We Have Seen Almost None Of It, To Date...

But we will be watching the rowing medal podiums -- very closely.

Especially the presenters of the medals.

And as ever, we will be transfixed by the women's and men's sprints and hurdles.

Smiling -- ear to ear. Seems it was just yesterday, in Barcelona. Wow.

नमस्ते

[U: Thruster Tests, At ISS -- This Weekend] We Should Hear Much More, About A Time-Line, For Suni's And Butch's Departure/Return -- Aboard That Starliner -- Docked At ISS, At 11:30 AM EDT Today...

UPDATED @ 11:35 am EDT -- per the video conference, no date set for return yet -- but this weekend Butch and Suni will hot fire all but one thruster on the capsule at the ISS. Assuming that goes as planned (minimal helium leaks), then a depart date will be set. End updated portion.

Regular readers will recall that Butch and Suni have extended what was to be a five day visit at ISS, now into multiple months -- while ground teams assess the duplicate capsule here at Houston. . . to determine whether the leaks seen on the ride uphill to the ISS would be a mission limiting variable, for a return / de-orbit ride.

Today, at about midday Eastern. . . we should hear how the "hot firing" tests turned out. Do stop back for updates, after:

. . .Engineering teams with NASA and Boeing recently completed ground hot fire testing of a Starliner reaction control system thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. The test series involved firing the engine through similar in-flight conditions the spacecraft experienced during its approach to the space station, as well as various stress-case firings for what is expected during Starliner’s undocking and the deorbit burn that will position the spacecraft for a landing in the southwestern United States. Teams are analyzing the data from these tests, and leadership plans to discuss initial findings during the briefing. . . .

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the orbiting laboratory on June 6, after lifting off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5. Since their arrival, the duo has been integrated with the Expedition 71 crew, performing scientific research and maintenance activities as needed.

As part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the mission is an end-to-end test of the Starliner system. . . .

Now you know -- and, onward -- to a shrimp and lobster-tailed, solidly Caribbean spiced, grill-out tonight! Grin. . . .

नमस्ते

As Predicted, The Texas AG [Paxton] Has Been Asked To Read Some VERY Elementary Fed. Civ. Pro. Rulebooks. Priceless!

We told you this was coming, as we approach trial on the merits in the floating Rio Grande razor wire barrier case in USDC Judge Ezra's courtroom in West Texas. And it arrived, with a vengeance, this very afternoon. Heh -- like a derecho.

Mr. Paxton is shown in this order to be a complete buffoon, when it comes to understanding very simple principles of federal law, and how the same interacts with his state's exceedingly limited rights -- to interfere in matters left exclusively to the US government, under our shared federal Constitution. Do read it all -- the snark almost drips off the page. Flawless:

. . .Texas. . . argues that the United States’ demand for an injunction pursuant to the RHA is akin to an ejection action at common law, transforming a suit in equity to a legal action. . . .

[T]he United States is not trying its title to the Rio Grande River, attempting to recover possession of real property, or bringing a claim as a wrongfully ejected lessee. Nor is Texas positioned as a party claiming ownership of the Rio Grande River. A common law ejectment action bears no resemblance to the current suit, except that the equitable remedy requested would see Texas’s buoy barrier removed from the Rio Grande River, but on entirely different grounds: a Congressional mandate to keep navigable waterways accessible to all, not a right to possession of real property. . . . Finding the current suit is not analogous to common law ejectment, the Court denies Texas’s request for a jury trial.

[Footnote:] Texas would not need to introduce evidence on a question this Court cannot constitutionally answer, making the State’s dual argument that the question of an invasion is non-justiciable, and that the State can overcome prior rulings with evidence of paramilitary invasions. . . [quite perplexingly-] interesting [/snark]. . . .

That is one fine 16-page piece of. . . old school, but high-borne polite-courtly-language. . . wood-shedding. Smile.

नमस्ते

If You Want The Rest Of This Australian Surfer / Surgical Story, Highlight The Text With Your Cursor. | Trigger Warning...

