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<title>07 October, 2023</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein clusters and their impact on immunity of the population from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 genome underwent mutations since it started circulating intensively within the human populations. The aim of this study was to understand the fluctuation of the spike clusters concomitant to high rate of population immunity either due to natural infection and/or vaccination in a state of Brazil that had high rate of infection and vaccination coverage. A total of 1715 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, were retrieved from GISAID and subjected to cluster analysis. Immunoinformatics were used to predict T- and B-cell epitopes, followed by simulation to estimate either pro- or anti-inflammatory responses and correlate with circulating variants. From March 2020 to June 2022, Rio Grande do Norte reported 579,931 COVID-19 cases with a 1.4% fatality rate across three major waves: May-Sept 2020, Feb-Aug 2021, and Jan-Mar 2022. Cluster 0 variants (wild type strain, Zeta) were prevalent in the first wave and Delta in the latter half of 2021, featuring fewer unique epitopes. Cluster 1 (Gamma [P1]) dominated the first half of 2021. Late 2021 had Clusters 2 (Omicron) and 3 (Omicron sublineages) with the most unique epitopes, while Cluster 4 (Delta sublineages) emerged in the second half of 2021 with fewer unique epitopes. Cluster 1 epitopes showed a high pro-inflammatory propensity, while others exhibited a balanced cytokine induction. The clustering method effectively identified Spike groups that may contribute to immune evasion and clinical presentation, and explain in part the clinical outcome.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.05.561101v1" target="_blank">Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein clusters and their impact on immunity of the population from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Protection of second booster vaccinations and prior infection against SARS-CoV-2 in the UK SIREN healthcare worker cohort</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<b>Background</b> &lt;br /&gt; The protection of fourth dose mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is relevant to current global policy decisions regarding ongoing booster roll-out. We estimate the effect of fourth dose vaccination, prior infection, and duration of PCR positivity in a highly-vaccinated and largely prior-COVID-19 infected cohort of UK healthcare workers. &lt;br /&gt; <b>Methods</b> &lt;br /&gt; Participants underwent fortnightly PCR and regular antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 and completed symptoms questionnaires. A multi-state model was used to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) against infection from a fourth dose compared to a waned third dose, with protection from prior infection and duration of PCR positivity jointly estimated. &lt;br /&gt; <b>Results</b> &lt;br /&gt; 1,298 infections were detected among 9,560 individuals under active follow-up between September 2022 and March 2023. Compared to a waned third dose, fourth dose VE was 13.1% (95%CI 0.9 to 23.8) overall; 24.0% (95%CI 8.5 to 36.8) in the first two months post-vaccination, reducing to 10.3% (95%CI -11.4 to 27.8) and 1.7% (95%CI -17.0 to 17.4) at 2-4 and 4-6 months, respectively. Relative to an infection &gt;2 years ago and controlling for vaccination, 63.6% (95%CI 46.9 to 75.0) and 29.1% (95%CI 3.8 to 43.1) greater protection against infection was estimated for an infection within the past 0-6, and 6-12 months, respectively. A fourth dose was associated with greater protection against asymptomatic infection than symptomatic infection, whilst prior infection independently provided more protection against symptomatic infection, particularly if the infection had occurred within the previous 6 months. Duration of PCR positivity was significantly lower for asymptomatic compared to symptomatic infection. &lt;br /&gt; <b>Conclusions</b> &lt;br /&gt; Despite rapid waning of protection, vaccine boosters remain an important tool in responding to the dynamic COVID-19 landscape; boosting population immunity in advance of periods of anticipated pressure, such as surging infection rates or emerging variants of concern. &lt;br /&gt; <b>Funding</b> &lt;br /&gt; UK Health Security Agency, Medical Research Council, NIHR HPRU Oxford, and others.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.29.23296330v3" target="_blank">Protection of second booster vaccinations and prior infection against SARS-CoV-2 in the UK SIREN healthcare worker cohort</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Quantitatively assessing early detection strategies for mitigating COVID-19 and future pandemics</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Researchers and policymakers have proposed systems to detect novel pathogens earlier than existing surveillance systems by monitoring samples from hospital patients, wastewater, and air travel, in order to mitigate future pandemics. How much benefit would such systems offer? We developed, empirically validated, and mathematically characterized a quantitative model that simulates disease spread and detection time for any given disease and detection system. We find that hospital monitoring could have detected COVID-19 in Wuhan 0.4 weeks earlier than it was actually discovered, at 2,300 cases (standard error: 76 cases) compared to 3,400 (standard error: 161 cases). Wastewater monitoring would not have accelerated COVID-19 detection in Wuhan, but provides benefit in smaller catchments and for asymptomatic or long-incubation diseases like polio or HIV/AIDS. Monitoring of air travel provides little benefit in most scenarios we evaluated. In sum, early detection systems can substantially mitigate some future pandemics, but would not have changed the course of COVID-19.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.08.23291050v2" target="_blank">Quantitatively assessing early detection strategies for mitigating COVID-19 and future pandemics</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Hill numbers at the edge of a pandemic: rapid SARS-COV2 surveillance using clinical, pooled, or wastewater sequence as a sensor for population change</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of genomic surveillance for guiding policy and control strategies. Timeliness is key, but rapid deployment of existing surveillance is difficult because current approaches are based in sequence alignment and phylogeny. Millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes have been assembled, the largest collection of sequence data in history. Phylogenetic methods are ill equipped to handle this sheer scale. We introduce a pan-genomic measure that examines the information diversity of a k-mer library drawn from a country9s complete set of sequenced genomes. Quantifying diversity is central to ecology. Studies that measure the diversity of various environments increasingly use the concept of Hill numbers, or the effective number of species in a sample, to provide a simple metric for comparing species diversity across environments. The more diverse the sample, the higher the Hill number. We adopt this ecological approach and consider each k-mer an individual and each genome a transect in the pan-genome of the species. Applying Hill numbers in this way allows us to summarize the temporal trajectory of pandemic variants by collapsing each day9s assemblies into genomic equivalents. We do this quickly, without alignment or trees, using modern genome sketching techniques to accommodate millions of genomes in one condensed view of pandemic dynamics. Using data from the UK, USA, and South Africa, we trace the ascendence of new variants of concern as they emerge in local populations. This history of emerging variants uses all available data as it is sequenced, intimating variant sweeps to dominance or declines to extinction at the leading edge of the COVID19 pandemic. The surveillance technique we introduce in a SARS-CoV-2 context here can operate on genomic data generated over any pandemic time course and is organism agnostic.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.23.22276807v3" target="_blank">Hill numbers at the edge of a pandemic: rapid SARS-COV2 surveillance using clinical, pooled, or wastewater sequence as a sensor for population change</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Heterologous booster with a novel formulation containing glycosylated trimeric S protein is effective againstOmicron</strong> -
<div>
In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of a heterologous three-dose vaccination schedule against the Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 variant infection using a mouse intranasal challenge model. The vaccination schedules tested in this study consisted of a primary series of 2 doses covered by two commercial vaccines: an mRNA-based vaccine (mRNA1273) or a non-replicative vector-based vaccine AZD1222/ChAdOx1, hereafter referred to as AZD1222). These were followed by a heterologous booster dose using one of the two vaccine candidates previously designed by us: one containing the glycosylated and trimeric spike protein (S) from the ancestral virus (SW-Vac 2 microg), and the other from the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 (SD-Vac 2 microg), both formulated with Alhydrogel as an adjuvant. For comparison purposes, homologous three-dose schedules of the commercial vaccines were used. The mRNA-based vaccine, whether used in heterologous or homologous schedules, demonstrated the best performance, significantly increasing both humoral and cellular immune responses. In contrast, for the schedules that included the AZD1222 vaccine as the primary series, the heterologous schemes showed superior immunological outcomes compared to the homologous 3-dose AZD1222 regimen. For these schemes no differences were observed in the immune response obtained when SW-Vac 2microg or SD-Vac 2 microg were used as a booster dose. Neutralizing antibody levels against Omicron BA.1 were low, especially for the schedules using AZD1222. However, a robust Th1 profile, known to be crucial for protection, was observed, particularly for the heterologous schemes that included AZD1222. All the tested schedules were capable of inducing populations of CD4 T effector, memory, and follicular helper T lymphocytes. It is important to highlight that all the evaluated schedules demonstrated a satisfactory safety profile and induced multiple immunological markers of protection. Although the levels of these markers were different among the tested schedules, they appear to complement each other in conferring protection against intranasal challenge with Omicron BA.1 in K18-hACE2 mice. In summary, the results highlight the potential of using the S protein (either ancestral Wuhan or Delta variant)-based vaccine formulation as heterologous boosters in the management of COVID-19, particularly for certain commercial vaccines currently in use.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.05.557343v1" target="_blank">Heterologous booster with a novel formulation containing glycosylated trimeric S protein is effective againstOmicron</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Interventions used to improve air flow in hospitals - a rapid review</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for improved air flow in hospitals, to reduce the transmission of airborne infections such as COVID-19. The aim of this review was to map the existing literature on intervention used to improve air flow in hospitals, understanding challenges in implementation and the findings of any evaluations. We reviewed peer-reviewed articles identified on three databases, MEDLINE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library with no restriction on date. 5846 articles were identified, 130 were reviewed and 18 were included: ten articles were from databases and eight articles were identified through hand searching. Results were discussed in terms of three categories: (i) concentration of aerosol particles, (ii) changes in/effect of air speed and ventilation and (iii) improvements or reduction in health conditions. Eight studies included an evaluation, the majority only had one comparator condition however three had multiple conditions. The most common device or method that was outlined by researchers was HEPA filters, which can remove particles with a size of 3 microns. Articles outline different interventions to improve air flow and some demonstrate their effectiveness in terms of improving health outcomes for patients, they also suggest either mechanical and natural ventilation are the best methods for dispersing particulate matter as well as perhaps two air cleaning units rather than one. With different methods comes different strengths and weaknesses however, the key finding is that air flow improvement measures reduce the likelihood of nosocomial infections.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.06.23296654v1" target="_blank">Interventions used to improve air flow in hospitals - a rapid review</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A portable, easy-to-use paper-based biosensor for rapid in-field detection of fecal contamination on fresh produce farms</strong> -
