The White House fearmongering over the Omicron variant appears to have influenced a judicial review of the federal vaccine mandate. Perhaps, this explains part of the fear-porn motive.  [Court Opinion pdf Here]

More than two dozen legal challenges to the federal vaccine mandate for employers over 100 employees were consolidated into the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio.  That federal appeals court has reinstated Biden vaccine mandate for U.S. workers.

OHIO – A federal appeals court has reinstated the Biden administration’s vaccine and testing requirement for private businesses that covers about 80 million American workers.

The ruling by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted a November injunction that had blocked the rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which applies to businesses with at least 100 workers.

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This is interesting. On December 14, TechnoFog noted the FDA gave approval to vaccine boosters amid 16 and 17-year-olds without consulting the medical advisory panel on safety and efficacy of the policy shift {SEE HERE}.

As correctly noted at the time, “This is the FDA making a cost/benefit calculation without knowing the costs or benefits. It doesn’t know the real risks, because it didn’t study the potential for adverse reactions in kids aged 16 – 17 years,” yet, the FDA did it anyway.

The issue is actually quite alarming considering there are multiple studies showing that specific age group, especially young males, were negatively impacted by vaccine created heart damage.  Then again, adverse vaccine outcomes may have been the reason why the FDA never wanted to convene a medical advisory board before giving the approval for a vaccine booster to the group most at risk for the adverse outcome.

Regardless of FDA motive, the Washington Post is now following-up on the issue pointed out by Techno Fog and calling out the Biden administration for having the FDA ignore medical community advice:

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The South African government reports today that the Omicron variant is widespread yet not creating any medical issues.  “Only 1.7% of identified Covid-19 cases were admitted to hospital in the second week of infections in the fourth wave, compared with 19% in the same week of the third delta-driven wave, South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla said at a press conference.”

At the same time, the White House COVID crisis response team is driving the fearmongering around Omicron at staggering levels of propaganda and fear porn.  During a public broadcast of the White House position, COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients is again claiming that Omicron will kill millions of Americans if rapid action is not taken to shut down human activity.

Zients claims today that a “severe winter of illness and death” awaits anyone who does not adhere to the political propaganda they are pushing. WATCH (01:06):

This is the same coordinated fear messaging Joe Biden was pushing yesterday.   Obviously, the White House has made the decision to double down on the fear porn.

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Among other things annoying about their collective nonsense, the communist Democrats are linguistic agitators. While known for their insufferable victimhood positions in all of their arguments, this latest example highlights just how insane and ridiculous this AOC tribe has become.

Originally, they moved from “silence is violence“, to speech they didn’t like hearing about being called violence.  Indeed, anything the leftists do not like, they find some way to equate it with violence against them.  At a certain point it all becomes silly, and the frustrated audience tells them to shut up, and stop being stupid.

However, not going to be denied the opportunity to spread the moonbat nonsense, a member of the AOC squad, Ms. Ayanna Pressley, now rises to say that if American taxpayers do not forgive the mountain of student debt (created by attending college to learn how to be a better communist), then taxpayers are being violent against her:

Anger is a very visible response from the leftists whenever their policies are rejected.  The modern political left does not view rejection as a rebuke of their ideology, instead they view rejection as a need to push harder.

From the generation of new communists, insanely narcissistic people created by parents who were jaw-droppingly coddling and overindulgent, they need to reeducate their target.  They need you to change your thinking and perspectives from incorrect thoughts they don’t agree with to correct thoughts that align with their selfish worldview.  To achieve this outcome, the only acceptable path is to push their insanity even harder.

They have learned from their emotional experiences as children that eventually every parent will relent.  There is now an entire generation who apply that experience toward their bosses, their colleagues and every interaction in their life.   Yes, if you put anyone from this generation into a position of power or influence, what you get is exactly what Pressley and the AOC tribe are doing.  Their worldview is based on a cognitive and emotional inability to contemplate their ideology is flawed.

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Apparently living amid a city that is fraught with crime is comfortable for a lot of people in San Francisco, at least according to one of the most leftist Mayors in the nation.  You know things are bad when the Mayor of San Francisco, who ran on a platform to remove cops from the streets, starts shouting about the “bull**it that has destroyed the city”, and proclaiming that rampant lawlessness needs to stop.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed delivered a statement yesterday that is the exact opposition of her social program message from the past few years.  Apparently, the rise in random gangs of looters destroying the city and organized retail theft has become problematic for the politicians who hold power over the city.

Quite a remarkable shift in position, however, the transparency of motive is clear.  Breed’s faux anger and conveniently new frustration over the crime surge in the city were on full display at her noon news conference where she changed the rules of the safari park.   WATCH:

Democrats are worried about how their anti-police position has brought the criminal chickens home to roost.  Politically, Democrats -writ large- are trying to distance themselves from the crime their policies have created.  National polls show voters are correctly attributing the rise in crime to Democrats.  Thus, they need to change direction quickly.

SAN FRANCISCO – After months of viral videos showing deteriorating conditions on the streets of San Francisco, including smash-and-grab robberies and open-air drug use, the city’s mayor has moved to implement a new public safety approach to curb criminal behavior. Her move could signal a recognition by the Democratic establishment that crime may prove a potent issue in upcoming elections.

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WILDWOOD, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act, a legislative proposal that will give businesses, employees, children and families tools to fight back against woke indoctrination.

