In Which The Race-Hating Frothy Hard Right's Blog Of Record… Earns His White Hood & Sheet/Robes — Anew.

Of course, the race-hater-right had to come forward — with the most preposterous of lies, since more likely than not, they helped engineer this bogus indictment in the first place -- through their MAGA contacts in the Trumpian 2.0 “justice department”.

I won’t repeat a word of what these would-be Klanners said. It. Is. All. Lies.

But I will note that the resurgence of the Klan was a direct response — to the election of Barack Obama in 2008.

These haters' false timeline, even in their own arguments -- is full of holes, lies and misrepresentations. There had been documented resurgent Klan gatherings and activity throughout the last half of the 1990s (as Bill Clinton advanced various civil rights measures), and they mostly subsided, while Bush43 was president. [Mostly because these hate groups were getting their way.]

All the while, the Southern Poverty Law Center was investigating, and yes, using paid informants (who were risking their very lives), to keep track of Klansmen — nationwide. [This is in no manner like Steve Bannon essentially stealing charity funds, from "We Build The Wall" -- to pay off his personal credit card debts, rent wild private jet rides -- and fund his other hate enterprises.]

As just one example, consider that Matthew Hale, and the World Church of the Creator hate group, were first identified by the SPLC, shortly after Ricky Birdsong was murdered in cold blood (in a racial assassination) not even one and a quarter miles from my house.

He was shot dead — in front of his daughter — while they were jogging. He was also the head basketball coach of Northwestern University.

Quickly finding his killers (and their affiliations to whyte supremacy / evil insanity groups), was in part due to the efforts of the SPLC — and that organization’s databases. Notice that that is at least 15 years prior to the idiotic claims in the racists' / frothy hard right’s timeline.

What an embittered, darkly shriveled, and decrepit soul that guy is.

Out.

नमस्ते

The Able USDC Judge Xinis Will Hold A Very Illuminating Hearing In Maryland, On May 12, 2026 -- But I'lll Be In The High Rockies, Then.

Mr. Abrego Garcia -- and his counsel -- have all of this nonsense well in hand. They will win, on May 12, 2026.

I'll not likely even try to get cell-service, to listen in on that day. And by then, the Fourth Circuit is likely to have summarily dismissed Todd Blanche's rather. . . insane "appeal" -- in any event:

. . .PAPERLESS ORDER

In light of Petitioner's motion at ECF 166 [Ed. Note: 166 is a motion from Abrego's counsel, for an indicative ruling that the government's pretending to have a final order of denial -- which Judge Xinis has never intimated, let alone entered -- upon which to base its immediate appeal, to the Fourth Circuit -- an appeal Todd Blanche filed anyway (without even a shred of authority for)!] and in the interest of fairness and judicial economy, the Court hereby

RESCHEDULES the in-person hearing to May 12, 2026 at 11:00AM [EDT] in Courtroom 2C, and sets the following briefing schedule:

Respondents SHALL respond to the motion at ECF [166] by April 28, 2026;

Petitioner SHALL reply by May 5, 2026.

Signed by Judge Paula Xinis on 4/22/2026. . . .

Now you know. Onward, resolutely, against this lawless thuggery.

नमस्ते

And Here Is The Significantly DECREASED Amgen Spend -- And Where All It Went, In Q1 2026...

As I indicated in the last post, it seems Merck has increased its spend by almost as much as Amgen has cut its. Interesting -- we shall see if this reversal of fortunes continues through all of 2026. [It is typical that all majors may decrease spending slightly, in the third quarter, as Congress may recess for most of August.] So, we shall wait and see what Q2 brings.

Here is the decreased Amgen Q1 2026 -- and you may compare it to the Amgen Q1 2025 listing, here, in any event:

. . .[Both Houses of Congress:] Issues related to drug pricing; Issues related to cardiovascular disease awareness and treatment; Issues related to FDA; Issues related to patient affordability issues, including copay cards, copay accumulators, copay maximizers, National Benefit Payment Parameters; Issues related to biosimilars reimbursement; Issues related to Supply Chain; Issues related to 340B; Issues related to pharmacy benefit managers; Issues related to biosimilars regulatory standards; Issues related to bone disease awareness and treatment; Issues related to Public law 117-1769 Inflation Reduction Act; HR 1492 Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures Act; HR 1672 Maintaining Investments in New Innovation Act; HR 1 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14); S 1954 Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act; S.3345 PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act; H.R. 6166 Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act; S.3019 No Big Blockbuster Bailouts Act; HR 4317 PBM Reform Act; S 3510 Biosimilar Inspection Modernization Act; PL 119-75 Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026; HR 4299 Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act; H.R.7837 Most Favored Patient Act of 2026; S 3788 Clear Labels Act; HR 5256 340B Access Act; H.R.5526 Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act; HR 7391 Community Health Center Drug Pricing Protection Act. . . .

