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<title>23 March, 2024</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>Neutralisation sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.87.1 variant</strong> -
<div>
Against the backdrop of the rapid global takeover and dominance of BA.1/BA.2 and subsequently BA.2.86 lineages, the emergence of a highly divergent SARS-CoV-2 variant warrants characterization and close monitoring. Recently, another such BA.2 descendent, designated BA.2.87.1, was detected in South Africa. Here, we show using spike-pseudotyped viruses that BA.2.87.1 is less resistant to neutralisation by prevailing antibody responses in Sweden than other currently circulating variants such as JN.1. Further we show that a monovalent XBB.1.5-adapted booster enhanced neutralising antibody titers to BA.2.87.1 by almost 4-fold. While BA.2.87.1 may not outcompete other currently-circulating lineages, the repeated emergence and transmission of highly diverged variants suggests that another large antigenic shift, similar to the replacement by Omicron, may be likely in the future.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.21.586176v1" target="_blank">Neutralisation sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.87.1 variant</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Design of Antigen-Specific Antibody CDRH3 Sequences Using AI and Germline-Based Templates</strong> -
<div>
Antibody-antigen specificity is engendered and refined through a number of complex B cell processes, including germline gene recombination and somatic hypermutation. Here, we present an AI-based technology for de novo generation of antigen-specific antibody CDRH3 sequences using germline-based templates, and validate this technology through the generation of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. AI-based processes that mimic the outcome, but bypass the complexity of natural antibody generation, can be efficient and effective alternatives to traditional experimental approaches for antibody discovery.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.22.586241v1" target="_blank">Design of Antigen-Specific Antibody CDRH3 Sequences Using AI and Germline-Based Templates</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The influence of COVID-19 fear beliefs on the relationships between positive mood and loss-of-control eating: a ten-day diary study</strong> -
<div>
Loss-of-control eating (LOCE) is driven by mood, and prevalence increased following onset of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is associated with many stressors, including fear of illness, which could potentiate a relationship between mood and LOCE. Additionally, daily protective strategies to prevent contagion may be associated with LOCE, in line with ego depletion theory. Adults (N = 108) completed a 10-day diary study regarding LOCE, positive and negative mood, and protective behaviors. Participants rated COVID fear beliefs at a baseline assessment, hypothesized to predict LOCE directly between-subjects and have a cross-level interactive effect within-subjects. Data were analyzed with a multilevel model. Negative mood was associated with LOCE at both levels, although protective behaviors evinced no significant associations. Positive mood lacked significant direct association with LOCE, although there was an interactive effect such that there was an inverse association at low fear beliefs. Directions for future research and clinical implications are discussed.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/ta659/" target="_blank">The influence of COVID-19 fear beliefs on the relationships between positive mood and loss-of-control eating: a ten-day diary study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines boost the capacity of pre-existing SARS-CoV-2-specific memory B cells to cross-recognize Omicron subvariants</strong> -
<div>
Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines comprising ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 (WH1) and the Omicron BA.1 or BA.5 subvariant elicit enhanced serum antibody responses to emerging Omicron subvariants. We characterized the memory B-cell (Bmem) response following a fourth dose with a BA.1 or BA.5 bivalent vaccine, and compared the immunogenicity with a WH1 monovalent fourth dose. Healthcare workers previously immunized with mRNA or adenoviral vector monovalent vaccines were sampled before and one-month after a monovalent, BA.1 or BA.5 bivalent fourth dose COVID-19 vaccine. RBD-specific Bmem were quantified with an in-depth spectral flow cytometry panel including recombinant RBD proteins of the WH1, BA.1, BA.5, BQ.1.1, and XBB.1.5 variants. All recipients had slightly increased WH1 RBD-specific Bmem numbers. Recognition of Omicron subvariants was not enhanced following monovalent vaccination, while both bivalent vaccines significantly increased WH1 RBD-specific Bmem cross-recognition of all Omicron subvariants tested by flow cytometry. Thus, Omicron-based bivalent vaccines can improve recognition of descendent Omicron subvariants by pre-existing, WH1-specific Bmem, beyond that of a conventional, monovalent vaccine. This provides new insights into the capacity of variant-based mRNA booster vaccines to improve immune memory against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.20.585861v1" target="_blank">Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines boost the capacity of pre-existing SARS-CoV-2-specific memory B cells to cross-recognize Omicron subvariants</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Power users: Technology and Canadian sex workers during COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
The transition from physical to online advertising by sex workers in Canada has been well documented. However, few studies use rigorous sampling methods. This study considers how a technically sophisticated group of advertisers from a large Canadian sex work classifieds site used multiple online resources to promote or provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisers qualified for the study if they used a URL as part of their contact information and were actively advertising between August 23 and September 22, 2022. A random sample of 1000 qualifying advertisers were selected of which 783 had accessible contact URLs. Themes were identified in downloaded website texts using grounded theory analysis. Ad metadata was used to identify demographic and behavioral distinctions between the sample and other advertisers. Almost all sampled advertisers (99%) provided in person services and most (70%) provided online services. The sample advertised more frequently, were more affluent and were more likely to be Anglophone, White, trans-female, or provide BDSM services. Themes of security, health, identity, and social networks were identified. Advertisers emphasized physical, emotional, and financial security. Most workers did not work in isolation and many participated in extensive social networks.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/u5kd2/" target="_blank">Power users: Technology and Canadian sex workers during COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Modulation of Biophysical Properties of Nucleocapsid Protein in the Mutant Spectrum of SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
<div>
Genetic diversity is a hallmark of RNA viruses and the basis for their evolutionary success. Taking advantage of the uniquely large genomic database of SARS-CoV-2, we examine the impact of mutations across the spectrum of viable amino acid sequences on the biophysical phenotypes of the highly expressed and multifunctional nucleocapsid protein. We find variation in the physicochemical parameters of its extended intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) sufficient to allow local plasticity, but also exhibiting functional constraints that similarly occur in related coronaviruses. In biophysical experiments with several N-protein species carrying mutations associated with major variants, we find that point mutations in the IDRs can have nonlocal impact and modulate thermodynamic stability, secondary structure, protein oligomeric state, particle formation, and liquid-liquid phase separation. In the Omicron variant, distant mutations in different IDRs have compensatory effects in shifting a delicate balance of interactions controlling protein assembly properties, and include the creation of a new protein-protein interaction interface in the N-terminal IDR through the defining P13L mutation. A picture emerges where genetic diversity is accompanied by significant variation in biophysical characteristics of functional N-protein species, in particular in the IDRs.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.21.568093v2" target="_blank">Modulation of Biophysical Properties of Nucleocapsid Protein in the Mutant Spectrum of SARS-CoV-2</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 infection activates inflammatory macrophages in vascular immune organoids</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 provokes devastating tissue damage by cytokine release syndrome and leads to multi-organ failure. Modeling the process of immune cell activation and subsequent tissue damage is a significant task. Organoids from human tissues advanced our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms though, they are missing crucial components: immune cells and endothelial cells. This study aims to generate organoids with these components. We established vascular immune organoids from human pluripotent stem cells and examined the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We demonstrated that infections activated inflammatory macrophages. Notably, the upregulation of interferon signaling supports macrophages role in cytokine release syndrome. We propose vascular immune organoids are a useful platform to model and discover factors that ameliorate SARS-CoV-2-mediated cytokine release syndrome.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.20.585837v1" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 infection activates inflammatory macrophages in vascular immune organoids</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Deep learning of antibody epitopes using molecular permutation vectors</strong> -
<div>
The accurate computational prediction of B cell epitopes can vastly reduce the cost and time required for identifying potential epitope candidates for the design of vaccines and immunodiagnostics. However, current computational tools for B cell epitope prediction perform poorly and are not fit-for-purpose, and there remains enormous room for improvement and the need for superior prediction strategies. Here we propose a novel approach that improves B cell epitope prediction by encoding epitopes as binary molecular permutation vectors that represent the position and structural properties of the amino acids within a protein antigen sequence that interact with an antibody, rather than the traditional approach of defining epitopes as scores per amino acid on a protein sequence that pertain to their probability of partaking in a B cell epitope antibody interaction. In addition to defining epitopes as a binary molecular permutation vectors, the approach also uses the 3D macrostructure features of the unbound 3D protein structures, and in turn uses these features to train another deep learning model on the corresponding antibody-bound protein 3D structures. We demonstrate that the strategy predicts B cell epitopes with improved accuracy compared to the existing tools, and reliably identifies the majority of experimentally verified epitopes on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 not seen by the model in training. With the approach described herein, a primary protein sequence with the query molecular permutation vector alone is required to predict B cell epitopes in a reliable manner, potentially advancing the use of computational prediction of B cell epitopes in biomedical research applications.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.20.585661v1" target="_blank">Deep learning of antibody epitopes using molecular permutation vectors</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Simulation-Driven Design of Stabilized SARS-CoV-2 Spike S2 Immunogens</strong> -
