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<title>14 August, 2023</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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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>Subphenotypes of Self-Reported Symptoms and Outcomes in Long COVID: a prospective cohort study with latent class analysis.</strong> -
<div>
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Objective: To characterize subphenotypes of self-reported symptoms and outcomes(SRSOs) in Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19(PASC). Design: Prospective, observational cohort study of PASC subjects. Setting: Academic tertiary center from five clinical referral sources. Participants: Adults with COVID-19 ≥ 20 days before enrollment and presence of any new self-reported symptoms following COVID-19. Exposures: We collected data on clinical variables and SRSOs via structured telephone interviews and performed standardized assessments with validated clinical numerical scales to capture psychological symptoms, neurocognitive functioning, and cardiopulmonary function. We collected saliva and stool samples for quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA via qPCR. Primary and Secondary outcomes of measure: Description of PASC SRSOs burden and duration, derivation of distinct PASC subphenotypes via latent class analysis (LCA), and relationship between viral load with SRSOs and PASC subphenotypes. Results: Baseline data for 214 individuals were analyzed. The study visit took place at a median of 197.5 days after COVID-19 diagnosis, and participants reported ever having a median of 9/16 symptoms (interquartile range 6-11) after acute COVID, with muscle-aches, dyspnea, and headache being the most common. Fatigue, cognitive impairment, and dyspnea were experienced for a longer time. Participants had a lower burden of active symptoms (median 3, interquartile range 1-6) than those ever experienced (p&lt;0.001). Unsupervised LCA of symptoms revealed three clinically-active PASC subphenotypes: a high burden constitutional symptoms (21.9%) , a persistent loss/change of smell and taste (20.6%) , and a minimal residual symptoms subphenotype (57.5%). Subphenotype assignments were strongly associated with self-assessments of global health, recovery and PASC impact on employment (p&lt;0.001). Viral persistence (5.6% saliva and 1% stool samples positive) did not explain SRSOs or subphenotypes. Conclusions: We identified distinct PASC subphenotypes and highlight that although most symptoms progressively resolve, specific PASC subpopulations are impacted by either high burden of constitutional symptoms or persistent olfactory/gustatory dysfunction, requiring prospective identification and targeted preventive or therapeutic interventions.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.09.23293901v1" target="_blank">Subphenotypes of Self-Reported Symptoms and Outcomes in Long COVID: a prospective cohort study with latent class analysis.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Variant-Specific Serum Antibodies Post-Vaccination Utilizing Immortalized Human Hepatocyte-like Cells (HLC) to Assess Development of Protective Immunity</strong> -
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Abstract Background: Our previous studies demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins could bind to hepatocytes via the asialoglycoprotein receptor-1 (ASGR-1) facilitating direct infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Immortalized E12-HLC expressed the phenotypic and biological properties of primary human hepatocytes, including their ability to bind spike proteins via ASGR-1 with exception of the spike 1 protein. This binding could be inhibited by spike protein-specific monoclonal antibodies. We used the same spike-blocking analysis to determine if post-vaccination serum was capable of blocking spike protein binding to HLC. Samples collected from subjects prior to, and post-vaccination were quantified for anti-variant-specific antibody (original wild type, alpha (α), beta (β), gamma (γ), and delta (δ) variants by a flow cytometry based immunofluorescent assay. Inhibition of variant spike protein binding to HLC and AT-2 (as a known model for spike 1 binding to the ACE-2 receptor) was analyzed by confocal microscopy. This study was designed to investigate the ability of post-vaccination antibodies to mediate immunity to spike S2, and to validate the utility of the E12-HLC in analyzing that immunity. Methods: Serum was collected from 10 individuals pre- and post-vaccination with the J&amp;J, Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. The serum samples were quantified for variant-specific antibodies in a flow cytometry-based immunofluorescent assay utilizing beads coated with biotinylated variant spike proteins (α, β, γ, δ).Presence of variant-specific antibodies was visualized by anti-human IgG-Alexa 488. Inhibition of spike protein binding to cells was analyzed by immunofluorescent confocal analysis. Biotinylated variant spike proteins were preincubated with serum samples and then tested for binding to target cells. Binding was visualized by Streptavidin-Alexa 594. Results were compared to binding of unblocked spike variants. Results: All variant spike proteins tested bound to both the HLC and AT-2 cells. Pre-vaccination serum samples had no detectable reactivity to any of the variant spike proteins and were unable to inhibit binding of the variant spike proteins to either target cell. Post-vaccination serum samples demonstrated a progression of SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels from low early post-vaccination levels to higher levels at 2.5 months after vaccination. Concurrently, serum samples taken at those different timeframes demonstrated that serum obtained from shortly after vaccination were not as effective in blocking spike protein as serum obtained after 2.5 months post-vaccination. Antibody concentrations were not necessarily associated with better blocking of spike protein binding as spike variant-specific serum antibody concentrations varied significantly between subjects and within each subject. It was also demonstrated that vaccination with all the various available vaccines stimulated antibodies that inhibited binding of the available variant spike proteins to both HLC and AT-2 cells. Conclusion: HLC, along with AT-2 cells, provides a useful platform to study the development of protective antibodies that prevent the binding SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins to target cells. It was shown that vaccination with the three available vaccines all elicited serum antibodies that were protective against binding of each of the variant spike proteins to both AT-2 and HLC cells. This study suggests that analysis of immune serum to block spike binding to target cells may be a more useful technique to assess protective immunity than quantitation of gross antibody alone.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.08.23293863v1" target="_blank">Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Variant-Specific Serum Antibodies Post-Vaccination Utilizing Immortalized Human Hepatocyte-like Cells (HLC) to Assess Development of Protective Immunity</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Immunogenicity of mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 in Immunocompromised Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Using GRADE</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Aim: Immunocompromised (IC) patients mount poor immune responses to vaccination. Higher-dose COVID-19 vaccines may offer increased immunogenicity. Materials &amp; methods: A pairwise meta-analysis of 98 studies reporting comparisons of mRNA-1273 (50 or 100 mcg/dose) and BNT162b2 (30 mcg/dose) in IC adults was performed. Outcomes were seroconversion, total and neutralizing antibody titers, and cellular immune responses. Results: mRNA-1273 was associated with a significantly higher seroconversion likelihood (relative risk, 1.11 [95% CI, 1.08, 1.14]; P&lt;0.0001; I2=66.8%) and higher total antibody titers (relative increase, 50.45% [95% CI, 34.63%, 66.28%]; P&lt;0.0001; I2=89.5%) versus BNT162b2. mRNA-1273 elicited higher but statistically nonsignificant relative increases in neutralizing antibody titers and cellular immune responses versus BNT162b2. Conclusion: Higher-dose mRNA-1273 had increased immunogenicity versus BNT162b2 in IC patients.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.09.23293898v1" target="_blank">Immunogenicity of mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 in Immunocompromised Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Using GRADE</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A community based cross-sectional study on impact assessment of COVID-19 on mental health in Central India</strong> -
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The current study is a cross-sectional survey that aims to assess the effect of COVID-19 on mental health in rural India. The study was conducted in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh state, and it used the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), PHQ-9, and IES-R to evaluate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and PTSD among the community. Out of 431 participants, 44% were male, with a mean age of 41 years. The study found that 87% of the participants had health insurance, 40% had co-morbidities like hypertension or diabetes, and half of them experienced food shortage and change in income during the pandemic. One-third of the participants experienced death among one or more family members due to the pandemic. The study found that the mean scores of IES-R, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 were 23.59-24.91, 1.50, 2.07, and 1.06-1.58, respectively. Thirty percent of the participants observed some distress, 15% reported depression, and 12% reported anxiety. The adjusted effect of death in the family due to COVID-19 was found to be significantly associated with higher risk of mental distress, whereas education was associated with lower risk of distress. Depression and anxiety were more common among the elderly and less common among individuals living in nuclear families. Scarcity of food and change in income were significantly associated with anxiety. These findings highlight the need for increased support for mental health in rural communities in India, particularly in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.08.23293808v1" target="_blank">A community based cross-sectional study on impact assessment of COVID-19 on mental health in Central India</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>To what extent are Chinese international students in Leuven influenced by the educational thoughts of Confucius when coping with the Covid-19 pandemic situation?</strong> -
<div>
The Chinese education market is the largest in Higher Education (HE) worldwide. The number of study-abroad Chinese students has experienced a constant growth throughout the previous decade. According to the Chinese Ministry of Education report, there were more than 660,000 Chinese students studying in different countries in 2018. This demonstrates the growing desire from Chinese students, as well as their parents, to integrate in multicultural contexts in order to broaden horizons in this modern era (Gao, 2018). However, recent studies revealed that Chinese overseas students have less affinity to different cultures and face many difficulties in integrating with students of different cultural backgrounds (Yu and Moskal, 2018). Both internal and external culture differences are the key factors behind Chinese students lacking ability for intercultural integration (Zhu and Gao, 2012), which is also associated with their difficulty in adapting in a different education system. Chinese overseas students come from a Confucian Heritage Culture where Confucianism has shaped the culture that has been deeply rooted in the Chinese education system. This has formed the students’ mind-set, resulting in certain personality traits related to social communication. Modesty, social and ritual propriety are the main tenets of Confucian traditionalism. It has become the standard for Chinese peoples’ social and moral behaviours, gives order to and strengthens the social connections between people. This mind-set influences Chinese international students’ cross-cultural communication, both in multilingual and multicultural contexts (Luo, Huang and Najjar, 2007). Taking the Covid-19 pandemic into consideration, it was observed that Chinese overseas students in different countries have proactively taken medical solutions for self-prevention in the crisis situation. In order to identify the role of Confucian Heritage Cultures influence in Chinese international students adapting to overseas education environments, this study examines the previous work on Confucian Heritage Culture involvement in Chinese education. It is designed to measure, to what extent are Chinese international students in Leuven influenced by Confucian Heritage Culture when coping with the Covid-19 pandemic situation during overseas study. The conducted thesis includes an academic review on Confucian Heritage Culture as a fundamental cultural factor in Chinese education system, a qualitative study and an analysis of Chinese international students in Leuven experience Confucian Heritage Culture to cope with lockdown situations. This thesis aims to explore the possible revelation of acculturation competence among Chinese international students within the coronavirus pandemic background.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/q2afv/" target="_blank">To what extent are Chinese international students in Leuven influenced by the educational thoughts of Confucius when coping with the Covid-19 pandemic situation?</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>ChatGPT, Enhanced with Clinical Practice Guidelines, is a Superior Decision Support Tool</strong> -
