DL Open Thread: Monday, March 3, 2025
Canceled my Delaware Online subscription, divvied up the monthly cost, and started sending it monthly to Friendship House and Ministry of Caring. My wife’s idea, and a great one. Tried to cancel my Washington Post subscription, only to be told that it won’t expire until January of 2026. I call bullshit, they haven’t heard the last of me. Those savings, if/when I get them, will go to Spotlight Delaware and WHYY for their great Delaware news coverage.
But I digress.
Here’s what happens when an anti-vaxxer controls our health care policy:
In the late afternoon of Feb. 26, members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s expert committee on vaccines received an unusual email. It informed them that their upcoming meeting on March 13 to determine which influenza strains to include in the next flu shot—a meeting that has occurred every year since the late 1960s, even during the pandemic—was canceled.
One of the email recipients was Dr. Paul Offit, director of the vaccine education center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, and a member of the committee since 2017. “It said the meeting was canceled—not postponed—and there was no evidence that it would be rescheduled,” he says. In a statement, the FDA said: “The FDA will make public its recommendations to manufacturers in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season.”
“I assume that will be without the advice of the expert independent advisory committee,” Offit says. “I don’t know what this means, who made the decision, or why they made the decision. We were told nothing about it.”The cancellation came one day before new government-issued data was published showing the high effectiveness of the latest flu vaccine at keeping kids and adults out of the hospital.
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) is a group of vaccine experts who volunteer their time to review data on the yearly update to the flu vaccine. They do the same for any new vaccines against infectious disease, as well as biological products that companies hope to sell to the public. The committee’s primary responsibility is to discuss the safety and effectiveness of these health therapies.
So. RFK Jr. will substitute his thoughts on vaccines for those of the scientists. Can you imagine both the economic and human loss that could come out of a flu epidemic? Doesn’t look like you’ll have to imagine it.
The Secretary Of Defense Does Moscow’s Bidding:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to halt offensive operations against Russia, according to a current official and two former officials briefed on the secret instructions. The move is apparently part of a broader effort to draw President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia into talks on Ukraine and a new relationship with the United States.
The precise scope and duration of the Defense Department order is not clear, as the line between offensive and defensive cyberoperations is often a blurry one.
Still, retaining access to major Russian networks for espionage purposes is critical to understanding Mr. Putin’s intentions as he enters negotiations, and to tracking the arguments within Russia about what conditions to insist upon and what could be given up.
Former officials said it was common for civilian leaders to order pauses in military operations during sensitive diplomatic negotiations, to avoid derailing them. Still, for President Trump and Mr. Hegseth, the retreat from offensive cyberoperations against Russian targets represents a huge gamble.
It essentially counts on Mr. Putin to reciprocate by letting up on what many call the “shadow war” underway against the United States and its traditional allies in Europe. The leading European powers continue to say their support of Ukraine is undiminished even as Mr. Trump, who has sought to portray himself as a neutral arbiter in seeking to end the war in Ukraine, has at times sided openly with Mr. Putin.
It does nothing of the sort. Trump welcomes this ‘shadow war’. Can’t let that pee tape come out.
The Trump administration’s rewrite of decades of U.S. foreign policy on Russia, laid bare in the Oval Office confrontation between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is bringing Washington into alignment with Moscow, the Kremlin said Sunday — a shift that could upend the geopolitics that have governed international relations since World War II.
“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, state television reported Sunday. “This largely aligns with our vision.”
Moscow’s vision, which has focused on a push to reclaim influence over much or all of the former Soviet Union and defeat liberal democracy, has made Russia a pariah to the West.
Trump Unites Europe–For Ukraine And Against Trump:
Europe must “do the heavy lifting” on four “important steps” agreed for the future defense of Ukraine by leaders from Europe, Canada and Turkey today at a summit which took place “at a crossroads in history today”, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said following the meeting.
He said the leaders at the summit agreed on the need to keep military aid flowing into Ukraine while the war is ongoing and to ensure any peace safeguards Ukraine’s sovereignty and guarantees the country’s seat at the negotiating table.
In the event of a peace deal, European leaders will aim to deter any future invasion by Russia into Ukraine, through a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and guarantee peace, he added.
The Port Before The Court–Delaware Supreme Court hears the battle over Port nominations:
The Delaware Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a dispute between Gov. Matt Meyer and Senate Democrats over who gets to decide the makeup of a state board that oversees the Port of Wilmington — and notably directs the facility’s $635 million expansion.
The arguments – which largely hinged on a curious debate around the meanings of “nominate” and “appoint” – were the latest in a power struggle that has played out over the past month between Meyer, a self-proclaimed outsider, and leading state senators within his own Democratic Party.
While the struggle is over appointments to the port’s oversight board, it also brings forth several issues that could dog Meyer’s first year as governor. Those include his apparent icy relationships with certain lawmakers and labor leaders, as well as his competing vision with them about how to carry out the state’s controversial and long-delayed plan to build a new port container terminal at the site of a former DuPont chemical plant at Edgemoor.
