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<title>21 March, 2024</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>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>
<li><strong>Accurately estimating pathway activity in single cells for clustering and differential analysis</strong> -
<div>
Inferring which and how biological pathways and gene sets are changing is a key question in many studies that utilize single-cell RNA sequencing. Typically, these questions are addressed by quantifying the enrichment of known gene sets in lists of genes derived from global analysis. Here we offer SiPSiC, a new method to infer pathway activity in each cell. This allows more sensitive differential analysis and utilizing pathway scores to cluster cells and compute UMAP or other similar projections. We apply our method on datasets of COVID-19, lung adenocarcinoma and glioma, and demonstrate its utility. SiPSiC analysis is consistent with findings reported by previous analyses in many cases, but also reveals the differential activity of novel pathways, enabling us to suggest new mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of these diseases and demonstrating SiPSiC’s high accuracy and sensitivity in detecting biological function and traits. In addition, we demonstrate how it can be used to better classify cells based on activity of biological pathways instead of single genes and its ability to overcome patient specific artifacts.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.27.534310v3" target="_blank">Accurately estimating pathway activity in single cells for clustering and differential analysis</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Concepts and methods for predicting viral evolution</strong> -
<div>
The seasonal human influenza virus undergoes rapid evolution, leading to significant changes in circulating viral strains from year to year. These changes are typically driven by adaptive mutations, particularly in the antigenic epitopes, the regions of the viral surface protein haemagglutinin targeted by human antibodies. Here we describe a consistent set of methods for data-driven predictive analysis of viral evolution. Our pipeline integrates four types of data: (1) sequence data of viral isolates collected on a worldwide scale, (2) epidemiological data on incidences, (3) antigenic characterization of circulating viruses, and (4) intrinsic viral phenotypes. From the combined analysis of these data, we obtain estimates of relative fitness for circulating strains and predictions of clade frequencies for periods of up to one year. Furthermore, we obtain comparative estimates of protection against future viral populations for candidate vaccine strains, providing a basis for pre-emptive vaccine strain selection. Continuously updated predictions obtained from the prediction pipeline for influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are available on the website https://previr.app.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.19.585703v1" target="_blank">Concepts and methods for predicting viral evolution</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Differences in Vaccine and SARS-CoV-2 Replication Derived mRNA: Implications for Cell Biology and Future Disease</strong> -
<div>
Codon optimization describes the process used to increase protein production by use of alternative but synonymous codon changes. In SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines codon optimizations can result in differential secondary conformations that inevitably affect a protein’s function with significant consequences to the cell. Importantly, when codon optimization increases the GC content of synthetic mRNAs, there can be an inevitable enrichment of G-quartets which potentially form G-quadruplex structures. The emerging G-quadruplexes are favorable binding sites of RNA binding proteins like helicases that inevitably affect epigenetic reprogramming of the cell by altering transcription, translation and replication. In this study, we performed a RNAfold analysis to investigate alterations in secondary structures of mRNAs in SARS-CoV-2 vaccines due to codon optimization. We show a significant increase in the GC content of mRNAs in vaccines as compared to native SARS-CoV-2 RNA sequences encoding the spike protein. As the GC enrichment leads to more G-quadruplex structure formations, these may contribute to potential pathological processes initiated by SARS-CoV-2 molecular vaccination.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/bcsa6/" target="_blank">Differences in Vaccine and SARS-CoV-2 Replication Derived mRNA: Implications for Cell Biology and Future Disease</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Lateral Flow Assays Biotesting by Utilizing Plasmonic Nanoparticles Made of Inexpensive Metals - Replacing Colloidal Gold</strong> -
<div>
Nanoparticles (NPs) can be conjugated with diverse biomolecules and employed in biosensing to detect target analytes in biological samples. This proven concept was primarily used during the COVID-19 pandemic with gold NPs-based lateral flow assays (LFAs). Considering the gold price and its worldwide depletion, here we show that novel plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) based on inexpensive metals, titanium nitride (TiN) and copper covered with a gold shell (Cu@Au), perform comparable or even better than gold nanoparticles. After conjugation, these novel nanoparticles provided high figures of merit for LFA testing, such as high signals and specificity and robust naked-eye signal recognition. To the best of our knowledge, our study represents the 1st application of laser-ablation-fabricated nanoparticles (TiN) in the LFA and dot-blot biotesting. Since the main cost of the Au NPs in commercial testing kits is in the colloidal synthesis, our development with TiN is very exciting, offering potentially very inexpensive plasmonic nanomaterials for various bio-testing applications. Moreover, our machine learning study showed that the bio-detection with TiN is more accurate than that with Au.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.08.574723v2" target="_blank">Lateral Flow Assays Biotesting by Utilizing Plasmonic Nanoparticles Made of Inexpensive Metals - Replacing Colloidal Gold</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Hidden evolutionary constraints dictate the retention of coronavirus accessory genes</strong> -
<div>
Coronaviruses exhibit many mechanisms of genetic innovation (1-5), including the acquisition of accessory genes that originate by capture of cellular genes or through duplication of existing viral genes (6,7). Accessory genes influence viral host range and cellular tropism, but little is known about how selection acts on these variable regions of virus genomes. We used experimental evolution of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) encoding a cellular AKAP7 phosphodiesterase and an inactive native phosphodiesterase, NS2 (ref 8) to simulate the capture of a host gene and analyze its evolution. After courses of serial infection, the gene encoding inactive NS2, ORF2, unexpectedly remained intact, suggesting it is under cryptic constraint uncoupled from the function of NS2. In contrast, AKAP7 was retained under strong selection but rapidly lost under relaxed selection. Guided by the retention of ORF2 and similar patterns in related betacoronaviruses, we analyzed ORF8 of SARS-CoV-2, which arose via gene duplication6 and contains premature stop codons in several globally successful lineages. As with MHV ORF2, the coding-defective SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 gene remains largely intact, mirroring patterns observed during MHV experimental evolution, challenging assumptions on the dynamics of gene loss in virus genomes and extending these findings to viruses currently adapting to humans.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.12.561935v2" target="_blank">Hidden evolutionary constraints dictate the retention of coronavirus accessory genes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Identification of unique and potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease from DNA-encoded chemical libraries</strong> -
<div>
In vitro screening of large libraries of compounds with automated High-throughput screening is expensive, time consuming and requires dedicated infrastructures. Conversely, the screening of DNA-encoded chemical libraries can be rapidly performed with basic equipment available in most laboratories. In this study we identified novel inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) through the affinity screening of the commercially available ''DELopen'' library, containing 4.2 billion compounds. The identified inhibitors were peptidomimetics compounds containing a C-terminal electrophilic group able to covalently bind to Mpro reactive Cys145 (confirmed by x-ray crystallography). Compound SLL11 had IC50 = 30nM and was found to be well optimized, proving that the rapid exploration of large chemical spaces, enabled by DECL technology, allows the direct identification of potent inhibitors avoiding several rounds of iterative medicinal chemistry. Compound MP6, a close analogue of SLL11, showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in the low micromolar range when tested in Caco-2 and Calu-3 (EC50 = 2.3 M) cell lines. As peptidomimetics compounds can suffer from low cell permeability and metabolic stability, the cyclization of the compounds as well as the substitution of selected residues with D-enantiomers will be explored in the future to improve the antiviral activity of these novel compounds.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.16.585341v1" target="_blank">Identification of unique and potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease from DNA-encoded chemical libraries</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A Protein Language Model for Exploring Viral Fitness Landscapes</strong> -
