Artemis II/Orion Crew: Final Engine Burn Complete; Splashdown Due @ 8:07 PM Eastern, Off The Coast Of San Diego / The Pacific...

To be sure, we will look in on the live NASA-TV feed, at around 7 PM Central. I expect a perfect splashdown.

All parts of the team report a perfect burn, and a perfect trajectory -- for a safe (if toasty) arrival now. Nuthin' left to do but sit back and enjoy the free-fall ride. Here's that; do check the NASA live feed, if you are curious, this evening:

. . .At 2:53 p.m. EDT, the Orion spacecraft ignited its thrusters for 8 seconds, producing a change in velocity of 4.2 feet-per-second and pushing Artemis II toward Earth. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen reviewed procedures and monitored the spacecraft’s configuration and navigation data.

The crew continues to wrap up cabin configuration for re-entry and move into their entry checklist.

Splashdown is targeted for 8:07 p.m. EDT (5:07 p.m. PDT) off the coast of San Diego, where NASA’s recovery team will be standing by to welcome the Artemis II crew home. . . .

Here's to a soft, warm salt-watery San Diego area touchdown, tonight! Onward.

नमस्ते

Mr. Abrego Garcia Is Garnering Some Very Fine Pro-Bono Legal Help, In Maryland, Tonight...

As we've long pointed out -- the sole purpose of Noem's -- and now Mullin's / Homan's attempts to send Mr. Abrego Garcia to the Sudan, or Liberia. . . is to inflict a cruel punishment upon him, for having the temerity to suggest he has a right to be free from... kidnapping. That reads directly on our Eighth Amendment, regardless of what the Congress originally wrote -- it is circumscribed by. . . the Constitution's guardrails.

Tonight several of the most learned immigration law professors in the nation have penned a "friend of the court" brief -- to help USDC Judge Xinis parse the contours of these constitutional questions.

Do go read all of this fine brief by the law professors -- but here's a bit:

. . .Removals to active war zones, for example, can expose individuals to conditions of violence and danger that constitute a “deliberate indifference” to a substantial risk of serious harm, Farmer, 511 U.S. at 828, or that are “excessive in relation to” any legitimate regulatory purpose, Wolfish, 441 U.S. at 538. Likewise, removals to foreign prisons place individuals in indefinite incarceration in facilities notorious for harsh conditions. And for individuals who have already been granted protections -- like asylum, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture -- removal to a third country renders them functionally stateless -- unable to return to their countries of origin.

Removal under those circumstances also raises the risk that the receiving country could effectuate the return itself, sending those individuals back to their home countries where they could face death or torture. See Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, Pub. L. 105-277, § 2242(a), 112 Stat. 2681-761, 2681-822, codified as 8 U.S.C. § 1231 (stating that it shall be U.S. policy “not to expel, extradite, or otherwise effect the involuntary return of any person to a country in which there are substantial grounds for believing the person would be in danger of being subjected to torture.”); see also 28 C.F.R. § 200.1 (providing that “[a] removal order. . . shall not be executed in circumstances that would violate Article 3 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,” which prohibits refoulement). . . .

Onward now -- to a perfectly-parachuted. . . splashdown!

नमस्ते

नमस्ते

Non-Profit IAVI Has Begun A US Clinical Trial, For A Potential Marburg Vaccine -- rVSV∆G-MARV-GP: Good News!

At the moment, there are no active outbreaks of this distant cousin to Ebola, known inside (or outside) Africa. But when it takes root in a host body, it leads to an often-lethal severe febrile illness -- sometimes with profuse hemorrhaging. It is a potent killer, to be certain. And we sorely need a vaccine.

So about 110 healthy US volunteers are taking the candidate, in a multi location proof of safety trial. That's good progress. Here's the latest, from IAVI:

. . .IAVI, a global nonprofit biomedical research organization, announced today that the first participants have been vaccinated with a Marburg virus (MARV) vaccine candidate in a Phase 1 clinical trial in the U.S.

