JustOneMinute

Trump's Legal Team Quits

Per CNN, Trump's legal team quit rather than rely on a "Stop the Steal" defense.

Weekend Leisure

I saw "The Little Things" with Denzel Washington and others. Solid cast, well done.

Friggin' Andrew Cuomo

What a lying weasel.

N.Y. Severely Undercounted Virus Deaths in Nursing Homes, Report Says

The state attorney general, Letitia James, said it’s likely that the Cuomo administration failed to report thousands of Covid-19 deaths of nursing home residents.

To be clear - the deaths were reported, but if someone who fell ill in a nursing home died at a hospital (or in an ambulance on the way there) it was recorded as a hospital death.

 

Robin Hood - Men In Shorts

Gamestop drama - the little guys ganged up on the hedge funds.

The next Gamestop is probably on this January 13 (?) list of Highly Shorted stocks. IIRC short sale data is released every other week, so we should get an update by Monday.

Languishing In Twitter Jail And Pondering Algorithms Run Wild

Last Thursday Twitter's algorithms busted me and suspended my account for what they read as a hateful tweet. My latest email from Twitter says their staff has reviewed my case and confirms that I am a hater. Hmm - I can feel myself getting radicalized!

As background, I was engaged in a bit of back-and-forth about the Vietnamese cop who was busted for entering the Capitol Rotunda during the January 6 debacle. He initially lied to the FBI investigators about his involvement, then said he only entered the Rotunda to admire the art. Not a strong story!

As to my hate-filled rant, here it is (I'm blanking out the other folks in the exchange.):

 

 

Yeah, a steaming bow of oatmeal, but I was blocked from Twitter within seconds of hitting "Reply" so their algorithms clearly saw something they didn't like. Maybe their algorithms think I'm expressing my support for white supremacy? I don't know and Twitter won't say.

Twitter Justice is interesting, I have learned. I was offered a choice of (a) delete the Tweet and take a 12 hour time-out, with a permanent mark in my file as a hater; or (b) appeal. By appealing, I lost all Twitter access in that account, including my list of followers or any ability to DM them.

Five days later, I received an email about my appeal saying that

"Our support team has determined that a violation did take place, and therefore we will not overturn our decision."

So now I know! Does their support team include humans? That I do not know. I am intrigued to see their Reader-run tool, "Birdbrain". NO! That's not it. "Birdbath"? Birdwatch! But their algo system has real shortcomings, IMHO.

 

ERRATA:

The first takedown notice explained my situation and choices:

 

And their follow-up on my appeal said this:

Our support team has determined that a violation did take place, and therefore we will not overturn our decision.

You will not be able to access Twitter through your account due to violations of the Twitter Rules, specifically our rules around:

Violating our rules against hateful conduct

In order to restore account functionality, you can resolve the violations by logging into your account and completing the on-screen instructions.

Thanks,

Twitter

Gotta figure out my next move. Aggrieved blogging seems likely.

.

Help Is NOT On The Way

The AstraZeneca's vaccine, developed by Oxford, has been approved in some Commonwealth countries and is expected to be blessed in Europe shortly. Its trials were a mess but the open issue was efficacy, not safety.

One suggestion was that the FDA should act as if this is an emergency, trust the Brits, and approve the vaccine. I like that idea! Sadly, AstraZeneca is having production issues, so they probably couldn't provide much relief to the US in the near term.

 

Here We Go Again

After all the playoff hoop-la, my Gutless Prediction is that the two top seeds will meet in the Super Bowl. KC will eventually beat Green Bay. Bummer for the Bucs and Bills, and I'm rooting for both.

Unity!

Unity - how does it work?

Peggy Noonan, the Grand Dame, nails this about the inauguration:

Lady Gaga looking delightfully freakish, and killing it. China, you have penetrated every data cloud and downloaded every invention, you have discipline and determination and believe the future is yours, but you don’t have Lady Gaga.

Is There A Doctor In The House?

I suppose there is other news but long time commenter DrJ has passed away.

