Trump’s Stupid (Tariff) Bullying Of Canada… Has Failed.

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This is precisely what “Saint” (tongue firmly in cheek!) Ronnie Reagan warned us about in 1985: tariffs lead to retaliatory return tariffs.

And American families, workers and employers pay the brunt of the price. So too, again tonight as I ride the trains home from Midway Airport. Here is the latest, per the NYT:

. . .Mark Carney suspended talks and will take out retaliatory tariffs against the United States after days of negotiations to stave off new levies by the Trump administration ended in an impasse….

Crucial trade talks between the United States and Canada to stave off punishing new tariffs by the Trump administration on Canadian goods collapsed late Friday, with Canada saying it would retaliate “dollar for dollar…”

Geez — what a feckless, and senile putz this Trump guy is.

And note that Hinderaker says zero to defend tariffs. Hilarious!

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[And an ad — in Canada, from last year’s World Series —- as it runs on YouTube below.]

“When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products,” Mr. Reagan’s voice narrates over a video of generic images of economic activity. But, the audio warns, tariffs cause damage. “Markets shrink and collapse, industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs….”

Chief Justice Roberts Issues A Temp. Admin Order, Ballroom Destruction To Continue For Now… That’s All, John.

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First off, that Hinderaker (or any MAGAt) thinks it’s appropriate and desirable…is utterly immaterial.

Tangerine 2.0 (without an Act of Congress) possesses zero authority to tear down federal property — paid for by US tax dollars. He does not own the presidential residence. No president does. And no one on his team made the argument that it was related to national security until it became clear that it was unlawful.

That was made up after the fact when he realized he was in hot water. So once again, we see that John Hinderaker is an idiot. I suspect it will be enjoined as anew — soon as the first Monday in October appears…

So do sit down, John.

In any event, here is the latest:

The order will allow the rest of the Supremes to consider whether they should even hear the Trump appeal.

It is — by its nature — unreasoned and summary. Even so, it does not indicate a specific time by which it would expire if the Supreme Court doesn’t otherwise take the case.

As I’ve said before, I expect that the Supremes will rebuff Tangerine 2.0 here. Here is the esteemed Amy Howe, on it all:

…Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order, known as an administrative stay, that kept Leon’s order on hold to give the justices more time to consider the Trump administration’s request to pause it.

The brief, one-sentence stay did not indicate when the justices might act on the government’s request….

I honestly don’t think justice Roberts was playing politics here… I think he simply wants the rest of the court to back him when they do dismiss it — and gathering their reasoned views (during recess, to boot) will take more than a few minutes.

[Onward, posting from a delayed @ 35,000 feet Southwest 737 Max8 jet — somewhere east of the Colorado line.] Smile.

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70,000 Jabs, Of Merck’s Ervebo Vaccine Headed To DRC — Ituri And Bas-Uele: Good News!

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So, yes, this is good news — and it is widely suspected that the vaccine will be protective against Bundibugyo — but this will help prove this by empirical evidence.

Here’s the latest news, from Reuters:

…The Democratic Republic of Congo has been allocated 70,000 doses of Merck’s Ervebo vaccine for Ebola, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, as the ‌country attempts to contain its biggest-ever outbreak of the deadly disease….

The health agency said the group ⁠allocated 70,000 Ervebo doses for Congo, of which 20,000 shots will be used in a late-stage trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus.

Geneva-based global vaccine alliance Gavi said they would provide $7 million to fund the shipment to Congo along with another $6 million to help with vaccination efforts in high-risk areas.

The ongoing outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.

“It is not known whether ‌Ervebo ⁠may be protective against the Bundibugyo virus in humans,” WHO said, stressing the importance of clinical trials to provide new evidence.

[Merck’s] Ervebo is approved to prevent disease caused by the more common Zaire ebolavirus strain….

Now you know. Back to the City of Big Shoulders tomorrow evening. Smile….

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Katalyst Space Will NOT Attempt A Boost Of The Swift ‘Scope: NASA

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This is admittedly tough news.

The lifting will not be attempted.

As ever, safety comes first, and if anything were to go wrong with grappling — and/or then firing the rocket engines while holding the Swift Space telescope, this whole shooting match could end up crashing into other satellites and causing a chain reaction of global proportions. Understandably, that risk has been judged as not worth the return, here — by wiser heads, at NASA.

