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<title>19 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>Comprehensive analysis of nasal IgA antibodies induced by intranasal administration of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein</strong> -
<div>
Intranasal vaccination is an attractive strategy for preventing COVID-19 disease as it stimulates the production of multimeric secretory immunoglobulin A (IgAs), the predominant antibody isotype in the mucosal immune system, at the target site of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entry. Currently, the evaluation of intranasal vaccine efficacy is based on the measurement of polyclonal antibody titers in nasal lavage fluid. However, how individual multimeric secretory IgA protects the mucosa from SARS-CoV-2 infection remains to be elucidated. To understand the precise contribution and molecular nature of multimeric secretory IgAs induced by intranasal vaccines, we developed 99 monoclonal IgAs from nasal mucosa and 114 monoclonal IgAs or IgGs from nonmucosal tissues of mice that were intranasally immunized with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The nonmucosal IgAs exhibited shared origins and both common and unique somatic mutations with the related nasal IgA clones, indicating that the antigen-specific plasma cells in the nonmucosal tissues originated from B cells stimulated at the nasal mucosa. Comparing the spike protein binding reactivity, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2-blocking and SARS-CoV-2 virus neutralization of monomeric and multimeric IgA pairs recognizing different epitopes showed that even nonneutralizing monomeric IgA, which represents 70% of the nasal IgA repertoire, can protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection when expressed as multimeric secretory IgAs. Our investigation is the first to demonstrate the function of nasal IgAs at the monoclonal level, showing that nasal immunization can provide effective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 by inducing multimeric secretory IgAs at the target site of virus infection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.04.10.536311v2" target="_blank">Comprehensive analysis of nasal IgA antibodies induced by intranasal administration of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Analysing the performance of multilateral organizations facing major crises: Covid-19 in comparative perspective</strong> -
<div>
The research objective is to analyse the consequences that recent crises have had for multilateral organizations, to what extent they fostered a transformation of response mechanisms and whether this transformation has contributed to strengthening the institution and improving its response to new crises. We analyse and compare the role of two specific International Organizations (IOs), the World Health Organization and the International Organization of Migration, in recent major transnational crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and the migration crisis caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine. Two complementary strands of the scientific literature are taken into account: Studies analysing the functioning and performance of IOs and the literature on crisis management. In each case study, we describe the IOs’ institutional designs and the characteristics of the policy regimes in which the IOs operate. Then we assess the response given to the crises, distinguishing between planned measures designed to provide an immediate response and resilience measures for future crises. We end with a comparative assessment of the performance of these two IOs in the face of these crises and their capacity to learn lessons from them to deal with future crises.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/z4qy6/" target="_blank">Analysing the performance of multilateral organizations facing major crises: Covid-19 in comparative perspective</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>DNA fragments detected in monovalent and bivalent Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna modRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Ontario, Canada: Exploratory dose response relationship with serious adverse events.</strong> -
<div>
Background: In vitro transcription (IVT) reactions used to generate nucleoside modified RNA (modRNA) for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines currently rely on an RNA polymerase transcribing from a DNA template. Production of modRNA used in the original Pfizer randomized clinical trial (RCT) utilized a PCR-generated DNA template (Process 1). To generate billions of vaccine doses, this DNA was cloned into a bacterial plasmid vector for amplification in Escherichia coli before linearization (Process 2), expanding the size and complexity of potential residual DNA and introducing sequences not present in the Process 1 template. It appears that Moderna used a similar plasmid-based process for both clinical trial and post-trial use vaccines. Recently, DNA sequencing studies have revealed this plasmid DNA at significant levels in both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna modRNA vaccines. These studies surveyed a limited number of lots and questions remain regarding the variance in residual DNA observed internationally. Methods: Using previously published primer and probe sequences, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Qubit® fluorometry was performed on an additional 27 mRNA vials obtained in Canada and drawn from 12 unique lots (5 lots of Moderna child/adult monovalent, 1 lot of Moderna adult bivalent BA.4/5, 1 lot of Moderna child/adult bivalent BA.1, 1 lot of Moderna XBB.1.5 monovalent, 3 lots of Pfizer adult monovalent, and 1 lot of Pfizer adult bivalent BA.4/5). The Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database was queried for the number and categorization of adverse events (AEs) reported for each of the lots tested. The content of one previously studied vial of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was examined by Oxford Nanopore sequencing to determine the size distribution of DNA fragments. This sample was also used to determine if the residual DNA is packaged in the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and thus resistant to DNaseI or if the DNA resides outside of the LNP and is DNaseI labile. Results: Quantification cycle (Cq) values (1:10 dilution) for the plasmid origin of replication (ori) and spike sequences ranged from 18.44 - 24.87 and 18.03 - 23.83 and for Pfizer, and 22.52 – 24.53 and 25.24 – 30.10 for Moderna, respectively. These values correspond to 0.28 – 4.27 ng/dose and 0.22 - 2.43 ng/dose (Pfizer), and 0.01 -0.34 ng/dose and 0.25 – 0.78 ng/dose (Moderna), for ori and spike respectively measured by qPCR, and 1,896 – 3,720 ng/dose and 3,270 – 5,100 ng/dose measured by Qubit® fluorometry for Pfizer and Moderna, respectfully. The SV40 promoter-enhancer-ori was only detected in Pfizer vials with Cq scores ranging from 16.64 – 22.59. In an exploratory analysis, we found preliminary evidence of a dose response relationship of the amount of DNA per dose and the frequency of serious adverse events (SAEs). This relationship was different for the Pfizer and Moderna products. Size distribution analysis found mean and maximum DNA fragment lengths of 214 base pairs (bp) and 3.5 kb, respectively. The plasmid DNA is likely inside the LNPs and is protected from nucleases. Conclusion: These data demonstrate the presence of billions to hundreds of billions of DNA molecules per dose in these vaccines. Using fluorometry, all vaccines exceed the guidelines for residual DNA set by FDA and WHO of 10 ng/dose by 188 – 509-fold. However, qPCR residual DNA content in all vaccines were below these guidelines emphasizing the importance of methodological clarity and consistency when interpreting quantitative guidelines. The preliminary evidence of a dose-response effect of residual DNA measured with qPCR and SAEs warrant confirmation and further investigation. Our findings extend existing concerns about vaccine safety and call into question the relevance of guidelines conceived before the introduction of efficient transfection using LNPs. With several obvious limitations, we urge that our work is replicated under forensic conditions and that guidelines be revised to account for highly efficient DNA transfection and cumulative dosing.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/mjc97/" target="_blank">DNA fragments detected in monovalent and bivalent Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna modRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Ontario, Canada: Exploratory dose response relationship with serious adverse events.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>De novo generation of antibody CDRH3 with a pre-trained generative large language model</strong> -
<div>
Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques have made great advances in assisting antibody design. However, antibody design still heavily relies on isolating antigen-specific antibodies from serum, which is a resource-intensive and time-consuming process. To address this issue, we propose a Pre-trained Antibody generative large Language Model (PALM) for the de novo generation of artificial antibodies heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDRH3) with desired antigen-binding specificity, reducing the reliance on natural antibodies. We also build a high-precision model antigen-antibody binder (A2binder) that pairs antigen epitope sequences with antibody sequences to predict binding specificity and affinity. PALM-generated antibodies exhibit binding ability to SARS-CoV-2 antigens, including the emerging XBB variant, as confirmed through in-silico analysis and in-vitro assays. The in-vitro assays validated that PALM-generated antibodies achieve high binding affinity and potent neutralization capability against both wild-type and XBB spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Meanwhile, A2binder demonstrated exceptional predictive performance on binding specificity for various epitopes and variants. Furthermore, by incorporating the attention mechanism into the PALM model, we have improved its interpretability, providing crucial insights into the fundamental principles of antibody design.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.17.562827v1" target="_blank">De novo generation of antibody CDRH3 with a pre-trained generative large language model</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COVID-19 stress and cognitive failures in daily life: A multilevel examination of within- and between-persons patterns</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed an extremely high number of lives worldwide, causing widespread panic and stress. The current research examined whether COVID-19 stress was associated with everyday cognitive failures, using data from a seven-day daily diary study of 253 young adults in Singapore. Multilevel modelling revealed that COVID-19 stress was significantly associated with cognitive failures even after adjusting for demographic factors, both at the within-person and between-persons levels. Specifically, individuals experienced more cognitive failures on days they experienced more COVID-19 stress (as compared to their own average levels of COVID-19 stress), and individuals who experienced more COVID-19 stress overall (as compared to individuals who experienced less COVID-19 stress overall) experienced more cognitive failures in general. While a large body of work has evidenced the detrimental effects of COVID-19 stress on individuals’ well-being, the current findings provide novel insights that these stressors may negatively impact individuals’ cognitive functioning as well.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/x3ums/" target="_blank">COVID-19 stress and cognitive failures in daily life: A multilevel examination of within- and between-persons patterns</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The SHOW COVID-19 cohort: methods and rationale for examining the statewide impact of COVID-19 on the social determinants of health</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: National and large city mortality and morbidity data emerged during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet statewide data to assess the impact COVID-19 had across urban and rural landscapes on subpopulations was lacking. The SHOW COVID-19 cohort was established to provide descriptive and longitudinal data to examine the influence the social determinants of health had on COVID-19 related outcomes. Methods: Participants were recruited from the 5,742 adults in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) cohort who were all residents of Wisconsin, United States when they joined the cohort between 2008-2019. Online surveys were administered at three timepoints during 2020-2021. Survey topics included COVID-19 exposure, testing and vaccination, COVID-19 impact on economic wellbeing, healthcare access, mental and emotional health, caregiving, diet, lifestyle behaviors, social cohesion, and resilience. Results: A total of 2,304 adults completed at least one COVID-19 online survey, with n=1,090 completing all three survey timepoints. Non-Whites were 2-3 times more likely to report having had COVID-19 compared to Whites, females were more likely than males to experience disruptions in their employment, and those with children in the home were more likely to report moderate to high levels of stress compared to adults without children. Conclusion: Longitudinal, statewide cohorts are important for investigating how the social determinants of health affect health and well-being during the first years of a pandemic and offer insight into future pandemic preparation. The data are available for researchers and cohort is active for continued and future follow-up.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.17.23297146v1" target="_blank">The SHOW COVID-19 cohort: methods and rationale for examining the statewide impact of COVID-19 on the social determinants of health</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Persistent high mortality rates for Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension after excluding deaths associated with COVID-19 in Brazil, 2020-2022</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) posed a significant public health challenge globally, with Brazil being no exception. Excess mortality during this period reached alarming levels. