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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Atul Gawande on COVID-Vaccine Distribution and When Normalcy Might Return</strong> - The New Yorker staff writer assesses the vaccination campaign so far, new mutations, and when it might be possible to enter public spaces safely without a mask. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-interview/atul-gawande-on-covid-vaccine-distribution-and-when-normalcy-might-return">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>After Dark, Citizens and Myanmar’s Junta Face Off Across Ghostly Front Lines</strong> - Innovative grassroots resistance grows despite mounting regime intimidation. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/after-dark-citizens-and-myanmars-junta-face-off-across-ghostly-front-lines">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Rush Limbaugh Invented Donald Trump</strong> - By subsuming his conservatism into the cult of one man, Limbaugh finished his career less as a leader of the Republican Party than as simply another Trump follower. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/how-rush-limbaugh-invented-donald-trump">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Sound and the Fury of Andrew Cuomo</strong> - Assemblyman Ron Kim was bathing his children when he got an unexpected call from the governor. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/the-sound-and-the-fury-of-andrew-cuomo">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Haitians Are at an Impasse Over the Country’s Future</strong> - Jovenel Moïse is intent on remaining President amid continued protests calling for him to step down. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/haitians-are-at-an-impasse-over-the-countrys-future">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Wind turbines can handle the cold just fine. Just look at Iowa.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RbW1PoNbeTT6Ma2dQxJriuQeP38=/242x0:4675x3325/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68844989/1200001822.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Wind turbines thriving in the Iowa winter in 2020. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Some Republicans want you to think wind turbines caused the Texas blackout. Here’s why they’re wrong.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R1eAPM">
As the energy crisis in Texas deepened this week, leaving millions without power, heat, and even running water, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/2/17/22287469/fox-news-winter-storm-uri-windmills-ercot-greg-abbott-hannity-carlson">conservative commentators</a> and politicians persistently peddled a myth that wind turbines are to blame.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9PJ3Oe">
“It seems pretty clear that a reckless reliance on windmills is the cause of this disaster,” Tucker Carlson <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/2/17/22287469/fox-news-winter-storm-uri-windmills-ercot-greg-abbott-hannity-carlson">said Monday</a> on Fox News. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also used wind power as a scapegoat for the crisis when he appeared <a href="https://twitter.com/ndrew_lawrence/status/1361866553998909442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1361866553998909442%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2F2021%2F2%2F17%2F22287469%2Ffox-news-winter-storm-uri-windmills-ercot-greg-abbott-hannity-carlson">on Fox</a> Tuesday night, but he later walked back his comments.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V9udth">
Let’s get the facts straight. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/opinion/future-proof-texas-grid.html">Every type</a> of power plant — whether powered by coal, natural gas, nuclear, solar, or wind sources — in Texas was impacted by the ice and freezing temperatures that arrived with Winter Storm Uri over the weekend. But it was natural gas — the state’s top source of electricity — that failed <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/natural-gas-power-storm/">most significantly</a> as wellheads and power plants froze over. Wind turbines, meanwhile, were responsible for <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-16/frozen-wind-farms-were-just-a-small-piece-of-texas-s-power-woes">13 percent</a> of the total lost electricity output, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s nonprofit grid operator.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7WhuBF">
But there is nothing innate about wind power — or natural gas — that caused these power plants to fail. It’s merely a matter of preparation, Hui Hu, a professor of aerospace engineering at Iowa State University who studies wind turbines, told Vox.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fieT2u">
Places reliant on wind energy that are no strangers to cold and ice —<strong> </strong>from Sweden to Iowa — are proof that the freezing of turbines in Texas was not inevitable. The difference: Unlike in Texas, those turbines were weatherized to operate in the cold.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GAUJas">
Does this mean that, as wind power contributes a greater and greater share of electricity in states like Texas, all wind turbines have to be storm-proofed to avoid a future mass blackout like this week’s? This is ultimately a risk calculation that lawmakers and scientists will have to make going forward, but the scale of the damage from this blackout suggests the upfront investment would be worthwhile.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lEH0Lb">
So, how exactly do cold veterans<strong> </strong>like Iowa keep their turbines turning, and what can we learn from them?
