Cumulative Confirmed COVID-19 Cases

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Open Season On Jews

I would change the title to "RUNNING Toward Open Season on Jews", because these ugly antisemites and Islamic terrorists have become so brazenly enthusiastic and open about attacking and killing Jews, and destroying anything Jewish.

Victor Davis Hanson asks, "Where does it all end?"  The answer is, "It doesn't."  We've always been the scapegoat, like we were for Hitler.

But at least now we can fight back.

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From Townhall: 

Slouching Toward Open Season on Jews
Victor Davis Hanson | Dec 25, 2025

"Jews celebrating Hanukkah were just slaughtered by Muslim gunmen on an Australian beach, in an imitation of the October 7 massacres.

"An inert Europe is canceling Christmas celebrations out of fear of threats of violence from Muslim minorities. In the West, when an Islamist shoots a Jew, politicians often offer two bizarre remedies: gun control or a task force to tackle Islamophobia.

"Yet, our political class rarely offers data on the overwhelming preponderance of targeting Jews rather than Muslims, much less the vast disparity in Jewish-on-Muslim versus Muslim-on-Jewish violence.

"To catalog all the recent violence against Jews in the Western world would fill a book."

"We know the causes. Anemic Western leaders – politicians, college presidents, media grandees, and celebrities – fear Muslim terrorism, growing Muslim voters, and their own growing antisemitic campus constituencies.

"So, they never call out antisemitic violence other than with nauseating nothings like, "Such violence has no place here." Or "We condemn such violence in the utmost terms." Or "This is not who we are."

"The prime minister of Australia – a country that produced some of the most heroic soldiers of World War I and II and still is a bulwark of the West in the Pacific – goes through a series of linguistic contortions daily to avoid identifying the threat to Jews and how to stop it. He talks as if guns were animate and murdered Jews without the aid of radical Islamic killers.

"So nothing much follows in the West, and Jews are becoming the hunted. The attacks will increase because there is no foreseeable force to combat them.

"Just a few years ago, it used to be that antisemitism was mostly on the Left and repugnantly identifiable and condemnable by most.

"In 2009, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright grew angry against his former favorite parishioner, then newly elected President Barack Obama, and scoffed in anger, "Them Jews ain't going to let him talk to me."'

"Many leftist icons used to voice blatant antisemitism, such as Jesse Jackson ("Hymietown"), Al Sharpton ("If the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house"), or Louis Farrakhan ("your gutter religion").

"Do we remember the utterances of once White House press corps liberal icon Helen Thomas ("Jews should get the hell out of Palestine. They should go home to Poland, Germany, America, and everywhere else.")?

"Their left-wing legacy is now amplified by Rep. Ilhan Omar ("It's all about the Benjamins, baby"). The so-called Squad, New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, the "The Democratic Socialists of America," and the legions of campus protestors never disown the slogan, "Palestine will be free from the river to the sea" – a call to destroy the current state of Israel and everyone in it – because they either all believe in it or assume their clueless followers have no idea what it means.

"Again, when the elite say, "River to the sea," does that mean they will erase all the Jews in Israel but spare its two-million-Arab citizenry, about the only Arabs in the entire Middle East who vote in free and fair elections and enjoy constitutional rights?

"Of course, no left-wing Westerner visiting the Middle East would wish to publicly express his free speech, atheism, or pro-gay/trans support either in the West Bank or in Gaza.

"The combination of providing DEI exemptions to biased minority activists, the anti-Israel and antisemitic indoctrination in universities, and no-borders immigration has turned the Democratic Party into the natural home of those who dislike Israel in particular and feel free to demonize Jews in general.

"Indeed, most polls show that 60 percent of Democrats favor the Palestinians over the Israelis. Translated, that means they prefer a terrorist autocracy over a Western liberal constitutional government.

"The Right used to be a unified corrective to left-wing antisemitism. It still polls nearly 70 percent in favor of Israel. For a while longer, it is far more likely to condemn antisemitic violence than the Left.

"But recently, its own base, in varying degrees, has come full circle and joined the Left in its distaste for Israel and Jews in general.

"The new anti-Israel Right despises Israel and the U.S. support of it, either in terms that are commercial (there are more Arabs, with more money and oil), cowardly (trashing Jews does not earn terrorist reprisals; rebuking Muslims can), political (Jews more often vote Democratic), or simply antisemitic (cabals of Jews control Wall Street, Hollywood, the media, etc.).

"Once-fringe antisemites like Nick Fuentes are now welcomed to air their views openly, but mostly the conspiracy venom is of the more insidious sort, like "I'm just throwing this out there..." or "Here is something to consider..."

"In the last few weeks, we have been told – without any evidence – by right-wing influencers that the Jews may well have had a hand in killing Charlie Kirk, in bombing an Iranian nuclear facility, in pressuring the Maduro kleptocracy, and in the 9/11 slaughter.

"One hallmark of the new right-wing furor against Jews and Israel is the strange symbiosis they employ. Formerly edgy podcasters become vicarious hosts of virulent antisemites. The partnerships are a way of not directly owning up to their toxicity but just "putting it out there."

"Candace Owens initially championed Kanye West ("I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up, I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.").

"Then she graduated to expressing her own old antisemitic tropes: "There is just a very small ring of specific people who are using the fact that they are Jewish to shield themselves from any criticism. ... All Americans should want answers because this appears to be something that is quite sinister."

"Tucker Carlson hosted critics of the U.S. effort against Hitler in World War II and Israel-behind-it conspiracists before escalating to inviting Nick Fuentes on in a mostly friendly manner – which might be attributed to his interview format, except he has attacked fellow conservatives far more than has odious Fuentes.

"But now Carlson himself too throws out story-line hints about just maybe Jews' involvement in Charlie Kirk's death, or a sort of/kind of Jewish effort behind 9/11, or perhaps it was those Jews eating humus, not the Roman prefect of Judea who ordered Jesus killed for supposed sedition – a common fate of any provincial residents who even appeared to defy the absolute authority of the Roman imperial state.

"Carlson strangely categorized Israel as an "insignificant" country. But is not Israel a democratic Western outpost in a sea of Middle East autocracy, the most technically advanced and scientifically sophisticated nation for its size in the world, and the ancient home of the Judeo-Christian tradition

"Somehow, many on the Right forgot who funds the virulently anti-American mouthpiece Al-Jazeera, or where the 9/11 murderers came from, or who has killed Americans in Syria, Lebanon, and on the Red Sea, and or whom the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, and theocratic Iran have vowed to destroy.

"And as for October 7 and what followed, Israel waited in vain for nearly three weeks for Hamas to give up the 3,000 terrorists who murdered 1,219 Jews, wounded 3,400, and took 254 hostages before mounting a full invasion of Gaza.

"Where does it all end?

"Either there will be an 11th-hour Western intolerance of antisemitism, a limit of student visas and immigration from the illiberal nations of the Middle East, a return to melting pot assimilation, an end to DEI tribalism, and a reform of the weaponized university curricula, or we will see more images of gunmen shooting Jews as if they were mere animals."

Patton's Christmas Prayer

I remember this from the great film "Patton", and it's still appropriate today. Alex Kershaw also wrote a book about it called "Patton's Prayer: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and Victory in World War II". 

