Author: condor

Berlin, Germany Now Seeing ‘Locally Spreading’ Mpox Clade 1b Outbreak: 35 Men Are Ill…

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Well, we all knew this might come — viral vectors bear Darwinian imperatives, too. The communities at risk need to be more vigilant, as well. Still — we hold out hope — that wider vaccination protocols… will arrest this outbreak.

Here is the disappointing news, out of Berlin — from CIDRAP:

…A rapidly expanding cluster of mpox caused by clade 1b virus has been identified among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Berlin, Germany, according to a rapid communication published last week in Eurosurveillance. Of the 35 identified cases from December 2025 to last month, 34 were most likely acquired locally.

The sharp increase in locally acquired infections marks a shift from historic patterns in which most mpox cases in Europe were largely travel-related. Clade 1b of the mpox virus (MPXV) was newly identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and several other countries in East and Central Africa in 2023….

Tough news, indeed. But onward, now — to see whether Artemis II has solved the tanking / liquid hydrogen leaks problem, around this noon-time, Eastern.

नमस्ते

And, Good News For PBS And NPR — From The Able USDC Judge Randy Moss, In DC…

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I won’t belabor it — but Tangerine 2.0’s lame-a$$ effort to punish journalists he disfavors… was dealt another [likely lethal] blow, today.

He will doubtless appeal. But that too will fail. Here’s a bit, but do go read all of the 60-plus pages:

…These consolidated cases raise the question whether the First Amendment permits the executive branch to put an end to all federal funding across agencies and programs for two private entities — here, National Public Radio (“NPR”) and the Public Broadcasting Service (“PBS”) — merely because, in the President’s view, “neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events.” Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media, Exec. Order No. 14290 § 1, 90 Fed. Reg. 19415 (May 1, 2025) (“Exec. Order”)….

The President may, of course, engage in his own expressive conduct, including criticizing the views, reporting, or programming of NPR, PBS, or any other news outlet with whom he disagrees. The government may also fund its own speech and may fund government programs that promote specific perspectives on issues of public importance, and it may decide which views or perspectives to convey — and which not to convey — in any such government speech or program. And it may impose limits on federal grants to ensure that they are deployed to further the legitimate purposes of the program and may pick and choose among applicants based on legitimate criteria. But the First Amendment draws a line, which the government may not cross, at efforts to use government power — including the power of the purse — “to punish or suppress disfavored expression” by others. Nat’l Rifle Ass’n of Am. v. Vullo, 602 U.S. 175, 188 (2024).

As the Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit have observed on more than a dozen occasions, the government “may not deny a benefit to a person on a basis that infringes his constitutionally protected… freedom of speech even if he has no entitlement to that benefit.” E.g., Agency for Int’l Dev. v. All. for Open Soc’y Int’l, Inc., 570 U.S. 205, 214 (2013).

Executive Order 14290 crosses that line. It does not define or regulate the content of government speech or ensure compliance with a federal program. Nor does it set neutral and germane criteria that apply to all applicants for a federal grant program. Instead, it singles out two speakers and, on the basis of their speech, bars them from all federally funded programs….

Because the First Amendment does not tolerate viewpoint discrimination and retaliation of this type, the Court will issue judgment against the federal agency defendants declaring Section 3(a) of the Executive Order is unconstitutional and will issue an injunction barring those defendants from implementing it….

Excellent!

नमस्ते

“Missing”, At Mars: Maven Mission Update. [Not Good News.]

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We have reported on this before — it is almost certainly… end of mission.

And, I am rather skeptical that we will ever learn the root cause of the loss of signal in early December 2025.

And so, consequently, I am pretty sure we won’t ever “get eyes on” the Maven craft, again. She flew, and flew well — long beyond her expected life. And that may be all we will ever know. Here’s the latest, from NASA, on the Barsoomian happenings:

…NASA Anomaly Review Board Investigates MAVEN Loss of Signal

A NASA anomaly review board, convened in mid-February, is evaluating the recovery efforts undertaken for the agency’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft orbiting Mars. The spacecraft was last heard from on Dec. 6. The board also will assess the probable current state of the spacecraft and the likelihood of its recovery….

So it goes. Keep a good thought — for Artemis — mañana… smile.

नमस्ते

Trivia: I Don’t Care How Kristi Noem’s Husband Presents, Or Otherwise Decides To Dress — Among Fellow Adults… But I REFUSE To Believe She Had “No Idea” — And Was “Blindsided”.

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This is truly… trivial — except for the STAGGERING hypocrisy, of it all.

