Again, The Issue Isn’t Whether She’s A Licensed Lawyer, Hinderaker And Mirengoff. The Issue… Is Credibility: Like Trump — She Has… NONE.

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Wow, it was a crazy week — out of / from 1600 Penn.: The newly minted doe eyed, blonde spokes-model du jour is clearly an air head — she offers nearly as much word salad as Tangerine 2.0 his-self does.

But suited to be Trump’s liar in chief? Abso-f#ckin’-lutely! Hinderaker and Mirengoff sniff that whether she has a law license — or doesn’t have one — that’s not a job requirement, as press sec’y. AS ever, they disingenuously side-step the issue of whether the American people might believe a word she says, after she preposterously lies about holding a CHINESE law license.

Damn. The lie is the issue, boys.

Here’s Paul’s [duplicitous] formulation of it:

…The controversy surrounding Zacharia is whether her past statements that she’s a lawyer are true….

[And John’s:] …One can debate whether or not she is correctly described as a lawyer. For a White House Press Secretary, that strikes me as a trivial question….

These guys are fecklessly incompetent putzes.

They know full well — press secretaries are nothing, if America might not be able to trust their veracity.

She’s both a dunce — and a liar, this Zacharia.

But then… I guess:

P-u-u-u-u-u-recftly suited — for MAGA work. What a fine spokesmodel.

Out.

NASA Will Detail Its Efforts To Assist Japan, In The Launch Of The JAXA MMX Mission — To Study The Martian Moons…

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UPDATE / EDITOR’S NOTE: This is also cross-posted elsewhere both because the Japanese will reach Mars (likely flawlessly) perhaps a full decade ahead of old Elon’s SpaceX, and they will do real exo-planetary science without ever endangering a space crew — in the punishing radiation outside our magnetosphere. Listen up, Elon — no need for boots on Mars!

We will keep an eye on this launch date — and offer a stream, if available, out of Tanegashima Space Center that day/night.

This is the way the best of science — on all fronts — advances, most friction-free: with goodwill, and open cooperation — not reclusive, ultra competitve, zero sum games, pitting nation against nation — and treating scientists as mere pawns.

So we certainly applaud JAXA and NASA, today. Here’s the good news:

…Media are invited to join NASA for a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 15, to preview the agency’s contributions to JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission.

The mission is scheduled to launch from JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on Monday, Oct. 19 EDT (Tuesday, Oct. 20 JST)….

The MMX spacecraft will arrive at Mars in August 2027 to begin its survey of the Red Planet’s two moons, Phobos and Deimos. After surveying Phobos in detail, the spacecraft will collect a sample of the moon’s surface no earlier than December 2028 and deliver it to Earth in 2031. NASA’s contributions to the mission include the MEGANE gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, the spacecraft’s surface sampler mechanism, and communications and navigation support from the agency’s Deep Space Network, as well as funding United States scientists participating on the MMX science team.

The MEGANE instrument was developed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, developed the spacecraft’s pneumatic sampler mechanism. NASA’s contributions to the MMX mission were funded by the agency’s Discovery Program, which provides frequent flight opportunities for high-value, focused planetary science investigations. The Discovery Program is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington….

Now you know. Much fun ahead, as we build… a yard-sized haunted house for the grand-nieces, and their dozens of neighborhood / school-friends. To be certain, we will need every spare hour, over the next 18 days. [What on Earth have we taken on?!] Heh!

नमस्ते

Since August, Hong Kong Has Seen A New “Outbreak Cluster” Of Mpox Cases (21), Primarily In Higher Risk Communities…

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It may well be that mpox lingers in most larger cities in the world now — and never is fully arrested. It has become a common public health outbreak, repeatedly — almost all over the globe. And that was entirely… avoidable. [See here — all my rants about the gutting USAID funding, by Trump and Musk, MAGA and DOGE.]

Here’s the latest, on all that — from a Reuters overnight report:

…Hong Kong has recorded 21 cases of mpox since August, accounting for 70 per cent of this year’s total, prompting health authorities to urge people who engage in high-risk sexual contact to take protective measures and get vaccinated to reduce their risk of infection.

The latest case, involving a 29-year-old man, brought the total number recorded in Hong Kong this year to 30, comprising 23 local cases and seven imported ones, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Saturday. Twenty-one cases, or 70 per cent of the total, were recorded since August.

Epidemiological investigations showed that all 21 patients reported engaging in high-risk sexual behaviour during the incubation period, including having sex with male strangers or multiple partners, and having sex without a condom, the centre said….

Separately, I should note that Moderna is now trading around $225/share, again, on the NASDAQ (challenging its COVID-era high pricing marks) — we told you it was a steal at around $38 (well beyond simple mRNA vaccine stock), last year. Smile — it was.

नमस्ते

So Far, No Additional Bundibugyo Cases Reported In Nairobi, Kenya. That Is Slightly Encouraging News — But It Is Very Early, In That Outbreak.

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Of course, we will cheer this — but we all well-know that we need 42 days of “no new cases” before we will be certain.

And today, we are at day… FIVE. And the public health authorities are still searching for at least 57 “missing” contacts, in and around Nairobi, Kenya.

In any event, here’s the latest, from Nairobi:

…In a statement on Sunday, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said no new case had been recorded beyond the single imported case involving a Kenyan who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda. The patient tested positive, was isolated on October 5 and died the following day.

“All 122 contacts of the case have been listed and verified. 108 (88.5 per cent) are in quarantine and being monitored daily, and none have developed any symptoms thus far. Tracing of the remaining contacts is ongoing, in collaboration with international partners where necessary, while surveillance remains active around the clock,” Mr Duale said.