<div>
Laboratory-based nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are highly sensitive and specific, but they require the transportation of samples to centralized testing facilities and have long turnaround times. During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, substantial advancement has been achieved with the development of paper-based point-of-care (POC) NAATs, offering features such as low cost, being easy to use, and providing rapid sample-to-answer times. Although most of the POC NAATs innovations target clinical settings, we have developed a portable, paper-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) testing platform for on-farm applications, capable of detecting Bacteroidales as a fecal contamination biomarker. Our integrated platform includes a drop generator, a heating and imaging unit, and paper-based biosensors, providing sensitive results (limit of detection 3 copies of Bacteroidales per cm2) within an hour of sample collection. We evaluated this integrated platform on a commercial lettuce farm with a concordance of 100% when compared to lab-based tests. Our integrated paper-based LAMP testing platform holds great promise as a reliable and convenient tool for on-site NAATs. We expect that this innovation will encourage the fresh produce industry to adopt NAATs as a complementary tool for decision-making in growing and harvesting. We also hope that our work can stimulate further research in the development of on-farm diagnostic tools for other agricultural applications, leading to improved food safety and technology innovation.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.04.560915v1" target="_blank">A portable, easy-to-use paper-based biosensor for rapid in-field detection of fecal contamination on fresh produce farms</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The more symptoms the better? Covid-19 vaccine side effects and long-term neutralizing antibody response</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Protection against SARS-CoV-2 wanes over time, and booster uptake has been low, in part because of concern about side effects. We examined the relationships between local and systemic symptoms, biometric changes, and neutralizing antibodies (nAB) after mRNA vaccination. Data were collected from adults (n = 364) who received two doses of either BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273. Serum nAB concentration was measured at 1 and 6 months post-vaccination. Daily symptom surveys were completed for six days starting on the day of each dose. Concurrently, objective biometric measurements, including skin temperature, heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiratory rate, were collected. We found that certain symptoms (chills, tiredness, feeling unwell, and headache) after the second dose were associated with increases in nAB at 1 and 6 months post-vaccination, to roughly 140-160% the level of individuals without each symptom. Each additional symptom predicted a 1.1-fold nAB increase. Greater increases in skin temperature and heart rate after the second dose predicted higher nAB levels at both time points, but skin temperature change was more predictive of durable (6 month) nAB response than of short-term (1 month) nAB response. In the context of low ongoing vaccine uptake, our convergent symptom and biometric findings suggest that public health messaging could seek to reframe systemic symptoms after vaccination as desirable.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.26.23296186v2" target="_blank">The more symptoms the better? Covid-19 vaccine side effects and long-term neutralizing antibody response</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>HERV activation segregates ME/CFS from fibromyalgia and defines a novel nosological entity for patients fulfilling both clinical criteria</strong> -
<div>
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are chronic diseases with poorly understood pathophysiology and diagnosis based on clinical assessment of unspecific symptoms. The recent post-COVID-19 condition, which shares similarities with ME/CFS and FM, has raised concerns about viral-induced transcriptome changes in post-viral syndromes. Viral infections, and other types of stress, are known to unleash human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) repression that if maintained could lead to symptom chronicity. This study evaluated this possibility for ME/CFS and FM on a selected cohort of female patients complying with diagnosis criteria for ME/CFS, FM, or both, and matched healthy controls (n=43). The results show specific HERV fingerprints for each disease, confirming biological differences between ME/CFS and FM. Unexpectedly, HERV profiles segregated patients that met both ME/CFS and FM clinical criteria from patients complying only with ME or FM criteria, while clearly differentiating patients from healthy subjects, supporting that the highly prevalent comorbidity condition must constitute a different nosological entity. Moreover, HERV profiles exposed significant quantitative differences within the ME/CFS group that correlated with differences in immune gene expression and patient symptomatology, supporting ME/CFS patient subtyping and confirming immunological disturbances in this disease. Pending issues include validation of HERV profiles as disease biomarkers of post-viral syndromes and understanding the role of HERV during infection and beyond.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.05.561025v1" target="_blank">HERV activation segregates ME/CFS from fibromyalgia and defines a novel nosological entity for patients fulfilling both clinical criteria</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Who Saves the Saviours During a Pandemic? Career Calling Protects Healthcare Workers from Burnout and Resigning</strong> -
<div>
This study investigates whether career calling protects from the detrimental effects of fear of COVID-19 and job demand on burnout and turnover intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in a sample of 275 Italian healthcare workers in charge of COVID-19 patients. Direct, indirect, and conditional effects were tested using a path model. The results showed a significant sequential mediation effect: Demand partially mediates the relation between fear of COVID-19 and burnout; burnout completely mediates the impact of fear of COVID-19 on turnover intention. Career calling moderates the impact of fear of COVID-19 on demand and of burnout on turnover intentions. When calling is high, the effects of fear of COVID-19 on perceived job demand, and the effect of burnout on turnover intentions are null. This study supports the notion that career calling is a personal resource that protects people from the negative consequences of highly stressful work environments.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/snguz/" target="_blank">Who Saves the Saviours During a Pandemic? Career Calling Protects Healthcare Workers from Burnout and Resigning</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Relative Deprivation, Psychological Wellbeing, and Problematic Internet Use among Young Adults During COVID-19 Lockdown: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)</strong> -
<div>
Individuals’ relative deprivation, psychological distress and addictive use of the internet are increasing concerns during the COVID-19 crisis. However, the related literature on these effects during the pandemic is lacking. We adopt social comparison theory as the framework to improve our understanding of the relationships between relative deprivation, psychological distress, life dissatisfaction, and problematic Internet use. In this study, young adult participants were recruited from one department of a university in China during the COVID-19 lockdown. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed to explore the effects of relative deprivation evoked by social comparison on individuals’ psychological distress, life dissatisfaction, and problematic Internet use. Our results—obtained by adopting fsQCA—demonstrate that relative deprivation evoked by upward comparison is a key predictor of psychological distress, life dissatisfaction, and problematic Internet use during the campus lockdown. Also, psychological distress is linked to problematic Internet use. Our results provide novel insights into the phenomenon of relative deprivation during the COVID-19 crisis. We propose measures to improve individuals’ psychological wellbeing and reduce their problem behaviors, including: conducting psychological lectures emphasizing the danger of social comparisons; balancing the needs of faculty members and students, and epidemic control; avoiding inconsistent closed-off campus rules in campus management; and developing a counseling program addressing relative deprivation, psychological wellbeing, and problematic Internet use.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/6u8nf/" target="_blank">Relative Deprivation, Psychological Wellbeing, and Problematic Internet Use among Young Adults During COVID-19 Lockdown: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Independent regulation of Z-lines and M-lines during sarcomere assembly in cardiac myocytes revealed by the automatic image analysis software sarcApp</strong> -
<div>
Sarcomeres are the basic contractile units within cardiac myocytes, and the collective shortening of sarcomeres aligned along myofibrils generates the force driving the heartbeat. The alignment of the individual sarcomeres is important for proper force generation, and misaligned sarcomeres are associated with diseases including cardiomyopathies and COVID-19. The actin bundling protein, -actinin-2, localizes to the Z-Bodies of sarcomere precursors and the Z-Lines of sarcomeres, and has been used previously to assess sarcomere assembly and maintenance. Previous measurements of -actinin-2 organization have been largely accomplished manually, which is time-consuming and has hampered research progress. Here, we introduce sarcApp, an image analysis tool that quantifies several components of the cardiac sarcomere and their alignment in muscle cells and tissue. We first developed sarcApp to utilize deep learning- based segmentation and real space quantification to measure -actinin-2 structures and determine the organization of both precursors and sarcomeres/myofibrils. We then expanded sarcApp to analyze M-Lines using the localization of myomesin and a protein that connects the Z-Lines to the M-Line (titin). sarcApp produces 33 distinct measurements per cell and 24 per myofibril that allow for precise quantification of changes in sarcomeres, myofibrils, and their precursors. We validated this system with perturbations to sarcomere assembly. Surprisingly, we found perturbations that affected Z-Lines and M-Lines differently, suggesting that they may be regulated independently during sarcomere assembly.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.11.523681v3" target="_blank">Independent regulation of Z-lines and M-lines during sarcomere assembly in cardiac myocytes revealed by the automatic image analysis software sarcApp</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Fourth dose of Microneedle Array Patch of SARS-CoV-2 S1 Protein Subunit Vaccine Elicits Robust Long-lasting Humoral Responses in mice</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the pressing need for safe and effective booster vaccines, particularly in considering the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and addressing vaccine distribution inequalities. Dissolving microneedle array patches (MAP) offer a promising delivery method, enhancing immunogenicity and improving accessibility through the skin’s immune potential. In this study, we evaluated a microneedle array patch-based S1 subunit protein COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which comprised a bivalent formulation targeting the Wuhan and Beta variant alongside a monovalent Delta variant spike proteins in a murine model. Notably, the second boost of homologous bivalent MAP-S1(WU+Beta) induced a 15.7-fold increase in IgG endpoint titer, while the third boost of heterologous MAP-S1RS09Delta yielded a more modest 1.6-fold increase. Importantly, this study demonstrated that the administration of four doses of the MAP vaccine induced robust and long-lasting immune responses, persisting for at least 80 weeks. These immune responses encompassed various IgG isotypes and remained statistically significant for one year. Furthermore, neutralizing antibodies against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants were generated, with comparable responses observed against the Omicron variant. Overall, these findings emphasize the potential of MAP-based vaccines as a promising strategy to combat the evolving landscape of COVID-19 and to deliver a safe and effective booster vaccine worldwide.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.05.561047v1" target="_blank">Fourth dose of Microneedle Array Patch of SARS-CoV-2 S1 Protein Subunit Vaccine Elicits Robust Long-lasting Humoral Responses in mice</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Unveiling the antiviral capabilities of targeting Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase against SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
