navan
/
Daily-Dose
mirror of https://github.com/navanchauhan/Daily-Dose.git
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Projects Releases Wiki Activity

Added daily report

This commit is contained in:
Navan Chauhan 2023-05-13 12:41:59 +00:00
parent 3bbaeb2516
commit b8651cf33b
3 changed files with 731 additions and 2 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

186
archive-covid-19/13 May, 2023.html Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="" xml:lang="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head>
<meta charset="utf-8"/>
<meta content="pandoc" name="generator"/>
<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
<title>13 May, 2023</title>
<style>
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
span.underline{text-decoration: underline;}
div.column{display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; width: 50%;}
div.hanging-indent{margin-left: 1.5em; text-indent: -1.5em;}
ul.task-list{list-style: none;}
</style>
<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
<body>
<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>Regulation of coronavirus nsp15 cleavage specificity by RNA structure</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, has had an enduring impact on global public health. However, SARS-CoV-2 is only one of multiple pathogenic human coronaviruses (CoVs) to have emerged since the turn of the century. CoVs encode for several nonstructural proteins (NSPS) that are essential for viral replication and pathogenesis. Among them is nsp15, a uridine-specific viral endonuclease that is important in evading the host immune response and promoting viral replication. Despite the established function of nsp15 as a uridine-specific endonuclease, little is known about other determinants of its cleavage specificity. In this study we investigate the role of RNA secondary structure in SARS-CoV-2 nsp15 endonuclease activity. Using a series of in vitro endonuclease assays, we observed that thermodynamically stable RNA structures were protected from nsp15 cleavage relative to RNAs lacking stable structure. We leveraged the s2m RNA from the SARS 3'UTR as a model for our structural studies as it adopts a well-defined structure with several uridines, two of which are unpaired and thus high probably targets for nsp15 cleavage. We found that SARS-CoV-2 nsp15 specifically cleaves s2m at the unpaired uridine within the GNRNA pentaloop of the RNA. Further investigation revealed that the position of uridine within the pentaloop also impacted nsp15 cleavage efficiency, suggesting that positioning within the pentaloop is necessary for optimal presentation of the scissile uridine and alignment within the nsp15 catalytic pocket. Our findings indicate that RNA secondary structure is an important determinant of nsp15 cleavage and provides insight into the molecular mechanisms of recognition of RNA by nsp15.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.12.540483v1" target="_blank">Regulation of coronavirus nsp15 cleavage specificity by RNA structure</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Rapid cloning-free mutagenesis of new SARS-CoV-2 variants using a novel reverse genetics platform</strong> -
<div>
Reverse genetic systems enable engineering of RNA virus genomes and are instrumental to study RNA virus biology. With the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, already established methods were challenged by the large genome of SARS-CoV-2. Herein we present an elaborated strategy for the rapid and straightforward rescue of recombinant plus-stranded RNA-viruses with high sequence fidelity, using the example of SARS-CoV-2. The strategy called CLEVER (CLoning-free and Exchangeable system for Virus Engineering and Rescue) is based on the intracellular recombination of transfected overlapping DNA fragments allowing the direct mutagenesis within the initial PCR-amplification step. Furthermore, by introducing a linker fragment (harboring all heterologous sequences) viral RNA can directly serve as template for manipulation and rescue of recombinant mutant virus, without any cloning-step needed. Overall, this strategy will facilitate recombinant SARS-CoV-2 rescue and accelerate its manipulation. Using our protocol, newly emerging variants can quickly be engineered to further elucidate its biology.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.11.540343v1" target="_blank">Rapid cloning-free mutagenesis of new SARS-CoV-2 variants using a novel reverse genetics platform</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Researching COVID to enhance recovery (RECOVER) pediatric study protocol: Rationale, objectives and design</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Importance: The prevalence, pathophysiology, and long-term outcomes of COVID-19 (post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 [PASC] or “Long COVID”) in children and young adults remain unknown. Studies must address the urgent need to define PASC, its mechanisms, and potential treatment targets in children and young adults. Observations: We describe the protocol for the Pediatric Observational Cohort Study of the NIH’s REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative. RECOVER-Pediatrics is an observational meta-cohort study of caregiver-child pairs (birth through 17 years) and young adults (18 through 25 years), recruited from more than 100 sites across the US. This report focuses on two of five cohorts that comprise RECOVER-Pediatrics: 1) a de novo RECOVER prospective cohort of children and young adults with and without previous or current infection; and 2) an extant cohort derived from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study (n=10,000). The de novo cohort incorporates three tiers of data collection: 1) remote baseline assessments (Tier 1, n=6000); 2) longitudinal follow-up for up to 4 years (Tier 2, n=6000); and 3) a subset of participants, primarily the most severely affected by PASC, who will undergo deep phenotyping to explore PASC pathophysiology (Tier 3, n=600). Youth enrolled in the ABCD study participate in Tier 1. The pediatric protocol was developed as a collaborative partnership of investigators, patients, researchers, clinicians, community partners, and federal partners, intentionally promoting inclusivity and diversity. The protocol is adaptive to facilitate responses to emerging science. Conclusions and Relevance: RECOVER-Pediatrics seeks to characterize the clinical course, underlying mechanisms, and long-term effects of PASC from birth through 25 years old. RECOVER-Pediatrics is designed to elucidate the epidemiology, four-year clinical course, and sociodemographic correlates of pediatric PASC. The data and biosamples will allow examination of mechanistic hypotheses and biomarkers, thus providing insights into potential therapeutic interventions.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.04.27.23289228v2" target="_blank">Researching COVID to enhance recovery (RECOVER) pediatric study protocol: Rationale, objectives and design</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Post-16 students’ experience of practical science during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on students’ self-efficacy in practical work</strong> -
<div>
This paper presents the findings from a detailed study investigating UK undergraduate students’ experience of practical science in their post-16 studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also examines the perceived confidence and preparedness of the students in relation to areas of practical science skills at the start of their degree courses. The study employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, with the findings from focus groups with students at the end of their post-16 studies used to support the development of a comprehensive quantitative survey for incoming undergraduate students. Survey data were collected in September and October 2021 from 275 students commencing Biological Science/Life Science, Chemistry, Physics and Natural Science degrees at two universities in England. The research is significant for its finding that although almost all students had the opportunity to undertake practical work as part of their post-16 studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was significant variation in students’ experiences. The data indicate that students’ self-efficacy in relation to practical science was impacted by the closures of post-16 education establishments, ongoing social distancing and the removal of the assessment criteria for students to have ‘routinely and consistently’ undertaken each of the practical assessment requirements. The research presents important considerations which are relevant for educators supporting students’ transition from post-16 to Higher Education.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://edarxiv.org/gx2jh/" target="_blank">Post-16 students’ experience of practical science during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on students’ self-efficacy in practical work</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Healthcare resource utilisation and costs of hospitalisation and primary care among adults with COVID-19 in England: a population-based cohort study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objectives To quantify healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) and costs to the National Health Service (NHS) associated with acute COVID-19 in adults in England. Design Population-based retrospective cohort study, using Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum primary care electronic medical records linked when available to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) secondary care administrative data. Setting Patients registered to primary care practices in England. Population 1,706,368 adults with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR or antigen test from August 2020 to January 2022 were included; 13,105 within the hospitalised cohort indexed between August 2020 and March 2021, and 1,693,263 within the primary care cohort indexed between August 2020 and January 2022. Main outcome measures Primary and secondary care HCRU and associated costs during the acute phase of COVID-19 (≤4 weeks following positive test), stratified by age group, risk of severe COVID-19 and immunocompromised status. Results Among the hospitalised cohort, average total length of stay, as well as in critical care wards, was longer in older adults. Median healthcare cost per hospitalisation was higher in those aged 75 - 84 (£8,942) and ≥85 years (£8,835) than in those aged &lt;50 years (£7,703). Whilst few (6.0%) patients in critical care required mechanical ventilation, its use was higher in older adults (50 - 74 years: 8.3%; &lt;50 years: 4.3%). HCRU and associated costs were often greater in those at higher risk of severe COVID-19 when compared to the overall cohort, although minimal differences in HCRU were found across the three different high-risk definitions implemented. Among the primary care cohort, GP or nurse consultations were more frequent among older adults and the immunocompromised. Conclusions COVID-19 related hospitalisations in older adults, particularly critical care admissions, were the primary drivers of high resource use of COVID-19 in England. These findings may inform health policy decisions and resource allocation in the prevention and management of COVID-19.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.10.23289557v2" target="_blank">Healthcare resource utilisation and costs of hospitalisation and primary care among adults with COVID-19 in England: a population-based cohort study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Broad and Durable Humoral Responses Following Single Hydrogel Immunization of SARS-CoV-2 Subunit Vaccine</strong> -
<div>
Most vaccines require several immunizations to induce robust immunity, and indeed, most SARS-CoV-2 vaccines require an initial two-shot regimen followed by several boosters to maintain efficacy. Such a complex series of immunizations unfortunately increases the cost and complexity of populations-scale vaccination and reduces overall compliance and vaccination rate. In a rapidly evolving pandemic affected by the spread of immune-escaping variants, there is an urgent need to develop vaccines capable of providing robust and durable immunity. In this work, we developed a single immunization SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine that could rapidly generate potent, broad, and durable humoral immunity. We leveraged injectable polymer-nanoparticle (PNP) hydrogels as a depot technology for the sustained delivery of a nanoparticle COVID antigen displaying multiple copies of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding-domain (RBD NP), and potent adjuvants including CpG and 3M052. Compared to a clinically relevant prime-boost regimen with soluble vaccines formulated with CpG/Alum or 3M052/Alum adjuvants, PNP hydrogel vaccines more rapidly generated higher, broader, and more durable antibody responses. Additionally, these single-immunization hydrogel-based vaccines elicited potent and consistent neutralizing responses. Overall, we show that PNP hydrogels elicit improved anti-COVID immune responses with only a single administration, demonstrating their potential as critical technologies to enhance our overall pandemic readiness.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.12.520166v3" target="_blank">Broad and Durable Humoral Responses Following Single Hydrogel Immunization of SARS-CoV-2 Subunit Vaccine</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Impacts of vaccination and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 variants Alpha and Delta on Coronavirus Disease 2019 transmission dynamics in four metropolitan areas of the United States</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
