Large group protests Musk outside SpaceX on Saturday in Hawthorne, CA

This 2 minute video is the best summation of the deal I have seen yet.

Measles exposure at LAX amid growing cases across U.S. How to protect yourself

Source: LA Times

A non-Los Angeles resident who traveled to Los Angeles International Airport while infectious with the disease arrived on a Korean Air flight in Terminal B on Feb. 19, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health stated. The infected traveler was an infant returning home to Orange County after international travel, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Travelers and airport staff who were at Terminal B — which serves flights for Air China, Air France, All Nippon Airways, British Airways and Cathay Pacific Airways, among others — on Feb. 19 between 1 and 4 p.m. may be at risk of developing measles due to possible exposure.

Another possible exposure site includes specific seats on the Korean Airline flight. Potentially exposed passengers can expect to be contacted by their local health departments.

Health officials say the best way to protect against the measles is with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective. The CDC recommends getting the first dose of the MMR vaccine at ages 12 to 15 months and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-28/first-confirmed-measles-case-in-los-angeles-county-since-2015-how-to-protect-yourself

Vance leans hard into Trump's foreign policy -- and sparks an extraordinary Oval Office skirmish

“The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy,” Vance said after pre-empting Trump’s attempt to field one last inquiry from the media. “We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States’ words mattered more than the president of the United States’ actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing.”

Zelenskyy then asked for and received permission to address Vance directly, noting that Ukraine had previously made diplomatic agreements with Russia that were then violated.

“He killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners,” a visibly agitated Zelenskyy said, referring to Putin, who has been at war with Ukraine for three years. “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?”

Vance shot back that it was "disrespectful" for Zelenskyy to "come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media." Things only got more tense from there.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/vance-leans-hard-trumps-foreign-policy-sparks-extraordinary-oval-offic-rcna194256

The National Park budget is $3.6 billion but it creates $55 billion in economic output.

Flu kills 70 in San Diego, inluding 3 teens. All were unvaccinated.

Three teenagers are among 73 people in San Diego who have died from the flu this season, as Diego County health officials try to promote vaccinations. The teenagers were not vaccinated against the flu this season, health officials said. Neither are 80% of 5- to 17-year-olds in San Diego County, which is far below the national average where 42% of 5- to 17-year-olds nationwide have received this year's flu vaccine. Which is why the flu has been ripping through SD. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/three-san-diego-county-teens-die-from-the-flu-this-season-health-officials-say/3748011/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIjKYZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdB6fOVfpCjkS4hxfHmoccSvHE5XOt7Md9zCl1Sga0hnH7JcLVRz5mxsfQ_aem_g_ilS2gwhFcJGCeciFoZbw

El Capitan at Yosemite NP displays US flag upside down (signal of distress).

German elections: CDU's Merz looks set to be next chancellor as far-right AfD surges

Source: CNN

• Friedrich Merz is likely to become the next German chancellor after his conservative CDU party topped the vote in elections, exit polls project. The stuttering economy and immigration were major voter concerns.

• The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) almost doubled its vote share and surged into second place. But it is likely to be frozen out of power as other parties are refusing to work with it.

• SPD, the party of current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, slumped to third place, with just 16% of the vote – its worst showing in decades.

• The election came against a backdrop of the Trump administration transforming historic security ties with Europe and moving ahead with peace talks on Ukraine.

• Whoever wins, coalition talks are a near-certainty. Single parties rarely win majorities in German elections so Merz will have to open talks with other parties on forming a government.



Read more: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/germany-election-polls-results-intl/index.html

As consumer delinquencies rise, U.S. economic growth increasingly powered by the wealthy

Most official data continues to show the U.S. economy is humming along, with unemployment historically low and inflation expectations still relatively stable.

Yet under the hood, a wealth divide that had subsided somewhat in the early stages of the pandemic era has suddenly grown more stark: The upper echelons of America’s income distribution — those making roughly $153,000 in annual income — are the ones that are now powering much of the spending driving U.S. growth.

Meanwhile, Americans who are not at the top are facing increasing financial difficulties.“

The fact that consumer spending is so concentrated among folks who are well-to-do makes the economy vulnerable,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/personal-finance/credit-card-debt-rising-in-america-why-which-consumers-affected-rcna192672

Warren Buffett, warning of 'scoundrels' and 'fiscal folly,' slashes his exposure to U.S. stocks

Warren Buffett has had second thoughts about investing in the U.S. stock market. It surely says nothing cheerful that Warren Buffett, the world’s most famous and successful investor, now holds more than half of his company’s net assets in cash and Treasury bills.
...
Or that in his latest annual letter to investors, the 94-year-old has taken a break from his usual patriotic boosterism, and instead is warning about the risks to America from “fiscal folly” and from “scoundrels and promoters” who “take advantage of those who mistakenly trust them.” "The American process has not always been pretty,” he wrote. It’s a far cry from his usual cheerleading. It’s only four years since he was writing: “Never bet against America.”

But for those scouring his latest annual report for profitable opportunities, Buffett’s comments and financial data suggest that the stocks of the five Japanese “mini-Berkshire” conglomerates he’s been buying since 2019 look like good value.
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The most interesting part of Buffett’s annual report is the balance sheet. Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings of cash and equivalents — mainly U.S. Treasury bills — has hit a record $345 billion, according to the latest figures. That is nearly twice the level of a year ago, and now accounts for a staggering 53% of the company’s net assets...A year ago, Berkshire held nearly twice as much money in stocks as it did in Treasury bills.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/warren-buffett-warning-of-scoundrels-and-fiscal-folly-slashes-his-exposure-to-u-s-stocks-15c6e66a?link=sfmw_fb&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3qVYFDVp0xIrTZV7aYxldXEDx1PD4ZLnnRoBJaD0DKVq9bc1vfH3onOlM_aem_roJeNUyb6LYV1nt06pCLGw