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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>Using genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 to support contact tracing and public health surveillance in rural Humboldt County, California.</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
During the COVID-19 pandemic within the United States, much of the responsibility for diagnostic testing and epidemiologic response has relied on the action of county-level departments of public health. Here we describe the integration of genomic surveillance into epidemiologic response within Humboldt County, a rural county in northwest California. Through a collaborative effort, 853 whole SARS-CoV-2 genomes were generated, representing ~58% of the 1,449 SARS-CoV-2-positive cases detected in Humboldt County as of March 12, 2021. Phylogenetic analysis of these data was used to develop a comprehensive understanding of SARS-CoV-2 introductions to the county and to support contact tracing and epidemiologic investigations of all large outbreaks in the county. In the case of an outbreak on a commercial farm, viral genomic data were used to validate reported epidemiologic links and link additional cases within the community who did not report a farm exposure to the outbreak. During a separate outbreak within a skilled nursing facility, genomic surveillance data were used to rule out the putative index case, detect the emergence of an independent Spike:N501Y substitution, and verify that the outbreak had been brought under control. These use cases demonstrate how developing genomic surveillance capacity within local public health departments can support timely and responsive deployment of genomic epidemiology for surveillance and outbreak response based on local needs and priorities.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.21.21258385v1" target="_blank">Using genomic epidemiology of SARS- CoV-2 to support contact tracing and public health surveillance in rural Humboldt County, California.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Implications of COVID-19 regulations for people with a visual and intellectual disability: lessons to learn from visiting restrictions</strong> -
<div>
Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments of many countries announced regulations to prevent the virus from spreading. For people with a disability living in a sheltered care facility in the Netherlands, this meant that they were not able to receive any visitors for almost three months. Aim: This study examines how people with an intellectual and visual disability and their families experienced the period in which it was mandated not to have any physical contact. The aim is to examine the experiences of this target group and gain insight in the way measures were taken in order to be able to advise care organisations about adequate care with respect to possible restrictive measures in the future. Method: In-depth interviews were conducted with two groups of people: 1. Fourteen people with an intellectual and visual disability, living in sheltered care facilities, and 2. twelve people being relatives of residents of this same sheltered care facilities. In the interviews, the participants were questioned about their experiences with respect to the adjusted visiting regulations and with respect to the relation with their family during this period. A thematic analysis was performed first separately and then combined. Results and discussion: A number of themes resulted from the analysis that were related to 1. the instructed regulations of the sheltered care facilities and the government, 2. the relation with family and friends, and 3. the consequences of corona and the regulations. Both relatives and residents were understanding of the difficult situation, but also expressed criticism about the chosen regulations, the communication thereof and the practical implementation. Both groups have experienced the interruption of close contact as emotional and difficult. However, also positive consequences of the restrictions due to COVID-19 were mentioned. The results provide a list of recommendations for sheltered care facilities.
</div>
<div class="article- link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/hpc8w/" target="_blank">Implications of COVID-19 regulations for people with a visual and intellectual disability: lessons to learn from visiting restrictions</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Innovation in Churches: A Theoretical Framework</strong> -
<div>
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the many changes in the present socio-cultural context point to the importance of innovation in churches. A theoretical framework for understanding innovation in churches is presented, featuring 6 key elements. These elements include the cultural context of the church and the church’s target audience, a culture of innovation within the church, innovations in church programs, processes, and personnel, social capital (social ties) which permits church members to navigate the changes associated with innovation, program loss (that which is lost when programs change), and progress toward the church’s goals. The church’s goals and the church’s context determine which innovations would be most appropriate. A culture of innovation and strong social ties permit innovations to be implemented successfully. Program losses may reflect aspects of the church’s goals that are neglected when innovations are implemented.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/wuc2k/" target="_blank">Innovation in Churches: A Theoretical Framework</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Innovativeness and Church Commitment: What Innovations Were Most Important During the Pandemic?</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented need for innovations in churches around the world. Organizational innovativeness, a precursor of successful innovations in organizational contexts, is rarely studied in churches. This study of American church attenders (N = 244) found that perceived innovativeness of churches (conceived of as the elements of a church’s culture which promote innovation, specifically, creativity, organizational openness, future orientation, risk-taking, and proactiveness) was a very strong predictor of church commitment (conceived of as intentions to stay in the church, r = .60, p &lt; .001). Of the moderators examined in this study (membership tenure, age of participant, church size, and gender), only gender moderated this relationship; the relationship between perceived innovativeness and church commitment was stronger for females than for males. This suggests that innovations that facilitated relationship development and relationship maintenance had the greatest impact on church commitment during the pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/cgmwb/" target="_blank">Innovativeness and Church Commitment: What Innovations Were Most Important During the Pandemic?</a>
</div></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cytotoxic T-cell-based vaccine against SARS-CoV2: a hybrid immunoinformatic approach</strong> -
<div>
This paper presents an alternative vaccination platform that provides long-term cellular immune protection mediated by cytotoxic T-cells. The immune response via cellular immunity creates superior resistance to viral mutations, which are currently the greatest threat to the global vaccination campaign. Furthermore, we also propose a safer, more facile and physiologically appropriate immunization method using either intra-nasal or oral administration. The underlying technology is an adaptation of synthetic long peptides (SLPs) previously used in cancer immunotherapy. SLPs comprising HLA class I and class II epitopes are used to stimulate antigen cross-presentation and canonical class II presentation by dendritic cells. The result is a cytotoxic T cell-mediated prompt and specific immune response against the virus- infected epithelia and a rapid and robust virus clearance. Peptides isolated from COVID-19 convalescent patients were screened for the best HLA population coverage and were tested for toxicity and allergenicity, 3D peptide folding, followed by molecular docking studies provided positive results, suggesting a favourable antigen presentation.
</div></li>
</ul>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.26.461851v1" target="_blank">Cytotoxic T-cell-based vaccine against SARS-CoV2: a hybrid immunoinformatic approach</a>
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>The Emotional Lockdown: How Social Distancing and Mask Wearing influence Mood and Emotion Recognition</strong> -
<div>
During the COVID-19 pandemic, government-mandated protection measures such as contact restrictions and mask wearing significantly affected social interactions. In the current preregistered study we hypothesized that such measures could influence self-reported mood and the ability to recognize emotional expressions from the eye region of faces. We found that mood was positively related to face-to-face but not to virtual interactions. This suggests that contact restrictions leading to a decrease in face-to-face compared to virtual interactions may be related to negative mood. We also found slight improvements in emotion recognition from the eyes in a student sample tested during the pandemic relative to a comparable sample tested prior to the pandemic although these differences were restricted to female participants.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/cpxry/" target="_blank">The Emotional Lockdown: How Social Distancing and Mask Wearing influence Mood and Emotion Recognition</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Opposition to Novel Biotechnologies: Testing An Omission Bias Account</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a significant toll on the global population, but biotechnology has a big role to play in arresting the spread of the virus. However, the adoption of biotechnologies may be held back by cognitive biases. In particular, omission bias – the observation that people are more sensitive to the negative outcomes of acting than to those of failing to act – has been suggested to influence vaccination decision making. Omission bias might also underpin attitudes towards newer biotechnologies. In this study, we explored the role of omission bias in vaccination, gene editing, and nanotechnology decision-making using a US sample (N = 613). We examined participant’s risk choices across these three biotechnologies, focussing on the point at which they would use the respective biotechnology to treat a fictional illness (COVID-23). Although our findings are nuanced, overall we observed evidence consistent with an omission bias across all three biotechnologies.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/4ef7m/" target="_blank">Opposition to Novel Biotechnologies: Testing An Omission Bias Account</a>
</div></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Time Perspective predicts levels of Anxiety and Depression during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-cultural study</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 outbreak and governmental measures to keep the population safe had a great impact on many aspects of society, including well-being. Using data from N=1281 participants from six countries (Argentina, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, and Turkey), we first explored differences in anxiety, depression (measured with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS) and time perspectives (Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory; ZTPI), between these countries during the first weeks of the pandemic. We observed that Turkish participants reported the highest levels of anxiety, and Japanese and Greek the lowest. For depression symptoms, the Japanese scored highest and Italians lowest. Next, for each country, we investigated how well the relatively time-stable personality traits of time perspectives, chronotype (reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire; rMEQ), and Big Five personality traits (short Big Five Inventory; BFI) predicted the levels of anxiety and depression (HADS). The regression analyses showed that negative attitudes towards the past predicted the levels of both anxiety and depression in most of the countries we analyzed. Additionally, in many countries, a Past Positive orientation negatively predicted depression whereas the Present Fatalistic subscale predicted anxiety and depression. The chronotype did not contribute additionally to the models. The Big Five traits (and particularly neuroticism) showed substantial incremental explanatory power for anxiety in some countries but did not consistently predict anxiety levels. For depression, the additional variance accounted for by including the BFI as predictors was rather small. Importantly, the ZTPI subscales were retained as significant predictors in the model still when the BFI and rMEQ were considered as potential predictors. Our results yield evidence that the ZTPI time perspectives are valuable predictors for anxiety and depression levels during the first period of the pandemic.