To characterize Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission dynamics in each of the metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) surrounding Dallas, Houston, New York City, and Phoenix in 2020 and 2021, we extended a previously reported compartmental model accounting for effects of multiple distinct periods of non-pharmaceutical interventions by adding consideration of vaccination and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants Alpha (lineage B.1.1.7) and Delta (lineage B.1.617.2). For each MSA, we found region-specific parameterizations of the model using daily reports of new COVID-19 cases available from January 21, 2020 to October 31, 2021. In the process, we obtained estimates of the relative infectiousness of Alpha and Delta as well as their takeoff times in each MSA (the times at which sustained transmission began). The estimated infectiousness of Alpha ranged from 1.1x to 1.4x that of viral strains circulating in 2020 and early 2021. The estimated relative infectiousness of Delta was higher in all cases, ranging from 1.5x to 2.4x. The estimated Alpha takeoff times ranged from February 10 (for New York City, which was evidently impacted much earlier than the other regions) to March 23, 2021. The estimated Delta takeoff times were more tightly clustered, ranging from June 8 to June 24, 2021. Estimated takeoff times are consistent with genomic surveillance data.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.19.21265223v3" target="_blank">Impacts of vaccination and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 variants Alpha and Delta on Coronavirus Disease 2019 transmission dynamics in four metropolitan areas of the United States</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND COVID-19 TESTING RATES: SPATIO-TEMPORAL PATTERNS AND IMPACT OF TEST ACCESSIBILITY IN SWEDEN</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Diagnostic testing is essential for disease surveillance and test-trace-isolate efforts. Here, we aimed to investigate if residential area sociodemographic characteristics and test accessibility were associated with COVID-19 testing rates. Methods: We included information on 421 542 patient-initiated COVID-19 PCR tests from Uppsala County in Sweden from 24 June, 2020 to 9 February, 2022. Using Poisson regression analyses, we investigated whether the Care Need Index (CNI; median 1.0, IQR 0.8, 1.4), a composite measure of sociodemographic factors used in Sweden to allocate primary healthcare resources, was associated with aggregated COVID-19 daily testing rates after adjustments for community transmission. We further assessed if distance to the nearest testing station influenced testing. Lastly, we performed a difference-in-difference analysis of the opening of a testing station targeting a disadvantaged neighbourhood. Results: We observed that CNI, i.e. primary healthcare need, was negatively associated with COVID-19 testing rates in inhabitants aged 5-69 years. More pronounced differences were noted across younger age groups and in Uppsala City, with test rate ratios in children (5-14 years) ranging from 0.56 (95% CI 0.47-0.66) to 0.88 (95% CI 0.81-0.95) across the three pandemic waves. Longer distance to testing station was linked to lower testing rates, foremost in less densely populated areas. Furthermore, the opening of the targeted testing station was associated with increased testing, including twice as high testing rates in individuals aged 70-105, supporting an intervention effect. Conclusions: Ensuring accessible testing across all residential areas constitutes a promising tool to decrease differences and inequalities in testing.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.12.15.20248247v2" target="_blank">SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND COVID-19 TESTING RATES: SPATIO-TEMPORAL PATTERNS AND IMPACT OF TEST ACCESSIBILITY IN SWEDEN</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Biorefinery Innovation in Increasing the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccine Production</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of innovation in the fight against infectious diseases. Biorefinery offers a promising platform for the production of vaccines that is more cost-effective, efficient, and scalable than traditional methods. By using advanced fermentation and purification techniques and genetic engineering, biorefinery can improve the efficacy of vaccines and enable their production on a large scale. While there are challenges that need to be addressed, biorefinery has the potential to revolutionize the way we produce vaccines and other bioproducts, and contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/6tuh7/" target="_blank">Biorefinery Innovation in Increasing the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccine Production</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Metabolic alterations unravel the materno fetal immune responses with disease severity in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
<div>
Background: Pregnancy being immune compromised state, COVID-19 disease poses a high risk of premature delivery and threat to fetus. Plasma metabolome regulates immune cellular responses and we aimed to analyze the plasma secretome, metabolome, and immune cells in COVID-19-positive pregnant mothers and cord blood. Methods: COVID-19 RT-PCR positive pregnant females (n=112) asymptomatic (n=82), or with mild (n=21) or moderate (n=9) disease and control healthy pregnant (n=10) females were included. Mothers blood and cord blood (n=80) was analyzed for untargeted metabolome profiling and plasma cytokines by high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) and multiplex cytokine bead array. Immune scan in mothers was done using flow cytometry. Results: In asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, the amino acid metabolic pathways such as glycine, serine, L-lactate, and threonine metabolism was upregulated, riboflavin and tyrosine metabolism, downregulated. In mild to moderate disease, the pyruvate and NAD+ metabolism (energy metabolic pathways) were mostly altered. In addition to raised TNF-alpha, IFN-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6 cytokine storm, IL-9 was increased in both mothers and neonates. Pyruvate and NAD+ metabolic pathways along with IL-9 and IFN-gamma had an impact on non-classical monocytes, increased CD4 T cells and B cells but depleted CD8+ T cells. Cord blood mimicked the mothers metabolomic profiles by showing altered valine, leucine, isoleucine, glycine, serine, threonine in asymptomatic and NAD+ and riboflavin metabolism in mild and moderate disease subjects. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate a graduated immune-metabolomic interplay in mother and fetus in pregnant females with different degrees of severity of COVID-19 disease. IL-9 and IFN- gamma regulated pyruvate, lactate TCA metabolism, and riboflavin metabolism with context to disease severity are hallmarks of this materno-fetal metabolome.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.10.540101v1" target="_blank">Metabolic alterations unravel the materno fetal immune responses with disease severity in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>D614G and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant spike proteins differ in the effects of N-glycan modifications on spike expression, virus infectivity, and neutralization by some therapeutic antibodies</strong> -
<div>
The SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein has 22 potential N-linked glycosylation sites per monomer that are highly conserved among diverse variants, but how individual glycans affect virus entry and neutralization of Omicron variants has not been extensively characterized. Here we compared the effects of specific glycan deletions or modifications in the Omicron BA.1 and D614G spikes on spike expression, processing, and incorporation into pseudoviruses, as well as on virus infectivity and neutralization by therapeutic antibodies. We found that loss of potential glycans at spike residues N717 and N801 each conferred a loss of pseudovirus infectivity for Omicron but not for D614G or Delta variants. This decrease in infectivity correlated with decreased spike processing and incorporation into Omicron pseudoviruses. Oligomannose-enriched Omicron pseudoviruses generated in GnTI- cells or in the presence of kifunensine were non-infectious, whereas D614G or Delta pseudoviruses generated under similar conditions remained infectious. Similarly, authentic SARS-CoV-2 grown in the presence of kifunensine decreased titers more for the BA.1.1 variant than Delta or D614G variants relative to their respective, untreated controls. Finally, we found that loss of some N-glycans, including N343 and N234, increased the maximum percent neutralization by the class 3 S309 monoclonal antibody against D614G but not BA.1 variants, while these glycan deletions altered the neutralization potency of the class 1 COV2-2196 and Etesevimab monoclonal antibodies without affecting maximum percent neutralization. The maximum neutralization by some antibodies also varied with the glycan composition, with oligomannose-enriched pseudoviruses conferring the highest percent neutralization. These results highlight differences in the interactions between spike glycans and residues among SARS-CoV-2 variants that can affect spike expression, virus infectivity, and susceptibility of variants to antibody neutralization.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.10.540228v1" target="_blank">D614G and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant spike proteins differ in the effects of N-glycan modifications on spike expression, virus infectivity, and neutralization by some therapeutic antibodies</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Mild/Asymptomatic Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection Leads to Immune Paralysis in Fetal Circulation and Immune Dysregulation in Fetal-Placental Tissues</strong> -
<div>
Few studies have addressed the impact of maternal mild/asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection on the developing neonatal immune system. In this study, we analyzed umbilical cord blood and placental chorionic villi from newborns of unvaccinated mothers with mild/asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy using flow cytometry, single-cell transcriptomics, and functional assays. Despite the lack of vertical transmission, levels of inflammatory mediators were altered in cord blood. Maternal infection was also associated with increased memory T, B cells, and non-classical monocytes as well as increased activation. However, ex vivo responses to stimulation were attenuated. Finally, within the placental villi, we report an expansion of fetal Hofbauer cells and infiltrating maternal macrophages and rewiring towards a heightened inflammatory state. In contrast to cord blood monocytes, placental myeloid cells were primed for heightened antiviral responses. Taken together, this study highlights dysregulated fetal immune cell responses in response to mild maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.10.540233v1" target="_blank">Mild/Asymptomatic Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection Leads to Immune Paralysis in Fetal Circulation and Immune Dysregulation in Fetal-Placental Tissues</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Factors associated with the near miss of pregnant and postpartum women hospitalized by Covid-19</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objective To analyze the factors associated with maternal near miss due to Covid-19 in Brazil. Method cross-sectional study that assessed the cases of pregnant and postpartum women hospitalized with SARS due to Covid-19, aged between 10 and 49 years and from March 2020 to March 2022. Secondary data available in the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System (SIVEP-Flu) were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software, with univariate analysis followed by logistic regression. Results the significant independent factors associated with near miss in pregnant postpartum women due to Covid-19 were black/brown race, O2 saturation &lt;95%, dyspnea, comorbidities, need for invasive and non-invasive ventilatory support. Conclusion the factors associated with near misses in pregnant and postpartum women with covid-19 reveal characteristics and risks inherent to the pathophysiology of the disease that contribute to worsening the condition.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.10.23289809v1" target="_blank">Factors associated with the near miss of pregnant and postpartum women hospitalized by Covid-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Reconciling the efficacy and effectiveness of masking on epidemic outcomes</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Mask wearing in public settings has been broadly implemented as a means to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the reported effectiveness of masking has been much lower than laboratory measures of efficacy, and this large discrepancy has cast doubt on the utility of masking. Here, we develop an agent-based model that comprehensively accounts for individual masking behaviors and infectious disease dynamics, and test the impact of masking on epidemic outcomes. Using realistic inputs of mask efficacy and contact data at the individual level, the model reproduces the lower effectiveness as reported in randomized controlled trials. Model results demonstrate that transmission within households, where masks are rarely used, can substantially lower effectiveness, and reveal the interaction of nonlinear epidemic dynamics, control measures (e.g., masking and social distancing), and potential measurement biases. Overall, model results show that, at the individual level, consistent masking can reduce the risk of first infection, and, over time, reduce the frequency of repeated infection. At the population level, masking can provide direct protection to mask wearers, as well as indirect protection to non-wearers, collectively reducing epidemic intensity. These findings suggest it is prudent for individuals to use masks during an epidemic, and for policy makers to recognize the less-than-ideal effectiveness of masking when devising public health interventions.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.10.23289803v1" target="_blank">Reconciling the efficacy and effectiveness of masking on epidemic outcomes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Retrospective Analysis of Equity-Based Optimization for COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Marginalized racial and ethnic groups in the United States were disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To study these disparities, we construct an age-and-race-stratified mathematical model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission fitted to age-and-race-stratified data from 2020 in Oregon and analyze counterfactual vaccination strategies in early 2021. We consider two racial groups: non-Hispanic White persons and persons belonging to BIPOC groups (including non-Hispanic Black persons, non-Hispanic Asian persons, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native persons, and Hispanic or Latino persons). We allocate a limited amount of vaccine to minimize overall disease burden (deaths or years of life lost), inequity in disease outcomes between racial groups (measured with five different metrics), or both. We find that, when allocating small amounts of vaccine (10% coverage), there is a trade-off between minimizing disease burden and minimizing inequity. Older age groups, who are at a greater risk of severe disease and death, are prioritized when minimizing measures of disease burden, and younger BIPOC groups, who face the most inequities, are prioritized when minimizing measures of inequity. The allocation strategies that minimize combinations of measures can produce middle-ground solutions that similarly improve both disease burden and inequity, but the trade-off can only be mitigated by increasing the vaccine supply. With enough resources to vaccinate 20% of the population the trade-off lessens, and with 30% coverage, we can optimize both equity and mortality. Our goal is to provide a race-conscious framework to quantify and minimize inequity that can be used for future pandemics and other public health interventions.