Known as IAVI C104 (NCT07425821), this first-in-human study is designed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of IAVI’s investigational rVSV∆G-MARV-GP vaccine candidate. In nonclinical studies, the vaccine candidate has generated consistently strong efficacy results. A single intramuscular vaccination with rVSV∆G-MARV-GP in nonclinical studies protected 100% against lethal challenge with Marburg virus. . . .

IAVI C104 takes place at several U.S. locations. The study is placebo-controlled, randomized, and observer-blind in design. The study vaccine will be administered intramuscularly at four dosage levels. Approximately 112 healthy adults will be enrolled and followed for six months after vaccination to monitor participant safety and to evaluate their immune responses to the vaccine candidate, which will be assessed using assays developed by IAVI scientists. . . .

Again -- real, sensible, humane life-science will prevail -- it may take a tic or two, but it will. . . prevail. Onward.

नमस्ते

Tonight, GAVI Offers New Learnings [From Well-Vetted Real World Data] -- On The Daunting Public Health Obstacles Presented By Clade 1b of the Mpox Vrius...

It seems that -- moreso than in some other recent viral outbreaks, inside Africa -- Mpox Clade 1b had exhibited a propensity to affect young adults via sexual contact early on in an outbreak, and then, over time (as the viral loads mature and spread out), "migrate" to primarily affect younger children -- in simple household contact scenarios. [Just one of my many backgrounders, here.]

It seems that there may well be multiple lines of transmission, even withing one geography, and a single time-frame, as to Mpox Clade 1b.

Researchers will now need to be. . . doubly alert, as to Mpox Clade 1b. Here is all that, from Gavi.org -- The Vaccine Alliance:

. . .Whereas early in an outbreak most infections are concentrated among young adults aged 15 to 24, the model suggests that over time a growing share of cases may occur in children, particularly the youngest age groups, potentially leading to higher mortality later in the epidemic.

“Our results suggest that distinct dynamics of clade Ib mpox transmission may be driven by the coexistence of two transmission routes,” the researchers said.

“The dominant route of transmission may shift over time from sexual to nonsexual contacts, which leads to larger epidemics. The age groups contributing most to overall infections and mortality also change over time, suggesting that target groups for intervention should be adjusted accordingly. . . .”

“If increasing incidence rates among young children are observed, this may imply that sexually active groups may no longer be the optimal target groups for intervention.

“In contrast, those groups may remain relevant for outbreak responses in countries or regions that are still in their initial phase or have not yet experienced mpox outbreaks,” they said. . . .

This is how science -- real human health science ultimately wins out, over superstitions, and sad-old-shibboleths: real evidence, from actual wide-spread data -- please do take note here, RFK, Jr. (you loon!), in particular.

And do ring vaccinate contacts -- and contacts of contacts. Out.

नमस्ते

Gilead Makes A THIRD Large M&A Move, In Three Elapsed Months: Total Committed Outlays Now Over $11.2 Billion

Mr. O'Day is getting quite. . . acquisitive, it seems. He is widening the moat around his franchises, too.

He agreed to pay $7.8 billion for Arcellx, and $1.67 billion for Ouro, in successive moves -- and now up to $5 billion for Tubulis, if all milestones are hit. That's some serious coin. But the company can easilty afford it, with the twice a year HIV jabs now on market, and commanding very high prices. Here's Fierce Biotech, on it all (I am a day or two tardy, here -- as events in Iran were distracting me):

. . .Gilead has struck a deal to buy Germany-based Tubulis for $3.15 billion upfront and up to $1.85 billion in milestones, securing an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate that is racing toward pivotal trials.

Tubulis partnered with Gilead in 2024, granting the company access to its platforms and agreeing to collaborate on an ADC program. Gilead paid $20 million and committed $415 million in milestones for that collaboration, which came about 18 months after Bristol Myers Squibb paid $22.7 million to team up with Tubulis. Flying high in the hot ADC field, Tubulis raised a €344 million ($401 million) series C round last year. . . .