<div>
Successively emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants lead to repeated epidemic surges through escalated spreading potential (i.e., fitness). Modeling genotype-fitness relationship enables us to pinpoint the mutations boosting viral fitness and flag high-risk variants immediately after their detection. Here, we introduce CoVFit, a protein language model able to predict the fitness of variants based solely on their spike protein sequences. CoVFit was trained with genotype-fitness data derived from viral genome surveillance and functional mutation data related to immune evasion. When limited to only data available before the emergence of XBB, CoVFit successfully predicted the higher fitness of the XBB lineage. Fully-trained CoVFit identified 549 fitness elevation events throughout SARS-CoV-2 evolution until late 2023. Furthermore, a CoVFit-based simulation was able to predict the higher fitness of JN.1 subvariants before their detection. Our study provides both insight into the SARS-CoV-2 fitness landscape and a novel tool potentially transforming viral genome surveillance.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.15.584819v1" target="_blank">A Protein Language Model for Exploring Viral Fitness Landscapes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Modulation of SARS-CoV-2 spike binding to ACE2 throughconformational selection</strong> -
<div>
The first step of SARS-CoV-2 infection involves the interaction between the trimeric viral spike protein () and the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (2). The receptor binding domain () of adopts two conformations: open and closed, respectively, accessible and inaccessible to 2. Therefore, motions are suspected to affect 2 binding; yet a quantitative description of the underlying mechanism has been elusive. Here, using single-molecule approaches, we visualize opening and closing and probe the /2 interaction. Our results show that RBD dynamics affect 2 binding but not unbinding. The resulting modulation is quantitatively predicted by a conformational selection model in which each protomer behaves independently. Our work reveals a general molecular mechanism affecting binding affinity without altering binding strength, helping to understand coronavirus infection and immune evasion.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.15.585207v1" target="_blank">Modulation of SARS-CoV-2 spike binding to ACE2 throughconformational selection</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Binding of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein to uninfected epithelial cells induces antibody-mediated complement deposition</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers strong antibody response toward Nucleocapsid-Protein (NP), suggesting extracellular presence beyond its intra-virion RNA binding. Interestingly, NP was found to decorate infected and proximal uninfected cell-surfaces. Here, we propose a new mechanism through which extracellular NP on uninfected cells contributes to COVID-19 pathogenicity. We show that NP binds to cell-surface sulfated linear-glycosaminoglycans by spatial rearrangement of its RNA-binding sites facilitated by the flexible, positively charged, linker. Coating of uninfected lung-derived cells with purified NP attracted anti-NP-IgG from lung fluids and sera collected from COVID-19 patients. The magnitude of this immune recognition was significantly elevated in moderate compared to mild COVID-19 cases. Importantly, binding of anti-NP-IgG present in sera generated clusters that triggered C3b deposition by the classical complement pathway. Heparin analog enoxaparin outcompeted NP-binding, rescuing cells from anti-NP IgG-mediated complement deposition. Our findings unveil how extracellular NP may exacerbate COVID-19 tissue damage, and suggest leads for preventative therapy.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.17.585388v1" target="_blank">Binding of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein to uninfected epithelial cells induces antibody-mediated complement deposition</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>CORACLE (COVID-19 liteRAture CompiLEr): A platform for efficient tracking and extraction of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 literature, with examples from post-COVID with respiratory involvement</strong> -
<div>
Background: During COVID-19 pandemic there emerged a need to efficiently monitor and process large volumes of scientific literature on the subject. Currently, as the pandemic is winding down, the clinicians encountered a novel syndrome - Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) - that affects over 10% of those who contract SARS-CoV-2 and presents a significant and growing challenge in the medical field. The continuous influx of new research publications underscores a critical need for efficient tools for navigating the literature. Objectives: We aimed to develop an application which will allow monitoring and categorizing COVID-19-related literature through building publication networks and medical subject headings (MeSH) maps to be able to quickly identify key publications and publication networks. Methods: We introduce CORACLE (COVID-19 liteRAture CompiLEr), an innovative web application designed for the analysis of COVID-19-related scientific articles and the identification of research trends. CORACLE features three primary interfaces: The "Search" interface, which displays research trends and citation links; the "Citation Map" interface, allowing users to create tailored citation networks from PubMed Identifiers (PMIDs) to uncover common references among selected articles; and the "MeSH" interface, highlighting current MeSH trends and associations between MeSH terms. Results: Our web application, CORACLE, leverages regularly updated PubMed data to aggregate and categorize the extensive literature on COVID-19 and PASC, aiding in the identification of relevant research publication hubs. Using lung function in PASC patients as a search example, we demonstrate how to identify and visualize the interactions between the relevant publications. Conclusion: CORACLE proves to be an effective tool for the extraction and analysis of literature. Its functionalities, including the MeSH trends and customizable citation mapping, facilitate the discovery of relevant information and emerging trends in COVID-19 and PASC research.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.18.584627v1" target="_blank">CORACLE (COVID-19 liteRAture CompiLEr): A platform for efficient tracking and extraction of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 literature, with examples from post-COVID with respiratory involvement</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Young Parents’ Experiences of Pregnancy and Parenting during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A qualitative study in the United Kingdom</strong> -
<div>
Young parents (aged 16-24 years) in the perinatal period may be at an increased risk of poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to multiple risk factors, including social and economic instability. COVID-19 related restrictions had significant implications for the delivery of some perinatal care services and other support structures for young parents. Investigating young parents’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, including their perceived challenges and needs, is important to inform good practice and provide appropriate support for young parents. Qualitative interviews were conducted with young parents (n=21) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom from February – May 2021. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Three key themes were identified to describe parents’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents reported specific COVID-19 related anxieties and stressors, including worries around contracting the virus and increased feelings of distress due to uncertainty created by the implications of the pandemic. Parents described feeling alone both at home and during antenatal appointments and highlighted the absence of social support as a major area of concern. Also, parents felt their perinatal care had been disrupted by the pandemic and experienced difficulties accessing care online or over the phone. This study highlights the potential impact of COVID-19 on young parents, including on their mental wellbeing and the perinatal support they were able to access during the pandemic. Insights from this study could inform the support and services offered to families during future pandemics. Specifically, the findings underlie the importance of (a) supporting both parents during perinatal appointments, (b) providing parents with early mental health support and (c) finding ways to facilitate communication pathways between professionals and parents.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/h3b6y/" target="_blank">Young Parents’ Experiences of Pregnancy and Parenting during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A qualitative study in the United Kingdom</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Demographic and health factors associated with pandemic anxiety in the context of COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