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ChatGPT has gained remarkable traction since its inception in November 2022. However, it faces limitations in generating inaccurate responses, ignoring existing guidelines, and lacking reasoning when applied in clinical settings. This study introduces ChatGPT-CARE, a tool that integrates clinical practice guidelines with ChatGPT, focusing on COVID-19 outpatient treatment decisions. By employing in-context learning, chain-of-thought prompting, and few-shots learning, ChatGPT-CARE enhances original ChatGPT9s clinical decision support and reasoning capabilities. The tool was evaluated using three categories of various descriptions of patients seeking COVID-19 treatment, and two physicians specialized in pulmonary disease and critical care assessed the responses for accuracy, hallucination, and clarity. The results indicate that ChatGPT-CARE, particularly the GPT-4 version, offers higher accuracy and clarity compared to the original ChatGPT. Despite some limitations, such as occasional hallucinations, ChatGPT-CARE represents a significant advancement in AI-driven clinical decision support, with potential applications beyond COVID-19 treatment.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.09.23293890v1" target="_blank">ChatGPT, Enhanced with Clinical Practice Guidelines, is a Superior Decision Support Tool</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Post-COVID conditions during Delta and early-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant periods among adults in the United States</strong> -
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Background: Post-COVID conditions after infection with new SARS-CoV-2 variants have been incompletely described. We compared the prevalence and risk factors for ongoing symptoms lasting 4 weeks or longer (often referred to as post-COVID Conditions) among adults who had tested positive vs. negative during the Delta and early-Omicron periods. Methods: Self-reported survey data regarding symptoms and previous SARS-CoV-2 test results were collected from May 31 - July 6, 2022, from a probability sampling of United States adults. Respondents were classified according to their test result, predominant circulating variant when respondents first tested positive (Delta vs early-Omicron), and demographic risk factors. Results: Among 2,421 respondents, 256 tested positive during Delta, 460 during early-Omicron, and 1,705 always tested negative. Nearly one-fourth (22.3%) of negative respondents reported at least 1 symptom that lasted 4 or more weeks, compared to 60.6% (p&lt;0.05) of respondents who tested positive during the Delta period and 47.8% (p&lt;0.05) during the early-Omicron period. Fatigue, change in smell/taste, and cough were commonly reported by respondents who tested positive. Demographic risk factors associated with ongoing symptoms were being female and unemployed (aOR 1.28, 95% CI 1.06-1.55; aOR 1.48, 95% CI: 1.17-1.87). Conclusion: The reported occurrence of ongoing symptoms associated with post-COVID conditions was reduced during the early-Omicron period, compared with Delta.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.09.23293776v1" target="_blank">Post-COVID conditions during Delta and early-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant periods among adults in the United States</a>
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<li><strong>Comparative Immunogenicity, Safety and Efficacy Profiles of four COVID-19 Vaccine types in healthy adults: Systematic Review cum Meta-analysis of Clinical Trial data</strong> -
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Four principal types of authorised COVID-19 vaccines include inactivated whole-virus vaccines, protein subunit vaccines, viral-vector vaccines and nucleic acid (mRNA and DNA) vaccines. Despite numerous Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), comprehensive systematic review and comparative meta-analysis have not been performed to validate the immunogenicity, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in the healthy adult population. We aim to fulfil this unmet void. We searched for peer-reviewed articles about RCTs of the COVID-19 vaccines on healthy adults (18-64 years) available in eight major bibliographic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, ScienceDirect, POPLINE, HINARI) till August 28, 2022. The Risk of Bias (RoB) was assessed using the Cochrane RoB-2. Random effects meta-analysis was conducted by pooling dichotomous outcomes using risk ratios (safety outcomes) and continuous outcomes using standardised mean differences (immunogenicity outcomes). Efficacy outcomes were summarised narratively. Moderate to high-quality evidence suggests that those receiving COVID-19 vaccines had significantly higher immune responses compared to placebo. Serious adverse events were rare, confirming that COVID-19 vaccines were safe and immunogenic for the healthy adult population. Remarkably, adverse events were the least common in inactivated vaccines, and nucleic acid vaccines were the most immunogenic. The efficacies of COVID-19 vaccines ranged from 21.9% to 95.9% in preventing COVID-19. We endorse all four types of COVID-19 vaccines for public health policy implementing taskforces. Yet, meta-analyses based on individual patient data are warranted for more extensive measurement of differential impacts of COVID-19 vaccines on different genders, ethnicities, comorbidities and types of vaccine jabbed.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.10.23293964v1" target="_blank">Comparative Immunogenicity, Safety and Efficacy Profiles of four COVID-19 Vaccine types in healthy adults: Systematic Review cum Meta-analysis of Clinical Trial data</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Pan-antiviral effects of a PIKfyve inhibitor on respiratory virus infection in human nasal epithelium and mice</strong> -
<div>
Endocytosis, or internalization through endosomes is a major cell entry mechanism used by respiratory viruses. Phosphoinositide 5-kinase (PIKfyve) is a critical enzyme for the synthesis of Phosphatidylinositol (3,5)biphosphate (PtdIns(3,5)P2), and has been implicated in virus trafficking via the endocytic pathway. In fact, antiviral effects of PIKfyve inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 and Ebola have been reported, but there is little evidence regarding other respiratory viruses. In this study we demonstrated the antiviral effects of PIKfyve inhibitors on influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus in vitro and in vivo. PIKfyve inhibitors, Apilimod mesylate (AM) and YM201636 concentration-dependently inhibited several influenza strains in a MDCK cell-cytopathic assay. AM also reduced the viral load and cytokine release, whilst improving the cell integrity of human nasal air liquid interface cultured epithelium infected with influenza PR8. In PR8-infected mice, AM (2mg/ml), when intranasally treated, exhibited significant reduction of viral load and inflammation and inhibited weight loss caused by influenza infection, with effects being similar to oral oseltamivir (10 mg/kg). In addition, AM demonstrated anti-viral effects in RSV A2 infected human nasal epithelium in vitro and mouse in vivo, with equivalent effect to that of ribavirin. AM also showed anti-viral effects against human rhinovirus and seasonal coronavirus in vitro. Thus, PIKfyve is found to be involved in influenza and RSV infection, and PIKfyve inhibitor is a promising molecule for pan-viral approach against respiratory viruses.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.11.553035v1" target="_blank">Pan-antiviral effects of a PIKfyve inhibitor on respiratory virus infection in human nasal epithelium and mice</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Additive Manufacturing Leveraged Microfluidic Setup for Sample to Answer Colorimetric Detection of Pathogens</strong> -
<div>
Colorimetric readout for the detection of infectious diseases is gaining traction at the point of care/need owing to its ease of analysis and interpretation, and integration potential with highly specific Loop-mediated amplification (LAMP) assays. However, coupling colorimetric readout with LAMP is rife with challenges including, rapidity, inter-user variability, colorimetric signal quantification, and user involvement in sequential steps of the LAMP assay, hindering its application. To address these challenges, for the first time, we propose a remotely smartphone-operated automated setup consisting of (i) an additively manufactured microfluidic cartridge, (ii) a portable reflected-light imaging setup with controlled epi-illumination (PRICE) module, and (iii) a control and data analysis module. The microfluidic cartridge facilitates sample collection, lysis, mixing of amplification reagents stored on-chip, and subsequent isothermal heating for initiation of amplification in a novel way by employing tunable elastomeric chambers and auxiliary components (heaters and linear actuators). PRICE offers a new imaging setup that captures the colorimetric change of the amplification media over a plasmonic nanostructured substrate in a controlled and noise-free environment for rapid minute-scale nucleic acid detection. The control and data analysis module employs microprocessors to automate cartridge operation in tandem with the imaging module. The different device components were characterized individually and finally, as a proof of concept, SARS-CoV-2 wild-type RNA was detected with a turnaround time of 13 minutes, showing the clinical feasibility. The suggested automated device can be adopted in future iterations for other detection and molecular assays that require sequential fluid handling steps.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.10.552726v1" target="_blank">Additive Manufacturing Leveraged Microfluidic Setup for Sample to Answer Colorimetric Detection of Pathogens</a>
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<li><strong>Pretrainable Geometric Graph Neural Network for Antibody Affinity Maturation</strong> -
<div>
In the realm of antibody therapeutics development, increasing the binding affinity of an antibody to its target antigen is a crucial task. This paper presents GearBind, a pretrainable deep neural network designed to be effective for in silico affinity maturation. Leveraging multi-level geometric message passing alongside contrastive pretraining on protein structural data, GearBind capably models the complex interplay of atom-level interactions within protein complexes, surpassing previous state-of-the-art approaches on SKEMPI v2 in terms of Pearson correlation, mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE). In silico experiments elucidate that pretraining helps GearBind become sensitive to mutation-induced binding affinity changes and reflective of amino acid substitution tendency. Using an ensemble model based on pretrained GearBind, we successfully optimize the affinity of CR3022 to the spike (S) protein of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain. Our strategy yields a high success rate with up to 17-fold affinity increase. GearBind proves to be an effective tool in narrowing the search space for in vitro antibody affinity maturation, underscoring the utility of geometric deep learning and adept pre-training in macromolecule interaction modeling.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.10.552845v1" target="_blank">Pretrainable Geometric Graph Neural Network for Antibody Affinity Maturation</a>
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<li><strong>Waning of post-vaccination neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2, a systematic literature review and meta-analysis</strong> -
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Background Mass COVID-19 vaccination and the continuous introduction of new viral variants of SARS-CoV-2, especially of Omicron subvariants, has resulted in an increase in the proportion of the population with hybrid immunity at various stages of waning protection. We systematically reviewed waning of post-vaccination neutralizing antibody titers in different immunological settings to investigate potential differences. Methods We searched for studies providing data for post-vaccination neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 in PubMed, bioRxiv, and medRxiv from Dec 15, 2021, to Jan 31, 2023, using keywords related to COVID-19, vaccination, and antibody neutralization. We used random effects meta-regression to estimate the average fold-reduction in post-vaccination neutralizing antibody titers against the Index strain or Omicron BA.1. from month 1 to month 6 post last dose, stratified by vaccination regimen (primary or booster) and infection-naive vs hybrid-immune status. Findings In total, 26 studies reporting longitudinal post-vaccination neutralizing antibody titers were included. Neutralization titers against the Index variant were available from all studies for infection-naive participants, and from nine for hybrid-immune participants. Against Omicron BA.1, nine and eight studies were available for infection-naive and hybrid-immune cohorts, respectively. In infection-naive cohorts, post-vaccination neutralization titers against the Index strain waned 5.1-fold (95% CI 3.4-7.8) from month 1 to month 6 following primary regimen and 3.8-fold (95% CI 2.4-5.9) following the booster. Titers against Omicron BA.1 waned 5.9-fold (95% CI 3.8-9.0) in infection-naive, post-booster cohorts. In hybrid-immune, post-primary vaccination cohorts, titers waned 3.7-fold (95% CI 1.7-7.9) against the Index strain and 5.0-fold (95% CI 1.1-21.8) against Omicron BA.1. Interpretation No obvious differences in waning between post-primary or post-boost vaccination were observed for vaccines used widely to date, nor between infection-naive and hybrid-immune participants. Titers against Omicron BA.1 may wane faster compared to Index titers, which may worsen for more recent Omicron sub-variants and should be monitored. Relatively small datasets limit the precision of our current analysis; further investigation is needed when more data become available. However, based on our current findings, striking differences in waning for the analyzed and future comparisons are unlikely.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.08.23293864v1" target="_blank">Waning of post-vaccination neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2, a systematic literature review and meta-analysis</a>
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<li><strong>Iterative In Silico Screening for Optimizing Stable Conformation of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Nanobodies</strong> -
<div>