</div></li>
</ul>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/8tqap/" target="_blank">Time Perspective predicts levels of Anxiety and Depression during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-cultural study</a>
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Cross-sectional assessment of predictors for COVID-19 vaccine uptake: an online survey in Greece</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: A high level of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the general population is essential to control the pandemic. Objective: To estimate the percentage of the general population vaccinated against the COVID-19 and to investigate the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional study in Greece during August 2021. We included individuals over 18 years of age. Independent variables included socio- demographic data of the participants and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and pandemic. Our outcome variable was COVID-19 vaccination status, measured through yes/no answers. Results: Most participants had been vaccinated against the COVID-19 (87.8%), while about half had been vaccinated against influenza (52.5%). Multivariate analysis identified that increased age and a higher level of education were associated with an increased likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination. Also, participants working in health services, participants without a previous COVID-19 diagnosis, and those with previous seasonal influenza vaccination history had a greater probability to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, increased self-perceived severity of COVID-19, knowledge regarding COVID-19, and trust in COVID-19 vaccines and scientists were associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. On the other hand, the likelihood of vaccination was lower for participants who were more concerned about the side effects of COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusions: Understanding the factors affecting individuals decision to take a COVID-19 vaccine is essential to improve the COVID-19 vaccination coverage rate. Policymakers and scientists should scale up their efforts to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate among specific population groups such as young people, people with a low level of education, people with negative attitudes towards vaccination, etc.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.23.21264009v1" target="_blank">Cross-sectional assessment of predictors for COVID-19 vaccine uptake: an online survey in Greece</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections in the Veterans Health Administration.</strong> -
<div>
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Background Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been accompanied by rising concern of vaccine breakthrough due to SARS-CoV-2 variants, waning protection over time, differential vaccine effectiveness, and regional resurgence of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Characterizing the frequency and drivers of vaccine breakthrough is necessary to inform COVID-19 control efforts. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of vaccine breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated persons in Veterans Health Administration. We applied Cox proportional hazard models to estimate cumulative incidence, assess differences in outcomes by vaccine, and identify associations with individual characteristics as well as time-dependent geographic variation in COVID-19 incidence, proportion of delta variant, and vaccine coverage. Results Among 3,032,561 fully vaccinated persons, documented SARS- CoV-2 infection occurred in 11,197 (0.37%) and COVID-19 hospitalization occurred in 2,080 (0.07%). Compared to Ad26.COV2.S, BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 had lower occurrence of documented SARS-CoV-2 infection (aHR 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.58; aHR 0.36; 95% CI 0.33-0.38; respectively ) and COVID-19 hospitalization (aHR 0.56, 95% CI 0.47-0.66; aHR 0.30; 0.25-0.35; respectively). Documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 hospitalization were associated with younger age, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, number of comorbidities, and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Regional proportion of delta variant and county-level COVID-19 incidence were predictors of vaccine breakthrough events; county-level vaccine coverage was inversely associated. Conclusions Vaccine breakthrough was rare among fully vaccinated persons. mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 were more protective against documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 hospitalization compared to Ad26.COV2.S. Efforts to limit COVID-19 transmission and bolster vaccine coverage would also curtail vaccine breakthrough.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.23.21263864v1" target="_blank">COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections in the Veterans Health Administration.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Antibody titers against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 induced by BNT162b2 vaccination measured using automated chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay</strong> -
<div>
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Background Levels of 50% neutralizing titer (NT50) reflect the vaccine-induced humoral immunity after the vaccination against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Measurements of NT50 are difficult to implement in large quantities. A high-throughput laboratory test is expected for determining the level of herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Methods We analyzed samples from 168 Japanese healthcare workers who had completed two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine. We analyzed immunoglobulin G (IgG) index values against spike protein (SP) using automated chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay system AIA-CL and analyzed the background factors affecting antibody titer. SP IgG index was compared with 50% neutralization titers. Results The median SP IgG index values of the subjects (mean age = 43 years; 75% female) were 0.1, 1.35, 60.80, and 97.35 before and at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after the first dose, respectively. At 4 and 6 weeks after the first dose, SP IgG titers were found to have positive correlation with NT50 titer (r=0.7535 in 4 weeks; r=0.4376 in 6 weeks). Proportions of the SP IgG index values against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants compared with the original strain were 2.029, 0.544, 1.017, and 0.6096 respectively. Older age was associated with lower SP IgG titer index 6 weeks after the first dose. Conclusions SP IgG index values were raised at 3 weeks after two doses of BNT162b2 vaccination and have positive correlation with NT50. SP IgG index values were lower in the older individuals and against Beta and Delta strain.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.23.21263927v1" target="_blank">Antibody titers against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 induced by BNT162b2 vaccination measured using automated chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Face mask fit modifications that improve source control performance</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks are used as source control devices to reduce the expulsion of respiratory aerosols from infected people. Modifications such as mask braces, earloop straps, knotting and tucking, and double masking have been proposed to improve mask fit. However, the data on source control are limited. METHODS The effectiveness of mask fit modifications was determined by conducting fit tests on human subjects and simulator manikins and by performing simulated coughs and exhalations using a source control measurement system. RESULTS Medical masks without modification blocked ≥56% of cough aerosols and ≥42% of exhaled aerosols. Modifying fit by crossing the earloops or placing a bracket under the mask did not increase performance, while using earloop toggles, an earloop strap, and knotting and tucking the mask increased performance. The most effective modifications for improving source control performance were double masking and using a mask brace. Placing a cloth mask over a medical mask blocked ≥85% of cough aerosols and ≥91% of exhaled aerosols. Placing a brace over a medical mask blocked ≥95% of cough aerosols and ≥99% of exhaled aerosols. CONCLUSION Fit modifications can greatly improve the performance of face masks as source control devices for respiratory aerosols.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.16.21263642v2" target="_blank">Face mask fit modifications that improve source control performance</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A transnational and transregional study of the impact and effectiveness of social distancing for COVID-19 mitigation</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
We present an analysis of the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection rates and a social distancing metric from data for all the states and most populous cities in the United States and Brazil, all the 22 European Economic Community countries and the United Kingdom. We discuss why the infection rate, instead of the effective reproduction number or growth rate of cases, is a proper choice to perform this analysis when considering a wide span of time. We obtain a strong Spearman9s rank order correlation between the social distancing metric and the infection rate in each locality. We show that mask mandates increase the values of Spearman9s correlation in the United States, where a mandate was adopted. We also obtain an explicit numerical relation between the infection rate and the social distancing metric defined in the present work.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.01.21262990v2" target="_blank">A transnational and transregional study of the impact and effectiveness of social distancing for COVID-19 mitigation</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>How Timing of Stay-home Orders and Mobility Reductions Impacted First-Wave COVID-19 Deaths in US Counties</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
As SARS-CoV-2 transmission continues to evolve, understanding how location-specific variations in non- pharmaceutical interventions and behaviors contributed to disease transmission during the initial epidemic wave will be key for future control strategies. We offer a rigorous statistical analysis of the relative effectiveness of the timing of both official stay-at-home orders and population mobility reductions during the initial stage of the US epidemic. We use a Bayesian hierarchical regression to fit county-level mortality data from the first case on Jan 21 2020 through Apr 20 2020 and quantify associations between the timing of stay-at-home orders and population mobility with epidemic control. We find that among 882 counties with an early local epidemic, a 10-day delay in the enactment of stay-at-home orders would have been associated with 14,700 additional deaths by Apr 20 (95% credible interval: 9,100, 21,500), whereas shifting orders 10 days earlier would have been associated with nearly 15,700 fewer lives lost (95% credible interval: 11,350, 18,950). Analogous estimates are available for reductions in mobility—which typically occurred before stay-at-home orders—and are also stratified by county urbanicity, showing significant heterogeneity. Results underscore the importance of timely policy and behavioral action for early-stage epidemic control.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.24.20238055v2" target="_blank">How Timing of Stay-home Orders and Mobility Reductions Impacted First-Wave COVID-19 Deaths in US Counties</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among people experiencing homelessness in Toronto during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: People experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study reports the point prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection during testing conducted at sites serving people experiencing homelessness in Toronto during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also explored the association between site characteristics and prevalence rates. Methods: The study included individuals who were staying at shelters, encampments, COVID-19 physical distancing sites, and drop-in and respite sites and completed outreach-based testing for SARS-CoV-2 during the period April 17 to July 31, 2020. We examined test positivity rates over time and compared them to rates in the general population of Toronto. Negative binomial regression was used to examine the relationship between each shelter-level characteristic and SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates. We also compared the rates across 3 time periods (T1: April 17-April 25; T2: April 26-May 23; T3: May 24-June 25). Results: The overall prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 8.5% (394/4657). Site-specific rates showed great heterogeneity with infection rates ranging from 0% to 70.6%. Compared to T1, positivity rates were 0.21 times lower (95% CI: 0.06, 0.75) during T2 and 0.14 times lower (95% CI: 0.043, 0.44) during T3. Most cases were detected during outbreak testing (384/394 [97.5%]) rather than active case finding. Interpretation: During the first wave of the pandemic, rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection at sites for people experiencing homelessness in Toronto varied significantly over time. The observation of lower rates at certain sites may be attributable to overall time trends, expansion of outreach-based testing to include sites without known outbreaks and/or individual site characteristics.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.21.21263713v1" target="_blank">Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among people experiencing homelessness in Toronto during the first wave of 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>Finding Treatments for COVID-19: A Trial of Antiviral Pharmacodynamics in Early Symptomatic COVID-19 (PLATCOV)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Favipiravir;   Drug: Monoclonal antibodies;   Drug: Ivermectin;   Other: No treatment;   Drug: Remdesivir<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Oxford<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>Safety and Immunogenicity Study of AdCLD-CoV19-1: A COVID-19 Preventive Vaccine in Healthy Volunteers</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: AdCLD-CoV19-1<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Cellid Co., Ltd.<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 Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Study of PF-07321332/Ritonavir in Adult Household Contacts of an Individual With Symptomatic COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: PF-07321332;   Drug: Placebo for PF-07321332;   Drug: Placebo for Ritonavir;   Drug: Ritonavir<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Pfizer<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 of AZD1222, a Vaccine for the Prevention of COVID-19 in Immunocompromised Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: AZD1222<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