Objectives The mental health consequences of COVID-19 are predicted to have a disproportionate impact on certain groups. We aimed to develop a brief measure, the Pandemic Anxiety Scale, to capture the specific aspects of the pandemic that are provoking anxiety, and explore how these vary by health and demographic factors. Design Data were from a convenience sample of parents (N=4,793) and adolescents (N=698) recruited in the first 6 weeks of lockdown. Methods Factor analytic and IRT methods were used to validate the new measure in both parent and adolescent samples. Associations between scores on the new measure and age, gender, household income, and physical health status were explored using structural equation modelling (SEM). Results Two factors were identified in both samples: disease-anxiety (e.g. catching, transmitting the virus) and consequence anxiety (e.g. impact on economic prospects), and unique associations with health and demographic factors were observed. Conclusions Anxieties due to the COVID-19 are multifaceted, and the PAS is a short, reliable and valid measure of these concerns. These anxieties are differentially associated with demographic, social and health factors, which should be considered when developing strategies to mitigate the mental health impact of the pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/2eksd/" target="_blank">Demographic and health factors associated with pandemic anxiety in the context of COVID-19</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>Valacyclovir Plus Celecoxib for Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: PASC Post Acute Sequelae of COVID 19; Long COVID <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: 1500 Valacyclovir 200 Celecoxib; Drug: 750 Valacyclovir 200 Celecoxib; 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>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>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, 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>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>Understanding Adaptive Immune Response After COVID-19 Vaccination Boosters to Improve Vaccination Strategies in Vulnerable Groups.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Analisys of cellular response and humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster doses <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria di Negrar <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>COVIDVaxStories: Randomized Trial to Reduce COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Populations of Color</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Vaccine Hesitancy <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Storytelling; Behavioral: Learn More (Active Comparator) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Massachusetts, Worcester; Merck Sharp &amp; Dohme LLC <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
</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>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>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 Orf6 is positioned in the nuclear pore complex by Rae1 to control nucleo-cytoplasmic transport</strong> - The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) accessory protein Orf6 works as an interferon antagonist, in part, by inhibiting the nuclear import activated p-STAT1, an activator of interferon-stimulated genes, and the export of the poly(A) RNA. Insight into the transport regulatory function of Orf6 has come from the observation that Orf6 binds to the nuclear pore complex (NPC) components Rae1 and Nup98. To gain further insight into the mechanism of Orf6-mediated transport…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A retrospective cohort study on early antibiotic use in vaccinated and unvaccinated COVID-19 patients</strong> - The bacteriophage behavior of SARS-CoV-2 during the acute and post-COVID-19 phases appears to be an important factor in the development of the disease. The early use of antibiotics seems to be crucial to inhibit disease progression-to prevent viral replication in the gut microbiome, and control toxicological production from the human microbiome. To study the impact of specific antibiotics on recovery from COVID-19 and long COVID (LC) taking into account: vaccination status, comorbidities,…</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>Yemazhui () ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury modulation of the toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa-B/nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 protein signaling pathway and intestinal flora in rats</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our findings revealed that HEL has a protective effect on LPS-induced ALI in rats, and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting TLR4/ NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway and improving intestinal flora disturbance.</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>Urinary cadmium concentration is associated with the severity and clinical outcomes of COVID-19: a bicenter observational cohort study</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Urine cadmium concentration in the early course of COVID-19 could predict the severity and clinical outcomes of patients and was independently associated with the risk of severe 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>Functional dissection of the spike glycoprotein S1 subunit and identification of cellular cofactors for regulation of swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus entry</strong> - Swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) is a novel porcine enteric coronavirus, and the broad interspecies infection of SADS-CoV poses a potential threat to human health. This study provides experimental evidence to dissect the roles of distinct domains within the SADS-CoV spike S1 subunit in cellular entry. Specifically, we expressed the S1 and its subdomains, S1^(A) and S1^(B). Cell binding and invasion inhibition assays revealed a preference for the S1^(B) subdomain in binding to…</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>Health-promoting benefits of lentils: Anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects</strong> - This paper describes how lentils (Lens culinaris species) can positively affect health by reducing inflammation, providing antioxidants, and displaying antimicrobial properties. Lentils are rich in proteins, essential amino acids, minerals, and fibers, making them a valuable source of nutrition, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Lentils have many health benefits, including positive effects on diabetes management, support for cardiovascular health, and antioxidative properties. The…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Happy Hour: The association between trait hedonic capacity and motivation to drink alcohol</strong> - The (over)consumption of alcohol and other addictive substances is often conceptualized as a problem of low self-control (i.e., people’s inability to inhibit unwanted impulses). According to that view, people drink because they cannot resist. In the present studies, we approached this from a different perspective and tested whether alcohol consumption might also be a problem of low hedonic capacity (i.e., people’s inability to experience pleasure and relaxation, often due to intrusive thoughts)….</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>Compound C inhibits the replication of feline coronavirus</strong> - Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) is a viral pathogen of cats and a highly contagious virus. Cats in a cattery can be infected by up to 100%, and even household cats are infected by 20-60%. Some strains of FCoV are known to induce a fatal disease in cats named Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). However, no effective treatments are available. We demonstrated that compound C (dorsomorphin) can potentially inhibit feline coronavirus replication. Compound C treatment decreased the FCoV-induced plaque…</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>Hyperoside inhibits EHV-8 infection via alleviating oxidative stress and IFN production through activating JNK/Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways</strong> - Equine herpesvirus type 8 (EHV-8) causes abortion and respiratory disease in horses and donkeys, leading to serious economic losses in the global equine industry. Currently, there is no effective vaccine or drug against EHV-8 infection, underscoring the need for a novel antiviral drug to prevent EHV-8-induced latent infection and decrease the pathogenicity of this virus. The present study demonstrated that hyperoside can exert antiviral effects against EHV-8 infection in RK-13 (rabbit kidney…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effect of polyphenols against complications of COVID-19: current evidence and potential efficacy</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2019 and resulted in significant morbidity and mortality continues to be a significant global health challenge, characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune system dysfunction.. Developing therapies for preventing or treating COVID-19 remains an important goal for pharmacology and drug development research. Polyphenols are effective against various viral infections and can be extracted and isolated from plants without losing their therapeutic…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Poly Aptamer Encoded DNA Nanocatcher Informs Efficient Virus Trapping</strong> - Broad-spectrum antiviral platforms are always desired but still lack the ability to cope with the threats to global public