Levesque abandons his South County LORIB candidates

Except for one

By Will Collette

Charlestown's state Senator Victoria Gu faces one of
Levesque's last candidates. He received ZERO funding

The final campaign finance reports before the November 3 election were filed on October 26. They offer a strong clue about whether MAGA coffee czar Dave Levesque’s galaxy of 40 political action committees – the League of Rhode Island Businesses (LORIB) - will be a political player in the future.

Levesque sunk tens of thousands of dollars into the September 9 Democratic primaries, backing a slate of 9 phony Democrats to defeat many South County Democratic women legislators. The marquee race was an attempt by Charlestown sex crimes defense lawyer Leah Boisclair to oust our incumbent state Representative Tina Spears.

Tina defeated DINO Boisclair by a huge margin. All of Levesque’s nine candidates lost, most by similarly big margins, though Tina’s was the most lopsided.

That left Levesque with his remaining slate of candidates – Republicans – running in the General Election. I wrote about the two Charlestown Senate races HERE and the four South County House races HERE.

I said that if Levesque simply took his money and walked away, you could pretty much stick a fork in him for 2028. Except in one remaining South County race, that’s pretty much what Levesque has done.

Charlestown/south’s state Senator Victoria Gu’s Republican challenger received zero LORIB money according to the Oct. 26 finance report.

I sure hope Sam wins. LORIB endorsed Morgan but
provided no funding

Charlestown/north’s state Senator Elaine Morgan (MAGA/R), one of several LORIB endorsed conservative incumbents, received no more LORIB funding to fend off the strong challenger from Richmond Town Council president Samatha “Sam” Wilcox (D).

MAGA nut Jasmin Roy received no further LORIB support in her bid to unseat popular state Rep. Megan Cotter (D). Roy did get $7000 from the state Republican Party.

Reps. Carol McEntee (l) and Kathy Fogarty (r) flank owner
Perry Raso at the Matunuck Oyster Bar's re-opening.
Both face weak opponents endorsed but underfunded by LORIB.  
(Photo by Laura Paton/Rhode Island Current)

Jessica Drew-Day is making her third and probably last attempt to unseat South Kingstown Democrat Carol Hagan McEntee. Drew-Day did score $500 from Levesque’s LORIB-state PAC, as well as $2500 from three conservative high-rollers but I predict a huge win for McEntee.

Incumbent South Kingstown Democrat Rep. Kathy Fogarty is sort of being opposed by another LORIB endorsee, former Trump Convention delegate Jennifer Poirier. Not only did LORIB give her ZERO dollars, LORIB also spelled her name wrong on their website (though they made a last-minute spelling correction). This is a race where you have to wonder what LORIB was thinking.

Levesque's pick

And that question takes us to the last local LORIB race in the General Election, the peculiar battle between LORIB-backed Westerly developer Chris Stanton (R) versus venerable Westerly DINO Sam Azzinaro in House District 37. LORIB/South Kingstown contributed $700 to Stanton’s campaign in the final reporting period, the highest amount LORIB contributed to any South County candidate in that period.

For me, the question remains: why does Levesque want to oust Sam Azzinaro? Of all the Democratic legislators in South County, Sam’s voting record is probably the closest to LORIB’s agenda. In a few other races, Levesque supported Democratic incumbents who are less conservative than Sam.

In their interviews with the Westerly Sun, there was virtually no difference in the answers the two candidates gave. Stanton is putting a lot of his own personal cash into his campaign, so we’ll see if Westerly voters decide Sam has been in office long enough.

Bottom Line

I think LORIB is a one-shot wonder. Levesque made a splash by constructing a new type of political machine, using all those 39 local PACs overseen by the central state PAC to create a loophole in Rhode Island election law that sets a $2500 annual contribution limit. Levesque also actively courted donations from rightwing donors using his elaborate PAC structure to disguise the donor’s identities.