<div>
The full-length prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) is the principal antigen of COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccine efficacy has been impacted by emerging variants of concern that accumulate most of the sequence modifications in the immunodominant S1 subunit. S2, in contrast, is the most evolutionarily conserved region of the spike and can elicit broadly neutralizing and protective antibodies. Yet, S2s usage as an alternative vaccine strategy is hampered by its general instability. Here, we use a simulation-driven approach to design S2-only immunogens stabilized in a closed prefusion conformation. Molecular simulations provide a mechanistic characterization of the S2 trimers opening, informing the design of tryptophan substitutions that impart kinetic and thermodynamic stabilization. Structural characterization via cryo-EM shows the molecular basis of S2 stabilization in the closed prefusion conformation. Informed by molecular simulations and corroborated by experiments, we report an engineered S2 immunogen that exhibits increased protein expression, superior thermostability, and preserved immunogenicity against sarbecoviruses.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.24.563841v3" target="_blank">Simulation-Driven Design of Stabilized SARS-CoV-2 Spike S2 Immunogens</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Identifying causal role of COVID-19 in immunopsychiatry models</strong> -
<div>
This preprint is a 1000-word Viewpoint that explores methodological considerations of the COVID-19 pandemic for immunopsychiatry. It has been accepted for publication in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity for a special issue on Immunopsychiatry and COVID-19. Specifically, we discuss the treatment of COVID-19 as a confounding versus mediating variable in immunopsychiatric research. We leverage simulated data varied in sample and effect size to illustrate key considerations. Further, we highlight the statistical implications of each of these scenarios. Recommendations and key considerations for the field are briefly discussed.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/w4d5u/" target="_blank">Identifying causal role of COVID-19 in immunopsychiatry models</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The advent of the COVID-19 epidemic did not affect Americans’ endorsement of moral foundations</strong> -
<div>
Prior work has suggested that existential threats in the form of terror attacks may shift liberals’ reliance on moral foundations to more resemble those of conservatives. We therefore hypothesized that endorsement of these moral foundations would have increased when the COVID-19 epidemic became a salient threat. To examine this hypothesis we conducted a longitudinal study with 237 American participants across the liberal-conservative spectrum, in which their endorsement of various moral foundations were measured before and after the advent of the pandemic. We did not find evidence of any systematic change in the endorsement of any moral foundation, neither in general nor specifically among liberals or specifically among those who perceived the greatest threat from COVID-19. We conclude that the threat from the pandemic does not seem to have had any substantial effect on the moral foundations that people rely on. This finding is consistent with other longitudinal studies of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on measures related to conservatism.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/957zk/" target="_blank">The advent of the COVID-19 epidemic did not affect Americans’ endorsement of moral foundations</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Development of radiofluorinated MLN-4760 derivatives for PET imaging of the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor ACE2</strong> -
<div>
Purpose: The angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a regulatory role in the cardiovascular system and serves SARS-CoV-2 as an entry receptor. The aim of this study was to synthesize and evaluate radiofluorinated derivatives of the ACE2 inhibitor MLN-4760. [18F]F-MLN-4760 and [18F]F-Aza-MLN-4760 were demonstrated to be suitable for non-invasive imaging of ACE2, potentially enabling a better understanding of its expression dynamics. Methods: Based on computational molecular modeling, the ACE2-binding modes of F-MLN-4760 and F-Aza-MLN-4760 were similar to that of MLN-4760. Co-crystallization of the hACE2/F-MLN-4760 protein complex was performed for confirmation. Displacement experiments using [3H]MLN-4760 enabled the determination of the binding affinities of the synthesized F-MLN-4760 and F-Aza-MLN-4760 to ACE2 expressed in HEK-ACE2 cells. Aryl trimethylstannane-based and pyridine-based radiofluorination precursors were synthesized and used for the preparation of the respective radiotracers. [18F]F-MLN-4760 and [18F]F-Aza-MLN-4760 were evaluated with regard to the uptake in HEK-ACE2 and HEK-ACE cells and in vitro binding to tissue sections of HEK-ACE2 xenografts and normal organs of mice. Biodistribution and PET/CT imaging studies of [18F]F-MLN-4760 and [18F]F-Aza-MLN-4760 were performed using HEK-ACE2 and HEK-ACE xenografted nude mice. Results: Crystallography data revealed an equal ACE2-binding mode for F-MLN-4760 as previously found for MLN-4760 and indicated that the same would hold true for F-Aza-MLN-4760. The IC50 values were all in the high nM range, but three-fold lower for F-MLN-4760 and seven-fold lower for F-Aza-MLN-4760 than for MLN-4760. [18F]F-MLN-4760 and [18F]F-Aza-MLN-4760 were obtained in 1.4 +/- 0.3 GBq and 0.5 +/- 0.1 GBq activity with &gt;99% radiochemical purity in a 5.3% and 1.2% radiochemical yield, respectively. Uptake in HEK-ACE2 cells was higher for [18F]F-MLN-4760 (67 +/- 9%) than for [18F]F-Aza-MLN-4760 (37 +/- 8%) after 3 h incubation while negligible uptake was seen in HEK-ACE cells (&lt;0.3%). [18F]F-MLN-4760 and [18F]F-Aza-MLN-4760 accumulated specifically in HEK-ACE2 xenografts of mice (13 +/- 2% IA/g and 15 +/- 2% IA/g at 1 h p.i.) with almost no uptake observed in HEK-ACE xenografts (&lt;0.3% IA/g). This was confirmed by PET/CT imaging, which also visualized unspecific accumulation in the gall bladder and intestinal tract. Conclusion: Both radiotracers showed specific and selective binding to ACE2 in vitro and in vivo. [18F]F-MLN-4760 was, however, obtained in higher yields and the ACE2-binding affinity was superior over that of [18F]F-Aza-MLN-4760. [18F]F-MLN-4760 would, thus, be the candidate of choice for further developlment to enable PET imaging of ACE2 in patients.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.20.585792v1" target="_blank">Development of radiofluorinated MLN-4760 derivatives for PET imaging of the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor ACE2</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Validation of RT-qPCR primers and probes for new and old variants of SARS-CoV-2 in a world scale</strong> -
<div>
Introduction: The demand for molecular diagnosis of pathogens has surged dramatically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, different diagnostic tests have been developed to identify SARS-CoV-2 in patient samples. The emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 raises questions about whether the molecular tests available for diagnosis continue to be effective in detecting the virus in biological samples. Objective: This study analyzed the viability of molecular targets directed to N, E and RdRp genes available against the new variants of SARS-CoV-2. Methodology: For this, we used bioinformatics tools to analyze SARS-CoV-2 genomic data of different variants deposited in GSAID and NCBI virus genomic databases to assess the accuracy of molecular tests available for the diagnosis of COVID-19. We also developed software for analyzing mutation frequencies in different molecular targets from the mutation database. Results: Mutation frequency analysis revealed a high rate of mutations in the N, E and RdRp genes and targets, although the target regions were more conserved. Only three SNPs were recurrent in the sequences of the variants identified in different continents and all in different targets. On the other hand, the registered mutations are not consistent and do not appear frequently in isolates of the same variant in all regions of the world. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the molecular targets designed for the first SARS-CoV-2 variants remain valid for the identification of new virus variants despite the large number of identified haplotypes. However, false negative test failures can be identified by using more than one molecular target for the same sample. Genomic regions that are under evolutive selective pressure should be avoided in the use of the diagnostic, once the emergence of new variants may affect the efficiency of molecular testing on a global scale.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.19.585194v1" target="_blank">Validation of RT-qPCR primers and probes for new and old variants of SARS-CoV-2 in a world scale</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Quantitating SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies from Human Dried Blood Spots</strong> -
<div>
