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<title>09 July, 2023</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The blending of bending: how we engage with the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender through memes</strong> -
<div>
People often use memes to express their ideological stance on real world events. This study departs from a recent COVID-19-related meme which makes use of elements known from the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) and Avatar: Legend of Korra (LOK), and asks how it came to be and how stance is conveyed through them. After acknowledging the impact of the series, conceptual blending theory is adopted to investigate the worldbuilding of the macrocosm in ATLA. This is identified as a correlative network, which acts as the blended space of multiple input spaces consisting of intertextual references. The world of ATLA then functions as a new input space which is updated with modern elements, resulting in the blend of LOK. Minor blends are identified in the hybrid animals that occupy the fictional world. Lastly, it is shown how the selection of a particular input element for participation in meme blends already conveys an ideological stance, rather than only emerging through readers’ eyes.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/xka9m/" target="_blank">The blending of bending: how we engage with the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender through memes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Legal hunting for conservation of highly threatened species: The case of African rhinos</strong> -
<div>
Legal hunting of highly threatened species – and especially the recreational practice of ‘trophy hunting’ – is controversial with selected ethical objections being increasingly voiced. Less attention has been paid to how hunting (even of threatened species) can be useful as a conservation tool, and likely outcomes if this was stopped. As case studies, we examine the regulated legal hunting in South Africa and Namibia of two African rhino species. Counter-intuitively, removing a small number of specific males can enhance population demography and genetic diversity, encourage range expansion, and generate meaningful socio-economic benefits to help fund effective conservation (facilitated by appropriate local institutional arrangements). Legal hunting of these species has been sustainable, as very small proportions of the populations of both species are hunted each year, and numbers of both today are higher in these countries than when controlled recreational hunting began. Terminating this management option and funding source could have negative consequences at a time when rhinos are being increasingly viewed as liabilities and COVID-19 has significantly impacted revenue generation for wildlife areas. Provided that there is appropriate governance and management, conservation of certain highly threatened species can be supported by cautiously selective and limited legal hunting.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/q79pc/" target="_blank">Legal hunting for conservation of highly threatened species: The case of African rhinos</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Human complement Factor H and Properdin act as soluble pattern recognition receptors and differentially modulate SARS-CoV-2 Infection</strong> -
<div>
Severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection are characterised by an imbalanced immune response, excessive inflammation, and the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome, which can lead to multiorgan failure and death. Several studies have demonstrated dysregulated complement activity as an indicator of immunopathogenesis in the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Notably, the complement alternative pathway has been implicated in driving the excessive inflammation during severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Reduced levels of factor H (FH), a down-regulator of the alternative pathway, and increased levels of properdin (Factor P/FP), the only known up-regulator of the alternative pathway, have been observed in individuals with severe COVID-19 infection. The present study investigated the complement activation-independent, and a more direct role of FH and FP against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Using direct ELISA, the interactions of FH and FP with the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and receptor binding domain (RBD) were assessed. Using S protein expressing lentiviral pseudotypes, the cell binding and luciferase-based virus entry assays were employed to assess the potential modulatory effects of FH, FP, and recombinant thrombospondin repeats 4 and 5 (TSR4+5) on SARS-CoV-2 cell entry. We also evaluated the immunomodulatory functions of FH and FP in the cytokine response triggered by SARS-CoV-2 pseudotypes via RT-qPCR. SARS-CoV-2 S and RBD proteins were found to bind both FH and FP. Treatment of A549 cells expressing human ACE2 and TMPRSS2 with FP or TSR4+5 resulted in increased cell entry and binding of SARS-CoV-2 pseudotypes. In silico studies revealed that FP increases affinity between SARS-CoV-2 and host ACE2. The impact of FP on viral cell entry and binding was reversed by anti-FP antibody treatment in A549-hACE2+TMPRSS2 cells. However, FH treatment reduced the cell entry and binding of SARS-CoV-2 lentiviral pseudotypes. Furthermore, the A549-hACE2+TMPRSS2 cells challenged with SARS-CoV-2 spike, envelope, nucleoprotein, and membrane protein expressing alphaviral pseudotypes pre-treated