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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Aversive personality and COVID-19: A first review and meta-analysis</strong> -
<div>
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has strongly affected individuals and societies worldwide. In this review and meta-analysis, we investigated how aversive personality traits—i.e., relatively stable antisocial personality characteristics—related to how individuals perceived, evaluated, and responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 34 studies with overall 26,780 participants, we found that people with higher scores in aversive personality traits were less likely to perceive guidelines and restrictions to curb the spread of the virus as protective (p̂ = -.11), to engage in health behaviors related to COVID-19 (p̂ = -.16), and to engage in non-health related prosocial behavior related to COVID-19 (p̂ = -.14). We found no consistent relation between aversive personality and negative affect regarding the pandemic. The results thus indicate the importance of aversive personality traits in understanding individual differences with regard to COVID-19.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/vg465/" target="_blank">Aversive personality and COVID-19: A first review and meta-analysis</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Information about herd immunity through vaccination and empathy promote COVID-19 vaccination intentions</strong> -
<div>
Objective: An effective vaccine against COVID-19 is a desired solution to curb the spread of the disease. However, vaccine hesitancy might hinder high uptake rates and thus undermine efforts to eliminate COVID-19 once an effective vaccine became available. The present contribution addresses this issue by examining two ways of increasing the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Methods: Two pre-registered online studies were conducted (N = 2,315 participants from the UK) in which knowledge about and beliefs in herd immunity through vaccination, as well as empathy for those most vulnerable to the virus, were either measured (Study 1) or manipulated (Study 2). As a dependent variable, individuals’ self-reported vaccination intention once a vaccine against COVID-19 became available was assessed. Results: In Study 1 (N = 310), the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 was correlated with knowledge about and belief in herd immunity (r = .58, p &lt; .001), as well as with empathy for those most vulnerable to the virus (r = .26, p &lt; .001). In Study 2 (N = 2,005), information about herd immunity (Cohen’s d = 0.13, p = .003) and empathy (Cohen’s d = 0.22, p &lt; .001) independently promoted vaccination intention. Conclusions: The motivation to get vaccinated against COVID-19 was related to and could be causally promoted by both mere information about herd immunity and by empathy. As such, the present research provides a better understanding of the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/wzu6k/" target="_blank">Information about herd immunity through vaccination and empathy promote COVID-19 vaccination intentions</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a major challenge to societies all over the globe. To curb the spread of the disease, two measures implemented in many countries are minimizing close contact between people (“physical distancing”) and wearing face masks. In the present research, we tested the idea that physical distancing and wearing face masks can be the result of a genuine prosocial emotion—empathy for those most vulnerable to the virus. In four pre-registered studies (total N = 3,718‬, Western population), we show that (i) empathy is indeed a basic motivation for physical distancing and wearing face masks, and (ii) inducing empathy for those most vulnerable to the virus promotes the motivation to adhere to these measures (whereas providing mere information about its importance is not). In sum, the present research provides a better understanding of the promoting factors underlying the willingness to follow two important measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/y2cg5/" target="_blank">The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Abolished frameshifting for predicted structure-stabilizing SARS-CoV-2 mutants: Implications to alternative conformations and their statistical structural analyses</strong> -
<div>
The SARS-CoV-2 frameshifting element (FSE) has been intensely studied and explored as a therapeutic target for coronavirus diseases including COVID-19. Besides the intriguing virology, this small RNA is known to adopt many length-dependent conformations, as verified by multiple experimental and computational approaches. However, the role these alternative conformations play in the frameshifting mechanism and how to quantify this structural abundance has been an ongoing challenge. Here, we show by DMS and dual-luciferase functional assays that previously predicted FSE mutants (using the RAG graph theory approach) suppress structural transitions and abolish frameshifting. Furthermore, correlated mutation analysis of DMS data by three programs (DREEM, DRACO, and DANCE-MaP) reveals important differences in their estimation of specific RNA conformations, suggesting caution in the interpretation of such complex conformational landscapes. Overall, the abolished frameshifting in three different mutants confirms that all alternative conformations play a role in the pathways of ribosomal transition.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.28.586935v1" target="_blank">Abolished frameshifting for predicted structure-stabilizing SARS-CoV-2 mutants: Implications to alternative conformations and their statistical structural analyses</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Broad-Spectrum Coronavirus Inhibitors Discovered by Modeling Viral Fusion Dynamics</strong> -
<div>
Broad-spectrum therapeutics capable of inhibiting SARS-CoV-2, its variants, and related coronaviruses hold promise in curbing the spread of COVID-19 and averting future pandemics. Here, we employed a multidisciplinary approach that included molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based docking predictions to identify potent inhibitors that target a conserved region within the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that mediates membrane fusion by undergoing large-scale mechanical rearrangements. In silico binding screens honed in on this region, leading to the discovery of FDA-approved drugs and novel molecules predicted to disrupt spike protein conformational changes. These compounds significantly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection and blocked the entry of spike protein-bearing pseudotyped , {beta}, {gamma}, {delta} variants as well as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV in cultured human ACE2-expressing cells. The optimized lead compound significantly inhibited SARS-CoV2 infection in mice when administered orally.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.28.587229v1" target="_blank">Broad-Spectrum Coronavirus Inhibitors Discovered by Modeling Viral Fusion Dynamics</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Enhanced mucosal B- and T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 after heterologous intramuscular mRNA prime/intranasal protein boost vaccination with a combination adjuvant.</strong> -
<div>
Current COVID-19 mRNA vaccines delivered intramuscularly (IM) induce effective systemic immunity, but with suboptimal immunity at mucosal sites, limiting their ability to impart sterilizing immunity. There is strong interest in rerouting immune responses induced in the periphery by parenteral vaccination to the portal entry site of respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, by mucosal vaccination. We previously demonstrated the combination adjuvant, NE/IVT, consisting of a nanoemulsion (NE) and an RNA-based RIG-I agonist (IVT) induces potent systemic and mucosal immune responses in protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines administered intranasally (IN). Herein, we demonstrate priming IM with mRNA followed by heterologous IN boosting with NE/IVT adjuvanted recombinant antigen induces strong mucosal and systemic antibody responses and enhances antigen-specific T cell responses in mucosa-draining lymph nodes compared to IM/IM and IN/IN prime/boost regimens. While all regimens induced cross-neutralizing antibodies against divergent variants and sterilizing immunity in the lungs of challenged mice, mucosal vaccination, either as homologous prime/boost or heterologous IN boost after IM mRNA prime was required to impart sterilizing immunity in the upper respiratory tract. Our data demonstrate the benefit of hybrid regimens whereby strong immune responses primed via IM vaccination are rerouted by IN vaccination to mucosal sites to provide optimal protection to SARS-CoV-2.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.28.587260v1" target="_blank">Enhanced mucosal B- and T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 after heterologous intramuscular mRNA prime/intranasal protein boost vaccination with a combination adjuvant.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Development and Application of Decontamination Methods for the Re-Use of Laboratory Grade Plastic Pipette Tips</strong> -
<div>
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a need for methods to decontaminate and reuse personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical plastics became a priority. In this investigation we aimed to develop a contamination evaluation protocol for laboratory pipette tips, after decontamination. Decontamination methods tested in this study included cleaning with a common laboratory detergent (2.5% Alconox(R) solution followed with steam decontamination), exposure of ozone vapor at 250 and 14400 PPM * minute, and exposure to cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). All tips (control and experimental groups) were introduced to the methods described, while tips exposed to DNA extracts of Aeromonas hydrophila (ATCC-23211) were assessed for experimental groups. Decontamination was determined by turnover ratio and log reduction in detectable genomic material on the contaminated products using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay. Our results showed, cleaning tips with lab detergents along with steam decontamination removed genetic material, resulting in the highest log reduction, compared with ozone or CAP treatments. Detergent/washing methods showed the highest turnover ratio (95.9 %) and log reduction (5.943). However, the excessive residue (post- cleaning) on the plastic, within inner filters, and tip boxes suggested that washing with lab detergents was not favorable for reuse. Ozone vapor at 14400 PPM * minutes showed the second highest turnover ratio (98.4 %) and log reduction (4.511). CAP exposure with tips inverted (the tip end exposed closer to the plasma flame) for 1 minute showed a turnover ratio of (68.3 %) and log reduction (4.002). Relatively, lower turnover ratio and log reduction of CAP could be attributed to development/optimization of treatment conditions, including increases in exposure time and relative to tip positioning.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.27.587071v1" target="_blank">Development and Application of Decontamination Methods for the Re-Use of Laboratory Grade Plastic Pipette Tips</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Human long noncoding RNA, VILMIR, is induced by major respiratory viral infections and modulates the host interferon response</strong> -
