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Monday, March 09, 2026

Dr Ruth Report 3-8-26

It looks like Dr Ruth Ann Crystal has changed the name of her newsletter, but it's still full of the information we need.

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Dr. Ruth Report, 3/8/26
Ruth Ann Crystal MD, Mar 09, 2026

We are finally seeing COVID levels decrease in the Midwest and Northeast. RSV season is very late this year and is expected to continue to cause disease in babies and in the elderly until April. Flu A is low, but Flu B is high especially in the Midwest and Northeast. Other common winter viruses are mentioned below.

Wastewater levels for COVID, RSV, Flu A, Flu B:

From: https://data.wastewaterscan.org/

Flu

Although Influenza A has declined, Influenza B is increasing and is HIGH in many places in the United States. Influenza activity is VERY HIGH in Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, and Missouri.

Ninety children have died of the flu this year so far. Vaccination can provide protection against severe disease and there are effective antiviral medicines against influenza that are especially effective if taken early.

RSV

We are having an unusually late RSV season this year as reflected by high RSV in wastewater and significant emergency department visits and hospitalizations for RSV in infants and children 4 years and younger. “This atypical season indicates that higher levels of RSV activity may continue into April in many regions”, according to the CDC. RSV vaccines are available and are important for pregnant women and older adults. Babies may receive monoclonal antibodies like Beyfortus to protect against RSV which can cause very severe disease in infants.

HMPV, Norovirus and Rotavirus are HIGH in wastewater now:

From: https://data.wastewaterscan.org/

Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV)

HMPV causes cold symptoms in most people, but it can make young babies, the elderly and immunocompromised people more sick. It is HIGH in wastewater now across many parts of the United States.

Norovirus

Norovirus, sometimes referred to as the “stomach flu”, causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. It is the top cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Norovirus has caused outbreaks on cruise ships and is very contagious. Wastewater levels of Norovirus are HIGH right now, especially in the Midwest and Northeast.

Rotavirus

Rotavirus causes diarrheal illness mostly in babies and young children under age 5. Adults are rarely affected due to immunity to the virus. We are seeing HIGH levels of Rotavirus across the nation presently.

COVID

Nationwide, SARS-CoV-2 is MEDIUM in wastewater according to WastewaterSCAN, with higher levels in the Midwest and Northeast. WastewaterSCAN is more up to date than the CDC, but it omits 12 states. Levels of COVID in wastewater have finally been decreasing over the last several weeks.

COVID Variants

According to WastewaterSCAN, variant XFG was causing most cases of COVID as of 2/22/26. Sequencing data has a lag of 1-2 weeks after collection for WastewaterSCAN. I am glad that they are reporting on COVID variants, since the CDC stopped reporting them back in August 2025. Our current COVID vaccines should protect against XFG, but vaccine efficiency against infection declines over 2 to 3 months and against severe disease declines by 6 months.

Acute COVID infections, General COVID info

The National Clinical Cohort Collaborative “conducted an emulated target trial in a retrospective cohort of [3,553] patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis who were prescribed IL-6 receptor antagonists (sarilumab or tocilizumab, pooled treatment) or other biologic agents (anakinra or baricitinib, pooled comparator) in 2022.” They found that those prescribed IL-6 receptor antagonists had a 60% lower mortality, and about 58% lower risk of being diagnosed with Long COVID compared to other biologic agents in this patient group. Protection was strongest when the IL-6 receptor antagonist medication was started before COVID infection.

A group from Hong Kong University found persistence of SARS-CoV-2 viral fragments in nasal tissue of hamsters for 120 days after COVID infection. This led to ongoing inflammation, dysregulation of tissue repair and remodeling, and increased the animals’ vulnerability to secondary respiratory infections.

🧠 DNA methylation is an epigenetic switch that controls how certain genes are turned on or off. Researchers from the Van Andel Institute in Michigan looked at whole-genome DNA methylation sequencing (WGMS) in the blood of 101 people with COVID infections ranging from asymptomatic to severe versus 105 SARS-CoV-2 negative individuals. They found widespread gene hypomethylation in infected individuals, which was more pronounced in severe COVID cases and varied depending on the severity of infection. The DNA hypomethylation turned on genes related to immune function and to neurodegenerative pathways linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and neuropsychiatric conditions. These findings show how epigenetic changes in gene methylation from COVID infection may connect to long-term neurological sequelae.

Social and Advocacy

International Long COVID Awareness Day is on March 15, and in honor of this occasion, landmarks across the globe will be lit up teal and gray. COVID Safer San Francisco Bay Area (CSSFBA) has posted a list of landmarks around the world that will be marking Long COVID awareness including San Francisco City Hall which will be lit teal and gray on March 15.

Pediatrics

“Chronic orthostatic intolerance (COI) refers to a group of conditions in which upright posture triggers a wide range of symptoms, including dizziness, fatigue, cognitive fog, and palpitations, among others, persisting for at least three months. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) represents a specific subset of COI, distinguished by an exaggerated heart rate response, defined in adolescents as an increase of ≥40 beats per minute (bpm) or an upright HR exceeding 120 bpm.” Researchers from the University of Utah studied 92 adolescents with COI and found that the teens had similar disability scores whether they met POTS heart rate criteria or not.

Long COVID

Good news! PhysicsGirl Dianna Cowern just posted her first teaching video in 3 years. “After three years away from creating videos due to severe Long COVID, Dianna returned in 2026, continuing her mission to share curiosity, resilience, and the wonder of science.”