with FP or TSR4+5, exhibited upregulation of the transcripts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1{beta}, IL-8, IL-6, TNF-, IFN- and RANTES (as well as NF-kB). Conversely, FH pre-treatment downregulated the expression of these pro-inflammatory cytokines. Treatment of A549-hACE2+TMPRSS2 cells with FP increased S protein-mediated NF-kB activation, while FH treatment reduced it. These findings suggest that FH may act as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and binding, thereby attenuating the infection-associated inflammatory response in a complement activation-independent manner. FP may contribute to viral cell entry, binding, and exacerbating the immune response. That may result in potentially influencing the severity of the infection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.548083v1" target="_blank">Human complement Factor H and Properdin act as soluble pattern recognition receptors and differentially modulate SARS-CoV-2 Infection</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Explaining viral pandemics with help from Theology and Physics - Alternative Hypotheses.</strong> -
<div>
Pathogens have been plaguing humans since time immemorial. One characteristic feature is repetition of pandemics by the same pathogen(s) resulting in devastation. However, starting CE 1880, the offending pathogens have been different with every episode. Borrowing concepts from theology and physics, this article tries to proffer answers to some aspects observed regarding Viruses, Vectors, and Humans, and thereby tries to redefine our thinking on the concepts of viral infections. These aspects being: how pandemics occur in the first instance, the rapid global spread of the current Covid-19 Pandemic and will the humanity be able to control such pandemics in future.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/vn8fa/" target="_blank">Explaining viral pandemics with help from Theology and Physics - Alternative Hypotheses.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Neuron- and microglia-specific immunoexpression in steroid-independent male sexual behaviour in castrated B6D2F1 male mice</strong> -
<div>
Sexual behaviour is necessary for procreation for several species and is traditionally viewed to be regulated by sex steroid hormones. However, several species exhibit steroid-independent sexual behaviour, and its molecular understanding is only beginning to be uncovered. The main goal of our experiment was to provide new insight into cell-specific roles that both neuronal and non-neuronal cells may play in steroid-independent male sexual behaviour. Forty B6D2F1 hybrid male mice underwent orchidectomy and were tested for reinstatement of steroid-independent male sexual behaviour after an extended period of social isolation caused by the COVID-19-mandated laboratory shutdown. After 62 weeks post-orchidectomy, 20.59% demonstrated reinstatement of steroid-independent male sexual behaviour (identified as steroid-independent persistent maters), while 23.53% of the males did not display steroid-independent male sexual behaviour (identified as steroid-independent non-maters). Using flow cytometry, we compared the preoptic area immunoexpression in NeuN+ neurons and Iba1+ microglia between steroid-independent persistent maters and steroid-independent non-maters (N = 5-6 per group). We found neuronal immunoexpression up-regulated for amyloid precursor protein and androgen receptor, as well as down-regulated for glucocorticoid receptor in steroid-independent persistent maters compared to steroid-independent non-maters. In conjunction, microglial immunoexpression of amyloid precursor protein was up-regulated in steroid-independent persistent maters compared to steroid-independent non-maters. These data suggest there are cell-specific immunoexpression differences, including the role of non-neuronal cells in steroid-independent male sexual behaviour.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.08.519640v3" target="_blank">Neuron- and microglia-specific immunoexpression in steroid-independent male sexual behaviour in castrated B6D2F1 male mice</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Comparative Reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in three African countries using a mathematical model integrating immunity data.</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objectives: Africa has experienced fewer coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths than other regions, with a contrasting epidemiological situation between countries, raising questions regarding the determinants of disease spread in Africa. Method: We built a susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered model including COVID-19 mortality data where recovery class is structured by specific immunization and modeled by a partial differential equation considering the opposed effects of immunity decline and immunization. This model was applied to Tunisia, Senegal, and Madagascar. Finding: Senegal and Tunisia experienced two epidemic phases. Initially, infections emerged in naive individuals and were limited by social distancing. Variants of concern (VOCs) were also introduced. The second phase was characterized by successive epidemic waves driven by new VOCs that escaped host immunity. Meanwhile, Madagascar demonstrated a different profile, characterized by longer intervals between epidemic waves, increasing the pool of susceptible individuals who had lost their protective immunity. The impact of vaccination in Tunisia and Senegal on model parameters was evaluated. Interpretation: Loss of immunity and vaccination-induced immunity have played crucial role in controlling the African pandemic. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has become endemic now and will continue to circulate in African populations. However, previous infections provide significant protection against severe diseases, thus providing a basis for future vaccination strategies.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.23292215v1" target="_blank">Comparative Reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in three African countries using a mathematical model integrating immunity data.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Association of Chronotype and Shiftwork with COVID-19 Infection</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objective: This study assesses whether chronotype is related to COVID-19 infection and whether there is an interaction with shift work. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 19,821 U.S. adults Results: COVID-19 infection occurred in 40% of participants, 32.6% morning and 17.2% evening chronotypes. After adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors, shift work, sleep duration and comorbidities, morning chronotype was associated with a higher (aOR: 1.15, 95% CI 1.10-1.21) and evening chronotype with a lower (aOR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.78-0.87) prevalence of COVID-19 infection in comparison to an intermediate chronotype. Working exclusively night shifts was not associated with higher prevalence of COVID-19. Morning chronotype and working some evening shifts was associated with the highest prevalence of previous COVID-19 infection (aOR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.28-2.74). Conclusion: Morning chronotype and working a mixture of shifts increase risk of COVID-19 infection.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.06.23292337v1" target="_blank">Association of Chronotype and Shiftwork with COVID-19 Infection</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Increasing burden of opioid overdose mortality in the United States: Years of life lost by age, race, and state from 2019-2021</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The United States9 opioid crisis is worsening, but the nationwide burden has not been characterized during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study we calculate years of life lost to opioid overdose deaths by demographic group and examine trends from 2019 to 2021. Using the Multiple Cause of Death dataset from CDC WONDER, we extracted opioid overdose deaths stratified by race/ethnicity, age, and state, and estimated crude and age-adjusted mortality rates, years of life lost, and reduction in life expectancy at birth. Increasing annually, opioid overdose deaths reached 80,411 in 2021, leading to 3 million years of life lost, and reducing life expectancy by 0.65 years. From 2019 to 2021, opioid overdose death rates increased across all groups. American Indian/Alaska Native and Black/African American men now experience the highest burden, with 1,500 years of life lost per 100,000, life expectancies at birth reduced by almost 1 year, and 46 and 51 deaths per 100,000, respectively. This study highlights the continued growth of the opioid crisis, and the surge in years of life lost coinciding with COVID-19. There is an urgent need for more effective interventions, particularly in light of this epidemic9s changing demographics.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.23292297v1" target="_blank">Increasing burden of opioid overdose mortality in the United States: Years of life lost by age, race, and state from 2019-2021</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The impact of digital health insurance for low-income women in Kenya</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objective: This study evaluates how a subsidized, mobile phone-based health insurance program affected insurance uptake, healthcare utilization and health expenditures for low-income women and their family members in Western Kenya. The program, targeting pregnant women and mothers of children below age four, addressed both demand- and supply-side constraints, providing subsidies through mobile money and support in digital registration while upgrading selected facilities and digitally training community health workers. Methods: The research was based on a cluster-RCT conducted between 2019 and 2021 in 24 villages in Kakamega County. After a baseline survey, 240 households (more than 1,300 individuals) were interviewed every week during 18 months to collect detailed financial and health data while the program was rolled out in the treatment communities, moving to phone-based interviewing after the onset of COVID-19. Results: The intervention had a significant impact on individual insurance uptake of 65.8 percentage points (from a baseline control mean 18.9 percent). We find weak positive impacts on formal healthcare utilization, and substantial increases in financial coverage of medical costs and associated reductions in out-of-pocket expenditures, particularly for medicines. Results are strongest for women, young children and individuals living closest to the clinics. Dynamic analyses show that impacts become increasingly pronounced over time, suggesting that women may need some time to get used to the digital insurance scheme. Conclusion: The program not only reduced the costs of enrolment, but also eliminated other (administrative, logistical, trust) barriers. The introduction of the scheme by trusted local agents, the hands-on assistance with the digital registration procedures at women9s homes, and support in retrieving the necessary documentation such as children9s birth certificates, have likely all contributed to the high enrolment rates, thereby improving access to good-quality care. Digital insurance has the potential to substantially enhance universal health coverage and financial protection for poor households.