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By C. Douglas Golden at The Western Journal, 12/25/25

Trump Would Have Loved This Christmas Card Gen. Patton Sent His Troops in 1944 Asking for Their Prayers 

"It was not the best of Christmas seasons for Gen. George Patton in December of 1944.

"Yes, the general’s Third Army was marching through Europe toward Berlin. Yes, the Nazis were less than a year away from defeat. So, too, were the Japanese. But as Patton’s tank division approached Bastogne, a southern Belgium stronghold occupied by 15,000 U.S. troops and besieged by 50,000 German troops encircling it, he had a problem.

"Rain. Lots of it.

“There is about four inches of liquid mud over everything,” Patton told his wife in a letter, “and it rains all the time, not hard but steadily.” What’s worse, he didn’t have the air cover to relieve the brave Americans holding off the Germans.

"According to the Friends of the National World War II Memorial, Patton realized he needed more than just hope. He realized he needed God.

"So, Patton placed a Dec. 8, 1944 call to the Third Army’s chief chaplain, Fr. James O’Neill.

“Do you have a good prayer for weather?” Patton asked O’Neill. “We must do something about those rains if we are to win the war.”

"O’Neill promised the general he would look for one. Finding none that was suitable, he instead wrote his own. He presented it to Patton.

"The general’s order in response? “Have 250,000 copies printed,” he said, “and see to it that every man in the Third Army gets one.”

"The Christmas card would enter Patton lore and is still talked about today.

“Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend,” it read.

“Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.”

"On the reverse side, Patton wrote, “To each officer and soldier in the Third United States Army, I wish a Merry Christmas. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We march in our might to complete victory. May God’s blessings rest upon each of you on this Christmas Day. – G.S. Patton, Jr., Lt. Gen. Commanding, Third United States Army.”

"We know, of course, that Pattons’ prayer worked. The following day, the weather cleared and the Third Army made its way to Bastogne to relieve the 101st Airborne. The Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive, was repulsed by the end of January, and the war moved toward its inexorable end.

“Chaplain, I am a strong believer in prayer,” Patton told the chaplain before the prayer went out. “A good soldier is not made merely by making him think and work. There is something in every soldier that goes deeper than thinking or working — it’s his ‘guts.’ It is something that he has built in there: It is a world of truth and power that is higher than himself.”

"It’s a reminder that even Patton — a man who had pagan leanings, as anyone who’s watched the biopic can tell you — still knew the importance of Christian prayer. So, too, did anyone who served before the 1960s. Now, we’re just a few years removed from the days when Lloyd Austin ran the Pentagon under Joe Biden. Things have changed a bit under Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth, but it’ll still take a long way to get back to being a God-fearing nation.

"We are not liberating occupied Europe this Christmas, nor will many of us ever undertake something that parlous or important in our lives. But the reason for the season remains: our Savior, and prayers we offer to Him. If Gen. Patton can remember that while looking down the most urgent mission a man can undertake for his country, certainly we — and the president — can, as well."

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

A Terrorist Attack Against Jews Thwarted -- This Time

And the world yawns.

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From PJ Media:

Cops Avert the ‘Deadliest Terrorist Attack in UK History’ — Guess Who the Target Was

By Robert Spencer | 3:02 PM on December 23, 2025

"Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein had big plans — so big that children in the United Kingdom would have read about them in their history books and memorized their names, whether they would have been lionized as heroes or excoriated as villains. To their everlasting disappointment, however, their rendezvous with destiny never happened. Their big plans ended up being disrupted before they had a chance to carry out what has been called “the deadliest terrorist attack in UK history.”

"Sky News reported Tuesday that Saadaoui, 38, and Hussein, 52, have just been found guilty of plotting a jihad massacre with the Jews of Manchester, England as its target. The plot had gone well beyond the talking stage: “They had bought assault rifles, handguns and ammunition for the suicide attack they planned on Jewish targets. They saw any Christian victims ‘as a bonus.’” The pair was hoping that victim count would be high: Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said that if Saadaoui and Hussein had succeeded in carrying out their jihad massacre plans unhindered, they would have pulled off "the deadliest terrorist attack in UK history,” with “catastrophic” consequences.

"Remember, Islamic jihadis murdered 52 people and injured another 770 in the notorious Islamic jihad attack of July 7, 2005, so clearly the pair had very big plans. Their hero was a man who had killed well over twice that number: Saadaoui, “the former owner of an Italian restaurant in a Norfolk seaside town, ‘hero-worshipped’ Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind of the Paris attacks of 2015, and wanted to replicate the attacks in which 130 people were killed.”

"A man such as Abdelhamid Abaaoud could only be a hero in the context of the Qur’an’s promise of a place in paradise to those who “kill and are killed” for Allah (9:111). As Saadaoui and Hussein were planning a suicide attack, they clearly hoped to claim this promise for themselves as well, so as to enjoy for all eternity the favors of the “large-breasted women of equal age” the Qur’an (78:32-3) promises to the blessed. These are the famous virgins of paradise: “Indeed, we have created them a special creation and made them virgins, lovers, friends” (Qur’an 56:35-7).

"In pursuit of this lofty goal, Saadaoui sold his house and used part of the money he received for it “as an initial payment for four AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns and 1,200 rounds of ammunition as he planned a marauding gun attack in revenge for Israeli attacks on Gaza.” He planned to strike in “the same area of Manchester where terrorist Jihad al Shamie later stabbed a worshipper to death outside a synagogue on 2 October.”

"Having nothing but contempt for the legal system of the people whom the Qur’an describes as “the most vile of created beings” (98:6), Hussein disdained even to show up for most of the court proceedings against him. This is not surprising; when he was arrested, he told police “I’m proud, be terrorist here, I’m proud. It's not from us, God sent to us. We are army from God.”

"How could this fellow think he was part of an army from God? Easily. The Qur'an tells Muslims that they are the instruments of Allah's wrath, through whom he punishes the unbelievers: “Fight them, and Allah will punish them by your hands, and he will lay them low and give you victory over them, and he will heal the hearts of people who are believers. And he will remove the anger of their hearts.” (Qur’an 9:14-5) That ensures that there will be much, much more of this.

"This wasn’t a one-off. Saadaoui and Hussein got caught, but others will not be. And as Saadaoui himself said: “If we were to carry out this operation, we target the Jews. We start with the Jews and if there any Christians caught in the act, that is a bonus, but we start with the Jews.”

"As the old jihadi axiom goes, “First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people.” The people of Britain, and of all the countries of the West, will see many more plots targeting Christians as well as Jews. Meanwhile, all objections to continued mass Muslim migration into Britain, and the West in general, will continue to be silenced as “Islamophobia.” 

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

COVID Forecast For 2026

By Jasmine Laws at Newsweek 12-23-25:

What Will Happen to COVID-19 in 2026? Experts Explain 

"It has been almost six years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in 2020, and while it is no longer considered a public health emergency, it can still make more vulnerable people very unwell.

"As the virus is currently on the rise in the United States, which is typical in the winter months, Newsweek has spoken to experts about how COVID-19 will change in 2026, what symptoms to look out for, and whether Americans should be concerned about the virus.

Why It Matters

"While some people can have mild symptoms when infected with COVID-19, others can have much more severe symptoms, potentially resulting in hospitalization and even death.

