Extra, Extra
Shot Clock: “This is the latest in a series of moves that Mr. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has made to dismantle decades of policy standards for immunizations. An advisory panel more closely aligned with Mr. Kennedy’s views has the potential to significantly alter — or even drop — the recommendations for immunizations to Americans, including childhood vaccinations.” Kennedy Removes All C.D.C. Vaccine Panel Experts. (Maybe they’re gonna deploy the Marines against viruses.)
+ Overcoming Overdoses: “What we’re seeing is a massive reduction in [fatal] overdose risk, among Gen Z in particular … Ages 20 to 29 lowered the risk by 47%, cut it right in half.” Drug deaths plummet among young Americans as fentanyl carnage eases.
+ Chamber Made: “I had been trying to compose my thoughts about the death penalty for a while, distilling them into scraps and stubs of writing, but the only certainty I had going into the Indiana death chamber in December 2020 was the simple sense that it’s generally wrong to kill people, even bad people. What I witnessed on this occasion and the ones that came after has not changed my conviction that capital punishment must end. But in sometimes-unexpected ways, it has changed my understanding of why.” Elizabeth Bruenig in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Inside America’s Death Chambers.
+ Trade Marks: It’s safe to assume that some traders with inside knowledge of the timing of certain announcements made bigly money on the on-again, off-again tariff announcements. Worse, some of those traders are in Congress. Lawmakers Traded Stocks Heavily as Trump Rolled Out ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs.
+ Inflationapallooza: “Inflation and tightening budgets have people spending less in nearly every part of American life, including nightlife, fashion and dining out. While you could once see your favorite act play a major stadium and still attend a festival that same summer, music enthusiasts today are having to choose between the two.” Dwindling ticket sales and cancellations: What’s behind the decline of music festivals. (Ever since my kids starting going to local music festivals, I’ve been prohibited from attending.)
+ Everyday People Don’t Come Around Every Day: “Though Mr. Stone eventually receded from center stage, his vibrant, intricately arranged songs left their mark on a host of top artists, including George Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson, Outkast, Red Hot Chili Peppers and D’Angelo, as well as jazz musicians like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. As the critic Joel Selvin said, ‘There was Black music before Sly Stone, and Black music after Sly Stone.'” Sly Stone, Maestro of a Multifaceted Hitmaking Band, Dies at 82.
