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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>Investigating orthographic versus auditory cross-situational word learning with online and lab-based research</strong> -
<div>
In recent years, cross-situational word learning (CSWL) paradigms have shown that novel words can be learned through implicit statistical learning. So far, CSWL studies using adult populations have focused on the presentation of spoken words (auditory information), however, words can also be learned through their written form (orthographic information). This study compares auditory and orthographic presentation of novel words with different degrees of phonological overlap using the CSWL paradigm. Additionally, we also present a lab-based and online-based approach to testing behavioural experiments. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lab testing was prematurely terminated, and testing was continued online using a newly created online testing protocol. Analyses first compared accuracy and response times across modalities, with our findings showing better and faster recognition performance for CSWL when novel words are presented through their written (orthographic condition) than through their spoken forms (auditory condition). As well, Bayesian modelling found that accuracy for the auditory condition was higher online compared to the lab-based experiment, whereas performance in the orthography condition was high in both experiments and generally outperformed the auditory condition. We discuss the implications of our findings for modality of presentation, as well as the benefits of our online testing protocol and its implementation for future research.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/tpn5e/" target="_blank">Investigating orthographic versus auditory cross-situational word learning with online and lab-based research</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 Antibody response to the Sputnik Vaccine in previous infected Patients and non-infected one</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The begging of 2020 saw the development and trials of vaccines against Covid-19 at an unprecedented pace. The first half of 2021 has seen vaccine rollout in many countries, on the other hand, Immunity to covid-19 has exhibited to minimize the risk of having a severe infection and initiate an excellent degree against the disease. This study compares Anti-Spike IgG antibodies among vaccinated people with or without previous exposure to the coronavirus. To determine whether a single dose of sputnik V can produce significant antibody titer amongst previously infected cases and design vaccine dosage regimens accordingly. This study was performed at the Libyan biotechnology research Centre from August 2021 to December 2021. Blood samples were collected from 1811 adult males and females vaccinated with and without a history of exposure to covid-19. Previously infected individuals9 record was noted separately. Samples were immediately analyzed by Beckman Unicel Dxl 600, Access immunoassay system. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism 9 Software. A P-value &gt;0.5 was not significant. The Majority of candidates 60% of the total samples were males and on analysis, it was found that 72% of patients were seropositive, on the other hand, individuals who were vaccinated and have naive antibodies from the previous infection showed slightly higher immunological response rather than vaccinated patients without previous infected and this finding can help the policymakers to design a single-dose vaccine regimen for the former category. Keywords: Sputnik V, COVID-19, Antibody, Vaccine.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.30.22282668v1" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 Antibody response to the Sputnik Vaccine in previous infected Patients and non-infected one</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Lagos, Nigeria with robust antibody and cellular responses</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background Early evidence suggested that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was less severe in Africa compared to other parts of the world. However, more recent studies indicate higher SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 mortality rates on the continent than previously documented. Research is needed to better understand SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and immunity in Africa. Methods Our collaboration with the Lagos State COVID-19 Taskforce, enabled secondary analyses of immune responses in healthcare workers (HCWs) and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine recipients from the general population across 5 local government areas (LGAs) in Lagos State, Nigeria. Western blots were used to simultaneously detect SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid (N) antibodies and stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with N followed by an IFN-γ ELISA was used to examine T cell responses. Findings Antibody data demonstrated high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 71.6% (96/134) in HCWs and 54.8% (63/115) in the general population. Antibodies directed to only SARS-CoV-2 N, suggesting pre-existing coronavirus immunity, were seen in 10.4% (14/134) of HCWs and 20.0% (23/115) of the general population. T cell data showed that IFN-γ responses against SARS-CoV-2 N were robust in detecting exposure to the virus, demonstrating 87.5% sensitivity and 92.3% specificity. Interpretation These results have important implications for understanding the paradoxical high SARS-CoV-2 infection with low mortality rate in Africa as compared to other parts of the world, as well as for the development of T cell-based diagnostics and vaccines.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.30.22282833v1" target="_blank">High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Lagos, Nigeria with robust antibody and cellular responses</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Severe acute infection and chronic pulmonary disease are risk factors for developing post-COVID-19 conditions</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Post-COVID-19 conditions, also known as long COVID, has significantly impacted the lives of many individuals, but the risk factors for this condition are poorly understood. In this study, we performed a retrospective EHR analysis of 89,843 individuals at a multi-state health system in the United States with PCR-confirmed COVID-19, including 1,086 patients diagnosed with long COVID and 1,086 matched controls not diagnosed with long COVID. For these two cohorts, we evaluated a wide range of clinical covariates, including laboratory tests, medication orders, phenotypes recorded in the clinical notes, and outcomes. We found that chronic pulmonary disease (CPD) was significantly more common as a pre-existing condition for the long COVID cohort than the control cohort (odds ratio: 1.9, 95% CI: [1.5, 2.6]). Additionally, long-COVID patients were more likely to have a history of migraine (odds ratio: 2.2, 95% CI: [1.6, 3.1]) and fibromyalgia (odds ratio: 2.3, 95% CI: [1.3, 3.8]). During the acute infection phase, the following lab measurements were abnormal in the long COVID cohort: high triglycerides (meanlongCOVID: 278.5 mg/dL vs. meancontrol: 141.4 mg/dL), low HDL cholesterol levels (meanlongCOVID: 38.4 mg/dL vs. meancontrol: 52.5 mg/dL), and high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (meanlongCOVID: 10.7 vs. meancontrol: 7.2). The hospitalization rate during the acute infection phase was also higher in the long COVID cohort compared to the control cohort (ratelongCOVID: 5% vs. ratecontrol: 1%). Overall, this study suggests that the severity of acute infection and a history of CPD, migraine, CFS, or fibromyalgia may be risk factors for long COVID symptoms. Our findings motivate clinical studies to evaluate whether suppressing acute disease severity proactively, especially in patients at high risk, can reduce incidence of long COVID.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.30.22282831v1" target="_blank">Severe acute infection and chronic pulmonary disease are risk factors for developing post-COVID-19 conditions</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine is re-adenylated in vivo, enhancing antigen production and immune response</strong> -
<div>
Though mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 have revolutionized vaccinology and have been administered in billions of doses, we know incredibly little about how mRNA vaccines are metabolized in vivo. Here we implemented enhanced nanopore Direct RNA sequencing (eDRS), to enable the analysis of single Moderna’s mRNA-1273 molecules, giving in vivo information about the sequence and poly(A) tails. We show that mRNA-1273, with all uridines replaced by N1-methylpseudouridine (m Psi), is terminated by a long poly(A) tail (~100 nucleotides) followed by an mpsimpsi AG sequence. In model cell lines, mRNA-1273 is swiftly degraded in a process initiated by the removal of mPsiPsiAG, followed by CCR4-NOT-mediated deadenylation. In contrast, intramuscularly inoculated mRNA-1273 undergoes more complex modifications. Notably, mRNA-1273 molecules are re-adenylated after mPsimPsiAG removal. Detailed analysis of immune cells involved in antigen production revealed that in macrophages, after mPsimPsiAG removal, vaccine mRNA is very efficiently re-adenylated, and poly(A) tails can reach up to 200A. In contrast, in dendritic cells, vaccine mRNA undergoes slow deadenylation-dependent decay. We further demonstrate that enhancement of mRNA stability in macrophages is mediated by TENT5 poly(A) polymerases, whose expression is induced by the vaccine itself. Lack of TENT5-mediated re-adenylation results in lower antigen production and severely compromises specific immunoglobulin production following vaccination. Together, our findings provide an unexpected principle for the high efficacy of mRNA vaccines and open new possibilities for their improvement. They also emphasize that, in addition to targeting a protein of interest, the design of mRNA therapeutics should be customized to its cellular destination.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.01.518149v1" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine is re-adenylated in vivo, enhancing antigen production and immune response</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Immunopeptidome profiling of human coronavirus OC43-infected cells identifies CD4 T cell epitopes specific to seasonal coronaviruses or cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
<div>
