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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>Who engaged in home-based arts activities during the COVID-19 pandemic? A cross-sectional analysis of data from 4,731 adults in the United States</strong> -
<div>
Arts engagement is a health-related behavior that may be influenced by social inequalities. While the COVID-19 pandemic provided new opportunities for some people to engage in the arts, it might have created barriers for others. We aimed to examine whether there was social patterning in home-based arts engagement during the pandemic in the United States (US), and whether predictors of engagement differed according to the type of arts activity. We included 4,731 adults who participated in the US COVID-19 Social Study between April and July 2020. Three types of home-based arts engagement were considered: reading for pleasure, arts or crafts activities, and digital arts activities. Using logistic regression models, we tested cross-sectional associations between a broad range of demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health-related factors as well as adverse events and worries during lockdown and each type of arts engagement. The factors most strongly associated with all three types of arts engagement were social support, social network size, age, race/ethnicity, keyworker status, and experiencing physical or psychological abuse during the pandemic. However, most socioeconomic and health-related factors were not associated with arts engagement, including household income and mental and physical health problems. Overall, our findings indicate that the social gradient in arts engagement was reduced in the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, the potential diversification of arts audiences during the pandemic is promising for both population-level health and wellbeing and the future of the arts and cultural sector.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/8mzsd/" target="_blank">Who engaged in home-based arts activities during the COVID-19 pandemic? A cross-sectional analysis of data from 4,731 adults in the United States</a>
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<li><strong>Home working and its association with social and mental wellbeing at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from seven UK longitudinal population surveys.</strong> -
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Background: Home working rates have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic9s onset, but the health implications of this transformation are unclear. We assessed the association between home working and social and mental wellbeing through harmonised analyses of seven UK longitudinal studies. Methods: We estimated associations between home working and measures of psychological distress, low life satisfaction, poor self-rated health, low social contact, and loneliness across three different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (T1= Apr-Jun 2020 - first lockdown, T2=Jul-Oct 2020 - eased restrictions, T3=Nov 2020-Mar 2021 - second lockdown), in seven population-based cohort studies using modified Poisson regression and meta-analyses to pool results across studies. Findings: Among 34,131 observations spread over three time points, we found higher rates of home working at T1 and T3 compared with T2, reflecting lockdown periods. Home working was not associated with psychological distress at T1 (RR=0.92, 95%CI=0.79-1.08) or T2 (RR=0.99, 95%CI=0.88-1.11), but a detrimental association was found with psychological distress at T3 (RR=1.17, 95%CI=1.05-1.30). Poorer psychological distress associated with home working was observed for those educated to below degree level at T2 and T3. Men working from home reported poorer self-reported health at T2. Interpretation: No clear evidence of an association between home working and mental wellbeing was found, apart from greater risk of psychological distress associated with home working during the second lockdown, but differences across sub-groups may exist. Longer term shifts to home working might not have adverse impacts on population wellbeing in the absence of pandemic restrictions but further monitoring of health inequalities is required.
</p>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.03.22280412v1" target="_blank">Home working and its association with social and mental wellbeing at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from seven UK longitudinal population surveys.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Discovery of novel papillomaviruses in the critically-endangered Malayan and Chinese pangolins</strong> -
<div>
Pangolins are scaly and toothless mammals which are distributed across Africa and Asia. Currently, the Malayan, Chinese and Philippine pangolins are all designated as critically-endangered species. Although few pangolin viruses have been described, their viromes have received more attention following the discovery that they harbour sarbecoviruses related to SARS-CoV-2. Using a large-scale genome mining strategy, we discovered novel lineages of papillomaviruses infecting the Malayan and Chinese pangolins. We were able to assemble 3 complete circular papillomavirus genomes with an intact coding capacity, and 5 additional L1 genes encoding the major capsid protein. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 7 out of 8 L1 sequences formed a monophyletic group which is the sister lineage to the Tree shrew papillomavirus 1, isolated from Yunnan province in China. Additionally, a single L1 sequence assembled from a Chinese pangolin was placed in a clade closer to alpha- and omegapapillomaviruses. Examination of the SRA data from 95 re-sequenced genomes revealed that 49.3% Malayan pangolins and 50% Chinese pangolins, were positive for papillomavirus reads. Our results indicate that pangolins in South East Asia are the hosts to diverse and highly prevalent papillomaviruses, which may have implications for pangolin health and conservation.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.04.510846v1" target="_blank">Discovery of novel papillomaviruses in the critically-endangered Malayan and Chinese pangolins</a>
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<li><strong>Population-level relative effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and the contribution of naturally acquired immunity</strong> -
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Background: Immune protection against SARS-CoV-2 can be induced by natural infection or vaccination or both. The interaction between vaccine-induced immunity and naturally acquired immunity at the population level has been understudied. Methods: We used regression models to evaluate whether the impact of COVID-19 vaccines differed across states with different levels of naturally acquired immunity from March 2021 to April 2022 in the United States. Analysis was conducted for three evaluation periods separately (Alpha, Delta, and Omicron waves). As a proxy of the proportion of the population with naturally acquired immunity, we used either the reported seroprevalence or the estimated proportion of the population ever infected in each state. Results: COVID-19 mortality decreased as the coverage of ≥1 dose increased among people ≥65 years of age, and this effect did not vary by seroprevalence or the proportion of the total population ever infected. Seroprevalence and the proportion ever infected were not associated with COVID-19 mortality, after controlling for vaccine coverage. These findings were consistent in all evaluation periods. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a sustained reduction in mortality at the state level during the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron periods. The effect did not vary by naturally acquired immunity.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.04.22280689v1" target="_blank">Population-level relative effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and the contribution of naturally acquired immunity</a>
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<li><strong>Dynamics of Vaccine-Hesitant Parents’ Considerations Regarding Covid-19 Vaccination</strong> -
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Introduction: Most studies present a snapshot of hesitant parents9 decisions and thinking concerning COVID-19 vaccination, but for many it is a dynamic rather than a stable process. We examined the considerations of a group of vaccine hesitant parents (VHPs) with respect to COVID-19 vaccinations for their children before, during and after the main vaccination campaign for the 12 to 15-year-old age group in Israel, over a six-month period. Methods: Digital surveys were administered to 1118 Israeli parents. After VHPs were identified, three surveys were conducted to evaluate considerations that discourage or encourage vaccination. A logistic regression was carried out on sixteen models; of these, six were found to be statistically significant. Results: 456 parents9 data were analyzed. Parents9 intentions to vaccinate prior to the vaccination campaign were a good predictor of their actual behavior, (rp=.497, p&lt;.001). We divided the parents into four groups: consistently pro-vaccine (39.4%), consistently anti-vaccine (15.2%), pro-vaccine parents who did not vaccinate (17.6%), and anti-vaccine parents who did vaccinate (27.9%). We identified eight considerations that were significant in VHPs9 vaccination behavior: trust in scientists, doctors and drug companies, children9s preferences, spread of COVID, social responsibility, children9s characteristics, the vaccine9s speed of development and its side effects. Discussion: Greater vaccine uptake for teenagers may depend on the attitudes and perceptions of their parents. We identified encouraging and discouraging considerations that may make potential targets for public health officials when communicating about vaccines.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.02.22280627v1" target="_blank">Dynamics of Vaccine-Hesitant Parents’ Considerations Regarding Covid-19 Vaccination</a>
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<li><strong>Evaluation of primary allied healthcare in patients recovering from COVID-19: first results after six months follow-up in a Dutch nationwide prospective cohort study</strong> -
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Objectives: To report the recovery of patients receiving primary allied healthcare after a COVID-19 infection at a six-month follow-up, and to explore which patient characteristics are associated with the changes in outcomes between the baseline and six-month follow-up. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Allied healthcare in Dutch primary care. Participants: 1,452 adult patients recovering from COVID-19 and receiving treatment from one or more primary care allied health professional(s) (i.e., dietitian, exercise therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist and/or speech and language therapist). Results: For participation (USER-P range 0 to 100), estimated mean differences of at least 2.3 points were observed after six months. For HRQoL (EQ-VAS range 0 to 100), the mean increase was 12.31 at six months. Furthermore, significant improvements were found for fatigue (FSS range 1 to 7): the mean decrease was -0.7 at six months. For physical functioning (PROMIS-PF range 13.8 to 61.3), the mean increase was 5.9 at six months. Mean differences of -0.8 for anxiety (HADS range 0 to 21), and -1.5 for depression (HADS range 0 to 21), were found after six months. A better baseline score, hospital admission and male sex were associated with a positive change in score between the baseline and six-month follow-up, whereas age, BMI, comorbidities and smoking status were not associated with mean changes in any outcome measure. Conclusions: Patients recovering from COVID-19 who receive primary allied healthcare make progress in recovery, but still experience many limitations in their daily activities after six months. Our findings provide reference values to healthcare providers and healthcare policy-makers regarding what to expect from the recovery of patients who received health care from one or more primary care allied health professionals. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov registry (NCT04735744).