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.08.23289679v1" target="_blank">Retrospective Analysis of Equity-Based Optimization for COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation</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 Standard of Care Combined With Glucocorticoid in Elderly People With Mild or Moderate COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Glucocorticoid<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Huashan Hospital<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>Arginine Replacement Therapy in COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Arginine Hydrochloride<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Emory 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>Effectiveness of a Second COVID-19 Vaccine Booster in Chinese Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Intramuscularly administered Ad5-nCoV vaccine;   Biological: Aerosolized Ad5-nCoV;   Biological: DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1;   Biological: SYS6006<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<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>Long COVID-19 Syndrome Lifestyle Intervention Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Long COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: Low carbohydrate diet intervention<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Southern California<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>A Pilot Study Evaluating the Efficacy of the Vielight Neuro RX Gamma in the Treatment of Post COVID-19 Cognitive Impairment</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post COVID-19 Cognitive Impairment<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Device: Vielight Neuro RX Gamma active device;   Device: Vielight Neuro RX Gamma sham device<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Vielight 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>PAxlovid loNg cOvid-19 pRevention triAl With recruitMent In the Community in Norway</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post COVID-19 Condition, Unspecified;   SARS-CoV2 Infection;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Haukeland University Hospital;   University of Bergen<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>Working Towards Empowered Community-driven Approaches to Increase Vaccination and Preventive Care Engagement</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: mHealth Outreach;   Other: Care Coordination<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of California, San Diego;   San Ysidro Health Center<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>Role of Vit-D Supplementation on BioNTech, Pfizer Vaccine Side Effect and Immunoglobulin G Response</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Combination Product: Vitamin-D<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sulaimany Polytechnic university<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety, Tolerability and Immunogenicity of Alveavax-v1.2, a BA.2/Omicron-optimized, DNA Vaccine for COVID-19 Prevention</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Sars-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Alveavax-v1.2;   Drug: Janssen Ad26.COV2.S<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Alvea Holdings, LLC<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>COVID-19 Vaccination Detoxification in LDL-C</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19 Stress Syndrome;   COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Reaction;   COVID-19-Associated Thromboembolism;   COVID-19 Post-Intensive Care Syndrome;   COVID-19-Associated Stroke;   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Combination Product: Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Yang I. Pachankis<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>Post Covid-19 Dysautonomia Rehabilitation Randomized Controlled Trial</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome;   Dysautonomia<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Procedure: Rehabilitation;   Procedure: Standard of Care<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Evangelismos Hospital;   National and Kapodistrian University of Athens;   LONG COVID GREECE;   414 Military Hospital of Special Diseases<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>Exercise for Health in Patients With Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Long COVID<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Rehabilitation program<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Campus docent Sant Joan de Déu-Universitat de Barcelona;   Hospital de Mataró;   University of Barcelona<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>Digital Multimodal Rehabilitation for People With Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-COVID Syndrome<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: RehabCovid_Telematic;   Behavioral: RehabCovid_ImmersiveVR;   Behavioral: Control_Condition<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa;   University of Barcelona;   Universitat de Girona;   Unitat Assistencial i Preventiva de l’Esport- Centre d’Alt rendiment;   Politecnic University of Catalonia;   Corporación Fisiogestión<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>A Study in Healthy Volunteers to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Drug-Drug Interaction Potential of Single and Multiple Doses of ALG-097558</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: ALG-097558;   Drug: Placebo;   Drug: Midazolam;   Drug: Itraconazole;   Drug: Carbamazepine;   Drug: ALG-097558 in solution formulation;   Drug: ALG-097558 in tablet formulation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Aligos 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>Immunoadsorption Study Mainz in Adults With Post-COVID Syndrome</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome;   Post-COVID Syndrome;   Post COVID-19 Condition<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Device: Immunoadsorption;   Device: Sham-apheresis<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University Medical Center Mainz<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Fibrinolytic system and COVID-19: From an innovative view of epithelial ion transport</strong> - Lifeways of worldwide people have changed dramatically amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and public health is at stake currently. In the early stage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, fibrinolytic system is mostly inhibited, which is responsible for the development of hypofibrinolysis, promoting disseminated intravascular coagulation, hyaline membrane formation, and pulmonary edema. Whereas the common feature and risk factor 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>Evaluation of the Drug-Drug Interaction Potential of Ensitrelvir Fumaric Acid with Cytochrome P450 3A Substrates in Healthy Japanese Adults</strong> - CONCLUSION: The inhibitory effect for CYP3A was confirmed after the last dose of ensitrelvir, and the effect diminished over time. In addition, ensitrelvir at 375/125 mg showed CYP3A inhibitory potential similar to that at 750/250 mg. These findings can be used as a clinical recommendation for prescribing ensitrelvir with regard to concomitant medications.</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>Mapping early serum proteome signatures of liver regeneration in living donor liver transplant cases</strong> - The liver is the only solid organ capable of regenerating itself to regain 100% of its mass and function after liver injury and/or partial hepatectomy (PH). This exceptional property represents a therapeutic opportunity for severe liver disease patients. However, liver regeneration (LR) might fail due to poorly understood causes. Here, we have investigated the regulation of liver proteome and phosphoproteome at a short time after PH (9 h), to depict a detailed mechanistic background of the early…</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>Long-term consequences of COVID-19 on mental health and the impact of a physically active lifestyle: a narrative review</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Preventive measures must be undertaken, such as the vaccination of the entire population, vaccination hesitancy discouragement by creating awareness among individuals, and people’s engagement in a physically active lifestyle, since being physically active is a low-cost and effective measure to restore or inhibit the negative outcomes from COVID-19 on mental health.</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>Cruciferous vegetable-derived indole-3-carbinol prevents coronavirus cell egression mechanisms in tracheal and intestinal 3D in vitro models</strong> - The potential antiviral effects of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a phytochemical found in Cruciferous vegetables, were investigated. Fibroblasts and epithelial cells were co-cultured on Alvetex® scaffolds, to obtain ad hoc 3D in vitro platforms able to mimic the trachea and intestinal mucosae, which represent the primary structures involved in the coronavirus pathogenesis. The two barriers generated in vitro were treated with various concentrations of I3C for different incubation periods. A…</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>Structural requirements of Holothuria floridana fucosylated chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides in anti-SARS-CoV-2 and anticoagulant activities</strong> - Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (FucCS) is a unique glycosaminoglycan found primarily in sea cucumbers. This marine sulfated glycan is composed of a chondroitin sulfate backbone decorated with fucosyl branches attached to the glucuronic acid. FucCS exhibits potential biological actions including inhibition of blood clotting and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. These biological effects have been attributed to certain structural features, including molecular…</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>Luteolin inhibits spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness that poses a serious threat to global public health. In an essential step during infection, SARS-CoV-2 uses the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein to engage with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in host cells. Chinese herbal medicines and their active components exhibit antiviral activity, with luteolin being a flavonoid that can significantly…</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>Nature-inspired catalytic asymmetric rearrangement of cyclopropylcarbinyl cation</strong> - In nature, cyclopropylcarbinyl cation is often involved in cationic cascade reactions catalyzed by natural enzymes to produce a great number of structurally diverse natural substances. However, mimicking this natural process with artificial organic catalysts remains a daunting challenge in synthetic chemistry. We report a small molecule-catalyzed asymmetric rearrangement of cyclopropylcarbinyl cations, leading to a series of chiral homoallylic sulfide products with good to excellent yields and…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Designer DNA NanoGripper</strong> - DNA has shown great biocompatibility, programmable mechanical properties, and structural addressability at the nanometer scale, making it a versatile material for building high precision nanorobotics for biomedical applications. Herein, we present design principle, synthesis, and characterization of a DNA nanorobotic hand, called the “NanoGripper”, that contains a palm and four bendable fingers as inspired by human hands, bird claws, and bacteriophages evolved in nature. Each NanoGripper finger…</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>Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Organ-Specific Effects of 2-Deoxyglucose Treatment in Healthy Mice</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that 2DG has a systemic impact that varies across organs, potentially affecting multiple pathways and functions. The study provides insights into the potential therapeutic benefits of 2DG across different diseases and highlights the importance of understanding its systemic effects for future research and clinical applications.</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>90K/LGALS3BP expression is upregulated in COVID-19 but may not restrict SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - Glycoprotein 90K, encoded by the interferon-stimulated gene LGALS3BP, displays broad antiviral activity. It reduces HIV-1 infectivity by interfering with Env maturation and virion incorporation, and increases survival of Influenza A virus-infected mice via antiviral innate immune signaling. Its antiviral potential in SARS-CoV-2 infection remains largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the expression of 90K/LGALS3BP in 44 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at multiple levels. We quantified 90K protein…</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 S1 Subunit Booster Vaccination Elicits Robust Humoral Immune Responses in Aged Mice</strong> - The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has raised concerns about reduced vaccine effectiveness and the increased risk of infection, and while repeated homologous booster shots are recommended for elderly and immunocompromised individuals, they cannot completely protect against breakthrough infections. In our previous study, we assessed the immunogenicity of an adenovirus-based vaccine expressing SARS-CoV-2 S1 (Ad5.S1) in mice, which induced robust…</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>Frontline Worker Safety in the Age of COVID-19: A Global Perspective</strong> - The third annual Health Watch USAsm webinar conference assembled 16 speakers from 4 continents who shared information regarding frontline worker safety in the age of COVID-19. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a nearly 4000% increase in workplace illness in 2020 compared with 2019. It is estimated that 2% of the U.S. workforce is not working because of long COVID. In addition, the impact is growing with each surge. After the acute illness, patients are often described as recovered,…</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>Reparixin improves survival in critically ill and transplant patients: A meta-analysis</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that reparixin, an anti-inflammatory drug, improved survival in critically ill or transplant patients (including both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients) without increasing the risk of infection.</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>Bioinformatics approach to analyse COVID-19 biomarkers accountable for generation of intracranial aneurysm in COVID-19 patients</strong> - COVID-19 became a health emergency on January 30, 2020. SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 and can develop cardiometabolic and neurological disorders. Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is considered the most significant reason for hemorrhagic stroke,and it accounts for approximately 85% of all subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAH). Retinoid signaling abnormalities may explain COVID-19’s pathogenesis with inhibition of AEH2, from which COVID-19 infection may enhance…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
