Augie Ray

That Bunny was AMAZING. Elmo thinks he should be called Good Bunny! Elmo loves you, Mr. Good Bunny! ❤️🎶🐰

Elmo FTW!

“We’re on a world platform here right now. And people need to know that we, as Americans, appreciate the world, we love the world, and we want to be part of the world.”

American Fred Danbank, at the Olympics. He later said, "My whole life, I’ve been a Republican."

COVID Risks Remain High in Much of the U.S.: Update for February 6, 2026 In recent years, the COVID-19 story has been the same each February: the U.S. is on the backside of the winter surge with broadly declining…

My weekly update on #COVID19 in the US is available:

- COVID rose this week in the US, fueled by growth in the Midwest and Northeast.

- COVID remains high or very high in 17 states; low or very low in 19.

medium.com/@augieray_66...

Federal attorney on ICE cases: ‘The system sucks’ A federal judge in Minnesota demanded to know why ICE is not complying with court orders and failing to immediately release immigrants who are being wrongfully detained as part of Operation Metro Surg...

"I wish you would just hold me in contempt of court so I can get 24 hours of sleep. The system sucks, this job sucks, I am trying with every breath I have to get you what I need."

- Julie Le, an attorney working on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office

www.fox9.com/news/federal...

MAGA now hates Bad Bunny and loves Nicki Minaj. Ironic, since Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) is a U.S. citizen and Nicki Minaj is an immigrant non-citizen.

The U.S.’s Winter Virus Season Stays Unpredicable: Update for January 30, 2026 COVID, influenza A, and RSV are generally falling in the U.S., but levels range from very high to very low in different states, and some…

My latest weekly viral update is available:

- COVID rose, unusually, in 3 of 4 US regions this week.
- COVID is high or very high in 15 states and moderate in another dozen.
- The CDC's estimate of Rt suggests possible growth for COVID, influenza A, and RSV.

medium.com/@augieray_66...

Roles of children, isolation measures and socioeconomic status in SARS-CoV-2 household transmission: a retrospective cohort study in a southern US city Objective There has been significant debate about both the role of children in SARS-CoV-2 community transmission as well as the potential harm or lack thereof of the virus in the paediatric population...

It always defied logic when people said kids couldn't spread #COVID19. A STUDY has found that, of course, "Child index cases appeared as likely to result in household secondary SARS-CoV-2 infections as adult index cases."

bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/1/...

Chart of the number of accumulated measles in each of the last few years. 2023 ended with 63 cases. 2025 had 283. 2026 saw measles explode to 2253 cases. And as of January 29, 2026, we're already at 607 cases.

The chart I posted two days ago on measles infections in 2026 vs other recent years is already outdated. Trump and Kennedy's anti-vax nonsense is going to cause a lot of needless suffering and poor health.

CNN screen cap: "Everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen." - via Axios

Trump administration people should be smart enough to know how "I was just following orders" worked out for Nazis after WWII.

Immigrant and Native Consumption of Means-Tested Welfare and Entitlement Benefits in 2023 Immigrants are less likely to enter the welfare system, less likely to remain on welfare for long periods, and less likely to age into the most expensive entitlement programs.

"Immigrants are less likely to enter the welfare system, less likely to remain on welfare for long periods, and less likely to age into the most expensive entitlement programs."

- Libertarian CATO Institute

www.cato.org/briefing-pap...

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

Bruce #Springsteen sings what real Americans feel:

Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Crying through the bloody mist
We’ll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKS...

CEOs attended a private screening of ‘Melania’ on the day ICE killed Alex Pretti | CNN Business The corporate cavalry isn’t coming.

Several CEOs saw the news of another ICE killing, saw fed officials calling him an "assassin" and "terrorist," then attended a special premiere of "Melania."

Values on display: Apple’s Tim Cook, Amazon’s Andy Jassy, AMD’s Lisa Su, Zoom’s Eric Yuan, NYSE's Lynn Martin.

www.cnn.com/2026/01/26/b...

Red state leaders aren't complaining they're not getting the protection they wanted. They aren't whining about the Fed prioritizing a blue state.

They don't want ICE flooding their states and are happy to see ICE terrorizing blue states.

2/2

The easiest way you can tell the ICE occupation of Minnesota is a right-wing propaganda ploy:

The red border states that screamed the loudest about immigration and border security are absolutely silent that DHS is focusing its efforts on Minnesota.

1/2

Post by Minnesota Star Tribune: Here's how to identify some crowd control munitions, canisters of which federal agents have left on the ground after deploying them against people in Minnesota. http://bit.ly/3YWp1jE Graphic by Mark Boswell/The Minnesota Star Tribune The accompanying graphic shows five kinds of gas grenades, address some that are toxic and corrosive.

I'm not saying the Trump administration is turning the US into a dystopian hellscape, but when the local newspaper needs to help you identify what toxic gas Federal agents are unleashing on citizens, I think it speaks for itself.

