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<title>11 March, 2024</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>Assessment for the seasonality of Covid-19 should focus on ultraviolet radiation and not ‘warmer days’</strong> -
<div>
More attention should be paid to ultraviolet radiation for the seasonality of Covid-19, based on the previous SARS and MERS epidemics, and not the ‘warmer days’ of summer.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/397yg/" target="_blank">Assessment for the seasonality of Covid-19 should focus on ultraviolet radiation and not ‘warmer days’</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Protein complex heterogeneity and topology revealed by electron capture charge reduction and surface induced dissociation</strong> -
<div>
Herein, we focus on native mass spectrometry (nMS) combined with a fast, tunable gas-phase charge reduction, electron capture charge reduction (ECCR), and illustrate its utility in the characterization of protein complex topology and glycoprotein heterogeneity. ECCR is illustrated to effectively spread the charge states of tetradecameric GroEL, illustrating Orbitrap m/z measurement out to greater than 100,000 m/z. For both the pentameric C-reactive protein and tetradecameric GroEL, our novel device combining ECCR with surface induced dissociation (SID) lowers the charge states and produces more topologically informative fragmentation. While more native-like fragmentation has previously been illustrated for complexes charge reduced by proton abstraction in solution, this is the first illustration that ECCR can lead to more native-like SID fragmentation of protein complexes. Application to protein glycosylation, one of the most common and diverse protein posttranslational modifications, is also illustrated because glycosylation is important for structural and functional properties and plays essential roles in many key biological processes. The immense heterogeneity resulting from variability in glycosylation sites and glycan composition and structure poses significant analytical challenges that hinder a mechanistic understanding of the biological role of glycosylation. Data for stabilized heavily glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 spike protein trimer and thyroglobulin dimer illustrate that ECCR enables significantly improved resolution of glycan heterogeneity. Without ECCR, the charge states of a glycoprotein complex are not resolved and average mass determination is available only through the use of charge detection mass spectrometry or mass photometry. With ECCR after narrow m/z selection, multiple glycoform m/z values are apparent, providing quick global, glycoform profiling and providing a future path for glycan localization on individual intact glycoforms (e.g., though top-down dissociation).
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.07.583498v1" target="_blank">Protein complex heterogeneity and topology revealed by electron capture charge reduction and surface induced dissociation</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>In silico genomic surveillance by CoVerage predicts and characterizes SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest</strong> -
<div>
Rapidly evolving viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 continuously accumulate amino acid changes, some of which affect transmissibility, virulence or improve the virus' ability to escape host immunity. Since the beginning of the pandemic and establishment of SARS-CoV-2 as a human pathogen, multiple lineages with concerning phenotypic alterations, so called Variants of Concern (VOCs), have emerged and risen to predominance. To optimize public health management and to ensure the continued efficacy of vaccines, the early detection of such variants of interest is essential. Therefore, large-scale viral genomic surveillance programs have been initiated worldwide, with data being deposited in public repositories in a timely manner. However, technologies for their continuous interpretation are currently lacking. Here, we describe the CoVerage system (www.sarscoverage.org) for viral genomic surveillance, which continuously predicts and characterizes novel and emerging potential Variants of Interest (pVOIs) together with their antigenic and evolutionary alterations. Using the establishment of Omicron and its current sublineages as an example, we demonstrate how CoVerage can be used to quickly identify and characterize such variants. CoVerage can facilitate the timely identification and assessment of future SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.07.583829v1" target="_blank">In silico genomic surveillance by CoVerage predicts and characterizes SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Rapid Degradation of the Human ACE2 Receptor Upon Binding and Internalization of SARS-Cov-2-Spike-RBD Protein</strong> -
<div>
It is widely accepted that the SARS-CoV-2 betacoronavirus infects humans through binding the human Angiotensin Receptor 2 (ACE2) that lines the nasal cavity and lungs, followed by import into a cell utilizing the Transmembrane Protease, Serine 2 (TMPRSS2) cofactor. ACE2 binding is mediated by an approximately 200-residue portion of the SARS-CoV-2 extracellular spike protein, the receptor binding domain (RBD). Robust interactions are shown using a novel cell-based assay between an RBD membrane tethered-GFP fusion protein and the membrane bound ACE2-Cherry fusion protein. Several observations were not predicted including, quick and sustained interactions leading to internalization of RBD fusion protein into the ACE2 cells and rapid downregulation of the ACE2-Cherry fluorescence. Targeted mutation in the RBD disulfide Loop 4 led to a loss of internalization for several variants tested. However, a secreted RBD did not cause ACE2 downregulation of ACE2-Cherry fluorescence. Thus, the membrane associated form of RBD found on the viral coat may have long-term system wide consequences on ACE2 expressing cells.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.07.583884v1" target="_blank">Rapid Degradation of the Human ACE2 Receptor Upon Binding and Internalization of SARS-Cov-2-Spike-RBD Protein</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Coronavirus Spike-RBD Variants Differentially Bind to the Human ACE2 Receptor</strong> -
<div>
The SARS-CoV-2 betacoronavirus infects people through binding the human Angiotensin Receptor 2 (ACE2), followed by import into a cell utilizing the Transmembrane Protease, Serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and Furin cofactors. Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 extracellular spike protein has suggested critical amino acids necessary for binding within a 197-residue portion, the receptor binding domain (RBD). A cell-based assay between a membrane tethered RBD-GFP fusion protein and the membrane bound ACE2-Cherry fusion protein allowed for mutational intersection of both RBD and ACE2 proteins. Data shows Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variants have altered dependency on the amino terminus of ACE2 protein and suggests multiple epitopes on both proteins stabilize their interactions at the Nt and internal region of ACE2. In contrast, the H-CoV-NL63 RBD is only dependent on the ACE2 internal region for binding. A peptide inhibitor approach to this internal region thus far have failed to block binding of RBDs to ACE2, suggesting that several binding regions on ACE2 are sufficient to allow functional interactions. In sum, the RBD binding surface of ACE2 appears relatively fluid and amenable to bind a range of novel variants.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.07.583944v1" target="_blank">Coronavirus Spike-RBD Variants Differentially Bind to the Human ACE2 Receptor</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Antigenicity assessment of SARS-CoV-2 saltation variant BA.2.87.1</strong> -
<div>
The recent emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 saltation variant, BA.2.87.1, which features 65 spike mutations relative to BA.2, has attracted worldwide attention. In this study, we elucidate the antigenic characteristics and immune evasion capability of BA.2.87.1. Our findings reveal that BA.2.87.1 is more susceptible to XBB-induced humoral immunity compared to JN.1. Notably, BA.2.87.1 lacks critical escaping mutations in the receptor binding domain (RBD) thus allowing various classes of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that were escaped by XBB or BA.2.86 subvariants to neutralize BA.2.87.1, although the deletions in the N-terminal domain (NTD), specifically 15-23del and 136-146del, compensate for the resistance to humoral immunity. Interestingly, several neutralizing antibody drugs have been found to restore their efficacy against BA.2.87.1, including SA58, REGN-10933 and COV2-2196. Hence, our results suggest that BA.2.87.1 may not become widespread until it acquires multiple RBD mutations to achieve sufficient immune evasion comparable to that of JN.1.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.07.583823v1" target="_blank">Antigenicity assessment of SARS-CoV-2 saltation variant BA.2.87.1</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung tissues is driven by extravascular CD163+ monocytes</strong> -
<div>
The lung-resident immune mechanisms driving resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans remain elusive. Using mice co-engrafted with a genetically matched human immune system and fetal lung xenograft (fLX), we mapped the immunological events defining resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung tissues. Viral infection is rapidly cleared from fLX following a peak of viral replication. Acute replication results in the emergence of cell subsets enriched in viral RNA, including extravascular inflammatory monocytes (iMO) and macrophage-like T-cells, which dissipate upon infection resolution. iMO display robust antiviral responses, are transcriptomically unique among myeloid lineages, and their emergence associates with the recruitment of circulating CD4+ monocytes. Consistently, mice depleted for human CD4+ cells but not CD3+ T-cells failed to robustly clear infectious viruses and displayed signatures of chronic infection. Our findings uncover the transient differentiation of extravascular iMO from CD4+ monocytes as a major hallmark of SARS-CoV-2 infection resolution and open avenues for unravelling viral and host adaptations defining persistently active SARS-CoV-2 infection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.08.583965v1" target="_blank">Resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung tissues is driven by extravascular CD163+ monocytes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Human Cytokine and Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Protein Interactivity Using Large-Scale Virtual Screens</strong> -
<div>
Understanding the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and the human immune system is paramount to the characterization of novel variants as the virus co-evolves with the human host. In this study, we employed state-of-the-art molecular docking tools to conduct large-scale virtual screens, predicting the binding affinities between 64 human cytokines against 17 nucleocapsid proteins from six betacoronaviruses. Our comprehensive in silico analyses reveal specific changes in cytokine-nucleocapsid protein interactions, shedding light on potential modulators of the host immune response during infection. These findings offer valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying viral pathogenesis and may guide the future development of targeted interventions. This manuscript serves as insight into the comparison of deep learning based AlphaFold2-Multimer and the semi-physicochemical based HADDOCK for protein-protein docking. We show the two methods are complementary in their predictive capabilities. We also introduce a novel algorithm for rapidly assessing the binding interface of protein-protein docks using graph edit distance: graph-based interface residue assessment function (GIRAF). The high-performance computational framework presented here will not only aid in accelerating the discovery of effective interventions against emerging viral threats, but extend to other applications of high throughput protein-protein screens.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.28.569056v2" target="_blank">Human Cytokine and Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Protein Interactivity Using Large-Scale Virtual Screens</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Who deserves economic relief - Preprint T Hilmar March 2024</strong> -
<div>
The economic shock of the Covid-19 crisis has disproportionately impacted small businesses and the self-employed. Around the globe, their survival during the pandemic often relied heavily on government assistance. This article explores how economic relief to business is understood through the lens of deservingness in the public. It examines the case of Germany, where the government has responded to the pandemic by implementing an extensive support program. Notably, in this context, the self-employed are typically outsiders to the state insurance system. Combining computational social science methods and a qualitative analysis, the article focuses on the debate about direct subsidies on the social media platform Twitter/X between March 2020 and June 2021. It traces variation in the patterns of claim making in what is a rich debate about pandemic state support, finding that this discourse is characterised by the concern that economic relief threatens to blur existing boundaries of worth in society. The reciprocity principle of deservingness theory is pivotal in asserting business identities in times of crisis, yet it also reveals a fundamentally ambiguous relationship with the principle of need. Additionally, the claim of justice-as-redress, as a novel dimension of reciprocity, surfaces as an important theme in this debate.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/swndy/" target="_blank">Who deserves economic relief - Preprint T Hilmar March 2024</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Protein design for evaluating vaccines against future viral variation</strong> -
<div>
Recurrent waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection, driven by the periodic emergence of new viral variants, highlight the need for vaccines and therapeutics that remain effective against future strains. Yet, our ability to proactively evaluate such therapeutics is limited to assessing their effectiveness against previous or circulating variants, which may differ significantly in their antibody escape from future viral evolution. To address this challenge, we develop a deep learning method to predict the effect of mutations on fitness and escape from neutralizing antibodies. We use this model to engineer 83 unique SARS-CoV-2 Spike proteins incorporating novel combinations of up to 46 amino acid changes relative to the ancestral B.1 variant. The designed constructs were infectious and evaded neutralization by nine well-characterized panels of human polyclonal anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune sera (from vaccinated, boosted, bivalent boosted, and breakthrough infection individuals). Designed constructs on contemporary SARS-CoV-2 strains displayed similar levels of antibody escape and similar antigenic profiles as variants seen subsequently (up to 12 months later) during the COVID-19 pandemic despite differences in exact mutations. Our approach provides targeted panels of antigenically diverse escape variants for an early evaluation of the protective ability of vaccines and therapeutics to inhibit not only currently circulating but also future variants. This approach is generalizable to other viral pathogens.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.08.561389v2" target="_blank">Protein design for evaluating vaccines against future viral variation</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Will Europe be forged in crises? The impact of the Covid-19 and Ukraine crises on EU actorness</strong> -