"Some may also go on to develop long COVID. Long COVID has become one of the most common chronic conditions among America's children.  

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously estimated that between October 1, 2024, and September 27, 2025, there would be between 14.1 million and 20.7 million COVID-19 illnesses, 390,000 and 550,000 hospitalizations, and 45,000 and 64,000 deaths. As of June 1, 2024, nearly 1.2 million people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S.

What Variant, Symptoms Will Be Around In 2026?

"There are many different variants of COVID-19 - some reports say more than 20 - but experts believe that the Omicron variants will be circulating the most in 2026.

"The currently circulating COVID variants all are part of the Omicron family that has been with us for several years now," Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and of medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told Newsweek.

"The most recent variant, descended from the Omicron family, is called XFG, or Stratus, Dr Thomas Russo, a professor and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Buffalo, told Newsweek.

"It appears to be more immune evasive than its processors, thereby enabling it to become dominant since immunity from prior infection or vaccination was imperfect," he said.

"XFG is therefore currently "driving cases," Russo said, but he added that a "new variant is due to emerge," although the timing is uncertain. 

"COVID-19 can result in a wide range of symptoms, such as fevers, chills, cough, shortness of breath, congestion, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, body aches, headache, and many others, according to the CDC. 

"It is likely that symptoms will continue to be the same in 2026, "ranging from a sore throat and mild cold symptoms to severe disease and death depending on the host," Russo said.

"Children under the age of 4, pregnant women, those older than 65, those who are immunocompromised and those who have underlying diseases are "more likely to have a bad outcome," he added.

Will There Be An Increase In Cases In 2026?

"Schaffner said he thought the current COVID-19 viruses would "continue to cause much mild disease this winter, but also severe disease." He said that there has been an "uptick in hospitalized cases" of COVID, indicating the start of the expected winter surge.

"At present, the COVID virus is "mutating steadily within the Omicron family," he said. "Fortunately, no dramatically new virus variant has emerged on the international scene for several years."

"However, Russo said he thought that at some point, perhaps this winter, a new variant will "arise that is either more infectious than XFG, or is better at evading pre-existing immunity, or some combination of the two."

"Aside from virus mutation, vaccination has an impact on COVID-19 hospitalization rates. Schaffner said amid the current increase in hospitalizations in relation to COVID-19, "virtually none are up-to-date with COVID vaccination."

"He said the COVID vaccine "continues to protect against severe disease and, sadly, continues to be underused in our population."

Should Americans Be Concerned About COVID-19 In 2026?

"Schaffner said he would "urge Americans to be aware and respect the seriousness of COVID disease." He added that especially those who are older or have chronic medical conditions, are immunocompromised or who are pregnant should "take advantage of the vaccine soon."

"We cannot be complacent with COVID," Russo said. It remains a "potentially lethal disease, particularly in high-risk individuals," he added.

"He said there is also a further risk of Americans developing long COVID, which he said can "occur in anyone and should be a particular concern for younger, healthy individuals that are at low risk for developing severe disease."

"Russo said the best way to minimize these risks is to "get vaccinated at least once a year - selected high-risk individuals may benefit from two shots a year."

"Although the COVID vaccine is imperfect against preventing infection, it is very good at decreasing your chances of being hospitalized or dying," he said. 

"Recent data suggests that COVID cases may be increasing once again," he added. "Now is the time to get vaccinated to protect yourself and loved ones."

Monday, December 22, 2025

Outbreak Outlook, 12-22-25

Here is Dr. Caitlin Rivers' latest Outbreak Outlook from Force of Infection:

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Outbreak Outlook - National - Dec 22
Influenza continues its steep ascent. Covid-19 and RSV remain at low levels.

Respiratory Diseases

Influenza-like illness

Flu is going up, up, up. Activity is growing quickly for nearly every state.

At the national level, outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) increased to 4.1% and growth is picking up. (As a reminder, outpatient ILI is the percentage of visits to the doctor that are for fever and cough or sore throat.)

To put this in context, the past several years, the peak for outpatient ILI has been around 6-8%, so we likely still have a ways to go. Test positivity has also sharply risen in the past week, from 8.5% to 14.8%.

At the state level, more than a dozen states, primarily in the Midwest and West, are still at minimal or low activity, seven at moderate levels, and more than a dozen at high or very high levels. Remember that more state level data is available in the regional editions.

Children and young adults have had really steep increases in outpatient ILI visits this past week, as I forecasted in last week’s report. About 11.2% of outpatient visits for those aged 0-4 this past week were for ILI, as were about 7.6% for those aged 5-24. Outpatient visits are also increasing for older age groups, though not quite as steeply. If you need a reminder of how to prepare for and manage mild illness at home, I have a post I share every year with tips and tricks.

Severe illness is also rising. ED visits jumped to 2.8% this past week, with increases reported in all four regions. And hospitalizations have risen to 3.5 hospitalizations per 100,000 people.

Sadly, three children are reported to have died from influenza so far this year. Last season was particularly severe, with 288 pediatric deaths. For adults ages 65+, 54 deaths have been reported so far this season. The flu vaccine is the best way to protect against severe illness. If you have not gotten your shot yet, it is not too late.


COVID-19

Covid-19 remains low nationally, but is increasing. Wastewater activity held roughly steady nationally this past week after a few weeks of increases. ED visits increased slightly to 0.5%.

The Midwest is the only region that saw a (slight) increase in wastewater activity, which just tipped across the line from low to moderate activity. In the Northeast, activity dipped slightly this past week, dropping back out of moderate activity into low activity, and in the South, activity also decreased and remains very low. In the West wastewater remains very low, and after a slight increase last week is now lower than it has been at any point in 2025.

Hospitalizations remain low (at 1.3 hospitalizations per 100,000 people) but have increased slightly for the past few weeks.


RSV & Other Bugs

RSV: Activity continues to increase, slowly. However, it remains below-average for this time of year.

Test positivity increased this past week, to 3.4%. ED visits held steady at 0.3%. Emergency department visits have risen to 3% among the youngest children (aged 0-4), who are most seriously affected by RSV. The rate was more than double this at this time last year.

Hospitalizations held steady this past week at 0.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. For the 0-4 age group, hospitalizations also held roughly steady, at 6.4.

Other bugs:

  • Adenovirus and parainfluenza are both past peak, but remain elevated.

  • Human coronaviruses and human metapneumovirus remain fairly low, but are edging upward.

  • Rhinoviruses/enteroviruses have decreased to moderate levels.


Norovirus

Norovirus test positivity data was not updated this week. However, my back-up data source shows that norovirus wastewater activity is high, but decreasing slightly at the national level.

In the Midwest, Northeast, and South wastewater activity is high and increasing. In the West, wastewater activity is also high, but has dipped slightly.