Abstract–Nanobodies (Nbs or VHHs) are single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) derived from camelid heavy-chain antibodies. The variable region of these nanobodies has special and unique characteristics, such as small size, good tissue penetration, and cost-effective production, making nanobodies a good candidate for the diagnosis and treatment of viruses. Identifying effective nanobodies against the COVID-19 would help us defeat this dangerous virus or other unknown variants in future. Herein, we introduce an in silico screening strategy for optimizing stable conformation of anti-SARS-CoV-2 nanobodies. Firstly, various complexes containing nanobodies were downloaded from the RCSB database, which were identified from immunized llamas. The primary docking between nanobodies and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain was performed through ClusPro program, with the manually screening that leaving the reasonable conformation to the next step. Then, the binding distances of atoms between the antigen-antibody interfaces was measured through the Neighbor Search algorithm. Finally, filtered nanobodies were acquired according to HADDOCK scores through HADDOCK docking the Covid spike protein with nanobodies under restrictions of calculated molecular distance between active residues and antigenic epitopes less than 4.5 A. In this way, those nanobodies which with more reasonable conformation and with stronger neutralizing efficacy were acquired. This three-steps screening strategy iteratively in Silico greatly improved the accuracy of screening desired nanobodies compared to using only ClusPro docking or default HADDOCK docking settings. It provides new ideas for the screening of novel antibodies and computer-aided screening methods.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.09.552633v1" target="_blank">Iterative In Silico Screening for Optimizing Stable Conformation of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Nanobodies</a>
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<li><strong>Development and Analytical Evaluation of a Point-of-Care Electrochemical Biosensor for Rapid and Accurate SARS-CoV-2 Detection</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for rapid and accurate screening and diagnostic methods for potential respiratory viruses. Existing COVID-19 diagnostic approaches face limitations either in terms of turnaround time or accuracy. In this study, we present an electrochemical biosensor that offers nearly instantaneous and precise SARS-CoV-2 detection, suitable for point-of-care and environmental monitoring applications. The biosensor employs a stapled hACE-2 N-terminal alpha helix peptide to functionalize an in-situ grown polypyrrole conductive polymer on a nitrocellulose membrane backbone through a chemical process. We assessed the biosensor's analytical performance using heat-inactivated omicron and delta variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in artificial saliva (AS) and nasal swabs (NS) samples diluted in a strong ionic solution. Virus identification was achieved through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and frequency analyses. The assay demonstrated a limit of detection of 40 TCID50/mL, with 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Notably, the biosensor exhibited no cross-reactivity when tested against the influenza virus. The entire testing process using the biosensor takes less than a minute. In summary, our biosensor exhibits promising potential in the battle against pandemic respiratory viruses, offering a platform for the creation of rapid, compact, portable, and point-of-care devices capable of multiplexing various viruses. This groundbreaking development has the capacity to significantly bolster our readiness and response to future viral outbreaks.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.08.552470v1" target="_blank">Development and Analytical Evaluation of a Point-of-Care Electrochemical Biosensor for Rapid and Accurate SARS-CoV-2 Detection</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Enhanced Deep Convolutional Neural Network for SARS-CoV-2 Variants Classification</strong> -
<div>
High-throughput sequencing techniques and sequence analysis have enabled the taxonomic classification of pathogens present in clinical samples. Sequencing provides an unbiased identification and systematic classification of pathogens and this is generally achieved by comparing novel sequences to pre-existing annotated reference databases. However, this approach is limited by large-scale reference databases which require considerable computational resources and skills to compare against. Alternative robust methods such as machine learning are currently employed in genome sequence analysis and classification, and it can be applied in classifying SARS-CoV-2 variants, whose continued evolution has resulted in the emergence of multiple variants. We developed a deep learning Convolutional Neural Networks-Long Short Term Memory (CNN-LSTM) model to classify dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants (omicron, delta, beta, gamma and alpha) based on gene sequences from the surface glycoprotein (spike gene). We trained and validated the model using &gt; 26,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the GISAID database. The model was evaluated using unseen 3,057 SARS-CoV-2 sequences. The model was compared to existing molecular epidemiology tool, nextclade. Our model achieved an accuracy of 98.55% on training, 99.19% on the validation and 98.41% on the test dataset. Comparing the proposed model to nextclade, the model achieved significant accuracy in classifying SARS-CoV-2 variants from unseen data. Nextclade identified the presence of recombinant strains in the evaluation data, a mechanism that the proposed model did not detect. This study provides an alternative approach to pre-existing methods employed in the classification of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Timely classification will enable effective monitoring and tracking of SARS-CoV-2 variants and inform public health policies in the control and management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.09.552643v1" target="_blank">Enhanced Deep Convolutional Neural Network for SARS-CoV-2 Variants Classification</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of an (Omicron Subvariant) COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose in Previously Vaccinated Participants and Unvaccinated Participants.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: XBB.1.5 Vaccine (Booster);   Biological: XBB.1.5 Vaccine (single dose)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Novavax<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>Effect of Natural Food on Gut Microbiome and Phospholipid Spectrum of Immune Cells in COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: Freeze-dried Mare Milk (Saumal)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical 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>EFFECT OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY ON DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH POST COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: rehacom<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Cairo University<br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Intradermal Administration of a COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Elderly</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Vaccination; Infection;   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Comirnaty<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Radboud University Medical Center<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Safety and Immune Response Study to Evaluate Varying Doses of an mRNA Vaccine Against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthy Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: mRNA-CR-04 vaccine 10μg;   Biological: mRNA-CR-04 vaccine 30μg;   Biological: mRNA-CR-04 vaccine 100μg;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   GlaxoSmithKline<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>Methylprednisolone in Patients With Cognitive Deficits in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome (PCS)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Methylprednisolone<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Charite University, Berlin, Germany<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase 3 Adolescent Study for SARS-CoV-2 rS Variant Vaccines</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: NVX-CoV2601 co-formulated Omicron XBB.1.5 SARS-CoV-2 rS vaccine;   Biological: Prototype/XBB.1.5 Bivalent Vaccine (5 µg)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Novavax<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>Hyperbaric on Pulmonary Functions in Post Covid -19 Patients.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post COVID-19 Patients<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Device: hyperbaric oxygen therapy;   Device: breathing exercise;   Drug: medical treatment<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Cairo University<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Dietary Intervention to Mitigate Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome;   Fatigue<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Dietary intervention to mitigate Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome;   Other: Attention Control<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Maryland, Baltimore<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Phase II Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of BIMERVAX® When Coadministered With Seasonal Influenza Vaccine (SIIV) in Adults Older Than 65 Years of Age Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS CoV 2 Infection;   Influenza, Human<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: BIMERVAX;   Biological: SIIV<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Hipra Scientific, S.L.U<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>Directed Topical Drug Delivery for Treatment for PASC Hyposmia</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post Acute Sequelae Covid-19 Hyposmia<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Beclomethasone;   Other: Placebo;   Device: Microsponge<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   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>Preliminary Efficacy of a Technology-based Physical Activity Intervention for Older Korean Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Cardiovascular Health;   Physical Function<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Golden Circle<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign<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>Supported Employment COVID-19 Rapid Testing for PWID</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Health Behavior<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Supported Employment<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Oregon<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>Telerehabilitation for Post COVID-19 Condition</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Long COVID;   Chronic Fatigue Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Telerehabilitation program based on cardiorespiratory principles<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Université de Sherbrooke;   Hotel Dieu Hospital<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 of Tixagevimab/Cilgavimab and Regdanvimab Efficacy for Treatment of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Coronavirus Infections<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: tixagevimab/cilgavimab 150+150 mg;   Drug: tixagevimab/cilgavimab 300+300 mg;   Drug: regdanvimab<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   City Clinical Hospital No.52 of Moscow Healthcare Department;   Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Health Ministry of the Russian Federation<br/><b>Active, not 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>Growth media affects susceptibility of air-lifted human nasal epithelial cell cultures to SARS-CoV2, but not Influenza A, virus infection</strong> - Primary differentiated human epithelial cell cultures have been widely used by researchers to study viral fitness and virus-host interactions, especially during the COVID19 pandemic. These cultures recapitulate important characteristics of the respiratory epithelium such as diverse cell type composition, polarization, and innate immune responses. However, standardization and validation of these cultures remains an open issue. In this study, two different expansion medias were evaluated and the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Protegrin-2, a potential inhibitor for targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease M<sup>pro</sup></strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Our in silico and experimental studies identified Protegrin-2 as a potent inhibitor of M^(pro) that could be pursued further towards drug development against COVID-19 infection.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Real-world effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in the elderly during the Delta and Omicron variants: Systematic review</strong> - CONCLUSION: Because of the natural diminishing effectiveness of the vaccine, the need for booster dose to restore its efficacy is vital. From a research perspective, the use of highly heterogeneous outcome measures inhibits the comparison, contrast, and integration of the results which makes data pooling across different studies problematic. While pharmaceutical intervention like vaccination is important to fight an epidemic, utilizing common outcome measurements or carrying out studies with…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A pan-coronavirus peptide inhibitor prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice by intranasal delivery</strong> - Coronaviruses (CoVs) have brought serious threats to humans, particularly severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which continually evolves into multiple variants. These variants, especially Omicron, reportedly escape therapeutic antibodies and vaccines, indicating an urgent need for new antivirals with pan-SARS-CoV-2 inhibitory activity. We previously reported that a peptide fusion inhibitor, P3, targeting heptad repeated-1 (HR1) of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, could…</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>Age differential CD13 and interferon expression in airway epithelia affect SARS-CoV-2 infection - effects of vitamin D</strong> - Young age and high vitamin D plasma levels have been associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and favourable disease outcomes. This study investigated mechanisms associated with differential responses to SARS-CoV-2 across age groups and effects of vitamin D. Nasal epithelia were collected from healthy children and adults and cultured for four weeks at air-liquid interface with and without vitamin D. Gene expression (NanoString) and DNA methylation (Illumina EPIC850K) were investigated….