Issues related to drug pricing; Issues related to cardiovascular disease awareness and treatment; Issues related to reimbursement for biologics/biosimilars; Issues related to PBM reform; Issues related to bone disease awareness and treatment; HR 1 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14); S.3345, PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act; HR 6166, Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act; S 3019 - No Big Blockbuster Bailouts Act; S 3349 PBM Disclosure Act; HR 4317 PBM Reform Act; Issues related to Public law 117-1769 Inflation Reduction Act; HR 1492 Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures Act (EPIC); HR 1672 Maintaining Investments in New Innovation Act (MINI); HR 4299 Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act; H.R.7837 Most Favored Patient Act of 2026; PL 119-75 Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. . . .

[Taxes:] Issues related to corporate and international tax; Public Law 115-97, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; Public Law 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act (An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14); Issues related to Puerto Rico; Issues related to OECD negotiations on the taxation of global income. . . .

Federal Trade Commission related issues: Issues related to the Patent Act, no specific bill; Issues related to March-In/Bayh Dole, WTO/TRIPS; Issues related to patent thickets; Issues related to obviousness/ double patenting; Issues related to FDA/PTO coordination; Issues related to skinny labeling; S.1041 A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, to address the infringement of patents that claim biological products, and for other purposes; S.1040 -A bill to amend the Federal Trade Commission Act to prohibit product hopping, and for other purposes; S 708/ HR 1574 -- Realizing Engineering, Science and Technology Opportunities by Restoring Exclusive Patent Rights Act of 2025 (RESTORE); S.1553/HR3160-- Promoting and Respecting Economically Viable American Innovation Act (PREVAIL); S. 1546/ HR 3152-- Patent Eligibility Restoration Act of 2025 (PERA); S 2276 / HR 3269

Eliminating Thickets to Increase Competition Act (ETHIC Act); S. 43/HR 6485 Skinny Labels Big Savings Act; S.2658 Medication Affordability and Patent Integrity Act; S. 3452/HR 6624 Biological Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2025. . . .

Issues related to tariffs; Issues related to trade agreements; S. 3452/HR 6624 Biological Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2025. . . .

Now you know -- and maybe, just maybe -- Amgen figured out that the Supremes (as we's long said -- and as did many other wise heads) were going to all but end tariffs regardless, and thus the company needed to spend less overall, in Q1 -- jaw-boning Congress for some future possible legislative "fix".

Who knows? Anyhoo -- onward now, grinning into the Spring sunshine, for a bike ride -- by the clear, cold azure waters of the lake. . . .

नमस्ते

Merck's Q1 Lobby Spending Is Almost Double Last Year's Q1, And Nearly Above [Gargantuan] Pfizer's -- From Last Year's Q1...

This is, admittedly, a complete surprise. To be fair, Pfizer will likely always be about 30% bigger than Merck, on NYSE market cap and asset base -- and thus, lobby spending.

But this huge jump in Q1 2026, for Merck seems. . . out of character, over the past seven or so annual cycles. [In the next in this series, we will add in the Amgen spend, which has fallen by almost as much as Merck's has. . . risen. Odd.]

Why now? Why so much -- in each direction?! We are abidingly curious -- especially compared to the peer group. In any event, see my chart at right, and the below, filed on April 20 [and look for a four way version, with Amgen in, tonight or tomorrow]:

. . .[Senate] S. 1339, Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act; S. 2076, Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2021. . . .

Issues relating to: 340B program integrity; 340B of the Public Health Services Act; 340B issues; 340B drug pricing program; Drug pricing; Drug pricing and reimbursement issues; Cost and value of medicines; Vaccine issues; Package inserts and e-labeling; Package inserts, labeling issues, and e-labeling authorization legislation; Pharmaceutical supply channel issues; Drug shortages issues; Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), issues relating to drug pricing provisions; One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), issues related to health care; FY-2027 Budget and Appropriations Legislation; Budget reconciliation drug pricing provisions; Commerce Justice, Science, and related agencies appropriations legislation for 2026; Interior, Environment, and related agencies appropriations legislation for 2026; Intellectual property protection and trade issues; Animal Health Policy Issues; Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) & Funding for Electronic Animal Traceability; General pharmaceutical issues; Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP); Vaccine Policy; Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) policy issues; Pharmacy Benefit Manager reforms; Food and Drug Administration issues; Public Health Issues; Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing; Section 232 National Security Investigation of Imports of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmaceutical Ingredients; International competition in biopharmaceuticals. . . .