Food recalls

The following foods are being recalled because they are contaminated. Please check your cupboards and throw out any of these items:

New:

  • Frozen raw shrimp sold under the Market 32 and Waterfront Bistro brand names, due to possible cesium-137 contamination (more info)

  • Tamales, various flavors, in 4 count packs, sold by Primavera Nueva Inc. (more info)

  • Salted Caramel Cluster Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert sold under the So Delicious label (more info)

Previously Reported:

  • Town Food Service Equipment Co. Aluminum Saucepans, due to potential lead contamination (more info)

  • Lucky Foods cinnamon powder, due to potential lead contamination (more info)

  • Wegmans Deluxe Mixed Nuts Unsalted (more info)

  • Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, sold under various labels, including Boar’s Head, Locatelli, Member’s Mark, Ambriola, and Pinna at major retailers, including Wegman’s (more info)

  • Prairie Farms Gallon Fat Free Milk (more info)

  • ByHeart Infant Formula due to potential botulism contamination (more info)


In other news

  • Major retailers continued to sell ByHeart infant formula after recall issued. The FDA has sent warning letters to several major retailers about failures to remove recalled ByHeart infant formula from their shelves. The products were linked to an infant botulism outbreak that has led to the hospitalizations of at least 51 infants in 19 states. FDA investigators visited retail locations and found that infant formula remained for sale in dozens of states for weeks, despite repeated contact with the companies. This included at Target stores in 30 states, Walmart stores in 21 states, Kroger stores in 10 states, Albertsons stores in 11 states.

  • Possible threats to vaccine schedule. Several media outlets, including Washington Post and CNN, reported that the Trump administration is considering changing the childhood vaccine schedule to more closely align with Denmark’s schedule, which has a narrower set of recommendations. This action would presumably happen outside the usual process at ACIP.

  • A year of change. In related news, I joined two colleagues for a conversation about the changes unfolding in public health, and what it means for the future. You can read our discussion in the New York Times (gift link). As always, I want to hear your thoughts and concerns and priorities. I’m particularly curious about what more I can do to be helpful during this time of change. Leave a comment or reply to this email to reach me.

Your Local Epidemiologist:The Dose 12-22-25

Here's the latest newsletter from Your Local Epidemiologist:

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We dodged a vaccine disaster (for now). And a quick virus weather report before the break.
The Dose (December 22)
Katelyn Jetelina and Hannah Totte, MPH, Dec 22, 2025

Happy holidays! I have never needed a break more than I do after this year, so YLE will be off for the next two weeks.

Since it’s a holiday week, this Dose was supposed to be a light one, with a quick infectious disease “weather report” to help you navigate holiday gatherings. But alas, 2025 had one last surprise in store with a last-minute vaccine policy scare from RFK Jr. Thankfully, we dodged the bullet for now, but it’s worth understanding what happened.

So, here’s my attempt to bring you along for the ride. Let’s dig in!


A last-minute vaccine policy scare—and why it matters

Last Thursday, I was in a vaccine policy meeting talking about something that has become increasingly fragile: how to protect access to vaccines for Americans who want them, given increasing uncertainty and destruction from the federal government.

In the middle of the conversation, my phone started buzzing. Text after text said the same thing: tomorrow, RFK Jr. would move the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule to the Danish schedule. A press conference was scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m.

Over the next four hours, I was the most worried I have ever been about access to childhood vaccines in the United States. Introducing a completely different vaccine schedule into our system overnight would not have been a minor tweak; it would have been disastrous.

Then the press conference was canceled.

A few days later, Politico reported why: legal and political concerns. HHS was not confident that changing the childhood vaccine schedule to match Denmark’s would hold up in court, and it would be politically risky. (Duh. More than 80% of Americans support routine childhood vaccinations.)

So, for now, Americans dodged a bullet. But I have no doubt this idea will resurface in a different form, so it’s worth understanding what it was all about.

What is actually different about the U.S. and Danish schedules?

Denmark’s childhood vaccine schedule includes fewer vaccines than ours. They don’t routinely vaccinate children against chickenpox, RSV, rotavirus, hepatitis A or B, meningococcal, flu, or Covid-19.

This can look appealing to some. But what makes this work in Denmark is everything beneath the surface: universal healthcare, 46 weeks of paid parental leave, near-universal prenatal screening, centralized medical records, and reliable follow-up.

Because of this system, disease burden is low. Take the Hepatitis B infant dose. Denmark screens nearly 100% of pregnant women and follows up reliably to help prevent transmission. In the U.S., 12–18% of pregnant women aren’t tested, and only 35% of those who test positive complete follow-up care. Before the U.S. universal birth-dose recommendations, thousands of U.S. babies were infected annually by family members who didn't know they carried the virus.

Our broader recommendations exist precisely because our system has gaps. What is safe and effective in Denmark does not translate to the U.S. context. I’ve written about this before here.

Can RFK Jr. actually do this?

Possibly, but it sits in a legal gray area. An independent CDC advisory committee, the ACIP, has historically set vaccine policy. However, the HHS Secretary can issue a directive that changes the schedule without an ACIP vote. That happened earlier this year with Covid-19 vaccine guidance for kids and pregnancy.

That decision is now being challenged in court by the American Academy of Pediatrics. No injunction was issued, so the changes remained in place while the case progresses. In other words, this path exists, but it’s legally shaky.

Why would this be such a big deal?

The childhood vaccine schedule is not just a list of shots. It determines which vaccines kids need for school, what insurance must cover, and which vaccines families can get for free through Vaccines for Children—a program that pays for vaccines for more than half of U.S. children.

It also affects which vaccines are covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). This program was designed to compensate people who experience rare but real vaccine-related injuries, while sparing families from lengthy lawsuits against manufacturers or health care providers and safeguarding vaccine supply and access. If a vaccine is removed from the routine schedule, that safety net can disappear, liability risks increase, and manufacturers may discontinue production because it becomes too costly.

Taken together, changes like these could cause supply chain problems, leave states with massive unexpected bills (~$600 million to $2 billion), increase liability for doctors and hospitals, and create widespread confusion. And confusion alone is enough to lower vaccination rates.

What this means for you

For now, nothing. Thank goodness. All vaccines are still available to you. But it’s clear HHS intends to move dramatically on childhood vaccinations. There is significant mobilization behind the scenes to ensure this doesn’t move forward quietly. I will be sure to bring you up to date if anything changes 

For those of you looking for more, together with the Evidence Collective, we pulled together a short briefing you can find HERE, which includes:

  • Background, including comparison of schedules, key context, and comparison of the country’s processes

  • What could realistically happen

  • Common misconceptions to be ready for

Infectious disease “weather report”

Influenza-like illnesses—coughs, fevers, and sore throats—are on the rise across the country, with particularly high levels in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, and Louisiana. Soon, much of the map will be lit up in red/purple with very high rates.

Source: CDC ILINet

This increase is mostly driven by the flu, which is already making the rounds. Unfortunately, two more pediatric flu deaths were reported this week.

Source: CDC

Covid-19 levels are still relatively low nationwide but are slowly creeping up, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. Based on patterns from the past five years, Covid usually peaks in the first week of January. This year, the wave may arrive a bit later than usual.

Source: NWSS

RSV is also rising, but the season appears to be milder than in previous years. According to the Center for Forecasting Analytics (CFA), hospitalizations from flu, Covid-19, and RSV combined are expected to be roughly the same as last year. The new flu variant may make this season feel heavier, but the mild RSV season and low Covid levels are good news.

What this means for you: There are a lot of sick people peppered throughout the nation. Travel and indoor gatherings will accelerate the spread of all viruses. So…

  • If you’re sick, stay home.

  • Consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces, like airports.

  • It’s not too late to get your flu or Covid vaccines—protecting yourself now can prevent severe illness later.