He banked on the inattention of voters in the Democratic Primary on September 9, hoping to sneak his 9 phony Democrats past voters. He especially targeted South County, where most of the state legislators are progressive Democratic women.

Instead of maintaining operational secrecy, Levesque spoke openly about his strategy with the media and blew his cover. All nine of his Demo-bots had their asses kicked.

After admitting that ass-kicking, Levesque largely kept his mouth shut since he still had LORIB candidates running in the November 3 General Election. But, campaign finance records show he also kept his purse shut, leaving his surviving slate with the stigma of LORIB’s endorsement but with virtually none of the LORIB cash that flooded the Primary.

If he goes looking for more candidates in 2028, this decision to abandon his endorsees will probably bite him in the ass. In politics, having a reputation as a chickenshit is hard to shake.

Boo! Boo! Boo!

 

Trump regime tells people how to cope with price of beef

Yep, vote like Trump is on the ballot. A review of the rape charges against Trump

 
A new accuser comes forward:

This accusation came from the House Judiciary Committee Democrats' 53-page report on numerous other rape charges against Trump:

But most significant of all, Trump has been ruled an "adjudicated rapist" by the judge who oversaw Jean Carroll's sexual assault lawsuit against Trump:

Clearly this research is a contender for next year's Nobel Prize for medicine

Do spiders dream? 

University of Bonn

Scientists at the University of Bonn have discovered that spiders experience distinct stages of sleep, including a REM-like state that shares surprising similarities with human sleep. During this stage, the spiders move their eyes and twitch their muscles, behaviors also associated with REM (rapid eye movement) sleep in humans and other vertebrates.

The findings provide the first comprehensive experimental confirmation that spiders experience genuine, regulated sleep rather than simply remaining inactive. They also raise intriguing questions about how sleep evolved and whether animals with very different nervous systems might share some of its fundamental features.

Researchers at the University of Bonn's Institute of Organismic Biology made the discovery while studying the Australian jumping spider Portia fimbriata, a small but remarkably sophisticated predator.

A Tiny Spider with Remarkable Hunting Skills

The Australian jumping spider Portia fimbriata is only about the size of a one-euro coin when fully grown, but its hunting abilities make it particularly interesting to scientists.

Unlike many spiders that primarily capture insects, members of the genus Portia specialize in hunting other spiders. They use a variety of sophisticated strategies to catch their prey, including imitating the vibrations made by struggling insects trapped in spiderwebs.

These deceptive signals can lure web-building spiders toward what appears to be an easy meal, only for them to encounter the hunting Portia instead.

Such complex behaviors suggest that these spiders have unusual learning abilities, making them valuable subjects for investigating the relationship between sleep, nervous system function, and cognition.

Scientists found that 10 different healthy diets were linked to slower biological aging

There's more than one way to eat your way toward healthier aging

DZNE - German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases

A large study involving approximately 7,500 people suggests that eating a healthy diet may help slow biological aging, and there is no single eating plan that stands above all others. Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) investigated 10 different dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean, Nordic, plant-based, and DASH diets. The DASH diet was specifically developed to help reduce blood pressure.

Every dietary pattern examined was associated with slower biological aging, as measured by chemical changes in DNA that reflect the body's aging process. The findings were first identified using data from DZNE's Rhineland Study and then independently confirmed in another population. The research was published in Nature Communications.

"Our study suggests that healthy eating goes hand in hand with slower biological aging. The effects are not massive, but they are measurable and relevant for prevention. By slowing the aging process, the risk of age-related diseases such as dementia or cardiovascular disorders can be reduced. Thus, healthy eating contributes to healthy aging," says Prof. Monique Breteler, Director of Population Health Sciences at DZNE and head of the Rhineland Study. 

"Importantly, there is probably no single 'correct' diet. According to our data, various dietary patterns are associated with slower aging, some more, some less. That is an encouraging finding, because it leaves room to tailor healthy eating to personal and cultural preferences, budget and taste."