[US House] Issues relating to: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), issues related to health care; Medicare; Medicare Part B and D drug pricing issues; 340B program integrity; 340B of the Public Health Services Act; 340B drug pricing program; Drug pricing; Cost and value of medicines; Drug pricing and reimbursement issues; FY-2027 Budget and Appropriations Legislation; Medicaid drug rebate program (MDRP). . . .

[Taxes] Issues relating to: Tax reform and tax policy, generally; Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), provisions relating to budget reconciliation and taxes; Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (P.L. 115-97), provisions relating to tax reform. . . .

[Animal Health] Issues relating to: Animal Health Policy Issues; Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) & Funding for Electronic Animal Traceability; Agriculture, Rural Development , Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2026; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2026; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill 2026. . . .

That is -- overall, a rather stunning reversal in spend levels. Mr. Davis must believe that the arms of the federal government may be bent / bought, with enough. . . lucre. Wow -- under Trump, that might be true. Onward.

नमस्ते

Who' Da' Thunk It?! A Career-Grifter Grifts Some Other Career-Grifters... And Now Says (In A Federal Suit)... They "Defrauded" Him. Shocking. Not.

Really. This couldn't possibly happen to. . . a nicer bunch of people -- on both sides.

You may recall, that during Trump 1.0, Justin Sun paid $4.6 million -- in an online charity auction -- just to have a one hour lunch with Warren Buffett, in Omaha. Mr. Sun hoped to convince Mr. Buffett that crypto- was not "rat poison, squared". He failed.

Mr. Sun was then sued in 2023, by the SEC -- on allegations of fraud, wash-trading, and illegal promotion of crypto assets (Tronix and BitTorrent). Those charges were settled for a small sum, at the SEC, within this past 12 months, under Trump 2.0 -- after Sun had "invested" ~$45 million in WLFI, a Trump family-affiliated (purported) crypto- multi-platform.

Then the people at WLFI locked up his "investment" -- preventing him from being able to sell it -- or so he claims. WLFI is likely to say they've locked everyone -- into their "positions" -- and no one can sell. The question is. . . what did the contracts allow / prohibit? [The full and fair disclosures of SEC rules (free of material omissions) arguably do not govern these crypto- investing contracts -- it is caveat emptor, or so the MAGA-administration asserts.]

Mr. Sun says he was promised liquidity, and in short order. That plainly has not happened [but does he have that promise in writing?]. Thus the 52 page fraud suit, in California's northern federal District courts:

. . .World Liberty repeatedly claimed its mission was to promote the “liberty” provided by DeFi, summed up in the gold paper as “the ability to transact privately and without intermediaries.” The gold paper decried the “centralized control” of “traditional financial intermediaries,” lauded the “freedoms that decentralized assets provide” and the benefits of “peer-to-peer systems of transactions,” and pledged to make DeFi “readily available to mainstream Americans.” To those ends, the gold paper announced World Liberty’s plan “to launch the World Liberty Financial Protocol (‘WLF Protocol’), a US-based decentralized platform, that is intended to offer users with information about and access to certain third party DeFi applications, based on American ideals of liberty, privacy, and freedom to transact.” The gold paper thus boasted that World Liberty was “intended to be more than a decentralized finance platform” and was “committed to democratizing access to DeFi and fostering mass adoption of DeFi and cryptocurrency. . . .”

As part of World Liberty’s professed goal to “to democratize finance,” the gold paper explained, “$WLFI tokens represent a right to vote on certain WLF Protocol matters.” According to the gold paper, token holders could “submit proposals[,] discuss them and vote on WLF Protocol changes, marketing initiatives, new features, and more.” Indeed, the gold paper noted that World Liberty was “required in its bylaws to defer to certain token holder votes.” The gold paper further stated that the “WLF Governance Platform is community-governed through the $WLFI token” and that “World Liberty Financial governance is divided into two categories of votes,” the first of which was “[a]pproved upgrades to the WLF Protocol.” The gold paper thus described $WLFI as “the governance token at the heart of World Liberty.” In fact, the gold paper claimed that because $WLFI tokens were initially locked from trading and conferred “no right of return or other distribution,” the “sole utility of holding $WLFI is governance of the WLF Protocol. . . .”

Pop the popcorn, folks. And me? I'm waiting for Mr. Sun to say under oath, in a deposition, that he feels he did not get the full value of "the bribe" he agreed to pay -- and did pay. . . to Trump, and his minions. Stay tuned. Grin.

नमस्ते

Fifty Years On, For Norman's Iridescent Gem Of A Debut -- And 56 Years, Celebrating Earth Day... Seems Appropriate.

