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<title>15 June, 2023</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Prosocial behaviours under collective quarantine conditions. A latent class analysis study during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Italy</strong> -
<div>
Aim. To identify patterns of prosocial behaviours under collective quarantine conditions. Method. Survey data was collected from a sample of Italian adults during the March ̶ May 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Participants reported on offline and online prosocial behaviours, Sense of Community Responsibility (SoC-R) and perceptions of community resilience. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used for data analysis. Results. A total of 4,045 participants completed the survey and 2,562 were eligible (72% female; mean age 38.7 years). LCA revealed four classes of prosocial behaviours: Money donors (7%), Online &amp; offline helpers (59%), Online health information sharers (21%), and Neighbour helpers (13%). The classes were partially invariant across age groups (18 ̶ 35 and &gt; 35 years). Being a man and higher SoC-R scores were associated with belonging to the Online &amp; offline helper class. Members of this class also reported the greatest perceptions of community resilience. Conclusions. Results offer insight on the multidimensionality of prosociality under collective quarantine conditions. Online &amp; offline helpers could be targeted for promoting sustained altruism and involvement in community organisations. For the other groups, programmes should aim to eliminate barriers to help others in multiple ways.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/jb5hw/" target="_blank">Prosocial behaviours under collective quarantine conditions. A latent class analysis study during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Italy</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The “Quiet Quitting” Scale: Development and initial validation</strong> -
<div>
Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic causes drastic changes in workplaces that are likely to increase quite quitting among employees. Although quite quitting is not a new phenomenon, there is no instrument to measure it. Aim: To develop and validate an instrument assessing quiet quitting among employees. Methods: We identified and generated items through an extensive literature review and interviews with employees. We carried out the content validity by content experts and we calculated the content validity ratio. We checked face validity by conducting cognitive interviews with employees and calculating the item-level face validity index. We performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to assess the “Quiet Quitting” Scale (QQS) factorial structure. We checked the concurrent validity of the QQS using four other scales, i.e., “Job Satisfaction Survey” (JSS), “Copenhagen Burnout Inventory” (CBI), “Single Item Burnout” (SIB) measure, and a single item to measure turnover intention. We estimated the reliability of the QQS measuring Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s Omega, Cohen’s kappa, and intraclass correlation coefficient. Results: After expert panel review and item analysis, nine items with acceptable corrected item-total correlations, inter-item correlations, floor and ceiling effects, skewness, and kurtosis were retained. Exploratory factor analysis extracted three factors, namely detachment, lack of initiative, and lack of motivation, with a total of nine items. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this factorial structure for QQS. We found statistically significant correlations between QQS and JSS, CBI, SIB, and turnover intention confirming that the concurrent validity of the QQS was very good. Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s Omega of the QQS were 0.803 and 0.806 respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient for the total QQS score was 0.993 (p &lt; 0.001). Cohen’s kappa for the nine items ranged from 0.836 to 0.945 (p &lt; 0.001 in all cases). Conclusions: QQS, a three-factor nine-item scale, has robust psychometric properties. QQS is a brief, easy-to-administer, valid, and reliable tool to measure employees’ quiet quitting. We recommend the use of the QQS in different societies and cultures to assess the validity of the instrument.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/5tgpm/" target="_blank">The “Quiet Quitting” Scale: Development and initial validation</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Efficacy of Pranayama in Preventing COVID-19 in Exposed Healthcare Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Trial</strong> -
<div>
Background: The global outbreak of COVID-19 has created a challenging situation, especially among the frontline Health Care Professionals (HCPs), who are routinely exposed and thus at a relatively higher risk of infection. A few studies have shown the practice of Pranayama, a component of Yoga, to be effective in improving immune function and reducing infection. However, no clinical trial on the efficacy of Pranayama in preventing COVID-19 has been conducted. Aim &amp; Objective: This randomized clinical trial assessed the effect of Pranayama in preventing COVID-19 infection in Health Care Professionals (HCPs) routinely exposed to COVID-19 cases. Methodology: The study was conducted at 5 different COVID-19 hospitals in New Delhi, India during September-November, 2020. 280 HCPs assigned duties with COVID-19 patients who were found negative in COVID-19 antibody test in pre-intervention assessment were recruited and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group practiced especially designed Pranayama modules twice a day (morning and evening) for 28 days under the supervision of Yoga instructors through online mode, while those in the control group were advised general fitness practices (like walking, jogging, running). Participants who became symptomatic underwent RTPCR / Point of Care Rapid Antigen test for confirmation of COVID 19 diagnosis. All the patients also underwent antibody testing for COVID-19 on 28th day of the intervention to detect asymptomatic infection. Results: 250 participants, comprising 123 in the intervention group and 127 in the control group, completed the study . The intervention and control groups had comparable demographics and baseline characteristics. Three participants (all controls) developed COVID 19 symptoms during the study. On the completion of the study, only one participant in the Intervention group tested positive, while 9 participants in the control group (Including three symptomatic participants) tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. This difference was statistically significant (P-value: 0.01). Conclusion: Practice of our especially designed Pranayama module, every day for 28 days was highly effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in exposed healthcare professionals (HCPs).
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/c3qub/" target="_blank">Efficacy of Pranayama in Preventing COVID-19 in Exposed Healthcare Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Trial</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Listen to the Scientists: Effects of exposure to scientists and general media consumption on cognitive, affective and behavioral mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, in an unprecedented amount, scientists around the globe engaged in science communication to provide first-hand epidemiological knowledge and information on preventive measures. Based on the extended parallel process model, the present work aimed to empirically investigate (N = 698) the impact of direct exposure to scientists in comparison to a general COVID-19 related media consumption. The results revealed that direct exposure to scientists positively affected recipients´ knowledge and self-efficacy. General media consumption on the other hand, positively affected perceived threat as well as fear and uncertainty. Both sources positively affected the adherence to protective measures.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/6j8qd/" target="_blank">Listen to the Scientists: Effects of exposure to scientists and general media consumption on cognitive, affective and behavioral mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are effective per real-world evidence synthesized across a multi-state health system</strong> -
<div>
Large Phase 3 clinical trials of the two FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA-1273 (Moderna) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech), have demonstrated efficacies of 94.1% (n = 30,420, 95% CI: 89.3-96.8) and 95% (n = 43,448, 95% CI: 90.3-97.6) in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, respectively. Given the ongoing vaccine rollout to healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities, here we provide a preliminary assessment of real-world vaccination efficacy in 62,138 individuals from the Mayo Clinic and associated health system (Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin) between December 1st 2020 and February 8th 2021. Our retrospective analysis contrasts 31,069 individuals receiving at least one dose of either vaccine with 31,069 unvaccinated individuals who are propensity-matched based on demographics, location (zip code), and number of prior SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests. 8,041 individuals received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and were at risk for infection at least 36 days after their first dose. Administration of two COVID-19 vaccine doses was 88.7% effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection (95% CI: 68.4-97.1%) with onset at least 36 days after the first dose. Furthermore, vaccinated patients who were subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19 had significantly lower 14-day hospital admission rates than propensity-matched unvaccinated COVID-19 patients (3.7% vs. 9.2%; Relative Risk: 0.4; p-value: 0.007). Building upon the previous randomized trials of these vaccines, this study demonstrates their real-world effectiveness in reducing the rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity among individuals at highest risk for infection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/y6pdw/" target="_blank">FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are effective per real-world evidence synthesized across a multi-state health system</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 harbors a unique insertion mutation of putative viral or human genomic origin</strong> -
<div>
The emergence of a heavily mutated SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.529, Omicron) and it’s spread to 6 continents within a week of initial discovery has set off a global public health alarm. Characterizing the mutational profile of Omicron is necessary to interpret its shared or distinctive clinical phenotypes with other SARS-CoV-2 variants. We compared the mutations of Omicron with prior variants of concern (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta), variants of interest (Lambda, Mu, Eta, Iota and Kappa), and all 1523 SARS-CoV-2 lineages constituting 5.4 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes. Omicron’s Spike protein has 26 amino acid mutations (23 substitutions, two deletions and one insertion) that are distinct compared to other variants of concern. Whereas the substitution and deletion mutations have appeared in previous SARS-CoV-2 lineages, the insertion mutation (ins214EPE) has not been previously observed in any SARS-CoV-2 lineage other than Omicron. The nucleotide sequence encoding for ins214EPE could have been acquired by template switching involving the genomes of other viruses that infect the same host cells as SARS-CoV-2 or the human transcriptome of host cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. For instance, given recent clinical reports of co-infections in COVID-19 patients with seasonal coronaviruses (e.g. HCoV-229E), single cell RNA-sequencing data showing co-expression of the SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E entry receptors (ACE2 and ANPEP) in respiratory and gastrointestinal cells, and HCoV genomes harboring sequences homologous to the nucleotide sequence that encodes ins214EPE, it is plausible that the Omicron insertion could have evolved in a co-infected individual. There is a need to understand the function of the Omicron insertion and whether human host cells are being exploited by SARS-CoV-2 as an ‘evolutionary sandbox’ for host-virus and inter-viral genomic interplay.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/f7txy/" target="_blank">Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 harbors a unique insertion mutation of putative viral or human genomic origin</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is not significantly linked to COVID-19 vaccines or non-COVID vaccines in a large multi-state US health system</strong> -
<div>
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) has been reported in a small number of individuals who have received the mRNA vaccines1 or the adenoviral vector vaccines for COVID-19 in the US2 and Europe3. Continued pharmacovigilance is integral to mitigating the risk of rare adverse events that clinical trials are underpowered to detect, however, these anecdotal reports have led to the pause or withdrawal of some vaccines in many jurisdictions and exacerbated vaccine hesitancy at a critical moment in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the frequencies of CVST seen among individuals who received FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech (n = 94,818 doses), Moderna (n = 36,350 doses) and Johnson &amp; Johnson - J&amp;J (n = 1,745 doses), and among individuals receiving one of 10 FDA-approved non-COVID-19 vaccines (n = 771,805 doses). Comparing the incidence rates of CVST in 30-day time windows before and after vaccination, we found no statistically significant differences for the COVID-19 vaccines or any other vaccines studied in this population. In total, we observed 3 cases of CVST within the 30 days following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination (2 females, 1 male; Ages (years): [79, 80, 84]), including one individual with a prior history of thrombosis and another individual with recent trauma in the past 30 days. We did not observe any cases of CVST among the patients receiving Moderna or J&amp;J vaccines in this study population. We further found the baseline CVST incidence in the study population between 2017 and 2021 to be 45 to 98 per million patient years. Overall, this real-world evidence-based study highlights that CVST is rare and is not significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccination. In addition, there is a need for a concerted international effort to monitor EHR data across diverse patient populations and to investigate the underlying biological mechanisms leading to these rare clotting events.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/czn7j/" target="_blank">Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is not significantly linked to COVID-19 vaccines or non-COVID vaccines in a large multi-state US health system</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COVID-19 hospitalization and ICU admission trends in younger patients and the pediatric population</strong> -