And all dark sky lovers clutch their pearls

An American startup wants to sell sunlight after dark. Who gets a say?

Richard de Grijs, Macquarie University

A US startup has booked two Indian rocket launches to test a planned service no company has sold before: sunlight at night.

California-based Reflect Orbital plans to place giant mirrors in low-Earth orbit, and use them to steer reflected sunlight onto selected locations on the ground.

The company wants to sell space-based illumination for a wide range of purposes, from keeping solar farms generating energy after sunset to search-and-rescue operations. Its first orbital demonstrator, Eärendil-1, will carry an 18-by-18-metre reflector.

Using space mirrors to deliver useful illumination will require overcoming formidable engineering challenges. But there’s another pressing question: who will decide where sunlight redirected from space is allowed to hit the ground?

Does candidate for US House District 2 Victor Mellor really live in Rhode Island?

Let’s look at the records and you can judge for yourself

By Will Collette

QUICK FACTOID: As of 4 PM Friday, October 30, more than a quarter of Charlestown's 6805 active registered voters (1778) have either cast early or mail-in ballots. That includes me (and Cathy). 

Florida MAGA guy Victor Mellor used to live in Rhode Island but left for Florida 30 years ago after charges of domestic assault. There he lives in a gated MAGA compound called “The Hollow” that he built himself.

For some reason, he decided last year to file a declaration of candidacy with the Federal Election Committee to run against incumbent Democratic US Representative Seth Magaziner. His initial filing was on November 1, 2025, and listed his address as 54 Burnett in Warwick:

However, this is somebody else’s house:

Mellor filed an amended form with the FEC on February 2, 2026, listing his residence as 1276 Bald Hill Road in Warwick:

Except that’s a storefront in a shopping center owned by an LLC in Fall River:

Now, remember that Mellor is a registered agent for the government of Cuba, a puzzle Mellor has never adequately explained, on June 26, 2026. He lists the Burnett Road Patterson family home as his business address and his Florida address as his home address. 

Note the timing: this Justice Department filing was four months AFTER his amended filing with the Federal Elections Commission. They contradict each other. 

Looking at Sarasota County, Florida’s tax assessor’s records, it sure looks like Vic and his wife are actively living at that Gnarled Road address in Englewood, Florida.

Can anyone point to where Victor Mellor actually lives? Is it the shopping center on Route 2 in Warwick? The basement of the Patterson family’s home? Or his compound in Florida?

Boo!

Don't be surprised if Trump orders THIS ballot to be impounded

JD Vance urges you to vote for Democrats in the mid-terms

Scientists Find That Cats and Their Owners Share a Surprising Biological Connection

Cats often relish close physical contact

By Kyoto University

The comfort you find in a cat’s company may have less to do with years together than with everyday closeness, a small observational study suggests.

Cat owners often credit their pets with making life better, but research has produced mixed evidence about whether owning a cat benefits human health and well-being. Some studies have found positive effects, while others have reported possible negative ones.

Researchers at Kyoto University wondered whether those differences might reflect the quality of the relationship between people and their cats, particularly their everyday interactions. 

To investigate, the team followed the daily lives of 29 cats and their 19 owners for one month, recruiting participants through flyers and social media. They assessed owners’ moods through questionnaires and observed how the cats behaved toward their owners and unfamiliar people.

To measure everyday physical closeness, the researchers attached small Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to the cats’ collars. Owners who spent more time physically close to their cats tended to report more positive feelings. How long they had owned their cats, however, was not associated with those positive mood states. The distinction suggests that daily contact may matter more to this aspect of owners’ well-being than the length of the relationship.

Farewell, Captain

 Fellow activist and cat person

Cathy and I first noticed him for his excellent performance in the 1976 BBC series, I, Claudius when he still had a full head of hair:

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund https://alzresearch.org/giving/ or Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources https://alzfdn.org/donate/

What legal experts say about the Trump administration’s attempts to make a federal case out of state elections

How far will Trump push it?

