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Apparently, Only “Discrimination”, AGAINST Whyte Voters — In Drawing Maps — Is Unlawful, According To Five Supremes… Damn. Louisiana: Wrong On The Law Of Section 2 Of VRA.

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Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, passed by Congress long ago… has been effectively removed from the statute, by Alito / Thomas / Kavanaugh / Gorsuch and Roberts.

So much for deferring to Congress — when it speaks clearly, under the Fourteenth Amendment.

This is a terrible day for Louisianans — of color. If the maps are previously designed to limit Black voting power — Section 2 specifically says the maps must be redrawn… to give Blacks more of a chance of electing someone… who hears them.

And so, this is a terrible day for this nation. We would do well, here to recall that Dr. King said that “a riot is the language of the unheard….”

But rest assured: there will be a blue wave this Fall.

Bank on it.

Elections… will have consequences.

Full stop.

नमस्ते

In Which Rigby Nails The Odious Bill Otis, At Ringside…

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Take it away, Rigby!

“…I felt the need this morning to comment on William Otis’s latest post, because there truly are some cuckoo-bananas assertions in there. If Ringside at the Reckoning allowed comments, I’d put this there. But they don’t, so here I am.

First of all: Credit where credit is due: Otis recognizes the indictment of James Comey for his “8647” seashell photo for the crazy-nutso pile of BS it clearly is. (I wish I could say the same about his evaluation of the SPLC indictment, but: baby steps.) But before he even gets to that, he spends most of his energy disparaging the left for their alleged craziness.

His first example of the left’s lunacy comes from a post written by a man named Caden Olson, a man you’ve never heard of, a man I’ve never heard of, a man Otis had never heard of until he needed examples for his post. Let me just say this. Caden Olson has fifteen subscribers. Fifteen. If that’s your lead example, you’ve already lost. We’re talking about the Department of Justice indicting a private citizen for the sole reason the the president doesn’t like him. That’s whole universes of magnitude worse than a no-name blogger spinning a silly conspiracy theory. Trying to equate the two is like comparing a T-rex to a bumblebee.

To be fair, there are all kinds of loony conspiracy theories floating around on the left, but none of them are propogated by elected officials or Democratically controlled government entities.

Then Otis makes his wildest assertion yet:

…That some kinds of Democrats entertain this sort of thing, but no Republicans I ever heard of do, is one of the reasons I can never vote for the Dems….

Emphasis mine. This is so bonkers, I’m amazed the pixels stuck to the screen. No Republicans? Really? Apparently, Otis has never heard of Alex Jones or Jewish space lasers or Democratic weather manipulation or Haitan immigrants eating dogs or QAnon or the Deep State or Pizzagate or the Great Replacement Theory or birtherisim or the kookiest conspiracy theory of all: the 2020 election was stolen, which 70 percent of Republicans believe, egged on by the leader of their party, the current president of the United States, who has shared so many nonsense conspiracy theories on his failing social media platform, even Art Bell would would be like, “Hey, take it easy, man.”

For some reason, those conspiracy theories don’t count. Maybe Otis believes all of those theories are all real. Who knows?….”

I will only add that Rigby is spot on here, line for line. Thanks, man!

Onward!

Ahem. Tangential Martin Shkreli Trivia — I Think It Best To Just Do It… This Way. Onward.

~ condor ~ 2 Comments

This nonsense happened a few days ago, while I was largely off grid — at my youngest son’s half-, in Eugene. As I’ve mentioned before — he is pretty elite, and has qualified for the world championships in the half-iron, in Nice France this Fall.

This was a tune-up, to see how his splits are shaping up for that race — as he makes prep, to head to the south of France and train there — getting a racer bike hard-boxed and shipped, etc. Getting a house to sleep a rotating crew of 10 (for family and friends!) — for the whole month of September (outside Nice but) right on the rail line, for “side quests” to Paris, Vence, Eze and certainly Monaco… and on and on.

It will be an extended family vacay, if nothing else. [But he will do quite well — he literally knows no other way.]

Anyway — the graphic relates to MY weekend, not Martin’s. The part about Martin Shkreli, then: apparently claims he lives in SF now. This is (apparently) due to the fact that the mother of his only child lives there. Whatevs. The gossip page in SF has more, but (as you will read in blue below) I too wouldn’t want to promote fraudulent claims. So under the pull-quote — I will simply place a link. Read at your own risk [his “news / gossip” is the third item — in the link below]:

…The Waggle could not verify anything Shkreli claimed above (we are dealing with a convicted fraudster here), so if you happen to know anything about this, please drop us a line.