health. Herein, we develop a poly aptamer encoded DNA nanocatcher platform that can trap entire virus particles to inhibit infection with a broad antiviral spectrum. Ultralong single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) containing repeated aptamers was synthesized as the scaffold of a nanocatcher via a biocatalytic process, wherein mineralization of magnesium pyrophosphate on the ssDNA…</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>Unveiling the Antiviral Capabilities of Targeting Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - The urgent need for effective treatments against emerging viral diseases, driven by drug-resistant strains and new viral variants, remains critical. We focus on inhibiting the human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (HsDHODH), one of the main enzymes responsible for pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. This strategy could impede viral replication without provoking resistance. We evaluated naphthoquinone fragments, discovering potent HsDHODH inhibition with IC(50) ranging from 48 to 684 nM, and promising…</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>Targeting G9a translational mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis for multifaceted therapeutics of COVID-19 and its sequalae</strong> - By largely unknown mechanism(s), SARS-CoV-2 hijacks the host translation apparatus to promote COVID-19 pathogenesis. We report that the histone methyltransferase G9a noncanonically regulates viral hijacking of the translation machinery to bring about COVID-19 symptoms of hyperinflammation, lymphopenia, and blood coagulation. Chemoproteomic analysis of COVID-19 patient peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) identified enhanced interactions between SARS-CoV-2-upregulated G9a and distinct…</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>The Children Who Lost Limbs in Gaza</strong> - More than a thousand children who were injured in the war are now amputees. What do their futures hold? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-children-who-lost-limbs-in-gaza">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>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 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>Meet the EPA’s new Choose Your Own Adventure! regulation for car pollution</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A new Ford Transit Custom Plug-in Hybrid van which is connected to FordLive is displayed during a vehicle show on September 2, 2021, in Birmingham, England." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M8dauCDBRj60QsXf8yqQkG0xQU0=/607x0:5520x3685/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73222693/GettyImages_1338013110.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
The EPA has finalized new emissions rules for light-duty vehicles like cars and medium-duty vehicles like transit vans that will push automakers to make cleaner vehicles like electrics and plug-in hybrids. | John Keeble/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Here’s what the federal rules mean for car companies, the climate, and you.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a6LUV6">
The Environmental Protection Agency has officially cemented <a href="https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/final-rule-multi-pollutant-emissions-standards-model">new pollution rules for cars, pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs</a> that the Biden administration called the US’s strongest-ever clean vehicle regulations. The EPA says the new rules will avert 7 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide close to $100 billion in savings per year across the country in the form of fuel costs, lower maintenance needs, and health benefits.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CkD9jm">
The challenge for the government and carmakers, though, will be actually getting people to buy enough of these cleaner cars to move the needle. And that may be harder than regulators and the industry thought.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QD1RTW">
Because of that concern<strong> </strong>— and some feedback from car companies that the technology and demand wouldn’t materialize fast enough — these new standards are notably more lenient than those the <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate/23680273/epa-emissions-rule-electric-vehicles-ev-pollution-climate-regulation-fuel-economy">EPA proposed almost a year ago</a>. The EPA slowed the pace at which companies would need to lower pollution outputs and offered more options to meet the targets, which kick in for model year 2027 and run through 2032.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2L1nUO">
The regulations are not specifically designed to promote battery <a href="https://www.vox.com/electric-vehicles">electric vehicles</a> and instead allow carmakers to pursue<em> </em>a variety of options, like more efficient gasoline engines, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen-powered cars.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0uByQs">
“We are providing a little bit more lead time so that these investments can occur, not just in the automobiles themselves, but the infrastructure,” EPA administrator Michael Regan told Vox.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sCnjR6">
Car buyers will see even more fuel-efficient and electric models in showrooms going forward, but the most gas-guzzling cars and trucks won’t be available for sale much longer. Some of these cleaner cars may have a higher sticker price at first, but the EPA says that the new rules will save drivers money over time and that prices will fall as manufacturers scale up.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tKv0TG">
That’s a key question: While EVs are<strong> </strong>more popular than ever, demand has fallen short of what many manufacturers predicted. A <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/majority-americans-say-they-are-unlikely-purchase-electric-vehicles">Yahoo Finance/Ipsos poll</a> last year found that one in three prospective car buyers said it was likely their next car would be an EV. Still, in 2023, only <a href="https://www.coxautoinc.com/market-insights/q4-2023-ev-sales/">7.6 percent of new cars sold were electric</a>, due in part to concerns about<strong> </strong>price, performance, and spotty charging infrastructure.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lqXzQx">
Some companies are <a href="https://qz.com/gm-is-slowing-ev-production-amid-labor-strikes-and-evo-1850954588">scaling back</a> their electric offerings, while others are <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate/24071894/plug-in-hybrid-toyota-tesla-ford-electric-ev">renewing their bets on hybrid-electric cars</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CffOxf">
This underscores why decarbonizing <a href="https://www.vox.com/transportation">transportation</a> is one of the toughest climate challenges. It’s not simply about imposing rules or developing technology; it requires<strong> </strong>winning over fickle consumers who are worried about many other things in addition to the environment.
</p>
<h3 id="WgbE0J">
The EPA says the new vehicle regulations would protect health, the climate, and wallets
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r8rPA9">
Transportation is the <a href="https://rhg.com/research/us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-2023/">largest source of heat-trapping gases</a> emitted by the US, the majority of which come from road vehicles burning gasoline and diesel. For the US to meet the <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate">climate change</a> targets set by the Biden administration — <a href="https://www.vox.com/22397364/earth-day-us-climate-change-summit-biden-john-kerry-commitment-2030-zero-emissions">cutting emissions in half by 2030</a> relative to 2005 levels — it’s essential to curb greenhouse gases from cars and trucks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fb5JbD">
These vehicles also spew pollutants that have immediate health harms — nitrogen oxides, soot, volatile organic compounds — so reducing their output will have widespread <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-strongest-ever-pollution-standards-cars-position">air quality benefits as well</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xwa13B">
The EPA this week also changed the way it <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/biden-eases-ev-rule-but-keeps-heat-on-automakers/">compares the<strong> </strong>fuel economy of electric cars to those powered by gasoline</a>, giving manufacturers much less credit for EVs. Electric cars obviously don’t burn gasoline, but they still have an environmental footprint depending on the emissions of the electricity used to charge them and their overall efficiency. And in order to calculate the average fuel economy for a fleet of vehicles that includes electrics, the EPA has devised a formula to figure out roughly how electrons translate into hydrocarbons.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HyT0oh">
For instance, the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck used to get 238 miles per gallon, but under the new formula, it gets 83 mpg. That means Ford will have to sell a lot more electrics or dramatically increase the fuel efficiency of its conventional cars to meet mileage requirements.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HoNcbU">
Combined, these regulations give manufacturers a strong push to not just build cleaner vehicles, but also promote them to their customers.