<div>
The urgent need for effective treatments against emerging viral diseases, driven by drug-resistant strains and new viral variants, remains critical. We focus on inhibiting the human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (HsDHODH), one of the enzymes in charge of pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. This strategy could impede viral replication without provoking resistance. We evaluated quinone-based compounds, discovering potent HsDHODH inhibition (low nanomolar IC50) and promising in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity (low micromolar EC50). These compounds exhibited low toxicity, indicating potential for further development. Additionally, we employed computational tools like molecular docking and QSAR models to analyse protein-ligand interactions. These findings represent a significant step forward in the search for effective antiviral treatments and have great potential to impact the development of new broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.04.560875v1" target="_blank">Unveiling the antiviral capabilities of targeting Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase against SARS-CoV-2</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The Trajectory of Depression and Anxiety Among Children and Adolescents over Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Longitudinal research examining childrens mental health (MH) over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce. We examined trajectories of depression and anxiety over two pandemic years among children with and without MH disorders. Parents and children 2 to 18 years completed surveys at seven timepoints (April 2020 to June 2022). Parents completed validated measures of depression and anxiety for children 8to 18 years, and validated measures of emotional/behavioural symptoms for children 2 to 7 years old. Children 10 years and older completed validated measures of depression and anxiety. Latent growth curve analysis determined depression and anxiety trajectories, accounting for demographics, child and parent MH. Data were available on 1315 unique children (1259 parent-reports, 550 child-reports). Trajectories were stable across the study period, however individual variation in trajectories was statistically significant. Of included covariates, only initial symptom level predicted symptom trajectories. Among participants with pre-COVID data, a significant increase in depression symptoms relative to pre-pandemic levels was observed. Children and adolescents experienced elevated and sustained levels of depression and anxiety during the two-year period. Findings have direct policy implications in the prioritization and of maintenance of educational, recreational, and social activities with added MH supports in the face of future events.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.04.23296430v1" target="_blank">The Trajectory of Depression and Anxiety Among Children and Adolescents over Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study of the Vector Vaccine GamCovidVac-M (Altered Antigenic Composition)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: GamCovidVac-M vector vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 with altered antigenic composition <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Health Ministry of the Russian Federation <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 of the Vector Vaccine GamCovidVac for the Prevention of COVID-19 With Altered Antigenic Profile With Participation of Adult Volunteers</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: GamCovidVac vector vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 (with altered antigenic profile) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Health Ministry of the Russian Federation <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>Exercise Interventions in Post-acute Sequelae of Covid-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Exercise <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Virginia <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>Effects of Cacao FLAvonoids in LOng Covid Patients (FLALOC)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long Covid19; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Dietary Supplement: Flavonoids <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Guillermo Ceballos Reyes; Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Efficacy of the 2023-2024 Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Against COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Vaccine-Preventable Diseases; SARS CoV 2 Infection; Upper Respiratory Tract Infection; Upper Respiratory Disease <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Novavax COVID-19 vaccine (2023-2024 formula XBB containing); Biological: Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (2023-2024 formula XBB containing) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Sarang K. Yoon, DO, MOH; Westat; 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>Motivational Interviewing for Vaccine Uptake in Latinx Adults</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Vaccine Hesitancy <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: EHR alert; Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing; Behavioral: Warm hand off to nurse <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Boston College; East Boston Neighborhood Health Center; Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH); Boston Children’s Hospital; National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) <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>Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety of RQ-01 in SARS-CoV-2 Positive Subjects</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Infectious Disease; Symptomatic COVID-19 Infection Laboratory-Confirmed; SARS CoV 2 Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Combination Product: RQ-001; Other: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Red Queen Therapeutics, Inc.; PPD <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study of “Sputnik Lite” for the Prevention of COVID-19 With Altered Antigenic Composition.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: “Sputnik Lite” vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 with altered antigenic composition <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Health Ministry of the Russian Federation <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 Will Assess the Safety, Neutralizing Activity and Efficacy of AZD3152 in Adults With Conditions Increasing Risk of Inadequate Protective Immune Response After Vaccination and Thus Are at High Risk of Developing Severe COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Biological: AZD3152; Biological: Biological: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: AstraZeneca <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Examining the Function of Cs4 on Post-COVID-19 Disorders</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Chinese medicine nutritional supplement Cs4 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: The University of Hong Kong <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>Amantadine Therapy for Cognitive Impairment in Long COVID</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; Post-COVID19 Condition; Post-Acute COVID19 Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Amantadine <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Ohio State University <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Stellate Ganglion Block With Lidocaine for the Treatment of COVID-19-Induced Parosmia</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Parosmia <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Procedure: Stellate Ganglion Block; Other: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Lawson Health Research Institute <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>CPAP Efficacy in Post-COVID Patients With Sleep Apnea</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Sleep Apnea <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Continuous positive airway pressure <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Pittsburgh <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>Cell Therapy With Treg Cells Obtained From Thymic Tissue (thyTreg) to Control the Immune Hyperactivation Associated With COVID-19 (THYTECH2)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Allogeneic thyTreg 5.000.000; Biological: Allogeneic thyTreg 10.000.000 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon; Instituto de Salud Carlos III <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>Angiotensin-(1-7) attenuates SARS-CoV2 spike protein-induced interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 production in alveolar epithelial cells through activation of Mas receptor</strong> - BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins (SP) can bind to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells (HPAEpiC) and trigger an inflammatory process. Angiotensin-(1-7) may have an anti-inflammatory effect through activation of Mas receptor. This study aims to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 SP can induce inflammation through ACE2 in the alveolar epithelial cells which can be modulated through angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas receptor axis.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Antiviral opportunities of Mannich bases derived from triterpenic N-propargylated indoles</strong> - Oleanolic and glycyrrhetic acids alkyne derivatives were synthesized as a result of propargylation of the indole NH-group condensed with the triterpene A-ring, the following aminomethylation led to a series of Mannich bases. The synthesized compounds were tested for their potential inhibition of influenza A/PuertoRico/8/34 (H1N1) virus in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell culture and SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus in baby hamster kidney-21-human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (BHK-21-hACE2) 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>Alisol B 23-acetate broadly inhibits coronavirus through blocking virus entry and suppresses proinflammatory T cells responses for the treatment of COVID-19</strong> - CONCLUSION: Alisol B 23-acetate could be a promising therapeutic agent for COVID-19 treatment and its underlying mechanisms might be attributed to viral entry inhibition and anti-inflammatory activities.</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>Universal features of Nsp1-mediated translational shutdown by coronaviruses</strong> - Nonstructural protein 1 (Nsp1) produced by coronaviruses inhibits host protein synthesis. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Nsp1 C-terminal domain was shown to bind the ribosomal mRNA channel to inhibit translation, but it is unclear whether this mechanism is broadly used by coronaviruses, whether the Nsp1 N-terminal domain binds the ribosome, or how Nsp1 allows viral RNAs to be translated. Here, we investigated Nsp1 from SARS-CoV-2, Middle East respiratory…</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>Broad antagonism of coronaviruses nsp5 to evade the host antiviral responses by cleaving POLDIP3</strong> - Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a family of the largest RNA viruses that typically cause respiratory, enteric, and hepatic diseases in animals and humans, imposing great threats to the public safety and animal health. Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), a newly emerging enteropathogenic coronavirus, causes severe diarrhea in suckling piglets all over the world and poses potential risks of cross-species transmission. Here, we use PDCoV as a model of CoVs to illustrate the reciprocal regulation between…</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>Porphyrin-derived carbon dots for an enhanced antiviral activity targeting the CTD of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, this study comprehensively demonstrated the potential of porphyrin-derived carbon dots to be developed further as a promisingly safe and effective COVID-19 antiviral drug.