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<title>22 May, 2022</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>Shared genetic etiology and causality between COVID-19 and venous thromboembolism: evidence from genome-wide cross trait analysis and bi-directional Mendelian randomization study</strong> -
<div>
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs in up to one third patients with COVID-19. VTE and COVID-19 may share a common genetic architecture in etiology, which has not been comprehensively investigated. In this study, we leveraged summary-level data from the latest COVID‐19 host genetics consortium and UK Biobank to study the genetic commonality between COVID-19 traits and VTE. We found a positive genetic correlation between COVID-19 hospitalization and VTE (rg = 0.2320, P-value= 0.0092). The cross-trait analysis identified shared genetic loci between VTE and COVID-19 traits, including 8 for severe COVID-19, 11 for COVID-19 hospitalization, and 7 for SARS-CoV-2 infection. We identified seven novel mapped genes (LINC00970, TSPAN15, ADAMTS13, F5, DNAJB4, SLC39A8 and OBSCN) that were enriched for expression in the lung tissue, and in coagulation and immune related pathways. Eight genetic loci were found to share causal variants between COVID-19 and VTE, which are localized in the ABO, ADAMTS13 and FUT2 gene regions. Bi-directional Mendelian randomization analysis did not suggest a causal relationship between VTE and COVID-19 traits. Our study advances the understanding of shared genetic etiology of COVID-19 and VTE at the molecular and functional levels.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.21.22275413v1" target="_blank">Shared genetic etiology and causality between COVID-19 and venous thromboembolism: evidence from genome-wide cross trait analysis and bi-directional Mendelian randomization study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The negative impact of COVID-19 on working memory revealed using a rapid online quiz</strong> -
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Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects the respiratory system, it can also have neurological consequences leading to cognitive deficits such as memory problems. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on working memory function. We developed and implemented an online anonymous survey with a working memory quiz incorporating aspects of gamification to engage participants. 5428 participants successfully completed the survey and memory quiz between 8 th December 2020 and 5 th July 2021 (68.6% non-COVID-19 and 31.4% COVID-19). Most participants (93.3%) completed the survey and memory quiz relatively rapidly (mean time of 8.84 minutes). Categorical regression was used to assess the contribution of COVID status, age, time post-COVID (number of months elapsed since having had COVID), symptoms, ongoing symptoms and gender, followed by non-parametric statistics. A principal component analysis explored the relationship between subjective ratings and objective memory scores. The objective memory scores were significantly correlated with participants’ own assessment of their cognitive function. The factors significantly affecting memory scores were COVID status, age, time post-COVID and ongoing symptoms. Our main finding was a significant reduction in memory scores in all COVID groups (self-reported, positive-tested and hospitalised) compared to the non-COVID group. Memory scores for all COVID groups combined were significantly reduced compared to the non-COVID group in every age category 25 years and over, but not for the youngest age category (18-24 years old). We found that memory scores gradually increased over a period of 17 months post-COVID-19. However, those with ongoing COVID-19 symptoms continued to show a reduction in memory scores. Our findings demonstrate that COVID-19 negatively impacts working memory function, but only in adults aged 25 years and over. Moreover, our results suggest that working memory deficits with COVID-19 can recover over time, although impairments may persist in those with ongoing symptoms.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.20.22275380v1" target="_blank">The negative impact of COVID-19 on working memory revealed using a rapid online quiz</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Serial infection with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 following three-dose COVID-19 vaccination</strong> -
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SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections are common among individuals who are vaccinated or have recovered from prior variant infection, but few reports have documented serial Omicron infections. We characterized SARS-CoV-2 humoral responses in a healthy young person who acquired laboratory-confirmed Omicron BA.1.15 ten weeks after a third dose of BNT162b2, and BA.2 thirteen weeks later. Responses were compared to those of 124 COVID-19 naive vaccinees. One month after the second and third vaccine doses, the participant9s wild-type and BA.1-specific IgG, ACE2 competition and virus neutralization activities were average for a COVID-19 naive triple-vaccinated individual. BA.1 infection boosted the participant9s responses to the cohort &gt;95th percentile, but even this strong “hybrid” immunity failed to protect against BA.2. Moreover, reinfection increased BA.1 and BA.2-specific responses only modestly. Results illustrate the risk of Omicron infection in fully vaccinated individuals and highlight the importance of personal and public health measures as vaccine-induced immune responses wane.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.19.22275026v1" target="_blank">Serial infection with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 following three-dose COVID-19 vaccination</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Bias-adjusted predictions of county-level vaccination coverage from the COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey</strong> -
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The potential for bias in non-representative, large-scale, low-cost survey data can limit their utility for population health measurement and public health decision-making. We developed a multi-step regression framework to bias- adjust vaccination coverage predictions from the large-scale US COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey that included post- stratification to the American Community Survey and secondary normalization to an unbiased reference indicator. As a case study, we applied this framework to generate county-level predictions of long-run vaccination coverage among children ages 5 to 11 years. Our vaccination coverage predictions suggest a low ceiling on long-term national coverage (46%), detect substantial geographic heterogeneity (ranging from 11% to 91% across counties in the US), and highlight widespread disparities in the pace of scale-up in the three months following Emergency Use Authorization of COVID-19 vaccination for 5 to 11 year-olds. Generally, our analysis demonstrates an approach to leverage differing strengths of multiple sources of information to produce estimates on the time-scale and geographic-scale necessary for proactive decision-making. The utility of large-scale, low-cost survey data for improving population health measurement is amplified when these data are combined with other representative sources of data.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.18.22275217v1" target="_blank">Bias-adjusted predictions of county-level vaccination coverage from the COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Early experience with modified dose nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in dialysis patients with coronavirus disease-2019</strong> -
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Introduction: Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir was approved for use in high risk outpatients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, patients with severe chronic kidney disease, including patients on dialysis, were excluded from the phase 3 trial, and currently the drug is not recommended below a glomerular filtration rate of 30 ml/min/1.73m2 . Based on available pharmacological data and principles, we developed a modified dose which was lower, and administered at longer intervals.We administered nirmatrelvir/ritonavir as 300/100 mg on day one, followed by 150/100 mg daily from day two to day five. In this case series, we report the initial experience with this modified dose regimen. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review, conducted after obtaining institutional board approval. Demographic and outcome data was abstracted from the electronic medical record for dialysis patients who developed COVID-19 during the period of study and received nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. The principal outcomes we describe are symptom resolution, and safety data with the modified dose regimen in the dialysis patients. Results: 19 patients developed COVID-19 during the period of study of whom 15 received nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. 47% of them were female and 67% had diabetes. Most patients had received three doses of the vaccine (80%) while 13% were unvaccinated. Potential drug interactions concerns were common (median 2 drugs per patient) with amlodipine and atorvastatin being the commonest drugs requiring dose modification. Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir use was associated with symptom resolution in all patients, and was well tolerated. One patient had a rebound of symptoms, which improved in 2 more days. There were no COVID-19 related hospitalizations or deaths in any of the patients. Conclusion: In this case series of 15 hemodialysis patients with COVID-19, a modified dose of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir use, with pharmacist support for drug interaction management, was associated with symptom resolution, and was well tolerated with no serious adverse effects.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html- link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.18.22275234v1" target="_blank">Early experience with modified dose nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in dialysis patients with coronavirus disease-2019</a>
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<li><strong>BNT162b2 induces robust cross-variant SARS-CoV-2 immunity in children</strong> -
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Currently available mRNA vaccines are extremely safe and effective to prevent severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, the emergence of novel variants of concerns has highlighted the importance of high population-based vaccine rates to effectively suppress viral transmission and breakthrough infections. While initially left out from vaccine efforts, children have become one of the most affected age groups and are key targets to stop community and household spread. Antibodies are central for vaccine induced protection and emerging data points to the importance of additional Fc effector functions like opsononophagocytosis or cytotoxicity, particularly in the context of variants of concern that escape neutralizing antibodies. Here, we observed delayed induction and reduced magnitude of vaccine induced antibody titers in children 5-11 years receiving two doses of the age recommended 10 μg dose of the Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine compared to adolescents (12-15 years) or adults receiving the 30 μg dose. Conversely, children mounted equivalent or more robust neutralization and opsonophagocytic functions at peak immunogenicity, pointing to a qualitatively more robust humoral functional response in children. Moreover, broad cross-variants of concern responses were observed across children, with enhanced IgM and parallel IgG cross-reactivity to variants of concern (VOCs) in children compared to adults. Collectively, these data argue that despite the lower magnitude of the BNT162b2 induced antibody response in children, vaccine induced immunity in children target VOCs broadly and exhibit enhanced functionality that may contribute to attenuation of disease.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.18.22275283v1" target="_blank">BNT162b2 induces robust cross-variant SARS-CoV-2 immunity in children</a>
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<li><strong>Exploring barriers and facilitators to physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study</strong> -