</p>
<h3 id="8D3KxI">
Why only some ice is problematic for wind turbines
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="szAJq6">
To understand how to winterize wind turbines, we first need to take a slightly deeper dive into why ice caused some turbines to fail in Texas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z7VU2a">
The answer has to do with the specific intersection of temperature and humidity. At Iowa State, Hu and his research team pinpointed these factors through a decade of research to figure out why some ice impacts wind turbines and what can be done to stop it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lsd0XM">
Hu oversees experiments at what he proudly tells Vox is the largest wind tunnel at any US university. Originally set up to test de-icing methods for airplanes, Hu’s lab converted the tunnel to blow icy wind at wind turbine blades when Iowa started to go big on wind power a decade ago. These experiments have given us a lot of information about how to keep wind turbines moving in the winter.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FDJTnz">
The researchers identified one kind of ice — wet “glaze” ice — that is particularly of concern. This ice creates a cottage cheese-like texture on turbine blades, which slows down airflow. In a field experiment, <a href="https://www.aere.iastate.edu/~huhui/paper/journal/2021-Gao-WT-Icing-Field-Renewable-Energy.pdf">researchers found</a> that during a 30-hour period when blades iced over, power production dropped by up to 80 percent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lkOGNt">
Even worse, this ice can cause turbines to become severely <a href="https://www.aere.iastate.edu/~huhui/WT-icing.html">unbalanced</a> and vibrate, potentially even breaking under the stress. So if turbines aren’t winterized, operators will shut them down before they reach that point, Hu explained.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="249oMf">
It was exactly this wet ice that formed on turbine blades in Texas when <a href="https://www.vox.com/22287295/texas-uri-climate-change-cold-polar-vortex-arctic">Arctic air met Gulf humidity</a>, Hu said. Meanwhile, in Iowa, the temperatures are usually so low and the air so dry that smooth “rime” ice forms over turbine blades, which doesn’t affect the turbines as much. You can see the difference in the photo from one of Hu’s team’s experiments below.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WF1MnNbETsa6rLR8L0qmAumr0BI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22314953/Screen_Shot_2021_02_19_at_7.58.53_AM.png"/> <cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.aere.iastate.edu/~huhui/WT-icing.html" target="_blank">Iowa State University</a></cite>
<figcaption>
The difference between dry “rime” ice and wet “glaze” ice — the latter is what impacted Texas’s turbines.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cS0f67">
Low temperatures alone can also cause some turbine components to malfunction without proper protective technologies. But Hu pointed out that the higher density of cold air actually boosts wind power generation in the winter.
</p>
<h3 id="NzH8Dg">
How some of the coldest regions keep their turbines turning
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SjFMo5">
So, how do wind farms respond to these different types of ice, to keep their turbines from shutting down as they did in Texas?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FvrPHZ">
In wetter places like Scandinavia and Scotland,<strong> </strong>some turbines are filled with hot air while others have a special coating to prevent ice from forming. These winter-ready turbines cost about 5 percent more than regular turbines, and the heating process uses up some of their energy output, Stefan Skarp, who oversees wind power for Swedish utility Skellefteå Kraft, told <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-16/sweden-shows-texas-how-to-keep-turbines-spinning-in-icy-weather?utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=climate&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;cmpid=socialflow-twitter-climate">Bloomberg News</a>. Hu’s team is working on more energy-efficient technologies that could be cheaper.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PelQf1">
Because Iowa is blessed with drier ice, wind farms there haven’t had to invest in such elaborate measures while reaching the highest share of wind electricity generation in the country: <a href="https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=IA#:~:text=About%2042%25%20of%20Iowa's%20electric,producer%2C%20after%20Texas%20and%20Oklahoma.">42 percent</a> in 2019.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7zJvUD">
Midwestern utility company MidAmerican Energy Company has shown that wind energy is highly reliable, even in harsh Iowa conditions. In 2020, 80 percent of the utility’s electricity was generated by renewable energy — the majority of which comes from its 3,300 wind turbines, said Geoff Greenwood, a spokesperson for MidAmerican Energy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ywOfrr">
“This year it’s been cold, but our wind fleet continues to generate clean energy for our customers,” he said. All that’s needed is a few extra measures in the turbine design to make sure certain components don’t freeze up.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1nZ0jl">
Some Iowa wind operators use flashier action movie techniques to keep their turbines going. Helicopters and drones swoop over turbines dropping hot water or de-icing chemicals. But this is typically just a one-off measure if bad ice hits, Hu said.
</p>
<h3 id="VXWbXN">
Should Texas winterize all of its turbines?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tYKcTl">
Given that winterizing turbines costs more, should Texas wind developers take a cue from Sweden and pay that price upfront to help avoid future disasters?