<div>
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a newer class of noncoding transcripts identified as key regulators of biological processes. Here we aimed to identify novel lncRNA targets that play critical roles in major human respiratory viral infections by systematically mining large-scale transcriptomic datasets. Using bulk RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, we identified a previously uncharacterized lncRNA, named virus inducible lncRNA modulator of interferon response (VILMIR), that was consistently upregulated after in vitro influenza infection across multiple human epithelial cell lines and influenza A virus subtypes. VILMIR was also upregulated after SARS-CoV-2 and RSV infections in vitro. We experimentally confirmed the response of VILMIR to influenza infection and interferon-beta (IFN-{beta}) treatment in the A549 human epithelial cell line and found the expression of VILMIR was robustly induced by IFN-{beta} treatment in a dose and time-specific manner. Single cell RNA-seq analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples from COVID-19 patients uncovered that VILMIR was upregulated across various cell types including at least five immune cells. The upregulation of VILMIR in immune cells was further confirmed in the human T cell and monocyte cell lines, SUP-T1 and THP-1, after IFN-{beta} treatment. Finally, we found that knockdown of VILMIR expression reduced the magnitude of host transcriptional responses to IFN-{beta} treatment in A549 cells. Together, our results show that VILMIR is a novel interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) that regulates the host interferon response and may be a potential therapeutic target for human respiratory viral infections upon further mechanistic investigation.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.25.586578v1" target="_blank">Human long noncoding RNA, VILMIR, is induced by major respiratory viral infections and modulates the host interferon response</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Inference of epidemic dynamics in the COVID-19 era and beyond</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the key role that epidemiology and modelling play in analysing infectious threats and supporting decision making in real-time. Motivated by the unprecedented volume and breadth of data generated during the pandemic, we review new analytic opportunities and methodological developments available to address questions that emerge during a major modern epidemic. Following the broad chronology of insights required - from understanding initial dynamics to retrospective evaluation of interventions, we describe the theoretical foundations of each approach and the underlying intuition. Through a series of case studies, we illustrate real life applications, and discuss implications for future work.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/mg497/" target="_blank">Inference of epidemic dynamics in the COVID-19 era and beyond</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A qualitative exploration of triggers for alcohol use and access to alcohol services during the COVID-19 pandemic among people identifying as problem drinkers.</strong> -
<div>
Introduction A polarisation of drinking behaviour was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic with some people reported to be drinking more alcohol and others less. We aimed to understand how and why the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions impacted alcohol use and access to support and services during this time. Methods We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 27 participants, including 20 people identifying as problem drinkers and seven alcohol service providers. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results We identified two main triggers for alcohol use during the pandemic: i) loss of daily routine and activity resulted in drinking to cope with social isolation and boredom and ii) drinking alleviated feelings of fear, anxiety and anger over the imposition of pandemic restrictions. Regarding access to services, two main themes were generated: i) remote service provision was perceived as inferior to in-person services and ii) the need to offer choice and flexibility in how services were provided, with service providers reporting more positive experiences of online and telephone service delivery than service users. Discussion and Conclusions This study provides new insights into potential triggers for alcohol use among people identifying as problem drinkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The acceptability of remote forms of service provision were dependent on service user access to and comfort with using technology. Hybrid delivery models may therefore be suitable in some but not all circumstances, and efforts should be made to promote equitable access to services.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/k67zs/" target="_blank">A qualitative exploration of triggers for alcohol use and access to alcohol services during the COVID-19 pandemic among people identifying as problem drinkers.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Does behavior mediate the effect of weather on SARS-CoV-2 transmission? Evidence from cell-phone data</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: There is growing evidence that weather alters SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but it remains unclear what drives the phenomenon. One prevailing hypothesis is that people spend more time indoors in cooler weather, leading to increased spread of SARS-CoV-2 related to time spent in confined spaces and close contact with others. However, the evidence in support of that hypothesis is limited and, at times, conflicting. Objectives: We aim to evaluate the extent to which weather impacts COVID-19 via time spent away-from-home in indoor spaces, as compared to a direct effect of weather on COVID-19 hospitalization, independent of mobility. Methods: We use a mediation framework, and combine daily weather, COVID-19 hospital surveillance, cellphone-based mobility data and building footprints to estimate the relationship between daily indoor and outdoor weather conditions, mobility, and COVID-19 hospitalizations. We quantify the direct health impacts of weather on COVID-19 hospitalizations and the indirect effects of weather via time spent indoors away-from-home on COVID-19 hospitalizations within five Colorado counties between March 4th 2020 and January 31st 2021. Results: We found evidence that changes in 12-day lagged hospital admissions were primarily via the direct effects of weather conditions, rather than via indirect effects by which weather changes time spent indoors away-from-home. Sensitivity analyses evaluating time at home as a mediator were consistent with these conclusions. Discussion: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that weather impacted SARS-CoV-2 transmission via changes in mobility patterns during the first year of the pandemic. Rather, weather appears to have impacted SARS-CoV-2 transmission primarily via mechanisms other than human movement. We recommend further analysis of this phenomenon to determine whether these findings generalize to current SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics and other seasonal respiratory pathogens.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.26.24304854v1" target="_blank">Does behavior mediate the effect of weather on SARS-CoV-2 transmission? Evidence from cell-phone data</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Strengthening access to and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines among equity-deserving populations across Canada: An exploratory qualitative study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction: There is a need to reflect on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution across Canada and the extent to which they considered equity-deserving populations. This paper examined and compared strategies implemented by six Canadian provinces to increase access and promote the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among selected priority populations. We also explored the factors that impacted the implementation of these strategies. Methods: In six provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec), we conducted an environmental scan of provincial rollout documents and media sources reporting vaccine distribution among selected priority populations:First Nations, Inuit, and Metis; Black communities; essential workers; people experiencing homelessness; and people with disabilities. We subsequently interviewed 39 key informants to validate the environmental scan results, identify additional strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake, and uncover perceptions of the facilitators and challenges that influenced the strategies’ implementation. Results: Through the environmental scans and key informant interviews, we identified that provincial health authorities employed a panoply of strategies to overcome geographic, financial, and attitudinal barriers to COVID-19 vaccines experienced by the priority populations. Most provinces implemented walk-in, mobile, and pop-up vaccination clinics, mobilized public and private health workforce, and designed multilingual communication materials. Facilitators in implementing COVID-19 vaccination strategies included fostering inter-governmental cooperation, harmonizing communication efforts, leveraging existing relationships and networks, and ensuring representation and leadership of community partners. Challenges to implementing COVID-19 vaccination strategies included uncoordinated communication efforts, inadequate distribution of vaccines to areas with the greatest need, mistrust in the government and healthcare system, vaccine hesitancy, and lack of cultural competence by vaccine providers.   Conclusions: This study highlights the divide between well-intentioned strategies and interventions and the reality of on-the-ground implementation. The findings offer valuable insights and can inform the implementation of strategies to distribute vaccines equitably in future large-scale vaccination efforts in Canada and globally.