolling by means of one shouldn’t matter.
“Senate Democrats Fail To Rattle Hegseth” [RealClearPolitics]. “Not like a lot of his predecessors, Hegseth will not be a retired common or seasoned authorities official and he has comparatively restricted govt expertise. He’s a fight veteran and tv anchor with ivy league levels. However the former Military main’s principal qualification within the eyes of the incoming administration is a rejection of political correctness within the navy. In Tuesday’s committee listening to, he didn’t blink or abandon the views he has expressed for years in print and on air. He delivered a full-throated condemnation of the Variety, Fairness, and Inclusion insurance policies that have been hallmarks of the Biden Pentagon. ‘This isn’t a time for fairness,’ the nominee mentioned, arguing as an alternative for ‘equality’ among the many ranks that emphasizes meritocracy in pursuit of a typical objective, not prescribed outcomes and quotas based mostly on immutable traits like race, gender, or sexual orientation…. Republicans cherished that they have been listening to from a nominee who mentioned lots of the similar issues Trump mentioned to get elected. Begrudgingly impressed, Democrats have been, all the identical, appalled. Hegseth doesn’t want their votes. When allegations {of professional} and sexual misconduct surfaced, which he denies, the nominee centered as an alternative on sustaining assist among the many GOP majority. Democrats on the committee complained repeatedly that Hegseth didn’t even hassle to fulfill with them privately previous to the listening to. Hegseth did average on at the very least one entrance. ‘Ladies may have entry to floor fight roles,’ he mentioned, strolling again previous statements however earlier than qualifying that requirements should ‘stay excessive, and we may have a evaluation to make sure the requirements haven’t been eroded.’” • A dude with a jawline like Hegseth’s clearly should be accountable for somefactor. It will likely be fascinating to search out out who his “deputies” are…..
“GOP Sen. Joni Ernst formally backs Pete Hegseth for DOD after preliminary uncertainty” [FOX]. “Ernst, a survivor of sexual assault herself, mentioned, ‘A precedence of mine has been combating sexual assault within the navy and ensuring that each one of our service members are handled with dignity and respect. This has been so vital. Senator Gillibrand and I’ve labored on this, and we have been capable of get modifications made to the uniform code of navy justice to make it possible for now we have enhancements, and on how we tackle the tragic and life altering, problems with rape, sexual assault. It is going to demand time and a spotlight from the Pentagon beneath your watch, if you’re confirmed. So, as secretary of Protection, will you appoint a senior degree official devoted to sexual assault prevention and response?’ she requested Hegseth. Trump’s DOD alternative informed the senator that he would agree to take action.” • Hegseth, if he’s good, will take this chance to rehabilitate his repute.
“By Focusing on Hegseth, Democrats Open a Path for Gabbard” [Politico]. “[I]ntimidated by threats hurled by Trump’s allies, Republican lawmakers have in latest weeks rallied to Hegseth and plenty of of them have made clear that, absent new and extra damaging revelations, they may doubtless assist his nomination. On the similar time, Trump has made clear he gained’t yank Hegseth’s nomination. Surprisingly, although, this GOP present of assist has not prompted Senate Democrats to pivot towards confronting Gabbard. That has shocked, and even dissatisfied, their Republican counterparts, a few of whom informed me that they’d be extra prepared to make frequent trigger to cease the previous Democrat from Hawaii, who holds isolationist and libertarian nationwide safety views exterior the Senate GOP mainstream. Why wouldn’t Democrats shift towards a softer goal, particularly realizing that few of their Republican colleagues need to solid one, if that many, votes in opposition to a Trump nominee? Sure, it is a commentary on the cut price pre-Trump Republicans have made. They might malign the press and Democrats, however they’d certain just like the media to dig up damaging tales on Gabbard in order that Democrats can amplify them, which in flip would immediate Trump to develop irritated on the skeptical protection and abandon her. A model of the Matt Gaetz appointment, in different phrases. That’s a lot simpler than publicly opposing Gabbard, to say nothing of voting her down on the Senate flooring.” • Hmm.