His last comment is oddly on-topic:

Fianl thoght for this evening:

Glücklich ist, wer vergisst, was doch nicht zu ändern ist.


Roughly, Happy is he who forgets what he cannot change.

We're happy to have known him these many years. Focus on the good times.

And lest you wonder, TypePad's first DrJ sighting was back in 2005. Bankruptcy reform!

Two More Days

Here we go again.

Republicans United!

Joe Biden's First Day agenda includes a proposal for comprehensive immigration reform. Just as Dems divide over the Green New Deal and Medicare For All but unite in loathing Trump, the fractured Republican Party will come together to derail the latest run at immigration reform.

In a nightmare scenario the moderate Dems in the Senate (Sinema, Manchin) are so committed to giving Biden this win that they vote to change the Senate rules and eliminate the filibuster. More likely, immigration again goes nowhere.

Biden's website on immigration is here; he links to a 2013 CBO study assessing that attempt at reform. Their summary: more workers leads to a larger economy, but smaller on a Per Capita basis; until skills and jobs alignn, unemployment rises (a bit) and wages fall (a bit). The return on capital rises, however, since it is slightly scarcer relative to labor.

So for Chamber of Commerce Republicans its all winning - more customers, cheaper workers, higher return on capital.

For Democrats, more unskilled workers plus the Biden Fantasy Minimum Wage of $15 should boost unemployment but (more importantly!) boost the need for the sort of compassionate safety net Democrats live to provide. More winning!

And yes, I'm already getting sick of all the winning.

From CBO on the 2013 immigration bill:

 

Some Men Just Want To Watch The World Burn

The Wapo:

Six hours of paralysis: Inside Trump’s failure to act after a mob stormed the Capitol

Hiding from the rioters in a secret location away from the Capitol, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appealed to Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) phoned Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter.

And Kellyanne Conway, a longtime Trump confidante and former White House senior adviser, called an aide who she knew was standing at the president’s side.

But as senators and House members trapped inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday begged for immediate help during the siege, they struggled to get through to the president, who — safely ensconced in the West Wing — was too busy watching fiery TV images of the crisis unfolding around them to act or even bother to hear their pleas.

“He was hard to reach, and you know why? Because it was live TV,” said one close Trump adviser. “If it’s TiVo, he just hits pause and takes the calls. If it’s live TV, he watches it, and he was just watching it all unfold.”

Leadership that's shirking.

 

Jim Geraghty On Impeachment

Strong stuff from Jim Geraghty.

Away We Go Again

Have at it.

Lots Going On

Its a beautiful day outside.

That Went Well

Trump and a small group of his supporters disgrace themselves and embarrass this country.

I'd guess this was Mitch McConnell's Longest Day but also his Finest Hour. It was also a day that will live in infamy but we need to get other wars into the mix.

In other news, divided Republicans managed to lose both Georgia Senate seats. When the dust settles it will be Senate Majority Leader Schumer.

All in all, a memorably dreadful day for Team Red. Figuring out how to end this madness and merge the timelines so we have one nation sharing one reality will be a monumental long term project.

On To Georgia!

The polls have closed and the games have begun.

President Trump On Line One...

Oh, yeah, Trump got on the horn with the GA Secretary of State to discuss revisions to the already certified GA vote totals.

Just another "perfect" phone call.

"Can You Please Get A Grip?"

This is nuts:

At least 12 GOP senators to challenge Biden's win

The group of Republicans insisted their effort wasn’t an attempt to thwart Biden or overturn the election.

They want an "emergency audit" because state government don't know how to count and Trump's lawyers failed to release the Krakpot, or something.

 

This is playing with fire. In four or eight years when the Reps win the Electoral College (again) and the Dems win the popular vote (again) and AOC is screaming that some of the swing state results should be tossed because "the billionaires" corrupted the result, Republicans will regret this performance art. However it should help Hawley and Cruz with their 2024 Presidential aspirations, so first things first.

Happier New Year!

It begins!