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.27.24304984v1" target="_blank">Strengthening access to and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines among equity-deserving populations across Canada: An exploratory qualitative study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COHORT PROFILE: IMMUNE RESPONSES TO SARS-COV-2 VACCINATION AND INFECTION IN A LONGITUDINAL SAMPLING AMIDST THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (LONGTONG-SARS2) IN MALAYSIA</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Purpose: This prospective, longitudinal study aims to evaluate the durability and functionality of SARS-CoV-2 Ancestral strain (Wuhan-Hu-1)-specific immune responses induced by COVID-19 vaccination and natural infection over a 12-month period. This article reviews the study protocol, design, methodology, ongoing data collection, analysis procedures, and demographic characteristics of the cohort enrolled. Participants: Between March 2021 and May 2022, 400 participants were enrolled with a 12-month follow-up, concluding in May 2023. Two main groups of participants: (1) serologically SARS-CoV-2-naive individuals receiving the BNT162b2 primary series vaccination (referred to as VAC) and (2) those who recently recovered from COVID-19 infection within 30 days, regardless of vaccination history (referred to as COV). Additionally, a subset of 45 participants with selected COVID-19 exposure histories provided peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) for cross-sectional analysis six months after enrollment. Findings to date: Out of 400 participants, 66.8% (n=267) completed the follow-up. Among them, 52.8% (n=141) were in VAC, and 47.2% (n=126) were in COV. As the study progressed, we acknowledged cross-over between initial groups, leading to restructuring into five revised groups based on sequential exposure events. Sociodemographic factors revealed statistically significant age distribution differences (p=0.001) in both initial and revised groups, with no significant differences observed for sex. Future plans: LONGTONG-SARS2 assesses the host-pathogen interactions central to the development of COVID-19 immunity. With enrollment spanning two years of the pandemic, most participants exhibited mixed SARS-CoV-2 exposures-via vaccination and infection-resulting in diverse subgroups of interest. Notably, the inclusion of SARS-CoV-2-naive, pre-exposure serum samples allowed for robust comparator and reduced potential biases. Ongoing analyses will include serology kinetics, memory cells ELISpots, B cells repertoire analysis, cytokine/chemokine profiling, and proteomic pathway to comprehensively examine the immune response against the SARS-CoV-2, thus informing and potentially predicting dynamic longitudinal responses against new more transmissible, immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.26.24304850v1" target="_blank">COHORT PROFILE: IMMUNE RESPONSES TO SARS-COV-2 VACCINATION AND INFECTION IN A LONGITUDINAL SAMPLING AMIDST THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (LONGTONG-SARS2) IN MALAYSIA</a>
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<li><strong>The 10-year health impact, economic impact, and return on investment of the South African molecular diagnostics programme for HIV, Tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
To ensure there is adequate investment into diagnostics, an understanding of the magnitude of impact and return on investment is necessary. We therefore sought to understand the health and economic impacts of the molecular diagnostic programme in South Africa, to deepen the under-standing on the broad value of diagnostics and guide future healthcare investments. We calcu-lated the 10-year (where data were available) total cost and DALYs averted associated with molecular diagnosis of molecular TB testing (2013-2022), HIV viral load monitoring (2013-2022), early infant diagnosis of HIV infection (2013-2022), and SARS-CoV-2 testing (2020-2022). We then calculated the economic value associated with those health gains and subsequent return on investment. Since the inception of the molecular diagnostics programme in South Africa, 3,035,782 DALYs have been averted as a direct consequence of this pro-gramme. This has generated an estimated $20.5 billion in economic value due to these health gains. The return on investment varied by specific diagnostic test (19.0 for tuberculosis, 1.4 for HIV viral load testing, 64.8 for early infant diagnosis of HIV, and 2.5 for SARS-CoV-2), for an average of 9.9 for the entire molecular diagnostics programme between 2013 and 2022- or $9.9 of value for each $1 invested. The molecular diagnostics programme in South Africa gen-erated a significant amount of health gains and economic value associated with these health gains, and the return-on-investment rivals other high-impact public health interventions such as childhood vaccination. Consequently, the molecular diagnostics programme in South Africa is highly impactful, and will continue to be an excellent investment of South African public health expenditure.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.27.24304888v1" target="_blank">The 10-year health impact, economic impact, and return on investment of the South African molecular diagnostics programme for HIV, Tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A nationwide Guillain-Barré syndrome epidemiological study in Spain during the COVID-19 years</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
OBJECTIVE: To perform a nationwide epidemiological study of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in Spain, analysing background incidences and seasonal variation and trying to identify incidence changes during the COVID-19 years. METHODS: Observational study collecting all GBS diagnoses from National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE) collected by the Ministry of Health. Patients discharged with GBS as main diagnosis and admitted during 2018-2021 were included. Data on the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccinations were obtained from the National Epidemiology Centre. RESULTS: In total, 3147 cases were included, 832 in 2018, 861 in 2019, 670 in 2020 and 784 in 2021. Nationwide hospital incidence was 1.78 in 2018, 1.71 in 2019, 1.41 in 2020 and 1.66 in 2021, with an increased frequency in males, elderly population, and in the winter season. Eleven percent of GBS patients needed ventilatory support. GBS and SARS-CoV-2 incidences did not correlate with one another (r=-0.29, p=0.36). GBS incidence decreased during 2020 and during COVID-19 lockdown period in comparison to the same months of 2018-2019. No relationship was found between vaccines and GBS cases during vaccination roll-out in 2021. INTERPRETATION: Incidence of GBS in Spain is similar to that of other countries. Despite prior reports describing a significant increase in COVID-19-associated GBS in Spain, we detected a significant drop of GBS incidence during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, probably due to prevention measures. No relationship was found between SARS-CoV-2 or vaccinations and GBS incidences at the population level but data on relationship of vaccinations and GBS at the individual level were not available.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.27.24304897v1" target="_blank">A nationwide Guillain-Barré syndrome epidemiological study in Spain during the COVID-19 years</a>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises for Post-COVID-19 Diaphragmatic Dysfunction (DD)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Usual care of traditional treatment; Other: Specific DB program/Diaphragmatic manipulation program <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Minnesota <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>Valacyclovir Plus Celecoxib for Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; PASC Post Acute Sequelae of COVID 19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Valacyclovir celecoxib dose 1; Drug: Valacyclovir celecoxib dose 2; Drug: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Bateman Horne Center <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Supervised Computerized Active Program for People With Post-COVID Syndrome (SuperCAP Study)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-COVID Condition <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: SuperCAP Program <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Fundación FLS de Lucha Contra el Sida, las Enfermedades Infecciosas y la Promoción de la Salud y la Ciencia; Institut de Recerca de la SIDA IrsiCaixa; Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
</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>Intranasal boosting with RBD-HR protein vaccine elicits robust mucosal and systemic immune responses</strong> - The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has decreased the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in containing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) over time, and booster vaccination strategies are urgently necessitated to achieve sufficient protection. Intranasal immunization can improve mucosal immunity, offering protection against the infection and sustaining the spread of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, an intranasal booster of the RBD-HR vaccine after two…</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>Investigation of phytochemicals isolated from selected Saudi medicinal plants as natural inhibitors of SARS CoV-2 main protease: In vitro, molecular docking and simulation analysis</strong> - The escalation of many coronavirus variants accompanied by the lack of an effective cure has motivated the hunt for effective antiviral medicines. In this regard, 18 Saudi Arabian medicinal plants were evaluated for SARS CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) inhibition activity. Among them, Terminalia brownii and Acacia asak alcoholic extracts exhibited significant Mpro inhibition, with inhibition rates of 95.3 % and 95.2 %, respectively, at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. Bioassay-guided phytochemical study…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety and immunogenicity of CoronaVac and ChAdOx1 heterologous prime-boost vaccines in an overweight population in Chiang Mai, Thailand</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The heterologous CoronaVac-ChAdOx1vaccination was safe, well-tolerated and able to induce humoral immunity against wild-type and Delta variants but not against the Omicron variant in overweight population.</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>Design of a SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease inhibitor with antiviral efficacy in a mouse model</strong> - The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants and drug-resistant mutants calls for additional oral antivirals. The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PL^(pro)) is a promising but challenging drug target. We designed and synthesized 85 noncovalent PL^(pro) inhibitors that bind to a recently discovered ubiquitin binding site and the known BL2 groove pocket near the S4 subsite. Leads inhibited PL^(pro) with the inhibitory constant K(i) values from 13.2 to 88.2 nanomolar. The co-crystal structures of PL^(pro)…</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>On parrots, delay of gratification, executive function, and how sometimes we do the best we can</strong> - Engaging executive functions provides an individual with the means to engage in cognitive control by adjusting to the environment and processing information in a way that leads to optimal outcomes. There are some claims that explicit training on certain executive functioning abilities provides benefits beyond the training tasks, but other studies indicate that this may not be true or may be limited based on age and other factors. This same mixed pattern has been reported with nonhuman species,…</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 for CCN1 in lysophosphatidic acid response in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells</strong> - Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) are bioactive phospholipids that act as mitogens in various cancers. Both LPA and S1P activate G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). We examined the role of CCN1/CYR61, an inducible matricellular protein, in LPA-induced signal transduction in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. We found that both LPA and S1P induced expression of CCN1 and CCN2 within 2-4 h. CCN1 was induced by 18:1-LPA, but not by 18:0-, 18:2-, or 18:3-LPAs. A