</p>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.03.22280639v1" target="_blank">Evaluation of primary allied healthcare in patients recovering from COVID-19: first results after six months follow-up in a Dutch nationwide prospective cohort study</a>
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<li><strong>Role of anti-polyethylene glycol (PEG) antibodies in the allergic reactions and immunogenicity of PEG-containing Covid-19 vaccines</strong> -
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The polyethylene-glycol (PEG)-containing Covid-19 vaccines can cause hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs), or rarely, life-threatening anaphylaxis. A causal role of anti-PEG antibodies (Abs) has been proposed, but not yet proven in humans. The 191 blood donors in this study included 10 women and 5 men who displayed HSRs to Comirnaty or Spikevax Covid-19 vaccines with 3 anaphylaxis. 118 donors had pre-vaccination anti-PEG IgG/IgM values as measured by ELISA, of which &gt;98% were over background regardless of age, indicating the presence of these Abs in almost everyone. Their values varied over 2-3 orders of magnitude and displayed strong left-skewed distribution with 3-4% of subjects having &gt;15-30-fold higher values than the respective median. First, or booster injections with both vaccines led to significant rises of anti-PEG IgG/IgM with &gt;10-fold rises in about ~10% of Comirnaty, and all Spikevax recipients, measured at different times after the injections. The anti-PEG Ab levels measured within 4-months after the HSRs were significantly higher than those in nonreactors. Serial testing of plasma (n=361 tests) showed the SARS-CoV-2 neutralization IgG to vary over a broad range, with a trend for biphasic dose dependence on anti-PEG Abs. The highest prevalence of anti-PEG Ab positivity in human blood reported to date represents new information which can most easily be rationalized by daily exposure to common PEG-containing medications and/or household items. The significantly higher, HSR-non-coincidental blood level of anti-PEG Abs in hypersensitivity reactor vs. non-reactors, taken together with relevant clinical and experimental data in the literature, suggest that anti-PEG Ab supercarrier people might be at increased risk for HSRs to PEG-containing vaccines, which themselves can induce these Abs via bystander immunogenicity. Our data also raise the possibility that anti-PEG Abs might also contribute to the reduction of these vaccines9 virus neutralization efficacy. Thus, screening for anti-PEG Ab supercarriers may identify people at risk for HSRs or reduced vaccine effectiveness.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.03.22280227v1" target="_blank">Role of anti-polyethylene glycol (PEG) antibodies in the allergic reactions and immunogenicity of PEG-containing Covid-19 vaccines</a>
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<li><strong>Impact of Omicron Wave and Associated Infection Prevention and Control Measures in Shanghai on Health Management and Psychosocial Well-Being of Patients with Chronic Conditions</strong> -
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Background: COVID-19 and associated controls may be particularly problematic in the context of chronic conditions. This study investigated health management, well-being, and pandemic-related perspectives in these patients in the context of stringent measures, and associated correlates. Methods: A self-report survey was administered via Wenjuanxing in Simplified Chinese between March-June 2022 during the Omicron wave lockdown in Shanghai, China. Items from the Somatic Symptom Scale (SSS) and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) were administered, as well as pandemic-related items created by a working group of the Chinese Preventive Medical Association. Chronic disease patients in this cross-sectional study were recruited through an associated community family physician group. Results: Overall, 1775 patients, mostly married females with hypertension, participated. Mean SSS scores were 36.1+/-10.5/80, with 41.5% scoring in the elevated range (i.e., above 36). In an adjusted model, female, diagnosis of coronary artery disease and arrhythmia, perceived impact of pandemic on life, duration can tolerate control measures, perception of future &amp; control measures, impact of pandemic on health condition and change to exercise routine due to pandemic were significantly associated with greater distress. Approximately one-quarter (24.5%) perceived the pandemic had a permanent impact on their life, and 44.1% perceived at least a minor impact on their health. One-third (33.5%) discontinued exercise due to the pandemic. While 47.6% stocked up on their medications before the lockdown, their remaining supply was mostly only enough for a couple of weeks and 17.5% of participants discontinued use. Chief among their fears were inability to access healthcare (83.2%), and what they stated they most needed to manage their condition was medication access (65.6%). Conclusions: Since 2020 when we assessed a similar cohort, distress and perceived impact of the pandemic has worsened. Greater access to cardiac rehabilitation in China could address these issues.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.03.22280646v1" target="_blank">Impact of Omicron Wave and Associated Infection Prevention and Control Measures in Shanghai on Health Management and Psychosocial Well-Being of Patients with Chronic Conditions</a>
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<li><strong>Effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir against hospital admission: a matched cohort study in a large US healthcare system</strong> -
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Background: In the United States, oral nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (PaxlovidTM) is authorized for use among patients aged ≥12 years with mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection who are at risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization. However, effectiveness under real-world conditions has not been well established. Methods: We undertook a matched, observational cohort study of non-hospitalized individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection to compare outcomes between those who received or did not receive nirmatrelvir-ritonavir within the Kaiser Permanente Southern California healthcare system. Individuals were matched on testing date, age, sex, treatment/care setting, symptoms status (including presence or absence of acute COVID-19 symptoms at testing, and time from symptom onset to testing), history of vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection, Charlson comorbidity index, and prior-year healthcare utilization. Time to hospital admission was compared between matched COVID-19 cases who received or did not receive nirmatrelvir-ritonavir. Primary analyses evaluated treatment effectiveness against any hospital admission and acute respiratory infection (ARI)-associated hospital admission, with dispense occurring 0-5 days symptom onset. Secondary analyses evaluated effectiveness against the same endpoints for all treatment dispenses. We measured treatment effectiveness as (1-adjusted hazards ratio [aHR])*100%, estimating the aHR via Cox proportional hazards models accounting for match strata and additional patient characteristics. Results: Analyses included 4,329 nirmatrelvir-ritonavir recipients and 20,980 matched non-recipients who were followed ≥30 days after a positive SARS-CoV-2 outpatient test. Overall, 23,603 (93.3%) and 19,564 (78.1%) of 25,039 participants had received ≥2 and ≥3 COVID-19 vaccine doses, respectively. A total of 23,858 (94.2% of 25,039) patients were symptomatic at the point of testing, with a 2.1 day mean time from symptom onset to testing. For patients dispensed nirmatrelvir-ritonavir 0-5 days after symptom onset, effectiveness in preventing all hospital admissions was 88.1% (95% confidence interval: 49.0-97.5%) over 15 days and 71.9% (25.3-90.0%) over 30 days, respectively. Effectiveness in preventing ARI-associated hospital admissions was 88.3% (12.9-98.8%) and 87.3% (18.3-98.5%) over 15 and 30 days, respectively. In expanded analyses that included patients receiving treatment at any point during their clinical course, effectiveness was 86.6% (54.9-96.3%) and 78.0% (46.2-91.4%) in preventing all hospital admissions over 15 and 30 days, respectively, and 93.7% (52.5-99.4%) and 92.8% (53.9-99.1%) in preventing ARI-associated hospital admissions over 15 and 30 days. Subgroup analyses identified similar effectiveness estimates among patients who had received ≥2 COVID-19 vaccine doses. Implications: In a real-world setting with high levels of COVID-19 vaccine and booster uptake, receipt of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir 0-5 days after symptom onset was associated substantial reductions in risk of hospital admission among individuals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection in outpatient settings.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.02.22280623v1" target="_blank">Effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir against hospital admission: a matched cohort study in a large US healthcare system</a>
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<li><strong>A scoping review of regulatory T cell dynamics in convalescent COVID-19 patients - Implications for Long COVID?</strong> -
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Background: Recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be impaired by the persistence of symptoms or new-onset health complications, commonly referred to as Long COVID. In a subset of patients, Long COVID is associated with immune system perturbations of unknown etiology, which could be related to compromised immunoregulatory mechanisms. Objective: The aim of this scoping review was to investigate if regulatory T cell (Treg) dysregulation is observable beyond the acute illness and if it might be involved in Long COVID immunopathology. Design: A systematic search of studies investigating Tregs during COVID-19 convalescence was conducted on MEDLINE (via Pubmed) and Web of Science. Results: The literature search yielded 17 relevant studies, of which three included a distinct cohort of patients with Long COVID. The reviewed studies suggest that the Treg population of COVID-19 patients can reconstitute quantitatively and functionally during recovery. However, the comparison between recovered and seronegative controls revealed that an infection-induced dysregulation of the Treg compartment can be sustained for at least several months. The small number of studies investigating Tregs in Long COVID allowed no firm conclusions to be drawn about their involvement in the syndrome9s etiology. Yet, even almost one year post-infection Long COVID patients exhibit significantly altered proportions of Tregs within the CD4+ T cell population. Conclusions: Persistent alterations in cell frequency in Long COVID patients indicate that Treg dysregulation might be linked to immune system-associated sequelae. Future studies should aim to address the association of Treg adaptations with different symptom clusters and blood parameters beyond the sole quantification of cell frequencies while adhering to consensualized phenotyping strategies.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.04.22280642v1" target="_blank">A scoping review of regulatory T cell dynamics in convalescent COVID-19 patients - Implications for Long COVID?</a>
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<li><strong>Fatal cases after Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 infection: Diffuse alveolar damage occurs only in a minority - results of an autopsy study</strong> -
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Compared with previously prevalent variants of SARS-CoV-2, the Omicron lineages BA.1 and BA.2 are known to be associated with mild clinical courses. In addition, well-established animal models do not develop severe diseases. To address whether the supposedly fatal cases after Omicron-BA.1/2 infection show the known COVID-19 organ alterations, especially in the lungs, 23 full and 3 partial autopsies in the deceased with known Omicron BA.1/2 infections have been consecutively performed. Viral RNA was determined by RT-qPCR and RNA-in situ hybridization. The lineages were analyzed by whole genome sequencing or S-gene analysis. Despite high viral loads in almost all nasopharyngeal swabs and in 13 lung tissue samples, death caused by COVID-19-associated diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) in the acute and organizing stages was found in only eight cases (31%). This rate is significantly lower compared to previous studies, including non-Omicron variants, where rates of 92% and 69% for non-vaccinated and fully vaccinated vaccines were observed. It is of special interest that neither vaccination status nor known risk factors (i.e., age, comorbidities, obesity, immuno-suppression) were significantly associated with a direct cause of death by COVID-19. Only the reason for the hospital admission of the patients due to COVID-19-related symptoms showed a significant correlation with directly COVID-19-caused deaths (P &lt; 0.001). DAD still occurred in the Omicron BA.1/BA.2 era of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic but at a considerably lower frequency than seen with previous variants of concern. In our study, none of the known risk factors discriminated the cases with COVID-19-caused death from those that had COVID-19 infections but died due to a different disease. Therefore, the host9s genomics might play a key role in this regard. Further studies are urgently needed to elucidate the existence of a genomic mechanism as a risk factor for a fatal course.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.02.22280609v1" target="_blank">Fatal cases after Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 infection: Diffuse alveolar damage occurs only in a minority - results of an autopsy study</a>
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<li><strong>Impact of vaccination on COVID-19-associated admissions to critical care in England: a population cohort study of linked data</strong> -
