Today’s Water Cooler: Biden, Warren, Stacey Abrams, business uncertainty, investor confidence, Facebook and gambling addiction, micro-lending, Boeing 737 MAX, asteroid Ryugu, Rosa Parks Barbie, Popeyes workers, Blackjewel workers, dark markets, Sumerian
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Judge Issues $572 Million Verdict Against J & J in Oklahoma Opioids Trial: Settlements to Follow?
Judge issues $572 million verdict in J&J opioids trial. Some settlements of multiple pending lawsuits will likely follow.
Trump Transition: Emoluments Clause Ain’t Kryptonite
The emoluments clause isn’t some form of anti-Trump kryptonite. Eyes on the 2020 prize please.
Newark’s Water Crisis is One of Thousands That Are Worse Than Flint’s
This RNN interview with Charles Jackson addresses lead poisoning: a public health emergency in poor working class communities across the United States.
Flood the Market
Buyouts can save Houston’s flood-soaked homeowners — if they can get one. Instead, ordinary homeowners fail to qualify, and real estate speculators make out.
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/27/2019
Today’s Water Cooler: New polling aggregator, Biden, Gillibrand, Harris, Sanders, Warren, consumer confidence, manufacturing, housing, network outages, Boeing, Huawei, Ford, Tesla, brain parasites, boreal carbon, Medieval peasants, Campbell awards, Walter Benjamin, Nancy
Robocalls: Your Number, Please
The players change, but the game remains the same: telephone companies agree to empty agreement intended to combat robocalls.
Brexit: Sound and Fury
Even though not much looks to have changed with Brexit, the mere running down of the clock does make a difference.
Bernie Sanders’ GND Plan Will Nationalize Power Generation in the U.S.
Sanders presents an ambitious plan.
A National Public School ‘Leadership’ Disaster: Private Firms Vetting Candidates for Superintendent
How search firms engaged to find and vet candidates for public school superintendent regularly endorse individuals who have fabricated credentials and skeltons in their closets.
2:00PM Water Cooler Special: Reader Report from the Field on Biden in New Hampshire (and It’s Ugly. Very Ugly. Come ON, Man)
Alert reader Petal attended a Biden rally and took careful notes from the second row.
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/26/2019
Today’s Water Cooler: Biden, Sanders, Trump, Walsh, Warren, DNC hits up the expats, durable goods, national activity index, manufacturing, Shopify, Apple, Dairy Queen, “fly by wire,” the Amazon fires, reforestation in Detroit and Nepal, Monsanto, Chevron, “American Factory,” unions and Tinder, utilitarianism, George R. R. Martin
Waste Watch: Big Fashion Embraces Sustainability? Ha!
Thirty-two fashion companies present the Fashion Pact to G7; the feeble pledges raise the question: why bother?
