A "Detailed 3D Map Of The Cosmos": Now Being Downloaded -- To The Public -- By The ESA's Euclid Space Scope Mission...

This is the very best that pure space science can offer: vast troves of high-quality data, driven only by the relentless pursuit of advanced understanding (or "real science", if one prefers) without any concern for political boundries -- on some map, drawn exclusively long ago, by some rather small men.

We -- all of humanity -- will benefit from this magnanimous sharing of data -- by our EU neighbors (my prior backgrounder, here). These are. . . very savvy friends. [Note especially here, the stark contrast, to the largely pin-headed slop -- one Elon Musk tries to sell -- for a profit, to a gullible, largely science-illiterate public.]

Here's the latest, from esa / Euclid mission control:

. . .On 12 November 2026, ESA’s Euclid space telescope released its first major batch of data. This release, named DR1-Foundation, includes data gathered as part of the Euclid Wide and Deep Surveys, and forms the foundation of many forthcoming scientific studies of the Universe. The area of sky covered by each is shown here: the Euclid Wide Survey in light yellow, and Euclid Deep Survey in darker yellow.

These observations were gathered over roughly one year, from spring 2024 to spring 2025. In that time the Euclid Wide Survey covered around 1900 deg2 of sky, as shown here. While very large, this represents just 14% of the mission’s target for the entire six-year survey. (See the full sky footprints for both surveys over Euclid’s lifetime.)

This all-sky view is an overlay of ESA Gaia’s star map from its second data release in 2018 and ESA Planck’s dust map from 2014. . . .

What a wondrous time to be alive -- do remember to send your Morse Code greetings sky-ward at night, too -- to intrepid Voyager (now almost a light day off) all this week, into next: flash "V-G-R" -- or, dot dot dot dash / dash dash dot / dot dash dot. . . over and over, as the 18^th approaches! Woot!

नमस्ते

[U] Now On Cert., To The Supremes -- DHS Seeks To Re-Arrest Mr. Khalil. Trump Will Lose -- And Mr. Khalil Will Remain Free.

We haven't mentioned this case in well-over a year. But it has worked its way up to the Supremes. To be clear, it is unlikely they will ever even agree to review it. There is a USDC Court order out of NJ that grants him his freedom with no bond -- but limited travel ability -- while the appeals are sorted out. [Within weeks of Trump's election, then DHS Secy. Kristi Noem -- seeking to punish a legally present student, at Columbia U., on a student visa, for speaking freely -- grabbed him, from the street near Columbia U. student housing (under cover of darkness), without a warrant, after he had spoken peacefully in favor of the Gazans then being brutalized -- by Bibi's then-Israeli militias.]

Fast forward almost two years, and he remains a free man (but on bail / with no bond) in America. Even so, ICE/DHS continues to try to enforce a kangaroo administrative hearing magistrate order -- to deport him to any unnamed third country. Here's the latest, in full -- but that Tangerine 2.0 effort too will fail. He's entitled to his full First- and Fourth- Amendment rights:

. . .Just two weeks ago, in response to Mr. Khalil’s petition for writ of certiorari, the Department of Homeland Security stated to the press: “We would encourage him to use the CBP Home App and self-deport. . . .”

Elsewhere, [Trumpian] Respondents consistently encourage noncitizens to arrange for their own deportation, and provide no reason why Mr. Khalil should not be permitted to do the same. To treat him differently in this respect would be further evidence of Respondents’ retaliatory and punitive motives.

And as this Court has already found -- and Respondents did not contest -- Mr. Khalil is not a flight risk or danger. Dkt. No. 330, J. Farbiarz Hr’g Tr. at 56: 5-11 (June 20, 2025).

One of the reasons Mr. Khalil is seeking to modify his bail order -- namely, the return of his passport -- is precisely so he can depart from the United States if his removal order becomes enforceable. Under federal regulations, such a departure would effectuate the removal order, fulfilling the government’s interest. 8 C.F.R. §§ 241.17, 1241.7.