</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>Spike protein mutations and structural insights of pangolin lineage B.1.1.25 with implications for viral pathogenicity and ACE2 binding affinity</strong> - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID -19, is constantly evolving, requiring continuous genomic surveillance. In this study, we used whole-genome sequencing to investigate the genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Bangladesh, with particular emphasis on identifying dominant variants and associated mutations. We used high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) to obtain DNA sequences from COVID-19 patient samples and compared these…</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>Identification of a drug binding pocket in TMEM16F calcium-activated ion channel and lipid scramblase</strong> - The dual functions of TMEM16F as Ca^(2+)-activated ion channel and lipid scramblase raise intriguing questions regarding their molecular basis. Intrigued by the ability of the FDA-approved drug niclosamide to inhibit TMEM16F-dependent syncytia formation induced by SARS-CoV-2, we examined cryo-EM structures of TMEM16F with or without bound niclosamide or 1PBC, a known blocker of TMEM16A Ca^(2+)-activated Cl^(-) channel. Here, we report evidence for a lipid scrambling pathway along a groove…</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>CYP19A1 mediates severe SARS-CoV-2 disease outcome in males</strong> - Male sex represents one of the major risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcome. However, underlying mechanisms that mediate sex-dependent disease outcome are as yet unknown. Here, we identify the CYP19A1 gene encoding for the testosterone-to-estradiol metabolizing enzyme CYP19A1 (also known as aromatase) as a host factor that contributes to worsened disease outcome in SARS-CoV-2-infected males. We analyzed exome sequencing data obtained from a human COVID-19 cohort (n = 2,866) using a…</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>Molnupiravir, a ribonucleoside antiviral prodrug against SARS-CoV-2, alters the voltage-gated sodium current and causes adverse events</strong> - Molnupiravir (MOL) is a ribonucleoside prodrug for oral treatment of COVID-19. Common adverse effects of MOL are headache, diarrhea, and nausea, which may be associated with altered sodium channel function. Here, we investigated the effect of MOL on voltage-gated Na^(+) current (I(Na)) in pituitary GH(3) cells. We show that MOL had distinct effects on transient and late I(Na), in combination with decreased time constant in the slow component of I(Na) inactivation. The 50% inhibitory…</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>Expression and immunogenicity of recombinant porcine epidemic diarrhea virus Nsp9</strong> - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes acute diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and high mortality in newborn piglets, which leads to significant economic losses. Coronavirus nonstructural protein 9 (Nsp9) is an essential RNA binding protein for coronavirus replication, which renders it a promising candidate for developing antiviral drugs and diagnosis targeting PEDV. In this study, PEDV Nsp9 protein fused with MBP protein and His-tag were expressed and purified in Escherichia coli….</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>Targeted Application of Functional Foods as Immune Fitness Boosters in the Defense against Viral Infection</strong> - In recent times, the emergence of viral infections, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the monkeypox virus, and, most recently, the Langya virus, has highlighted the devastating effects of viral infection on human life. There has been significant progress in the development of efficacious vaccines for the prevention and control of viruses; however, the high rates of viral mutation and transmission necessitate the need for novel methods of control, management, and prevention. In recent years, there…</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>Phytochemical Profiling and Antiviral Activity of Green Sustainable Nanoparticles Derived from <em>Maesa indica</em> (Roxb.) Sweet against Human Coronavirus 229E</strong> - Plant secondary metabolites are key components for new, safe and effective drugs. Ethanolic extract of Maesa indica Roxb. Sweet (ME) aerial parts were used for biosynthesis of sustainable green zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) with an average particle size 6.80 ± 1.47 nm and zeta potential -19.7 mV. Both transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction assay confirmed the hexagonal shape of ZnO NPs. Phenolic ingredients in ME were identified using LC-ESI-MS/MS-MRM revealing the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Characterization of <em>Portulaca oleracea</em> Whole Plant: Evaluating Antioxidant, Anticancer, Antibacterial, and Antiviral Activities and Application as Quality Enhancer in Yogurt</strong> - Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is rich in phenolic compounds, protein, and iron. This study aims to produce functional yogurt with enhanced antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties by including safe purslane extract in yogurt formulation; the yogurt was preserved for 30 days at 4 °C, and then biochemical fluctuations were monitored. The purslane extract (PuE) had high phenolic compounds and flavonoids of 250 and 56 mg/mL, respectively. Therefore, PuE had considerable…</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>Assessment of Purity, Stability, and Pharmacokinetics of NGP-1, a Novel Prodrug of GS441254 with Potential Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity, Using Liquid Chromatography</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 is a highly contagious and pathogenic virus that first appeared in late December 2019 and caused a global pandemic in a short period. The virus is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Coronaviridae family. Numerous treatments have been developed and tested in response to the pandemic, particularly antiviral drugs. Among them, GS441524 (GS441), a nucleoside antiviral drug, has demonstrated promising results in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, the limited oral…</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 Comprehensive Technology Platform for the Rapid Discovery of Peptide Inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 Pseudovirus Infection</strong> - We developed and validated a technology platform for designing and testing peptides inhibiting the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-based pseudoviruses. This platform integrates target evaluation, in silico inhibitor design, peptide synthesis, and efficacy screening. We generated a cyclic peptide library derived from the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. The cell-free validation process by ELISA…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>2024 Preview: Bidenomics Versus the Trump Freak Show</strong> - The President’s feel-good tour offers a stark contrast to his predecessor’s summer of conspiracies and criminal indictments. But will it work? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/2024-preview-bidenomics-versus-the-trump-freak-show">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Ohio Voters Defeated an Effort to Thwart Abortion Rights</strong> - Opponents of the measure capitalized on fears of a Republican power grab. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/how-ohio-voters-defeated-an-effort-to-thwart-abortion-rights">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The End of Legacy Admissions Could Transform College Access</strong> - After the fall of affirmative action, liberals and conservatives want to eliminate benefits for children of alumni. Could their logic lead to reparations? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-end-of-legacy-admissions-could-transform-college-access">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An Ambassador Without a Country</strong> - The Afghan statesman Zalmai Rassoul is recognized by the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland—but not by the Taliban. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/an-ambassador-without-a-country">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>China’s Economic Miracle Is Turning Into a Long Slog</strong> - As consumer prices fall and other signs of weakness emerge, fears are growing that the world’s second-largest economy could be heading toward an extended slump. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/chinas-economic-miracle-is-turning-into-a-long-slog">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>NYC is struggling to help asylum seekers. Here’s why.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Mayor Adams stands before a podium in a navy blue suit jacket and blue tie. He wears a serious facial expression." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Q-WEFClnD2rahZh9q6EyLoNLcLo=/77x0:2744x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72540784/1569422936.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a public safety announcement on gun violence at New York City Hall on July 31, 2023. | Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Mayor Eric Adams said this week that caring for migrants will cost the city $12 billion.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HQNFzP">
Asylum seekers have stretched New York City to its limits, according to Mayor Eric Adams, who described an “<a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/585-23/transcript-mayor-adams-delivers-address-asylum-seeker-humanitarian-crisis-takes-q-a#/0">unprecedented state of emergency</a>” this week as he called upon New York state and federal lawmakers and agencies to offer more support.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ElqcqT">
Adams’s office estimated that the city would spend $12 billion over three fiscal years to shelter and support the tens of thousands of migrants projected to arrive over that period.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SXJmTb">
A number of circumstances have converged to push people to New York City, including the end of <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/23719941/title-42-ending-border-biden-trump">Title 42</a>, the health directive originally put in place under the <a href="https://www.vox.com/trump-administration">Trump administration</a> during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as efforts by Republican Govs. <a href="https://www.vox.com/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a> of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas to send people who have crossed the southern US border to states run by Democrats.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hF5kU2">
But many choose to come of their own volition; New York City has a right to shelter directive, which means the city has an obligation to shelter those who request it. However, a long-standing affordable housing crisis has also helped push the city’s shelter system to the brink, overwhelming facilities to the point that asylum seekers are already sleeping in the streets outside of shelters.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S34RGF">
But even as Adams called on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and <a href="https://www.vox.com/congress">Congress</a> to provide more funding to care for asylum seekers and institute comprehensive <a href="https://www.vox.com/immigration">immigration reform</a>, Adams’s administration is seeking to amend the rules of the right to shelter decree, which would give City Hall the ability to suspend the right to shelter in some situations.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dxwZ3S">
“This is one of the most responsible things any leader can do when they realize the system is buckling and we want to prevent it from collapsing,” <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/25/nyc-mayor-right-to-shelter-law-00098669">Adams said in late May</a>, when City Hall initially requested the changes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UGpCuO">
Though Adams called Hochul and the state government a “partner” at a press conference Wednesday, it’s not clear exactly how closely the two governments are working together, given <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/state-court-tells-new-york-city-spell-out-needs-migrant-crisis-2023-08-04/">a recent court order</a> seemingly designed to force the two parties to make a cooperative plan to manage the situation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AVlRC4">
On the federal level, immigration policy remains in flux, too. Though the <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus">Supreme Court</a> in June decided that <a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>’s administration <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/23/us/supreme-court-immigration-biden.html">has the right to set criteria for which migrants to detain at the southern border and which to release</a>, a San Francisco federal judge deemed a separate part of the post-Title 42 policy, meant to limit the number of people able to apply for asylum, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/judge-rules-biden-immigration-policy-calling-invalid-rcna96272">“both substantively and procedurally invalid</a>” late last month.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MJff4a">
Congress has not passed comprehensive immigration reform <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/101st-congress/senate-bill/358">since 1990</a> despite significant changes which have taken place in the intervening decades, such as <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate">climate change</a>, conflict, and serious economic hardship accelerating migration. Stopgap solutions like visas for undocumented workers and paths to citizenship programs, as well as more <a href="https://rollcall.com/2023/04/17/house-republicans-release-sweeping-immigration-bill/">draconian measures</a>, <a href="https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/uploads/legal-documents/FINAL_criminalizing_undocumented_immigrants_issue_brief_PUBLIC_VERSION.pdf">such as labelling any undocumented person a felon</a>, have all failed over the years. As a result, dysfunction has crept into every level of government, from Congress to City Hall, which is contributing to the crisis in New York City.
