Short Takes – 1-23-23

Can anybody tell me? WHMurray.Blogspot.com post. Interesting set of questions. Pull quote: “Please tell me that there was a plan and that it worked as intended rather than that this was a massive failure of [FAA] management and governance.  Can anyone help me here?  These questions seem to deserve, not to say demand, an answer.” I suspect that we know the answer without asking….

Democrats reach agreement with GOP on House committee ratios. TheHill.com article. Clears the way for House votes on resolutions appointing committee members this week. Pull quote: “Some committees will also change in size, according to the letter. Membership on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee will increase by one seat from each party, Transportation will decrease by two seats from each party, and Education will decrease by four seats from each party.”

Is a discharge petition the debt default silver bullet? TheHill.com opinion piece. Explains the discharge petition process. Pull quote: “The debt limit is unlikely to stir-up sufficient popular attention or support to fuel a successful discharge campaign — as important as the issue is to the financial well-being of the country and the world. But it certainly does deserve, beginning now, the kind of hardnosed bargaining and deliberation that can bring the Congress, the president, and the country together on the same path to resolution.”

Sweden’s Nato application imperilled after Koran burnt outside Turkish embassy. FT.com article. Pull quote: “The latest setback in Sweden’s attempts to convince Turkey to back its application for Nato membership came on Saturday afternoon when Rasmus Paludan, a notorious Danish rightwing provocateur, set fire to the Koran outside Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm.”

Earth’s Inner Core May Be Reversing Its Rotation, Study Finds. WSJ.com article. Pull quote: ““The changes they noticed are valid although what’s actually happening isn’t so clear,” Dr. Vidale said. “They have a very good analysis and the theory they put in the papers is probably as good as anything at the moment, but there are several competing ideas as well.”” New science.

FDA Proposes Annual Covid-19 Vaccinations. WSJ.com article. Pull quote: “The annual plan would make Covid-19 vaccinations more like annual flu shots. Advisers would meet every June to select the Covid-19 shot best able to match strains they expect to circulate in the fall, similar to how influenza vaccines are chosen.”