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<div id="7i2wQ3">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ry35Wa">
Jesse Jenkins, an assistant professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University, argued in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/opinion/future-proof-texas-grid.html">New York Times op-ed</a> on Wednesday that electricity systems need to be ready for future risks. “Preparing for extreme events is like buying [a] home or health insurance: it costs you every year and you hope you’ll never use it. But when a crisis strikes, paying the premiums can look like the perfect decision in hindsight.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YHLZ3N">
After this crisis comes to an end, “Texans will have to determine just how much insurance is worth taking out,” he added.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LoFJnY">
This doesn’t just apply to one type of power generation. “Because wind is the new kid on the block, it’s getting a lot of attention,” said Kerri Johannsen, energy program director at the Iowa Environmental Council. But all grids have to consider whether their systems can weather the extremes brought by climate change.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qPvDp0">
Oversight is increasing to ensure grids are up to the challenge. <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/17/texas-power-grid-failures/">The Texas Tribune reported</a> that the North American Electric Reliability Corporation is working on establishing mandatory requirements for power plants to prepare for winter extremes. Even though Texas operates its own grid, it would also be subject to these rules.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z3UGl2">
Texas has ignored previous guidance. In 2011, after a storm caused a severe blackout, ERCOT developed winterization guidelines, but they <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/17/texas-power-grid-failures/">weren’t enforced</a>. Now, facing the consequences, Gov. Abbott has <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/18/greg-abbott-winter-storm/">called for</a> these winterization measures to be required and for the state legislature to fund the necessary upgrades.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wqkVb4">
As the old saying goes, “You should never let a crisis go to waste.” After all the havoc that the grid failures have wreaked this week, it’s critical that these calls for action don’t just fade away as they did after 2011. Texans should know wind itself isn’t the problem; it’s a question of how much insurance state leaders are willing to purchase to prevent another disaster of this magnitude.
</p></li>
<li><strong>How chickens took over America’s dinner plates, in one chart</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Chickens in cages at a conventional egg production farm." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UQgh1Y8iAE3oFGs0gFp9dMpbpZc=/294x0:4907x3460/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68844464/687564274.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Chickens at a commercial egg farm. | Edwin Remsburg/VW Pics via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Americans eat twice as much chicken as they did in the 1970s. Why?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fHI4hM">
Earlier this month, almost 100 million Americans tuned in to watch the Super Bowl, and they ate about <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://voxcom.cmail19.com/t/d-l-qbklhk-jlijlhhjs-t/&amp;source=gmail-imap&amp;ust=1614108813000000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1n4at8zlf_fNrrbdlrd1oc">1.4 billion chicken wings</a> and drumsticks — wings and legs from 700 million birds. And that’s part of the larger picture of chicken consumption in America. Every year, Americans consume 8 billion chickens. These are mind-boggling numbers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kQXibQ">
But it’s worth remembering we didn’t always eat this much chicken, and a new report sheds some light on how poultry took over the meat industry. It also provides some insights into how plant-based meat producers could gain a bigger share of America’s plates.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Bh37FU">
The <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://voxcom.cmail19.com/t/d-l-qbklhk-jlijlhhjs-h/&amp;source=gmail-imap&amp;ust=1614108813000000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ZHVdyBslp4mgpv_xx5wvw">report</a> details the threat plant-based foods pose for the beef industry, which commissioned the report. It’s an issue we’ve covered extensively here at <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect-future-of-meat">Future Perfect</a>, though usually from the perspective that that threat is a good thing because factory farming is bad for the environment and awful for the billions of animals involved.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BacXQl">
It was interesting to read an analysis of many of the same questions I’ve reported on, but from a very different angle — questions like, Are people buying plant-based meat products in place of slaughtered meat, or do plant-based meat products appeal mostly to vegetarians? How much will drops in price help plant-based meat products compete with slaughtered meat?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y1hipx">
The report’s assessment is that plant-based products are still a tiny share of the meat market, and those who buy them are typically “flexitarians” or other people trying to reduce their meat consumption. Plant-based products still have plenty of room for growth.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a9Luft">
But the thing that stands out most in the report is actually a point of profound agreement between me and the beef industry: that the enormous rise in chicken consumption in America has been a disaster, though we have very different reasons for why we think so.
