More “Auditing” Underway, In Chicago — Of Whether ICE/DHS Is Complying With 2018 Consent Decree — On Protected Immigrants…

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Here’s the latest overnight update, from Judge Cumming’s docket in Chicago.

Bovino is long gone — but the damage he did is still being documented. He essentially “kidnapped” people who already had USDC Court ordered-protections, agreed to by Trump 1.0. That’s deplorable — and the “auditing” of ongoing compliance is now being conducted, here:

…MINUTE entry before the Honorable Jeffrey I Cummings:

In light of [Tangerine 2.0] defendants’ agreement to conduct a randomized sampling of the arrest records of the individuals whose arrests were designated as “targeted” and to “accept plaintiffs’ suggestion to select every third A−number from a descending list,” [387], plaintiffs’ motion to clarify [386] is terminated as withdrawn….

Now you know — and, about a foot down already here — and still coming down — but moderating. Grin — time to break out the shovel….

नमस्ते

Spain Will Screen The ~150 Passengers — At The Canary Islands, But Now A Dozen Or So Are Considered Exposed…

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This is, indeed, the only humane course of action — the passengers must be checked and released.

And the Canary Islands provide a nice, and natural hard limit — on how far any “contacts” infection might be spread. Good epidemic abatement bio-science.

Kudos to the Spanish government, for stepping up. The Hondius will now make port at Spain’s Canary Islands… and there the passengers will be screened, as they disembark. Here’s the latest from CBS:

…Spain has agreed to welcome the cruise ship at the center of a rare hantavirus outbreak, with three people now dead after coming down with the illness, according to the World Health Organization.

[A] Dutch woman, whose husband died onboard two weeks earlier, got off the boat with “gastrointestinal symptoms” on April 24 and died two days later, after her condition “deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg,” the WHO said. “Contact tracing for passengers on the flight has been initiated,” it added.

On Tuesday, the WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director, Maria Van Kerkhove, told journalists Spanish authorities “have said that they will welcome the ship to do a full investigation, a full epidemiologic investigation, full disinfection of the ship and of course… assess the risk of the passengers that are actually on board. . . .”

The agency said Tuesday that it’s current plan is to evacuate two sick passengers to the Netherlands, then for the ship to continue on to Spain’s Canary Islands….

This is nice progress — and backed by solid bio-science. Onward. Eighteen inches of new snow expected here by midday tomorrow — Woot! [Though often these Late Spring Rockies Blizzards Die out, and turn to rain — so we shall see. But we are. . . ready — either way. Smile.]

नमस्ते

UPDATED: Cape Verde Harbor Master Has Barred MV Hondius From Docking There, Due To Hantavirus Outbreak Aboard Ship…

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This (as an update to our story of last evening) is probably the right public health decision — at least until the ship is very thoroughly disinfected, while still in open water, by company crews, with very strong chemical agents (ammonia / bleach and lots of scrubbing). I assume the other cruise passengers will be ferried to shore, and tested in isolation. We shall see.

But the ship itself, wisely, will remain a good distance from port — until further notice.

[Housekeeping note: the local blogging forecast is for intermittent outages — as the Rockies may well get six inches or more of new snow… after I land there, in about ten hours. Onward, for a quiet, contemplative mountain week ahead, it seems — but good to be with my 91 year old mom, as she sinks more deeply into Alzheimer’s.]

In any event, here is the UK Guardian’s reporting on it all, this morning:

…Officials in Cape Verde have said they will not allow a cruise ship believed to be harbouring an outbreak of a rare respiratory virus to dock in its ports, after the deaths of three passengers onboard.

The statement on Monday came hours after global health officials said they were scrambling to investigate the suspected outbreak of hantavirus, a disease primarily found in rodents, on the cruise ship in the Atlantic.

The hantavirus is suspected of killing three people, including a married couple from the Netherlands, sickening at least two others on the ship and sending a 69-year-old British tourist to intensive care in South Africa.