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.23292292v1" target="_blank">The impact of digital health insurance for low-income women in Kenya</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Poor Hemorrhagic Stroke Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic Are Driven by Socioeconomic Disparities</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background Nationally representative data demonstrating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hemorrhagic stroke outcomes are lacking. Methods In this pooled cross-sectional analysis, we used the National Inpatient Sample (2016-2020) to identify adults (&gt;=18 years) with primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) or subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We fit segmented logistic regression models to evaluate the differences in the rates of in-hospital outcomes (in-hospital mortality, home discharge, and receiving neurosurgical procedures) between the pre-pandemic (January 2016-February 2020) and pandemic periods (March 2020-December 2020). We used multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate the differences in mortality between patients admitted from April to December 2020, with and without COVID-19, and those admitted during a similar period in 2019. Stratified analyses were conducted among patients residing in low and high-income zip codes and among patients with extreme loss of function (E-LoF) and those with minor to major loss of function (MM-LoF). Results Overall, 309,965 ICH patients (mean age [SD]: 68[14.8], 47% female, 56% low-income) and 112,210 SAH patients (mean age [SD]: 60.2[15.4], 62% female, 55% low-income) were analyzed. Pre-pandemic, ICH mortality was decreasing by ≈1% per month (adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 0.99, 0.99-1.00). However, during the pandemic, the overall ICH mortality rate increased by ≈2% per month (1.02, 1.00-1.02) and ≈4% per month among low-income patients (1.04, 1.01-1.07). However, there was no change in trend among high-income ICH patients during the pandemic (1.00, 0.97-1.03). Patients with comorbid COVID-19 in 2020 had significantly higher odds of mortality compared to the 2019 comparison cohort, overall (ICH: 1.83, 1.33-2.51; SAH: 2.76, 1.68-4.54), and among patients with MM-LoF (ICH: 2.15, 1.12-4.16; SAH: 5.77, 1.57-21.17). However, patients with E-LoF and comorbid COVID-19 had similar mortality rates with the 2019 cohort. Conclusion Sustained efforts are needed to address socioeconomic disparities in healthcare access, quality, and outcomes during public health emergencies.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.23292399v1" target="_blank">Poor Hemorrhagic Stroke Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic Are Driven by Socioeconomic Disparities</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Temporal Pattern of Mutation Accumulation in SARS-CoV-2 Proteins: Insights from Whole Genome Sequences Pan-India Using Data Mining Approach</strong> -
<div>
Mutation is a fundamental factor that affects host-pathogen biology and consequently viral survival and spread. Close monitoring and observation of such mutation help decipher essential changes in the SARS Cov2 genome. A plethora of mutations have been documented owing to increased whole genomic sequencing. Understanding how conserved the specific mutations are and the temporal pattern of mutation accumulation is of paramount interest. Using an in-house data mining approach, pan-India data was mined and analysed for 26 proteins expressed by SARS-CoV-2 to understand the spread of mutations over 28 months (January 2021- April 2023). It was observed that proteins such as Nsp3, Nsp4, ORF9b, among others, acquired mutations over the period. In contrast, proteins such as Nsp6-10 were highly stable, with no detectable conserved mutations. Further, it was observed that many of the mutations that were highly prevalent in the delta variants were not observed in the omicron variants, which probably influenced the host-pathogen relationship. The study attempts to catalogue and focus on well-conserved mutations across all the SARS-CoV-2 proteins, highlighting the importance of understanding non-spike mutations.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.548087v1" target="_blank">Temporal Pattern of Mutation Accumulation in SARS-CoV-2 Proteins: Insights from Whole Genome Sequences Pan-India Using Data Mining Approach</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>First Eurasian cases of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in a free-ranging urban population of wild fallow deer</strong> -
<div>