Naomi Schalit, The Conversation

The Trump administration’s lawsuit against Alaska, which seeks to block certification of the U.S. Senate results there if the GOP candidate does not win, is the latest in a long series of actions throughout 2026 in which the administration has attempted to wrest control of federal elections from states.

In the Alaska case, the U.S. Department of Justice, directed by President Donald Trump, claims that it aims to “protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska.” 

If incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan does not win reelection in a close vote, the DOJ asserts, it’s likely the result of voter confusion because another candidate with a very similar name – Daniel J. Sullivan, with no party affiliation – is on the ballot, too. So in the event that Sen. Sullivan fails to win reelection, the DOJ demands that Alaska not certify the election and instead should conduct an inquest into who voters thought they were voting for.

The campaign of the Democratic candidate, Mary Peltola, whose potential win in the hotly contested election could help shift the Senate to Democratic control, has called the lawsuit “wholly baseless” and “an unprecedented pre-emptive strike on democratic elections” in a court filing. Another filing states that the DOJ lawsuit “asks the Court to preemptively nullify Alaska’s U.S. Senate election and disenfranchise Alaska voters without any legal basis whatsoever. It seeks to go where law ends.”

There’s lots of other heated language in the case’s legal filings. But colorful language and legal citations are a much longer way of articulating a simple fact: The U.S. Constitution gives the president no authority over federal elections. That authority rests with the states and, to a limited degree, with Congress.

Over the past year, as the 2026 midterm elections approached, The Conversation has published a number of stories illustrating this fundamental constitutional rule. Here is a selection of them:

Trump Tells Voters They Couldn’t Even Afford a Burger at His Private Club

And they feel so much better

Jake Johnson for Common Dreams

Big mistake to let him near sharp objects

Donald Trump, whose policies have significantly driven up food costs during his second term, said at a Texas campaign rally on Tuesday that voters likely wouldn’t even be able to afford “a hamburger and a small dessert” at his private Mar-a-Lago resort, remarks that came amid a worsening national hunger crisis fueled by Republican cuts to federal nutrition aid.

Trump made the comment in the context of his farcical pledge to send every American adult a $5,000 check if Republicans retain control of the US Congress in next month’s midterm elections. “The problem,” Trump said, “is that for $5,000 the most you’ll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert. I’m not even sure you could buy that.”

“No, don’t go there,” the billionaire president said of Mar-a-Lago, where he frequently hosts rich allies and donors. “That’s not a good place if you’re price-conscious.”

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtdk0Om3mY

“Working people are struggling to make rent and pay for groceries, and President Trump wants to sell you a $5,000 hamburger at his private golf club. (Fries and a drink extra.),” the AFL-CIO wrote in response to the president’s remarks, which drew laughter from the audience gathered in Corpus Christi.

Who loves, ya?

It's funny to see how much communist leaders Putin, Xi and Kim rate as Donald Trump's trusted and dear friends, while Trump sends out fund-raising pitches offering donor's this free membership:

This was in Trump's e-mail pitch to me:

"After careful consideration, I want to present you with the ANTI-COMMUNIST CLUB Membership! It’s the highest honor I can bestow upon such an important supporter who DESPISES the radical left!"

Don't be like them

AI recaps Charlestown Town Council Oct. 26 meeting

Council Advances Ninigret Park Cell Pole, Reshapes Farm Committee

Adriana Vossari, RI & Local Government, is NOT an actual person but rather is an AI-bot used by UpriseRI to review and summarize public records. Click here for their explanation for how this is done: How we report meeting stories →

Charlestown, R.I. — The Charlestown Town Council voted 4-0 at Monday night's meeting to move forward with a Verizon Wireless cell facility at Ninigret Park, directing the town solicitor to rewrite the deal as a concession agreement and address questions about overhead wires, possible grave sites and lighting. That is according to the Charlestown Town Council's published meeting recording.