AstraZeneca<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>Factors Influencing the COVID-19 Vaccine Immune Response According to Age and Presence or Not of a Past History of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer (2 doses);   Biological: COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer (1 dose);   Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Moderna (2 doses);   Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Moderna (1 dose)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne;   Sanofi Pasteur, a Sanofi Company;   Bioaster<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>TThe Safety and Efficacy of SCTV01C in Population Aged ≥18 Years Previously Vaccinated With Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine.Healthy Population Aged ≥18 Years Previously Vaccinated With Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SCTV01C;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sinocelltech 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>The Safety and Efficacy of SCTV01C in Population Aged ≥18 Years Previously Vaccinated With Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine.Healthy Population Aged ≥18 Years Previously Vaccinated With Adenovirus Vectored or mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SCTV01C;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sinocelltech 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>Heterologous Prime-boost Immunization With an Aerosolised Adenovirus Type-5 Vector-based COVID-19 Vaccine (Ad5-nCoV) After Priming With an Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: inactive SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Vero cell);   Biological: Low dose aerosolized Ad5-nCoV;   Biological: High dose aerosolized Ad5-nCoV<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Relate to the Virus That Causes COVID-19, Known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Rapid antigen testing kit<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
Mahidol University;   Yuvabadhana foundation;   Zero COVID Thailand<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>Test to Stay in School: COVID-19 Testing Following Exposure in School Communities</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: COVID-19 Testing<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Duke University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Efficacy and Safety of Baricitinib in Patients With Moderate and Severe COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Baricitinib;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Incepta Pharmaceuticals 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>Efficacy of KOVIR Hard Capsule in the Combination Regimen With Background Treatment in COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: KOVIR hard capsule combined with background treatment<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Sunstar Joint Stock Company;   Big Leap Clinical Research Joint Stock Company<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>Safety and Efficacy of KOVIR in the Combination Regimen With Background Treatment in COVID-19 Patients (KOVIR)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Dietary Supplement: KOVIR oral capsule;   Dietary Supplement: Placebo oral capsule<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Sunstar Joint Stock Company;   Big Leap Clinical Research Joint Stock Company<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>Study to Investigate the Treatment Benefits of Probiotic Streptococcus Salivarius K12 for Mild-to-moderate COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Standard of care;   Dietary Supplement: BLIS K12<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   King Edward Medical University<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 Development of a COVID19 Oral Vaccine Consisting of Bacillus Subtilis Spores</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Bacillus subtilis<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   DreamTec Research Limited<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Potential SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors from chromene, flavonoid and hydroxamic acid compound based on FRET assay, docking and pharmacophore studies</strong> - This present study reports some natural products and one hydroxamic acid synthetic compound which were previously reported as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) inhibitors to be evaluated for their inhibition toward severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro). This enzyme is one of the proteins responsible for this coronaviral replication. Two herbal methanolic extracts i.e., Averrhoa carambola leaves and Ageratum conyzoides aerial part…</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>Antiviral, immunomodulatory, and anticoagulant effects of quercetin and its derivatives: Potential role in prevention and management of COVID-19</strong> - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has caused a devastating health crisis worldwide. In this review, we have discussed that prophylactic phytochemical quercetin supplementation in the form of foods or nutraceuticals may help manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The following evidence supports our argument: first, nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2) agonists abrogated replication of SARS-CoV-2 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>Therapeutic Potential of Annexins in Sepsis and COVID-19</strong> - Sepsis is a continuing problem in modern healthcare, with a relatively high prevalence, and a significant mortality rate worldwide. Currently, no specific anti-sepsis treatment exists despite decades of research on developing potential therapies. Annexins are molecules that show efficacy in preclinical models of sepsis but have not been investigated as a potential therapy in patients with sepsis. Human annexins play important roles in cell membrane dynamics, as well as mediation of systemic…</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>COVID-19: A Comprehensive Review of Learning Models</strong> - Coronavirus disease is communicable and inhibits the infected person’s immune system. It belongs to the Coronaviridae family and has affected 213 nations and territories so far. Many kinds of studies are being carried out to filter advice and provide oversight to monitor this outbreak. A comparative and brief review was carried out in this paper on research concerning the early identification of symptoms, estimation of the end of the pandemic, and examination of user-generated conversations….</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>CD147 antibody specifically and effectively inhibits infection and cytokine storm of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants delta, alpha, beta, and gamma</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 mutations contribute to increased viral transmissibility and immune escape, compromising the effectiveness of existing vaccines and neutralizing antibodies. An in-depth investigation on COVID-19 pathogenesis is urgently needed to develop a strategy against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we identified CD147 as a universal receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Meanwhile, Meplazeumab, a humanized anti-CD147 antibody, could block cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants-alpha, beta,…</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>Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide Inhibits NLRP3 Inflammasome Expression and Pro-Inflammatory Response Activated by SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in Cultured Murine Alveolar Macrophages</strong> - Despite its possible therapeutic potential against COVID-19, the exact mechanism(s) by which palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) exerts its beneficial activity is still unclear. PEA has demonstrated analgesic, anti-allergic, and anti-inflammatory activities. Most of the anti-inflammatory properties of PEA arise from its ability to antagonize nuclear factor-κB (NF- κB) signalling pathway via the selective activation of the PPARα receptors. Acting at this site, PEA can downstream several genes involved 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>Virus structure and structure-based antivirals</strong> - Structure-based antiviral developments in the past two years have been dominated by the structure determination and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 proteins and new lead molecules for picornaviruses. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been targeted successfully with antibodies, nanobodies, and receptor protein mimics effectively blocking receptor binding or fusion. The two most promising non-structural proteins sharing strong structural and functional conservation across virus families are the main…</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 combined strategy to detect plasma samples reliably with high anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers in routine laboratories</strong> - The determination of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) is of interest in many respects. High NAb titers, for example, are the most important criterion regarding the effectiveness of convalescent plasma therapy. However, common cell culture-based NAb assays are time-consuming and feasible only in special laboratories. Our data reveal the suitability of a novel ELISA-based surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) to easily measure the inhibition- capability of NAbs in the plasma 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>Targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway: A therapeutic strategy in COVID-19 patients</strong> - Some COVID-19 patients suffer complications from anti-viral immune responses which can lead to both a dangerous cytokine storm and development of blood-borne factors that render severe thrombotic events more likely. The precise immune response profile is likely, therefore, to determine and predict patient outcomes and also represents a target for intervention. Anti-viral T cell exhaustion in the early stages is associated with disease progression. Dysregulation of T cell functions, which…</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>Mechanisms of Antiviral Immune Evasion of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is characterized by a delayed interferon (IFN) response and high levels of proinflammatory cytokine expression. Type I and III IFNs serve as a first line of defense during acute viral infections and are readily antagonized by viruses to establish productive infection. A rapidly growing body of work has interrogated the mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 antagonizes both IFN induction and IFN…</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>Low molecular weight fucoidan attenuating pulmonary fibrosis by relieving inflammatory reaction and progression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition</strong> - Diffuse alveolar injury and pulmonary fibrosis (PF) are the main causes of death of Covid-19 cases. In this study a low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF) with unique structural was obtained from Laminaria japonica, and its anti- PF and anti- epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) bioactivity were investigated both in vivo and in vitro. After LWMF treatment the fibrosis and inflammatory factors stimulated by Bleomycin (BLM) were in lung tissue. Immunohistochemical and Western-blot results found…</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>Immunomodulatory Role of Nutrients: How Can Pulmonary Dysfunctions Improve?</strong> - Nutrition is an important tool that can be used to modulate the immune response during infectious diseases. In addition, through diet, important substrates are acquired for the biosynthesis of regulatory molecules in the immune response, influencing the progression and treatment of chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this way, nutrition can promote lung health status. A range of nutrients, such as vitamins (A, C, D, and E), minerals (zinc,…</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 Use of Biologics During the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> - During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been considerable discussion regarding the use of biologics in patients with inflammatory skin conditions, such as psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and atopic dermatitis. This article discusses clinical trial data, real-world evidence, and guidelines and recommendations for biologics that inhibit tumor necrosis factor, interleukin (IL)-12/23, IL-17, IL-23, and IL-4/13 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across these inflammatory…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cytometric analysis of patients with COVID-19: what is changed in the second wave?</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 had a less severe impact in patients of the 2nd wave in advanced stages, while the impact appeared more severe in patients of mild and moderate stages, as compared with 1st wave patients. This finding suggests that in COVID-19 patients with milder expression at diagnosis, steroid and azithromycin therapies appear to worsen the immune response against the virus. Furthermore, the cytometric profile may help to drive targeted therapies by monoclonal antibodies to modulate…</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>Discovery of novel oxazole-based macrocycles as anti-coronaviral agents targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease</strong> - We have discovered a family of synthetic oxazole-based macrocycles to be active against SARS-CoV-2. The synthesis, pharmacological properties, and docking studies of the compounds are reported in this study. The structure of the new macrocycles was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Compounds 13, 14, and 15a-c were evaluated for their anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity on SARS-COV-2 (NRC-03-nhCoV) virus in Vero-E6 cells. Isopropyl triester 13 and triacid 14 demonstrated superior…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUE TO ANALYSE THE CONDITION OF COVID-19 PATIENTS BASED ON THEIR SATURATION LEVELS</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU335054861">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A HERB BASED COMPOSITION ANTI VIRAL MEDICINE FOR TREATMENT OF SARS COV 2 AND A METHOD FOR TREATING A PERSON INFECTED BY THE SARS COV 2 VIRUS</strong> - A Herbal composition, viz., PONNU MARUNTHU essentially comprising of ALLUIUM CEPA extract. [concentrated to 30%] 75%, SAPINDUS MUKOROSSI - extract [Optimised] 10%, CITRUS X LIMON - extract in its natural form 05 TRACYSPERMUM AMMI (L) – extract 07%,ROSA HYBRIDA - extract 03%, PONNU MARUNTHU solution 50 ml, or as a capsulated PONNU MARUNTHU can be given to SARS cov2 positive Patients, three times a day that is ½ an hour before food; continued for 3 days to 5 days and further taking it for 2 days if need be there; It will completely cure a person. When the SARS cov2 test shows negative this medicine can be discontinued. This indigenous medicine and method for treating a person inflicted with SARS COV 2 viral infection is quite effective in achieving of much needed remedy for the patients and saving precious lives from the pangs of death and ensuring better health of people. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN334865051">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>治疗或预防新冠病毒的靶点</strong> - 本发明提供一种蛋白片段，是如下至少一种：A1)氨基酸酸序列如SEQ ID NO.1所示；A2）氨基酸序列如SEQ ID NO.1第12位‑34位所示；A3）将A1)的蛋白片段的第18、19、28和29位中的任意一个或几个氨基酸残基经过一个或几个氨基酸残基的取代、缺失、添加得到的与A1)所示的蛋白片段具有90％以上的同一性的蛋白片段；A4）氨基酸酸序列如SEQ ID NO.2所示；A5）氨基酸序列如SEQ ID NO.2第32‑41位所示；A6）将A4)的蛋白片段的第35和36位中的任意1个或2个氨基酸残基经过一个或几个氨基酸残基的取代、缺失、添加得到的与A4)所示的蛋白片段具有90％以上的同一性的蛋白片段。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN336197499">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Neutralizing Antibodies</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU333857732">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Expression Vector for Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Neutralizing Antibodies</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU333857737">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>DEVELOPMENT OF CNN SCHEME FOR COVID-19 DISEASE DETECTION USING CHEST RADIOGRAPH</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU333857177">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>一种S1F-AXL复合物、试剂盒和检测该复合物的方法及应用</strong> - 本发明公开了一种S1F‑AXL复合物、试剂盒和检测该复合物的方法及应用。所述试剂盒包含S1F多肽和AXL多肽，以S1F多肽、AXL多肽中的一种作为包被底物；所述S1F多肽和所述AXL多肽中至少一种为具有缀合标签的糖基化多肽，还包括具有微孔的微量滴定板、标记底物标记的抗标签特异性抗体、HRP偶联的二抗、洗涤缓冲液、标记底物反应液、反应终止液。所述检测S1F‑AXL复合物的试剂盒，通过测量标记的信号特征，检测S1F‑AXL复合物的结合亲和力，还可以用于检测来自怀疑感染了SARS‑CoV‑2(Covid‑19)的受试者的生物样品中的病毒。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN336197006">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>一种检测新型冠状病毒的引物探针组合及其应用</strong> - 本发明提供了一种检测新型冠状病毒的引物探针组合及其应用，所述检测新型冠状病毒的引物探针组合包括特异性扩增并检测2019‑nCoV的ORF1ab基因、核壳蛋白N基因和刺突蛋白S基因N501Y突变位点的特异性引物对和探针。本发明还提供了一种检测新型冠状病毒的试剂盒及其以非疾病诊断和/或治疗为目的的使用方法。本发明所述检测新型冠状病毒的引物探针组合具有良好的特异性与灵敏度，配合优化后的检测体系，可以对待测样本进行快速准确的检测，并可以对整个实验流程进行监控，降低假阳性以及假阴性检测结果的出现概率，具有重要的意义。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN335430482">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-COV-2 BINDING PROTEINS</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU333402004">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19胸部CT图像识别方法、装置及电子设备</strong> - 本申请涉及一种COVID‑19胸部CT图像识别方法、装置及电子设备。所述方法获取COVID‑19的胸部CT图像，并针对胸部CT图像的特点，构建新冠肺炎CT识别网络，对该网络进行训练得到COVID‑19胸部CT图像识别模型，并利用该模型对待测CT图像进行分类。采用空洞卷积、深度卷积以及点卷积算子，减少冗余参数；采用并行结构连接方式，实现多尺度特征融合、降低模型复杂度；采用下采样方式，使用最大模糊池化以减少锯齿效应，保持信号的平移不变性；采用通道混洗操作，减少参数量与计算量，提高分类准确率，引入坐标注意力机制，使空间坐标信息与通道信息被关注，抑制不重要的信息，以解决资源匹配问题。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN335069870">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
