“There You Go Again, Hinderaker” — All While Unintentionally Excoriating Trump Drug Price Control “Policies”!?!

True, Hinderaker is ever given to hyperbolic and broad claims — usually on a very tiny bit of narrow data.

In this overnight installment, John would tell us that one company (US Merck) choosing not to build a European R&D hub in suburban London is “the demise” (his phrase!) of Euro based pharma.

One company?! Really, Hinderaker: there are over 300 multinational pharma and bio-science companies with European pharma research hubs — 20 in London alone.

Hey John: don’t you know that the singular form of data is called… An “anecdote?” His specific — and preposterous — burp on it is here:

…The lesson: drug price controls kill innovation, not diseases. Yet, the United States seems to be following the price control playbook that has resulted in the demise of Europe’s pharmaceutical industry….

But I write tonight to mention that the chart he uses to claim the preeminent “power of US pharma” is… yep, data from Mr. Biden’s presidency — not Trump 1.0, and certainly not Trump 2.0.

Hilarious.

Most of all, though — I would note his exaggerated “demise” claims (due to price control policies!)… are just the latest of TRUMP 2.0’s endlessly inane policies — supposedly… for the US.

Trump has neither the legislative power to enforce US price controls, nor the willpower to do so.

But why oh why is it that John won’t specifically label this relatively minor data point — as being an utter and complete refutation of Trump’s new make America healthy claims?

We know. It is because Hinderaker still has boot black all over his tongue, from Trump‘s boot. Just this morning, in fact.

Out.

In Hinderaker’s Addled Brain, Continuing The Funding For The ACA of 2010… Is What?!?

I get it, John. Really, I do. This whole thing is math — and for you math is hard. This counting of votes… is really complicated — when you get to numbers that are so big they might reach… 100. The size of the US Senate.

Overnight, Hinderaker (once again!) tells a transparently refutable lie about the shut down. The position of democratic leaders has been clear for at least three weeks before we even entered — and consistent throughout the now ongoing — federal shutdown. [BTW, now we are entering the second week of the shutdown. My personal assessment is it is likely to last more than a month. Meaning that Donald Trump has presided over the two longest shutdowns in American history, despite controlling Congress and the White House.]

That sensible Democratic Party position is that some 15 million US citizens who presently get an ACA of 2010 version of healthcare ought to be allowed to continue to receive it. That should continue into 2026 and beyond.

Please remember that the Manchurian Cantaloupe controls the White House, the Senate, and the United States House of Representatives. In sum, he decides what continues to get funded next year and beyond.

One of his own GOP senators, Rand Paul, voted against Trump and with the Democratic wing when it came time to talk about the shutdown.

Trump needed only seven Democrats to join some form of a compromise with 53 other GOP aligned senators — on some modest proposal to fund healthcare for US citizens in 2026 and beyond. But the irrefutable fact is that he would not offer even an inch of compromise, even though he controls all three as above.

His approaches on policy are so anti-free market that Rand Paul, and his own party will not vote with him reliably.

So maybe he needed eight democratic votes, instead of seven. But he got exactly 0 of them.

The ACA of 2010, or Obamacare if you prefer, does not provide subsidized healthcare to what John (in racist fashion) calls “illegals.”

And in any event, if a small number of people without papers have been able to get healthcare, that in no manner justifies cutting off 15 million clearly documented as US citizen-Americans from preventative healthcare — as it is irrefutably established by peer reviewed studies that preventative healthcare, as a public good is far cheaper to provide, than to have to rely on emergency rooms to deliver emergency care to these very same 15 million Americans when they present with acute conditions because we refused collectively to fund preventative healthcare for them.

Then they end up on dialysis much earlier in life. Or they end up with a need for open-heart surgery on an emergency basis, when preventative healthcare in both cases might’ve been as simple as changing diet and increasing exercise, on the consistent, gentle and sensible advice of a family doctor.

That is what Hinderaker and Trump want to end: they do not want to spend government money to keep Americans healthy. They don’t wanna spend on emergency care either — in truth (and fairness) — but in point of fact, that is what happens in our system of broken healthcare, due largely to GOP senators, kicking a can down the alley for four decades.