Seasonal “common-cold” human coronaviruses are widely spread throughout the world and are mainly associated with mild upper respiratory tract infections. The emergence of highly pathogenic coronaviruses MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and most recently SARS-CoV-2 has prompted increased attention to coronavirus biology and immunopathology, but identification and characterization of the T cell response to seasonal human coronaviruses remain largely uncharacterized. Here we report the repertoire of viral peptides that are naturally processed and presented upon infection of a model cell line with seasonal human coronavirus OC43. We identified MHC-I and MHC-II bound peptides derived from the viral spike, nucleocapsid, hemagglutinin-esterase, 3C-like proteinase, and envelope proteins. Only three MHC-I bound OC43-derived peptides were observed, possibly due to the potent MHC-I downregulation induced by OC43 infection. By contrast, 80 MHC-II bound peptides corresponding to 14 distinct OC43-derived epitopes were identified, including many at very high abundance within the overall MHC-II peptidome. These peptides elicited low-abundance recall T cell responses in most donors tested. In vitro assays confirmed that the peptides were recognized by CD4+ T cells and identified the presenting HLA alleles. T cell responses cross-reactive between OC43, SARS-CoV-2, and the other seasonal coronaviruses were confirmed in samples of peripheral blood and peptide-expanded T cell lines. Among the validated epitopes, S903-917 presented by DPA1<em>01:03/DPB1</em>04:01 and S1085-1099 presented by DRB1<em>15:01 shared substantial homology to other human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and were targeted by cross-reactive CD4 T cells. N54-68 and HE128-142 presented by DRB1</em>15:01 and HE259-273 presented by DPA1<em>01:03/DPB1</em>04:01 are immunodominant epitopes with low coronavirus homology that are not cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2. Overall, the set of naturally processed and presented OC43 epitopes comprise both OC43-specific and human coronavirus cross-reactive epitopes, which can be used to follow T cell cross-reactivity after infection or vaccination and could aid in the selection of epitopes for inclusion in pan-coronavirus vaccines.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.01.518643v1" target="_blank">Immunopeptidome profiling of human coronavirus OC43-infected cells identifies CD4 T cell epitopes specific to seasonal coronaviruses or cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The time divide: Reducing the barrier of a lack of spare time increased physical activity levels during the UK Government-enforced COVID-19 lockdown</strong> -
<div>
Background &amp; Objective: Many individuals do not meet the World Health Organisation (2010) recommendations of 150 minutes of physical activity a week, often citing a lack of time as a key reason. The UK government-mandated lockdown for the global SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) pandemic provided an opportunity to investigate whether a potential increase in available time would lead to increased activity levels, and whether an increase in activity would correlate with improvements in mental health. Methods: An online survey investigated physical activity levels (time and intensity) at three separate intervals within one calendar year: firstly, for a typical week before the government-mandated lockdown; secondly, a week during lockdown (including measures of mental wellbeing); and finally in August 2020 - which re-assessed physical activity levels and mental wellbeing after the easing of some lockdown restrictions. Results: Whilst participants reported spending more time engaging in physical activity during lockdown compared to before (with those who perceived themselves to have more spare time reporting a greater increase than those who did not), there was no difference in the intensity of this activity. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between physical activity levels and mental wellbeing during the initial period of lockdown. Conclusions: Overall, the study demonstrated that, as hypothesised by the COM-B model, reducing one of the most commonly reported barriers (time) did increase physical activity levels. Importantly, it also showed that those who engaged in more physical activity also reported better mental health, which is particularly striking given the likely overall detrimental effect of being in lockdown.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/tjcfx/" target="_blank">The time divide: Reducing the barrier of a lack of spare time increased physical activity levels during the UK Government-enforced COVID-19 lockdown</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Empathetic, old, and disgust-sensitive vs. comfort-seeking, misinformed, and rationalizing: Predictors and motives for mask-wearing behavior and vaccination intention during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
Containing a pandemic requires that individuals adhere to measures such as wearing face-masks and get vaccinated. Therefore, identifying predictors and motives for both behaviors is of importance. Here, we study the decisions made by a cross-national sample in randomized hypothetical scenarios during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results show that mask-wearing was predicted by empathic tendencies, germ aversion, and higher age, whilst belief in misinformation and presentation of an interaction partner as a family member lowered the safety standards. The main motives associated with taking the mask off included: rationalization, facilitating interaction, and comfort. Vaccination intention was positively predicted by empathy, and negatively predicted by belief in misinformation and higher costs of the vaccine. We found no effect of immunization status of the surrounding social group. The most common motive for vaccination was protection of oneself and others, whereas undecided and anti-vaccine groups reported doubts about the effectiveness and fear of side effects. Together, we identify main social and psychological predictors and motives of mask-wearing behavior and vaccination intention. The results highlight the importance of social context for mask-wearing, easy access to vaccines, empathy, and trust in publicly distributed information.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/qfgwh/" target="_blank">Empathetic, old, and disgust-sensitive vs. comfort-seeking, misinformed, and rationalizing: Predictors and motives for mask-wearing behavior and vaccination intention during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Lapses in the person radar: Attentional traits predict difficulty in interpersonal distancing</strong> -
<div>
Within the psychological literature and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the regulation of interpersonal distance has typically been viewed as a voluntary choice, with implications for public health interventions. Here we highlight that lapses in interpersonal distancing can also occur unintentionally. Using a novel measure across 3 undergraduate samples (total N = 1225) we found that almost all (&gt;97%) participants reported unintentional lapses in maintaining interpersonal distance, with 16% experiencing such lapses frequently. Thirty percent of the variance in these reports was accounted for by attentional traits: Inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms jointly predicted difficulties with interpersonal distancing, with the former relationship fully mediated by hyperfocus and spontaneous mind-wandering. The results are consistent with a view of interpersonal distancing as attentionally demanding and hence vulnerable to unintentional lapses due to inattention. We discuss the implications for epidemiology, social cognition and functioning, and design of social spaces.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/2yrfj/" target="_blank">Lapses in the person radar: Attentional traits predict difficulty in interpersonal distancing</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Fast and Accurate Maximum-Likelihood Estimation of Multi-Type Birth-Death Epidemiological Models from Phylogenetic Trees</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Multi-type birth-death (MTBD) models are phylodynamic analogies of compartmental models in classical epidemiology. They serve to infer such epidemiological parameters as the average number of secondary infections R_e and the infectious time from a phylogenetic tree (a genealogy of pathogen sequences). The representatives of this model family focus on various aspects of pathogen epidemics. For instance, the birth-death exposed-infectious (BDEI) model describes the transmission of pathogens featuring an incubation period (when there is a delay between the moment of infection and becoming infectious, as for Ebola and SARS-CoV-2), and permits its estimation along with other parameters. With constantly growing sequencing data, MTBD models should be extremely useful for unravelling information on pathogen epidemics. However, existing implementations of these models in a phylodynamic framework have not yet caught up with the sequencing speed. Computing time and numerical instability issues limit their applicability to medium data sets (⩽ 500 samples), while the accuracy of estimations should increase with more data. We propose a new highly parallelizable formulation of ordinary differential equations for MTBD models. We also extend them to forests to represent situations when a (sub-)epidemic started from several cases (e.g. multiple introductions to a country). We implemented it for the BDEI model in a maximum likelihood framework using a combination of numerical analysis methods for efficient equation resolution. Our implementation estimates epidemiological parameter values and their confidence intervals in four minutes on a phylogenetic tree of 10 000 samples. Comparison to the existing implementations on simulated data shows that it is not only 30 000 times faster, but also more accurate. An application of our tool to the 2014 Ebola epidemic in Sierra-Leone is also convincing, with very fast calculation and precise estimates.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.02.22278328v2" target="_blank">Fast and Accurate Maximum-Likelihood Estimation of Multi-Type Birth-Death Epidemiological Models from Phylogenetic Trees</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Adherence to and Motivations for Complying with Public Health Measures Among Adolescents During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic in Canada</strong> -
<div>
Background: Public health measures (e.g., minimizing social interactions, social distancing, mask wearing) have been implemented in Canada to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Given that adolescents may be a high-risk demographic for spreading COVID-19, this study investigated adherence to and motivations for complying with public health measures among youth living in Canada at two points of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Adolescents (N = 1484, 53% female, Mage = 15.73 [SD = 1.41]) completed an online survey in either Summer 2020 (W1; n = 809, 56% female) or Winter 2020/2021 (W2; n = 675, 50% female). Independent sample t-tests investigated differences in adherence across waves and regression analyses examined predictors of adherence. Results: Youth engaged in similar levels of social interactions at W1 and W2. Relative to W1, adolescents reported more mask wearing, but less social distancing at W2. At both waves, social responsibility and not wanting to get sick predicted mask wearing, and social responsibility predicted social distancing. Being concerned with population health predicted adherence to all public health measures at W1, whereas concern with family health predicted adherence to mask wearing and social distancing at W2. Conclusions: Youth engaged in more mask wearing but less social distancing as the pandemic progressed. Social responsibility and not wanting to get sick were consistent predictors of adherence throughout the pandemic. Youth shifted from adhering to public health measures due to concern with population health to concern with family health as the pandemic progressed. These results can inform targeted campaigns to bolster compliance with public health measures among adolescents.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/mxfz7/" target="_blank">Adherence to and Motivations for Complying with Public Health Measures Among Adolescents During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic in Canada</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Longitudinal Profile of Post traumatic symptoms in HealthCare Workers during COVID-19 pandemic: A latent transition model</strong> -