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Introduction This study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on critical care by examining associations between vaccination and admission to critical care with COVID-19 during England9s Delta wave, by age group, dose, and over time. Methods We used linked routinely-collected data to conduct a population cohort study of patients admitted to adult critical care in England for management of COVID-19 between 1 May and 15 December 2021. Included participants were the whole population of England aged 18 years or over (44.7 million), including 10,141 patients admitted to critical care with COVID-19. The intervention was vaccination with one, two, or a booster/three doses of any COVID-19 vaccine. Results Compared with unvaccinated patients, vaccinated patients were older (median 64 years for patients receiving two or more doses versus 50 years for unvaccinated), with higher levels of severe comorbidity (20.3% versus 3.9%) and immunocompromise (15.0% versus 2.3%). Compared with patients who were unvaccinated, those vaccinated with two doses had a relative risk reduction (RRR) of between 90.1% (patients aged 18-29, 95% CI, 86.8% to 92.7%) and 95.9% (patients aged 60-69, 95% CI, 95.5% to 96.2%). Waning was only observed for those aged 70+, for whom the RRR reduced from 97.3% (91.0% to 99.2%) to 86.7% (85.3% to 90.1%) between May and December but increased again to 98.3% (97.6% to 98.8%) with a booster/third dose. Conclusion Important demographic and clinical differences exist between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients admitted to critical care with COVID-19. While not a causal analysis, our findings are consistent with a substantial and sustained impact of vaccination on reducing admissions to critical care during England9s Delta wave, with evidence of waning predominantly restricted to those aged 70+.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.03.22280649v1" target="_blank">Impact of vaccination on COVID-19-associated admissions to critical care in England: a population cohort study of linked data</a>
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<li><strong>Non-specific effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin - a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials</strong> -
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Vaccines induce antigen-specific immunity which provides long-lived protection from the target pathogen. Trials especially from high infectious disease areas indicated that the tuberculosis vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) induces in addition non-specific immunity against various pathogens and thereby reduces overall mortality. Although recent trials produced conflicting results, it was suggested that BCG might protect from non-tuberculosis respiratory infections and could be used to bridge time until a specific vaccine against novel respiratory diseases like COVID-19 is available. We performed a systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCT) published between 2011 and August 5th, 2022 providing evidence about non-specific effects after BCG vaccination, assessed their potential for bias, and meta-analyzed relevant clinical outcomes. We excluded RCTs investigating vaccination with an additional vaccine, unless outcomes from a follow-up period before the second vaccination were reported. Our search identified 15 RCTs including 32160 participants. Vaccination with BCG caused an estimated 49% decrease in risk for respiratory infections (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.33-0.80) with substantial heterogeneity between trials (I2=80%; p&lt;0.00001). There was evidence for a protective effect on all-cause mortality of 22% if follow-up was restricted to one year (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.63-0.96); we did not find evidence for an effect when we considered longer follow-up (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.75-1.02). Infection-related mortality after BCG-vaccination was reduced by 33% (HR 0.67; 95% CI 0.46-0.99), mortality for sepsis by 38% (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.41-0.93). There was no evidence for a protective effect of BCG vaccination on infections of any origin (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.71-1.00), COVID-19 (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.61-1.14), sepsis (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.62-1.07) or hospitalization (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.92-1.14). According to these results, depending on the setting, vaccination with BCG provides time-limited partial protection against non-tuberculosis respiratory infections and may reduce mortality. These findings underline BCGs potential 1) in pandemic preparedness against novel pathogens especially in developing countries with established BCG-vaccination programs but limited access to specific vaccines; 2) in reducing microbial infections, antimicrobial prescriptions and thus the development of antimicrobial resistance. There is a need for additional RCTs to clarify the circumstances under which BCGs non-specific protective effects are mediated.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.03.22280556v1" target="_blank">Non-specific effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin - a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 ORF3c impairs mitochondrial respiratory metabolism, oxidative stress and autophagic flow</strong> -
<div>
Coronaviruses encode a variable number of accessory proteins that play a role in host-virus interactions, in the suppression of immune responses, or in immune evasion. Accessory proteins in SARS-CoV-2 consist of at least twelve viral proteins whose roles during infection have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, the role of the ORF3c accessory protein, an alternative open reading frame of ORF3a, has remained elusive. Herein, we characterized ORF3c in terms of cellular localization, host’s antiviral response modulation, and effects on mitochondrial metabolism. We show that ORF3c has a mitochondrial localization and alters mitochondrial metabolism, resulting in increased ROS production, block of the autophagic flux, and accumulation of autophagosomes/autolysosomes. Notably, we also found that ORF3c induces a shift from glucose to fatty acids oxidation and enhanced oxidative phosphorylation. This is similar to the condition observed in the chronic degenerative phase of COVID-19. Altogether these data suggest that ORF3c could be a key protein for SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and that it may play a role in disease progression.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.04.510754v1" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 ORF3c impairs mitochondrial respiratory metabolism, oxidative stress and autophagic flow</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Distinct phenotype of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 in human primary cells but no increased host range in cell lines of putative mammalian reservoir species</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2’s genetic plasticity has led to several variants of concern (VOCs). Here we studied replicative capacity for seven SARS-CoV-2 isolates (B.1, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Zeta, and Omicron BA.1) in primary reconstituted airway epithelia (HAE) and lung-derived cell lines. Furthermore, to investigate the host range of Delta and Omicron compared to ancestral SARS-CoV-2, we assessed replication in 17 cell lines from 11 non-primate mammalian species, including bats, rodents, insectivores and carnivores. Only Omicron’s phenotype differed in vitro, with rapid but short replication and efficient production of infectious virus in nasal HAEs, in contrast to other VOCs, but not in lung cell lines. No increased infection efficiency for other species was observed, but Delta and Omicron infection efficiency was increased in A549 cells. Notably replication in A549 and Calu3 cells was lower than in nasal HAE. Our results suggest better adaptation of VOCs towards humans, without an extended host range.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.04.510352v1" target="_blank">Distinct phenotype of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 in human primary cells but no increased host range in cell lines of putative mammalian reservoir species</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>The Efficacy and Safety of TADIOS as an Adjuvant Therapy in Patients Diagnosed With Mild to Moderate COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: TADIOS;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Helixmith Co., Ltd.<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>A Study to Learn About a Repeat 5-Day Treatment With the Study Medicines (Called Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir) in People 12 Years Old or Older With Return of COVID-19 Symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 Positivity After Finishing Treatment With Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: nirmatrelvir;   Drug: ritonavir;   Drug: placebo for nirmatrelvir<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Pfizer<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 iCura SARS-CoV-2 Ag OTC: Clinical Evaluation</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Device: iCura COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Home Test;   Diagnostic Test: RT-PCR Test<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   EDP Biotech;   Paragon Rx Clinical, Inc.;   iCura Diagnostics, LLC<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study Evaluating Diltiazem in Combination With Standard Treatment in the Management of Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 Pneumonia</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: DILTIAZEM TEVA 60 mg or placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Hospices Civils de Lyon;   Signia Therapeutics<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>FMT for Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-Acute COVID19 Syndrome;   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Procedure: Faecal Microbiota Transplantation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Chinese University of Hong Kong<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Research on Community Based ATK Test Study to Control Spread of COVID-19 in Migrant Community</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Device: STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Test<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Oxford<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety and Immunogenicity of COVID-19 Vaccine in Population Aged 18 Years and Above</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: low-dose LYB001;   Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO Cell);   Biological: high-dose LYB001<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Efficacy and Safety of BioBlock® Intranasally Administered Virus-Neutralizing Bovine Colostrum Nasal Spray in Preventing of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease-19) Infection in Healthy Volunteer Individuals</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   SARS CoV 2 Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: BioBlock® antiviral nasal spray<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Chemi-Pharm AS<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>Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of Trivalent Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate VBI-2901a</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Coronavirus Infections<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: VBI-2901a<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   VBI Vaccines Inc.<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>3EO Health SARS-CoV-2 OTC At Home Test</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Diagnostic Test: In Vitro<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   3EO Health<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 the Impact of Death Conditions Linked to the COVID-19 Crisis on the Grieving Process in Bereaved Families</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Psychological Disorder<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Qualitative research interview<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris<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>Bringing Optimised COVID-19 Vaccine Schedules To ImmunoCompromised Populations (BOOST-IC): an Adaptive Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   HIV;   Organ Transplantation;   Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin;   Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia;   Multiple Myeloma;   COVID-19 Vaccines<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: BNT162b2;   Biological: mRNA-1273;   Biological: NVX-COV2373<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Bayside Health;   Monash University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>PAPR: PAP + MBSR for Front-line Healthcare Provider COVID-19 Related Burnout</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Depression;   Burnout, Professional<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Psilocybin;   Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of Utah;   Heffter Research Institute;   Usona Institute<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Physiology of Long COVID and the Impact of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation on Quality-of-Life and Functional Capacity</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Exercise<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Colorado, Denver<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase 3 Study to Evaluate Immunogenicity and Safety of BBV154 Booster Dose</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: BBV154 Intranasal Vaccine;   Biological: Intramuscular vaccine COVAXIN;   Biological: Covishield<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Bharat Biotech International Limited<br/><b>Completed</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>Booster vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 induces potent immune responses in people with HIV</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: In PWH receiving a third vaccine dose, there were significant increases in B and T cell immunity, including to known VOCs.