free fatty…</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>Fungal metabolite 6-pentyl-alpha-pyrone reduces canine coronavirus infection</strong> - Canine coronavirus (CCoV) can produce a self-limited enteric disease in dogs but, because of notable biological plasticity of coronaviruses (CoVs), numerous mutations as well as recombination events happen leading to the emergence of variants often more dangerous for both animals and humans. Indeed, the emergence of new canine-feline recombinant alphacoronaviruses, recently isolated from humans, highlight the cross-species transmission potential of CoVs. Consequently, new effective antiviral…</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>Pilot Study on Evaluating the Impact of Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap), Influenza, and COVID-19 Vaccinations on Antibody Responses in Pregnant Women</strong> - This study assessed IgG levels to influenza/pertussis and neutralizing antibody (Nab) responses of COVID-19 vaccines in blood of pregnant women following immunization with pertussis (Tdap), influenza, and COVID-19 vaccines. We prospectively collected 71 participants categorized by the following vaccine combinations: 3TI, 4TI, 3T, and 4T groups (three and four doses of COVID-19 vaccines plus Tdap/influenza or Tdap vaccines alone). Our findings have indicated that the 3TI group exhibited elevated…</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>Recent Advances on Targeting Proteases for Antiviral Development</strong> - Viral proteases are an important target for drug development, since they can modulate vital pathways in viral replication, maturation, assembly and cell entry. With the (re)appearance of several new viruses responsible for causing diseases in humans, like the West Nile virus (WNV) and the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), understanding the mechanisms behind blocking viral protease’s function is pivotal for the development of new antiviral drugs 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>A Pseudovirus-Based Neutralization Assay for SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Rapid, Cost-Effective, BSL-2-Based High-Throughput Assay Useful for Vaccine Immunogenicity Evaluation</strong> - Neutralizing antibody responses from COVID-19 vaccines are pivotal in conferring protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Effective COVID-19 vaccines and assays measuring neutralizing antibodies against emerging variants (i.e., XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, and XBB.2.3) are needed. The use of biosafety level (BSL)-3 laboratories for live virus assays results in higher costs and a longer turnaround time; therefore, a BSL-2-based pseudovirus neutralization assay (PNT)…</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>Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Coumarin Analogs Targeted against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - SARS-CoV, an RNA virus, is contagious and displays a remarkable degree of adaptability, resulting in intricate disease presentations marked by frequent genetic mutations that can ultimately give rise to drug resistance. Targeting its viral replication cycle could be a potential therapeutic option to counter its viral growth in the human body leading to the severe infectious stage. The M^(pro) of SARS-CoV-2 is a promising target for therapeutic development as it is crucial for viral transcription…</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>Saponins from <em>Allium macrostemon Bulbs</em> Attenuate Endothelial Inflammation and Acute Lung Injury via the NF-κB/VCAM-1 Pathway</strong> - Endothelial inflammation is a multifaceted physiological process that plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and progression of diverse diseases, encompassing but not limited to acute lung infections like COVID-19, coronary artery disease, stroke, sepsis, metabolic syndrome, certain malignancies, and even psychiatric disorders such as depression. This inflammatory response is characterized by augmented expression of adhesion molecules and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this study,…</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>Factors Facilitating and Inhibiting the Implementation of Telerehabilitation-A Scoping Review</strong> - Due to the coronavirus pandemic, telerehabilitation has become increasingly important worldwide. While the effectiveness of telerehabilitation is considered proven for many indications, there is comparatively little knowledge about the implementation conditions. Therefore, this scoping review summarises the current state of facilitating and inhibiting factors that may influence the uptake of telerehabilitation. The review follows the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. The article search was…</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>Agonists or positive allosteric modulators of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor prevent interaction of SARS-Cov-2 receptor-binding domain with astrocytoma cells</strong> - SARS-Cov-2, the virus causing COVID-19, penetrates host target cells via the receptor of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Disrupting the virus interaction with ACE2 affords a plausible mechanism for prevention of cell penetration and inhibiting dissemination of the virus. Our studies demonstrate that ACE2 interaction with the receptor binding domain of SARS-Cov-2 spike protein (RBD) can be impaired by modulating the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) contiguous with ACE2. U373…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Correction: Selective Inhibition of the Interaction between SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1 and ACE2 by SPIDAR Peptide Induces Anti-Inflammatory Therapeutic Responses</strong> - Paidi, R. K., M. Jana, R. K. Mishra, D. Dutta, and K. Pahan. 2021. Selective inhibition of the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 and ACE2 by SPIDAR peptide induces anti-inflammatory therapeutic responses. J. Immunol. 207: 2521-2533.In the original Supplemental Fig. 2C, the “Control” image was duplicated from the “Spike S1 (heat inactivated)” image due to an error during figure preparation. The supplemental figure has been corrected in the online version of the article.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Trump Stock Bubble: How Long Will It Last?</strong> - On paper, a Wall Street deal to take public the former President’s social-media company has given him a windfall of nearly $4.9 billion. But the stock is grossly overvalued and Trump can’t sell it immediately. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-trump-stock-bubble-how-long-will-it-last">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What Have Fourteen Years of Conservative Rule Done to Britain?</strong> - Living standards have fallen. The country is exhausted by constant drama. But the U.K. can’t move on from the Tories without facing up to the damage that has occurred. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/01/what-have-fourteen-years-of-conservative-rule-done-to-britain">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lila Neugebauer Interrogates the Ghosts of “Uncle Vanya”</strong> - A director of the modern uncanny steers the first Broadway production of Chekhov’s masterpiece in twenty years. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/01/lila-neugebauer-profile-theatre">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Bryan Stevenson Reclaims the Monument, in the Heart of the Deep South</strong> - The civil-rights attorney has created a museum, a memorial, and, now, a sculpture park, indicting the city of Montgomery—a former capital of the domestic slave trade and the cradle of the Confederacy. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/01/bryan-stevenson-reclaims-the-monument-in-the-heart-of-the-deep-south">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Dutch Architect’s Vision of Cities That Float on Water</strong> - What if building on the water could be safer and sturdier than building on flood-prone land? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/01/a-dutch-architects-vision-of-cities-that-float-on-water">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The chaplain who doesn’t believe in God</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A prison fence with thick rows of barbed wire. The sky surrounding is a deep blue with light streaming in from the right side." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/plyD_PZmHOxJ-8fXGrxIshsoLZk=/107x0:1814x1280/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73243457/DevinMoss_Vox_LedeArt.0.png"/>
<figcaption>
Paige Vickers/Vox; AP Photo
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A spiritual atheist’s journey to helping death row inmates.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MgrE85">
When you hear the word “chaplain,” you probably think of a priest or an Imam or some other kind of traditional clergyperson — that’s what springs to my mind in any case. Which is why I was surprised when I stumbled upon an article in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/21/us/an-atheist-chaplain-and-a-death-row-inmates-final-hours.html">New York Times magazine</a> from earlier this year about an “atheist chaplain” working on death row in an Oklahoma prison.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0UamuU">
The piece is about a convicted killer, Phillip Hancock, who didn’t believe in God but wanted a spiritual adviser with him as he approached his execution. The chaplain is a man named Devin Moss, who spent a year in daily conversation with Hancock and eventually traveled from Brooklyn to Oklahoma to be with him in his final hours.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ejajie">
The whole notion of an atheist chaplain is interesting, of course, but even more interesting are the deeper questions here about what spiritual care looks like without <a href="https://www.vox.com/religion">religion</a> and what it means to confront our death without God or a belief in the afterlife.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2KPt06">
I wouldn’t call myself a religious person, but I do take the spiritual life seriously and, whether you’re a believer or a non-believer, it seems important to understand what religion offers to people and what it would mean to offer something similar in a secular context.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5HGhrq">
Which is why I invited Moss onto <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area"><em>The Gray Area</em></a> to talk about what being a humanist chaplain (he prefers that term over “atheist”) means to him and what his experience on death row taught him about religion and the universal struggle to face death with dignity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jHaTlz">
Below is an excerpt of our conversation, edited for length and clarity. As always, there’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to and follow <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area"><em>The Gray Area</em></a> on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-gray-area-with-sean-illing/id1081584611">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6NOJ6IkTb2GWMj1RpmtnxP">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/show/vox-conversations">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you find podcasts. New episodes drop every Monday.