And with Tangerine 2.0 again barking bellicose, I will re-run this graphic at left. Damn.

नमस्ते

In Merck v. Merck, The Lanham Act Case In NJ -- A Passel Of Redacted Documents Were Filed Overnight -- To Exclude Some Evidence...

And still, regular readers will recall that the parties are engaged in scheduling -- for a mediation -- but if that effort fails to produce a settlement, these motions and counter motions will dictate the contours of what is ultimately admitted at trial, should that time come.

To be certain, this is plainly multi-billion dollar litigation (being waged by some of the best pharma legal minds on the planet). And I'll lay out only one of about twenty newly filed documents, here -- as an example. [If you are truly curious, you may buy them and download them for yourselves, at 16-cv-266 in the USDC in NJ.] Here's a bit of that one I did download (but know that they run several hundred pages -- before redactions):

. . .Plaintiffs’ [US Merck's] argument that Mr. Parry’s concession that it is “impossible to quantify” the effects of corporate branding only related to “specific investments” in corporate branding, Opp. at 7, ignores Mr. Parry’s clear testimony that it is “impossible to make a one-to-one correlation between corporate brand influence and the number of prescriptions.” Ex. 1, Parry Tr. 78:12-15.

And Plaintiffs’ contention that Defendant’s statement that “Mr. Parry did not provide any specificity or data,” Opp. at 8, is misleading because it leaves out key language in the sentence, which was that Mr. Parry “fails to provide any specificity or data regarding such [prescribing] ‘trends,’” Def. Br. at 4 (emphasis added), which, as discussed above, he does not. . . .

Now you know -- onward, next to Day Two -- of the non-cease-fire. . . cease fire. Yikes.

नमस्ते

As Ever, Mpox Is Showing That Darwin Was Spot-on -- Life Naturally Mutates, To Continue To Survive -- And Propigate. So Too, Viral Vectors.

Though the political leadership of DRC has declared their Mpox outbreak at an end. . . it seems the politicians are referring only to the more benign clade II, unmutated. Clade IIb lineage A2.2, which shows markers of both I and II, is no doubt still circulating -- as a mutated form -- in DRC, and now Sierra Leone -- according to the Journal of Nature authors, here.

We will keep out eye on this, but without strong vaccination protocols, this will likely hop across country borders -- and eventually, across continents. As we've seen in at least the NYC area, last month, in one case. Here's the journal abstract, and a bit more:

. . .In 2022, monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade IIb emerged resulting in a global epidemic driven by human-to-human transmission, mostly through sexual contact mainly among the population of men who have sex with men. To date, published data on the circulation of MPXV clade IIb in the central African region are absent. Here we describe a case of laboratory-confirmed mpox clade IIb lineage A2.2 in Pointe-Noire, the second largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Whole-genome phylogenetic analysis placed the MPXV in clade IIb, lineage A.2.2 currently emerging in West Africa, in particular Sierra Leone. An additional 16 cases of clade Ia, 32 cases of clade Ib and one additional introduction of clade IIb were identified by passive surveillance in the Republic of the Congo in 2025.

The detection of clade IIb mpox marks the third distinct MPXV clade and lineage co-circulating in the human population, together with clade Ia and Ib. This underscores the need for improved surveillance and diagnostic strategies to identify the respective clade and lineage circulating in the human population. Strengthening of regional capacity for case detection, contact-tracing, public health measures and affordable vaccines are urgently needed to reduce the global risk for both clade I and clade II MPXV. . . .

In August 2024, because of the rapidly rising number of mpox cases caused by clade Ia and Ib in the DRC and neighboring countries, Africa CDC listed mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. Subsequently, the World Health Organization declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern for the second time since 2022.

Currently West Africa, and in particular Sierra Leone, is facing a major mpox clade IIb outbreak of a new clade IIb lineage A.2.2.1 virus derived from Nigerian A.2.2 viruses. Similar to what has been observed for clade Ib, transmission by heterosexual contact appears to be one of the drivers of this epidemic. . . .