Cape Verde health authorities said they had been monitoring the situation of the ship anchored off its coast and would not authorise its docking “with the aim of protecting national public health….”

Do be careful out there — and I might mention in passing that it is suspected that what killed Gene Hackman and his wife of many years, at their isolated New Mexico compound. . . was also hantavirus — from rodent droppings, likely aerosolized, by sweeping up these dried feces, with all other house dust. As I say — be careful. Especially in the Southwestern rural deserts.

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Six Fall Ill, On Atlantic Cruise, From Hantavirus — There’s A Vaccine, But Three Have Died, Already — One Still In Intensive Care.

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I am not a huge fan of unapproved vaccines, but this one is made from an inactivated (dead) hanta- strain of the virus, and has been in wide use in China for years. The mRNA / next-gen version is not yet in broad clinical trials.

So, unless you must sail this line, it might be best to claim on your travel insurance policy — and skip this ride (especially if you are immuno-compromised). Here’s the latest:

…Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the WHO said Sunday, one a confirmed case of hantavirus — an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents.

The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde.

“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases,” the World Health Organization told AFP.

“Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa….”

This may mean that if you absolutely must sail — and are going to sail only on this cruise line — you ought to get the vaccine (at the moment, only approved by the Chinese version of the FDA) — and get it well before you board. Onward.

नमस्ते

R-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght. In Which Mirengoff Asserts That The Sky… Is GREEN. “Don’t Believe Your Lyin’ Eyes” He Says…

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I won’t waste many electrons on this.

He claims the Supremes didn’t harm the voting rights of people of color — ones re-established in the 1960s by the Civil Rights movement, and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act signed by LBJ in 1965.

He’s a delusional old cuss — and thinks we are stupid.

We aren’t. [Onward, to the Blue Wave in November. A new version of Section 2 of the VRA will be re-enacted, and passed and signed by a president — when there is a Democrat at 1600 Penn, in early 2029.]

Out.

A Potential New Path, For An Epstein-Barr Virus Eradication / Therapy, In Humans?

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Only about one-in-ten adults do not carry Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in their systems. For most, it remains silent, their entire lives — but for the unlucky few… it can lead to a host of cancers, Multiple Sclerosis and other life long debilitating diseases, most commonly appearing in later life.

So — we’re in the power alley, this morning — and, we are happy to report on new research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington. The teams have developed antibodies that target two proteins on the surface of EBV particles. In a mouse model, this was an extremely effective path to eradicating the viral loads. Here’s that — from ScienceAlert:

…When [monoclonal mice] were exposed to the two EBV proteins, gp350 and gp42, mouse cells triggered the precise immune response the researchers were looking for, thereby enabling precisely targeted antibodies.

Ultimately, the researchers isolated 10 new antibodies in the lab – two targeting gp350 and eight targeting gp42 – and, when tested in living mice, one of these antibodies showed particularly promising protection against EBV.

“Not only did we identify important antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus, but we also validated an innovative new approach for discovering protective antibodies against other pathogens,” says pathobiologist Crystal Chhan….

Without doubt, we are still a very long way from a working, FDA approved therapy for humans — but this is a nice step forward — for real bio-science. Onward, smiling — that was a thrilling run for the roses, last evening… even though no tickets were cashed!

नमस्ते

[U: I Had No Winning Tix.] Derby Trivia! Run For Roses No. 152…

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Here are my guesses — and that is what these… be.

A full three hours before post:

. . .And truly, just for Derby prediction fun….

My bets on the Derby are four horses to come in two places in either order (First or Second) — Commandment, Renegade, Chief Wallabee and… Further Ado.

These are silk numbers — the 1 horse, the 18 horse, the 6 horse and the 12…

You heard it here first!

And I still do have lots of cash in this app to spend so if you look — and think you see a winner, just leave me a holler… in the comments (HAH!)

No juleps, just root beer for me — woo hoo!…

Updated: it was an unexpected race, indeed. Great White threw his jockey to the turf — before even reaching the post and was a scratch — as they couldn’t settle him back down.