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), Systemic Hypertension (HTN), and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) were associated with increased mortality. However, the specific impact of DM and HTN on mortality during the pandemic remains poorly understood. Methods: This study analyzed mortality data from Brazil9s mortality system, covering the period from 2015 to 2022. Data included all causes of death as listed on death certificates, categorized by International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (ICD-10) codes. Population data were obtained from the Brazilian Census. Mortality ratios (MRs) were calculated by comparing death rates in 2020, 2021, and 2022 to the average rates from 2015 to 2019. Adjusted MRs were calculated using Poisson models. Results: Between 2015 and 2022, Brazil recorded a total of 11,423,288 deaths. Death rates remained relatively stable until 2019 but experienced a sharp increase in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, although a decrease was observed, it did not return to pre-pandemic levels. This trend persisted even when analyzing records mentioning DM, HTN, or CVD. Excluding death certificates mentioning COVID-19 codes, the trends still showed increases from 2020 through 2022, though less pronounced. Conclusion: This study highlights the persistent high mortality rates for DM and HTN in Brazil during the years 2020-2022, even after excluding deaths associated with COVID-19. These findings emphasize the need for continued attention to managing and preventing DM and HTN as part of public health strategies, both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. There are complex interactions between these conditions and the pandemic9s impact on mortality rates.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.17.23297174v1" target="_blank">Persistent high mortality rates for Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension after excluding deaths associated with COVID-19 in Brazil, 2020-2022</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Use of substances to cope predicts PTSD symptom persistence: Investigating patterns of interactions between PTSD symptoms and its maintaining mechanisms</strong> -
<div>
Objective. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains a growing public health challenge across the globe and is associated with negative and persistent long-term consequences. The last decades of research identified different mechanisms associated with the development and persistence of PTSD, including maladaptive coping strategies, cognitive and experiential avoidance, positive, and negative metacognitions. Despite these advances, little is known about how these different processes interact with specific PTSD symptoms, and how they influence each other over time at the within-person level. Method. Leveraging a large (N &gt; 1,800) longitudinal dataset representative of the Norwegian population during the COVID-19 pandemic, this pre-registered study investigated these symptom-process interactions over an eight-month period. Results. Our panel graphical vector autoregressive (GVAR) network model revealed the dominating role of substance use to cope in predicting higher levels of PTSD symptoms over time and increases in PTSD symptomatology within more proximal time-windows (i.e., within six weeks). Threat monitoring was associated with increased suicidal ideation, while threat monitoring itself was increasing upon decreased avoidance behavior, greater presence of negative metacognitions, and higher use of substances to cope. Conclusions. Our findings speak to the importance of attending to different coping strategies, particularly the use of substances as a coping behavior in efforts to prevent PTSD chronicity upon symptom onset. We outline future directions for research efforts to better understand the complex interactions and temporal pathways leading up to the development and maintenance of PTSD symptomatology.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/7r9e6/" target="_blank">Use of substances to cope predicts PTSD symptom persistence: Investigating patterns of interactions between PTSD symptoms and its maintaining mechanisms</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>MSclassifR: an R package for supervised classification of mass spectra with machine learning methods</strong> -
<div>
MSclassifR is an R package that has been specifically designed to improve the classification of mass spectra obtained from MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. It offers a comprehensive range of functions that are focused on processing mass spectra, identifying discriminant m/z values, and making accurate predictions. The package introduces innovative algorithms for selecting discriminating m/z values and making predictions. To assess the effectiveness of these methods, extensive tests were conducted using challenging real datasets, including bacterial subspecies of the Mycobacterium abscessus complex, virulent and avirulent phenotypes of Escherichia coli, different species of Streptococci and nasal swabs from individuals infected and uninfected with SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, multiple datasets of varying sizes were created from these real datasets to evaluate the robustness of the algorithms. The results demonstrated that the Machine Learning-based pipelines in MSclassifR achieved high levels of accuracy and Kappa values. On an in-house dataset, some pipelines even achieved more than 95% mean accuracy, whereas commercial system only achieved 62% mean accuracy. Certain methods showed greater resilience to changes in dataset sizes when constructing Machine Learning-based pipelines. These simulations also helped determine the minimum sizes of training sets required to obtain reliable results. The package is freely available online, and its open-source nature encourages collaborative development, customization, and fosters innovation within the community focused on improving diagnosis based on MALDI-TOF spectra.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.14.484252v2" target="_blank">MSclassifR: an R package for supervised classification of mass spectra with machine learning methods</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Randomised clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines are not designed to study non-specific effects on rare mortality</strong> -
<div>
We read with interest the recently-published paper “Randomized clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines: Do adenovirus-vector vaccines have beneficial non-specific effects?” by Benn et al. We have a range of concerns regarding the data quality and the study methodology, that call into question the key findings. The study presents the results of a meta-analysis of nine randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and concludes that there are “marked differences” in the overall mortality impact of mRNA and adenovirus vector vaccines. However the data used in this study cannot possibly support such a claim and we detail below some of the shortcomings of the methodology used in Benn et al. ’s manuscript.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/j8ykx/" target="_blank">Randomised clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines are not designed to study non-specific effects on rare mortality</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Influence of perceived threat of Covid-19 and HEXACO personality traits on toilet paper stockpiling</strong> -
<div>
Following the fast spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) across Europe and North America in March 2020, many people started stockpiling commodities like toilet paper. Despite the high relevance for public authorities to adequately address stockpiling behavior, empirical studies on the psychological underpinnings of toilet paper stockpiling are still scarce. In this study, we investigated the relation between personality traits, perceived threat of Covid-19, and stockpiling of toilet paper in an online survey (N = 996) across 22 countries. Results suggest that people who felt more threatened by Covid-19 stockpiled more toilet paper. Further, a predisposition towards Emotionality predicted the perceived threat of Covid-19 and affected stockpiling behavior indirectly. Finally, Conscientiousness was related to toilet paper stockpiling, such that individuals higher in Conscientiousness tended to stockpile more toilet paper. These results emphasize the importance of clear communication by public authorities acknowledging anxiety and, at the same time, transmitting a sense of control.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/eyur7/" target="_blank">Influence of perceived threat of Covid-19 and HEXACO personality traits on toilet paper stockpiling</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Forecasting regional-level COVID-19 hospitalisation in England as an ordinal variable using the machine learning method</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background COVID-19 causes substantial pressure on healthcare, with many healthcare systems now needing to prepare for and mitigate the consequences of surges in demand caused by multiple overlapping waves of infections. Therefore, public health agencies and health system managers also now benefit from short-term forecasts for respiratory infections that allow them to manage services better. However, the availability of easily implemented effective tools for generating precise forecasts at the individual regional level still needs to be improved. Methods We extended prior work on influenza to forecast regional COVID-19 hospitalisations in England for the period from 19th March 2020 to 31st December 2022, treating the number of hospital admissions in each region as an ordinal variable. We further developed the XGBoost model used previously to forecast influenza to enable it to exploit the ordering information in ordinal hospital admission levels. We incorporated different types of data as predictors: epidemiological data including weekly region COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions, weather conditions and mobility data for multiple categories of locations (e.g., parks, workplaces, etc). The impact of different discretisation methods and the number of ordinal levels was also considered. Results We find that the inclusion of weather data consistently increases the accuracy of our forecasts compared with models that rely only on the intrinsic epidemiological data, but only by a small amount. Mobility data brings about a more substantial increase in our forecasts. When both weather and mobility data are used in addition to the epidemiological data, the results are very similar to the model with only epidemiological data and mobility data. Conclusion Accurate ordinal forecasts of COVID-19 hospitalisations can be obtained using XGBoost and mobility data. While uniform ordinal levels show higher apparent accuracy, we recommend N-tile ordinal levels which contain far richer information.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.17.23297138v1" target="_blank">Forecasting regional-level COVID-19 hospitalisation in England as an ordinal variable using the machine learning method</a>
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<li><strong>Socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 infection and vaccine uptake among children and adolescents in Catalonia, Spain</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
IMPORTANCE The relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and COVID-19 infection and vaccination among children and adolescents remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between deprivation and COVID-19 vaccine uptake and infection among children and adolescents before and after the vaccination rollout in Catalonia, Spain. DESIGN AND SETTING Population-based cohort study using primary care electronic health records from the Information System for Research in Primary Care. Individuals were followed 3 months before the start of the vaccination campaign in Spain and 3 months after the vaccination rollout among adolescents and children. PARTICIPANTS Children (5-11 years) and adolescents (12-15 years) with at least 1 year of prior history observation available and without missing deprivation data. EXPOSURE Deprivation, assessed using an ecological socioeconomic deprivation index (SDI) score for census tract urban areas and categorized into quintiles. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 vaccination. For each outcome, we calculated cumulative incidence and crude Cox proportional-hazard models by SDI quintiles, and estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of COVID-19 infection and vaccine uptake relative to the least deprived quintile, Q1. RESULTS Before COVID-19 vaccination rollout, 290,625 children and 179,685 adolescents were analyzed. Increased HR of deprivation was associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 infection in both children (Q5: 1.55 [95% CI, 1.47 - 1.63]) and adolescents (Q5: 1.36 [95% CI, 1.29 - 1.43]). After the rollout, this pattern changed among children, with lower risk of infection in more deprived areas (Q5: 0.62 [95% CI, 0.61 - 0.64]). Vaccine uptake was higher among adolescents (72.6%) than children (44.8%), but in both age groups, non-vaccination was more common among those living in more deprived areas (39.3% and 74.6% in Q1 vs. 26.5% and 66.9% in Q5 among children and adolescents, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cohort study, children and adolescents living in deprived areas were at higher risk of COVID-19 non-vaccination. Socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 infection were also evident before vaccine rollout, with a higher infection risk in deprived areas across age groups. Our findings suggest that changes in the association between deprivation and infections among children after the vaccine rollout were likely due to testing disparities.