How he dresses on Tinder and/or wherever it was, or elsewhere… is his business, alone. And even though it may not be exciting to me, personally… he should plainly keep the right to present as he pleases. But c’mon, man — the vetting by NSA would have found this very public profile, well before when she was appointed. [Or even before — during her stint as Gov. in the Dakota territory. To a certainty, everyone at the top of Trump World would have been briefed. Period.]

So… where I come up short is… how often these supposedly-Bible believing MAGA nuts… lose their lil’ minds, about someone cross-dressing — refusing an adult’s right to be themselves. And… then, for Kristi to ask for “prayers” because her family has been “devastated” by this… is just utterly… non-plausible.

She knew. She didn’t care — until it became a liability to her credibility inside the top of MAGA World. What a pile of deplorables these people all are. Man, oh man. Or… woo-man. I. Don’t. Care. Out.

नमस्ते

Power Alley: Merck To Spend Up To $838 Million, With Infinimmune, To Get “First Refual” Rights — On Human Memory B Cell Antibodies…

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The Rahway company continues to invest in its 2030s future, here getting a first look at Infinimmune’s high value antibody targets for various diseases (both viral and cancerous) — to become candidates for therapies or vaccines.

Here’s the latest, from Fierce Biotech:

…Merck & Co. is rounding out its March deal flurry with an antibody discovery pact that could be worth as much as $838 million.

The New Jersey pharma is tapping Infinimmune to hunt for antibodies for as-of-yet undisclosed targets. The $838 million total comes from an undisclosed upfront payment and future potential milestone payouts, according to a March 31 release. Once Infinimmune identifies a potential antibody under the deal, Merck will have the exclusive right to take over development and commercialization.

Infinimmune’s platform uses a large dataset sourced from human memory B cells, which the company believes makes its antibody candidates already primed to become new drugs….

Onward, grinning….

नमस्ते

The Nancy Grace Roman Space ‘Scope: Fully Assembled!

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This wide field, deep space mapping telescope will be ready for lunch as early as September 2026 — but will launch no later than Spring of 2027. It truly is a marvel of fine engineering.

And, in yet another echo of “Hidden Figures“, this will be the first space telescope ever named for a woman. We have mentioned it on and off over the last decade, as our regular readers will know. Here’s the latest, from NASA:

…The Roman observatory is slated to launch no later than May 2027, with the team aiming for as early as fall 2026. The mission will revolutionize our understanding of the universe with its deep, crisp, sweeping views of space.

More than a thousand technicians and engineers assembled Roman from millions of individual components. Many parts were built and tested simultaneously to save time. Now that the observatory is assembled, it will undergo a spate of testing prior to shipping to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in summer 2026….

Onward, smiling — into a beautiful new Spring morning. Even in these times of darkness, there are many reasons to smile and greet the day. Our advancing knowledge of interstellar space, chief among them:

[To be clear, I wish the Artemis crew all the best — but I just see scant valid scientific reasons, to risk these crewed Moon missions — other than 1600 Penn’s insatiable hubris, for a 250 video show. Out.]

नमस्ते

Hinderaker Thinks Ms. Harmeet Dhillon Is Actually… A Lawyer?! Hilarious!

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Tonight, John offers lots of “fear factor-esque“ nonsense, about some DOJ wanna be pretend lawyer… who is coming for various Minnesota educational initiatives.

As Marcy Wheeler has amply demonstrated, this chucklehead knows less about the law than any 20 random Virginia graduates of the same age and class/program.

This is the same woman who — just about a year ago — tweeted out an ADA violative insult at some influencer, while she herself was knitting, libeling the influencer a “retard”. That term is now a slur in civilized society.

This is the malignant, four-times married and divorced piece of crap that Trump put in charge of the DoJ’s civil rights division.

John wants us to be afraid of her prowess as a lawyer. Forgive me if I don’t take to my fainting couch.

She’s already been shown to be a liar under oath in Minnesota, in the Don Lemon case there.

So yeah, I won’t worry too much about any stupid crap she’s throwing at the federal courts these days in the form of spurious complaints at law.

Out.

The Plaintiffs Will Now Likely Get To Trial, In DC US District Court, On Whether Trump Needed The Senate’s Consent, In Order To Put Musk In — To Head DOGE. Sweet.

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In DC, the very capable USDC Judge Tanya Chutkan published a 31 page opinion, last week — explaining how and why Musk and Trump acted lawlessly last Spring. [Just one of several of my backgrounders, here.]