The Stop W.O.K.E. Act will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation and will take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory. Today’s proposal builds on actions Governor DeSantis has already taken to ban Critical Race Theory and the New York Times’ 1619 project in Florida’s schools. For more information about the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, click here.

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The Commerce Department November retail sales data was release today [DATA HERE] – [DETAIL pdf HERE].  The top line issue is a shocking drop in retail sales for November in key categories that align with previous discussion of inflation spending priorities for all U.S. consumers.

Before getting to the data, one point is critical to remember.  The commerce department sales figures are based on dollars spent. This point is important, because the items being purchased have inflation within them.  When prices are higher due to inflation, sales figures should be higher due to higher prices.  Ex. If there is an 8% increase in retail price, but only a 4% increase in retail sales, that means less stuff is being sold.  [Less units sold at a higher price gives the illusion of an increase in sales.]

Despite the start of the traditional holiday sales and shopping period, the total sales growth in November was 0.3% over October [Column A].  Factoring in inflation during the same month to month comparison at 0.9%, you can tell that overall in November there was a drop in units sold across the total of retail sales outlets.

A drop in sales at a time when holiday shopping should be taking place is concerning.  However, the sales reality aligns with the employment data last week showing a drop of 20,000 workers in the retail sector for November.  Put them together, and the picture shows retailers did not need employees, because consumers are not spending.

If we look deeper into the November sales figures, we can see that a contraction in discretionary spending is the primary issue. Electronics (-4.6%), Department Stores (-5.4%) and even online sales at ZERO.  We can also see a direct correlation in comparative inflation impact within the sales data for November 2021 when compared to November 2020 [Column B].

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We said it was happening {Go Deep}, and it is.  Last month CTH put the preparation window at 60 days +/- depending on region.  That window is now around 30 days before the next spike in inflation shows up from cumulative costs snowballing throughout the supply chain. The “producer price index” is essentially the tracking of wholesale prices at three stages: Origination (commodity), Intermediate and Final.

The final product inflation rate in July (reported in August) was alarming at 7.8%. However, we warned it would get worse. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) then released stunning price data for October [DATA Here], showing an even more dramatic 8.6% price increase in final demand. More intense warnings shared.

Today, we get the November BLS Result [DATA Here], and unfortunately the results are showing what was expected.  The cumulative costs of massive increases in energy prices are building into the supply at an astonishing rate.  The November data shows a rate of wholesale final goods inflation at 9.6%, the largest single month comparative rate increase in history.

The bureau even went back and revised/increased the August price index from 7.8 to 8.4 percent, and revised/increased the October figure from 8.6 to 8.8 percent.  The average monthly price increase is almost a full percent… every month.  It looks like the BLS backward revisions are an attempt to smooth down the rate of increase.

(BLS) – “The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.8 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices moved up 0.6 percent in each of the 3 prior months. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index rose 9.6 percent for the 12 months ended in November, the largest advance since 12-month data were first calculated in November 2010.” (more)

I modified Table A (final demand product pricing), taking out some of the noise to make it a little easier to see the big picture of what is happening.

When you see the wholesale level of prices almost double the increase in consumer level inflation rate, you can predict that consumer prices will likely go even higher.  Future finished goods, at a retail level, will carry the current wholesale price increase.

Stuff costs a lot now… and because the inbound stuff to make the finished goods is still climbing in price…. stuff is about to cost even more.   You can see this in the inflation rate of intermediate goods which I have highlighted below.

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Well, there’s another “economist” who can be set into the folder of ‘no longer useful’.  During his appearance today on CBS Face The Nation, Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser for Allianz, finishes his segment by revealing his underlying precept: Climate Change policy is now the economic policy driver of all his investment advice.

Within the interview, El-Erian said the “characterization of inflation as transitory is probably the worst inflation call in the history of the Federal Reserve.”  Additionally, El-Erian said inflation is likely to remain high into the next year and perhaps beyond.  Unfortunately, other than those two points of generally well educated accuracy, everything else is wrapped up in the political correctness of climate change…. which, you don’t really discover until the very end of the interview. WATCH:

The baseline for El-Erian saying the Build Back Better spending fiasco is a good thing, is based on accepting the pretense that massive amounts of federal spending will be needed to structurally change the U.S. economy from fossil fuel use to the Green New Deal.   If you do not believe in this transformation, there is no merit to any component of the BBB spending proposal. It really is that simple.

As a consequence, El-Erian is staking the position that climate change agenda politics is now the focal point from which all other economic policy will be determined.  He has conceded in his mind and worldview, perhaps based on his associations and peer discussions, that any forward economic analysis must therefore establish itself from the alternative fuel position.

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The United States government (specifically the Fourth Branch) has won an appellate level legal case in the U.K. as they seek to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for crimes against U.S. national security interests.

However, Assange’s lawyers have a few more avenues left to block the extradition.

As much as I would like to see a Julian Assange trial reveal all of the corruption inside the dark parts of the U.S. political and intelligence system, I can also see how our government would have a very strong institutional preservation motive to kill him first.

Wall Street Journal – The U.S. government won an appeal in its bid to extradite Julian Assange, clearing an important hurdle in Washington’s yearslong battle to put the WikiLeaks founder on trial on spying charges.

The decision by the U.K. High Court to overturn a lower-court ruling isn’t the end of the case. Lawyers representing Mr. Assange said they would seek permission to appeal the ruling at the U.K. Supreme Court, setting the stage for weeks or even months of further legal wrangling, lawyers say.

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