🧠 Researchers at NYU Langone Health followed 260 adults and found Long COVID patients had a much higher rate of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) over 4.4 years. About 27% of Long COVID patients developed MCI, compared with 5% of recovered COVID patients and 1% of uninfected participants. The findings suggest persistent post-COVID neurological effects may increase long-term Alzheimer’s dementia risk.

🧠 A new article shows how the gut microbiome-brain axis affects cognitive dysfunction (brain fog) in Long COVID. Researchers from the Université de Montréal performed several different experiments in mice and in vitro showing that certain gut bacteria in people with Long COVID release tiny signaling particles called gut microbiota-derived extracellular vesicles (GMEVs) that weaken the intestinal barrier and trigger inflammation in immune cells and in brain glial cells. First, germ-free mice were given gut microbes from women with Neuro-Long COVID and this caused brain inflammation and behavior changes in the mice. Next, GMEVs from Long COVID patients were found to induce intestinal epithelial inflammation, impair gut barrier function and activate macrophages in vitro. A third experiment showed that GMEVs from Long COVID patients induced a pro-inflammatory response in iPSC-derived microglia (brain immune cells). Finally, when wild-type mice were given GMEVs from Long COVID patients orally, their gut microbiome changed, and they developed intestinal inflammation, behavioral changes, and brain inflammation.

This study provides strong evidence that GMEVs from gut bacteria in Long COVID may contribute to cognitive dysfunction, or brain fog. The findings suggest a gut–brain inflammatory pathway that drives neurological symptoms in Long COVID and may represent a potential target for microbiome-based therapies such as synbiotics that help restore gut microbial balance.

🧠 Scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden studied 22 people with Long COVID after mild infection using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) brain imaging to analyze neural connectivity. They found higher default mode brain network connectivity that correlated with reduced cognitive performance at 32 months after infection in Long COVID patients with cognitive symptoms and fatigue.

A study from Yale of 43,067 US adults found that the risk of Long COVID decreased from 20% in 2022 to 14% in 2024. Over the same time period, recovery from Long COVID increased from 51% to 60%, with less recovery seen in women and lower income groups. Although the prevalence of Long COVID has decreased over time and some people recover, there are still millions of Americans and people worldwide who continue to suffer from this debilitating disease.

A group from Zurich compared 24 Long COVID patients (LC) who reported fatigue, neurocognitive symptoms, and exercise intolerance to 40 post-severe COVID patients (PC) who most often showed pulmonary impairment. Using a 3 protein blood signature (LAMP3, CKAP4, KRT19), they were able to distinguish between the LC and the PC group with 89% accuracy.

Researchers in the United States and Sweden studied 28 adults with persistent taste complaints more than 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection and performed detailed taste testing and tongue biopsies in 20 participants. Eleven participants had selective loss of sweet, umami, or bitter taste, which was linked to reduced expression of key taste-signaling genes such as PLCβ2 and TAS1R3 in taste receptor cells. The overall structure of taste buds was largely preserved and viral RNA was not detected, suggesting that Long COVID taste dysfunction may reflect lingering molecular changes in taste signaling rather than permanent structural damage.

In a South Korean study of 396 people with PASC (Long COVID), a 2 week course of metformin or ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) did not significantly improve recovery from PASC (Long COVID) as measured by the PASC index score at 8 weeks.

ME/CFS

Researchers in Norway studied blood proteins in 50 ME/CFS patients and 29 healthy controls using large-scale proteomics. They found reduced intracellular proteins in skeletal muscle in ME/CFS and immune reprogramming, including a distinct reduction in proteins secreted by activated neutrophils. “Focused secretome analysis supports intensified regulatory interactions related to immune activity, inflammation, vasculature, and metabolism” in ME/CFS.

Proteomics in ME/CFS from: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(26)00064-9

Measles

As of March 5, 2026, 1,281 measles cases have been confirmed so far in the United States in 2026 with 5% (62 of 1281 cases) hospitalized.

As of March 6, 2026, the South Carolina Department of Public Health reports 991 cases of measles in an outbreak that started in October 2025.
The Utah Department of Public Health states that 358 Utahns have been diagnosed with measles in this outbreak, with 78 new cases reported to public health in the last 3 weeks.

U.S. health officials have postponed a meeting with the regional World Health Organization until after the November midterm elections that will probably confirm that the United States has lost its measles elimination status. Delaying the meeting will not make U.S. measles cases disappear, but it could affect the elections.

ICE confirms a measles outbreak in the nation’s largest ICE detention center in Texas. There are 14 confirmed measles cases in the camp and 112 other individuals have been isolated in connection to the outbreak, according to Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. On average, every person who has the measles will infect 12 to 18 other people in an unvaccinated population. Congresswoman Escobar added, “There has been nothing but crisis after crisis inside the walls of this tent city.”

Camp East Montana is an immigration detention facility on Fort Bliss along the Texas-Mexico border.

Photo by Paul Ratje / The New York Times / Redux file

This week it was reported that an unvaccinated adult who traveled from Europe to the United States while infectious with measles last year spread the virus to 17 other people on the airplane and at the airport, according to the CDC. The case-patient had a fever, persistent cough, cold-like symptoms, and conjunctivitis (“pink eye”) during travel, and his rash occurred one day after his domestic flight. People are most contagious with measles for 4 days prior to the rash and 4 days after the rash appears.

Measles and other infectious diseases are not just a health problem, they are also an economic problem. A policy analysis from the Common Health Coalition examines how declining childhood vaccination rates lead to more outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and to significantly higher medical spending due to hospitalizations, treatment, and public health responses needed.