That delayed the start as all the mounts were then backed out of their slots, and given a moment to walk around and settle down… Once reloaded, a longshot broke from the very last place to win it all.

Ortiz did a masterful job of guiding an otherwise average horse — Golden Tempo — through the traffic, weaving, and dodging trouble… staying patient — and leaving himself in position out of the final turn, to make a dead ahead bolt, from eight wide. That gamble worked, and he won the roses. Great race!

There you have it — and that photo is from 2014, when California Chrome did it all, above right. Full race now on YouTube:

नमस्ते

Close Out: End Of Series On Q1 2026 Lobby Spend — Amazon’s “Big Gorilla / Big Brother” Edition…

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This closes the run of five posts — but this time, in view of our immediately prior post, we will detail all the ways Bezos’ company is lobbying the government — for protections, as he clearly is snooping on all of us, and sharing that with… ICE, among others.

He wants the government to indemnify him, if any of us sue him, for filching our private data — if we use his services, at AWS. Damn. See below:

…Issues related to broadband access and affordability, satellite communications, space safety, device accessibility, Section 230 reform, content moderation, online video, and the Universal Service Fund (USF)….

Issues related to intellectual property, including the NO FAKES Act (S. 1367), counterfeits, music licensing, and issues related to patent reform, International Trade Commission patent investigations, intermediary liability, and patent reform, including the RESTORE Patents Act (H.R. 1574 / S. 708), the Patent Eligibility Restoration (PERA) Act (H.R. 3152 / S. 1546), and the Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership (PREVAIL) Act (H.R. 3160 / S. 1553)….

Issues related to taxes, digital goods and services, renewable energy tax credits, and international and corporate taxation, including H.R. 1 – To provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14. (P.L. 119-21), the United States-Taiwan Expedited Double Tax Relief Act (H.R. 33 / S. 199), and implementation of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (P.L. 115-97)….

Issues related to data protection, encryption, data retention, data breach notification, data security, cross border data flows, privacy, law enforcement access, fraud prevention, product safety related to the sale of counterfeit and/or stolen products, including the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (S. 1404 / H.R. 2853), and cloud computing. Issues related to artificial intelligence safety and research and development, including the CREATE AI Act (H.R. 2385)….

Issues related to cybersecurity, including critical infrastructure protection, payments security, cloud security, authentication, government procurement, cybersecurity incident reporting, and artificial intelligence, including implementation of the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 119-60), and the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (P.L. 118-159)….

Issues related to immigration, high-skilled immigration, and non-immigrant visas, including issues related to employment-based visas, green card backlog, and the STEM visa exemption provision….

Issues related to US trade policy, including USMCA, the World Trade Organization, the World Customs Organization, China, country of origin labeling, US customs policy and procedures, US tariffs, foreign direct investment, issues related to domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research, export controls, sanctions, and supply chain, and other trade practices, including the COOL Online Act (S.294), and the ENFORCE Act (draft bill – no numbers)….

Issues related to IT systems improvements and cloud computing technology, including the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2027 (draft bill – no numbers) and implementation of the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 119-60)….

Issues related to drones and air cargo, including implementation of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63)….

Issues related to payment processing, corporate governance, debit reforms, financial innovation and technology, lending, gift cards, money transmission licensing, fraud prevention, payment authentication, data security, the CFPB open banking rule, the Credit Card Competition Act (draft bill – no numbers), implementation of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2026 (P.L. 119-75), and financial inclusion….

Issues related to USDA SNAP online purchasing, including reauthorization of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-334), Electronic Benefit Transfer, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and food safety….

Issues related to health information technology, Medicare, healthcare, pharmacy policy, and telehealth, the CONNECT for Health Act (S. 1261), and the Telehealth Modernization Act (H.R. 5081 / S. 2709)….

Issues related to Amazon’s Climate Pledge, including development of carbon-free energy sources, renewable energy deployment, grid infrastructure, stability, and storage; energy efficient standards; and the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act (SPEED Act) (H.R. 4776)….