We encourage you -- if you are squeamish -- not to highlight the text below. It goes on for several paragraphs, but is of a surgical nature. Now you've been warned. If you like, do read on:

There -- now that that's taken care of -- I will be shocked if the young surfer regains any function in his missing. . . leg. But the story is truly. . . amazing, just the same. A ten foot Great White bit it clean off, and a beach goer found it under an hour after the attack, washed ashore. Wow. Here is the full story, from the BBC:

. . .The severed leg of a surfer who was attacked by a shark has washed up on an Australian beach, with doctors now racing to see if it can be reattached.

Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing near Port Macquarie in New South Wales (NSW) on Tuesday, when a 3m (9.8ft) great white shark bit him.

He managed to catch a wave into shore, where an off-duty police officer used a makeshift tourniquet to stem his bleeding, according to authorities.

His leg washed up a short time later and was put on ice by locals before being taken to hospital, where a medical team is now assessing surgery options.

Mr. McKenzie -- who is a sponsored surfer -- remains in a serious but stable condition, according to emergency services, who have thanked the off-duty officer for his rapid response to the incident. . . .

Now you know -- and just three decades ago, this wouldn't even have been attempted. Onward. . . simply. . . agog. What a world; what a time to be alive -- in the age of wild advancement -- of med / tech.

नमस्ते

The End Draws Nigh, For Merck's Legacy Cherokee Plant, On The Susquehanna, In PA -- 300 Jobs Ending At Year-End.

We have reported on this for 14 years, now minimum. The ups and downs, the sale to a minority-owned vendor, the repurchase of the same by Merck. All of it -- at least 20 stories. [Just search "Cherokee" in the box.]

Well, it seems that the storied over 400 acre complex for processing APIs / making antibiotics. . . has finally taken its last lap, as a life-science facility. Here's the latest from The Daily Item, a local newspaper's overnight online edition:

. . .In 2011, seven months after Merck bought back the plant it sold just a few years earlier, company officials announced plans to sell off one product line and outsource others by the end of 2013 in an attempt to cut costs.

Merck’s 433 employees at the time were informed of the pending sale of its fermentation operations and decision to outsource the manufacturing of two products.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Co. reacquired the plant in September 2010 when the new owner, PRWT Services Inc., determined it could not meet the “challenging business environment in the pharmaceutical industry.”

Merck sold the Cherokee Plant to PRWT 2 1/2 years earlier.

The number of employees decreased to the current total of about 300 by 2013, according to newspaper archives. . . .

We will keep all these families in our morning meditations. Onward -- be excellent to one another. Out -- crossing my fingers for no rain today, as a picnic dinner -- and Beethoven's Fifth, is on tap, under the stars -- at Grant Park Music Festival / the CSO. Smile. . . .

नमस्ते

The City Of Evanston Has Moved To Dismiss Fitton's Nonsense On Jurisdictional Grounds, In Chicago. It Will Prevail, After A Short Discovery Period.

As we said, none of the recruited "plaintiffs" ever applied for a grant. None of them even own property or live, in Evanston. The program required that, as a point of eligibility. And the statute of limitations has long run, on any § 1983 action -- since the application process closed in November of 2021.

This depraved, tired and bitter attempt to create a supposed 2024 election wedge issue will now be dumped out of federal court in Chicago (also as we predicted). Here's the well-pled motion -- and here is the affidavit that supports it. There is zero chance Fitton or Svenson can come up with any showing to get around a dismissal (and the assessment of opposing atttorneys fee awards, in favor of Jenner & Block!), now. Let's listen in, shall we?

. . .Dismissal under Rule 12(b)(1) is proper because Plaintiffs lack standing to sue. The Complaint contains insufficient, conclusory allegations of injury. For example, Plaintiffs assert they are “able and ready” to apply to participate in Evanston’s Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program (the “Program”), but they did not apply to participate in the Program and the application period closed in November 2021. Plaintiffs also do not allege they have property in Evanston. As a result, they are not eligible to participate. This means the Plaintiffs have not suffered a concrete and particularized injury and this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction. . . .

As established above, the Court can resolve this case through dismissal based on jurisdictional and timeliness issues alone before the Court gets to the constitutional merits of the Program. And, if there are constitutional and non-constitutional grounds to resolve a case, a court should resolve the case on non-constitutional grounds. See Stern v. U.S. Gypsum, Inc., 547 F.2d 1329, 1342 (7th Cir. 1977) (taking note of the “well-established rule that the federal courts ‘will not pass upon a constitutional question although properly presented by the record, if there is also present some other ground upon which the case may be disposed of.’”) (quoting Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority, 297 U.S. 288, 347 (1936)).