I think I've mentioned a few times here, over the years, that in many ways. . . my childhood was a mash-up of what was written by Norman, in A River Runs Through It, and slightly modernized by Stephen King's "The Body" / Stand By Me. We fly-fished less than Norman, but got caught up in a lot of the same shenanigans, my brothers and I.

Our soundtrack / backpacking in the national forests of the High Rockies -- mostly at the headwaters of the Arkansas. . . was definitely a AA battery powered tinny transistor AM Radio tuned to KOMA, out of Oklahoma City [mostly Soul and Funk]. . . the only station with the wattage to clear the Continental Divide.

And so, most of my very pro-environmental thoughts began. . . on those rivers, and in those canyons. The mountain-tops of 14,000 plus feet, too. Here's Norman [slightly modified], then:

“. . .Now nearly all those I loved and did not understand when I was young are dead, but I still reach out to them.

“Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone, although some friends think I shouldn’t.

Like many fly fisherman in [the Rockies], where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the [Arkansas] River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. . . .

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are [mine, to you]. . . .

I am haunted by waters. . . .”

Smile -- do go be excellent to one another -- and be excellent to the mother of us all -- the Earth. Onward.

नमस्ते

Well -- Not Every Game Features... A Grand Slam. Eisai And Merck See Another Miss, On Their Combos, In Advanced Renal Cell Carcinomas...

Regular readers here will recall that in August of 2023, the same combo posted some disappointing results in head and neck cancers. [But the combo remains quite useful in uterine cancers.]

Yes -- to be fair, that is the way of things -- not every combo trial will be a home run. The strides that we've made in about a decade, in treating previously dire cancers. . . is nothing short of revolutionary, with Keytruda^® (pembrolizumab), primarily -- just the same.

And to be certain, each of the therapies is a mega blockbuster in its own rights -- so I think the NYSE reaction (off ~4%, as to Merck, particularly) is decidedly over-blown.

This is all. . . mostly fine-tuning, where and how to deploy these wonder drugs -- in various combinations, for various cancers. Here's the latest, in any event:

. . .Merck and Eisai today announced results from the Phase 3 LITESPARK-012 trial evaluating combination regimens for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The trial evaluated the triplet therapy of KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, plus LENVIMA® (lenvatinib), the orally available multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) discovered by Eisai, plus WELIREG® (belzutifan), Merck’s first-in-class, oral hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) inhibitor. The study also evaluated MK-1308A, the coformulation of KEYTRUDA and quavonlimab, Merck’s investigational anti-CTLA-4 antibody, plus LENVIMA. Both combination regimens were compared to KEYTRUDA plus LENVIMA for these patients.

At a pre-specified interim analysis, the combination regimens did not meet the dual primary endpoints of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for the first-line treatment of patients with RCC compared to KEYTRUDA plus LENVIMA. . . .

This is how real life science progresses -- find the blind alleys, and then don't go back down them. That's the iterative process we all must endure -- to make truly lasting, evidence based advances -- in oncology. Onward -- with bby grrls at the park, again this evening -- woot!

नमस्ते

The Vast Economic Harm Caused By Warrantless ICE Raids -- In Minneapolis/St. Paul, Alone: New Report.

The twin cities estimate, via an independent study, that over $660 million in lost revenue was directly attributable to the disruptions, street barricades and general fear engendered by the ICE surges in Minneapolis, over those nine weeks. You may read that (all eight pages) as an exhibit to the amended complaint, in the class action now working its way throught the federal court there. [Prior backgrounder, here.]

That is. . . staggering -- but personally, I want to highlight the way businesses and others have reported that ICE agents treated them. [I've used the St. Paul version, below, but here is the Minneapolis one, for a complete record.] Most of all, look at that last line: not even one person in St. Paul was ever shown a judicial warrant, prior to ICE trespass, into private property -- and/or arrests. Damn:

. . .Agents entered a non-public area of their business without consent | 12.8%

Agents questioned their workers about their immigration status | 7.4%

Agents detained or arrested workers inside the business | 3.6%

Agents questioned customers about their immigration status | 19.1%

Agents detained or arrested customers inside the business | 0.9%

Agents presented an administrative warrant | 2.3%

Agents displayed weapons inside the business | 3.6%

Agents presented a judicial warrant signed by a judge | 0.0%. . . .

This is insane. The American people deserve better, from their elected administration, at the federal level. It is high time to vote them. . . out. Onward.

नमस्ते

USDC Judge Dolly Gee Entered A Clear Order That Kids Grabbed By ICE Or DHS Shall Not Be Held In Hotels More Than 48 Hours. The Government Says She Didn't Mean It -- Wants Us To Blink -- At Reality.

These are small children -- frightened -- and more than occasionally, alone until a relative can be found.