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Objectives Quantitative data show that physical activity (PA) reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with differential impacts across demographic groups. Qualitative research is limited, so reasons for this have not been explored in-depth. This study aimed to understand barriers and facilitators to PA during the pandemic, focusing on groups more likely to have been affected by restrictions, and to map these onto the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation Model of Behaviour (COM-B). Design Semi-structured qualitative interview study. Methods One-to-one telephone/videocall interviews were conducted with younger (aged 18-24) and older adults (aged 70+), those with long-term physical health conditions or mental health conditions, and parents of young children, probing about their experiences of PA. Barriers and facilitators were identified using reflexive thematic analysis, and themes were mapped onto COM-B dimensions. Results 116 participants were included (18-93 years old, 61% female, 71% White British). Key themes were the importance of the outdoor environment, impact of COVID-19 restrictions, fear of contracting COVID-19, and level of engagement with home exercise. Caring responsibilities and conflicting priorities were a barrier. PA as a method of socialising, establishing new routines, and the importance of PA for protecting mental health were motivators. Most themes mapped onto the physical opportunity (environmental factors) and reflective motivation (evaluations and plans) COM-B domains. Conclusions Future interventions should increase physical opportunity and reflective motivation for PA during pandemics, to avoid further negative health outcomes following periods of lockdown. Strategies could include tailoring PA guidance depending on location and giving education on the health benefits of PA.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.18.22275240v1" target="_blank">Exploring barriers and facilitators to physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study</a>
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<li><strong>Targeting SARS-CoV-2 superspreading infections could dramatically improve the efficiency of epidemic control strategies in resource-limited contexts</strong> -
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Background: Superspreading infections play an important role in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Superspreading is caused primarily by heterogeneity in social contact rates, and therefore represents an opportunity for targeting surveillance and control via consideration of social network topologies, particularly in resource-limited settings. Yet, it remains unclear how to implement such surveillance and control, especially when network data is unavailable. Methods: We evaluated the efficiency of a testing strategy that targeted potential superspreading individuals based on their degree centrality on a social network compared to a random testing strategy in the context of low testing capacity. We simulated SARS-CoV-2 dynamics on two contact networks from rural Madagascar and measured the epidemic duration, infection burden, and tests needed to end the epidemics. In addition, we examined the robustness of this approach when individuals9 true degree centralities were unknown and were instead estimated via readily-available socio- demographic variables. Findings: Targeted testing of potential superspreaders reduced the infection burden by 40-63% at low testing capacities, while requiring between 45-78% fewer tests compared to random testing. Further, targeted testing remained more efficient when the true network topology was unknown and prioritization was based on socio demographic characteristics. Interpretation: Incorporating social network topology into epidemic control strategies is an effective public health strategy for health systems suffering from low testing capacity and can be implemented via socio- demographic proxies when social networks are unknown.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.20.22275359v1" target="_blank">Targeting SARS-CoV-2 superspreading infections could dramatically improve the efficiency of epidemic control strategies in resource-limited contexts</a>
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<li><strong>Building Medical Rehabilitation System with Safety and Without Interruption for the Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM)</strong> -
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Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an indication for rehabilitation medicine, especially in severe cases. However, there has been no systematic development of a safe and uninterrupted provision system of medical rehabilitation for patients and medical staff with COVID-19. The Functional Resonance Analysis method (FRAM) is used to analyze performance in a socio-technical system. In FRAM, each Function is viewed from six aspects: Input, Output, Preconditions, Resources, Control, and Time. These aspects define each Function and reveal connections between Functions. In this study, we analyzed a safe and uninterrupted provision system for medical rehabilitation for severely ill COVID-19 patients using FRAM to prepare for possible problems in the future. Methods The subject of analysis was the provision system for medical rehabilitation for patients with COVID-19 at the Rehabilitation Center of Hyogo College of Medicine College Hospital. The analysis was conducted by dividing a 21-month rehabilitation period beginning April 2020 into 5 phases, and analyzing each phase using FRAM. The first four phases were retrospective analyses, and the fifth phase was a prospective analysis. Results Our results showed that the number of rehabilitation physicians, consultation systems, and full-time therapists was adjusted and the system providing rehabilitation was modified during each phase. Discussion Elements of Function, such as preconditions, control, and resources, require modification in each phase. In the process of adding and deleting these elements, it became clear that it was necessary to deal with new characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Retrospective system analysis using FRAM may contribute to the planning of measures necessary for the implementation of rehabilitation medicine prospectively.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.18.22275242v1" target="_blank">Building Medical Rehabilitation System with Safety and Without Interruption for the Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM)</a>
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<li><strong>B cells, BAFF and interferons in MIS-C</strong> -
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Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C) is a late complication of pediatric COVID-19, which follows weeks after original SARS-CoV-2 infection, regardless of its severity. It is characterized by hyperinflammation, neutrophilia, lymphopenia and activation of T cells with elevated IFN-γ. Observing production of autoantibodies and parallels with systemic autoimmune disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematodes (SLE), we explored B cell phenotype and serum levels of type I, II and III interferons, as well as the cytokines BAFF and APRIL in a cohort of MIS-C patients and healthy children after COVID-19. We documented a significant elevation of IFN-γ, but not IFN-α and IFN-λ in MIS-C patients. BAFF was elevated in MIS-C patient sera and accompanied by decreased BAFFR expression on all B cell subtypes. The proportion of plasmablasts was significantly lower in patients compared to healthy post-COVID children. We noted the presence of ENA Ro60 autoantibodies in 4/35 tested MIS-C patients. Our work shows the involvement of humoral immunity in MIS-C and hints at parallels with the pathophysiology of SLE, with autoreactive B cells driven towards autoantibody production by elevated BAFF.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.18.22275245v1" target="_blank">B cells, BAFF and interferons in MIS-C</a>
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<li><strong>Evaluation of the ID NOW Among Symptomatic Individuals During the Omicron Wave</strong> -
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BACKGROUND Point of Care SARS CoV 2 devices, such as the Abbott ID NOW have great potential, to help combat the COVID19 pandemic. Starting in December, 2020, the ID NOW was implemented throughout the province of Alberta, Canada (population 4.4 million) in various settings. We aimed to assess the ID NOW performance during the BA.1 Omicron wave and compare it to previous waves. METHODS The ID NOW was assessed in two distinct locations among symptomatic individuals: acute care (emergency room, urgent care, and hospitalized patients) and community assessment centres (AC) during the period January 5 to 18, 2022. Starting January 5, Omicron represented &gt;95% of variants detected in our population. For every individual tested, two swabs were collected: one for ID NOW testing and the other for either reverse- transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmation of negative ID NOW results or for variant testing of positive ID NOW results. RESULTS A total of 3,041 paired samples were analyzed (1,139 RTPCR positive). 1,873 samples were from 42 COVID-19 AC and 1,168 from 69 rural hospitals. ID NOW sensitivity for symptomatic individuals presenting to community AC and patients in hospital was 96.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 94.5 to 97.3%, n=830 RTPCR positive], and 91.6% (95% CI 87.9 to 94.4%, n=309 RTPCR positive), respectively. SARS CoV 2 positivity rate was very high for both populations (44.3% at AC, 26.5% in hospital). CONCLUSIONS Sensitivity of ID NOW SARS CoV 2, compared to RTPCR, is very high during the BA.1 Omicron wave, and is significantly higher when compared to previous SARS CoV 2 variant waves.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.19.22275316v1" target="_blank">Evaluation of the ID NOW Among Symptomatic Individuals During the Omicron Wave</a>
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<li><strong>Estimating Vaccine-Preventable COVID-19 Deaths Under Counterfactual Vaccination Scenarios in the United States</strong> -
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Importance: With an abundant supply of COVID-19 vaccines becoming available in spring and summer 2021, the major barrier to high vaccination rates in the United States has been a lack of vaccine demand. This has contributed to a higher rate of deaths from SARS-CoV-2 infections amongst unvaccinated individuals as compared to vaccinated individuals. It is important to understand how low vaccination rates directly impact deaths resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infections in unvaccinated populations across the United States. Objective: To estimate a lower bound on the number of vaccine- preventable deaths from SARS-CoV-2 infections under various scenarios of vaccine completion, for every state of the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants: This counterfactual simulation study varies the rates of complete vaccination coverage under the scenarios of 100%, 90% and 85% coverage of the adult (18+) population of the United States. For each scenario, we use U.S. state-level demographic information in conjunction with county-level vaccination statistics to compute a lower bound on the number of vaccine-preventable deaths for each state. Exposures: COVID-19 vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 infection Main Outcomes and Measures: Death from SARS-CoV-2 infection Results: Between January 1st, 2021 and April 30th, 2022, there were 641,305 deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States. Assuming each state continued peak vaccination capacity after initially achieving its peak vaccination rate, a vaccination rate of 100% would have led to 322,324 deaths nationally, that of 90% would have led to 415,878 deaths, and that of 85% would have led to 463,305 deaths. As a comparison, using the state with the highest peak vaccination rate (per million population each week) for all the states, a vaccination rate of 100% would have led to 302,344 deaths nationally, that of 90% would have led to 398,289 deaths, and that of 85% would have led to 446,449 deaths. Conclusions and Relevance: Once COVID-19 vaccine supplies peaked across the United States, if there had been 100% COVID-19 vaccination coverage of the over 18+ population, a conservative estimate of 318,981 deaths could have been potentially avoided through vaccination. For a 90% vaccination coverage, we estimate at least 225,427 deaths averted through vaccination, and at least 178,000 lives saved through vaccination for an 85% vaccination coverage.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.19.22275310v1" target="_blank">Estimating Vaccine-Preventable COVID-19 Deaths Under Counterfactual Vaccination Scenarios in the United States</a>
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<li><strong>Acute Vaping of a golden Syrian Hamster is Feasible and Leads to Nicotine-Dependent Respiratory Tract Inflammation</strong> -
<div>