The council also updated the membership rules for the Charlestown Agricultural Preservation Committee, approved a Charlestown Land Trust cleanup at Ninigret Park on Saturday, Nov. 7, and passed its consent agenda. Councilor Stephen Stokes was absent, so every vote was 4-0. The meeting lasted roughly 17 minutes.

The meeting opened with a moment of silence for Libby Bray, the town's assistant emergency management director, who the council president said was in charge of the special needs registry.

Ninigret Park cell facility

The item concerned an agreement between the Town of Charlestown and Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, to install, operate and maintain a wireless communications facility at the park at no installation or maintenance cost to the town, according to the agenda.

The council president said the matter "has been percolating a while." The agreement was drafted as a lease, but the president said that since the park's utilization plan was approved, the town is now required to use concession agreements instead of leases.

Councilor Bonnie Van Slyke, who said she was not on the council when the matter was discussed before, raised several questions. She asked whether the National Park Service had been contacted, and said graves in that area of the park had come up during the master plan. Van Slyke said the spot is probably not in the 10-foot square, but the town should check. A speaker responded that the spot has already been designated but that they could check.

Van Slyke also pointed to language in the draft allowing overhead utility wires. A speaker said that area of the park is wired underground and that there would be no overhead wires. She also asked about commercial liability insurance, and a speaker said they would check with the trust.

Van Slyke asked why the equipment would go in the park rather than on the tower at the police station. In response, a speaker said portable units are typically brought in for large park events, that Verizon service at the park is poor, and that a permanent facility would help public safety services there. A speaker said the pole would be 40 feet or higher and that there should be no lighting on it.

Councilor Craig Marr moved to authorize the town solicitor to convert the document into a concession agreement and to address the overhead wire language, inspection of any grave sites, and a provision for no permanent lighting. Van Slyke seconded. Town Solicitor Peter Ruggiero said he was comfortable with the direction. The motion passed by voice vote, 4-0.

‘Voting is medicine’: These health professionals want you to vote in the midterms

Your vote matters

By Neha Pathak, Yale Climate Connections

When wildfire smoke drifts over a city or a heat wave blankets a community, doctors and nurses see the results firsthand. Asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and heat-related illnesses surge.

Dr. Cynthia Mahoney, a retired California internist and nephrologist, helps lead Climate Health • Civic Health, an all-volunteer alliance of health professionals and organizations, alongside colleagues Margie Chen and Karina Maher.

Yale Climate Connections spoke with Mahoney about how climate change affects our health, why data centers have galvanized action, and what readers can do leading into Election Day.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Yale Climate Connections: How does climate change affect people's health?

Dr. Cynthia Mahoney: Climate disruption and fossil fuel pollution impact our health from cradle to grave, and it's going to get much worse unless we change course now.

Think of a worker who collapses in 105-degree heat and ends up in the hospital. That's going to get worse. That's climate change.

What's so unique about climate change is that it's going to impact all of us. It puts us all in this together.

YCC: You practiced in intensive care units. Does that shape how you see this problem?

Mahoney: I was trained as a nephrologist and practiced a lot in ICUs. What I prided myself on was not just treating what I saw in front of me, but asking, "Where is this patient going? How do I intervene now to keep them from deteriorating?"

This is an ICU moment. The health of the people on Earth needs ICU-level care. We see where this is heading, and we need to intervene.

YCC: Why do you want people to vote?

Mahoney: Democracy is the way we change direction.

A lot of young people think, "Look what I've lived through. Voting hasn't helped me. Why should I bother?" Some people are cynical: The politicians are just in it for the money. There may be some truth to part of that. But that is furthering the goals of the people who are trying to corruptly extract our health from us. If voting wasn't important, they wouldn't be trying that hard to suppress it.