The AUSAs, on Miller's likely orders, are filing sworn statements from ICE officials, saying certain things simply "cannot be done" promptly -- or at all. [But they offer zero proof of actual impossibility.]

One of the stupidest things they say cannot be done -- is listed as "due to a likelihood of fleeing".

First, this misstates the law -- and it blinks unconvincingly, at the actual facts. Seven year olds are not likely to flee a hotel holding them in a strange city under cover of night -- especially if they are alone. But that's what these affidavits falsely assert: that the law requires DHS not to grant them release to relatives.

There is no such law. There is only Tangerine 2.0's black Sharpie scribble, for that proposition -- the Congress, by statute said the opposite: they are to be promptly freed (to their family- or other- guardians) -- so as not to suffer added trauma.

[Do recall that the lil' guy (age 5) grabbed in Minnesota -- was shipped off to El Paso, Texas (without any hearing or intervention), and it took two weeks to get him back home, early in 2026.]

These people are. . . simply monsters. Out.

नमस्ते

Lilly To Pay Up To ~$7 Billion, To Acquire All Of Kelonia, And Its CAR-T BCMA-Targeting KLN-1010 Phase 1 Candidate...

This just might be a case of buying the whole cow, when perhaps only buying a few gallons -- of the milk -- would have sufficed.

But if the CAR-T KLN-1010 "milk" candidate is as good as advertised, this may have been the only deal Kelonia management would accept: "buy the whole cow" -- and get the BCMA targeting goods, along with it. That is, the Kelonia team may well have been in a position of strength, and the perhaps as much as ~$7 billion price tag reflects it. Here's the latest, from Fierce:

. . .Eli Lilly is picking up its second in vivo CAR-T company of the year, paying $3.25 billion in upfront cash for Kelonia Therapeutics and its phase 1-stage myeloma therapy.

Kelonia is a lentiviral vector delivery specialist [with a] lead program [that] BCMA-target[s] in vivo CAR-T. [The candidate is dubbed] KLN-1010 [by Kelonia]. . . .

The Boston-based biotech read out a slice of data from a phase 1 trial in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma last year that demonstrated a 100% minimal residual disease-negative response rate in the first four patients evaluated. . . .

Wow -- that's a small data set -- yet, $7 billion? I gather Lilly's CAR-T shopping spree, in the oncology suite, continues apace [and spending some of that GLP-1 blockbuster revenue]. Smile -- onward, into the sunshine in the steel and glass canyons, now.

नमस्ते

Japanese Markets Are Now Open (Monday, There) -- And Brent Crude / Barrel Has Spiked 6%, As Tangerine's Promises Are Again... Empty Tanks.

This is going to be the way of things, for quite a while -- it would seem.

Tangerine well-knows these crude oil-prices and therefore, US retail gas prices. . . are going to kill the GOP candidates, at the mid-terms. So he keeps making happy talk, about grand deals. . . that mostly don't exist. And won't exist -- as he's given the people in charge in Iran. . . ample reason to make him look even more foolish than he himself looks.

So buckle up, for more retail increases -- in the price of. . . everything, that needs to be flown, or trucked -- anywhere, into or around, even -- in the US (via a gas or diesel engine). Here is the latest from Tokyo, Monday mid-morning their time:

. . .Brent rose to $96.04 on April 20, 2026, up 6.27% from the previous day. Over the past month, Brent's price has fallen 3.90%, but it is still 44.95% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. This data was last updated on April 20 of 2026. . . .

D A M N. Our economy won't work with oil above $90 a barrel, into the summer. It is broken. Damn -- thanks Trump.

नमस्ते

Voyager 1 Is Again Shutting Down Some More Measuring Instruments -- To Prolong The Mission's Life -- Now At A Half-Century...

We have long covered these twin "grand-daddies" -- of interstellar flights [Voyager 1 and 2]. We know it takes 23 hours for commands to reach the craft, at the speed of light, now. That's pretty far out -- out, there. And we hope it can all continue, to be certain. But we are aware that the craft was designed to last only five years, and it is now approaching ten times that age.

Here is the latest, from NASA | JPL:

. . .On April 17, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment, or LECP. The nuclear-powered spacecraft is running low on power, and turning off the LECP is considered the best way to keep humanity’s first interstellar explorer going. . . .

The LECP has been operating almost without interruption since Voyager 1 launched in 1977 — almost 49 years. It measures low-energy charged particles, including ions, electrons, and cosmic rays originating from our solar system and galaxy. The instrument has provided critical data about the structure of the interstellar medium, detecting pressure fronts and regions of varying particle density in the space beyond our heliosphere. The twin Voyagers are the only spacecraft that are far enough from Earth to provide this information. . . .