Introduction: E-cigarette vaping has become a major portion of nicotine consumption, especially for children and young adults. Although it is branded as a safer alternative to cigarette smoking, murine and rat models of sub-acute and chronic e-cigarette vaping exposure have shown many pro-inflammatory changes in the respiratory tract. An acute vaping exposure paradigm has not been demonstrated in the golden Syrian hamster, and the hamster is a readily available small animal model that has the unique benefit of becoming infected with and transmitting SARS-CoV-2 without genetic alteration to the animal or virus. Methods: Using a two-day, whole-body vaping exposure protocol in male golden Syrian hamsters, we evaluated serum cotinine, bronchoalveolar lavage cells, lung and nasal histopathology, and gene expression in the nasopharynx and lung through RT-qPCR. Depending on the presence of nonnormality or outliers, statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests. For tests that were statistically significant (p-value &lt;0.05), post- hoc Tukey-Kramer and Dunn’s tests, respectively, were performed to make pairwise comparisons between groups. Results: In nasal tissue, RT-qPCR analysis revealed nicotine-dependent increases in genes associated with type 1 inflammation (CCL-5 and CXCL-10), fibrosis (TGF-{beta}), and a nicotine-independent decrease in the vasculogenesis/angiogenesis gene VEGF-A. In the lung, nicotine-dependent increases in the expression of genes involved in the renin-angiotensin pathway (ACE, ACE2), coagulation (tissue factor, Serpine-1), extracellular matrix remodeling (MMP-2, MMP-9), type 1 inflammation (IL-1{beta}, TNF-, and CXCL-10), fibrosis (TGF-{beta} and Serpine-1), oxidative stress response (SOD-2), neutrophil extracellular traps release (ELANE), and vasculogenesis and angiogenesis (VEGF-A) were identified. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the Syrian hamster is a viable model of e-cig induced inhalational injury. In addition, this is the first report that e-cig vaping with nicotine can increase tissue factor gene expression in the lung. Our results show that even an acute exposure to e-cigarette vaping causes significant upregulation in the respiratory tract of pathways involving the renin-angiotensin system, coagulation, extracellular matrix remodeling, type 1 inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress response, NETosis, vasculogenesis, and angiogenesis.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.20.492852v1" target="_blank">Acute Vaping of a golden Syrian Hamster is Feasible and Leads to Nicotine-Dependent Respiratory Tract Inflammation</a>
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<li><strong>Omicron breakthrough infections in vaccinated or previously infected hamsters</strong> -
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The second and third years of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have been marked by the repeated emergence and replacement of variants with genetic and phenotypic distance from the ancestral strains, the most recent examples being Delta and Omicron. Here we describe a hamster contact exposure challenge model to assess protection conferred by vaccination or prior infection against re-infection. We found that 2-doses of self-amplifying RNA vaccine based on the ancestral spike ameliorated weight loss following Delta infection and decreased viral loads, but had minimal effect on Omicron/BA.1 infection. Prior infection with ancestral or Alpha variant was partially protective against Omicron/BA.1 infection, whereas all animals previously infected with Delta and exposed to Omicron became infected, although shed less virus. We further tested whether prior infection with Omicron/BA.1 protected from re-infection with Delta or Omicron/BA.2. Omicron/BA.1 was protective against Omicron/BA.2, but not Delta reinfection, again showing Delta and Omicron have a very large antigenic distance. Indeed, cross-neutralisation assays with human antisera from otherwise immunonaive individuals (unvaccinated and no known prior infection), confirmed a large antigenic distance between Delta and Omicron. Prior vaccination followed by Omicron or Delta breakthrough infection led to a higher degree of cross-reactivity to all tested variants. To conclude, cohorts whose only immune experience of COVID is Omicron/BA.1 infection may be particularly vulnerable to future circulation of Delta or Delta-like derivatives. In contrast, repeated exposure to antigenically distinct spikes, via infection and or vaccination drives a more cross-reactive immune response, both in hamsters and people.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.20.492779v1" target="_blank">Omicron breakthrough infections in vaccinated or previously infected hamsters</a>
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<li><strong>Structural basis for substrate selection by the SARS-CoV-2 replicase</strong> -
<div>
The SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase coordinates viral RNA synthesis as part of an assembly known as the replication-transcription complex (RTC). Accordingly, the RTC is a target for clinically approved antiviral nucleoside analogs, including remdesivir. Faithful synthesis of viral RNAs by the RTC requires recognition of the correct nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) for incorporation into the nascent RNA. To be effective inhibitors, antiviral nucleoside analogs must compete with the natural NTPs for incorporation. How the SARS-CoV-2 RTC discriminates between the natural NTPs, and how antiviral nucleoside analogs compete, has not been discerned in detail. Here, we use cryo-electron microscopy to visualize the RTC bound to each of the natural NTPs in states poised for incorporation. Furthermore, we investigate the RTC with the active metabolite of remdesivir, remdesivir triphosphate (RDV-TP), highlighting the structural basis for the selective incorporation of RDV-TP over its natural counterpart ATP. Our results elucidate the suite of interactions required for NTP recognition, informing the rational design of antivirals. Our analysis also yields insights into nucleotide recognition by the nsp12 NiRAN, an enigmatic catalytic domain essential for viral propagation. The NiRAN selectively binds GTP, strengthening proposals for the role of this domain in the formation of the 5’ RNA cap.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.20.492815v1" target="_blank">Structural basis for substrate selection by the SARS-CoV-2 replicase</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>The Role of Glutathione Deficiency and MSIDS Variables in Long COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) , Alpha lipoic acid (ALA), liposomal glutathione (GSH)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of California, Irvine;   Hudson Valley Healing Arts 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>Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of IN STI-9199 in Treating Symptomatic COVID-19 in Outpatient Adults and Adolescents</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: STI-9199;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.<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>A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Omicron COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated in Population 18 Years Old of Age and Above</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Omicron COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.;   Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital<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>Study on Sequential Immunization of Omicron Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine and Prototype Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine in Population Aged 18 Years Old and Above</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Omicron COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated;   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.;   Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and 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>Neuro-inflammation and Post-infectious Fatigue in Individuals With and Without COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Radiation: [18F]DPA-714 positron emission tomography (PET) scan<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc;   ZonMw: The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development<br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</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>Phase II Safety Single-arm Study of CDK4/6 Inhibition With Palbociclib in Hospitalized, Moderate COVID-19 Cases to Prevent Thromboinflammation</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Palbociclib<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   biotx.ai GmbH<br/><b>Active, not 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>Phase I Clinical Trial of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Adults Aged 18 Years and Older</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: COVID-19 mRNA vaccine;   Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   CanSino Biologics Inc.<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>Phase II Clinical Trial of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Adults Aged 18 Years and Older</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: COVID-19 mRNA vaccine;   Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   CanSino Biologics Inc.<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>THEMBA II T-Cell Vaccine: Vaccination With saRNA COVID-19 Vaccines</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: AAHI-SC2 Vaccine;   Biological: AAHI- SC3 Vaccine;   Biological: EUA or approved vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   ImmunityBio, Inc.<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>To Evaluate SSD8432/Ritonavir in Adults With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: SSD8432 dose;   Drug: SSD8432 placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.<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>A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of DXP604 in Patients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: DXP604<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd<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 SSD8432 and Ritonavir in Adult Subjects With COVID-19 Placebo-Controlled, Phase II Clinical Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: SSD8432 dose1;   Drug: SSD8432 dose2;   Drug: SSD8432Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.<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>Sequential Immunization of Two Doses of Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine (Omicron) in Vaccinated Population Aged 18 Years and Above</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: BIBP Omicron Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine (Vero Cell);   Biological: WIBP Omicron Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine (Vero Cell);   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.;   Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd;   The University of Hong Kong<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>Immunogenicity and Safety of Booster Immunization of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated (Omicron Variant) in Healthy People Aged 18 Years and Above</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero cell), Inactivated (Omicron variant);   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero cell), Inactivated (CZ strain)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.<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 SSD8432/ Ritonavir in Adults With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Patients<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: SSD8432 dose 1/Ritonavir;   Drug: SSD8432 dose 2/Ritonavir<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Recruiting</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>Circulatory Cytokine Levels as a Predictor of Disease Severity in COVID-19: A Study from Western India</strong> - CONCLUSION: Elevated IL-6 levels lead to adverse clinical events so IL-6 level might serve as a potential prognostic marker for severity of disease in COVID-19. Inhibition of IL-6 might be helpful to prevent serious adverse events in COVID-19 infection.</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>Effect of herbal compounds on coronavirus; a systematic review and meta-analysis</strong> - CONCLUSION: Due to the variety of study methods, definitive conclusions are not possible. However, in this study, we attempted to gather all the available evidence on the effect of plant compounds on SARS-COV-2 to be used for the development and use of promising antiviral agents against this virus and other coronaviruses. Trypthantrin, Sambucus extract, S. cusia extract, Boceprevir and Indigole B, dioica agglutinin urtica had a good effect on reducing the virus titer. Also among the compounds…</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>Recombinant human interferon-α1b inhibits SARS-CoV-2 better than interferon-α2b in vitro</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>Design, synthesis and evaluation of inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 nsp3 macrodomain</strong> - A series of amino acid based 7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines were designed and synthesized to discern the structure activity relationships against the SARS-CoV-2 nsp3 macrodomain (Mac1), an ADP-ribosylhydrolase that is critical for coronavirus replication and pathogenesis. Structure activity studies identified compound 15c as a low-micromolar inhibitor of Mac1 in two ADP-ribose binding assays. This compound also demonstrated inhibition in an enzymatic assay of Mac1 and displayed a thermal shift…</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>Role of LL-37 in thrombotic complications in patients with COVID-19</strong> - Blood clot formation induced by dysfunctional coagulation is a frequent complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and a high-risk factor for severe illness and death. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are implicated in COVID-19-induced immunothrombosis. Furthermore, human cathelicidin, a NET component, can perturb the interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its ACE2 receptor, which mediates viral entry into cells. At present, however, the levels of cathelicidin…</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>Comparative evaluation of flavonoids reveals the superiority and promising inhibition activity of silibinin against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Flavonoids are phenolic compounds naturally found in plants and commonly consumed in diets. Herein, flavonoids were sequentially evaluated by a comparative in silico study associated with systematic literature search. This was followed by an in vitro study and enzyme inhibition assays against vital SARS-CoV-2 proteins including spike (S) protein, main protease (M^(pro) ), RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp), and human transmembrane serine protease (TMPRSS2). The results obtained revealed 10…</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>Disease-associated dysbiosis and potential therapeutic role of Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucus degrading bacteria of gut microbiome</strong> - The unique functionality of Akkermansia muciniphila in gut microbiota indicates it to be an indispensable microbe for human welfare. The importance of A. muciniphila lies in its potential to convert mucin into beneficial by-products, regulate intestinal homeostasis and maintain gut barrier integrity. It is also known to competitively inhibit other mucin-degrading bacteria and improve metabolic functions and immunity responses in the host. It finds a pivotal perspective in various diseases 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>Expanding the spectrum of the hyperferritinemic syndrome, from pathogenic mechanisms to clinical observations, and therapeutic implications</strong> - From the introduction of hyperferritinemic syndrome concept, a growing body of evidence has suggested the role of ferritin as a pathogenic mediator and a relevant clinical feature in the management of patients with inflammatory diseases. From a pathogenic point of view, ferritin may directly stimulate the aberrant immune response by triggering the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in inducing a vicious pathogenic loop and contributing to the occurrence of cytokine storm syndrome. The…</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>Longitudinal analyses reveal distinct immune response landscapes in lung and intestinal tissues from SARS- CoV-2-infected rhesus macaques</strong> - The pathological and immune response of individuals with COVID-19 display different dynamics in lung and intestine. Here, we depict the single-cell transcriptional atlas of longitudinally collected lung and intestinal tissue samples from SARS-CoV-2-infected monkeys at 3 to 10 dpi. We find that intestinal enterocytes are degraded at 3 days post- infection but recovered rapidly, revealing that infection has mild effects on the intestine. Crucially, we observe suppression of the inflammatory…</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>In vitro characterization of the furin inhibitor MI-1851: Albumin binding, interaction with cytochrome P450 enzymes and cytotoxicity</strong> - The substrate-analog furin inhibitor MI-1851 can suppress the cleavage of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and consequently produces significant antiviral effect on infected human airway epithelial cells. In this study, the interaction of inhibitor MI-1851 was examined with human serum albumin using fluorescence spectroscopy and ultrafiltration techniques. Furthermore, the impacts of MI-1851 on human microsomal hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4 activities were assessed based on…</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>Folic acid: a potential inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein</strong> - CONTEXT: Coronavirus disease 2019 is a global pandemic. Studies suggest that folic acid has antiviral effects. Molecular docking shown that folic acid can act on SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Phosphoprotein (SARS-CoV-2 N).</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>HDAC Inhibition as Potential Therapeutic Strategy to Restore the Deregulated Immune Response in Severe COVID-19</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact worldwide and has been a great challenge for the scientific community. Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are now efficiently lessening COVID-19 mortality, although finding a cure for this infection is still a priority. An unbalanced immune response and the uncontrolled release of proinflammatory cytokines are features of COVID-19 pathophysiology and contribute to disease progression and worsening. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have gained interest in…</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>Intranasal Delivery of Thermostable Subunit Vaccine for Cross-Reactive Mucosal and Systemic Antibody Responses Against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Despite the remarkable efficacy of currently approved COVID-19 vaccines, there are several opportunities for continued vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2 and future lethal respiratory viruses. In particular, restricted vaccine access and hesitancy have limited immunization rates. In addition, current vaccines are unable to prevent breakthrough infections, leading to prolonged virus circulation. To improve access, a subunit vaccine with enhanced thermostability was designed to eliminate the…</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>Importance of Influenza Anti-Hemagglutinin Antibodies During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in the 2019/2020 Epidemic Season in Poland</strong> - BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine the level of anti-hemagglutinin antibodies in the serum of recovered patients during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the 2019/2020 epidemic season in Poland, and the course of COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS The material for the study consisted of the sera of COVID-19 convalescents obtained from the following 9 Regional Blood Donation and Blood Supply Centers located in 8 voivodeships. The hemagglutination inhibition reaction assay (HAI) using 8 viral…</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>Nanocomposites of Graphene Oxide-Silver Nanoparticles for Enhanced Antibacterial Activity: Mechanism of Action and Medical Textiles Coating</strong> - The resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics is a crucial problem for which the application of nanomaterials is among a growing number of solutions. The aim of the study was to create a nanocomposite (composed of graphene oxide and silver nanoparticles) with a precise mode of antibacterial action: what enables textiles to be coated in order to exhibit antibacterial properties. A characterization of nanomaterials (silver nanoparticles and graphene oxide) by size distribution, zeta potential…</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>How Putin’s War Remade Washington</strong> - From a revitalization of NATO to the return of superpower nuclear anxiety, it’s been a breathtaking three months. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/how-putins-war-remade-washington">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trump Brings His Big Lie Playbook to the G.O.P. Primaries</strong> - Tuesday was a mixed bag for candidates endorsed by the former President, who is making fresh suggestions of election fraud. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/trump-brings-his-big-lie-playbook-to-the-gop-primaries">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>American Racism and the Buffalo Shooting</strong> - The gunman seems motivated by a vision of history, pushed by the right, in which American racism never existed and Black people are undeserving takers. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/american-racism-and-the-buffalo-massacre">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Buffalo Shooter Shopped at their Gun Stores</strong> - New York and Pennsylvania shopkeepers recount their interactions with Payton Gendron, and the fears of civil war that have run rampant in his community since 2020. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/the-buffalo-shooter-shopped-at-their-gun-stores">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An Insurrectionist Could Be the Next Governor of Pennsylvania</strong> - Doug Mastriano, who won the Republican nomination, has pushed Trump’s lies about the election and sent busloads of supporters to the Capitol riot. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/an-insurrectionist-could-be-the-next-governor-of-pennsylvania">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Why Trump is struggling to take down Georgia’s Brian Kemp</strong> -
<figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g1sCn9oAD0kA-
uczAfX6ksp_3T4=/111x0:2778x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70897210/1240734343.0.jpg"/></p>
<figcaption>
Gov. Brian Kemp greets attendees at a campaign event on May 17 in Alpharetta, Georgia. | Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The power of a Trump endorsement has limits against the incumbent Republican governor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NbmKau">
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp hopes to become the next prominent Republican to show that GOP candidates don’t necessarily need former President Donald Trump’s help to win their primaries.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="myw2W6">
Some Trump-backed candidates — including Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin in Idaho, and businessman Charles Herbster in Nebraska — have already suffered primary losses. Kemp’s strategy of limiting the impact national issues have on Georgia’s gubernatorial primary may see Trump’s pick in that race, former Sen. David Perdue, losing as well.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hnRzzt">
Thus far, the strategy seems to be working: Kemp has widened his polling lead to nearly <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/governor/Georgia.html">25 percentage points</a> over Perdue, on average. Even Trump seems to have given up on Perdue: <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/trump-washes-hands-perdue-georgia-campaign-limps-final-stretch-
rcna29714">NBC reported</a> that the former president is dissatisfied with Perdue’s performance and isn’t planning to make any more campaign appearances on his behalf.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jPGH1Q">
Throughout the race, Kemp has focused on his record in office and refrained from mentioning Trump much, all while also seeking to placate the GOP base with red meat. Perdue, on the other hand, has attempted to put Trump’s lies about the 2020 election at the center of his campaign, accusing Kemp of failing to investigate false claims of widespread voter fraud. But Kemp, who became the target of Trump’s ire when he certified the results of the 2020 election, is a rare brand of Republican who hasn’t staked his candidacy on fealty to the former president.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RqZfvI">
Kemp’s success has been seen as an indicator of the limits of Trump’s power within the GOP. But it might also be a testament to his popularity in the purple state: Half of Georgia voters, including 76 percent of Republicans, think <a href="https://morningconsult.com/2022/04/28/governor-
approval-ratings-2022-election/">he’s done a good job</a>, and he’s outperforming the Democrats’ gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in the <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/governor/Georgia.html">polls</a>. In that sense, he’s operating from a position of strength to fend off a Trumpian challenger, but because of that, his strategy might not be repeatable for every Republican incumbent facing a Trump-backed challenger in 2022.