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Durability of Antibody Responses of Two Doses of High-Dose Relative to Two Doses of Standard-Dose Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Two doses of HD-TIV were more immunogenic than SD-QIV, especially when administered ≥6 months post-HCT. Both groups maintained higher titers compared to baseline throughout the season.</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>Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD binding to ACE2 and its inhibition by fungal cohaerin C using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy</strong> - The structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD and human ACE2 as well as changes in the structure due to binding activities were analysed using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The inhibitor cohaerin C was applied to inhibit the binding between spike RBD and ACE2. Differences and changes in the Raman spectra were determined using deconvolution of the amide bands and principal component analysis. We thus demonstrate a fast and label-free analysis of the protein structures and the differentiation…</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>Novel designed analogues of quercetin against SARS-CoV2:an in-silico pharmacokinetic evaluation, molecular modeling, MD simulations based study</strong> - Here we present the design of the series of quercetin analogues and their molecular docking study involving the binding of quercetin and its analogues with SARS-CoV2 3CLpro. The scientific literature shows that quercetin compound has been successfully used against SARS-CoV by inhibiting the replication of virus in respiratory epithelial cell through the inhibition of the SARS-CoV main protease (3CLpro.) It was suggested that the modification at position 3 in quercetin structure may produce…</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>Reply to: Targeted protein S-nitrosylation of ACE2 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - No abstract</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein peptides displayed in the Pyrococcus furiosus RAD system preserve epitopes antigenicity, immunogenicity, and virus-neutralizing activity of antibodies</strong> - Amongst the potential contribution of protein or peptide-display systems to study epitopes with relevant immunological features, the RAD display system stands out as a highly stable scaffold protein that allows the presentation of constrained target peptides. Here, we employed the RAD display system to present peptides derived from the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein as a tool to detect specific serum antibodies and to generate polyclonal antibodies capable of inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infectivity 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>Phellinus linteus mycelia extract in COVID-19 prevention and identification of its key metabolic compounds profiling using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS spectrometry</strong> - For centuries, food, herbal medicines, and natural products have been valuable resources for discovering novel antiviral drugs, uncovering new structure-activity relationships, and developing effective strategies to prevent/treat viral infections. One such resource is Phellinus linteus, a mushroom used in folk medicine in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and China. In this rich historical context, the key metabolites of Phellinus linteus mycelia ethanolic extract (GKPL) impacting the entry of severe acute…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effect of microfibers induced toxicity in marine sedentary polychaete Hydroides elegans: Insight from embryogenesis axis</strong> - Presence of surgical face masks in the environment are more than ever before after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it poses a newer threat to aquatic habitats around the world due to microfibers (MFs) and other contaminants that get discharged when these masks deteriorate. The mechanism behind the developmental toxicity of MFs, especially released from surgical masks, on the early life stages of aquatic organisms are not well understood. Toxicity test were developed to examine the effects of MFs…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 promotes endothelial dysfunction and thrombogenicity: Role of pro-inflammatory cytokines/SGLT2 pro-oxidant pathway</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: In COVID-19 patients, pro-inflammatory cytokines induced a redox-sensitive up-regulation of SGLT2 expression in ECs, which in turn promoted endothelial injury, senescence, platelet adhesion, aggregation, and thrombin generation. SGLT2 inhibition with empagliflozin, appeared as an attractive strategy to restore vascular homeostasis in COVID-19.</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>SARS-CoV-2 infection and dysregulation of nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway</strong> - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recent pandemic caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) leading to pulmonary and extra-pulmonary manifestations due to the development of oxidative stress (OS) and hyperinflammation. The underlying cause for OS and hyperinflammation in COVID-19 may be related to the inhibition of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a master regulator of antioxidative responses and cellular homeostasis. The Nrf2…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How a New Approach to Public Defense Is Overcoming Mass Incarceration</strong> - Public defenders represent eighty per cent of all people charged with a crime in this country, and they typically work in offices that are underfunded and understaffed. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/how-a-new-approach-to-public-defense-is-overcoming-mass-incarceration">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>McCarthy’s Ouster Is Proof, Once Again, That Appeasement Doesn’t Work</strong> - The political-obituary writers will not be kind to one of the weakest House Speakers ever. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/mccarthys-ouster-is-proof-once-again-that-appeasement-doesnt-work">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trump’s Bloody Campaign Promises</strong> - It’s tempting to ignore the former President’s expressions of rage, but the stakes for American democracy demand that attention be paid. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trumps-bloody-campaign-promises">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ibram X. Kendi, Hasan Minhaj, and the Question of Selling Out</strong> - Is it possible to reap all the rewards of the mass market and still maintain a sense of political purpose? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/ibram-x-kendi-hasan-minhaj-and-the-question-of-selling-out">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Border Doesn’t Need Elon Musk’s “Citizen Journalism”</strong> - A congressman described Musk as a “concerned citizen with a megaphone.” But Musk’s megaphone is the problem. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-border-doesnt-need-elon-musks-citizen-journalism">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Real mindfulness would transform the economy</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="People sitting and meditating in a large empty indoor space." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fm_FUdeYdqTEmNNZR4o20GTgcxo=/454x0:7739x5464/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72731055/GettyImages_1502212446.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Getty Images
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</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Mindfulness without worker power is capitalism at its worst.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uuSIN4">
It has been over a decade since the psychotherapist Miles Neale<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a8e29ffcd39c3de866b5e14/t/5b5303d91ae6cf630b641909/1532167130908/McMindfulness.pdf"> coined</a> the term “McMindfulness,” which<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289"> quickly became the buzzword</a> for critiquing a kind of fast food mindfulness training that was marketed as a panacea for stress by everyone from <a href="https://proto.life/2022/01/the-big-business-of-workplace-mindfulness/">corporations</a> and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/27/804971750/schools-are-embracing-mindfulness-but-practice-doesnt-always-make-perfect">schools</a> to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6745607/">prisons</a> and <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/employee-resources/mindfulness">governments</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="48UBJx">
The rise of McMindfulness spawned a question that<a href="https://tricycle.org/magazine/mcmindfulness-debate/"> continues to fracture</a> the meditation community: Is spreading meditation always a good thing, whatever its purpose? For Neale, marketing departments and the profit motive geared mindfulness toward its most superficial potential, “like using a rocket launcher to light a candle.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eQBCae">
Ronald Purser, a professor of management and an ordained Zen teacher, has gone further, <a href="https://repeaterbooks.com/product/mcmindfulness-how-mindfulness-became-the-new-capitalist-spirituality/">calling</a> McMindfulness “the new capitalist spirituality.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0vGyKu">
In his account, mainstreaming mindfulness hasn’t just missed the point and given rise to another <a href="https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/mindfulness-meditation-application-market-A31649#:~:text=The%20global%20mindfulness%20meditation%20application,12.4%25%20from%202022%20to%202031.">$300+ million industry</a>. By harnessing mindfulness to mitigate the stress of exploitative corporate practices or steady the aim and focus of<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/05/health/military-mindfulness-training.html"> military operatives</a>, it has become counter-productive to the<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-014-0301-7"> original ethical frameworks</a> from which meditation derives.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sWdYXV">
In his<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600158/mcmindfulness-by-ronald-purser/"> 2019 book</a> on the subject, Purser argues that McMindfulness pacifies and fractures the collective discontent that could otherwise be organized to achieve changes in the workplace, like unions, or ultimately, in the economy at large. Instead of fueling the energy for collective struggle and reform, “it just seems like it’s become a lubricant for capitalism,” he <a href="https://insighttimer.com/blog/ronald-purser-mcmindfulness-western-mindfulness-movement/">noted in an interview with Tricycle: The Buddhist Review</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YGfaWH">
As someone who devotes a fair bit of my life to sitting quietly and doing nothing, I’m on board with the Buddhist idea that there are sources of stress and suffering built into the mind’s habitual ways of operating, and meditation can help unravel them no matter the external conditions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o1IGsG">
If companies want to help unwind that stress and suffering, I’d prefer a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22568452/work-workweek-five-day-four-jobs-pandemic">shorter workweek</a> or a <a href="https://www.vox.com/money/23851170/bonus-raise-job-market-work-money#:~:text=Raises%20often%20include%20a%20more,some%20sort%20of%20attendance%20threshold.">raise</a>, rather than a subscription to a mindfulness app like <a href="https://business.calm.com/plans/">Calm Business</a>. (Though you can see why the latter might appeal to CEOs — one year of the app for a 100-person team costs the company about $5,400 per year, equivalent to just a $54 annual pay bump per employee.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oAjx0H">
Still, employers offering the apps isn’t in itself a huge deal. My concern is that the rising interest in corporate mindfulness programs will pave the road for businesses to take even more of an active <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2023/09/conciousness-political-battleground-silicon-valley?utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1695288861">interest in the mental life</a> of their employees. With a new era of neurotechnologies just around the corner that will likely offer unprecedented degrees of surveillance and influence over the mind, it’s worth asking where that road could lead.