Bottom line

We’re heading into a much-needed break (unless RFK Jr. pulls another fast one). For now, vaccine access remains intact, viruses are rising across the U.S., and the basics still matter: protect yourself, stay home if you’re sick, and get vaccinated if you haven’t yet.

Most of all, I hope you’re able to rest, unplug, and find some joy over the holidays.

Love, YLE


P.S. Some of you have been asking if Your Local Epidemiologist can accept donations as part of your year-end giving. Yes, and I am so grateful for you! YLE is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Good Fund, a California nonprofit corporation and registered 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID (EIN) 46-1323531.

You can make a tax-deductible donation online here.

If you need to send a paper check instead, the following is important: make the check out to Social Good Fund and write Your Local Epidemiologist in the memo. You can mail the check to: Social Good Fund, PO Box 5473, Richmond, CA 94805-4021.

Protecting Yourself With COVID Boosters

From Medscape, and exactly why I have chosen to get every COVID booster available. If you're immunocompromised, why wouldn't you want to protect yourself?

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COVID Booster Vaccinations: Effective Defense in People With Autoimmune Diseases
Edited by Manasi Talwadekar, December 21, 2025  

TOPLINE:

"COVID booster vaccinations reduced the likelihood of hospitalization related to COVID in patients with autoimmune diseases, with monovalent and bivalent booster vaccines showing 38% and 32% effectiveness in reducing hospitalizations, respectively.

METHODOLOGY:
  • Researchers conducted a real-world observational study to assess the effectiveness of an additional dose of a COVID vaccine in preventing hospitalization due to COVID and other outcomes.
  • They used data from electronic health records of four US healthcare systems and included adults with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (as well as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis) who received immune-modulating medication (including corticosteroid monotherapy). A non-immunocompromised comparison group that did not receive immune-modulating medication was also identified.
  • Participants were divided into groups on the basis of the receipt of monovalent (n = 126,756; January to August 2022) or bivalent (n = 87,906; September 2022 to August 2023) COVID booster vaccines in addition to completion of the primary vaccination series; these groups were compared with people who only completed the primary vaccination series.
  • The primary outcome was COVID-related hospitalization, defined as inpatient admission with an associated diagnosis of COVID and a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Secondary outcomes included a diagnosis of COVID during any timepoint in the study and ICU admission during hospitalization.
  • The effectiveness of booster vaccinations was calculated as 1 minus the summarized hazard ratio [HR], and the number needed to vaccinate was also determined.
TAKEAWAY:
  • In patients with autoimmune diseases, the rate of COVID hospitalization was 15.6 vs 20.1 per 1000 person-years for those who received a monovalent booster vs for those who received only the primary series. For the bivalent booster, the rate was 7.9 vs 10.2 per 1000 person-years among recipients vs among non-recipients. In non-immunocompromised individuals who received monovalent or bivalent boosters, rates ranged from 1.6 to 3.6 per 1000 person-years.
  • Monovalent and bivalent boosters showed an effectiveness of 38% and 32%, respectively, in reducing the rate of COVID hospitalization among patients with autoimmune diseases. The number needed to vaccinate to prevent one COVID hospitalization was 267 for the monovalent booster and 617 for the bivalent booster.
  • The estimated vaccine effectiveness against diagnosed COVID was 10% for the monovalent booster and 5% for the bivalent booster.
  • Vaccination with the monovalent booster vs the primary series alone reduced the risk for COVID-related hospitalization (summary HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.56-0.69); the bivalent booster vaccination also reduced the risk for hospitalization compared with no booster vaccination (summary HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.61-0.76).
IN PRACTICE:

“We conclude that the key benefit of monovalent and bivalent COVID-19 vaccination during the time periods studied was prevention of severe COVID-19, with greater effect in the cohort of persons with autoimmune disease than in non-immunocompromised persons,” the authors of the study wrote. “The current study provides further evidence for the value of increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in high-risk immunocompromised populations,” they added.

“As this current study by Ziemba et al. and others have shown, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are beneficial for patients with SARD [systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease],” experts wrote in an accompanying editorial, further adding, “However, [effectiveness of additional vaccinations] decreases with increasing time following vaccination, and thus booster vaccines remain an important tool to maintain effectiveness over time, particularly among individuals with SARDs.”

Saturday, December 20, 2025

Not Even Sworn In Yet & Already A Disaster

This guy and his Jew-loathing cronies makes me miss the old mayors like Abe Beame.

--------------------------------------------------
From The Algemeiner 12-19-25:

Mamdani Transition Team Appointee Resigns After ‘Money Hungry Jews’ Social Media Posts Resurface 

"An appointee of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani resigned just one day after her selection this week, following the exposure of decade-old social media posts that contained antisemitic language and stereotypes.

"Catherine Almonte Da Costa, who had been named Mamdani’s director of appointments, stepped down Thursday after social media posts from around 2011–2012 resurfaced in which she used phrases echoing classic antisemitic tropes, including references to “money hungry Jews.”

"The Anti-Defamation League condemned the comments, saying they “echo classic antisemitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people,” and questioned how such remarks were not uncovered during the vetting process for a senior role in the incoming administration. Shortly after the controversy broke, Da Costa’s X account was taken offline.

"In a statement announcing her resignation, Da Costa expressed remorse for the posts, calling them  and inconsistent with who she is today. In a statement, Da Costa said  she “spoke with the Mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements. These statements are not indicative of who I am.” Mamdani accepted her resignation, stating that he believed her apology to be sincere.

"The episode has intensified scrutiny of Mamdani’s transition team and personnel choices as he prepares to take office. Mamdani, a progressive lawmaker, has previously faced criticism from Jewish and pro-Israel groups over his rhetoric and positions related to Israel, prompting heightened sensitivity to issues of antisemitism surrounding his administration.

"Jewish communal leaders said the incident underscores broader concerns about tolerance for antisemitic language within progressive political circles and the need for more rigorous screening of public officials and senior staff. Several noted that public servants must be held to a high standard, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism in the United States.

"Halle Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, expressed approval of Da Costa’s resignation.

Glad to see that Catherine Almonte Da Costa has resigned. The views she expressed are unacceptable and intolerable,” she said. 

"Sara Forman, executive director of the New York Solidarity Network, also praised Mamdani’s “cutting ties” with Da Costa, but cautioned that ““had she said ‘Zionist’ instead of ‘Jew’ the response from the incoming Mamdani administration and the outcome we just witnessed would likely have been quite different.”

"David Friedman, the former US Ambassador to Israel, expressed a more skeptical view of Da Costa’s decision to step down.

“Seems like every Mamdani appointee has something in common — an intense dislike for Jews,” he said.

"The resignation marks an early setback for Mamdani’s mayoral transition and is likely to keep questions about antisemitism and accountability at the forefront as his administration begins to take shape. Mamdani has repeatedly stressed his commitment to protecting New York City’s Jewish community amid ongoing concern over rising antisemitism in the city and his own anti-Israel viewpoints.