The current restraints on Mr. Khalil’s liberty are preventing him from attending speaking events and engaging with the public on matters of pressing concern. The 48-hour requirement has led him to turn down speaking engagements that have arisen while he has been traveling. The continental U.S. restriction has led him to turn down speaking engagements in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Respondents do not and cannot argue that Mr. Khalil and the people who seek to hear his viewpoints have no interest in doing so. . . .

It is clear this all is, and remains, a punishment for speaking his mind gambit -- by the federales: the feds oppose letting him self-deport -- solely because they want to re-arrest him, and likely send him to some torture facility (the squalid Jena, LA facility apparently wasn't torture enough). All for speaking peacefully, as a student protester, here. Damnation. And Mr. Khalil has wisely assessed that he may just take an EU speaking engagement, and not return -- if the kangaroo court order ever becomes enforceable.

And sadly -- for the continued vitality of the cause of free expression and ordered US liberty -- I concur, at least for so long as Trump is still in office. [His minions cannot be trusted to obey final federal court orders they disagree with.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<sub>Post Scriptum: and to be clear, Mr. Khalil seeks review of these issues, at the Supremes:

". . .The questions presented are: (a) whether the Immigration and Nationality Act deprives federal courts of jurisdiction in habeas corpus to review [Trump's] actions to punish and retaliate against a noncitizen through detention and removal proceedings, in circumstances where the administrative petition-for-review process could not offer meaningful review of “now or never” claims brought under the First and Fifth Amendments, and if so (b) whether that deprivation of habeas jurisdiction violates the Constitution as applied to Petitioner. . . ."</sub>

नमस्ते

More Good News, Out Of Moderna's Clinical Trials: Intismeran Candidate Edition '26 -- Power Alley Stuff

We've long asserted here that Moderna is a great company -- backed by great bio-science. This below, is more evidence of that thesis.

And you all by now know its stock is up almost 800% this year alone. Here's the latest -- in any event, on all that -- with very promising remarks, from CEO Bancel:

. . .Following a series of industry-defining readouts for its personalised cancer vaccine intismeran autogene, Moderna is eyeing a future bigger than one of oncology’s stalwart therapies.

“Over time, it could actually be bigger than Keytruda”, Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said in a keynote interview at the Financial Times Global Pharma and Biotech Summit on 10 November.

“The reason is the following – we are going to try it everywhere Keytruda works. We believe that when you add intismeran to Keytruda, you have a better clinical outcome,” he added. . . .

Bancel highlighted intismeran’s beneficial safety profile over current checkpoint inhibitors, for which long-term toxicity can be an issue. There is also the potential to combine intismeran with other drugs in cancers where Keytruda is not as effective. . . .

Still a long road to final FDA approvals, in various specific cancers -- but very promising, indeed -- for people who face the often-daunting diagnosis -- of one or more solid organ tumors / cancers.

Separately, I should mention that the morons Trump has appointed are now "suspending" the interim regs allowing for "Commissioners National" priority vouchers at FDA. Damn -- not sure what newly-revised grift this latest move allows, but you can bet that is what is behind this (again) scientifically-dubious move. Out.

नमस्ते

So... Hegseth Was Caught Being Shockingly-Disrespectful -- At The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -- On Veterans' Day 2026. Sigh.

This Faux-News-talking-head is Tangerine 2.0's political-appointee leader of the US Defense Department -- at least until late January 2027.

He. and his gaggle of hangers-on were laughing and joking, as they took selfies at the venerated and somber monument. So much so, that a US Marine sentinel on guard had to yell in a deep baritone-bark: "Show some RESPECT!" Damn -- all these people are feckless cretins -- on Vets' Day, no less:

. . .Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was reprimanded Wednesday by an Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier who asked him and his guests to maintain an atmosphere of “silence and respect.”

Hegseth, his wife, Jennifer, and some of his top aides were taking pictures, talking and laughing in front of the tomb, a memorial to unidentified service members killed in battle located at Arlington National Cemetery. . . .

[The US Marine] sentinel shouted at the group: “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.”

Hegseth made no acknowledgment of the reprimand, looking over his shoulder and continuing to walk up a set of stairs. . . .

This odious moron's time is coming to an end -- he will be impeached, again, in the New Year -- if he isn't fired, first. Out.