Only caring about your own rights is exactly how you lose them.

I have no idea what point you're trying to make.

Short-term and long-term risk of death and readmission among adults aged 50+ years admitted with severe acute respiratory infections due to COVID-19, influenza or RSV in Denmark, 2022–2025 Introduction Respiratory infections due to COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are common causes of morbidity and mortality among adults. We aimed to examine the incidence, sever...

"It's just the flu."

STUDY of people 50+ hospitalized for severe acute respiratory infections finds that postdischarge mortality for patients with #COVID19 was 49% higher than those with influenza A and 36% higher compared with patients with RSV.

bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/1/...

COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Studies

My spreadsheet of studies on the impact of #COVID19 infections has reached 3,100 studies. New studies find COVID:

- Causes subclinical cardiac changes in kids
- Increases risk for thrombotic events for a year
- Causes brain changes that may boost Alzheimer’s Disease

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

COVID and Flu’s Winter Surge is (Probably) Over, but Risks are Uneven in the U.S.: The latest data is a bit mixed, but it seems the worst of the winter respiratory viral surge is over for both COVID and influenza. That…

My weekly update of #COVID19 in the US:

- Both COVID and flu viral activity is falling
- COVID remains high or very high in 16 states, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest
- Ten new studies on COVID's longer-term impact on children and adults are also shared

medium.com/@augieray_66...

Thrombotic Events and Stroke in the Year After COVID-19 or Other Acute Respiratory Infection Thrombotic Events and Stroke After COVID-19

"It's just the flu."

STUDY: "Nonhospitalized patients with #COVID19 had a 73% increased risk for a thrombotic event in the year after acute illness compared with nonhospitalized patients with ARI (acute respiratory infections)."

wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/...

Neurological Complications Associated With COVID-19 Compared to Other Viral Infections: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence Neurological complications have become one of the most concerning features of COVID-19, yet clinicians still lack a clear comparison between these findings and what is seen in other viral infections. ...

"It's only the flu."

STUDY: "Compared with influenza and dengue, #COVID19 stands out for both the breadth and severity of its neurological manifestations, as well as the persistence of symptoms in many survivors."

www.cureus.com/articles/449...

Instead, he said to welcome the stranger, practice forgiveness and mercy, and that "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

I have no idea who many Christians think they're following, but it certainly isn't Jesus. 2/2

Jesus was attacked by those in power. He didn't get angry, bully anyone, or cast blame. He didn't collect arms and demand his followers violently resist. He didn't use his influence and power to amass an army. 1/2

President Donald Trump meets with María Corina Machado in the Oval Office, where she presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize, on January 15, 2026

Donald Trump, August 2025: "The United States will not let men steal trophies from women."

Donald Trump, January 2026:

America's own goal: Americans pay almost entirely for Trump’s tariffs Contrary to US government rhetoric, the cost of US import tariffs are not borne by foreign exporters. Instead, they hit the American economy itself. Importers and consumers in the US bear 96 percent o...

STUDY: “Foreign exporters absorb only about 4% of the tariff burden—the remaining 96% is passed through to US buyers.”

“The claim that foreign countries 'pay' these tariffs is a myth. The tariffs are, in the most literal sense, an own goal.”

www.kielinstitut.de/publications...

Cardiovascular, renal and pulmonary risks of Long COVID: a retrospective cohort study stratified by age and sex Background: A substantial proportion of patients with acute COVID-19 develop post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Long COVID). The risk of adverse cardiovascular and related outcomes in Long C...

"Prior #COVID19 vaccination was not associated with a significantly lower risk of CRP (cardiovascular, renal and pulmonary) outcomes among individuals with Long COVID."

2/2

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Cardiovascular, renal and pulmonary risks of Long COVID: a retrospective cohort study stratified by age and sex Background: A substantial proportion of patients with acute COVID-19 develop post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Long COVID). The risk of adverse cardiovascular and related outcomes in Long C...

STUDY: "Although vaccination reduces the risk of acute infection and lowers the likelihood of developing Long #COVID19... vaccination alone may not sufficiently mitigate long-term complications in individuals who develop Long COVID."

1/2

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Maria Corina Machado, Knut Hamsun, and the Nobel Prize | Countercurrents Maria Corina Machado recently congratulated President Donald Trump for kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military action that left around 100 people dead. In an interview with Fox…

Fun fact: Donald Trump isn't the first person gifted a Nobel Prize from the person who won it. The other was Hitler's minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels.

countercurrents.org/2026/01/mari...

COVID and Flu Risks High in Much of Nation: Update for January 16, 2026 COVID viral activity has never been this diverse before in the U.S., with viral activity 5.5x higher in the Midwest than in the West…

My latest weekly update on #COVID19 in the US:

- COVID viral activity has never been this varied across the US
- COVID is 5.5x higher in the Midwest than the West
- Few get vaccinated, but new studies tell us vaccines keep us healthier

medium.com/@augieray_66...