From: https://commonhealthcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SpotlightBrief_ChildImms.pdf

Measles cases in the last 2 weeks from the John Hopkins US Measles Tracker:

Global Vaccine Preventable Disease Tracker

From: https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/vaccine-preventable-disease-a-global-tracker

Tuberculosis

As of February 20, 2026, 3 cases of active tuberculosis (TB) have been confirmed at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco. Among 1,261 students and staff tested, 219 (17%) had positive TB tests, including 204 confirmed latent TB infections. Additional chest X-rays are underway to rule out active disease in the remaining cases. Health officials emphasize that latent TB is not contagious, but testing and treatment are important because it can later progress to active TB.

Other news

In 507 adults with obesity, combining bimagrumab with semaglutide led to larger weight loss and reduced body fat by 34% while preserving lean mass compared to either drug alone, highlighting a potentially more effective therapy for improving body composition.

Researchers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs analyzed data from 606,434 veterans with type 2 diabetes to study whether GLP-1 receptor agonists affect substance use risk. Veterans starting GLP-1 drugs had lower risks of developing alcohol, nicotine, opioid, cannabis, and cocaine use disorders compared with those starting SGLT-2 inhibitors. Among people with existing substance use disorders, GLP-1 treatment was also linked to fewer overdoses and fewer substance use disorder related hospitalizations.

A common anti-seizure drug called levetiracetam (Keppra) has been found to prevent the production of toxic amyloid-beta 42 peptides and amyloid plaques which can ultimately lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

In the 2026 Milano Paralympics, 25 competitors are expected to use the prosthetics that Paralympian Mike Schultz had initially invented for himself. Mike said, “I personally assemble all the legs that go out and being able to see the best athletes in the world, choose our equipment is awesome.”

Photo from: https://www.monstermikeschultz.com/

Giant tortoises have returned to Floreana Island in the Galápagos for the first time in nearly 200 years. Conservationists released 158 young giant tortoises descended from the extinct Floreana lineage, helping restore the island’s ecosystem and seed dispersal.

Have a good week,

Ruth Ann Crystal MD

Sunday, March 08, 2026

March 8 Is UK COVID Day of Reflection

It's very sad that so many people are treating COVID and its horrors with "forgetting and indifference". It's extremely important that nobody forget what the first years of the pandemic were like, not only to make sure their loved ones are never forgotten, but also to make sure we avoid having this happen to us again.

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What the UK’s ‘day of reflection’ reveals about COVID memory

By David Tollerton. The Conversation. Published: March 6, 2026 5:17am EST

"A couple of years ago I dug up an artefact buried under soil, grass and leaves in a park close to my home in Exeter. It was not some ancient object but rather a granite memorial plaque laid down by the local city council only three years before. Dedicated to regional victims of the COVID pandemic, it had been created, forgotten and swallowed by the ground in swift succession.

"This illustrates our conflicted relationship with remembering the pandemic in Britain. The urge to memorialise sits awkwardly alongside forces of forgetting and indifference. COVID killed over 230,000 people in the UK and had profound effects on health, wellbeing, child development and economic stability. Yet many people treat it with the ambivalence of waking from a strange dream.

"Following its official response to the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration late last year, the British government is now formally stepping into this slippery space of remembering and forgetting. March 8 has been designated as a day of reflection on the pandemic, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport taking the lead.

"And yet how much difference will this day make? What media coverage will it receive? How much public appetite is there for it? In my own work on British remembering and forgetting of the pandemic, I have found much evidence of uncertainty about what should be remembered, who should be centred and when commemoration ought to begin.

"Despite the death toll and social consequences, public memory of the COVID pandemic has been marked by hesitancy about what should be remembered, when commemoration should happen, who it should involve and how it should be enacted.

"A key challenge is the absence of a unified narrative. Pandemic experiences ranged from bereavement, illness and profound suffering in lockdown to mild inconvenience or even a welcome respite from normal life. Depending on luck and the situation with which you entered into the pandemic, it was anything from deeply traumatic to something people are quietly nostalgic about.

"When I asked for short public recollections of the period, I received stories of loss, disrupted lives and exhausted health workers, but was also inundated with descriptions of birdsong and country walks. The responses were later compiled into an online audiobook. Public memory of the pandemic has to find a way of holding these incongruities together.

"The day of reflection also has a disorientating relationship with time. COVID had no neat end point, no convenient armistice day around which to orient ourselves. The question of when public remembrance should begin was therefore unclear. Some informal memorials were created not long after the pandemic started, but when the government launched the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration in 2022, it was criticised for being too soon. In reality there is probably no perfect moment for public memorialisation, with the time always feeling either too early or too late for different people.

"The question of who should organise remembrance is equally fraught. The state’s slow response to recommendations from the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration has been shaped in part by an awareness that this is politically sensitive terrain. Perhaps remembrance should not be led by the state at all. The grassroots activist group COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK created the National Covid Memorial Wall in London, and the bereavement charity Marie Curie oversaw earlier versions of the day of reflection.

"Focusing collective recollection solely around loss of life nonetheless leaves major gaps in terms of the variety of people’s experiences. But there are also risks in wholly levelling the playing field. The loss of a loved one is not equivalent to Zoom quizzes and sourdough baking. Nor should collective memory erase the extent to which the pandemic’s impacts were systemically uneven, with higher mortality rates in some ethnic minority communities.

Remembering through the lens of war

"The day of reflection also sits awkwardly alongside existing patterns of how British people remember. These habits are most prominently shaped by rituals of war memory. The various memorial spaces associated with fundraiser and veteran Captain Sir Tom Moore emerged partly because he so neatly fused thoughts of COVID and the second world war.

"But the pandemic was not much like a military conflict. While there were praiseworthy instances of public service, most deaths did not fit a narrative of heroic sacrifice, the virus was not an ideological or national enemy, and comparisons between prime ministers Boris Johnson and Winston Churchill have not endured.