<div>
In this paper, we study the effect of crises on EU actorness, defined as the EU’s capacity to defend its interests and values at the global level. Our research focuses on two major crises, the Covid-19 crisis and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on a process-tracing approach, we analyse four of the Union’s policy initiatives that were proposed, negotiated and implemented to respond to these crises: joint vaccine procurement, common gas purchases, and the COVAX and FARM initiatives. The paper assesses the outcomes of these four initiatives and discusses the extent to which these initiatives led to the development of EU actorness and the achievement of common objectives. The analysis identifies the degree of internal cohesion, and how it is influenced by specific crises, as a key factor in fostering or hampering EU actorness in different policy fields. It also shows that the formal distribution of competences between the EU and the member states in specific policy areas matters little in crisis times, as the EU can resort to emergency competences in such situations. The findings of this paper contribute to the literature on EU actorness and equally provide some insights on policy legacies and learning.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/c3zwt/" target="_blank">Will Europe be forged in crises? The impact of the Covid-19 and Ukraine crises on EU actorness</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 drives escape from mRNA vaccine-induced humoral immunity</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, viral sequencing has documented 131 individual mutations in the viral spike protein across 48 named variants. To determine the ability of vaccine-mediated humoral immunity to keep pace with continued SARS-CoV-2 evolution, we assessed the neutralization potency of sera from 76 vaccine recipients collected after 2 to 6 immunizations against a comprehensive panel of mutations observed during the pandemic. Remarkably, while many individual mutations that emerged between 2020 and 2022 exhibit escape from sera following primary vaccination, few escape boosted sera. However, progressive loss of neutralization was observed across newer variants, irrespective of vaccine doses. Importantly, an updated XBB.1.5 booster significantly increased titers against newer variants but not JN.1. These findings demonstrate that seasonal boosters improve titers against contemporaneous strains, but novel variants continue to evade updated mRNA vaccines, demonstrating the need for novel approaches to adequately control SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.05.24303815v1" target="_blank">Ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 drives escape from mRNA vaccine-induced humoral immunity</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The importance of mothers: The social transmission of COVID-19 vaccination attitudes and uptake</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical importance of widespread vaccination to mitigate the impact of the virus on public health. The current study aimed to investigate which social influences might be most important for predicting attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine uptake among young students in the UK. We focused on the cultural evolution and social transmission aspects, i.e., parent-to-child versus peer-to-peer, of attitudes and vaccine uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic.  A sample of 192 UK students (aged 18 to 35 years old) filled in an online survey including measures for attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine uptake and/or intention, age, and gender. Participants were also asked about their mother’s, father’s, and best friend’s attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine uptake. Finally, they provided a subjective measure of the quality relationship with their parents. Overall, our results suggest that both parents and very close friends are important agents in understanding the students’ attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine uptake. More specifically, our findings suggest the mother’s vaccine uptake as the most salient predictor of students’ attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine uptake, particularly when the students disclose having a positive relationship with their parents. In cases where students’ experience negative relationship with their parents, the best friend’s vaccine uptake may supersede the mother’s influence. Despite these nuances, a general trend emerges from our data suggesting that vaccine uptake could be primarily guided by vertical transmission (i.e., parent to child). Our results have the potential to influence public health strategies, communication campaigns, and targeted interventions to enhance vaccination uptake. Identifying key social predictors can enable policymakers and health authorities to tailor vaccination promotion efforts towards mothers’ and peers’ vaccine uptake to increase overall positive attitudes and vaccine uptake among young people.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.06.24303875v1" target="_blank">The importance of mothers: The social transmission of COVID-19 vaccination attitudes and uptake</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Predictors of mortality among COVID-19 patients at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Northern Tanzania: A hospital-based retrospective cohort study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background COVID-19 disease is a global public health disaster causing a range of social, economic, and healthcare difficulties, border restrictions, high human loss, lockdown, and transportation challenges. Despite it being a global pandemic, there are few studies conducted in Tanzania to examine the predictors of mortality. This disease has caused a significant number of mortalities worldwide but literature shows low mortality and better survival in Africa than in other WHO regions. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the predictors of mortality among COVID-19 patients at KCMC Hospital in Northern Tanzania. Methodology This was the hospital-based retrospective cohort study, conducted at KCMC Hospital in Northern Tanzania among all admitted patients with confirmed COVID-19, from 10th March 2020 to 26th January 2022. The main study event was COVID-19 mortality. The predictors of mortality were determined by using the Weibull survival regression model and the statistically significant results were declared at a p-value of &lt;0.05. Results A total of 547 confirmed COVID-19 patient records were included in the study. Their median age was 63 (IQR; 53-83), about 60% were aged 60 years and above, and 56.7% were males. The most common clinical features were; fever (60.8%), a severe form of the disease (44.4%), difficulty in breathing (73.3%), chest pain (46.1%), and generalized body weakness (71.3%). Of all participants, over one-third (34.6%) died (95%CI; 0.31-0.39). The median survival time was 7 days (IQR; 3-12). The overall mortality rate was 32.33 per 1000 person-days while the independent predictors of higher mortality risk were age ≥60 years (AHR=2.01; 95%CI 1.41-2.87; P&lt;0.001), disease severity (AHR=4.44; 95%CI 2.56-7.73; P&lt;0.001) and male sex (AHR=1.28; 95%CI; 0.93-1.73; P=0.128). Conclusion Mortality was higher in elderly male patients, with a severe form of the disease and those with any comorbidities. Therefore, more attention should be provided to older patients including uptake of the current vaccine and ensuring standard and supportive care at primary health facilities is available.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.05.24303842v1" target="_blank">Predictors of mortality among COVID-19 patients at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Northern Tanzania: A hospital-based retrospective cohort study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Accelerated brain age in young to early middle-aged adults after mild to moderate COVID-19 infection</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Cognitive decline is a common adverse effect of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19), particularly in the post-acute disease phase. The mechanisms of cognitive impairment after COVID-19 (COGVID) remain unclear, but neuroimaging studies provide evidence of brain changes, many that are associated with aging. Therefore, we calculated Brain Age Gap (BAG), which is the difference between brain age and chronological age, in a cohort of 25 mild to moderate COVID-19 survivors (did not experience breathlessness, pneumonia, or respiratory/organ failure) and 24 non-infected controls (mean age = 30 +/- 8) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). BAG was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group (F = 4.22, p = 0.046) by 2.65 years. Additionally, 80% of the COVID-19 group demonstrated an accelerated BAG compared to 13% in the control group (X2 = 20.0, p &lt; 0.001). Accelerated BAG was significantly correlated with lower cognitive function (p &lt; 0.041). Females in the COVID-19 group demonstrated a 99% decreased risk of accelerated BAG compared to males (OR = 0.015, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.300). There was also a small (1.4%) but significant decrease in risk for accelerated BAG associated with longer time since COVID-19 diagnosis (OR = 0.986, 95% CI: 0.977 to 0.995). Our findings provide a novel biomarker of COGVID and point to accelerated brain aging as a potential mechanism of this adverse effect. Our results also offer further insight regarding gender-related disparities in cognitive morbidity associated with COVID-19.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.05.24303816v1" target="_blank">Accelerated brain age in young to early middle-aged adults after mild to moderate COVID-19 infection</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>COVIDVaxStories: Randomized Trial to Reduce COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Populations of Color</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Vaccine Hesitancy <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Storytelling; Behavioral: Learn More (Active Comparator) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Massachusetts, Worcester; Merck Sharp &amp; Dohme LLC <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An E-health Psychoeducation for People With Bipolar Disorders</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Bipolar Disorder; Psychoeducation; COVID-19 Pandemic <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: e-health psychoeducation <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Cagliari; Alessandra Perra <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>Sulfureous Water Therapy in Viral Respiratory Diseases</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long-COVID; Post COVID-19 Condition; Chronic COVID-19 Syndrome; Post Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Inhalation of Sulfurous Thermal Water; Other: Inhalation of Sterile Distilled non-pyrogenic Water <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Roma La Sapienza; Università degli studi di Roma Foro Italico; Queen Mary University of London; Bios Prevention Srl <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>Phase 3 Study of the Safety and Immunogenicity of COVID-19 and Influenza Combination Vaccine</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: CIC Vaccine Co-formulated tNIV2 , SARSCoV-2 rS and Matrix-M Adjuvant; Biological: Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine; Biological: Comparator Influenza Vaccine - Fluarix; Biological: Comparator Influenza Vaccine -Fluarix High Dose; Biological: Placebo 0.9% sodium chloride for injection <br/><b>Sponsors</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>Evaluation of KGR Prescriptions in Suppressing COVID-19 Infection.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Coronavirus Disease 2019; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Combination Product: Kang Guan Recipe (Treat); Combination Product: Kang Guan Recipe (Placebo) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Sheng-Teng Huang <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>SHEN211 Tablets for the Treatment of Mild and Moderate Novel Corona Virus Infections (COVID-19)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: SHEN211 Tablets; Procedure: Placebo for SHEN211 Tablets <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: JKT Biopharma Co., Ltd. <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>INAVAC Vaccine Phase III (Immunobridging Study) in Healthy Population Aged 12 to 17 Years Old</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 Pandemic; COVID-19 Vaccines <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: INAVAC (Vaksin Merah Putih - UA-SARS CoV-2 (Vero Cell Inactivated) 5 µg <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Dr. Soetomo General Hospital; Indonesia-MoH; Universitas Airlangga; PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals, Indonesia <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity and Safety Study of Self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Administered With Influenza Vaccines in Adults</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: ARCT-2303; Biological: Influenza vaccine; Biological: Influenza vaccine, adjuvanted; Other: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc.; Seqirus; Novotech (Australia) Pty Limited <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study to Evaluate the Safety &amp; Immunogenicity of IMNN-101 Administered in Healthy Adults Previously Vaccinated Against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: SARS CoV 2 Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: IMNN-101 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Imunon <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>Effectiveness of a Nasal Spray on Viral Respiratory Infections</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Acute Respiratory Tract Infection; Flu, Human; COVID-19; Common Cold <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Nasal Spray HSV Treatment <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: CEN Biotech; Urgo Research, Innovation &amp; Development <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ginseng and ginsenosides on cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases; Pharmacological potentials for the coronavirus (COVID-19)</strong> - Since its outbreak in late 2019, the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly caused global morbidity and deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has major complications in cardiovascular and pulmonary system. The increased rate of mortality is due to delayed detection of certain biomarkers that are crucial in the development of disease. Furthermore, certain proteins and enzymes in cellular signaling pathways play an…</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>Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection by Porphyromonas gingivalis and the oral microbiome</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic persists despite the availability of vaccines, and it is therefore crucial to develop new therapeutic and preventive approaches. In this study, we