Background: In the earliest days of COVID-19 pandemic, the collection of dried blood spots (DBS) enabled public health laboratories to undertake population-scale seroprevalence studies to estimate rates of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. With SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity levels now estimated to exceed 94% in the United States, attention has turned to using DBS to assess functional (neutralizing) antibodies within cohorts of interest. Methods: Contrived DBS eluates from convalescent, fully vaccinated and pre-COVID-19 serum samples were evaluated in SARS-CoV-2 plaque reduction neutralization titer (PRNT) assays, a SARS-CoV-2 specific 8-plex microsphere immunoassay, a cell-based pseudovirus assay, and two different spike-ACE2 inhibition assays. Results: DBS eluates from convalescent individuals were compatible with RBD-ACE2 inhibition assays, an in-house Luminex-based RBD-ACE2 inhibition assay, and commercial real-time PCR-based neutralization assay (NAB-Sure) but not cell-based pseudovirus assays or PRNT. The insensitivity of cell-based pseudovirus assays was overcome with DBS eluates from vaccinated individuals with high SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers. Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing titers can be derived with confidence from DBS eluates, thereby opening the door to the use of these biospecimens for the analysis of vulnerable populations and normally hard to reach communities.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.18.585599v1" target="_blank">Quantitating SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies from Human Dried Blood Spots</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>No Utilitarians in a Pandemic? Shifts in Moral Reasoning during the COVID-19 Global Health Crisis</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic poses many real-world moral dilemmas, which can pit the needs and rights of the many against the needs and rights of the few. We investigated the influence of this contemporary global crisis on moral judgments in older adults, who are at greatest personal risk from the pandemic. We hypothesized that during this pandemic, individuals would give fewer utilitarian responses to hypothetical dilemmas, accompanied by higher levels of confidence and emotion elicitation. Our pre-registered analysis (https://osf.io/g2wtp) involved two waves of data collection, before (2014) and during (2020) the COVID-19 pandemic, regarding three categories of moral dilemmas (personal rights, agent-centered permissions, and special obligations). While utilitarian responses considered across all categories of dilemma did not differ, participants during the 2020 wave gave fewer utilitarian responses to dilemmas involving personal rights; that is, they were less willing to violate the personal rights of others to produce the best overall outcomes.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/yjn3u/" target="_blank">No Utilitarians in a Pandemic? Shifts in Moral Reasoning during the COVID-19 Global Health Crisis</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Reducing Chronic Breathlessness in Adults by Following a Self-guided, Internet Based Supportive Intervention (SELF-BREATHE)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Advanced Respiratory Disease; Chronic Breathlessness Due to Advanced Respiratory Disease; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Bronchiectasis; Interstitial Lung Disease; Lung Cancer; Asthma; Chronic Fibrotic Lung Disease Following SARS-CoV2 Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: SELF-BREATHE <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: King’s College Hospital NHS Trust <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>Valacyclovir Plus Celecoxib for Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; PASC Post Acute Sequelae of COVID 19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Valacyclovir celecoxib dose 1; Drug: Valacyclovir celecoxib dose 2; Drug: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Bateman Horne Center <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>Supervised Computerized Active Program for People With Post-COVID Syndrome (SuperCAP Study)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-COVID Condition <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: SuperCAP Program <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Fundación FLS de Lucha Contra el Sida, las Enfermedades Infecciosas y la Promoción de la Salud y la Ciencia; Institut de Recerca de la SIDA IrsiCaixa; Germans Trias i Pujol 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>Utilizing Novel Blood RNA Biomarkers as a Diagnostic Tool in the Identification of Long COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Diagnostic Test: RNA Biomarker Blood Test <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: MaxWell Clinic, PLC <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>Home-Based Circuit Training in Overweight/Obese Older Adult Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis and Type 2 Diabetes</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Aerobic Exercise; Strength Training; Glycemic Control; Blood Pressure; Oxidative Stress; Metabolic Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: 12-week home-based circuit training (HBCT); Behavioral: Standard of care (CONT) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University <br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SVF for Treating Pulmonary Fibrosis Post COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Pulmonary Fibrosis <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Autologous adipose-derived SVF IV administration <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Michael H Carstens; Ministerio de Salud de Nicaragua; Wake Forest University; National Autonomous University of Nicaragua <br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RECOVER-AUTONOMIC Platform Protocol</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; Long Covid19; Long Covid-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: IVIG + Coordinated Care; Drug: IVIG Placebo + Coordinated Care; Drug: Ivabradine + Coordinated Care; Drug: Ivabradine Placebo + Coordinated Care; Drug: IVIG + Usual Care; Drug: IVIG Placebo + Usual Care; Drug: Ivabradine + Usual Care; Drug: Ivabradine Placebo + Usual Care <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Kanecia Obie Zimmerman <br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RECOVER-AUTONOMIC: Platform Protocol, Appendix B (Ivabradine)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; Long Covid19; Long Covid-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Ivabradine; Drug: Ivabradine Placebo; Behavioral: Coordinated Care; Behavioral: Usual Care <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Kanecia Obie Zimmerman <br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RECOVER-AUTONOMIC: Platform Protocol, Appendix A (IVIG)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; Long Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid19); Long Covid-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin); Drug: IVIG Placebo; Behavioral: Coordinated Care; Behavioral: Usual Care <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Kanecia Obie Zimmerman <br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</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>Establishment, Optimization and validation of a fluorescence polarization-based high-throughput screening assay targeting Cathepsin L inhibitors</strong> - Cathepsin L (CTSL), a lysosomal cysteine proteinase, is primarily dedicated to the metabolic turnover of intracellular proteins. It is involved in various physiological processes and contributes to pathological conditions such as viral infection, tumor invasion and metastasis, inflammatory status, atherosclerosis, renal disease, diabetes, bone diseases, and other ailments. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with its rapid global spread and significant mortality, has been a worldwide…</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>C1q enables influenza hemagglutinin stem binding antibodies to block viral attachment and broadens the antibody escape repertoire</strong> - Antigenic drift, the gradual accumulation of amino acid substitutions in the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) receptor protein, enables viral immune evasion. Antibodies (Abs) specific for the drift-resistant HA stem region are a promising universal influenza vaccine target. Although anti-stem Abs are not believed to block viral attachment, here we show that complement component 1q (C1q), a 460-kilodalton protein with six Ab Fc-binding domains, confers attachment inhibition to anti-stem Abs 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>Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation-based phytoconstituents against SARS-CoV-2 with dual inhibition of the primary protease targets</strong> - A novel coronavirus has caused major health problems and is spreading globally. The main protease enzyme plays a significant role in the number of copies of ss-RNA produced during the proteolytic cleavage of polypeptides. This work aims to find possible dual inhibitors of the 3-Chymotrypsin-like proteases PDB-6W63 and 6LU7 which increase efficiency and faster inhibition activity. By using an in-silico technique, polyphenols are molecularly docked against these targets to inhibit protease…</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>N-Arylsulfonamide-based adenosine analogues to target RNA cap N7-methyltransferase nsp14 of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - RNA cap methylations have been shown to be crucial for the life cycle, replication, and infection of ssRNA viruses, as well as for evading the host’s innate immune system. Viral methyltransferases (MTases) therefore represent an attractive target for the development of compounds as tools and inhibitors. In coronaviruses, N7-methyltransferase function is localized in nsp14, which has become an increasingly important therapeutic target with the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, we have been…</p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Unusual NiNi interaction in Ni(ii) complexes as potential inhibitors for the development of new anti-SARS-CoV-2 Omicron drugs</strong> - Two nickel(ii) coordination complexes <a href="2">Ni(L)</a>(1) and <a href="n">Ni(L)</a>(2) of a tetradentate Schiff base ligand (H(2)L) derived from 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde with ethylenediamine were synthesized, designed, and characterized via spectroscopic and single crystal XRD analyses. Both nickel(ii) complexes exhibited unusual Ni⋯Ni interactions and were fully characterized via single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Nickel(ii) complexes <a href="2">Ni(L)</a>(1) and <a href="n">Ni(L)</a>(2) crystallize in monoclinic and triclinic…</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>Integrating virtual screening, pharmacoinformatics profiling, and molecular dynamics: identification of promising inhibitors targeting 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Introduction: The pursuit of effective therapeutic solutions for SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 necessitates the repurposing of existing compounds. This study focuses on the detailed examination of the central protease, 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), a pivotal player in virus replication. The combined approach of molecular dynamics simulations and virtual screening is employed to identify potential inhibitors targeting 3CLpro. Methods: A comprehensive virtual screening of 7120…</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>TRIM6 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 proliferation by catalyzing the K29-typed ubiquitination of NP to enhance the ability to bind viral genomes</strong> - The Nucleocapsid Protein (NP) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is not only the core structural protein required for viral packaging, but also participates in the regulation of viral replication, and its post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation have been shown to be an important strategy for regulating virus proliferation. Our previous work identified NP could be ubiquitinated, as confirmed by two independent studies. But the function of NP…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Identification of FasL as a crucial host factor driving COVID-19 pathology and lethality</strong> - The dysregulated immune response and inflammation resulting in severe COVID-19 are still incompletely understood. Having recently determined that aberrant death-ligand-induced cell death can cause lethal inflammation, we hypothesized that this process might also cause or contribute to inflammatory disease and lung failure following SARS-CoV-2 infection. To test this hypothesis, we developed a novel mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 model (MA20) that recapitulates key pathological features of COVID-19….