<div>
Media reports this week are suggesting a potential spike up in COVID-19 genetic variants-associated intensive care unit (ICU) admissions for younger patients from the continents of North America, South America, and Europe. Here, we conducted an observational study on the health records of 60,539 patients (March 1-28, 2021) and 60,256 patients (February 1-28, 2021) from the multi-state Mayo Clinic health system for whom the SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results were also available. Interestingly, we note a significant drop in the ICU admission rates during March (1.45%; 87 of 6017 COVID-positive patients) compared to February (1.99%; 121 of 6078 COVID-positive patients) with a Rate Ratio of 0.78 (p-value = 0.0002; Figure 1). In this study population, there is a slight shift in the peak of ICU admissions towards the younger population in March relative to February (Figure 2). While this trend is not statistically significant at this time, this requires close monitoring over the coming weeks. Restricting the study population to younger COVID-positive patients (age &lt; 55), we observe a drop in the number of ICU admissions in March compared to February (not statistically significant; Figure 3). Consistent with the drop in the ICU admission rate, we also see a statistically significant drop in the hospitalization rate in March 2021 (10.97%; 660 of 6017 COVID-positive patients) compared to February 2021 (13.64%; 829 of 6078 COVID-positive patients) with a rate ratio of 0.8 (p-value: 2.34e-12; Figure 4). Focusing the study population to the younger COVID-positive patients (age &lt; 55), we observe a drop in the number of hospitalizations in March compared to February (not statistically significant; Figure 5). Independently, the national data from the US government (https://healthdata.gov/) also shows a steady drop over recent months in hospitalized pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 (Figure 6a). We observe similar trends in the top-10 states by population as well (Figure 6b). This preliminary analysis shows that there is a decreasing trend in ICU admissions and hospitalization of COVID-19 patients across a large multi-state health system as of March 2021. Furthermore, there is no apparent nation-wide spike in pediatric hospitalizations in March compared to February 2021. Decreased hospitalizations and ICU admission rates may be reflective of advances in early diagnosis and intervention. As the proportion of circulating viruses shift towards more variants, these results may change. Overall, amidst recent concerns about emergent SARS-CoV-2 strains, there is an imminent need to develop a real-time system that integrates various national surveillance efforts in order to guide public health policies.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/cj4sf/" target="_blank">COVID-19 hospitalization and ICU admission trends in younger patients and the pediatric population</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Evaluation and Treatment of Severe SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia: A Scoping Review</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Purpose: Severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia remains incompletely understood. We aimed to summarize current evidence regarding clinical features, laboratory findings, and treatment of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Methods: Online databases were searched from December 1, 2019, to April 15, 2020. Studies performed in adults, with the definition of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, enough case number (&gt;10), and data on clinical features or laboratory findings were included. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers. Results: Eighteen articles of 2,435 severe cases were eligible for analysis, with the average ages ranging from 49 to 70 years old, hypertension as the most common comorbidity, fever as the most common manifestation, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as the most common complication. As compared to non-severe cases, severe pneumonia was featured with the lower counts of lymphocytes, CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, and higher levels of D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), IL-6 and IL-10. Antiviral therapy was the mainstay of treatment for severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, and oseltamivir was the most commonly used antiviral reagent. Ventilation therapy, especially mechanical ventilation, was the primary and effective treatment. Conclusions: This study represents the first systematic summarization of the aspects of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, and its comparison with non-severe cases in symptoms and laboratory findings. Research including elder cases and from regions outside China, especially western countries, would generate benefits in a full understanding of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. High-quality studies are urgently required to confirm or exclude the possibility of a treatment benefit.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.13.23291341v1" target="_blank">Evaluation and Treatment of Severe SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia: A Scoping Review</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Structured Ethical Review for Wastewater-Based Testing</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Wastewater-based testing (WBT) for SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly expanded over the past three years due to its ability to provide a comprehensive measurement of disease prevalence independent of clinical testing. The development and simultaneous application of the field blurred the boundary between measuring biomarkers for research activities and for pursuit of public health goals, both areas with well-established ethical frameworks. Currently, WBT practitioners do not employ a standardized ethical review process (or associated data management safeguards), introducing the potential for adverse outcomes for WBT professionals and community members. To address this deficiency, an interdisciplinary group developed a framework for a structured ethical review of WBT. The workshop employed a consensus approach to create this framework as a set of 11-questions derived from primarily public health guidance because of the common exemption of wastewater samples to human subject research considerations. This study retrospectively applied the set of questions to peer-reviewed published reports on SARS-CoV-2 monitoring campaigns covering the emergent phase of the pandemic from March 2020 to February 2022 (n=53). Overall, 43% of the responses to the questions were unable to be assessed because of lack of reported information. It is therefore hypothesized that a systematic framework would at a minimum improve the communication of key ethical considerations for the application of WBT. Consistent application of a standardized ethical review will also assist in developing an engaged practice of critically applying and updating approaches and techniques to reflect the concerns held by both those practicing and being monitored by WBT supported campaigns.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.12.23291231v1" target="_blank">Structured Ethical Review for Wastewater-Based Testing</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Partially hydrolyzed guar gum attenuates the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection through gut microbiota modulation in an animal model.</strong> -
<div>
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused worldwide health issues. Although several vaccines have been developed, it is still difficult to prevent and reduce the inflammation caused by the infection. Studies have shown that there are correlations between the gut environment and severity of symptoms caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Several gut metabolites produced by the gut microbiota such as SCFAs and the secondary bile acid UDCA are reported to improve the survival rate of the host after viral infection in an animal model through modulation of the host immune system. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to use the prebiotic dietary fiber PHGG to modulate the gut microbiome and intestinal metabolites for improvement of host survival rate after SARS-CoV-2 infection in a Syrian hamster model. We were able to show that PHGG significantly improved the host survival rate and body weight reduction. Analysis of the gut microbiome, serum, and intestinal metabolites revealed that PHGG significantly increased the concentrations of several intestinal SCFAs, fecal secondary bile acids, and serum secondary bile acids. Furthermore, several microbial species and metabolites identified in this study are consistent with reports in humans. Taken together, our data suggest that PHGG is a candidate prebiotic food for reducing the morbidity of COVID-19.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.13.544519v1" target="_blank">Partially hydrolyzed guar gum attenuates the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection through gut microbiota modulation in an animal model.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Biophysical evolution of the receptor binding domains of SARS-CoVs</strong> -
<div>
With hundreds of coronaviruses (CoVs) identified in bats that are capable of infecting humans, it is important to understand how CoVs that affected the human population have evolved. Seven known coronaviruses have infected humans, of which three CoVs caused severe disease with high mortality rates: SARS-CoV emerged in 2002, MERS-CoV in 2012, and SARS-CoV-2 in 2019. Both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 belong to the same family, follow the same receptor pathway, and use their receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike protein to bind to the ACE2 receptor on the human epithelial cell surface. The sequence of the two RBDs is divergent, especially in the receptor binding motif (RBM) that directly interacts with ACE2. We probed the biophysical differences between the two RBDs in terms of their structure, stability, aggregation, and function. Since RBD is being explored as an antigen in protein subunit vaccines against CoVs, determining these biophysical properties will also aid in developing stable protein subunit vaccines. Our results show that despite RBDs having a similar three-dimensional structure, they differ in their thermodynamic stability. RBD of SARS-CoV-2 is significantly less stable than that of SARS-CoV. Correspondingly, SARS-CoV-2 RBD shows a higher aggregation propensity. Regarding binding to ACE2, less stable SARS-CoV-2 RBD binds with a higher affinity than more stable SARS-CoV RBD. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 RBD is more homogenous in terms of its binding stoichiometry towards ACE2, compared to SARS-CoV RBD. These results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 RBD differs from SARS-CoV RBD in terms of its stability, aggregation, and function, possibly originating from the diverse RBMs. Higher aggregation propensity and decreased stability of SARS-CoV-2 RBD warrants further optimization of protein subunit vaccines that use RBD as an antigen either by inserting stabilizing mutations or formulation screening.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.13.544630v1" target="_blank">Biophysical evolution of the receptor binding domains of SARS-CoVs</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>AI-guided pipeline for protein-protein interaction drug discovery identifies a SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor</strong> -
<div>
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) offer great opportunities to expand the druggable proteome and therapeutically tackle various diseases, but remain challenging targets for drug discovery. Here, we provide a comprehensive pipeline that combines experimental and computational tools to identify and validate PPI targets and perform early-stage drug discovery. We have developed a machine learning approach that prioritizes interactions by analyzing quantitative data from binary PPI assays and AlphaFold-Multimer predictions. Using the quantitative assay LuTHy together with our machine learning algorithm, we identified high-confidence interactions among SARS-CoV-2 proteins for which we predicted three-dimensional structures using AlphaFold Multimer. We employed VirtualFlow to target the contact interface of the NSP10-NSP16 SARS-CoV-2 methyltransferase complex by ultra-large virtual drug screening. Thereby, we identified a compound that binds to NSP10 and inhibits its interaction with NSP16, while also disrupting the methyltransferase activity of the complex, and SARS-CoV-2 replication. Overall, this pipeline will help to prioritize PPI targets to accelerate the discovery of early-stage drug candidates targeting protein complexes and pathways.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.14.544560v1" target="_blank">AI-guided pipeline for protein-protein interaction drug discovery identifies a SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Involvement of a serotonin/GLP-1 circuit in adolescent isolation-induced diabetes</strong> -
<div>