</p>
<h3 id="Nl8UzK">
Kemp is a popular governor and proven winner
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f9jXNf">
Kemp has leaned on his record — and that’s been to his advantage given that most Georgians view him favorably. Even former Vice President Mike Pence <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-05-13/pence-defies-trump-with-support-of-brian-kemp-for-
georgia-governor">endorsed Kemp</a> over Perdue in direct defiance of Trump.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4f9L0r">
How Kemp handled the pandemic played no small part in that perception. Republicans have credited him with the state’s strong economy because he allowed businesses to reopen as early as April 2020, shortly after the pandemic was declared. As of April, Georgia’s <a href="https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm">unemployment rate</a> was lower than many other states and its <a href="https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state">GDP growth</a> was also well above the national average.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xhtJJa">
“I think the governor, as far as Republican voters go, has a very solid track record,” said Fred Hicks, a Georgia-based political consultant for both parties. “He led the state through the pandemic, the economy is roaring, people are back at work … Perdue has really failed to articulate why Kemp should be fired and he should be hired for the position.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zsMpPa">
Kemp also made overtures to the Republican base during the 2021 and 2022 sessions of the Georgia legislature, focusing on key GOP priorities in anticipation of a midterm challenge from his right.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LbRYwR">
Last year, he signed into law sweeping <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/georgia-voting-
restrictions/2021/03/25/91009e72-8da1-11eb-9423-04079921c915_story.html">new restrictions on voting</a> including limitations on mail-in voting, stricter ID requirements, a ban on providing food and water to voters standing in line, and measures that would transfer power from state and local election officials to legislators. In April, he signed a bill that allows Georgians to <a href="https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/04/13/kemp-signs-bill-allowing-permitless-carry-of-
concealed-handgun-in-public">carry a concealed handgun</a> in public without a license. He’s also supported legislation to ban the teaching of <a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/01/14/kemp-targets-critical-race-theory-transgender-
sports-participation/">critical race theory</a> in K-12 classrooms, to create what he has called a “<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/01/14/kemp-targets-critical-race-theory-transgender-sports-
participation/">parental bill of rights</a>” to exert more control over curriculum, and to <a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/01/14/kemp-targets-critical-race-theory-transgender-sports-participation/">bar trans athletes</a> from school sports. Bills on those topics have passed at least one chamber of the state legislature and are expected to eventually become law.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6XYAuf">
Kemp is also well-positioned to deliver on his promises to Republicans on abortion. A law Kemp signed in 2019 that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/07/health/georgia-
abortion-bill/index.html">bans abortions</a> after fetal cardiac activity is detected — typically around six weeks of pregnancy and before most people even know they are pregnant — was <a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/federal-
appeals-court-puts-hold-on-georgias-abortion-lawsuit/SOIPKVNHKBCIFAWZ7LLV5W3SNQ/">blocked by a federal appeals court</a>, but could also soon go into effect if the US Supreme Court <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473">strikes down <em>Roe v. Wade</em></a> as it’s expected to.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R5EvvZ">
“Brian Kemp understands that his audience is the entire Republican electorate. And I think that his strategy has been successful because he has not been stuck on one particular issue. He’s looking ahead,” said Julianne Thompson, a GOP strategist in Georgia.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2Z22HL">
Beyond his policy achievements, Kemp has emphasized that he’s a proven winner. Georgia Republicans are worried about a repeat of the last election cycle, when Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both pulled off surprise victories, giving Democrats effective control of the Senate. Kemp has been reminding them that he already beat Abrams once and could do it again.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FsoC1L">
“If you nominate me, I will work every single day to make sure that Stacey Abrams is not your governor or your next president. I have the record to do that. We will save this state from Stacey Abrams,” Kemp said during an April 24 primary debate.
</p>
<h3 id="VnQ7Pe">
Kemp has intentionally avoided the subject of Trump
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u8kJcX">
Perdue has sought to make the primary a test of loyalties to Trump. He has said that, unlike Kemp, he wouldn’t have certified the results of the 2020 election. He even filed a lawsuit calling for a “<a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/election/judge-perdues-election-fraud-claims-are-conjecture-and-
paranoia/NDHMOFOZO5AM5LNWJULAAEZJUY/">forensic inspection</a>” of 2020 absentee ballots in Georgia, arguing that fraud cost him reelection and Trump the state. A Fulton County judge dismissed those claims as based on “<a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/election/judge-perdues-election-fraud-claims-are-conjecture-and-
paranoia/NDHMOFOZO5AM5LNWJULAAEZJUY/">conjecture and paranoia</a>” earlier this month.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eBIKK0">
“The election in 2020 was rigged and stolen,” Perdue said during the April debate. “All the madness we see today … all that started right here in Georgia when our governor caved and allowed radical Democrats to steal our elections.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SHOKCr">
Kemp has largely refused to engage, towing a fine line to avoid offending the GOP’s core base of activists. He hasn’t outright criticized the former president or really talked about him much at all. He has urged the party not to look in the “rearview mirror” and relitigate the 2020 election all over again. When asked at the April debate what wing of the party he belonged to — the Trump wing or the establishment wing — Kemp said, “I belong to the wing of the voters.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pcEaHP">
“Kemp never trashes Trump, no matter what the [former] president says about him,” said Jay Williams, a GOP strategist in Georgia. “His secret sauce is to just stay focused on your race and your accomplishments and don’t make it about Trump.”
</p>
<h3 id="S0kNIu">
Kemp’s success can only tell us so much about Trump as a kingmaker
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IVwYdK">
The Georgia primaries have been framed as a highly anticipated test of Trump’s clout in the Republican party.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LbJXkq">
But it’s not clear just how much we can really learn about Trump’s influence from the outcome of Kemp’s matchup against Perdue. For one, it’s difficult to take down an incumbent, no matter who the challenger is. History has shown that governors in particular <a href="https://smartpolitics.lib.umn.edu/2021/12/09/how-
many-2022-gubernatorial-incumbents-will-fall-in-primaries/">rarely lose reelection</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zjQiVR">
Trump’s endorsement might also be more effective in a crowded GOP primary: <em>Hillbilly Elegy</em> author JD Vance, for instance, was at the bottom of the polls in his <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/5/3/23056350/winners-loses-ohio-
indiana-primaries-jd-vance-trump">seven-way race in Ohio</a> until Trump endorsed him, propelling him to win the GOP nomination for US Senate. In that case, the endorsement helped voters differentiate among a slate of little-known candidates.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ANmycO">
But in places like Georgia, where it’s a two-way race in which one candidate is well- known and incredibly liked, Trump’s backing might not pack as much punch. Most Republican primary voters in Georgia <a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/interactive-poll-of-georgia-republican-voters-
april-2022/MXKO2MX2MBCEZLQMYPEKMQJMPM/">say</a> that a Trump endorsement either doesn’t make a difference in their decision of who to vote for or it makes them even less likely to vote for that candidate.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NOGjWE">
“Trump definitely has juice. It just matters where he decides to deploy it and who he deploys it against,” Williams said. “In my opinion, you can’t learn a lot from [what happens in Georgia.]”