There you have it — Mr. Bezos wants to be able to use AWS to snoop (and is already in fact snooping, without a specific immunization / indemnification package, from Congress!) on Americans — no doubt — and then share his findings with DHS and ICE. He is a very bad… man.

Dammit. Onward.

नमस्ते

First Of Two, Today — On Amazon: Labor Protests Amazon’s Cooperation With ICE, In New York…

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Our second installment will detail what Amazon lobbying efforts were about in Q1 of 2026. But first, got May Day ’26, we offer a look at the labor protests it faces — for cooperating with ICE.

AWS is helping power AI infused — and due process violating — summary deportations, often of the wrong humans — and often, of people who are here lawfully, with papers… or are citizens, outright. Here’s that story:

…Matt Multari has been driving for Amazon—and organizing with the Teamsters—for about a year and a half. His days are mostly spent delivering packages. But he thinks of his role as a worker-organizer as something much more historically significant than just maximizing delivery efficiency.

“After the Assyrians lost their state, they survived in their homeland of Iraq for thousands of years. After facing a genocide that forced them to flee that homeland, they went to Russia, and then to Iran, and then some of them went to New York. Now I’m here,” he said. “And I’d like to tell Amazon: f#ck you!”

…Amazon’s Web Services cloud-computing platform is more profitable than all the company’s retail operations combined. And AWS sells cloud-computing services to clients throughout the American government, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement: According to Forbes reporting, ICE spent at least $25 million on AWS during the second Trump administration. Amazon Web Services also holds contracts with Palantir, the surveillance-tech company behind much of ICE’s deportation operation. (And Amazon has served as an inspiration for ICE, too: acting ICE director Todd Lyons has said he wants deportations in the US to run “like Amazon Prime for human beings”)….

Indeed — that’s deplorable, Mr. Bezos. Now, onward to lobby spend, then.

नमस्ते

Chandra And JWST Help “Connect The [X-Ray] Dots” — All Formed In The Very Early Universe… To Today’s Black Hole Populations — A Family Tree.

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Time for some lighter / “Gee Whiz!” interstellar / space / early Universe science fare, on a Friday afternoon.

Here may be the evidence, that connects “first gen bodies” in the early Universe, to the family tree that becomes what we now call super-massive black holes — in our present day observations. But even that is a euphemism, as many of them are just being observed now — after their waves have traveled for some 5 billion years, to reach JWST and Hubble and Chandra. But they are the likely great grand-kids of these primordial “red dots”, it seems:

…A newly discovered object may be a key to unlocking the true nature of a mysterious class of sources that astronomers have found in the early universe in recent years.

A “X-ray dot” found by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory could explain what the hundreds or potentially thousands of these objects are. A paper describing the results published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Shortly after NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope started its science observations, reports of a new class of mysterious objects emerged. Astronomers found small, red objects about 12 billion light-years from Earth or farther, which became known as “little red dots” (LRDs).

Many scientists think LRDs are supermassive black holes embedded in clouds of dense gas, which mask some of the typical signatures in different kinds of light – including X-rays – that astronomers usually use to identify them. This would make them different from typical growing supermassive black holes, which are not embedded in dense gas, allowing bright ultraviolet light and X-rays from material orbiting the black holes to escape. . . .

This new “X-ray dot” (officially known as 3DHST-AEGIS-12014), which is located about 11.8 billion light-years from Earth, may provide a crucial bridge between black hole stars and typical growing supermassive black holes. It exhibits most of the features of an LRD, including being small, red, and located at a vast distance, but it glows in X-ray light, unlike other LRDs.

“Astronomers have been trying to figure out what little red dots are for several years,” said lead author Raphael Hviding of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany. “This single X-ray object may be – to use a phrase – what lets us connect all of the dots….”

Said another way, these red dots are about… twice to thrice as old as our known supermassive black holes… thus they are “the ancestors” — to ours. Grin….

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