</p>
<h3 id="cEEvdt">
Prices for cleaner cars need to drop alongside emissions
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0etcy0">
The new EPA regulations don’t map out a specific route to their destination, but if carmakers choose the electrification path, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-03/420f24016.pdf">the agency estimates</a> that between 30 and 56 percent of new light-duty and 20 to 32 percent of medium-duty vehicles sold from model years 2030 to 2032 would have to be fully electric.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fgciGE">
“Sold” is the key word here. It’s not enough for the government to set the standard and for automakers to build the car — someone has to actually buy it. And right now, the industry isn’t making enough of the cars that consumers want or can afford to purchase that line up with the new regulations.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="itJoBF">
EVs have also broken promises to drivers. Many buyers say models have <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/media-room/press-releases/2023/12/consumer-reports-nearly-half-of-evs-in-our-highway-only-range-test-fell-short-of-their-epa-estimates/">failed to live up to range estimates</a>, have quality and reliability problems, and cost more to repair than anticipated. Other owners have complained about the availability and reliability of public charging infrastructure. Some <a href="https://www.vox.com/technology/23713040/ev-car-dealer-dealership-electric-sales-gm-ford-tesla-rivian">car dealers have been reluctant</a> to keep EVs on their lots.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pozdwA">
Some of these issues are just growing pains that come with a new technology, but changing consumer perception will be critical to keeping EV growth humming.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AiZdSw">
That’s created an opening for hybrid cars, which offer many of the same strengths as gasoline and electric vehicles in one package. For companies like Toyota that have a long history building hybrids but have been slower to produce EVs, the final regulations offer them an easier path forward. “They will tell you selling a large number of hybrids is far better than selling a moderate or small number of electric vehicles,” said Alan Baum, principal of Baum and Associates, a market research firm focused on the auto industry. That’s likely true given that close to <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate/24071894/plug-in-hybrid-toyota-tesla-ford-electric-ev">80 percent of car trips are less than 10 miles</a>, so several plug-in hybrids that run fully electric,<strong> </strong>as they can for shorter distances, could displace more greenhouse gas emissions with a lower-range battery capacity than a single car that runs solely on <a href="https://www.vox.com/batteries">batteries</a> for hundreds of miles.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="46Lwzn">
But it’s also important to remember that the average car in the US has been on the <a href="https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a43903366/average-car-age-12-years/">road for 12.5 years</a>. Many vehicles keep <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/05/15/average-age-of-cars-on-u-s-roads-hits-a-record-high-as-soaring-prices-means-people-cant-afford-to-replace-them/">rolling for two decades</a>, or even longer. So, shifting gears to cleaner vehicles will have the greatest impact on climate change if it happens at the starting grid rather than the finish line.
</p></li>
<li><strong>3 theories for why Donald Trump’s popularity is rising</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Donald Trump speaking into a microphone while wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WWtzYz0YE0HY6GXzlEV6g-AMSBA=/182x0:2290x1581/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73222656/2087317720.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Donald Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. | Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Trump’s favorability has ticked up with many Americans and soared with some traditionally Democratic groups.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fgl3op">
Something confounding is happening in America: <a href="https://www.vox.com/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, once the <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-final-gallup-poll-least-popular-president-ever-1116196/">least liked</a> presidential officeholder and reviled by <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx#:~:text=Americans'%20approval%20of%20the%20job,during%20his%20presidency%20was%2041%25.">nearly two-thirds</a> of the country by the time he left office, is getting more popular.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X6lRn2">
For the loyal Vox reader, that statement may be hard to believe. Yes, the twice-impeached, multiply indicted former president is still generally disliked: The latest<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/us/politics/biden-trump-times-siena-poll.html"> New York Times/Siena poll</a> places his favorability rating at a “weak” 44 percent. But that’s still higher than his Democratic opponent, <a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, who is viewed favorably by just 38 percent of registered voters. As views of Biden have been getting <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/favorability/joe-biden/">more negative</a>, views of Trump have also been getting <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/favorability/donald-trump/">more positive</a>.
</p>
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Across multiple kinds of polling and public opinion surveys, Trump’s favorability appears to have stabilized at a higher place than three years ago. Views of Trump have been modestly improving for most Americans and have actually increased significantly among Black and Latino Americans, younger voters, and working-class people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Eu5OCb">
Those shifts are apparent if you dig into the numbers a bit. In <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/548138/american-presidential-candidates-2024-election-favorable-ratings.aspx">Gallup’s surveys of US adults</a>, for example, Trump ended 2023 with his highest favorability ratings since the eve of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election">2020 election</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QBtTaD">
That was true for young adults, aged 18 to 34, where Trump’s popularity plummeted as he tried to overturn the 2020 election but has rebounded since. Forty-two percent of young adults saw him favorably in October 2020, but that dropped to 28 percent in January 2021. His favorability bounced back to 42 percent by December 2023.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kUhaUb">
The same pattern held among nonwhite Americans, 27 percent of whom saw Trump favorably in October 2020. That plunged to 15 percent in January 2021 but had rebounded back to 28 percent by November 2022. The rebound is even more pronounced among Americans making less than $40,000 a year. Thirty-seven percent saw him favorably in October 2020, while 32 percent said that in January 2021. But that number jumped to 48 percent by December 2023.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AuoUun">
Similar trends appear in other polls, as the former Democratic pollster Adam Carlson <a href="https://twitter.com/admcrlsn/status/1762483996963872958">has tracked for specific subgroups</a> and in general when looking at <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/favorability/donald-trump/">polling aggregates</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jr8GHd">
“In the overall trends, Trump’s favorable rating is back to baseline,” Lydia Saad, the director of US social research at Gallup, told Vox. “Among young people, it’s back to where it was before January 6. … It also does not look like he has recovered among white adults, whereas he <em>has </em>improved above baseline among all people of color.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DSoRWG">
These data points all suggest that something has changed among the electorate and the country in general, and also that something more pronounced might be happening with younger, nonwhite, and working-class Americans. What could it be? Here are three theories to explain and understand what might be happening.
</p>
<h3 id="UregS2">
Explanation 1: Trump is benefiting from economic nostalgia
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DbJv6K">
As the pandemic subsided, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/economy">economy</a> became the major storyline of the Biden years. It’s consistently the top issue for all voters, but especially for Black, Latino, and working-class Americans. Trump made the booming pre-pandemic economy central to his reelection pitch four years ago, and he is using it as the central argument against Biden.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y8Diqd">
Inflation, higher interest rates, and mixed views about the post-Covid recovery continue to be Biden and Democrats’ biggest liabilities. In an inverted way, it also may be one of Trump’s biggest assets in rebuilding his popularity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YiOIAm">
In the latest New York Times/Siena <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/05/us/elections/times-siena-poll-registered-voter-crosstabs.html">poll</a>, for example, Black voters feel as bad about the economy as their white counterparts; <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/4/23708278/joe-biden-kamala-harris-2024-election-latino-voters-julie-chavez-rodriguez">Latino voters</a> feel even worse. Similarly, younger voters, under the age of 30, feel worse about the economy than older cohorts. Seventy-three percent of white voters would rate the economy as fair or poor, while 74 percent of Black voters and 84 percent of Latinos would say so. Among young adults, 86 percent would say so, 8 points higher than those 30 to 44 years old.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LwoE9v">
Among these cohorts of Americans, young people and Latino voters also feel strongly that the economy is worse now than it was right before the pandemic. Seventy-one percent of adults under 30 would say so, higher than the 65 percent of 30- to 44-year-olds, 62 percent of 45- to 64-year-olds, and 63 percent of the oldest voters. Seventy-one percent of Latino voters would say so, compared to 56 percent of Black voters and 66 percent of white voters.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zB4pkv">
There’s plenty of evidence for this discontent.<strong> </strong>As my colleague Nicole Narea <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/24094752/biden-trump-strong-economy-2024-inflation">has explained</a>, Americans think the economy is worse under Biden’s presidency than under Trump’s — despite there being <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/24049643/2024-election-polls-biden-economy">plenty to be optimistic about</a>, regardless of individual perceptions. Economic confidence is lower, concerns about the economy are higher, and Americans are racking up credit card debt, even as they also say they are worried about interest rates on debt.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cH7HF0">
At the same time, many Americans remember the Trump economy in better terms than they view the current economy. A <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-trump-leads-biden-economy/">March CBS News/YouGov poll</a> found that 65 percent of registered voters would rate Trump’s economy as “good” while only 38 percent would say the same for Biden’s economy. And in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/us/politics/trump-biden-policies-help-hurt.html">latest Times/Siena poll</a>, a similar dynamic emerges. Americans across race, age, and gender feel that Trump’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy">policies</a>, usually talking about his economic policies, were better for them than Biden’s currently are.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rCWNbi">
Many of the pandemic’s economic effects in both presidential terms were out of each leader’s control, but that doesn’t change many people’s belief that Biden bears more blame than Trump for the state of the economy.