</p>
<h3 id="LXW1aU">
New York City’s crowded shelters have multiple causes — not just migrants
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Tc8kOS">
Over the past year Republicans like DeSantis and Abbott have been sending people to cities like Chicago and New York, despite the fact that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/12/us-mexico-border-migrant-crossings/">the end of the Title 42 policy didn’t overwhelm the southern US border</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uUlgyO">
New York City’s <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-02/new-york-city-s-right-to-shelter-mandate-for-homelessness-faces-new-test">right to shelter directive</a> means that people without housing — whether they’re New Yorkers or not — who request a bed in one of the city’s shelters are entitled to receive it that day. But <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/nyregion/affordable-housing-nyc.html#:~:text=New%20York%20City%20is%20staring,get%20around%2C%20the%20report%20said.">New York City is in an affordable housing crisis</a>, the worst in decades, <a href="https://www.fcny.org/in-new-york-city-50-of-working-age-households-arent-earning-enough-to-meet-basic-needs/">a study by the Fund for the City of New York</a> found earlier this year. And efforts to build more affordable housing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/27/nyregion/nyc-housing-crisis.html">failed in the state legislature in April</a>, prolonging and compounding the crisis.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R2YSyF">
It’s into that context that migrants are arriving in the city — 100,000 over the past year by Adams’s estimate. Of that number, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/585-23/transcript-mayor-adams-delivers-address-asylum-seeker-humanitarian-crisis-takes-q-a#/0">there are currently more than 57,300</a> in the shelter system.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DPo7KL">
Adams has repeatedly said that the city is out of room to house new arrivals, though the administration has commandeered locations like a soccer pitch on Randall’s Island in the East River, a parking lot at a former state psychiatric hospital in Queens, and a recreation center in Brooklyn to shelter or provide services for migrants, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/11/nyregion/nyc-migrant-crisis-eric-adams.html#:~:text=For%20months%2C%20as%20New%20York,push%20Washington%20for%20more%20help.">the New York Times</a> reported this week.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kPqXy5">
But the Adams administration is asking to be released from the right to shelter in situations when it “lacks the resources and capacity to establish and maintain sufficient shelter sites, staffing, and security to provide safe and appropriate shelter,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/nyregion/right-to-shelter-nyc.html">according to a letter City Hall attorneys submitted to Judge Deborah Kaplan in May</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TpxJlw">
Should the courts allow such a measure, it will have serious consequences for the tens of thousands of people who rely on the right to shelter for a safe place to stay.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jRCNxW">
“The horrible irony is that, you know, things are so much worse now than they were” when the right to shelter was established in 1981, Edward Josephson, the supervising attorney for the Legal Aid Society of NYC’s Civil Law Reform Unit, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-02/new-york-city-s-right-to-shelter-mandate-for-homelessness-faces-new-test">told Bloomberg</a>. “If [Adams] closes the door to the shelter, these folks will be in the subways or on the sidewalks.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KKAQSS">
The administration <a href="https://documentedny.com/2023/08/11/asylum-seekers-60-days-shelter-nyc/">has already instituted a 60-day shelter stay limit for single adult asylum seekers</a>, though they can reapply for shelter after that period. It is also attempting to discourage people from coming to the city, claiming that there is “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/nyregion/migrants-shelter-nyc-adams.html">no guarantee</a>” they will find assistance once they arrive.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1Hx6cG">
Adams’s administration has estimated that caring for the migrant population will cost the city $12 billion through the 2025 fiscal year to provide housing, food, education, healthcare, and social services. Most of that cost, according to Jacques Jiha, director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/585-23/transcript-mayor-adams-delivers-address-asylum-seeker-humanitarian-crisis-takes-q-a#/0">is directed toward shelter</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cCZ9p0">
In June, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, both Democrats from New York, announced that they had secured $104.6 million for the city from the Federal Emergency Management Agency through a new federal Shelter and Services Program, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/07/nyc-fema-asylum-seekers-00100750">Politico reported at the time</a>. Although that funding will be critical for immediate-term care for migrants, it doesn’t solve the systemic problems — a lack of affordable housing and incoherent immigration policy — that brought about the problem in the first place.
</p>
<h3 id="nuCy3e">
New York City is in conflict with the state over how to manage immigration
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bROEUd">
Adams’s calls for state and federal assistance come against the backdrop of renewed tension between his office and the governor over the state’s role in caring for the new arrivals.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y3Z3HN">
Last week, New York Supreme Court Judge Erika Edwards ordered the city to provide “a proposal identifying the resources and facilities owned, operated and/or controlled by the state” which could be used to help provide shelter and services for migrants. The state is set to respond to the city’s request by Tuesday, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/nyregion/perez-migrants-james-hochul.html">the New York Times</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h3dH1M">
Though Hochul <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/title-42-expires-governor-hochul-issues-executive-order-providing-state-and-municipalities">has set aside $1 billion in the state budget</a> for the city’s migrant programs, she has also expressed concern that the city’s right to shelter decree could be interpreted to expand past its borders. Earlier this spring, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/nyregion/migrants-rockland-county-nyc.html">the governor had to mediate Adams’s efforts</a> to move migrants upstate, angering some conservative municipal leaders.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xonrct">
“We believe — and I’m convinced — that the right to shelter is the result of a consent decree undertaken by the City of New York,” Hochul <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/nyregion/perez-migrants-james-hochul.html">told reporters in Albany last Thursday</a>. “The state is not a party to that, so right to shelter does not expand to the whole of the state.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jYZxUK">
Hochul and Adams are, however, united in their calls for the federal government to do more to support migrants in New York, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/nyc-migrant-crisis-explained.html">have particularly asked to get expedited work permits for asylum seekers</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8gW6pU">
“There’s more [the federal government] can do, including expediting pathways to work authorizations for asylum seekers,” Adams said <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/585-23/transcript-mayor-adams-delivers-address-asylum-seeker-humanitarian-crisis-takes-q-a#/0">at a press conference Wednesday</a>. “I have heard it directly from all the asylum seekers I’ve spoken with, they want to work.” Adams also asked the Biden administration to declare a state of emergency to “allow federal funds to be allocated quickly to help address the urgent challenges we face.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A7uzmD">
For Adams and Hochul, high immigration levels are becoming a reality they can’t ignore; how they’ll be able to successfully maneuver that shift remains to be seen.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WKqjxM">
Despite Adams’s urgent calls for assistance, the reality is that the people who suffer most from dysfunctional immigration policy and inaction are the people seeking asylum.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n0rvz1">
Just this week,<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/11/child-death-border-custody/"> a three-year-old child died en route to Chicago</a> as part of Abbott’s policy of busing migrants to Democrat-led cities and states, and in May, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/border-patrol-staff-documents-refuse-ambulance-8-year-old-died-custody-rcna87383">an eight-year-old girl</a> died in the custody of US Customs and Border Protection in Texas, despite her mother’s pleas for medical attention.
</p></li>
<li><strong>The Supreme Court is taking a wrecking ball to the wall between church and state</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A person in a black robe holding a religious cross on a chain. The Supreme Court building is in the background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cMUWuGpfEGtzYBJxCuG1iub_kQ4=/539x0:4848x3232/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72539614/525595384.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A Catholic priest holds a cross in front of the Supreme Court on the first day of legal arguments over the Affordable Care Act. | Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Court’s Republican majority has ground the Constitution’s establishment clause down to a nub.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ldQ1cz">
Last June, a previously obscure Oklahoma state board voted to allow two Roman Catholic dioceses to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/us/oklahoma-first-religious-charter-school-in-the-us.html">operate a charter school in that state</a>. Lawyers from several civil rights organizations, including the ACLU, responded just over a month later with a lawsuit alleging that this <a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/okplac-inc-v-statewide-virtual-charter-school-board?document=Complaint-OKPLAC-Inc-v-Statewide-Virtual-Charter-School-Board">state-funded religious school violates the state constitution</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LGDGFo">
This challenge to the religious charter school, known as St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, should be a slam-dunk — at least assuming that the allegations in the lawsuit are correct.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4jwcrE">
Charter schools are public entities funded by state tax revenue. Among other things, the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/okplac-inc-v-statewide-virtual-charter-school-board?document=Complaint-OKPLAC-Inc-v-Statewide-Virtual-Charter-School-Board">complaint</a> points to a provision of the Oklahoma Constitution which provides that public education funds may not be “used for any other purpose than the support and maintenance of common schools <a href="https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=85092">for the equal benefit of all the people of the State</a>.” And several school policies described in the complaint indicate that St. Isidore does not intend to operate for the equal benefit of all students.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yh46jj">
According to the lawsuit, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, one of the two dioceses that plans to operate this school, has a policy of <a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/okplac-inc-v-statewide-virtual-charter-school-board?document=Complaint-OKPLAC-Inc-v-Statewide-Virtual-Charter-School-Board">expelling students</a> who “intentionally or knowingly” express “disagreement with Catholic faith and morals.” This includes a rule that “‘advocating for, or expressing same-sex attractions … is not permitted’ for students,” and also a rule providing that a student who “reject[s] his or her own body” by beginning a gender transition “will be ‘choosing not to remain enrolled.’”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UxxWAm">
Yet the most striking thing about this legal complaint is what it does not say. The lawsuit states explicitly that “the plaintiffs’ claims for relief are brought solely under the state constitution, state statutes, and state regulations.” It does not even mention the federal Constitution’s First Amendment, with its prohibition on laws “<a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/">respecting an establishment of religion</a>.” Before a series of recent Supreme Court decisions <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/27/23184848/supreme-court-kennedy-bremerton-school-football-coach-prayer-neil-gorsuch">carved up this establishment clause</a>, a lawyer challenging government funding of religion almost certainly would have raised some claim under this clause.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8gHQS1">
(In response to my inquiry about the decision not to include an establishment clause claim in the Oklahoma lawsuit, Heather Weaver, a lawyer with the ACLU, said that “Oklahoma law provides robust protections for the separation of church and state and the fundamental principle that public schools must be open to all students, regardless of a student’s LGBTQ status, faith, disability, or other characteristics. Oklahoma law also gives taxpayers broad rights to challenge violations of these protections, so it made sense for us to file in state court with a focus on state law.”)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ETUkfj">
This establishment clause was long understood to require strict separation of church and state — and specifically to forbid using public funds to pay for religious instruction. As the Supreme Court said in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3620075287275437211"><em>Everson v. Board of Education</em></a><em> </em>(1947), “no tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CeaDDE">
But those days are long past. Indeed, under the current Court’s decision in <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1088_dbfi.pdf"><em>Carson v. Makin</em></a> (2022), it’s not even clear that Oklahoma may refuse to fund charter schools that are operated by a church, that seek to train students in that church’s values, and that actively discriminate against individuals the church deems sinful.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ADCMul">
<em>Carson</em> held that Maine, which provided private school tuition vouchers to students in rural areas, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/21/23176893/supreme-court-carson-makin-religion-schools-vouchers-chief-justice-roberts">must allow students to use these vouchers at religious schools</a>. Private schools are, of course, private — meaning that they are not part of the state government even if they receive some funding from the state. So <em>Carson</em> does not, on its face, apply to charter schools — which are public schools even if they are often managed by a private institution. (Some advocates have <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/2023/6/6/23751623/religious-charter-schools-private-oklahoma-explainer-supreme-court">claimed that charter schools should legally be classified as private schools</a> — an argument that has fairly obvious implications for religious charter schools under <em>Carson.</em>)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iCDqDi">
But the Court’s Republican-appointed majority has <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/27/23184848/supreme-court-kennedy-bremerton-school-football-coach-prayer-neil-gorsuch">relentlessly moved to shrink the establishment clause</a>, and to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/2/21726876/supreme-court-religious-liberty-revolutionary-roman-catholic-diocese-cuomo-amy-coney-barrett">expand the rights of religious conservatives</a> more broadly. Oklahoma’s decision to authorize an explicitly religious charter school reads like the next incremental step in a broader legal campaign to eliminate the establishment clause’s restrictions on public schools altogether. And it is far from clear where this Supreme Court will draw the line and say that there are limits to the government’s ability to promote religion.