investigated the potential role of the oral microbiome in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Using an in vitro SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection assay, we found a potent inhibitory effect exerted by Porphyromonas gingivalis on SARS-CoV-2 infection mediated by known P. gingivalis compounds such as phosphoglycerol dihydroceramide (PGDHC) and…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An allosteric mechanism for potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 main proteinase</strong> - The main proteinase (M^(pro)) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a critical role in cleaving viral polyproteins into functional proteins required for viral replication and assembly, making it a prime drug target for COVID-19. It is well known that noncompetitive inhibition offers potential therapeutic options for treating COVID-19, which can effectively reduce the likelihood of cross-reactivity with other proteins and increase the selectivity of the drug. Therefore, the discovery of allosteric sites of M^(pro)…</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>NLRC5/MHC class I transactivator: A key target for immune escape by SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells by MHC class I molecules is essential for host defense against viral infections. Various mechanisms have evolved in multiple viruses to escape immune surveillance and defense to support viral proliferation in host cells. Through in vitro SARS-CoV-2 infection studies and analysis of COVID-19 patient samples, we found that SARS-CoV-2 suppresses the induction of the MHC class I pathway by inhibiting the expression and function of NLRC5, a major transcriptional…</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>Quantitative Assessment of Energetic Contributions of Residues in a SARS-CoV-2 Viral Enzyme/Nanobody Interface</strong> - The highly conserved protease enzyme from SARS-CoV-2 (M^(Pro)) is crucial for viral replication and is an attractive target for the design of novel inhibitory compounds. M^(Pro) is known to be conformationally flexible and has been stabilized in an extended conformation in a complex with a novel nanobody (NB2B4), which inhibits the dimerization of the enzyme via binding to an allosteric site. However, the energetic contributions of the nanobody residues stabilizing the M^(Pro)/nanobody interface…</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>Mast cell degranulation-triggered by SARS-CoV-2 induces tracheal-bronchial epithelial inflammation and injury</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced hyper-inflammation is a key pathogenic factor of COVID-19. Our research, along with others’, has demonstrated that mast cells (MCs) play a vital role in the initiation of hyper-inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2. In previous study, we observed that SARS-CoV-2 infection the accumulation of MCs in the peri-bronchus and bronchioalveolar-duct junction in humanized mice. Additionally, we found that MC degranulation triggered by the spike protein-resulted in inflammation in…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Indole Propionic Acid Disturbs the Normal Function of Tryptophanyl-tRNA Synthetase in <em>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</em></strong> - Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the second-most contagious killer after COVID-19. The emergence of drug-resistant TB has caused a great need to identify and develop new anti-TB drugs with novel targets. Indole propionic acid (IPA), a structural analog of tryptophan (Trp), is active against M. tuberculosis in vitro and in vivo. It has been verified that IPA exerts its antimicrobial effect by mimicking Trp as an allosteric inhibitor of…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effects of Lamiaceae family plants and their bioactive ingredients on coronavirus-induced lung inflammation</strong> - Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a family of viruses that cause infection in respiratory and intestinal systems. Different types of CoVs, those responsible for the SARS-CoV and the new global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 in people, have been found. Some plants were used as food additives: spices and dietary and/or medicinal purposes in folk medicine. We aimed to provide evidence about possible effects of two Lamiaceae family plants on control or treatment of CoVs-induced inflammation. 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>Deregulation of interferon-gamma receptor 1 expression and its implications for lung adenocarcinoma progression</strong> - Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) plays a dual role in cancer; it is both a pro- and an antitumorigenic cytokine, depending on the type of cancer. The deregulation of the IFN-γ canonic pathway is associated with several disorders, including vulnerability to viral infections, inflammation, and cancer progression. In particular, the interplay between lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and viral infections appears to exist in association with the deregulation of IFN-γ signaling. In this mini-review, we 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>The role of N-acetylcysteine in decreasing neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in COVID-19 patients: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial</strong> - N-acetylcysteine has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities that could potentially improve the clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. N-acetylcysteine potentially inhibits NLRP3 (NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3) inflammasome and results in control oxidative stress and cytokine release in COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of N-acetylcysteine in reducing the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in COVID-19 patients. 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>Metabolic profiling of milk thistle different organs using UPLC-TQD-MS/MS coupled to multivariate analysis in relation to their selective antiviral potential</strong> - CONCLUSION: This study valorizes the importance of different S. marianum organs as wealthy sources of selective and effective antiviral candidates. This approach can be extended to unravel potentially active constituents from complex plant matrices.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Role of Microbiota-Derived Corisin in Coagulation Activation during SARS-CoV-2 Infection</strong> - CONCLUSION: The microbiota-derived corisin is significantly increased and correlated with activation of the coagulation system during SARS-CoV-2 infection, and corisin may directly increase the procoagulant activity in epithelial, endothelial and monocytic cells.</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>Risks of infection and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 in kidney transplant recipients: A single-center cohort study</strong> - CONCLUSION: In kidney transplant recipients, the infection rate and severity of COVID-19 tended to increase with higher maintenance doses of steroids. Recipients taking &gt;5 mg of prednisolone should be considered a switch from tacrolimus to cyclosporine because cyclosporine may inhibit viral replication and reduce the risk of 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>Metabolic regulation of neutrophil functions in homeostasis and diseases</strong> - Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocytes in humans and play a role in the innate immune response by being the first cells attracted to the site of infection. While early studies presented neutrophils as almost exclusively glycolytic cells, recent advances show that these cells use several metabolic pathways other than glycolysis, such as the pentose phosphate pathway, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid oxidation, and glutaminolysis, which they modulate to perform their functions….</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>Transcriptome analysis reveals organ-specific effects of 2-deoxyglucose treatment in healthy mice</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that 2DG has a systemic impact that varies across organs, potentially affecting multiple pathways and functions. The study provides insights into the potential therapeutic benefits of 2DG across different diseases and highlights the importance of understanding its systemic effects for future research and clinical applications.</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>Have the Liberal Arts Gone Conservative?</strong> - The classical-education movement seeks to fundamentally reorient schooling in America. Its emphasis on morality and civics has also primed it for partisan takeover. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/18/have-the-liberal-arts-gone-conservative">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Percival Everett Can’t Say What His Novels Mean</strong> - The author of “Erasure” is renowned for his satires of genre, identity, and America. But his great target may be language itself. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/18/percival-everett-profile">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Open-Air Prison for ISIS Supporters—and Victims</strong> - Since the Islamic State fell, tens of thousands of people—many of them children—have been herded into Al-Hol, a giant fenced-in camp in Syria, and effectively given life sentences. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/18/the-open-air-prison-for-isis-supporters-and-victims">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Among the A.I. Doomsayers</strong> - Some people think machine intelligence will transform humanity for the better. Others fear it may destroy us. Who will decide our fate? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/18/among-the-ai-doomsayers">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Forty-three Mexican Students Went Missing. What Really Happened to Them?</strong> - One night in 2014, a group of young men from a rural teachers’ college vanished. Since then, their families have fought for answers. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/11/what-really-happened-to-the-forty-three">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Biden’s vs. Trump’s economy, in 8 charts</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A side by side of Trump (left) and Biden (right) speaking passionately into microphones with raised hands. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ImD_jhSXr5rpjiGJ3EEJL3ulBgE=/0x0:3200x2400/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73197390/1229228819.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Then-President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden during the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 22, 2020. | Brendan Smialowski and Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The gaps between perception of the economy and the reality, explained.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cVDySA">
American economic pessimism has been bafflingly persistent despite major indicators showing that the <a href="https://www.vox.com/economy">economy</a> is actually strong. Unemployment is low, inflation is down (<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/consumer-prices-inflation-sticky-stocks-federal-reserve-jerome-powell-921d7929">if sticky</a>), wages are up, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/stock-market">stock market</a> is hitting new all-time highs, and it looks like the Federal Reserve might be able to keep the US out of a recession.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zAZEPC">
Surveys are beginning to capture growing consumer confidence — but for <a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>, the question is whether it’s rising quickly enough for him to avoid being <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/24049643/2024-election-polls-biden-economy">penalized in the 2024 election</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="McSO9I">
He had no control over the pandemic-rattled economy he inherited, but voters may nevertheless blame him for it, as they have (rightly or wrongly) blamed their presidents for the country’s economic troubles in the past.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JYgaq7">
Voters have mentioned economic issues (think: inflation, jobs, and more) as their greatest concern since 2022 in a long-running and <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/1609/consumer-views-economy.aspx">ongoing Gallup survey</a>. Another February <a href="https://pro.morningconsult.com/articles/morning-consult-bloomberg-news-survey-bidens-and-trumps-ballot-performance-as-of-february-2024">Morning Consult/Bloomberg survey</a> of voters in swing states also found that the economy is the most important issue — and could therefore decide the outcome of the election.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7gJsS4">
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-11/trump-has-11-point-lead-over-biden-on-economy-new-ft-poll-shows?embedded-checkout=true">Recent</a> polls <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/poll-biden-trump-economy-presidential-race-rcna136834">show</a> Trump with an 11- to 20-point edge over Biden on which candidate would better handle the economy. In some ways, this isn’t a surprise: The economy was generally good under Trump, except for the Covid-induced recession; under Biden, high inflation has been the biggest economic story. If Biden is to turn his fortunes around, he’ll have to convince the American public that the economy is in fact better than it feels — and better than they remember under Trump.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mAGXpU">
“The fundamental problem for Biden and the Democrats is that while the rate of inflation is down, it’s not going backwards,” GOP pollster Whit Ayres said. “It’s hard to persuade people that things are better.”
</p>
<h3 id="01yHMc">
Americans think the economy is worse under Biden
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3PxZRj">
Americans have been stubbornly downbeat about the economy under Biden, with Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index hovering between -20 and -40 for months on a scale of -100 to 100.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7u4UYc">
That number is derived from monthly surveys of US adults in which they are asked to rate national economic conditions, with 100 signifying that all respondents “say the economy is excellent or good and that it is getting better” and -100 signifying that they all “say it is poor and getting worse,” according to Gallup.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Chart showing a marked dip in Americans’ confidence in the economy starting in 2020. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IWqcAqj_1KrlqYZbJ56w10GgZy0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25325788/Dpobb_us_economic_confidence_is_much_lower_under_biden__2_.png"/>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8IPtM4">
The data suggests that the more economic confidence has plummeted, the more the economy has become an issue in the presidential race. <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/1609/consumer-views-economy.aspx">About 30 percent of Americans</a> cited the economy as the most important problem facing the country in the most recent results from Gallup’s running survey (although it’s worth noting that <a href="https://www.vox.com/2024/2/7/24064001/border-crisis-immigration-reality-explained-mayorkas-impeachment">immigration</a> is now climbing fast on this chart).