<div>
Introduction: Pandemics have the potential to be considered traumatic event, increasing the risk of developing post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in some populations, such as Health Care Workers. However, few longitudinal studies have evaluated the impact of prolonged exposure to the risk imposed by COVID-19. Methods: We evaluated the levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms and psychological distress in a Brazilian HealthCare Workers’ sample (n = 1398) in three waves of assessment: from May to June 2020 (Wave 1), December 2020 to February 2021 (Wave 2) and May to August 2021 (Wave 3). Results: Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), it was identified two profiles: high-PTSS profile (Wave 1 - 23%; Wave 2 - 64% and Wave 3 - 73%) and low-PTSS (Wave 1 - 77%; Wave 2 - 36% and Wave 3 - 27%). Then, we used Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) to examine changes in symptom profiles over time, including gender, psychiatric diagnosis history, and pandemic-related fears as covariates. Results show that being female, working with fear of contamination, and fearing financial problems were strong predictors of changes in the profile from low-PTSS to high-PTSS. In addition, regardless of the initial profile, the participants had a high probability of being in the high-PTSS in the long run. Conclusion: There is a clear risk for HealthCare Workers to feel traumatized during a stressful critical healthcare condition.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/gysq2/" target="_blank">Longitudinal Profile of Post traumatic symptoms in HealthCare Workers during COVID-19 pandemic: A latent transition model</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Protocol for a Study on Día de los Muertos, Loss, Funerals, and Mental Health Among Mexican-Origin Adults in the United States</strong> -
<div>
Día de los Muertos is a traditional celebration takes place early in November and is one of the most intricate death-related ritual in Mexican culture in which families welcome the return of their loved ones who died. Funerals are important rituals following the death of a person that provide the bereaved with an opportunity to say farewell to the departed in company of family, friends, and community. Día de los Muertos and funerals can help process grief and loss following the COVID-19 pandemic, a global event that disproportionally affected Mexican-origin adults in the U.S. Although research has shown the cultural importance of participating in Día de los Muertos and funerals, less is known about their connection to each other, as well as grief, mental health, and wellbeing among those who experienced loss during the pandemic. In this protocol, we describe the rationale for a cross-sectional survey, a study using a correlational design, and present the research questions, sample characteristics, procedure, instrument, and data analysis plan. In Study 1, we will investigate the association between Día de los Muertos participation and attitudes with levels of grief, mental health, and wellbeing among those who experienced loss during the pandemic. In Study 2, we will examine the association between funeral participation and attitudes with levels of grief, mental health, and wellbeing among those who experienced loss during the pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/jrgwv/" target="_blank">Protocol for a Study on Día de los Muertos, Loss, Funerals, and Mental Health Among Mexican-Origin Adults in the United States</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A qualitative forum analysis of fathers’ stressors and support seeking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
Fathers experienced high rates of mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social support is crucial to mitigate these problems; however, access to and quality of support were impacted by public health guidelines to increase physical distancing. Online forums offer an avenue for peer connection and support. Yet, minimal research has examined forum use during COVID-19 to describe the experiences, perceived stressors, and resource need of fathers during the pandemic. This study qualitatively analyzed fathers’ experiences through a Framework Analytic Approach of reddit’s sub-forum r/daddit. Posts (N=299) and comments (N=2597) between July and October 2020 were analyzed. Findings highlighted five main themes (with subthemes): forum use, family functioning, psychological and health factors, interpersonal functioning, and COVID-19. First and foremost, fathers used the online forum to provide support and advice to other fathers. Main themes are discussed in terms of informing the development of services to support father and family wellbeing.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/h2vn7/" target="_blank">A qualitative forum analysis of fathers’ stressors and support seeking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Prediction of mental well-being from individual characteristics and circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
The “Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on NIMH Patients and Volunteers” study was a longitudinal study launched in spring 2020 by researchers at NIMH, to investigate the effect of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. For each participant, the study collected personal characteristics, such as demographics, psychological traits, and clinical history, together with personal circumstances at regular intervals during their enrollment in the study. In this paper, we examine the degree to which a variety of mental health outcomes over time for an individual can be predicted from personal characteristics and their changing circumstances, using regression models trained on other study participants. We find that it is possible to predict the variation of a participant’s mental health outcomes from time point to time point, for most of the outcomes we consider. This capability is dominated by information about outcome at the point of enrollment in the study, but can be improved by considering personal characteristics and circumstances.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/7enqw/" target="_blank">Prediction of mental well-being from individual characteristics and circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pilot Clinical Trial to Explore Efficacy and Safety of Pyramax in Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Pyramax<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Shin Poong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Animation Supported COVID-19 Education</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Animation-Supported Education<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Siirt University<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>CareSuperb COVID-19 Antigen Test Usability</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Device: CareSuperb COVID-19 Antigen Home Test Kit<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   AccessBio, 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>Feasibility and Usability of COVID-19 Antigen RDTs in Uganda</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Diagnostic Test: PMC Sure Status COVID-19 Antigen Test;   Diagnostic Test: Acon Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Test<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   PATH<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>SUNRISE-3: Efficacy and Safety of Bemnifosbuvir in High-Risk Outpatients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS CoV 2 Infection;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Bemnifosbuvir (BEM);   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Atea Pharmaceuticals, 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>The Roles of Vitamin D and Microbiome in Children With Post-acute COVID-19 Syndromes (PACS) and Long COVID</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-acute COVID-19 Syndromes<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Vitamin D;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   China Medical University 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>A Study to Learn About Bivalent COVID-19 RNA Vaccine Candidate(s) in Healthy Infants and Children</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 3 microgram dose;   Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 6 microgram dose;   Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 10 microgram dose;   Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 1 microgram dose<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   BioNTech SE;   Pfizer<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Evaluation of an Integrative Medicine Outpatient Clinical Setting for Post-COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Fatigue<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: outpatient clinic with multimodal integrative medicine and naturopathy for post-COVID-19 patients;   Other: waiting group<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Universität Duisburg-Essen<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>Clinical Evaluation of the Panbio™ COVID-19/Flu A&amp;B Rapid Panel Professional Use Product Using Mid-Turbinate Nasal Swabs</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Influenza A;   Influenza Type B<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Diagnostic Test: Panbio™<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Abbott Rapid Dx<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>Efficacy of a Physical and Respiratory Rehabilitation Program for Patients With Persistent COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2).</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19 Recurrent;   Cognitive Dysfunction;   Fatigue<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: COPERIA-REHAB<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Fundacin Biomedica Galicia Sur;   University of Vigo;   Galician South Health Research Institute<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>Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Azvudine in Preventing SARS-Cov-2 Infection in Household Contacts of Covid-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Azvudine;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Shanghai Henlius Biotech;   Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Industrial Development Co. Ltd.;   HeNan Sincere Biotech 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>VNS for Long-COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome;   Postural Tachycardia Syndrome;   Dysautonomia<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Device: Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation;   Device: Sham Intervention<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai<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>Differential Diagnosis of Persistent COVID-19 by Artificial Intelligence</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Fatigue;   Distress Respiratory Syndrome;   Cognitive Dysfunction;   COVID-19 Recurrent;   SARS CoV 2 Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Experimental tests<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Fundacin Biomedica Galicia Sur;   University of Vigo;   Galician South Health Research Institute<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>Dietary Modulation of Gut Microbiota in Overweight/Obese Adolescents and COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Health Behavior;   Child Development;   Adolescent Obesity<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Dietary Supplement: Probiotics;   Behavioral: Counselling on healthy eating, physical activity, and psychosocial stimulation;   Dietary Supplement: Placebo probiotics<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Indonesia University;   Gadjah Mada University;   Universitas Airlangga;   University of Melbourne;   The Indonesia Endowment Funds for Education, Ministry of Finance Indonesia<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>MT Combined With XKSA for Depressive Symptoms During COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Depression, Anxiety<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: MT Combined With XKSA;   Other: MT<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Renrong Wu<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Evaluation of action of steroid molecules on SARS-CoV-2 by inhibiting NSP-15, an endoribonuclease</strong> - Many countries in the world have recently experienced an outbreak of COVID-19, turned out to be a pandemic which significantly affected the world economy. Among many attempts to treat/control infection or to modulate host immunity, many small molecules including steroids were prescribed based on their use against other viral infection or inflammatory conditions. A recent report established the possibility of usage of a corticosteroid against the virus through inhibiting NSP-15; an mRNA…</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>Co-ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide/luteolin normalizes GABA<sub>B</sub>-ergic activity and cortical plasticity in long COVID-19 syndrome</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Eight weeks of treatment with PEA-LUT restore GABA(B) activity and cortical plasticity in long Covid patients.</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>Ubiquitin specific peptidase 25 alleviates acute lung injury and suppresses the inflammatory response in lung epithelial cells</strong> - As COVID-19 spreads over the world, the treatment of acute lung injury (ALI) has attracted much attention. Considering ubiquitin-specific protease (USP) 25 has been relevant to inflammation, this article focused on its role in ALI and its regulatory mechanism. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied to separately stimulate mice and human lung epithelial cells to establish in vivo and in vitro ALI models. To discover the effects of USP25 overexpression on mouse, lung pathology, inflammatory factor…</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>Combining Computational and Experimental Evidence on the Activity of Antimalarial Drugs on Papain-Like Protease of SARS-CoV-2: A Repurposing Study</strong> - The development of inhibitors that target the papain-like protease (PLpro) has the potential to counteract the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Based on a consideration of its several downstream effects, interfering with PLpro would both revert immune suppression exerted by the virus and inhibit viral replication. By following a repurposing strategy, the current study evaluates the potential of…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Paxlovid<sup>TM</sup> Information From FDA and Guidance for AES Members</strong> - This American Epilepsy Society (AES) official statement provides information and preliminary guidance to Society members related to the U.S. Food &amp; Drug Administration (FDA) December 22, 2021 Emergency Use Authorization for Paxlovid™ for the oral treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and children (≥12 years and weighing ≥40 kg). Paxlovid is likely to be widely prescribed, and important considerations for patients on antiseizure medications (ASMs) include key contraindications 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>Platelet in thrombo-inflammation: Unraveling new therapeutic targets</strong> - In the broad range of human diseases, thrombo-inflammation appears as a clinical manifestation. Clinically, it is well characterized in context of superficial thrombophlebitis that is recognized as thrombosis and inflammation of superficial veins. However, it is more hazardous when developed in the microvasculature of injured/inflamed/infected tissues and organs. Several diseases like sepsis and ischemia-reperfusion can cause formation of microvascular thrombosis subsequently leading to…</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 proteins of spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 with the Omicron receptor-binding domain induce production of highly Omicron-specific neutralizing antibodies</strong> - Various vaccines have been developed to fight severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, new variants of SARS-CoV-2 undermine the effort to fight SARS-CoV-2. Here, we produced S proteins harboring the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the Omicron variant in plants. Plant-produced S proteins together with adjuvant CIA09A triggered strong immune responses in mice. Antibodies in serum inhibited interaction…</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>B-cell lymphoma-2 family proteins-activated proteases as potential therapeutic targets for influenza A virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2: Killing two birds with one stone?</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a global health emergency. There are many similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV); both are single-stranded RNA viruses infecting airway epithelial cells and have similar modes of replication and transmission. Like IAVs, SARS-CoV-2 infections poses serious challenges due to the lack of effective therapeutic interventions, frequent appearances of new strains of the virus,…</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>Common and rare variant associations with clonal haematopoiesis phenotypes</strong> - Clonal haematopoiesis involves the expansion of certain blood cell lineages and has been associated with ageing and adverse health outcomes^(1-5). Here we use exome sequence data on 628,388 individuals to identify 40,208 carriers of clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). Using genome-wide and exome-wide association analyses, we identify 24 loci (21 of which are novel) where germline genetic variation influences predisposition to CHIP, including missense variants in 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>Essential oils block cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 delta variant</strong> - Aiming to fill a gap in the literature, we aimed to identify the most promising EOs blocking in vitro cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 delta variant without conferring human cytotoxicity and provide insights into the influence of their composition on these activities. Twelve EOs were characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The antiviral and cytotoxicity activities were determined using the cell-based pseudoviral entry with SARS-CoV-2 delta pseudovirus and the XTT assay 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>Comparison of RT-dPCR and RT-qPCR and the effects of freeze-thaw cycle and glycine release buffer for wastewater SARS-CoV-2 analysis</strong> - Public health efforts to control the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic rely on accurate information on the spread of the disease in the community. Acute and surveillance testing has been primarily used to characterize the extent of the disease. However, obtaining a representative sample of the human population is challenging because of limited testing capacity and incomplete testing compliance. Wastewater-based epidemiology is an agnostic alternative to…</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>Meet changes with constancy: Defence, antagonism, recovery, and immunity roles of extracellular vesicles in confronting SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has wrought havoc on the world economy and people’s daily lives. The inability to comprehensively control COVID-19 is due to the difficulty of early and timely diagnosis, the lack of effective therapeutic drugs, and the limited effectiveness of vaccines. The body contains billions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which have shown remarkable potential in disease diagnosis, drug…</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>Protocol for a 30-day randomised, parallel-group, non-inferiority, controlled trial investigating the effects of discontinuing renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in patients with and without COVID-19: the RASCOVID-19 trial</strong> - INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV has spread rapidly and caused damage worldwide. Data suggest a major overrepresentation of hypertension and diabetes among patients experiencing severe courses of COVID-19 including COVID-19-related deaths. Many of these patients receive renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibiting therapy, and evidence suggests that treatment with angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) could attenuate SARS-CoV-induced acute respiratory distress…</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>Plantaricin NC8 αβ rapidly and efficiently inhibits flaviviruses and SARS-CoV-2 by disrupting their envelopes</strong> - Potent broad-spectrum antiviral agents are urgently needed to combat existing and emerging viral infections. This is particularly important considering that vaccine development is a costly and time consuming process and that viruses constantly mutate and render the vaccine ineffective. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP), such as bacteriocins, are attractive candidates as antiviral agents against enveloped viruses. One of these bacteriocins is PLNC8 αβ, which consists of amphipathic peptides with…</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>Characterizing the ligand-binding affinity toward SARS-CoV-2 Mpro <em>via</em> physics- and knowledge-based approaches</strong> - Computational approaches, including physics- and knowledge-based methods, have commonly been used to determine the ligand-binding affinity toward SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro or 3CLpro). Strong binding ligands can thus be suggested as potential inhibitors for blocking the biological activity of the protease. In this context, this paper aims to provide a short review of computational approaches that have recently been applied in the search for inhibitor candidates of Mpro. In particular,…</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>Sam Bankman-Fried, Effective Altruism, and the Question of Complicity</strong> - Leaders of the social movement had no way to know that FTX would collapse. But they also had every incentive to ignore warnings. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/sam-bankman-fried-effective-altruism-and-the-question-of-complicity">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Hacked Newsroom Brings a Spyware Maker to U.S. Court</strong> - When Roman Gressier, an American reporter working in El Salvador, found out that he and his colleagues were being surveilled, he feared persecution and worried for his sources’ safety. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-hacked-newsroom-brings-a-spyware-maker-to-us-court-pegasus">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Wall Street Is Making Jerome Powell’s Job Harder</strong> - By prematurely celebrating a victory over inflation, investors are making it more likely that the Federal Reserve will keep rates higher for longer. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-wall-street-is-making-jerome-powells-job-harder">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The E-Mail Newsletter for the Mogul Set</strong> - The media startup Puck is aiming to build a business by covering power and wealth from the inside. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/the-e-mail-newsletter-for-the-mogul-set">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Right-Wing Zionist Digests Trump’s Anti-Semite Dinner Party</strong> - Can the former President be the “best friend Israel ever had in the White House” while also legitimatizing “Jew-haters”? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/a-right-wing-zionist-digests-trumps-anti-semite-dinner-party">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The Twitter power users who can’t just quit</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Elon Musk dressed in a gladiator-style costume, holding his arms up and out in a “look at me” gesture." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oxJIgxOfRuKpCFPnLyQExO15x_Q=/214x0:2881x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71700043/1438052951.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Twitter CEO Elon Musk at a Halloween party. | Taylor Hill/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Under Elon Musk’s leadership, journalists have even more of a love-hate relationship with the platform.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T1NyCg">