</p>
<h3 id="PAsoLq">
What is the establishment clause for?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9lupHK">
The establishment clause provides simply that there can be no law “<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment">respecting an establishment of religion</a>.” It does not explain what an “establishment of religion” is. Nor does it lay out in any detail when the government can and cannot provide benefits to a religious institution.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QKIrZ8">
Armed only with this vague text, the Supreme Court has offered several competing explanations for why the establishment clause exists and what it was intended to prevent. At times, the Court has said that it exists to prevent the government from coercing nonbelievers into acts of devotion they find objectionable. At other times, the Court has described the establishment clause as a nod to pluralism — something that allows many religious traditions to thrive in the United States by forbidding the government from taking sides in religious debates.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6ZHk8N">
<em>Everson</em> was rooted in the first of these two rationales, the belief that the government <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3620075287275437211">may not coerce others into religious exercise</a>. As Justice Hugo Black wrote in that case, the clause is intended to universalize a Virginia statute, authored by Thomas Jefferson, which provided that “no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5UdYxO">
<em>Everson</em> read this prohibition on coerced religious activity expansively to include not just direct use of force against nonbelievers, but also the use of taxes collected from the general public to fund religion. As Black wrote, “individual religious liberty could be achieved best under a government which was stripped of all power to tax, to support, or otherwise to assist any or all religions, or to interfere with the beliefs of any religious individual or group.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PjQs9v">
To be sure, this holding had limits. While <em>Everson</em> forbade taxation used specifically “to support” religion, it also recognized the government must provide some services to religious institutions. The government may still provide “police and fire protection, connections for sewage disposal, public highways and sidewalks” and the like to churches, for example, so long as these services are provided to religious institutions on the same terms that they are provided to everyone else.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SNpVUH">
The idea was that the state had to be “neutral in its relations with groups of religious believers and non-believers.” It could provide a religious institution with the same services it would provide to anyone else. But, if the government taxed, say, a Buddhist to pay for Jewish education, then that would violate the establishment clause because it effectively coerced that Buddhist into paying for another person’s religion.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XS8aAX">
Fifteen years later, in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/370/421/"><em>Engel v. Vitale</em></a> (1962), Black laid out a different theory of why the establishment clause exists.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LGR5TH">
In <em>Engel</em>, the Court struck down a school district’s policy of requiring teachers to begin each school day by reciting a prayer authored by the school board. “One of the greatest dangers to the freedom of the individual to worship in his own way,” Black warned, “lay in the Government’s placing its official stamp of approval upon one particular kind of prayer or one particular form of religious services.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dnC2NG">
The central idea animating <em>Engel</em> was that, if the government is allowed to write prayers or otherwise put its seal of approval on particular religious practices, then US politics will inevitably be consumed by religious believers from competing faiths, all lobbying elected officials to make sure that their religion receives the government’s blessing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dQbqvz">
The Court reached this conclusion after considering 16th-century English history, when Parliament approved a Book of Common Prayer that “set out in minute detail the accepted form and content of prayer and other religious ceremonies to be used in the established, tax-supported Church of England.” This led to perpetual lobbying, and frequent strife, over just what prayers the government should endorse and which ones it should reject. Powerful religious groups “struggled among themselves to impress their particular views upon the Government,” while less powerful religious believers literally fled the country — many of them becoming early American colonists.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rsqzDq">
According to <em>Engel</em>, the First Amendment was drafted in large part to prevent this kind of strife among religious factions from occurring in the United States. The founding generation, Black wrote, was not willing “to let the content of their prayers and their privilege of praying whenever they pleased be influenced by the ballot box.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b7Db1t">
Thus, while <em>Everson</em> read the establishment clause as a shield against the government coercing nonbelievers into participating in religion, <em>Engel</em> saw it more as a safeguard for pluralism. The idea behind the later decision was that, for multiple faith traditions to coexist peacefully in the United States, the government had to be hyper-cautious about picking favorites among them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wkxzlk">
Of course, these two theories of the establishment clause are not mutually exclusive — how else could both <em>Everson</em> and <em>Engel</em> have been written by the same justice?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kxd8Dg">
But the last seven decades or so of establishment clause jurisprudence has largely been a fight over whether the Court should accept one or both of these theories — and just what it means to coerce religious belief or to pick favorites among faiths.
</p>
<h3 id="kcqeTC">
The current Court has abandoned any concerns about pluralism and defined “coercion” very narrowly
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="swc0r3">
Over time, <em>Engel</em>’s concerns about ensuring that the government does not favor one religion over another evolved into a ban on government “endorsement” of a particular religious viewpoint. The Court held in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/492/573/"><em>Allegheny County v. ACLU</em></a> (1989) that the prohibition against governmental endorsement of religion “preclude[s] government from conveying or attempting to convey a message that religion or a particular religious belief is <em>favored</em> or <em>preferred.</em>”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1pmfs4">
As Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in an influential <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/465/668/">1984 concurring opinion</a>, government endorsements of religion undercut the pluralistic idea that all citizens enjoy equal political standing. They tell “nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community” while simultaneously telling “adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xhPifd">
Similarly, in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/90-1014.ZO.html"><em>Lee v. Weisman</em></a> (1992), the Court held that the establishment clause’s prohibition on coercion extends not just straightforward attempts to force a nonbeliever to participate in religion — such as if the government were to arrest or fine anyone who does not attend a church service. It also applies to more subtle forms of coercion, including the use of social pressure to encourage acts of faith.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vTUHe0">
In <em>Lee</em>, a public school invited a rabbi to deliver a prayer at a graduation ceremony. This, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the Court, is not allowed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2u0Y3z">
“The undeniable fact,” Kennedy explained, “is that the school district’s supervision and control of a high school graduation ceremony places public pressure, as well as peer pressure, on attending students to stand as a group or, at least, maintain respectful silence during the Invocation and Benediction.” Such pressure, “though subtle and indirect, can be as real as any overt compulsion,” as it leaves a young nonadherent with “a reasonable perception that she is being forced by the State to pray in a manner her conscience will not allow.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P3FY8O">
Thus, before the Roberts Court started dismantling the establishment clause’s safeguards, the Court recognized two values implicit in this clause: 1) the right to be free from coerced religious activity, and 2) the right to live in a pluralistic society where the government does not favor one person’s religion over the other. The right against coercion extended not just to direct pressure by the state, but also to more subtle forms of pressure such as a public school ceremony that effectively forces a student to choose between participating in a prayer or risking ostracizing themselves from their classmates. Meanwhile, the pluralistic right prevented the government from endorsing a particular religious viewpoint above others.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KgTW5j">
All of that went by the wayside, however, in <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf"><em>Kennedy v. Bremerton School District</em></a> (2022).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rBQLoy">
<em>Bremerton</em> is a mystifying decision, in part because the six Republican-appointed justices in the majority <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/27/23184848/supreme-court-kennedy-bremerton-school-football-coach-prayer-neil-gorsuch">took great liberties with the case’s facts</a>. It involved a high school football coach who would pray at the 50-yard line following games — in full view of students, players, and spectators, and sometimes surrounded by many of them as he was praying. There are photographs of crowds surrounding this coach as he prayed, some of which were included in Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3rOKV0">
Yet Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the Court’s opinion, falsely claimed that this coach only wanted to offer a “short, private, personal prayer.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U8mIBQ">
Because Gorsuch lied about the facts of this case, it’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/27/23184848/supreme-court-kennedy-bremerton-school-football-coach-prayer-neil-gorsuch">hard to pinpoint exactly what <em>Bremerton</em> held</a>. No one questions that a public school employee may say private prayers while they are on the job. The question the Court was supposed to answer in <em>Bremerton</em> is whether a representative of the government may, during a public event, ostentatiously convey a religious message to hundreds or thousands of spectators — including potentially players who are under that government employee’s direct authority.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AXzVFi">
One thing that is clear, however, is that the ban on government endorsements of religion will no longer be enforced by this Court’s GOP-appointed majority. Instead of applying “the endorsement test,” Gorsuch wrote, “the Establishment Clause must be interpreted by ‘<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf">reference to historical practices and understandings</a>.’”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6wmS5l">
And what, exactly, are those “historical practices and understandings?” Gorsuch does concede that “government may not, consistent with a historically sensitive understanding of the Establishment Clause, ‘make a religious observance compulsory.’” But his opinion suggests that the clause may do nothing else.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z5c4co">
Among other things, Gorsuch cites favorably to Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent in <em>Lee</em>, which described Justice Kennedy’s concerns about subtle pressure on public school students as “precious,” and which declares outright that “the coercion that was a hallmark of historical establishments of religion was coercion of religious orthodoxy and of financial support <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/505/577/"><em>by </em>force of law and threat of penalty</a>.” Gorsuch also quotes James Madison, claiming that Madison understood the First Amendment “to prevent one or multiple sects from ‘establish[ing] a religion to which they would compel others to conform.’”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9TDopN">
So, while the <em>Bremerton</em> opinion is not a model of clarity, two lessons can be extracted from it. One is that the ban on government endorsements of religion — the mechanism the Court used to ensure that a plurality of faiths would thrive in the United States — is now dead. The other is that, while the Court still recognizes that some forms of government coercion into religious behavior are not allowed, its Republican majority appears eager to narrow the definition of “coercion.” There may even be five votes for Scalia’s position — that the government may actively promote religion so long as it does not use force or the threat of penalty to do so.
</p>
<h3 id="yNdNNu">
The Court’s GOP-appointed majority has even ruled that the Constitution <em>requires</em> the government to fund religion
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fkCNg9">
One form of coercion that the current Court permits is the government may now take taxes from a nonbeliever — taxes that the nonbeliever must pay to avoid criminal sanctions — and use them to fund religious education.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U861G6">
Indeed, the government has been allowed to fund religious education with tax money for quite some time. In <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=127516650659374253"><em>Zelman v. Simmons-Harris</em></a> (2002), a 5–4 Court abandoned <em>Everson</em>’s strict rule against government funding of religion. That said, <em>Zelman</em> merely held that <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/12/8/22824027/supreme-court-carson-makin-first-amendment-religion-schools-subsidize-roberts-alito-kavanaugh">states <em>could</em> offer tuition vouchers that fund private religious education</a> if they chose to do so. Nothing in <em>Zelman</em> prohibited states from maintaining a neutral posture on religion — one where the state government allows private schools to teach whatever religious lessons they choose, but where the state also refuses to fund those lessons at the taxpayer’s expense.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y0KSoo">
The Roberts Court’s biggest innovation on public funding of religion came in <em>Carson</em>, the case about Maine’s private school vouchers program. As the Court described this program, it allowed families in sparsely populated areas, areas where the state determined that it was <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/21/23176893/supreme-court-carson-makin-religion-schools-vouchers-chief-justice-roberts">not practical to operate a traditional public school</a>, to receive vouchers that would pay up to a certain amount of tuition “<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1088_dbfi.pdf">at the public school or the approved private school of the parent’s choice at which the student is accepted</a>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YEH7uu">
Before <em>Carson</em>, however, these vouchers could only be used at “nonsectarian schools.” Maine decided, exercising the choice the Court left to it in <em>Zelman</em>, not to fund schools that promote a “faith or belief system” or that “presents the material taught through the lens of this faith.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Hd0XIL">
In ordering Maine to fund religious education, <em>Carson</em> reached two somewhat conflicting conclusions. The first is that the sort of neutral posture toward religion permitted by <em>Zelman</em> is now unconstitutional. Maine’s program, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for his Court, “pays tuition for certain students at private schools — so long as the schools are not religious.” That, he claimed, “is discrimination against religion.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qO1nsw">
At the same time, <em>Carson</em> still permits a state to “provide a strictly secular education in its public schools.” And it also “need not subsidize private education.” But, once a state decides to fund private schools, “it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FTbfpB">
Roberts’s explanation for this distinction is grounded somewhat in the rule against coercion. He emphasized that, under <em>Carson</em>, “public funds flow to religious organizations through the independent choices of private benefit recipients,” and that any parent whose child winds up in a religious school will do so only because of that parent’s “choice.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CypSWe">
By contrast, if a state only offered a public education to its students, and then taught religion in those schools, that would mean that parents would have no choice but to send their children to a school where they will be religiously indoctrinated. Such a regime would probably violate even the Roberts Court’s understanding of the establishment clause because it would effectively coerce schoolchildren into attending religious classes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EnuLg9">
<em>Carson</em>, however, shows no regard for an entirely different kind of coercion. By ordering Maine to fund religious education, even only within the context of its rural vouchers program, the Court coerces Maine’s taxpayers into funding religious education. And the Court apparently found this kind of coercion completely unobjectionable.