</p>
<div id="eeJhgc">
</div>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="6BN4Us"/>
<h4 id="OflXU1">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E18grL">
You did your residency as a chaplain at Bellevue Hospital in New York City during the pandemic. What was that like?
</p>
<h4 id="x7Nign">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="owfhAq">
It was intense and full of people in acute moments of crisis, at that hospital in particular. But I cannot imagine a better place to learn what it means to be spiritual. Because I came into this incredibly insecure about spirituality in general and what kind of spiritual care I can provide to people when I’m a non-theist. How can I do this without God? It was scary as hell and it was profound as hell at the same time.
</p>
<h4 id="A2SI0z">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Evval9">
Were you a different person coming out of that?
</p>
<h4 id="2RVP1m">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o6ZaOk">
Absolutely. And even on a daily basis, my shift hours were from 2 to 8 or 9, and around 1 I’d be like, <em>Ugh, I can’t believe I got to go back and do this today</em>, but when I’d leave at night, I’d be like, <em>Wow, I could never have imagined that would happen today, I learned so much! </em>I felt like a different person leaving at night than when I got there in the morning and that was a repetitive cycle over and over again.
</p>
<h4 id="ytxG2T">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9iKGzg">
We’re talking because I happened upon <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/21/us/an-atheist-chaplain-and-a-death-row-inmates-final-hours.html">this article</a> about your experience on death row. I guess I’m curious how you found yourself there in the first place. How does a humanist chaplain from Brooklyn end up on death row in Oklahoma?
</p>
<h4 id="mQmACz">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kORYNM">
Soon after I finished my residency at Bellevue, the American Humanist Association sent me an email saying that there are some attorneys that represent this man on death row named Phillip Hancock in Oklahoma, and he’s looking for a non-theist chaplain and they wanted to know if I was interested. I said I was absolutely interested. And on reflection, to be candid, I felt called to do that from a spiritual care perspective, but I also was very much intrigued by the story.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2R1cib">
So I wrote Phil a letter, introduced myself, left my phone number in it and said, <em>If you find that I am the right person to represent you or be by your side in such a important time, I would love to do so,</em> and then we talked and hit it off and started a journey of almost a year.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="3tycRp">
<q>“How a culture dies is a direct reflection of how they live and we do not die well in modern America”</q>
</aside>
</div>
<h4 id="rwSnJR">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ERbHv4">
Did you have strong feelings about the death penalty before you went to Oklahoma? Did the experience change your views one way or the other?
</p>
<h4 id="owiOIB">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wgET6X">
I did not have strong opinions. I’d describe my views going in this way: If there was a chance for anybody innocent to be executed, then I’m not for it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CQrHjN">
And yet, knowing that there are monsters among us, I still had this hypothetical scenario in my head, and it’s the one that everybody who’s pro-capital punishment will use: If it was your daughter (and it’s always the daughter, no one says if it were your son), and she was murdered and raped, that should be the litmus test of how we think of capital punishment. That’s the argument that the state legislators in Oklahoma use and I don’t know where I got it, but that was also in my head prior to working with Phil. And in the case of such a heinous violent crime, then yeah, I would be okay with capital punishment. That’s how I came into it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pUlGOi">
Those are real feelings. If a parent had to go through that horrible, horrible scenario, they have every right to feel that. And I’m not advocating that anybody can’t feel those very strong and real emotions but what I didn’t realize until I was actually in the soup is that there are a lot of externalities. The ripples of who it affects, they’re significant.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1Xm0hM">
The legislators make the laws, the judicial branch of the state does the sentencing, but guess who does the executions? None of them are doing the executions, none of the family of the victims are doing the executions, it is everyday people. It’s people like me, it is the corrections officers in the small towns where this is more than likely the only employment opportunity they have and we are the ones that are doing this.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O8kwk1">
I spoke with a man named Adam Luck, who was the former chair of the Oklahoma<strong> </strong>Pardon and Parole Board before the execution, and he said, <em>Everybody that has a hand in doing the execution itself, part of them dies in some way.</em> Although that sounds like a dramatic statement, it’s absolutely 100 percent true. The warden isn’t for it, the corrections officers aren’t for it, and so with all of the externalities and all the pain, it creates a karmic ripple that is multigenerational.
</p>
<h4 id="5qk8SI">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ggaPtZ">
The last words Phillip heard were yours — what did you say?
</p>
<h4 id="Uz7n0Z">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1pDLCn">
The whole thing was surreal. The whole day was surreal. Even that morning, the morning of the execution, the governor still hadn’t made a decision whether to grant clemency. The execution was scheduled for 10 am, so it was postponed an hour and a half and Phil is strapped to the gurney for an extra hour-plus, which is horrible to think about. And the night before, they messed up his last meal, I can’t even express to this day how angry that makes me and I can imagine what it does to the spirit of someone that just cannot get any demonstration of humanity on any level.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0LVCWE">
Normally, the spiritual care adviser generally gets 30 to 45 minutes with the person that’s going to be executed, but because the governor had delayed, the press corps had already made it through security, and I was just trying to maintain my poise and not get frazzled. And we went through this maze where the head chaplain then left me in this sally port and the corrections officers escorted me up to the front door of the execution chamber.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zb1uCm">
It was there that the masked corrections officer who would be in the room with us greeted me because the corrections officers that are in the room need to be anonymous. And then I could see in his face that he was nervous and that he was scared and that he was also affected by this moment. It was in that moment that I realized that part of my role is just to bring as much calmness and peace into that space as I possibly could.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vRYqAu">
Earlier that morning, I had written an invocation, a prayer of sorts, that I knew needed to be said and I did it immediately because I wanted to claim that space for Phil so that we could make it sacred and not let any time go by without making sure that he felt that this was his time.