Fatherhood, for what it’s worth, does seem to have [slightly] tamed Shkreli: The Waggle had an amiable chat with the “Pharma Bro,” with only one mention of “boning babes….”

As I say — here’s a link to the gossip/twaddle if you are interested.

That is all the trivia I’ve got today, but I am out of pocket for each of the next three Fridays to Tuesdays… so keep it spinning in good karma. I know you will.

Out.

नमस्ते

USDC Judge Alia Moses — In Del Rio, Texas — Orders “Mediation” Of The Razor Wire Barrier Cases, From 2023…

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It seems the families whose children were maimed, and mothers were drowned… may see some recompense, from the State of Texas… for MAGA TX Gov. Abbott’s Hitlerian tactics — on the Rio Grande river. A waterway he has zero jurisdiction to patrol, or place barriers upon. That is a US federal law / Nation of Mexico perogative, exclusively — under our treaties and federal statutes stretching back nearly 150 years. Damn.

We have covered these awful cases for about five long years. Do search “razor wire” in the box at right, if you are curious. Or search “Alia Moses”. Here’s the latest order:

…Pursuant to Chief United States District Judge Alia Moses’ Order [ECF No. 142], the parties have been ordered to appear before the undersigned for mediation on May 26, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. The mediation will occur in Courtroom No. 4 of the United States Courthouse, 111 E. Broadway Street, Del Rio, Texas.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the parties shall each file, on or before May 18, 2026, a mediation brief that meets the following requirements:

1. Filed ex parte and under seal — The filing party shall adjust the viewing permissions when filing the brief to only allow access by the filing party and the Court. Any questions regarding this procedure should be directed to the Clerk’s Office in the Del Rio Division.

2. Addresses the following matters: (a) the main issues in this dispute; (b) amendable resolutions to this matter; and (c) any prior cases in the Western District or the Fifth Circuit in which the requested relief was awarded….

SIGNED this 28th day of April 2026….

Onward, resolutely — hopefully, those potential asylum-seekers injured and killed by MAGA Gov. Abbott’s lawless razor wire abominations [during the Biden Administration]… will now see some compensation.

नमस्ते

Power Alley, After A Long Weekend Away: Sun Pharma To Pay Almost $12 Billion For Merck Spin-off Organon…

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We mentioned this — as a rumor piece, a few weeks ago. And the Organon NYSE common stock price is now up almost 100% — since the morning before the rumor piece floated through various financial outlets, that week. It does seem like a pretty high price for these very mature brands. But we shall, as ever see.

In any event, here’s FiercePharma’s finely cogent take on it all, from while I was in the air yesterday:

…Already the largest biopharma company in India, generics powerhouse Sun Pharma has doubled in size with its acquisition (PDF) of women’s health leader Organon. With its $11.75 billion buyout, Sun has picked up a drugmaker that matched the $6.2 billion in sales that it generated in 2025.

Sun is paying $14 per share, which is a 24% premium on Organon’s closing price on Friday. It is also a more than 100% premium on Organon’s share price at the start of April. With the agreement, which is expected to close by early 2027, Sun’s stock increased by 7%, while Organon’s jumped by 17%.

The deal, which is the largest ever by an Indian biopharma, the company said, will boost Sun’s portfolio of innovative medicines and will catapult it to No. 7 among the world’s top sellers of biosimilars, the company said in its release….

Organon’s stock had been weighed down by “heavy headwinds,” according to Evercore ISI analyst Umer Raffat, citing the New Jersey company’s debt, its oncoming loss of exclusivity of contraceptive implant Nexplanon and its “bad M&A to digest,” which is a reference to Organon’s $1.2 billion 2024 buyout of Dermavant….

Now you know — even if I’m a little out of date.

Onward — with travel ahead, on each of the next three weekends — with one more half-marathon toward the end — and Colorado and points eastward, too. Woot!

नमस्ते

Does He Not Realize… Ari Onassis Heard Much The Same?! Sheesh!

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Well, it seems Mr. Trump can’t understand that — in the case of many wealthy older men who’ve had multiple wives, and are presently with younger wives — a common joke for decades from comedians has been that the younger wife has been invested in / involved… with… waiting for them to die. Just ask Andrew Dice Clay, Rodney Dangerfield, and before them, Lenny Bruce.

We may quibble about whether that particular joke was in good taste — given what happened later in the evening, Saturday night. But there is no doubt that Mr. Kimmel’s joke is protected expression.

So I will rerun my column from November 2025 and the last time Donald Trump tried to punish speakers (including comedians!) whose jokes offend him — and of whose views he does not approve:

Tangerine and Melania today said it pretty plainly, that FCC should review (with a threat toward revoking) the broadcast licenses of networks that criticize him.