</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>Body Weight is Inversely Associated with Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Levels after BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination in Young and Middle Aged Adults</strong> - CONCLUSION: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody was inversely correlated with weight and BMI, which may be used as a marker to predict immune response of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination in young and middle aged adults.</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 molecularly engineered, broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus lectin inhibits SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV infection in vivo</strong> - “Pan-coronavirus” antivirals targeting conserved viral components can be designed. Here, we show that the rationally engineered H84T-banana lectin (H84T-BanLec), which specifically recognizes high mannose found on viral proteins but seldom on healthy human cells, potently inhibits Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (including Omicron), and other human-pathogenic coronaviruses at nanomolar concentrations….</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>Assessment of Practices Affecting Racial and Ethnic COVID-19 Vaccination Equity in 10 Large US Cities</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Lack of consistent public reporting and transparency of COVID-19 vaccination data has likely hindered public health responses by impeding the ability to track the effectiveness of strategies that target vaccine equity.</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 3CL<sup>pro</sup> mutations selected in a VSV-based system confer resistance to nirmatrelvir, ensitrelvir, and GC376</strong> - Protease inhibitors are among the most powerful antiviral drugs. Nirmatrelvir is the first protease inhibitor against the SARS-CoV-2 protease 3CL^(pro) that has been licensed for clinical use. To identify mutations that confer resistance to this protease inhibitor, we engineered a chimeric vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that expressed a polyprotein composed of the VSV glycoprotein G, the SARS-CoV-2 3CL^(pro), and the VSV polymerase L. Viral replication was thus dependent on the autocatalytic…</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>Reducing delayed transfer of care in older people: A qualitative study of barriers and facilitators to shorter hospital stays</strong> - CONCLUSION: Poor quality and availability of information, and poor communication, inhibit effective transfer of care. Communication is fundamental to patient-centred care and even more important in discharge models characterized by limited assessments and quicker discharge. Interventions at the service level and targeted patient information about what to expect in discharge assessments and after discharge could help to address poor communication and support for improving discharge of older…</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>RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) natural antiviral inhibitors: a review</strong> - Viral diseases are the cause of many global epidemics, leading to deaths, affecting the quality of life of populations, and impairing public health. The limitations in the treatment of viral diseases and the constant resistance to conventional antiviral treatments encourage researchers to discover new compounds. In this perspective, this literature review presents isolated molecules and extracts of natural products capable of inhibiting the activity of the nonstructural protein that acts as 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>Novel α-aminophosphonate derivates synthesis, theoretical calculation, Molecular docking, and in silico prediction of potential inhibition of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Using the Density Functional Theory approach and in silico docking, the current study analyzes the inhibitory role of a novel α-aminophosphonate derivative against SARS-CoV-2 major protease (Mpro) and RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2. FT-IR, UV-Vis, and NMR (1H, 13C, 31P) approaches were used to produce and confirm the novel α-aminophosphonate derivative. The quantum chemical parameters were detremined, and the reactivity of the synthesized molecule was discussed using DFT at…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity decay and case incidence six months post Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine in autoimmune rheumatic diseases patients</strong> - The determination of durability and vaccine-associated protection is essential for booster doses strategies, however data on the stability of SARS-CoV-2 immunity are scarce. Here we assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunogenicity decay and incident cases six months after the 2^(nd) dose of Sinovac-CoronaVac inactivated vaccine (D210) in 828 autoimmune rheumatic diseases patients compared with 207 age/sex-balanced control individuals. The primary outcome is the presence of anti-S1/S2 SARS-CoV-2 IgG at 6…</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>Combinations of Host- and Virus-Targeting Antiviral Drugs Confer Synergistic Suppression of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Three directly acting antivirals (DAAs) demonstrated substantial reduction in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in clinical trials. However, these agents did not completely prevent severe illness and are associated with cases of rebound illness and viral shedding. Combination regimens can enhance antiviral potency, reduce the emergence of drug-resistant variants, and lower the dose of each component in the combination. Concurrently targeting virus entry and virus replication offers…</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>Correction for Zhao et al., “Gasdermin D Inhibits Coronavirus Infection by Promoting the Noncanonical Secretion of Beta Interferon”</strong> - No abstract</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Crystal structure of the Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase 2 inhibitor belumosudil bound to CK2α</strong> - The small molecule belumosudil was initially identified as a selective inhibitor of Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase 2 (ROCK2) and has recently been approved for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease. However, recent studies have shown that many of the phenotypes displayed upon treatment with belumosudil were due to CK2α inhibition. CK2α is in itself a very promising therapeutic target for a range of conditions and has recently been put forward as a potential treatment for 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>IL-4 receptor blockade is a global repressor of naïve B cell development and responses in a dupilumab-treated patient</strong> - Here, we report a case of atopic dermatitis (AD) in a patient who received biweekly doses of dupilumab, an antibody against the IL-4 receptor α chain (IL-4Rα). Single cell RNA-sequencing showed that naïve B cells expressed the highest levels of IL4R compared to other B cell subpopulations. Compared to controls, the dupilumab-treated patient exhibited diminished percentages of IL4R+IGHD+ naïve B cells and down-regulation of IL4R, FCER2 (CD23), and IGHD. Dupilumab treatment resulted in…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity profiling and distinct immune response in liver transplant recipients vaccinated with SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccines</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has been recommended for liver transplant (LT) recipients. However, our understanding of inactivated vaccine stimulation of the immune system in regulating humoral and cellular immunity among LT recipients is inadequate. Forty-six LT recipients who received two-dose inactivated vaccines according to the national vaccination schedule were enrolled. The clinical characteristics, antibody responses, single-cell peripheral immune profiling, and plasma cytokine/chemokine/growth…</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>Case report: Refractory intestinal Behçet’s syndrome successfully treated with tofacitinib: A report of four cases</strong> - Behçet’s syndrome (BS) is a chronic form of relapsing multisystem vasculitis, characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers. Intestinal BS is a special type of BS. Volcano-shaped ulcers in the ileocecum are a typical finding of intestinal BS, and punched-out ulcers can be observed in the intestine or esophagus. At present, there is no recognized radical treatment for intestinal BS. Glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants are currently the main drugs used to improve the condition. Although it…</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>False Choices and Familiar Stories in a California Homeless Encampment</strong> - How do you tell the story of the biggest crisis on the West Coast when every typical journalistic avenue seems to have run its course? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/false-choices-and-familiar-stories-in-a-california-homeless-encampment">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Roe vs. Trump in the Michigan Midterms</strong> - Candidates are betting on abortion outrage and MAGA enthusiasm. Why did one Republican field organizer tell canvassers to think twice about mentioning the former President? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/campaign-chronicles/roe-vs-trump-in-the-michigan-midterms">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Another City Is Drowning, and We Can’t Look Away</strong> - In Bangkok and around the world, live updates about hurricanes and floods are turning us into climate voyeurs. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/another-city-is-drowning-and-we-cant-look-away">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Ongoing Electoral Efforts to Up the Anti-Democratic Ante</strong> - Republican-led legislatures and right-wing activists alike are making things more difficult for election officials. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-ongoing-electoral-efforts-to-up-the-anti-democratic-ante">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trump’s Threats of Violence Are Too Dangerous to Disregard</strong> - As the various investigations around the former President close in on him, his campaign to discredit and intimidate his accusers will only intensify. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/trumps-threats-of-violence-are-too-dangerous-to-disregard">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The Instagram capital of the world is a terrible place to be</strong> -
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wgn3mAvYPkyFUgttbxD8b6CaGVE=/0x0:1879x1409/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71456127/GettyImages_506414708.0.jpg"/>
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Fun fact: Positano was the inspiration for the fictional seaside town in <em>The Talented Mr. Ripley</em>. | Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Just because you can (sort of) afford to go somewhere doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KIark0">
This time last week I was wandering the stony streets of Positano, a small village on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Positano rests almost vertically on the steep cliffside, with peachy pastel houses stacked on top of one another against zigzagging streets where local vendors sell sips of limoncello and colorful ceramics. At the bottom there is a pebbly beach where, if it’s warm enough (which it usually is), you can swim in the clear, turquoise waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Positano is blessed with a mild Mediterranean climate and a proximity to luxury and wealth; it is home to one of the most <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/london/2022/08/grand-detours-le-sirenuse">famous and majestic hotels in the world</a> and provided the backdrop for Diane Lane’s whirlwind romance in <em>Under the Tuscan Sun</em>. Twenty years later, the town has become synonymous with the grandest of influencer travelscapes, clogging Instagram with photos of beautiful people on boats, staring back in wonder at the skyline behind them.
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It is also the most unpleasant place I have ever been. This has little to do with the town itself, which has been home to resorts and villas for the European elite <a href="https://www.amalficoast.com/p/campania-4/amalfi-coast-1/positano-8/the-roman-villa-in-positano-the-past-that-emerges-2372">since the Roman Empire</a> but contains only small traces of its ancient past; as our tour guide explained, “there is no history here, it is just for relaxing and for pictures.” Fewer than 4,000 people live in Positano, and tourists <a href="https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/positano-stroll-behind-the-chic-facades">outnumber them three-to-one</a>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Jm8yQ9">
Nor is it really the fault of the crowds, though like seemingly everywhere else in Italy, they are rampant and inescapable and at times contribute to a sense of claustrophobic doom so great that the only way out is divorcing yourself from your body and disassociating until you finally reach open air. Rather, what’s most disturbing about being in Positano is the knowledge that you have been suckered, and the realization that just because you have the means to go somewhere does that mean that you are owed anything more than the experiential equivalent of flying Basic Economy. To be in Positano as a middle-class person — someone who can afford to travel and take time off work but not, say, afford to buy real estate in the city where they live — is to feel like an idiot for believing it could have been any better, or that being there is actually a benefit to the lives of the people who live there.