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects wildlife. Recent studies highlighted that variants of concern (VOC) may expand into novel animal reservoirs with the potential for reverse zoonosis. North American white-tailed deer are the only deer species in which SARS-CoV-2 has been documented, raising the question whether further reservoir species exist as new VOC emerge. Here, we report the first cases of deer SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in Eurasia, in a city population of fallow deer in Dublin, Ireland. Deer were seronegative in 2020 (circulating variant in humans: Alpha), one animal was seropositive in 2021 (Delta variant), and 57% of animals tested in 2022 were seropositive (Omicron variant). Ex vivo, a clinical isolate of Omicron BA.1 infected fallow deer precision cut lung slice type-2 pneumocytes, also a major target of infection in human lungs. Our findings suggest a change in host tropism as new variants emerged in the human reservoir, highlighting the importance of continued wildlife disease monitoring and limiting human-wildlife contacts.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.547941v1" target="_blank">First Eurasian cases of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in a free-ranging urban population of wild fallow deer</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Single cell susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection is driven by variable cell states</strong> -
<div>
The ability of a virus to infect a cell type is at least in part determined by the presence of host factors required for the viral life cycle. However, even within cell types that express known factors needed for infection, not every cell is equally susceptible, suggesting that our knowledge of the full spectrum of factors that promote infection is incomplete. Profiling the most susceptible subsets of cells within a population may reveal additional factors that promote infection. However, because viral infection dramatically alters the state of the cell, new approaches are needed to reveal the state of these cells prior to infection with virus. Here, we used single-cell clone tracing to retrospectively identify and characterize lung epithelial cells that are highly susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2. The transcriptional state of these highly susceptible cells includes markers of retinoic acid signaling and epithelial differentiation. Loss of candidate factors identified by our approach revealed that many of these factors play roles in viral entry. Moreover, a subset of these factors exert control over the infectable cell state itself, regulating the expression of key factors associated with viral infection and entry. Analysis of patient samples revealed the heterogeneous expression of these factors across both cells and patients in vivo. Further, the expression of these factors is upregulated in particular inflammatory pathologies. Altogether, our results show that the variable expression of intrinsic cell states is a major determinant of whether a cell can be infected by SARS-CoV-2.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.06.547955v1" target="_blank">Single cell susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection is driven by variable cell states</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Establishing thresholds for cytokine storm and defining their relationship to disease severity in respiratory viral infections</strong> -
<div>
Previous studies have identified cytokines associated with respiratory virus infection illness outcome. However, few studies have included comprehensive cytokine panels, longitudinal analyses, and/or simultaneous assessment across the severity spectrum. This, coupled with subjective definitions of cytokine storm syndrome (CSS), have contributed to inconsistent findings of cytokine signatures, particularly with COVID severity. Here, we measured 38 plasma cytokines and compared profiles in healthy, SARS-CoV-2 infected, and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) patients (n = 169). Infected patients spanned the severity spectrum and were classified as Asymptomatic, Mild, Moderate or Severe. Our results showed acute cytokine profiles and longitudinal dynamics of IL1Ra, IL10, MIP1b, and IP10 can differentiate COVID severity groups. Only 4% of acutely infected patients exhibited hypercytokinemia. Of these subjects, 3 were Mild, 3 Moderate, and 1 Severe, highlighting the lack of association between CSS and COVID severity. Additionally, we identified IL1Ra and TNFa as potential biomarkers for patients at high risk for long COVID. Lastly, we compare hypercytokinemia profiles across COVID and influenza patients and show distinct elevated cytokine signatures, wherein influenza induces the most elevated cytokine profile. Together, these results identify key analytes that, if obtained at early time points, can predict COVID illness outcome and/or risk of complications, and provide novel insight for improving the conceptual framework of hypercytokinemia, wherein CSS is a subgroup that requires concomitant severe clinical manifestations, and including a list of cytokines that can distinguish between subtypes of hypercytokinemia.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.06.548022v1" target="_blank">Establishing thresholds for cytokine storm and defining their relationship to disease severity in respiratory viral infections</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Novel Spike-stabilized trimers with improved production protect K18-hACE2 mice and golden Syrian hamsters from the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant.</strong> -
<div>