Charming. We will — as ever — peacefully — resist. Resist the trampling of our First Amendment rights.

Nearly 250 years of freedom now hang in the balance. Forget this loser, folks:

…President Trump said federal regulators should revoke broadcast licenses over late-night hosts who speak negatively about him, a day after ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s show “indefinitely” after pressure from the Federal Communications Commission chairman….

“They’re giving me all this bad press, and they’re getting a license,” Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, after ABC suspended the late-night Jimmy Kimmel Live show. “I would think maybe their license should be taken away….”

Not on my watch you Manchurian Cantaloupe.

Nope. And Hinderaker is very pissy about it, but I don’t care. I refuse to link his nonsense.

नमस्ते

New Data Out Of US CDC Suggests That Mpox Clade 1b Is Unlikely To Be A Vector, On The Summer’s Commercial Air Travel Routes: CIDRAP

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Of course, the Clade 1b is associated with the more severe symptoms — and is thus of highest concern. But the empirical data so far suggests the data of “catching it” — from an infected seat mate, on a jet… is negligible. That’s good news, as so many will hop on international flights — from as early as June through November of this year, here.

Still — there are reports of people with Clade 2, getting sick on the airplane. So far, none of those have resulted in “close contact” transmission, to others on the plane. But if you’ve had, or have Clade 2, please do not board a plane until you are virus free (no visible legions). In any event, here’s the pretty reassuring news — from the U of Minn’s fine CIDRAP outlet:

…Transmission of clade 1 mpox virus during commercial air travel appears to be uncommon, according to a study published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The analysis looked at data from five commercial flights taken by three men with active mpox symptoms to assess the risk of in-flight transmission. The three men were aged 20 to 40 years. The flights took place from November 2024 to January 2025.

Among 60 identified contacts, defined as nearby passengers and crew, one person reported symptoms of fatigue, body aches, and a skin lesion after the flight, but that person tested negative for mpox. No secondary cases were identified….

Based on these results, the CDC discontinued routine aircraft contact tracing for all mpox clades and subclades in 2025. But public health officials continue to recommend that people with mpox avoid travel until they have fully recovered. Vaccination of at-risk groups remains an important tool for reducing transmission and disease severity, the authors said….

Onward, to “remote view” the 2026 Eugene Marathon tomorrow, over the web/on the internet — and track my youngest’s progress in getting down to world class splits. Smile….

नमस्ते

DC Appeals Court Rules (AGAIN!) Trump Pretended To Have Power Over Asylum Seekers… He Plainly Lacked. End Of Tangerine Proclamation 10888.

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A per curiam opinion — out of the DC federal Court of Appeals today tells us all what we long knew: Trump cannot countermand Congressionally mandated due process, for people who seek protection from abuse at our borders — no matter where they cross.

Once again, his black Sharpie scribbles mean… essentially nothing, not without an entirely new act of the Congress. And that never happened. At all.

So he is (again) toast — and people seeking asylum in the US must be granted due process hearings, despite what the dotard says — here’s that 105 pager, and a bit of the opening stanzas:

…More than a century of precedent assures that “over no conceivable subject is the legislative power of Congress more complete” than it is over the admission of foreign individuals. Dep’t of State v. Muñoz, 602 U.S. 899, 903 (2024) (quoting Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. v. Stranahan, 214 U.S. 320, 339 (1909)); see also INS v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919, 940 (1983) (“The plenary authority of Congress over aliens under Art. I, § 8, cl. 4 is not open to question.”)….

This is a statutory interpretation case. Our task is to determine whether Congress has granted the Executive the authority to remove foreign individuals present in the United States without adhering to the removal procedures or providing the substantive removal protections that Congress prescribed in the INA….

We conclude that the INA’s text, structure, and history make clear that in supplying power to suspend entry by Presidential proclamation, Congress did not intend to grant the Executive the expansive removal authority it asserts.

The Proclamation and Guidance are thus unlawful to the extent that they circumvent the INA’s removal procedures and cast aside federal laws affording individuals the right to apply and be considered for asylum or withholding of removal protections. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Plaintiffs. We also affirm the district court’s class certification order, modifying the class definition as clarified by this opinion….

Yep — bit by bit, sanity (and the rule of actual law) is making a come-back. Onward, resolutely.

नमस्ते

Tangent: A Trend Line, On Tesla / Muskian Lobby Spend, Since Tangerine 2.0 Began…

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[As long as we are digging through crates of federal forms, this morning… “why not?” Right? Right.] This is what his spend trend looks like, at right.