</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, explained</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="San Francisco Area Continues To Lead Nation With Highest Gas Prices" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/0zfCgGGb6cOBIJdRsoCTpj7rR3E=/128x0:4124x2997/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70896113/1398387738.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
All across the country, consumers are feeling the burden of high gas prices and are desperate for relief. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
</figcaption></figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Democrats want oil and gas companies to pay for their greed, but critics believe that won’t reverse high fuel prices.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cJx7Jg">
As the average consumer bears the brunt of rising gas prices, big oil and gas companies have continued to rake in historic profits. Lawmakers alarmed at the stark contrast between the industry’s earnings and consumers’ struggles pushed for — and passed through the US House of Representatives on Thursday — <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-gas-price-gouging-bill/">a bill</a> that would make predatory price hikes unlawful and expand federal authority to investigate alleged price-gouging. The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7688/text">Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act</a> is meant to help alleviate rising gas prices; the national average gas price <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/national-gas-price-average-hits-new-record-high-at-4-45-per-gallon">reached $4.45 per gallon</a> last week — a record high for the US. Some states, like California, have seen gas prices <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/19/california-gas-average-6-gallon-record-high">reach $6 per gallon</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nle3GU">
That has led to an unprecedented first quarter for oil and gas companies. According to an analysis by the watchdog group Accountable.US, the country’s top 21 companies took in <a href="https://2n36z24d9zdc4aq2uv1wn19p-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220509-Q1-2022-Oil-And-Gas-
Profits.pdf">$41 billion</a> in profits during this year’s first quarter — $1.2 billion more on average per company compared to the same period last year, the report noted. Companies like Devon Energy are so flush with cash they’ve rewarded shareholders with “record” payouts. And Congress certainly has taken notice.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dNzntx">
“I’m a proud capitalist, and what we’re experiencing with fuel prices is the result of a broken market,” <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-gas-price-gouging-bill/">said</a> Rep. Katie Porter, a California Democrat and one of the original co-sponsors of the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. “Big Oil executives are bragging to shareholders about price-gouging families at the pump. They’re purposely keeping supply low to earn record-high profits, squeezing families — and our entire economy — in the process.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CVtKPZ">
House legislators passed the bill with a vote of 217-207, with zero support from Republicans. Four moderate Democrats — Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, Jared Golden, Stephanie Murphy, and Kathleen Rice — bucked party line and voted against the bill.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XsAhuT">
“The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act would not fix high gasoline prices at the pump, and has the potential to exacerbate the supply shortage our country is facing, leading to even worse outcomes,” Fletcher <a href="https://fletcher.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3893">wrote</a> in a statement. “For these reasons, I voted no on this legislation.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="utwzPE">
Even some Democrats who ultimately supported the legislation voiced concerns over the bill. “It just, you know, seems like we’re treating oil and gas like Big Tobacco, and sometimes they’re unjustly targeted,” <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-gas-price-gouging-bill/">said</a> Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c2h8XP">
In addition to vetoes from the four Democrats and widespread Republican opposition, the legislation has received pushback from powerful industry lobbying groups, including the American Petroleum Institute and the National Association of Manufacturers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fuzf6d">
With oil and gas corporations resisting regulations and virtually no support from Republicans, the fuel price-gouging bill may face an uphill battle in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim majority.
</p>
<h3 id="Ln3cQu">
What does the fuel price-gouging bill really do?
</h3>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="President Biden ahead of an Illinois appearance to discuss
combatting inflation and high gas prices." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/O2BeJR2PXo5DStLo0HbIh5PVDqk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23579427/1240596830.jpg"/> <cite>Drew Angerer/Getty Images</cite></p>
<figcaption>
Under the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, President Biden could move to declare an energy emergency.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VhLtLa">
The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act is comprised of a few main components: Firstly, the legislation would allow the president to declare an energy emergency effective for up to 30 days, though that declaration could be renewed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wGQjBQ">
During that energy emergency period, it would become unlawful for any person to sell consumer fuel at a price that is “unconscionably excessive” or that suggests exploitative practices. The bill would also expand the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to investigate and address potential instances of fuel price-gouging conducted by larger companies, defined as companies with $500 million in yearly wholesale or retail sales in the US. Under the bill, state authorities would be granted enforcement powers against fuel price-gouging violations through civil court action.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W5q0wm">
The legislation is meant to address record-high gas prices in the US, which some lawmakers and watchdogs allege have largely been manufactured by oil and gas corporations. Like other goods on the market, the cost of a gallon of gas is influenced by the market’s supply and demand. Major events like the COVID-19 crisis, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a disrupted supply chain can influence the supply and demand of certain goods on the market.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WlinsL">
What remains debatable, however, is how much the price of certain goods becomes affected when variables in the market change. There is <a href="https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/supply-and-demand-or-price-gouging-an-ongoing-debate">no legal definition</a> of what exactly constitutes price-gouging in the US. Oil and gas companies like Chevron and Shell may take advantage of the market’s instability by excessively hiking up gas prices while limiting production to boost profits, which in turn hurts consumers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PLPols">
It is difficult to know how much of an increase in oil and gas production — which lawmakers like Rep. Porter are demanding — would be enough to alleviate current price-gouging concerns, or even if it would help address the gas crisis at all. Republicans nonetheless believe that targeting the industry isn’t a viable solution, but rather increasing domestic production is the way to alleviate pain at the pump. But GOP lawmakers likely won’t get their wish for a variety of reasons, including resistance from oil and gas companies. A <a href="https://www.dallasfed.org/research/surveys/des/2022/2201#tab-report">survey</a> conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in March found that many companies did not anticipate increasing production anytime soon. The Federal Bank of Dallas covers the Eleventh Federal Reserve District, including high oil-producing states like Texas and New Mexico.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yzVtJ4">
On average, the Federal Reserve in Dallas survey found that oil and gas companies operating in the district are expecting crude oil prices to hit $93 per barrel by the end of the year, while some even expected prices to go as high as $200 per barrel. At the time of the survey in March, the price of crude oil had hit $100 per barrel. Nearly 60% of corporate respondents in the survey cited “investor pressure to maintain capital discipline” as the main reason oil companies weren’t drilling more despite soaring gas prices. Lawmakers naturally took notice.
</p>
<div id="1EwYru">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Price gouging is anti-capitalist. Big Oil is threatening our entire economy by keeping supply low and jacking up prices at the pump far beyond the inflation rate to satisfy Wall Street.<br/><br/>Oil and gas company executives are <em>literally</em> admitting it. (THREAD ⬇️) <a href="https://t.co/HosywUxU8Y">pic.twitter.com/HosywUxU8Y</a>
</p>
— Rep. Katie Porter (<span class="citation" data-cites="RepKatiePorter">@RepKatiePorter</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1527359373223219209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VAy6Yj">
“Big Oil is threatening our entire economy by keeping supply low and jacking up prices at the pump far beyond the inflation rate to satisfy Wall Street,” Porter wrote in a tweet ahead of the fuel price-gouging bill’s approval by the House, citing the survey’s results. “Oil and gas company executives are <em>literally</em> admitting it.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OMr73y">
Analysts believe the best indicator of inflation is the consumer price index (CPI), which essentially measures changes in the prices of goods and services frequently bought by average consumers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the consumer price index had increased 8.3% over the last 12 months ending in April. Among all categories included in measuring CPI, fuel oil prices had <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm#cpi_pressa.f.1">increased</a> the most by far, jumping more than 80% over the past 12 months.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M8Z76v">
But high inflation rates aren’t only affecting gas prices — the housing market, as well as food and grocery prices, have seen soaring prices, too. The ripple effect can have an outsized impact on the average American, particularly <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/357731/inflation-causing-hardship-
households.aspx">low-income families</a> with limited transportation options and who are already running on a tight household budget.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TRKUKh">
“This inflation thing is a real problem. When you’re paying twice as much to fill your gas tank and twice as much for everything, you’ve got to say to yourself, ‘Well, do I really need to buy everything at King’s [Food Market]?’” one shopper, who now splits her shopping between multiple stores to get the cheapest prices, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/business/inflation-grocery-prices.html">told</a> the New York Times.
</p>
<h3 id="ljyIO1">
Will the fuel price-gouging bill actually make a difference?