Most COVID-19 vaccines are based on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein (S) or their subunits. However, the S shows some structural instability that limits its immunogenicity and production, hampering the development of recombinant S-based vaccines. The introduction of the K986P and V987P (S-2P) mutations increases the production of the recombinant S trimer and, more importantly, its immunogenicity, suggesting that these two parameters are related. However, S-2P still shows some molecular instability and it is produced with low yield. Thus, S-2P production can be further optimized. Here we described a novel set of mutations identified by molecular modelling and located in the S2 region of the Spike that increase S-2P production up to five-fold. Besides their immunogenicity, the efficacy of two representative S-2P-based mutants, S-29 and S-21, protecting from a heterologous SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant challenge was assayed in K18-hACE2 mice (an animal model of severe SARS-CoV-2 disease) and golden Syrian hamsters (GSH) (a moderate disease model). S-21 induced higher level of WH1 and Delta variants neutralizing antibodies than S-2P in K18-hACE2 mice three days after challenge. Viral load in nasal turbinate and oropharyngeal samples were reduced in S-21 and S-29 vaccinated mice. Despite that, only the S-29 protein protected 100% of K18-hACE2 mice from severe disease. When GSH were analyzed, all immunized animals were protected from disease development irrespectively of the immunogen they received. Therefore, the higher yield of S-29, as well as its improved immunogenicity and efficacy protecting from the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant, pinpoint the S-29 spike mutant as an alternative to the S-2P protein for future SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.548077v1" target="_blank">Novel Spike-stabilized trimers with improved production protect K18-hACE2 mice and golden Syrian hamsters from the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant.</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Homologous Booster Study of COVID-19 Protein Subunit Recombinant Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: SARS-CoV-2 Subunit Recombinant Protein Vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   PT Bio Farma<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Role of Ivermectin and Colchicine in Treatment of COVID-19: Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Ivermectin Tablets;   Drug: Colchicine 0.5 MG;   Drug: Standared managment<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Ain Shams University<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Study to Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of A Recombinant Protein COVID-19 Vaccine as Booster Vaccines</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SCTV01E-2;   Biological: SCTV01E<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sinocelltech Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Counseling Intervention for Pharmacists</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Standard implementation webinar and online training;   Behavioral: Virtual facilitation<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill;   University of Arkansas;   University of South Carolina;   National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Developing an Effective Intervention to Address Post-Corona-Virus-Disease-2019 Balance Disorders, Weakness and Muscle Fatigue in Individuals Aged 65+</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Device: Resistance Training<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education<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>LUSZ Treatment Efficacy in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Lopinavir / Ritonavir;   Drug: Remdesivir (RDV);   Drug: Tocilizumab;   Other: Corticosteroid Therapy-enhanced Standard Care (CTSC)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Lebanese University;   Hospital Saydet Zgharta University Medical 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>Multimodal Long Covid19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Long COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Multimodal intervention in Long Covid19<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Universidad de Magallanes;   Teaching Assistance and Research Center of the University of Magallanes CADI-UMAG;   Clinical Hospital Dr. Lautaro Navarro Avaria<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Comprehensive Imaging Exam of Convalesced COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   COVID Long-Haul<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Magnetic Resonance Imaging;   Other: Ultra-High Resolution Computed Tomography (CT) Scan<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Johns Hopkins University;   Canon Medical Systems, USA<br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>UNAIR Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine as Heterologue Booster (Immunobridging Study)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19 Pandemic;   COVID-19 Vaccines<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Vaksin Merah Putih - UA SARS-CoV-2 (Vero Cell Inactivated) 5 µg;   Biological: CoronaVac Biofarma COVID-1 9 Vaccine 3 µg<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Dr. Soetomo General Hospital;   Indonesia-MoH;   Universitas Airlangga;   Biotis Pharmaceuticals, Indonesia<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>Immunogenicity and Safety Study of SCB-2023 Vaccine as a Booster in Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SCB-2023 vaccine (trivalent), a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S-protein subunit vaccine for COVID-19; intramuscular injection;   Biological: SCB-2019 (monovalent), a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S-protein subunit vaccine for COVID-19; intramuscular injection<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Clover Biopharmaceuticals AUS Pty Ltd<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Safety