</p>
<h3 id="jH4dRf">
The consequences of our chicken-heavy diets
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cpWjkf">
Americans eat way more chickens — and, actually, significantly fewer cows — than we used to. Here’s a graph from the report, showing per capita meat consumption since 1970:
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oBtIIIgtiInndAYTRnmGyyLENKI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22310008/Screen_Shot_2021_02_12_at_9.55.23_AM.png"/> <cite>Tonsor, Lusk, and Schroeder, 2021</cite>
<figcaption>
Impacts of New Plant-Based Protein Alternatives on U.S. Beef Demand
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wZDg2f">
As the chart shows, per capita beef consumption has actually significantly declined over the last few decades. (To be clear, overall beef consumption is higher, but that’s because the population has increased dramatically.) Meanwhile, per capita chicken consumption has skyrocketed over the same period. In 1970, the average person ate about <a href="https://aei.ag/2016/10/31/u-s-meat-consumption-turns-higher/">50 pounds of meat from chickens</a> a year; today, it’s more than 100.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z0acN7">
From an environmental perspective, the rise of chicken at the expense of beef is okay news — intensive chicken farming doesn’t produce as many greenhouse gases as intensive beef farming (though it is bad for the environment in <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://voxcom.cmail19.com/t/d-l-qbklhk-jlijlhhjs-u/&amp;source=gmail-imap&amp;ust=1614108813000000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3ULU-f7Bd2UG-K5u4c9nm2">other ways</a>).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vmnq2v">
But from an animal welfare perspective, it is awful news.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lTaQqR">
Beef production is somewhat less industrialized and intensive than chicken farming. Many cows raised on a modern American farm get to spend some time outside and in decent conditions, compared to most farmed animals.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cQED0w">
Most chickens, on the other hand, spend every minute of their short lives in crowded, ammonia-filled indoor spaces, as we saw in a recent undercover investigation into <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://voxcom.cmail19.com/t/d-l-qbklhk-jlijlhhjs-o/&amp;source=gmail-imap&amp;ust=1614108813000000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2JRwyME5L4MaIZO5dCh5Qr"><strong>a farm that supplies chicken for Costco</strong></a>. They’re also <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://voxcom.cmail19.com/t/d-l-qbklhk-jlijlhhjs-b/&amp;source=gmail-imap&amp;ust=1614108813000000&amp;usg=AOvVaw03WdOp_pi2Zc8-LyhQgY3Z"><strong>bred to grow too fast</strong></a>, putting pressure on their joints and making normal chicken behavior impossible. And one cow feeds lots of people, while one chicken doesn’t, so demand for a pound of chicken involves way more animal suffering than demand for a pound of beef.
</p>
<h3 id="3jz5Rk">
What plant-based producers could learn from Big Poultry
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eqbPzD">
On the surface, this may seem like discouraging news for animal welfare advocates — push animals to their biological limit and gain a bigger market share. But it actually paints a clear picture as to how plant-based meat producers could get a bigger share of the market. If they can drop their prices as much as chicken companies did, they might see a similar rise in sales. Plant-based startups are <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2021/2/2/22260454/impossible-foods-burger-plant-based-meat">making some progress on that front</a>, though they’re still far from being cost-competitive with animal meat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="peUtMs">
But the report argues price wasn’t the only driver of chicken’s surge, and in fact that analysis suggests price explains less than half of it. Health and safety concerns about cholesterol and fat contributed too. Chicken is broadly thought of as a healthier meat, lower in fat and cholesterol (though <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/when-it-comes-to-cholesterol-levels-white-meat-may-be-no-better-than-red-meat-and-plant-based-protein-beats-both-2019082217550">researchers</a> say this may not be the case). So to steal chicken’s throne, plant-based companies will likely have to sell consumers on their health and environmental benefits, and food safety, too.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ih0c6W">
The rise of chicken as America’s dominant source of protein from 1970 to the present has been almost unremarked upon despite its huge implications for the well-being of billions of animals. Whatever happens with plant-based meats, it’s likely to get a lot more attention. From animal activists to the media to the beef industry, plant-based meat products are being closely watched — and we’ll see whether they can pull off their hoped-for rise to prominence.
</p></li>
<li><strong>How Ted Cruz’s ill-fated trip to Cancun blew up from Twitter rumor to major scandal</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Senator Ted Cruz." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0KHuzxrCabu_dMFeLbzlC97a5Wg=/257x0:4701x3333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68837304/1231145941.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
The optics of Cruz’s trip to Mexico couldn’t have been worse. | Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Cruz forged ahead with plans to travel with his family to Mexico as his constituents struggle to survive.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VciqRd">
An emerging political scandal over Ted Cruz’s alleged vacation plans is sweeping the internet amid fallout from Winter Storm Uri, which has left millions of Texans <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1362378101964038145">without electricity or running water</a> for days now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2GYbSg">
On Wednesday evening, political Twitter became obsessed with unconfirmed reports that the Texas senator flew to Cancun, Mexico, for a family vacation — reports that were confirmed on Thursday morning by Fox News and other outlets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cgF6N4">
The optics of a Texas senator flying to a sunny resort as his constituents face unplowed roads, power outages, burst pipes, and food shortages isn’t great, to say the least.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fJT6S3">
A Twitter user named Juan Gomez sparked curiosity about Cruz’s whereabouts just before 9 pm ET on Wednesday when he posted a photo of a man who appeared to be Cruz waiting to board a plane at an airport above the caption, “Well Senator Cruz is flying to Cancun while millions of Texans do not have electricity.”