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A chart showing an increase in Americans’ concerns over the economy beginning in 2020, and a spike in concerns about immigration beginning in 2023. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vVkxU66RpZyd8IcjYpzJEPmdim4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25325793/NJmzM_the_us_economy_is_a_bigger_concern_under_biden__1_.png"/>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZsuJV5">
To be sure, there’s evidence <a href="https://time.com/6727243/u-s-economy-biden-approval-2024/">the link between the economy and presidents’ approval might be weakening</a> as partisan loyalties shift — but it doesn’t appear to be gone entirely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9GJABe">
It does seem like things might be finally turning a corner for Biden. Surveys including Gallup’s have shown a marked uptick in economic confidence in recent months, even if the figures are still overall well below what Biden would like to see.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B7mcnO">
“There has been substantial empirical progress made,” Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi said. “I think if they continue making that case, the public, slowly and surely, will come around by the time they start voting in October and November for president.”
</p>
<h3 id="3dcX0m">
The Biden and Trump economies were both pretty good — but only one president has gotten credit
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YAOpBs">
There’s no denying that the economy was good under Trump, and the 2019 pre-pandemic economy is now seen as a baseline against which Biden’s economy is being judged.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fENojE">
But Trump arrived in office when the economy was already pretty strong. He was “just riding on the coattails of a 10-year-long economic recovery,” said Alí R. Bustamante, deputy director of worker power and economic security at the progressive Roosevelt Institute.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FJ3AhE">
The economy continued to grow modestly on his watch until the pandemic hit in 2020, and after that, his stimulus checks kept it buoyant for a while. The stock market saw significant growth under Trump (and at least for the last year, under Biden, too — more on that later).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k619yH">
But some of Trump’s signature economic <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy">policies</a> have also been found to have had little to no measurable effect on the economy — and a few might have even hurt. Multiple studies <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/trump-trade-war-triggered-job-gains-happen/story?id=107601458">have shown</a> that the Trump tariffs had at best a neutral effect on the economy and at worst cost America hundreds of thousands of jobs and higher prices for consumers. And his 2017 <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/after-decades-of-costly-regressive-and-ineffective-tax-cuts-a-new-course-is">tax cuts</a>, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/us/politics/trump-corporate-tax-cut.html#:~:text=The%20corporate%20tax%20cuts%20that,yet%20of%20the%20law's%20effects.">increased investment in the economy and contributed to modest wage growth</a> in the short-term, fell far short of Republicans’ promise that they would pay for themselves and are projected to <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/national-debt-trump">significantly raise federal debt</a> and increase income inequality.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xy5VKU">
Biden, on the other hand, faced the immediate task upon assuming office of heading off a recession as the country started to bounce back from the pandemic. The US did recover from that pandemic economic slump. But there is evidence that his policies, including the stimulus checks he issued, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2022/10/09/inflation-economy-biden-covid/">contributed to an inflationary spiral</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BD90fi">
The US did, however, manage to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/inflation-rates-us-and-the-world-7369986">curb inflation faster</a> than other economically developed countries, while also maintaining much lower levels of unemployment and higher wage growth.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QkcjKG">
The Federal Reserve might deserve most of the credit for that, given its carefully timed interest rate hikes. But Biden also had a very successful legislative record, including the bipartisan <a href="https://www.vox.com/22770447/infrastructure-bill-democrats-biden-water-broadband-roads-buses">infrastructure law</a> and the <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/7/27/23277664/chips-act-solve-chip-shortage-biden-manufacturing">CHIPS Act</a> — laws that <a href="https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2021/09/what-economic-effects-can-we-expect-from-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill">experts</a> say <a href="https://www.dataforprogress.org/memos/economic-impacts-of-the-chips-for-america-act">can help</a> bolster the economy. And he took steps to reduce pandemic-induced pressure on supply chains, making it easier for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-election-2024-eggs-trump-6690e93b2817f28ebc314c088cbec267">truck drivers to become licensed</a> and allowing some <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/biden-plan-to-run-los-angeles-port-24-7-to-break-supply-chain-backlog-falls-short">major ports to operate nonstop</a>.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cCuMmT92306YgIuL0Urp2wOElUI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25325795/louJb_us_economic_growth_is_exceeding_expectations___3_.png"/>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w9W1HJ">
The US economy is growing faster than projected, driven <a href="https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/united-states/private-consumption--of-nominal-gdp#:~:text=United%20States%20Private%20Consumption%20accounted,an%20average%20share%20of%2063.4%20%25.">largely by consumer spending</a> and the Federal Reserve’s successful efforts to get inflation under control without triggering a recession.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4fEipJ">
While inflation has come down substantially from its <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/12/heres-the-inflation-breakdown-for-december-2022-in-one-chart.html">9.1 percent peak in June 2022</a>, it still remains above the Fed’s 2-percent target rate. But Americans’ wages are now <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/05/wages-outpacing-inflation">growing faster than inflation</a>, which should relieve some of the pressure of higher prices.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZOisG8">
The problem for Biden is that the memory of peak inflation is still fresh, and not everyone has experienced wage growth equally. Bustamante said that younger workers and low earners account for the lion’s share of wage growth in the current economy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BdTl3h">
The president should speak to these challenges, acknowledging that “some people are suffering and things are not exactly where they want it to be” without selling short what’s working, Amandi said.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Chart titled “Wages are catching up with inflation” depicting that “inflation hit its highest level since 1980 under Biden before moderating, now outpaced by wage growth.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PoddKxG-wv7HLKGTVhuLEvva5B8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25325796/mDDrw_wages_are_catching_up_with_inflation.png"/>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n1GZgK">
What is working is Biden’s strategy on jobs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D7TvXo">
Unemployment <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/03/us-unemployment-hit-a-historic-low-economists-arent-sure-itll-stick.html">reached its lowest level since 1969 under Biden</a>, and the US gained a record <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/05/economy/jobs-report-december-final/index.html">7.27 million new jobs</a> in 2021, fueled by a recovery in the labor market as vaccines became available and the country opened up. Job creation has remained strong in the years since, but slowed to 2.7 million jobs added in 2023.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A chart titled “Unemployment is back to pre-pandemic level,” depicting that “the unemployment rate and share of discouraged workers in the labor force has come down and stayed low under Biden.” Discouraged workers are defined as “those who have tried and failed to find a job and have given up looking even though they would prefer to be working.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/I8Mr7qiRm2S8ceAySIxoaNjekXc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25325800/hPD6w_unemployment_is_back_to_pre_pandemic_levels__3_.png"/>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TjsHSO">
The stock market has also been setting new record highs after growing a whopping 24 percent last year — driven by optimism that the Fed will soon cut rates and that companies in the tech and energy sectors have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/02/12/1230987886/the-stock-market-sets-new-records-as-wall-streets-confidence-in-the-economy-grow">outperformed expectations</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JETkVs">
This means that Trump no longer has the only claim to a strong stock market during the last few years. Instead, he’s had to resort to claiming credit (<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/02/trump-and-his-allies-adjust-their-messaging-on-the-economy-as-it-steadily-improves-00139447">unconvincingly</a>) for the current market. For instance, he <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/4435862-trump-claims-credit-record-stock-market-biden/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CTHIS%20IS%20THE%20TRUMP%20STOCK,caps%20missive%20on%20Truth%20Social.">recently posted on Truth Social</a> that the US was experiencing a “TRUMP STOCK MARKET” in anticipation of him winning the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2024-elections">2024 election</a>.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Chart titled “The stock market hit new all-time highs under Biden: the S&amp;amp;P 500 is booming, buoyed by optimism that the US will avoid a recession.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yXEe2_gBnMbDRRmpRNLYM-0UuMs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25325797/13jSs_the_stock_market_hit_new_all_time_highs_under_biden__1_.png"/>
</figure>
<h3 id="Eqtf6c">
Biden’s challenge is speaking to Americans who are still hurting
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A6hKEE">
The picture of the economy isn’t entirely rosy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h6RJwo">
After a brief spike in savings rates during the pandemic due to a series of stimulus checks, <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT">Americans are now saving less</a> than they were pre-pandemic. There are a few reasons for this: Of course, everything costs more, but interest rates are also higher, meaning that it’s now more expensive to borrow. And higher borrowing costs have eaten into Americans’ savings.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Chart titled “Americans are saving less after the pandemic” depicting a large spike in personal savings in 2020 and 2021 followed by a drop in 2022." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DsBScYLndfzbSwPeMyOKasqkbmU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25325802/J6wn2_americans_are_saving_less_after_the_pandemic__1_.png"/>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OiaKsG">
In spite of all of that, Americans are still buying stuff in droves, and not just necessities: <a href="https://apnews.com/article/spending-consumers-inflation-economy-growth-federal-reserve-b1d34bc43a0da960a152911b7c230881">Restaurants, airlines, and hotels</a> have been some of the biggest beneficiaries.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vEt5h6">
There’s a question, however, of how long this can last before the money dries up.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u84ITE">
Americans are pulling from their now-depleted savings and amassing record-high debt on credit cards and other revolving plans in which consumers can repeatedly borrow money up to a set limit and repay in installments. Young adults in particular, many of whom are also struggling with high <a href="https://www.vox.com/student-loan-debt">student loan debt</a>, are <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/06/credit-card-balances-jump-to-new-1point13-trillion-record-at-end-of-2023.html">increasingly falling behind on their credit card payments</a>. At some point, something has to give.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WDV02b">
This might be part of the reason why many Americans still yearn for the economy in 2019, when they had more cash on hand and didn’t have to resort to putting purchases on a credit card.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nhT06Y">
Still, Bustamante isn’t too worried about the long-term economic impacts, given that the Fed is expected to cut interest rates this year, which should provide relief to households carrying large balances and make it easier for them to pay off debt. But if the Fed waits much longer, Americans might not feel the effects before the November election.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Chart titled “Americans are racking up record credit card debt” shows a sharp increase in total credit card balances after Biden assumed office in 2021." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ccbyvLcf87xCTq4z4bjDf8RkdNQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25325803/o1V8L_americans_are_racking_up_record_credit_card_debt__2_.png"/>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Pcm8zw">
So while most of the economic indicators spell good news for Biden and for America, the question is whether he can persuade voters who feel otherwise and remain nostalgic for Trump’s economy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vEgjwX">
“The general perception is that the economy was better before the pandemic than it is now,” said Ayres, the GOP pollster. “And that perception is powerful politically.”