"Despite the difficulties of what is remembered, when it should happen, who should lead it and what form it should take, there has been an abundance of memorial creation since 2020.

"When researching a book on the topic, I visited one built high up a Welsh mountain. I saw one constructed elaborately from wood and later ceremonially set ablaze. Another was framed as a defiant celebration of working-class heroism. One depicts exhausted medical staff cast in bronze. There were many others. Their narratives, forms and origins vary considerably, but what they share is a tenuous grasp on public consciousness. Generally they are little known and, in some cases, their long-term survival is uncertain, dependent on funding, maintenance or continued public interest.

"The March 8 day of reflection will not settle the question of how Britain remembers or forgets COVID, but it will reveal how willing we are to try. Any national act of remembrance will only feel meaningful if it can hold together grief, inequality and ambivalence without pretending they are the same."

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David Tollerton, Associate Professor, Memory Studies, University of Exeter. During 2021-2022 David Tollerton received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council to research this topic.

Saturday, March 07, 2026

An Abomination in New York

I saw this on the news last night and was sickened. Here we are, getting rid of the murderous Ayatollah and trying to free the Iranian people, and this is the thanks we get. If these "mourners" loved Khamenei so much, then why didn't they stay in Iran? Too bad these Jew-haters can't be sent back to Iran now, because we don't want them here, especially in New York City.

From The Times of Israel, 3-7-26:

Protesters chant ‘Death to America, death to Israel’ at NYC vigil for Khamenei

"Protesters in New York City chant “death to America, death to Israel,” in Farsi, at a protest honoring late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in New York City.

"The protesters set up images of Khamenei on a table alongside flowers and candles, hold flags showing Jeffrey Epstein’s face, and hold signs that say, “solidarity with Iran.”

“We must live like the ayatollah did, with his heart for his people, and we must die like he did,” a speaker tells the crowd.

"Iranian counter-protesters chant “USA,” “terrorist,” and “Bibi thank you” from across a metal police barricade."

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See the photos at the link. New York Post 3-6-26:

Anti-Iranian regime protester pummeled at deluded NYC vigil for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

"An anti-regime protester who wanted to “show up for the Iranian people” was thrown to the ground and beaten Friday at a sparsely attended Manhattan vigil for Iran’s dead Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"While NYPD cops attempted to keep the two small groups separate, tension boiled over when Rami Even-Esh ripped down a picture of Khamenei at the demonstration in Washington Square Park.

“Take this down!” he shouted, as a swarm of the dictator’s sympathizers — some donning keffiyehs — knocked him down and kicked him, according to footage from FreedomNTV.

"Cops quickly jumped in and placed him in handcuffs as blood gushed from the top of his nose.

“He’s a terrorist who’s killed American soldiers and I think it was insane that I was right there and there was a vigil so I just took the sign down. I felt that was the right thing to do,” the victim told The Post as cops led him away.

“I feel like someone should show up for the Iranian people.”

"Police said multiple people were taken into custody during the demonstration.

"About two dozen counter-protesters, some of Iranian descent or pro-Israel, also chanted “USA” and “death to the terrorist,” drowning out the roughly 25 mourners on hand for the detestable display of respect for the top cleric.

"The group commemorating the leader of the murderous regime claimed he defended the Iranian people — and they credited him for his bloodthirsty opposition to Israel.

"They also boasted his support for progressive causes, according to a vigil handout.

"Flowers lay on a table covered in a black and red keffiyeh. An Iranian flag and one with the depraved despot’s face on it were also flying.

"An Iranian woman who immigrated to the US said the pro-Khamenei protesters were clueless about the realities of the “terroristic regime.”

Friday, March 06, 2026

Melanie Phillips on Iran: "An Alliance of Light Against Darkness"

She's exactly right, as usual. My reaction to Starmer's initial refusal to allow us to use UK bases was, "He's no Winston Churchill" -- which has been said by many others.

This whole week I've also been thinking, "Imagine if this were Blinken and Biden". I'm so grateful it isn't, and I'm grateful it's Bibi and Trump who are in charge.

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An alliance of light against darkness. The war against Iran may put America and Israel at the head of a new world order

Melanie Phillips, Mar 06, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with US President Donald Trump at the White House, February 2025

"The war against Iran, in which America and Israel are rapidly degrading Tehran’s powers, doesn’t merely offer the hope of relief for the whole world by eradicating one of its most evil, murderous and far-reaching regimes.

"We are also witnessing an even more momentous development — the likely birth of a new world order pivoted around that alliance between America and Israel.

"Like a drowning man clutching at a boat he doesn’t even realise is holed and sinking, Britain’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is clinging to the “rules-based international order”. As a result, he refused to support the bombing of Iran because he said it was illegal under international law.

"According to those rules, war is only permitted as a response to an attack that’s imminent or already underway. Defence is fine; attack is not. The fact that a pre-emptive attack might be the only effective form of defence is dismissed as against the rules.

"This means that even if the creation of an Iranian nuclear bomb was a mere 10 days away, as was reportedly the case, Israel would have to sit on its hands until almost the point of detonation before it became legal for it to attack.

"Law thus becomes a formula for national suicide.

"When the war started on February 28, Starmer refused to allow the Americans to use British-run air bases, including the crucial base on Diego Garcia, on the grounds that the war was illegal. He granted permission only after Iran started firing missiles at allies in the Gulf and at British forces stationed in Cyprus.

"Starmer then hedged this belated gesture about by saying that British forces would be used to defend its allies but not to attack Iran. And it wouldn’t defend its American and Israeli allies because they had started an “illegal” war.