</p>
<div id="11Rfnu">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Well Senator Cruz is flying to Cancun while millions of Texans do not have electricity <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Priorities?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Priorities</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThanksforNothingSenator?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThanksforNothingSenator</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="ProjectLincoln">@ProjectLincoln</span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/keithedwards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="keithedwards">@keithedwards</span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="shannonrwatts">@shannonrwatts</span></a> <a href="https://t.co/X1fRqOie6l">pic.twitter.com/X1fRqOie6l</a>
</p>
— Juan Gomez (<span class="citation" data-cites="Juan_Gomez18">@Juan_Gomez18</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/Juan_Gomez18/status/1362219617997873154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0kDh7E">
That unconfirmed tweet quickly went viral, and before too long, other unconfirmed photos taken by fellow travelers emerged.
</p>
<div id="ABV5TF">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
I’ll just drop these right here. Him in the United Airlines FIRST CLASS lounge &amp; then boarding his flight to Cancun. <a href="https://t.co/aoEEmFWngj">pic.twitter.com/aoEEmFWngj</a>
</p>
— Ashley Osborne (<span class="citation" data-cites="ashleyjb33">@ashleyjb33</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashleyjb33/status/1362310063071784960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MPT5Rt">
Soon, internet sleuths figured out that the man who appeared to be Cruz seemed to be traveling with his wife, Heidi (circled in the picture below), and their children. Others noticed that the man was wearing the <a href="https://twitter.com/UrbanAchievr/status/1362261517597573121">same mask</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/whstancil/status/1362386797498540035">ring</a> that Cruz has been photographed wearing at the Capitol.
</p>
<div id="5wFHrA">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="und">
<a href="https://t.co/UnTjqQ9jVq">pic.twitter.com/UnTjqQ9jVq</a>
</p>
— Keith Edwards (<span class="citation" data-cites="keithedwards">@keithedwards</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/keithedwards/status/1362244593161539585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L5XlD6">
Still, as people went to bed on Wednesday evening, the social media reports about Cruz remained unconfirmed. Many noted that Cruz, a prolific and combative Twitter user, had gone radio silent, and his office wasn’t responding to requests for comment — circumstantial evidence suggesting something was up, but still not enough to say for sure that the photos were legit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2P8SCv">
A journalist named David Shuster posted <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidShuster/status/1362272883775582209">a tweet</a> claiming he had “confirmed” that Cruz and his family “flew to Cancun tonight for a few days at a resort they’ve visited before,” but when asked by other reporters to detail his source, Shuster just referred to “multiple eye witnesses.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PE6Ig6">
Nonetheless, people had jokes …
</p>
<div id="oSxYTl">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
twitter trying to figure out if ted cruz went to cancun <a href="https://t.co/jNArEJ4NOJ">pic.twitter.com/jNArEJ4NOJ</a>
</p>
— Sopan Deb (<span class="citation" data-cites="SopanDeb">@SopanDeb</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/1362281523693690881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8Q5J7v">
… while others remarked on the awful optics of a US senator vacationing in Mexico while his constituents are struggling to survive.
</p>
<div id="awILC9">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
While millions in Texas don’t have working heat and water because of a crushing snow storm, Ted Cruz is flying off to Cancun for funsies. You just can’t make this shit up.
</p>
— Charlotte Clymer ️‍ (<span class="citation" data-cites="cmclymer">@cmclymer</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1362267707840864264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O8MMrq">
Then on Thursday morning, Fox News’s Chad Pergram became the first reporter from a major outlet to confirm the story, citing his colleague Paul Steinhauser and a GOP source who said “the photos speak for themselves.” (Ironically, Fox News mostly ignored the story on TV, not mentioning it once Thursday morning.)
</p>
<div id="x75v9c">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Colleague Paul Steinhauser confirms GOP TX Sen Ted Cruz traveled to Cancun amid the TX storm/power outages. GOP Source: “the photos speak for themselves”
</p>
— Chad Pergram (<span class="citation" data-cites="ChadPergram">@ChadPergram</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1362411459599355910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CRXP1o">
The Associated Press and ABC later <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1362431709044609026">confirmed</a> the story as well, with Houston police <a href="https://twitter.com/bensiegel/status/1362436889228279809">telling ABC</a> that Cruz’s staff requested police presence “upon the Senator’s arrival at the airport” on Wednesday.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HtNX9k">
Politico’s Jake Sherman tweeted that it appeared Cruz was on the upgrade list for a Thursday flight from Cancun to Houston, which suggested that amid the firestorm, Cruz decided to cut his trip short. (Before Fox News confirmed the story, sleuths <a href="https://twitter.com/dougblandry/status/1362408482809540612">figured out</a> that Cruz was on the upgrade list for a Wednesday flight from Houston to Cancun.)