* * * “Biden’s ‘sneaky’ and ‘soiled’ plot to decelerate Trump on Day One… regardless of promising a ‘easy’ transition” [Daily Mail]. “President Joe Biden enacted a collection of roadblocks to decelerate Donald Trump’s agenda through the president-elect first days within the White Home, regardless of his steadfast guarantees to cooperate with the incoming administration…. ‘I feel he’s going to have an issue,’ the president mentioned. ‘Trump’s going to have a tough time undoing rather a lot, I feel.’ Politics ain’t beanbag. This, nevertheless, is vital: “Throughout the closing weeks of his first time period in 2020, Trump issued an govt order creating a brand new class of federal staff often known as Schedule F. These staffers could be exempt from the nation’s conventional merit-based civil service program. And opponents argued it was an try to rent and hearth individuals based mostly on their political loyalty. Biden, when he got here into workplace in January 2021, rescinded that order. He then took it one step additional final spring, when he issued a brand new rule that strengthens current rights for profession federal staff by making it clear that civil service protections can’t be taken away from staff except they provide them up voluntarily. In different phrases, it makes it practically not possible for Trump to categorise present federal staff beneath a Schedule F kind order. A senior Biden administration official informed CNN that the rule couldn’t simply be rolled again in a second Trump time period. Trump has repeatedly promised he would reinstate Schedule F govt order on day one. ‘An govt order wouldn’t have impression with this regulation in place,’ the senior Biden official mentioned. ‘A future administration must undergo a brand new regulatory course of, which might additionally entail like explaining particularly by means of that rulemaking course of why a unique rule is best than the prevailing laws that OPM (the Workplace of Personnel Administration) finalized and are introduced … and the way that new method was in line with the regulation.’” • I dunno. The Trump operation has been fairly feral to this point, so I’m undecided what impact a brand new rulemaking course of would have.
* * * “Poke The Bear” [Brian Beutler, Off-Message]. “Donald Trump is a lame duck. He’s weak within the methods each lame-duck president is, and, to an under-appreciated extent, his efforts to menace and extort concessions out of home and worldwide rivals is a type of riot in opposition to his personal expiration date, his looming irrelevance…. However a great way to resolve the talk is perhaps to determine a casual rule: responding to Trump’s provocations is at all times acceptable if the impact is to belittle him; to make him appear like a boob or a chump or a phony. Not ‘ahhh! that is harmful!’ however ‘no matter, clown!’ Not And many others, and so forth. When Trump mentioned he’d rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, U.S. liberals principally resolved to disregard it, however Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pointed to an previous map of what’s now the southwestern U.S. and mentioned, “¿Por qué no le llamamos ‘América mexicana’? Suena bien, ¿verdad?”— “Why don’t we name this Mexican America? Sounds good, no?”… I wish to applaud this method, and encourage extra of it from extra western leaders, ideally in collaboration. Possibly they’ll begin making an attempt to one-up one another. As an alternative of merely saying Greenland isn’t on the market, the prime minister of Denmark may ask Trump whether or not the US can actually afford a tariff on Ozempic given our epidemic of weight problems, embodied by Trump himself.” • Dunno. It will be arduous to out-troll Trump. And I’m undecided that Sheinbaum’s punch landed anyplace that issues. Then once more–
“Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a possible 2028 candidate, desires to search out frequent floor with Trump” [Associated Press]. ” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer desires a contemporary begin with President-elect Donald Trump but in addition warns that she gained’t again down over tariffs that she believes would harm the auto trade in her state… ‘I don’t need to faux we’re at all times going to agree, however I’ll at all times search collaboration first,’ Whitmer mentioned Wednesday in regards to the Republican president-elect. ‘I gained’t go in search of fights. I gained’t again down from them, both.’” • It’s gonna be arduous to kidnap Massive Gretch twice, so I’m undecided what her choices in 2028 might be.
Lawfare
Lambert right here: I hate to file these fits beneath lawfare, as a result of to my recollection each have benefit. However slightly late, no?
“SEC sues Elon Musk, alleging failure to correctly disclose Twitter possession” [CNBC].
2024 Submit Mortem
“Kamala Harris eyeing post-loss life in NYC as second gentleman excursions $20K-a-month luxurious area” [Page Six, New York Post]. • Rats leaving a sinking ship?
“Harris declines to ask Vance for courtesy go to to vp’s residence earlier than inauguration” [CBS]. • Thoughts-bogglingly petty.
“The Democratic Occasion’s management disaster: ‘Don’t know’ and ‘No one’ outpoll pols” [USA Today]. “When requested to call the chief of the Democratic Occasion, practically half of all registered voters nationally in our Suffolk College/USA TODAY couldn’t identify an individual or volunteered ‘No one.’”… Let’s begin with the 19% of voters who responded ‘no one.’ As for the “no one” retort, as you may count on, extra Republicans (22%) gave this response, however 26% of independents did too.”