"This was a wholly incoherent and morally unconscionable position. Such legalistic casuistry derives from the fact that liberal universalists like Starmer have made international law into a religion because they believe it replaces war by rules ordaining negotiation and compromise.

"Far from producing an end to tyranny, persecution and oppression, however, this international order has created a world in which the United Nations, which administers the rulebook, is in bed with Hamas. And the world body has long empowered states that pose an acute threat to freedom, such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, to hold the whole world hostage to their predatory and murderous agendas.

"Moreover, the entire international human rights and humanitarian order has been turned into a weapon against Israel. Far from promoting peace and justice, it facilitates and sanitises terrorism, genocidal mass murder and gross injustice.

"The result is that Starmer has brought shame and humiliation on his country. This is a nation that once led the world in warfare — an island nation whose storied navy dominated the seas and which in 1940 stood alone against the Nazis. Today, it has failed to defend its own people — some 240,000 Brits live in Dubai and Abu Dhabi — and won’t even get its warship out of mothballs to send to Cyprus before next week.

"Starmer has provoked the undiluted fury of the Emiratis and Kuwaitis, who say they no longer see Britain as an ally because it refuses to join the battle against Iran.

"US President Donald Trump told reporters that he was “disappointed with Keir,” who is “not Winston Churchill”. For once, that was a Trumpian understatement. Churchill must be revolving in his grave.

"Starmer has now blown up Britain’s “special relationship” with America. He has turned Israel into a pariah — principally because it stands against the liberal universalist faith in negotiated compromise that it rightly believes would bring about its own destruction.

"The resulting toxification of Israel has given rocket fuel to Islamists in an alliance with other anti-Zionists and antisemites that’s poisoning British politics and society and hanging British Jews out to dry.

"What few have properly understood is the enormous change in the world order that may result from this war. Few have realised the extent to which Iran has propped up the axes of evil that have taken the world to hell in a handbasket.

"The triumph of the Islamic revolution that brought the Tehran regime to power in 1979 galvanised, incentivised and provided material support for other Islamists to wage jihadi holy war against the West through strategies of infiltration, subversion and terror. Destroying the Tehran regime would deal a blow to the Islamist goal of destroying Western civilisation.

"It would also transform geopolitics by dealing a blow to China and Russia. Iran was indispensable to China in supplying it with oil. It was also crucial to China’s Belt and Road Initiative — its plan to create overland and maritime economic corridors to promote Chinese domination in global affairs.

"For Russia, Iran has been vital as a major supplier of drones in its war against Ukraine and as the indispensable gateway for the International North-South Transport Corridor linking the Moscow region to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. With Russian influence much diminished in the Caucasus and in Syria, Iran was one of Moscow’s last bastions against the West in Eurasia.

"Iran had recently finalised a 20-year comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russia and accelerated its 25-year co-operation programme with China. If the Iranian regime is destroyed, the baleful grip on the world by this axis of evil would be replaced by a new alliance promoting freedom and prosperity.

"At the heart of that is the military, intelligence and security alliance between America, which has recovered its position as leader of the free world rather than presiding over its surrender, and Israel, which has rediscovered its biblical warrior identity and has become the regional superpower in the Middle East.

"Israel is poised to be the fulcrum of the developing India-Middle East-European economic corridor. This stands to push the Belt and Road Initiative into the shadows.

"It will enable goods to move from Southeast Asia via India across the Middle East through Saudi Arabia and Jordan and on to Israel. From there, goods will be shipped to multiple points in Europe and on to the United States.

"India is key, and the visit to Israel by its prime minister, Narendra Modi, on the eve of this war was deeply significant. As he told the Knesset, India has been the fastest-growing major economy in the world and will soon be among the top three. And under Modi, India is a staunch ally of Israel in their common struggle against Islamic holy war.

"In addition, further normalisation agreements between Israel and moderate Arab states, not to mention a West-facing Iran itself, could usher in years of regional stability and economic prosperity.

"In other words, the destruction of the Iranian regime may unlock a really brave new world. So this is a war in which there is everything to play for in the otherwise Sisyphean attempt to defend civilisation against barbarism.

"And Keir Starmer has placed Britain on the wrong side of this seismic struggle.

"The “rules-based international order” to which he so slavishly adheres and was supposed to usher in the brotherhood of man has merely ushered in the Muslim Brotherhood, which is now well advanced in subverting and conquering Britain and other Western countries for Islam.

"This war against Iran may end in chaos or the survival in some form of the Tehran regime, which would be a tragedy for the oppressed Iranian people, and a setback for peace and justice everywhere.

"But it may be seen with hindsight as the pivotal moment when the old international order gave up the ghost of its own decadence and was replaced by a new global framework in which Israel, the light unto nations, was finally able to see that radiance begin to illuminate the world."

Jewish News Syndicate

Thursday, March 05, 2026

"Stopping Iran Is The World's Responsibility"

To me, it's treasonous that the Democrats are continuing to keep the Department of Homeland Security shutdown going, especially now that we are engaged in a war against Iran and likely have terrorist cells ready to attack right in our country.

We must not cave in to their blackmail to weaken I.C.E. and let more killers and rapists walk the streets.

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By Ran Bar Yoshafat at The Times of Israel 3-5-26

This is the war of the free world

"The removal of Ali Khamenei, the long-time supreme leader of Iran, marks a historic turning point. For decades, Khamenei stood at the apex of a regime that repressed its own citizens, financed terror across continents, and openly declared its hostility toward the United States and Israel. His leadership was not merely symbolic; it shaped a strategy of regional destabilization and confrontation with the West. His death is therefore not just an Israeli event, nor solely an American one. It is a moment with global implications.