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.17.23297134v1" target="_blank">Socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 infection and vaccine uptake among children and adolescents in Catalonia, Spain</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Addressing Label Noise for Electronic Health Records: Insights from Computer Vision for Tabular Data</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The analysis of extensive electronic health records (EHR) datasets often calls for automated solutions, with machine learning (ML) techniques, including deep learning (DL), taking a lead role. One common task involves categorizing EHR data into predefined groups. However, the vulnerability of EHRs to noise and errors stemming from data collection processes, as well as potential human labeling errors, poses a significant risk. This risk is particularly prominent during the training of DL models, where the possibility of overfitting to noisy labels can have serious repercussions in healthcare. Despite the well-documented existence of label noise in EHR data, few studies have tackled this challenge within the EHR domain. Our work addresses this gap by adapting computer vision (CV) algorithms to mitigate the impact of label noise in DL models trained on EHR data. Notably, it remains uncertain whether CV methods, when applied to the EHR domain, will prove effective, given the substantial divergence between the two domains. We present empirical evidence demonstrating that these methods, whether used individually or in combination, can substantially enhance model performance when applied to EHR data, especially in the presence of noisy/incorrect labels. We validate our methods and underscore their practical utility in real-world EHR data, specifically in the context of COVID-19 diagnosis. Our study highlights the effectiveness of CV methods in the EHR domain, making a valuable contribution to the advancement of healthcare analytics and research.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.17.23297136v1" target="_blank">Addressing Label Noise for Electronic Health Records: Insights from Computer Vision for Tabular Data</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Neutrophilia with damage to the blood-brain barrier and neurovascular unit following acute lung injury</strong> -
<div>
Background: Links between acute lung injury (ALI), infectious disease, and neurological outcomes have been frequently discussed over the past few years, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, much of the cross-communication between organs, particularly the lung and the brain, has been understudied. Here, we have focused on the role of neutrophils in driving changes to the brain endothelium with ensuing microglial activation and neuronal loss in a model of ALI. Methods: We have applied a three-dose paradigm of 10g/40l intranasal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce neutrophilia accompanied by proteinaceous exudate in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in adult C57BL/6 mice. Brain endothelial markers, microglial activation, and neuronal cytoarchitecture were evaluated 24hr after the last intranasal dose of LPS or saline. C57BL/6-Ly6g(tm2621(Cre-tdTomato)Arte (Catchup mice) were used to measure neutrophil and blood-brain barrier permeability following LPS exposure with intravital 2-photon imaging. Results: Three doses of intranasal LPS induced robust neutrophilia accompanied by proteinaceous exudate in BALF. ALI triggered central nervous system pathology as highlighted by robust activation of the cerebrovascular endothelium (VCAM1, CD31), accumulation of plasma protein (fibrinogen), microglial activation (IBA1, CD68), and decreased expression of proteins associated with postsynaptic terminals (PSD-95) in the hippocampal stratum lacunosum moleculare, a relay station between the entorhinal cortex and CA1 of the hippocampus. 2-photon imaging of Catchup mice revealed neutrophil homing to the cerebral endothelium in the blood-brain barrier and neutrophil extravasation from cerebral vasculature 24hr after the last intranasal treatment. Conclusions: Overall, these data demonstrate ensuing brain pathology resulting from ALI, highlighting a key role for neutrophils in driving brain endothelial changes and subsequent neuroinflammation. This paradigm may have a considerable translational impact on understanding how infectious disease with ALI can lead to neurodegeneration, particularly in the elderly.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.16.562508v1" target="_blank">Neutrophilia with damage to the blood-brain barrier and neurovascular unit following acute lung injury</a>
</div></li>
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<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>Narrative Intervention for Long COVID-19 (NICO)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; Long Covid19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Narrative Intervention for Long COVID-19 (NICO) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Colorado, Denver <br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity of Concomitant Administration of COVID-19 Vaccines With Influenza Vaccines</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Influenza; Vaccine Reaction; Contaminant Injected <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Omicron-containing COVID-19 vaccine; Biological: influenza vaccine <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Catholic Kwandong University; Korea University Guro Hospital <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training in Post-Covid Syndrome</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Cardiovascular Abnormalities; Post-COVID-19 Syndrome; Physical Exercise <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Inspiratory muscle strength training <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: D’Or Institute for Research and Education <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>Inspiratory Muscle Training in People With Long COVID- A Pilot Investigation.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: PrO2 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Bath; Swansea 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>Home-Based Respiratory Muscle Strength Training Program for Individuals With Post-COVID-19 Persistent Dyspnea</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome; Dyspnea <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Respiratory Muscle Strength Trainers <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of South Florida <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>Rural Tailored Communication to Promote SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing in Saliva</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: SARS-CoV2 Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: General SARS-CoV-2 Communication; Behavioral: Rural-Targeted SARS-CoV-2 Communication <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Michigan State University; National Cancer Institute (NCI); Johns Hopkins University <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy for COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Compensatory Cognitive Training for COVID-19; Behavioral: Holistic Cognitive Education <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: VA Office of Research and Development <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>COVID Rehabilitation</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Rehabilitation; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; Post-Infectious Disorders <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: One day course; Behavioral: Individual follow-ups <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University Hospital of North Norway; University of Bergen; Oslo University Hospital; Norwegian University of Science and Technology <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase 3 Open-Label Controlled Trial of Convalescent Plasma in Early COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Covid19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Convalescent Plasma; Other: Standard of Care <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Larkin Community Hospital <br/><b>Withdrawn</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>Food Effects of GST-HG171 Tablets Combined With Ritonavir in Healthy Chinese Participants</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 Respiratory Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: GST-HG171/ritonavir; Drug: ritonavir <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Fujian Akeylink Biotechnology Co., Ltd. <br/><b>Active, not 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>Improving Post COVID-19 Syndrome With Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post COVID-19 Condition; Post-COVID-19 Syndrome; Post-COVID Syndrome; COVID-19; Fatigue; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Monoplace Hyperbaric Chamber (Class III medical device). <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre <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>Education of Medical Staff to Post Acute Covid susTained sYmptoms</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Training in the management of functional disorders; Other: Reimbursement of 3 long consultations <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris; ANRS, Emerging Infectious Diseases <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>Pharmacist Management of Paxlovid eVisits</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Quality of Care <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Pharmacist Care; Other: AFM Pool Care <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Kaiser Permanente <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>Equity Evaluation of Fact Boxes on Informed COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination Decisions - Study Protocol</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Influenza <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Fact box <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Harding Center for Risk Literacy <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>tDCS in the Management of Post-COVID Disorders</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS); Behavioral: Motor Training; Behavioral: Cognitive Training <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; São Paulo State University <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>SARS-COV-2 protein NSP9 promotes cytokine production by targeting TBK1</strong> - SARS-COV-2 infection-induced excessive or uncontrolled cytokine storm may cause injury of host tissue or even death. However, the mechanism by which SARS-COV-2 causes the cytokine storm is unknown. Here, we demonstrated that SARS-COV-2 protein NSP9 promoted cytokine production by interacting with and activating TANK-binding kinase-1 (TBK1). With an rVSV-NSP9 virus infection model, we discovered that an NSP9-induced cytokine storm exacerbated tissue damage and death in mice. Mechanistically, NSP9…</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>Enhanced binding and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 by a plant-derived ACE2 protein containing a fused mu tailpiece</strong> - Infectious diseases such as Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) present an increasingly persistent crisis in many parts of the world. COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a crucial cellular receptor for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Inhibition of the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 has been proposed as a target for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We…</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>Dysregulation of intracellular redox homeostasis by the SARS-CoV-2 ORF6 protein</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 has evolved several strategies to overcome host cell defenses by inducing cell injury to favour its replication. Many viruses have been reported to modulate the intracellular redox balance, affecting the Nuclear factor erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) signaling pathway. Although antioxidant modulation by SARS-CoV-2 infection has already been described, the viral factors involved in modulating the NRF2 pathway are still elusive. Given the antagonistic activity of ORF6 on several…</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>Calpeptin is a potent cathepsin inhibitor and drug candidate for SARS-CoV-2 infections</strong> - Several drug screening campaigns identified Calpeptin as a drug candidate against SARS-CoV-2. Initially reported to target the viral main protease (M^(pro)), its moderate activity in M^(pro) inhibition assays hints at a second target. Indeed, we show that Calpeptin is an extremely potent cysteine cathepsin inhibitor, a finding additionally supported by X-ray crystallography. Cell infection assays proved Calpeptin’s efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. Treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected Golden Syrian…</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>Red Blood Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Display Endogenous Antiviral Effects and Enhance the Efficacy of Antiviral Oligonucleotide Therapy</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a large number of fatalities and, at present, lacks a readily available curative treatment for patients. Here, we demonstrate that unmodified red blood cell-derived extracellular vesicles (RBCEVs) can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in a phosphatidylserine (PS) dependent manner. Using T cell immunoglobulin mucin domain-1 (TIM-1) as an example, we demonstrate that PS receptors on cells can significantly increase the adsorption and infection of authentic and…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SIRT-1 is required for release of enveloped enteroviruses</strong> - Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is a re-emerging enterovirus that causes acute respiratory illness in infants and has recently been linked to Acute Flaccid Myelitis. Here, we show that the histone deacetylase, SIRT-1, is essential for autophagy and EV-D68 infection. Knockdown of SIRT-1 inhibits autophagy and reduces EV-D68 extracellular titers. The proviral activity of SIRT-1 does not require its deacetylase activity or functional autophagy. SIRT-1’s proviral activity is, we demonstrate, mediated…</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>Inhaled nitric oxide: can it serve as a savior for COVID-19 and related respiratory and cardiovascular diseases?