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeleFvTLH7H/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Le Sirenuse (<span class="citation" data-cites="lesirenuse">@lesirenuse</span>)</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uUEbPC">
The fact that there are so many more people traveling internationally <a href="https://www.humanprogress.org/how-capitalism-brought-tourism-to-the-masses/">now than ever before in history</a> is not necessarily a bad thing; luxuries that were once only afforded to the ultra-rich have been democratized by low-cost airlines and cheap deals on sites like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia. For many people, the summer of 2022 was their first time traveling internationally since the pre-Covid era, and despite the continued risks of traveling at all and the confusing and contradictory regulations about masking and vaccines, planning an international trip is now a nearly seamless experience: <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/10/21/20905485/iceland-overtourism-reykjavik-blue-lagoon-northern-lights">online travel agencies serve their users only</a> the highest rated itineraries, thereby guaranteeing a publicly vettable experience. And if you could go to the best possible cities, eat at the best possible restaurants, and take the best possible pictures, why wouldn’t you?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ecYWFp">
Our cultural obsession with having <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/12/18125668/best-products-casper-glossier-brooklinen">“the best” of everything</a> is a topic I’m endlessly fascinated by, but traveling is different from, say, spending hours on Wirecutter or prowling Amazon reviews to find the best cat litter. Everyone who can afford to buy the best cat litter is likely going to end up with the same formula; the same can’t be said for restaurants or hotels, which have limits on the number of people who can be there. The problem of travel at this particular moment is not too many people traveling in general, it is too many people wanting to experience the exact same thing because they all went to the same websites and read the same reviews. It’s created the idea that if you do not go to this specific bar or stay in this exact neighborhood, all the money and time you spent on being here has been wasted, and you have settled for something that is not as perfect as it could have been.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bkFfdu">
Yet so often the opposite is true: that if you ignore a large portion of what the internet recommends, you’re significantly less likely to end up having the Positano problem. True luxury, as any rich person knows, is the ability to separate oneself from the masses, to avoid being next to or even seen by regular people. In the age of algorithms, the only way to replicate any semblance of luxury is to take the keystrokes less traveled. A vacation is not, or at least shouldn’t be, a to-do list, something to be optimized with meticulously timed reservations months in advance, though increasingly this is what travel is: Unless you’ve secured a reserved time slot, the must-see museums of Florence and “you <em>have</em> to eat here” pasta spots in Rome are inaccessible for those unwilling to spend hours in line or so cramped that being there is no longer enjoyable. And just as in other <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22999722/mexico-city-pandemic-remote-work-gentrification">popular travel destinations flooded by wealthy tourists</a> who benefit from the undercurrent of underpaid locals providing them a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it is soured by the fact that those who actually live there can’t afford the luxuries they’re peddling.
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTiaMzGvCdO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Brooke Saward (<span class="citation" data-cites="worldwanderlust">@worldwanderlust</span>)</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Hy7QGw">
Not only did I feel somewhat ridiculous for being in Italy at all considering the number of other people on my Instagram feed who had the exact same thought this summer, I felt ridiculous that I had not known how competitive the whole thing had become, that no matter how many recommendations you receive from friends or strangers on the internet, the same ones will have been given to thousands of other people who are just as unhappy to see you there as you are them.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qZsYMi">
Travel right now feels to me like walking into a Chanel store and looking at all the beautiful clothes, perhaps grazing them with your shoulder, but never being able to put them on, all the while being watched with disdain by the people whose job it is to weed out the non-ultra-wealthy. I have never actually been in a Chanel store because I know better than to shop somewhere I cannot afford, but I have yet to learn this lesson when it comes to travel. Everything about the way the industry works now — booking websites, credit cards, Chase points, Instagram — makes us believe that actually, we <em>can</em> afford to visit a place like Positano, and that it will look just as glorious as the photos taken from the most expensive resorts. Being adjacent to luxury, though, is not the same thing as experiencing it. In fact, it can make us feel bereft of something we never had in the first place, but somehow felt like we deserved.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VFfpOX">
<em>This column was first published in The Goods newsletter. </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/newsletters"><em>Sign up here</em></a><em> so you don’t miss the next one, plus get newsletter exclusives.</em>
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The White House’s AI Bill of Rights is great — if it’s enforced</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/92sjjzHWJl770wJiaFaNY714va4=/241x0:1682x1081/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71455804/AI_3.0.png"/>
<figcaption>
Javier Zarracina/Vox
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Now can we get some laws, please?
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wrtmkg">
It’s a big week for Americans who’ve been sounding the alarm about artificial intelligence.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tVvy55">
On Tuesday morning, the White House released what it calls a “blueprint” for an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/">AI Bill of Rights</a> that outlines how the public should be protected from algorithmic systems and the harms they can produce — whether it’s a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-jobs-automation-insight/amazon-scraps-secret-ai-recruiting-tool-that-showed-bias-against-women-idUSKCN1MK08G">recruiting algorithm</a> that favors men’s resumes over women’s or a <a href="http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/morse/research/papers/discrim.pdf">mortgage algorithm</a> that discriminates against Latino and African American borrowers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rOJOGe">
The bill of rights lays out five protections the public deserves. They boil down to this: AI should be safe and effective. It shouldn’t discriminate. It shouldn’t violate data privacy. We should know when AI is being used. And we should be able to opt out and talk to a human when we encounter a problem.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ovOv8i">
It’s pretty basic stuff, right?
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F02E6E">
In fact, in 2019, I published a very similar <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/22/18273284/ai-algorithmic-bill-of-rights-accountability-transparency-consent-bias">AI bill of rights here at Vox</a>. It was a crowdsourced effort: I asked 10 experts at the forefront of investigating AI harms to name the protections the public deserves. They came up with the same fundamental ideas.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kmLpjY">
Now those ideas have the imprimatur of the White House, and experts are excited about that, if somewhat underwhelmed.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b8MvPr">
“I pointed out these issues and proposed the key tenets for an algorithmic bill of rights in my 2019 book <a href="https://wsp.wharton.upenn.edu/book/a-humans-guide-to-machine-intelligence/"><em>A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence</em></a>,” Kartik Hosanagar, a University of Pennsylvania technology professor, told me. “It’s good to finally see an AI Bill of Rights come out nearly four years later.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ngfGxq">
It’s important to realize that the AI Bill of Rights is not binding legislation. It’s a set of recommendations that government agencies and technology companies may voluntarily comply with — or not. That’s because it’s created by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a White House body that advises the president but can’t advance actual laws.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="taacrv">
And the enforcement of laws — whether they’re new laws or laws that are already on the books — is what we really need to make AI safe and fair for all citizens.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5iosfG">
“I think there’s going to be a carrot-and-stick situation,” Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at NYU and author of <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262537018/artificial-unintelligence/"><em>Artificial Unintelligence</em></a>, told me. “There’s going to be a request for voluntary compliance. And then we’re going to see that that doesn’t work — and so there’s going to be a need for enforcement.”
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<h3 id="sLT5Aq">
The AI Bill of Rights is mostly a tool to educate America
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DLQ6zj">
The best way to understand the White House’s document might be as an educational tool.
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Over the past few years, AI has been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html">developing at such a fast clip</a> that it’s outpaced most policymakers’ ability to understand, never mind regulate, the field. The White House’s Bill of Rights blueprint clarifies many of the biggest problems and does a good job of explaining what it could look like to guard against those problems, with concrete examples.
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The <a href="https://www.ajl.org/">Algorithmic Justice League</a>, a nonprofit that brings together experts and activists to hold the AI industry to account, noted that the document can improve technological literacy within government agencies.
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This blueprint provides necessary principles &amp; shares potential actions. It is a tool for educating the agencies responsible for protecting &amp; advancing our civil rights and civil liberties. Next, we need lawmakers to develop government policy that puts this blueprint into law.<br/>8/
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— Algorithmic Justice League (<span class="citation" data-cites="AJLUnited">@AJLUnited</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/AJLUnited/status/1577309262094782466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2022</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y2yvkM">
Julia Stoyanovich, director of the NYU Center for Responsible AI, told me she was thrilled to see the bill of rights highlight two important points: AI systems should work as advertised, but many don’t. And when they don’t, we should feel free to <em>just stop using them</em>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QheiIi">
“I was very happy to see that the Bill discusses effectiveness of AI systems prominently,” she said. “Many systems that are in broad use today simply do not work, in any meaningful sense of that term. They produce arbitrary results and are not subjected to rigorous testing, and yet they are used in critical domains such as hiring and employment.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z1g5qc">
The bill of rights also reminds us that there’s always “the possibility of not deploying the system or removing a system from use.” This almost seems too obvious to need saying, yet the tech industry has proven it needs reminders that <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/19/18412674/ai-bias-facial-recognition-black-gay-transgender">some AI just shouldn’t exist</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Idm1Zp">
“We need to develop a culture of rigorously specifying the criteria against which we evaluate AI systems, testing systems before they are deployed, and re-testing them throughout their use to ensure that these criteria are still met. And removing them from use if the systems do not work,” Stoyanovich said.
</p>
<h3 id="tonjyR">
When will the laws actually protect us?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x04q81">
The American public, looking across the pond at Europe, could be forgiven for a bit of wistful sighing this week.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WzYS7E">
While the US has just now released a basic list of protections, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/9/18303539/ai-eu-trustworthy-guidelines">the EU released something similar way back in 2019</a>, and it’s already moving on to legal mechanisms for enforcing those protections. The EU’s AI Act, together with a newly unveiled bill called the AI Liability Directive, will <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/01/1060539/eu-tech-policy-harmful-ai-liability/">give Europeans the right to sue companies for damages</a> if they’ve been harmed by an automated system. This is the sort of legislation that could actually change the industry’s incentive structure.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dRF5y4">
“The EU is absolutely ahead of the US in terms of creating AI regulatory policy,” Broussard said. She hopes the US will catch up, but noted that we don’t necessarily need much in the way of brand new laws. “We already have laws on the books for things like financial discrimination. Now we have automated mortgage approval systems that discriminate against applicants of color. So we need to enforce the laws that are on the books already.”