Trump’s FEMA Head Tells States to Prepare to Handle Disasters on Their Own

We have a federal government to handle problems too big to be managed locally

Trump tells campaign crowd no FEMA support unless they elect Republicans.

Stephen Prager for Common Dreams

As the climate crisis intensifies extreme weather events, Donald Trump’s head of federal disaster relief sent a stark message to states: You’re on your own.

Politico reported that Cameron Hamilton, the administrator of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told state officials at the National Emergency Management Association’s annual meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas, that they would need to allocate resources to respond to most disasters without help from the federal government.

“Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves” and other abilities “to ensure that recovery efforts can start immediately and not necessarily be held up simply because of the federal [disaster] declaration process,” Hamilton said, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by the outlet.

“A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial,” Hamilton added, referring to presidential authorizations of federal disaster aid.

Trump has instituted dramatic cuts to FEMA that have hampered its response to disasters. When Texas faced floods last year that killed at least 138 people, for example, the administration’s spending restrictions delayed FEMA’s deployment of search-and-rescue teams for more than 72 hours, while lapsed call-center contracts left thousands of survivors’ calls for assistance unanswered.

Déjà vu all over again in House District 39 as Democratic incumbent faces MAGA Republican

District 39 continues to be a culture war battleground

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

It's work like this that serve as reasons to re-elect Cotter

RI Current Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series on state legislative races, chosen based on competitiveness between candidates and relevant district issues. Of the 113 seats in the Rhode Island General Assembly, all of which are elected every two years, 24 seats feature at least two candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot.  

They are both moms in their 40s who want to lower energy bills and preserve western Rhode Island’s rural beauty.

The similarities between Democratic Rep. Megan Cotter and her Republican challenger Jasmin Roy end there.

Cotter, the two-term incumbent for House District 39, has a record of legislative accomplishments she can point to while canvassing the 100-square mile district, spanning Exeter, Richmond, and Hopkinton: adding more money to the green bond for forest and farmland preservation, spurring — and leading — a newly begun legislative panel to study how housing developments affect water supply in rural communities; and limiting self-checkouts at grocery stores to preserve jobs.

About House District 39

Represented by Rep. Megan Cotter since 2022

Geography: Richmond, Exeter and a small piece of Hopkinton

Population: 14,828 residents; 11,382 registered voters 

Partisan breakdown: 59% unaffiliated, 21% Republican; 20% Democrat

Demographics: median age: 41.1, 88.6% white; $127,552 median household income (2024)

Roy, a member of the Hopkinton Town Council, has focused her legislative campaign on denouncing various Democratic officials, including Cotter, for promoting “communism” and government overreach, including in education.

“I don’t coparent with the government,” Roy proclaimed in a June 1 episode of local conservative podcast Cumberland Unfiltered. 

A vocal Trump supporter who touts Second Amendment protections and parental rights in education, Roy’s views, as shared on her campaign website and social media, are likely to resonate with many of the voters in the district, which backed Trump in the last three presidential elections. Cotter’s predecessor, Republican Justin Price, attended the Jan. 6 rally outside the U.S. Capitol, though Price said he did not participate in the riots. 

Trump sells out

Trump adds Norway to his enemies' list and wants to ban immigrants from Norway (around 400 a year)

Trump's new position on Norway:

Trump's former position on Norway:

My position on what Trump thinks:

Favorite No Kings rally sign

Scientists Say the Secret to a Happier, Healthier Society May Begin in Childhood

How children are raised may matter for social well-being worldwide

By University of Nottingham

Psychiatric professional Mary Trump, Donald Trump's
niece, blames Trump's father for son's mental problems

At home, a child seeking comfort depends on a caregiver’s response, while time for free play offers room to explore. A University of Nottingham-led study linked these experiences, along with a positive emotional atmosphere at home, to well-being years later. 

Positive childhood experiences were generally stronger predictors of adult well-being than the absence of negative ones, suggesting that avoiding harm captures only part of what matters.