</p>
<div id="PZZ1ub">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Here’s the upgrade list for this afternoon’s flight from Cancun to Houston. <br/><br/>Looks like ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="tedcruz">@tedcruz</span></a>⁩ is on his way back, ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/danpfeiffer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="danpfeiffer">@danpfeiffer</span></a>⁩. He’s just narrowly missing the upgrade list<br/><br/>That’s assuming that “cru, r” is him. And I do. <a href="https://t.co/CqfKa5rJfG">pic.twitter.com/CqfKa5rJfG</a>
</p>
— Jake Sherman (<span class="citation" data-cites="JakeSherman">@JakeSherman</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1362418963196485634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sJ1V3p">
Skift’s Edward Russell, citing a United Airlines source, <a href="https://twitter.com/ByERussell/status/1362447404310609921">reported</a> that Cruz was originally supposed to return to Houston from Mexico on Saturday but rebooked his flight on Thursday morning. (NBC later <a href="https://twitter.com/PeterAlexander/status/1362509981346635781">confirmed</a> that reporting.) Cruz was photographed on Thursday checking in for his flight back to Texas.
</p>
<div id="K1fHOO">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Ted Cruz checking in for his flight back to Texas <br/><br/>(Photo by MEGA/GC Images via Getty) <a href="https://t.co/b6pWNeIxdL">pic.twitter.com/b6pWNeIxdL</a>
</p>
— Matt Shuham (<span class="citation" data-cites="mattshuham">@mattshuham</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattshuham/status/1362476752136724484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Gthfqe">
Cruz’s office still hadn’t commented as Thursday morning drew to a close, though there were indications it would try to spin the scandal by claiming Cruz just flew to Mexico to accompany his family.
</p>
<div id="qql9qB">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
They seem to be prepping the just dropping off the family line <a href="https://t.co/E9qMieP3iG">pic.twitter.com/E9qMieP3iG</a>
</p>
— Josh Marshall (<span class="citation" data-cites="joshtpm">@joshtpm</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1362435489362546689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6c910t">
Indeed, early Thursday afternoon, CNN’s Betsy Klein published a statement from Cruz in which he explained he just flew to Mexico because he wanted “to be a good dad” for his daughters, who “asked to take a trip with friends” because school was “cancelled for the week” because of the natural disaster.
</p>
<div id="hpj3Zv">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Statement from Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="tedcruz">@tedcruz</span></a> on his trip to Mexico as millions in his state were without power, heat, and water <br/>(story: <a href="https://t.co/1NRMfJGEOy">https://t.co/1NRMfJGEOy</a>) <a href="https://t.co/goWaYd4fDV">pic.twitter.com/goWaYd4fDV</a>
</p>
— Betsy Klein (<span class="citation" data-cites="betsy_klein">@betsy_klein</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/betsy_klein/status/1362463765992787968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="13V83Y">
Just before his flight back to Texas, Cruz offered remarks to reporters from the airport in Mexico in which he reiterated the themes from his office’s statement.
</p>
<div id="GXQ2ZE">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Sen. Ted Cruz at the Cancún airport:<br/><br/>“Yesterday my daughters asked if they could take a trip with some friends, and Heidi and I agreed, so I flew down with them last night, dropped them off here and now I’m headed back to Texas.” <a href="https://t.co/5d8UwlmZWv">pic.twitter.com/5d8UwlmZWv</a>
</p>
— The Recount (<span class="citation" data-cites="therecount">@therecount</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1362502101574832132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FJeZAs">
But there was even more. On Thursday evening, text messages Heidi Cruz sent to a group of the Cruzes’ neighbors leaked to the liberal group American Bridge and a number of news outlets. In them, Heidi Cruz notes that her house is “FREEZING” and says, “Anyone can or want to leave for the week? We may go to Cancun there is a direct flight at 445pm and hotels w capacity. Seriously.”
</p>
<div id="muHgva">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Whoever leaked the Heidi Cruz’s group chat to <a href="https://twitter.com/American_Bridge?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="American_Bridge">@American_Bridge</span></a> chose complete violence. It be ya own people <a href="https://t.co/yORpVA6cVQ">pic.twitter.com/yORpVA6cVQ</a>
</p>
— philip lewis (<span class="citation" data-cites="Phil_Lewis_">@Phil_Lewis_</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1362560193066893316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lh1UJw">
The authenticity of the text messages was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/us/politics/ted-cruz-storm-cancun.html">confirmed</a> by the New York Times.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LAWRRx">
Upon his return to Texas, Cruz gave a press statement in which chants of “resign!” could be heard behind him …
</p>
<div id="cnQVlr">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Sen. Ted Cruz, back in Texas, says it was “obviously a mistake” to go to Cancun.<br/><br/>You can hear protestors chanting “Resign!” in the background. <a href="https://t.co/FwA6Dsg4fv">pic.twitter.com/FwA6Dsg4fv</a>
</p>
— The Recount (<span class="citation" data-cites="therecount">@therecount</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1362552651561504769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xs32ug">
… and then did several TV interviews, including a softball one on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show in which Cruz continued to try to shift responsibility for his ill-conceived trip to his daughters and his desire to be a good dad.