</p>
<h3 id="miKa9k">
Corporations aren’t the ideal stewards of mental health
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mgOey5">
During the third quarter of the 1984 Super Bowl, Apple — still an insurgent startup, not yet the <a href="https://companiesmarketcap.com/">largest company in the world</a> — aired <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zfqw8nhUwA">a commercial</a> depicting an Orwellian society of total conformity. Apple was shown as the hero, the rebel that would free human mind-slaves from the surveillance state.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mrxhro">
In his 2014 book <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/products/226-psychopolitics"><em>Psychopolitics</em></a>, the philosopher Byung-Chul Han points out the irony: Apple “did not signal the end of the surveillance state so much as the inception of a new kind of control society — one whose operations surpass the Orwellian state by leaps and bounds.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wj4laQ">
The corporate interest in mental health carries an eerie resemblance. At a moment when depression is at <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/505745/depression-rates-reach-new-highs.aspx">record highs</a>, burnout is <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/01/special-burnout-stress">widespread</a>, and employee engagement hovers around just <a href="https://www.gallup.com/394373/indicator-employee-engagement.aspx">30 percent</a>, here comes workplace mindfulness, framed as the hero to free us from our ailments.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qPUEgl">
Already, more than 20 million employees across 3,000+ organizations <a href="https://business.calm.com/long-form-book-demo/?utm_source=b2b-google-ads&amp;utm_medium=paid&amp;utm_campaign=Google-Search-Brand-CL-tCPA-test&amp;utm_adgroup=Calm-for-Business&amp;utm_content=155177248449&amp;utm_ad=664914579047&amp;utm_term=calm%20for%20business&amp;utm_matchtype=e&amp;utm_targetid=kwd-816250217510&amp;utm_location=9004338&amp;utm_placement=&amp;utm_device=c&amp;_bn=g&amp;gad=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwyNSoBhA9EiwA5aYlbzmqjYmzOk5tUizcsoY88Os9xt00q4oXrx4bI2shdk8BgWDNnX87axoC3FYQAvD_BwE">reportedly</a> use Calm’s business software, complete with a dashboard that provides analytics on employee use of the app and resources designed to encourage uptake. (I can imagine a near future where meditation analytics become resumé candy.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7vDzQS">
But the nature of a society where corporations take a deep interest in the mental lives of their workers and employ a suite of apps and programs designed to fine-tune consciousness for the better will be shaped by what mental health means to a business. And since the business of business is business, not well-being for well-being’s sake, the corporate vision of mental health is necessarily bound by productivity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BgDLYf">
This creates a few knots because the drive for productivity can itself be a source of worker distress. Amazon, for example, implemented tiny “<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx5nmw/amazon-introduces-tiny-zenbooths-for-stressed-out-warehouse-workers">ZenBooths</a>” for employees to watch videos about mindfulness, nestled within a company culture that drives employees to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17243026/amazon-warehouse-jobs-worker-conditions-bathroom-breaks">skip bathroom breaks</a> for fear of losing their jobs. At its worst, McMindfulness can urge us to look inward for the sources of stress, which can blind us to their true location in the external world.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nLRsz6">
Part of the tension the McMindfulness critique gets at is this: The Buddha urged an understanding of the root causes of stress. For him, that meant the <a href="https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/what-did-the-buddha-mean-by-suffering/">craving and attachment</a> that belief in an illusory, permanent self hitches our minds to. But what about when, to a non-trivial degree, the root cause of stress is work itself? What if the real road to better mental health involves letting productivity fall? Or letting the companies who pay for our mindfulness apps wither away?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tyhGkp">
In early 20th century America, this was almost <a href="https://tupress.temple.edu/books/free-time">conventional wisdom</a>. The economist John Maynard Keynes <a href="http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/keynes1.pdf">believed</a> that the necessity of labor was at odds with human virtue. As economic growth carried on, we’d progressively free ourselves from work and use our “freedom from pressing economic cares” to learn how we might “live wisely and agreeably and well.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TC6ngZ">
That isn’t what happened. The length of the average workweek has <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/work-hours-per-week?country=~USA">hardly budged</a> for the better part of a century. Even today, as the movement for shorter workweeks is springing <a href="https://time.com/6248369/4-day-work-week-2023/">back to life</a>, they’re mostly on the table for industries where they won’t harm productivity. A <a href="https://time.com/6256741/four-day-work-week-benefits/">boost in mental health</a> isn’t enough; employers must be convinced that it’s good for business, too.
</p>
<h3 id="dFxFL3">
Mindfulness, voice, and exit
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7Sf1Bw">
Coming back to the original question of whether it’s always good to have more meditation no matter the means, I think Neale <a href="https://www.lionsroar.com/frozen-yoga-and-mcmindfulness-miles-neale-on-the-mainstreaming-of-contemplative-religious-practices/">got it</a> basically right: “[T]he more mindfulness practiced by anyone, anywhere, the better off we all are.” But to really practice mindfulness and get to the root causes of stress, we should remember that even in Buddhism, mindfulness was only one part of an <a href="https://tricycle.org/magazine/noble-eightfold-path/">eightfold path</a> that covered everything from how one makes a living to nonviolence toward all living beings to avoiding rude language.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tFNWQA">
As <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2023/09/conciousness-political-battleground-silicon-valley?utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1695288861">neurotechnologies bring consciousness</a> increasingly into the sphere of business interests, it’s crucial that workers have at least two things to go along with their mindfulness subscriptions: representation in corporate governance and safety nets that provide real exit options.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lrGs2v">
Voice and representation — through institutions like unions, sectoral bargaining, or <a href="https://www.economicpossibility.org/reports/codetermination">codetermination</a> — will ensure workers have a say in how new neurotechnologies or mental health protocols are integrated into the workplace. That means workers won’t just be subject to the corporate vision of mental health, but they can help shape it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0N53UF">
<a href="https://jainfamilyinstitute.org/reweaving-the-safety-net-the-best-fit-for-guaranteed-income/">Reweaving the social safety net</a> could mean that anyone, even and especially the lowest-paid, most-precarious workers, can quit a situation that causes them too much stress and go off in search of a job that better aligns with their values. Reforming <a href="https://uiworkerbenefit.niskanencenter.org/">unemployment insurance</a>, implementing a guaranteed income, or disconnecting <a href="https://www.niskanencenter.org/wp-content/uploads/old_uploads/2019/06/Final_Universal-Catastrophic-Coverage.pdf">health care</a> from employment could all go a long way. But if you look at the anthropologist David Graeber’s survey of <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bullshit-Jobs/David-Graeber/9781501143335"><em>Bullshit Jobs</em></a>, you’ll find that even when the pay is good, the stress of a shitty job can be corrosive to mental health.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dYRXpq">
Calm Business’s landing page reads: “The future of work relies on a mentally healthy workforce.” What if a mentally healthy workforce isn’t a workforce at all and people were simply free to do something other than exchange most of their lifetime for work they don’t particularly enjoy? Maybe the future of mental health relies on freedom from work.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FNa9vS">
<em>A version of this newsletter originally appeared in the </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect"><em><strong>Future Perfect</strong></em></a><em> newsletter. </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/future-perfect-newsletter-signup"><em><strong>Sign up here!</strong></em></a>
</p></li>
<li><strong>The fraught debate over whether the 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump, explained</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EGNwUStSxygQAAORGAH2q31b6LI=/283x0:2551x1701/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72730907/GettyImages_1218977430.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A marcher holds a sign that says, “Not My Dictator” with a picture of Donald Trump in front of Trump International Tower on January 18, 2020. | Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty
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</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Could this save democracy from a dangerous threat? Or would it imperil democracy further?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TQBZWu">
Should <a href="https://www.vox.com/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> even be allowed on the ballot in 2024?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ARlgFt">
Some of the country’s <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/donald-trump-constitutionally-prohibited-presidency/675048/">most prominent legal experts</a>, and a small number of activists and politicians, argue he shouldn’t — and some have filed lawsuits trying to strike Trump’s name from ballots.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jsmQ6n">
Yet most in the Democratic Party are keeping a wary distance from the effort. And other experts argue that such actions, intended to save American democracy, might in fact imperil it even further.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LuTTGV">
The argument for disqualifying Trump hinges on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, and its proponents argue that its plain language disqualifies Trump, who they say engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution, from holding office again.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hlPHuT">
Some go so far as <a href="https://www.vox.com/23828477/trump-2024-14th-amendment-banned">to argue</a> that secretaries of state should simply declare Trump ineligible and take him off their ballots — but so far, none <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/14/politics/14th-amendment-secretaries-of-state-trump/index.html#:~:text=The%20secretaries%20of%20state%20who,Trump%20from%20the%20presidential%20ballot.">have been willing</a> to do so. Instead, then, the hunt is on to find a judge who will do it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dxb6KE">
To be clear: It seems extremely unlikely that Trump actually will be disqualified, since the <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus">Supreme Court</a> will get the final say over any challenge, and they’ll likely nix this whole endeavor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QA0gsW">
Yet the very existence of the effort raises difficult questions about how a democracy should deal with the threat of a candidate like Trump, who retains a good deal of popular support, but who attempted to steal the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election">2020 election</a> and talks constantly about <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/8/28/21358181/trump-barr-justice-department-second-term-agenda">having his political opponents imprisoned</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4u8MGy">
A Trump win in 2024 would be deeply dangerous for American democracy. Yet taking away voters’ option to choose him would pose its own perils. It would inevitably be seen as blatant election theft by much of the country — which would trigger responses, both from Republicans in office and Trump supporters on the ground, that could degrade democracy even more severely.