In 2020, stay-at-home orders were implemented to stem the spread of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. Social isolation can be particularly harmful to children and adolescents during the pandemic, the prevalence of obesity increased by ~37% in persons aged 2-19. Obesity is often comorbid with type 2 diabetes, which was not assessed in this human pandemic cohort. Here, we investigated whether male mice isolated throughout adolescence develop type 2 diabetes in a manner consistent with human obesity-induced diabetes, and explored neural changes that may underlie such an interaction. We find that isolating C57BL/6J mice throughout adolescence is sufficient to induce type 2 diabetes. We observed fasted hyperglycemia, diminished glucose clearance in response to an insulin tolerance test, decreased insulin signaling in skeletal muscle, decreased insulin staining of pancreatic islets, increased nociception, and diminished plasma cortisol levels compared to group-housed control mice. Using Promethion metabolic phenotyping chambers, we observed dysregulation of sleep and eating behaviors, as well as a time-dependent shift in respiratory exchange ratio of the adolescent-isolation mice. We profiled changes in neural gene transcription from several brain areas and found that a neural circuit between serotonin-producing and GLP-1-producing neurons is affected by this isolation paradigm. Overall, spatial transcription data suggest decreased serotonin neuron activity (via decreased GLP-1-mediated excitation) and increased GLP-1 neuron activity (via decreased serotonin-mediated inhibition). This circuit may represent an intersectional target to further investigate the relationship between social isolation and type 2 diabetes, as well as a pharmacologically-relevant circuit to explore the effects of serotonin and GLP-1 receptor agonists.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.12.544498v1" target="_blank">Involvement of a serotonin/GLP-1 circuit in adolescent isolation-induced diabetes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Keeping Kids Busy: Family Factors Associated with Hands-on Play and Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> -
<div>
Parent-child interactions are crucial for child development. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected mental health and increased parenting challenges impacting parent-child functioning. The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between parent factors and child activities to identify parental needs. A convenience sample of parents (N = 708), primarily mothers (n = 610; 87.4%) aged 35.59 years old (SD = 5.59; range = 21-72), with children ages 2-8 years completed an online questionnaire between April 14-June 1, 2020. Participants mostly resided in Canada and had an income of &gt;$100,000. Parent-child activities were measured as total weekly time and combined time across activities within two categories: hands-on play and screen time. Bivariate correlations informed block-wise linear regression models. For families with childcare needs, parental anxiety was associated with higher total hands-on play (F(3,142) = 14.01, p &lt; .001), combined hands-on play (F(2,85) = 6.82, p = .011), and combined screen time (F(2,82) = 6.25, p = .014). Families without childcare needs indicated parenting stress was associated with lower total hands-on play (F(3,212) = 7.95, p &lt; .005) and combined hands-on play (F(2,110) = 5.67, p = .019), and higher supervised screen time (F(3,138) = 6.14, p = .014). Family structure and indices of socioeconomic status were also predictive of activities across childcare needs and child ages. To promote high-quality parent-child interactions and positive developmental outcomes in the pandemic, policy makers should support childcare needs, parent mental health and stress, and provide evidence-based guidelines for child screen time.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/prtyf/" target="_blank">Keeping Kids Busy: Family Factors Associated with Hands-on Play and Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</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>A Clinical Trial on Booster Immunization of Two COVID-19 Vaccines Constructed From Different Technical Routes</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Prototype and Omicron BA.4/5 Bivalent Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine(Adenovirus Type 5 Vector) For Inhalation;   Biological: Bivalent COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine;   Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (Adenovirus Type 5 Vector) For Inhalation<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Zhongnan Hospital;   Institute of Biotechnology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, PLA of China<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Safety Study of COVID19 Vaccine on the Market</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Recombinant new coronavirus vaccine (CHO cell)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy Co., Ltd.;   Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Guizhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Hainan Center for Disease Control &amp; Prevention<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Community-engaged Optimization of COVID-19 Rapid Evaluation And TEsting Experiences</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: COVID-19 walk-up, on-site testing strategy;   Behavioral: Community Health Worker (CHW) leading testing navigation and general preventive care reminders;   Behavioral: No-cost self-testing kit vending machines<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of California, San Diego;   San Ysidro Health Center<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>Evaluation of Home Use COVID-19 Frequent Antigen Testing and Data Reporting</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Diagnostic Test: SARS CoV-2 antigen tests<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   IDX20 Inc;   National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Mitoquinone/Mitoquinol Mesylate as Oral and Safe Postexposure Prophylaxis for Covid-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS-CoV Infection;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Mitoquinone/mitoquinol mesylate;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm F (Montelukast)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Placebo;   Drug: Montelukast<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm B (Fluvoxamine)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Fluvoxamine;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center<br/><b>Completed</b></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>ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm D (Ivermectin 600)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Ivermectin;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center<br/><b>Completed</b></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>ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm E (Fluvoxamine 100)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Fluvoxamine;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center<br/><b>Completed</b></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>Evaluating Emetine for Viral Outbreaks (EVOLVE)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Emetine Hydrochloride;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Johns Hopkins University;   Nepal Health Research Council;   Bharatpur Hospital Chitwan;   Stony Brook University;   Rutgers University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>Pycnogenol® in Post-COVID-19 Condition</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post COVID-19 Condition;   Long COVID<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Pycnogenol®;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Zurich<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Efficacy of Bailing Capsule on Pulmonary Fibrosis After COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Pulmonary Fibrosis;   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Bailing capsule<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>To Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of Sequential Booster Immunization of Recombinant Novel Coronavirus Vaccine (CHO Cells) for SARS-CoV-2</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Recombinant Novel Coronavirus vaccine (CHO Cells)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Completed</b></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>A Study to Learn About How Loss of Liver Function Affects the Blood Levels of the Study Medicine Called PF-07817883.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: PF-07817883<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Pfizer<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>Cupping Therapy on Immune System in Post Covid -19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid-19 Patients<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Combination Product: Cupping therapy with convential medical treatment;   Drug: Convential medical treatment<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Cairo University<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</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>Recent advances in RNA sample preparation techniques for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva and gargle</strong> - Molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 in gargle and saliva complements the standard analysis of nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) specimens. Although gargle and saliva specimens can be readily obtained non-invasively, appropriate collection and processing of gargle and saliva specimens are critical to the accuracy and sensitivity of the overall analytical method. This review highlights challenges and recent advances in the treatment of gargle and saliva samples for subsequent analysis using reverse…</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>An efflux pump in genomic island GI-M202a mediates the transfer of polymyxin B resistance in Pandoraea pnomenusa M202</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that GI-M202a along with the MFS transporter FKQ53_RS21695 in P. pnomenusa M202 could mediate the transmission of polymyxin B resistance.</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>Dimethyl fumarate and 4-octyl itaconate are anticoagulants that suppress Tissue Factor in macrophages via inhibition of Type I Interferon</strong> - Excessive inflammation-associated coagulation is a feature of infectious diseases, occurring in such conditions as bacterial sepsis and COVID-19. It can lead to disseminated intravascular coagulation, one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Recently, type I interferon (IFN) signaling has been shown to be required for tissue factor (TF; gene name F3) release from macrophages, a critical initiator of coagulation, providing an important mechanistic link between innate immunity and…</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>Verbenalin alleviates acute lung injury induced by sepsis and IgG immune complex through GPR18 receptor</strong> - Acute lung injury is significantly associated with the aberrant activation and pyroptosis of alveolar macrophages. Targeting the GPR18 receptor presents a potential therapeutic approach to mitigate inflammation. Verbenalin, a prominent component of Verbena in Xuanfeibaidu (XFBD) granules, is recommended for treating COVID-19. In this study, we demonstrate the therapeutic effect of verbenalin on lung injury through direct binding to the GPR18 receptor. Verbenalin inhibits the activation of…</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>Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of New Isatin Derivatives</strong> - 1H-indol-2,3-dione (isatin) class of biologically active compounds have analgesic, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tubercular, anti-proliferative properties, and is also useful for the treatment of SARS-CoV. Schiff bases containing isatin moiety are known to have broad spectrum of biological activities like anti-viral, anti-tubercular, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial. In this work, several Schiff base derivatives have been synthesized using two methods (synthetic and microwave) by…</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>Mercapto-pyrimidines are reversible covalent inhibitors of the papain-like protease (PLpro) and inhibit SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV-2) replication</strong> - The papain-like protease (PLpro) plays a critical role in SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV-2) pathogenesis and is essential for viral replication and for allowing the virus to evade the host immune response. Inhibitors of PLpro have great therapeutic potential, however, developing them has been challenging due to PLpro’s restricted substrate binding pocket. In this report, we screened a 115 000-compound library for PLpro inhibitors and identified a new pharmacophore, based on a mercapto-pyrimidine fragment that…</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>Sulfated Glycomimetic α-Helical Polypeptides for Antiviral Activity</strong> - In this work, we developed a library of sulfated glycomimetic polypeptides with a high sulfated degree (up to 99%) via a click reaction and sulfation modification, enabling control over the helicity, molecular weight, rigidity, and side-chain structure. Their potentials as the inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 and common enterovirus were investigated, and the structure-activity relationship was explored in detail. The in vitro results revealed the crucial role of α-helical conformation and sulfated sugar…</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>Stakeholder perspectives and experiences of the implementation of remote mental health consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Remote mental health consultations were welcomed as a means to continue care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their swift and necessary adoption placed pressure on providers and organisations to adapt quickly, navigating challenges and adjusting to a new way of working. This implementation created changes to workflows and dynamics that disrupted the traditional method of mental health care