<script>AOS.init();</script></body></html>

543
archive-daily-dose/13 May, 2023.html Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,543 @@
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="" xml:lang="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head>
<meta charset="utf-8"/>
<meta content="pandoc" name="generator"/>
<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
<title>13 May, 2023</title>
<style>
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
span.underline{text-decoration: underline;}
div.column{display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; width: 50%;}
div.hanging-indent{margin-left: 1.5em; text-indent: -1.5em;}
ul.task-list{list-style: none;}
</style>
<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
<body>
<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What Bluesky Tells Us About the Future of Social Media</strong> - The new platform aims to be a decentralized alternative to Twitter. The vibe there is mostly like that of a Portland coffee shop. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-bluesky-tells-us-about-the-future-of-social-media">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Parents Who Fight the City for a “Free Appropriate Public Education”</strong> - Children with disabilities have a constitutional right to accommodation in public schools. Securing those rights can bring their families to a breaking point. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-education/the-parents-who-fight-the-city-for-a-free-appropriate-public-education">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Don’t Say You Haven’t Been Warned About Trump and 2024</strong> - CNN’s awful town hall with the former President heralds a disastrous election year to come. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/dont-say-you-havent-been-warned-about-trump-and-2024">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>W.G.A. Strike: Why Your Favorite Shows Could Go Dark</strong> - Michael Schulman talks with Laura Jacqmin, a veteran TV writer and a Writers Guild strike captain. Plus, the comedian and essayist Samantha Irby in conversation with Doreen St. Félix. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/wga-strike-why-your-favorite-shows-could-go-dark">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Supreme Court Ruling the Fossil-Fuel Industry Doesn’t Like</strong> - Communities can now sue in state courts for compensation for the costs of climate change—something oil companies have fought against for years. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/a-supreme-court-ruling-the-fossil-fuel-industry-doesnt-like">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>How to talk about pregnancy loss</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="An illustration of two people with long, dark hair in an emotional embrace. One’s head is buried in the other’s shoulder. Illustrations of flowers are in the background to their left." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zl0Oo8UmqzgEnOxknt8VSS5FJA0=/333x0:7000x5000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72277159/GettyImages_1307280889.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Whether it’s your own or someone else’s.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wrkOX3">
After Erica Freeman lost two pregnancies, a stillbirth at 39 weeks and a miscarriage in her second trimester, she hoped to connect with other Black women on social media discussing their experiences. “I didn’t find any out there that were sharing their story,” she says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hw95um">
In 2017, Freeman became that voice she longed to hear. She launched a podcast, <a href="https://sistersinloss.com/"><em>Sisters In Loss</em></a>, to encourage freer discussion of pregnancy loss, infertility, paths to parenthood, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/health-care/2017/7/3/15886892/black-white-moms-die-childbirth-north-carolina-less">Black maternal health</a> and infant mortality. “When something bad happens, it’s typically held close to our chest because we think we’re alone, like we’re the only person who’s gone through this terrible traumatic experience,” Freeman says, “when in many cases, it’s not true.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yYzTPv">
Pregnancy loss is common. About <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532992/">10 percent of “clinically recognized” pregnancies end in miscarriage</a> — the loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation. There are many causes for miscarriage: <a href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/early-pregnancy-loss">chromosomal abnormalities</a> causing the embryo not to develop properly, <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9688-miscarriage">hormonal imbalances, unmanaged diabetes, malnutrition</a>. Exercise, sex, and going to work <a href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/early-pregnancy-loss">does not cause miscarriage</a>. <a href="https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/stillbirth/topicinfo/how-common">Stillbirth</a>, when a fetus dies after the 20th week of pregnancy, accounts for one out of every 167 pregnancies in the US. Black women have <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/177/11/1271/97504?login=false">greater risk of miscarriage</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2788431/">stillbirth</a> compared to white women, according to research.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NGrfcm">
Still, discussing pregnancy loss can be difficult. Well-meaning loved ones <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23589570/offer-help-support-validation">fear saying the wrong thing</a> and those who have lost a pregnancy often don’t have a good road map for sharing this news due to a cultural <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6206670/">tendency not to talk about miscarriage and stillbirth</a>. “We don’t have the language for this,” says <a href="https://drloreejohnson.com/">Loree Johnson</a>, a licensed marriage and family therapist. “We have language to communicate the loss of a spouse: you become a widow or a widower. You become an orphan if you’ve lost your parents. There’s not really a language in the US culture for someone who’s lost a pregnancy.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jIx04v">
How each person discusses their pregnancy loss is entirely dependent on what they’re open to talking about and their experience. They may be sharing news of the loss with loved ones because they need tangible support, like help cooking dinner while they heal. Others may hope to fend off insensitive questions about their bodies from coworkers. Freeman was motivated by transparency, to show others they aren’t alone. But as more people talk about miscarriage or stillbirth, these conversations are normalized, Johnson says, and society can better understand both the physical and emotional realities of pregnancy loss.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k18QyV">
There are ways to compassionately talk about pregnancy loss, whether you’re looking for support from loved ones after your own miscarriage or you want to lend a sympathetic ear. Here’s some guidance.
</p>
<h3 id="ti3M7s">
How to talk about your pregnancy loss with friends and family
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MgMxeD">
When and how to tell loved ones about your pregnancy loss will depend on your needs and comfort level. “You get to decide when the right time to tell others might be,” says Landon Zaki, a licensed psychologist and owner of <a href="https://bloomtherapysf.com/">Bloom Therapy</a>. “For some, this might be immediately as they seek needed support. For others, this might be after some time having processed the loss.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JOqOUr">
It may be helpful to share the news incrementally, Freeman says, where you first inform your partner and family about the loss — and coordinate logistics, like who will pick up your other children from school — and then slowly open up about the experience as you’re ready. You can say something along the lines of “I just wanted to let you know I had a miscarriage. I would love for you to support me by …” Freeman says “sometimes it’s very hard for people to ask exactly how [they] can support you.” It’s okay if you don’t know what kind of support you need — it can often change from minute to minute, day to day. Johnson says it can be helpful to get tips and strategies from pregnancy loss or infertility communities for guidance on what they found useful to request from family and friends. Both <a href="https://sistersinloss.com/resources/">Freeman</a> and reproductive health psychologist <a href="https://drjessicazucker.com/">Jessica Zucker</a> provide resources on their websites and social media.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M8zacP">
How you share news of the loss can differ based on your relationship to the person, your emotional capacity, and whether that mode of communication best facilitates how you want to be supported, Johnson says. Some questions to consider: Who is the easiest person to tell? What communication method is easiest for you? Will you get the support you need through a text message? Do you have the energy for a phone call? Some of Johnson’s clients have found mass emails the easiest way to inform many people at one time. You can also tell your loved ones how you would like to be contacted, she says. Texts or emails give you the opportunity to reply when you’re in the right headspace, Johnson notes, in a way that a face-to-face conversation can’t.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DQAdbT">
In her book <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-had-a-miscarriage-a-memoir-a-movement-jessica-zucker/14208928?ean=9781558612884"><em>I Had A Miscarriage: A Memoir, A Movement</em></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ihadamiscarriage/">Zucker</a> wrote of her experience informing a few close friends and family members of her miscarriage by simply texting, “I had a miscarriage.” “I found myself reaching for some semblance of community, of comfort, of a way to tether myself to the living as I remained in the presence of death,” she wrote.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YESv2Y">
You may also want to enlist the help of a trusted friend to help inform your network of your loss on your behalf. They can be the point person for providing details about what’s going on with you and how others can support you. This gives you the space to grieve and process without fielding multiple calls and texts.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GnuJjh">
Even if you did not share your pregnancy with your network in the first place, Zucker still finds value in discussing the loss. You could say, “I was pregnant, and we recently learned I’m not” or “I was waiting to share good news with you, but unfortunately, I got some not-so-great news.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zENY7O">
Conversations with your other children, if you have them, should be age-appropriate but honest, says Patti Budnik, the<strong> </strong>bereavement care manager at <a href="https://nationalshare.org/">Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support</a>. Say something like, “The baby stopped growing” or “The baby passed away and we don’t know why.” Avoid language that might unintentionally frighten your children. “If you tell them that baby was sleeping, then they may be scared to go to sleep themselves,” Budnik says. “If you say the baby’s sick and then every time mom gets a cold or dad gets a cold or they get a cold, they might think that, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m gonna die also.’”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZIB52T">
When taking off time from work, you may need to provide your manager or HR with basic information in order to take advantage of bereavement leave or other time off policies if you have them. There is no federal bereavement leave policy, but <a href="https://www.business.com/articles/bereavement-leave/">five states</a> — California, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, and Washington — currently have statewide bereavement guidelines. Employees may <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/28q-taking-leave-for-birth-placement-child">take time off to recover from stillbirth</a> under the Family and Medical Leave Act, but that time may be unpaid. It’s up to you to determine how much you want to disclose to your employer. Freeman suggests saying, “I’ve experienced pregnancy loss. My doctors are recommending two weeks off. How do I make sure that I get paid for those two weeks?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mIjZjz">
Some people may, in their effort to comfort you, ask for more information you aren’t yet comfortable sharing. While it may be difficult in the midst of your grief to set a boundary, you need to speak up for yourself and what you’re comfortable discussing, Budnik says. Tell loved ones what you’re willing to speak about or point out comments that hurt you. Zaki suggests saying, “I know you want to help, but what you are saying isn’t helping me right now. Here’s what I need instead.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6dFQxR">
You may be confronting a whirlwind of emotions, from anger, guilt, shame, grief, and even relief. Give yourself grace for any emotion you’re experiencing. To help process your grief, Refuge in Grief offers <a href="https://refugeingrief.com/writing-your-grief/">self-guided courses</a> for engaging with your pain. Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support also hosts <a href="https://nationalshare.org/online-support/">online chats and Facebook groups</a> for bereaved parents. “Attributing a miscarriage — and any response to it — to a personal character flaw or individual choice, rather than the basic comingling of chromosomes during fertilization,” Zucker writes, “keeps us suspended in the past.” Understand there are many pregnancy experiences, including loss and responses to such loss. “But the best way to make room for all those experiences,” Zucker writes, “is by speaking them aloud.”