नमस्ते

Four New Cases Of Mpox Clade 1b Appear In And Around Anchorage, Alaska: At Risk Communities Should Vaccinate.

We are going to see much more of this, at least until Trump and RFK, Jr. are run out of office. Quite discouraging, indeed. And the cases do not seem to fall into a single cluster/group -- so we may safely assume there are more out there, undetected further out into the wilds of Alaska. Damn.

Listen people: follow the real, well-vetted bio-science, and if you are sex-worker (or a male who has even occasional sex with other males). . . get vaccinated with the Bavarian Nordic jab (twice). Here's the latest from a very trustworthy bio-science blog source, Outbreak News Today:

. . .Alaska public health officials report three confirmed cases of mpox (monkeypox) in Anchorage in October 2026. All three patients are male, and an epidemiologic link has been identified only between the first two cases. None of the patients reported out-of-state travel. . . .

The first two cases were caused by clade Ib mpox, marking the first reported cases of clade I mpox in Alaska; clade determination for the third case is pending. One patient was hospitalized briefly. All three patients are currently isolating and recovering. The investigation is ongoing. . . .

[Ed. Note: a fourth case appeared after this item was published -- last Thursday while I was off-grid -- in the Rockies.] Now you know. Probate estate papers now filed electronically, in Colorado. Whew.

नमस्ते

Administrivia: On The Govt.'s Appeal Of Mr. Abrego Garcia's Complete Win: Enlarged Timelines, For Briefing (By Joint Agreement)

This is a truly minor scheduling update -- just to keep track of when the Fourth Circuit will see the next round of briefs.

Here's that, in full text, from the relevant electronic docket sheet:

. . .ORDER filed granting motion to extend filing time [36].

Number of days granted: 21. Response brief due 12/22/2026. Reply brief due 01/25/2027. No paper copies required unless case has been tentatively calendared or copies otherwise ordered. . . .

As we've said probably 100 times, Mr. Abrego Garcia will win out here. ICE and DHS under Nome. . . criminally violated his due process rights, repeatedly. Put him through hell, for over a year -- on false pretenses. Buckle up, Noem and Bovino -- the new Congress will be coming, for both of you. Out.

नमस्ते

Tonight, In The Dark (Wherever You May Be) -- Go Out, And Send The Below Morse Code Flash Pattern, Up To The Night Skies... "V G R" Has Been Zipping Along, Since 1977!

Sometime a week from tomorrow -- on the 18^th (depending on your time zone), Voyager will reach A Full Light-Day, in distance, from all of us -- here on Earth.

So. . . why would we flash Morse Code lights, tonight -- or during the coming week?! Well, because it will take a full day, for Voyager to "see" it. That's how far away it is. Amazing! Here are the deets:

. . .NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is about to pass an extraordinary milestone, a distance reached by no other human-made object: one light-day away from Earth.

After sunset on Tuesday, Nov. 17, we invite you to “Shine Bright for Voyager’s Light-Day” by lighting a signal skyward, joining a worldwide celebration of this historic moment, nearly 50 years in the making.

To participate, click this on your phone outside -- or, grab a flashlight and shine V-G-R in Morse code. . . .

Or, turn your phone flashlight on and off, in the pattern shown at right. Very cool, and well done -- v'ger! [This will be re-run in a week.] Out.

नमस्ते

Power Alley: Merck Reports More Good News, At "The Liver Meeting®" 2026 -- Woot!

This candidate has shined brightly, in later Phase 2b studies. [My backgrounder, from January 2024, here.]

It will be a juggernaut, once cleared at FDA -- bank on that. This is a high burden disease.

Yep, efinopegdutide has been shown to be highly effective -- in combatting MASH. Here's the latest, from the scientific journals and confabs (The Lancet, included):

. . .[Merck] today announced the presentation of positive results from the company’s Phase 2b clinical trial that evaluated the safety and efficacy of three doses of once-weekly, subcutaneous efinopegdutide (4 mg, 7 mg and 10 mg), an investigational injectable GLP-1/glucagon receptor co-agonist, versus placebo for the treatment of adults with MASH and stage F2 or F3 liver fibrosis. The findings were presented during a late-breaking abstract session at The Liver Meeting (TLM), being held in Denver, Colo., and simultaneously published in The Lancet. . . .