Do be very careful out there. Onward.

नमस्ते

Wed. Update: Pope Leo XIV Speaks Truth, To [Feckless, Lawless] Power -- Anew.

Do go read all of it.

Candidly, I no longer adhere to the covenants of this faith [especially the unjust ones] even though I was raised up in it -- but the leader of this church. . . is plainly in the right, here:

. . .In some of his strongest comments yet against the war, the American pope urged Americans and other people of good will to contact their political leaders and congressional representatives to demand they reject war and work for peace.

“Today as we all know there was this threat against all the people of Iran. This is truly unacceptable,” Leo said as he left his country house in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.

He was referring to Trump’s threat that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran fails to meet his latest deadline to strike a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Leo recalled his Easter appeal for peace and to reject war, “especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate, and which is not resolving anything. . . .”

Onward, resolutely -- to do more about fixing our lil' blue dot, now.

नमस्ते

Yep. This Is... Pretty Cool -- Even If Not Ground-Breakingly-Novel Space-Science...

On and off, I've complained that there isn't a ton of truly worthy space/lunar science on this crewed mission. That, I believe, is still the truth.

But I am still young-at-heart enough to know a great photo-op, when I see one.

Reportedly, these were taken with the iPhones the crew has onboard. That makes me. . . smile. Here's a bit, from NASA -- as they head home, to tomorrow's splashdown:

. . .[Yesterday] began at 1:56 p.m. EDT as NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, set the record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by any human, surpassing Apollo 13’s distance of 248,655 miles.

During a planned 40-minute loss of signal as Orion passed behind the Moon, the spacecraft and its crew made their closest approach at 7:00 p.m., flying at about 4,067 miles above the surface. Two minutes later, the crew reached the mission’s maximum distance from Earth at 252,756 miles, setting a new record for human spaceflight.

As they flew over the Moon’s far side, the crew photographed and described terrain features including impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface cracks and ridges formed as the Moon slowly evolved over time. They also noted differences in color, brightness and texture, which provide clues that help scientists understand the composition and history of the lunar surface. The crew witnessed an “Earthset” — the moment Earth dropped below the lunar horizon — as Orion traveled behind the Moon and an “Earthrise” as the spacecraft emerged from the opposite edge of the Moon. . . .

Onward, resolutely -- this doesn't solve any of the (largely self-inflicted) atrocities underway here on our lil' blue dot, but we should take a moment to smile about. . . the fragility -- and rare beauty -- of things we see everyday -- but too often let go unnoticed. Out.



नमस्ते

The Sophistry Of Tangerine's Federales Team... Is Jaw Slacking -- And USDC Judge Xinis Is Making That Abundantly Clear Tonight.

The credibility of most US Attorneys who've appeared on matters directly related to Trump's endlessly preposterously lawless edicts. . . have now destroyed their own credibility.

Over and over. It truly is, in the modern history of presidential administrations. . . unprecedented. Here's the latest scorcher, from Judge Xinis -- she's spot on:

. . .Much of the November 20, 2025, hearing was devoted to the non-existence of a final order of removal for Abrego Garcia. See ECF No. 107. The absence of that order meant that Respondents -- for six years -- never had authority to remove Abrego Garcia to any third country.

On this point, Respondents agreed. If “there is no final order of removal,” conceded Respondents’ counsel, Drew Ensign, “then the government would take the position it could not remove him.” ECF No. 107 at 156:22–24. While Respondents now insinuate this Court has sat on its hands regarding the dissolution motion, the reality is that Respondents had no lawful authority to remove Abrego Garcia unless and until a final order of removal issued. See ECF No. 110 at 19–25. The injunction, in this respect remained an entirely appropriate prophylaxis because Respondents already had demonstrated [by kidnapping him to El Salvador] the capacity to remove Abrego Garcia without lawful authority, see Abrego I, and the injunction visited no prejudice on Respondents. . . .