and Immunogenicity Following a Heterologous Booster Dose of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine LYB002</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: LYB002V14;   Biological: LYB002V14A;   Biological: LYB002CA<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase 2/3 Heterologous Boosting Study With Different Dose Levels of Monovalent SARS-CoV-2 rS Vaccines</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: NVX-CoV2373 (5μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601 (5μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601(5μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601 (35μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601(35μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601(50μg);   Biological: Bivalent BA.4/5<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Novavax<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Immunogenicity and Safety Following a Heterologous Booster Dose of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine LYB001</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Vaccine Reaction<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: LYB001;   Biological: CoronaVac<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety and Efficacy of Anakinra Treatment for Patients With Post Acute Covid Syndrome</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Placebo;   Drug: Anakinra 149 MG/ML Prefilled Syringe [Kineret]<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Hellenic Institute for the Study of Sepsis<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Effect of Smart Sensor Combined With APP for Individualized Precise Exercise Training in Long Covid-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Coronavirus Disease;   COVID-19;   Long Covid-19;   Telerehabilitation<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Device: KNEESUP smart knee assistive device + KNEESUP care APP;   Device: KNEESUP care APP;   Behavioral: Healthy consulation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Shang-Lin Chiang<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>Patch-clamp studies and cell viability assays suggest a distinct site for viroporin inhibitors on the E protein of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates direct inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 E protein by classical viroporin inhibitors. Ivermectin and milbemycin inhibit the E protein channel but their cytotoxicity argues against clinical application.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Structural basis for the inhibition of coronaviral main proteases by ensitrelvir</strong> - Main protease (M^(pro)) is a highly conserved cysteine protease that plays a vital role in the replication of coronaviruses, making it an attractive pan-coronaviral therapeutic target. Ensitrelvir (S-217622), developed by Shionogi, is the first orally active non-covalent, non-peptidic SARS-CoV-2 M^(pro) inhibitor, which also displays antiviral efficacy against other human coronaviruses as well as SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs). Here, we report the crystal…</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>Kaempferol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 invasion by impairing heptad repeats-mediated viral fusion</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Kae prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection by blocking membrane fusion and possesses a broad-spectrum anti-fusion ability. These findings provide valuable insights into potential benefits of Kae-containing botanical products as a complementary prophylaxis, especially during the waves of breakthrough infections and re-infections.</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>Prologue: Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) 2022 Annual Meeting</strong> - The 2022 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) was held from July 14 to 17, 2022, in New York City, New York, USA, and was attended by 420 rheumatologists, dermatologists, basic scientists, allied health professionals, patient research partners, and industry partners from 31 countries. A GRAPPA executive retreat, a Trainee Symposium, and the Patient Research Partners Network meeting were held prior to the annual meeting….</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>NETosis promotes chronic inflammation and fibrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus and COVID-19</strong> - Pulmonary fibrosis, a serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), leads to irreversible lung damage. However, the underlying mechanism of this condition remains unclear. In this study, we revealed the landscape of transcriptional changes in lung biopsies from individuals with SLE, COVID-19-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) using histopathology and RNA sequencing, respectively. Despite the diverse etiologies…</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>Structure basis of two nanobodies neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant by targeting ultra-conservative epitopes</strong> - The evolving SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain has repeatedly caused widespread disease epidemics, and effective antibody drugs continue to be in short supply. Here, we identified a batch of nanobodies with high affinity for receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, separated them into three classes using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and then resolved the crystal structures of the ternary