So John lies to say that Mr. Schumer demands “free healthcare for illegals.”

If John were willing to be even 10% honest, he would admit that Donald Trump is a preposterous failure –– because this supposed “art of the deal genius” can’t seem to find seven out of 47 votes on the other side of the aisle to join him in a small compromise to get a win for all Americans.

All he ever does is sow chaos and confusion, so that he can blame someone else — anyone else — for everything that he cannot achieve through reasoned discourse.

He’s an impotent tiny handed, sad little man.

And John is even worse — when he licks Trumpian boots knowing this full well.

Cheers.

Trump / Noem Just Flew ~100 Asylum Seekers BACK To Iran?!

I had promised to stay off the grid this week while celebrating a 91st birthday with my mom… But I have to ask: who are these people?

Not all of these people agreed to self deport, and it seems likely that the vast majority are/were seeking asylum here in the United States. That gives them due process rights, and it seems that Trump thinks all he needs is the agreement of Iran — to take them back.

That is not true. The involved people — all 100 — are entitled to due process hearings. Here is the latest:

…The Trump administration is deporting a planeload of around 100 Iranians back to Iran from the United States after a deal between the two governments, according to two senior Iranian officials involved in the negotiations and a U.S. official with knowledge of the plans.

Iranian officials said that the plane, a U.S.-chartered flight, took off from Louisiana on Monday night and was scheduled to arrive in Iran by way of Qatar sometime on Tuesday. And the U.S. official confirmed that plans for the flight were in the final stages. All the officials spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details publicly.

The deportation is one of the most stark efforts yet by the Trump administration to deport migrants no matter the human rights conditions they might be sent into….

In a word — deplorable. Who ARE these Trumpers?! Out.

नमस्ते

Hinderaker, On Trump Plan: “I will believe it when I see it.” Exactly.

Surprisingly tonight, Hinderaker belatedly starts making some sense on at least one or two topics.

He opines that the press conference today with Bibi and Trumpie… truly, was/is a prop show — and means nothing, unless a lasting consensual peace appears in Gaza… And Gaza remains peaceful for significant amount of time… which, for now, we will label as… one year.

Hinderaker also guesses that Bibi needs… peace. This is finally — a reality John can admit to seeing (if not loving).

Bibi needs a way out — to save face — and to end the very sensible opposition to his government throughout Tel Aviv — and now inside his own power structure.

He has pushed too far and too hard and for too long… and now his entire coalition may collapse.

And he knows it.

And surprisingly for a change, John is willing to admit to that truth.

I’m hesitant to call it progress of any kind…

But maybe it is just that: progress.

Out.

At The Moment, Senegal Is Enduring A “Double Whammy” — New Outbreak Of Rift Valley Fever, In Addition To Ongoing Mpox Clade 1b and 2 Cases… Yikes.

And… yet again, Tangerine 2.0 is causing excess and preventible deaths — on the Western Coast of Africa, in this way.

Here’s the latest, from inside Dakar — with the local reporting:

…Senegal is facing a challenging public health situation, with an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in the Saint-Louis region coinciding with a resurgence of Mpox (monkeypox) infections.

Upon returning from the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Senegal’s Minister of Health, Dr. Ibrahima Sy, traveled directly to Saint-Louis to oversee the RVF response. As of September 28, the region had confirmed 21 cases of RVF, including seven deaths, spread across three health districts.

The Minister honored the victims and commended the multi-sectoral efforts established to contain the virus. He stressed the need for strong community mobilization—including eliminating stagnant water and mosquito breeding sites—and delivered substantial supplies of insecticides and larvicides to the deployed medical teams. Authorities are also promoting community surveillance and public awareness for early treatment and prevention.

The country is simultaneously tackling a new cluster of Mpox cases….

Have a great week, one and all — and be thankful that you’ve been lucky enough to live where there are enough public health care resources… to make life tolerable. [This is an automated, pre-scheduled post.]