"Predictably, some commentators have rushed to claim that Israel dragged the United States into yet another Middle Eastern conflict. This accusation misunderstands both the nature of the US–Israel alliance and the strategic reality facing the West. Alliances are not built on manipulation. They are built on shared values and shared interests.

"Preventing a nuclear-armed Iran is not a parochial Israeli concern. It is a central American interest and a matter of global security. A regime that has invested heavily in ballistic missile technology, armed proxy militias from Lebanon to Yemen, and attacked Gulf energy infrastructure cannot be permitted to acquire the ultimate deterrent.

"Iran’s missiles already reach Israeli cities. They have been launched before, and they are being launched now, targeting civilians. For Israel, thousands of ballistic missiles in the hands of a regime that calls for its destruction represent an existential threat.

"But a nuclear Iran would not stop at threatening Israel.

"The Iranian regime refers to Israel as the “Little Satan” and the United States as the “Great Satan.” That rhetoric reflects doctrine, not theater. A nuclear umbrella over Tehran would embolden its proxies, destabilize Gulf states, intimidate Europe, and challenge American global leadership. It would trigger regional proliferation and fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the Middle East.

"We are already witnessing Iran striking Gulf targets, actions that reverberate far beyond the region by threatening global energy markets and economic stability. These developments affect American households as much as they affect Middle Eastern capitals.

"The reality is this: Israel is not dragging the United States into war with Iran. Iran’s aggression is forcing both nations to confront it.

"There is also an important historical truth worth stating clearly. Israel has never asked American soldiers to fight its wars. Israelis have consistently borne the brunt of direct military confrontation. At this moment, Israeli civilians are under missile fire. Families are sheltering as ballistic projectiles fall. Israeli citizens, not Americans , are absorbing the immediate physical cost.

"Every American service member lost in conflict is a tragedy. But when American forces act, they do so in defense of American interests: preventing nuclear proliferation, protecting global trade routes, and preserving deterrence. These are not favors to Israel; they are pillars of American foreign policy.

"Lost in much of the commentary is another essential dimension: the Iranian people themselves. For years, millions of Iranians have protested corruption, repression, and economic mismanagement. Women have led courageous movements demanding basic freedoms. Students, workers, and ordinary citizens have risked imprisonment and worse for the chance to reclaim their country.

"Many of them do not see the weakening of the regime as a catastrophe. They see it as an opening.

"This moment is not about vengeance or escalation for its own sake. It is about preventing a far greater danger which is the emergence of a nuclear-armed theocracy committed to exporting revolution and confronting the West.

"History will judge whether this turning point leads to greater instability or to a freer and more stable Middle East. That outcome will depend not only on military decisions, but on political wisdom in Washington, Jerusalem, and, ultimately, Tehran.

"But one thing should be clear: stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is not Israel’s war alone. It is the world’s responsibility."

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About the Author: Attorney Ran Bar-Yoshafat is an author, international speaker, Ran Bar-Yoshafat is an Israeli lawyer, historian, author, public thinker and an international speaker. He holds advanced degrees in law, business, and history, served over a decade as Deputy Director of the Kohelet Policy Forum - Israel's biggest conservative Think Tank.

Wednesday, March 04, 2026

Thanks From Some Grateful Iranian People

It's disgraceful that while the Iranians are celebrating, the usual anti-American, anti-Israel agitators are protesting in our streets with their signs and flags.

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From the Times of Israel 3-4-26:

‘Bless them:’ Iranians thank Netanyahu, Trump for Khamenei’s end, describe ‘regular’ explosions, in messages shared with ToI
By Nava Freiberg

"Some residents of Iran express gratitude to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump for assassinating Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, while describing uncertainty for what comes next in the ongoing US-Israeli bombing campaign in the country, in testimonies shared with The Times of Israel.

"Four residents provided written and recorded responses to questions from The Times of Israel. The Farsi-language replies have been collected by a London-based Iranian anti-regime activist and forwarded to the outlet. Their accounts cannot be independently verified.

“We kiss the hands of Mr. Trump and Netanyahu. Thank you to them. People really became happy,” says a man in his 40s from Shahrud in northern Iran. On the night of Saturday’s assassination, he says, “when we found out that this bastard had gone to hell, we poured into the streets. From Shahrbani Street to Azadi Square in Shahrud — people were celebrating and dancing.”

"A Tehran resident in his 30s describes similar scenes in the capital: “That same night, when this filthy animal went to hell, that’s when people poured into the streets… everyone had come out. It was dancing, celebration and cheering. Thanks to Mr. Trump and Netanyahu. Bless them. Good for them.”

"Residents also describe frequently hearing explosions amid the conflict.

"The Shahrud resident describes hearing many explosions, including on an ammunition depot, near where he lives: “It was quite far away… No civilian people were hurt.”

"A resident in northern Tehran says she “regularly” hears explosions, and that “almost everything is shut down” in the city. Many residents “are worried” about the situation and are trying to remain safe, she continues, “but they support it,” she adds, referring to the ongoing campaign. “We hope for victory.”

"Casualty figures from the ongoing campaign remain difficult to verify. Iranian authorities have reported several hundred deaths, without distinguishing between civilians, soldiers and regime personnel. An Israeli Air Force officer has said Israeli strikes in Iran have killed thousands of Iranian soldiers.

"A 23-year-old Tehran resident says: “The worry about war is much less than in the previous one,” referring to Israel’s June aerial assault on Iran, which the US eventually joined. “People are mentally much more prepared,” he continues.

“I want to say that the place of every person who was killed feels very empty today,” he adds, referring to civilians killed under the regime."