</strong> - Nitric oxide (NO), as an important gaseous medium, plays a pivotal role in the human body, such as maintaining vascular homeostasis, regulating immune-inflammatory responses, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and inhibiting leukocyte adhesion. In recent years, the rapid prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has greatly affected the daily lives and physical and mental health of people all over the world, and the therapeutic efficacy and resuscitation strategies for critically ill…</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>Protective effect of olopatadine hydrochloride against LPS-induced acute lung injury: via targeting NF-κB signaling pathway</strong> - CONCLUSION: In nutshell, inhibition of NF-κB pathway by Olo resulted in protection and reduced mortality in LPS- induced ALI and thus has potential to be used clinically to arrest disease progression in ALI/ARDS, since the drug is already in the market. However, the findings warrant further extensive studies, and also future studies can be planned to elucidate its role in COVID-19-associated ARDS or cytokine storm.</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>Molecular insights and optimization strategies for the competitive binding of engineered ACE2 proteins: a multiple replica molecular dynamics study</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread globally, and rapid viral evolution and the emergence of new variants pose challenges to pandemic control. During infection, the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 interacts with the human ACE2 protein via its receptor binding domain (RBD), and it is known that engineered forms of ACE2 can compete with wild-type (WT) ACE2 for binding to inhibit infection. Here, we conducted multiple replica…</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>Andrographolide inhibits infectious bronchitis virus-induced apoptosis, pyroptosis, and inflammation</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we delved into the antiviral properties of APL in the context of chicken macrophage (HD11) infection with IBV. Our findings confirm that andrographolide effectively inhibits apoptosis, pyroptosis, and inflammation by IBV infection. Furthermore, this inhibition was verified on chicken embryos in vivo. This inhibition suggests a substantial potential for APL as a therapeutic agent to mitigate the harmful effects of IBV on host 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>Betaine prevents cognitive dysfunction by suppressing hippocampal microglial activation in chronic social isolated male mice</strong> - Chronic social isolation (SI) stress, which became more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributes to abnormal behavior, including mood changes and cognitive impairment. Known as a functional nutrient, betaine has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in vivo. However, whether betaine can alleviate the abnormal behavior induced by chronic SI in mice remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of betaine in the treatment of behavioral changes and its…</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>Block of the Angiotensin Pathways Affects Flow-Volume Spirometry in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection</strong> - BACKGROUND: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an endothelial cell receptor used by SARS-CoV- 2 virus to enter cells. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs), mainly spirometry, are the main diagnostic tools for most respiratory diseases. PFTs are mandatory for assessing the response to therapy.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Differential specificity of SARS-CoV-2 main protease variants on peptide versus protein-based substrates</strong> - The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro) ) holds significant importance as a biological target in combating coronaviruses due to its importance in virus replication. Considering the emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants and the mutations observed in the M^(pro) sequence, we hypothesized that these mutations may have a potential impact on the protease’s specificity. To test this, we expressed M^(pro) corresponding to the original strain and variants Beta1, Beta2 and Omicron, and analyzed their…</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>DHA and EPA inhibit porcine coronavirus replication by alleviating ER stress</strong> - The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) highlighted significant gaps in our mechanisms to prevent and control cross-species transmission of animal coronaviruses. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), and porcine delta coronavirus (PDCoV) are common porcine coronaviruses with similar clinical features. In the absence of effective drugs and methods of prevention and…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Autoantibodies against Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and immune molecules are associated with COVID-19 disease severity</strong> - Increased inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and long-term disease manifestations referred to as post-acute sequalae of COVID (PASC). The mechanisms of this variable long-term immune activation are poorly defined. Autoantibodies targeting immune factors such as cytokines, as well as the viral host cell receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), have been observed after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Autoantibodies to immune factors…</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>J. B. Pritzker, Billionaire Hotel Heir—and Progressive Hero?</strong> - As the governor of Illinois, J. B. Pritzker has managed to unstick a dysfunctional state government while pushing through an unapologetically liberal agenda. Can his strategy work on a national level? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/persons-of-interest/j-b-pritzker-governor-illinois">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden’s Middle East Burden</strong> - Visiting Israel, the President will express support for a traumatized nation, but he must also try to steer it from the blindness of rage. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/bidens-middle-east-burden">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Symbiotic, Democracy-Eroding Relationship Between Donald Trump and Jim Jordan</strong> - Jordan is a perfect ally for Trump, and a walking embodiment of a radicalized G.O.P. That won’t change, even if his Speaker bid fails because enough Republicans from Biden-majority districts hold the line. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-symbiotic-democracy-eroding-relationship-between-donald-trump-and-jim-jordan">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Jane McAlevey Transformed the Labor Movement</strong> - The renowned organizer and theorist has a terminal-cancer diagnosis. But she has long been fighting the clock. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/persons-of-interest/how-jane-mcalevey-transformed-the-labor-movement">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Journalist Exposes the Philippines’ Extralegal Killings</strong> - The reporter Patricia Evangelista discusses the country’s drug wars, Rodrigo Duterte’s murderous rhetoric, and how she manages the difficulties of covering trauma. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/a-journalist-exposes-the-philippines-extralegal-killings">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Professional raconteur Fran Lebowitz thinks art should be useless</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Fran Lebowitz looks into the camera, one hand on the side of her face." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0CbY9qU5gxswS-fTaYsW_Xz7j5c=/0x0:960x720/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72771352/Fran_Lebowitz_2MB_vers__CREDIT_and_Copyright_Brigitte_Lacombe_.0.jpeg"/>
<figcaption>
Fran Lebowitz | Brigitte Lacombe
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
And that you should probably wear shoes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OUyPsJ">
Does anyone have it figured out as well as Fran Lebowitz? She spent the 1970s hanging out with Andy Warhol and writing two books that made her the toast of her generation (1978’s <em>Metropolitan Life</em> and 1981’s <em>Social Studies</em>). Then she claimed writer’s block, hung it all up, and declined to publish anymore. Now she’s in the amorphous career of public speaker: acerbic and crankily funny, but not exactly a standup comic; politically engaged and insightful, but not exactly a pundit. You know. She’s Fran Lebowitz.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3nCzGQ">
Ahead of <a href="https://www.kingstheatre.com/events/fran-lebowitz/">Lebowitz’s speaking event at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre on October 21</a>, I called her up to see if I could get her to give me a piece of her mind. Lebowitz obliged. Together, we discussed whether AI is stealing, what makes art art, and how to build a life you love. Our conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vucZng">
<strong>So you are about to do a new show in conversation with Marlon James at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. Do you know what you’ll be talking about? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YAJwsI">
No, because I don’t ever allow the person interviewing me to tell me what the questions are that he wants to ask me, to cheat. I like to be surprised.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V2alVO">
<strong>Are you a fan of Marlon James’s work? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="94VY4n">
Yes, I am. He’s a wonderful writer, don’t you think?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X2ChVP">
<strong>Oh definitely. Although I couldn’t get into </strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/2/6/18212431/black-leopard-red-wolf-marlon-james-review"><strong>the last trilogy that he’s been working on</strong></a><strong>. </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rXBFyG">
Well, you know, there’s certain things he writes about — not things, but ways of writing. I don’t know what the word is, I wouldn’t say it’s really science fiction, but it’s not totally realistic. That’s something I’m just not interested in in general. But he’s still wonderful.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iKUma6">
<strong>You’ve been doing this work for about 40 years now. What do you like most about it? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YS1gOP">
Oh, much more [than 40 years]. More, more, more. More.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jYb7wJ">
I love answering questions. I mean, I actually love answering questions. And I love the surprise of it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j2DWFQ">
The questions with the audience are, to me, the most fun. The interviewer, that can really vary. Some are very good, some are not very good. But the interview is also more serious, because they prepare and everything, which I do not. With the audience, you just never know.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="16LV6G">
<strong>The writers’ strike just ended a couple of weeks ago. What do you think of </strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2023/9/24/23888673/wga-strike-end-sag-aftra-contract"><strong>the deal they got</strong></a><strong>?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zMPHTS">
I’m not in the Writers Guild, so I don’t know all the particulars, but here’s what I’m sure of: They didn’t get enough. Whatever they got, it was unquestionably better than what they were initially offered, but I’m certain it was not enough.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AD9Ywd">
People also seem to forget that in the last writers’ strike, which was in 2007, far fewer writers were hired after that. The movie business and TV business has always tried to get rid of writers. Every single person on a movie set thinks they could write. Every single executive certainly does.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cZ2FiB">
I’m sure they didn’t get enough, but obviously they got enough that they would settle, because you know, they starve them out.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GmNC56">
<strong>Do you think there’s potential for the studios to try to replace writers with AI? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ibjWos">
They have tried to replace writers with executives, who know less than AI, believe me. So any way they can replace writers, they would be happy to do so.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r3t3zU">
I don’t have a great understanding of AI, I have to tell you. I mean, I understand it more than I did initially. But as far as I can tell, it’s just stealing. They take a lot of things that writers wrote and then steal them and then mix them up and then put them together in some other way so that it seems like it’s something else.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NsXW85">
Employers would like to replace every employee if they could. That’s the biggest expense to any business, no matter how poorly they pay the employees. That is the trajectory of capitalism, you know: How can we get the most money with the most profit? That is usually by having the fewest employees. They never think, “Why don’t we replace the executives?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2CskAe">
<strong>What was the last piece of art you encountered that you thought was really good? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5h1XKS">