delivery. Further consideration of the importance of the therapeutic relationship and fostering…</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>AEROSOLIZED SULFATED HYALURONAN DERIVATIVES PROLONG THE SURVIVAL OF K18 ACE2 MICE INFECTED WITH A LETHAL DOSE OF SARS-COV-2</strong> - Despite several vaccines that are currently approved for human use to control the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is an urgent medical need for therapeutic and prophylactic options. SARS-CoV-2 binding and entry in human cells involves interactions of its spike (S) protein with several host cell surface factors, including heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2…</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>β-Cyclodextrins as affordable antivirals to treat coronavirus infection</strong> - The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic made evident that there are only a few drugs against coronavirus. Here we aimed to identify a cost-effective antiviral with broad spectrum activity and high safety profile. Starting from a list of 116 drug candidates, we used molecular modelling tools to rank the 44 most promising inhibitors. Next, we tested their efficacy as antivirals against α and β coronaviruses, such as the HCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2 variants. Four drugs, OSW-1, U18666A, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin…</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>Novel SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors, 2-anilinoquinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives, show potency as SARS-CoV-2 antivirals in a human ACE2 transgenic mouse model</strong> - The ongoing COVID-19 has not only caused millions of deaths worldwide, but it has also led to economic recession and the collapse of public health systems. The vaccines and antivirals developed in response to the pandemic have improved the situation markedly; however, the pandemic is still not under control with recurring surges. Thus, it is still necessary to develop therapeutic agents. In our previous studies, we designed and synthesized a series of novel 2-anilinoquinazolin-4(3H)-one…</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>Antibody responses to mRNA versus non-mRNA COVID vaccines among the Mongolian population</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The BNT162b2 vaccine showed the highest level of antibody against SARS-CoV-2, followed by the BBIBP-CorV, Gam-COVID-Vac, and ChAdOx1 n-CoV-19 vaccines. The level of antibodies was increased in people infected with SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination, as compared to uninfected but vaccinated individuals.</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>Inhibiting C5 in patients with severe COVID-19-the incorrect target? - Authors’ reply</strong> - No abstract</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>Inhibiting C5 in patients with severe COVID-19-the incorrect target?</strong> - No abstract</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>Pharmacological properties and derivatives of saikosaponins-a review of recent studies</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: An increasing amount of data have indicated diverse SS pharmacological properties, indicating crucial clues for future studies and the production of novel saikosaponin-based anti-inflammatory, efficacious anticancer, and anti-novel-coronavirus agents with improved efficacy and reduced toxicity.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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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>Is Donald Trump Scared?</strong> - At the former President’s arraignment in Miami on Tuesday, it was impossible to say whether his fate was more likely to be a return to the White House—or prison. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/is-donald-trump-scared">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Trial of the Malibu Shooter</strong> - Anthony Rauda, who was accused of terrorizing residents of Malibu, one of California’s wealthiest and safest communities, has been convicted of killing a man sleeping in a tent with his two young daughters. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/california-chronicles/the-trial-of-the-malibu-shooter">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Elon Musk Could Affect the 2024 Election</strong> - The personal politics of Twitter’s owner wouldn’t matter so much if he hadn’t also demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for pettiness. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/how-elon-musk-could-affect-the-2024-election">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Putin’s War Hits Close to Home</strong> - Russia has faced a series of recent attacks, but, in the absence of public space, military losses are personal tragedies, not collective experiences. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/putins-war-hits-close-to-home">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Issues with the P.G.A. Tour-LIV Merger Go Well Beyond Golf</strong> - After the P.G.A. Tour commissioner’s craven one-eighty on a Saudi-backed rival, politicians on Capitol Hill, antitrust experts, and human-rights campaigners are justifiably rounding on him. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-issues-with-the-pga-tour-liv-merger-go-well-beyond-golf">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Wes Anderson’s new movie Asteroid City is his most expansive — and most personal</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A white woman in a pink robe sits, with apparent tears, mid-frame in a mid-century-looking house." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cr1WFL8uykiUMD3J5xrFLaGdNoM=/312x0:2476x1623/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72372297/asteroid1.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Scarlett Johansson in <em>Asteroid City.</em> | Focus Features
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Life, the universe, and everything, through both the telescope and the microscope.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2FopX7">
Nuclear bombs keep going off over the horizon of Asteroid City<em> </em>(population 87). “Another atom bomb test,” the characters declare, with some combination of intrigue and boredom. They trot out of the diner to look at the tiny mushroom cloud, snap a few pictures, and go back inside for more coffee. It’s 1955. This isn’t unusual anymore.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uJOBft">
Living in the shadow of the bombs is what Wes Anderson’s <em>Asteroid City </em>is about — literal bombs, and also a host of other life-shattering things like loss, and existential dread, and a world changing so fast it’s hard to hang on to it. Real things, in other words, the kind everyone has to deal with. The emotions we can’t outrun, but we try to anyhow.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iLtIdM">
That Anderson set <em>Asteroid City</em> in 1955 is a bit of trickery, a degree of separation between the characters’ reality and our own. We live in (dare I say) uniquely frightening times, but so do these people, for whom the Cold War and a rapidly changing social order is their psychic wallpaper. Much of the movie is specifically set in September 1955, a month bookended by two events: the United States’ decision to embark on Project Vanguard, which would try unsuccessfully to beat the Soviets at putting a satellite into space; and the tragic car accident that took the life of James Dean, the iconic actor who embodied the rising rebellion of the youth. (I don’t think it’s an accident that a cop car in hot pursuit of a careening vehicle keeps rushing through the town’s one intersection.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eP8Ju7">
“If you wanted to live a nice, quiet, peaceful life, you picked the wrong time to get born,” General Gibson (Jeffrey Wright) exhorts a crowd of teenagers and their parents, assembled in Asteroid City to celebrate the landing of a meteorite there thousands of years earlier. The children have entered their wildly advanced science experiments in a contest, which the military plans to snap up; the space race is in their eyes. Later, when things go south, youths are interrogated in a manner <a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/investigations/mccarthy-hearings/have-you-no-sense-of-decency.htm#:~:text=Wisconsin%20Republican%20senator%20Joseph%20R,Department%20and%20other%20federal%20agencies.">suspiciously reminiscent</a> of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Grown men fight, and others try to calm them down by reminding them, “We’re not in Guadalcanal anymore.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Two men point guns at one another against the backdrop of a desert." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VTVT5_gbOS1jYl6qfUr2PdMd3vQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24727063/asteroid2.jpg"/> <cite>Focus Features</cite>
<figcaption>
“We’re not in Guadalcanal anymore.”
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EhQWSW">
It feels reminiscent of something real, but this is also all fiction — as the movie’s narrator puts it, “an apocryphal fabrication.” Fiction puts a layer between us and real history, a way of looking at the past through different eyes. It has another function, too: Through fiction, we process our emotions by proxy, whether we’re the artists or the audience.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FYrgTE">
That’s the subject of <em>Asteroid City</em>, which nests fiction inside of fiction inside of fiction. (I promise it’s easier to watch than it sounds.) Here is the most succinct description of the levels of its made-up-ness: It is a scripted movie that pretends to be a TV show in which actors stage a fictionalized version of the making of a play telling the fictional story of a place that doesn’t exist. We also see the play, but it is shot like a movie. (I am Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole.)
</p>
<aside id="hvCwyq">
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The central, in-color plot of the film centers on the group gathered in Asteroid City for a three-day meteorite celebration when their lives are upended by a, shall we say, unexpected visitor. But <em>Asteroid City</em> actually introduces itself to us as an <a href="https://wcftr.commarts.wisc.edu/index.php/exhibits/the-golden-age-of-television/a-sharper-picture-revisiting-anthology-drama/">old-school anthology TV show</a>, shot in black and white, hosted by a sonorous host (Bryan Cranston). What we’re about to see, he gravely tells us, is the story behind the making of a play called <em>Asteroid City</em>, about a place that doesn’t exist. It’s both an apocryphal fabrication and an “authentic look into the work of a theatrical production.”
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What follows intercuts the color story — which turns out to be kind of a hyperreal version of the “play,” which we see shot as a film — and black-and-white scenes, often staged like little mini-plays, about various moments during <em>Asteroid City</em>’s production. (The play, not the movie we’re watching. If you need a walk or a stiff drink right now, that’s fine.)
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This all means that in this movie Scarlett Johansson, for instance, plays an actress who plays an actress playing an actress. Similarly, Jason Schwartzman — the closest to a lead this <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14230388/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm">absurdly stacked cast</a> has — plays an actor who is desperate to figure out the motivations of his character, a war photographer who burns his hand on a sandwich iron. (Schwartzman is styled to reference several famous actors, perhaps most significantly <a href="https://www.artsy.net/artwork/phil-stern-james-dean-pull-over-sweater">a very famous photo</a> of James Dean.)
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A fairground teeming with attractions and also signs that say things like “Alien Parking” and “Spacecraft Sighting.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ufy2yT9rQsSqMONSXOO3Snrnj1Y=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24727064/asteroid4.jpg"/> <cite>Focus Features</cite>
<figcaption>
Many classic theatre and movie references litter <em>Asteroid City</em>, including this one, which recalls Billy Wilder’s 1951 classic <a class="ql-link" href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/7/29/16037878/ace-in-the-hole-movie-week-scaramucci-spicer-cnn-billy-wilder" target="_blank"><em>Ace in the Hole</em></a>.
</figcaption>
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Piling on these layers, each with its own combination of artifice and “authenticity,” is where Anderson shows what he’s doing. He’s interested in those piles. The impossible pursuit of authentic emotion through making art that can never really be all that “real” is one of <em>Asteroid City</em>’s themes; a fair amount of the film dwells on an acting class and its students, who are trying, in the style of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-madness-behind-the-method/id1081584611?i=1000554364629">The Actors Studio and “the method,”</a> to find ways to give authentic performances in the very contrived medium of the theater.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oLD5gG">
But there’s an added layer to what Anderson’s after. Humans have always processed their feelings through art, but modernity adds a wrench to the whole existence thing. There’s an aspect of alienation — of feeling as if the machines and inventions we build, which are terrifying enough to be able to wipe us out (like the bomb) or seemingly to take over our world altogether (like, say, generative AI), are estranging us from one another and even from ourselves. Art has always been the counterbalance to this, which is in part why groups like The Actors Studio sprung up in the early part of the 20th century. If you are working at a desk all day clacking on a typewriter, or operating a machine, or building a bureaucracy that might work like a machine, then going to the theater is supposed to jolt you back to remembering that you, at least, are not a machine.