So Swift will be allowed to burn up in the atmosphere later this year in 2026. Here’s the latest from NASA, tonight:

…Due to an ongoing commercial spacecraft attitude control issue, NASA and Katalyst Space announced Wednesday the LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost an agency satellite to a higher altitude to extend its science mission as planned….

“We knew this was a high-risk, high-reward mission – a first-of-its kind attempt, developed on an unprecedented timeline driven by the Sun’s activity,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We were all hoping for more science from Swift. But we knew the takeaways from this mission would be worthwhile either way, and we have gained so much through the series of accomplishments up to this point….”

Without intervention, NASA anticipates Swift is likely to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this year. As part of the agency’s previous planning for Swift’s end of life, NASA will continue to prioritize finding new options to react rapidly to cosmic events, using current missions to help fill the gap in the meantime….

In happier news, my nearly 92 year-old mother got to witness a rainbow below her feet as we stared over a cliff at over 14,000 feet of elevation this afternoon. It’s really something to be above the clouds and see a rainbow arc below your feet — grin.

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In Less Sanguine News, Ebola/Bundibugyo Has Now Hit Over 5,000 Cases In DRC — Ituri, And Bas-Ule Provinces… Ugh.

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We know this will likely be the most rapidly lethal ebola outbreak in recorded world-wide history — even as EU and WHO and local partners race to try and arrest the now wildly-free contagion. Just a sad moment for epidemic science, here.

Here is that deeply discouraging news, from NPR:

…The Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached 5,000 cases, government data showed Wednesday, as responders warn it is spreading at an unprecedented speed outpacing efforts to slow it in one of the country’s remotest regions.

Health investigators in the Democratic Republic of Congo interview individuals as part of their contact tracing — seeking to find those who came into contact with people infected with Ebola.

Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak had so far recorded 5,021 cases, including 2,378 deaths as of Sunday, as it rages in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable fueled by insecurity, displacement and intense population movements.

The outbreak has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other outbreak in history. The World Health Organization estimates it will likely surpass the outbreak of 2014 to 2016 across West Africa, which was the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 11,000 deaths….

Onward, just the same — into the clear, thin 14,000 foot air. Be excellent to one another.

नमस्ते

I Hope At Least Some Of You Picked Up Some Moderna Shares, In Nov. 2024 (During The Silly Anti-COVID VAX Doldrums) — Or Earlier, This Year — As We Suggested…

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Moderna has done considerably better than I forecast. This morning it is trading above $135. It was around $25 a share in December of 2025 — less than a year ago. I felt that $85 a share was a very sensible — conservative, even — fair value for the stock, then. And I said so.

The potential for a “cancer vaccine” is aligning in early trials almost perfectly — and is boosting Merck’s stock, as well — now at around $150 (MRK was around $110 in early May of this year). So here is all that good news, from STAT+:

…A personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, added to an existing treatment, slowed the return of melanoma and its spread to other parts of the body in a late-stage clinical trial, the drugmakers Merck and Moderna announced Wednesday, results that could herald a new, powerful approach in oncology.

So-called “neoantigen” vaccines have long been seen as having potential as cancer treatments, but this is the first randomized Phase 3 clinical trial aimed at definitively proving their benefit. In this case the personalized vaccine, intismeran, was combined with Merck’s Keytruda in adjuvant melanoma, meaning patients’ disease had been surgically removed.

If the results hold up — the drugmakers did not immediately release detailed data — they could deliver new hope and potentially longer lives for patients. They could also be a further testament to the power of mRNA as a platform to develop both traditional vaccines and therapeutics….

Onward — for a road trip to the tops of some 14,000 foot peaks today — under azure Summer skies. Smile. Be excellent to one another — always.

नमस्ते

UPDATE: In Nigeria, Lassa Fever Continues To Be A Major Concern — With Worse Case Rates, And Fatality Rates, Than Last Year…

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As we say at least once a week, all of this is worse — ever since Tangerine 2.0 essentially gutted USAID, last year. We are now reaping the whirlwind, here.