</p></li>
<li><strong>The NRA has a case before the Supreme Court that it absolutely should win</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A close-up photo of a man wearing a navy baseball cap embroidered with the letters NRA in yellow. The US Supreme Court building is visible in the background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gPySvLHkqNKByb9Qks3V-TYEWsg=/224x0:2776x1914/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73197304/GettyImages-80288328.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A man wears an NRA hat in front of the US Supreme Court building. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It’s one of two cases asking whether the government is allowed to speak freely to private companies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gIAx7F">
The <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus">Supreme Court</a> will hear two cases on Monday, March 18, that are often referred to as “jawboning” cases — that is, cases where the government tried to pressure private companies into taking certain actions, but without actually using any of its coercive power.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K5rolX">
On the surface, the two cases have many similarities. Both involve claims that the First Amendment imposes strict limits on the government’s ability to cajole, hector, or otherwise try to persuade private companies to act in a particular way. But these similarities are only an inch deep.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kSPAlj">
One case, known as <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/national-rifle-association-of-america-v-vullo/"><em>National Rifle Association v. Vullo</em></a><em>, </em>involves a <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/23948899/supreme-court-nra-vullo-new-york-insurance-murder-carry-guard">fairly obvious violation of the First Amendment</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TR8FNO">
In <em>National Rifle Association (NRA),</em> New York’s top financial regulator brought a legitimate enforcement action against three insurance companies that did business with the NRA, and these companies agreed to pay a total of $13 million in fines. But then, while this completely benign enforcement action was underway, the same regulator issued a “<a href="https://www.dfs.ny.gov/industry_guidance/industry_letters/il20180419_guidance_risk_mgmt_nra_NRA_similar_gun_promotion_orgs_banking_industry">guidance</a>” to all insurers who do business in the state, warning them to “continue evaluating and managing their risks, including reputational risks, that may arise from their dealings with the NRA or similar gun promotion organizations.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GZtkBq">
This guidance was not permitted by the Constitution. A law enforcement agency cannot pressure companies to stop doing business with a political advocacy group that it disagrees with while it is also in the process of collecting millions of dollars in fines from some of those companies. Even though the financial regulator’s “guidance” did not explicitly threaten that more enforcement actions would follow if insurers kept doing lawful business with the NRA, a threat was implied by the regulator’s previous, multimillion-dollar action against insurers associated with the NRA.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1wJ6Zg">
The second case, meanwhile, is more fraught. In <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/murthy-v-missouri-3/"><em>Murthy v. Missouri</em></a>, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit — a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/12/27/23496264/supreme-court-fifth-circuit-trump-court-immigration-housing-sexual-harrassment">far-right court dominated by MAGA judges</a> — issued a <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/9/22/23883888/supreme-court-social-media-first-amendment-netchoice-paxton-murthy-missouri-twitter-facebook">vague and sweeping injunction</a> that effectively forbids the federal government from communicating with social media companies about harmful content online.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CbnQ0T">
Federal officials routinely ask social media companies to pull down content that encourages criminal activity, that endangers <a href="https://www.vox.com/public-health">public health</a>, or that potentially threatens <a href="https://www.vox.com/defense-and-security">national security</a>. This includes content that seeks to <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2023/2/16/23582848/supreme-court-internet-section-230-terrorism-cases-gonzalez-google-twitter-taamneh">recruit people into terrorist groups such as ISIS</a>, content produced by “<a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/9/22/23883888/supreme-court-social-media-first-amendment-netchoice-paxton-murthy-missouri-twitter-facebook">Russian troll farms</a>” and other foreign adversaries, and disinformation about vaccinations and <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19">Covid-19</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MkG8X5">
Unlike the <em>NRA</em> case, the Fifth Circuit’s opinion in <em>Murthy</em> identified no examples of a government official taking coercive action against a social media company, nor did it identify any plausible threat to take such action. The right-wing court did, however, identify some cases where White House officials used unnecessarily strident language in an attempt to pressure social media companies to remove content.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sXMsci">
It then latched onto these few unwise statements as an excuse to issue a sweeping court order that practically forbids the government from speaking to social media companies at all. The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/9/22/23883888/supreme-court-social-media-first-amendment-netchoice-paxton-murthy-missouri-twitter-facebook">temporarily blocked this order</a> last October over the dissents of Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PCsjxk">
Under current law, the government may ask any private company to take virtually any action. It may use firm, or even harsh, language when it does so. It may condemn a private company’s actions in public and in private. And it may do so even if the company the government is trying to pressure is a media company that engages in First Amendment-protected speech.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xhhN78">
As any reporter will tell you, government officials try to shape what kind of reporting appears in the newspaper all the time. Most major government offices have entire communications teams that exist for the purpose of trying to persuade, pressure, or cajole journalists into reporting some stories while avoiding others.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cblhMh">
But the government may not use the power of the state to coerce a media outlet into pulling down speech. Nor may it use its coercive power to pressure companies to cease doing business with an advocacy group that the government finds repugnant. Persuasion is allowed. Coercion is not.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YsEvik">
Now, however, the task of policing this line between persuasion and coercion falls to a Supreme Court that <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/7/8/23784320/supreme-court-2022-term-affirmative-action-religion-voting-rights-abortion">does not always feel bound by existing law</a> and that is often sympathetic to the Republican Party’s cultural grievances. So there is no guarantee that this Supreme Court will draw the line between permissible and impermissible pressure in a sensible place.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="paVcoL">
And both the <em>NRA</em> and the <em>Murthy</em> cases potentially endanger the government’s ability to take entirely legitimate actions to protect public safety and public health.
</p>
<h3 id="awHBiA">
In the <em>NRA</em> case, a former top official’s recklessness endangers a perfectly legitimate effort to keep people from being murdered
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CQ9F0w">
The <em>NRA</em> case arises out of two separate actions by former New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) superintendent Maria Vullo, one of which raises no serious constitutional concerns.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XZ6Fex">
The legitimate action began in 2017, when DFS opened an investigation into Carry Guard, an NRA-endorsed insurance program that, according to a federal appeals court, “provided liability defense coverage for criminal proceedings resulting from firearm use <a href="https://casetext.com/case/natl-rifle-assn-of-am-v-vullo">even where the insured acted with criminal intent</a>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V8P7nP">
Carry Guard offered to pay both the civil and criminal legal fees (up to $1 million for a civil case and up to $150,000 for a criminal case) of customers who shot someone else, allegedly in self-defense. The NRA advertised Carry Guard to its members as a way to <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/23948899/supreme-court-nra-vullo-new-york-insurance-murder-carry-guard">enjoy peace of mind if they shot another human</a>. One pitch to NRA members said that “you should never be forced to choose between defending your life … and putting yourself and your family in financial ruin.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7uWHTw">
New York law generally does not permit insurance products that “<a href="https://www.dfs.ny.gov/insurance/ogco2002/rg205301.htm">insure a person for that person’s intentional criminal acts</a>,” and so DFS acted entirely within its lawful mandate when it brought an enforcement action against three companies that underwrote or administered Carry Guard or similar programs. Eventually, these companies entered into consent decrees where they agreed to stop providing this sort of insurance, and where they also agreed to pay over $13 million in fines.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jdbTxy">
While these entirely legitimate enforcement actions were ongoing, however, a teenager <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22-842/300966/20240220164549605_Vullo%20Merits%20Brief%20Final.pdf">opened fire at a high school in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people</a>. In response to this shooting, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/150933/andrew-cuomos-trumpian-war-nra">stepped up its criticism of the NRA</a>, and Vullo played a major part in the administration’s attempt to rein in the powerful gun rights group.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kUCtkc">
And so, in April of 2018, DFS issued a “guidance,” signed by Vullo, warning insurers of the “risks, including reputational risks, that may arise from their dealings with the NRA or similar gun promotion organizations.” That guidance told insurance companies that DFS “encourages regulated institutions to <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/682624756/NRA-Complaint">review any relationships they have with the NRA</a> or similar gun promotion organizations, and to take prompt actions to managing these risks and promote public health and safety.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ANE6W1">
Had this guidance been issued in a vacuum, it might not violate the Constitution. Again, the government may attempt to persuade a private company to stop doing business with the NRA.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sN36si">
But a law enforcement officer cannot seek millions of dollars in fines from three insurance companies that did business with a political advocacy group — even if they collected those fines for entirely legitimate reasons — and then immediately turn around and warn every other insurance company in the state that bad things could happen to them if they also do business with that same advocacy group. Read in context, it’s hard to understand Vullo’s guidance as anything other than an implicit threat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3Nsg83">
One highly relevant case is <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=7402288339517306664&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr"><em>Bantam Books v. Sullivan</em></a> (1963), where the Supreme Court acknowledged that “people do not lightly disregard public officers’ thinly veiled threats to institute criminal proceedings against them if they do not come around.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="14hVEm">
<em>Bantam Books</em> involved the Orwellianly named “Rhode Island Commission to Encourage Morality in Youth,” a state body that identified books and other publications it deemed “objectionable for sale, distribution or display to youths under 18 years of age.” This commission then sent letters to booksellers seeking their “cooperation” in removing such books and informing those sellers of the commission’s “duty to recommend to the Attorney General prosecution of purveyors of obscenity.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ep490A">
At least one book distributor reported that he was visited by a police officer shortly after receiving a notice from the commission, and the officer asked the distributor what steps he had taken to comply with the notice.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eXgrwK">
In any event, neither the commission nor the police officer explicitly stated “remove these books or you will be arrested,” but the implicit threat was quite clear. And <em>Bantam Books</em> held that this kind of coercion is not allowed under the First Amendment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4uzP5m">
Vullo’s actions weren’t quite as egregious as the commission’s actions in <em>Bantam Books</em> — at least she didn’t send an armed state official to New York insurers to ask them what they’d done to cut ties with the NRA — but they are close enough to the facts of <em>Bantam Books</em> that they cannot be allowed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yf26a4">
Vullo, after all, was herself a law enforcement officer (though, admittedly, one whose jurisdiction was limited to enforcing certain financial laws), and she was actively trying to collect millions of dollars in fines from three insurers that did business with the NRA when she told every other insurer in the state to stop doing business with the NRA!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EbnwUr">
Worse, because of Vullo’s foolish decision to issue her anti-NRA “guidance,” she may have endangered a perfectly legitimate enforcement action against the NRA’s murder insurance. The Supreme Court’s GOP-appointed supermajority is <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/23948899/supreme-court-nra-vullo-new-york-insurance-murder-carry-guard">extremely sympathetic</a> to claims brought by gun rights groups. There’s no telling how far they might reach when they are handed a case that involves a genuine violation of the NRA’s constitutional rights.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="60oAkq">
More broadly, Democrats simply need to be more careful than Vullo was when they exercise government authority. They have to assume that every action they take will be reviewed by a judiciary that hates progressive policies and wants to see Democrats fail.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nAC6OQ">
And that brings us to the <em>Murthy</em> case.