However, the Program is an appropriate remedy to address the past racial discrimination that Evanston acknowledges it perpetuated against its Black residents. See ECF No. 1 at ¶ 10. And, Evanston stands ready to support the Program if the case moves past the jurisdictional and timeliness hurdles here. Indeed, remedying past intentional discrimination is a recognized compelling state interest. See Parents Involved in Cmty. Schs. v. Seattle Sch. Dist. No. 1, 551 U.S. 701, 720 (2007) (stating that “our prior cases . . . have recognized . . . . the compelling interest of remedying the effects of past intentional discrimination”). Furthermore, the Program is narrowly tailored to provide modest relief to those who (1) directly suffered from this acknowledged intentional discrimination, (2) are the direct descendants thereof, or (3) have evidence they suffered other housing discrimination after 1969.

Accordingly, the Program is constitutionally sound. Should this case proceed beyond the issues raised in this Motion, Evanston will address the constitutionality of its Program in future motion practice. . . .

Onward -- grinning, ear to ear. Now you know.

नमस्ते

While Merck Sees A Nice Result, In Its RSV Vaccine Candidate, In Infants... GSK Remains The Market Leader.

Merck was working on a MCA vaccine like this with Moderna a few years ago -- and ended up handing the rights back to Moderna, and that company continues to advance its RSV vaccine candidate.

And while this is a nice outcome for Merck's Clesrovimab, also known as MK-1654, there are several entrenched on market franchises. So this is not likely to materially helpful, in the near term. Here's Fierce's fine reporting on it all:

. . .Moderna recently became the latest biopharma to score an approval to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but Merck & Co. hopes to be the next in line with new data showing a monoclonal antibody reduced the incidence of RSV-related infections in infants. . . .

“We are encouraged by these findings and look forward to working with regulators to provide a new option to help address the impact of RSV on infants and their families,” Paula Annunziato, senior vice president of infectious diseases and vaccines, Global Clinical Development, Merck Research Laboratories, said in the release.

Merck once had an RSV vaccine for adults in early-stage development, but passed it over to long-time partner Moderna in 2020 to focus on what would become clesrovimab. For its part, Moderna has powered ahead in the RSV space, scoring FDA approval for an adult RSV vaccine in May. . . .

For now, the market remains dominated by GSK’s Arexvy shot. . . and yes, this is "legacy" power alley stuff.

Now you know -- onward, smiling.

नमस्ते

So -- This, Too... Will Get Sorted Out At The Supremes... YAWN: Latest Eighth Cir. Nonsense.

Last week, a summary, one sentence order from St. Louis -- out of the Eighth Circuit again put the brakes on the latest student loan forgiveness measures of this Administration.

The Supremes will ultimately rule (in about the seventh month of the 47^th -- Harris -- Presidency!) that the program was a lawful exercise of Executive Power, under long-standing Congressional Acts. These GOP kids really know how only. . . to waste their own time.

Now, on the real news of the weekend -- I had actually hoped that Mr. Biden would have resigned two years ago, and given Kamala Harris about two years of track record to run on, since we all knew the felon-in-chief was going to. . . try to run again. I (naively, it turns out) believed the old line GOP would never nominate a guy with now over $500 million in fraud judgments tacked to his back, and 34 felony convictions entered against him -- with more, and more serious ones. . . yet to come.

I was wrong. These people know no. . . shame.

Yes, I find the way it ended. . . distasteful, but as a nation, we cannot run even a small risk that this walking crime spree is again at 1600 Penn. -- so some eggs had to be broken. I admire the grace and aplomb with which Mr. Biden has always conducted himself. He is the embodiment of a peaceful transition of power (like Washington, that -- "One Last Time" -- in the verses of Hamilton -- note how prophetic that bit of the reel, at the 2:10 mark appears, from the White House -- of about 2016).