</p>
<h3 id="Zs6fnL">
What to say to a loved one who has lost a pregnancy
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FU7Za6">
Hearing the news of someone’s pregnancy loss can be painful, but remember your role is to be supportive; the griever should not have to manage your emotions on top of their own. The best thing you can tell someone who shares their loss with you is, “I wish there was something that I could say that can make this better. I’m here for you,” Budnik says. Your loved one might just need you to listen, to babysit, to tell other friends. Consider whether your loved one shared their plans for their pregnancy and their baby. It may be helpful for them to hear, “Tell me about your pregnancy” or “Tell me what you were planning for this baby,” according to Budnik.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4dAska">
Tangible support is often appreciated, Freeman says. “Always think about things you can remove from their plate that are basic life functions,” she says. “How can we make sure that they have food and groceries in their house?” Think about their life and needs <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23589570/offer-help-support-validation">when making offers of assistance</a>. Do they need someone to walk their dog? A ride to a doctor’s appointment?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yrhryD">
Acknowledge the loss and don’t minimize the grieving parents’ pain. Budnik says it can be helpful to ask if they named the baby and if they plan on holding a funeral or other remembrance ritual. Always try to refer to the baby’s name if the parents told you, Budnik continues.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Pto4TR">
When looking for words of comfort, well-meaning supporters often turn to platitudes that do more harm than good. Avoid these statements:
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dH50y6">
“At least it happened early.”
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ih5YLB">
“At least you have other children.”
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mMJsom">
“You can always get pregnant again.”
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z1e6y5">
“God wouldn’t give you more than you could handle.”
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ojNPCk">
“Everything happens for a reason.”
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zz9eMi">
“You don’t even look like you’re pregnant.”
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="euNxxu">
“Have you considered IVF?”
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o6UDuu">
“Once you get pregnant again, you’ll feel better.”
</li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9qCZ2s">
Keep showing up and checking in with your loved one beyond the first few weeks following the loss. Tell them you’re thinking of them, ask them how they are and if they’d like to talk. Don’t assume that just because the parents seem “okay” or “fine” that they’re not hurting and in need of a friend, Zucker says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vcoocs">
If your loved one told you their due date, Budnik suggests reaching out on or around that date. Say, “I know your due date is coming up. I’m thinking about you.” Zucker suggests sending a thoughtful message or phone call on the anniversary of the loss. “And if they’re like, ‘You know what, actually I’m so tired of talking over it. I can’t deal with it anymore,’” Zucker says, “Then you don’t need to, of course, bring it up anymore.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t9RxTq">
Discussing grief in any capacity is difficult — especially so for those who lost a pregnancy. Tread lightly, lead with compassion, and listen. “People will always remember who was there for them,” Freeman says. “They may not even remember any of the events of exactly what happened during their pregnancy loss, but they will always remember who showed up for them at the end of the day.”
</p></li>
<li><strong>4 winners and 1 loser in the EPA’s historic move to limit power plant pollution</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6shEAqcQhtzJT-jsh0CYLlkDLjc=/393x0:5224x3623/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72277097/GettyImages_1232409340.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
The EPA expects its power plant proposals would slash carbon dioxide emissions by at least 617 million metric tons through 2042, equivalent to halving the total number of cars on the road for a year. | AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
One winner: Natural gas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DAvqtA">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o40XrU">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="acU6WA">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="omlHA6">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ddbM35">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I3daiM">
In 2013, President Barack Obama <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/06/25/president-obamas-plan-cut-carbon-pollution-and-address-climate-change">announced</a> on a blisteringly hot June day at Georgetown University that his administration would be taking historic action to address power plant pollution — an attempt ultimately blocked in court.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="grZK2O">
The Biden administration’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate/2023/5/11/23695884/biden-epa-climate-power-plant-regulation">rollout of the new rules</a> on Thursday was a more understated affair. Instead of a big presidential announcement, EPA administrator Michael Regan spoke from the University of Maryland about the agency’s third attempt at regulating power plant pollution from existing plants, explaining “these aren’t restrictions, as some would say,” but about “seizing the moment and understanding that we have an obligation” to leave a healthier planet behind.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T7qLXf">
The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-new-carbon-pollution-standards-fossil-fuel-fired-power-plants-tackle">proposed rules </a>are a less elegant and splashy solution than the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, but the complex set of proposals also stands a better chance of withstanding court scrutiny. The EPA breaks down requirements based on the type of plant, its size, and how often it is in use. Utilities, working with states, would ultimately decide how to meet the EPA’s emissions rates by choosing among available technologies. Coal plants, for instance, could fire less carbon-intensive fuels such as hydrogen and gas, to supplement coal. Coal and gas plants can also install <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfNr2zUDEZc">carbon capture</a> and storage or sequestration, a technology that removes carbon dioxide at the smokestack to eventually store it underground. Or a plant could bypass all this if it sets a retirement date in the medium term.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UvAz0g">
As a result, existing coal plants would cut their carbon pollution 90 percent by the end of the decade, unless a plant sets a retirement date before 2040. Existing gas plants get more leeway — only the largest gas plants, less than a third in operation, will have to slash their pollution by 90 percent by 2035.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BFDKgq">
The EPA makes a dent in coal pollution especially, but it doesn’t eliminate power plant pollution entirely. It leaves a mixed bag of winners and losers.
</p>
<h3 id="EN2aoZ">
<strong>Winner: The EPA</strong>
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X2RFDu">
The Supreme Court has knocked down the EPA’s attempted power sector rules twice, first by halting the Clean Power Plan from going into effect and again by finding it violated the Clean Air Act. Trump’s weak replacement, which would have effectively increased emissions, also didn’t pass muster from federal courts.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aMdfAI">
It’s now the EPA’s third time attempting to regulate the power sector. To comply with the Supreme Court ruling, the EPA looks only at technology that can be upgraded inside the power plant (rather than shifting the power mix statewide to renewables). That leaves a limited set of options: A plant could lower its emissions by installing lower-emissions technology, like <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22973204/hydrogen-energy-power-toyota-mirai-climate-change">hydrogen</a>, or carbon capture technology that works like a scrubber would to remove carbon before it enters the atmosphere. The suite of rules affects existing coal and gas plants differently depending on its size, how often it’s in use, and whether it has a date to retire.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7UCtkF">
All these carveouts and exceptions make for a difficult way to sum up the rule in a soundbite — this is no Clean Power Plan 2.0. But it also makes for a sturdier rule that can stand up to the lawsuits and court scrutiny to follow.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YCREiq">
Once the rule is finalized and in effect (a process that is still at least a year away), the agency can finally say it is regulating carbon pollution from the power sector.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LwUhVW">
“By proposing new standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, EPA is delivering on its mission to reduce harmful pollution that threatens people’s health and wellbeing,” said EPA Administrator Regan.
</p>
<h3 id="hi10rM">
<strong>Winners: Carbon capture and storage and hydrogen</strong>
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TfU4Vc">
The rules shine a spotlight on two lesser-known technologies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fjoHUT">
Companies like NextEra Energy have already <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-most-valuable-u-s-power-company-is-making-a-huge-bet-on-hydrogen-4c1896d">eyed</a> clean hydrogen for its potential, and they may be right:<strong> </strong>the technology is named as an option for utilities to also use at gas and coal plants.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2njFLn">
Carbon capture and storage, more controversially, also get a boost. There are only a few existing handfuls of examples of carbon capture and sequestration’s use in the US and around the world (and just as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy-carbon-capture/problems-plagued-u-s-co2-capture-project-before-shutdown-document-idUSKCN2523K8">memorable</a> examples of these plants shutting down because of shaky economic conditions). The EPA makes the case that this technology is ready for the primetime, though, because of new government investments bringing down its cost.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h4jXko">
“Today’s proposed rules elevate the role of carbon capture by naming it as one of the available technologies for reaching emissions standards for new and existing fossil fuel-fired power plants,” said Jessie Stolark, executive director of the <a href="https://carboncapturecoalition.org/carbon-capture-coalition-statement-on-proposed-epa-rules-on-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-power-plants/">Carbon Capture Coalition</a>, a group that represents corporate interests on carbon capture.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EV1dRT">
With new funding in both the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Stolark noted, “for the first time, project developers have a portfolio of complementary federal policies to catalyze the deployment of these technologies in the industry, power, and direct air capture sectors.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LUcoyx">
The emphasis on carbon capture worries environmental justice advocates who view it as an excuse to keep coal around. “Carbon capture and sequestration technologies are harmful and unproven,” said Juan Jhong Chung, policy director at the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition and member of the Climate Justice Alliance. “They do not operate at scale, and to expand carbon capture to a fraction of what is envisioned by this order would require constructing thousands of miles of polluting pipelines into communities already most impacted by the burning of fossil fuels.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qbyee8">
Whether carbon capture will really take off in the coal sector is unclear. The EPA acknowledged they’d expect some coal plants to retire rather than opt for more expensive upgrades, especially when renewables are cheaper. But some plants still have a lengthy timeline before they see enforcement, giving them a license to pollute.