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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>The U.S.’s Long History of Mistreating Haitian Migrants</strong> - The current tragedy at the border is just the latest fallout from the U.S.’s failed policies toward Haiti. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-uss-long-history-of-mistreating-haitian-migrants">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>On the Internet, We’re Always Famous</strong> - What happens when the experience of celebrity becomes universal? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/on-the-internet-were-always-famous">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s Too Early to Consign Joe Biden to the Ash Heap of History</strong> - But not too early for Democrats to start panicking. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/its-too-early-to-consign-joe-biden-to-the-ash-%20heap-of-history">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trapped in Afghanistan</strong> - A translator for American forces applied four times for a special immigrant visa to come to the U.S.—he’s still waiting. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trapped-in-afghanistan">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Problem of Marital Loneliness</strong> - The new “Scenes from a Marriage,” on HBO, avoids the dark questions that Ingmar Bergman confronted in the original. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-problem-of-marital-loneliness">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Murders are spiking. Police should be part of the solution.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A police officer watches a crime scene on April 4, 2009, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aKH-wYAJOokgmO05Wf1RHhOtHWk=/0x0:3883x2912/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69914045/85801741.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A police officer watches a crime scene on April 4, 2009, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. | Ross Mantle/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
There’s solid evidence for the crime-fighting abilities of police. But it requires a close look.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0xA2pq">
Last year, the US’s murder rate <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/upshot/murder-
rise-2020.html?utm_source=pocket_mylist">spiked by almost 30 percent</a>. So far in 2021, murders <a href="https://datastudio.google.com/embed/u/0/reporting/133bc335-b4e9-41f4-890d-3adb7de5a141/page/QX9NC">are up nearly 10 percent</a> in major cities. The 2020 increase alone is the largest percentage increase ever recorded in America — and a reversal from overall declines in murder rates since the 1990s.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CZs2JX">
American policymakers now want answers on this surge. One approach has good evidence behind it: the police.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fgqqaV">
There is solid evidence that more police officers and certain policing strategies reduce crime and violence. In a <a href="https://cjexpertpanel.org/surveys/policing-and-public-safety/">recent survey of criminal justice experts</a>, a majority said increasing police budgets would improve public safety. The evidence is especially strong for strategies that home in on very specific problems, individuals, or groups that are causing a lot of crime or violence — approaches that would require restructuring how many police departments work today.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w45dY8">
That runs contrary to the push to “defund the police” in progressive circles, which tend to focus on cutting policing to boost alternatives. In the same survey of experts, most said that increasing social service budgets would improve public safety. But experts also say there’s no reason, if the goal is to fight crime, that communities shouldn’t expand both policing and social services — what University of Missouri St. Louis criminologist Richard Rosenfeld <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/tony-messenger/messenger-crime-is-down-in-st-louis-bucking-a-national-
trend-in-american-cities/article_6c196721-981c-5096-818c-affba76cba2b.html">calls</a> a “both-and” approach.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<div id="k67pHO">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oxAF2A">
One problem for a purely social services approach, which can range from job creation to better schools to mental health treatment, is it generally takes longer to work. Problems like poverty, education, and other underlying issues that contribute to crime can take years, or even decades, to truly address.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KFea6K">
The impact of police, meanwhile, tends to happen quickly — almost immediately deterring and intercepting would-be criminals with the presence of officers. For policymakers looking for quick action, that’s an important distinction, suggesting that police have to play a role even if other social services are deployed for longer-term solutions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IyK1o1">
“I know people don’t want to hear this, and I empathize with that,” Anna Harvey, a public safety expert at New York University, told me. “[But] as far as the research evidence goes, for short-term responses to increases in homicides, the evidence is strongest for the police-based solutions.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="75dP8p">
Part of the explanation is that law enforcement approaches have generally received more research attention than the alternatives. This does not mean that the alternatives to policing don’t work. Some might prove to be even better than the police alone in certain circumstances, but they just haven’t been studied enough to show that yet.
</p></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="APozkJ">
Nor does the evidence suggest that policing approaches are without flaws. There are problems with the research here as well, including that it <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/6/4/21279120/police-brutality-violence-
protests-overpolicing-underpolicing">frequently fails to measure</a> the unintended costs and consequences of policing, like the burden placed on communities of color disproportionately targeted and hassled by the police.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AdM34D">
Every criminal justice expert I’ve spoken to has also said that more work needs to be done to hold police accountable — and the survey of experts found that most <a href="https://cjexpertpanel.org/surveys/policing-and-public-
safety/">agreed</a> more accountability would also improve public safety.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EMpW5R">
So the evidence doesn’t indicate that America should continue the punitive, unaccountable model of policing that’s dominated over the past few decades. To the contrary, much of the research supports changes to how policing is done to focus narrowly on problems, city blocks, and even individuals known to disproportionately contribute to crime — contrary to the dragnet approaches, like “<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/2/21/21144559/mike-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk-criminal-
justice-record">stop-and-frisk</a>,” that end up harassing entire communities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zxQfPf">
In short, policing works to reduce crime and violence. But how policing is done can change — and change could even make policing more effective for crime-fighting while addressing some of the problems to which Black Lives Matter protests have called attention.
</p>
<h3 id="FR9GLD">
There’s good evidence police reduce crime and violence
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0TjZyP">
A 2020 <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w28202">study</a> published by the National Bureau of Economic Research concluded, “Each additional police officer abates approximately 0.1 homicides. In per capita terms, effects are twice as large for Black versus white victims.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3g8g2B">
A 2005 <a href="https://mason.gmu.edu/~atabarro/TerrorAlertProofs.pdf">study</a> in the <em>Journal of Law and Economics</em> took advantage of surges in policing driven by terror alerts, finding that high-alert periods, when more officers were deployed, led to significantly less crime.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tbUGdq">
A 2016 <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0157223">study</a> published in <em>PLOS One</em> looked at what happened when more New York City police officers were deployed in high-crime areas as part of an effort called “Operation Impact,” concluding these deployments were associated with less crime across the board.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r6SAGw">
The question, though, isn’t just whether police work to reduce crime, but how to deploy police to ensure that actually happens. There are proven ways, experts say, to make officers more effective than the traditional mode of policing in the US.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="elTluw">
Hot spot policing, for example, focuses on problem areas, even down to specific city blocks, with disproportionate levels of crime and violence. Police departments send officers to these places with a goal of deterring further disorder. In some versions of this approach, police don’t even have to take action against people on the block, focusing on surveillance instead. The idea is that the mere presence of police should prevent people from committing crimes — a sort of scarecrow effect.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tYFJe1">
A 2019 <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11292-019-09372-3">review</a> in the <em>Journal of Experimental Criminology </em>looked at<em> </em>dozens of studies and found hot spot policing reduced crime without merely displacing it to other areas, and, in fact, there was evidence of “diffusion” in which crime-fighting benefits actually spread to surrounding areas. The review relied on several strong studies, including randomized controlled trials (generally the gold standard of research), suggesting that the findings were based on solid ground.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FznlGy">
Another approach, problem-oriented policing, homes in on a chronic issue — say, shootings in a community — and brings together local resources and agencies, beyond the police, to address that problem. This uses a “scanning, analysis, response, assessment” model, also known as “SARA,” that detects the problem, analyzes the solutions, executes a response, and evaluates those efforts to iterate on them. The goal is not just to treat the problem in the short term but hopefully cure it in the longer term. Depending on the specific problem and the ensuing analysis, police might play a major role or more of a supplementary one.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p4I4gH">
A 2020 <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cl2.1089">review of the evidence</a> from the Campbell Collaboration, which conducts policy research reviews, estimated that problem-oriented policing produces a nearly 34 percent reduction in crime and disorder relative to control groups. This was based on a few fairly strong studies, including randomized controlled trials — suggesting the research base here is, like hot spot policing, on strong footing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qGTBvx">
One strategy that’s drawn a lot of media attention, <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-
and-politics/2019/7/12/20679091/thomas-abt-bleeding-out-urban-gun-violence-book-review">including at Vox</a>, is focused deterrence. With this strategy, police focus on specific individuals and organizations, particularly gangs, and deliver a clear message: You must stop engaging in violent or criminal activity, and the community will provide resources to make that easier, or the police will come down on you with serious charges. As part of this, the police tend to partner with other groups in and out of government to provide a carrot — job training, education, government benefits, and so on — to help people get out of a criminal life along with a stick in the threat of punishment. Both the carrot and stick, experts said, are crucial to the idea.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aRf0Lh">
As a 2019 <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cl2.1051">review of the evidence</a> from the Campbell Collaboration found, the studies focused on deterrence are largely positive. The problem, the review cautioned, is these studies tend to be of lower quality — there still are no randomized controlled trials, as far as I can tell, on the strategy as a whole.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TsS1vB">
Given that lower-quality research in criminal justice tends to find more favorable results for the studied intervention, the results are promising but should be taken with some caution. “My personal view is we just don’t know if [focused deterrence] works,” Jennifer Doleac, director of the Justice Tech Lab, told me, acknowledging that other experts disagree.
