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Globally, we're far from the end of the pandemic. Delta is at least two times more contagious than the original strain of the virus, which means that it will infect and kill more people. Many countries that have avoided big surges so far don't have access to the vaccines they need to protect their populations. Many of these countries will likely see explosive spread of Covid over the coming weeks and months. Already stressed health systems will become overwhelmed with cases, and many people will get sick and die.

A key block of California lawmakers is feuding with the Biden administration over the state’s high-speed rail endeavor, arguing that conditions of a restored federal grant lock the project into what the group sees as an outdated technology for powering the bullet train. In a recent letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Speaker Anthony Rendon and 17 other Assembly Democrats say the federal grant unnecessarily directs California to use overhead electrical lines to propel the trains down their tracks. Instead, Rendon wants California to keep open the option of powering locomotives with batteries or fuel cells, arguing that...

THOUSANDS of Italians have taken to the streets to protest against the government's plan to roll out vaccine passports. Turin's Piazza Castello was packed with critics of the move on what was dubbed "No Fear Day", where organisers urged protesters to "show everyone what free men stand for". Yesterday saw Italy follow in the footsteps of France by announcing that proof of vaccination or immunity would shortly be required for an array of activities. Italians reacted angrily to the warning that they soon would not be allowed to dine indoors at restaurants, work out at the gym or visit a...

Glenn Youngkin won the Republican nomination for the Virginia governor’s race ... earning him a coveted spot in the upcoming gubernatorial election. His path to victory, however, comes after misleading and even deliberately false coverage from the New York Times, which began lying about him weeks ago. Not long after President Joe Biden assumed office, Youngkin released a five-point election integrity plan dedicated to rooting out partisanship and secrecy in the Virginia Department of Elections, reinforcing voter identification, updating voter rolls, vetting mail-in ballots, and using observers and audits to ensure proper vote counting. *** Youngkin’s plan was not a...

Explanation: Sprawling emission nebulae IC 1396 and Sh2-129 mix glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds in this 10 degree wide field of view toward the northern constellation Cepheus the King. Energized by its bluish central star IC 1396 (left) is hundreds of light-years across and some 3,000 light-years distant. The nebula's intriguing dark shapes include a winding dark cloud popularly known as the Elephant's Trunk below and right of center. Tens of light-years long, it holds the raw raw material for star formation and is known to hide protostars within. Located a similar distance from planet Earth, the bright...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Kasper Responds to Pope Francis’ New Motu Proprio on the MassThe German prelate told the Register some Catholics who attend the traditional Latin Mass have turned Pope Benedict XVI’s earlier efforts at reconciliation into division.VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Walter Kasper has said he believes the “overwhelming majority” of Catholic faithful are firmly against the Traditional Latin Mass and that some of its adherents scandalize them by believing it’s the only true Catholic Mass and rejecting the Second Vatican Council “more or less in its entirety.” In a short commentary given to the Register on July 22 in...

In a new University of California, Irvine-led study, researchers found that a certain protein prevented regulatory T cells (Tregs) from effectively doing their job in controlling the damaging effects of inflammation in a model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a devastating autoimmune disease of the nervous system. Published this month, the new study illuminates the important role of Piezo1, a specialized protein called an ion channel, in immunity and T cell function related to autoimmune disorders. "We found that Piezo1 selectively restrains Treg cells, limiting their potential to mitigate autoimmune neuroinflammation," said Michael D. Cahalan, PhD. "Genetically deleting Piezo1 in transgenic...

The annual weapons qualification this coming weekend for some members of the Nebraska Guard was canceled to avoid wasting on journey, lodging, and meal prices, all of which have been scaled again to economize, Maj. Scott Ingalsbe, spokesman for the Nebraska Nationwide Guard, instructed CNN. “We simply could not incur the fee,” Ingalsbe stated. As an alternative, the Guard will conduct a coaching weekend at its house base. An upcoming marksmanship train for early-August was additionally canceled, as had been a pre-command course, firearms coaching for troopers who want to enhance their marksmanship, and extra. The cancellations will unfold past...

Letter from the Superior General of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, in light of the publication of the motu proprio “Traditionis custodes” THIS MASS, OUR MASS, MUST REALLY BE FOR US LIKE THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE IN THE GOSPEL, FOR WHICH WE ARE READY TO RENOUNCE EVERYTHING, FOR WHICH WE ARE READY TO SELL EVERYTHING. Dear members and friends of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, The motu proprio Traditionis custodes and the letter that accompanied it have caused a profound upheaval in the so-called traditionalist movement. We can point out, quite logically, that the era...

Earlier this month, a massive supply chain attack conducted by the REvil ransomware gang hit the cloud-based managed service provider platform Kaseya, impacting both other MSPs using its VSA software and their customers. For the initial attack vector, REvil operators exploited an authentication bypass zero-day (CVE-2021-30116) in the web interface of the Kaseya VSA server to gain an authenticated session. Then, the attackers uploaded the payload and executed a command via SQL injection to deploy the malicious updates. Ransomware operators initially asked the owners of systems infected in this campaign $44,999 worth of Bitcoin. Later, they changed tactics and demanded...