</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>No immunological interference or concerns about safety when seasonal quadrivalent influenza vaccine is co-administered with a COVID-19 mRNA-1273 booster vaccine in adults: A randomized trial</strong> - The objective of the study was to assess the safety and immunogenicity of mRNA-1273 COVID-19 booster vaccination when co-administered with an egg-based standard dose seasonal quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV). This was a phase 3, randomized, open-label study. Eligible adults aged ≥ 18 years were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive mRNA-1273 (50 µg) booster vaccination and QIV 2 weeks apart (Seq group) or concomitantly (Coad group). Primary objectives were non-inferiority of haemagglutinin…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Targeted degradation of zDHHC-PATs decreases substrate S-palmitoylation</strong> - Reversible S-palmitoylation of protein cysteines, catalysed by a family of integral membrane zDHHC-motif containing palmitoyl acyl transferases (zDHHC-PATs), controls the localisation, activity, and interactions of numerous integral and peripheral membrane proteins. There are compelling reasons to want to inhibit the activity of individual zDHHC-PATs in both the laboratory and the clinic, but the specificity of existing tools is poor. Given the extensive conservation of the zDHHC-PAT active…</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>Inhibitory effects of senkyuchachosan on SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease activity in vitro</strong> - Papain-like protease (PLpro) enzyme plays a vital role in viral replication as it breaks down polyproteins and disrupts the host’s immune response. There are few reports on Kampo formulas that focus on PLpro activity. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of senkyuchachosan, a traditional Japanese medicine, on PLpro of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19. We purified the PLpro enzyme and conducted in vitro enzymatic assays using specific substrates. Among the nine…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Identification of inositol monophosphatase as a broad-spectrum antiviral target of ivermectin</strong> - Ivermectin has broad-spectrum antiviral activities. Despite the failure in clinical application of COVID-19, it can serve as a lead compound for the development of more effective broad-spectrum antivirals, for which a better understanding of its antiviral mechanisms is essential. We thus searched for potential novel targets of ivermectin in host cells by label-free thermal proteomic profiling using Huh-7 cells. Inositol monophosphatase (IMPase) was found among the proteins with shifted thermal…</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>Optimized Recombinant Expression and Purification of the SARS-CoV-2 Polymerase Complex</strong> - An optimized protocol has been developed to express and purify the core RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) complex from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The expression and purification of active core SARS-CoV-2 RdRp complex is challenging due to the complex multidomain fold of nsp12, and the assembly of the multimeric complex involving nsp7, nsp8, and nsp12. Our approach adapts a previously published method to express the core SARS-CoV-2 RdRP complex in…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Supporting underrepresented students in health sciences: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach to program evaluation</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The findings from a multipronged analysis of mapping data demonstrate the value of this innovative approach to the field, especially when looking to incorporate student voices.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An ascidian Polycarpa aurata-derived pan-inhibitor against coronaviruses targeting M<sup>pro</sup></strong> - Coronaviruses (CoVs) are responsible for a wide range of illnesses in both animals and human. The main protease (M^(pro)) of CoVs is an attractive drug target, owing its critical and highly conserved role in viral replication. Here, we developed and refined an enzymatic technique to identify putative M^(pro) inhibitors from 189 marine chemicals and 46 terrestrial natural products. The IC(50) values of Polycarpine (1a), a marine natural substance we studied and synthesized, are 30.0 ± 2.5 nM for…</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>What It Takes to Give Palestinians a Voice</strong> - A new poll conducted during war in Gaza and escalating tensions in the West Bank allows Palestinians to tell the world what they want for their future. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-it-takes-to-give-palestinians-a-voice">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Crime Rings Stealing Everything from Purses to Power Tools</strong> - In Los Angeles, a task force of detectives is battling organized retail theft, in which boosted goods often end up for sale online—or commingled on store shelves with legitimate items. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/25/the-crime-rings-stealing-everything-from-purses-to-power-tools">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Quinta Brunson Hacked the Sitcom with “Abbott Elementary”</strong> - With “Abbott Elementary,” the comedian and writer found fresh humor and mass appeal in a world she knew well. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/25/quinta-brunson-profile">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Julien’s Auctions Leads the Booming Market in Celebrity Memorabilia</strong> - As the art market cools, Julien’s Auctions earns millions selling celebrity ephemera—and used its connections to help Kim Kardashian borrow Marilyn Monroe’s J.F.K.-birthday dress. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/25/how-juliens-auctions-leads-the-booming-market-in-celebrity-memorabilia">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Has Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Improved His Standing in Russia?</strong> - As Russians go to the polls, the economy is booming and the public feels hopeful about the future. But the politics of Putinism still depend on the absence of any means to challenge it. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-weekend-essay/has-putins-invasion-of-ukraine-improved-his-standing-in-russia">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>We’re long overdue for an Asian lead on The Bachelor franchise</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Eight women standing outside in a row." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KBOFvD-tymvqV7Ut-j8bkrLWRg0=/103x172:2269x1797/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73227751/170453_0126.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Rachel Nance (third from left) and Jenn Tran (sixth from left) are strong potential contenders from this season of <em>The Bachelor</em>. | Disney
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How come there’s never been an Asian Bachelorette?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KqtEVe">
For the first time in years, <em>The Bachelor</em> franchise had not one, not two, but multiple contestants of Asian descent who were prominent contenders.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cZTkMy">
Historically, there have been a handful of Asian participants who have made it to later rounds in the show. But in most seasons, there are <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/sydney-lotuaco-on-being-the-only-asian-woman-on-the-bachelor/">few — if any — Asian contestants</a> across both <em>The</em> <em>Bachelor</em> and <em>Bachelorette</em>. Those who are cast are often eliminated early, sidelined as supporting characters, or reduced to meek stereotypes. Tammy Ly, a fan favorite from the 24th season, has spoken about how <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/podcasts/here-for-the-right-reasons/tammy-ly-explains-video-about-being-done-with-bachelor-franchise/">she felt “alienated” by the franchise</a> and treated as a secondary character because she didn’t fit a white ideal of beauty.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R5QdO7">
<em>The Bachelor</em> franchise has long <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/3/12/22308108/the-bachelor-racism-chris-harrison-rachael-kirkconnell-matt-james">been critiqued</a> for its <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/04/the-bachelor-is-embarrassingly-white/">overwhelmingly white casting</a>, storylines that <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-bachelor-should-be-ashamed-of-what-its-done-to-matt-james">amplify discriminatory tropes</a>, and <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/garrett-yrigoyen-the-bachelorette">high-profile contestants</a> who’ve made racist statements. In recent seasons, the show has attempted to address these disparities — with mixed results. Notably, ABC cast its first Black Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay, in 2017, and it has sought to diversify its contestant pool in the years since. As Rachel Lindsay and other contestants have emphasized, however, the changes to casting alone haven’t been sufficient to combat systemic issues the franchise suffers from, onscreen and behind the scenes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WBnn1P">
The most recent season, its 28th, revealed how <em>The Bachelor</em> still struggles with many of these problems even as it took some small steps forward. In showcasing a diverse group of Asian women, the show introduced new perspectives on everything from growing up in an immigrant household to cultural family traditions, viewpoints that haven’t been highlighted much on its platform. It still fell short, however, in grappling with the discrimination that its contestants of color face and confronting conversations about the need to explicitly call out racism.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EgsdKa">
Five women of Asian descent stayed late into the current season as both popular contenders and villains<strong>.</strong> Notably, a few of these women — Rachel Nance, an ICU nurse from Hawaii, of Filipino and African American descent; and Jenn Tran, a physician’s assistant student from Florida, of Vietnamese descent — were among the final six contestants, a development that makes it more likely that one of them could get picked as the lead for a following season. (Typically, the show selects its next star based on the women or men who don’t “win” from the prior season.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9UX55n">
Featuring more Asian contestants on the show — and highlighting them — has not only helped dispel stereotypes, but also enabled portrayals that were more multidimensional and human. Having an Asian lead — a long overdue first for both <em>The Bachelor </em>and<em> The Bachelorette</em> — would bring even more representation to the <a href="https://www.vox.com/reality-tv">reality TV</a> giant, expand the universe of stories that it tells, and provide new visibility to members of a group that have long been underrepresented in media.