Realignment and Legitimacy
“Luigi Mangione’s Account Renamed on Stack Overflow” [Michael Tsai]. “Mangione has not truly been convicted of something but. Reddit, Fb, and Instagram have deleted his accounts, however the one one which selected to each erase him and maintain the content material, is Stack Trade. It’s not clear whether or not that’s authorized.” • Mangione is now “user4616250.” Numerologists make of that what you’ll.
Syndemics
“I’m in earnest — I cannot equivocate — I cannot excuse — I cannot retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison
Covid Assets, 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 information). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Normal Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).
Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be happy to contact me on the tackle given with the crops. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
Assets, 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 studies); 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).
Assets, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).
Assets, 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, thump, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).
Keep secure on the market!
Bonnie Henry territory:
🚨 BC Ministry of Well being Communique
Masks now required in BC healthcare services.
It was apparently issued to Well being Authorities on Mon, Jan 6, 2025, however nonetheless has not been seen by many people working in BC Healthcare.
9 pages lengthy, so buckle up.
1/9 pic.twitter.com/DCmwH7nq2b
— Impressed Aquariums (@InspiredAquaCA) January 12, 2025
Vaccines
“It gained’t finish with COVID: Countering the following part of American antivaccine activism 2025–29” [Peter Hotez, PLOS]. “Peter Hotez is a co-inventor on non-revenue producing patents for uncared for tropical ailments owned by Baylor Faculty of Medication (BCM). He’s additionally a co-inventor of a COVID-19 recombinant protein vaccine know-how owned by BCM that was just lately licensed by Baylor Ventures non-exclusively and with no patent restrictions to a number of firms dedicated to advance vaccines for low- and middle-income nations.” The lead: “Antivaccine sentiments have been expressed all through American historical past. Nevertheless, on this century, the antivaccine motion gained momentum round false claims that vaccines trigger autism within the 2000s, adopted by ‘well being freedom’ protests versus childhood immunization mandates in colleges within the 2010s [1]. Beginning in 2020 with the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, well being freedom prolonged to grownup immunizations and have become a signature characteristic of political activism on the far-right. This politically charged motion organized and satisfied numerous People to shun COVID-19 immunizations in 2021–22 leading to an estimated 200,000 deaths from COVID-19 among the many unvaccinated U.S. inhabitants. Antivaccine activism grew to become a serious deadly pressure in America.” • Not seeing a word to that 200,000 determine.
TABLE 1: Day by day Covid Charts
| Wastewater | |
| This week[1] CDC January 10 | Final week[2] CDC (till subsequent week): |
|
|
|
| Variants [3] CDC December 21 | Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC January 4 |
|
|
|
| Hospitalization | |
| ★ New York[5] New York State, information January 14: | Nationwide [6] CDC Janurary 9: |
|
|
|
| Positivity | |
| Nationwide[7] Walgreens January 13: | Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic January 4: |
|
|
|
| Vacationers Knowledge | |
| Positivity[9] CDC December 23: | Variants[10] CDC December 23 |
|
|
|
| Deaths | |
| Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC January 4: | Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC January 4: |
|
|
|
LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new as we speak; all others will not be up to date.
2) For a full-size/full-resolution picture, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Home windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open picture in new tab.”
NOTES
[1] (CDC) Seeing extra crimson and extra orange, however nothing new at main hubs.
[2] (CDC) Final week’s wastewater map.
[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, “Ommicron,” has achieved an ideal job normalizing successive waves of an infection.
[4] (ED) A little bit uptick.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Positively jumped.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.
[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.
[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward pattern since, effectively, Thanksgiving.
[9] (Vacationers: Positivity) Leveling out.
[10] (Vacationers: Variants). Positivity is new, however variants haven’t but been launched.
[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.
[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.
Stats Watch
Inflation: “United States Core Inflation Price” [Trading Economics]. “The annual core shopper worth inflation price in the US, which excludes gadgets equivalent to meals and power, eased to three.2% in December 2024, down from 3.3% within the earlier three months and barely under market expectations of three.3%. The shelter index, accounting for over two thirds of the entire 12-month improve rose 4.6% over the previous yr, marking the smallest annual acquire since January 2022.”