Here’s some breaking news:
Last week, Meyer wrote his own op-ed about the Port of Wilmington’s expansion at Edgemoor.
In it, he said the project would be “one of the most significant public investments Delaware has ever made,” and he asserted that his administration is “going to be methodical and intentional with whom we select for the board of our state’s largest asset.”
One day before Meyer’s column ran in The News Journal, the container port plans suffered another blow when New Castle County Councilman John Cartier, who represents the Edgemoor area, became the first Delaware politician in several years to publicly oppose the project.
In an open letter, Cartier argued that the benefits of job creation are overwhelmed by concerns over “fiscal sustainability, public transparency, environmental impacts, transportation infrastructure, safety, and permitting processes.”
“In my view, these concerns have been largely overlooked,” Cartier said.
I totally agree. The people who live in the area have been treated in a dismissive cavalier fashion by the adults in the room. Like Jeff Bullock. Who doesn’t live there. You know, ‘the price of progress’.
What do you want to talk about?
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2025/03/03/initial-audits-of-delaware-opioid-grant-recipients-find-no-fraud/80709766007/
A few randomly selected recipients, far from all of them. And one turns out to be a two-person operation with the stated purpose of combatting homelessness, not addiction.
Until I see something more convincing, I consider it a whitewash in progress.
Not ready to call whitewash as this is the first release of what I understand to be 11 audits but I find it interesting that 3 of the audits were of agencies that are well respected and experienced. I am looking to see audits of the “pop up” agencies that otherwise do things like promote train stations before i make further judgement. The omission of said agencies from audit would indeed suggest whitewash.
Yet again, the News Journal misses the actual story. No, there was no fraud found in these 4 audits; but there was, in fact, misuse of funds. Look deep within the article, and you’ll find this- which is the most significant finding from these audits:
“The audit also found that Higher Ground’s budget for the grant application was used to pay for rental space and a personal vehicle used to provide transportation services rather than what the $80,000 grant was awarded for. The funds were meant to be spent on wraparound services for people dealing with opioid and substance use disorders, including meals, daytime shelter, peer support groups, harm reduction services, education and awareness events, and transportation, auditors said.”
In short, the POSDC gave the organization money to spend on specific things. And, without getting permission, the organization spent it on completely different things instead- things which are not allowable costs within the rules of the grants. And the POSDC staff didn’t catch it at all because they were providing little to no oversight.
No, it’s not fraud or theft. But if you’re awarding a grant to provide shelter and meals, you need to make sure that money is actually paying for shelter and meals; not the grantee’s rent and personal car payments.
The sinking of the SS United States will be a metaphor for the ages.
Especially since I think it is to be stripped of parts before being sunk.
el som – the w. post site said I officially canceled my digital subscription after I clicked on the cancelation button, although I’ll still be receiving it for a while. so I assume my cancelation will be included in upcoming stories about how many have canceled wapo this time. I just wanted to make a political point. I don’t mind if they keep sending it for a while as long as nobody knows I’m “officially” reading it. there are things there I still like to read. and it still pisses off conservatives, though I imagine bezos would like that to change.
I cancelled my WP subscription a few months ago. Then last week I received a notice that the subscription would renew in March on the original renewal date. So I cancelled again and this time received a confirmation of the renewal. Two days later I got an email offering to renew at $20 less than before.
The best way to bypass the WaPo firewall is perfectly legal and doesn’t require any shady plugins – just hit the Escape key at the right moment. But you have to be using an actual computer, not a phone or a tablet.
This trick works on sites that load the page first, then load the paywall script that blocks the page. The Esc key stops the loading process, so if you hit Esc before the paywall script loads, you get the whole article with no paywall.
You need to be lightning-quick to hit Esc at the right moment though. Reload the page and keep trying until you get it. It helps if your computer is older and a little slower.
I don’t know if this is paywalled (I still have a subscription), but Matt Meyer was interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Joe DiStefano, formerly of the News Journal. Some of it struck me as squirrelly.
https://www.inquirer.com/business/law/new-delaware-governor-port-chancery-court-20250303.html
Highly-recommended interview with Sarah McBride on the Rev’s podcast:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/e336-four-w-123480172?utm_campaign=patron_engagement&utm_source=post_link&post_id=123480172&utm_id=86b406bf-2526-425a-a902-5eca18bb0ddc&utm_medium=email
Not a softball interview by any means, but a fascinating insight into Sarah McBride’s philosophy and approach to governing.
A UK-based friend thinks a security break between the US and Europe is long overdue. His opinion dates back to when Bush enlisted Europe into its fraud-jihads in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Why does the News Journal subscriptions page offer “$1 for 1 Month” or “$45 for 1 Year”?
Those kinds of shenanigans are why I cancelled them long ago. They absolutely refuse to be clear about what you get and how much you pay. If the newspaper is going to play three card monte with subscription plans, their editorial content is probably shit to begin with.