</p>
<h3 id="dVjPaT">
Telling people’s stories counters stereotypes and humanizes them
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DXi33x">
<em>The Bachelor </em>franchise’s<em> </em>history of quickly dropping candidates of color, <a href="https://screenrant.com/bachelorette-ethan-kang-asian-american-representation-bachelor-lead/">including Asian contestants,</a> is so well-known it has spurred satirical spinoffs like <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/asian-bachelorette-is-back_n_5ba3c84ce4b069d5f9d0ee52">WongFu Production’s “Asian Bachelorette,”</a> in which nearly all the contestants are of Asian descent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lh4HYM">
In past seasons, there were usually one or two Asian contestants, though few advanced to later episodes, with Catherine Giudici, Ivan Hall, Caila Quinn, Ethan Kang and Serena Pitt among the handful of exceptions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qjgqmh">
Additionally, if they aren’t eliminated early, contestants of color typically get less screen time than <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/how-the-bachelor-missed-an-opportunity-for-representation-4136227/">white contestants</a>. And when they have appeared, some of their storylines have exacerbated old tropes, including ideas of Asian women as docile or hypersexual.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IL2Sbn">
In season 24 of <em>The Bachelor</em>, for example, Marylynn Sienna is effectively used by <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/01/10257923/what-did-marylynn-do-victoria-bachelor-fight-racism">a white woman named Victoria Larson</a> to advance her storyline. Larson arbitrarily accuses Marylynn of being “toxic,” forcing her to defend herself in the face of a bully. <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/03/13/470124738/what-would-it-mean-to-have-a-hapa-bachelorette">In Season 10 of <em>The Bachelor</em></a>, a Cambodian American woman named Channy Choch debuted on the show by inviting the lead to have sex with her in Cambodian, later noting that he needed to catch “Cambodian fever.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FIHkfC">
By putting real time and investment into Asian contestants’ storylines, this season has delivered more nuanced depictions of their experiences and the chance to see more humanized narratives.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="H4JgCZ">
Rachel’s hometown date with Bachelor Joey Graziadei, a milestone that takes place near the end of the season when the lead meets a contestant’s family, was a vibrant glimpse of how Filipino and Hawaiian culture have shaped her. Prior to the visit, Rachel informs Joey that he should touch her mother’s hand to his forehead when they meet, a gesture known as <a href="https://opinion.inquirer.net/109755/mano-po-treasures">“Mano po</a>,” which conveys respect. And during the date, Rachel’s family warmly receives him with a roast pig in the backyard and schools him on a Filipino courtship tradition.
</p>
<div id="yU3LKX">
<blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@bachelornationabc/video/7342686733139561759" class="tiktok-embed">
<section>
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bachelornationabc?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="@bachelornationabc"><span class="citation" data-cites="bachelornationabc">@bachelornationabc</span></a>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Joey with the Mano Po
</p>
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7342686878434380575?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - The Bachelor">♬ original sound - The Bachelor</a>
</section>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="00haKN">
Rachel has also discussed her upbringing in Hawaii as a mixed-race person, offering a perspective that’s rarely been highlighted on the show, and emphasizing how her family has blended different cultures. “Growing up as a mixed girl in Hawaii, there wasn’t many people who looked like me on TV,” <a href="https://people.com/the-bachelor-rachel-nance-regrets-addressing-racist-bachelor-messages-women-tell-all-exclusive-8610540#:~:text=%E2%80%9CGrowing%20up%20as%20a%20mixed,I%20can%20speak%20her%20truth.'">she said in a <em>People</em> interview</a>. “I’m very honored that moving forward, girls can say, ‘Hey, if Rachel can do that, I can do that. If Rachel can speak her truth, I can speak her truth.’”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qA6Onx">
Another moving moment this season centered on Jenn and her description of the trauma she experienced growing up in a dysfunctional household. In one scene, Jenn spoke candidly about the conflict in her immigrant family, prompting what she’s said has been an outpouring from fans who have similar backgrounds. While on a one-on-one date with Joey, Jenn described how her parents often had volatile fights when she was a kid and how her relationship with her father has deteriorated in the years since as a result.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kkkX9G">
“I wanna acknowledge the comments and DMs I’ve been getting from people who say that they can relate to my story and I just want to say that I’m so sorry you can relate,” <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTL2HkRF8/">Jenn said in a TikTok post.</a> “It felt so nice to hear another Viet woman go through the same generational trauma that I went through,” one of the top commenters on the post wrote.
</p>
<div id="V0g85o">
<blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@jenntranx/video/7333040357694835998" class="tiktok-embed">
<section>
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jenntranx?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="@jenntranx"><span class="citation" data-cites="jenntranx">@jenntranx</span></a>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Toxic relationships is something i really want to talk about bc often times we dont know we’re in one bc it creeps up on you but i want everyone to know theyre deserving of love and to not let history repeat itself <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/toxic?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="toxic">#toxic</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/toxicrelationship?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="toxicrelationship">#toxicrelationship</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/emotionalabuse?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="emotionalabuse">#emotionalabuse</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/abuse?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="abuse">#abuse</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/relationships?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="relationships">#relationships</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/relationshipadvice?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="relationshipadvice">#relationshipadvice</a>
</p>
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7333040482701888287?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Jenn Tran">♬ original sound - Jenn Tran</a>
</section>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1Sg4UM">
Both Nance and Tran also received “hot seats,” or special interviews, in the recent “Women Tell All” episode, often a sign ABC is considering them as potential leads. Nance was known on the show for her level-headed energy, commitment to her career, and “slow burn” relationship with Joey, while Tran’s bubbly personality, openness to adventure, and a playful connection were her signature. Both women, who were eliminated in recent weeks, were charismatic contenders and would be compelling future stars.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tOJjGq">
Being able to see an array of Asian women depicted this season was significant as well because it highlighted a wide spectrum of personalities. In addition to Rachel and Jenn, who were portrayed more prominently as frontrunners focused on vying for Joey’s affections, Katelyn DeBacker, a radiochemist from New Mexico of Vietnamese descent, was seen as bringing her quirk and humor to the show, and Madina Alam, a therapist of Bangladeshi descent, was synonymous with her thoughtful and considerate responses to the bizarre drama swirling around her. Lea Cayanan, an account manager from Hawaii who is of Filipino descent, also received what is known in <em>Bachelor </em>parlance as a “villain edit,” in a way barrier-breaking in itself.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Hb2eQz">
After dueling with fellow contestant Maria Georgas — a white executive assistant from Ontario, Canada — Lea became associated with causing drama and coming off as a “mean girl.” While her actions were far from laudable, it was interesting to see an Asian woman embrace the role of the villain after years of other portrayals as submissive sidekicks.<strong> </strong>That said, when you distill that storyline to its essence, she was still used to <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/06/asian-women-movies-tv-stereotypes">draw a contrast with a white counterpart</a>, a problematic plot point of its own.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3nP8wf">
It’s uncommon to see Asian women depicted in pop culture in a way that’s more complicated and messy, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/07/16/1016968651/never-have-i-ever-complicates-its-asian-american-characters-thats-the-whole-poin">NPR’s Deepa Shivaram</a> previously wrote about Devi, the protagonist of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/netflix">Netflix</a> show <em>Never Have I Ever. </em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YhVMvT">
Harleen Singh, director of the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, emphasized that representation and the breaking of stereotypes require the chance for people to be their full selves and not just an ideal that’s been set out for them. “It’s … [the ability] to just be human beings who have errors, who have wants, who are contradictory. Pardon my French, but to f*** up as much as anybody else,” Singh <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/07/16/1016968651/never-have-i-ever-complicates-its-asian-american-characters-thats-the-whole-poin">previously told NPR</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="i6Mje8">
Contestants have also forced discussions about racism
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SfX83a">
Asian contestants have also used their platforms to force conversations about racism that would otherwise be left poorly addressed by a franchise ill-equipped to confront them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FDlrn0">
One of the early examples of this was tied to a mistake that <em>The Bachelor</em>’s social media accounts made in January, when it <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/bachelor-sparks-controversy-tagging-wrong-194447646.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEB-1yAX4zRR2CfYJMxDT4-56nXcc1i7TcuycNtY2WXT2-ax29auWkxhJAul5LOcW9c9dmjn3o7r0H6wUlrzVBpfS6B1D49PsGfBJ1O56NSGqqRFKOIVeSwmcfozA3EZ_Azt5Par27cjAQZaQYzf8vXdokSAbbbi0J6ZSp8ZwVG2#:~:text=The%20mistake%3A%20In%20an%20Instagram,a%20tennis%20player%20from%20Pennsylvania.">tagged the wrong Asian person</a> in an <a href="https://www.vox.com/instagram-news">Instagram</a> post. In a photo of Jenn kissing Joey, <em>The Bachelor</em> account instead tagged Lea. That mistake then sparked a discussion about how Asian people <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/bachelor-sparks-controversy-tagging-wrong-194447646.html">have been confused</a> for one another in different settings, including the workplace, and how dehumanizing those errors can be.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iE6Tks">
In response to the mix-up, Jenn posted a <a href="https://www.vox.com/tiktok">TikTok</a> video sharing an experience of how a nurse she worked with wasn’t able to tell her apart from another Asian staff member, despite having known each other for a year. “The issue at hand is not that you can’t tell me apart from different Asians, it’s the fact that you don’t care,” <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8WvFhfc/">Jenn</a> said in the video.