</h3>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="San Francisco Area Continues To Lead Nation With Highest Gas Prices" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/bGlHV4-ER1B4P8GvNSW4x-5ZNlo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23579424/1398387713.jpg"/> <cite>Justin Sullivan/Getty Images</cite></p>
<figcaption>
The San Francisco Bay Area leads the nation in high gas prices
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y30aNZ">
Opponents of the bill argue that price gouging is already illegal in most states, rendering the legislation moot. Instead, they believe that legislators should be focusing on increasing domestic energy production and improving the country’s competitive edge in the global market. The American Petroleum Institute <a href="https://www.governing.com/now/anti-gouging-bill-wont-lower-california-gas-prices-soon">called</a> the bill “misguided” and <a href="https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/blog/2022/05/18/what-theyre-saying-about-misguided-
price-gouging-legislation">labeled</a> it as an empty attempt by Democrats to sway voters ahead of the midterm elections in November. Other industry groups feel similarly to many Republicans, who claim their concerns have to do with domestic production and energy security.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0OV9R2">
“[Combatting price-gouging] starts with opening our diverse resources on federal lands, approving responsible exploration and production, supporting sustainable permitting, and quickly building out more energy infrastructure,” Rachel Jones, vice president of energy and resources policy at the National Association of Manufacturers, <a href="https://documents.nam.org/ERP/NAM%20Opposes%20HR%207688%20and%20Supports%20Domestic%20Energy.pdf?utm_source=253495&amp;utm_medium=email">wrote</a> in a letter to House leadership in response to the bill.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xZ9ED9">
According to AAA, the main factor driving high gas prices across the country is the tight supply of oil up against market demand.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O7aQqk">
“The high cost of oil, the key ingredient in gasoline, is driving these high pump prices for consumers,” Andrew Gross, a spokesperson for the company, said in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/19/california-gas-
average-6-gallon-record-high">statement</a>. “Even the annual seasonal demand dip for gasoline during the lull between spring break and Memorial Day, which would normally help lower prices, is having no effect this year.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D6BL2w">
Supporters of the bill contend that corporate profiteering by oil and gas companies inherently worsen gas prices. But there is little consensus among experts on the fuel price-gouging bill’s effectiveness. Some believe it may even have a negative effect on the market.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uwvxQ7">
“There is no material prospect that, in any enduring way, gouging legislation can have any substantial effect on inflationary pressure,” Lawrence Summers, the former Treasury Secretary under the Clinton administration, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-13/summers-
compares-price-gouging-bill-to-trump-s-bleach-injections">told</a> Bloomberg Television in an interview last week. He added that there was a possibility such legislation may “cause and contrive all kinds of shortages” and undermine companies’ moves to boost supply.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="se92JS">
Arguments over whether the fuel price-gouging bill is an effective enough solution to the US’s high gas prices may be for naught if the law is not approved by the Senate, where Democrats have been <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22876361/freedom-to-vote-act-senate-filibuster-what-
next">unable to pass</a> important legislative items in the past, frequently failing to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to end a filibuster and move legislation forward.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Bqr2DL">
But this may not be the last we hear of anti-price gouging legislation as lawmakers try to find ways to fight the economic downturn. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/12/fact-sheet-
president-biden-announces-additional-steps-to-address-infant-formula-shortage/">called</a> on the FTC and state attorneys general to crack down on price-gouging as part of efforts to manage <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-
politics/2022/5/12/23068472/baby-formula-shortage-2022-why">the country’s baby formula shortage</a>, following reports of unfair practices by individual resellers. He could follow suit for oil and gas as well.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Is the center shrinking in the Democratic primaries?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Pennsylvania state representative Summer Lee smiles in a photo at a campaign event." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V24ROThLezqfthExuhQ9pZj-vr0=/179x0:3763x2688/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70895095/1240730173.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Pennsylvania Democratic congressional candidate, state Rep. Summer Lee, talks to the press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. | Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Democratic voters are moving their party to the left — and dragging candidates with them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2U5KzY">
This year’s Democratic primaries are being largely framed as an ideological struggle between the national party’s moderate and progressive wings. But voting patterns over the last few weeks have complicated that narrative.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KmnTPO">
In marquee contests in Pennsylvania and Oregon, progressive wins led to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/18/tough-senate-races-democrats-shift-
away-centrists-toward-progressive-diverse-candidates/">proclamations</a> that the left wing of the party is <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/18/progressive-democratic-primary-wins-00033557">gaining</a> <a href="https://thehill.com/news/state-watch/3493293-progressives-feel-vindication-after-major-primary-
wins/">influence</a>, while some moderate victories defied that thinking. What’s becoming clear as votes are counted, however, is that Democratic primary voters seem to care less about who the “progressive candidate” is and more about if candidates are campaigning on progressive goals. What many of the Democrats who won this week have in common is that they all embraced progressive priorities tailored to where they were running.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XuuERH">
Perhaps nowhere encapsulated this reality better than swing-state Pennsylvania, where a relatively progressive and locally trusted candidate who repeatedly rejected the progressive label — <a href="https://www.vox.com/23068819/democrats-pennsylvania-
senate-primary-progressive-moderate">Lt. Gov. John Fetterman</a> — trounced the more moderate, Washington favorite, Rep. Conor Lamb, in the primary race for the US Senate.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YJ3vTa">
“Just being a centrist anymore, it’s hard to get things done. There’s shrinking room left in the middle,” Mustafa Rashed, a Democratic strategist in Philadelphia, told me about the state’s dynamics.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nmojyZ">
Around the state, candidates who delivered digestible versions of progressive messages did well, from the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-election-2022-results-
williams-prescod-evans-hunt-20220518.html">left-leaning candidates</a> who won races in heavily Democratic areas for state and federal legislatures to the <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2022/05/18/pennsylvanias-
democratic-progressives-and-establishment-face-off">moderate incumbents</a> who survived tough challenges from the left. In nearly all of these races, a general shift to the left was apparent among the party’s base and candidates.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TVY9KA">
This trend isn’t necessarily universal: Plenty of more traditional moderate Democrats won their races in Ohio and North Carolina. And it’s possible upcoming races in California, Illinois, Michigan, and Texas may upset this narrative. But for the most part, the primaries so far appear to show that progressive activism and ideas have changed what primary voters want and what their candidates are offering.<strong> </strong>
</p>
<h3 id="AWPTZP">
Every team scored wins on Tuesday
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SI4PrF">
Both sides of the Democratic ideological spectrum could claim wins on Tuesday. From North Carolina to Oregon, there wasn’t uniformity in who emerged victorious.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZEPT1T">
What does tie a lot of Tuesday’s races together, though, is how few moderates ran openly down the middle of the ideological spectrum without co-opting at least some of the issues and language progressives have used in previous races. That includes things like advocating for a higher minimum wage, expanding health care access and coverage, more openly embracing gun control and abortion rights, and at least addressing climate change.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FEajw3">
A more moderate, establishment type prevailed in Pennsylvania’s Third Congressional District, where Rep. Dwight Evans beat back progressive challengers by focusing on affordable housing, criminal justice reform, gun violence, and crime. A similar dynamic could be seen in <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-election-2022-results-williams-prescod-evans-hunt-20220518.html">other seats in the state legislature</a>, including with longtime state Sen. Anthony Williams, who campaigned on abortion access, gun-violence prevention, and criminal justice reform as he faced his first serious challenge from the left. And in the primary for lieutenant governor, frontrunner Rep. Austin Davis defeated rivals to his left running on abortion and criminal justice reform.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TbAbXf">
This trend wasn’t just seen in Pennsylvania.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fLtgeL">
In Kentucky, liberal state Senate Minority Leader Morgan McGarvey defeated a lefty rival to represent the Louisville-area Third Congressional District, which is solidly Democratic, by supporting partial student loan cancellation, single-payer health care, and endorsing the idea of a Green New Deal.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9xi2Hw">
In North Carolina, a similar picture emerged. Centrist-minded state Sen. Don Davis, backed by outgoing US Rep. GK Butterfield, comfortably beat his progressive challenger, a former state senator endorsed by US Sen. Elizabeth Warren and an array of progressive groups. Though Davis doesn’t back a Green New Deal or Medicare-for-all, he still campaigned on affordable health care, voting rights, reproductive rights, and increasing the minimum wage.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8BeBZf">
Things were a little different in Democrat-dominated Oregon, however, where progressives were ascendant. The solidly centrist incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader, who campaigned on pragmatism and consensus-building, is on track to lose to progressive activist Jamie McLeod- Skinner in the Fifth District, while crypto-backed lawyer Carrick Flynn, who had no political experience, is also trailing the progressive state Rep. Andrea Salinas. And after a difficult campaign, former state House Speaker Tina Kotek defeated a moderate challenger, state Treasurer Tobias Read, in the primary for Oregon governor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2BLxV0">
Oregon’s results, which saw voters gravitate toward the conventional, genuine progressive, add another layer of complexity to the primary picture. Regardless, races this week showed Democratic candidates of all ideologies feel compelled to address their left flank.