</p>
<h3 id="Kp1hsd">
The <em>Murthy</em> case shows just how much harm partisan judges can impose on the US government if they are given an excuse to do so
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h4zP6l">
The <em>Murthy</em> case is as frustrating as the <em>NRA</em> case, but for a completely different reason. Unlike <em>NRA</em>, <em>Murthy</em> does not involve the kind of clear-cut violation of the First Amendment that should compel the courts to intervene.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RXtxgp">
At most, <em>Murthy</em> seems to involve a few isolated incidents where government officials — most likely because they were under extraordinary pressure to vaccinate hundreds of millions of Americans against Covid-19 as fast as possible — lost their tempers with corporate officials who shared the same broad goals as the <a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">Biden administration</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AIpWuX">
As the Justice Department explains in its <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-411/293780/20231219192259919_23-411ts%20Murthy.pdf"><em>Murthy</em> brief</a>, the federal government routinely speaks with social media companies about their editorial decisions. The Department of Homeland Security often briefs social media companies on how to “‘recognize and react to violent extremist content’ posted by terrorist groups”; the FBI often notifies social media providers that one of their users is promoting terrorism; the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) flags social media content that contains election-related disinformation, “such as false statements about the time, place, and manner of elections”; the White House sometimes asks social media companies to remove accounts that falsely impersonate a member of the president’s family; and government officials also ask social media companies to remove harmful medical advice that could injure people who follow it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f6CvXI">
And so long as the government merely asks the platforms to remove content, rather than trying to threaten or coerce them into doing so, government officials may lawfully make such requests.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FI482m">
Social media platforms, moreover, are <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-411/293780/20231219192259919_23-411ts%20Murthy.pdf">often eager participants in these conversations</a> because they share the government’s desire to, say, suppress terrorism or protect people from quack medical advice. During the pandemic, for example, these platforms “regularly reached out” to the CDC “to ensure that the information the social media companies chose to promote on their platforms remained consistent with the latest CDC guidance.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bO8HXo">
Companies like <a href="https://www.vox.com/facebook">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/youtube">YouTube</a>, in other words, decided on their own that they did not want to publish content that could lead to more Covid-related deaths. And they often proactively reached out to the government for advice on what sort of content should be removed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CghzFN">
There are quite a few cases, however, where social media companies disagreed with the government’s opinion that a particular social media post should be taken down. And the plaintiffs in the <em>Murthy </em>case — two red states, plus a handful of individuals who are upset that some of their content was removed by social media companies — highlight a few examples of when these disagreements escalated into forceful rhetoric.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8pTOfu">
The <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-411/299644/20240202144405984_2024-02-02%20-%20Murthy%20v.%20Missouri%20-%20Brief%20of%20Respondents%20-%20Final%20with%20Tables.pdf">plaintiffs’ brief</a>, for example, points to a communication between a White House official and <a href="https://www.vox.com/twitter">Twitter</a> where the official asked Twitter to “get moving on the process for having” an anti-vaccine tweet “removed ASAP.” And they flag a few examples where government officials grew frustrated with the social media companies’ slow answers and responded with a commanding tone (“I want an answer on what happened here and I want it today”).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dvhQK3">
The plaintiffs also point to some isolated statements, made by White House officials who were responding to questions from reporters, where the Biden administration endorsed policy changes that social media companies would likely find objectionable, such as a May 2021 statement by the White House press secretary that President Biden supports <a href="https://www.vox.com/antitrust">antitrust</a> reforms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7kFb7Q">
Some of these statements were probably unwise. In a world where a hostile, highly partisan judiciary looms over every Democratic administration, Biden administration officials would be smart not to speak to employees at media companies as if they were their boss lest some judge latch onto these statements as an excuse to charge the administration with constitutionally impermissible coercion.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Jz0Kmv">
But the Fifth Circuit’s <em>Murthy</em> opinion, which spends about 14 pages describing incidents where various federal officials asked social media companies to remove content, does not identify a single example of any official taking coercive action against a platform that refused such a request. Nor does it identify anything vaguely resembling the implicit threat in the <em>NRA</em> case.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Klbi6W">
If anything, the Fifth Circuit’s own evidence suggests that the platforms felt perfectly free to ignore the government’s requests whenever they wanted to. Among other things, the Fifth Circuit admitted that, about half the time, the platforms <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/9/22/23883888/supreme-court-social-media-first-amendment-netchoice-paxton-murthy-missouri-twitter-facebook">rejected the FBI’s requests to pull down content</a> and nothing happened to the platforms as a result.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="98WsUY">
And yet, despite its inability to identify any actual coercion by government officials, the Fifth Circuit invented a new rule that would allow it to shut down more benign communications between these officials and social media companies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OrOe5E">
And then it issued a sweeping injunction that is simultaneously too vague for Biden administration officials to figure out how to comply with it and so broad that it prohibits communications that clearly do not violate the First Amendment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J479Nt">
If this injunction, which has been temporarily blocked by the Supreme Court, were to go into effect, that would mean that no one in the FBI would know what it is allowed to do if it discovers that the Russian government is flooding social media with content intended to incite an insurrection in the United States. And no one in the CDC would know if they are allowed to respond to a request from Facebook asking if the drug ivermectin cures Covid (<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22663127/ivermectin-covid-treatments-vaccines-evidence">it does not</a>).
</p>
<h3 id="eNR4YF">
So what did the Fifth Circuit’s opinion actually say?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W1f1r7">
Briefly, the Fifth Circuit invented a new legal standard that, it claims, should govern cases where the government asks a media company to voluntarily remove content. Under the Fifth Circuit’s approach, huge swaths of the federal government’s communications with social media companies are illegal because the government “<a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/9/22/23883888/supreme-court-social-media-first-amendment-netchoice-paxton-murthy-missouri-twitter-facebook">entangled themselves in the platforms’ decision-making processes</a>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4ZPEcM">
The Fifth Circuit never defines the word “entangled” beyond using other, equally vague adjectives to describe what the government is not allowed to do. The opinion, for example, faults the government for having “consistent and consequential” communications with social media platforms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AkJedy">
Then, having articulated this imprecise legal rule, the Fifth Circuit issued a broad injunction prohibiting the Biden administration from … well, it’s not at all clear what the Biden administration can’t do. The federal government seems to have been ordered not to have “consistent and consequential” communications with social media companies — whatever the hell that means.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AoG9CJ">
This is, to say the least, not normal behavior from a federal court. Typically, when a court enjoins any party from taking any action, it defines the scope of that injunction clearly enough that it’s possible to figure out what the enjoined party is not allowed to do. But the Fifth Circuit’s injunction is so ill-defined that no one in the government can possibly figure out whether they violate it if they speak to a social media company. So government officials are likely to cut off contact altogether, lest they be held in contempt of court.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UROY5m">
In any event, if the Supreme Court wants to follow existing law — always an <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/7/8/23784320/supreme-court-2022-term-affirmative-action-religion-voting-rights-abortion">uncertain proposition with this Court</a> — there is an easy way for the justices to toss out the Fifth Circuit’s decision without blessing some of the more imprudent communications between the social media platforms and government officials.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qh7shr">
Any plaintiff who brings a federal lawsuit must show that they’ve been injured in some way by the defendant they are suing — a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/6/17/22538462/supreme-court-obamacare-california-texas-stephen-breyer-standing-individual-mandate-constitution">requirement known as “standing.”</a> As the Supreme Court said in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/504/555/"><em>Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife</em></a> (1992), moreover, “there must be a causal connection between the injury and the conduct complained of.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YSQ5Pa">
So a plaintiff alleging that a White House official was too demanding in one of their conversations with a social media platform cannot seek relief in federal court unless they can show that this conversation actually caused a social media company to pull down a specific piece of content posted by that plaintiff.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mhIugR">
And even if one of the <em>Murthy</em> plaintiffs can make such a demonstration, which is unlikely, the Supreme Court’s precedents impose an even higher barrier on plaintiffs asking a federal court to issue an injunction (a court order forbidding the defendant from acting in a particular way). The controlling case is <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/461/95/"><em>City of Los Angeles v. Lyons</em></a> (1983), which held that a plaintiff who has been injured in the past by the government cannot seek an injunction banning that activity unless the plaintiff “was likely to suffer future injury” similar to what they experienced in the past.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7POKYs">
The <em>Murthy</em> plaintiffs, in other words, must show 1) that a government official had an unconstitutional conversation with a social media platform, 2) that this conversation caused that platform to remove some of the plaintiffs’ content that the platform wouldn’t have removed anyway, and 3) that a similarly unconstitutional conversation is likely to happen in the future that would lead to the same outcome for the same plaintiff.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mgZ1DG">
That’s an extraordinary burden. And it is exceedingly unlikely that any plaintiff can meet it in this case.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fW8dnU">
A majority of the justices already disagreed with the Fifth Circuit once, when the Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23a243_7l48.pdf">temporarily blocked the Fifth Circuit’s decision last October</a>. So the Biden administration has good reason to be optimistic that <em>Murthy</em> won’t end with another sweeping court order that seems to even forbid the FBI from warning Twitter that some of its users are using the platform to coordinate criminal activity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2a5csA">
Nevertheless, Democrats in government should take the same lesson from <em>Murthy</em> that they need to take from <em>NRA</em>. No one even tangentially related to the <em>Murthy</em> case did anything approaching the egregious constitutional violation that occurred in <em>NRA</em>, but that didn’t stop Republicans on the Fifth Circuit from combing through the Biden administration’s communications with social media companies, looking for a reason to issue a broad and unworkable injunction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6A5Oiy">
One of the Fifth Circuit’s many errors is it seemed to assume that government actions have no value — that the public’s interest in not having terrorists find recruits on YouTube pales before some anti-vaxxer’s interest in being able to falsely tweet that Covid vaccines are unsafe. Democratic officials need to understand that judges who hold this worldview are pervasive throughout the judiciary and that they will eagerly seize upon any mistake made by a public official to sabotage whole swaths of the government.