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It’s tantamount to either a confession or an explanation from someone like Anderson, whose work employs considerable artifice in its pursuit of authenticity. I confess that I don’t really like Anderson’s style, and have not loved most of his <a href="https://www.vox.com/movies">movies</a>. It took me two viewings to really figure out <em>Asteroid City</em>. But I do admire that he’s an artist whose aesthetic is so firmly defined that even non-cinephiles can make poor <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/wes-anderson-trailers-ai-harry-potter-matrix-star-wars">imitations</a> of his work using AI; in fact, it’s those replicas’ inability to actually latch onto the emotion that powers his work (the melancholy, the grief, the impishness) that make me appreciate him more.
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That’s what I came to appreciate about this movie, and the more I think about it, the more wise I think it is. In <em>Asteroid City</em>, Anderson builds several worlds mediated by layers of performance, artifice, and technology, in which nonetheless real humans grieve, long for one another, fall in love, get hurt, and feel wonder. The layers they’ve put between themselves and their emotions crack and crumble. Their worlds are rocked, which leaves them thinking about things like the meaning of life, the existence of God, and whether they’re as alone as they feel like they are. The answer, he suggests, is found by sinking into the apocryphal fabrications of the artist’s imagination. “You can’t wake up,” the characters chant near the end of the movie, “if you don’t fall asleep.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t38Cfy">
Asteroid City <em>opens in limited theaters on June 16 and wide on June 23.</em>
</p></li>
<li><strong>Who’s making money on the anti-woke, anti-trans backlash?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A flattened Bud Light box is posted up on a wooden sign with a spray painted circle-backslash symbol atop." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2s93lCVdbejTw_lOleVrW9NB9zg=/0x0:1707x1280/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72372286/Vox_PaigeVickers_AntiWokeDollars.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
It’s tough to figure out where it’s safe to buy if you hate Target and Bud Light. | Natalie Behring; Getty Images/Vox
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Turns out, shopping when you’re trying to boycott everything is hard.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xs5uAe">
If you are a conservative consumer in America right now, shopping is getting weird. You’re not supposed to drink <a href="https://www.vox.com/money/2023/4/12/23680135/bud-light-boycott-dylan-mulvaney-travis-tritt-trans">Bud Light</a> or shop at <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/25/23737338/target-abprallen-pride-boycott-bud-light-trans-controversy-stock-price">Target</a> or eat at <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/31/23742373/chick-fil-a-boycott-controversy-conservative-backlash">Chick-fil-A</a> or watch <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/5/22/23732777/fox-news-trans-bud-light-employee-handbook">Fox News</a>. It’s Pride month, meaning <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/6/25/17476850/pride-month-lgbtq-corporate-explained">all the companies have gone gay</a> again, despite you <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/5/28/23740489/pride-anti-lgbtq-sentiment-laws-desantis-sanders">trying to make clear</a> that you’d really rather they not. Maybe you’ve signed up for <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/14/conservatives-plot-text-warning-woke-products">alerts</a> to start getting warnings about allegedly “<a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/21437879/stay-woke-wokeness-history-origin-evolution-controversy">woke</a>” businesses, and the list of brands there is getting long — Nike, Adidas, Speedo, Lululemon, the LA Dodgers. The alerts also say Bank of America is bad, and some guy on <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMannarinoUS/status/1663895742455373832">Twitter</a> has included Citi in a list of companies you’re supposed to avoid for the month of June, meaning you need to … I guess change your bank account?
</p>
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Boycotting companies that don’t align with your politics is exhausting, which is why most people don’t, at least not for a sustained amount of time. It’s hard enough to exist in the world without worrying whether every purchase you make matches up with your personal views and values. But in recent months, the push for conservative consumers to vote with their dollars — or, rather, downvote by withholding their dollars — has been rampant.
</p>
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“The number of boycotts is vast, and we’re talking about inconveniencing people at a level that doesn’t make any sense,” said Maurice Schweitzer, a Wharton professor who focuses on behavioral decision research, emotion, and negotiations.
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If you do want to avoid certain companies, or, in the current context, a lot of companies, it can also be tough to find alternatives. Say you did give up Bud Light. You might not realize the beer you swapped for is also owned by Anheuser-Busch, or you picked up some Miller Lite, which <a href="https://www.vox.com/money/2023/5/16/23725262/miller-lite-woke-ad-shit-ilana-glazer-bud-light-boycott">you might be upset to learn is also now a no-no</a>.
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All that said, there is money to be made on being anti-woke, or some people believe there is.
</p>
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There’s a reason right-wing <a href="https://memo.co/blog/bud-lights-crisis-explored/">media outlets</a> and commentators are seizing on <a href="https://www.vox.com/lgbtq">trans</a> issues and Pride month — it generates outrage, which generates traffic and subscriptions, which, these outfits hope, generates money. There are <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22412478/coffee-partisan-right-wing-conservative-grounds-black-rifle">plenty of niche businesses out there</a> that tout conservative bona fides, from coffee to <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/conservative-etf-american-values-exchange-traded-fund-liberal-flaig-ridgeline-2021-4-1030359673">investment products</a>. There are what appear to be somewhat sincere efforts that offer right-wing options for <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/upstart-money-manager-gets-billionaires-to-back-the-anti-blackrock-11652134919?mod=article_inline">banking and e-commerce</a>, which have seen <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/11/22/glorifi-bank-shuts-down/">varying degrees of success</a>. Among all the offerings, there are some common themes: American-made, small business, traditional values.
</p>
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<aside id="njzpfy">
<q>“Is this a fad, or is this a business?”</q>
</aside>
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“There are a lot of companies that are making products that are geared toward conservative consumers. It’s becoming a whole market,” said Howard Polskin, president and chief curator at TheRighting, a website that aggregates stories from right-wing media. “Now, how big is that? I have no idea. Is this a fad, or is this a business? That’s the question.”
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The cynical view here is that a handful of people are trying to capitalize on conservative outrage to try to make a quick buck. A less cynical view is that this is an earnest effort to create a sort of shopping safe space for conservatives. If the latter is the case — and that’s a big if — setting up an entire parallel economy might be, you know, a little hard.
</p>
<h3 id="Q2rbxS">
A six-pack of beer should not cost $30 no matter how mad you are at Bud Light
</h3>
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Assuming you’ve heard about the <a href="https://www.vox.com/money/2023/4/12/23680135/bud-light-boycott-dylan-mulvaney-travis-tritt-trans">Bud Light thing</a> (it sent some beers to a trans influencer in April and conservatives had a bit of a meltdown), you have perhaps heard of “<a href="https://ultrarightbeer.com/products/conservative-dads-ultra-right-beer">Ultra Right</a>” beer. Being marketed as “100% Woke-Free American Beer” by <a href="https://twitter.com/sethweathers">a guy who goes by Conservative Dad</a>, this beer is expensive. It’s $19.99 for a six-pack plus shipping, which, in my case when I ordered it on June 1, amounted to $31.55. I imagine <a href="https://twitter.com/sethweathers/status/1666168022405349377?s=20">I will get this beer eventually</a>, but I’m going to have to wait because it won’t ship for about 30 days. Ultra Right has had a hard time getting up and running, it appears, and <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/debug/bent-river-brewing-denies-making-ultra-right-beer/">was dropped from its first brewery</a>.
</p>
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<aside id="Xq75Ix">
<q>What beer drinker wants to spend $30 on a six-pack that they can get in the mail in a month?</q>
</aside>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dNpiLR">
Conservative Dad, whose actual name is Seth Weathers, is probably making money off of this endeavor — once you click to buy the $20 beer, his website also prompts you to buy other stuff, like a T-shirt and a cup. But it’s hard to look at this and think this is a serious operation. What beer drinker wants to spend $30 on a six-pack that they can get in the mail in a month?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rMBHiO">
When reached by Vox for comment about this story, Weathers responded, “I see our beer has angered the commies. Thoughts and prayers!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3xdLPL">
There are all sorts of examples of anti-woke businesses and products. Some of them appear to be <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/anti-woke-chocolate-razor-daily-wire-1234741151/">little more than an (often overpriced) ploy</a> to separate hyped-up right-leaning consumers from their money, from <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22412478/coffee-partisan-right-wing-conservative-grounds-black-rifle">coffee brands</a> to <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/12/19/conservative-dating-app-helps-singles-avoid-the-biggest-deal-breaker/">dating apps</a> to <a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/products/jeremys-chocolate">chocolate bars</a> that cost $25 for a pack of four.
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“They’re novelty items,” said Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, a media watchdog group. “You can probably sell some products, but that’s not changing the industry.”
</p>
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In the investment realm, where conservatives <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2022/12/10/23496712/esg-gop-climate-corporate-responsibility">have been irked</a> by the <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22714761/esg-investing-divestment-fossil-fuels-climate-401k">rise of ESG</a> — meaning investments that consider environmental, social, and governance factors — there are options that try to give those people a place to go. You’ve got exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, which are basically baskets of <a href="https://www.vox.com/stock-market">stocks</a>, that are supposed to appeal to the right, such as the God Bless America ETF (YALL), the American Conservative Values ETF (ACVF), and ETFs from <a href="https://www.strivefunds.com/">Strive</a>, a firm co-founded by <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/2/23/23611828/2024-republican-presidential-candidates-trump-christie-burgum">now-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy</a>.
</p>
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They’ve all got their own sort of shtick. YALL <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1742912/000138713122009963/yall-497k_092322.htm">says</a> it screens out companies that “have emphasized politically left and/or liberal political activism and social agendas at the expense of maximizing shareholder returns.” It’s got about 40 holdings, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/YALL:US?sref=qYiz2hd0">the largest being</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/tesla">Tesla</a>, Charles Schwab, and Nvidia.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZzOMDA">
ACVF says it excludes companies “perceived to be most hostile to conservative values” and <a href="https://acvetfs.com/downloads/ACVF_Factsheet-Mar2023.pdf">has upward of 300 holdings</a>; its performance largely mirrors that of the overall market. It <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/acvf-hits-target-corp-divesting-173000162.html">made noise</a> amid the Target Pride backlash after it announced it was adding the company to its “refuse to buy” list of stocks. Strive is a little different — it basically says it will only focus on shareholder value when casting shareholder votes for the companies its ETFs invests in, no environmental or social funny stuff.