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ABiG5V">
In the US, there is some new legislation in the offing, such as the <a href="https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-booker-and-clarke-introduce-algorithmic-accountability-act-of-2022-to-require-new-transparency-and-accountability-for-automated-decision-systems?peek=BH793HGzEX7gimi20t7HiHEg8n9b3vET476N7MsTy%2BcOuyHe">Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2022</a>, which would require transparency and accountability for automated systems. But Broussard cautioned that it’s not realistic to think there’ll be a single law that can regulate AI across all the domains in which it’s used, from education to lending to health care. “I’ve given up on the idea that there’s going to be one law that’s going to fix everything,” she said. “It’s just so complicated that I’m willing to take incremental progress.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XFc9YQ">
Cathy O’Neil, the author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/241363/weapons-of-math-destruction-by-cathy-oneil/"><em>Weapons of Math Destruction</em></a>, echoed that sentiment. The principles in the AI Bill of Rights, she said, “are good principles and probably they are as specific as one can get.” The question of how the principles will get applied and enforced in particular sectors is the next urgent thing to tackle.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p9JgV6">
“When it comes to knowing how this will play out for a specific decision-making process with specific anti-discrimination laws, that’s another thing entirely! And very exciting to think through!” O’Neil said. “But this list of principles, if followed, is a good start.”
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Philadelphia elected a progressive prosecutor twice. The state government wants to fire him anyway.</strong> -
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U1_7pLIJdmRLTFnQVbuKu6fvQHg=/194x0:3251x2293/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71455659/AP22257613320244a.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner leaves a news conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 14. | Matt Rourke/AP
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Republicans are leading an impeachment investigation into Larry Krasner before the midterms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4w54vj">
Weeks before the midterms, a political drama is unfolding in Pennsylvania: A state committee to investigate crime in Philadelphia could ultimately impeach the city’s twice-elected district attorney <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/7/30/22600669/larry-krasner-philadelphia-reform-prosecutors-crime">Larry Krasner</a>, who ran on a platform of reducing mass incarceration and the criminalization of poverty.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g4ASCI">
Republicans say their investigation is about seeking solutions for rising crime, but for the past five years, they’ve been eager to connect their anti-Krasner rhetoric to the broader Democratic Party — a narrative that has fueled <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chesa-boudin-san-francisco-da-recalled/">backlash against</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/16/us/gascon-recall-district-attorney-los-angeles.html">progressive prosecutors in other cities</a> and painted Democrats as anti-police. Pennsylvania’s investigation started just<strong> </strong>weeks after San Francisco voters recalled their<strong> </strong>progressive prosecutor<strong> </strong>Chesa Boudin.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pjnXgQ">
Krasner’s allies see the probe as a cynical stunt by a Republican-controlled legislature that both underfunds Philadelphia and blocks its leaders from passing tougher gun laws. They also view it as a dangerously<strong> </strong>anti-democratic effort to overturn the will of Philadelphia voters — akin to<strong> </strong>the effort to overturn the city’s votes for Biden in the 2020 election.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ibhZkg">
The committee, dubbed the Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order, was voted into existence by nearly all House Republican lawmakers in June. It’s already embroiled in one legal battle with Krasner, who has objected in court to their sweeping request for documents. To impeach Krasner, the committee might have to demonstrate evidence of misbehavior or corruption — not just ideological disagreement — and that could end up being the subject of yet another court fight.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OnJ3kX">
The backdrop to all of this is the midterm elections. In Pennsylvania, there’s a tightly contested US Senate race where the Republican candidate, Mehmet Oz, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/fetterman-crime-attacks-from-oz-gop-20220915.html">has made crime the focus of multiple attack ads</a>. The governor’s race also<strong> </strong>has implications for 2024 and beyond: The current Republican nominee, Doug Mastriano, led the effort to <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/inq2/doug-mastriano-pennsylvania-2020-election-denial-timeline-20220609.html">overturn Pennsylvania’s votes</a> for Biden two years ago.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1TyU30">
Mastriano, who is now trying to defend himself against accusations of being anti-democratic, has become<strong> </strong>one of the few high-profile GOP officials to defend Krasner against impeachment, calling <a href="https://thisislowermerion.com/mastriano-says-krasner-should-not-be-impeached/">the inquiry “political grandstanding</a>.” And dozens of Democrats, including Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Austin Davis, voted with Republicans in September to hold Krasner in contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena. (Krasner <a href="https://phillyda.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-09-02-Phila-DAO-Krasner-Petition-for-Review-Exhibits-1.pdf?utm_source=Main+Media+List&amp;utm_campaign=283084a73f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_22_01_40_COPY_01&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_3be4269e47-283084a73f-19100917">argued in state court</a> that the committee’s subpoena was illegitimate and illegal.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zOypYE">
Some other Pennsylvania Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the controversy. Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, who has been running ads about “<a href="https://youtu.be/9FBX8S3uHrI">funding the police</a>,” has not weighed in, and gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro’s campaign also declined to comment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L8xcSJ">
The committee pledged to produce a report with its findings and recommendations by “the fall” — coinciding with the<strong> </strong>2022 midterms.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qsGliLeNWzbL8-enL2blVwj4gfc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24081805/AP22272643235507a.jpg"/> <cite>Matt Rourke/AP</cite>
<figcaption>
Members of the Pennsylvania House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order listen to testimony during a hearing in Philadelphia on September 29.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="mlk0u1">
A pioneering progressive prosecutor confronts rising crime in Philadelphia
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KmBrI0">
Krasner, who was first elected in 2017, was one of the first people to run as a self-described “progressive prosecutor” — part of a growing national movement of candidates who emphasize that the discretionary decisions made by a city’s chief attorney can have a profound effect on mass incarceration.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kVj5p7">
Since taking office, Krasner<strong> </strong>has <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philly-district-attorney-larry-krasner-money-bail-criminal-justice-reform-incarceration-20190219.html">stopped seeking cash bail</a> for some low-level offenses, a move to reduce jail time that some defendants have to serve<strong> </strong>simply because they’re low-income. His team also stopped prosecuting marijuana cases<strong> </strong>and most prostitution cases against sex workers, and heavily deprioritized retail theft — something that’s been on the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-shoplifting-rising-retail-20220901.html">rise in the city over the past two years</a>. His <a href="https://data.philadao.com/index.html">office touts statistics on his website</a> that Krasner has imposed over 29,000 fewer years of incarceration compared to the previous district attorney.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oDcNT8">
Amid rising crime rates and increasing concern about crime,<strong> </strong>a growing backlash, led primarily though not exclusively by Republicans, has depicted reformers like Krasner and Boudin as threats to public safety. Researchers have <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3952764">not found a link</a> between progressive prosecutors and local crime rates, and in fact <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w28600">found</a> that declining to prosecute a misdemeanor can significantly reduce the likelihood of future crime.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9i24JC">
If more DAs like Boudin and Krasner are booted out of office, reformers fear other prosecutors may lose interest in bucking old “tough on crime” playbooks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TfRq4f">
While some of Philadelphia’s crime<strong> </strong>uptick began prior to Krasner taking office, the situation has gotten worse since the pandemic. Philadelphia’s murder rate went up 58 percent between 2019 and 2021. There were a record 499 homicide victims in 2020, followed by another record-breaking 562 homicides in 2021. The number of murders this year — <a href="https://www.phillypolice.com/crime-maps-stats/">409 as of October 3</a> — is slightly less than this time last year, but still the second-highest the city has seen by this date in 15 years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jDUgRh">
Gun violence has also been increasing statewide and nationally since the pandemic started, including in <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-06-07/is-new-york-city-more-dangerous-than-rural-america">suburban and rural areas</a>. One <a href="https://covid19.counciloncj.org/2021/01/31/impact-report-covid-19-and-crime-3/">analysis</a> from the Council on Criminal Justice, a research and policy group, found a 30 percent increase in homicides across 34 US cities<strong> </strong>in<strong> </strong>2020<strong> </strong>compared to 2019, and another independent crime analysis found murder up 37 percent across <a href="https://twitter.com/Crimealytics/status/1343950694672379905">57 localities</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P5qo6q">
Jane Roh, a spokesperson for Krasner, noted that <a href="https://www.ucr.pa.gov/PAUCRSPUBLIC/Home/Index">of the five largest cities in Pennsylvania</a>, Philadelphia’s increase was similar to Pittsburgh (where homicides were up 53 percent) and smaller than Reading (117 percent) and Allentown (71 percent). Compared to the other 12 Pennsylvania counties of at least 300,000 residents, Philadelphia’s increase ranked sixth.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mke877">
Still,<strong> </strong>the level of violence is hard to hand-wave away with comparative statistics, and because Philadelphia is so large, percentage increases can obscure what are many, many more deaths. Just last week, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/live/philadelphia-high-school-shooting-roxborough-football-northeast-boys-latin-20220928.html">five high schoolers in Philadelphia were shot</a>, one fatally, after an afternoon football scrimmage, and other crime, like carjackings, <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-homicides-lower-carjackings-increase-krasner/">has spiked</a>.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KvINE6GE2av7U11nJ2Ymx2PhU64=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24081925/AP22270842978989a.jpg"/> <cite>Matt Slocum/AP</cite>
<figcaption>
Investigators work the scene where one student was killed and four others wounded in a shooting near Roxborough High School in Philadelphia on September 27.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1wDI6W">
Critics of the district attorney allege that his policies have contributed to the rise in crime by sending a message that laws in the city won’t be enforced. They point to declines in <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-gun-arrests-2021-convictions-vufa-20210330.html">conviction rates</a> for illegal gun possession: Between 2015 and 2020, the share of illegal gun possession <a href="https://controller.phila.gov/philadelphia-audits/data-release-gun-violence-trends/#:~:text=While%20gun%20possession%20arrests%20have,from%2065%25%20to%2042%25.">cases resulting in conviction fell from 65 percent to 42 percent</a>, a decline driven primarily by cases being dismissed by judges and withdrawn by the district attorney. The district attorney said that some offenders went through diversion programs instead of facing jail time and that police brought forward weak cases that were too difficult to win in court.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bKZuXe">