</p></li>
<li><strong>7 winners and 0 losers from the surprisingly delightful 2024 Oscars</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Best Actress for “Poor Things” actress Emma Stone, Best Actor for “Oppenheimer” actor Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actress for “The Holdovers” actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Best Supporting Actor for “Oppenheimer” actor Robert Downey Jr. pose in the press room during the 96th Annual Academy Awards." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/exqosI24r1H4iZjZsYiH_B_ZpXY=/369x0:6260x4418/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73197083/GettyImages_2066805048.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Four very happy acting category winners: Robert Downey, Jr., Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Emma Stone, and Cillian Murphy. | Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
From Jimmy Kimmel to going to bed on time, the 2024 Oscars were a hit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aggnpq">
2023 was the year <a href="https://www.vox.com/movies">movies</a> were finally back — and the 96th Academy Awards reflected what a good time at the cinema we all had. Not only was this year’s crop of Best Picture nominees <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/barbenheimer-to-poor-things-this-is-the-perfect-oscars-best-picture-lineup">one of the best</a> we’ve had in eons, the often self-serious award show’s ceremony was warm-hearted, hilarious, and enjoyable enough to melt even the most cynical award-show hater.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iUAz4J">
Buoyed by a killer opening monologue from Jimmy Kimmel and a communal ethos that started strong and then kept on going, Sunday’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/oscars">Oscars</a> felt like not just a return to form, but a sincere embrace of the reason we’re all here: to make wonderful art together, have lots of fun, and maybe even remember what’s great about humanity while we’re at it. (Hint: It’s <a href="https://twitter.com/zachsilberberg/status/1766990538434048045/">the cute <em>Godzilla</em> toys</a>.) From adorable close-ups of <em>Anatomy of a Fall</em>’s breakout actor Messi, who <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/oscars-2024-anatomy-of-a-fall-dog-messi.html?origSession=D230914wJGKULMApcgRkgzXfmIly0Tt8SqYtKIZbsVD8ga9uY4%3D&amp;_gl=1*ftryjy*_ga*MTQyMTkyMzkzNC4xNzA2Mjg5OTA0*_ga_DNE38RK1HX*MTcxMDEyMDE0NS4xMS4wLjE3MTAxMjAxNTEuNTQuMC4w">overcame canine bullying</a> and took home the Oscar for Best Boy, to Ryan Gosling doing Busby Berkeley-style choreography to a neon pink production of “I’m Just Ken,” to the rampant <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/24073066/dakota-johnson-madame-web-review"><em>Madame Web</em> jokes</a>, to naked John Cena presenting the Oscar for Best Costuming, the awards were consistently lighthearted and genuinely funny. Even the typically awkward presenter moments were a delight, from the powerful presentations of the acting categories to fun pair-ups like a <em>Twins</em> reunion between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito, and a <em>Fall Guy</em> promo with Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling that also doubled as a <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23789864/barbenheimer-barbieheimer-barbie-oppenheimer-release-memes-double-feature">Barbenheimer</a> banterfest. We even got some classic John Mulaney standup about <em>Field of Dreams</em>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HMjdO6">
The lovefest also extended to just about every film nominated — in keeping with the extraordinary quality of this year’s Best Picture nominees, no single film overshadowed the rest. Predictably, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/23818719/july-box-office-barbie-oppenheimer-sound-of-freedom">great Barbenheimer love fest</a> ended in a draw: Greta Gerwig’s <em>Barbie</em> won the box office, but Christopher Nolan’s <em>Oppenheimer</em> won awards season; the <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24093819/oppenheimer-oscars-nuclear-war-christopher-nolan-los-alamos-manhattan-project-academy-awards">destroyer of worlds</a> walked away with six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and acting awards for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. Yorgos Lanthimos’s <em>Poor Things </em>pulled off the night’s only upset, delivering Emma Stone the Oscar for Best Actress, in defiance of overwhelming awards season momentum for Lily Gladstone in <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23919458/killers-flower-moon-review-martin-scorsese-leonardo-dicaprio-robert-deniro-oscar-nominee"><em>Killers of the Flower Moon</em></a>. It also garnered a coup in the aesthetic categories, waltzing off with awards for production design, makeup, and costuming.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eTTq0S">
Throughout the evening, the past and present shared powerful moments of communion, as when the <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23920002/killers-flower-moon-true-story-osage-murders-reign-of-terror-mollie-burkhart-what-happened">Osage Nation</a> performed a drum ritual onstage in honor of <em>Killers of the Flower Moon</em>. At other times, previous legendary acting winners honored nominees in their respective categories; paired with Kimmel’s frequent references to Oscar trivia of the past, they gave the ceremony an additional touch of glamor, nostalgia, and camaraderie across the years. It was truly that rarest of awards shows — a fun, uplifting time. In fact, we might even say that the ultimate winner of this year’s Oscars was … everyone.
</p>
<h1 id="ionSMx">
Winners
</h1>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Masaki Takahashi, Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya and Tatsuji Nojima, winners of the Best Visual Effects award for “Godzilla Minus One,” pose in the press room with toy Godzillla creatures during the 96th Annual Academy Awards." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/84W9z7udgPVMp8NzQfYxhXL5tQs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25329265/GettyImages_2074545034.jpg"/> <cite>John Shearer/WireImage</cite>
<figcaption>
The well-accessorized visual effects team from <em>Godzilla Minus One</em>.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3kVn6b">
<strong>Winner: Movies being back, baby!</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lGbhIO">
After a devastating pandemic, a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/06/is-hollywood-heading-for-another-problem-year-at-the-box-office">sluggish return</a> for the industry, and despite multiple <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23696617/writers-strike-wga-2023-explained-residuals-streaming-ai">protracted Hollywood strikes</a> throughout the year, 2023 saw a return to form at the box office. Not only did the unintended <em>Barbie/Oppenheimer</em> double feature propel both blockbusters to the forefront of the cultural conversation, but it was a banner year for midsized films as well, from Cannes sensation <em>Anatomy of a Fall</em> to Lanthimos’s darling <em>Poor Things</em>. Audiences <a href="https://www.vox.com/23818719/july-box-office-barbie-oppenheimer-sound-of-freedom">returned to the cinemas in droves</a>, and the movies they wanted to see were, well, <em>all of them</em>.<em> </em>This year was so good for films that Martin Scorsese directed what may well be his crowning masterpiece with <em>Killers of the Flower Moon</em>, and somehow it was a complete shut-out at the Oscars. (Sorry, Lily Gladstone!) To top it all off, we even ended the year with a stellar monster movie in <em>Godzilla Minus One</em>, which snuck into release just in time to pick up an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Hats off to the moviemakers — we needed you, and you came through. — <em>Aja Romano</em>
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="John Cena naked onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards, holding an envelope in front of him." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y1SWy_rnSuhfyLtpkmoMiTzHM1o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25329245/GettyImages_2074710570.jpg"/> <cite>Kevin Winter/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
John Cena, naked, presenting Best Costume Design? Perfect.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kBBinh">
<strong>Winner: Your Sunday night </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cdKWoE">
Despite all the jokes Jimmy Kimmel made about the Oscars being long throughout the show, this year’s ceremony felt shockingly and impressively tight. It certainly helped that the show kicked off an hour earlier than usual, allowing viewers to go to bed at a decent time before heading into work the next morning. The broadcast was also genuinely engaging throughout its three-and-a-half-hour runtime and hardly lagged — save an overly theatrical in memoriam segment, which is always drawn out. Overall, the ceremony provided enough entertainment to stave off the Sunday Scaries and allow viewers a good night’s rest. <em>— Kyndall Cunningham </em>
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Jimmy Kimmel at the 96th Annual Oscars, wearing a white suit and walking on stage." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iel553GPGKFg-6DylocJNuVqSoI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25329270/GettyImages_2066802154.jpg"/> <cite>Rich Polk/Variety via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A much less naked Jimmy Kimmel as host? Also perfect.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WD4pBT">
<strong>Winner: Jimmy Kimmel</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PxdUDS">
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars for the fourth time this year, and somehow, when we weren’t looking, he’s turned into the ideal host for the job. From his satirical but not nasty opening monologue through a surprisingly funny bit with nude John Cena, Kimmel threaded a tricky needle. He somehow managed to avoid being either the kind of host who is cruel for the sake of it, à la Ricky Gervais, or the kind who is far too nice to his audience full of beautiful rich people (Hugh Jackman). Kimmel, who is famously friends mostly with famous people, had the social leeway to get away with roasting the Academy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qa8LdO">
“This night is full of enormous talent and untold potential,” Kimmel said at the top of the evening, “but so was <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/dakota-johnson-not-surprised-madame-web-flopped-says-probably-never-an-rcna141912"><em>Madame Web</em></a>.” For the rest of the night, he showed himself prepared to do the most important thing an Oscars host can do: give the right people shit. Sure, Kimmel’s targets included old groaners like how movies are too long these days and how the Germans love sad films. But he also took a swipe at Sen. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/08/katie-britt-sotu-reaction">Katie Britt</a> for her terrible State of the Union response (like <em>Poor Things</em>’ Bella Baxter, she’s “an adult woman with the brain of a child”); Donald Trump, who <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112074499247116015">weighed in</a> with some notes on Kimmel’s performance on Truth Social; and the “bunch of heavily botoxed, Hailey-Bieber-smoothie-drinking nepo babies with perpetually shivering Chihuahuas” who make up his “very strange town.” Only a hometown boy can get away with that kind of talk. — <em>Constance Grady</em>
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Actors Nicolas Cage, Matthew McConaughey, Brendan Fraser, Ben Kingsley and Forrest Whitaker present the award for Best Actor in large ideo panels onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6oKtJOEVusbw2jEu9yXbOa_flTI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25329247/GettyImages_2066802495.jpg"/> <cite>Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Five former Best Actor winners getting ready to make you laugh and cry.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y7XPvi">
<strong>Winner: The acting award presenters</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Nrk0JW">
For the four acting awards this year, the Oscars brought back its “Fab Five” actors on actors format. Five previous winners of each category — Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress — were brought on stage to present the nominees and announce the winner. In lieu of the usual highlight clip, each of those previous winners spoke about one of the nominees, talking about what made their performance so special. Some highlights: Lupita Nyong’o talking about how her friend Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s performance in <em>The Holdovers</em> shows resilience, Christoph Waltz joking with Ryan Gosling about Ken’s male fragility, and<strong> </strong>Nicolas Cage talking about how rad it was that Paul Giamatti wore a single contact lens that almost made him go blind while creating <em>The Holdovers</em>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lfc2cx">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFD_Hzq5Dk0"></a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6lWmVV">
This way of presenting, which the <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/oscars-creative-team-press-conference-fab-5-presenters-format-1235625336/">Oscars first used in 2009</a>, added more levity and humanity to what’s generally a largely forgettable component to these awards shows. It’s nice to hear people say touching, inspirational, and moving things about art they love! It’s fun to see actors hug and thank so many other actors! And to be honest, having Rita Moreno talk lovingly about you on national <a href="https://www.vox.com/tv">television</a> is arguably better than an Oscar itself. — <em>Alex Abad-Santos</em>
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked traffic on and near Highland Avenue, waving Palestinian flags and crowding the street." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pWk_uJkfM23CIsCIjjE9JKeiL3w=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25329252/GettyImages_2066804628.jpg"/> <cite>Jennifer Lea Osborne/Anadolu via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Pro-Palestinian protesters blocking traffic outside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f3H9Xq">
<strong>Winner: An outside protest</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IvefpQ">
This wasn’t the most political Oscars in historical memory.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Gvn9lv">
Perhaps some of the most notable moments were a speech from <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/zone-of-interest-director-jonathan-glazer-first-oscar-winner-to-address-gaza">Jonathan Glazer,</a> the director of <em>The Zone of Interest</em>, who confronted <a href="https://www.vox.com/israel">Israel</a>’s ongoing military offensive in <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/11/20/18080046/gaza-palestine-israel">Gaza</a>, and remarks from <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/awards/mstyslav-chernov-ukraine-director-oscars-speech-condemn-russia-rcna142703">Mstyslav Chernov</a>, the director of<em> 20 Days in Mariupol</em>, who called out the impact of <a href="https://www.vox.com/russia">Russia</a>’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/russia-invasion-ukraine">war in Ukraine</a>. Several <a href="https://www.vox.com/celebrities">celebrities</a> including <em>Poor Things</em> actors Ramy Youssef and Mark Ruffalo, singer Billie Eilish, and director Ava DuVernay also <a href="https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/oscars-pins-2024-red-carpet-artists4ceasefire-1236256956/">donned red pins</a> expressing their support for a ceasefire in Gaza.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mjHizp">
Probably the most consequential political statement, however, was conveyed by protesters outside the award show.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qd0q0K">