“MASH poses a substantial risk of progression to cirrhosis and ultimately liver failure, underscoring the urgent need for new treatment options,” said Dr. Eliav Barr, senior vice president, head of global clinical development and chief medical officer, Merck Research Laboratories. “We are highly encouraged by these results which add to the evidence that efinopegdutide, a distinct GLP-1/glucagon receptor co-agonist, has the potential to provide clinically meaningful responses for MASH resolution and fibrosis regression. . . .”

True, this wonder drug is not on-market, yet -- anywhere -- but it will be, given the above results. Good work, you Merckies!

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The Foot-Paths -- Across The African Continent -- Are A Known Vector, For Bundibugyo / Ebola Transmission: 71 New Cases Near DRC's Remote Northwestern Borders

It is hard to overstate how utterly deplorable all of this is -- as an international non-public health policy -- from Tangerine 2.0, Musk and RFK, Jr. May they burn in Hell. I'll take a breath now -- but this is deeply discouraging, indeed. Overall, we are well above 10,000 cases in DRC.

Here's the latest -- but detecting 71 new cases, found at wholly-new monitoring stations -- on foot, in the deeply forested / mountainous regions of Ituri -- cases not directly connected to any previously known cases. . . indicates this will almost certainly be the worst ever Ebola outbreak, in recorded history.

To be certain, the dying is very far from being arrested in and around DRC. Dammit -- it did not have to be like this. From the WHO, then:

. . .Seventy-one confirmed Ebola cases have been identified since the start of the outbreak through surveillance points supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as continued transmission, displacement and a USD 59.8 million regional funding shortfall threaten efforts to contain the outbreak. Nearly half of this funding gap is concentrated in the DRC, raising concerns about the ability to sustain critical oversight and preparedness efforts across the region.

"Ebola screening cannot stop at hospitals or official border crossings,” said Frantz Celestin, IOM Regional Director for East, Horn and Southern Africa. “People need timely access to health information and services wherever they live and travel, including displacement sites and remote border communities. Sustaining these efforts is essential to detecting cases early and limiting further transmission. . . ."

Obviously, as we pointed out just yesterday morning -- people who ran waxing salons in US airports will NOT be up to the task of running diagnostic kits in the harsh mountain brushland deep inside rebel / conflict territories, in DRC.

They've likely never even truly "roughed it / camped out", in their entire lives. But Trump's fail sons never met a grift they would pass up. Another $40 million bribe payoff, wasted, from taxpayer funds. Without serious question, there will be excess Ebola deaths, because of the US / Trumpian corruption.

Dammit. Out.

नमस्ते

Look -- Almost Nuthin' Tangerine 2.0 Says Makes Sense Anymore, But It Sure Looks Like The "Qatari Air Force One" Bribe Has Paid Off -- In Handsome Fashion.

I suppose this is to save Whiskey Pete from conviction in the Senate come late January 2027. [And he's certainly been told -- if Pete goes down, he won't get any replacement Defense Secy. through the now Deep Blue US Senate. Nor will he have any budgetary discretion -- to run unlawful "police actions" -- in Venezuela.]

None of it will work / stick -- as he forgets what he says day to day.

These days, he just about always repeats whatever he's last heard, before he steps to the mic -- in this case, from a lobbying meeting with Qataris.

But. . . to be fair:

I. Honestly. Will. Mostly. Tune. His. Blather. Out -- for the next two years.

He will have zero budget authority -- and is likely to see re-invigorated Watergate-era anti-corruption laws imposed rather forcefully, upon his cantaloupe tanned hide. But here is the blather, just the same -- with a debunker from AlJazeera:

. . .United States President Donald Trump has signalled that he considers the US-Israel war on Iran “effectively” at an end, after meeting Qatar’s prime minister in Washington, DC.

In a surprise briefing on Monday, Trump reiterated his position that the US had destroyed Iran’s military. But his remarks suggested he faces pressure from allies in the Middle East to bring hostilities to a close. . . .

As I say -- this is putridly stupid fake news. He will likely say the opposite in a few days. Who cares?!