Respondents’ complaints about the “delay” in adjudicating the motion to dissolve are further undermined by the pending federal indictment in Tennessee. After all, Abrego Garcia must be physically present for that trial to proceed. . . .

And, as to Iran -- TACO, it is (again) -- he always chickens out. And we are lucky, for that. Damn.

नमस्ते

The Feds' Defiance -- Of Clear Federal Court Orders... Continues, Here In The City Of Big Shoulders, Tonight.

USDC Judge Cummings is on a tear.

As he should be.

The DHS/ICE/Homan-ites continue to defy his crystal clear orders, in a class action that has been rumbling since 2018 -- about the treatment of people (allegedly) without papers, in and around Chicago:

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

The Court is in receipt of plaintiff's motion to enforce [344].

By 5:00 p.m. on 4/9/26, defendants shall either file a certification that the two class members who are the subject of the latest motion to enforce (M.V.M. (A--XXX) and A.R.A. (A-YYY)) have been released on their own recognizance without conditions or file a response explaining why they have not been released. Plaintiffs shall file a reply, if necessary, by 4/10/26. . . .

Damn. Damn. Damn.

नमस्ते

Meanwhile, In Nashville -- We Now Can Read WHY The Noemites Did NOT Call Agent VanWie: He Was The "Bagman"... For Vindictiveness.

The post trial briefs are on file in the Middle District of Tennessee. And they paint a very damning picture -- of Noem / McGuire's efforts to punish Abrego Garcia -- for asserting that he had a right to be free from being kidnapped, and dropped in a hell-hole prison in El Salvador.

Here is all 30 pages of that -- and a bit -- on the "disappearing VanWie" -- a/k/a the dog that did NOT bark:

. . .As much as the government tried to sanitize the origins of this prosecution by casting Agent Saoud as an independent source of this investigation, all the government accomplished by shielding Agent VanWie from the Court was to make crystal clear that it will not answer the Court’s questions. The government failed to offer any explanation for the “close timing between developments in Abrego’s civil suit and HSI reopening its investigation into him” that this Court has already found particularly “alarming” and suggestive of retaliatory motive. (Dkt. 138 at 14). . . .

. . .Mr. Singh was not just receiving information; he was seeking it out on behalf of “Main Justice leadership,” because it was a “top priority” for them. (Tr. 135). He even received a copy of THP’s traffic stop incident report from HSI directly and inquired about a report -- which Mr. McGuire did not have -- about Mr. Abrego’s 2019 arrest in Maryland. (Id. at 137; GX 1 at 15). Over the next few weeks, Mr. McGuire sought Mr. Singh’s approval on the timing of presenting and unsealing the indictment and whether to involve the press. (GX 1 at 10-11). Mr. Singh then directed Mr. McGuire to “keep close hold [on the draft indictment] until we get clearance” to file. (Id. at 10). This was far from a “one-way street” of communication. (See Tr. 157): Mr. Singh gave Mr. McGuire his key witness, asked about additional evidence before Mr. McGuire had ever seen it, and pushed Mr. McGuire to draft charging documents at lightning speed. . . .

Mr. McGuire claimed that he found Mr. Singh’s request “[c]an we sketch out a draft complaint” baffling and that it did not mean what it plainly states on its face. (Tr. 135-36). But the words speak for themselves and refer to a collaborative effort. The statement by Mr. Singh about jointly drafting a complaint is followed by a redaction, so the defense is unable to see whether Mr. Singh is in fact referring to specific charges. But the Court is privy to that language -- as well as other redacted language in the emails -- and can make its own determination. . . .

For the foregoing reasons, the government has failed to rebut the presumption of vindictiveness, and the Court should dismiss the Indictment. . . .

For what it is worth (not much!) here's the government's lame attempt to explain it all. It fails to pass the straight face test. It is a tissue of fabrications. Onward. [No dial in details yet, for Judge Xinis' hearing in Maryland. But the above may be more meaty, anyway.]