It’s kind of hard to say. First of all, I’m certain you’re young, because everyone is. You have a very broad definition of art — I don’t mean you personally; I don’t know you — that very often seems to include pasta. It seems to include food.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VM5eLt">
I love to eat. I’m not saying I don’t. I’m as gluttonous as the next person. But I have a much more, I suppose, more old-fashioned idea of it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qnw0Lc">
What was your question? Which piece of work did I really like or did I think was great?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5dib1Y">
<strong>That you thought was really good. </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bZKCuO">
Really good. People say things are great all the time. I reserve the word great for actual greatness.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Pp7V34">
I don’t know. I just finished Colson Whitehead’s last book.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nHUoDV">
<strong>Oh, I liked that a lot. It felt like </strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23795356/colson-whitehead-interview-crook-manifesto"><strong>he was having fun writing it</strong></a><strong>.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TKSfin">
I have no idea whether he was having fun writing it, I don’t know him. But I will tell you that I don’t know how old he is. He’s probably by now 50, at least, right? He’s quite a bit younger than I am. But I remember when he first appeared, I thought — because as I’m sure you’ve observed — we live in a world where every week there’s a new genius, despite the fact that it’s simply not true. But when he first appeared and they kept saying how great he was, I thought, “You know what? He actually is extremely talented!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pcXsvB">
<strong>You mentioned you had a more old-fashioned definition of art than is currently in style. What is involved in that definition? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l8yViD">
I don’t think food is art. I don’t think a baker is an artist. I actually think that great cooks are a boon to mankind. I’m sure you’re not supposed to say mankind anymore. Whatever you’re supposed to say, humanity or whatever.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D1sV10">
Here’s my definition: Art should be useless. When it has utility, it can be artistic, it can be artful, but it’s not art.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FeYERo">
This would put a baker in the same category, frankly, as an architect, because an architect has clients. In fact, if you have a client and you’re making something that has use, like a building, then it’s not a pure form like writing or music or painting or stuff or something like that. That’s what I mean.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ecXnzU">
<strong>All right, let’s move into a little bit more of a quick-fire thing. You’ve said [in the Martin Scorsese docuseries </strong><em><strong>Pretend It’s a City</strong></em><strong>] that you used to walk around New York barefoot. When did you stop? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sKFA81">
I was really young when I did that. Truthfully, when I think about that, I realize it was insane even then. Even if I was, say, 19, like, that would be a crazy thing for a 9-year-old, too. It’s amazing I lived through it because frankly, just imagine what the streets of New York will pull up.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NEUeLz">
I wouldn’t say it lasted that long. It probably lasted maybe a month or so. Some people didn’t comment on it at the time, but some people did. I don’t know at which point I thought, “This is insane.” But it was a very stupid thing to do. I would not recommend it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0uGvAf">
<strong>Are there places you like besides New York? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P2VFwK">
Yeah, there are a lot of places I like besides New York. Doesn’t mean I want to live there. There’s no place I would want to live in besides New York.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8494xC">
<strong>Why is New York the only place you want to live?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j3It6e">
Because it’s New York.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UsTtJy">
<strong>Fair enough!</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ie9JRl">
Whenever people ask me why New York, I always say, “Well, have you ever been?” To me, it’s the greatest place to live in the world and that is why I live here. I don’t have to live here. There’s not a law saying you must live in the most expensive place on the planet Earth. But it’s a place that I find to be the best place to live.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LkdxGy">
<strong>What is the worst thing you’ve ever seen a tourist do here? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3mhdzB">
Boy, that is such a rough field. Truthfully, anyone who lives in a place with a lot of tourists complains about the tourists. It’s not just New York. It’s because tourists ruin places. It doesn’t matter what the place is. It doesn’t have to be some exquisite, dreamlike city like Venice to be ruined.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EIwx8u">
Tourists are the opposite of residents. They don’t care about the city. They don’t care about it at all. This was true even before phones, but now it seems that <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23388038/positano-travel-instagram">people go all over the world just to photograph</a>. Which to me is ridiculous. Truthfully, you can just look at a photograph. You don’t have to actually come and annoy the local people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o8EkgP">
To me, I suppose the most annoying thing is that they don’t move. I don’t think that’s the <em>worst</em> thing they do. But the fact that they <em>do not move</em>. And they are oblivious to the fact that there are people living here. We have to get places! We have to earn money here so that we can make this place where you can take photographs of yourself standing in front of things.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="d1QDZA">
<strong>Do you think </strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23835782/concert-attack-cardi-b-pink-ashes-movie-theater"><strong>people’s behavior has gotten worse since Covid</strong></a><strong>? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EqZh3i">
Not that I’ve noticed. I mean, how much worse could it have gotten?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ssnx1m">
What’s gotten worse since Covid, I mean aside from Covid itself, is that I can no longer guess how long it takes to get anywhere. I used to know exactly how long it took to get from one place to the other, walking or by subway or cab, and now you could not possibly guess. You just can’t. The subway used to come every five minutes and now they come every three hours. There could be massive traffic. Yesterday I was in a car and I had to go uptown and it took an hour. It should have taken 15 minutes! You never know. There’s no rush hours anymore.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dVseMW">
<strong>I know a lot of people think of your life as very glamorous and aspirational. Is there anything that you think a person needs to know to build a life by themselves that they love?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NTfetz">
I have no idea.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Harqqn">
Here’s the thing. Lots of kids — I’m sure you’re not a kid, but to me, you’re a kid — they come to see me speak or they talk to me in the street. They are so organized.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xyv71O">
I never thought about anything in the future when I was young. I barely think about it now. I’m just not that organized. And in general people my age were not that organized when we were young.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n8nEVL">
These kids are incredibly organized. Which is in some way, I guess, good. But in another way, it’s bad because it definitely engenders anxiety, you know? And then I can see, and people are seeing, that <a href="https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/1/10/18174263/anxiety-kids-burnout">kids are anxious</a>. I think this is one of the reasons they are anxious.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NCGtOV">
Don’t worry about the future. Instead, savor the fact that you’re young. Because let me assure you, life does not get better and better. Just stop thinking about it. And just have fun.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Biden came and went to Israel. What comes next?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Biden sits in a chair with the Israeli and US flags in the background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MKFfhuJU44Wq3U09Gnl1txeCBbg=/0x0:2956x2217/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72770520/1731157124.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
President Joe Biden joins Israel’s prime minister for the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 18, 2023. | Miriam Alster/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Biden has avoided Middle East peacemaking. Now, it’s the only path forward.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ze9ujO">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>’s quick visit on Wednesday to wartime <a href="https://www.vox.com/israel">Israel</a> was designed as a show of support for the close US ally, one that inspired confidence in Israel as it pursues its military campaign against <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/10/10/23911661/hamas-israel-war-gaza-palestine-explainer">Hamas</a> in Gaza. His presence, it was thought, would <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/10/17/23921722/biden-israel-visit-mideast-trip-gaza-hamas">calm things down</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1ZTD3T">
But that only addresses one side of the conflict. If Biden fails to do everything he can to curtail the violence now, say analysts and insiders, his visit may ultimately damage the United States’ standing in the Middle East and its ability to lead in the world. That’s because the short-, medium-, and long-term implications of Israel’s operation against Gaza, should it continue unabated, will be much worse than the political risks Biden would need to take to secure a ceasefire and invest in a sustainable political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nVwl8I">
As Biden boarded the plane to Israel on Tuesday, an explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City killed <a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-12">at least 471 people</a>. The cause remains unclear and hotly disputed; the Gaza Health Ministry blamed an Israeli strike, while Israel pointed the finger at the armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The White House National Security Council released a <a href="https://twitter.com/NSC_Spox/status/1714654402118832440">rare statement</a> on its intelligence-gathering, largely siding with Israel: “our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4nRBTu">
In any case, that preliminary conclusion, which has yet to be independently verified, will do nothing to contain the massive demonstrations in the Arab world sparked by the fatal explosion, as well as the ongoing bombing of Gaza. Even as Biden was en route to Israel, anger over the deaths also led Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestine Liberation Organization to cancel a planned summit in Amman that would have been the second leg of his trip. That Egypt and Jordan — close security partners of the US — would snub Biden was a major embarrassment for the president.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qQuCRC">
In Israel, though, Biden spoke more forwardly about Palestinian rights than he had previously, stating clearly that “we mourn the loss of innocent Palestinian lives.” He pledged <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/10/18/u-s-announcement-of-humanitarian-assistance-to-the-palestinian-people/">$100 million of humanitarian aid</a> to Palestinians in Gaza. But even that shift contrasted with the US’s efforts at the United Nations, where US diplomats <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-vetoes-un-security-council-action-israel-gaza-2023-10-18/">vetoed</a> a resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in the fighting. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield <a href="https://usun.usmission.gov/explanation-of-vote-by-ambassador-linda-thomas-greenfield-on-a-un-security-council-resolution-drafted-by-brazil-on-the-situation-in-the-middle-east/">said</a> it would undermine the US’s diplomatic initiatives in the conflict.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ql8tDO">
“It’s clear that they don’t have a full appreciation for the humanitarian disaster unfolding before us in Gaza,” Khaled Elgindy of the Middle East Institute told me. Palestinians “have been completely stripped of their humanity, and that’s been normalized.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="25XDkP">
Elgindy’s recommendations for the Biden administration are straightforward. “Call for a ceasefire,” he explained. “Tell Israel to turn the lights back on. Electricity, water, food — all of that should be unlimited. Don’t push people out of Gaza. Don’t let Israel go in on the ground. Put some guardrails and clear red lines about protecting civilians.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iBG41m">
Elgindy calls these policies “obvious, minimal stuff” that might have been possible under previous administrations. But the sheer scale of Hamas’s attacks on October 7 and the ongoing hostage crisis, as well as significant fractures within the domestic politics of Israel, Palestine, and the United States, can make even minimal policies seem impossible.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gqY9v4">
But if the unprecedented scale of human suffering among Palestinians doesn’t get the attention of Washington policymakers, then perhaps the potential for massive blowback across the Arab world will make the difference.