नमस्ते

There Is Very Little Solid Science That Must Be Done, By Boots -- On The Moon. Orange-Tinged NASA Nonsense Press Releases Dept.

But for me, it is not even the lack of scientific reason to go build a human inhabited base -- as it is. . . that Jared Isaacman [BTW, check the ears on that dude, at right! He's like a taxi driving down Michigan Avenue -- with both back doors, wide open!], for Trump -- places his putrid "advertorial" copy, in the present tense.

He intones that this moon base. . . "is" -- rather than. . . "will be" (if and only if funded by Congress --which hasn't happened, and is not at all likely, now, post the Bluenami) or, may be. . . built. Here's the idiocy, tonight:

. . .The Moon Base IS(?!) humanity’s first lunar outpost, a place where astronauts will live, work, and explore near the Moon’s South Pole.

Through a series of crewed and uncrewed missions, NASA and its partners will build the infrastructure needed to support an enduring human presence on the lunar surface while advancing science, technology, and exploration for the benefit of all. . . .

What a pile of fetid crap, smeared all over an otherwise excellent US agency's website. And it has the dank odor. . . of Musk, all over it.

As an aside -- as this wends its way toward a vote -- likely in the Senate, by late January 2027, let's put Whiskey Pete in the company of only one other US Defense Secy. -- William Belknap, who was impeached (and convicted) for bribery in 1876. Out.

नमस्ते

Mpox Clade 1b 2026 Cases Rumble Onward: 470 This Time, In Thailand... With Three Fatalities.

The southeast Asian nation has now recorded significantly more cases thus far in 2026, than it did -- in all of 2025.

The genie is likely permanently out of the bottle now, globally. It will be with us in varying severity -- in many geographies around the globe -- essentially always, now. Awful news -- and thanks, Manchurian Cantaloupe.

Here's the latest, from local sourcings:

. . .Kriangkrai Tangjitmanisakda, director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) Medical Service Department, said on Monday (9 November) that figures from the Department of Disease Control showed 470 cumulative mpox cases and three deaths in Thailand as of 31 October 2026. . . .

The BMA’s Medical Service Department has strengthened its standard operating procedures at hospitals under its supervision to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce delays in identifying infections. . . .

Under the enhanced measures, hospitals will conduct more thorough screening of patients with potential exposure risks, including detailed assessments of close contact, travel history and other risk factors. . . .

So it goes -- all as a House Republican introduces articles of impeachment against Whiskey Pete Hegseth -- for violating the US Constitution. Grin -- onward.

नमस्ते

Even AFTER The "Blue Tsunami of 2026" -- Graft & Grift, Thy Name Is... Trump: Ebola Testing -- Govt. Contracts Edition

Each of these named dorks is just a cog in a bumbling crime syndicate. The people of America have spoken: they must go. And make no mistake, when Trump said on 60 Minutes that maybe his "tough" immigration measures contributed to the loss -- he misspoke. His CRIMINAL ABUSES, of our fellow neighbors. . . did, in fact contribute. Lawlessness is not "tough" -- it is cowardice, Donald.

However, today's installment focuses on Ebola -- more precisely, the post-dismantling of USAID in Africa. Recently, Trump's two sons were awarded a significant stake in a public company that mostly sells beauty spa treatments at airport store-fronts: waxings and chakra beds. [That company recently acquired a COVID-19 testing subsidiary, but dozens of more capable Ebola testing options exist on the ground in Africa as a legacy, from WHO and the former USAID outreaches.]

By dint of the now-all-too-familiar Orange Magic, with Trump's sons in tow, this company has been awarded over $40 million in US government contracts, to open on the ground testing locations inside the DRC -- for Ebola. The CEO himself admits it is far from clear that the company is capable of doing this. INSANE.

From ProPublica's fine reporting, then:

. . .The company, XpresTest, has years of experience monitoring for COVID-19 and other diseases for the government at U.S. airports. That makes its parent, XWELL, an unusual hybrid, selling both spa treatments and biosecurity services. Last year, it made most of its money from waxing salons and airport spas that offer manicures, massages and “chakra beds.”