Updated @ 5 PM EDT -- Judge Xinis' hearing was over in under 40 minutes -- and was restricted to lawyers and parties. As I said, the above was more meaningful -- as developments go, anyway. USDC Judge Waverly Crenshaw is like to rule pretty quickly in Nashville to the effect that Abrego is free to go -- no indictment remains. Onward.

नमस्ते

[U] We Should See An Update On Abrego's Cases -- Tomorrow Night, Out Of Maryland...

Updated: this evening, the Judge's chambers reports that a dial-in number will be made available tomorrow morning -- for the 4 PM Eastern conference tomorrow. I will post it here in the morning. It will be listen only mode. End, updated portion.

There will be an on the record conference call, in USDC Judge Xinis' courtroom on the matter at right, tomorrow afternoon.

I believe the federal rules in civil matters such as this still require that the call be held in open court, and thus must be available for a press / dial in.

I am running that to ground today (when I get off the trains), but if there are public details -- I will post them, here. It is almost certainly a call to discuss the next steps, in this flurry of motions, from last week's end (as we reported). Here's a bit of all that:

. . .The [Mullin-ites'] Government now asks this Court to dissolve its injunction based on a memorandum and a declaration that rest on the same types of inconsistent and uncorroborated factual statements that have proven false in earlier phases of this litigation. Good cause therefore exists to take discovery to test the veracity of the factual assertions in the Lyons Memorandum and the Schultz Declaration. . . .

Now you know -- into the steel and glass canyons -- to do some banking, to get ready for tax day. Smile. . . .

नमस्ते

Power Alley: Convenient Oral GLP-1 Receptor Agonist/Weight Loss Pills Are A Vast -- And Expanding -- Set Of Franchises...

The oral weight loss franchises battles are now in high dungeon, with Lilly's on market since April 1.

But to be certain, each of these drugs will sell into the multiple billion-dollars of recurring annual revenue -- over the next five or so years. There is plenty of demand in this burgeoning marketplace, for the more convenient oral pills. [My earlier mid-March, from the mountains. . . backgrounder may be found, here.]

As I've said before though -- we still do not know what the long-term profile will be for daily use beyond three to five years. That is an open question, as to potential side effects. Here's the latest on the market dynamics, though from BusinessInsider:

. . .Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, released the first oral semaglutide pill for type 2 diabetes treatment with FDA approval in 2019. Called Rybelsus, that pill must be taken each morning with a small amount of water on an empty stomach.

Oral Wegovy, also made by Novo Nordisk, became available for weight loss in early 2026, and Novo plans to soon release a pill form of Ozempic. Per Lilly, Foundayo has more flexibility than competitors: It can be taken at any time of day and has been approved for generalized weight loss-related use. . . . Research released by Eli Lilly reports that common side effects include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal pain, headache, bloating, fatigue, and hair loss. Inflammation of the pancreas, dehydration, severe stomach problems, and allergic reactions are also possible, but rare. . . .

[T]he insurance conversation around GLP-1s has been complex — with insurers and companies rolling back coverage as the drugs' popularity drives up costs. A GoodRx analysis found that the number of Americans without coverage for Eli Lilly's Zepbound increased by 12% from 2025 to 2026. Over 16 million people with private insurance don't have any coverage for this class of drug in 2026 when prescribed for weight loss, the analysis found. . . .

Do stay tuned -- this is likely Act I -- of an at-least three act play. Onward, into the cool sunshine.

नमस्ते

And Here On Sunday, The Crew Has Reported An "Electrical / Burning" Smell -- From The Artemis/Orion Loo... Yikes!

Yup -- the shake-out / trouble-shooting. . . continues.

Later tonight, the team will get a green light to stop going in the old fashioned "bags" -- and start using the mini version of the ISS tiolet onboard, again. But this may be the main narrative of the outward journey to the Moon -- all the ways they had to get creative, to relieve themselves:

. . .A burning smell from the toilet is not something you'd want to experience on Earth, so when it happened to NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts on the way to the moon — well, you can bet Mission Control was listening.