</p>
<h4 id="1bg69p">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y2V2ot">
Do you remember the prayer that you wrote?
</p>
<h4 id="dS7k4y">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RZfJL5">
When I originally wrote it, I wrote something about “I call into the space the spirit of the divine” and then I crossed that out and instead I just wrote “I call into the space the spirit of our humanity” because it was very clear to me that this was a human problem and not a theological issue. And I had the answer to the Philippians riddle, <em>Show me something real, tell me something true</em>. I seeded that within the prayer, I wanted him to know that he was loved and that I was a conduit to that love and that he was not alone. And then I also invoked the spirit of grace, of strength, of surrender, and, interestingly, I ended it with an amen just because it felt right.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="47LVpI">
I also understood too that there were other people in that room, besides Phil and I, that I think needed to hear these words and so I claimed that space for him. And then I followed it up with telling him how our relationship affected me and what it meant to me and that he is a loved human. He died well, with grace. I made sure that he knew that he was loved and he was not alone. And so, in this weird moment of an execution, which is weird to say, there was peace.
</p>
<h4 id="3yjpAM">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l74W0Y">
Part of what interests me about your story is this question about whether we need religion, or something like religion. The fact that you felt called to do this work speaks to this. Do you feel like there’s a God-shaped hole in the modern world that needs to be filled by something even if that’s something isn’t supernaturalism or religion in a conventional sense?
</p>
<h4 id="1KGtU2">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xZIMEm">
I do believe that. I do believe that there is a God-shaped hole in all of us and I do not feel that it needs to be filled with dogma. The question that I get asked a lot in this regard is, “How do you prepare someone who’s dying, who doesn’t believe that there’s something next?” The answer is in the reframing of the question.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="s9wWP4">
If there is something next and if that’s what you believe, fine. And if we’re wrong, then great. But what’s more important is everything that you’re doing <em>before</em> that moment — that’s the most important, not after. What happens after is after, but it’s the transition that’s important and how you get there and all these micro-steps tracking back throughout your life.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yn5GRw">
So do we need spirituality as individuals? Yes, I think so. And I would also say, as a culture, whether it’s a collective consciousness or a resonance that connects us to each other and connects us out to something bigger, there’s something real there and we need to make sure those points are connected.
</p>
<h4 id="sIYVGv">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E27jVa">
I’ve really come to be annoyed with a certain kind of atheist that can only approach religion as a set of epistemological claims, as though scanning the Bible for bogus claims about biology or history will amount to some death blow for religion. And I understand where that comes from. This has always been tricky for me because I do think religion has done immense damage in the world. I think it has caused a lot of needless suffering in the world. I think it still causes a lot of needless suffering in the world.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ogt41V">
There are people in this country who want to create a theocracy here, who want to chain women to their reproductive cycles because of their religious beliefs, and those people are enemies of liberal democracy in my opinion. It’s important to say all of that. But it’s also important to recognize that religion, at its best, is a near-universal expression of this human need for connection and ritual and meaning and it’s a mistake to not grapple seriously with the implications of that, especially if you’re a non-believer.
</p>
<h4 id="xS7pHe">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7smuvk">
I see spirituality and theology as two completely different animals. I see religion as an expression of the spiritualities. Because the way it works now is that spirituality is an expression of religion, but I say flip it. I’m a huge proponent of rites of passage rituals, I’m a huge proponent of even making rituals throughout your day and you can develop them for yourself, you can be as syncretic as you need to be just to make sure that it is bringing intention throughout your day.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M2epJW">
The expression of spirituality can be your lived religion and we can see what that looks like. Even if it’s Sunday mornings, we’re going to sweep up the sidewalks in Brooklyn and have coffee and cake, that’s an important spiritual expression and can be considered religion without the pomp and the history and all of those things.
</p>
<h4 id="zM8q92">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sW29Bo">
A humanist chaplain may not be able to offer the solace that comes with belief in the afterlife, but what kind of solace can you offer someone as they approach the end?
</p>
<h4 id="y9OobE">
Devin Moss
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dMJKNX">
Death is hard for everybody and it’s hard because we avoid it personally and we most definitely avoid it as a culture. How a culture dies is a direct reflection of how they live and we do not die well in modern America. I would probably take out the border between faith and non-faith when it comes to how to die well and I would just say that dying well requires work that is to be done while you’re still very much alive, whether you have faith in a supernatural power or not.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="szuoCF">
<em>To hear the rest of the conversation, </em><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chaplain-who-doesnt-believe-in-god/id1081584611?i=1000650344256"><em>click here</em></a><em>, and be sure to follow </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/thegrayarea">The Gray Area</a><em> on </em><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-gray-area-with-sean-illing/id1081584611"><em>Apple Podcasts</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://podcasts.google.com/search/vox%20conversations"><em>Google Podcasts</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6NOJ6IkTb2GWMj1RpmtnxP"><em>Spotify</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-gray-area-with-sean-illing/PC:30793"><em>Pandora</em></a><em>, or wherever you listen to podcasts.</em>
</p></li>
<li><strong>Beyoncé’s “Jolene” and country music’s scorned woman trope</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A promotional photo for Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter,” shows Beyoncé in a white cowboy hat and red, white, and blue outfit, with long white hair flowing behind her." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-w5IWxLA1-PYM_PPmy9Bnkhb72o=/91x0:983x669/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73243401/IMG_3325.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Beyoncé’s new album, <em>Cowboy Carter</em>, includes her version of Dolly Parton’s classic song “Jolene.” | Beyoncé via Instagram
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A music scholar explains why hell hath no fury like a country diva.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZDUZBd">
There’s a lot to parse through and digest on <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/24114603/beyonces-cowboy-carter-cmas-2016-country-music-history">Beyoncé’s <em>Cowboy Carter</em></a>. The 27-track album is a rich, sprawling tribute to various eras and genres of Southern music, from outlaw country to Louisiana’s zydeco to 1960s rock ‘n’ roll — all of which have contributed to our collective understanding of country music.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5TLB4v">
She carries out this hefty task with the help of some lesser-known country artists and some bona fide legends. One of those heavy hitters is none other than Dolly Parton, who makes several appearances, including in a playful audio message on <em>Cowboy Carter</em>’s ninth track.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lcAbxD">
“<a href="https://genius.com/31276215/Beyonce-dolly-p/You-know-that-hussy-with-the-good-hair-you-sing-about">You know that hussy with the good hair you sing </a><a href="https://genius.com/31276215">about</a>?” Parton asks Beyoncé, referencing her famous “Becky with the good hair” lyric on her 2016 song “Sorry.” “Reminded me of someone I knew back when, except <a href="https://genius.com/Dolly-parton-jolene-lyrics">she has flamin’ locks of auburn hair</a>. Bless her heart. Just a hair of a different color, but it hurts just the same.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="annbyp">
The next track is Beyoncé’s highly anticipated rendition of Parton’s 1973 smash hit “Jolene.” Beyoncé is <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-02-29/dolly-partons-jolene-is-50-why-her-most-covered-song-has-enduring-global-appeal">one of many artists</a> across generational and cultural lines to put their own twist on Parton’s heralded ditty. Her remake turns what was originally Parton’s plea to a red-haired bank clerk to stay away from her husband into a more aggressive (and funny) threat. “You don’t want this smoke, so shoot your shot with someone else,” she sings before reminding Jolene that she’s “still a banjee country bitch from Louisiana.” She also calls Jolene a “bird.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zWSMZZ">
Beyoncé is no stranger to singing about infidelity, both as a former member of Destiny’s Child and as a solo artist. But her <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518702/lemonade-beyonce-explained">confessional 2016 album <em>Lemonade</em></a> was the first time she had not-so-subtly referenced cheating in her marriage with Jay-Z — at least in a way listeners could clock. On the album’s more memorable tracks like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnMnZURoztQ">“Don’t Hurt Yourself”</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxsmWxxouIM">“Sorry,”</a> the singer embraces a kind of cathartic and arguably feminist rage before <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/11/capitalism-of-beyonce-lemonade-album">controversially</a> offering her partner forgiveness.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4AVnUy">
In that regard, it’s maybe not surprising that she reimagines “Jolene” as a feistier song, while remaining predictably confident in her own womanhood. Beyoncé’s “Jolene” remake also feels in line with a history of outspoken, scorned women in country music, addressing their men’s misdeeds in a fierce, violent, and often vengeful manner: from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgylOni0JSI">Loretta Lynn’s “Fist City”</a> to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSy8yy-mr8">Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”</a> to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEPomqor2A8">Taylor Swift’s collaboration with Haim “No Body, No Crime.”</a> (It’s the premise of many <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJGAyvveymQ">Miranda</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB7ONnfIjaI">Lambert</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWQdEDtveB0">songs</a> too.) Sometimes, the victim is the guy. Sometimes, it’s his “pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7UAAVy">