</p>
<h3 id="hE3T8F">
How the effort to use the 14th Amendment to disqualify Trump gained steam
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xRe4Wx">
The <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv">14th Amendment</a> was ratified in 1868, just after the Civil War, and was meant to deal with its fallout. Some of its provisions were later used as the foundation of <a href="https://www.history.com/news/supreme-court-rulings-14th-amendment">modern civil rights law</a>. Section 3 is about a different topic: whether former insurrectionists can hold public office. Its relevant text is as follows:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NL6Qwl">
“No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath … as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uK9aQ8">
Days after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, some law professors <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/11/impeachment-wont-keep-trump-running-again-heres-better-way/">began</a><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2021-01-11/trump-2024-president-may-be-ineligible-after-u-s-capitol-riot"> suggesting</a> that this meant that Trump, and other Republicans whom they viewed as complicit in the insurrection, should be barred from office.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I7W0jh">
Liberal advocacy groups took up the charge in 2022, suing unsuccessfully to try to get Rep. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/judge-rules-gop-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-stay/story?id=84314352">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a> (R-GA) and three <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/blog/courts-reject-insurrectionist-ballot-challenge-to-biggs-gosar-and-finchem/">Arizona Republican candidates</a> taken off the ballot. Their arguments did prevail in one case, though: A <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/06/politics/couy-griffin-new-mexico-january-6/index.html">New Mexico judge</a> removed County Commissioner Couy Griffin from his post. (Unlike Greene, Griffin had unlawfully entered the Capitol on January 6 and had been convicted of trespassing.) That marked the first successful use of Section 3 since 1919.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="imlN17">
This was all warmup to taking on Trump. This August, law professors William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen released a <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4532751">126-page forthcoming law review article</a> on Section 3. They concluded, after a year of studying the topic, that Section 3 sets out a “sweeping” disqualification standard that excludes Trump “and potentially many others” from holding office.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ar5PZJ">
The article <a href="https://www.vox.com/23828477/trump-2024-14th-amendment-banned">got enormous attention</a>, in part because Baude and Paulsen are conservatives, and because it was <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/donald-trump-constitutionally-prohibited-presidency/675048/">quickly endorsed by</a> liberal law professor Laurence Tribe and conservative former judge J. Michael Luttig, two of the country’s biggest legal names. <a href="https://reason.com/volokh/2023/08/10/trump-is-disqualified-from-being-on-any-election-ballots/">Steven Calabresi</a>, a founder and co-chair of the board of the Federalist Society, also initially said he was convinced — though he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/18/us/politics/trump-calabresi-14th-amendment.html">changed his mind</a> a month later.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B3Q8tf">
Baude and Paulsen also raised eyebrows for arguing that, per their legal analysis, state election officials should act to take Trump off the ballot <em>now</em> — rather than waiting for <a href="https://www.vox.com/congress">Congress</a> or judges to do it. Section 3 is “self-executing,” they argue, so state officials need to obey it.
</p>
<h3 id="wU4JhF">
Democrats have been hesitant to push for Trump’s disqualification — but lawsuits are now moving forward in the courts
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RgJGjz">
Democratic secretaries of state <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/14/politics/14th-amendment-secretaries-of-state-trump/index.html#:~:text=The%20secretaries%20of%20state%20who,Trump%20from%20the%20presidential%20ballot.">have not taken the initiative</a>, though, saying this is a matter for the courts. And with a few exceptions — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) recently opined that Trump <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/08/27/sotu-raskin-full.cnn#:~:text=Democratic%20Rep.,insurrection%20under%20the%2014th%20Amendment.">is disqualified</a> from running — most Democratic politicians have kept a wary distance from this effort.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FbAyl2">
As much as the party fears and loathes Trump, there is an evident concern that striking him from the ballot would be going too far. Either due to a commitment to democracy, a fear of the explosive backlash that would follow such a move, or a desire to make the effort look less partisan, Democrats like Michigan Secretary of State <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/13/secretaries-of-state-trump-disqualification/">Jocelyn Benson</a> are saying that it’s out of their hands, try the courts instead.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fW3DlJ">
So now the hunt is on to find a judge who will declare Trump ineligible to be president. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a longtime progressive advocacy group, has filed suit in Colorado, where <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/18/politics/colorado-judge-14th-amendment-ballot/index.html#:~:text=A%20Colorado%20judge%20said%20Monday,state's%20presidential%20ballot%20in%202024.">a judge</a> has said she hopes to rule on Trump’s eligibility by Thanksgiving. Free Speech for People, another progressive advocacy group, has <a href="https://freespeechforpeople.org/minnesota-voters-challenge-trumps-eligibility-to-appear-on-primary-ballot-under-fourteenth-amendments-insurrectionist-disqualification-clause/">filed suit</a> in Minnesota.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yvlssd">
Even before this came lawsuits from Texas tax attorney <a href="https://johncastro.com/">John Anthony Castro</a>, who is, at least officially, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. Shortly after he registered to run, he <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23840274-castro-v-trump-lawsuit">filed a lawsuit</a> citing Section 3 to try and get Trump taken off the ballot. He’s since <a href="https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/candidate-with-2-law-degrees-files-suits-to-keep-trump-off-the-ballot-a-different-challenge-is-tossed">filed similar suits</a> in more than a dozen other states, and <a href="https://twitter.com/realjohncastro">constantly hypes up his effort</a> on the website formerly known as <a href="https://www.vox.com/twitter">Twitter</a> (“They finally realized I’m not fu**ing around. Too late, beta boys,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/realJohnACastro/status/1704476995831124285">wrote recently</a>). The Supreme Court recently declined to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/donald-trump-fourteenth-amendment-ballot-case-supreme-court/index.html">take up</a> one of Castro’s appeals, but his other suits are still alive for now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="m42R79">
Still, the Supreme Court is the ultimate destination for all of this wrangling, and it has a six-justice conservative majority, three of whom were appointed by Trump. Even before getting into the legal specifics, that’s enough reason to be deeply skeptical that the Court would ban Trump from running again.