</p>
<h3 id="Z2qjEF">
The research on police isn’t perfect
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aR5upC">
A big issue with all of these strategies is that they can fall apart as a result of shifting leadership and priorities. Trying something different than a more traditional model of policing requires a strong commitment from those at the top. Princeton sociologist Pat Sharkey, who’s studied policing, went so far to tell me that “passionate, competent, well-funded leadership is way more important than the specifics of any particular model.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HmgKGi">
Another major problem with many of these studies, noted in a <a href="https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24928/proactive-policing-effects-on-crime-and-communities">report</a> on proactive policing by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, is that they often don’t measure the costs of policing — not just the financial costs, but the burden police can often place on a community.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8FOeve">
For example, the NBER study that concluded each cop leads to a reduction in homicides also found more officers lead to “more arrests for low-level ‘quality-of-life’ offenses, with effects that imply a disproportionate burden for Black Americans.” That highlights one of the main criticisms of police raised by movements like Black Lives Matter: that officers harass people, particularly those of color, over minor problems, and those incidents can escalate to police killings — as was true in the deaths of <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/12/3/7327745/eric-garner-grand-jury-
decision">Eric Garner</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2020/5/27/21271667/george-floyd-death-police-
kneed-in-the-neck">George Floyd</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n2Ku2a">
This matters for the effectiveness of police at combating crime. If a policing strategy reduces crime and violence but also causes a community backlash due to a sentiment of widespread mistreatment, that approach is likely unsustainable. It could even make crime worse: If a community backlash is strong enough, people will stop cooperating with the police. They may even believe they can no longer trust the law and turn to violence instead of the police to settle their own problems. (This is <a href="https://www.vox.com/22578430/murder-
crime-2020-2021-covid-19-pandemic">one potential cause</a> of murder spikes over the last year and over 2015 to 2016.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HPCUnT">
So even if, say, <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/2/21/21144559/mike-
bloomberg-stop-and-frisk-criminal-justice-record">New York City’s aggressive stop-and-frisk strategy</a> was successful at reducing crime — though at least <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07418825.2012.712152#.Ugoz6mTXi0I">some research</a> found it wasn’t — it also inspired a significant backlash, a bevy of legal challenges, and protests. Those costs have to be weighed with the benefits.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0BErTa">
That’s why the discussion among experts isn’t just whether police can reduce murders but how to use police most effectively. Many believe there is a way to maximize the benefits of police — the homicide reduction — without as many, if any, of the downsides. But that would likely require tapping into approaches that focus on specific hot spots, problems, or individuals that disproportionately contribute to crime or violence instead of casting a wide net that hassles and burdens entire communities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QspcBS">
To put it another way: Evaluating police work, from stops to more aggressive actions, is nuanced, requiring a comprehensive look at the effects on a community. “Stops can be good or bad,” Aaron Chalfin, a criminologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told me. “People on the left think [all stops] are bad; people on the right think they’re good. And it’s not that at all.”
</p>
<h3 id="6dYaOl">
The evidence on alternatives to police is weak
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gFrd3J">
Still, the potential harms of policing are why people want other approaches to begin with: What if there’s an alternative to policing — one with the upsides of law enforcement but none or at least fewer of the downsides?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WSGjcq">
Unfortunately, there’s little evidence for such an approach yet.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GbjDvA">
One of the problems, as noted by researchers like <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JACPR-02-2021-0576/full/html">Caterina Roman</a> and a 2020 <a href="https://johnjayrec.nyc/2020/11/09/av2020/">report</a> by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation Center, is that there just isn’t as much research into alternatives to police as there is research on the police. The John Jay report argued websites like <a href="http://CrimeSolutions.gov">CrimeSolutions.gov</a>, which many levels of government rely on, favor policing approaches “because studies of policing interventions (i.e., hotspots policing and focused deterrence) are strongly supported by public and private funding bodies.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c9aD2B">
Roman was more blunt in an <a href="https://www.hfg.org/conversations/you-can-reduce-violence-but-harm-people-a-conversation-
with-caterina-roman/">interview</a> with the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation’s Greg Berman: “I think what’s not understood is that we don’t have good evidence on prevention, because we don’t research prevention.” That’s in part a function of researchers’ interest in policing over alternatives but also due to ease of access — policing strategies are just more prevalent around the world than prevention approaches.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kzf3fC">
Still, there’s some research into alternatives. One widely publicized approach, violence interrupters, uses locally trusted community liaisons — typically people who previously were part of gangs or took part in criminal activities — to break up conflicts before they escalate into violence. An <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/movies/the-interrupters-a-documentary-by-steve-
james-review.html">award-winning documentary</a> threw support behind the idea, and President Joe Biden’s administration <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-more-details-on-the-biden-
harris-administrations-investments-in-community-violence-interventions/">has shown support for it</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1srjDt">
But the research on interrupters <a href="https://www.vox.com/22622363/police-violence-interrupters-cure-
violence-research-study">ranges from weak to disappointing</a>. A 2015 <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122509">review of the evidence</a> published in the <em>Annual Review of Public Health</em> looked at a handful of studies on the model in several American cities. None of the studies had fully positive results. The best result, in Chicago, indicated that the approach perhaps produced positive effects for shootings in four of seven evaluation sites — barely better than a coin flip. One program, in Pittsburgh, was so ineffective that it “appeared to be associated with an increase in rates of monthly aggravated assaults and gun assaults” in some neighborhoods.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tLK2g8">
The 2020 John Jay <a href="https://johnjayrec.nyc/2020/11/09/av2020/">report</a> was a bit more positive on interrupters but ultimately concluded the findings were “mixed.” The studies conducted so far are low-quality, with no randomized controlled trials completed to date. “It’s concerning,” Harvey, who helped write the John Jay report, told me. “It really is an example of weak evidence.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oiHnaq">
Still, there are some approaches to crime and violence with stronger evidence behind them, including <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w28373">summer jobs programs</a>, <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20140323">raising the minimum age to drop out of school</a>, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/115/12/2946.full.pdf">greening vacant lots</a>, <a href="https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/projects/crime-lights-study">more streetlights</a>, <a href="https://johnjayrec.nyc/2020/11/09/av2020/">more drug addiction treatment</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/11/13/17658028/massachusetts-gun-control-laws-licenses">better gun control</a>, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/12/13/18130843/alcohol-taxes">raising the alcohol tax</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1qqON1">
But these other approaches were all evaluated in a world where police exist, so even the positive research can’t demonstrate that these are necessarily true alternatives to police.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NS4rSR">
Another issue is non-police interventions tend to require a longer-term view rather than promising to reduce crime, especially violent crime, quickly. These interventions help address the root causes of crime and violence, from poverty to drug addiction. But it takes time to lift people and places from poor conditions, hence studies on alternatives producing results over months or years. Policing approaches, meanwhile, tend to produce effects within weeks or months, since it turns out people can be deterred from crime or violence quite quickly once officers are deployed on a block.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8W2lJ8">
This is why interrupters seemed so promising: By breaking up potentially violent conflicts on the spot, they could have more short- term effects. But that simply hasn’t been proven in the research.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IuqO7f">
That said, a real advantage to the alternatives is they don’t come with major downsides. If a policing approach fails to reduce crime, it can still produce a huge burden on a community through more incarceration and everyday harassment by officers. If an interrupter approach fails, at least no one was directly hurt in the process, though there is a potential opportunity cost if the program crowds out more successful approaches.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mLIXzg">
“We know Cure Violence [interrupters] are unlikely to do dramatic harm,” Doleac said. “But focused deterrence, if it backfires, could be very bad.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VI0SUB">
In fact, the alternatives often come with other benefits. Even if raising the school dropout age doesn’t reduce crime, it can still keep kids in school. Even if drug addiction treatment doesn’t cut crime, it still helps people overcome addiction. And so on.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X85txy">
Ultimately, it’s that lack of harm that makes the alternatives to policing worth trying and investigating. Maybe these experiments will produce a fantastic method for fighting crime in the end. If not, at least no one was hurt and maybe some were helped in another way.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="00Z0LE">
But, at least for now, there’s no good evidence that the alternatives can replace the police, Meanwhile, policing has strong evidence suggesting it really can work to cut crime and violence.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iFz58Z">
“The idea that we can reduce the violence we’ve been seeing without any use of the police is not evidence-based; it’s an aspiration, and it’s a high-risk idea,” Chalfin said. “A balanced portfolio feels like the lowest-risk strategy to me.”