According to the CS, 293 samples were tested from 289 alerts, with only the confirmed case testing positive….

The CDC reported 8,750 confirmed cases of Ebola disease and 4,208 confirmed deaths as of October 6, 2026, in an outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The agency said the outbreak is spreading substantially faster than previous Ebola outbreaks and is now the second-largest on record….

Now you know. Now back here, on Monday morning, in the City of Big Shoulders. Smile.

नमस्ते

Hinderaker Ran A Clearly Libelous (False) Story. No Surprise.

~ condor ~ 3 Comments

I hope the Texas Democratic HQ folks files suit.

Hinderaker stupidly — and simply — ran a purported but now proven false “audio recording” (from a MAGA-frother) without doing any diligence.

Let him pay the piper, I say.

I guess the silver lining is it may mean that Mr. Talarico will win the seat in Texas, previously a ruby red District.

This is finally fact that John all but acknowledges, tonight.

Out.

Hey Hinderaker: “An Animal Is — As An Animal… Does.”

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As ever, John offers no reasoned defense of the death penalty machinery today.

He simply tosses bloody, rotting red meat into the square, hoping for a wild mob to go… berserk.

He sniffs that he “might not watch” if Whiskey Pete Hegseth decides to execute the man on live TV — by firing squad.

Thus, he concedes the larger and more important point: this entire move is “bread and circuses” — like in the waning days of ancient Rome.

It all simply plays to the least common denominator — among the unwashed masses.

The whole shit show is well beneath modern civic dignity.

Thanks, John, for reminding us of that.

[I’m in the air now — on a plane back to Chicago as I type this… Forgive any typos.]

Out.

[U] Exceedingly Tough News: Bundibugyo / Ebola Fatalities Have Lept The DRC Border; Man In Nairobi Has Died — At Least 66 People Need To Be Monitored…

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The fastest spreading Ebola outbreak in modern history just got significantly worse. It is now known to be present in the bustling capital of Kenya — with a fatality, and potentially 70 or more people exposed to Bundibugyo. [You may recall that in June, Tangerine 2.0 tried (without success) to force Kenyan authorities to build a “leper colony“ / tent city — to quarantine / house any US Citizens in Africa suspected of Ebola exposure. What a feckless putz.]

Here’s the latest — from Minnesota’s CIDRAP:

…Kenya said 10 people are in quarantine after a Kenyan man died in Nairobi on Monday from the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola currently circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Officials also said they are attempting to trace 57 other case contacts.

The man, who had lived in DRC for 11 years, arrived in Kenya over the weekend. He had been sick for one month before traveling to Nairobi via a flight from Uganda. Kenyan officials say they do not know why health screenings failed to detect the man in either the DRC, Uganda, or at the Nairobi airport….

[Subsequent Update: It turns out that the] patient travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, before flying to Nairobi, arriving on October 3. The patient was isolated in hospital and tested positive for the virus. Despite supportive treatment, the patient died on October 5, the WHO said….

The most recent update from the DRC shows 8,665 confirmed and 4,178 deaths, with a case-fatality rate of 48.2%….

Very discouraging, indeed. But onward, just the same. [I’ve momentarily broken radio silence, and posted this one, from about 9,000 feet, on the road — it seemed a significant development. Smile.]

नमस्ते

Vaxcyte’s OPUS-1 Clinical Trial Posts “Very Near Best Case” Scenarios — For Its Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Candidate: Merck And Pfizer Beware!

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Its stock was in the mid-$50s on Friday. This morning, it opened just over. . . $90.

The candidate is besting Merck and Pfizer on some viral strains, and at least matching them on all others. This is, indeed, a big deal. Here’s the latest — from BioSpace’s reporting:

…Vaxcyte’s investigational pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has achieved “near best-case scenario” data in a late-stage trial, matching existing shots on certain vaccine strains and beating them on others. The results sent the biotech’s shares up by more than 50% as investors welcomed a readout that could inject Vaxcyte into an $8 billion market.

VAX-31 met Pfizer’s existing pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) Prevar 20 and Merck’s Capvaxive on all 28 serotypes that one or both vaccines address, according to a Monday release. Vaxcyte’s option was superior to both vaccines on three unique serotypes. The Phase 3 trial met the co-primary endpoints that assessed non-inferiority of VAX-31 versus the marketed vaccines.

“[It] will be very difficult to refute that VAX-31 is showing best-in-class PCV potential here in this $8Bn+ (and growing) market,” Mizuho wrote in a Monday morning note.

Leerink Partners dubbed the readout “highly impressive….”

Now you know and this is excellent news for seniors most at risk from these viral vectors. Onward — to catch a jet outta’ Midway. Smile… keep it spinning in good karma whilst I am away.

नमस्ते

Gee, John Hinderaker — Most People We Know Love It In & Around Minneapolis…

~ condor ~ 2 Comments

Tonight, John would tell us that, based on some specious polling that his dumb think tank did, a “majority” of people in Minneapolis don’t like living there. And feel the city is going “in the wrong direction”.

I’ve always thought that was a particularly stupid poll question to ask. For whatever that might mean, the answer would differ, and differ radically — depending on what you define as the ”right”direction. And of course that’s never specified. And that my friends — is precisely how dishonest pulling is constructed.

But putting to the side the problems with John’s stupid little poll questions, I just want to note for the record that we have dozens of good friends who have lived most of their lives in and around Minneapolis — and they continue to love living there — the same way we love living in Chicago.

And we always enjoy visiting just as they enjoy being on visits down here in Chicago.

So personally, I’d say his supposed poll is little more than birdcage liner.

Out.