And this is the first time we’ve ever detailed how he went down the (at least on legal/on-the-record) path — of lobbying Tangerine 2.0. Obviously, his role in the early days of Tangerine 2.0 were chaotic.

Issues related to avoiding any meaningful oversight — and preserving federal EV tax breaks, probably predominated. That, and getting him “in” at DOGE, while never filing a conflict of interest disclosure form required by federal law, nor disclosing his finances, in full — thus effectively avoiding all Congressional oversight efforts… was the whole game. Then, he bailed before the LDA authorities could act, to bring him in for a chin-waggle. Damn.

In any event, here’s the latest (small by pharma standards, but he has his fingers in lots of different pots, to be certain — including national defense, via SpaceX contracts). I suppose it is mostly surprising… how cheaply the MAGA-Congress-critters may be bought:

…Autonomous Vehicle policies; Artificial Intelligence/Robotics; Surface Transportation Reauthorization; EV Fees/Highway Trust Fund Reform; EV charging infrastructure/EV signage; National Electric Vehicle Initiative (NEVI); Advanced Battery Supply Chain and Manufacturing; Automotive Technology and Safety; Privacy; H.R.1566, REPAIR Act; SELF DRIVE Act….

H.R.1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act; Critical Minerals and Battery Components….

General trade policies; Issues related to manufacturing supply chain; Issues related to non-tariff trade barriers; Issues related to global market access and global competitiveness….

Solar and energy permitting; Virtual Power Plants; Energy Storage….

Permitting and critical mineral policies; Permitting Reform provisions related to Budget Reconciliation; Discussions regarding export controls….

Issues related to transportation appropriations, Issues related to H.R.1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, permitting reform, Highway Trust Fund, NEVI/CFI, and Spectrum Auction Authorities….

Issues related to spectrum/ultra-wide band….

Issues related to Significant New Alternatives Policy Program; Issues related to TSCA….

Issues related to intellectual property….

[SpaceX:] The FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act (No Bill Number): issues related to space launch competition….

The FY2027 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act (No Bill Number): issues related to commercial, civil, and defense space transportation. General monitoring of issues related to the space launch licensing approval process….

The FY2027 Defense Appropriations Act (No Bill Number): issues related to the funding of military space launches. The FY2027 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (No Bill Number): issues related to the funding of civil and military space launches….

As I say, this whole thing… smells. Smells to high heaven. And we all know (in our heart of hearts) much, much more moved, via dark money — but this is just the tiny portion required to see… sunshine, under long-standing federal laws.

D A M N A T I O N.

Elon — being Elon. And MAGA cheering it on.

नमस्ते

Now Pfizer’s Q1 ‘26 Spend: Pretty Much Steady State, Compared To Q1 ‘25

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This is number three of a four part series — maybe five — if I decide to add in either Tesla (for Elon, here) — or Amazon Health. For now, this is what the largest spend of the majors went to in Q1 2026.

You’ll notice that — unlike the others, Pfizer goes into far less detail about exactly what they are jaw-boning about. It is my opinion (expressed here, on and off for about 15 years) that, given how relatively high the company’s spend on lobbying is every year — that this below, barely meets the command of the statute, to describe, in reaonable detail, “a list of the specific issues upon which a lobbyist employed by the registrant engaged in lobbying activities, including, to the maximum extent practicable, a list of bill numbers and references to specific executive branch actions…” at 2 USC § 1604 Section (b)(2)(A):

…[US House] Vaccine Coverage; Pediatric Immunization Schedule; Vaccine Injury Compensation Program; Executive Order 14297 – Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients; H.R. 7837 – Most Favored Patient Act of 2026; Lyme Disease Issues; 340B Issues; Counterfeit Drugs; Inflation Reduction Act (IRA); Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA); Drug Pricing; PBM Reform; Direct-to-Patient Prescription Drug Purchase Platforms and Insurance Coverage; H.R. 5509 – Safe Step Act; S. 2903 – Safe Step Act; S. 3510 – Biosimilar Inspection Modernization Act of 2025….

[US Senate] Executive Order 14297 – Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients; Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA); 340B Issues; Direct-to-Patient Prescription Drug Purchase Platforms and Insurance Coverage; PBM Reform; Counterfeit Drugs; P.L. 117-169 – Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022; Drug Pricing; Medicare/Medicaid Issues….

International Supply Chain; Market Access; Most Favored Nation Policies; Foreign Freeriding Issues; Non-Tariff Trade Barriers; Competiveness Issues; Trade Issues….

Intellectual Property Protections….

Onward, to a warm if cloudy Spring Friday morning — Eli Lilly likely up next, before Noon. Smile… maybe old Elon next, as he takes SpaceX public.

नमस्ते