Krasner’s supporters stress that the lagging performance of police should get more attention. From January 1, 2017, through September 18, 2022, Philadelphia police made arrests in less than 40 percent of homicide incidents in the city and just 18 percent of nonfatal shootings. The district attorney cannot charge those who have not been arrested.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wM9rFx">
Krasner has <a href="http://phlcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/100-Shooting-Review-complete.pdf">argued</a> more energy should be focused on improving the low clearance rate for shooting cases rather than on trying to remove illegal guns from the streets. (In February, the Philadelphia Police Department <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-homicides-police-shootings-new-unit-clearance-rate-20220220.html">launched a new division focused on</a> investigating nonfatal shootings.) Roh, Krasner’s spokesperson, also noted that the DA supports a host of enhanced gun safety regulations, measures opposed by Republicans on the state level.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lWhcj8">
Even amid the rise in crime,<strong> </strong>Krasner easily won his reelection in 2021, earning more than twice as many votes as his Republican challenger, Chuck Peruto — who campaigned on getting tougher on crime. While Krasner faced a heated primary, beating a prosecutor backed by the city’s police union, he <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/district-attorney-krasner-prosecutor-peruto-20211102.html">barely campaigned</a> in the general election against Peruto and <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/clout/philadelphia-district-attorney-larry-krasner-chuck-peruto-debate-20210917.html">declined to debate him</a>. Democrats outnumber Republicans in Philadelphia seven to one, and the city hasn’t had a Republican DA in over three decades.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KvWoH9">
Krasner has been a target of attacks for Pennsylvania Republicans for the last half-decade, but the impeachment inquiry is a new escalation. The investigation began in June after three House lawmakers who live in districts far from Philadelphia circulated a memo <a href="https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&amp;SPick=20210&amp;cosponId=37457">seeking their colleagues’ support for impeaching Krasner</a> for “dereliction of duty.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CPKPR4">
About two weeks later, 110 Republicans and four Democrats in the Pennsylvania House voted against 86 Democrats <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-da-larry-krasner-impeachment-pennsylvania-house-gop-20220629.html">to establish the committee</a>, which has subpoena power. In July, Pennsylvania’s Republican House speaker appointed five members to the committee, including two Philadelphia Democrats who had voted against the inquiry; one, Danilo Burgos, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-da-larry-krasner-impeachment-pa-house-investigation-20220713.html">told the Philadelphia Inquirer</a> he only agreed because he was told they’d be investigating <a href="https://wlvr.org/2021/11/gun-violence-has-risen-across-pa-its-too-easy-to-get-a-gun-officials-say/#.YzgmTuzMJmo">crime statewide</a>. But Republican lawmakers voted <a href="https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/RC/Public/rc_view_action2.cfm?sess_yr=2021&amp;sess_ind=0&amp;rc_body=H&amp;rc_nbr=1067">against an amendment</a> supported by Democrats that would have expanded the committee’s scope to study statewide violence.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dbvG10">
Michael Straub, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania’s House speaker, defended the narrow focus. “I mean, Philadelphia is such a crucial place in the state,” he told Vox. “So much of what makes Philadelphia relevant to the rest of the country and rest of the world is its population and culture, so making sure Philadelphia is safe and vibrant and attracting people is important to everyone regardless of political party.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/31CzstZcoJK_AMHjb2b3Q2SImto=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24081807/AP22272643236326a.jpg"/> <cite>Matt Rourke/AP</cite>
<figcaption>
Supporters of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner demonstrate outside a hearing conducted by the Pennsylvania House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order in Philadelphia on September 29.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="8H3tts">
Republicans are now trying to claim this is not necessarily about impeachment
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="It0NxM">
Despite <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/06/philadelphia-district-attorney-larry-krasner-must-go/">the unambiguous origins</a> of the committee, Republicans are now claiming that their work should not be assumed to be about impeachment. The committee “has a wide-ranging scope and is much broader than a mere impeachment inquiry,” said Jason Gottesman, House Republican caucus spokesperson, when Vox asked about the anti-democratic implications of the probe.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L0WOs8">
Unlike other states, Pennsylvania voters cannot recall elected officials, and there have been only two successful impeachments in state history — a <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/02/kathleen_kane_impeachment_what.html">state supreme court justice in 1994</a> and a <a href="https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/thomas-cooper/">district judge in 1881</a>. The state constitution says “the Governor and all other civil officers shall be liable to impeachment for any misbehavior in office,” although Krasner’s office argues<strong> </strong>this language applies only to elected state officials, not local politicians.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D2H6YV">
Some reports have suggested the “any misbehavior in office” language <a href="https://billypenn.com/2022/09/09/krasner-impeachment-philadelphia-district-attorney-harrisburg-republicans/">is vague enough</a> to include general discontent with how an official approaches their job. Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University law professor who teaches a course on the Pennsylvania Constitution, told Vox that the select committee would need to find actual evidence of corruption or misbehavior to impeach Krasner. Simply disagreeing with his policies would not be enough.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nUiVnz">
“The idea that the constitutional language is so broad that it could mean anything, I don’t think that’s the case,” Ledewitz said, pointing to the <a href="https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/00/00.006..HTM#:~:text=%C2%A7%206.&amp;text=The%20Governor%20and%20all%20other,or%20profit%20under%20this%20Commonwealth.">statutory removal provisions</a>, and contrasted them with the looser standards of impeachment at the federal level. If the Pennsylvania legislature does move to impeach Krasner, Ledewitz said they’ll need to prepare for it to be challenged in court, like <a href="https://casetext.com/case/larsen-v-senate-of-the-com-of-penn">it was in Pennsylvania in 1994</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qqw6j2">
In August, the select committee issued its first subpoena of Krasner, requesting documents related to his policies including on bail and plea bargains. They also asked for documents on prosecuting police officers, and the “complete case file” of Ryan Pownall, a former Philadelphia police officer who faces third-degree murder charges <a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/david-jones-death-settlement-philadelphia/212260/">for killing a Black man in 2017</a>. Pownall<strong> </strong>is set to go on trial in November.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aFC6id">
Krasner allies say the select committee’s interest in these case files reveals they are more interested in<strong> </strong>shielding police from accountability than protecting victims of crime. Vox asked the Republican chair of the select committee, Rep. John Lawrence, why these documents were being prioritized in the investigation. Gottesman, answering on Lawrence’s behalf, pointed to <a href="https://www.pahousegop.com/News/31161/Latest-News/Lawrence-Announces-Next-Steps-for-House-Select-Committee-on-Restoring-Law-and-Order-">three</a> <a href="https://www.pahousegop.com/News/31199/Latest-News/Lawrence-Issues-Statement-About-Recent-Developments-Regarding-House-Select-Committee-on-Restoring-Law-and-Order">press releases</a> <a href="https://www.pahousegop.com/News/31231/Latest-News/Lawrence-Issues-Statement-Responding-to-Lawsuit-Filed-Related-to-Select-Committee%E2%80%99s-Ongoing-Investigation">from Lawrence</a> that did not directly address the question.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4DpAy3dbclIS-ayYl57RtG-mlsE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24081949/AP22272643572471a.jpg"/> <cite>Matt Rourke/AP</cite>
<figcaption>
Rep. John Lawrence, chair of the Pennsylvania House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order, speaks with members of the media in Philadelphia on September 29.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R4fY9A">
In a letter sent to the committee in August, Krasner’s lawyers asked the committee to withdraw their requests and end the investigation, and later petitioned a state court for relief. They argued in legal filings that the probe is illegitimate because it serves no proper legislative purpose and Krasner has committed no impeachable offense. They also said that impeaching Krasner would violate the constitutional rights of the Philadelphia voters who elected him, that documents for the pending Pownall trial are privileged, and that it would be illegal to disclose grand jury materials.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iGObrQ">
The select committee — which asked for the “complete case file” of a pending murder trial, including documents “related or referring to the investigative grand jury proceedings” — denies it sought any privileged materials. The <a href="https://www.pahousegop.com/Display/SiteFiles/1/2022/Interim%20Report%20of%20the%20Select%20Committee%2009132022.pdf">committee’s interim report</a> issued September 13 noted that the district attorney’s office could withhold privileged materials if it provided a list of them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NlJm35">
Krasner’s lawyer, Michael Satin, told Vox that they would not produce such a log<strong> </strong>when the request was “patently improper” and an abuse of power by the legislature. “Courts, not legislative bodies, are best equipped to resolve disputes involving a subpoena, especially one that involves an inquiry into a pending criminal case,” said Satin. The select committee has asked Krasner at least twice in writing to withdraw their court petition.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y0Kj4G">
But state lawmakers — including Democrats opposed generally to the impeachment inquiry — were not happy that Krasner resisted the legislature’s subpoena and <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-house-votes-to-hold-philly-da-krasner-in-contempt/">voted 162-32</a> to hold him in contempt. Republicans like Rep. Lawrence claimed Krasner “willfully neglected” the subpoena, though Krasner’s team pushed back, saying they followed the law by registering their objection with the judiciary, in addition to writing<strong> </strong>their objections to the committee.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7rKDoA">
Rep. Jared Solomon, a Democratic state rep from Northeast Philadelphia, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/larry-krasner-impeachment-contempt-subpoena-20220913.html">told the Philadelphia Inquirer</a> he saw Krasner’s resistance as “exactly the same” as Steve Bannon, who was <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/22/1112937587/steve-bannon-guilty-jan-6-committee-contempt-charges">convicted of contempt</a> for failing to comply with congressional subpoenas into the January 6 investigation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qZFxrE">
About a week after the contempt vote, Krasner’s team began providing some records to the select committee — primarily those <a href="https://phillyda.org/resources/?utm_source=Main+Media+List&amp;utm_campaign=22dabb8d03-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_22_01_40_COPY_01&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_3be4269e47-22dabb8d03-236712016#dao-policies">that were already available online</a> on their website. If Krasner’s team had provided those documents to the committee initially and only objected to the files related to the pending murder trial, it’s unlikely as many Democrats would have held the district attorney in contempt, but Krasner’s team didn’t want to grant legitimacy to what they saw as a sham investigation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D473RH">
“This impeachment investigation is absolutely just a witch hunt. I’m on the judiciary committee and I have voted at every instance to not proceed with this, but I’m a lawyer and so is District Attorney Krasner, and legal subpoenas are legal subpoenas,” said Rep. Emily Kinkead (D-Pittsburgh), who voted to hold Krasner in contempt. “While I understand everything the legislature does is inherently political, we have the right to issue subpoenas and if he believed there were privileged items that were requested, he should have created a privileged log, to say, ‘These documents exist but you’re not entitled to see them,’ but he didn’t even do that.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3pT-OhHC63bg3z51IE2QCG8qE7w=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24081806/AP21166725084167a.jpg"/> <cite>Matt Rourke/AP</cite>