"Mamdani, a far-left democratic socialist and anti-Zionist, is an avid supporter of boycotting all Israeli-tied entities who has been widely accused of promoting antisemitic rhetoric. He has repeatedly accused Israel of “apartheid” and “genocide”; refused to recognize the country’s right to exist as a Jewish state; and refused to explicitly condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which has been associated with calls for violence against Jews and Israelis worldwide. During his tenure in the NYC City Council, Mamdani spearheaded the “Not on our dime!: Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act,” legislation which would ban charities from using tax-deductible donations to aid organizations that work in the West Bank. In 2021, Mamdani issued public support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement—an initiative which seeks to economically and diplomatically isolate Israel in the first step to its eventual destruction.

"Notably, on Oct. 8, 2023, 24 hours following the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, Mamdani published a statement condemning “Netanyahu’s declaration of war” and suggesting that Israel would use the terror attacks to justify committing a second “Nakba.” Mamdani then said that Israel can only secure its long term safety by “ending the occupation and dismantling apartheid.”

Friday, December 19, 2025

Globalizing The Light

This column was written by Dr Erica Brown on 12/15/25 and published in The Times of Israel.

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Globalize the light
A message to those who seek to 'globalize the intifada': With your unbounded hate, I say, we Jews have been here before and we know how to shine in the darkest places 

"For years now, you’ve tried to distort who we are and victimize us. Too often, your vicious chants have made us narrow ourselves and shrink to fit the size of your hate. Jewish adults wonder if they are welcome in their offices and neighborhoods. Jewish students wonder if they are worthy of love if on campuses around the world, people their age imply they are not worthy of life. Jewish children live in fear that their schools and houses of worship could be attacked on any day, even on a holiday. 

"But, of course, this is your goal. But not your end-goal. Your end goal is ultimately to end all of Jewish life. Hate like this is not bounded. We have been here before. We recognize the signs. Subtle and incremental at first, the stereotypes soon morph into an unstoppable torrent of violence.

"Know this. While you globalize hate, we will globalize light. We will light our Hanukkah candles more proudly than ever. Isaiah the prophet told us long ago to be a covenant people, to bring light, to go to the darkest places and “open eyes deprived of light.” We will light our tiny flame, and every night it will increase into more light.

"To those who deny terrorism, murder, rape, and the cost to humanity that identity politics has exacted, know that we will never forget that Isaiah also warns against those who call “evil good and good evil,” who present “darkness as light, light as darkness,” and bitter as sweet. 

"Language matters. Those who threaten violence with words encourage extremists who commit violence with guns. If you stood in an encampment in Boston, on a street corner in Johannesburg, on a stage in Manhattan, at a soccer game in London, or in a government hall in Dublin with a placard that says “Globalize the Intifada” or “Resistance by Any Means Necessary,” know that you have Australian Jewish blood on your hands right now. 

"Helen Fein defined antisemitism as a “persisting latent structure of hostile belief towards Jews as a collectivity manifested in individuals as attitudes, and in culture as myth, ideology, folklore, and imagery, and in actions — social or legal discrimination, political mobilization against Jews, and collective or state violence — which results in and/or is deigned to distance, displace, or destroy Jews as Jews.” Distance. Displace. Destroy.

"The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance makes the connection between a corruptible idea of Jewishness and the taking of Jewish life clear: “A certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”  

"My teacher, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, called antisemitism a virus that attacks the body and continually mutates while constantly contradicting itself: “In the past Jews were hated because they were rich and because they were poor, because they were capitalists and because they were communists, because they kept to themselves and because they infiltrated everywhere, because they held tenaciously to a superstitious faith and because they were rootless cosmopolitans who believed nothing.” 

"Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, in Antisemitism: Here and Now, identifies both intentional and clueless antisemites who have “internalized antisemitic stereotypes” and are guilty of perpetuating “an insidious and insulting ethnic stereotype.” Bari Weiss told us, in How to Fight Anti-Semitism, to be honest about the extent of antisemitism and its costs. She told us to trust our discomfort and not to minimize our pain.

"Our brothers and sisters in Sydney were among the first to light Hanukkah candles in the world this year. In each time zone, we will continue to spread holiday light so that they know they are not alone, even though you’ve tried so hard to isolate us. Know this: We will endure. We will continue to love and worship and believe in humanity, no matter how you betray us and make us small. We are used to being small. That is where our strength lies. 

"We will continue to be nourished by the Jewish mystic’s words: “Every single day, a ray of light shines into the world, keeping everything alive; with that ray God feeds the world.” As hard as it is this Hanukkah, we will outshine you."

-------------------------- 

About the Author: Dr. Erica Brown is the vice provost for Values and Leadership, Yeshiva University and the director of its Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership. Her latest book is 'The Torah of Leadership: Weekly Essays on the Parsha.'

Melanie Phillips 12/19/25: "The Time for Platitudes is Over"

Here's the latest column by Melanie Phillips, regarding the evil global intifada. As I lit the Hanukah candles this week, I thought of all the Jewish victims who could no longer do so.

Once again, we have great condemnations like this one in response.  And once again, as with all other Jew-killings and attacks, the "leaders" not only condemned antisemitism, but they automatically included "Islamophobia and other hatreds".  They must condemn antisemitism alone, without downplaying it this way in an appeal to dangerous DEI and political correctness.

---------------------------------------- 

The global intifada. The time for platitudes is over. What’s needed is zero tolerance of Islamic extremism and anti-Zionism

Melanie Phillips, Dec 19, 2025 

"How many wake-up calls does anyone need? The cliché that the Bondi Beach Chanukah massacre was just that is singularly inappropriate.

"Australia and the West have had one wake-up call after another. Since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, Australian synagogues have been firebombed; as elsewhere, anti-Israel marches have regularly chanted for the mass murder of Jews; and on campus, Jewish students and academics have been harassed and intimidated.

"The significance of all this has been ignored by Western governments, which have stuck their heads ever more deeply into the sand. But now the attacks have gone into overdrive.

"In Britain on Yom Kippur, two Jews were killed in an Islamist attack on a synagogue. Last Saturday, two Iowa National Guard soldiers and a U.S. interpreter were killed and three were wounded by an ISIS terrorist in Syria’s security forces.

"Last Friday night, an assailant shouting antisemitic abuse fired about 20 rounds into a private Jewish home in Redlands, Calif., which was decorated for Chanukah.

"This week, yeshivah students were assaulted on the New York City subway when returning from a Chanukah event. In another attack, a Jewish man was stabbed in the Crown Heights neighbourhood of Brooklyn, NY, by an attacker who declared: “It’s OK if the Holocaust were to happen again.”

"Two students at Brown University were murdered in an attack on the economics class of a Brown University professor, who also teaches Jewish studies courses. A Jewish professor of nuclear physics* at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was shot dead inside his home; there are unconfirmed reports of Iranian involvement (and at time of writing the motive for these two attacks had not been established).

"During a Chanukah celebration in Amsterdam, dozens of violent anti-Israel protesters were arrested after police had to physically surround Jewish families to protect them. Islamic terror plots have been foiled at German and Polish Christmas markets.

"In other words, this is a global intifada. For diaspora Jews, it’s an emergency. But it’s also a last warning for the West to take Islamic extremism much more seriously as a danger to everyone.

"This has developed into a global crisis because of a climate of impunity. For more than two years now, the streets have been colonised by demonstrators screaming for the murder of Jews and jihad against the West. This has all been largely shrugged aside as “free speech”.

"On the very day of the massacre on Bondi Beach, where 15 people were murdered and three times that many were wounded, demonstrators marched in the British Midlands city of Birmingham behind a banner reading “Brum [Birmingham] says one solution, intifada revolution.”