</p>
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These ETFs perform decent-ish, said Eric Balchunas, a Bloomberg analyst who covers ETFs. But they’re expensive compared to non-anti-woke products, which may explain why they’ve only managed to garner a middling amount of assets under management. “This is a tough area because generally, people, when they invest, they leave their politics at the door and just want to make money. This is going to appeal to a niche audience,” he said. “None of these anti-woke ones are really low-cost at all.”
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Anti-woke in <a href="https://www.vox.com/business-and-finance">finance</a> is a little tough. Just look at GloriFi, a bank backed by big names such as Ken Griffin and <a href="https://www.vox.com/peter-thiel">Peter Thiel,</a> which was supposed to be an answer to an overly liberal Wall Street. The operation <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/glorifi-how-new-anti-woke-bank-stumbled-11665174704?mod=article_inline">turned out to be a disaster</a>, and the bank <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/anti-woke-bank-glorifi-to-shut-down-11669051554">quickly shut down</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="T94Dnh">
An alternative to Target: Possible? But very hard.
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rw3Cku">
One of the issues with boycotting is that it can be hard to figure out where else to go. Some close competitors may get a boost when a corporation sticks its neck out and gets pushback — Coors Light and Miller Lite <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/bud-light-beer-coors-miller-81443892">have benefited</a> from the Bud Light debacle. But those companies aren’t specifically anti-woke, they’re just companies. Setting up an anti-woke alternative is not easy. Take Target, which conservatives <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/25/23737338/target-abprallen-pride-boycott-bud-light-trans-controversy-stock-price">have taken aim at</a> over its annual LGBTQ Pride month collection, causing the company to pull some items and, in certain cases, move Pride merchandise to the back of stores.
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<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="rWLHdO">
<q>“You’re not going to be able to pop up overnight and create an alternative Target company”</q>
</aside>
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“It depends on what the product is and whether there’s an obvious alternative to that product,” said Kyle Williams, a historian and the author of the upcoming book <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/taming-the-octopus-the-long-battle-for-the-soul-of-the-corporation-kyle-edward-williams/20059948?ean=9780393867237"><em>Taming the Octopus: The Century-Long Battle over the Soul of the Corporation</em></a>. “You’re not going to be able to pop up overnight and create an alternative Target company.”
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That doesn’t mean there aren’t efforts underway. Enter <a href="https://publicsq.com/">PublicSq</a>, an online marketplace for “freedom-loving Americans” that’s about to become part of a public company through a SPAC deal with a company called Colombier Acquisition Corp. (SPACs are a type of investment vehicle that were really hot a couple of years ago — <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22303457/spacs-explained-stock-market-ipo-draftkings">Vox has an explainer on them here</a>. They haven’t generally <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/spacs-delivered-easy-money-but-now-companies-are-running-out-f086c255">fared so well</a>.) PublicSq <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12166255/Anti-woke-marketplace-reveals-DOUBLED-number-users-Bud-Light-boycott-began.html">says it has seen</a> a lot of user growth recently, including in the wake of the Target backlash. “Any time Target pulls a Target, it’s kind of a reminder for our consumers of, ‘Hey, there’s maybe some other options out there that we should pursue,’” PublicSq CEO Michael Seifert <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/31/anti-woke-movement-spac-investment-publicsq-target">recently told Axios</a>.
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It’s not clear how much of that user growth is translating to sales — you can’t actually buy much on the site right now, it just directs you to each seller’s website. (PublicSq <a href="https://www.colombierspac.com/sec-filings##document-264-0001213900-23-045973-3">says</a> it will release an e-commerce platform later this year.) The web platform and app are clunky, and the product offering leaves much to be desired. About 10 products are listed in its “Ditch Target 2.0” section, including “smelly proof” reusable sandwich bags, a set of forks and spoons for toddlers, and earth-friendly “Bumroll” toilet paper.
</p>
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Could PublicSq wind up being <a href="https://www.vox.com/amazon">Amazon</a> for the GOP? I mean, sure. It’s still early days, and building a giant e-commerce operation takes time. It could also go the way of MyStore, set up by <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/8/19/21375208/mypillow-oleandrin-mike-lindell-trump-corona">the MyPillow guy</a>, which doesn’t appear to be a runaway success. It also has competitors in the space who are doing … something, such as <a href="https://mammothnation.com/">Mammoth Nation</a>, which lets you pay to be a member to then “shop your values” and says it donates that money somewhere. There are <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Patriot-BUY-cott-Book-Conservative/dp/099173372X">books</a> that tell conservatives where it’s safe to buy and invest, too.
</p>
<h3 id="ymaIyY">
It probably pays to be Mad and Loud Online
</h3>
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Perhaps the real winners here are in the attention economy.
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It’s not entirely clear where, if anywhere, conservative consumers are able to turn for the majority of their commerce needs amid the current Pride month-induced boycott mania or at any time, really. For their content needs, they are able to turn to right-wing influencers and outlets, which are fighting for readers and listeners and, likely, making some money off of all of the rage.
</p>
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The Bud Light drama did gangbusters traffic in right-wing media, according to a <a href="https://info.memo.co/hubfs/Marketing%20Files%20-%20Reports/Bud%20Light%20Crisis%20Report.pdf">recent report from Memo</a>, a media tracking and insights company. Nearly seven times as many readers of right-leaning outlets read content about the controversy compared to readers of left-leaning outlets, and right-leaning outlets have continued to lean in. “Those publishers are getting tremendous traffic from this,” said Eddie Kim, Memo’s CEO and founder. “When a story lands and you see it working, there’s an inclination to write more of those stories because you have a lot of domain authority and SEO value. That drives readership, and that fuels the story.” Kim is also on the board of directors at Colombier, the firm trying to merge with PublicSq.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lVPMfz">
Carusone, from Media Matters, said that conservative media is in the midst of a bit of a land grab over eyeballs in the wake of radio commentator <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22287675/rush-limbaugh-dies-obituary">Rush Limbaugh’s death</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/4/25/23698083/tucker-carlson-fired-theory-fox-news-peter-kafka-media-column">Fox News star Tucker Carlson’s firing</a>. So if the anti-woke, anti-Pride stuff gets clicks, that’s an incentive.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="1LjIYL">
<q>From the anger come the clicks and, eventually, the dollars</q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7ZwWl5">
The Daily Wire, a media company founded by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing, is really the “tip of the spear” here, he said, “because they have the mechanics in place to commercialize this faster.” They’ve launched gimmicky products, such as chocolate bars and razors, but they <a href="https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/daily-wire-100-million-kids-entertainment-disney-1235219678/">also say they’re putting together a $100 million fund</a> for children’s programming to try to offer a counter to <a href="https://www.vox.com/disney">Disney</a> over its <a href="https://www.vox.com/23036009/disney-culture-war-desantis-florida-dont-say-gay">opposition</a> to Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill. The Daily Wire didn’t respond to requests for comment from Vox.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2sBkWY">
The Daily Wire is also streaming <em>What is a Woman?</em>, a film about the “logic behind a gender ideology movement that has taken aim at women and children.” It stars Matt Walsh, an influential anti-trans commentator who podcasts and blogs for the platform. Walsh has also been vocal in <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1661438131365707798?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">the right’s boycott strategy</a>, advising his fellow conservatives to “pick a few strategic targets” and “make them pay dearly.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OTgHx0">
That’s not what’s happening; the right appears to be in boycott-everything mode. With it being Pride month and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/6/25/17476850/pride-month-lgbtq-corporate-explained">the way corporations are about Pride</a>, conservatives have a rainbow to freak out about at every corner. Maybe that’s a bit of the point, at least on the part of the people stoking the flames.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SOBB59">
“The current monetization strategy is conversions, it’s getting all these monthly subscriptions, so the way you do that is having these breakout moments in the best way you can,” Carusone said. “There’s basically a race for subscriptions, and the way you get subscriptions in this model is through these types of high-valence, emotionally charged calls to action that you can then dominate.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="v0nrjU">
From the anger come the clicks and, eventually, the dollars.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5G5qzT">
<em>We live in a world that’s constantly trying to sucker us and trick us, where we’re always surrounded by scams big and small. It can feel impossible to navigate. Every two weeks, join Emily Stewart to look at all the little ways our economic systems control and manipulate the average person. Welcome to </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-big-squeeze"><em>The Big Squeeze</em></a><em>.</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NF25sR">
<a href="http://vox.com/big-squeeze-newsletter"><em>Sign up to get this column in your inbox</em></a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fEmYHz">
<em>Have ideas for a future column or thoughts on this one? Email </em><a href="mailto:emily.stewart@vox.com"><em>emily.stewart@vox.com</em></a>.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Oregon’s Gov. Tina Kotek opens up about the state’s housing crisis</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uKglVmYn8Fw3ZnjvJQ1YDaPcv50=/471x0:7810x5504/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72372247/1244431883.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek. | Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Homelessness nearly lost her the election. Now she’s trying to fix it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zFFiNN">
The challenges of homelessness and a lack of affordable housing are particularly acute in Oregon.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j85Bbf">