As Twitter’s new owner and CEO, Elon Musk has been <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1589427115157778433">openly hostile</a> toward <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1594449361651568640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1594449361651568640%7Ctwgr%5E46435b9f95171dcaeca28977530368b674f09520%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fmedia%2Felon-musk-mocks-media-claiming-neutrality-takeover-freakout-will-have-fact-check">“mainstream media”</a> journalists.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V14Cw2">
He has said he plans to strip <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/11/4/23438917/twitter-verifications-blue-check-elon-musk">journalists of their verification check mark badges</a>, mocked major media outlets like <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1586871691686223872">the New York Times</a> and <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/28/elon-musk-posts-meme-mocking-cnn-violating-his-own-twitter-rules/">CNN</a>, and allowed thousands of <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23440075/elon-musk-twitter-layoffs-check-mark-verification">formerly suspended accounts</a> back on the platform to spew misinformation and vitriol, sometimes directed at reporters.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OtsvMI">
But while many prominent journalists have raised concerns about Musk’s actions — and some have shifted to new social media platforms like Mastodon and Post — few have abandoned Twitter altogether.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4oODAn">
Since Twitter’s inception, journalists have been some of its biggest power users. They put out a steady stream of reliable information on the platform, for free — particularly around major events, from national elections to sports games — that makes Twitter a lively place for other people finding and discussing the news of the day. Their relationship with the platform tells us not only how the journalism industry is adapting to Musk’s leadership style, but also if the billionaire’s version of Twitter is landing or failing with a key constituency.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XTPpMw">
So now that Twitter isn’t exactly courting journalists, why aren’t they leaving?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rM2UG0">
“I mean, I’m stuck,” said freelance tech reporter Jacob Silverman, whose work has been published in outlets like the New Republic and the Washington Post. “For my beat on crypto — a lot of that stuff happens on Twitter. And that’s how people tend to find me.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Rk9OzZ">
Silverman said that, like many journalists he knows, his relationship with Twitter is “sort of tortured” and “self-indulgent.” There’s still an appeal in following whatever public spectacle is unfolding on Twitter at the moment. These days, it’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2022/11/28/23473239/elon-musk-twitter-ceo-leadership">often the chaos around Musk himself</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VbL8xV">
“Twitter is still this place sometimes where you can address powerful people or powerful people can address the public,” said Silverman. “Especially now that Musk is as addicted to the platform as anyone — in a very pathetic way — sometimes it does feel mildly cathartic to make a crack at him.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q83q9O">
Some journalists, like the Washington Post’s Taylor Lorenz, haven’t <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-quiet-quit-elon-musks-twitter/">quit Twitter</a>, but they’ve been posting more on other platforms. Lorenz said she moved away from Twitter years before Musk was in charge, when she started noticing more of her audience shifting to Instagram and TikTok.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mcmukQ">
Even a reduced Twitter presence still opens journalists up to harassment. Lorenz, who has over 300,000 Twitter followers, has long dealt with hateful comments and stalkers on the platform, but said that when harassment got bad in the past, she could go to Twitter’s Trust and Safety team for support. Now that many members of that team have quit or been fired, she no longer knows whom to talk to. Since it’s part of Lorenz’s job to cover social media, she remains on the platform.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p8VCaS">
As journalists face a less welcoming environment under Musk, some have started quietly cutting back on the platform: posting less frequently and without as much detail about their personal lives, and doing so mainly to promote their work.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1nh4Ro">
“It’s like one of those ‘why I’m leaving New York’ essays,” said Lorenz. “You never want to publicly declare anything.”
</p>
<h3 id="bV8zBi">
Despite its bugs, Twitter is still an efficient news-gathering source
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UV2Yrh">
One of the main reasons why journalists are still on Twitter is that it hasn’t broken yet.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="44Eb2R">
After Musk slashed Twitter’s staff by more than 75 percent with <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/18/elon-musk-talked-about-laying-off-75-of-employees-he-may-have-just-gotten-his-wish/">layoffs and resignations</a>, many worried that the platform would crash under the pressure of high usage during the US 2022 midterms and World Cup. That didn’t happen.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BbMhOR">
Instead, Twitter has become more buggy in incremental ways. Users have reported slowness, notifications not working, and more irrelevant suggested tweets popping up. But for most journalists who are power users, it’s still usable.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jdStos">
“I ain’t leaving here until it doesn’t load anymore,” Ben Collins, who reports on disinformation for NBC News, wrote to Recode in a Twitter message. “I cover the info war. This was always the primary battleground,” Collins wrote.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9q8o9U">
For reporters whose jobs depend on finding news before it happens, Twitter — despite all its problems — is still one of the most effective ways to track breaking events, get in touch with sources, and find experts quickly.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UHzCsw">
“I do a lot of contacting people via DMs, which I think they generally respond to more quickly than email,” said Laura Hazard Owen, editor of Nieman Journalism Lab. “And it’s less creepy than trying to find their phone number and text.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RvOS0Y">
While Twitter doesn’t have nearly as large a user base as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, it does have an influential set of politicians, academics, business leaders, and other subject matter experts on the platform, who reporters need to talk to on a daily basis.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M6L0nn">
Presumably, if the same kind of relevant sources were on another platform, reporters could reach out there. But that gets us to our next point.
</p>
<h3 id="8wPMQu">
Alternatives are still too niche
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MgJwvA">
Journalists looking for an alternative to Elon Musk’s Twitter who Recode spoke with have largely fled to two new apps — Mastodon and Post — but both have so far struggled to gain the same reach as Twitter.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4VJkTD">
Mastodon is an app with similar functionality to Twitter, but with a DIY ethos run on open source technology. It’s become popular with journalists who are concerned about Musk’s leadership on Twitter and formed a “journa.host” server, which has around 2,500 active users.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y1XEy8">
But Mastodon’s biggest limitation is its complexity; it requires some technical expertise to set up a new server. Unlike major social media outlets, Mastodon doesn’t have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/12/musk-is-wrecking-speech-moderation-twitter-theres-an-alternative/">centralized content moderation</a>, so it relies on users to police each other — and there’s already been some infighting among journalists about what’s allowed in the journalism server, as reported in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/style/mastodon-twitter-adam-davidson.html">New York Times</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GyqhHn">
You can see how an app like this might be popular with certain crowds but struggle to find mainstream adoption at the same scale as larger social media networks. And that’s a problem for writers seeking a wide audience.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YoAT9E">
Post is <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/11/post-the-latest-twitter-alternative-is-betting-big-on-micropayments-for-news/">another Twitter-alternative app</a>, started by Waze co-founder Noam Bardin, it plans to allow journalists to charge for their content directly from readers. The site has a simple interface and is easy to use. But it’s still in its early beta stages and only available on a web browser. The site is also buggy: After using it for about 10 minutes, I ran into an error page after clicking on another journalist’s profile.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HIcTvW">
It’s still too soon to measure both of these apps’ success with journalists. For now, neither has become a true competitor to Twitter.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N5cPgB">
Some of the most prominent journalists on Mastodon and Post — like Lorenz, Collins, Kara Swisher, and Mike Masnick — also have active Twitter accounts.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Brrru3">
“Journalists are not there in a vacuum. They’re there to engage with senators, lawmakers, academics,” said Lorenz. “And so I think it’s really hard to rebuild that network effect on a new platform.”