</p>
<h3 id="s5o3os">
<strong>Winner: The vast majority of gas plants</strong>
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="86gEKW">
Natural gas plants face a different set of requirements than coal. Notably, the proposal only applies to plants that are over 300 megawatts and run at least 50 percent of the time. That only covers about 23 percent of existing gas plants today.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w1D799">
The vast majority of existing gas plants are exempted in this proposal, and Evergreen Action says there are a large number just below 300 MW. Charles Harper, power sector policy expert said Evergreen Action will be joining other environmental groups in making the case that the EPA should expand this threshold in the final rule. The EPA is accepting comments on lowering its threshold to plants as low as 150 megawatts. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-05/FRL-8536-02-OAR%20111EGU%20NPRM%2020230504_Admin.pdf"></a><a href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-05/FRL-8536-02-OAR%20111EGU%20NPRM%2020230504_Admin.pdf"></a>
</p>
<h3 id="ePHFXk">
<strong>Loser: Biden’s 2035 clean grid goal</strong>
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="exBvoL">
One of Biden’s climate pledges coming into office was to get to a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. The EPA’s rule doesn’t get the US there. The EPA expects the regulation would slash carbon dioxide emissions by at least 617 million metric tons through 2042, equivalent to halving the total number of cars on the road for a year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SDTqLh">
That’s a longer timeline than the US really has to address its power plant pollution and be in line with global climate targets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cy66zN">
A clean grid matters for more than eliminating a source of 25 percent of US pollution. Over the next decade, more people and businesses will switch from gas and oil powering their appliances and gasoline-powered cars. But electric vehicles and heat pumps aren’t truly clean alternatives unless they’re also plugging into a grid run on renewables.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Uarmob">
It’s also about managing expectations for how much power the EPA has to tackle climate change. “The EPA’s authority is to determine what the best system of emissions reduction is and set standards based on that system,” said Jay Duffy, litigation director with the Clean Air Task Force. “Reaching climate goals is not part of the Clean Air Act instructions. It’s a nice co-benefit that we do get with strong rules.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HNlZlM">
But the EPA is also not working in a vacuum, because the US now has the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand renewables. EPA modeling has shown these laws will mean an 80 percent reduction in emissions from electricity by 2040. There’s still a wide gap to close between where current policy gets us and Biden’s ambitions, but it’s smaller than where it was.
</p>
<h3 id="ZWrtHc">
<strong>Winner: Senator Joe Manchin</strong>
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xEhrIs">
Even before the EPA rules were public, Senator Joe Manchin made his position against them clear. “This Administration is determined to advance its radical climate agenda and has made it clear they are hellbent on doing everything in their power to regulate coal and gas-fueled power plants out of existence, no matter the cost to energy security and reliability,” he said in a <a href="https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-to-oppose-every-epa-nominee">statement</a>. He said the regulation “piles on top of a broader regulatory agenda being rolled out designed to kill the fossil industry by a thousand cuts.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wVWttq">
Manchin has taken a stand by promising to oppose all EPA nominees going forward until they “halt their government overreach.” The threat probably carries <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/10/manchin-biden-epa-nominees-00096197">minimal consequences</a>, since two pending EPA nominees are already advanced out of committee.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nz4W0R">
There’s a case that Manchin is actually a winner, though, at least in a political sense. Manchin hasn’t officially <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/joe-manchin-says-wont-decide-2024-end-year-rcna77813">announced</a> his reelection campaign for the Senate, but if he runs he will be in a challenging battle to fend off a Republican takeover. The EPA rules are an unusual gift to his campaign, because he can use the issue to keep his distance from Biden and show off that he is fossil fuels’ biggest champion.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Turkey’s extremely big-deal election, explained</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Posters of the two presidential candidates seen wrapped around a pole." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-Q_V0UXnPkKqNMWc5KIhniyrf-U=/406x0:3654x2436/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72277013/1488639573.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Posters of Turkish President and People’s Alliance’s presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan (top) and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate and leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), on May 9, 2023, in Istanbul, Turkey. | Aziz Karimov/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Could the opposition end President Erdogan’s 20-year rule?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ib5yqb">
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has led Turkey for 20 years, consolidating power and reorienting the state around him. But this Sunday’s elections represent a very real challenge to his authority — and Turkey’s voters could finally end his rule.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nPTwre">
Erdoğan has survived political challenges before — and he definitely could again — but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/19/business/turkey-earthquake-economy-erdogan.html">an imploding economy</a>, potential fallout from <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65275921">the government’s earthquake response</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/05/turkey-elections-erdogan-opposition-voters/">baggage of his decades-long tenure</a>, and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/04/24/1171570753/opposition-parties-in-turkey-band-together-to-try-to-defeat-president-erdogan">a fairly united opposition</a> have turned this into a competitive election. Heading into Sunday’s first round of voting, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/10/recep-tayyip-erdogan-facies-real-chance-of-losing-as-turkey-gets-ready-to-vote">polls show a tight race</a> between Erdoğan and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65309688">Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu</a>, the opposition candidate who leads the Republican People’s Party (CHP), one of six parties joined together in an opposition coalition. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-erdogan-lags-election-rival-closely-watched-poll-2023-05-11/">In some polls, Kılıçdaroğlu has the edge</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CyGQtv">
“These elections seem to be a life-or-death situation, in a way — meaning that a lot of people see this as the last chance to actually change the Erdoğan government,” said Ateş Altınordu, assistant professor of sociology at Sabancı University in Turkey.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oW3ewG">
Kılıçdaroğlu is something of an unlikely success story. He <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/3/turkish-opposition-to-announce-election-candidate-2">wasn’t the obvious favorite to lead the opposition</a>: He’s a 74-year-old longtime politician who wasn’t seen as particularly inspiring or dynamic, especially to take on a political survivor like Erdoğan. But he has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/07/turkey-election-erdogan-kilicdaroglu-opposition/">appealed directly to voters with his plainspoken videos</a> and has tried to frame his candidacy as inclusive and welcoming — a kind of calm, predictable figure who could serve as Turkey’s transition from the era of Erdoğan to the next.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Vicmen">
That outcome is far from guaranteed. Erdoğan has built-in advantages, including <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/turkey-erdogan-media/">control of the media</a> and state resources. He retains a staunch base of supporters loyal to him and his Justice and Development Party (AKP). And this is a leader who’s spent the past 20 years in power, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/world/asia/erdogan-turkey-courts-judiciary-justice.html">purged</a> his perceived political opponents from government and judicial institutions. He <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/perils-personalizing-power-erdogans-one-man-rule-has-made-him-increasingly-vulnerable">has built up systems of cronyism and patronage that have benefited him and his allies</a> — leaving him and the AKP exposed if out of power.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vzanh9">
Which means Erdoğan could still win this election outright. And if he loses, it’s another question entirely whether he’ll go away quietly.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HGYppB">
“I think all scenarios are out on the table as to how this election might go,” said A. Kadir Yildirim, a Middle East and Turkey expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute. Erdogan, again, could win. The opposition could win, and power could transfer peacefully. Or Erdogan could try to manipulate and rig the election, or simply refuse to go — and in either of those cases, how the opposition and the institutions respond could determine whether he’s successful.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lykq06">
If no candidate wins a clear majority this Sunday, the election <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/05/11/1175403598/turkeys-presidential-election-is-expected-to-seal-erdogans-political-fate">will go to a runoff on May 28</a>. But much is at stake for Turkey’s democracy, its economy, and its future.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="67vxXf">
“The social fabric of the country is at stake. Why do I say that?” said Sebnem Gumuscu, associate professor of political science at Middlebury College. “When you hear what these leaders have to say — and what they have to promise to the country, the people — you hear two very different Turkeys.”