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Congress’s hectic legislative schedule, briefly explained</strong> -
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<img alt="Speaker Nancy Pelosi gestures from behind a podium while speaking outside of the US Capitol." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YyJ6WopC4CiiMEqKQoIhMwQGdqo=/439x0:7491x5289/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69912644/1342301411.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gives remarks at the US Capitol on September 24. | Alex Wong/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Another government shutdown is looming, and the stakes are even higher than usual.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h8WQYE">
On Monday, Democrats will start one of the most chaotic legislative sprints in recent memory. With a potential government shutdown looming, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) <a href="https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/92521">said on Saturday</a> that three key bills, including President Joe Biden’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/22577374/reconciliation-bill-biden-medicare-climate">$3.5 trillion reconciliation package</a>, “must pass” in the coming week.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1sbtQS">
That timeline means the next week could be make-or-break for Biden’s legislative agenda, but all three bills face a complicated road ahead in Congress.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0h1lE8">
“The next few days will be a time of intensity,” Pelosi said in a <a href="https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/92521">letter</a> to her caucus on Saturday. “We sent a CR to the Senate and are awaiting their action to avoid a shutdown. We must pass the BIF to avoid the expiration of the surface transportation funding on September 30. And we must stay on schedule to pass the reconciliation bill so that we can Build Back Better.”
</p>
<div id="xOu9V8">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
PELOSI makes it official. Wants funding, infrastructure and reconciliation passed THIS WEEK. <br/><br/>Will make for one of the most intense weeks in congress. <a href="https://t.co/oPUX8Xc3LT">pic.twitter.com/oPUX8Xc3LT</a>
</p>
— Jake Sherman (<span class="citation" data-cites="JakeSherman">@JakeSherman</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1441859918001283079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2021</a></blockquote></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R3aeAq">
The proposed <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/22/dems-torn-between-
debt-fight-with-gop-and-averting-shutdown-513641">continuing resolution</a>, or CR, would fund the government until December, heading off a shutdown in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. Democrats have also attached a crucial measure to <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/21/18233169/debt-ceiling-explained">increase the debt ceiling</a> to that resolution.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PISdid">
The bipartisan <a href="https://www.vox.com/22598883/infrastructure-
deal-bipartisan-bill-biden-manchin">infrastructure bill</a>, or BIF, which passed the Senate last month with the support of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/10/politics/republican-senators-voted-infrastructure-bill/index.html">19 Republicans</a> and every Democrat, includes $550 billion in new spending and would direct much-needed funding to roads, public transit, rural broadband, and other areas. And a $3.5 trillion <a href="https://www.vox.com/22577374/reconciliation-bill-biden-medicare-climate">reconciliation package</a>, which Democrats have branded the Build Back Better Act, includes major parts of the Biden agenda that were dropped from the bipartisan deal. If passed in its proposed form, the bill would fund new social programs like universal pre- kindergarten, create green jobs to help combat climate change, and expand a child tax credit that has already <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/25/child-tax-credit-lifted-3-million-kids-from-poverty-in-july.html">lifted millions out of poverty</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z7JLDG">
Even alone, though, each piece of legislation would face a number of hurdles getting through a closely divided Congress. Add to that an <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/24/gottheimer-
house-dems-pelosi-deal-506819">intraparty schism</a> between the progressive and centrist wings of the Democratic Party over the ambitious reconciliation bill, as well as the tight deadline outlined by Pelosi on Saturday, and things look even more challenging.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="puSEoX">
Specifically, the closely linked bipartisan infrastructure bill and reconciliation package have become intertwined in such a way that one may not be able to pass without the other, and the CR faces difficulties of its own in the Senate.
</p>
<h3 id="gkAfka">
A high-stakes debt ceiling fight
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yieHpY">
Among the most pressing issues facing Congress this week is the looming prospect of a partial government shutdown. With the federal fiscal year ending September 30, Congress has until then to pass the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/23/politics/senate-debt-ceiling-vote-continuing-resolution/index.html">continuing resolution</a> and prevent a third shutdown in as many years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RXIWL4">
However, that could be particularly difficult to achieve this year. The CR that passed the House last week also includes a measure to raise the federal government’s debt ceiling ahead of a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/debt-limit-showdown-congress-
looms-ahead-october-deadline-n1278700">separate October deadline</a> — something <s>which </s>Senate Republicans have refused to support, despite voting to raise the debt ceiling three times <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-
policy/2021/09/20/white-house-debt-ceiling/">while former President Donald Trump was in office</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qSLpeA">
If a resolution fails to pass in time and the government does partially shut down, the ramifications could be especially severe thanks to the ongoing pandemic.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CyT6Lh">
“The worst time in the world we want to shut down the government is in the middle of a pandemic where we have 140,000 people a day getting infected and 2,000 people a day dying,” Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/23/fauci-says-this-is-worst-time-world-government-shutdown/">told the Washington Post last week</a>. “That’s the time when you want the government working full blast to address this.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G8gimS">
The approaching debt ceiling also raises the stakes of the coming week for congressional Democrats.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="klwuAp">
If the US fails to raise the debt ceiling, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/21/1039307253/congress-debt-limit-debt-ceiling-continuing-resolution-cr-shutdown">NPR reported last week</a>, the US could default on its debt, which would have a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/us-treasurys-yellen-debt-default-would-permanently-weaken-
america-2021-09-19/">potentially seismic impact on the US economy</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PLuCZE">
“We would emerge from this crisis a permanently weaker nation,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned in a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/congress-raise-debt-limit-ceiling-yellen-treasury-brinkmanship-federal-
budget-11632069056">Wall Street Journal</a> op-ed earlier this month, noting that the US’s good reputation for paying its bills also has geopolitical significance.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wmfmhx">
Should the nation default when its cash reserves and borrowing capacity are exhausted in mid-October, borrowing would become more expensive — and that burden would fall on ordinary Americans, many of whom are already struggling due to the economic crisis brought on by Covid-19.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="npiro3">
Experts have also warned that a US default could provoke a new financial crisis: The ensuing recession could see unemployment surge to 9 percent and as much as $15 trillion in household wealth wiped out, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/09/21/debt-ceiling-recession-/">according to the Washington Post</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nnHUrG">
Despite the catastrophic implications of a potential US default, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has signaled that he intends to force Democrats to go it alone on the debt ceiling, even at the cost of precipitating a government shutdown by withholding support for the proposed funding resolution.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lubKnP">
“We do not have divided government. Democrats do not need our help,” <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/21/1039307253/congress-debt-limit-debt-ceiling-continuing-resolution-cr-shutdown">he said</a> in a statement earlier this month. “They have every tool to address the debt limit on their own: the same party-line process they used to ram through inflationary spending in March and already plan to use again this fall.”
</p>
<div id="UOh9pR">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
McConnell reiterates that GOP senators oppose extending the debt limit if Democrats “go it alone” on the multi-trillion-dollar bill. “They will not get Senate Republicans’ help with raising the debt limit.”<br/><br/>“We do not have divided government. Democrats do not need our help.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">— Sahil Kapur (<span class="citation" data-cites="sahilkapur">@sahilkapur</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1440037817061576705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2021</a></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h3BXdb">
While that’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/09/20/congress-
shutdown-debt-ceiling-biden/">technically</a> true — Democrats could use the same reconciliation process they’re pursuing to pass the $3.5 trillion spending bill in order to pass the CR with only Democratic votes — a key Democratic House member has already indicated that that option may be off the table.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BD3xmK">
<a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1440748855478272003?s=20">According to Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman</a>, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), the chair of the House Budget Committee, said last week that “his staff has come to the conclusion there is not enough time to alter the reconciliation bill OR write a stand alone bill to lift the debt ceiling.”
</p>
<div id="AiEvTn">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
NEW: House Budget Chair <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJohnYarmuth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="RepJohnYarmuth">@RepJohnYarmuth</span></a> told me and <a href="https://twitter.com/mkraju?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="mkraju">@mkraju</span></a> his staff has come to the conclusion there is not enough time to alter the reconciliation bill OR write a stand alone bill to lift the debt ceiling <br/><br/>This could complicate next month as we inch closer to deadline
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">— Jake Sherman (<span class="citation" data-cites="JakeSherman">@JakeSherman</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1440748855478272003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2021</a></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hG1MaR">
That means the current CR, which has already passed the House, could be the only viable mechanism to both fund the government and avert a debt ceiling crisis before the deadline.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gyaRMP">
Still, McConnell appears <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/573068-mcconnell-says-senate-gop-will-
oppose-combined-debt-ceiling-funding-bill">poised to block any CR</a> that also includes an increase to the debt ceiling, though he has said his conference would support a “clean continuing resolution” without the debt ceiling. That alternative still leaves Democrats with the question of what to do about the debt ceiling increase, however, considering Yarmuth’s position that it may now be too late to pass it through other avenues, and that could make for a uncertain week on Capitol Hill.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4p1L5S">
Nonetheless, Pelosi has signaled that the CR will get done in time. “Whatever it is, we will have a CR that passes both houses by Sept. 30,” <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/573622-pelosi-vows-to-avert-government-shutdown">she said at a press conference Thursday</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="r6cLFU">
A lot could still go wrong for congressional Democrats
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fXxLaa">
In addition to the complications posed by McConnell’s stance on the debt ceiling, Democrats are facing an intraparty struggle over the linked bipartisan infrastructure bill and the proposed reconciliation package that could make the coming week particularly difficult.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="edpS7J">
In the Senate, Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) have both balked at the $3.5 trillion figure, with Manchin saying unequivocally in a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/manchin-pelosi-biden-3-5-trillion-reconciliation-government-spending-debt-deficit-
inflation-11630605657">Wall Street Journal editorial</a> earlier this month that he wouldn’t vote for a bill with that price tag.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2g1OJg">
All 50 Democratic votes in the Senate are needed to pass the reconciliation measure, however, making their support critical.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lFhqwW">
For her part, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/politics/kyrsten-sinema-infrastructure-deal-price-tag/index.html">Sinema</a> made her opposition known <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2021/07/28/arizona-sen-kyrsten-
sinema-wont-back-democrats-3-5-trillion-reconciliation-bill/5402193001/">in July</a>, but indicated then that she was open to negotiations. In recent weeks, Sinema has met with Biden to discuss the bill — and signaled that her <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/09/20/scoop-sinema-issues-ultimatum-to-biden-494397">continued support for reconciliation</a> depends on the House’s passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill on Monday.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4EZ6oO">
Sinema’s position puts congressional Democrats in a distinct bind, since progressives in the House say they will not support the infrastructure bill until Congress moves forward with the larger, more progressive reconciliation bill as well, and Pelosi is working with an exceedingly narrow Democratic margin in the House.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zx9I5R">
That means the votes to pass the bipartisan deal might not be there if the reconciliation bill doesn’t come along with it — or at least that’s what House progressives are betting. Progressive leaders, such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, are hoping to use their support for the bipartisan deal as leverage to keep the more ambitious reconciliation bill moving along as well.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bbugvI">
As of Sunday, it’s unclear exactly when the House will vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package. Jayapal has <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyRomm/status/1442113375400599554?s=20">said</a> she does not believe there will be a vote Monday, and Pelosi declined to offer a specific day in a Sunday interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, saying that “we’re going to pass the bill this week.”