Now -- I just chuckle that the GOP/MAGA thinks that making fun of the way Kamala Harris laughs. . . is going to sway the middle (a tiny fraction of undecideds) TO VOTE FOR an obvious felon, fraudster, sexual predator and. . . yes, demented old man -- losing his marbles. The exact knock he falsely laid at Mr. Biden's feet now applies to him -- in spades. He's the geriatric, cranky, bed-wetting candidate -- with no moral compass.

I predict he will suffer a sudden, debilitating flare up of bone spurs -- and bow out of all debates with Kamala Harris. She will mop the floor with his toupée, if he is dumb enough to keep the debate dates.

Thank you Mr. Biden -- you were not perfect, but you served your nation admirably. Thank you -- and onward to stamping out MAGA -- at the ballot box, by over 10 million votes, net -- and winning PA, MI, WI and probably even Arizona and Nevada. Without at least five of these, Tangerine cannot win, on pure electoral college map math (looking at the rest as pretty safe safe red or blue states, respectively).

Go -- and be excellent to one another. Fight for the future of our relatively fragile but pluralistic dream. Out.

नमस्ते

In Coventry, The Union Vote Came Up Just A Mere Handful Of Votes... Short. Against Amazon Tactics -- And 10 Hour Shifts...

I admit, I couldn't bring myself to write about this at mid-week, with all the other awful news. . . spilling out onto the docks, on this side of the ocean. Ugh. But we are done with the QVC hosting from Milwaukee. . . finally [he kept people awake, or asleep more likely, on the East Coast well after midnight Thursday, into Friday morning, with a hateful, vain and utterly disjointed rant. . . of over 90 minutes, and 16,000 words. Wow]. So I will note it, now -- as the fog lifts.

[Prior backgrounder of mine, here.] And now, without any additional ado, here is the NYT, on it all -- from mid-week:

. . .A fight to form the first union at an Amazon warehouse in Britain came to an end this week, as organizers of the effort fell short by just 28 votes.

About 2,600 employees at the warehouse in Coventry, in the Midlands of England, took part in a ballot for union recognition, which would have forced Amazon to negotiate collectively with the bulk of workers there over working conditions, as well as pay, holiday and other benefits. More than 3,000 Amazon workers were eligible to vote.

But in the end, the effort failed, with only 49.5 percent voting in favor in a poll approved by the Central Arbitration Committee, a government body. It is the closest any Amazon center in Britain has come to being unionized.

The results come amid accusations by GMB, a nationwide union, lawyers and some workers that the American tech giant had been heavy-handed in its efforts to discourage unionization. Amazon has a history of pushing back against union movements. In the United States, only one warehouse, on Staten Island, has a formally recognized union. A labor union in Germany has been trying to get collective bargaining powers for more than a decade.

The vote fell “agonizingly short” of a majority, said GMB, which counts Amazon employees among its 500,000 members from various occupations. “Amazon bosses have created a culture of fear for low-paid workers trying to improve their pay, terms and conditions,” said Stuart Richards, an organizer at GMB.

GMB cannot make another bid for formal recognition for three years, but workers are continuing a legal claim that accuses Amazon of illegally trying to induce employees to quit the union. Workers claimed the company pressured them to attend several seminars that suggested the union would jeopardize employees’ pay and benefits. They also said the company liberally displayed QR codes to make it easy to cancel union membership, which lawyers said was a breach of British law that prohibited companies from making offers to employees to not be in a union. Amazon said that attending the meetings was voluntary and that GMB also held meetings in the warehouse. . . .

Agonizingly short. But we will keep our head up, because this very same labor discontent in Britain largely forced a sea-change in British government, just this summer -- a month ago. Onward, with hope just the same -- Mr. Bezos cannot resist the arc of history -- toward progress. . . forever. He cannot beat the tide, in due course. Across the pond, or here.

नमस्ते

Roche Posted Some Decent Data, On Its Weight Loss Candidate (Seeking FDA Approval) -- But The Selling Off, In Lilly Today... Is Overblown.

I first said this back in May 2024, when Lilly's stock on the NYSE was trading at $761 or so. It then ran over $960 pretty rapidly.

Various Wall Street firms see nearly $1,000 per share within 12 months. And I will candidly admit -- that is a sober assessment. The ramp of supply, for two drugs they likely can sell unlimited amounts of -- at pretty outrageous prices. . . seems solid.