To get to the bottom of this trend, I spoke to country music scholar <a href="https://music.unc.edu/people/musicfaculty/jocelyn-neal/">Jocelyn Neal</a>, a professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, about the role of infidelity in country music and what it says about the misunderstood and complex role of gender within the genre.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TnngPE">
<strong>Songs about infidelity aren’t unique to country music. But it feels like it has some significance in this genre because there’s a stereotypical image of Southern people as “traditional” and valuing monogamy. </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Gt6Ymd">
I don’t think it solely has to do with one particular demographic. The storytelling and songwriting tradition in country music has always embraced descriptions of real life for working-class people. The other part of it is that it has embraced describing those stories about people’s lives across different age categories — it doesn’t just focus on young people. So we have this long tradition in country music of songs that talk about relationships in very direct terms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sNONcF">
<strong>Were these songs ever considered controversial? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y5kZNT">
They have been. For instance, when Kitty Wells recorded “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” which itself was a callback or rebuttal song, it was considered too explicit in its description of cheating to be acceptable, and there was some controversy about whether or not it could be performed. That was 1952.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TmGmps">
One of the time periods when this dialogue became more common, unsurprisingly, is the late 1960s and into the 1970s. If we look at larger shifts in the social environment in this country, that was a time period when second-wave feminism was really at the forefront. Laws were changing that affected how women could <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/history/equal-pay-act-1963#:~:text=To%20prohibit%20discrimination%20on%20account,production%20of%20goods%20for%20commerce.">function economically</a>. Laws about <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/27/us/no-fault-divorce-explained-history-wellness-cec/index.html">divorce</a> changed during that time period. And there was a really large discussion about gender roles and constraints on women, specifically as it was affecting the working-class population.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NzCrDD">
<strong>When I think about country songs about cheating, I automatically envision empowered, angry women setting things on fire and slashing tires — is that a common trope? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sVkZfe">
What you’re referring to with those images is a later time period. And they were performed by artists — Carrie Underwood, Gretchen Wilson, and certainly Miranda Lambert — that were really speaking to a bit of a younger life profile. Those song lyrics are always somewhat reflective of the discourse at the time and what audience that music was being directed towards, which was slightly younger.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UONH7Z">
There are also men singing these kinds of songs. And some of that goes all the way back to the earliest traditions that are drawing from <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/killer-songs-the-10-creepiest-country-murder-ballads-151986/">old murder ballads</a> from previous centuries. I’m talking about recordings from the 1920s and ’30s.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="of2Klk">
<strong>That level of retaliation goes against the well-behaved, “Southern belle” image. But is that archetype really representative of most women in country? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J9xtWA">
The kind of happy, domestically satisfied, good-girl image is something that deserves a lot more careful analysis because it’s only been put forward a couple of times in country music history. There’s a middle-class, feminine ideal that gets cultivated in the American public imagination of the 1950s, the June Cleaver kind of image. And working-class women have never really had that same match of identity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MFXSoK">
There’s Loretta Lynn songs like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDI76h6Im1s">“You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)”</a> or “Fist City,” which are much more outspoken than the image we’re just talking about. That image gets advertised sometimes, but I don’t think it has ever fully captured the complexities of gender representation within country music.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mZlo6i">
<strong>Beyonce’s “Jolene” certainly matches the energy of those Loretta Lynn songs. </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CqenDL">
It’s literally a “don’t you dare.” I don’t think anybody is going to be really surprised that after 50 years of time passing from second-wave feminism to Beyoncé’s era, that she’s going to make that change. I was delighted to hear it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C5vcRw">
<strong>How unique was the perspective of the original “Jolene” then, when it first came out? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bE2aZx">
One of the things that <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/592118/pdf">people have written about</a> with “Jolene” is the level of detail that Parton is using to describe the other woman — her hair color, her eyes, her lips. There’s a man involved, and she wants the guy, and the guy wants the other woman, but the entire focus of the lyrics are on this very obsessive kind of womanly connection.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GTUHml">
But these female-to-female conversations exist in many time periods in country music. Tammy Wynette doesn’t get brought into these conversations because historians haven’t really granted her credit as one of these independent, feisty, forward-thinking women in her lyrics. But even she has songs that are woman-to-woman conversations — “If I were you, here’s what I would do,” and “Have you really thought this through?” etc.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ppwogh">
<strong>Well, Beyoncé ends “Jolene” singing that she’s going to “stand by her man.” Do we think she’s giving Tammy a shout-out there? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZWSQh6">
You can’t deny that’s definitely a textual reference there. Where <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-b8P1yj9w">Tammy Wynette’s song “Stand By Your Man”</a> was basically telling other women to stand by their men, Beyonce, at least, makes it two-sided: I’m standing by him, but he’s also going to stand by me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="US2DH4">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LB3pZo">
</p></li>
<li><strong>Could Republican resignations flip the House to Democrats?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Mike Johnson, a middle-aged white man in a blue suit and red tie wearing glasses, looks downward with a serious expression." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OYu3MUdu9DJa6F74Z3ef-EWT3Mc=/667x0:6000x4000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73243365/GettyImages_2059265907.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) is working with a very slim majority of House Republicans. | Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The GOP majority is quite small, but a Democratic takeover pre-election still seems extremely unlikely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9yWOiD">
The GOP’s majority in the House of Representatives was already very narrow — and it’s getting even narrower.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FA7I6S">
But could it get narrow enough that Democrats actually take control this year — before the election?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bALgXl">
Some political commentators have <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-majority-count-republicans-retirements/">been contemplating</a> that <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1772354547064692754">possibility</a> in the wake of the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mike-gallagher-resigns-house-republicans-majority-73f1991cc954d865d55ca7949d57dd35">surprising news</a> that Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) is stepping down early, <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1772354550575284257">amid reports</a> that other Republicans are contemplating doing the same given frustration with the chaotic chamber and the temptations of private sector paydays.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="82pQ2V">
A closer look at the House math, though, suggests a full flip to Democrats is an extremely far-fetched scenario. Here’s why.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="e9Tmwu">
Once Gallagher resigns on April 19, the House will be composed of <strong>217 Republicans and 213 Democrats</strong>, with five vacant seats.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ijoqZA">
On April 30, there is a special election to fill a vacancy in New York’s 26th District, which Democrats are expected to win. If so, once the result is certified and the winner is sworn in, the House will have<strong> 217 Republicans and 214 Democrats</strong> (and four vacancies).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bYjRqt">
A 217-214 majority is extremely narrow, making it very challenging to pass partisan measures without total party unity. A mere two Republican defections could sink a bill, if no Democrats support it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I9qbLL">
But fully flipping control is more difficult. It would require <strong>four more unexpected Republican resignations (or deaths).</strong> That’s because a new vacancy in a Republican seat puts the GOP down one seat, but it doesn’t add a seat to the Democratic column.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JhYt4J">
So three new Republican resignations would just mean a 214-214 House (which would be pretty wild). But the majority needed to elect a Democratic speaker wouldn’t yet be there. Another GOP resignation would put the House at 214 Democrats and 213 Republicans.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wvQNkT">
There would clearly be immense pressure on Republicans eyeing the exits to not be the one person whose resignation would give Democrats the House, so that number of resignations seems unlikely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WdiFl1">
A flip looks even more far-fetched once you realize that there’s a short time window for this to happen, because Republicans’ majority is going to get bigger very soon.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MTzngf">
The special election to fill Kevin McCarthy’s seat in California’s 20th District is on May 21, and the only two candidates on the ballot <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/us/politics/california-fong-boudreaux-mccarthy.html">are Republicans</a> (they won California’s “top-two” primary in this heavily Republican district). So a Republican is guaranteed to win there, and once he’s sworn in, the House would have <strong>218 Republicans and 214 Democrats</strong> — raising the number of resignations necessary to flip it by one more.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BJhNFs">
In June, there will be two more special elections to fill vacancies in safely Republican districts — the seats of former Reps. Bill Johnson (R-OH) and Ken Buck (R-CO), so barring shocking results there, the House would be composed of <strong>220 Republicans and 214 Democrats</strong> after that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nYwNAB">
So I’d put the chances of a surprise Democratic majority in the “extremely, extremely, extremely unlikely” range. The best shot for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to become speaker is the normal one — winning in November.