The contracts are the latest example of the president’s family benefiting financially from his administration’s actions. And the stakes for these deals are particularly high. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, an Ebola outbreak has killed more than 5,000 people this year, and the federal government is trying to stop the pathogen from coming to the U.S.

XpresTest has never worked with Ebola or provided biosecurity services abroad, let alone in the kind of volatile locales it’s now expected to work in. The CEO of its parent company, Ezra Ernst, said XpresTest won both contracts in a competitive bidding process and pointed to its years of experience doing screening for COVID-19 and other pathogens at American airports. But even he acknowledged that working internationally is “a new thing for us” and expressed uncertainty about being able to complete the work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. . . .

“This is a risky contract. I’m not sure we can do it,” Ernst said in an interview. . . .

Under previous administrations, the U.S. government addressed international disease outbreaks in partnership with the World Health Organization. But Trump withdrew from the group last year, dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, which handled much of this work, and dramatically scaled back the global presence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At the same time, the State Department launched the America First Global Health Strategy, which calls for the U.S. to use aid to foreign countries to “promote American companies and American innovations abroad.” This March, the State Department announced it would be giving up to $4.5 billion in funding for various purposes, including responding to infectious disease outbreaks.

Under that program, XPresTest was awarded $20 million. . . .

The CDC also awarded XPresTest a contract, for $18.8 million.

The Trump sons’ connection to XWELL was established in February, when a fund called American Ventures invested in the company. The fund was launched by Dominari Holdings, a small financial firm with offices inside Trump Tower in New York. The leaders of Dominari hired the Trump sons as advisers after their father was elected to a second term and granted them a stake of more than 10% in Dominari.

That means XWELL, the company that the Trump-linked investment fund took a stake in, will benefit financially from the Trump administration contracts if the sale closes, even though it won’t be involved in doing the work for the government.

XWELL said in a public filing that the sale was part of an effort “to pursue a new direction in the national security sector.” Ernst said he didn’t know the exact plans but thought the parent company might be looking to work with the Department of Defense. . . .

Yes, indeed, Hakeem Jeffries -- we also need state level (NY, CO, IL, CA) indictments, and impeachment moves (in Congress) -- up the chain -- to the Manchurian Cantalope's level, as well.

नमस्ते

Islamophobist-Boebert Is Toast In Colorado; She Will Demand A Recount. Ugh.

In not even a remotely surprising fashion, the odious Lauren Boebert (currently down by ~4,000 votes) is likely to demand a recount at her own expense. Colorado, and more importantly America, needs to turn its back on her brand of hate -- and low class sexualized trash.

So here's what to expect next in the close out of this race in eastern Colorado:

. . .Robert Preuhs, professor and chair of political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, told FOX31 that recounts rarely change election outcomes.

“Very very unlikely that recounts will overturn or change an election result, particularly when we’re looking at, you know, 2,000 to 3,000 vote spreads,” Preuhs said. . .

According to the Colorado Secretary of State’s 2026 election calendar, counties must finish their initial vote tabulation by Nov. 13.

Counties then have until Nov. 25 to complete their official canvass and submit the results to the state. That is also the deadline for candidates to request a self-funded recount.

Automatic recounts must be completed by Dec. 4, while candidate-requested recounts must be completed by Dec. 8. . . .

Welp -- now you know… Back on a jet to the Chi -- in about six hours.

नमस्ते

Update -- Final Status, On Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory: Burnt In.

This will be the final entry, on that NASA space 'scope.

It survived a few hours beyond earlier predictions, as the drag was slightly reduced, because its free-fall trajectory was slightly more shallow than forecast. Here's that, from NASA:

. . .The U.S. Space Force confirmed that the Swift spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at 7:39 a.m. EST Wednesday over the North Sumatra region of Indonesia, at approximately 3.4 degrees north latitude and 98.6 degrees east longitude. NASA expected most of the spacecraft to burn up as it traveled through the atmosphere, but some components may have survived re-entry. . . .

Now you know. And still over the moon, as to the new blue dawn in America! Out. On a jet in the morning, for the end in the Rockies. Wishing you only joy in this next revolution around the Sun!