Across the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan, adults’ reports of supportive childhood experiences were associated with better health, greater happiness and life satisfaction, and lower anxiety. 

The connections extended to how people felt about those around them, including their satisfaction with social relationships, sense of belonging in their neighborhoods, and trust in others. Published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, the findings were consistent across substantial cultural differences and remained statistically significant after accounting for demographic factors such as income and education.

Plea from a father who lost his 5 year old daughter to flu

Sometimes it’s not ‘just the flu’

Zachary Yaksich

Alana Yaksich. Photo courtesy of JoAnna Yaksich

In 2003, my life was completely shattered. My daughter, Alana, was 5½ years old when she died from complications of influenza.

My family and children had received all of their childhood vaccinations on schedule and as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but in 2003, the age recommendation for influenza vaccination was 6 months through 59 months. 

Alana was older than that. She had not received a flu vaccine, nor had her pediatrician ever recommended one to us or explained the dangers that influenza could pose to a child.

Until Alana died, I had no idea that the flu could kill. Like so many people, I thought of influenza as a miserable but relatively routine illness—something that would make you feel awful for a few days and then eventually pass. I was wrong. It often is that way, but far too often for grieving parents and families, it can be much worse.

A new study changes the conversation

A recently published study in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics, titled “Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Against Pediatric Death in the United States: 2016–2025,” provides some of the most compelling evidence yet about what influenza vaccination can mean for children.

Conducted by CDC researchers, the study examined pediatric influenza deaths in the United States over nearly a decade. Its conclusion deserves the attention of every parent: Influenza vaccination reduced the risk of fatal influenza among children with and without known underlying medical conditions. Influenza vaccine was 80% effective in preventing deaths overall, with 77% among children with underlying medical conditions and 87% among children without such conditions.

Why is this more important than ever?

The internet and social media have made it easy for misinformation to spread. People can find almost anything online to reinforce what they already believe, including information that contradicts decades of scientific evidence.

If these horrible billionaires control everything we see and hear in the media and on social media, they won’t have to spend a penny on elections to keep their candidates in power.

US Billionaires Compete for ‘Most Awful Human Being’ Award

Dean Baker in Beat the Press

Our billionaires seem to be in a competition for most awful human being alive. We have Larry Ellison, along with son, taking over CBS and immediately destroying its prized news show, 60 Minutes. They appointed Bari Weiss, a right-wing apparatchik, to oversee CBS’s entire news operation. She has immediately sought to make the news more Trump-friendly. 

This has led to many reporters being fired and threats to others to make their reporting toe the Trump line or risk being fired. Many of the network’s longest-serving reporters just quit.

The fun doesn’t stop here. The Ellison clique is also getting control of CNN through Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Presumably we can look forward to more Trump-friendly reporting there also.

To be clear, neither of these networks was a paragon of objective reporting before the Ellison family takeover. Both networks regularly marginalized and belittled progressives in the US and around the world. But they did at least have an ostensible commitment to objectivity, unlike, say, Fox News.

Then we have Mark Zuckerberg, who seems to view the huge Meta social media platforms as important mechanisms for pushing his political agenda. Last Saturday, the Instagram site for the No Kings march went down for four hours, exactly when it was being most widely used. Meta claimed there was no political motive; it was just incompetence.

We might be more inclined to accept the incompetence story if there wasn’t a comparable picture in Brazil in the lead-up to its presidential election. Lula, the incumbent president, is locked in a tight race with Flavio Bolsanaro, a right-winger who is openly allied with Donald Trump. It seems that the sites of supporters of Lula and his supporters have repeatedly run into the same sort of technical difficulties with Meta.

Then we go to everyone’s favorite evil billionaire, Elon Musk. Musk bought Twitter with the explicit intention of using it as a vehicle to support his politics. He not only opened the gates to all sorts of racist, sexist, and harassing material; he has throttled the accounts of many progressives so that their comments are less widely viewed.