</p>
<h3 id="oGgZa2">
Progressive ideas have changed the way candidates run
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bZeEWS">
A lot has changed since the last midterms in 2018, when progressives made <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/19/17585606/2018-midterm-elections-democrats-ocasio-cortez">big gains</a> but moderate Democrats were instrumental in giving the party a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-
politics/2018/11/5/18042804/2018-midterm-elections-moderates-indiana-ohio-west-virginia">majority in the House</a>. So far, the party’s primaries are showing an electorate much more willing to accept populist, progressive(-ish) ideas than before — a big win for left-wing activists and thinkers who have managed to move the party’s ideological center in their direction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jkjvT6">
Few candidates so far have run overtly as centrists without at least paying lip service to progressive priorities. Where they refused to do so, as in Schrader’s race, they faced headwinds from a changing Democratic primary electorate.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kSccaQ">
“Ten years ago, blue-dog and corporate Democrats would run on that [centrist] message against progressives,” Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which has endorsed several progressive upstarts this election cycle, told me. “These days, they’re more willing to use the language of progressives against progressives in primaries — but Schrader was the exception to this rule.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9Y2ffz">
That’s not to say a moderate using progressive talking points has a sure path to success. Marcia Wilson, the chair of rural Pennsylvania’s Adams County Democratic Party, said Lamb’s campaign showed how some Democrats fear electing an apparent liberal who turns out to be a Joe Manchin-style Democrat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c6vs0r">
“Democrats are feeling more galvanized and want to be known as Democrats, not because they are unwilling to compromise but because we want to support Democratic ideals,” she said. Wilson told me that partly explains why Lamb’s pitch to the state didn’t resonate — a more conservative background and platform in past races made his leftward shift in the Senate primary seem inauthentic.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jVdo2t">
But still, Lamb attempted some ideological change. A similar thing happened in earlier Democratic primaries in Ohio, where more moderate candidates like Tim Ryan (in the state’s Democratic Senate race), Nan Whaley (in the governor’s race), and Shontel Brown (in the 11th Congressional District) were <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/5/3/23056350/winners-loses-ohio-indiana-primaries-jd-vance-trump">pushed to the left</a>. Upcoming races will test this trend, but so far, it appears Democratic voters want their candidates to speak like progressives, even if they aren’t actually progressive.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F3Fuxi">
The general election may in turn change the way these candidates talk about their priorities. The citizens who typically turn out to vote in November tend to be less <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/too-much-democracy-is-bad-for-
democracy/600766/">ideological</a> and <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-2018-primaries-project-the-
ideology-of-primary-voters/">party-affiliated</a> than the voters who participate in primary elections. And the progressive ideals beloved by hardcore Democrats may not be as well received by moderates and centrists in competitive general election seats.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nOlJ0A">
If progressives — and progressive ideas — do win <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/07/politics/republicans-midterms-roe-v-wade/index.html">uphill battles</a> in these swing districts, however, Democrats may end up with a newly empowered left flank, catalyzing the political polarization Americans have come to expect from their government.
</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>French Open 2022 | Ons Jabeur becomes first major casualty</strong> - Linette will next play Martina Trevisan of Italy or Briton Harriet Dart.</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>Australia’s Titmus smashes Ledecky’s 400m freestyle world record</strong> - It capped an impressive meet for Titmus who won the 200m freestyle in 1:53.31, the third fastest time ever, and clocked a personal best in the 100m.</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>Thank you, Mumbai Indians, we will remember this one: Kohli</strong> - On Saturday, MI knocked out Delhi from the competition and paved the way for RCB's entry as the fourth and final team in the playoffs</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>King’s Ransom, Stormy Ocean, Balor, Theon, Forest Flame and Supernatural please</strong> -</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>This is not a small feat, keep it up: PM Modi to triumphant shuttlers</strong> -</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>Somu Veerraju to visit Vizianagaram, Srikakulam districts on May 23 and 24</strong> -</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>2 men shot dead in Haryana's Hisar</strong> - Police said the deceased have been identified.</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>SIT to probe death of man in clash over Jharkhand panchayat poll victory procession</strong> - The team will probe the death of Birendra Singh in Pararia panchayat after a clash erupted owing to the procession taken out by Pappu Rajak, who was elected ‘Mukhiya’ of the panchayat</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>Salil Parekh reappointed as CEO and MD of Infosys for next five years</strong> - Mr. Parekh has more than thirty years of global experience in the IT services industry with a track record of driving digital transformation for enterprises</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>Rajnath Singh visits Gadkari’s home in Nagpur</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>Monkeypox: Israel and Switzerland confirm cases</strong> - It means the viral outbreak has spread to 14 countries with more than 80 cases detected so far.</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>Turkey: Huge rally for opposition’s Canan Kaftancioglu</strong> - Canan Kaftancioglu has been convicted for insulting President Erdogan and the Turkish state.</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>Moldova should be ‘equipped to Nato standard’ - UK</strong> - The foreign secretary says smaller nations should be helped to counter Russian aggression.</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>Spain heatwave brings record May temperatures</strong> - Temperatures in southern Spain reach 40C, up to 15 degrees higher than average for this time of year.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Russia halts gas supplies to Finland</strong> - Finland has refused to pay for gas in roubles but also angered Moscow by applying to join Nato.</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>The weekend’s best deals: Epic PC games sale, 1Password subscriptions, and more</strong> - Dealmaster also has discounts on Hulu memberships, AirPods, and LG OLED TVs. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1855398">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden administration lays out plan for four carbon-capture facilities</strong> - Big infrastructure package includes funds for the underdeveloped technology. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1855569">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Researchers find backdoor lurking in WordPress plugin used by schools</strong> - If you’ve used School Management Pro, it’s time to check your site, stat. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1855563">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sixth child in US dies of unexplained hepatitis as global cases top 600</strong> - There are now over 600 cases worldwide and 15 deaths, but still no firm answers. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1855561">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Analysis of prehistoric feces shows Stonehenge people had parasites</strong> - Fossilized fecal analysis sheds light on prehistoric dietary habits and social behavior. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1855356">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>If the Ku Klux Klan leaders are wizards, why don’t they cast a spell to kill all those that oppose them?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Because they don’t have access to black magic.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/fhqwhgadsz"> /u/fhqwhgadsz </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uuzrok/if_the_ku_klux_klan_leaders_are_wizards_why_dont/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uuzrok/if_the_ku_klux_klan_leaders_are_wizards_why_dont/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>On the first day, God created the dog…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
God said, “Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of 20 years.” The dog said, “That’s a long time to be barking. How about only 10 years and I’ll give you back the other 10?” So God agreed. On the second day, God created the monkey and said, “Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I’ll give you a 20-year life span.” The monkey said, “Monkey tricks for 20 years? That’s a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back 10 like the dog did?” And God agreed. On the third day, God created the cow and said, “You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer’s family. For this, I will give you a life span of 60 years.” The cow said, “That’s kind of a tough life you want me to live for 60 years. How about 20 and I’ll give back the other 40?” And God agreed again. On the fourth day, God created humans and said, “Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I’ll give you 20 years.” But the human said, “Only 20 years? Could you possibly give me my 20, the 40 the cow gave back, the 10 the monkey gave back, and the 10 the dog gave back? That makes 80, okay?” “Okay,” said God. “You asked for it.” So that is why for our first 20 years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next 40 years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next 10 years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last 10 years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/CrimsonAvenger_ZA"> /u/CrimsonAvenger_ZA </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uv7jrj/on_the_first_day_god_created_the_dog/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uv7jrj/on_the_first_day_god_created_the_dog/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>The best part about being married is not having to worry whether or not about I’m getting laid tonight</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I already know it’s not gonna happen!
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/BoltorSpellweaver"> /u/BoltorSpellweaver </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uungae/the_best_part_about_being_married_is_not_having/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uungae/the_best_part_about_being_married_is_not_having/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>I just accidentally superglued my thumb and index finger together and at first, I started to panic but then I remembered that…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
…it’s always going to be okay!
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/808gecko808"> /u/808gecko808 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uukoi4/i_just_accidentally_superglued_my_thumb_and_index/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uukoi4/i_just_accidentally_superglued_my_thumb_and_index/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>My son is walking through the house, shouting “Duck! Duck! Duck!”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I told him to stop using fowl language.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/TumbleRoad"> /u/TumbleRoad </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uuswyg/my_son_is_walking_through_the_house_shouting_duck/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uuswyg/my_son_is_walking_through_the_house_shouting_duck/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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