</p>
<h3 id="3fSnWz">
So what are the Roberts Court’s limits on government programs that advance religion?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rqXpy6">
Read together, the Roberts Court’s establishment clause cases suggest that the Court probably will not neutralize this clause altogether. But they have already neutralized many of its modern applications, and they appear likely to endorse government behavior that would not have been tolerated even in the recent past.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9N19pU">
One category of establishment clause cases that I have not yet discussed is cases involving symbolic endorsements of religion. Think about cases where the government installs a giant <a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/alabamas-chief-judge-ordered-remove-ten-commandments-monument-courthouse">Ten Commandments monument in the middle of a courthouse</a> or <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/17-1717_4f14.pdf">builds a cross on public land</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fg3r1s">
The Court’s previous decisions governing such monuments are <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/545/677/">nuanced</a> — a short summary is that government displays of religious symbols are sometimes allowed and sometimes not allowed. But it is far from clear whether, under the current Court, any religious display whatsoever will be struck down. After all, the best argument against allowing the government to build a giant cross on the front lawn of the White House is that doing so would endorse Christianity. But <em>Bremerton </em>held that the ban on government endorsements of religion is dead.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T1dZPH">
That leaves the rule against coercion, which does still seem to have a little life left in it. Even Gorsuch appears to concede, for example, that the government may not send the police to arrest someone who refuses to attend a Catholic mass or fine a Lutheran who refuses to convert to evangelical Christianity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zGrzwo">
But it is not at all clear whether the ban on coercion extends very far beyond cases involving the “force of law and threat of penalty” that Scalia denounced in his <em>Lee</em> dissent. Because <em>Bremerton</em> decided a fake case and did not actually engage with the question of whether a public school coach may ostentatiously perform their religious identity in front of the school community, we don’t yet know for sure whether the Court will allow government employees who wield authority over children to use that authority to pressure those children to embrace Christianity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cIAGQ0">
But the fact that the six justices who joined the <em>Bremerton</em> majority couldn’t even be honest about the facts of that case should not give hope to anyone who fears that teachers or coaches may use their government jobs to proselytize to their students. If nothing else, <em>Bremerton </em>shows that this Court will not be judicious in policing the line between private religious acts by government employees, which are emphatically permitted under the Constitution, and attempts by government officials to convert others to Christianity while the official is on the job.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4gtLT1">
And then there’s the school funding cases and other cases where a religious group sues to receive government funds. <em>Carson</em> held that private school voucher programs must fund religious education. And it also held that traditional public schools may elect to only teach secular material. But what about charter schools like Oklahoma’s St. Isidore?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S6abAY">
It remains to be seen how the courts will handle that case, but St. Isidore has a strong argument that it is entitled not only to receive government funds, but that it is also entitled to set up a religious school that is part of the Oklahoma government. Or, to put it another way, if <em>Carson</em> extends to charter schools and not just to private school voucher programs, then the <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/2023/6/6/23751623/religious-charter-schools-private-oklahoma-explainer-supreme-court">45 states with charter school programs</a> all must include religious schools that otherwise qualify to participate in those programs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oeOa0a">
Because <em>Carson</em> placed so much emphasis on whether a government-funded religious school allows parents to choose whether to send their children to that school, there’s a fairly high likelihood that the Supreme Court will, indeed, extend <em>Carson</em> to apply to charter schools. That’s because charter schools, like private schools, typically do not compel any parent to send a child there.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pGiaMI">
In the long run, advocates of private school vouchers and charter schools may come to regret the <em>Carson</em> decision. By forcing states to choose between either having a single, unitary public school system, or having government-funded private and charter schools that teach religious views many citizens may find objectionable, <em>Carson </em>places secularly minded states in a difficult position. If those states don’t want to fund schools like St. Isidore, or other religious schools that may teach that LGBTQ people are immoral, <em>Carson </em>suggests that they must eliminate any programs funding private schools or publicly funded charter schools altogether.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mHxBfe">
Nevertheless, the Court’s Republican-appointed majority appears as unconcerned with this problem as it is with the problem of taxing secular citizens to pay for religious education.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HjR8nc">
The future of religion in the United States, in other words, is unlikely to involve police officers breaking into people’s homes to arrest them for skipping church. But it is likely to include far more government funding of religious activity, far more proselytizing by teachers, coaches, and other government officials who wield authority over children, and many more monuments to Christianity — all paid for by your taxes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GWmC1T">
</p></li>
<li><strong>How to (actually) talk to kids</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="An adult crouching down to talk to a child." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TzGoPhkyRvCnj6sTTsJEFieThIo=/250x0:6250x4500/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72539605/GettyImages_1257153390.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Fumiko Inoue / Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It’s not dissimilar from talking to other adults, but even the most well-meaning grown-ups can forget that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nHQ1uN">
Somehow, despite our best efforts, it still happens to even the most self-assured adult. You’re at a birthday party or a family dinner or a picnic in the park, and suddenly, you find yourself face to face with a kid. You introduce yourselves, there’s a slight pause, and then, even though you know better, you hear the boring question coming out of your mouth: “So how’s school?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wO3ikp">
Why are adults so bad at talking to kids, considering each and every one of us used to be one? “We forget what it’s like to be a child,” says Tina Payne Bryson, a psychotherapist and co-author of <em>The Whole-Brain Child</em>. “It’s hard sometimes to relate to kids because the rhythm of our days is so different.” Our brains and habits have changed, and as adults, it can be tough to remember what it’s like to be a 10-year-old.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RRzZM0">
But that’s the key: Talking to and connecting with 10-year-olds now doesn’t require remembering what you were like at 10. Instead, it’s all about approaching them as people: individuals who have their own interests, insights, and personalities. If you’re curious, warm, and earnest, you can make a new friend — and leave your awkward adult persona behind.
</p>
<h3 id="swg5lP">
Find a point of connection
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CaMJ7z">
Much like in an initial conversation with an adult stranger, it can be hard to know where to begin. But once you offer up an open-ended topic, a kid will often run with it. Icebreakers with a kid can be situational. If you’re at a barbecue, ask them what their favorite condiment is. Or they can be general: Did you see a funny animal video recently? “You just want to get the kid talking,” says Ben R., an 11-year-old who lives in Highland Ranch, Colorado. “You want to get to know them.” Ben recommends starting with a question about something that you enjoy. If you like video games, ask what games they like to play; if you’re a big reader, ask about their favorite recent book.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lVe8HX">
The framing is important. “Adults reach for whatever they can, and ask a yes or no question,” says Robyn Silverman, host of the podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-anything/id1231126178"><em>How to Talk to Kids About Anything</em></a>. If a kid is wearing a baseball cap, asking whether they like baseball is not a good question — just like if you were wearing a baseball cap, that question wouldn’t encourage you to keep talking. Don’t despair: You can just tweak the format of a question to improve it. “Instead of ‘How’s school?’, you could ask, ‘If you were principal for the day, what’s one thing you’d absolutely change?’” suggests Silverman. “A more interesting question will elicit a response more than ‘fine.’”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QzRnt3">
That first conversational volley is all about finding a point of connection. It could be a shared interest, such as the card game Codenames, or a low-stakes disagreement, like whether dipping french fries in a milkshake is delicious or gross. “The great thing about asking questions is to find out what you have in common,” says Ben. “You’ll feel more relaxed then and can focus on connecting through that.”
</p>
<h3 id="O4j0sJ">
Ask good follow-up questions
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5ZSmAb">
The next step in a good conversation with a kid? Pay attention. This is where many adults slip up. Instead of actually listening to what a kid has to say and asking a relevant follow-up question, they jump in with a long story about themselves — or, worse, offer up a weird non sequitur. Recently, Ben was waiting in line for a waterslide when the adult behind him asked what grade he was in. After he answered, the stranger, who had not previously met the fifth-grader, replied by saying that he grew up so fast. “I thought to myself, is this how adults are? They just ask simple questions, half-pay attention to the conversation, and get distracted by something else?” Ben says. “I felt like he could have just realized that I could talk the same way everybody else could, but he made it really awkward for the rest of the conversation.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xy6IkG">
Asking a good follow-up question is all about active listening, which requires humility. A kid is a person with their own interests and expertise, and you can learn from them, just like you learn from a conversation with another adult. “Kids are egocentric in nature, and they love to talk about what they love,” says Morgan Eldridge, a clinical psychologist who recommends framing a child as the expert on what they care about. “If you don’t know anything about Pokémon cards, ask them to tell you about it.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VZgmhr">
More key aspects of active listening are body language and tone. If you’re talking to a younger kid, physically get down on their level so that you’re not looming over them. For kids and adults alike, face them, put away your phone, make eye contact, and smile. No need to speak in a different voice, though. “There are multiple occasions where adults have talked to me with a childish tone,” says Ben. “We’re more sophisticated than they think.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r9DmiC">
When you’re fostering a comfortable conversational environment for a kid, you should also think about safety. There’s an inherent power imbalance between an adult and a kid, especially when you don’t know each other well, and as the adult, you’re responsible for making sure that your relationship and conversation stay appropriate. “Kids need to feel safe, seen, soothed, and secure,” says Bryson. “When you smile and have relaxed posture, it sends signals of safety and connection.”
</p>
<h3 id="mm4y2l">
Let their enthusiasm lead
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ThyiaL">
Once the conversation is moving, step back. “When talking to kids, adults make the mistake that they need to talk a lot,” says Silverman. “But people [not just children!] actually love it when you listen.” Instead, ask questions and let the kid direct the flow; they’ll naturally lead the conversation toward what interests them most.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Nbavgb">
In many cases, this means going in a speculative, silly direction, which can be tricky for grown-ups. “Adults are more logical and solution-driven,” says Bryson. “We’ve forgotten what it’s like to play.” To rediscover your playful side, you can always ask an open-ended question, or even a goofy one: If you were going to open a restaurant that only serves three dishes, what would they be? What celebrity has the coolest style of all time? Would you rather have to fight 50 mosquito-sized alligators or one alligator-sized mosquito?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kk26hB">
No matter what, don’t dismiss their enthusiasm. If a kid loves basketball but you don’t care about sports, ask them to tell you about their favorite player of all time. If they just learned a ton about bugs in a science unit, don’t try to show off how much <em>you</em> know — encourage them to share instead. “There’s a power imbalance, and it seems to give adults permission to belittle,” says Silverman.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8J5KEP">
If you do make a faux pas, like talking over them or getting distracted, own up to it, apologize, and redirect. You can always say, “I just spaced out, I’m sorry. What were you saying about summer camp?” Just pick the conversation back up afterward.