During a routine, planned roll maneuver on Feb. 27, Voyager 1’s power levels fell unexpectedly. Mission engineers knew any additional drop in power could trigger the spacecraft’s undervoltage fault protection system, which would shut down components on its own to safeguard the probe, requiring recovery by the flight team — a lengthy process that carries its own risks.

The Voyager team needed to act first.

“While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody’s preference, it is the best option available,” said Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at JPL. “Voyager 1 still has two remaining operating science instruments — one that listens to plasma waves and one that measures magnetic fields. They are still working great, sending back data from a region of space no other human-made craft has ever explored. The team remains focused on keeping both Voyagers going for as long as possible. . . .”

Now you know -- onward, smiling into the sunshine. So many things for which to be grateful, indeed.

नमस्ते

This Was “No Chocolate-Covered Mozart” — It Was... Excellent!

In the video posted below, by the Lyric -- to describe what the audience's experience would be like -- the creator (and Illinois Poet Laureate) avery r. young said the musical work he would present would be "no chocolate-covered Mozart".

The man was true to his word.

The musical score drives the both inspiring and harrowingly pathological story of the Great Migration forward, out of the deep South and up to Chicago, by following one newly land-owning Black family -- threatened by the Klan -- in the early parts of the 20^th Century. The narrative then returns late in the second act -- to the deep South, for a spreading of the ashes of the patriarch -- over a half century later.

While there for a spiritual home-going, a supernatural apparition delivers the long delayed, and richly deserved, Karma -- to the by now elderly Klanners.

To be sure, this was a marvelous first outing, by a primarily written-word artist, to stage a very modern opera -- crossing seamlessly from gospel to blues, and on, to funk.

My only edit to the score, would be that the piece could have been interlaced with a very tender musical interlude -- between either of the primary couples -- that drive the narrative.

There could have been a slow, loving movement in the form of a song, or dance -- for either of the couples (or both of them), to vary the pace, just a little bit. But the story is certainly primarily about struggle. And that struggle -- we do see.

Here below is the author, talking about what he intended with the work -- and now we await its next run, in some future theater venue, either in the city of big shoulders or in any other major city of the US:



Even in this, its present form -- it is more than ready for New York, LA, Atlanta, Houston, Nashville or San Francisco. But being a romantic at heart -- I would sure love to see at least one quiet love ballad inserted -- as the present running time would certainly allow it to come in at under two and a quarter hours even with such an added number.

But that's just me -- certainly there was great and deep love, between these couples -- and I do get that the story is about the struggle -- and in those times, there might have very been little energy left for love, after working two jobs (18 hours in a day) -- at the high end hotels of Chicago, followed by a night shift at a plastic factory. Then home for no more than five hours of exhausted sleep -- and back, at the hotel lobby, by 7:30 am. So it went -- over and over, for four long decades, at least.

नमस्ते

Todd Blanche Thinks He Can "Order" A USDC Judge -- Judge Paula Xinis, In MD -- To Rule By April 17, Or He Will "Deem" That She Denied -- And Appeal?!!?

We have long known that these jokers' arrogance. . . is perhaps only eclipsed by their INCOMPETENCE.

Last night, Todd Blanche's DoJ / DHS team of lawyers filed what purports to be a "notice of appeal" -- to the Fourth Circuit. The "appeal" recites that Mr. Blanche "deems" his motion to dissolve Judge Xinis' injunction (against sending Mr. Abrego Garcia anywhere) denied.

The problem with this. . . is that. . . Judge Xinis HAS NOT RULED.

She has explained how quickly she's been working -- after Team Blanche dragged their own feet for four months. But the idea that he thinks he can dictate the timing, to a federal judge. . . is jaw-slacking. He will lose -- and be bounced out of the Fourth Circuit -- as that court has no "final order" to base its limited jurisdiction upon.

These are truly. . . crazy times. And crazy clowns, in Tangerine 2.0's thrall. They need to be brought to heel. Costa Rica will accept Mr. Abrego -- but these jokers say only Liberia will do -- because (of course!) they seek to punish him -- for asserting his rights. This is no national security matter, at all. No one is in any exigent danger here.

This is a Maryland family man, kidnapped -- and now freed on bail -- with papers that permit him to be present on US soil, to this day. And his family is here -- as his wife is a US citizen -- which makes his kids. . . right! Citizens. Out.

नमस्ते

As With Ebola And Mpox, Survivors Of Lassa Fever Report Long Term Complications -- Including Profound Hearing Loss: CIDRAP

Not surprising, given that the various viral vectors are not wildly different (and, many people in West Africa may have experienced several childhood diseases -- that already weakened their hearing, like strep). It makes intuitive sense that the viral after-effects can be systemic, and long tail.

