Still Overwhelmingly The Less Serious Clade 2, But Mpox Is Rising Again, In And Around Chicago… Ugh.

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With free (and plentiful) vaccine stock available — we all need to be mindful that inside Chicago, at least — if you are not among the most at-risk groups, you are likely very safe from infection. But the impacted group members would be wise to get both doses of the vaccine, right away. Better safe than sorry. Now you know.

Here’s that bit — [but do note that the local Faux affiliate tries to demonize brown people, in the way it editorializes on the facts — I stripped it out of my quotes, below]:

…Since June, there have been 133 total cases in the city. Most cases involve men, many of whom identify as gay or bisexual. . . .

In suburban Cook County, almost all mpox cases have been reported in men, and more than a third are among Hispanic or Latino residents, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 35,000 mpox cases have been confirmed in the United States since 2022. Most are linked to close physical contact, though anyone can get infected….

Onward — baby girl back out again, to NYC to accept a podcasting award — then back here Wednesday (before Aspen, next weekend — assuming planes are still flying — I too will then head for the Rockies, for a week). All of this, since it will be snowing here again by Monday night! With maybe six inches expected, here — heh. Out.

नमस्ते

Erh… Hinderaker — Wake Up! — Congress HAS Appropriated SNAP Emergency Funding. Under Messrs. Obama and Biden.

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YAWN.

You see, John — how this works is… when a sitting president, by signing onto an Act, previously passed by both chambers of the then sitting Congress, sets aside money (for SNAP) on an emergency basis, and declares it… inviolate — then a later preznit (acting alone) cannot stop it from flowing.

That is very clear black letter law. And so, since we do not engage in zero based budgeting here at the federal level, Hinderaker boldly lies, when he says THIS Congress didn’t appropriate money for SNAP. The existing coffers were not scraped clean by any Congress. Congress, in sum — in the time of MAGA, has rendered itself impotent (by recesses and inaction)… Just damn, John: Stop your lying.

Here is his belching nonsense:

…[Sitting USDC Judge] John McConnell, ordered the Trump administration to continue fully funding the food stamp program, even though Congress has not appropriated the money to do so [Ed. note: This is a stupid lie.]….

Geez John — give your beating idiocy a rest. And… while we are at it… why is your boy building gilded ballrooms — on “we the people’s” property (and likely in part with our money!) — while kids in the US go… hungry?! Why, John? What is wrong with you?!

Out.

KBJ’s Admin. Stay Will Lapse Just As Soon As The First Circuit Rules — Which They Will Do, On An Emergency Basis: SNAP Funding Cases.

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Some (most?) MSM outlets are making far too much of the very temporary stay — from KBJ (hey! that rhymes!).

Probably before Sunday night, funding will be flowing again — and in the breach, most blue states are simply paying from the state coffers — confident that Rollins is absolutely correct, on the applicable law. We shall see — but I am sanguine. This despite all the Trumpian (very intentional) chaos offensives. This is the First Cir., last night (upon which KBJ relies):

…We note that in its stay briefing to us, the government has not disputed that it may under 7 U.S.C. § 2257 use the Section 32 fund to cover the provision of SNAP benefits for the month of November. Because the November 6 orders provide the same relief, the government would need to establish that it is entitled to a stay of both orders in order to receive the relief that it requests from being required to make full SNAP payments by utilizing available Section 32 funds in combination with the contingency funds. The request for an administrative stay is denied. The government’s motion for a stay pending appeal remains pending, and we intend to issue a decision on that motion as quickly as possible. [25-2089]….

.

Onward, resolutely — and smiling, into the coming snows and record low temps here.

नमस्ते

For Hinderaker, The Only Thing That Matters… Is Whether He Can Catch His Vacation Flight — On The 16th. LOSER.

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So Hinderaker speaks only in terms of what he personally might be inconvenienced with, should the shutdown not be solved this weekend.

Forget that kids might… starve.

Forget that Tangerine 2.0 is literally falling dead asleep on camera at press availabilities. [If this were 2022, and President Biden, the GOP would have already drawn up their 25th Amendment papers — tonight.]

Nope. All that matters — to John, it seems — is John’s upcoming fun, in Amsterdam.

What a useless putz.

Out.

Mpox Clade 1b Update, In Liberia, Tonight…

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Having only recently arrested an ebola outbreak, this news out of Liberia is… daunting. Still, with plenty of very effective vaccine stock in hand — this 2025 Mpox outbreak should be largely manageable, there.