</p>
<h3 id="YINpe3">
The Twitter exodus could still be coming
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9zghvF">
Jelani Cobb, dean of Columbia Journalism School and a staff writer at the New Yorker, is one of a few prominent journalists who has quit Twitter entirely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B38Pus">
Cobb first announced his departure on Twitter, and then in an essay in <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/why-i-quit-elon-musks-twitter">which he argued the platform</a> “now subsidizes a billionaire who understands free speech to be synonymous with the right to abuse others.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HsQmqd">
After he left Twitter in a very public fashion, Cobb said he was flooded with hate mail, including people calling him the n-word. He said other writers may choose to leave the platform more discreetly.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iC9jY6">
“My theory is people may quietly quit,” said Cobb. “I also think the sentiment that I’ve heard from people is they’re sticking around to see what happens.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KjYf0M">
At the same time, even as Musk is reinstating some suspended far-right figures, some left-wing journalists and other public figures are being pushed off the platform. Several antifascist organizers and journalists have been suspended since Musk took over, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/11/29/elon-musk-twitter-andy-ngo-antifascist/">the Intercept reported</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JLIeSl">
Andrew Lawrence, deputy director of rapid response for the left-leaning blog Media Matters, <a href="https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1598349520340934662">was suspended for “spam”</a> on Thursday morning, as NBC’s Collins noted — shortly after Lawrence tweeted a comment critical of Musk’s Neuralink project and right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson. A few hours after Lawrence was suspended, his account was reinstated.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oQAsPb">
Collins told Recode he doesn’t know why his account was flagged as spam. It’s unclear if his suspension was intentional or a mistake (Musk had posted the night before that Twitter was <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1598157971384463360">mass purging bots from the platform</a>, which may have led to some false positives), but if journalists perceive that they’re being unfairly suspended, that could cause even more uncertainty and reason to leave.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h9y0hm">
Twitter did not return a request for comment. Under Musk, the company eliminated its communications department — another challenge for reporters trying to verify news about the platform.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R84JKX">
Just because journalists aren’t abandoning Twitter en masse doesn’t mean it won’t happen gradually, particularly if the platform continues to become a less welcoming place for media types.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3OL0Wz">
Twitter is a platform that at its core was always about news. Journalists provide value to the platform by tweeting reliable new information in real time, often before an article is even published. If journalists gradually start trickling away from the platform or holding back their juiciest scoops, Musk could suffer another setback in his already daunting challenge to make Twitter a financially viable company.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Why Trump is still the 2024 GOP frontrunner — for now</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F0LMLVTZsLW1mqBFWC67_YBkC00=/60x0:2727x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71699975/1441801365.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Former President Donald Trump speaks during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home on November 15, 2022, in Palm Beach, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Donald Trump is less popular now than he was, but he still has his base.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZRBHL4">
There is no precedent for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. It’s not just that it is unusual for a former president to run again after losing — the last one to do so was Grover Cleveland, who ran in 1892, long before the modern presidential primary system — but the circumstances around Trump make it even more bizarre.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Hq0e9A">
It’s not just that, unlike Trump, Grover Cleveland won the popular vote twice. Trump is also trying to return to the White House while facing multiple criminal investigations, after trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and having become the scapegoat for the GOP’s multitude of failures in the 2022 midterms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ci6Hgt">
But he does have one thing in common with Cleveland: As the formal beginning of the nominating process begins, Trump is the frontrunner. The question is whether he can stay there.
</p>
<h3 id="LCNzKk">
Just how strong is Trump?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0rIyNk">
On one hand, Trump is <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/us/2024_republican_presidential_nomination-7548.html#polls">consistently leading the pack</a> in most public polls of the 2024 primary and has locked up roughly <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/11/17/23464534/gop-congress-trump-announcement-meh-support-2024">two dozen endorsements from members of Congress</a>. A recent nationwide poll from <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000184-a2ea-d1d1-ad8d-affbe2e40000">Politico/Morning Consult</a> showed the former president with 45 percent of the vote; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at 30 percent, is his closest rival in a multi-candidate field.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="isa7Pq">
It’s an enviable position far beyond those enjoyed by past frontrunners for the Republican nomination this far out in a presidential cycle. On the other hand, Trump is mired in a state of perpetual scandal. Most recently, he met with two notorious antisemites, rapper <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/kanye-west-presidential-campaign-was-a-warning-sign.html">Kanye West</a> and white nationalist <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/07/why-gop-doesnt-condemn-paul-gosar-over-nick-fuentes.html">Nick Fuentes</a>, at his private club, Mar-a-Lago. Although Trump claimed he did not know who Fuentes was, the meeting showed a return to some of his worst instincts from 2016. Letting Fuentes into Mar-a-Lago was a clear sign of poor staff work, and meeting with West, who recently threatened to “go death con 3 on Jewish People,” is not an indication of good judgment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZApvGD">
Trump’s meetings with West and Fuentes aren’t necessarily a breaking point, according to conversations with over half a dozen Republicans. After all, Trump has weathered scandals that would end the career of almost any other politician — from bragging on tape about sexual assault to inciting a mob to storm the United States Capitol. But what made this most recent Trump scandal different is the fact that Trump now appears to be a loser: many of the candidates he <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23450428/donald-trump-midterm-elections-republican-red-wave">endorsed in the 2022 midterms lost</a>, and voters overwhelmingly rejected Republicans who ran on election denialism. In the Morning Consult poll that showed Trump getting support from 45 percent of voters in a GOP primary, only 34 percent of those surveyed actually wanted him to run again.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CvQ1Di">
It wasn’t necessarily that GOP voters rejected Trump’s policies or even his style. It was simply that Trump had broken one of his key campaign promises. He had long pledged that Americans “would be tired of winning.” Instead, after losing the House in 2018, the Senate and the White House in 2020, and making minimal gains in 2022, Republicans were getting tired of losing.
</p>
<h3 id="cm5WeU">
What does the 2022 GOP electorate look like?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ul4WxW">
Chris Wilson, a top Republican pollster, thought Republican presidential primary voters were still divided into four broad lanes as they were in 2016: the establishment, the Tea Party, libertarians, and evangelicals. In his view, Trump’s winning coalition in 2016 was an odd mishmash of the four categories, and the former president benefited then because he has never really faced a two-person race. In the 2016 primary, there were 17 candidates, with eventual runner-up <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/03/was-ted-cruz-right-about-russia-and-nord-stream-2.html">Ted Cruz</a> never getting a one-on-one matchup with Trump as a result of what Wilson termed John Kasich’s “death mission to stay in until the absolute end.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZZ14bI">
Wilson argued, “I do think one development that’s occurred since the last competitive primary is that you have candidates who are able to unite those different lanes under things like populism, competence, and maybe just ability to win.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Dz8WwI">
In his view, “I think one of the lessons learned out of 2022 is that candidate quality matters a lot. And the one thing that you have to give credit to Republican primary voters for is that they may fall in love, but the one thing they love more than anything else is winning. And that is where I think you’re gonna see competence and electability play a bigger role in 2024 than it ever has before.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Yp9KC5">
However, Wilson noted four Republican voter lanes had redefined themselves in some ways as well. He pointed out that while the libertarian lane “was smaller than it used to be in 2016,” he argued that wing of the party’s messaging was also far more resonant than it might have been before because of the pandemic. Wilson pointed to 2022, where he noted governors like DeSantis and Kevin Stitt in Oklahoma ran successful campaigns heralding their resistance to the federal government’s Covid mandates. “So in a sense, that is a libertarian message, but I think it’s almost got to be redefined” for the post-Covid-19 era, he said. In contrast, he thought one of Trump’s biggest weaknesses in a Republican primary was his handling of Covid while president and the fact that he oversaw a near-total shutdown across the country to combat the pandemic.