"The October 7 attacks acted as a galvanic signal to the Islamists that they were now within sight of a final victory over Israel and the West. The way in which the West’s political and intellectual elites bought into their defamatory and obsessional lies about Israel, turning it into a pariah state for daring to defend itself against genocide and reacting with indifference to the escalating abuse of Jews, emboldened and incentivised them to ramp up their intimidation and attacks.

"Too few realise that for the Islamists, the destruction of the Jews, who they understand to be central to Western civilisation, is the necessary precondition for its destruction.

"From Sayed Qutb, the early-20th-century Islamic theorist who inspired modern extremist Islam, to Osama bin Laden and the Hamas Charter, Islamic jihadis have said that their war is against modernity which is a bacillus carried by the West. And that behind both modernity and the West are the Jews.

"It’s important to acknowledge the many Muslims who have no truck at all with Islamic extremism. The hero of Bondi Beach, who tackled the 50-year-old man who perpetrated the attack along with his 24-year-old son and disarmed him with his bare hands, is reportedly a Muslim of Syrian origin.

"Nevertheless, the vast majority of global terror attacks are committed in the name of Islam. The history of Islam as a religion of war tells us that today’s terrorism is not an aberration by a handful of extremists.

"Following the Bondi Beach massacre, there has been a chorus of imams declaring that this attack was inimical to Islamic teaching.

"But that isn’t true. Islamist extremism — or the spreading of Islamic precepts by violence to the rest of the world — is founded in texts and precepts upheld by all Islamic authorities. The warlike verses in the Quran, including those that mandate the killing of unbelievers and hatred of Jews, are held to supersede the more pacific verses.

"True, many Muslims don’t interpret their religion in this way. Many simply ignore its religious precepts.

"Still, no Islamic authorities have repudiated these warlike texts. And there’s no shortage of imams in Britain, Australia and America preaching hatred and murder against Jews and the West with no pushback from either state or Islamic authorities.

"In Australia, an Islamic scholar, Wissam (“Abu Ousayd”) Hadad, preached in November 2023 that the Jews were “rats” and “cowards” who controlled the media and the banks, and who needed war to continue in order to make money.

"In Britain, imams have been documented referring to Israel as a “rapist” who suffered only a “scratch in his face” in the October 7 attacks; praying for victory over the “cursed” Jews and infidels, stating, “Scatter them and rip their groups apart, and destroy their houses and homes, bring them down and punish them like you do criminals;” and preaching that it was “obligatory” for Muslim leaders to support jihad and praising Hamas as “heroes”.

"In the Islamic Centre of Kansas, an imam reportedly proclaimed that “Gaza has begun a new page of Jihad and sacrifice” and then prayed for the destruction of “the criminal Zionists”.

"Are all these imams contravening Islamic teaching? Hardly.

"Following the atrocity in Australia, US President Donald Trump said: “All nations must stand together against the evil forces of radical Islamic terrorism, and we’re doing that.” Britain’s Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has spoken up with refreshing bluntness by stating that Islamic extremism is incompatible with Western democracy.

"This may appear to be a statement of the blindingly obvious. But the problem is that very few other Western leaders have explicitly called out this problem for what it is. And none of them has taken the action necessary to tackle it.

"Trump has made a start by deporting extremists. But Washington could do much more. And the governments of Britain, Australia and Canada have combined extreme hostility towards Israel with a refusal even to identify Islamic extremism as an acute problem, let alone take the measures necessary to deal with it.

"For starters, a responsible and civilised government should be rooting out these extremist imams, prosecuting or deporting them as appropriate. It should be banning the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates, along with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is intolerable that these subversive or terror-promoting groups should be operating with impunity in the West.

"In addition, any responsible and civilised government should be calling out the defamatory lies about Israel as the tissue of falsehoods that they are and as a weapon of war to destroy Israel through delegitimisation

"Yet the British, Australian and Canadian governments have themselves been promoting these lies, thus fanning the flames of murderous Islamist hysteria about Israel and Jews.

"The Jewish world should be likewise calling out those in its own community who unwittingly lend their support to the Islamist onslaught.

"The danger to the Jews is not just from physical attack. What we are witnessing is an all-out onslaught — not just on Israel but on Judaism, by anti-Israel obsessives both inside and outside the Jewish community who are seeking to set Judaism against Zionism.

"Since Judaism constitutes the inseparable fusion of the people, the faith and the land, setting it against Zionism — the right of the Jews to self-determination in their ancestral homeland — is an attempt to rip out Judaism’s very soul.

"If the struggle to stamp out antisemitism is to mean anything more than hollow platitudes, then it must consist of zero tolerance for Islamic extremism—and zero tolerance for the delegitimisation of the world’s only Jewish state."

Thursday, December 18, 2025

A Moving Report on Some of The Heroes of Bondi Beach

What I can't stop thinking about is how some of the murder victims were Holocaust survivors.   They went from one horror to another.

"Never again" doesn't only mean "no Holocaust ever again". It also means "never again will we allow ourselves to meekly submit to our own slaughter."

The Nazis used to march the Jews to an area, have them dig their own graves, then proceed to methodically shoot them dead the way the father-and-son terrorists did.  

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From The New Neo 12/17/25: 

"This is one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen. There was a couple at Bondi Beach who saw one of the gunmen early on, realized the danger, and tried to thwart him. This couple – Boris and Sofia Gurman – were not young; they were 69 and 61 years old. And yet Boris somehow managed to wrest away the gun from one of the terrorists. Here’s the story (there are some still photos at the link):

"The dramatic dashcam footage shows Boris courageously tackling the terrorist, Sajid Akram [the 50-year-old father], on the street and wrestling away the gun as Sofia runs to help.

"Boris is then filmed pointing the rifle at the mass killer in a frantic attempt to make him retreat — only for the terrorist to grab another rifle.

"The couple, who lived in Bondi and had been married 34 years, were ultimately executed at close range.

"A separate drone video showed the couple tragically clutching each other where they died.

"The latter photo is also at the link.

"When I read that story, many things came to mind. The first is their incredible heroism, and the horrific ending as well as the tremendously touching photo. The second was the thought: if only they’d had a weapon! The third was: wait a minute, they did have a weapon and – much like another hero that day, Ahmed al Ahmed – they used it only to threaten the terrorist rather than shoot him. Unlike Ahmed, who only ended up wounded, they ended up dead.

"I don’t know why they didn’t use the gun. Perhaps neither had ever fired one before and didn’t really know what to do. A worse possibility is that perhaps they thought that by firing, they’d be the ones arrested or even killed by police. They almost certainly only had at most a few seconds to think what to do, and I’m not faulting them in the least. I’m just both sad and angry that it came to this.

"At first I thought maybe neither fired the gun at the terrorist because he hadn’t yet shot anyone and they weren’t sure how dangerous he was, but I learned from this article that that was not the case:

“My dashcam accidentally captured this shocking scene,” the user who posted the video, who told NBC News she wanted to go by the name Jenny, said in the caption to her post.

“One terrorist on the bridge fired the first shot, then the second, then the third. Meanwhile, the other terrorist had just gotten out of the car when an elderly man by the roadside didn’t run away. Instead, he charged toward danger, fought desperately to grab the gun, and held on tightly! Watching through the lens as the old man was finally shot and fell to the ground — my heart was torn apart,” she said.