More suspected cases are being confirmed (or cleared) daily — but we all must advocate for the release of the sidelined USAID funds. Here’s the latest, on the ground in Monrovia:

…The Ministry’s goals for the period between November 2025 and January 2026 include detecting and investigating at least 90 percent of suspected Mpox cases within 24 to 48 hours nationwide, ensuring all collected samples are tested and results provided within 48 hours, and achieving zero preventable Mpox-related deaths….

Liberia recently received a shipment of 42,720 doses of Mpox vaccines in September 2025, donated by a global consortium that includes the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), Africa CDC, GAVI, UNICEF, and the Coalition for Epidemic
Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The vaccines will be prioritized for high-risk populations and communities where the virus is most active….

And closer to home, many states are simply covering the SNAP shortages, and will recoup it from the feds when the Supremes set Tangerine 2.0’s little orange wagon… on its side, again. Count on that.

नमस्ते

So Much For “Make Sure It Works!” Trivial — But Hilarious!

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To be fair, the early days of Obamacare.gov were sort of glitchy, too — but that was insurance, for about 100 million people, applying.

Here, Tangerine’s “Rx plan” is strictly by voluntary efforts — from/of just a few manufacturers — and only for just a small handful of drugs.

He now well-knows he has zero ability to force any drug price down, and put it on his list of meds. [Ironically, that is what he, and his minions — would / did. . . call “communism” or “socialism”, if/when a Democratic candidate even mentioned the idea of it. And to be clear — I supported Mr. Biden’s thoughtful “negotiated” moves, with over a dozen drugmakers, on the ten most widely prescribed meds — to make them more affordable in TriCare, CMS and Medicare / Medicaid venues. That is, the idea is sound; but his “execution” of it — is preposterously… flawed.]

So, the point here is that his people cannot even get a voluntary enrollment site up and running, for perhaps three to five drugs at this point. It has crashed at the first page, for over 28 hours now, after “launch” [offering a blank grayed-out screen, on the landing page] — and the White House now has a static screen shot image, of some supposed future web-site — claiming a January 2026 launch / availability. [By way of contrast, the ACA of 2010 / Obamacare site was running smoothly by the third day, after launch. And has run smoothly for 15 years.] He said, according to MSM reports — “Okay, got to make sure it’s successful, it’s got my name on it….” Indeed, Trumpie. Hilarious.

In another age — incompetence like this would have been plenty to end a GOP administration’s popular sway. Now there is a segment of the American population that cheers… even his felonious bribe seeking moves. Incompetence?! Trivial, they say — so long as billionaires get their subsidies and tax cuts. Damn. Out.

नमस्ते

So… Seriously — What Is WRONG With These People?! Emergency Appeal, Of A USDC Order To FEED Hungry Americans?!

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Congress long ago set aside an emergency fund — inviolate — to prevent just this sort of a “shut-down / sh!t-show” / impasse, from making American kids (~20% of whom go hungry, on an on-and-off basis)… go hungry for weeks at a time. Dammit.

When informed of this, and by a USDC Judge no less — the Manchurian Cantaloupe’s answer (effectively)? “Let then eat cake!”

…U.S. District Judge John McConnell ordered the administration on Thursday afternoon to deliver payments in full to states by Friday, chastising it for delays that he said have likely caused SNAP recipients to go hungry.

But the Trump administration said in a court filing on Friday morning [Ed. Note: falsely,] that because of the government shutdown, there is only enough money to pay partial benefits in November….

The man is… a reprobate — all while he builds the abomination in my header-graphic, below, today. Gilded ballrooms — but no food, for poor Americans working two and three jobs, per house-hold. Dammit. Stay tuned. He will be ordered to pay / release these funds. Immediately.

Immediately. Onward, resolutely.

नमस्ते

“Stupid Is… As Stupid… DOES” — Applies To Hinderaker, This Morning…

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The endless idiocy of John Hinderaker — in his dotage — is just so, so… tedious.

His opening is styled after those goofy UFO / Ancient Aliens TV shows’ formulation, as a rhetorical question — which he then answers by saying “many ancient alien theorists think so…”

No, John the military will not follow Trump into “a falsely manufactured [drug] war“, without express Congressional authorization (they directly represent the will of “we, the people” — having NOT been seated by some vestige of an “electoral college”) — but John wants to studiously avoid admitting that the military (excepting Hegseth) will NOT violate the separations of powers embedded for 250 years in our shared Constitution (and certainly not for Trump).

Here’s his latest drivel, in full — and a bit:

…Will Donald Trump, the peacemaker(?!), go to war against the Maduro regime in Venezuela? Some [ancient alien conspiracy theorists /] observers think so. Yesterday the Senate voted down a joint resolution directing the Trump administration not to take military action against Venezuela without Congressional authorization….