</p>
<div id="E9ojd1">
<blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@jenntranx/video/7330691507822824734" class="tiktok-embed">
<section>
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jenntranx?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="@jenntranx"><span class="citation" data-cites="jenntranx">@jenntranx</span></a>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
This is why Asian representation on TV is so important. The lack of exposure directly correlates to the ignorance. I’m not saying everyone is guilty of cultural ignorance but it is disheartening to see how many news articles about me have used pictures of other Asian women who clearly do not look like me. Let’s continue to take accountability, learn from others and lead with love always <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/culturalignorance?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="culturalignorance">#culturalignorance</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/diversity?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="diversity">#diversity</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/asianamerican?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="asianamerican">#asianamerican</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/asian?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="asian">#asian</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/culture?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="culture">#culture</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/vietnamese?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="vietnamese">#vietnamese</a>
</p>
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7330691550248602398?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Jenn Tran">♬ original sound - Jenn Tran</a>
</section>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7ipwXA">
It’s a problem that’s so commonplace that designer Linh-Yen Hoang has released a pithy pin that simply reads, <a href="https://twitter.com/nancywyuen/status/1296135071791906821?lang=en">“Wrong Asian.”</a> And while people often brush off such actions as honest mistakes, they essentially suggest that Asian people are interchangeable, reaffirming tropes that Asian people are a monolithic group devoid of individuality.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DGqoEv">
“Whether the person acted without malice, the effect is the same: It erases my body of work for someone else’s, simply because their ancestors were born on the same continent as mine,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/05/02/shes-asian-female-shes-not-me/?_pml=1">Washington Post reporter Michelle Ye Hee Lee wrote in 2019</a>. “It tells me that my place in journalism — and that of the other Asian reporter they confused me for — is dispensable, interchangeable and indistinguishable.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u4zx3C">
Jenn’s and Lea’s perspectives were ultimately invaluable in having a deeper conversation about this mishap and in drawing attention to a widespread issue that some may write off as trivial. “Until we have a world stage and a media platform that is representative of the world we come from and the communities that make it up, I think we will always have a ways to go,” <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/1121406/the-bachelor-lea-cayanan-responds-reacts-social-media-tagging-jenn-tran-racist/">Lea stated in her response</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aPePmY">
During the “Women Tell All” episode, Rachel also spoke about racism she’s faced from viewers of the show, revealing that people have bombarded her with messages calling her the “N-word” and “jungle Asian.” Many of these attacks came after Rachel was chosen to move forward as one of the final three contestants instead of Maria, who has accrued a large fanbase.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kFoICm">
Rachel’s comments have renewed attention to the racism within the <em>Bachelor </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/internet-culture">fandom</a> and the harassment that contestants of color, in particular, have faced.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t9I8NM">
That conversation showed, too, how much work the show still needs to do to protect its contestants and to thoughtfully handle the subject. Rather than specifically addressing the racism that Rachel experienced, for instance, host Jesse Palmer quickly pivoted to asking the rest of the cast if they had received “hateful” comments in a follow-up to her remarks. In doing so, he glossed over the specific racism she was experiencing and sought to broaden the focus to more general harassment that the cast of women has faced.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GafidV">
“It is part of my Asian culture to remain quiet, always be respectful, and apologize first. No more,” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4sFp9suu-b/?igsh=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ==">Rachel wrote in an Instagram post.</a> “ It is time that we speak up. To all my minorities… speak up and speak loud.”
</p>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4sFp9suu-b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Rachel Nance (<span class="citation" data-cites="rachelmariean">@rachelmariean</span>)</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xqKYZO">
Whether it’s offering viewers a window into their personalities and upbringings, or vocally condemning enduring racism in the franchise, the contestants of this season have brought new voices to a tired show. Leads on the show, in particular, also send a message about who has agency in these relationships, and who’s deserving of this chance to find love. Casting Rachel or Jenn as the next <em>Bachelorette </em>would be a huge opportunity to keep these conversations going — and reframe that narrative.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The House GOP just gave Biden’s campaign a huge gift</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="President Biden smiling happily in front of an American flag backdrop." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/umCa3rpDhejzXZEJqLDUpDn9H3c=/0x0:5072x3804/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73227695/1903200180.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Biden vibing in Pennsylvania. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Roughly 80 percent of House Republicans just lined up behind a plan to cut Social Security and ban all abortions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h9cZj5">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> would be on track to win a historic landslide in November — if so many US voters didn’t find him personally repugnant.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pcQv3l">
Roughly 53 percent of Americans have an<a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/favorability/donald-trump/"> unfavorable opinion</a> of the former president. And yet, when asked about Trump’s ability to handle key issues — or the impact of his <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy">policies</a> — <a href="https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/48812-who-would-handle-15-issues-better-joe-biden-donald-trump-poll">voters routinely</a> give <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/poll-biden-trump-economy-presidential-race-rcna136834">the Republican candidate</a> higher marks than <a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">President Biden</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WNqTGR">
In a <a href="https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/48812-who-would-handle-15-issues-better-joe-biden-donald-trump-poll">YouGov survey</a> released this month, Trump boasted an advantage over Biden on 10 of the 15 issues polled. On the three issues that voters <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/611135/immigration-surges-top-important-problem-list.aspx#:~:text=While%20many%20Americans%20regard%20the,trend%20and%20not%20since%202019.">routinely name</a> as top priorities — the <a href="https://www.vox.com/economy">economy</a>, immigration, and inflation — respondents said that Trump would do a better job by double-digit margins.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xgH75h">
Meanwhile, in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/us/politics/trump-biden-policies-help-hurt.html">recent New York Times/Siena College poll,</a> 40 percent of voters said that Trump’s policies had helped them personally, while just 18 percent said the same of Biden. If Americans could elect a normal human being with Trump’s reputation for being “tough” on immigration and good at economics, they would almost certainly do so.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="du2M0s">
Biden is fortunate that voters do not have that option. But to erase Trump’s<a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/trump-vs-biden"> small but stubborn lead</a> in the polls, the president needs to erode his GOP rival’s advantage on the issues.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HqfXoG">
Biden’s approach to that task has long been clear: He wants to make voters more concerned about two policy areas where Democrats still have the upper hand — Social Security and <a href="https://www.vox.com/abortion">abortion</a> — while making them more aware of the GOP’s<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-poll-roe-dobbs-ban-opinion-fcfdfc5a799ac3be617d99999e92eabe"> extremely unpopular</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-medicare-cuts-ap-poll-biden-9e7395e8efeab68063d741beac6ef24b"> positions</a> on those issues.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RMxReq">
Trump has tried to mitigate his vulnerability on these fronts by insisting that he opposes Social Security cuts (occasional off-the-cuff<a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/3/12/24098773/trump-social-security-medicare-cuts-entitlements-position-2024"> comments to the contrary</a> notwithstanding) and endorsing a ban on abortions <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/us/politics/trump-15-week-federal-abortion-ban.html">after 15 weeks of pregnancy,</a> instead of the blanket ban on all abortions that the Christian right favors.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QhT7SJ">
Congressional Republicans have aided this effort by<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/30/social-security-medicare-off-table-in-debt-ceiling-talks-mccarthy.html#:~:text=Speaker%20of%20the%20House%20Kevin,Thursday,%20January%2012,%202023.&amp;text=Social%20Security%20and%20Medicare%20should,said%20in%20a%20Sunday%20interview."> distancing themselves</a> from their historic support of entitlement cuts during last year’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/5/9/23715753/debt-ceiling-limit-default-deal-crisis">debt ceiling</a> standoff. More recently, they tried to dissociate their party from the most unpopular aspects of the anti-abortion movement’s agenda, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-republicans-say-support-ivf-are-divided-protect-rcna143389">voicing opposition</a> to the shutdown of in vitro fertilization clinics in Alabama.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EaqcnX">
But this week, the House GOP let the mask slip.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5EFJEd">
On Wednesday, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) — a caucus that represents 80 percent of House Republicans, including the party’s entire leadership —<a href="https://hern.house.gov/uploadedfiles/final_budget_including_letter_web_version.pdf"> unveiled a budget</a> that calls for cutting Social Security benefits and establishing that human life begins at conception.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IUCGP5">
The RSC tried to obscure the implications of its Social Security policy by describing its proposal as an increase in “the retirement age,” and declining to specify what the new age should be.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="80jzrT">
But that is just an opaque way of describing a large cut in benefits. As Matt Bruenig <a href="https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2022/10/26/what-does-it-mean-to-increase-the-social-security-retirement-age/">notes,</a> Social Security does not have a single retirement age: It has 96 different retirement ages, each associated with a different level of benefits.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BjxwQZ">