While the Roche preliminary look is promising -- as I have said right along, we need longer term data -- to see if there are off target effects, in the entire class. But the idea that Lilly had dropped from above $900, to around $850 tonight is plainly an over-reaction. Lilly has lots of capacity, and the market here is still unsaturated, in the higher end pockets of the US. I may not think that is an especially wise use of public health funding -- but one cannot deny that lots of people (already a lil' big-boned-ed) want it, and are paying well over $1,000 a month or are willing to do so. Here's the bit on the overbaked reaction to Roche's candidate:

. . .Roche shares jumped 5.8% in Wednesday’s trade. Meanwhile, shares of Wegovy-maker Novo Nordisk fell 4% by the European close, while Zepbound producer Eli Lilly was around 3% lower in U.S. late-morning trade.

Shares of Danish biotech company Zealand Pharma, which is also developing its own obesity treatment, fell 8.4%. . . .

Now you know -- onward, smiling widely. [Yes, this is a return to the power alley.] Be excellent to one another.

नमस्ते

The Sixth Circuit (Over Forceful Dissent) Asserts That Friends of George Doesn't Have Standing To Challenge, In TN -- Since There Were No "Arrests". Damn.

Well. . . clearly, this nonsense ruling will go on up to the Supremes.

Denials of service based on race never required arrests, in order to have standing to assert the humiliation, in a court of law. So here, too. The ruby red Sixth Circuit majority is plainly wrong on controlling law (and they contradict prior holdings in their own circuit -- as well as the Supremes). And the Supremes will say so.

We will quote from the dissent, in the Sixth Circuit, for it is very much akin to what the Supremes will ultimately rule:

. . .MATHIS, Circuit Judge, dissenting. A bedrock principle of our democratic republic is the protection of unorthodox expression. The freedom to convey one’s ideas -- no matter how unpopular -- was seen as inalienable to the human experience, and the Framers of our Federal Constitution believed such freedom was “essential if vigorous enlightenment was ever to triumph over slothful ignorance.” Martin v. City of Struthers, 319 U.S. 141, 143 (1943). It is altogether fitting that they chose to enshrine it atop our Bill of Rights as a “fixed star in our constitutional constellation”: “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.” See 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, 600 U.S. 570, 584 (2023) (quotation omitted); U.S. Const. amend. I.

Of course, these protections are not absolute. The Supreme Court has “long recognized that the government may regulate certain categories of expression consistent with” the First Amendment. Virginia v. Black, 538 U.S. 343, 358 (2003). But the Constitution does not avert its eyes merely because a law mentions such a category. . . .

The majority finds that FOG lacks standing to sue Mulroy. Because Supreme Court and Sixth Circuit precedent dictate a different result, and because the part of the AEA that FOG has standing to challenge is an unconstitutional content-based restriction on speech, I respectfully dissent. . . .

The district court erred in enjoining Mulroy from enforcing the public-property provision of the AEA, Tenn. Code Ann. § 7-51-1407(c)(1)(A), because FOG lacked standing to challenge that provision. But the district court did not err in enjoining Mulroy from enforcing Tenn. Code Ann. § 7-51-1407(c)(1)(B) because that provision is a content-based restriction on speech that fails strict scrutiny. Thus, the district court did not abuse its discretion by prohibiting Mulroy from enforcing that unconstitutional law in Shelby County.

FOG had standing to bring this action against Mulroy. And the AEA is an unconstitutional content-based restriction on speech. Therefore, I would affirm the district court’s decision to enjoin Mulroy from enforcing Tenn. Code Ann. § 7-51-1407(c)(1)(B) in Shelby County.

I respectfully dissent.

Onward. Discouraging -- but onward, just the same. These Tangerine courts will grow weary of being slapped down by the highest court, in time. But it does take time -- and taxpayer money. Damn.

नमस्ते

Thanks To Anon., A Life Well-Lived: Peter Buxtun -- Passes At 86. Exposed The Forced Tuskegee Syphilis Studies...

I think I might rightly suppose Mr. Buxtun would say there were no heroes in this story -- excepting the black men who endured. . . what was plainly even then a treatable disease -- made far worse, for over a half-century -- by shockingly unethical medical decision making. Official policy, in fact.