नमस्ते

The Russian Team Aboard The ISS… This Week Used The Burners, In The Trunk Of The Vehicle, To Boost The Orbit Of The ISS… Very Cool!

It is likely mostly tongue in cheek (partly edited / offered by Musk?) but the implication is that these guys are driving some version of a ’67 Chevy Chevelle, and just hooked up some cables, and pulled the station into a higher orbit.

In fact, the moves — three of them, actually — over the past few weeks. . . have been precision burns (some of over 20 minutes duration), to boost the aging station — and prep it for a Russian crew swap later this Fall.

Here’s that [edited] from the NASA / ISS blog entry of Friday, past — on it all:

…Station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky, both Roscosmos cosmonauts… [commanded the firing of the] SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft’s… Draco thrusters, located in the vehicle’s trunk, for 15 minutes on Friday reboosting the International Space Station’s orbit for the third time this month.

The reboost maneuvers lifted the orbital outpost’s altitude to prepare for Soyuz crew swap operations later this year….

Now you know. Keep it spinnin’ in good karma whilst I’m off-grid! [This is an automated, pre-scheduled post.] Out.

नमस्ते

Mr. Abrego Garcia Hauled Out, To Rural PA Now — By Noemites. Ugh.

These jamokes — Geez. And separately, the able USDC Judge Crenshaw, in Nashville wants each government lawyer, who’s entered an appearance in this matter, to detail specific steps each has taken to stop Kristi Noem (and the rest of the Trumpies) from making uncharged, and inflammatory statements in public about the posture of the case and/or the defendant. It is astonishing that the judge had to order these govt. lawyers to restrain their clients — from lying about the posture of the case.

This administration is way off the rails, on almost every dimension. Damn. Here’s the overnight Music City filing — and a bit:

…On September 26, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) notified Mr. Abrego’s immigration counsel, who promptly notified the undersigned, that Mr. Abrego had been transferred to Moshannon Valley Processing Center (“Moshannon”) in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, earlier that morning. The government reached out shortly thereafter to notify the undersigned of the same. An ICE official informed Mr. Abrego’s immigration counsel that this transfer “will allow Mr. Abrego Garcia’s legal team greater access to him.” It is not yet clear whether that is true.

Travel to Moshannon is far more difficult for the members of the defense team based in Nashville, and is not appreciably easier for the New York-based members of the defense team, compared to Farmville. Conditions at Moshannon are also deeply concerning — a detainee died by hanging last month, there have been recent reports of assaults, inadequate medical care, and insufficient food, and the Department of Homeland Security abruptly terminated an internal investigation into allegations of excessive force and abuses by guards at the facility. Nonetheless, the government has asserted that Moshannon will allow defense counsel to bring laptops into the facility and accommodate longer legal visits.

We… will update the Court once there is more visibility into Mr. Abrego’s access to counsel and ability to prepare for trial at Moshannon….

Wherever this next ends up going — we will let uou know after October 6, 2025. Onward.

नमस्ते

Minor Power Alley Stuff: Verona Pharma Shareholders Have Approved Rahway’s ~$10 Billion Acquisition Offer — Closing, Next, On October 7.

As expected, and at this point, immaterial to Merck. But it does build out the COPD franchise appreciably. [With my early July 2025 backgrounder on it, here.]

Here’s the official notice (and again, we will be off-grid when it closes); do see here:

…On September 24, 2025, Verona Pharma‘s shareholders approved the acquisition by Merck & Co., Inc. through its subsidiary, Vol Holdings LLC, for $107 per American Depository Share, totaling approximately $10 billion.

The transaction, structured as a scheme of arrangement under English law, awaits the High Court of Justice’s sanction, with the effective date expected to be October 7, 2025, pending certain closing conditions….

Now you know. Have a great weekend, one and all!

नमस्ते

Minor Housekeeping Update: Harvard Has Won Out, Against Trump/Musk — With A Short Delay (To Sort Out Implementation / Logistics) To October 3, 2025.

The able USDC Judge Burroughs in Boston has given the parties an added week, to sort out, and agree upon implementation actions and showings — so that she doesn’t have to repeatedly (and wastefully) rule on… side issues. [My latest backgrounder on this may be found here.]