</p>
<h3 id="rrsm5v">
Explanation 2: Trump is recovering from a remarkably low moment
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jY3OFH">
Elections have consequences, and one of them tends to be that the campaign season divides the country nearly in half. Each side views the other negatively, and the presidential winner is left with the task of uniting the nation, usually with help from the outgoing executive.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cIKVQm">
Famously, Trump did the opposite in 2020. He was already suffering from low ratings throughout his presidency, but the combined effect of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19">coronavirus</a> pandemic, the summer of protests and unrest, and his attempts to overturn the results of the election all translated into a steep slide in his approval and his favorability ratings by the time he left office.
</p>
<div id="iBxa0z">
<div id="datawrapper-3vQpX">
</div></div></li>
</ul>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A chart tracking former President Donald Trump’s favorability from 2020 to 2024 among all American adults, nonwhite American adults, young people aged 18 to 34, and lower income adults." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VhMO415eHWyqCtlrf93qPMsDM-o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25345126/3vQpX_trump_s_favorability_has_been_steadily_recovering__1_.png"/>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ig8HZ3">
The events of January 6 played a major negative role in Trump’s standing, pushing him to such a low standing with the American public that it seems only natural for views of him to have recovered as time marched on and memories faded. In breaking down <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/01/20/how-we-know-the-drop-in-trumps-approval-rating-in-january-reflected-a-real-shift-in-public-opinion/">their survey of adults</a> conducted in the aftermath of the Capitol riot, the Pew Research Center found that Trump’s approval rating had fallen to 29 percent, a 9 percentage-point drop from their August 2020 poll and “the largest change between two Pew Research Center polls since Trump took office.” Much of that shift could be attributed to Republicans turning on Trump in the immediate aftermath of the insurrection.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fMF9tJ">
Somehow, the subgroups who viewed him most negatively found more room to disapprove. From <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/06/views-of-covid-19-response-by-trump-hospitals-cdc-and-other-officials/">August 2020</a> to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/01/15/views-of-biden-and-trump-during-the-transition/#as-trumps-term-ends-about-two-thirds-disapprove-of-his-job-performance">January 2021</a>, Trump’s approval among Hispanic adults sank 11 points; his approval among Black adults fell from 9 percent to 4 percent; and young people’s support slipped from 25 percent to a low of 23 percent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fHSTxI">
Seeing just how poorly Trump was being viewed three years ago, it’s possible that the improvement in Trump’s favorability now can be attributed in part to the fading memories of January 6 and the tumultuous year that was 2020. With time, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/23816484/trump-january-6-capitol-indictment-election-2020-poll-public-opinion-apathy">with Republicans rallying around Trump</a> in the wake of his indictments, Trump’s image could only rise from the low point of January 2021.
</p>
<h3 id="XUnuYe">
Explanation 3: Trump is benefiting from a quieter campaign, muted coverage, and a tuned-out public
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MCubOh">
A third theory holds that Trump’s improved standing is a product of him receiving less attention than he used to get. Trump is campaigning differently, getting different press coverage, and receiving less attention from the American public.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eCy6ls">
Here, Gallup is helpful again. In their surveys <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/513128/attention-political-news-slips-back-typical-levels.aspx?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email">asking Americans how closely they follow national politics</a>, a key bit of context emerges: The percentage of Americans reporting they follow politics “very closely” fell to 32 percent in 2023. The 2023 figure is a nearly 10 percentage-point drop from a high of 42 percent in 2020 and 38 percent in 2021. Similarly large drops in attention appear in the data for young adults and nonwhite Americans from 2020 to 2023 (Gallup’s <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/320738/attention-politics-shows-typical-election-year-surge.aspx">2020 survey</a> did not break down subgroups by income). These results would also help explain why <a href="https://twitter.com/danielledeis/status/1769790232067473540?s=46&amp;t=T8a0y6fQmk1crLrRrvjBWg">so many Americans reported to pollsters</a> for much of the primary season that they didn’t really think Trump and Biden would end up being their party nominees.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cwX2rS">
On top of this <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/24034416/young-voters-biden-trump-gen-z-polling-israel-gaza-economy-2024-election">tuned-out public</a>, there’s the relative absence of Trump in daily life. Part of the evidence for this argument is the comparatively quiet campaign that Trump has run this time around, and quieter press coverage, especially when judged against his <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/01/trump-reelection-media-coverage-journalism/676126/">all-consuming media presence</a> during the 2016 cycle and the reelection campaign <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-returns-to-michigan-after-democratic-gains">he started</a> as a sitting president <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/18/trump-machine-swallows-rnc-1067875">long before</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/us/politics/donald-trump-rally-orlando.html"> officially kicking it off</a> in 2019. Aside from coverage of his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/06/media-coverage-trump-arrest-2016-repeat">indictments and arraignments</a> in 2023, he does not appear to be as ever-present a figure in daily life as he used to be. Gone are the <a href="https://www.vox.com/twitter">Twitter</a> screeds and chaotic press conferences; muted is the constant coverage of his campaign rallies. He no longer commands attention as the country’s leader through a year of crisis, and his campaign events are geared toward conservative audiences, whether at CPAC, in deep-red parts of the country, or with conservative media.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HZvdV7">
Biden seems to believe some of this. In <a href="https://x.com/SethMacFarlane/status/1765990751761281205?s=20">speaking</a> to the New Yorker’s Evan Osnos, Biden apparently complained that he felt the press was neither engaging his own track record nor Trump’s “menace” adequately. In reflecting on that exchange, Osnos <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/what-biden-is-thinking-about-the-2024-election">acknowledged</a> the perplexing conundrum the press faces in covering Trump’s current campaign: that, at a certain point, it’s hard to communicate to the public when to pay attention to truly jarring and disturbing moments because there’s only so much Trump can do to shock. He pointed to the lack of media coverage of Trump’s first major campaign rally in Waco, Texas — on the 30th anniversary of the deadly FBI raid on the far-right Branch Davidian religious cult’s compound — where the Trump campaign played a version of the national anthem sung by incarcerated January 6 rioters while displaying images of the Capitol attack. The moment seems to have been forgotten.