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Santissimo, Mojo and Jendayi catch the eye</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>Rithvik Bollipalli and Niki Poonacha make Challenger final</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>BAN vs SL second Test | Top-order blitz puts Sri Lanka in commading position against Bangladesh</strong> - Sri Lanka lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning the opening Test by a resounding 328 runs.</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>T20 World Cup: Indian squad likely to be selected in last week of April</strong> - The first batch of cricketers will leave for New York immediately after the end of the league stage of IPL on May 19, a source told PTI</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>Ensure the safety and security of our footballers: Anurag Thakur on the alleged assault on women footballers</strong> - Palak Verma and Ritika Thakur, two players of Khad FC, accused Deepak Sharma, the general secretary of Himachal Pradesh Football Association, of physical assault on March 28</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>Bail may be a rule in many cases, but anticipatory bail is not, says SC judgment</strong> - The apex court observed that anticipatory bail should not lead to miscarriage of justice, especially in cases of serious crimes against women</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>Himachal Pradesh independent MLAs lodge protest over delay in acceptance of their resignations</strong> - The three Independent MLAs are Hoshiyar Singh from Dehra, Ashish Sharma from Hamirpur and K.L. Thakur from Nalagar.</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>NewsClick case: Delhi Police files over 8,000-page charge sheet, names Prabir Purkayastha as accused</strong> - The final report was filed by the Delhi Police Special Cell before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lok Sabha elections | Union Minister Rajnath Singh to head BJP’s manifesto committee</strong> - Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be the convener and another Union Minister Piyush Goyal its co-convener</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>Ensure the safety and security of our footballers: Anurag Thakur on the alleged assault on women footballers</strong> - Palak Verma and Ritika Thakur, two players of Khad FC, accused Deepak Sharma, the general secretary of Himachal Pradesh Football Association, of physical assault on March 28</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>Man arrested as hostage situation in Dutch bar ends</strong> - The man had held four people hostage inside a nightclub in the eastern Dutch town of Ede.</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>From the White House to a police station</strong> - How the Jeffrey Donaldson story unfolded, a world away from St Patrick’s Day festivities.</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>War a real threat and Europe not ready, warns Poland’s PM</strong> - Donald Tusk warns of a “pre-war era” as Russian attacks leave swathes of Ukraine without power.</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>‘Escorted through the airport like a criminal’</strong> - Travellers share their experiences of getting caught out by the EU’s 10-year-passport rule.</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>Lost Marvin Gaye music resurfaces in Belgium</strong> - The tapes have lain hidden in Ostend for 40 years. But a legal fight is brewing over who owns them.</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 entire state of Illinois is going to be crawling with cicadas</strong> - And the land shall feast on their dead. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2013710">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Proteins let cells remember how well their last division went</strong> - Scientists find a “mitotic stopwatch” that lets individual cells remember something. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2013795">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Playboy image from 1972 gets ban from IEEE computer journals</strong> - Use of “Lenna” image in computer image processing research stretches back to the 1970s. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2013640">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>NYC’s government chatbot is lying about city laws and regulations</strong> - You can be evicted for not paying rent, despite what the “MyCity” chatbot says. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2013719">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Backdoor found in widely used Linux utility breaks encrypted SSH connections</strong> - Malicious code planted in xz Utils has been circulating for more than a month. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2013674">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>It’s tragic that Islam, Christianity, and Judaism have been fighting each other for centuries.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Hindus, on the other hand,….never had any beef.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/porichoygupto"> /u/porichoygupto </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1br02dk/its_tragic_that_islam_christianity_and_judaism/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1br02dk/its_tragic_that_islam_christianity_and_judaism/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s 1957 and Bobby goes to pick up his date, Peggy Sue. Peggy Sue’s father answers the door and invites him in. He asks Bobby what they’re planning to do on the date. Bobby politely responds that they’ll probably just go to the malt shop or to a drive-in movie.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Peggy Sue’s father suggests, “Why don’t you kids go out and screw? I hear all of the kids are doing it.” Bobby is shocked. “Excuse me, sir?” “Oh yes, Peggy Sue really likes to screw. She’ll screw all night if we let her.” Peggy Sue comes downstairs and announces that she’s ready to go. About 20 minutes later, a thoroughly disheveled Peggy Sue rushes back into the house, slams the door behind her, and screams at her father, “Dad! The Twist! It’s called the Twist!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/YZXFILE"> /u/YZXFILE </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1brf6kv/its_1957_and_bobby_goes_to_pick_up_his_date_peggy/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1brf6kv/its_1957_and_bobby_goes_to_pick_up_his_date_peggy/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Jesus and his crew go into a restaurant….</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Jesus: I’d like a table for 26 please.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Waiter: but there are only 13 of you.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Jesus: yes, but we’re all going to sit down one side.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
(I’m sure this has been posted before, but it’s <em>that</em> time of year)
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/exkingzog"> /u/exkingzog </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1br50ra/jesus_and_his_crew_go_into_a_restaurant/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1br50ra/jesus_and_his_crew_go_into_a_restaurant/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An engineer, a physicist, and a mathematician join a study on scientists’ ability to survive in the wild</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
All three are left in different part of a desert island overnight, each with a can of beans but no openers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The researchers come back in the morning to check on the scientists.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The engineer is sleeping soundly, next to an open can. Once woken up, he explains: “Well tin cans aren’t that strong, so I kept bashing this can against a rock many times, until it gave in and opened up”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The physicist is also sleeping soundly (albeit in an awkward position like all physicists do), next to a neatly opened can. He goes to explain:" You see, the tension forces created by the joints between the different sheets of metal making the can means that if you apply precise forces on a few pressure points, the can just plops open. You can do this without effort, even with your bare hands"
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The researchers then move on to the mathematician. As they approach him, they see that the can is still intact, while the mathematician is lying next to it in a fetal position, shivering, and continuously repeating: “Let’s assume the can is open. Let’s assume the can is open…”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/oyiyo"> /u/oyiyo </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bqqphy/an_engineer_a_physicist_and_a_mathematician_join/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bqqphy/an_engineer_a_physicist_and_a_mathematician_join/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>My German friend arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport. The customs officer said to him: “Name?” “Franz Lindenberg.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Occupation?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No. Just visiting.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/New2RedBeNice"> /u/New2RedBeNice </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bqwm3j/my_german_friend_arrived_at_londons_heathrow/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1bqwm3j/my_german_friend_arrived_at_londons_heathrow/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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