The idea is that the parties agree on the specifics of the injunction order at Harvard, and then she signs it — now that she has correctly ruled that Trump has willfully violated the law. So the new submission date is October 3 (whilst I am off-grid in the mountains):

…Judge Allison D. Burroughs:

ELECTRONIC ORDER entered.

The Court grants the parties’ request for additional time to work through implementation issues before a final judgment is entered, (144 in 1:25-cv-10910-ADB; 240 in 1:25-cv-11048-ADB). The parties shall file a status report by October 3, 2025. Associated Cases: 1:25-cv-10910-ADB, 1:25-cv-11048-ADB(CAM)

(Entered: 09/22/2025)….

Now you know. There is likely to be virtually no blogging here next week — off grid in the high Rockies. Grin.

नमस्ते

In Ms. L. Class Action — The Noemites And Trumpians Are “Dragging Their Feet”, On Providing Parolees With Work Permits (In Violation Of Federal Law)… Thus, Whole Families Are Starving.

The manifold ways a malign bureaucrat may wreak havoc — in otherwise blameless / innocent humans’ lives… might never be… over-estimated. That is the moral of the story, here.

The people described in this court filing in San Diego this week (pull quote, below, in blue) have been deemed worthy of parole, by any number of federal judges — while they await their ICE hearings (likely because they have meritorious “credible fear” / asylum claims — or, they’ve been mis-identified entirely, by Noemites!). That means — under existing federal law, the ICE / DHS bureaucrats are required to give them a piece of paper so they can go back to work, and provide for themselves and their families. [Employers are required to fire them, when ICE jails them — until they get this piece of paper that says they are very likely going to be ruled to be here entirely lawfully.]

So — since Tangerine 2.0 took office, these letters which used to come within seven to ten days of making parole, now are being dragged out, by Noem — in many cases, for four or more months. Her inaction, and odious slow walks, are starving families — in a lawless effort to force them to self-deport, in order to work for food and housing [into Mexico, most often — since it shares the closest border].

This is a direct violation of the agencies’ mission and duties. But Noem / Miller and Trump… think it somehow… charming, to their base — to again break federal law. Damn them. Here’s that affidavit — in full — and a bit:

. . .In 2025, and particularly starting in the summer, class members and their families supported by AOL’s Family Reunification Program started experiencing months-long delays between the date when they would receive a grant or renewal of their parole and the date they would receive their Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). What previously took 2-3 weeks for class members to obtain their EAD, now took between six weeks and three months. We identified at least 18 of these cases. These clients were desperate because they had already lost their work due to not having their work authorization, or were about to get fired for that same reason. . . .

In one instance, a class member’s humanitarian parole was approved in December 2024, but their EAD application has been pending with USCIS for nearly eight months. We have not yet received a decision or any notification regarding the status of this application. In another case, a class member has been waiting for over five months for their EAD to be adjudicated; we reached out to the task force in July 2025 and never received a response, despite follow-up e-mails that we sent….

On August 25, 2025, the Court granted Plaintiffs’ motion to extend certain of the Settlement deadlines [ECF No. 869]. That order granted Plaintiffs’ request to, among other things: “(1) extend parole and work authorization grants currently in place for six months following the effective date of the Government’s new contracts with Acacia and Seneca, and (2) reinstate parole and work authorization grants that lapsed during Defendants’ breaches for the same period.” [ECF No. 869 at 3]….

Despite the Court’s order, none of the class members or their family members represented by AOL have had their grants officially extended or reinstated. As a result, they are unable to work because they do not have proof of parole or valid EAD status….

We will soldier on, resolutely — resisting his brownshirt tactics. But it certainly is… a vast gang of… deplorables Noem now encourages. Were they always embedded in ICE / DHS, and just needed “permission” from the top, to break the law — or are all of these agents of chaos the “$50,000 signing bonus” winning “new hires” we are reading so much about? [That is all of our federal tax dollars, being wasted — to inflict cruelty, and violate the law.] Damn. Damn. Damn.

नमस्ते