Here's that story, from CIDRAP, and the University of Minnesota:

. . .Survivors of Lassa fever may experience a range of post-infection complications, including hearing loss, according to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Infection.

For the analysis, researchers at Imperial College London analyzed data from six studies on post-acute sequelae (lingering health effects in the weeks and months after initial infection) among 559 people who had recovered from Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic illness endemic to parts of West Africa.

They found that Lassa fever survivors reported an array of post-infection complications, including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, ocular, and psychiatric symptoms. The most common post-infection complaint was hearing loss, with a pooled prevalence of 18%. . . .

In 42 survivors across four of the studies, the severity of hearing loss varied widely, with most experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss and a minority experiencing complete deafness. . . .

Onward, into a chilly Saturday. Smile -- Google Meet-up -- with the travel arranger, for the month of September in France, in a few.

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ESA's Barsoomian Rover Mission Called Rosalind Franklin To Get 2028 Launch Vehicle Support, Hardware And Surface Ops Tech & Support From NASA...

We have long followed this rover proposal -- from drawing board, to now. . . the build. [This is what Mars missions ought to look like -- that is, automated -- with no need for boots on the Martian surface, with humans inside them.]

It will likely get spacecraft tech support and touchdown support from NASA -- even though the payload is. . . an ESA project build.

Here's the latest on this very worthwhile robotic effort, to Mars:

. . .NASA has given approval for the agency’s Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation (ROSA) project to begin implementation, underscoring the agency’s continued partnership with ESA’s (European Space Agency) Rosalind Franklin mission. The mission is led by ESA and that agency is responsible for providing the spacecraft, including the carrier module, the landing platform, as well as the rover and surface operations.

Scheduled to launch in 2028, Rosalind Franklin will be the first Mars rover to search for signs of past or present life under the Red Planet’s surface. The ROSA project will provide designated hardware and services to ESA in support of the Rosalind Franklin mission, including the launch service, braking engines for the rover’s lander platform, and radioisotope heater units for the rover’s internal systems.

The project also includes specialized electronics and a state-of-the-art mass spectrometer for the Mars organic molecule analyzer science instrument, which will search for the building blocks of life in samples collected at the rover’s landing site, Mars’ Oxia Planum. . . .

Now you know. Onward to tomorrow -- through a warmly drenching rain, tonight -- but much colder by tomorrow night, at the Lyric.

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A Perhaps Small Matter -- But KGaA Will Be Required To Update The 2017 Financial Data In The Lanham Act Case, Already Produced -- Even As Mediation Is Unfolding.

This -- in broad strokes -- will define the largest component of potential damages, in this clearly multi-billion dollar suit about word-mark and trademark infringement, under the Lanham Act. Current financial metrics (specific to franchises, and geographies) from the German Merck are the raw inputs, that allow a calculation of the extent of the damages, US Merck may well have suffered. It hardly makes sense to even discuss "mediation" -- if one cannot get a current handle on the size of the agreed / mediated payments. So it goes. [We did mention this specifically, before.]

In any event, here's that latest three pager of well-grounded argument by US Merck's able counsel, and bit:

. . .KGaA’s motive to rewrite Rule 26(e) is transparent: it wants to avoid more damages. But shifting blame to Merck for not requesting this update sooner is no excuse. As explained (Br. 3), Merck’s 2017 document request already asked for this data. Merck need not repeat that ask -- Rule 26(e) already obligated KGaA to update its response. The Court’s recent decision to keep disgorgement in the case (ECF No. 302 at 11-12) is all the more reason to address this now. And even if Merck had moved earlier, KGaA would still need to bring its financial data current for trial. . . .

Thomas & Betts forecloses KGaA’s arguments. Updated financials did not “reopen” discovery (Br. 8), nor was all discovery revisited as a result. KGaA now distinguishes Thomas & Betts as limited to past infringement with ongoing harm. Opp. 7–8. But it was the continued use of trade secrets there that required updated financials, not just a one-time misappropriation. Thomas & Betts, 2010 WL 2400151, at *3–4. In any event, disgorgement does not parse between KGaA’s profits for past and continued infringement. Both inflict ongoing harm. Br. 6. KGaA cannot avoid the straightforward application of Rule 26(e) to its financial records.

The text of Rule 26(e), this Court’s precedent, and the common practice of updating financial information before trial all compel supplementation. . . .

Now you know. Onward, grinning -- heading toward tomorrow night's world premiere.

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Now 15 Cases Nationwide -- Of More Potent Mpox Strain -- Newest One Seen This Week, In San Francisco...

