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Daily Archives: September 21, 2020

How We Survive the Winter

The Atlantic – James Hamblin – The coming months of the pandemic could be catastrophic. The U.S. still has ways to prepare…”It is now widely accepted among experts that the United States is primed for a surge in cases at a uniquely perilous moment in our national history. “As we approach the fall and winter months, it is important that we get the baseline level of daily infections much lower than they are right now,” Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told me by email. For the past few weeks, the country has been averaging about 40,000 new infections a day. Fauci said that “we must, over the next few weeks, get that baseline of infections down to 10,000 per day, or even much less if we want to maintain control of this outbreak.” This may be the most salient warning he has issued at any point in the pandemic. Cutting an infection rate as high as ours by 75 percent in a matter of weeks would almost certainly require widespread lockdowns in which nearly everyone shelters in place, as happened in China in January. That will not happen in the United States. Donald Trump has been campaigning for reelection on just the opposite message. He has promised that normalcy and American greatness are just around the corner. He has touted dubious treatments and said at least 34 times that the virus will disappear. This disinformation is nearing a crescendo now that the election looms: Trump has been teasing a vaccine that could be available within weeks.

The cold reality is that we should plan for a winter in which vaccination is not part of our lives. Three vaccine candidates are currently in Phase 3 clinical trials in the U.S., and the trials’ results may arrive as early as November. But even if they do—and even if they look perfect—it would not mean that a vaccine would be widely available. On Wednesday, Redfield said in a congressional hearing that a vaccine was unlikely to be widely available until summer of next year, if not later. Fauci may be even less optimistic. He told my colleague Peter Nicholas that if the clinical trials go well, it could mean a few million doses could be available by early 2021. By the time we got to 50 million to 100 million doses, he estimated, “you’re going to be well into 2021.” If each person needs two doses, as many experts expect, that would be enough to vaccinate roughly 11 percent of the population…”

The Inside Story of the Mueller Probe’s Mistakes

The Atlantic’s George Packer: The Inside Story of the Mueller Probe’s Mistakes – “In a new book, Andrew Weissmann, one of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s top deputies, lays out the limits and letdowns of the years-long Russia investigation….Suddenly, in March 2019, the Special Counsel’s Office completed its work. A report, hundreds of pages long, with… Continue Reading

CRS – The Civil Rights Act of 1964: An Overview

The Civil Rights Act of 1964: An Overview, September 21, 2020 [108 pages/PDF]: “The Civil Rights Act of 1964, comprised of eleven titles and numerous sections, has been called the “most comprehensive undertaking” to prevent and address discrimination in a wide range of contexts. From discriminatory voter registration practices to racial segregation in business establishments… Continue Reading

How to guard your social feeds against election misinformation

Vox/Recode: “…Your social feeds are most shaped by who you follow, so following reputable sources of information and news is probably your best bet. Unfollowing known sources of misinformation, even if that includes close friends and family, is probably worth considering as well. If you want to get ahead on fact-checking, you might consider following… Continue Reading

Fortune’s Change the World list

“Fortune’s Change the World list is built on the premise that the profit motive can inspire companies to tackle society’s unmet needs. Looking at average 1-year returns, The Change the World list has outperformed companies on the S&P and MCSI lists over the past 2 years, proving that companies can do well while doing good.… Continue Reading

Election Night 2020 could go on for weeks just look at the primaries

Washington Post: “If you hope to settle in to watch the Nov. 3 results, you may want to make other plans. During this year’s Democratic primaries, it took days, and sometimes weeks, for the bulk of votes to get counted. Before the pandemic struck, mail-in states like California were already counting slowly. Then the coronavirus… Continue Reading

From burnout to breakthrough: How to make working from anywhere work for you

ZDNet – Working from home requires a deliberate design and a focused mindset around your schedule, rituals and daily routines. “Working from anywhere can lead to breakthrough performance with simple adjustments to your approach. Let’s face it: Working from home can be exhausting.” Most of our social roles happen in different places, but now the… Continue Reading

Best Sellers Sell the Best Because They’re Best Sellers

The New York Times – Publishing is becoming a winner-take-all game. Nobody dominates it like Madeline McIntosh and Penguin Random House:  “After a steep drop at the start of the pandemic, book sales not only recovered but surged. Unit sales of print books are up nearly 6 percent over last year, according to NPD BookScan,… Continue Reading

Museums, gardens and zoos are reopening across the DC region

Washington Post – Here’s what you can visit now: “The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a major impact on Washington’s cultural institutions, even as the region begins to reopen. The responses differ by institution: The Kennedy Center has canceled most performances through the end of 2020. The Smithsonian is taking things slowly, using the analogy… Continue Reading

Law Firms Pay Supreme Court Clerks $400,000 Bonuses. What Are They Buying?

The New York Times – “Supreme Court justices make $265,600 a year. The chief justice gets $277,700. Their law clerks do a lot better. After a year of service at the court, they are routinely offered signing bonuses of $400,000 from law firms, on top of healthy salaries of more than $200,000. What are the… Continue Reading