Do read it all — but here is a bit:

…The Appointments Clause is concerned only with the appointment of officers. See New Mexico, 784 F. Supp. 3d at 199 (“To state an Appointments Clause violation, a plaintiff must allege that an ‘Officer of the United States’ has not been constitutionally appointed.” (quoting U.S. Const. art. II, § 2, cl. 2)). The Clause “cares not a whit” about the appointment of “nonofficer employees”—the “lesser functionaries” who make up the vast bulk of “the Government’s workforce.” Lucia v. SEC, 585 U.S. 237, 245 (2018); see also Freytag, 501 U.S. at 880 (nonofficer employees “need not be selected in compliance with the strict requirements of Article II”). But contrary to Defendants’ contention, Plaintiffs have adequately pled that the head of DOGE is an officer of the United States. “In the constitutional context, an ‘officer’ is someone who”: (1) “‘occupies a continuing position established by law,’” and (2) “‘exercises significant authority pursuant to the laws of the United States.’” Al Bahlul v. United States, 967 F.3d 858, 869 (D.C. Cir. 2020) (quoting Lucia, 585 U.S. at 245). The Complaint sufficiently alleges both.

…Plaintiffs have adequately pled that the head of DOGE occupies a continuing position. A position is “continuing” when it (1) is “not transient or fleeting,” (2) is “not personal to a particular individual,” and (3) carries out duties that are “more than incidental to the regular operations of government.” United States v. Donziger, 38 F.4th 290, 297 (2d Cir. 2022). Although a continuing position cannot be transient or fleeting, it need not be permanent….

Plaintiffs have also sufficiently pled that “the position is not personal to a particular individual.” Donziger, 38 F.4th at 297. Although DOGE is most closely associated with its first leader, Elon Musk, the Complaint alleges that Musk led DOGE as a special government employee, a position he was required to vacate after 130 days. See Compl. ¶ 36; see also 18 U.S.C. § 202(a) (defining a “special government employee” as “an officer or employee” who cannot serve for more than 130 days a year).

Given that DOGE will exist for at least 18 months, Plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that “the position [of DOGE’s leader] is not personal to Musk” and does not disappear after he leaves government. New Mexico, 784 F. Supp. 3d at 201; see also Donziger, 38 F.4th at 297 (a position does not “depend on the identity of the person occupying it” if that individual “could be replaced without the duties of the position[] terminating”). Plaintiffs’ Appointments Clause claim may thus lie against whoever succeeds Musk in leading DOGE. See New Mexico, 784 F. Supp. 3d at 201; see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 25(d)….

Now you know. Onward, as sanity makes a comeback… grin.

नमस्ते

The Rise In “Independent” Voters… Doesn’t Support A Hinderaker “Democrats In Decline” Narrative.

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As is often the case, John’s actual proffered data — closely parsed — does NOT support his major premise.

The 20 year data indicates more people identify as “independents”.

The 20 year data also supports a 20 year trend of INCREASING democratic turnout — and that in the main, independents tend to vote Democratic when they actually go to the polls. [Harris/Trump II was a slight outlier here.]

But even old Hinderaker admits that there are fewer self-identified GOP members, than there are Democratic ones.

And he admits that in the last four or so national elections, the Democrats have turned out in very large numbers.

So — all in all — the demographics, and turnout data… are all pointing away from any continued MAGA ascendancy.

That much is crystal clear. His conclusion is so erroneous, as to fairly raise the question of whether he is intentionally lying — to his rubes.

Onward, in any case — and resolutely so.

Several Regulatory Warning Letters, To Major Bio-Pharma Concerns, During March 2026. That’s News, Under Tangerine 2.0.

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To be fair, Iovance, Novartis and BMS all received similar biological/pharmaceutical letter warnings, from FDA’s CBER.

The point of the spear then, is that even under Tangerine 2.0, the working parts of FDA (CBER) will expect major biopharma- to be careful — in what each claims, in its marketing materials. . . as to indications, and efficacy — each, not yet established by FDA vetted and approved studies.

[To my experienced eye, it would seem that the letter to Iovance makes the most serious allegations, by CBER.]

In any event, since we follow Gilead closely, here’s a bit of the FDA’s Kite / Gilead March 9 letter:

…The promotional materials make false or misleading claims and representations about the benefits of TECARTUS. Thus, the promotional materials misbrand TECARTUS within the meaning of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and make its distribution violative. 21 U.S.C. 321(n); 331(a); 352(a), (n). See 21 CFR 202.1(e)(5). These violations are particularly concerning from a public health perspective because the promotional materials make misleading representations about TECARTUS being more effective or having greater clinical benefit than has been demonstrated. This may cause doctors and patients to inaccurately weigh the risks versus benefits of treatment with TECARTUS, which can be fatal or life-threatening….

Now you know. Be careful out there, folks. Onward, grinning — on a perfectly sunny Spring afternoon in the steel and glass canyons.

नमस्ते