The state has seen a 63 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness over the last six years. While roughly 18,000 people are currently unhoused in the state, there<strong> </strong>are <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/04/oregons-recent-growth-in-homelessness-among-largest-in-nation.html">only about 5,200 year-round shelter beds</a> to serve them. One cause of homelessness nationwide is that, for years, the US has been<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy/23595421/biden-affordable-housing-shortage-supply"> building fewer homes than necessary to house a growing population</a>. Oregon has among the largest housing supply gaps:<strong> </strong>statewide, <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/UP/Documents/20221231_OHNA_Legislative_Recommendations_Report.pdf">140,000 housing units</a> are needed, and, without serious action, there’s a projected shortage of 443,556 units in the next 20<strong> </strong>years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1bo47o">
Voters, in turn, have grown upset. Frustrations around homelessness played a pivotal role in the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23357154/2022-midterm-elections-guide">2022 election</a>. Tina Kotek, a Democrat who had served as Oregon’s House speaker for the previous nine years, eked out a win in the gubernatorial election, but her<strong> </strong>tight<strong> </strong>margins (she earned <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/10/christine-drazan-tina-kotek-oregon-governor-race-results-2022-00064760">47 percent</a> in a three-way race) spoke volumes in a state that’s typically safely blue.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lA4Lwc">
Kotek, in turn, has made housing and homelessness among her top priorities in her first six months in office — issues that leaders don’t often<strong> </strong>stake their capital on.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rHVkGa">
Since taking office, she has declared <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/oem/pages/housing-emergency-executive-orders.aspx#:~:text=The%20emergency%20order%20also%20allows,Expedite%20agency%20processes.">a state of emergency on homelessness</a>, <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/gov/eo/eo-23-03.pdf">directed state agencies</a><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.oregon.gov_gov_eo_eo-2D23-2D03.pdf&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=7MSjEE-cVgLCRHxk1P5PWg&amp;r=qZLA9xQgGlxUr0U6NvKAiy6fS-EwRVQRODHMm2i1d9M&amp;m=WL3a19G2fJ98lZI9u_K-faTjqWiOoqh5Gui7h49U79SOHqOYSGWxwSsG8ApQ2aut&amp;s=Mz6IKmk-RJTRfWEVLkjGpOjTpZRgQuVS50SIwo-5S6Q&amp;e="> </a>to prioritize reducing unsheltered homelessness, and established a <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.oregon.gov_gov_eo_eo-2D23-2D04.pdf&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=7MSjEE-cVgLCRHxk1P5PWg&amp;r=qZLA9xQgGlxUr0U6NvKAiy6fS-EwRVQRODHMm2i1d9M&amp;m=WL3a19G2fJ98lZI9u_K-faTjqWiOoqh5Gui7h49U79SOHqOYSGWxwSsG8ApQ2aut&amp;s=gFRIAvSu_MVjeb1yAQFXHJpdlcy5X7iwDgFlF0iy84o&amp;e=">statewide housing production</a> target of 36,000 new homes per year. She also lobbied for and <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.oregon.gov_newsroom_Pages_NewsDetail.aspx-3Fnewsid-3D134253&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=7MSjEE-cVgLCRHxk1P5PWg&amp;r=qZLA9xQgGlxUr0U6NvKAiy6fS-EwRVQRODHMm2i1d9M&amp;m=WL3a19G2fJ98lZI9u_K-faTjqWiOoqh5Gui7h49U79SOHqOYSGWxwSsG8ApQ2aut&amp;s=tpe3tpJo11TbNtFPqjgA5zgPsgDtt5RluTW5l7Iy0ZY&amp;e=">signed a $200 million</a> legislative package to help address Oregon’s housing and homelessness crisis.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YNwekZ">
Her plans though, hinge on other community leaders taking action, and it’s too soon to say whether her ideas and policy prescriptions will succeed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IwbBtk">
I talked with Gov. Kotek about making <a href="https://www.vox.com/housing">housing policy</a> the center of her agenda, about dealing with NIMBYs, and lessons other states might learn from Oregon. Our<strong> </strong>conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="QzYWFV"/>
<h4 id="ojwdwy">
Rachel Cohen
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8ypTZk">
Oregon’s governorship <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/10/19/2022/democrats-have-run-oregon-for-decades-their-time-may-be-running-out">almost flipped red last year</a> for the first time in more than three decades, and <a href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/homelessness-ranks-as-the-top-issue-oregon-survey-finds/#:~:text=By%3A%20Ben%20Botkin%20%2D%20October%2028%2C%202022%205%3A30%20am&amp;text=Thirty%2Dseven%20percent%20of%201%2C878,and%20older%20was%20conducted%20Sept.">voter surveys</a> <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/04/oregon-governors-race-housing-homelessness-poll-survey-data/">indicate frustration</a> with homelessness was one of the top reasons why. What has changed about homelessness, in your view, to make it rise to become a such salient political issue?
</p>
<h4 id="0VEINC">
Gov. Tina Kotek
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vlFDq1">
That’s a great question because I’ve been doing public policy for 20+ years and the public has long perceived housing and homelessness as this second-tier issue. The change is really related to the pandemic, when we had to move people out of shelters because you couldn’t have the crowding. And people came out on the streets in tents, and then were there for more than two years. So in that sense, the most extreme example of our housing crisis — experiencing unsheltered homelessness— is just in everybody’s face now on a daily basis in a way that we didn’t have before.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3NF6TP">
You have both an empathy, because people don’t want to see folks living like that, and a frustration, because they want their communities back to what they were, which includes not having tents on the streets.
</p>
<h4 id="25xvSY">
<strong>Rachel Cohen</strong>
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n6VEG9">
Beyond Covid-19, what do you see as the root cause of Oregon’s high levels of unsheltered homelessness?
</p>
<aside id="2e2MKW">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<h4 id="YA3yqZ">
Gov. Kotek
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IU9iQp">
From the housing side of this, I definitely go back to the Great Recession<strong>,</strong> when housing construction literally stopped. But people continued to move to Oregon. So we’ve been behind with housing construction and keeping up with the influx of folks going on 15 years now. This has really driven the affordability issues. And what had been getting built since the Great Recession was very high-end housing, not what I would call workforce or affordable housing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G6oNer">
Then for homelessness, you have a lot of different populations who are out there who’ve lost their housing. And because they’re on the street they start to develop significant illnesses. Maybe you started your unsheltered homelessness because you lost your job, and you’re traumatized by this experience. So you’re starting to develop a <a href="https://www.vox.com/mental-health">mental health</a> issue, you’re probably medicating with a substance to stay awake — for example, meth. Then you develop a substance issue. It’s this accumulation of illness that comes with being on the street that has led to the level of chronic<em> </em>unsheltered homelessness. It’s not the start of the issue, but the length of the issue that we’re now dealing with, and the depth of the illness on the street because of that.
</p>
<h4 id="jfiZHF">
Rachel Cohen
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dbmwCc">
How do you plan<strong> </strong>to measure the success of your<strong> </strong>housing initiatives over time?
</p>
<h4 id="OusMtK">
Gov. Kotek
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JbDmeN">
We’ve been very specific that by the end of the calendar year, we want to have a minimum of 600 new shelter beds, 1,200 people rehoused, and a minimum of 3,600 people being supported through rental assistance that we’re preventing from becoming homeless.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cAmfpr">
So the key there is making sure that the problem doesn’t get any worse. And we wanted to be very clear with local communities: You get state money based on a plan to hit your portion of that target. The public really needs us to show that the money is connected to outcomes.
</p>
<h4 id="36k8WG">
Rachel Cohen
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RqsK2b">
Elected officials in other states have been reticent to tackle housing and homelessness. What’s your case for why they should anyway?
</p>
<aside id="4gZY43">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<h4 id="KKbWHg">
Gov. Kotek
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j73CBy">
It’s certainly daunting, right? It’s easier to pick something less complex when you’re in elected office. But what I like to tell people is that housing is the core problem. If you don’t have stable housing, you’re going to be unhealthy, and those are health care costs. If you’re trying to recruit people to your community and there’s literally no workforce housing, that’s an economic issue. It’s a safety issue because when people are stable in their housing it reduces crime and disruption. And it matters for educational outcomes — when a child moves school districts within the same year, they fall months behind.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fm1GHV">
I think things are particularly severe in Oregon for a whole variety of reasons, but everybody has the same issue. We just haven’t built enough housing. Every governor has to take up housing, you cannot ignore it.
</p>
<h4 id="x3p2td">
Rachel Cohen
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tRKBai">
How do you deal with NIMBYism in Oregon? There’s also a lot of cynicism about the power of individuals to block needed housing production.
</p>
<h4 id="uzl9Kk">
Gov. Kotek
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O8ev6T">
There’s a lot of fear when people see that their world is changing. In the 2019 legislative session, we <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/up/pages/housing-choices.aspx">had House Bill 2001</a>, which was the “middle housing” bill. It was a reset of how we approached what it means to have a home, meaning they don’t have to be big apartments or single-family housing. And there was a lot of fear from people that we were going to change the aesthetics, the feel, the nature of their neighborhoods. And I said, “No, we’re going to make them more livable so people can stay in the communities they want. So they can have the ADU or the duplex or the townhome that in some places was actually not allowed to be built.” There was pushback, and now everyone’s accepting it because they understand that we have to have different types of housing options.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M6mi60">
I always go back to personal stories with folks. They tend to help people understand that we can all have prosperity if we just let go of our fears that change is going to hurt us. And it takes a lot of conversations to do that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ydNGlQ">
I think you also have to involve the people who are doing the work early on. For example, my Housing Production Advisory Council — it would have been easier if I said, “This is the stuff we’re going to do.” But I wanted to make sure that the folks who are doing the work have buy-in to the solutions, and are willing to push for those solutions. It takes longer, but you’re going to have more success when everyone’s bought in.
</p>
<h4 id="WEW479">
Rachel Cohen
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tpa9g4">
I recently wrote<strong> </strong>about <a href="https://www.vox.com/23748522/tent-encampments-martin-boise-homelessness-housing">how the Ninth Circuit’s <em>Martin v. Boise </em>decision</a> — which says people can’t be punished for sleeping outside on public property if there are no alternatives available — is shaping cities’ response to tent encampments.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4jl8q2">
Oregon is no exception, and earlier this year I know you raised concerns that Portland’s plan for unsheltered homelessness <a href="https://www.portlandmercury.com/good-morning-news/2023/03/27/46423911/good-morning-news-kotek-slams-wheelers-homeless-plan-thorns-crush-pride-in-season-opener-and-more-trouble-for-musks-failing-twitter">might amount to just shuffling people around</a>. I wanted to ask you about some of the proposed solutions — like sanctioned encampment sites. What do you think about these as interim measures, and the fact that some advocates worry they’ll become more permanent fixtures?