</p>
<h3 id="dtF6cl">
Where US policy stands after the Biden trip
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NHi7sZ">
<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4258933-petraeus-warns-israel-over-post-conflict-gaza-citing-us-invasion-of-iraq/">Former US officials</a> who were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/16/opinion/israel-gaza-iraq-iran.html">involved in the Iraq War</a> are already proposing ideas for Gaza’s postwar planning, including <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/israels-war-aims-and-principles-post-hamas-administration-gaza">reviving</a> the Palestinian Authority’s administration of Gaza. But the focus on the day after misses what is happening to Palestinians right now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Cu5w19">
“Nobody knows what the day after is because nobody knows what the day of is,” Elgindy told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bsqvJc">
Israel itself has not articulated its goals beyond getting rid of Hamas, which seems to contradict the vast human toll Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing. The experts I called are particularly concerned that the lack of a strong US perspective on that question is effectively enabling a military campaign based on revenge, not a bigger strategy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BLJrtK">
“If Israel’s going to ask the world to support it as it does what it feels it needs to do to root out Hamas, that support should be contingent on understanding what its plan is at the back end,” Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the liberal Israel advocacy group J Street, told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kseu37">
Without such clarity, the risks of the war spilling into other countries only grows. And it is dire. Arab citizens came out to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/18/world/middleeast/protests-gaza-hospital-israel-palestine.html">protest en masse</a> in the middle of the night in capitals across the Middle East, and Arab governments appear frustrated with Biden’s tepid response to the situation in Gaza. The militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon poses a particularly acute danger should it get involved. And Lebanese citizens are already holding America responsible. Protesters outside the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/protesters-near-us-embassy-beirut-sprayed-with-water-cannon-teargas-2023-10-18/">US Embassy in Beirut</a> — an intensely fortified compound — threw rocks and lit fires. “We’re officially off the rails at this point,” Zaha Hassan of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sr9AO9">
Adjusting the administration’s language to humanize Palestinians is an important first step, said Hassan. And the Biden administration is slowly and cautiously tweaking its rhetoric. “Civilian lives must be protected and assistance must urgently reach those in need,” the White House said in a statement announcing the $100 million of aid.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A girl holds a Palestinian flag drawn in marker on white paper. It reads Gaza with a drawing of a heart." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FspyuMetWi8gaUFNo7M36leUqGU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25013884/1730815848.jpg"/> <cite>Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A Palestinian girl holds up a hand-drawn picture of the national flag in the city of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on October 18, 2023.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="s90Xm7">
But nothing can move forward without a ceasefire, Hassan says, and without urgent humanitarian relief reaching Palestinians in Gaza, where there have been 3,478 fatalities, 12,500 injuries, and 1 million internally displaced people as of October 18, <a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-12">according to the UN</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EAes8S">
Only a bigger strategic rethink that focuses on a resolution to the core conflict between Israelis and Palestinians will bring security to the people there. “The festering nature of the Palestinian issue is what brought us to this moment,” Hassan told me. Beyond appointing an envoy to address the humanitarian situation, “the administration needs to start thinking about rolling up its sleeves, and starting to think about how it’s going to build an international or a multilateral coalition of folks to work on a political solution.”
</p>
<h3 id="ViHFmT">
What Biden could do now
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Uahynu">
President Biden came into office with a team of advisers who were adamant that the US could <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/8/3/23817467/biden-israel-saudi-arabia-normalization-middle-east-policy">focus on countering China and Russia</a> in the world, and finally pivot away from the Middle East.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5hp0D6">
Ten days of unprecedented war have shown how farcical that was. Biden has said before that when it comes to domestic policy, he’s all about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/20/opinion/joe-biden-david-brooks-interview.html">going big</a>. Foreign policy is trickier — there’s not a strong domestic constituency for radically changing US statecraft, and the inertia of carrying on with outdated policies is difficult to escape.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yRhRMP">
But the Israel-Hamas war exposes a basic truth: <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/10/7/23907912/israel-palestine-conflict-history-explained-gaza-hamas">Ignoring Palestine</a>, as both the US and Israel have been guilty of doing, will make the Middle East more combustible. “There’s no way for this spiraling cycle of never-ending violence to ever end if there isn’t a state of Palestine,” Ben-Ami of J Street told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4x4zFq">
Ben-Ami said that Biden could recalibrate his message. “I think there’s a space here for the president, and perhaps it’s in concert with other world leaders, to articulate where they think things have to go when the fighting stops,” he told me. “And I think that may be important to put out there, even as the fighting is ongoing.” (J Street, for its part, hasn’t called for a ceasefire, and 100 former members of the advocacy group have <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/10/15/j-street-gaza-ceasefire-staffers-letter/">urged</a> it to do so.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3VzvYH">
What Palestinians need is not more economic peace, the main focus of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/7/11/23790305/biden-middle-east-policy-israel-palestine-tom-nides">remarkably unambitious policy</a> of outgoing US ambassador to Israel Tom Nides. And it’s not <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2023/2/6/23582048/blinken-biden-israel-palestine-two-state-solution">empty talk of a two-state solution</a> that seems further than ever from reality. “Out of this rubble and out of this disaster, the world has to be committed to actually building a real state” for Palestinians, Ben-Ami said. “That may be a 20-year Marshall Plan–style investment, and it means not only rebuilding the physical infrastructure and building out an <a href="https://www.vox.com/economy">economy</a>, but building a viable political structure.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V8su6M">
As Biden himself put it in Tel Aviv, “We must keep pursuing a path so that Israel and the Palestinian people can both live safely, in security, in dignity, and in peace.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kPXsLO">
Waiting at the trailhead of that path, however, will only make the situation worse. “Neglect isn’t going to make these things go away, and it’s a very explosive situation,” Hassan said. Though Biden has largely stayed out of the Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking game, he can no longer avoid it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FJXyVu">
</p></li>
<li><strong>Don’t believe everything you see and hear about Israel and Palestine</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A photograph of a palm-tree-lined street in Ashkelon, in southern Israel. The light is dimmed by smoke from a nearby fire." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NmXvX0ubRNzXRci257jlmUM4TeE=/454x0:7739x5464/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72747303/1719127335.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Smoke from a fire that broke out after a rocket attack from Gaza fills the streets of the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, on October 11, 2023. | Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is easy to find online. Here’s how to avoid spreading it.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aO8LgR">
After <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/10/7/23907323/israel-war-hamas-attack-explained-southern-israel-gaza">Hamas</a> militants launched a surprise attack on <a href="https://www.vox.com/israel">Israel</a> on October 7, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/10/09/israel-hamas-hostage-death/">killing at least 1,000 and taking at least 150 hostages</a>, and Israel declared war against Hamas and retaliated, photographs and videos of violence flooded out of the region and onto social media. Some of the images were posted by victims on the ground at the attacks. Some were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/technology/hamas-violent-videos-online.html">reportedly</a> seeded by Hamas, but others were years old, taken from conflict zones in other parts of the world, or even from a fictional video game. For the average internet user, knowing what information to trust online has never been more challenging.