</p>
<h3 id="3o0WmV">
What is happening in Iowa and New Hampshire?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kWKIis">
The situation in the two critical early states of Iowa and New Hampshire mirrors that nationally. They have different compositions and different proportions of presidential primary votes in each lane, but there is a general weariness of Trump. There was a sense that Trump had both a high floor and a low ceiling and that, at least for now, the best way to view his prospective support was roughly how he did in the 2016 primary.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UEmE4l">
In Iowa, as David Kochel, a Republican operative with long experience in the state, noted, “there still is an active Christian Coalition base” in a state that Ted Cruz won in 2016, and many voters care about the core social conservative issues that Trump has never been the most convincing messenger on.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QuUodh">
Mike Biundo, a veteran Republican operative based in New Hampshire who worked for Trump in 2016, told Vox, “New Hampshire<em> </em>primary voters are very conservative and looking for someone that fights like Trump but doesn’t come with the baggage … There is no swing voter for Trump, he just has to hope to hold on to the people he has.<strong>” </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6O8wFh">
The question was whether the field would be splintered like it was in 2016, so Trump<strong> </strong>could win again. As Kochel put it, “there’s probably not a lot of difference between Trump’s floor and ceiling when you’re in early primaries and the people start to drop out and he starts to consolidate.” Soon after that, the rules of the Republican primary shift to allow states to allocate their delegates via the winner-take-all method. Any state that holds its primary after March 15 can hold a winner-take-all contest.
</p>
<h3 id="pX4rFo">
So what now?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mFGSsK">
Trump is at a uniquely weak point right now. Between the poor performance by Republicans in the midterms, his low-energy announcement kicking off his presidential campaign shortly thereafter, and the ongoing controversy over his meeting with West and Fuentes, almost everything that could go wrong for Trump over the past month has gone wrong. Further, his early announcement has left him shadowboxing. There is no opponent against whom he can spar and no contrasts that he can strike with “the Washington Swamp” that he ran against in 2016.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZHcLVB">
But much of that will change. In the months to come, other Republicans will enter the race, the disappointment of the 2022 midterms will fade, and it is unlikely that Trump will dine with any more prominent white nationalists. The former president’s base is not what it was, but it is still substantial. The question is whether he will be able to stop the bleeding, or if his potential support will continue to ebb in the months to come.
</p></li>
<li><strong>What Congress’s same-sex marriage bill actually does</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jceWrbBKAzjFZ3QCpO9av6c6dGE=/481x0:6476x4496/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71699937/1243596916.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), a chief sponsor of a bill protecting marriage equality, walks through the Capitol. | Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It doesn’t go as far as Obergefell, but it still offers important protections.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B7WFah">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/11/16/23463070/senate-same-sex-marriage-vote">Congress could soon pass historic protections</a> for same-sex marriage, offering a critical safeguard if the Supreme Court were to overturn its 2015 decision that established the right.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DYC80l">
The Senate has already passed this legislation, known as the Respect for Marriage Act, and it now heads to the House, which is likely to approve it next week.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gTgmEy">
The bill doesn’t go as far as Supreme Court precedent<em> </em>does, though it provides an important contingency in case that ruling, <em>Obergefell v. Hodges</em>, is ever struck down. Notably, the legislation requires states and the federal government to continue to recognize same-sex marriages regardless of what the Supreme Court chooses to do.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5NWWUM">
That guarantee, ultimately, means Americans in same-sex marriages are shielded from states invalidating their unions and the federal government discriminating against them if past precedent were to fall.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ga3uJG">
With the act’s passage nearing, here are the answers to four key questions about what the legislation does — and doesn’t — do.
</p>
<h3 id="3pDWiF">
What will be the status of same-sex marriages after the Respect for Marriage Act has passed?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QMXIFX">
Currently, the right to same-sex marriage is firmly established across all 50 states by the <em>Obergefell </em>decision issued by the Supreme Court in 2015.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kWKhiN">
However, following <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/24/23176750/supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade-read-dobbs-decision-text">the Court’s overturn</a> of <em>Roe v. Wade </em>in their June <em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization</em> decision, some lawmakers worried same-sex marriage protections could be revoked next. A <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/24/23181723/roe-v-wade-dobbs-clarence-thomas-concurrence">concurring opinion</a> from Justice Clarence Thomas in the <em>Dobbs</em> case only raised concerns that the court could revisit this case, prompting Congress to quickly advance the Respect for Marriage Act.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fiuT59">
The act reaffirms some of <em>Obergefell’s</em> protections by mandating that states and the federal government always recognize same-sex marriages as legally valid.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a84Xp8">
Prior to that Supreme Court decision, <a href="https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/recognition-same-sex-gay-marriage-32294.html">a provision in the Defense of Marriage Act</a> allowed individual states to decide if they would recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. This bill explicitly targets that loophole. If a couple was married in a blue state that protected same-sex marriage, but moved to a red state that barred it, the red state would still have to recognize their marriage as legally valid.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SwinYd">
What the bill does not do, however, is require states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, something that <em>Obergefell</em> guarantees. Because of that, states, <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/07/07/without-obergefell-most-states-would-have-same-sex-marriage-bans">more than 30 of which still have same-sex marriage bans on the books</a>, would be able to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses, forcing couples to travel elsewhere to obtain them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WPBufY">
“It’s an important first step,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told Vox, of the bill. “We could go one step further and ensure that every state provides an opportunity for equal marriage, but that will have to wait for another day.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PbwLxi">
The legislation also officially repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman and prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SZp6Rm">
While DOMA’s provisions were struck down in the 2013 <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/united_states_v_windsor_(2013)"><em>Windsor v. United States</em></a> decision and the 2015 <em>Obergefell </em>decision, this bill makes it clear that they can’t be reinstated. In doing so, it codifies federal recognition of same-sex marriages, which is vital for access to more than 1,100 government benefits related to social programs, taxes, and immigration services.
</p>
<h3 id="aaAmoa">
Could <em>Obergefell</em> actually be overturned? What would happen then?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qczvjq">
Since <em>Obergefell </em>is a precedent established by the Supreme Court, the justices could decide to overturn it<em>. </em>This bill does not prevent them from being able to do so, but it offers protections for people in case that were to happen.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bKeFJN">
Civil rights activists have been worried about this possibility given Thomas’s opinion. Other justices, including Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh, however, have stated that the <em>Dobbs</em> decision is not an indication that the court intends to consider other precedents that rest on similar reasoning, as <em>Obergefell </em>does.
</p>
<h3 id="Gt3owJ">
Could this bill get challenged in court?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qHBTer">
Although many legal experts note that the arguments for challenging the Respect for Marriage Act aren’t necessarily the strongest, it could still face legal action.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="syCJuy">
According to Katherine Franke, a law professor at Columbia University, states that want to bar same-sex marriage and do not want to recognize marriages that took place in other states could try to claim that Congress does not have the authority to require them to. It would be a longshot for a case like that to be successful, however, she says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L7QPjN">
“It would be a radical step for a court to find the Respect for Marriage Act unconstitutional as an illegal exercise of congressional power,” Franke told Vox. “It’s just that with the radicals on the Supreme Court and in lower federal courts, it can’t be ruled out.” For those interested in undermining the bill, these challenges could be levied even if <em>Obergefell </em>remains intact, says Franke.