</p>
<div id="RQAPNS">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Jayapal: “I don’t believe there is going to be a vote” tomorrow on infrastructure in the House. (Everyone agrees with this but remember the goal was to consider, not vote, starting tmw.)
</p>
— Tony Romm (<span class="citation" data-cites="TonyRomm">@TonyRomm</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyRomm/status/1442113375400599554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="blazvZ">
“A deal’s a deal,” Jayapal <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/1442202311640502273?s=20">tweeted on Sunday</a>. “We don’t pass the infrastructure bill without passing the Build Back Better Act, investing in child care, climate action, paid leave, housing, health care, education, and a roadmap to citizenship.”
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Arizona finished its “audit.” Other states are just getting started.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Contractors sitting at a number of tables in a large arena examine Maricopa County ballots from
the 2020 election." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LtpKWfbPXtFGr5a9Li18ePbZzUU=/299x0:5064x3574/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69908982/1233536881.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Contractors working for Cyber Ninjas examine and recount ballots from the 2020 general election in Phoenix, Arizona, May 8, 2021. | Courtney Pedroza for the Washington Post
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Ten months later, the GOP is still trying to dispute the 2020 election.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sG8flP">
Arizona’s spurious <a href="https://www.vox.com/22417310/arizona-audit-ballots-cyber-
ninjas-uv-lights-qanon-conspiracy-theory-vote-suppression-fraud">election “audit”</a> concluded on Friday, <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/09/23/arizona-audit-draft-report-confirms-biden-beat-
trump-2020/5835521001/">confirming</a> yet again that President Joe Biden won Maricopa County, and the state of Arizona — but not putting an end to former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud, which are now fueling <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/23/1039451858/republican-led-election-reviews-take-shape-in-pennsylvania-and-
wisconsin">similar efforts</a> to relitigate the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Texas.
</p></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IDA1oo">
The results of the “audit” — a haphazard GOP review of ballots with no legal force behind it, done by a group called Cyber Ninjas in Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to Phoenix — found the vote totals virtually unchanged from the actual election results, which were <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/30/arizona-secretary-state-certify-election-
results-monday/6444577002/">certified</a> by Arizona officials in November of last year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3fDzXK">
That outcome isn’t a surprise: There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which US elections officials said last year was “<a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/11/13/21563825/2020-elections-most-secure-dhs-cisa-
krebs">the most secure in American history</a>.” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/24/trump-
backed-audits-that-keep-debunking-trump-ranked/">Every recount requested by Trump and his supporters</a> has upheld the results of the 2020 election.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0vNcy9">
While the ballot review didn’t turn up Trump’s nonexistent election fraud, the process <em>has</em> caused a legion of problems for Arizona elections officials, who are currently facing <a href="https://twitter.com/nickmartin/status/1441589373921759239?s=20">death threats</a> and will now have to <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2021/07/14/arizona-audit-maricopa-county-
spend-2-8-m-replace-voting-machines/7965882002/">spend millions</a> to replace voting machines in Maricopa County.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VMHs98">
It also hasn’t quieted some of the most aggressive proponents of voter fraud conspiracies in Arizona, including state Republican Party chair Kelli Ward, who is now <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/arizona-gop-chair-calls-
new-audit-after-biden-confirmed-winner-again-1632669">calling for</a> a “full signature audit” in Maricopa County, and Trump himself, who used a <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1441787931107237888?s=20">Saturday interview</a> with right-wing outlet One America News to push debunked claims of election fraud.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="olYTxs">
And, perhaps most worryingly, Arizona’s attempt at a recount has provided a clear roadmap for pro-Trump officials around the country — specifically, in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin — to pursue their own “audits” and sow further distrust in American elections.
</p>
<h3 id="EUOhuC">
The Arizona recount was never credible
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="76lmj2">
On the surface, the Arizona audit’s findings this week approximated Maricopa County’s actual, certified 2020 election results. The vote totals in the final report only differed by a <a href="https://twitter.com/willsommer/status/1441233874340646919?s=20">few hundred votes</a> out of about 2.1 million, with Biden actually picking up votes.
</p>
<div id="HlVAun">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
The Arizona “audit” coming out tomorrow didn’t just confirm Biden won. Biden actually gained votes in their recount, while Trump lost hundreds, according to a draft report. <a href="https://t.co/vSflCtllni">https://t.co/vSflCtllni</a> <a href="https://t.co/9JuLNtYbeW">pic.twitter.com/9JuLNtYbeW</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">— Will Sommer (<span class="citation" data-cites="willsommer">@willsommer</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/willsommer/status/1441233874340646919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2021</a></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gr7iLT">
In the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1040327483/the-controversial-
election-review-in-arizona-confirms-bidens-
win?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Sentences%209.24.21&amp;utm_term=Sentences">final report</a> released Friday, however, Cyber Ninjas never explicitly says that Biden won, and the report also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/24/arizona-election-review-did-exactly-what-it-was-intended-
do/">continues to baselessly raise the possibility of election fraud</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B7cIvM">
That, combined with the process behind the audit — partisan, slipshod, and conspiratorial — makes for a deeply concerning precedent, particularly as other states take up similar efforts.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P0Nc51">
From the start, the recount was a partisan enterprise, supported by Arizona’s Republican Senate majority. The company hired to conduct the audit — Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based security firm — had <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/Partisan%20Election%20Review%20Efforts%20Across%20the%20United%20States%20in%202021%20-%2007.08.21.pdf">no experience</a> conducting an election audit, and its CEO, Doug Logan, openly promoted pro-Trump election conspiracies on Twitter before deleting his account in January, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/us/Election-audit-
Arizona-Republicans.html">according to the New York Times</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cRh0fh">
Cyber Ninjas also hired a group called Wake TSI to complete the hand count of Maricopa County ballots, adding to the chaos of the process. According to a report by the <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/Partisan%20Election%20Review%20Efforts%20Across%20the%20United%20States%20in%202021%20-%2007.08.21.pdf">Brennan Center for Justice</a>, Wake TSI has ties to Trump’s “Stop the Steal” movement and had previously been contracted by pro-Trump group Defending the Republic to review the results of the election in one Pennsylvania county.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tf6ImH">
Cyber Ninja’s methods were also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-arizona-
recount/2021/04/29/bcd8d832-a798-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html">wildly out of line</a> with normal audit procedures, which prioritize the security of ballots and voters’ personal information, and the group performed its review without the transparency typical for such processes, insisting to reporters and other observers that their procedures were “trade secrets.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EBDDXc">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/22417310/arizona-audit-ballots-cyber-ninjas-uv-lights-
qanon-conspiracy-theory-vote-suppression-fraud">As Vox’s Ian Millhiser reported in May</a>, Cyber Ninjas also pursued a long list of nonsense audit methods, including examining ballots under ultraviolet light and considering their “thickness or feel.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q6SwI3">
Specifically, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22417310/arizona-audit-ballots-cyber-
ninjas-uv-lights-qanon-conspiracy-theory-vote-suppression-fraud">according to Millhiser</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ud9nSu">
After a state court <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-arizona-
recount/2021/04/29/bcd8d832-a798-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html">ordered Cyber Ninjas to disclose</a> how it is conducting this so-called audit, a subcontractor revealed that the process involves weighing ballots, examining them under a microscope, and examining the “thickness or feel” of individual ballots in order to <a href="https://www.cyberninjas.com/static/20210429155650/Wake-TSI-Counting-Floor-Policies.pdf">identify “questionable ballots”</a> that need to be examined by a “lead forensic examiner” and then “removed from the batch and sent for further analysis.”
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g2Ng7o">
On Friday, after the conclusion of the audit, <a href="https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1441228178001850371">a tweet from Maricopa County officials</a> summed up the Cyber Ninjas effort.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wH2QzR">
“Cyber Ninjas confirms the county’s canvass of the 2020 General Election was accurate and the candidates certified as the winners did, in fact, win,” the official Maricopa County Twitter account noted. “Unfortunately, the report is also littered with errors &amp; faulty conclusions about how Maricopa County conducted the 2020 General Election.”