</p>
<h3 id="CQgLHP">
The case for disqualifying Trump
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dQ7fWD">
The legal debates here can be abstruse. They feature <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4532751">attempts to divine the intent</a> of politicians during the 1860s, discussions on how <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/alas-trump-is-still-eligible-to-run-for-office-noah-feldman">seriously to take</a> an 1869 circuit court opinion by Chief Justice Salmon Chase, and <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/09/trump-disqualification-colorado-ballot-hail-mary.html?pay=1696605334515&amp;support_journalism=please">slippery slope hypotheticals</a> about how disqualification <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/opinion-why-the-14th-amendment-shouldnt-disqualify-trump/ar-AA1grXUo">could later be abused</a> in different situations.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FEpLsl">
So let’s zoom out and ask the real question at the heart of all this: Would disqualifying Trump from the ballot in this way be a good idea, or would it be its own sort of affront to democracy?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6rFiUQ">
Many democracies have struggled with the question of how to deal with a threat to democracy rising through the electoral system, and there are no easy answers. I spoke with Harvard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, who just co-authored <a href="https://www.vox.com/23873476/america-democracy-authoritarianism-tyranny-minority-levitsky-ziblatt">a book</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tyranny-Minority-American-Democracy-Breaking/dp/0593443071"><em>Tyranny of the Minority</em></a>, on the US’s democratic crisis, about the options.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EFS5nh">
Ziblatt noted Hans Kelsen, an Austrian legal theorist in the 1930s, who he said “made the case that if you really believe in democracy, you have to be willing to go down on a sinking ship and come back another day.” In Kelsen’s view, the only defensible solution to authoritarians rising in the democratic system is to beat them at the ballot box.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nXojQc">
With the rise of the Nazis, that thinking obviously didn’t age well, said Ziblatt. “I think that’s naive,” he said. “This idea that we need to just stand by and let our democracy come under assault and hope everything will work out — it turned out not to work out.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LQs3Qo">
So the post-World War II German constitution set up a procedure and a legal framework by which certain politicians or parties deemed dangerous to the constitution could be restricted from running for office. “It’s a very complex and highly regulated procedure,” said Ziblatt — involving federal and state offices, a bureaucracy, court approval, and necessary legal steps — because disqualification is such a “potentially dangerous and powerful device.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WX4EkE">
Other countries have adopted similar approaches, which are known as “militant democracy” or “defensive democracy.” The idea is to protect democracy by excluding the threats to it from the political scene.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZpTltK">
The thinking is: Trump tried to destroy American democracy in 2020. If he’s allowed to try again, there’s good reason to suspect he’ll do more damage. So why not stop him now? Supporters of disqualifying Trump, like Luttig, argue that he disqualified himself. The Constitution says insurrectionists can’t hold office, and we have a duty to uphold the Constitution, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-constitutional-case-for-barring-trump-from-the-presidency">they claim</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="MswAVB">
The case against disqualifying Trump
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eEyYMO">
But the problem with the 14th Amendment option, both Levitsky and Ziblatt told me, is that the US did not establish a consistent procedure or institutional authority for excluding candidates after the Civil War. “We have no agreed-upon institutional mechanism in place, no electoral authority, no judicial body with precedent and practice that all the major political forces agree should be empowered to make this decision,” Levitsky said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ct7YLQ">
Long-standing institutions and procedures provide credibility; ideally, they help assure the nation that these decisions aren’t ad hoc, arbitrary, and politicized — as they are in many countries. In Latin America, Levitsky says, disqualification is often “badly abused” to exclude candidates the powers that be simply don’t want to win.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BsUDf6">
In Trump’s case, what would look to some like dutifully standing up for the Constitution would look to many others like an unprecedented intervention by elites into the electoral process, based on a disputed interpretation of a 155-year-old, rarely used provision — with the clear underlying motivation of preventing voters from making a particular person the president.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GwbF66">
Both professors blanched at the idea of partisan secretaries of state taking Trump off the ballot on their own. Levitsky called this “deeply problematic,” and Ziblatt said it would be “very fraught and dangerous” and likely to lead to “escalation.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="51Gp9K">
Pro-Trump secretaries of state would surely respond with their own disqualifications of Democratic candidates in reprisal. Indeed, Trump’s supporters already caused chaos at the Capitol when they <em>wrongly</em> believed the election was being stolen from him, and they’re already disenchanted with American institutions. What if Trump truly was prevented from even running by questionable means? Things can always get worse and more dangerous. Legal commentator Mark Herrmann compared secretaries of state disqualifying Trump to <a href="https://abovethelaw.com/2023/08/how-baude-and-paulsen-opened-pandoras-box-is-trump-eligible-for-the-presidency/">opening Pandora’s Box</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Q8L4YO">
Given the lack of precedent, the much “healthier path,” Levitsky said, would have been if the Republican Party had managed to self-police by convicting Trump during his second impeachment trial and blocked him from running again. They didn’t — and that’s why we’re in this mess, debating whether democracy can even survive another Trump presidency.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Narges Mohammadi’s Nobel Peace Prize is for Iran’s women and girls</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Narges Mohammadi sits at a wooden table beside a bouquet of pink flowers. She wears a bright yellow blouse and smiles broadly. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CQUam7S6yr7iSyzd86NKye2FmVs=/75x0:3062x2240/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72729960/1708936302.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Narges Mohammadi, a jailed Iranian women’s rights activist, has won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her human rights advocacy work. | Reihane Taravati/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The jailed activist’s Nobel is also a reminder of Iran’s momentous protest movement.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tFLz9T">
Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian women’s rights and anti-death penalty advocate currently incarcerated in one of <a href="https://www.vox.com/iran">Iran</a>’s most notorious prisons, has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FvCOtq">
Mohammadi’s win comes after <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/12/10/23499535/iran-protest-movement-explained">a year of protest in the country</a> following the murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who died in police custody after being detained for improperly wearing her headscarf. Though Mohammadi was behind bars during these protests and couldn’t participate directly, she has worked as an advocate for related causes for decades, and continues to document human rights abuses within prison.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GOQePj">
Mohammadi’s win, though a significant symbolic and political move on the part of the Nobel committee, is unlikely to change Iran’s stance on the protests or its human rights violations. Nor is it likely to free Mohammadi or materially change her condition, though the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Berit Reiss-Andersen said in her speech announcing the prize that she hoped the Iranian authorities would release Mohammadi so she could attend the awards ceremony in December, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nobel-peace-prize-oslo-776ca1bcf0fde827ad90af8a069907eb">the Associated Press reported</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lc8iuB">
The award is an explicit recognition of Mohammadi’s decades of work and of the ongoing struggle of women in Iran.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="d9G6oI">
“This year’s Peace Prize also recognises the hundreds of thousands of people who, in the preceding year, have demonstrated against the theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women,” <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2023/press-release/">the committee wrote in a press release Friday</a>. Iranian women who spoke with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nobel-peace-prize-oslo-776ca1bcf0fde827ad90af8a069907eb">the Associated Press</a>, like 22-year-old chemistry student Arezou Mohebi, echoed that statement, calling the prize “an award for all Iranian girls and women” and Mohammadi herself “the bravest I have ever seen.”
</p>
<h3 id="1dfJGg">
Mohammadi has been fighting for human rights for decades
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aT1ZcO">
Mohammadi, an engineer by training, has long been an active and important part of the Iranian struggle for human rights, working in particular on behalf of women and incarcerated people and against the death penalty. In 2003, she began working with the <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/mde130902006en.pdf">now-banned group</a> Defenders of Human Rights Center, founded by Iran’s other Nobel Peace Prize winner, lawyer <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/nobel-laureate-ebadi-hopes-mohammadis-prize-will-bring-equality-iranian-women-2023-10-06/">Shirin Ebadi</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OfM0Sp">
Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, a historian of the modern Middle East at the University of Pennsylvania, told Vox that within Iran, Mohammadi “is very highly respected and admired for her unflinching commitment to freedom, women’s rights, and human rights, as well as for her personal sacrifices in realizing these ideals. People in Iran are rejoicing over this prize.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="17BUkg">
Mohammadi was first arrested in 2011 for her work advocating for incarcerated human rights activists and their families; while out on bail in 2015, she was again arrested and imprisoned for her campaigning against Iran’s use of the death penalty. In Iran, the death penalty is often used for drug-related offenses or crimes like blasphemy or sowing “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-sentences-two-women-death-corruption-earth-irna-2022-09-05/">corruption on earth</a>” — a charge that can be applied to a variety of activities, such as protesting the government or being LGBTQ.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mIci13">
Last year there were <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/jg5m7x/iran-executions-blasphemy">around 580 executions in Iran</a>, according to UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. Executions have continued apace in 2023; many of those were for drug-related offenses, and many of those executed came from minority populations, according to UN data. “In Iran, authorities use the death penalty and execution as a tool of political repression against protesters, dissidents and minorities” after subjecting the accused to show trials, <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/05/iran-un-experts-condemn-recent-executions-urge-moratorium-death-penalty">according to a report this year by a UN body of experts</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NoM02h">
This is true, too, for the Iranians protesting over the last year. After Amini’s death in September 2022, Iranians of all ages, ethnic groups, and sectors of society engaged in mass demonstrations across the country against the government. Thousands of people flooded the streets night after night — often peacefully, with women whipping off their hijabs and lighting them on fire, or cutting their hair in not just a show of solidarity with Amini, but also an expression of broader economic frustrations and outrage with political repression.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Eko30i">
This was a woman-led movement — particularly meaningful in a society that specifically restricts women’s access to basic rights like education, jobs, and participation in public life based on whether they comply with compulsory hijab laws, as a <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/26/unveiling-resistance-struggle-womens-rights-iran">June Human Rights Watch report</a> explains.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZAhgha">
“It’s really touching and kind of unprecedented even, perhaps, globally, this kind of feminist angle, and it is real,” Borzou Daragahi, an Iranian-American journalist, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/11/19/23466689/brutal-suppression-iran-regime-mass-protests">told Vox in November</a> at the height of the protests. “The men supporting the women, the schoolgirls going out and protesting by day, the schoolboys going out and rioting against the police at night, people backing each other up, people cheering on the women as they take off their hijabs and so on. This whole feminist angle of it is quite singular, for a political revolution in any country.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ho6y7C">
That movement came to be known by its chants of “Woman-Life-Freedom,” and, though Amini’s death ignited it, it built on years — and even decades — of protest and feminist activism by people like Mohammadi. And after years of protest movements, including in 2009 and 2019, Woman-Life-Freedom was one of the most serious challenges to regime power since the 1979 revolution.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fKEqYw">
Iran’s Basij, a paramilitary police force under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), cracked down on the uprising, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/19/world/asia/iran-protesters-eye-injuries.html">injuring the eyes</a> of hundreds of protesters with rubber bullets and metal pellets and killing or injuring others when they <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/05/iran-security-forces-fire-kill-protesters">fired on crowds with lethal force</a>. Ultimately, Iran’s government detained about 20,000 protesters and sentenced many to death. At least 209 people had been executed by May of this year, <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/05/iran-frightening-number-executions-turk-calls-end-death-penalty">according to UN reports</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ymQH08">
Though Mohammadi has been in and out of prison since 2015, she has continued to organize while incarcerated, fighting against inhumane conditions, including allegations of systematic torture and sexual violence. Mohammadi also participated in the Woman-Life-Freedom mass protests in her own way, according to the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2023/press-release/">Norwegian Nobel Committee</a>, expressing her support for activists on the street and organizing solidarity actions among her fellow prisoners.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HDkMCN">
That, however, led to more brutal crackdowns from prison authorities; Mohammadi was barred from receiving phone calls or visitors. She has not seen her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in exile in Paris with their 16-year-old twins, in 11 years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EpljjW">
“The global support and recognition of my human rights advocacy makes me more resolved, more responsible, more passionate and more hopeful,” Mohammadi wrote in a statement to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/06/world/who-is-narges-mohammadi-nobel-peace.html">the New York Times</a>. “I also hope this recognition makes Iranians protesting for change stronger and more organized. Victory is near.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="421Zj3">
However, it’s possible that Mohammadi’s win and the international recognition for her work will bring more strife and more crackdowns for her and for Iranian society at large. Regime-linked news agencies dismissed the prize; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/06/world/nobel-peace-prize?smid=url-share#68564e3f-cb88-510e-a331-b73fe53954f4">The Islamic Republic News Agency</a> stated it had become a tool “to satisfy the political desires of the Western countries,” and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nobel-peace-prize-oslo-776ca1bcf0fde827ad90af8a069907eb">Fars</a> claimed it honored someone who “persisted in creating tension and unrest and falsely claimed that she was beaten in prison.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aVRQFB">
Over the past year, the protests have garnered less media attention, and the regime has <a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/one-year-after-mahsa-aminis-death-impact-female-protests-iran?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=event&amp;utm_campaign=mep">cracked down on society</a> by purging academics from universities and arresting activists and journalists. Although the protests did not topple the government, it does seem to have caused an enduring fracture between the regime and society. That’s partly a result of the multiple crises — economic, political, and social — that Iran is currently facing, but it also speaks to the strength of the protest movement.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9oBQwp">
Now, Kashani-Sabet said, “Mohammadi’s Nobel Prize will keep the embers of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement burning and alert the world that Iranian women and the Iranian people have not abandoned their resolve to usher in a free and tolerant Iran.”