</p>
<h3 id="5Ubmpy">
So what should we make of all this?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U26ikh">
These three explanations approach the Trump favorability question from different angles: specific to this moment in time, to the way American memory and attention works, and the extent to which individual candidates can affect and influence American minds. There could also be methodological issues as well; polling of Americans right now is a bit more difficult and seems to be tracking a lot of noise. But taken together, these theories offer a picture of just what could be happening in the electorate and why one of the most disliked figures in American politics might be getting more popular.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The latest drama in “poverty porn” YouTube, explained</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A photo illustration of the YouTube logo is seen on a smartphone screen." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U_UHyziF6Z8cWYiCV4RfSd4D4QY=/275x0:4726x3338/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73222592/2071892271.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Nobody wins when creators fight over who is helping a poor family the most.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iM1qWo">
Trying to keep track of controversies in today’s splintered online world feels like trying to analyze each of the bubbles in a perpetually boiling pot of water. Drama and discourse rockets off the bottom of the pot, breaking through the surface tension and catching our attention just as the steam above dissipates into the air. Hundreds of bubbles pop each minute, and choosing to look at one means ignoring the rest.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X0bSLp">
A couple weeks ago, I stared into the pot and tried to keep my eyes on just one bubble: a fight between two YouTubers who make a living by filming the poor and vulnerable and turning their footage into social media content. I stayed with it, ignoring the roaring boil of Kate Middleton <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/24087565/princess-kate-middleton-disappearance-rumors-explained-abdominal-surgery-kensington-palace">conspiracy theories</a>, and pausing my personal creeping dread about what <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/4/28/23702644/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-technology">AI</a>-generated nonsense is doing to the way we find information online.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="InzPDj">
This particular bubble of drama popped in the genre of what <a href="https://www.gold.ac.uk/media-communications/staff/higgins-kathryn-claire/">Kat Higgins</a>, a lecturer in media and culture at the University of London, referred to as “poverty porn.” Poverty porn is hardly isolated to social media — lots of different types of media, including mainstream news coverage, can treat poverty as a spectacle with entertainment value.
</p>
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But on sites like <a href="https://www.vox.com/tiktok">TikTok</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/youtube">YouTube</a>, this type of content gets lots of views, generally by showing “poverty as something that is shocking, disgusting, or funny,” Higgins said, rather than “as a structural problem demanding structural responses.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nikwAS">
The disagreement between two creators in this genre was not about those systemic issues. Instead, it was largely about which channel should get the most props for helping a single family with a crowdfunding campaign for a new house.
</p>
<h3 id="ySKjlj">
An influencer faceoff
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qoKjFs">
Perhaps you’ve seen the Whittakers on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QUcXl2dfP0">social media</a> or in catchy tabloid <a href="https://www.themirror.com/lifestyle/americas-most-inbred-family-who-225078">headlines</a> about “America’s most inbred family.” Footage of interviews with the family members get millions of views on TikTok and YouTube. Personally, I find these videos uncomfortable to watch. But fans of their creator, Mark Laita, praise his work as compassionate and humanizing. Laita has a background in documentary photography. His channel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SoftWhiteUnderbelly">Soft White Underbelly</a>, focuses on artistically styled interviews with addicts, the unhoused, and the traumatized.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I2RfWf">
Enter Tyler Oliveira, who is in the Mr. Beast Expanded Universe of flashy YouTubers who use shock and extravagance to get views. Oliveira <a href="https://twitter.com/tyleraloevera">describes</a> himself as a journalist who films “investigations” into areas of the US that have reputations for being impoverished or dangerous. Generally, these videos feature several man-on-the-street interviews alongside footage meant to underline the points Oliveira wants to make about the place he’s visiting.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ptEzDh">
A couple weeks ago, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMT2P45d17E">Oliveira went to the West Virginia town where the Whittakers live</a>, after being told by someone at Laita’s production company that the Whittakers were under an “exclusive” contract to film with Laita.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iI35cH">
Oliveira pulls up at the Whittakers’ home with a car full of groceries. Inspirational music swells in the background as Oliveira unloads his car and meets the Whittakers’ pets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GwMn4l">
“How’s the house coming along?” Oliveira asks Betty, one of the Whittaker family members.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LKopvs">
“What house?” she replies. The music turns ominous. Oliveira is talking about a GoFundMe account Laita runs on behalf of the family, one that was, at one point, framed as a donation fund to help the family buy a house. “Mark says we ain’t got no more money in there,” she adds.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Sc3VJl">
Oliveira tells them he bets there’s $50,000 or $60,000 in the fundraising account, but doesn’t quite explain why he believes that to be true. His video doesn’t outright accuse Laita of fraud, but pretty aggressively raises questions about what Laita does with the GoFundMe donations he collects for the family.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Gq0EcO">
“Mark!” Oliveira asks to the camera, while driving away from the family. “Where is the house?” Oliveira’s video quickly topped 5 million views.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mrp8Gj">
Laita responded with a video of his own, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE5Z1uix9Ew">“Whittakers GoFundMe - The Problem With Social Media.”</a> The video is a classic of the “response with receipts” genre of YouTube drama video, as Laita displays screenshots of the bank transactions between him and the Whittaker family that he says account for the funds. The GoFundMe, he said, “has generated a lot of money for the family.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M5Yugl">
“The problem,” Laita said, has been that members of the family call him “every two or three weeks” requesting money from the GoFundMe to cover their expenses. Laita adds that he pays the tax on the donation money himself, and gives the Whittakers “every cent” that is left after taxes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qu0bu9">
The Whittakers’ lives are “so much better” since Laita entered into it, he said. He then added he was ending the GoFundMe for the Whittakers and stepping back from filming them. Nobody in the family, he noted, came to his defense after the Oliveira video dropped.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2e74FO">
“Never once have I ever gotten a thank you from anybody,” he said. “But that’s a whole other conversation.” Later in the video, Laita said that running GoFundMes for the people he films has become a “headache” for him, and that he’s going to stop them altogether.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Da4KrK">
Fundraising is one way that creators like Laita and Oliveira can make their content feel less exploitative to their fans, who get the experience of doing something “good” for the people they just watched, and might feel like the creator behind that content has motivations beyond just getting views. But it’s more complicated than that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2OqVU2">
“At the end of the day, a fundraiser is just another engagement mechanism and just another technique of self-branding,” Higgins said. It’s hard to think of a fundraiser as altruism when the GoFundMe itself becomes a vehicle for getting views. It’s worth noting that both Laita and Oliveira monetize their channel with ads. Laita also offers a paid subscription service for fans.
