“Mildly Positive”
the U.S. hantavirus case, my road trip outcome, and the news…except not at all
Gooood morning,
Over the weekend I roadtripped up the coast from TN to NYC. After getting my car inspected, oil changed, and heading out, the plan was to get here Sunday morning, and then finish writing my Supreme Court/Met Gala analysis. But life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.
Yesterday in DC, my engine oil level light came on, and on my way to the auto shop, I started smelling the oil. By the time I arrived and they popped the hood oil had leaked all over my engine, and down into the under carriage of my car where it had started smoking. Product of a loose oil cap that had popped off.
Thankfully everything is ok, the car didn’t explode with or without me in it, and the engine was recoverable. But, it shook me to my core, and served as a reminder that no day is promised. Remember to hug your loved ones, and to CHECK and make sure they’ve screwed your oil cap on super tightly before you drive out of there.
All to say, my piece is delayed. Will it still be topical by then? With this overstimulating, rapid, and chaotic news cycle probably not, but, I will still write about it.
And now, here’s today’s news. The news may suck but reading it doesn’t have to!
Huge wildfires are raging across Miami-Dade County, burning about 4800 acres. Related info is still developing, so, in the meantime send all the good vibes their way. This comes just one day after a suspected boat explosion in the area injured 11 people. More good vibes being sent.
Also to the family of the pedestrian who was killed after being struck by a Frontier Airlines plane on the runaway. A safety investigation is ongoing.
Hantavirus cruise passengers are back, and now the virus has landed in the U.S. Early this am, RFK’s department of Health and Human Services confirmed a “mildly positive” U.S. case, and another one with mild symptoms but no positive case.
As someone with a public health background, I’ve never heard of “mildly positive” before, but I’d also never heard of someone maiming a dead raccoon to extract their member, so there’s a first time for everything.
Passengers from the flight were taken to Omaha, NE to the U.S.’s only federally-funded quarantine unit, which is still being funded and in existence even in a post-DOGE era.
Apparently the mildly positive case did not show symptoms in Cape Verde (where the cruise ship was docked for a weekish), so we’ll have to see how this and their infection unfolds.
The World Health Organization is leaving it up to countries to decide their policies and protocol in the event of an infection, which likely means the patient will be riding the subway with me later this week.
Should you be worried? CDC and WHO say no, but let’s check back in in a few weeks.
As the war rages on, DJT is considering lowering the federal gas tax.
Gas is so freaking expensive right now (my gas in TN was $4.30…. in TN!), and with no end in sight, the White House debating whether or not to impose measures likely to soften the political blowback. (A man who considers groceries an “old fashioned term” is likely not pumping his own gas.)
Constitutionally, Congress has the power of the purse and can levy taxes, but since Congress is out to lunch, it’ll likely be done unilaterally by executive order. Though the effect would only be about an 18 cent reduction in prices.
Speaking of oil…banks like JP Morgan are sounding the alarm that we might reach critical oil shortages by June, if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. They estimate that around 0.8 bn barrels are available without putting system into operational stress, which is about 580 million barrels. Sounds like a lot but we’ve already drawn down 280.
My Smartt Take is I don’t think DJT can stand the pressure of the entire country increasingly hating him in the face of an oil shortage, sky high gas prices, and a Fed even more unwilling (even with certainly new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh) to cut interest rates.
Is Kevin Warsh hot or do I just have Trump administration goggles?
DJT says Iran negotiation proposal “totally unacceptable.” Apparently, Trump was unhappy the proposal didn’t detail any nuclear program commitments, which Iran had suggested leaving off the table to address immediate concerns.
This comes on the heels of DJT’s meeting in Beijing with President Xi Jinping this week. Though China and the U.S. have had a pretty fractious relationship in the last year due to tariffs, DJT is expected to try and push Xi to lead a brokered agreement between Iran et.al. Also perhaps an AI safety discussion which we’ll discuss tomorrow.
According to his Truth Social a few weeks ago, “President Xi will give [him] a big fat hug in a few weeks.”
Do you know anyone on Truth Social? After their abysmal Q1 - reporting a $405 million loss and under $1 mill in profit, I’m curious to know whether it’s just bots retweeting or real people. Let me know!
Report says, due to climate change, New Orleans has passed the point of no return and citizens should start evacuating now.
This comes as Louisiana has been key in the news for their redistricting plans to give Republicans a partisan advantage (which is extremely legal), after LA Republicans won the recent Supreme Court case.
Lawmakers haven’t commented on the report, but the city is inching towards passing legislation to limit climate change lawsuits towards big companies, so feels pretty self explanatory.
If you’re caught up on Bravo TV’s Summer House drama…Amanda and West are apparently still together. The Bravo-verse exploded last month when it was revealed that Amanda, another cast member Ciara’s best friend, was secretly dating Ciara’s ex boyfriend and Amanda’s ex-husband’s good friend, West.
At first, the two were public in their sightings but have cooled down amidst the backlash, and West-related lady rumors have circulated. Including one this Friday that Ciara claimed West had slept with a New Jersey Real Housewife, the second married NJ woman he’s pursued after Amanda.
But apparently A&W are not only together, she’s meeting his parents in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, Summer House, airing now as the Ciara/West Amanda/West dynamics are unfolding, is wrapping up in a few weeks with what’s sure to be an explosive reunion.
Alright, that’s it from me! Some big astrology news to come later this week. Today will hopefully feel light and supportive, which we love!
Come back tomorrow where I’m gonna break down the Anthropic Mythos-AI chatter & the WH regulatory strategy bc I can’t stop thinking about it. And it’s too long for this one.
Happy Monday!
-Lesley
P.S.: If you want more DJT…go check out his 22 ft golden statue, now live in Florida!
Still having difficulty understanding how friends voted for and still approve on DJT. Hope our system can recover when he is gone.
And glad your car is good.