</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>The way I shot right through the Asian Games was really pleasing: Jyothi</strong> - HYDERABAD</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>Hangzhou Asian Games | Indian men and women’s chess teams clinch silver medals</strong> - While China won the gold in the women’s event, Iran emerged champions in the men’s event.</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>Hangzhou Asian Games | Deepak Punia settles for silver, Indian wrestlers return with six medals</strong> - Sunil Kumar (87kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Sonam Malik (62kg), Aman Sehrawat (57kg) and Kiran Bishnoi (76kg) were the other medal winners for India.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hangzhou Asian Games hockey | Indian women beat defending champion Japan; clinch bronze</strong> - The Indians, ranked seventh in the world, were the favourites to win the gold but one bad match cost them dearly as hosts China thrashed them 4-0 in the semifinal</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 vs Australia WC | Confident India ready for Australian challenge</strong> - At Chepauk, India have won seven out of 14 ODIs with six defeats and one game abandoned. Australia have in fact won five out of their six ODIs at this venue.</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>Animal keeper killed by elephant in Hyderabad zoo</strong> - Mohd. Shahabaz entered the enclosure of the male elephant when the pachyderm hit him to a wall</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>Vintage car rally taken out in Ooty</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>Kerala bishop under fire as critics call religious court he formed to try priest reminiscent of ‘Inquisition’</strong> - Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil, Bishop of Thamarassery diocese, issued an order constituting the religious court on September 21, 2023 against Fr. Thomas, aka Aji, Puthiyaparambil</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>Sikkim flash floods: Eight soldiers killed; search on for 14 missing</strong> - Eight Army soldiers were among those killed in the flash flood which was triggered by a glacial lake burst in Sikkim</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>Firecracker godown gutted at Attibele-Hosur border</strong> - Nine fire tenders were pressed into service, which are now struggling to put out the fire.</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>Bavaria election: Toxic campaign heralds big vote for Germany’s populists</strong> - Right-wing parties look set to make big gains in state elections in Germany’s wealthy south.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine dam: Rebuilding shattered lives after Ukraine’s dam collapse</strong> - Despite water shortages, losing loved ones, homes and crops, people affected by the collapse of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam are determined to rebuild.</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>Juan Carlos: Court throws out ex-lover’s €145m legal case</strong> - A court in London has thrown out a legal case brought by a former lover of the ex-king of Spain.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Every family in Hroza village affected by missile attack</strong> - At least 52 people, including a child, were killed in Thursday’s Russian missile strike, Ukraine 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>Ukraine cyber-conflict: Hacking gangs vow to de-escalate</strong> - Ukrainian and Russian hacktivists tell the BBC they will comply with newly-created cyber-war rules.</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>Vaccine may save endangered California condors from succumbing to bird flu</strong> - Avian flu vaccines are being used on birds for the first time in the US. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1974145">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Thousands of Android devices come with unkillable backdoor preinstalled</strong> - Somehow, advanced Triada malware was added to devices before reaching resellers. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1974179">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>US government considers protecting octopuses used in research</strong> - Prior to the pending rules, no invertebrates were subject to regulation. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1973497">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>23andMe says private user data is up for sale after being scraped</strong> - Records reportedly belong to millions of users who opted in to a relative-search feature. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1974265">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“Real Water” that poisoned dozens contained chemical from rocket fuel</strong> - An expert witness testified hydrazine was likely formed during an electrolysis process. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1974240">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 woman buys a wardrobe for her bedroom</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After it is installed all is well until the train passes on the nearby track and the wardrobe falls down.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She calls a technician to check it out, he proceeds to secure it with some supports but when the train passes it again falls down.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Surprised but determined, the technician again installs more supports and enters the wardrobe to feel what’s causing it to fall.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
At that time the jealous husband enters the home early and starts searching the house for signs of another man.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He opens the wardrobe, sees the technician and asks “what are you doing here?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The technician replies: “would you believe me if I told you I’m waiting for the train?”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/RedLineGR"> /u/RedLineGR </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171zyhp/a_woman_buys_a_wardrobe_for_her_bedroom/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171zyhp/a_woman_buys_a_wardrobe_for_her_bedroom/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Gynaecologist had become fed up with malpractice insurance and paperwork and was burned out.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Hoping to try another career where skilful hands would be beneficial, he decided to become a mechanic. He went to the local technical college, signed up for evening classes, attended diligently, and learned all he could.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When the time of the practical exam approached, the gynaecologist prepared carefully for weeks and completed the exam with tremendous skill. When the results came back, he was surprised to find that he had obtained a score of 150%. Fearing an error, he called the Instructor, saying, “I don’t want to appear ungrateful for such an outstanding result, but I wonder if there is an error in the grade?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“The instructor said,”During the exam, you took the engine apart perfectly, which was worth 50% of the total mark. You put the engine back together again perfectly, which is also worth 50% of the mark."
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After a pause, the instructor added, “I gave you an extra 50% because you did it all through the exhaust, which I’ve never seen done in my entire career”.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/orgasmic2021"> /u/orgasmic2021 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171advh/a_gynaecologist_had_become_fed_up_with/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171advh/a_gynaecologist_had_become_fed_up_with/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What’s the difference between a dollar and a pound?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I don’t dollar your mom.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/albyagolfer"> /u/albyagolfer </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171tq6u/whats_the_difference_between_a_dollar_and_a_pound/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171tq6u/whats_the_difference_between_a_dollar_and_a_pound/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A doctor gets called to the hospital in the middle of the night</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
As it’s an emergency, and the highway is completely empty at this time of night, he’s going a little over the speed limit. Suddenly, he sees blue lights fire up behind him, and he’s pulled over.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The cop approaches the car and says “Do you know how fast you were going?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“About five miles an hour over,” says the doctor. “Sorry. I’m a doctor, and one of my patients has taken a turn for the worse, so I’m rushing to the hospital.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“The rules are the rules,” replies the cop. “I’ve gotta give you a ticket.” The cop starts writing it out and, as he does, asks “What kind of doctor are you, anyway?”
</p>
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“I’m an asshole stretcher,” says the doctor. “One of the best, actually.”
</p>
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“You’re a what?” says the baffled cop, looking up from the ticket.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yeah, if they need an asshole stretching they come to me. I can easily get them two, three feet wide. Some I’ve got up to six foot.”
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“What the hell do you do with a six-foot asshole?” asks the incredulous cop.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“You get him to stop people going five miles an hour over the limit at 3am.”
</p>
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​
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/obamasmole"> /u/obamasmole </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171frfe/a_doctor_gets_called_to_the_hospital_in_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171frfe/a_doctor_gets_called_to_the_hospital_in_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>You guys ever have this happen to you?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
You guys ever have this happen to you?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I was out at the bar the other night. They had a good band laying down all sorts of songs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When they played the Twist, I did the twist.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When they played Jump, I jumped.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
But when they played Come On, Eileen, I got kicked outta the place!
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/DevonSun"> /u/DevonSun </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171xwak/you_guys_ever_have_this_happen_to_you/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/171xwak/you_guys_ever_have_this_happen_to_you/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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