"From their first names, it seemed to me that this couple had probably emigrated to Australia, and it turns out they were Jewish and had come from Russia.

"Another person who tried to fight was killed as well:

"Reuven Morrison, 62, was killed when he physically confronted one of the gunmen, according to his daughter, Sheina Gutnick.

“He managed to throw bricks at the terrorist,” she told CBS News.

"Also not a young person.

"There were many civilian heroes at Bondi Beach that day. All of them were extraordinarily brave, but unfortunately all of them were unarmed. RIP."

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

What COVID Does To Your Immune System

It's amazing  how destructive COVID is, and that's what has always frightened me and caused me to take all precautions.

---------------------------------------------- 

From Medical Xpress 12-17-25:


Graphical Abstract. Credit: NAR Molecular Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1093/narmme/ugaf034

"Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil have discovered that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, uses a sophisticated tactic to evade the human body's defense system. In addition to its ability to evade the immune system before invading the host cell, which is common to other viruses, SARS-CoV-2 acts on a second front by manipulating the host cell's genetic material in a way never before seen in other pathogens. 

"The study, published in the journal NAR Molecular Medicine, describes how the virus interacts with the RNA of infected lung cells in an unprecedented way.

"SARS-CoV-2 doesn't mess around. It interacts with the host cell in an extremely sophisticated and direct manner, manipulating its genetic material like no other pathogen does. We discovered that, through a very sophisticated pairing mechanism, the virus's RNA interacts with different types of RNA in the infected cell, interfering with the functioning of the cellular machinery and blocking the production of interferon, one of the main antiviral defenses," explains Marcelo Briones, coordinator of the Center for Medical Bioinformatics at the São Paulo Medical School (EPM-UNIFESP) and coordinator of the research.

"According to Briones, although this is a fundamental biology study, the discovery may influence our understanding of the disease and the development of vaccines and treatments in the future.

"This changes our understanding of the virus and of RNA viruses and paves the way for new prevention and treatment strategies. We've shown that SARS-CoV-2 protects itself through methylation, that is, by modifying its RNA with a methyl group. In theory, this could enable the development of antivirals that inhibit the enzymes responsible for this RNA modification," Briones explains to Agência FAPESP.

Weakened immune response

"SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, meaning it does not have a DNA genome, and it has a high capacity for mutation. "This doesn't mean that they're simpler viruses; quite the contrary. Our study showed that RNAs interact with both invading virus molecules and molecules that are extremely important for the immune response, which is extremely interesting from a fundamental biology point of view," he says.

"In their work, Cristina Peter and Caio Cyrino identified that SARS-CoV-2 exposes its RNA to the cellular environment as soon as it penetrates cells, promoting connections with a specific type of RNA—long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)—to circumvent the initial immune response of human cells. The virus quickly establishes connections with lncRNAs, such as UCA1, GAS5, and NORAD, upon invading the cell. These lncRNAs are important regulators of interferon signaling, which is a key component of innate antiviral defense.

"During this process, a chemical modification occurs that the scientists call N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) methylation. This process destabilizes RNA structures and hinders the classic pairing between the amino acid bases adenine (A) and uracil (U).

"Our main hypothesis is that methylation destabilizes double-stranded RNA structures, promoting Hoogsteen-type pairings, which are less stable and can interfere with interactions between RNAs and, consequently, with interferon signaling, which impairs the immune response," Briones explains.

"He adds that this structural change reduces the binding time of lncRNAs to their main targets, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), thereby weakening their regulatory function.

"In the study, we identified the lncRNA UCA1 as a central player exhibiting a complex pattern of reduced expression and increased methylation. It interacts directly with both the viral genome and components of the interferon pathway," the researcher explains.

"The study used Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology, which allows for the direct, real-time analysis of long fragments of RNA or DNA. This technology works by monitoring changes in an electric current as nucleic acids—the molecules that make up genetic material—pass through a protein nanopore. The resulting signal is decoded to determine the specific RNA sequence.

"This result can then be immediately compared to a genetic sequencing database to identify various pieces of information, such as the species to which the material being studied corresponds. Using machine learning techniques, the researchers measured the overall increase in methylation in cells. Mathematician Fernando Antoneli and Nilmar Moretti participated in the work.

"Briones says that the next steps will be to validate the computational analysis data experimentally. "Now the bench work begins to confirm the mechanisms we observed," the researcher concludes."

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

The Intifada Has Been Globalized -- AND Normalized in NYC

You'd have thought the atrocities of October 7 would have made antisemitic savages like this ashamed of their actions. Instead, October 7, and the Bondi Beach massacre, have inspired more unrestrained attacks -- because who's going to stop them?

We can expect more attacks on New York Jews once Zohran Mamdani becomes Mayor. Protect yourself with whatever you can. I've been carrying a church key with a sharp pointed end, as well as a trial size of Lysol to use as Mace. Doing something to these barbarians is better than doing nothing.

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By Amy Curtis at Townhall 12/16/25:

This Is What 'Globalize the Intifada' Looks Like: Orthodox Jews Attacked on NYC Subway

"Following Sunday's terror attack in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, it seems antisemitism continues to rise globally, including in New York City, where Orthodox Jews were attacked and threatened on the city's subway last night.

"Orthodox Jewish passengers were violently choked, assaulted, and threatened with death on a crowded New York City subway train after a group of attackers deliberately targeted them in public. 

"According to a firsthand account, the attackers began hurling curses at the victims at the station, then boarded the train with them and escalated the violence onboard. The group choked the victims, beat them, and threatened to kill them as the train continued along the route.

“It happened about 1 hour ago on the 3 line,” the witness said. “We transferred from the 4 to the 3 at Franklin Station. They were already there, started cursing, got on the train with us, and followed us toward Kingston. We got off 1 stop before.”

"The attack unfolded in front of a packed train, with Orthodox Jews singled out, physically assaulted and threatened with murder, while other passengers looked on.

"This is deeply disturbing.

"This is the new normal in a city spiraling into chaos under radical left-wing influences. With Zohran Mamdani – the "Globalize the Intifada" champion – set to seize control as Mayor, NYC is barreling toward becoming the NEXT FRANCE: a no-go zone for Jews where open hatred reigns, synagogues need armed guards, and families hide their Stars of David in fear," Mek wrote.

"As of this writing, Mamdani has not commented on the attack. We're not surprised. Before Thanksgiving, a mob of antisemitic, anti-Israel activists descended on the Park East Synagogue during an event hosted by Nefesh B'nefesh on how to immigrate to Israel. Mamdani blamed the Jews and Nefesh B'nefesh, saying the event "violated international law."

"This is what "globalize the intifada" means.

"If it were almost any other demographic being targeted, we'd be given lectures on racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, etc. 

"Social workers will fix this.

"Many pointed out the inaction of the fellow straphangers.

"It's understandable, because the last time someone tried to defend subway riders, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg tried throwing him in prison for a very long time. What do you think would happen to a Jewish man who defended himself, or a non-Jewish person who stood up to the black attackers in defense of the Jews?

"Prison, that's what.

"It doesn't stop with Jews, which is why we must speak up. It's wrong and should not be tolerated."