</p>
<h3 id="Fqkj2Z">
Be yourself (even if that means being shy)
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZY34o8">
Kids have different temperaments and personalities, just like adults do. They don’t expect everyone to be outgoing and loud. In fact, not every kid will want you to be. “Just like different friends appeal to different people, different kinds of adults will appear to different kids,” says Bryson. “The boisterous adult doesn’t appear to some kids, and the quiet adult doesn’t to others.” Just come as you are, since kids can tell whether you’re being authentic or not. “It’s really about showing up as yourself in the moment,” Bryson says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QMoBIz">
If you are on the quieter side, don’t worry. Kids know what it’s like to feel anxious in a conversation, too. “Sometimes you just get nervous, and that’s okay,” says Fiona A., an 8-year-old who lives in Salinas, California. “Or sometimes you need a little bit of alone time. Just be you.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6N91Jz">
Ben suggests a trick that he uses when he feels awkward or unsure about what to talk about: When you get stuck and start to feel self-conscious, ask a question. “Even if you don’t pay attention, it diverts the conversation away from yourself,” he says. “You learn more about them, and also you don’t have to talk as much.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="91N1h7">
Sometimes, you’ll notice that a kid seems anxious to be talking to an adult. In that case, make sure you’re projecting a warm, friendly, safe environment. Being vulnerable can help them feel more comfortable, too. “A lot of adults are authority figures, and sharing something embarrassing can make us more accessible,” says Bryson. When she’s talking to a quiet kid, she often shares a story about when the class rat bit her in first grade at the school Christmas party; her listeners are always on the edge of their seats, ready to share their own best animal story afterward. You can be vulnerable about feeling awkward, too: If you share that you often feel shy at parties, then it normalizes the kid feeling shy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WSjNx2">
And if they’d rather be quiet, it’s also fine to share a companionable silence. “If we ask a question or two and they don’t expand, it just means they don’t want to be asked a question right now,” says Bryson. If they’re not uncomfortable with quiet, then you shouldn’t be, either.
</p>
<h3 id="tJZz7P">
Refer back to your shared interests
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f8Bk0Q">
Once you’ve had a friendly conversation with a kid and found some common ground, you can start to develop an ongoing relationship with them. Just like with a new adult friend, it’s important to remember details about them and refer back to them in future conversations. Did they tell you about joining the soccer team? Ask how the season is going. Did you bond over your love of superhero <a href="https://www.vox.com/movies">movies</a>? Ask them what they thought of the sequel to <em>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</em>. If you know in advance that you’re going to see a kid who you’ve already spent time with, you could send them something that you can then talk about in person. Bryson recently hosted a friend and their 13-year-old son; in anticipation of his visit, she sent him some funny dog videos on <a href="https://www.vox.com/instagram-news">Instagram</a>. That offers an easy way to break the ice and connect in person again.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t4o5dV">
No matter the age gap, making conversation and becoming friends always happens much the same way: capitalizing on shared interests, asking good questions, and paying attention. And once you’re friends, conversation is easy. “After I get to know an adult, it’s easy to talk to her,” says Fiona. “It’s more complex to build friendship with an adult, but once you do, it’s like they’re a kid just like you.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OjITi8">
<a href="https://charleylocke.com/"><em>Charley Locke</em></a><em> is a freelance journalist. She often covers young people and elders for publications including the New York Times for Kids, the New York Times Magazine, and the Atlantic.</em>
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tamil Nadu reaps a rich harvest</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>WWE Superstar Spectacle on September 8 in Hyderabad</strong> - The live event in Hyderabad will feature an electrifying line-up of WWE’s most beloved superstars, each set to grace the stage with their awe-inspiring athleticism and charisma</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>Need to find depth in our batting: Dravid after T20 series loss to West Indies</strong> - India played the series with a long tail comprising Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar</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>Sankar Muthuswamy, a step closer to title</strong> - Sankar will now take on P. Saahas Kumar of Telangana</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>Morning Digest | Manipur officials told to quit social media groups, 14 States yet to join Centre’s flagship education scheme; and more</strong> - Here is a select list of stories to start the day</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>Action taken against staff, two Additional CDPOs appointed at Bala Sadan in Vijayawada over tonsuring of girls</strong> - Some more employees are likely to be removed from the home soon, says WD&amp;CW Project Director G. Uma Devi; staff allege they are being made scapegoats</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>TDP manifesto catching attention of women and others: TDP Vizianagaram district president</strong> - TDP Vizianagaram district president Nagarjuna says the party will ensure the welfare of all sections if voted to power; schemes in party manifesto promise ₹1,500 and three free LPG cylinders to all adult women and ₹15,000 a year to all schoolchildren</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Here are the big stories from Karnataka today</strong> - Welcome to the Karnataka Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated by Nalme Nachiyar.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Data | Claims of peace in Jammu and Kashmir, amid continuing terror-related deaths</strong> - Poonch and Rajouri districts accounted for 50% of the terror-related deaths in 2023</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>Domestic air passenger traffic jumps 25% in July</strong> - The data from the DGCA showed that domestic carriers flew 97.05 lakh passengers in July 2022</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>The Ukrainian refugees returning to war-torn homeland</strong> - Ukrainians share experiences of visiting families and friends back home, amidst daily danger alerts.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Three-week-old baby and family among seven killed in Russian shelling</strong> - Russian shelling in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region leaves seven civilians dead.</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>Madagascan presidential aide charged with seeking £225,000 bribe in UK</strong> - Madagascan chief-of-staff and a French associate arrested in London after meeting with mine company.</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>Migrant boat sinks in Channel killing six people</strong> - UK and French coastguards rescued 59 people but two may still be missing, authorities said.</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>Migrant boats in the Mediterranean: Why are so many people dying?</strong> - The BBC explores the many reasons why the central Mediterranean is among the deadliest migration routes.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Kids Online Safety Act isn’t all right, critics say</strong> - Critics warn KOSA could trigger widespread censorship, privacy concerns. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1960313">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The “Shove” mechanic in Baldur’s Gate 3 can ruin an encounter, and I love it</strong> - What my brave warrior’s death to a lowly goblin taught me about dice anarchy. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1960409">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Anti-magnetizing-vaccine doctor loses medical license</strong> - Tenpenny lost her license for refusing to cooperate with a board investigation. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1960598">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sites scramble to block ChatGPT web crawler after instructions emerge</strong> - Restrictions don’t apply to current OpenAI models, but will affect future versions. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1960108">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Microsoft finds vulnerabilities it says could be used to shut down power plants</strong> - Exploitation is hard and patches are already out, but the potential risk is great. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1960538">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I couldn’t get a refund for my BDSM convention ticket</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
They said their hands were tied.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ParadeSit"> /u/ParadeSit </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15qcyqd/i_couldnt_get_a_refund_for_my_bdsm_convention/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15qcyqd/i_couldnt_get_a_refund_for_my_bdsm_convention/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I wasn’t upset when my gf dumped me because I had a small penis.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I was never really that much into her.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/AppropriateFly147"> /u/AppropriateFly147 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15q8afv/i_wasnt_upset_when_my_gf_dumped_me_because_i_had/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15q8afv/i_wasnt_upset_when_my_gf_dumped_me_because_i_had/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“The Son of a Bitch”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
One of the parish priests from the Cathedral went on a fishing trip. On the last day of his trip he hooked a monster fish &amp; proceeded to reel it in.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The guide, holding a net, yelled, “Look at the size of that Son of a Bitch!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The priest looks shocked, “My son! Such language is uncalled for from a child of God!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The guide, thinking quickly as he did not want to offend the priest, says, “No, Father, that’s what kind of fish it is - a Son of a Bitch fish!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Really?” The priest says, “Well then, help me land this Son of a Bitch!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After a long struggle, the priest and the guide finally get the fish in the boat. As they marveled at the size of the monster, the guide says, “Father, that’s the biggest Son of a Bitch I’ve ever seen! You must bring it home and cook it. You’ll never eat anything as good as Son of a Bitch!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Elated, the priest headed home to the rectory. While unloading his gear &amp; his prize catch, Sister Mary inquired about his trip.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Sister! You simply <em>must</em> take a look at this big Son of a Bitch I caught!” he exclaimed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Sister Mary gasped, “Father!” made the sign of the cross, and clutched her rosary.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The priest shook his head, “Fear not, Sister! That’s what kind of fish it is, a Son of a Bitch fish!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Sister Mary informed the priest that the Pope was making a surprise visit to the Cathedral, and that they should fix the Son of a Bitch for his dinner. Humble as ever, she said, “Father, it would be the greatest privilege of my life if you’d give me the honor of cleaning the Son of a Bitch.” And of course the priest consented.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
As she was cleaning the huge fish, the Bishop walked in. “What are you doing Sister?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Father wants me to clean this big Son of a Bitch for the Pope’s Dinner!” she replied.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Sister Mary!” The bishop exclaimed, “If you’re that upset, I can clean it for you! There is no need for such vulgar language!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No, your Eminence,” the Nun replied, bowing, “It’s called a Son of a Bitch fish!” “Really?” said the Bishop, “Well, in that case, I shall fix up a delicious meal to go with it, and that Son of a Bitch can be the main course! Let me know when you’ve finished cleaning.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Now, on the night of the Pope’s visit, everything was <em>perfect</em>. The Bishop had prepared an excellent meal. The wine was fine, and the fish was just as succulent as the fishing guide had promised.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Pope said, “What a wonderful fish, where did you get it?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I caught that Son of a Bitch!” said the priest.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I cleaned the Son of a Bitch!” said the nun.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I cooked that Son of a Bitch!” said the Bishop.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Pope looked around at each of them. A big smile crept across his face as he said, “Well I sure as hell liked eating that son of a bitch. You mother fuckers are my kind of people!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MercyReign"> /u/MercyReign </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15qrdk0/the_son_of_a_bitch/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15qrdk0/the_son_of_a_bitch/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Man killed by shark whilst on honeymoon</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Doctors said he didn’t suffer much as he’d only been married 5 days.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Alpha-Studios"> /u/Alpha-Studios </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15q3m0r/man_killed_by_shark_whilst_on_honeymoon/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15q3m0r/man_killed_by_shark_whilst_on_honeymoon/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“This term,” said the English teacher, “we will be studying ‘The Canterbury Tales’”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“But,” she added, “to anticipate a question I get every year – this will not include <em>The Nun’s Priest’s Tale</em>”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Why not?” asked one of the pupils. The teacher’s features shaped themselves into an expression of sour disapproval.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Because,” she answered, “<em>The Nun’s Priest’s Tale</em> is lascivious, licentious, and utterly improper, especially for people your age. Now please open your copies to the <em>General Prologue</em>, and we will begin with that.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Next lesson, the teacher said, “Please open your ‘Canterbury Tales’ to <em>The Nun’s Priest’s Tale,</em> which I am assuming you have all read by now…?”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Gil-Gandel"> /u/Gil-Gandel </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15pwc37/this_term_said_the_english_teacher_we_will_be/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15pwc37/this_term_said_the_english_teacher_we_will_be/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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