नमस्ते

Texas Dumps MAGA / Abbott & Paxton. Nation Gives Democrats Firm Control Of House & Senate… Woot!

Welp -- this isn't just a blue wave. . . it's a tsunami.

Texas has been run by a Uni-party for over three decades. Now Texas is surfin' -- blue.

A Black woman will be the Governor of Georgia in the morning. Yeah, Keisha!

And the Senate may well break 55-45 for Democrats. That makes the unctious Federman largely irrelevant -- out of Pennsylvania. And frankly who cares what Collins thinks any more -- up in Maine? She's. . . toast!

Thank the Goddesses! Here is the NYT, on it:

. . .Democratic candidates won races in Republican strongholds, flipping Senate seats in Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and even Texas -- on a night shaping up as a Democratic tour-de-force. . . .

Democrats seized control of the Senate on Tuesday, according to New York Times projections, capturing a powerful platform to counter President Trump as voters in Republican-leaning states repudiated the president and his allies in a midterm thrashing.

Democrats. . . were picking up competitive House seats around the country that pointed to a lopsided margin of control in that chamber.

The results promised. . . a freshly assertive Congress after two years in which Republicans generally ceded power to Mr. Trump and reduced the legislative branch’s role to that of a mere bystander. . . .

Trump's felonious corruption -- and feckless war-making -- are now at an end. As is his demonizing people with brown skin.

I will be grinning ear to ear as I fly to Colorado midday on Thursday -- it is highly likely that Boebert is now just right back to the trailer trash she came out of -- in that state.

नमस्ते

Trump Tells His Minions At EPA And DoE... To Essentially Ignore The Laws Congress Has Passed -- To Favor Dirty Coal. Damn.

This convoluted, but very low-intellectual-abilities Administration is purely. . . a bumbling crime syndicate.

Massey/Blankenship -- despite killing literally hundreds of hard working coal miners, by ignoring their legal duty to provide a reasonably safe work-place -- was and is a vast Trump donor.

And with the MAGA "federal regulatory capture" -- he and his fellow aging coal barons. . . largely are able to do as they please. This, even though the base industry simply cannot be profitable, against Chinese coal suppliers, on the world stage. Damn.

Here is how the UK Guardian frames the corruption, tonight:

. . .It’s a good time to be a coal plant in the US. The Trump administration has given support to almost half of the nation’s coal plants, helping them to continue operating despite economic and regulatory headwinds, according to a new analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund.

The analysis, which looked at the 184 operating coal plants that are connected to the grid, found that 90 received support from the Trump administration through “cash handouts, free passes to pollute, and inducements to stay online past their retirement dates”.

The administration provided $950m in taxpayer dollars to 24 coal plants and handed Clean Air Act exemptions from toxic pollution limits to 70 coal plants, according to the EDF analysis. . . .

This alone should be grounds to see every MAGA candidate drubbed tonight at the polls. We shall see. Our skies are being polluted for an industry that should have died off, middle of the last century. Damn. Out.

नमस्ते

NASA Says SWIFT Will Burn In -- To South Pacific -- Around 3 AM EST On November 4, 2026... It Was A Great Ride, Friend.

This was, by all accounts, an excellent 22 year mission.

That the "rescue / extender" didn't pan out does not take away from all we learned about fast gamma ray bursts. Here's the swan song this morning, from EndGadget:

. . .NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory will re-enter our atmosphere around 3:30AM Eastern time tomorrow, November 4, according to the US Armed Forces' predictions. The exact time could be different, as the prediction has an "uncertainty of 11 hours." But the 3,200-pound spacecraft is heading back to Earth for sure, 22 years after it launched and after the agency's attempt to save it failed. . . .

[In the 22 years of her mission life] Swift had observed more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts, or the most powerful explosions in the universe that reach peak brightness in less than two seconds. Before Swift, we couldn't detect these swift flashes of energy in time. It also gathered data on 1,400 supernova explosions, asteroids, comets, stars shredded by black holes, as well as other activity in the cosmos. 

NASA says most of Swift will burn up in the atmosphere, but some components might survive and make its way to the ground. . . .

Onward, to vote ALL these reprobates out of office -- as New York state records its first measles death (an unvaccinated child) -- in over 35 years. Yup -- damn.