But he is certainly the main reason it all. . . ended. Travel well, and do travel light, sir. Here's the story, courtesy of our erstwhile Anon. (and the Wa Po):

. . .Peter Buxtun, a whistleblower who exposed and helped end the Tuskegee syphilis study, a four-decade experiment in which the U.S. Public Health Service used hundreds of Black men as human guinea pigs, died May 18 at a memory-care center in Rocklin, Calif. He was 86.

The cause was complications from Alzheimer’s disease, said his friend John Seidts, who helped look after Mr. Buxtun in recent years. His death, near Sacramento, was first reported Monday by the Associated Press, which in 1972 published the first news story prompted by Mr. Buxtun’s disclosures.

A former venereal disease investigator with the Public Health Service, Mr. Buxtun spent seven years trying to draw attention to the Tuskegee study, meeting with journalists, doctors, public health officials and anyone who would listen.

His efforts, and the reporting that he inspired, brought widespread attention to one of the country’s most notorious medical scandals, revealing how 399 Black men in the segregated South were exploited for a study in which their syphilis would be monitored but not treated. . . .

Onward. . . we will see brighter days. And do recover fully, and get well soon, Mr. President. We need your wisdom.

नमस्ते

As Expected, Mr. Smith Has Appealed Cannon's Lunacy To The Eleventh Cir.

Just as we said. It will take a tick or two, but Jack will get his man -- on theft of top secret documents, in Florida.

Here's the appeal notice, filed overnight:

. . .NOTICE OF APPEAL

The United States of America hereby gives notice that it appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from the order of the District Court entered on July 15, 2024, Docket Entry 672.

Respectfully submitted,

/s/ JACK SMITH
Special Counsel. . . .

Now you know -- onward, grinning.

नमस्ते

Mr. Gutierrez Will Finally Be Heard By The Supremes, On Whether He Has A Right To A DNA Test, Before Texas Executes Him...

So. . . DNA testing kits, and biological sciences generally, have evolved -- and improved -- in the decades since Mr. Gutierrez was sentenced to death in Texas (under decidedly questionable circumstances). And he may well be guilty -- we accept that as a possibility.

But we (as a nation) should be in no undue rush to make. . . wholly-irretrievable errors with a man's life.

Texas still possesses the crime scene physical evidence. Shouldn't all capital case defendants -- at their own expense, but using independent examiners -- be granted the right to swab that evidence, for any DNA fragments. . . that might exonerate them? Plainly, it seems like at least four of the Supremes think so (or at least are willing to listen to his counsel, on the issue).

. . .For the last thirteen years, Ruben Gutierrez has been seeking DNA testing in both state and federal courts, seeking only access to the physical evidence so that he can test it at his own expense. In June 2019, the state district court initially granted Mr. Gutierrez’s motion for DNA testing, but then withdrew the order a few days later and denied the motion without explanation. In September 2019, Mr. Gutierrez filed a complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in federal district court challenging, inter alia, the constitutionality of Texas postconviction DNA testing procedures.

The federal district court granted a declaratory judgment for Mr. Gutierrez on this issue, finding that Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 64 (“Chapter 64”) violates due process by improperly limiting a death-sentenced prisoner’s right to file a successive habeas petition:

“Texas grants the substantive right to file a second habeas petition with a clear and convincing showing of innocence of the death penalty in Article 11.071, and then Chapter 64 denies the petitioner access to DNA evidence by which a person can avail himself of that right.” Gutierrez v. Saenz, 565 F. Supp. 3d 892, 910 (S.D. Tex. 2021). . . .

Now you know -- and finally, he will be heard. And whatever the test reveals, he will live -- or die -- with the results. But what on Earth is wrong with the Texas / Fifth Circuit panel that voted he should be executed, without even using a common method now widely available? Is life precious there, or not? Or is it only wealthy whyte lives. . . that are precious to Abbott and Paxton? Out.

नमस्ते

Tangent: Tangerine Uses GOP Convention, To Tout His Fourth NFT?!

Or... Ike Is… Agog. Saint Ronnie Reagan Can’t Believe He Didn’t Think Of It First.