…The resolution cites the War Powers Act, long a bone of contention and constitutional debate [exclusively among hard-right nutjobs like Hinderaker]….

All the rest of us / sane people — however — recognize it, as good law — for 50 years. It was passed to limit Nixon’s attempts to run undeclared wars. But nutjobs who want the executive to be a faux-king… have railed against the idea that Congress, not the executive, ultimately commits the US — to full-scale wars.

The man is a dangerously doddering, and malign old fool — just like his Major Domo, above.

Out.

Been A Minute… Since I’ve Said Anything About Musk — And His Supposed Pay…

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But tonight is that night.

I’ve waited — to see if the shareholders would act rationally. They have not.

On the other hand (and this is really only a tiny silver lining!) if — IF — the board insists that he must objectively meet the stretch goals laid out, in order to see a full payout… it is highly unlikely he will earn anything near even 10% of the trillion, over the life of the contract.

The danger, as ever, though — is will they go limp, and waive some of the performance standards adopted today, in a few more years?

To be certain, this sets a “stoopid” precedent, as well.

However, no other CEO is as identified with — or as deeply “in the money” as an investor, at the same time as being such a large stakeholder — at any other public company on this scale. So, not too many others could ask for this pay with a straight face.

But Musk did — impliedly threatening to quit, and begin to sell his vast hoard… wiping billions and billions off of Wall Street’s balance sheets, in a blink.

But objectively speaking, his performance over the past three years has more closely mirrored the Intel CEO’s. As we see… in 2023, he took a substantial pay cut, as did his team.

That’s leadership. You may say he was already making too much at Intel… but his example makes Musk’s money grubbing, when he already holds about $340 billion in net worth… look very very unseemly.

Whatever. I sold all my Tesla in 2014.

I will never put money behind him, or his vehicles — even though they are mechanically very fine examples of engineering.

On principle — the malign spectrum disorder dude ought to be… shunned.

If you are still invested in Tesla… sell. Sell now.

It may go up (temporarily, for a while) from here — but this whole dumb show is…eventually, going to fall apart, and end rather badly — for all still involved, today.

And that’s even before the X-itter epilogue unfolds. Condor… told ya’ right here. Remember that.

Onward.

नमस्ते

[U X3: Religious Rights Class Cert. & Reasoned Injunctions On File] Justice… Now Moves Inexorably Forward, Against Lies From Trump’s Federal Agents, Here. Chicago Shows It Is, Indeed, A “City of Big Shoulders…”

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UPDATE @ 3 PM CST: The able USDC Judge has already published her formal eight page injunction, on the record in 1403. And it is a… ton of bricks, on Bovino’s pointy lil’ noggin’!

Second Update: She has certified the plaintiff class. This means anyone injured at a protest may recover damages if this injunction is violated, and that violation is the cause of the injury.

U X 3 — By later on Friday night, the separate 16 page opinion — on the religious rights class certification is also on file. Buckle up, butter-cup. End updates.

Judge Sara L. Ellis has officially entered her injunction [in oral remarks from the bench] — and it is as damning as it is… sweeping. [Note: The actual, as published, written opinion and order is now on file, and published here. It is a banger! It DIDN’T take a day or two to draft, since even though it recites about 25 paragraphs of Bovino-led violations — and shameless lying by him, as well.]

Bovino cannot continue in his role. He has zero credibility, now. Here’s the latest from our PBS affiliate — on the ground:

…[USDC Judge] Ellis on Thursday painstakingly detailed instances across the Chicago area in which border patrol agents used force against residents in apparent violation of her temporary restraining order. The Trump administration also treated anti-ICE protesters worse because of the content of their speech and impermissibly prevented the free exercise of religion by shooting, without warning, those engaged in prayer with pepper balls and tear gas, both violations of the First Amendment, Ellis said.

She also said Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino admitted to lying about whether a rock hit him before he used tear gas on Chicagoans in Little Village last month.

“The government would have people believe, instead, that the Chicagoland area is in a vice hold of violence, ransacked by rioters and attacked by agitators,” Ellis said Thursday before announcing her ruling.

“That simply is untrue. And the government’s own evidence in this case belies that assertion….”

We are encouraged. But we will continue to resist peacefully, and aid our neighbors (with-, or with- out papers) sheltering them away from this lawlessness. Bring it on, you malign lil’ man — Il Duce / Bovino. We won’t rest — until you thugs leave town (or are incarcerated). Onward.

नमस्ते