Inflation: “United States Shopper Value Index (CPI)” [Trading Economics]. “Shopper Value Index CPI in the US elevated to 315.61 factors in December from 315.49 factors in November of 2024. The annual inflation price within the US rose for a third consecutive month to 2.9% in December from 2.7% in November, in step with market expectations.”
Manufacturing: “United States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index” [Trading Economics]. “The NY Empire State Manufacturing Index tumbled to -12.6 in January 2025 from 2.1 in December, lacking forecasts of three and marking a return to contraction for New York state’s manufacturing exercise on the steepest price since Could 2024.”
Manufacturing: “Trump Transportation Dept nominee says he’ll work to revive international confidence in Boeing” [Reuters]. “‘I’ll work with Congress and the FAA to revive international confidence in Boeing and to make sure our skies are secure,” mentioned Sean Duffy, a former U.S. Home lawmaker, in accordance with written testimony seen by Reuters. The Federal Aviation Administration is sustaining harder oversight of Boeing indefinitely, a yr after a door panel lacking 4 bolts flew off a brand new Alaska Airways (ALK.N), opens new tab Boeing 737 MAX 9 in mid-air. It has additionally barred Boeing from increasing manufacturing past 38 MAX planes per 30 days. Boeing didn’t instantly remark. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker plans to step down on Jan. 20, whereas Deputy FAA Administrator Katie Thomson left the company final week. Trump has not but named a brand new nominee to move the division. On Saturday, Trump mentioned he was nominating Steve Bradbury, a former DOT common counsel, to function deputy DOT secretary. Duffy will face a variety of aviation points together with a persistent scarcity of air site visitors controllers, ageing FAA services and a collection of harmful near-miss incidents.”
Manufacturing: “Disaster-hit Boeing delivered lower than half as many jets as Airbus in 2024” [Seattle Times]. “Boeing should start to show its fortunes round to keep away from falling additional behind as a result of Airbus plans a relentless manufacturing improve because it fixes its provide chain. Airbus now operates eight A320 jet household meeting strains — two in Toulouse, France; 4 in Hamburg, Germany; one in Tianjin, China; and one in Cellular, Ala. — all now outfitted to construct the bigger A321 mannequin. Scherer reiterated that Airbus plans to extend manufacturing of the A320 household from 50 per 30 days in 2024 to 75 per 30 days in 2027. To implement that ramp-up, Airbus plans so as to add one other A320 meeting line in Cellular and one other in Asia by 2026.” • Eight. That’s rather a lot.
Manufacturing: “Boeing CEO in India in his first abroad go to” [The Hindu]. “On [Ortberg’s agenda are business meetings with Boeing’s customers in the country, which include a meeting with Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, according to industry sources. There are also meetings with key government stakeholders as well as employees. Though the visit has been kept under wraps, it is learnt that visits to some of Boeing’s facilities in Hyderabad and Bengaluru are also on his itinerary. He is in India for nearly three days. Boeing and Tata have a joint venture in Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited for manufacturing aerostructures and collaboration on integrated systems development opportunities in India, both for its military and civil aircraft that includes a production facility in Hyderabad for co-producing Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter fuselages, among other aerostructures. The Tata Advanced systems Limited (TASL) also manufactures composite assemblies for Boeing’s 737 MAX, 777X, and 787 Dreamliner.”
Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 29 Fear (previous close: 26 Fear) [CNN]. One week in the past: 30 (Concern). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Jan 15 at 1:56:49 PM ET.
“Did everyone knows this already?” [Kottke.org]. “Chip is a nickname for a man named after his dad. Skip is a nickname for a man named after his grandfather. Journey is a nickname for a man named after his dad AND grandfather.” • Readers?
Contact info for crops: Readers, be happy to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a examine if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me pictures of crops. Greens are high-quality! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! If you’d like your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it at first of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize by utilizing your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From Desert Canine:
Desert Canine writes: “On the hike as much as my daughters home within the 4 corners space of Colorado I go this Bald Eagle roost the place they’ll scan the valley under.”
Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not lined by the annual NC fundraiser. Materials right here is Lambert’s, and doesn’t categorical the views of the Bare Capitalism website. 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 type. Keep in mind, a tip jar is for tipping! Common constructive 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 fearful. Extra tangibly, a continuing trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I consider that trickle when setting fundraising objectives:
Right here is the display screen that may seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:
In case you hate PayPal, you may e mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I offers you instructions on tips on how to ship a examine. Thanks!