</p>
<div id="gHOe2P">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Ted Cruz is still blaming his daughters <a href="https://t.co/F1WacMwcpu">pic.twitter.com/F1WacMwcpu</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation" data-cites="atrupar">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1362590884739641345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MC86FE">
It should be noted that while Cruz’s state is in crisis, the US Senate is in recess this week. One Dallas resident <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/02/18/barbs-fly-at-ted-cruz-for-heading-to-cancun-as-millions-in-texas-freeze-without-power/">wrote</a> to the Dallas Morning News and defended Cruz on that basis, noting that the “Senate is out, he can afford it. … What exactly is the problem?” (Other right-wing pundits <a href="https://twitter.com/DineshDSouza/status/1362433079885848580">defended</a> Cruz along <a href="https://twitter.com/EsotericCD/status/1362411729175609345">similar lines</a>.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mszc1x">
But there are still things Cruz could do to try to help even if the Senate isn’t in session. For instance, the Democrat he defeated to retain his Senate seat in 2018, Beto O’Rourke, said he made more than 151,000 calls to senior citizens in Texas on Wednesday alone, and solicited help to do more of the same on Thursday.
</p>
<div id="cPItYp">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
We made over 151,000 calls to senior citizens in Texas tonight. One of our vols talked to a man stranded at home w/out power in Killeen, hadn’t eaten in 2 days, got him a ride to a warming center and a hot meal. Help us reach more people, join us tomorrow: <a href="https://t.co/WOLn2HCrm1">https://t.co/WOLn2HCrm1</a>
</p>
— Beto O’Rourke (<span class="citation" data-cites="BetoORourke">@BetoORourke</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1362280019863564291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VFYIrr">
Cruz’s flight to Cancun came one day after he posted a tweet acknowledging criticism he was receiving for his tweets from 2019 mocking California when heat waves there caused power outages.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Urqz9I">
“Stay safe!” Cruz wrote.
</p>
<div id="4KAFdG">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
I got no defense. ‍♂️<br/><br/>A blizzard strikes Texas &amp; our state shuts down. Not good. <br/><br/>Stay safe! <a href="https://t.co/kBPGrGHmvI">https://t.co/kBPGrGHmvI</a>
</p>
— Ted Cruz (<span class="citation" data-cites="tedcruz">@tedcruz</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1361833252567179266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h6i6zb">
And during a radio interview on Monday, Cruz urged constituents to do the exact opposite of what he did.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bou87x">
“We could see 100 people lose their lives this week in Texas,” Cruz <a href="https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1362422876855558146">said</a>. “So don’t risk it. Keep your family safe and just stay home and hug your kids.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S3CNNb">
Meanwhile, Twitter users surfaced <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1334261492833771520">tweets</a> Cruz posted less than three months ago attacking a Democratic politician for traveling to Mexico during the coronavirus pandemic while telling his constituents to stay home. Cruz is not only guilty of exactly that, but his trip to Mexico — coming as it does while millions of his constituents are desperately in need of help — is perhaps even worse.