</p>
<h3 id="1UoDFw">
The icky ethics of “poverty porn”
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8yz2yv">
There’s a whole subgenre of TikTok content that clearly lays out the transaction at the heart of this content. These accounts will post short-form videos in which creators “go up to people who are experiencing homelessness, and they put a camera in their face, and they’re like, ‘I’m gonna connect you with resources.’” said <a href="https://www.shu.edu/profiles/rauchje.html">Jess Rauchberg</a>, an assistant professor of culture and media at Seton Hall University.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rXydFj">
It’s good that people in need are being offered help, but the dynamic between creator and vulnerable person being filmed is creating a situation where their consent is questionable at best. “It’s almost difficult to say no,” Rauchberg said. “It becomes less about the act of supporting people and making sure needs are met and more about generating views, generating them quickly, and using disability or poverty to get those views.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AI9Q58">
From the chatter I’ve seen online about this disagreement in comment sections and on YouTube drama recaps, it seems like Laita ultimately came out better than Oliveira in terms of their public image. But both still have tons of online fans, and neither Laita nor Oliveira responded to my multiple emails seeking comment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4y80uY">
Meanwhile, their viewers will get what they want, as Higgins put it: Content that makes a spectacle out of poverty can make us feel “safe,” reassuring us that poor people are “not like us.” Poverty porn works by leaving viewers entertained rather than angry, ready to “click the next video” rather than tackle the structures that lead to poverty in the first place.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5DyRg3">
I think a lot about online representation and consent, whether it’s about viral videos featuring <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/02/16/1045322/dementia-consent-tiktok-online-ethics/">people with dementia</a> or how people with <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2023/12/4/23984175/tiktok-illness-influencers">terminal illnesses</a> tell their own stories. Maybe that’s why I paused on this particular controversy. It resonates with questions that come up again and again in discussions about online content: Who gets to tell their stories online? And who has stories told on their behalf?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="biJwSd">
For now, this particular drama has spread into the air, indistinguishable from the steam of all the other pops of conflict over the past weeks. I can’t wait to find out which bubble will give me an existential crisis next.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z9qoua">
<em>A version of this story was published in the Vox Technology newsletter. </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/newsletters"><em><strong>Sign up here</strong></em></a><em> so you don’t miss the next one!</em>
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ruturaj Gaikwad takes over Chennai Super Kings captaincy from Dhoni</strong> - Gaikwad, who joined CSK in 2019, takes over from M.S. Dhoni, who has mostly led the team since the start of the IPL in 2008</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Morning Digest | Indian govt probe found ‘rogue operatives’ involved in plot to kill Pannun, says media report; Former General with ties to past dictatorship is Indonesia’s next President, and more</strong> - Here is a select list of stories to start the day.</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>Moment of my life: RCB ace Shreyanka describes meeting idol Virat Kohli</strong> - Shreyanka has so far represented India in two ODIs and six T20Is, picking up four and and eight wickets respectively</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>India eye 3 points in FIFA World Cup Qualifier against weakened Afghanistan</strong> - With three points and one win from two matches, India currently occupy the second place in the Group A pecking order</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>Afghanistan call for ‘politics-free cricket’ after Australia scrap T20s</strong> - Under the Taliban government’s brand of Islamic rule, women are effectively barred from the game, as part of a raft of restrictions on women in Afghanistan the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid”</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>Thanjavur branch of ISCCM inaugurated</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>Bihar Congress chief meets Lalu Yadav amid rumours of RJD giving tickets for Lok Sabha polls</strong> - Photos have gone viral on social media of Kumar Sarvajeet, the MLA from Bodh Gaya, purportedly receiving the party symbol from the RJD supremo for the reserved Gaya Lok Sabha seat</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>Annamalai urges Stalin to issue single certificate to 68 communities</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>BRS leader Krishank demands police to submit his phone in the court</strong> - “Police had given notices to me and seized my mobile phone and passport for speaking about the Chitrapuri Colony Society Treasurer.”</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>Lok Sabha poll | Various political outfits extend support to INDIA bloc</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>Large missile attack targets Ukrainian capital</strong> - At least 17 people were injured as debris from more than 30 intercepted missiles fell on Kyiv, 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>Portugal set for centre-right minority government</strong> - The country has its most fragmented parliament since the end of its dictatorship half a century ago.</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>Macron flexes political muscle in boxing photos</strong> - French president is snapped working the punch bag, days after getting tough on Russia,</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>I am no longer best man to be Irish PM - Varadkar</strong> - Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar became the Republic of Ireland’s youngest prime minister in 2017.</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>EU to cap some Ukrainian imports to quell protests</strong> - Some cereals, like wheat and barley, will remain free of duties despite objections by farmers.</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>Here’s BMW’s electric replacement for the X3—production starts in 2025</strong> - BMW has developed an all new EV platform with better efficiency and more tech. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2011748">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SpaceX’s workhorse launch pad now has the accoutrements for astronauts</strong> - “This system will help us scale to bigger towers and spaceships.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2011649">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Antibodies against anything? AI tool adapted to make them</strong> - Right now, making antibodies means immunizing animals. But that may change. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2011766">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>GPT-5 might arrive this summer as a “materially better” update to ChatGPT</strong> - Sources say to expect OpenAI’s next major AI model mid-2024, according to a new report. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2011612">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lifesaving gene therapy for kids is world’s priciest drug at $4.25M</strong> - It’s unclear if government and private insurance plans can cover the costs. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2011685">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>What do you call a threesome, but it’s you and the two people in the porn video?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A lonesome.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Dykidnnid"> /u/Dykidnnid </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bk1hud/what_do_you_call_a_threesome_but_its_you_and_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bk1hud/what_do_you_call_a_threesome_but_its_you_and_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I just realized my wife left me because of my obsession with simplifying fractions.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Oh well. Hindsight is 1.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/porichoygupto"> /u/porichoygupto </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bjp5co/i_just_realized_my_wife_left_me_because_of_my/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bjp5co/i_just_realized_my_wife_left_me_because_of_my/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Infidelity</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Rex came home after a hard day at work. He went into the kitchen and realized that it had been freshly painted. He was surprised. He asked his wife if she had painted the kitchen.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Karen sat on the couch while eating Cheetos and bon-bons. “No,” she replied. “I’ve been asking you to do the kitchen for weeks. I was complaining to the neighbor about it and he said that if I would have sex with him he would paint it today.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Rex immediately ran upstairs into the bedroom. Karen could hear the closet door open. She knew he kept the gun there. She giggled with glee about the trouble she was about to cause.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Rex stormed down the stairs and he threw black, lacy lingerie on her lap. He said, “If you see him tomorrow put this on. I need shelves put up in the garage!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Fenix_Glo"> /u/Fenix_Glo </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bjqocs/infidelity/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bjqocs/infidelity/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An older gentleman and his wife are having problems with their sex life</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Norm and Flo take a trip to the doctor’s and old Norm explains that they still enjoy an active sex life but in the past 5 years Flo has never reached an orgasm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doctor, who incidentally is a very handsome and fit young man, is curious. Being a bit of a maverick the young Doc thinks he knows what the issue is but asks if they would mind stripping off and getting down to it right there in his surgery.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I suspect the issue is related to your wife overheating during intercourse” explains the young Doctor, who starts to waft a towel beside the couple who are now humping away on the examination table.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After a few minutes, nothing is happening and ol Norm, getting increasingly agitated, keeps glancing up at the doctor, who continues to fan them with the towel.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Eventually Norm, clearly a bit frustrated, suggests that he swaps places with the Doc.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doc agrees and hands the towel to Norm before jumping up on old Flo. Norm starts fanning the couple and the Doc gets down to business with Flo.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Within minutes Flo is screaming in passion as she climaxes for the first time in years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yeeeehaaa, Doc”’ exclaims Norm triumphantly punching the air “now that’s how you waft a towel!!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/mrpricklefingerz"> /u/mrpricklefingerz </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bjk0j0/an_older_gentleman_and_his_wife_are_having/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bjk0j0/an_older_gentleman_and_his_wife_are_having/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hookers don’t fart…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
They let out little prosti-toots
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Natural-Army"> /u/Natural-Army </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bjsdhn/hookers_dont_fart/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bjsdhn/hookers_dont_fart/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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