When lawmakers talk about “raising the retirement age,” they are really calling for an increase in the “full retirement age” — a variable in a formula that determines benefit levels at all 96 retirement ages. Raising the full retirement age to 69 — as the RSC<a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-house-republican-study-committee-budget-proposes-harsh-changes-to-social-security/"> proposed</a> last fall — would translate into a roughly<strong> </strong>14 percent cut to Social Security benefits, according to the <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/raising-social-securitys-retirement-age-would-cut-benefits-for-all-new#_ftn7">Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ut76Ic">
The RSC’s proposal would not impact existing beneficiaries, but those retiring as soon as 2033 would have to get by on lower monthly incomes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QdG6WC">
The RSC budget falsely suggests that its reforms would leave future retirees better off than Biden’s entitlement policies would. The caucus notes that, absent policy change, Social Security’s trust fund will become insolvent by 2033, a development that would trigger a 23 percent cut to benefits, and it claims that simply letting Social Security go bankrupt is Biden’s actual plan.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QKaxJg">
But this is a description of Trump’s position, not the president’s. The likely GOP nominee has offered no explanation for how he would keep Social Security funded. To the contrary, he has<a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/3/12/24098773/trump-social-security-medicare-cuts-entitlements-position-2024"> signaled plans</a> for slashing federal tax revenues by trillions of dollars, policies that would make preserving existing benefit levels even more fiscally challenging.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BUEwFZ">
Biden, on the other hand, has<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/11/fact-sheet-the-presidents-budget-protects-and-strengthens-social-security-and-medicare/"> called for substantially raising payroll taxes</a> on Americans earning over $400,000 a year in order to sustain Social Security in its current form.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DoBEnU">
It is true that this by itself would<a href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2024/01/21/can-joe-biden-4-point-plan-save-social-security/"> not be enough</a> to preserve benefits indefinitely; as boomers continue retiring and America’s ratio of retirees-to-workers rises, larger tax increases would be required to sustain today’s benefit levels through the 2040s. But there is a simple way to alleviate this problem: We could<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/social-security-big-immigration-problem-074400864.html"> allow more prime-age adults</a> to come to the United States and <a href="https://www.vox.com/24074353/immigration-housing-zoning-canada-biden-trump">contribute</a> to its economy. Alas, Trump and his party<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/11/trump-has-a-plan-for-massively-increasing-inflation.html"> would like to do the opposite</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2XzoYf">
In any case, the RSC’s budget clarifies the parties’ respective positions on Social Security: Biden wants to preserve existing benefits through higher taxes on the rich, most House Republicans want to cut future benefits by 14 percent, and Trump wants to avoid taking any coherent position while starving the government of revenue, thereby engineering a 23 percent benefit cut by default.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ba54Nk">
Meanwhile, the RSC’s budget also calls for the passage of<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/431"> the Life at Conception Act</a>, which would establish that “the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization.” This would make abortion illegal in all cases, including for patients who were impregnated through rape or incest. What’s more, the budget would also cut Medicaid, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/obamacare">Affordable Care Act</a>, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program by $4.5 trillion over 10 years, a proposal that might increase the salience of health care policy, which remains a source of Democratic strength.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="837esD">
Democrats didn’t wait long before unwrapping this political gift. Biden<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/21/republican-budget-retirement-ivf/"> decried</a> the RSC budget as “extreme” Thursday, noting that it “shows what Republicans value.” The White House then circulated<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/21/fact-sheet-80-of-house-republicans-release-plan-targeting-medicare-social-security-and-the-affordable-care-act-raising-costs-and-cutting-taxes-for-the-wealthy/"> a rundown</a> of the plan’s most unpopular provisions while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer denounced it from the Senate floor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fARPUy">
It’s unlikely that any of this will make a big impression on undecided voters, who do not typically pay much attention to budget proposals in general, let alone those without a prayer of actually passing in the current <a href="https://www.vox.com/congress">Congress</a>. But the Biden campaign will be able to draw on the RSC’s proposals in future campaign advertisements.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qoFkm8">
It’s unclear whether this will be enough to dissuade voters of the view that Donald Trump is a bad man with good policies. But right now, Biden can use all the help he can get. And House Republicans just made an in-kind contribution to his campaign.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis is part of a frightening global trend</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Princess Catherine of Wales sitting on a garden bench." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IYSDiH2dEzgofi5p_gb_mu50Bok=/60x0:1767x1280/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73226759/KensingtonPalace_01.0.png"/>
<figcaption>
Princess Catherine of Wales during a pre-recorded video announcement. | <a class="ql-link" href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1771235267837321694" target="_blank">Kensington Palace</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It’s not just the Princess of Wales. More and more young people are getting cancer.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8XaRgC">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/2024/3/20/24106925/where-is-kate-middleton-kategate-explained-updates">Kate Middleton</a>, now Catherine, Princess of Wales, <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1771235267837321694">announced Friday</a> in a video message that she was diagnosed with cancer after doctors performed abdominal surgery on her earlier this year and discovered evidence of the disease.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LDMSwN">
Kensington Palace did not release details on what type of cancer the princess has, nor did it specify what stage the cancer is or her possible prognosis. But what we do know is that, as a 42-year-old woman, she is far from alone in her diagnosis: Worldwide, more and more people under 50 are developing cancers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gpkrmp">
Cancer typically strikes those who are in their 50s, 60s, or even older. Yet, in recent decades, early-onset cancers — which are usually defined as occurring in patients younger than 50 — are occurring at a higher rate, particularly in wealthy countries. As illustrated in the chart below, a <a href="https://bmjoncology.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000049#DC1">2023 <em>BMJ</em> analysis</a> found that the early onset of 29 different cancers had risen nearly 80 percent globally between 1990 and 2019.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ry-s63jQO5JEu9Mt2xW0JvPbNGY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25350322/gwDvD_more_young_people_are_getting_cancer_today.png"/> <cite>Dylan Scott/Vox</cite>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WpsX1w">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RmsyUT">
Separately, <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2808381">a study published in <em>JAMA Network Open</em></a> the same year concluded that the occurrence of a wide range of cancers among people under 50 had increased between 2010 to 2019 among American adults, particularly among women.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IHom4D">
Much of the increase is attributable to colon and rectal cancers: In 2019, there were about 5.7 cases of colorectal cancer among 100,000 people ages 14 to 49. That’s up 63 percent since 1990, when there were approximately only 3.5 cases per 100,000 people. Breast, cervical, and skin cancers are still the most likely cancers to develop in adults under 50, but individual cases of colorectal cancers taking the lives of well-known <a href="https://www.vox.com/celebrities">celebrities</a>, like actor <a href="https://health.ucdavis.edu/synthesis/issues/winter2021/patient_focus/chadwick-boseman.html">Chadwick Boseman</a> in 2020, have made that trend more visible in recent years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lfFsRs">
Cancers of the bladder, kidney, ovaries, pancreas, prostate, thyroid, and uterus also became significantly more common in the nearly three decades covered by the global investigation published in BMJ.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cPRQqm">
John Marshall, director of the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown University, told me recently that, early in his career, he rarely saw a patient under 50. Today, half of his patients are in that age range, many of them appearing to be healthy and fit. At first, these young patients usually came in with colorectal cancer, but Marshall has increasingly seen younger people with cancers attacking other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LIBysv">
No single factor is to blame for this widespread uptick in numerous cancers among young people, particularly the rise in the gastrointestinal system, but scientists are starting to put together a picture of the reality behind one of the most important medical mysteries of our time.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PxdV7C">
One <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9218641/">review published in <em>Frontiers in Nutrition</em></a> in 2022 found several dietary factors were associated with early-onset colorectal cancer. Eating a lot of deep-fried and processed foods, foods high in fat, and sugary drinks and desserts was a significant risk factor, as was <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24049505/protein-intake-fiber-plant-based-vegetarian-vegan-meat">having a diet low in fiber</a>. Other studies have found higher alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of developing cancer early.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aPhjq9">
Toxins in our environment, such as <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2024/3/8/24093650/mental-health-report-happiness-growth-well-being-smartphones">microplastics</a>, could also be a contributing factor. These tiny particles can be found in everything from food containers to <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/2023/11/14/23955673/fast-fashion-shein-hauls-environment-human-rights-violations">synthetic clothing</a>, before making their way into our bodies and our GI tracts.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nFAX9a">
One New Zealand research team <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10340669/">concluded</a> the upticks in cancers among young adults matched the timeline that we would expect from the multiplication of microplastics in the environment. Cellular and rodent models have suggested that microplastics could promote tumor growth. Though more research is needed, these materials contain chemicals that can disrupt hormones and pose a risk to our health.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7dvwJO">
But these are still theories. While the <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/24087565/princess-kate-middleton-disappearance-rumors-explained-abdominal-surgery-kensington-palace">mystery behind Catherine’s disappearance</a> from public life these past few months has now been solved, scientists still don’t fully understand what is primarily driving earlier-in-life cancer cases. What we do know is that such stories are becoming all too common.