</p>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>‘West Bengal wants its own daughter’: TMC launches poll slogan</strong> - The slogan with Banerjee’s photo was put up on hoardings across Kolkata as the State’s ruling party officially launched it from its headquarters off EM Bypass.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>News Analysis: With media blitz, China crafts new narrative on border crisis</strong> - The carefully crafted account, which was buttressed by the state media releasing new footage from the Galwan clash of June 15, was timed for full effect.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kalaburagi centre of RGUHS to be inaugurated today</strong> - Minister for Health and Family Welfare K Sudhakar will inaugurate the Kalaburagi regional centre of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS)</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kerala gets ₹575 crore for GST shortfall</strong> - ₹4,304 crore raised so far through special window</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Alexei Navalny: Putin critic loses appeal against jailing</strong> - It is the first of two scheduled appearances in court on Saturday for the prominent Putin critic.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Coronavirus: What Europeans have learned from a year of pandemic</strong> - Since the first case in northern Italy a year ago the lives of Europeans have been changed forever.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pau attack: Immigration official stabbed to death in France</strong> - The alleged attacker, a Sudanese migrant, recently had an asylum request rejected.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Alps hiker survives seven icy nights after fall in Italy</strong> - Italian rescuers find an injured man who says his dog helped him to survive.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Russia’s stray dogs with bright-coloured fur - pictures</strong> - First bright blue dogs, then bright green ones - pictures of a Russian winter mystery.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What’s new in the first Android 12 Developer Preview</strong> - Lots of hidden features, and hints that the leak from the other day is true. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1743550">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Diablo II Resurrected tops BlizzCon announcement flurry</strong> - Expected announcements for <em>Diablo IV</em>, <em>Diablo Immortal</em>, <em>Hearthstone</em>, more. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1743883">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study blames Earth’s magnetic field flip for climate change, extinctions</strong> - Study suggests that one magnetic event caused everything from extinctions to art. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1743933">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Bitcoin’s value just passed $1 trillion</strong> - Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto may have mined 1M bitcoins worth $55 billion. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1743919">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pfizer vaccine doesn’t need ultra-cold storage after all, company says</strong> - The pharma giant and partner BioNTech have asked FDA to revise the vaccine’s label. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1743921">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>A woman walks into a pharmacy one day and says to the pharmacist, “I’d like a poison that’ll kill my husband but make it look like he died of natural causes.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The pharmacist says, “Ma’am, not only can I not do that for you, I’m going to have to call the police and report you.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The woman removes something from her pocket and hands it to him. He looks at it and discovers that it’s a picture of her husband making love to the pharmacist’s wife.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The pharmacist says, “Oh, you should have told me you had a prescription.”
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/PoolOfRedundancyPool"> /u/PoolOfRedundancyPool </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnpqd9/a_woman_walks_into_a_pharmacy_one_day_and_says_to/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnpqd9/a_woman_walks_into_a_pharmacy_one_day_and_says_to/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>An Englishman is hiking in Scotland and he pauses to drink from a stream. A passing shepherd calls out “Dinnae drink frae that, it’s all fulla coo piss an shite!”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Englishman says to him in a cut-glass accent “I’m terribly sorry, my good fellow, would you very much mind repeating that in the Queen’s English?” And the shepherd says “I’m terribly sorry sir, I was only asking if you would like to borrow this tin cup and get a proper drink?”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/YZXFILE"> /u/YZXFILE </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnljut/an_englishman_is_hiking_in_scotland_and_he_pauses/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnljut/an_englishman_is_hiking_in_scotland_and_he_pauses/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>3 inches of snow is enough to fuck Texas</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Then why is my girlfriend complaining
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/C0Sm0anon"> /u/C0Sm0anon </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnnnxa/3_inches_of_snow_is_enough_to_fuck_texas/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnnnxa/3_inches_of_snow_is_enough_to_fuck_texas/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A wealthy, but stingy father was trying to put a birthday party together for his 18 y/o daughter.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He wanted the party to be extravagant, but wanted to spend as little money as possible. He had finished all of the other decorations, and he was left to work on the cake.
</p>
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“Why not get it ordered from an upscale bakery?” his wife said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the father visited a ton of different bakeries and did research, but found the prices to be too high.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
My daughter is inviting all of her friends, and I’ll look bad if I don’t put together a good cake, he thought. Then, he stumbled upon a shop that opened once a year to provide free cake to its customers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How quaint, the father thought, but desperate, he walked inside to see if they could provide a cake for his daughter’s birthday.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He was met by a Buddhist monk chanting and lighting incense.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Hello,” the father asked, “I would like to buy a cake.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Of course,” the monk replied, “just draw a picture of the cake you would like on the notepad on the desk.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The father thought this to be weird, but wanting to save as much money as possible, he gave him the address and told him to come in the backdoor, just in case the cake was bad.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The day of the party arrived and the monk visited the house with the most extravagant cake the family had ever seen. All of the guests were in awe, and whispered to each other about how much the cake could have cost.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The monk became the guest of honor and at the end of the party, the father approached the monk and asked,
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Why do you do this for free? You should take money for your services!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The monk smiled and said, “I do this for free because a cake day is the best way to earn karma.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The daughter and one of her friends overheard this and the daughter repeated the monk’s response to the friend.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I know, I just heard him say that.” her friend responded.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yes,” the daughter said, “but repeating a joke on your cake day is the second best way to earn karma.”
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ShadownetZero"> /u/ShadownetZero </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnzsns/a_wealthy_but_stingy_father_was_trying_to_put_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnzsns/a_wealthy_but_stingy_father_was_trying_to_put_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Eminem isn’t allowed to get the full COVID vaccine</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He only gets one shot
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Sharky-PI"> /u/Sharky-PI </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnvja5/eminem_isnt_allowed_to_get_the_full_covid_vaccine/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/lnvja5/eminem_isnt_allowed_to_get_the_full_covid_vaccine/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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