CRIMINAL MINDS

" Women busted for trying to use $1M bill--at Dollar General Store." Drudge

TRENDING

"McDonald's to mandate worker sensitivity training."  msn.com, 4/14  I can order Big Macs with a clear conscience again.

"STUDY:  People trust computers more than other people." Drudge

COVID

"'Garlic breath test' can tell if you're likely to catch COVID." Drudge

"In a recent statement, CDC director Rochelle Walensky asserts that there have been disproportionate numbers of COVD-19 cases and deaths in communities of color. She claims that the disparities were the result not of COVID-19 but rather of racism, which she labels a public-health crisis. Her statement echoes an American Medical Association policy recognizing racism as a public-health threat and similar declarations from 194 state and local government entities. But the director’s statement is inconsistent with the CDC’s current data that show little or no increased incidence of black COVID-19 deaths. At best it reflects outdated data documenting disparities that no longer exist. At worst, it reflects a political agenda in search of a justification. Whichever it is, it suggests that public-health officials, in this case the CDC, have become distracted from their core job."  Joel Zinberg, National Review Online

"But you can tell within the ranks of public health experts, government officials, and a lot of media voices there is a widespread and surprisingly steadfast resistance against saying “we’re winning,” or “the crisis is ending,” or “the pandemic is winding down.” Yes, Michigan is still a mess. Yes, we’re probably going to need regular booster shots. Yes, we’re still not quite there in terms of herd immunity – although remember herd immunity isn’t binary; as more people get vaccinated, the virus has fewer opportunities to spread. With almost a quarter of Americans fully vaccinated, and 40 percent of Americans having at least one dose… we’re getting there.

"The health expert class appears terrified of declaring good news, lest Americans throw all caution to the wind and start holding “let’s cough in each other’s faces” parties. Government officials are reluctant to declare good news, because this would mean giving up some of the far-reaching powers they’ve gained during the crisis – or it would mean acknowledging, as Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said this week, “policy change alone won’t change the tide.” And some journalists don’t want to acknowledge good news because a sense of crisis is good for ratings, traffic, and readership."  Jim Geraghty, NRO

CLIMATE SCIENCE

"A serious review of policy-related climate science is long overdue. Crusaders will continue to retort that “the science is settled; it is time to act!” But real science is never settled, nor is scientific truth determined by consensus or political diktats. Agreement with observations is the measure of scientific truth. Climate models predict two or three times more warming than has been observed. They have already been falsified. A soon-to-be published book by physicist and New York University professor Steven Koonin, Unsettled, convincingly lays out some of the problems a high-quality review would reveal. There is no climate emergency. Americans should not be stampeded into a disastrous climate crusade. The medieval crusades did far more harm than good, destroying the lives of many decent people of all faiths, and leaving a bitter legacy that complicates international relations and social harmony to this day. A climate crusade that destroys economies and ultimately lives will be as bad, or worse."  Richard Lindzen & William Happer, NRO  This article notes that Lindzen & Happer are scientists.

POLITICAL POTPOURRI

"Amazon creates online app to allow the timid to loot from home."  Babylon Bee

"BLM founder calls for abolishing police in all areas where she doesn't live."  Ditto