Greg Crosby on Gold Medalist Jack Hughes

You'll kvell with pride when you read this!

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'I Love the USA'
By Greg Crosby, Jewish World Review 3-4-26

"The Olympic overtime victories by the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams which won them Gold Medals, were spectacular and if Americans ever needed a greater reason to feel pride and patriotism in their country, I don't know what it would be. As far as the men's hockey team is concerned, this was their first Gold Medal since the 1980 Winter Olympics.

"Jack Hughes scored the winning goal in overtime, playing on despite being high-sticked in the mouth in the third period and losing multiple teeth. To make things even sweeter, the young man who made the winning goal, is a real mensch (A Yiddish word meaning a person of integrity and honor).

"In his after game interview on NBC Hughes paid tribute to the goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, who saved the game multiple times as Team Canada outplayed the US team for most of the third period. Then 24-year-old Jack Hughes said, "This is all about our country now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It's unbelievable. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong. I'm so proud to be American today."

"Never once did he use the word "I" in conjunction with winning the game. It was "we." It was always "the team." And he was so grateful and unapologetically patriotic in his statement. What refreshing words to hear from an American athlete for a change. I don't follow hockey and I don't usually watch the Olympics, but this young man made me so proud to call myself an American. And here's something else, it turns out he is Jewish.

"And Jack has a brother, Quinn, also on the USA hockey team, who earlier also delivered the decisive goal in the quarterfinal. Two clutch OT goals made by two Jewish brothers. The Hughes boys come from a family of ice hockey athletes. Jack plays professionally for the New Jersey Devils. His older brother, Quinn, was drafted seventh overall in the 2018 NHL entry draft by the Vancouver Canucks. His younger brother, Luke, was drafted fourth overall by the Devils in the 2021 NHL entry draft. Their father, Jim Hughes, is a former ice hockey player and team captain for Providence College, an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins, and the director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"And that's not all. His mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, played ice hockey, lacrosse, and soccer at the University of New Hampshire and, in 2012, was inducted into the University of New Hampshire Athletics Hall of Fame. She also played for the United States women's national ice hockey team, and won a silver medal at the 1992 World Championship.

"Wait, I'm not through. His uncle Marty, and his cousin, Teddy Doherty, were also both involved in ice hockey. Marty last played in the British National League for the Dundee Stars, and Teddy last played for the Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL. His maternal uncle is sociologist Adam S. Weinberg, the president of Denison University (but I don't think he played hockey).

"Not only an ice hockey wiz, Jack Hughes is an avid reader. He has brought books such as Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and Kane and Able by Jeffrey Archer on trips with his team and down time. Hughes and his younger brother Luke announced the launch of their reading program Hughes Brothers Pucks & Pages, a multi-year reading program partnered with JAG Physical Therapy and Hockey in New Jersey, with the goal to promote literacy among New Jersey youth.

"So, yes, it is nice to witness a young athlete who is patriotic, humble, honorable, literate, and doesn't spew out profanity in front of TV cameras. Jack with his toothless grin, smiled and said, "I love the USA."

"What a mensch!"

Tuesday, March 03, 2026

"Unaffordability" - Except When You Spend a Fortune on a Huge SUV You Don't Need

I wonder what the "affordability" kvetches are saying today. These are the same people here who, while talking about how they can't afford food or clothes, have just somehow afforded to buy gigantic $50,000 Nissan Armadas and huge Jeep Cherokees.

The price of gas went up here 30 cents overnight because of Iran. I wonder what, if anything, these people are thinking now.

Your Local Epidemiologist - The Dose, 3-3-26

Here's the latest important update from Your Local Epidemiologist:

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Hep B vaccine rates declining, RSV is having a late surge, more disease=more economic cost, AI and triage, and the U.S. surgeon general. The Dose (March 3)

Katelyn Jetelina and Hannah Totte, MPH, Mar 03, 2026

Somehow, it’s already March! And there’s a lot unfolding right now at the intersection of society and health. I’ve been especially thinking about Iranians—including my own family—and hoping we can all take a moment to listen and learn. If you’re looking for a place to start, I highly recommend the book All the Shah’s Men.

In the health world, we have flu hanging on, RSV making a surprisingly late appearance, and falling vaccination rates that will cost us more than most people realize. Plus, a reader question worth unpacking: Does the surgeon general actually need an MD?

Here’s what’s going on and, most importantly, what it means for you.

She grew up unvaccinated, she’s an immunologist, and she’s our colleague.

YLE’s own Liz Marnick published an op-ed in the NYT on Friday. I know I’m biased, but it’s a must read. Liz shares her story of growing up unvaccinated, hard conversations with her mother, and going on to study the immune system. And yet, when it came time to vaccinate her own child, she paused:

“In that one exhausted moment, what was loudest in my head was not the science I knew well. It was the stories I had heard growing up.”

Her message: shame doesn’t work. Please read it; it’s a masterclass in approaching this moment with empathy.

Disease “weather” report

This respiratory season just won’t quit. Flu activity is holding steady. One strain (flu B) is rising while another (flu A) is falling, and together they’re canceling each other out. That kind of plateau is unusual; most seasons follow a smoother up-and-down curve. But the timing isn’t surprising. In bad flu years, activity has stayed above epidemic levels well into mid-March.

What is unusual is that RSV infections and hospitalizations continue to climb. It’s incredibly late in the season for RSV to show its teeth. Babies are most at risk.

What this means for you: It’s not too late to get your vaccines!
For RSV: If your infant received monoclonal antibodies (like Nirsevimab) this season, they’re likely still protected. Most monoclonal antibodies fade quickly, but the RSV ones were specifically engineered to last longer. Nirsevimab has a half-life of about 70 days—meaning the amount in the body decreases by half roughly every 70 days. Even so, studies show protective levels can persist for more than a year. So even doses given early in the season should still be providing coverage.