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Complicating matters even further are the ways in which unconfirmed reports are outpacing the process of verification, finding their way into news coverage and the statements of elected officials, further fueling online falsehoods and confusion. “I never really thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children,” President Joe Biden said last week, referring to widely circulated but <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/10/11/israel-hamas-disinformation/">as yet unconfirmed</a> reports of Hamas militants beheading infants during the initial attack. The White House later said that Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/1712269942341406844?s=20">had not seen any such pictures</a> and had not independently confirmed reports about the beheading.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dtySpn">
As someone who has covered misinformation through dozens of major news events, I know that people flock to social media during a crisis for many reasons. Maybe it’s because the mainstream news doesn’t feel fast or immediate enough, or because the crisis has put them or someone close to them in harm’s way and they need help. Perhaps they want to see and share and say something that captures the reality of an important moment in time because they don’t know what else to do when the world is on fire. Misinformation and manipulation often spread for the same reasons, slipping into the feeds of those who believe it can’t hurt to share a startling video or gruesome photograph or call for aid, even if they’re not sure of the reliability of the source.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cO6N1t">
When war goes online, the churn of good and bad information is supercharged by the stakes. While state-sponsored information wars existed well before the invention of the internet, social media has enabled all kinds of propaganda and dangerous falsehoods to rapidly reach millions. During the <a href="https://www.vox.com/russia-invasion-ukraine">Russian invasion of Ukraine</a> in 2022, for example, livestreamers and scammers reposted <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/live-blog/russia-ukraine-conflict-live-updates-n1289655#ncrd1289789">old videos to TikTok</a>, claiming they showed the latest from the front lines, in order to get views and trick people into donating to fake fundraisers.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9JNJFL">
Journalists have had a difficult time following up on video-fueled updates about the situation in Gaza <a href="https://twitter.com/EliotHiggins/status/1712008120342389212">circulating on social media </a>because it is extremely dangerous to be reporting in the region right now. Many news outlets have reporters working from Israel to cover the conflict. Correspondents on the ground in Gaza are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/10/16/gaza-journalists-palestinian-reporters-challenges/">trying to keep themselves and their families alive</a> during the Israeli bombing campaign in retaliation for the Hamas attack.
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For example, Hamas and Israel have traded blame over a deadly hospital bombing in Gaza City. Hamas is blaming Israel, though US intelligence officials have said, based off initial intelligence, that they think Israel’s assertion that the bombing was the result of a misfired rocket from a militant group in Gaza is correct. Neither version of events has been independently confirmed. And yet, false confirmations on both sides are proliferating, whether from a random X account <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/misinformation-gaza-hospital-attack-1234856302/">pretending to be a reporter</a> or a <a href="https://twitter.com/alanagoodman/status/1714724830451298503?s=46&amp;t=LVLwPwruc4koXd6hdIOe8Q">statement from a member of Congress</a>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6XNhFr">
Last year, I wrote <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/02/25/1046495/how-to-share-information-russia-ukraine-invasion/">a guide to being online in wartime to help people navigate the misinformation</a> around <a href="https://www.vox.com/russia">Russia</a>’s war in Ukraine. A lot of the advice about how to quickly evaluate a river of online information hasn’t changed much over the years. But social media has changed quite a bit in just a few months and some of the old tricks for verifying unreliable posts need to be modified or unlearned altogether.
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This is particularly true on X, formerly known as Twitter, which was once a central destination for those who wanted to follow major news events in real time. <a href="https://www.vox.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>, the platform’s owner and CTO, spent the hours after Hamas attacked Israel <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-israel-hamas-war-disinformation-x/">spreading misinformation about the conflict</a> and even <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/08/israel-hamas-disinfo-musk-twitter-x/">told his 150 million followers</a> to get news on the attack from two verified accounts that have a clear history of sharing false information. Musk’s recommendation had at least 11 million views before it was deleted, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/08/israel-hamas-disinfo-musk-twitter-x/">according to the Washington Post</a>. This is after Musk spent months diminishing the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-07/elon-musk-cuts-more-twitter-staff-overseeing-content-moderation">platform’s capacity</a> to moderate against misinformation and hate speech.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gN521V">
Since the initial attack, X users <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-israel-hamas-attack-biden-aid-512553356968">circulated a fabricated White House memo</a> that claimed the US government was sending $8 billion in aid to Israel. An account <a href="https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2023/10/09/x-is-flooded-with-israel-hamas-war-misinformation">posing as the Jerusalem Post</a> fueled a false rumor that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the hospital. And because Twitter’s verification system <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/12/12/23506109/elon-musk-twitter-blue-verified-checks-gold-gray">has been repurposed</a> into a premium badge for paying subscribers, who also get boosted engagement with their tweets, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90964693/the-israel-hamas-war-shows-how-bad-x-has-gotten-at-handling-breaking-news">it’s now relatively easy to buy eyeballs</a> on X and imitate expertise on the platform.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HKEmKK">
Misinformation is an exhausting topic, one that’s difficult to define, and on some platforms, including X, tackling misinformation is no longer a company priority to address. So, increasingly, it’s up to you to sort through the mess. No online guide will fully protect you against the bad and untrue stuff online. But there are things you can do to navigate the online chaos that follows a major news event.
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<h3 id="3lTNVz">
Understand the platform you’re on<strong> </strong>
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Many large social media platforms <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-10/hamas-war-shows-facebook-twitter-have-pivoted-from-news?leadSource=uverify%20wall">have shifted back to prioritizing engagement over reliability</a> for the posts their users see on their feeds. That has created a friendlier environment for online nonsense and coordinated disinformation. The situation is certainly made worse by the transformation of Twitter, once a useful news feed, into X, something drastically different.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lqe3pq">
X is much less trustworthy and useful these days during breaking news, and evaluating sources on the platform is trickier. On X, a blue check mark once meant that the platform had verified the identity of the person or people behind the account, or that the account officially belonged to an organization. But the badge no longer serves as a verification of identity; it’s now a feature for X’s paying users, who also get better engagement and features, putting their posts in front of more people. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/13/twitter-creators-payments-right-wing/">Some verified users</a> are also part of a program that pays them based on their engagement on X, <a href="https://mashable.com/article/x-twitter-creator-monetization-will-lead-to-engagement-bait">so for them, going viral literally pays off</a>.
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Plenty of blue-checked X users have indeed been <a href="https://twitter.com/Shayan86/status/1711663630683443628">sharing misinformation</a> about the Israel-Hamas war. Some claim to be sharing footage of the war in action when in fact they are just repurposing clips from a video game and getting millions of views. Those videos <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/arma-3-video-game-clips-israel-hamas-conflict-1234849405/">are also getting views</a> on <a href="https://www.vox.com/tiktok">TikTok</a>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D2u5IS">
TikTok has, in some ways, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/21/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-on-other-social-media-sites/">stepped into the role Twitter once had</a> as the key social media app that people turn to in order to follow a major news event. The app, which many think of as an entertainment platform, is very different from Twitter in the 2010s, when it was a must-read for breaking news. While Twitter anointed its share of expert <a href="https://www.vox.com/influencers">influencers</a>, creators are the main conduit for news on TikTok. The app’s news creators build fandoms around their personalities and promise of independence from, say, mainstream sources. All that said, TikTok also has <a href="https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/7/29/23811639/tiktok-borax-challenge-dangerous-laundry-detergent">issues with misinformation</a>.
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And then there’s Telegram, one of the platforms Hamas is using to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/technology/hamas-violent-videos-online.html">release violent footage</a>. Telegram, which is part group chat and part social media platform, is popular globally, has few moderation practices, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22238755/telegram-messaging-social-media-extremists">has long been a home</a> for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/13/holocaust-denial-telegram-history-distortion-content-moderation/">extremists and conspiracy theorists</a> who have left or been banned from more mainstream platforms. More on that later.
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<h3 id="R5sFsc">
Learn to SIFT
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AGnpOQ">
The SIFT method, developed by digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield, is a <a href="https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/">good framework</a> for learning how to evaluate emotionally charged or outrage-inducing online posts in the middle of an unfolding crisis. There are two reasons I like it: First, it’s adaptable to a lot of situations. And second, the goal here isn’t a full fact-check. SIFT is meant to be a quick series of checks that anyone can do in order to decide how much of your attention to give what you’re seeing and whether you feel comfortable sharing a post with others.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DNvCuK">
The SIFT method breaks down to four steps: “Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, and Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context.” That “Stop” step can do a lot of work during a major, violent conflict like the Israel-Hamas war. People get engagement on questionable or untrue posts during breaking news by tugging on your emotions and beliefs. So if a video, photograph, or post about the war seems to confirm everything you’ve ever believed about a topic or makes you immediately furious or hopeful or upset, stop yourself from instantly sharing it.
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Then, investigate the source. This can be done pretty quickly. Click on the account sharing the thing you saw and glance at their information and previous posts. You’re not launching a full-scale investigation here. You’re just trying to get a sense of who has ended up in your feed. Next, find better coverage. That means you open up a bunch of tabs. Is this being reported anywhere else by trustworthy news sources? Has this claim been fact-checked? And finally, trace the source. Open up the news article and run a search for a phrase in the quote you’re about to share. See if you can find that image attributed elsewhere, and make sure the captions describe the same thing.
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<h3 id="h0fiBI">
Check in with yourself
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During acts of unfathomable violence, videos of death and maiming circulate online with the imperative to witness. Please understand that you <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/08/04/bystanders-share-videos-el-pasos-violent-aftermath-strangers-online-beg-them-stop/">do not have to view </a>violent footage circulating online in order to process a horrible event, whether you feel you can handle seeing it or not.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qYogBZ">
Check in with yourself and think critically about the role you want to play on- and offline in a moment like this. That might mean resisting the impulse to become an <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/02/25/1046495/how-to-share-information-russia-ukraine-invasion/">instant breaking news reporter in your group chat</a>. If you don’t have the skill set to evaluate for accuracy the videos of on-the-ground footage in a neighborhood you’ve never visited, you’re not likely to develop it in a matter of minutes.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Eoxsve">
I’ve tried to avoid giving specific instructions in this guide in terms of what platforms to use or not use as a regular person trying to get news. I’m going to make one now: Especially if you’re unfamiliar with Telegram, now is not the time to indulge in your curiosity and dive into the app looking for “raw” footage and live updates. In addition to the risk of encountering and engaging with literal propaganda, Telegram is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/telegram-israel-gaza-facts-difficult-to-verify-for-elon-musk-2023-10">notoriously bad at surfacing good information</a>.