You can't make a banana split without bananas. And you can't generate stable regulatory T cells without Vitamin C or enzymes called TET proteins, it appears. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) help control inflammation and autoimmunity in the body. Tregs are so important, in fact, that scientists are working to generate stable induced Tregs (iTregs) in vitro for use as treatments for autoimmune diseases as well as rejection to transplanted organs. Unfortunately, it has proven difficult to find the right molecular ingredients to induce stable iTregs. In their analysis, the researchers found TET proteins are absolutely required for maintaining the gene...

What about the children? Think of the children? That mantra is about to be jacked up to eleven when it becomes time to send kids back to school. It’s rapidly approaching. The Biden White House wants new mask mandates. Hell, they want mandatory vaccinations, but can’t give a full-throated endorsement due to the upcoming midterm elections. They’re delegating that to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they’ll follow whatever advice they give, nice escape hatch there, by the way. It’s painfully obvious that the CDC is going to back mask-wearing for kids. I don’t even know why they’re...

The Vietnam War memorial located by Fenway’s James P. Kelleher Rose Garden was vandalized with red paint on Thursday in an act that pains the community and military families, city officials said. “It was a horrific act of vandalism and hate, and to desecrate a memorial for men and women that made the supreme sacrifice to our nation is unconscionable,” said Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, who served 20 years in the Navy. Red paint streaked across all three pillars of the memorial where names of fallen heroes are written. A 311 report submitted on Thursday documented the damage, and...

General Motors is recalling tens of thousands of Chevrolet all-electric Bolt hatchbacks for the second time in less than a year because of a potential fire risk. The company made the move on Friday after two Bolts caught fire without impact recently. GM is confirming that at least one of the Bolt fires was battery related and happened despite the owner getting the fix from the first recall. This time, GM said it would recall all 2017-19 model-year Bolts. In total, the recall involves 68,000 vehicles globally; of those, 50,925 are in the United States. The vehicles contain high voltage...

A NEW CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS has become a central progressive demand for the Democrats’ budget reconciliation package, and party leaders seem poised to go along. Climate groups and elected officials alike see it as a combination of several top priorities: a tangible response to climate change, a broad-based jobs program aimed especially at young people and people of color, and a test case for Franklin Delano Roosevelt-style populism that President Biden is so eagerly trying to emulate. Like the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, it would employ Americans on climate-focused public-works projects like reforestation. But not all CCCs are created equal....

Dr. Anthony Fauci fired back Friday on Fox News at a freshman congressman's call for a potential criminal investigation against him if the GOP retakes the House of Representatives in 2024. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., on Tuesday called Fauci a "punk" and accused him of using his newfound prominence to further his career. "I normally have a great amount of respect for the people who work here on Capitol Hill, knowing that although we have different ideas on how to accomplish it, we are all trying to work for the betterment of the American people … right now that is...

The incident was reported about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday while authorities were conducting nighttime training operations in the Lake Casitas area, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office officials said in a news release. “The pilot of Copter 4 took evasive action and identified a suspect vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed,” according to the news release. The pilot followed the suspect vehicle into the Oak View area, where the driver stopped in the 200 block of Olive Street. The driver, identified as 44-year-old Joshua Chimarusti, then exited the vehicle and allegedly fired more shots at the helicopter. Chimarusti was...

Beijing previously condemned the World Health Organization's new round of investigations for seriously considering a man-made virus theory. The notion was revived by US President Joe Biden after being disregarded as a conspiracy theory throughout 2020. The UN asked China to cooperate with the World Health Organization's probe into the origins of the COVID-19 virus, the office of Secretary General António Guterres has stated. "We implore all member states, including China, to cooperate fully with the World Helath Organization, and if the World Health Organization believes it requires further information, we hope that they will all cooperate", UN deputy spokesperson...

[H/T Cathi] ransomnote: Dr. McCulloughs professional background is in Post #1."But the proposition now, of coming in for a vaccine, or of even being pressured, forced or coerced into a vaccine, which for some people now it looks like it will be fatal, is an agonizing situation. I've never seen it in my career." ~ Dr. McCulloughransomnote: Excellent 25 minute video. Notes on the first 7 minutes of the video here:Stew Peters: Dr. McCullough has published a treatment protoccol for early outpatient treatment of Covid in the American Journal of Medicine, and subsequent updates to the protocol in reviews. He...

Former Trump inaugural committee chair Tom Barrack on Friday was released from federal lockup in California on a $250 million bond ahead of his scheduled arraignment in New York on charges he acted as an agent of the United Arab Emirates and obstructed justice. As part of the terms of his release, Barrack, 74, is subject to electronic monitoring and will have to foot the bill for his GPS ankle bracelet, Judge Patricia Donahue ordered, signing off on an agreement that had been worked out between the government and Barrack's attorneys. Barrack, a private equity investor and founder of the...