Saber Rattling: North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, their first such test since Joe Biden became President.  The North Koreans are banned from testing ballistic missiles under UN Security Council resolutions, but they do it anyway as kind of a declaration of independence and power.

  Just two days ago North Korea fired two non-ballistic missiles into the Yellow Sea.

  The US Pacific Command, which oversees military forces in the Asia-Pacific region, said on Thursday that the test highlighted “the threat that North Korea’s illicit weapons program poses to its neighbors and the international community”.

  OK, but sometimes the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un likes to stomp his foot to get attention.

On the Job: First-time unemployment claims last week fell to their lowest weekly level since the start of the pandemic. Claims dropped by 100,000, down to 657,000, the Labor Department reports. Unemployment has fallen to 6.2 percent from a pandemic peak of 14.8. 

  The quick rollout of Covid vaccinations and the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill are energizing the economy, but employment is still lagging.

Viral News: The number of Covid-19 cases in the US surpassed 30 million yesterday as the global number approaches 125 million. With 4 percent of the world’s population, the US has had nearly a quarter of the infections. Land of the Free!

  As of this morning, the US has had 545,282 deaths. 

  So far, 85.5 million Americans have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Special Access: CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and other members of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s family had special access to coronavirus testing in the early days of the pandemic, The NY Times  and other outlets report. 

  The governor’s mother, Matilda Cuomo, and at least one of his sisters were also able to take advantage of the state-administered tests, the Times reported according to two people in the know.

  Chris Cuomo tested positive for the coronavirus last March 31^st and reported from home on how he was affected by the disease, Covid-19.

  CNN spokesman Matt Dornic told the Times  “It is not surprising that in the earliest days of a once-in-a-century global pandemic, when Chris was showing symptoms and was concerned about possible spread, he turned to anyone he could for advice and assistance, as any human being would.”

  In other words, special privilege for the anchorman.

   The revelation of special access to testing is an added embarrassment for Gov. Cuomo on top of the accusations of sexual harassment and creepiness by eight women. 

Wolf Man: Don’t confuse “conservative” with “conservationist.” Montana’s newly-elected Republican governor Greg Gianforte was issued a warning after he violated state hunting regulations trapping and shooting a collared wolf near Yellowstone Park in February. 

  Gianforte killed the adult black wolf numbered “1155” roughly ten miles north of the park’s boundary. He trapped it on a private ranch owned by Robert Smith, director of the right wing Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

  Killing once-endangered wolves is legal, but the law requires a hunter to take a course on wolf trapping and Gianforte didn’t do that. Montanans are now in a debate about reducing the state’s wolf population. 

The Spin Rack: Joe Biden holds his first news conference as  President today, a test of whether the man who once acknowledged himself as a “gaffe machine” can make a clean performance. — The Suez canal has been blocked by a nearly quarter-mile long container ship stuck at a skewed angle and halting passage of 100 other ships. High winds blew the ship into the canal bank. The 120-mile canal passes about 10 percent of world shipping. — Julie Pomagalski, a two-time Olympic snowboarder for France and a former world champion, was killed in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday. She was 40.

Fake News: The Fox News network and its acolytes have hounded Vice President Kamala Harris for not saluting the military guard when she boards Air Force Two. Fox reported that, “Vice President Kamala Harris is facing criticism for appearing to break with precedent and failing to salute the honor guard when boarding Air Force Two.”

  This is like Donald Trump claiming “lots of people are saying.” No, they aren’t. The criticism is coming from Fox News itself, not some vague source.

  The president and vice president are civilians and not required to salute members of the military. President Reagan started saluting and presidents have continued since then. It’s voluntary and not saluting is no sign of disrespect. Except in the alternate world of Fox News.

  One man pushing the Fox complaint of disrespect is former New York police commissioner Bernie Kerik who tweeted that, “It is a clear demonstration of her dislike for those in uniform, both law-enforcement and military.”

  Kerik, who has such respect, was convicted of eight felonies including tax evasion and lying to government officials.

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