The Milwaukee GOP convention is now effectively just a grifting / late night QVC cable channel -- for meme-coins and NFTs. [Candidly, even though I follow crypto-, generally (to laugh at it), I was only aware of his "mugshot" NFT. But he's apparently grifted his followers two other times, by selling them NFTs, in addition to hats and gold shoes?! Wow.]

To be certain, yes, this is trivial -- but I cannot imagine that Eisenhower would have tried to sell bags of little green plastic soldiers (made in China), and branded as "Mini-Ikes^®" (of course!) -- and certainly not from the podium at his nominating convention. Just. Wow.

Here is the "decline of GOP civilization" story from a crypto-booster outlet, and a bit:

. . .[Tangerine] has pivoted to embracing the crypto industry, saying "if we don’t do it, China is going to pick it up. . . ."

[Tangerine] said his previous collections were “very successful” and sold out in a day: “The whole thing sold out: 45,000 of the cards. And I did it three times [and] I’m going to do another one, because the people want me to do another one. It’s unbelievable spirit. Beautiful. . . .”

The late Hunter S. Thompson (on acid) could not have dreamed up a stranger, more debauched fiction. . . if he had tried.

But this. . . is fact. Jaw slacking US. . . history, unfolding.

In a perhaps not unrelated footnote, Steve Bannon (now jailed) yesterday saw his Chinese affiliate/associate, one 郭文贵, or "Miles Guo" but also known as Mr. Gao Wengui, convicted on multiple felony crypto-frauds (Bannon is awaiting similar separate fraud charges too). Hey -- maybe they can bunk together, at FCI Danbury. Amazing.

नमस्ते

And, In More Palatable Fare: Yesterday, NASA's Blue Orb / "Meatball" Logo Turned... 65!

Hard to believe that it has been well-over a half century in uninterrupted service, and seen in an amazing variety of uses, original and derivative (as at right). And still as fresh as that first use on a 1959 summer's day.

Wow. Do go read it all, at NASA -- good fun!

. . .On July 15, 2024, NASA’s logo turned 65. The iconic symbol, known affectionately as “the meatball,” was developed at NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland (now called NASA Glenn). Employee James Modarelli, who started his career at the center as an artist and technical illustrator, was its chief designer.

The red, white, and blue design, which includes elements representing NASA’s space and aeronautics missions, became the official logo of the United States’ new space agency in 1959. A simplified version of NASA’s formal seal, the symbol has launched on rockets, flown to the Moon and beyond, and even adorns the International Space Station.

Along with its importance as a timeless symbol of exploration and discovery, the logo is also one of the world’s most recognized brand symbols. It gained its nickname in 1975 to differentiate it from NASA’s “worm” logotype. The “meatball” and these other NASA designs have made waves in pop culture. . . .

“NASA’s brand elements are wildly popular,” said Aimee Crane, merchandising and branding clearance manager for the agency. “Every year, the agency receives requests to merchandise more than 10,000 NASA-inspired items. . . .”

Now you know -- and this at above right, is the Van-Gogh-ified version. . . yep, its a theme, today. Smile. Out.

नमस्ते

And... Not That I Buy It, For One Second... But What If The 20-Year-Old Kid Was Already Dead, On That Roof?

[DISCLAIMER: Feel free to scroll on by, if this is not of interest -- it is a time waster.]

Okay, look. There are lots of VERY dumb conspiracy theories on both sides. [Here's a nutty far right one, for example.]

And this is likely one, as well. . . but what if the supposed- shooter/kid had already been captured and killed by forces sworn loyal to Tangerine as a person (not the Secret Service, per se)? He was dropped on the roof, at just the right time -- and a real sharp shooter, loyal to Tangerine, with the same AR-15, shoots to miss Trump (thus the NYT bullet photo), but (to ensure believability) he lets a few stray shots go into the crowd [and, deplorably so]?

Meanwhile, as Trump goes down, "the loyals" cover him, and use a small blade to cut his upper ear -- a great place for lots of blood, from a small incision. [All as he witnessed, in all star wrestling acts -- and (in part) participated in, for many years, over two decades, ago. . .?]

He rises, fists pumping. . . because he had scripted it all -- reality / non-reality TV.