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<h3 id="5u8Tsz">
Your attention is valuable
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Online falsehoods need attention and amplification to work. You might not have a big account with a ton of followers, but every reshare matters, both to the circle of people who see your posts online and to the engagement numbers for the original post. Interacting with something on social media — whether a cautious share “in case” it’s true or a repost to point out that something definitely isn’t — signals to the site’s algorithms that you’re interested in that content. In other words, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2018/02/23/algorithms-are-one-reason-a-conspiracy-theory-goes-viral-another-reason-might-be-you/">outrage shares are still shares</a>, even if you’re talking about a bad analysis, an unsourced photograph, or an outright lie.
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<em><strong>Update, October 18, 6:10 pm ET: </strong></em><em>This story, originally published on October 12, has been updated to include details on the bombing of a Gaza hospital and the confusion over reports that Hamas militants were beheading children in Israel. </em>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
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<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 Bangladesh | Hardik Pandya leaves field after twisting ankle</strong> - Pandya suffered the injury during the third delivery of the ninth over when he attempted to stop a straight drive from Bangladesh opener Litton Das with his right foot in his follow-through</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 will be tough to beat, assessing conditions will be vital, says Santner</strong> - New Zealand fly to Dharamsala for the much-anticipated game against India, who are on a three-match winning streak</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>Ind vs Ban | India would do well to not relax against Bangladesh</strong> - Bangladesh had won the ODI series against India last year</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>Neymar’s ACL injury compounds troubled start to his next chapter as Ronaldo, Messi thrive</strong> - Neymar damaged his left knee in the first half of Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss at Uruguay and will have to undergo surgery</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>Lionel Messi confirms he will not leave Inter Miami on loan</strong> - MessiI will return to Miami in January to do preseason</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Workshop on RTI Act in Dharwad tomorrow</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>CMC to organise painting, essay competition for school students, quiz for teachers on October 21</strong> - Around 400 students and 50 teachers from 40 schools in these districts will be participating in the competitions</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Here are the big stories from Karnataka today</strong> - Welcome to the Karnataka Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated and written by Nalme Nachiyar.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>EAM Jaishankar meets Singapore defence minister</strong> - The external affairs minister chaired the regional conference of India’s ASEAN &amp; East Asia Ambassadors.</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>Video of Rajasthan Congress leader targeting party ‘rival’ triggers controversy</strong> -</p></li>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva arrested in Russia</strong> - Alsu Kurmasheva’s detention comes after the arrest of Evan Gershkovich earlier this year.</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>Nokia to axe up to 14,000 jobs to cut costs</strong> - The Finnish telecoms giant reported a fall in sales due to slowing demand for 5G equipment.</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>Portugal’s Barroso lithium mine project faces villagers’ ire</strong> - The Barroso project could become the largest lithium mine in Europe. Locals aren’t happy about it.</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>Alex Danzig: Fears grow for much-loved historian kidnapped by Hamas</strong> - The abduction of Holocaust expert Alex Danzig has caused particular distress in Israel and Poland.</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>Europe antisemitism: Berlin synagogue targeted as attacks rise</strong> - Berlin’s Jewish community is shaken after two petrol bombs are thrown at a synagogue.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>There’s a new way to flip bits in DRAM, and it works against the latest defenses</strong> - New technique produces lots of bitflips and could one day help form an attack. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1976765">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Google-hosted malvertising leads to fake Keepass site that looks genuine</strong> - Google-verified advertiser + legit-looking URL + valid TLS cert = convincing look-alike. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1977141">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Industry united in push to extend ban on human spaceflight regulations</strong> - “First, they need to get good at doing the regulations they have on the books today.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1977088">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Stench leads officials to 189 rotting corpses at taxidermist’s funeral home</strong> - One family who received ashes aren’t sure if they’re the cremains of a loved one. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1977109">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Apple’s $130 Thunderbolt 4 cable could be worth it, as seen in X-ray CT scans</strong> - It helps if you see what’s deep inside $10, $5, and even $4 USB-C cables. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1976995">link</a></p></li>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>As a butcher is shooing away a dog from his shop, he sees a $25 bill and a note in his mouth that reads: “10 pork chops, please.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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Amazed, he takes the money, puts a bag of 10 pork chops in the dog’s mouth, and quickly closes the shop.
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He follows the dog and watches him wait for a green light, look both ways, and trot across the road to a bus stop. The dog checks the bus schedule and sits on the bench when a bus arrives, then boards the bus. The butcher follows, dumbstruck. After a while, the dog stands on his back legs to pull the yellow stop cable. The butcher follows him off the bus.
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The dog runs up to a house and drops his bag on the step. He goes back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself <em>WHAP!</em> against the door. He does this again and again. No answer. So he jumps on a wall, walks around the garden, beats his head against a window, jumps off, and waits at the front door. A big guy opens it and starts cursing and shouting at the dog.
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The butcher runs up and screams at the guy, “What the hell are you doing? This dog is a genius!”
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The owner responds, “Genius my ass! It’s the second time this week he’s forgotten his keys!”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Hipp013"> /u/Hipp013 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17b22hh/as_a_butcher_is_shooing_away_a_dog_from_his_shop/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17b22hh/as_a_butcher_is_shooing_away_a_dog_from_his_shop/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A doctor lacking empathy</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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"A woman has a serious accident and ends up in the hospital undergoing surgery.
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Her husband waits in the waiting room, distraught, when several hours later the surgeon exits the operating room and approaches him.
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‘Hello, the surgery went well. Unfortunately, the recovery will be very long. First, she’ll need years of physical therapy, costing $2,000 per month.’
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The husband starts to get worried. ‘Then, she’ll likely need more surgeries in the future, but they won’t be covered by insurance and could amount to $100,000 to $150,000.’
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The man starts to break into a cold sweat. ‘And in reality, she’ll need a high-quality wheelchair and a suitable vehicle for transporting the disabled, but with $30,000, you should manage.’
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The husband, deeply concerned about the money, looks desperate. The doctor then pats him on the back and says,
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‘Don’t worry dude, I was just kidding. She’s dead!’
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/SirOleopanza"> /u/SirOleopanza </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17bec84/a_doctor_lacking_empathy/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17bec84/a_doctor_lacking_empathy/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A woman pregnant with triplets had a hunting accident with a pumpgun</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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She was rushed to surgery, but 3 of the bugshot shards could not get removed without endangering the kids, so they remained in her.
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Later she delivers 2 boys and a girl, all healthy and well. Time goes by and nobody even thinks about the accident anymore, when they all become teenagers.
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Then one day, one of the boys runs to him mum: “Mum, I was standing in front of the toilet, peeing, when suddenly i heard a sharp PLING-sound!” The mother, remembering the accident tells him not to worry about it, it wouldnt happen again.
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The next day, the daughter comes running to her. “Mum, I was sitting on the toilet, peeing, when suddenly I heard a sharp PLING!” Again, the mother tells her not to worry, it would never happen again.
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Again a day later, the last son came running to his mother. She said: “I know, you were peeing and you heard a weird sound, right?”
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“No…” said the son, scratching his head. “I was jerking off, and when I came I somehow shot the cat!”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Goeoe"> /u/Goeoe </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17beblv/a_woman_pregnant_with_triplets_had_a_hunting/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17beblv/a_woman_pregnant_with_triplets_had_a_hunting/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A father walks into a bar with his son and gives him three pennies to play with.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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Suddenly the boy starts choking. The father realizes the boy has swallowed the coins and starts slapping him on the back. The boy coughs up two of the pennies but keeps choking. Looking at his son, the father panics and shouts to the bar’s patrons for help.
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A well-dressed, attractive and serious-looking woman in a blue pantsuit is sitting at a table in the corner, reading a newspaper. At the sound of the commotion, she looks up, puts her cup down, neatly folds the newspaper and puts it on the table, gets up from her seat and makes her way to the boy. The woman carefully drops the boy’s pants, grabs hold of his testicles, and starts to squeeze and twist, gently at first and then ever so firmly.
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After a few seconds, the boy convulses violently and coughs up the last penny, which the woman deftly catches in her free hand. As she turns to walk back to her seat, the father rushes over and starts thanking her.
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“Thank you for saving my son, but I’ve never seen anybody do anything like that before. Are you a doctor?”
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The woman replied, “No, I work for the IRS.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Hipp013"> /u/Hipp013 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17b2bhh/a_father_walks_into_a_bar_with_his_son_and_gives/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17b2bhh/a_father_walks_into_a_bar_with_his_son_and_gives/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The military is cutting staff and decide to get rid of three generals. One from the Army, the Airforce, and the Marines.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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All of them are old, grizzled men who had seen their fair share of war, so the Pentagon comes up with a unique bonus system for their service. They can choose two points of their bodies and for every inch between them they would get 10k.
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First up was the Army general. He chose to measure between the tips of his middle fingers with his arms spread wide.
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Second was the Air Force, who chose the top of his head to the soles of his feet.
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Then came the Marine General. “I want you to measure from the tip of my dick to my balls.”
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The men running the measuring laughed and then asked him, seriously, where he wanted to measure.
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“I am being serious. Now start measuring.”
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The men tried to dissuade him but he was adamant. Finally, resigned, one of the men takes the measuring tape and goes to take the measurement. When the general removed his pants the man jumped up in shock.
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“Sir! Where are your balls?!?”
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“IN VIETNAM!”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/robingrayson1008"> /u/robingrayson1008 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17b6lpx/the_military_is_cutting_staff_and_decide_to_get/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/17b6lpx/the_military_is_cutting_staff_and_decide_to_get/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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