</p>
<h3 id="oXV2ab">
Why Erdoğan is in real trouble …
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aJDllP">
Erdoğan has dominated Turkish politics for most of this century. He served as prime minister from 2003 to 2014, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/10/turkey-presidential-election-ergodan">until being elected president in 2014</a>. The presidency used to be a mostly ceremonial role, but Erdoğan has moved the country from a parliamentary democracy to a strong presidential system. Erdoğan used <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/7/15/12204172/turkey-coup-erdogan-military">a failed coup attempt in 2016</a> to accelerate his consolidation of power and to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/magazine/inside-turkeys-purge.html">purge the civil service</a>, the judiciary, and the military. He has cracked down on independent media, arresting journalists and other civil society members. Through referenda, he has <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2017/4/17/15320350/turkey-referendum-vote-erdogan-explained">expanded the powers of the presidency</a> and removed many of the checks against that power.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9NR1Sq">
Even as Erdoğan has become more of a strongman, he’s remained a pretty popular leader. <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2017/4/17/15320350/turkey-referendum-vote-erdogan-explained">His tough-guy persona has real appeal</a>, especially when <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/05/23/erdogan-turkey-pkk-election-sweden-finland-nato/">rallying fervor against certain groups he labels terrorists </a>or <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/recep-tayyip-erdogan-turkey-economy-in-crisis-picks-fights-abroad/">picking fights with the West</a>. He has raised Turkey’s profile internationally (though as a NATO member, Turkey has been a bit of a <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/erdogan-works-to-deepen-ties-with-putin-amid-allies-concerns/6780312.html">thorn</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/14/22174669/turkey-sanctions-trump-russia-s-400">in the</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/23581876/turkey-sweden-finland-nato-membership">alliance’s</a> side).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7mTOUe">
But Erdoğan is facing some pretty big challenges in 2023. The big one is <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-economy-faces-lost-year-no-matter-who-wins-election-insiders-say-2023-05-10/">Turkey’s economy</a>. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkish-inflation-slows-437-april-ahead-elections-2023-05-03/">Inflation is around 40 percent</a>; <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/we-cant-afford-anything-turkeys-cost-of-living-crisis-threatens-erdogans-re-2023-05-08/">people can’t afford basic necessities</a>. The <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/12/1/turkey-lira-crashing-will-currency-crisis-worsen">Turkish lira has crashed</a>, which means Turks have far less purchasing power. Erdoğan has embraced a heterodox economic policy that has made things worse — specifically, he <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/03/turkeys-inflation-tops-85percent-as-erdogan-continues-to-rule-out-interest-rate-hikes.html">doesn’t believe in raising interest rates</a>, thinking it will slow the economic growth.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="44eKnW">
Turkey’s economic situation has been getting worse and worse, which means Erdoğan’s promises for new infrastructure and growth are starting to sound a little hollow, and the pain is very real for ordinary Turks. “He’s never entered an electoral campaign where he cannot sell an economic message,” said Sinan Ciddi, associate professor of security studies at Marine Corps University. “As in, he’s never campaigned in a negative economic downturn.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C0lYPp">
Meanwhile, Erdoğan has relied on systems of clientism and patronage for political and personal gain. None of this is exactly secret, but <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2023/2/6/23587628/syria-humanitarian-crisis-turkey-earthquake">the devastating February earthquake</a> in southeastern Turkey showed how deep that <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2023/2/9/23591279/turkey-earthquake-erdogan-response-elections">corruption</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2023/2/14/23597836/turkey-earthquake-contractors-building-arrests">government mismanagement went.</a> That quake killed around 50,000 people in Turkey, and <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-earthquake-erdogan-opposition-anger-response/">anger erupted over the government’s handling of the disaster</a>, though it’s not clear whether that will carry over to the polls.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NmXgXx">
Yaprak Gürsoy, professor of European politics and chair of contemporary Turkish studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said she expected the earthquake to be a bigger issue in the elections than it’s turned out to be. “That surprises me a bit, because I think it could have been something that the opposition could have really used to show the deficiencies of the government,” she said. “And they chose not to do that.” (There’s also some question about how easy it will be to vote in the earthquake-affected areas; people have been displaced, though both political parties and civil society organizations are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/turkey-voters-earthquake-region-photo-gallery-855a9f9bf471ce342b066b5d1669ad61">trying to transport people to the polls</a>.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="in0nvS">
In the five years since he last won reelection, about <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65533680">5 million new, young voters came of age</a>. They’ve only known Erdoğan their entire lives. They see their economic prospects diminishing, especially compared to their cohorts in other countries, and their civil rights eroding. <a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/05/turkeys-first-time-voters-rally-around-opposition-crucial-polls">Many appear to want change</a>, and so <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/first-time-voters-may-have-decisive-say-turkish-election-2023-05-08/">this population could be decisive in tipping the election toward the opposition</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="KU4uUU">
… And why the opposition could win
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GSYBSZ">
Erdoğan is also facing surprisingly strong opposition. Months out from the election, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/01/26/turkey-s-opposition-in-disarray-ahead-of-presidential-election_6013231_4.html">the opposition was in complete disarray</a>. In March, Kılıçdaroğlu, the CHP leader, finally emerged and <a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/04/opposition-head-displaces-ankara-istanbul-mayors-erdogans-next-election-rival">played a key role in uniting that fractured opposition</a> into an electoral alliance that promised to restore Turkey’s parliamentary democracy and undertake pro-democratic judicial and institutional reforms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nIlbxG">
The CHP is the biggest party within the six-party coalition. It is the party of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, and has traditionally been a staunchly secular party — compared with Erdoğan’s AKP, which promotes Islamic values. But Kılıçdaroğlu <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/turkey-elections-why-chp-has-changed-its-stance-headscarves">has helped soften the CHP’s stances</a> and done outreach to Islamists to try to broaden the party’s appeal.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W9OKgX">
Kılıçdaroğlu himself has also defied expectations as a candidate. He’s been in politics and government for a long time, but even so, he’s largely seen as someone untarnished. “He is not an exciting kind of leader, he’s not a great politician, but he’s to be trusted and he’s the right person for this particular moment,” said Altınordu. He’s frequently described as “<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65309688">soft-spoken</a>.” He’s been called Turkey’s Gandhi or “Gandhi Kemal” because of his manner, but also because <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/05/europe/turkey-opposition-march/index.html">he led a hundreds-of-miles-long justice march in Turkey in 2017</a>, protesting the jailing of civil servants and activists.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S0ffxj">
Kılıçdaroğlu is an Alevi, which is a heterodox Islamic tradition that has faced discrimination and persecution in Turkey. There were some fears that the predominantly Sunni Muslim country might be reticent to vote for Kılıçdaroğlu because of this, but he candidly addressed his faith in a recent video, where he told the public, “I am an Alevi. I am a Muslim. … God gave me my life. I am not sinful.” The video was widely viewed <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20230420-erdogan-s-rival-breaks-taboo-by-talking-about-alevi-heritage-ahead-of-elections">and was seen as breaking something of a taboo in Turkish politics</a>.
</p>
<div id="ssl2si">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="es">
Alevi. <a href="https://t.co/C9Pd1ZaKoN">pic.twitter.com/C9Pd1ZaKoN</a>
</p>
— Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (<span class="citation" data-cites="kilicdarogluk">@kilicdarogluk</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/kilicdarogluk/status/1648755862905708551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2023</a>
</blockquote></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zJJb6S">
Videos have been one of Kılıçdaroğlu’s main mode of communication. He delivers these low-key speeches from a kind of messy desk, <a href="https://twitter.com/kilicdarogluk/status/1653504787655151624?s=20">or a kitchen table</a>, directly addressing voters. His messages have tended to be hopeful and optimistic — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/world/middleeast/erdogan-turkey.html">a marked contrast from the guy he is running against</a>. “He is not engaging with any of that combativeness or any kind of polarizing attitude,” said Gumuscu. “He’s much more at peace with his own identity, his views, his welcoming and inclusive rhetoric.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eKI9aR">
That discourse, and that effort to appeal to a broad base of support of the country, may be what ultimately helps this kind of boring, older politician succeed on Sunday. Alongside youth voters, who could play a big role in this election, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/turkish-presidential-elections-pro-kurdish-party-kemal-kilicdaroglu-opposition-candidate-recep-tayyip-erdogan/">has rallied behind Kılıçdaroğlu and the opposition</a>. The HDP did not formally join the opposition coalition, but Kurds make up a sizable voting chunk in Turkey, and their support could be decisive.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5CzRXY">
Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu are the two real contenders Sunday; there were two other candidates in the contest, but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/turkey-elections-ince-withdraws-ab71e315144e0d8454945611895d6d1e">one dropped out days before the vote</a>. Though his name will likely still appear on the ballot, his departure is seen as giving another boost to Kılıçdaroğlu. Combine that with those voters disillusioned with Erdoğan, or deeply hurt by the economy, and the opposition sees this as its best chance to topple Erdoğan.
</p>
<h3 id="3RmyfR">
Will Erdoğan accept an election loss?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JaUAHJ">
Before we get to that point: Erdoğan is an elections machine. Yes, the scales are tipped in his favor, the opposition doesn’t get much airtime on media. Yes, the economy is in shambles. But Erdoğan is still very popular with a very solid and reliable base, and experts and observers don’t underestimate that he could still win, as fair-ish and square-ish as you can get. “You’ve got six political parties huddled around one opposition candidate trying to defeat one guy,” Ciddi said. “It just shows how powerful Erdoğan is.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2jLUKu">
Yet Erdoğan could also lose — though exactly how he will respond is an impossible question to answer. Experts and observers think a lot will depend on how big that loss is. If Kılıçdaroğlu comes away with a clear margin of victory — 5 percent, say — Erdoğan won’t have a lot of room to maneuver. <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/09/turkey-election-erdogan-kilicdaroglu-akp-nation-alliance/">Turkey does have a long tradition of respecting the ballot box</a>, and if it’s not close, Erdoğan has “no option but to admit defeat,” Gürsoy said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Tg95hm">
Things get a lot trickier, though, if the election is close, or if the contest moves to a runoff, allowing time for some antics. That is not a guarantee of some sort of malfeasance, but it does make it a greater possibility, because Erdoğan has a lot to lose if he steps aside — as do those with vested interests in Erdoğan staying in power.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KtSX1j">
But no one really knows what Erdoğan’s playbook could look like, or if it would succeed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZZnLDU">
The government could try to disrupt the vote somehow, to preempt a loss, <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/11/turkey-election-erdogan-vote-rigging-civil-society-monitor/">but civil society is strong and mobilized to watch the polls and ensure election integrity</a>. “I have a lot of friends who are not going to be home the entire Sunday, because they are going to work as volunteers at the ballot boxes, and they are going to follow the process and they are there to make sure that the numbers are counted then are sent into the system in the right way,” Altınordu said.<strong> </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BdpSAA">
Erdoğan could seek to contest or challenge the results. A lot here may depend on how the institutions respond — although the <a href="https://www.ysk.gov.tr/en/supreme-election-council/1841">Supreme Election Council</a> and the <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/international-report/20230128-turkish-constitutional-court-decision-boosts-erdogan-s-election-chances">country’s top constitutional court</a> will probably be the most important of those bodies. Yet Erdoğan controls the military; he controls the police. Loyalists fill the civil service. All of that is pretty helpful to a leader who, say, wants to find a way to stay in power.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AxbQEj">
Even so, some experts said that if it really seems as if Erdoğan is doomed, that loyalty may end up being a bit softer than it appears. Bureaucrats and officials may recognize continued support for Erdoğan is a losing proposition.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OlKXUT">
But that’s not guaranteed, either. Corruption runs deep, and there is an established system of patronage that many might want to keep intact. “Will those people accept Erdoğan’s departure? That’s the other thing; it is not just up to Erdogan, but a lot of people are benefiting from the continuation of the system. So will they want to let Erdoğan go?” Yildirim said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gdDWnP">
There is also the question of how Erdoğan’s base reacts to any loss. At the same time, how the opposition and their supporters respond could also determine whether Erdoğan, if he attempts anything, prevails.