Before the Oscars had even started, protesters calling for an immediate ceasefire made a powerful statement near the venue: Hundreds of activists marched down <a href="https://variety.com/2024/awards/news/oscars-protest-ceasefire-pins-red-carpet-1235927210/">part of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood</a>, yelling “Shame!” and condemning the ongoing Israeli attacks, which have resulted in more than <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/02/29/1234159514/gaza-death-toll-30000-palestinians-israel-hamas-war">30,000 deaths</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2024/2/29/24087031/gaza-humanitarian-aid-israel">a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza</a>. The demonstration closed a major intersection and blocked traffic near the Dolby Theatre, delaying the award show — and forcing an acknowledgment of the issues the protest centered on. — <em>Li Zhou</em>
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Cynthia Erivo attends the 96th Annual Academy Awards in an architectural green dress with a train. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-Gx50E0L8k5kjLCBAKNqNlVmAaM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25329277/GettyImages_2074609034.jpg"/> <cite>Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic</cite>
<figcaption>
Actress Cynthia Erivo serving exaggerated realness, a la Bella Baxter.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GdGV2P">
<strong>Winner: </strong><em><strong>Poor Things</strong></em><strong>–core</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XnOM7c">
Barbiecore may have gotten the headlines last year, but the <em>Poor Things</em> aesthetic — whimsical, technicolor Victoriana with an emphasis on extremely poofy sleeves — was splashed all over the Oscars. On the red carpet, exaggerated proportions was the theme of the night: <em>The Zone of Interest</em> and <em>Anatomy of a Fall</em>’s <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/sandra-hullers-schiaparelli-oscars-gown">Sandra Hüller wore a dramatic Schiaparelli</a> gown, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/24096806/robert-downey-jr-oscars-best-supporting-actor-oppenheimer-davine-joy-randolph-holdovers">took home the award for Best Supporting Actress</a> for <em>The Holdovers,</em> chose a frosty blue <a href="https://people.com/oscars-2024-da-vine-joy-randolph-wears-baby-blue-gown-with-major-fringe-sleeves-red-carpet-photos-8604803">Louis Vuitton dress</a> with fabulously voluminous sleeves, Ariana Grande wore a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/ariana-grande-oscars-red-carpet-2024-look-1235848231/">bubblegum pink Giambattista Valli gown</a> so large it resembled a sleeping bag, while her <em>Wicked</em> co-star Cynthia Erivo also opted for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-wicked-dresses-oscars-2024-3">drama in the sleeve department</a>. And of course, Emma Stone nodded to the film’s themes and her Oscar-winning character, Bella Baxter, with a structured oyster-shaped <a href="https://people.com/oscars-2024-emma-stone-red-carpet-photos-8604131">Louis Vuitton peplum dress</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tADJOs">
The <em>Poor Things</em> aesthetic was also a literal winner in all three design categories, taking home the trophies for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. As costume designer Holly Waddington accepted the award, she wore a look that could have fit right into the film, complete with big fun velvet sleeves and delightfully creepy eyeball earrings. Bella would have approved. <em>— Rebecca Jennings</em>
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Ryan Gosling performs ‘I’m Just Ken’ from the movie Barbie onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards, wearing a bright pink suit and surrounded by men dressed as cowboys." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PItlqrLM5S7hZ0ixlXx_sG3GEK0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25329257/GettyImages_2074580927.jpg"/> <cite>Kevin Winter/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Ryan Gosling performing Barbie’s “I’m Just Ken,” surrounded by cowboy Kens, was a sly reference to Marilyn Monroe and <em>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</em>.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="maamQw">
<strong>Winner: Not </strong><em><strong>Barbie</strong></em><strong> … but also </strong><em><strong>Barbie</strong></em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u7Mu8z">
Not everyone who made the night fun won big in a literal sense. Maybe the prospect of <em>Barbie</em> earning over a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/barbie-first-billion-dollar-movie-directed-by-a-woman-180982672/">billion dollars at the box office</a>, permeating all of pop culture in 2023,<em> and</em> collecting a bunch of Oscars was always a long shot. Still, despite only earning one (predictable) win — Best Original Song for Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” — the film’s enormous presence wasn’t lost on viewers throughout the night.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JlROA0">
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt had a very comical Barbenheimer showdown while presenting a stunt montage. America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon made for another excellent presenting duo, invoking Steven Spielberg in an outrageous bit about <em>Jurassic Park</em> and McKinnon’s “tasteful nudes.” Last but not least, Gosling (<a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/baby-goose-ryan-gosling-rockstar-alter-ego/">a.k.a. Baby Goose</a>) delivered an undeniably impressive — if not a slightly chaotic — <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhWqpvGq6b4">performance of “I’m Just Ken”</a> with a few of his fellow Kens from <em>Barbie</em>, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, the song’s writer Mark Ronson, and even some audience members. While the goofy power ballad ultimately lost (to another <em>Barbie</em> song), it managed to get an audience of serious industry folks on their feet and jamming along. <em>Barbie </em>might not be a runaway winner, but it will always be a crowd pleaser. <em>— Kyndall Cunningham</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y6bzEF">
</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>Pistol shooter Rudransh Khandelwal wins silver in Para World Cup</strong> - Teenaged shooter Rudransh, who had secured a Paris Paralympic berth last year, shot 223.2 in final to finish behind Italy’s Davide Francesschetti, who totalled 230.0 for the gold medal.</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>Armstrong, Multisided, Karanveer, Breeze Bluster, Ultimate Striker, and Max Mueller shine</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>Yuletide shines</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>Nishant Dev reaches the quarterfinals</strong> - Busto Arsizio (Italy)</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>Daily Quiz | On players who have played 100 or more Test matches</strong> - Last week, the cricketing world witnessed four players appearing in their 100th Test on successive days. A quiz about players who have played 100 or more Test matches</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>Defence Ministry signs ₹200 crore contract for anti-drone systems under iDEX initiative</strong> - ‘It is our constant endeavour to engage with young innovators who can bring technologically advanced solutions for modernising the Indian military,’ Innovations for Defence Excellence CEO says</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>Hold Jagan accountable for ‘reneging on’ promises, Lokesh appeals to people</strong> - The YSRCP government has burdened the people with multiple hikes in APSRTC bus fares and power tariffs, says the TDP national general secretary</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>Act against real estate promoters in the Nilgiris: CEAN</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>Here are the big stories from Karnataka today</strong> - Welcome to the Karnataka Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated and written by Nalme Nachiyar.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Over two lakh devotees take part in Chakrateertham festival at Srimukhalingam temple in Andhra Pradesh</strong> -</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trump will not fund Ukraine, says Hungary PM</strong> - “He will not give a penny” and the Russia-Ukraine war will end, claims Viktor Orban after meeting Donald Trump.</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>Centre right wins Portugal election as far right surges</strong> - Portugal heads for a minority government after a tight vote in which the far right makes big gains.</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>Bodies of five skiers found in Swiss Alps</strong> - Police are still searching for a sixth person, after the group set off on a ski tour on Saturday.</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>Israel’s president faces Gaza protest at Holocaust museum</strong> - Protesters calling for a ceasefire shouted slogans at the opening of a Holocaust museum in Amsterdam.</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>India in $100bn trade deal with four Europe nations</strong> - The UK and India have been holding negotiations over a free trade agreement for the last two years.</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>Op-ed: Charges against journalist Tim Burke are a hack job</strong> - Burke was indicted after sharing outtakes of a Fox News interview. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2009060">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Shields up: New ideas might make active shielding viable</strong> - Active shielding was first proposed in the ’60s. We’re finally close to making it work. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1990196">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sixty Four is a beautiful system design toy that reveals something rather dark</strong> - Please do not load up this game if you have real tasks to accomplish, I beg you. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2009024">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>These scientists built their own Stone Age tools to figure out how they were used</strong> - Telltale fractures and microscopic wear marks should be applicable to real artifacts. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2004311">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Florida middle-schoolers charged with making deepfake nudes of classmates</strong> - AI tool was used to create nudes of 12- to 13-year-old classmates. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2008981">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>A girl asked me what it’s like having a penis…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
…I told her:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“It’s hard sometimes”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/unrealisation1337"> /u/unrealisation1337 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bc03s9/a_girl_asked_me_what_its_like_having_a_penis/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bc03s9/a_girl_asked_me_what_its_like_having_a_penis/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A priest wants to go on vacation</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So he calls his rabbi friend and asks if he would handle his parish for a month.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The rabbi replies “I guess. I can definitely handle the sermons as I’ll just preach from the old testament but I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with the confessional.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Confessions are easy,” the priest says. “Just watch me and you’ll get the idea.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the priest goes in the confession box and a woman comes up. “Forgive me father for I have sinned. I slept with 2 men.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The priest replies “say two Hail Marys, put a dollar in the collection box and you will be forgiven.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The woman thanks him and leaves.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The next woman comes up:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Forgive me father for I have sinned. I slept with 2 men.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The priest replies “say two Hail Marys, put a dollar in the collection box and you will be forgiven.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The woman thanks him and leaves.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The next woman approaches.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Forgive me father for I have sinned. I slept with 2 men.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The priest replies “say two Hail Marys, put a dollar in the collection box and you will be forgiven.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The woman thanks him and leaves.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“This is easy,” the rabbi says. “I can handle it.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“You take the next one and I’ll watch” the priest replies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the rabbi goes in the confession box and the next woman approaches.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Forgive me father for I have sinned. I slept with a man.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The rabbi replies “so sleep with another, they’re 2 for a dollar.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/AssociationSubject85"> /u/AssociationSubject85 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bbrjc2/a_priest_wants_to_go_on_vacation/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bbrjc2/a_priest_wants_to_go_on_vacation/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Why are asian parents much harder on girls than boys?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Because girls always get an F in gender
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Onetwodhwksi7833"> /u/Onetwodhwksi7833 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bbywhl/why_are_asian_parents_much_harder_on_girls_than/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bbywhl/why_are_asian_parents_much_harder_on_girls_than/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>So, Quasimodo has been ringing the bell at Notre Dame for years, and wants a vacation.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So, Quasimodo has been ringing the bell at Notre Dame for years, and wants a vacation. He asks the Sexton for a week off.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Sexton says yes, but asks Quasimodo to select and train a temp to do the job while Quasimodo is on vacation. He selects his twin brother, who has no arms. The brother learns to ring the bell by running into it with his face. Painful, but effective.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
His second day on the job he misses the bell and falls to his death on the plaza below. Two witnesses run up. One asks “Who is he?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I don’t know his name, but his face rings a bell” replies the first.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Now that you mention it, he’s a dead ringer for his brother” says the second.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/BobT21"> /u/BobT21 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bbxq8x/so_quasimodo_has_been_ringing_the_bell_at_notre/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bbxq8x/so_quasimodo_has_been_ringing_the_bell_at_notre/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kathleen tells her Catholic mother she’s divorcing her husband</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The surprised mother says “why in the world are you divorcing Kenneth? He’s handsome, he’s rich, he’s Catholic. What in the world could be so bad?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Kathleen replies “well this is embarassing but since you asked I’ll tell you. Kenneth will only have anal sex. He won’t even thing of having traditional vaginal sex. When we first got married my anal hole was the size of a dime. Now the hole is the size of a quarter.”
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The mother disgustingly looks at her daughter and yells “so for 15 cents you’re going to cause trouble???”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/AssociationSubject85"> /u/AssociationSubject85 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bbm66n/kathleen_tells_her_catholic_mother_shes_divorcing/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bbm66n/kathleen_tells_her_catholic_mother_shes_divorcing/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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