Lassa should be a controllable fever. It should be. But without preventative health efforts on the ground locally — well-funded with international aid. . . it is not. Here is the very diligent and latest OutbreakNewsToday, on this topic:

…The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported 1,000 confirmed Lassa fever cases from the beginning of the year through July 26, a 21 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025 (825).

In total for 2026, 23 States have recorded at least one confirmed case across 116 Local Government Areas.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from 5 states (Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue) while fourteen percent (14%) were reported from 18 states with confirmed Lassa fever cases. Of the 86% confirmed cases, Ondo reported 32%, Bauchi 25%, Taraba 13%, Edo 10% and Benue 6%.

Concerning fatalities, 237 deaths among confirmed cases were reported. This is a 53 percent increase compared to the 155 deaths reported at this time in 2025.

The case fatality rate so far in 2026 is 23.7 percent….

So one in four who contract Lassa are likely to die from it. That is deplorable — because it certainly does not have to be this way. The Obama and Biden Administrations proved it. In fact, even Tangerine 1.0 funded efforts that greatly reduced Lassa fatalities in Africa. Damn.

Onward, now — to let my 91 year old mother sit a safe distance away — but to pretend to roam, with the Rocky Mountain Bison. Smile….

नमस्ते

Lashing Out, At Oman?! Oh… Man!

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Goodness — what a putz — again blaming everyone else for his terrible sense of what’s possible — and/or moral.

Yep — here’s that from the air over the High Sierras — in the morning’s New York Times:

…As a crumbling truce with Iran officially collapsed on Monday, President Trump signaled his frustration at his inability to resolve a war that he started but cannot seem to end.

In an interview with Fox News, the president lashed out at an American ally, Oman, that has been trying to mediate negotiations with Iran….

Onward, trying to forget about the world’s problems for a week — and absorb some high mountains / isolation when I get off the plane. Whoosh….

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Trump Whines, Anew: But He Cannot Destroy White House Property — And Build Over The Top Of It. Not Without Congress’s Explicit Say-So.

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Tangerine 2.0 went off, crying to the Supremes this morning, all because his monstrosity of a “mostly not built” ballroom has been enjoined.

In sum, he’s now been forced to… obey the law.

Yep. This argument is… absurd. I will not quote it.

Both the trial courts, and the appellate courts got it right. He’s DOA.

That is all. Onward.

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Concerns Grow, In Scientific Circles — Over “Ebo-Pep” Trial Protocol — Thus, Running A Risk That Front Line Health Workers Get Randomized To A “Placebo Only” Arm…

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People who’ve risked their lives, usually free of charge, to aid Doctors Without Borders, in attempts to arrest Ebola in DRC likely should be given the best treatment if it seems probable that they are/were exposed to Bundibugyo.

But it is possible that these workers might be randomized into a placebo only arm of a current trial, looking for effective measures against Bundibugyo. Here is the latest, from across the pond:

…Two leading doctors have “stepped back” from long-held positions with the World Health Organization amid a row over the ethics of an Ebola drug trial underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The randomised control trial, called Ebo-Pep, is testing whether an experimental antiviral is an effective post-exposure treatment.

But experts believe the study’s design puts healthcare workers on the frontline of the epidemic at risk, because it means medics exposed to Ebola might receive a placebo treatment….

The Ebo-Pep trial began in mid-July. It is testing a drug called obeldesivir – an oral version of the antiviral remdesivir – to determine whether it offers protection for people who have been exposed to Ebola, but are yet to develop symptoms….

Over the last decade, a status quo has also emerged where healthcare workers exposed to Ebola are immediately offered an antiviral treatment or monoclonal antibody, if it is available, in the hope of giving them the best possible chance of survival.

But if they are included in Ebo-Pep, their chance of receiving obeldesivir drops to 50 per cent.

Meanwhile any foreign doctor deployed to support the DRC will still be evacuated and offered an antiviral after a needlestick exposure — three already have been in this outbreak — creating an “unacceptable double standard….”

I suppose front line health care workers ought to be allowed (in any event) to “opt in” to the trial — and assume the risk (even if that creates unblinding problems), but this is — as ever — a vexing quandary, with trials in highly lethal viral outbreaks. We will keep an eye on it. Onward, resolutely.

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