</p>
<div id="q7Brgd">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Unfortunately, the report is also littered with errors &amp; faulty conclusions about how Maricopa County conducted the 2020 General Election.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">— Maricopa County (<span class="citation" data-cites="maricopacounty">@maricopacounty</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1441228178001850371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2021</a></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<h3 id="39zqon">
Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin are following the Arizona model
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UDtjsw">
Although the Arizona audit didn’t <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/24/trump-backed-
audits-that-keep-debunking-trump-ranked/">produce the result Trump</a> wanted — an impossible about-face from the certified results that would give him further pretense to<strong> </strong>call into question the entire 2020 election — the effort is already serving as a model for Republicans looking to promulgate election fraud conspiracies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hC5cxO">
Specifically, as of this week, Republican legislators in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin have all embarked on a mission to implement recounts or investigations of their own, though the election is long over and certified.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nMMUAz">
On Thursday, the <a href="https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/newsreleases/2021/092321.shtml">Texas secretary of state’s office</a> released a statement that it would perform a review of the election results in four large counties — Dallas, Harris, Tarrant, and Collin — adding that they expect the Texas legislature to pay for the process, but failing to disclose any further details, or a reason why the audit is necessary. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/arizona-gops-election-audit-
confirms-biden-win-in-draft-report-11632467822?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium">According to the Wall Street Journal</a>, Trump called on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to conduct an audit earlier on Thursday, despite the fact that Trump won the state by a sizable margin in 2020.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1hIC3P">
In <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/23/1039451858/republican-led-election-reviews-take-shape-in-pennsylvania-and-
wisconsin">Pennsylvania</a>, meanwhile, Republican legislators in the Senate’s Intergovernmental Operations Committee voted <a href="https://www.witf.org/2021/09/15/senate-panel-orders-state-election-officials-to-hand-over-troves-of-
voter-records/">earlier this month</a> to subpoena voters’ personal information — including addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers — in preparation for a new review of the state’s 2020 election results.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4IFIGe">
Previous election audits, judicial determinations, and both Republican and Democratic election officials have already concluded that Biden won Pennsylvania, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/23/1039451858/republican-led-
election-reviews-take-shape-in-pennsylvania-and-wisconsin">according to NPR</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RPVAFG">
And <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/24/trump-backed-audits-that-keep-debunking-trump-ranked/">in Wisconsin</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-business-texas-arizona-
elections-6a1538db5d3fa52e00567d5f016ef971">two separate election reviews</a> — one by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau, and one by a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wisconsin-courts-voting-presidential-elections-
cffb3e0ac958ae0a8565454b5e4af584">pro-Trump former state Supreme Court justice</a> who has espoused false election conspiracies — are also underway.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EoFq0v">
Previously, the Trump campaign <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-falls-short-wisconsin-recount-he-
paid-3-million-n1249289">paid about $3 million</a> for a review of the votes in Wisconsin’s Milwaukee and Dane counties, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/05/931478765/trump-asks-for-a-wisconsin-recount-though-its-unlikely-to-change-the-
outcome">falsely alleging</a> that “15-20% of absentee ballots in Milwaukee County were tainted” by poll workers. That recount, which was completed in November 2020, found no evidence of Trump’s claims and confirmed Biden’s victory in the state.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Jcc9l7">
In addition to these new audits, it’s possible that pro-Trump recount efforts in Arizona aren’t over yet either: On Friday, Trump-backed Arizona secretary of state candidate <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/9/19/22682438/trump-justice-for-j6-rally-far-right-elections">Mark Finchem</a> tweeted out a call to <a href="https://twitter.com/RealMarkFinchem/status/1441419094675189765?s=20">conduct a recount</a> in Arizona’s Pima County.
</p>
<h3 id="gqE6h3">
Arizona’s “audit” is bad news for US democracy
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LUWUzy">
On the surface, the Arizona audit didn’t work out for Trump or the Arizona GOP — that is, it didn’t find the election fraud they’ve alleged exists, contrary to all evidence. On another level, however, as the Washington Post’s Philip Bump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/24/arizona-election-review-did-exactly-what-it-was-intended-
do/">pointed out Friday</a>, Trump and company got exactly what they wanted.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VPnD21">
“The Cyber Ninjas appear to have done exactly what they were hired to do,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/24/arizona-
election-review-did-exactly-what-it-was-intended-do/">Bump wrote</a> ahead of the release of the final report. “They were not hired to recount ballots that had already been counted. They were, instead, hired to slather some semblance of authority on top of conspiracy theories. To anchor irrational assumptions about fraud to something resembling rationality.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lGwsCx">
The problems with that are obvious — despite the complete lack of evidence, claims of voter fraud have taken root with a <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/poll-two-thirds-of-republicans-still-think-
the-2020-election-was-rigged-165934695.html">broad portion</a> of the Republican electorate, election workers are facing a barrage of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/terrorized-us-election-workers-get-little-help-law-
enforcement-2021-09-08/">death threats and harassment</a>, and a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/15/politics/cnn-
poll-most-americans-democracy-under-attack/index.html">CNN/SSRS poll</a> conducted earlier this month found that a slight majority of Americans, 56 percent, now feel that American democracy is “under attack.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tOById">
The prospect of more recounts to come in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Texas also means that problem isn’t likely to abate any time soon — and as the immediate calls for more “audits” by pro-Trump officials in Arizona underscore, the goal isn’t so much to confirm the accuracy of the 2020 election as to confirm a preconceived, false belief that the election was stolen from Trump.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="klLGpt">
“Though many may experience a short burst of schadenfreude at the Republicans’ failure here, the result isn’t really funny,” <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/the-arizona-
recounts-happy-ending-does-not-justify-its-existence/620196/?utm_source=feed">the Atlantic’s David Graham wrote on Friday</a>. “All is not well that ends well. Faith in elections is essential to a functioning democracy, and Trump and his allies have sought to undercut the belief that the election system is accurate.”
</p>
<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>IPL 2021 | Kuldeep Yadav back from UAE after sustaining knee injury, may miss most of domestic season</strong> - Out-of-favour India spinner Kuldeep Yadav who was with KKR is expected to go through a long rehabilitation process before attempting a comeback to competitive cricket</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>IPL 2021 | Struggling Mumbai Indians face inconsistent Punjab Kings</strong> - Skipper Rohit Sharma scored 33 and 43 in the last two games but couldn’t capitalise on the starts</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>Moeen Ali to retire from Test cricket: reports</strong> - He is currently in U.A.E. playing for Chennai Super Kings 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>IPL 2021 | Virat Kohli becomes first Indian to reach 10,000 runs in T20 cricket</strong> - Virat Kohli is the second man after Chris Gayle to reach the landmark in both T20 and one-day international cricket</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>IPL 2021 | Selection not in my hand, says Harshal Patel on not making T20 World Cup squad</strong> - Harshal Patel is not losing his sleep over his failure to make the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup</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>Kerala High Court adjourns hearing on Centre’s appeal against single judge verdict on Covishield dose gap</strong> - Single judge’s directive allowed those willing to take a second paid dose of Covishield vaccine four weeks after the first jab instead of the stipulated 84-day gap</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>Bharat Bandh | Farmers hold mass rallies across the country</strong> - If there is bill wapsi, only then there will be ghar wapsi, says Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>2 arrested for inciting violence during Assam eviction</strong> - Two persons were killed in police firing and a dozen others, including nine security personnel, sustained injuries during the eviction drive on September 23</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>International expo to attract investment to tourism sector in Karnataka</strong> - State government aims for ₹5,000 crore from global investors</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>Rajani Patel to get Cong. RS seat from Maharashtra</strong> - BJP withdraws candidate for by-poll</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>Germany elections: Centre-left claim narrow win over Merkel’s party</strong> - The Social Democrats beat the party of outgoing Chancellor Merkel and may need weeks to form a coalition.</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>German elections usher in political change with a small ‘c’</strong> - While voting patterns are changing, none of the front-running parties can be described as radical.</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>German election: Seven things we learned</strong> - Seats, Schleswig and an ex-spy: here are some of the sidelights from Sunday’s vote.</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>Switzerland same-sex marriage: Two-thirds of voters back yes</strong> - Nearly two-thirds have voted yes to the proposal, already law in most of western Europe.</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>Iceland misses out on Europe’s first female-majority parliament after recount</strong> - A recount dashes Iceland’s belief that it had Europe’s first parliament with 50% of seats held by women.</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>Iké Boys review: If you love kaiju so much, why not just be one?</strong> - Clever use of animation, deep affinity for shows that inspired it carry this indie genre film. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1798309">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>N64 on Switch: Reading the tea leaves on future game prospects</strong> - Previous NSO support, third party relations, Virtual Console history: We dive in. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1798338">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s not easy to control police use of tech—even with a law</strong> - A key backer of a 2018 Oakland law says the city is not following the rules. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1798346">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The 2022 Kia Carnival is a handsome minivan, but it needs a hybrid option</strong> - Despite Kia’s expertise with electrification, the Carnival only comes as a V6 for now. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1798244">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A new formula may help Black patients’ access to kidney care</strong> - Algorithm made it harder for Black patients to qualify for transplants, other treatments. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1798361">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Two prostitutes were riding around town with a sign on top of their car that said</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“TWO PROSTITUTES $50.00.” A policeman stopped them and told them they’d either have to remove the sign or go to jail. Just then, another car passed with a sign saying, “JESUS SAVES.” One of the girls asked the cop, “Why don’t you stop them?” Well, that’s a little different," the cop smiled. “Their sign pertains to religion.” The two ladies frowned as they took their sign down and drove off.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The following day the cop noticed the same two ladies driving around with a large sign on their car again. This time the sign read: “TWO ANGELS SEEKING PETER $50.00.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/sk8ter_grl"> /u/sk8ter_grl </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pw3n0w/two_prostitutes_were_riding_around_town_with_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pw3n0w/two_prostitutes_were_riding_around_town_with_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>I tried having my mother’s phone disconnected, but customer service told me that since the account was in my dad’s name, he’d have to be the one to put in the request…..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The fact that he’d been dead for 40 years didn’t sway the rep. Then a solution hit me: “If I stop paying the bill, you can turn off the service, right?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Well, yes,” she said reluctantly. “But that would ruin his credit.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ksp1234"> /u/ksp1234 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pwe0xh/i_tried_having_my_mothers_phone_disconnected_but/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pwe0xh/i_tried_having_my_mothers_phone_disconnected_but/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A congressman was seated in first class next to a little girl on an airplane.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He turned to her and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.” The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, “What would you want to talk about?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the congressman. “How about global warming, universal health care, or stimulus packages?” as he smiled smugly. “OK,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The legislator, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.” To which the little girl replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss global warming, universal health care, or the economy when you don’t know crap?” Then she went back to reading her book.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Alexharper051"> /u/Alexharper051 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pvyu6j/a_congressman_was_seated_in_first_class_next_to_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pvyu6j/a_congressman_was_seated_in_first_class_next_to_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>18 year old Maria went home happy, telling her mother about how she earned $20 by climbing a tree.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Her mom responded, “Maria, they just wanted to see your panties!” Maria replied, “See Mom, I was smart, I took them off!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Maxastish"> /u/Maxastish </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pw00ua/18_year_old_maria_went_home_happy_telling_her/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pw00ua/18_year_old_maria_went_home_happy_telling_her/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>What did the pirate say when he turned eighty?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Aye Matey!
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/canadian_boi"> /u/canadian_boi </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pw8xgf/what_did_the_pirate_say_when_he_turned_eighty/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pw8xgf/what_did_the_pirate_say_when_he_turned_eighty/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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