</p>
<h3 id="fU55Ur">
Even if Erdoğan is out, undoing his legacy will not be easy
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5qCJcR">
Kılıçdaroğlu and his coalition have promised pro-democratic reforms, including a return to a parliamentary system, to revive an independent press, and to reestablish an independent judiciary.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UF4hK6">
If they succeed in these elections, and reclaim power, that feat may start to seem quaint compared to the task of governing. Erdoğan spent 20 years centralizing power in himself, and that has fundamentally changed the nature of institutions and government in Turkey. Unraveling that is going to be an almost unfathomably complex challenge.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BB1Wpi">
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/12/middleeast/turkey-general-election-explainer-mime-intl/index.html">Turkey’s 600-member parliament will also be elected this year</a>, and it’s not yet clear<strong> </strong>how much support the opposition coalition will have in parliament to pass constitutional reforms. Plus, if Kılıçdaroğlu wins, he’ll come to power with the support of multiple parties — but keeping that coalition unified in government, with different personalities and ambitions, is not going to be easy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JyOkMY">
At the same time, Kılıçdaroğlu will inherit the presidency that Erdoğan created, which means all that authority gets transferred to him. He will have unilateral powers like decrees that he could use to start implementing reforms if parliamentary politics slow things down. But that also will be fraught for a man who promised a return to a more democratic Turkey.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="30hGab">
There are also questions of accountability, and how quickly a new government could empower an independent judiciary — and whether, and how intensely, it should seek to hold Erdogan and his government accountable.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KOjGdw">
And finally, there’s the mess Erdoğan made of the economy. Reversing his wild economic policies may start to revive the Turkish lira and lower inflation, but it will not be painless for the Turkish public.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3FqGto">
All of which is to say Kılıçdaroğlu has a real chance of winning Sunday. The reward, though, is one of the toughest jobs in the world.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="917yAn">
</p>
<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>Tranquila, Ricardo, River Of Gold, Norwegian Wood, Pride’s Angel and Rasputin shine</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL 2023 | Klaasen, Samad take SRH to 182 for 6 vs LSG</strong> - Wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen top-scored for the home side with 29-ball 47</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>Cricket-Pakistan appoint New Zealand’s Bradburn as head coach</strong> - The former Scotland head coach has previously served as the fielding coach of the Pakistan side from 2018 to 2020 before a stint at their National Cricket Academy (NCA).</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL 2023: RR vs RCB | Showdown between Jaiswal and Du Plessis as Rajasthan takes on Bangalore</strong> - Both Jaiswal and du Plessis are in scintillating form and are the top-two run-getters in the tournament so far.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL 2023: CSK vs KKR | Chennai eyes two points to improve play-off chances; Kolkata in must-win situation</strong> - Super Kings with 15 points (12 matches) are better placed to go through to the next stage, while KKR (10 points) need to win their two remaining games</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>Karnataka election results 2023 | PM Modi congratulates Congress for victory</strong> - ‘We shall serve Karnataka with even more vigour in the times to come,’ the Prime Minister wrote in a tweet</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>Rangchor: Story of a visually impaired girl who makes a demon like colours</strong> - Gillo Repertory Theatre presented the play, Rangchor, Ek Rakshas Ki Anokhi Kahani (The Colour Thief, an unusual tale of a demon) at Prithvi Theatre on May 12</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Congress will regain its strength in A.P. too: party spokesperson</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>NIA arrests one person in 2021 Thane fake currency case</strong> - Twelve sharp-edged swords and other incriminating material linking a Mumbai resident to the case were found in his custody</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>Job losses, easy money are both key factors of drug addiction in northern States</strong> - Poor drug addicts start selling drugs to meet the expenses of their daily dose, while those from rich families get easy money from parents, often by way of emotional blackmail, said the study on Punjab and four other States</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>Turkey election: Opposition dares to dream of Erdogan defeat</strong> - President Erdogan, who says he has kept Turkey standing tall, faces a united opposition in Sunday’s vote.</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’s Zelensky in Rome to meet Pope Francis</strong> - Ukraine’s leader visits Rome where he will meet political leaders and have an audience with the Pope.</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>Portuguese parliament votes to allow limited euthanasia</strong> - Doctors can now help people suffering from incurable diseases or severe injuries to end their lives.</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>Turkey election: Kremlin rejects accusations of interference</strong> - Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu said Russia was behind “montages and deep fake content”.</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>Pope Francis warns pets must not replace children in Italy</strong> - Pope Francis warns only the rich can afford to start a family, as Italy’s birth rate hits new low.</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>The challenges and promises of climate lawsuits</strong> - Suing governments and fossil fuel companies is a key tool in the climate change battle. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1938870">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>More evidence emerges that Saturn’s rings are much younger than the planet</strong> - ’In a way, we’ve gotten closure on a question that started with James Clerk Maxwell.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1938634">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Passkeys may not be for you, but they are safe and easy—here’s why</strong> - Answering common questions about how passkeys work. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1939003">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Google to pay $8M settlement for “lying to Texans,” state AG says</strong> - “If Google is going to advertise in Texas, their statements better be true.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1939110">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Bluetooth tags for Android’s 3 billion-strong tracking network are here</strong> - Third-party Bluetooth trackers plug in to Google’s massive Find My Device Network. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1938944">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Woman goes to buy a Parrot. The prices are $100, $200, and $15. She asks why the last one is so cheap?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Because he used to live in a brothel” says the shopkeeper. She pays $15.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When she gets home the parrot says: “Fuck me, a new brothel!” The woman laughs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When her daughters get home the parrot says: “Fuck me, 2 new prozzies!” The girls laughs too.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When the dad gets home the parrot says: “Fuck me Pete, haven’t seen you for weeks!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/HelpingHandsUs"> /u/HelpingHandsUs </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13g2ye6/a_woman_goes_to_buy_a_parrot_the_prices_are_100/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13g2ye6/a_woman_goes_to_buy_a_parrot_the_prices_are_100/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A dirty joke told by 85yo grandpa to the whole family by memory</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A male whale and a female whale were swimming off the coast of Japan when they noticed a whaling ship. The male whale recognized it as the same ship that had harpooned his father many years earlier.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He said to the female whale, “Lets both swim under the ship and blow out of our air holes at the same time and it should cause the ship to turn over and sink.” They tried it and sure enough, the ship turned over and quickly sank.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Soon however, the whales realized the sailors had jumped overboard and were swimming to the safety of shore. The male was enraged that they were going to get away and told the female, “Let’s swim after them and gobble them up before they reach the shore.” At this point, he realized the female was becoming reluctant to follow him.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Look,” she said, “I went along with the blow job, but I absolutely refuse to swallow the seamen.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/HelpingHandsUs"> /u/HelpingHandsUs </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13fmrpa/a_dirty_joke_told_by_85yo_grandpa_to_the_whole/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13fmrpa/a_dirty_joke_told_by_85yo_grandpa_to_the_whole/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Donald Trump was visiting a grade school. In one class he was talking about the word ‘tragedy’. Then he asked them to use it in a sentence.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
One brave girl raised her hand and said, “If a school bus carrying 20 people drove off of a cliff and everyone in it died that would be a tragedy.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No,” Trump responded. “You’re close, but that isn’t a tragedy. That is what we would call a great loss.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A few seconds later a boy raised his hand and said, “What about if my friend was at a farm and a farmer drove over him with a tractor? That would be a tragedy.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No,” Trump replied. “That is what we would call an accident, not a tragedy. Anyone else?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The entire class with stumped for a few minutes. Then, finally, another boy raised his hand and said, “I know what a tragedy would be. If Donald Trump was flying in his private jet and got hit by a missile, that would definitely be a tragedy.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Exactly!” Trump said, pleased. “Now, can you tell the class why, exactly, that would be a tragedy?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Well,” the boy replied, “It definitely wouldn’t be a great loss and it probably wouldn’t be an accident either.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/dr137"> /u/dr137 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13gdpya/donald_trump_was_visiting_a_grade_school_in_one/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13gdpya/donald_trump_was_visiting_a_grade_school_in_one/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A store opens which sells husbands (long)</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A few women think this is cool and decide to try it out. When they enter in the building, an employee tells them the rules: on each floor there is a door with a list of qualities the men on that floor possess. The women must choose whether to go into that floor to shop or move up to the next floor. Once someone has moved up, they cannot move down again, and if someone enters in a floor, they must buy someone from that floor or leave without purchases. You are only allowed to visit the store once.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The women think this seems reasonable and move up to the first floor, where the sign reads: “The men here are good-looking and have a job” That’s nice, they think, but let’s see what’s above.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
On the second floor, the sign reads: “The men here are good-looking, have a well-paying job and like children” Happy to have moved up, the women decide to check out the third floor
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Once they go up, they are greeted with a sign that reads: “The men here are good-looking, have a well-paying job, like children and are romantic” They think these are all good qualities in a husband, but want to see what’s above
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
On the fourth floor, the sign reads: “The men here are good-looking, have a well-paying job, like children, are romantic and good in bed” Wow, the women think, imagine what fantastic husbands the last floor must hold! Excited, they go up
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
On the last floor, the women are met with a sign that reads: “The last floor is empty and only exists to prove that women are fucking impossible to please”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/idonutcare53"> /u/idonutcare53 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13foucw/a_store_opens_which_sells_husbands_long/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13foucw/a_store_opens_which_sells_husbands_long/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man with his ever-nagging wife went on vacation to Jerusalem.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
While they were there, the wife passed away. The undertaker told the husband, “You can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here, in the Holy Land, for $150.” The man thought about it and told the undertaker he would just have her shipped home. The undertaker asked, “Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your wife home, when it would be wonderful to be buried here and you would only spend $150.” The man replied, “Long time ago a man died here, was buried here, and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can’t take that chance.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/LivingInMatrix"> /u/LivingInMatrix </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13g03w5/a_man_with_his_evernagging_wife_went_on_vacation/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13g03w5/a_man_with_his_evernagging_wife_went_on_vacation/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
<script>AOS.init();</script></body></html>

4
index.html
View File

File diff suppressed because one or more lines are too long