</p>
<h4 id="lMdAy9">
Gov. Kotek
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nWt0cM">
We have to be okay with some level of transitional shelter until we build more housing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UnQh9O">
After the <em>Boise </em>decision, I <a href="https://www.orcities.org/resources/communications/bulletin/legislature-passes-bills-homeless-camping">helped pass legislation here</a> to be very clear with our local governments of what they needed to do to be in compliance with that court ruling. It’s not enough to say you can’t criminalize people who are living outside, you have to also provide them a pathway to permanent housing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2ABAWd">
And it’s also important to set some parameters about where people can be. I think it’s appropriate to have time, place, and manner guidelines for where people can camp, particularly in places that are very unsafe, like on the sides of highways and things like that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rJdHlL">
My frustration has been that while that’s something cities have to do, they also have to provide the resources. In Portland, when their daytime camping ban takes effect in July, they have to be serious about providing more daytime shelters for people who can no longer camp on the streets during 8 am to 8 pm. We can do both, we just have to plan for it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oExx17">
I’ve learned a lot in this process by listening to people who were actually on the streets. We need to lean into new ideas <a href="https://oregoncf.org/community-impact/impact-areas/housing-stability/project-turnkey/">like Project Turnkey</a>, which enables someone experiencing homelessness to walk into a converted hotel or motel, where they can then have a room with a locked door, services on site. And <a href="https://www.dwell.com/article/tiny-home-villages-homelessness-oregon-747ead25">little villages</a>, where people have their pod and their safety but they’re also living in community. Those things take a bit longer to set up but they are much more effective than what we’ve done in the past, where you just say here’s a big building with a bunch of beds in it. And you wonder why people don’t want to do that.
</p>
<h4 id="pe16Pe">
Rachel Cohen
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cfMzyo">
I want to turn back to the 2019 “middle housing” law you helped pass, which ordered larger cities and the Portland metro area to legalize duplexes on all residential lots, and fourplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and cottage clusters on more than half of lots.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HuCAf3">
This was the first law of its kind in the nation, and <a href="https://www.sightline.org/2021/08/13/eight-ingredients-for-a-state-level-zoning-reform/">as the Sightline Institute put it</a>, “proved that it’s possible for state legislatures to take groundbreaking action against local bans on lower-cost housing types.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UwunrI">
You are credited with playing a major role in getting the bill passed, and on a bipartisan basis. Can you talk about any lessons you learned from that?
</p>
<h4 id="6Qz6c4">
Gov. Kotek<strong> </strong>
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="czD6OA">
My general take from the beginning was that legalizing these housing types needed to be statewide and it’s important for everybody to do it. I think other states have approached it as something you can opt into, or just for certain locales, and I really recommend against that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nFzV5a">
The success came from building the right coalition of folks. Everyone from the land-use folks, to AARP, the real estate community, the development community, the climate activists. That level of support helped us push back on the NIMBYs.
</p>
<h4 id="v4RupV">
Rachel Cohen
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yBajZG">
I want to zoom out for the last question. I’ve been writing about housing and homelessness for a long time, and it’s clear that many people see these issues as separate. I know your administration sees housing and homelessness<strong> </strong>as connected, and I wondered, why do you think there is this disconnect in people’s minds? And how do we fight that misperception?
</p>
<aside id="KJFtAf">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<h4 id="JghOlo">
Gov. Kotek
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4tYREi">
I think it’s important for folks who work on these issues to not get rigid in either space. You will have some advocates who work for the unsheltered who think it’s all about housing — like if we just had more housing, then everything would be fine. That’s missing the point of the acuity of the individuals on the streets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M3Z0LM">
And then you go to the other extreme where people say, “We don’t have a housing supply problem, this is a personal responsibility issue. These are folks who are just on drugs, they have mental health issues.” And that perspective — which puts the blame on them — is also wrong. Because even if those folks got all the resources they need to be healthy today, there aren’t enough places for them to live.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BLFL6n">
We had an issue recently out in Clackamas County, which is one of our metro area counties, where <a href="https://www.clackamas.us/news/2023-02-16/clackamas-county-board-approves-historic-investment-to-reduce-homelessness">they had approved a hotel to convert to a homeless shelter</a>. I was told this was one of the best assets they had ever seen for one of these conversions, it was in a good location, good shape. And then around two weeks later <a href="https://www.clackamas.us/news/2023-03-22/media-release-clackamas-county-to-pivot-from-the-project-turnkey-model-to-community-led-solutions-to-homelessness-and-transitional-housing">they reversed approval for it</a> because they thought it didn’t focus enough on people’s mental health and drug addiction issues. This is very short-sighted.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LKA48x">
So I like to tell people, both are true. It’s true there are individuals who have significant health issues that are helping to keep them on the streets, and it’s true they have nowhere to live. So for us, it’s the short term of helping people get into transitional shelter, continue to get people rehoused, and keep them there. We’re also trying to say we have to provide some level of ongoing rent assistance for a time, so people can stay stable and still get services. Nothing is worse than spending money and having someone come back on the streets. It’s bad for them. It’s not cost-effective.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Huxlj9">
My message to everyone is, see the entire spectrum of the issue. Deal with the complexities and have a short-term and a long-term plan. But we have to help people right now who are suffering. So every day, it’s just like, gotta do both. You gotta do it all and they are interrelated.
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</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>Asia Cup to be held in hybrid model in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 17</strong> - The hybrid model was proposed as the BCCI had made it clear that it won’t send its team to Pakistan</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>Afghanistan paceman Nijatullah Masood bags 5-wicket haul on Test debut against Bangladesh</strong> - Supported Aided by pace bowler Yamin Ahmadzai Ahmedzai, who had figures of 2-39, Masood found swing and movement in the overcast conditions to rip through Bangladesh’s batting order</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>U.S. Open raises prize money to $20 million with $3.6 million to winner</strong> - The Masters increased its purse to $18 million this year, while the PGA Championship bumped its prize money to $17.5 million</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>Nick Kyrgios reveals he ended up in psychiatric ward during Wimbledon in 2019</strong> - Due to the loss at Wimbledon in 2019, against Rafael Nadal, Nick Kyrgios had to spend time in a psychiatric ward in London</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>Indonesia Open | Srikanth beats Lakshya in all-India duel, Sindhu exits</strong> - The win ensured Srikanth’s dominance over his younger countrymate as he took his head-to-head record to 3-0 over Lakshya</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</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>IIT-Madras launches BS in electronics open for all</strong> - The four-year course is open to anyone who have studied mathematics and physics as subjects in their Class 12 and has two exit options as well</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>Andhra Pradesh: TDP has no moral right to question government on welfare of SCs, says Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad</strong> - The YSRCP government has been catering to the basic needs of the Scheduled Castes, besides empowering them politically, says YSRCP leader Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad</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>CPI(M) expels four workers over cryptocurrency scam</strong> - The transaction was made with a college student, the son of a Kerala Congress leader, who complained to the CPI(M) State secretary about the ‘cheating’</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>Here are the big stories from Karnataka today</strong> - Welcome to the Karnataka Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated and written by Nalme Nachiyar.</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>Jagan virtually inaugurates 100 Jio towers in Andhra Pradesh</strong> -</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>Greece boat disaster: Capsized boat had 100 children in hold - reports</strong> - Survivors from a fishing boat that sank off Greece say as many as 750 people may have been on board.</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>Rammstein: German police open sex offence investigation into Till Lindemann</strong> - A number of women have alleged they were recruited for sex with singer Till Lindemann at concerts.</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>Ukraine war: The challenges of training F-16 pilots</strong> - The BBC goes to a Nato air exercise to see the challenges in training Ukrainians on F-16 fighters.</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>Russian embassy: Australia blocks new Canberra site over spying risk</strong> - Laws are quickly passed to halt construction, in light of an alleged spying risk.</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>Ukraine war: ‘Extremely fierce battles’ as Kyiv seeks to advance</strong> - Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive has resulted in some further advances, a minister says.</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>Silent, stiff, and svelte: The Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bike reviewed</strong> - The $1,899 price tag may be off-putting, but the components and ride definitely aren’t. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1947821">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Russia-backed hackers unleash new USB-based malware on Ukraine’s military</strong> - Shuckworm’s relentless attacks seek intel for use in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1947749">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>For the first time in decades, Congress seems interested in space-based solar power</strong> - “We already know from early research that it is possible.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1947937">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ancient Egyptian followers of a deity called Bes may have used hallucinogens</strong> - Blue water lily acts as a sedative, while Syrian rue induces dream-like visions. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1947818">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Comcast and Charter are making a streaming box for self-loathing cord-cutters</strong> - Xumo Box will bring typical apps, plus ad-supported semi-channels, to TVs. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1947856">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Reddit is killing third-party applications (and itself). Read more in the comments.</strong> - submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/JokeSentinel"> /u/JokeSentinel </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://i.redd.it/1j5nee06kx5b1.png">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1490rmv/reddit_is_killing_thirdparty_applications_and/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>When you go to church in the morning you say, “Amen.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When you go to church in the afternoon you say, “Pmen.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/vedicsun"> /u/vedicsun </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/146sgvx/when_you_go_to_church_in_the_morning_you_say_amen/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/146sgvx/when_you_go_to_church_in_the_morning_you_say_amen/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Did you hear about Apple’s new VR headset?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
They’re called the iGlasses
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/sheeeeeez"> /u/sheeeeeez </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1470v9z/did_you_hear_about_apples_new_vr_headset/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1470v9z/did_you_hear_about_apples_new_vr_headset/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>If women want a guy who is taller than them…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
why do they care if he has hair on top of his head?
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/2Agile2Furious"> /u/2Agile2Furious </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/146hxfi/if_women_want_a_guy_who_is_taller_than_them/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/146hxfi/if_women_want_a_guy_who_is_taller_than_them/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Doctors say 3 out of 5 people suffer from chronic diarrhea.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
2 out of 5 are sick fucks and enjoy it..
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Response-Cheap"> /u/Response-Cheap </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/146ezun/doctors_say_3_out_of_5_people_suffer_from_chronic/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/146ezun/doctors_say_3_out_of_5_people_suffer_from_chronic/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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