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Arjun and Jeevan in Challenger final</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>Mustafizur’s bowling is suited to the nature of the pitches at Chepauk, says CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons</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>Fighton and Thalassa impress</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>IPL-17: PBKS vs DC | Abishek Porel’s blitzkreig takes Delhi to competitive total</strong> - The game marks the comeback of Rishabh Pant, who was out of action for more than 14 months after a horrific car accident in December, 2022.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL-17: GT vs MI | Pandya begins high-profile Mumbai captaincy stint against Gujarat</strong> - Having led Mumbai to as many as five IPL titles, Rohit Sharma will be turning up as a player this season and would be expected to hit top form ahead of the ICC event in June.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Farmers want the government to fast-track the Vaigai-Gundar river linking project</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>CM’s assurance on building service lanes along Tiruchi-Thanjavur NH fails to bring cheer to residents</strong> - NHAI has prepared a detailed project report for an elevated highway, which is opposed by the residents; traders and merchants want an elevated highway as service lane will displace them</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>TB, HIV patients, activists seek PM’s intervention over frequent shortages of anti-TB drugs</strong> - In a letter written ahead of World TB Day, they warn that shortages will lead to the development of drug-resistant strains of the disease; can also hurt patient livelihoods, interrupt treatment for poor patients</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>Congress like well-established company with fluctuating market cap; BJP startup, says Jairam Ramesh</strong> - The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will be held between April 19 and June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.</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>Delhi Excise policy case | Kavitha’s nephew involved in transfer, use of proceeds: ED</strong> -</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Gunmen open fire at Moscow concert hall killing 115</strong> - Four people directly involved in the attack are among 11 arrested, Russian officials say.</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>Bullets, a crush and panic: Moscow concert that became a massacre</strong> - People initially thought they heard firecrackers, but they soon realised they were under attack.</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>Moscow attack: ‘The first thing you notice is the smell’</strong> - The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg visits the Moscow concert hall where more than 100 were people were killed.</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>US call at UN for Gaza truce linked to hostages blocked</strong> - The draft resolution put to the UN Security Council marked a hardening of its stance towards Israel.</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>Varadkar denies resignation conspiracy theories</strong> - Rumours over why Leo Varadkar decided to resign have persisted since the announcement.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Testing the 2024 BMW M2—maybe the last M car with a manual transmission</strong> - We’ve tested the three-pedal, stickshift BMW M2 on the road and on track. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2012238">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Reddit faces new reality after cashing in on its IPO</strong> - Reddit must now answer to its shareholders as well as its vocal users. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2012282">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Dragon’s Dogma 2 is gritty, janky, goofy, tough, and lots of fun</strong> - This epic RPG reminds us of <em>Skyrim</em>’s ambitious jank, but with way better combat. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2012266">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s a few years late, but a prototype supersonic airplane has taken flight</strong> - “This milestone will be invaluable to Boom’s revival of supersonic travel.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2012264">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>GM stops sharing driver data with brokers amid backlash</strong> - Customers, wittingly or not, had their driving data shared with insurers. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2012276">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A blonde was taking helicopter lessons. The instructor said, “I’ll radio you every 1000 feet to see how you’re doing.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
At 1000 feet, the instructor radioed her and said she was doing great. At 2000 feet, he said she was still doing well. Right before she got to 3000 feet, the propeller stopped, and she twirled to the ground. The instructor ran to where she crash landed and pulled her out of the helicopter. “What went wrong?” The blonde said, “At 2500 feet, I started to get cold, so I turned the big fan off.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/YZXFILE"> /u/YZXFILE </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bllipc/a_blonde_was_taking_helicopter_lessons_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bllipc/a_blonde_was_taking_helicopter_lessons_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Three young women are at a cocktail party.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The conversation turns to their position in life and it’s clear that they are trying to one-up each other.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The first one says, “My husband is taking me to the French Riviera for two weeks on vacation,” and then looks at the others with a superior demeanor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The second one says, “Well, my husband just bought me a new Mercedes,” and looks about with considerable pride.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Number three says, “Well, to be perfectly honest with you, we don’t have much money and we don’t have any material possessions. However, one thing I can tell you about my husband is that thirteen canaries can stand shoulder to shoulder on his erect penis.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After this, the first one looks shamefaced and says, “Girls, I’ve got a confession to make. I was just trying to impress you. You know that vacation I was telling you about? Well, it’s not to the French Riviera, it’s to my parents house for two weeks.” The second one says, “Your honesty has shamed me. It’s not a Mercedes, he bought me a Fiat 500.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Well,” the third one says, “I also have a confession to make, canary number thirteen has to stand on one leg!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/orgasmic2021"> /u/orgasmic2021 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bllgmf/three_young_women_are_at_a_cocktail_party/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bllgmf/three_young_women_are_at_a_cocktail_party/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cop pulled me over..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I think, I’m going to lose my drivers license and all just because of a stupid police officer…
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The conversation went like this, when I got pulled over in my car: Officer: “License and registration, please, I think you are drunk!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me: “I assure you, I did not drink anything.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Officer: “Ok, let’s do a little test! Imagine driving in the dark on a highway at night, when you see two lights in the distance. What is this?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me: “A car.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Officer:“Of course! But which one? A Mercedes, an Audi or a Ford?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me:“I have no idea!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Officer:“So, you’re drunk.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me:“But I didn’t drink anything.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Officer:"Okay, one more test – Imagine, you drive in the dark on a highway at night, and there is one light coming at you.What is it?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me:“A motorcycle.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Officer:“Of course! But which one? A Honda, a Kawasaki or a Harley?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me:“I have no idea!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Officer:“As I suspected, you’re drunk!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Then I started to get annoyed and asked a counter question.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me:“So…, counter question – You’re driving in the dark on a highway at night and see a woman on the roadside. She wears a mini skirt, fishnet stockings, high heeled shoes and only a bra as a top. What is this?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Officer:“A prostitute of course.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me:“Yes, but which one? Your daughter, your wife or your mother?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Things went downhill from there and now I have a court date to attend…
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/d4rthSp33dios"> /u/d4rthSp33dios </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bl6o3z/cop_pulled_me_over/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bl6o3z/cop_pulled_me_over/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Doctor Who has been filmed all over Britain</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
but there is one place that the makers of the show have been adamant that they will never film in. By the sea, there is a lovely city called Brighton, which has two rather prominent piers. And it’s these piers that are the reason the show makers refuse to bring The Doctor there, because as everyone knows, there is nothing a time traveler hates more than a pair o’ docks.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/jimbotherisenclown"> /u/jimbotherisenclown </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bleehj/doctor_who_has_been_filmed_all_over_britain/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bleehj/doctor_who_has_been_filmed_all_over_britain/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hitchhiker is searching for a sleeping place</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A hitchhiker is searching for a sleeping place for the night as he came by a large farm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He went over to the house and knocks on the door as the owner opens.
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Do you have a place free for me to sleep tonight? I’m fine with your barn. I have a sleeping bag. I don’t need more.
</p>
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Sure I have. But I warn you only once: keep away from my wife and my daughter, or I’ll shoot you without a warning.
</p>
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
OK, that’s fine.
</p>
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Oh and you can do me a favor: My old shoes are pretty dirty. I have to clean them. They are at the door of the barn. Would you just bring them to me?
</p>
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Yeah sure.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the Hitchiker went over to the barn. Right as he stands at the door he sees the very hot Wife and early twenties’ daughter.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He walks over to them and says:
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Your husband and father send me over to fuck you both very hard!
</li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Both very upset: You damn liar, he would never ever say this! Just wait we go and ask him.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Hitchhiker replied: Wait, I’ll do it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He turns around right outside the door and loudly shouts: Both of them?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The owner replies: Of course both you Idiot!
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/PaygonGrim"> /u/PaygonGrim </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bl448e/hitchhiker_is_searching_for_a_sleeping_place/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bl448e/hitchhiker_is_searching_for_a_sleeping_place/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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