नमस्ते

Fascinating. Martin Shkreli's NEW Lawyer, In The FTC Contempt Matter... Was A USDC Judge-Admonished Defense Counsel, In J6 Cases. YIKES!

Look -- I get that pretty much only the "bottom of the barrel" is now willing to risk both reputational, and financial harm. . . by choosing to represent one Martin Shkreli. [Almost all his prior, and competent counsels have eventually withdrawn, when he welshes on paying them. Or flat out runs out of funds -- which seems to frequently transpire in these matters. I can document that list, if anyone cares / insists.]

But this morning, one Jonathan Gross -- out of Maryland -- filed his appearance to represent Martin in the FTC orders / violation / contempt matter.

He has previously said he has only ever practiced as a general civil attorney (primarily on First Amendment / religious freedoms cases), and has never handled a criminal case, of any kind. [This case presents the potential at least, to send Martin back inside, BTW. But oddly enough, Mr. Gross had signed on at DoJ, and then shortly after -- resigned -- as a special counsel for "DoJ civil rights" -- under the odious Harmeet Dhillon.] Odd choice.

Moreover, as a practicing Orthodox Jew, he drew a sitting USDC Judge's ire, a few years ago -- in representing a J6 felony defendant (one with a well-known, previously scheduled weeks-long trial sitting) -- by saying he would not appear at all, in court during the longish Passover holidays. That was after a capable criminal defense co-counsel had resigned, BTW.

Attorneys in felony matters well-know that when they sign on -- for a case with a trial date already scheduled -- it is their responsibility to be sure the client will be well-represented, even during the highest Orthodox holidays.

And that holds true -- whether or not the client is paying at the moment.

So -- if nothing else. . . this FTC matter could get. . . spicy.

It likely morphs into a DoJ criminal matter, under the capable USDC Judge Kiyo Matsumoto's prior Brooklyn disposition orders, re the SEC fraud convictions, as well -- when Martin is found guilty of violating his prior (FTC) release orders.

Should be good. . . street theater, if nothing else.

Onward.

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Since Last Week, Merck's Stock's Been Rising On NYSE -- Due To Longer Keytruda Exclusivity Arc (Via Patenting Strategies) -- And All Other R&D Hitting Targets...

I've said so for quite a while, right here: Rahway has a plethora of paths to keep subcutaneous [or other versions] of pembrolizumab as the exclusive and preferred line of therapy. . . well into the mid-2030s. [There are quite a few Wall Streeters who are not fully-versed in patent extension tactics in the US.]

But it is really the continuing strength of all the rest of Merck's formidable medicine cabinet. . . that is driving this multiple expansion, now underway on the NYSE. That, and high quality pharma being a safe-haven investment (with a fat quarterly cash dividend!), when Tangerine 2.0 lunacy makes oil a dangerous investment -- and crypto / AI / chip tech face very choppy seas as well.

Here's a bit on some of Merck's other wins -- in R&D (this one for people living with HIV positivity):

. . .Our goal is to bring forward oral options, including daily and once-weekly HIV treatment regimens, as well as a once-monthly HIV prevention pill. Because no single medicine works for every person, we are committed to expanding choices that may help address the diverse needs and preferences of people living with HIV or those who could benefit from PrEP.”

At HIV Glasgow, Merck will present Phase 3 subgroup analyses of once-daily IDVYNSO, including Week 48 resistance and weight analyses from Trial 53 comparing IDVYNSO to bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) in adults with HIV-1 who had not previously received antiretroviral treatment, as well as Week 96 patient-reported outcomes for IDVYNSO in adults with virologically suppressed HIV-1. Separately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted two supplemental New Drug Applications for IDVYNSO (doravirine and islatravir): one based on the Phase 3 Trial 053 in adults who had not previously received antiretroviral treatment and one based on the Phase 3 Trials 051 and 052 to include 96-week data in virologically suppressed adults. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) or target action date of April 22, 2027, for both applications. . . .

Now you know. Onward, grinning -- heading back into the High Rockies on Thursday mid-morning now. Smiling -- a sorta' sad smile, just the same. Until then, then. . . .

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