Late Friday (April 3), as NASA's Artemis 2 mission passed the halfway mark to the moon, the four astronauts on board reported a burning smell coming from their novel Orion space toilet.

"For me, it was some sort of burning odor, and then it was definitely in the hygiene bay," said Artemis 2 mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. "And when I opened up the hygiene bay, the rest of the crew could smell it pretty much immediately. . . ."

And again, accept my apologies for the immature gif. But I couldn't resist. Onward.

नमस्ते

So -- I Ask You: Which Would Be The More Appropriate Way... For A Leader To Address... The World? Blue -- Or... Orange?

Tangerine 2.0's is the orange quote below. Self refuting.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV calls for the world to join him -- in peace, and prayer. It is Easter afterall -- see blue text at right.

I'll listen to the Pope -- not the dotard, on this score.

. . .Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. -- DONALD J. TRUMP. . . .

Obviously, the thoughts that require real courage -- rather than false bravado, are in blue. Onward, to hunt eggs on the lawn, with baby grrls. TACO^a, anyone? Smile -- what a strangely. . . inverted time this is.

नमस्ते

<sup>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a. "Trump Always Chickens Out."</sup>

Tangent: In Which Elizabeth Holmes Apparently Taunts A Victim Of Her Fraud -- From Prison. Seems Like She'll Do The Full Boat Of Time...

Actually, I suspect Billy is writing her replies.

And actually, I think they are going in for the "Shkreli bad boy" online following / fascination thing.

In a X-itter post, she lamented missing "her babies", in prison [with the image, at right -- but not modified], thus:

. . .Before I surrendered I did not sleep in the nights. I would just hold our babies against my chest, kissing their fuzzy heads, softly rubbing their tiny backs, memorizing every curve, the cadence of their breath, the synchronicity of our heartbeats. Here the only moments of peace at night are when my sweatshirt is bundled against my heart just as their little heads were, and I can hold it, my arms wrapped around it, just as I held them. I travel to them. . . .

Then in reply, a user on X-itter said that two years of bad health decisions, by the victim's medical professionals, due to having "relied" on her Theranos device, were in error -- and damaged the victim -- due to Elizabeth's fraud. [Or so the claim reads.]

Billy/Elizabeth then replied "Well then, for two years you were given the lowest cost most accurate tests on the planet. . . ."

I think he/she means to refer to the two years of free medical monitoring ordered for all victims, as a part of the settlement, in the Walgreen's class action / civil cases.

But it came off as though she was taunting this fraud victim.

She has learned absolutely nothing in her time inside.

She should not be given any chance at early parole, at this point.

That's my current experienced opinion. She shows zero genuine remorse, except insofar as it relates to her own loss of freedoms. Damn.

नमस्ते

The "Shake-Out/Trouble Shooting" Run, To The Moon... Is Revealing A Need To Boost The Output Of Internal Heaters, And Slow Down The Cooling Fans, Inside Orion/Artemis II...

This is a new ship -- one that has never carried a crewed mission to deep space / the Moon, before. So it is expected that a chunk of the mission will include fiddling with the nobs and twiddly bits -- to get all the creature comfort kinks worked out.

But live on YouTube streaming yesterday, the crew pointed out that they were working with Houston to slow the speed of fan/blower cycling. . . and boost the [presumably electric] heater coils' output -- to take into account that the skin of Orion gets chilled to below minus 220 degrees Fahrenheit. [Think of this like a jet's cold air flow, flying trans-Atlantic -- but vastly amplified; not negative 50 -- negative 220.] That would certainly make for a chilly night, in space.

In the mean time, everyone is definitely wearing their. . . woolies.

Even so, Astronaut Victor Glover went so far as to suggest, for the next crewed mission, that the sleeping bags be more like "Himalayan grade" down-fill, rather than the lighter poly-filled ones presently onboard.