We do continue to say (based on real science) that the overall risk to US residents, generally, is small -- but among the communities that share intimacy, male to male -- the risk of infection and transmission is. . . moderately high. SF is the latest on the US list, to see such Clade 1b cases.

Please -- listen to sensible public health/life science. Here's the local paper of record, "The Chron", on all these developments:

. . .San Francisco public health officials on Wednesday confirmed the city’s first case of clade Ib mpox, a strain of the virus that officials say may cause more severe illness than the type behind the outbreak in 2022.

The case was identified in an unvaccinated San Francisco adult who was hospitalized and is now improving, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The person reported close contact with someone who had traveled internationally, the agency said.

Health officials stressed that the risk to the general public remains low. But they urged people at higher risk of exposure to get fully vaccinated with the two-dose mpox vaccine. . . .

“SFDPH is closely monitoring mpox. While clade Ib mpox cases remain rare in the United States, clade II mpox cases continue to occur in San Francisco and throughout California,” Dr. Susan Philip, the city’s health officer, said in a statement.

“This development reminds us just how important it is to be fully vaccinated against mpox if you are at risk. With summer travel and events quickly approaching, now is a great time to seek the mpox vaccine. . . .”

As we've repeatedly said, the higher risk community here is largely a tightly overlapping Venn Diagram, with the male communities that have sex with other men. That would be true here in SF, as well.

So, go get. . . both doses -- fully vaccinated, right away -- there are free clinics all over the Bay Area. Stay safe.

[Onward, to a world premiere of new musical work, called Safronia commissioned by the Lyric Opera here, tomorrow night -- should be a vibrant, and complex -- series of themes, based on the US history of "The Great Migration", to Chicago -- by people of color, from the South over the last century and a quarter.] We will report/review, on Sunday. . . smile.

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If I were Trying To Write A Tarantino [Pulp] Fiction/Farce -- I Could Not TOP This Real Life Pete Hegseth Installment...

Again, in the larger scheme here -- the scheme of the crimes against humanity these guys are committing, this is. . . ultimately, small stuff.

But it speaks volumes -- that the sitting US Sec'y. of Defense (or US "Dept. of War", as he claims!), labels this a "war for Jesus, a Godly war" -- and then purports to quote from the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel, as he offers a "warrior's prayer". But Ezekiel says no such thing. Nothing even remotely close appears in either Testament. [Trust me -- I've checked.] Only a tiny bit of one sentence of the purple text at right appears anywhere in Ezekiel.

In fact, it seems clear that Hegseth is UNAWARE that Tarantino intentionally "fictionalized" Ezekiel, to make it all the more harrowing, as a career criminal and hit man's. . . monologue -- as he murders his hapless victims -- in cold blood.

The point Tarantino was making was that Sam L. (in the movie) is a very. . . bad man. Sam does want to "be better" -- and so he is. . . trying to leave his violent ways behind. He knows he should. He knows that is what his mother would want, for him.

Old Pete utterly misses all of this -- and jumps headfirst, into the irony -- of quoting movie lines, about the evil of men -- as "God's prayer", for his supposed US soldiers.

DAMNATION. If you've by chance not seen it, here is the story about yesterday's prayers, at a breakfast -- by old Pete.

This is. madness, incarnate. Out.



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The 2018-Era Chicago Federal Class Action Will See A Pretty Momentous Hearing, On April 20, 2026 -- ICE Agents, Brought To Heel -- By The Rule Of Law.

We will listen in. And we may live blog it -- USDC Judge Cummings will be (as ever) fair -- but likely very forceful.

See below -- but this (along with shared discovery, in other cases) spells a death-knell, for the abuse of law, by the MAGA Trumpians.

. . .MINUTE entry before the Honorable Jeffrey I. Cummings:

This matter is scheduled for an in-person hearing regarding plaintiffs' motion to enforce consent decree, [330], on 4/20/26 at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 1219.

The Court further orders the parties to be prepared to address the question of the number of individuals (if any) who were arrested without a warrant or with a field-issued warrant between 9/1/25 and 4/13/26 for whom arrest-related records have not yet been produced by defendants.

The Court grants counsel leave to appear remotely as long as each side has one or more attorneys physically present in court. The Court will also allow the media to join remotely.

The call-in number for the hearing is (855) 244-8681 and the access code is 2311 121 8062. Members of the public and media will be able to call in to listen to the hearing. Persons granted remote access to proceedings are reminded of the general prohibition against photographing, recording, and rebroadcasting of court proceedings.

Violation of these prohibitions may result in sanctions, including removal of court issued media credentials, restricted entry to future hearings, denial of entry to future hearings, or any other sanctions deemed necessary by the Court. . . .

Now you know -- with a warm, steamy wet spring day ahead here. Smile. . . .

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