</p>
<h3 id="XPK0gr">
Does all of this apply to interracial marriage as well?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dnf8OZ">
The legislation states that the same protections it provides for same-sex marriage apply to interracial marriage as well.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="32Iruu">
The right to interracial marriage was established by the <em>Loving v. Virginia</em> case in 1967, which overrode state-level bans on interracial marriage, and is another precedent that <a href="https://www.insider.com/roe-wade-loving-virginia-interracial-marriage-scotus-overturns-2022-6">some civil rights advocates</a> worry could be threatened by the Supreme Court following the <em>Dobbs</em> decision.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XMRNKS">
Were this precedent rolled back, the Respect for Marriage Act would require states and the federal government to recognize interracial marriages, and give those in such unions the same rights and benefits as those in same-sex marriages. As with same-sex marriages, the law would not require states to issue licenses for interracial marriages if they decide to restrict it.
</p>
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</p>
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</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>BCCI likely to introduce ‘Impact Player’ in IPL after its success in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20</strong> - BCCI had put the ‘Impact Player’ system on trial during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in October and the move was largely welcomed, which could pave the way for its introduction in the IPL</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>FIFA World Cup 2022 | In Maradona's shadow, Messi strives for Argentina's forever love</strong> - In Qatar, on Lionel Messi's fifth and final appearance at a FIFA World Cup, he has been the beating heart of the squad and Argentina appear to have as good a chance as any to lift the trophy on December 18.</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>PAK vs ENG, 1st Test, Day 2 | Shafique and Haq give Pakistan solid start after England’s record 657</strong> - England’s total is their highest against Pakistan in all Tests, improving on their 589-9 at Manchester in 2016</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>CSK appoints Dwayne Bravo as bowling coach after he ends IPL playing career</strong> - Dwayne Bravo was appointed as former India cricketer L. Balaji, who was CSK’s bowling coach, is taking a break for one year due to personal commitments</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>Ricky Ponting taken to hospital after heart scare: reports</strong> - Former Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting was commentating during the Australia-West Indies Test when he felt uneasy</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>U.S. discussing “social challenges” with India: Ambassador Elizabeth Jones</strong> - U.S. Charge d’Affaires rules out trade pact with India</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>HC issues contempt notice to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Supriya Shrinate for ‘breaching’ undertaking</strong> - A division bench passed the order on a contempt petition filed by MRT Music, which owns the copyright for songs that were allegedly used by the Congress party illegally</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>People like Sibal who didn't abuse party after leaving could be taken back, not Scindia, Sarma: Jairam Ramesh</strong> - Jairam Ramesh, who is the Congress’s media head, also termed Union Minister Scindia as a “24 carat traitor.”</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Andhra Pradesh: third standard girl student ‘sexually assaulted’ by headmaster in Guntur</strong> - An FIR registered against the accused under POCSO Act, say police</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>Child pornography case | Tiruchi man had German links</strong> - Interpol alert leads to seizure of incriminating materials</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>Ukraine war: Biden prepared to meet Putin to end Russia’s war</strong> - The US president made his strongly caveated remarks after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Animal eye packages sent to six embassies across Europe</strong> - Ukraine’s foreign ministry said a false bomb threat was made to another embassy in Kazakhstan.</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>BP ‘stands to receive blood money’ from Ukraine war</strong> - A presidential adviser says the oil giant is could still receive profits from its stake in Russia’s Rosneft.</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>Jeanne Dielman: Film directed by woman picked as best ever</strong> - Sight and Sound picks Chantal Akerman’s 1975 film Jeanne Dielman as the greatest ever.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Germany to cover energy bills as gas prices soar</strong> - Germany is spending €300bns to shield its people from soaring energy bills. Will it work?</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 Callisto Protocol review: A relentless horror spectacle</strong> - A new vision of sci-fi survival-horror updates the pace for classic scares. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1901330">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Prescription poop is here: FDA approves fecal slurry for unshakeable diarrhea</strong> - It’s a win for those with C. diff and a milestone for microbiome-based therapies. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1901516">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Mandalorian season 3 has been delayed—but only a little</strong> - It’s the first new season of the show since 2020—well, sort of. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1901454">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Over a year later, Musk’s Neuralink still 6 months from human trials</strong> - Lots of tech in development, but we’re still waiting for indications of an application. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1901460">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>OpenAI invites everyone to test new AI-powered chatbot—with amusing results</strong> - ChatGPT aims to produce accurate and harmless talk—but it’s a work in progress. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1900972">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>What’s a pirate’s favorite letter?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A writ of safe passage from his majesty, King Charles II of England.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/spiderborland"> /u/spiderborland </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/za2a59/whats_a_pirates_favorite_letter/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/za2a59/whats_a_pirates_favorite_letter/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>German humor is like healthcare</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Many Americans simply don’t get it
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Ehrenlauch3000"> /u/Ehrenlauch3000 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/z9pnq7/german_humor_is_like_healthcare/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/z9pnq7/german_humor_is_like_healthcare/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A man is sleeping next to his wife, when he hears a loud knock on his door.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He rolls over and looks at his clock, and it’s 3 AM.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I’m not getting out of bed at this time”, he thinks, and rolls over.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Then, a louder knock follows.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” says his wife.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So he drags himself out of bed, and goes downstairs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He opens the door and there is man standing at the door.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It didn’t take the homeowner long to realize the man was drunk.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Hi there,” slurs the stranger, “can you give me a push?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No, get lost, it’s 3 AM. I was in bed,” says the man and slams the door.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He goes back up to bed and tells his wife what happened and she says, “Dave, that wasn’t very nice of you. Remember that night we broke down in the pouring rain on the way to pick the kids up from the baby-sitter and you had to knock on that man’s house to get us started again? What would have happened if he’d told us to get lost?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“But the guy was drunk.” says the husband.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“It doesn’t matter.” says the wife.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“He needs our help and it would be the Christian thing to help him.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the husband gets out of bed again, gets dressed, and goes downstairs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He opens the door, and not being able to see the stranger anywhere he shouts, “Hey, do you still want a push?” and he hears a voice cry out “Yeah please.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So, still being unable to see the stranger he shouts, “Where are you?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
And the stranger replies: “I’m over here, on your swing.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/calmtitties__"> /u/calmtitties__ </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zadife/a_man_is_sleeping_next_to_his_wife_when_he_hears/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zadife/a_man_is_sleeping_next_to_his_wife_when_he_hears/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A wealthy, but stingy father was trying to put a birthday party together for his 18 y/o daughter.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He wanted the party to be extravagant, but wanted to spend as little money as possible. He had finished all of the other decorations, and he was left to work on the cake.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Why not get it ordered from an upscale bakery?” his wife said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the father visited a ton of different bakeries and did research, but found the prices to be too high.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<em>My daughter is inviting all of her friends, and I’ll look bad if I don’t put together a good cake</em>, he thought. Then, he stumbled upon a shop that opened once a year to provide free cake to its customers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<em>How quaint,</em> the father thought, but desperate, he walked inside to see if they could provide a cake for his daughter’s birthday.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He was met by a Buddhist monk chanting and lighting incense.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Hello,” the father asked, “I would like to buy a cake.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Of course,” the monk replied, “just draw a picture of the cake you would like on the notepad on the desk.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The father thought this to be weird, but wanting to save as much money as possible, he gave him the address and told him to come in the backdoor, just in case the cake was bad.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The day of the party arrived and the monk visited the house with the most extravagant cake the family had ever seen. All of the guests were in awe, and whispered to each other about how much the cake could have cost.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The monk became the guest of honor and at the end of the party, the father approached the monk and asked,
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Why do you do this for free? You should take money for your services!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The monk smiled and said, “I do this for free because a cake day is the best way to earn karma.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
​
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
​
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
And of course this is not original
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/taloncard815"> /u/taloncard815 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/za6nx2/a_wealthy_but_stingy_father_was_trying_to_put_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/za6nx2/a_wealthy_but_stingy_father_was_trying_to_put_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Why are the pyramids in Egypt?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
They’re too heavy to carry to the British museum
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Jackinabox4545"> /u/Jackinabox4545 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/za5bz0/why_are_the_pyramids_in_egypt/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/za5bz0/why_are_the_pyramids_in_egypt/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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