RSV NAb GMC through day 361 by treatment and medically attended, diagnostic-confirmed RSV infection. Source: Nature. Annotated by Your Local Epidemiologist.

AI tools aren’t ready to triage you… yet

People want more control over their own health. Health care is expensive, hard to access, and appointments aren’t always easy to get. There is a lot of promise for AI, and people are already using it for their health: 230 million people ask ChatGPT health questions every week. So if AI tools could reliably help people decide when to seek care, that would be a big deal.

But a new study suggests we’re not there yet.

Researchers published a study last week in Nature Medicine testing ChatGPT Health, a new consumer health AI tool, on a basic but critical task: triage. Given a set of symptoms, could it correctly tell you whether to stay home, schedule a routine appointment, get seen urgently, or go to the ED?

The results were mixed, and concerning at the extremes:

For people who didn’t need a doctor at all, it sent them to one 65% of the time. A waste of time and money.
For routine visits, it correctly recommended seeing a doctor 95% of the time.
For people who needed emergency care, it only recommended the ED about half the time. It handled classic emergencies well, like allergic reactions or stroke, but struggled to recognize how sick someone was about to become, like the early stages of a diabetic complication.
More detailed medical data improved accuracy, but adding irrelevant information confused it. For example, when normal lab results were included alongside a note that a patient was suicidal, ChatGPT got it wrong. That’s obviously deeply concerning.

What this means for you: For straightforward health questions, AI tools can genuinely help and can certainly supplement a visit with a clinician. Add more details for more accuracy, but proceed with caution and certainly do not use it for emergency health issues.

And so it begins: Hep B birth vaccine rates are going off a cliff

One of the biggest open questions right now is how far vaccination rates will fall in the current climate before they level off and begin to climb again. Tracking vaccination rates in the United States is surprisingly difficult because we do not have a single, centralized, easily accessible system like countries such as Denmark do. Instead, data are fragmented across states and systems.

Still, early numbers are starting to come in, and the picture is not encouraging.

A group of researchers analyzed de-identified medical records from 2016–2025 to track hepatitis B vaccination trends. They asked: How far have we drifted from the expected path?

It turns out, quite a lot. For every 100 live births, 10 fewer newborns received the hepatitis B vaccine than models predicted. The decline began in late 2024 and now appears to be accelerating. (Note: The study period ended before RFK Jr. made the unilateral decision to stop recommending the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns. That means the downward trend will continue.)

This is unsurprising in a way, but very concerning. I would love to see the findings repeated using other data sources. Unfortunately, this research is brief, and the methods aren’t described in great detail. But clearly, we aren’t going in the right direction in protecting babies’ health and wellness.

What this means for you: Continue to follow the AAP immunization schedule, which includes the hepatitis B birth dose. If you have questions, talk to your pediatrician.

If you’re navigating Hep B birth dose conversations with parents, what questions about routine immunizations are you getting? Do you believe this trend given what you’re seeing on the ground? Drop in the comments below.
Remember, YLE has this one-pager that includes the recent routine childhood immunization changes and reminders on why we vaccinate for these diseases, like Hepatitis B, in the first place. Feel free to print and distribute!

Vacunas Infantiles: Cambios de RFK

71.8KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Childhood Vaccines: RFK's Changes

67.2KB ∙ PDF file

Download

More measles = more economic cost

Infectious diseases mean people stay home sick and miss out on work, and health care bills are higher. They are also expensive for public health departments to combat. They’re not just a health problem. They’re an economic problem.

Thanks to a Common Health Coalition report, the U.S. now has economic numbers tied to declining MMR vaccination rates.

A 1% annual decline in MMR vaccination rates would lead to:

More suffering. Specifically, more than 17,000 measles cases, 4,000 hospitalizations, and 36 preventable deaths each year.
Major economic costs. On average, one measles case costs the U.S. health system $76,000. With the projected number of cases over 5 years, the estimated cost would be $1.5 billion. This breaks down to:
- $41 million in medical costs (i.e., medical bills)
- $947 million in outbreak responses (e.g., contact tracing, community outreach, surveillance)
- $510.4 million in lost productivity and missed work costs

Childhood immunization is as essential to health system stability as it is to community health.

Importantly, this isn’t inevitable. It can be stopped. This report included solutions highlighting that everyone, from health insurers to health departments to clinicians, has a role to play.

What this means for you: As vaccine rates continue to decline, costs will be borne by you, your state, and your health insurance companies. Continue to urge your insurance company to cover routine childhood immunizations at no cost.

For those advocating for immunizations with local, state, or federal decision-makers, be sure to include economic costs. This can be compelling to those who prioritize budgets and resource allocation, since framing immunization as a cost-saving investment (rather than just a health measure) can be persuasive.

Question grab bag

“Serious question: Shouldn’t the surgeon general have a license to practice medicine?”

Short answer: Yes.

Most people know the surgeon general as “America’s doctor,” which is essentially a megaphone for public health. They have delivered landmark messages like those linking smoking to cancer. That role alone demands real expertise and credibility, but I would argue someone with a PhD in public health could do that as easily as an MD.

The lesser-known reason is that the surgeon general commands the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, a uniformed branch of 6,000 officers deployed into national emergencies, like hurricaines and disease outbreaks. The corps requires its own officers to hold an active, unrestricted medical license and complete residency training. This means that if Casey Means is confirmed as surgeon general (a big if right now), she would be responsible for enforcing standards she doesn’t meet.