[I offer this idiotic tangent, mostly because one Mr. Martin Shkreli is musing this morning about scenarios only slightly differing from this one, above -- on X-itter. Ugh.] Back to real legal substance, again, by Thursday.

Yes, I believe the tragedies -- of the two dead, two injured -- in the crowd. . . are all too real. And political violence has no place in our system of ordered liberty.

Out.

नमस्ते

[U: Now... $34, On Tuesday Afternoon!] Hilarious! After Posting A Prospectus Dumping 37 Million Shares… Stock Is Back At $36 After Hours.

This pump looks deeply suspicious: as we noted, it hit $53, pre market -- from $30 Friday night. . . it fell through $40 by Noon, and after market traded below $36, when the dump was filed on EDGAR.

So almost all that "pump & drumpf" -- took place in one session?!

Devin Nunes of all people well-knows there are federal laws (with 20 year stints!) against manipulating the price of the stock at a '34 Act company -- when you're the CEO.

Tomorrow ought to be. . . an absolute hoot!

[Imagine if you were one of the rubes who committed to pay over $53 a share, at about 6 am EDT. . . only to see it trading below $36 by nightfall. Insane!]

G'night. . . grinning.

नमस्ते

So... Clarence Thomas Sent Aileen Cannon A "Lawfare" Note, In His Dissent -- And She Improperly Adopted It: It Will Be Appealed.

This would all be high satire / comedy, if it weren't so patently obvious that the only "lawfare" underway in the US is by Federalist Society members / MAGA cultists. . . writing to one another in concurring / dissenting opinions (see at page 58, onward, there), that attract no other votes, and have zero effect, as to the force of law. [Except when dim-witted acolytes pick them up, and adopt them -- but then, only for a moment.]

Aileen Cannon, as many predicted, took Clarence Thomas' love letter to heart, this morning -- just in time for the Milwaukee GOP convention. Charming.

Jack Smith will and should appeal. Not one of the then-sitting Right Wing Supremes made this stupid claim about Ken Starr and Whitewater. [And yes Thomas reviewed that matter, nearly three decades ago.] I'll link her opinion (to preserve a record of her partisan nonsense / judicial incompetence) but not otherwise quote her. . . gibberish. Here's a press report, out of Miami, instead:

. . .The constitutionality of special counsels has repeatedly been tested and upheld in other courts. Challenges to special prosecutors that have investigated Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, have all been dismissed.

But Cannon took a novel approach to the former president’s legal argument, scheduling days of hearing and opening up the hearing to testimony from third parties to the case — a rarity in any federal trial court. . . .

Whatever. Onward to the Eleventh Circuit. This power is both constitutional, and important to the checks and balances of our system of ordered liberty. Jack will win, on appeal -- and Thomas will write a solo dissent, when it reaches the Supremes. But Ken Starr had the power, so again, Cannon will be handed her hind parts.

Y A W N.

Onward.

नमस्ते

[U, X2 -- Now Below $40!] This Is NOT “Pre-Market” Trading, At All… It Is Futures Markets (Asia): Drumpf Pump & Dump…

Updated, by 6 am EDT -- the stonk futures quote is already trimming its sails. Now below $46. End update.

In the grand scheme of things, it is only the rubes getting fleeced here, but even so -- I'll note it for the record.

Some outlets are implying that this is NASDAQ pre-market trading (speculative, in its own right) -- when in fact these are Asian futures changing hands.

And to be certain, that is a "meme on meme" price. [Simply casino gambling -- but rigged for the house.] One such rag puts it thus:

. . .It might also mean looser regulation for hot-button topics ranging from climate change to cryptocurrency, especially if a so-called "Red Wave" materializes. . . .

Trump Media & Technology (NASDAQ:DJT), which is known for its meme qualities and can follow Trump-related developments, also soared 71.5% to $50.95/share. . . .

It may take a week or so for the dust (and ketchup) to settle, but DJT will continue to post vast losses -- when it discloses Q2 in a few weeks, and it will fall back well below $20.

You've been warned: this is. . . a classic pump and dump scheme -- of the most despicably cynical sort. Or should I say "Pump & Drumpf"?! Onward.

नमस्ते