<figcaption>
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner holds up a report by his office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, highlighting exonerations due to wrongful convictions, during a news conference in Philadelphia on June 15.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="sYsYus">
Impeachment looks less likely in the Senate than in the House
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X10wkQ">
In order to impeach, a majority of members in the Republican-controlled House would need to vote in favor, and then two-thirds of the state Senate would need to, too. That means 34 senators would need to vote in favor of impeachment, and there are 28 Republicans currently in the chamber.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="htiBON">
Despite dozens of Democrats voting to hold Krasner in contempt, it still might be hard to get six on board for impeachment, especially when the specter of Republicans trying to throw out Philly votes two years ago still looms so large.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ybk8fz">
“Bad things happen in Philadelphia,” Trump proclaimed in the fall of 2020, in an attempt to gin up distrust about election integrity in Pennsylvania’s biggest city. Following the 2020 election, Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-attacks-philadelphia-commissioner-al-schmidt-mail-voting-election-2020-11">put on blast</a> a Republican election commissioner from Philadelphia who found no evidence of voter fraud, insisting “he refuses to look at a mountain of corruption &amp; dishonesty.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MEJklF">
Krasner performed especially well in his reelection campaign in areas with high levels of gun violence, giving the district attorney confidence to say his progressive policies were backed by a mandate from the people most affected.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kKoKN3">
Progressive allies of Krasner have been organizing over the past few weeks to send a message to Democratic state officials that voting to impeach Krasner would be aligning themselves with Republican election deniers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L7VMzb">
“We’re not just going to roll over and pretend that there’s not an attack on Philadelphia, on Black and brown people,” said Tonya Bah, a Philadelphia activist who leads <a href="https://freetheballot.org/">Free the Ballot</a>. “For Democrats to side with Republican leadership to harm someone that we elected, it is very disheartening, and quite frankly, we have to draw a line in the sand.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6JP13Q">
On September 23, the Working Families Party, a union-backed group that helps elect progressive candidates locally and nationally, announced it would be <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/working-families-party-pulls-endorsements-over-krasner-vote-20220924.html">rescinding five midterm endorsements</a> of Democratic state reps who had voted to hold Krasner in contempt.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k3Z1la">
Vox contacted the five Democrats who lost their WFP endorsements. Two elected officials from Pittsburgh — Reps. Jessica Benham and Emily Kinkead — said they didn’t even know they had received the WFP endorsement but were not planning to vote for impeachment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HK0Vb0">
“I voted to hold the DA in contempt because legislative bodies have jurisdiction to issue and enforce their own subpoenas,” Benham said. “That the DA responded in part to the subpoena after the contempt vote, which carried no actual penalty, demonstrates that he could have responded in part prior to that vote, but chose not to for reasons unclear. Nevertheless, I will be voting against impeachment if that charge comes before the House, as I respect the will of the voters.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X174VB">
Rep. Danielle Friel Otten of Chester County also said she views her subpoena vote as very different from any vote to remove someone from office. “For me, the vote to find DA Krasner in contempt of the House was about equal application of the law,” she told Vox. “This was a procedural vote about responding to a lawfully issued subpoena. Larry Krasner was duly elected by the voters of Philadelphia, and impeachment requires a high bar. To this point, I’ve seen no evidence of any impeachable offense.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qcmJ46">
Vanessa Clifford, the mid-Atlantic political director for the Working Families Party, told Vox both Benham and Kinkead had submitted candidate questionnaires applying for WFP’s endorsement, and were both personally notified that their state committee had endorsed their reelection campaigns.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YZ34Jm">
Rep. Rick Krajewski, a Democratic state House lawmaker representing West Philadelphia who voted against holding Krasner in contempt and was disappointed by the nine Philadelphia state reps who did, said Krasner is an easier “punching bag target” than, say, local judges, because there’s only one of him. Pinning the city’s problems on the district attorney is also easier for state Republicans to do than investing in Philadelphia communities, schools, workers, and parks and recreation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UXp37Z">
There’s no doubt that Philadelphia has real issues with people feeling safe, Krajewski added. “But as a result, we’re seeing a return to ‘tough on crime’ rhetoric, to overpolicing, and in my opinion, that is the wrong response to this moment,” he said. “We’ve seen that during the Reagan era, the Nixon era, an investment in crackdown does not work. I think for myself and other Democrats who support Larry, we’re having real conversations with our community about what this could mean for our democracy and how we can stand united.”
</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>Supriya strikes twice for Odisha Naval Tata Academy</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>Golf set to make a quiet debut at the National Games on Thursday</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>Khushi knocks out second seed</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>Anastasia, Amore, Speed Air, Royal Monarch, Chaitanya and Carnoustie excel</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>Time, Phenom and Son Of A Gun catch the eye</strong> -</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>Third elephant death in 10 days in Malnad region due to electrocution raises concern</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>Temples in Wayanad witness heavy rush on Vidyarambham day</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>14 rescued as search operations resume to trace mountaineers in avalanche-hit Uttarakhand peak</strong> - Out of the 14 rescued so far 10 are trainees and four instructors.</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>HC sets aside conviction, 10 years rigorous imprisonment imposed by a Mahila Court in a rape case</strong> - It says the prosecution case is unreliable due to delay in lodging FIR and contradictions in evidence adduced by the complainant</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>Media in Kerala not highlighting national issues, says Rajesh</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>Ukraine war: Liberated town shows human cost of Russia’s defeat</strong> - The BBC’s Orla Guerin finds desolate scenes in Lyman, a town Ukraine recaptured from 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>Ukraine makes breakthrough in south against Russia</strong> - Ukraine makes fresh gains in occupied territory annexed by Russia, straining Russian supply lines.</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>Dutch town Bodegraven-Reeuwijk loses Twitter paedophilia rumour case</strong> - A conspiracy theory falsely claimed that Bodegraven near The Hague was once home to a satanic ring.</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>Qatar World Cup 2022: Paris joins boycott of fan zones over human rights</strong> - It is the latest French city to announce the move over human rights in Qatar.</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>Close Macron aide Alexis Kohler investigated over conflict of interest</strong> - The French president’s chief of staff is under investigation over his links with a shipping firm.</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>Intel A770, A750 review: We are this close to recommending these GPUs</strong> - New GPU series, ranging from $289 to $349, is less “amazing” and more “interesting.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1886768">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>2022 Nobel Physics Prize goes to seminal tests of spooky action at a distance</strong> - Alain Aspect, John Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger pioneered quantum information science. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1886630">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Musk makes U-turn before trial, tells Twitter he’ll complete merger [Updated]</strong> - Musk wants to avoid trial, told Twitter he’ll complete deal at original price. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1886727">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Begone, polygons: 1993’s Virtua Fighter gets smoothed out by AI</strong> - Sega’s famously boxy 1993 arcade game gets a fan-powered Stable Diffusion refresh. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1886485">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>VideoLAN threatens to sue India gov’t as ISPs keep blocking VLC website</strong> - ISPs apparently blocking VLC website due to gov’t order, but it’s not clear why. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1886817">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>When you are born you actually have 4 kidneys.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
But as you get older, two of them turn into adult knees
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Ok-Progress-2925"> /u/Ok-Progress-2925 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xvqfwm/when_you_are_born_you_actually_have_4_kidneys/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xvqfwm/when_you_are_born_you_actually_have_4_kidneys/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>At a university there was a dean who cared about others and showed exemplary behavior. One day an angel appeared at a faculty conference.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The angel said as a reward for his good deeds that God would give him his choice of eternal riches, eternal wisdom, or eternal beauty.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The dean chose eternal wisdom without hesitation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Good,” said the angel, disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Everyone present turned their gazes to the dean, who was illuminated by a faint halo.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A colleague whispered, “Tell me something.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The dean, who had gained eternal wisdom, sighed and said, “I should have chosen eternal riches.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/douglerner"> /u/douglerner </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xw1pri/at_a_university_there_was_a_dean_who_cared_about/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xw1pri/at_a_university_there_was_a_dean_who_cared_about/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Your momma is so slow…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It took her 9 months to make a joke.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Alternative-Durian11"> /u/Alternative-Durian11 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xw27uw/your_momma_is_so_slow/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xw27uw/your_momma_is_so_slow/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Two cowboys are out riding the range and talking about their favorite sex positions</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The first cowboy says the “rodeo” position is his favorite.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The second cowboy says he’s never heard of it before and asks how to do it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The first cowboy responds, “Well, you mount your lady from behind then reach down and grab her tits. Then you whisper ‘these feel almost as good as your sister’s.’ Then you yell yeehaw and try to hold on for 8 seconds!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Edit: fixed
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Merlins_Owl"> /u/Merlins_Owl </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xvop1b/two_cowboys_are_out_riding_the_range_and_talking/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xvop1b/two_cowboys_are_out_riding_the_range_and_talking/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Sex is like snow;</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
you never know how many inches you’re going to get or how long it will last.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/YZXFILE"> /u/YZXFILE </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xw4n1n/sex_is_like_snow/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/xw4n1n/sex_is_like_snow/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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