This is what shake-out missions are for, indeed. Godspeed, Artemis!

नमस्ते

Had He Lived, This Would Be Dr. King's Ongoing Fight -- As Well. Judge Cummings Excoriates ICE -- In Chicago Federal Court, Overnight.

I won't summarize this in any detail, but the ICE-lawyers were just admonished by USDC Judge Cummings, in Chicago -- for "repeated defiance" of the court's orders, while Bovino was in charge.

Do read all six pages, as this is the latest in a federal class action pending here since 2018 -- and the time of Trump 1.0:

. . .[D]efendants (until their recent defiance of the Court’s Order and the filing of this motion for clarification) have acted consistently with their understanding that the Broadcast applied nationwide. In particular, “on June 11, 2025, ICE’s Principal Legal Advisor ‘unequivocal[ly]’ dictated to all ICE officers nationwide that the Broadcast ‘remains terminated’ and has been ‘rescind[ed].’” Escobar Molina v. U.S. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 811 F.Supp.3d 1, 48 (D.D.C. 2025), quoting Castanon Nava v. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 806 F.Supp.3d 823, 860 (N.D.Ill. 2025) (emphasis added). After this Court ordered that the Broadcast be reissued to ICE officers nationwide with the instruction that it should remain in effect until February 2, 2026, Nava, 806 F.Supp.3d at 863, defendants complied with this order and filed a certification of compliance with no request for clarification. (Dckt. #224).

[C]ounsel for defendants in other litigation outside of the Chicago Area of Responsibility have represented to other federal district courts that the Broadcast was the policy governing warrantless arrest for ICE officers in their jurisdictions. See, e.g., Ramirez Ovando v. Noem, No. 1:25-CV-03183-RBJ, 2025 WL 32923467, at *2–4 (D.Colo. Nov. 25, 2025). . . .

Now you know -- and, this would all be Dr. King's daily work, had he lived on to a ripe old age. You and I both know it.

नमस्ते

Once Again -- In Maryland -- Abrego Garcia's Legal Team Is Busting The Federales' -- And Their Lies In Court...

Mr. Abrego Garcia's legal team pretty much has the DHS/ICE team pinned, in the Maryland federal trial courts -- on habeas.

Overnight, the team asked USDC Judge Xinis to order limited document production, and discovery -- into proving that (once again!) the Trumpians have filed false sworn statements in court, to try to dissolve her injunction and deport Mr. Abrego Garcia to. . . Liberia. Someplace he faces torture and starvation -- and a place with which he has no connection.

In addition, the team could thereby prove that the Trumpians are/were lying under oath, about (the supposed non-existence of) Costa Rica's existing "open arms" policy (as to Abrego Garcia, at least) -- a place Abrego and his family could decamp to, until the Tangerine regime is at an end.

Here's that -- and a bit, of the sharp end of the spear:

. . .The Government now asks this Court to dissolve its injunction based on a memorandum and a declaration that rest on the same types of inconsistent and uncorroborated factual statements that have proven false in earlier phases of this litigation. Good cause therefore exists to take discovery to test the veracity of the factual assertions in the Lyons Memorandum and the Schultz Declaration.

Petitioner’s proposed discovery is closely calibrated to the specific factual claims the Government has placed at issue through its own submissions. It is limited to a discrete set of materials and testimony needed to evaluate those claims—namely, the facts underlying the Lyons Memorandum and the Schultz Declaration relating to Petitioner’s removability to Costa Rica and Liberia.

Responding to the document requests will not require searches of electronic communications across ICE, DHS, or the State Department generally. Rather, these materials are readily known to and held by specific agency officials who have already been identified in this litigation.

Any legitimate concerns regarding purportedly sensitive diplomatic information can be addressed through protective orders and by closing the courtroom for any sensitive testimony, as has been done previously in this litigation. . . .

Now you know -- onward, resolutely -- and do root for the underdog, Illinois, tonight!

नमस्ते