complexes of two non-competing nanobodies (NB1C6 and NB1B5) with RBD using X-ray…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Targeting 2-Oxoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenases Promotes Metabolic Reprogramming That Protects against Lethal SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the K18-hACE2 Transgenic Mouse Model</strong> - Dysregulation of host metabolism is a feature of lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection. Perturbations in α-ketoglutarate levels can elicit metabolic reprogramming through 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (2-ODDGs), leading to stabilization of the transcription factor HIF-1α. HIF1-α activation has been reported to promote antiviral mechanisms against SARS-CoV-2 through direct regulation of ACE2 expression (a receptor required for viral entry). However, given the numerous pathways HIF-1α serves to…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Individuals at risk for severe COVID-19 in whom ritonavir-containing therapies are contraindicated or may lead to interactions with concomitant medications: a retrospective analysis of German health insurance claims data</strong> - CONCLUSION: Administering ritonavir-containing COVID-19 therapy can be challenging as thorough medical record review and close monitoring are required. In some cases, ritonavir-containing treatment may not be appropriate due to contraindications, risk of pDDIs, or both. For those individuals, an alternative ritonavir-free treatment should be considered.</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>e-Pharmacophore modeling and in silico study of CD147 receptor against SARS-CoV-2 drugs</strong> - Coronavirus has left severe health impacts on the human population, globally. Still a significant number of cases are reported daily as no specific medications are available for its effective treatment. The presence of the CD147 receptor (human basigin) on the host cell facilitates the severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Therefore, the drugs that efficiently alter the formation of CD147 and spike protein complex could be the right drug candidate to inhibit the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Investigating theobromine as a potential anti-human coronaviral agent</strong> - Coronaviruses (CoVs) have long been known to infect humans, mainly alpha-CoV and beta-CoV. The vaccines developed for SARS-CoV-2 are likely not effective against other coronavirus species, whereas the risk of the emergence of new strains that may cause the next epidemic/pandemic is high. The development of antiviral drugs that are effective across different CoVs represents a viable strategy for improving pandemic preparedness. In this study, we aim to identify pan-coronaviral agents by targeting…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 Nsp1 mediated mRNA degradation requires mRNA interaction with the ribosome</strong> - Nsp1 is a SARS-CoV-2 host shutoff factor that both represses cellular translation and promotes host RNA decay. However, it is unclear how these two activities are connected and interact with normal translation processes. Here, we performed mutational analyses of Nsp1, and these revealed that both the N and C terminal domains of Nsp1 are important for translational repression. Furthermore, we demonstrate that specific residues in the N terminal domain are required for cellular RNA degradation but…</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>Repurposing Polyether Ionophores as a New-Class of Anti-SARS-Cov-2 Agents as Adjunct Therapy</strong> - The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants have posed a significant threat to humankind in tackling the viral spread. Furthermore, currently repurposed drugs and frontline antiviral agents have failed to cure severe ongoing infections effectively. This insufficiency has fuelled research for potent and safe therapeutic agents to treat COVID-19. Nonetheless, various vaccine candidates have displayed a differential efficacy and need for repetitive dosing. The FDA-approved polyether ionophore…</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>Prolonged Exposure to Remdesivir Inhibits the Human Ether-A-Go-Go-Related Gene Potassium Current</strong> - Remdesivir, approved for the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has been associated with QTc interval prolongation and torsade de pointes (TdP) in case reports. However, data are conflicting regarding the ability of remdesivir to inhibit the human ether-a-go-go-related (hERG)-related current. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects remdesivir and its primary metabolite, GS-441524, on hERG-related currents. Human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) cells stably expressing hERG…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The KDM6A-KMT2D-p300 axis regulates susceptibility to diverse coronaviruses by mediating viral receptor expression</strong> - Identification of host determinants of coronavirus infection informs mechanisms of pathogenesis and may provide novel therapeutic targets. Here, we demonstrate that the histone demethylase KDM6A promotes infection of diverse coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV and mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) in a demethylase activity-independent manner. Mechanistic studies reveal that KDM6A promotes viral entry by regulating expression of multiple coronavirus receptors, including ACE2, DPP4…</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>Development of monoclonal antibody-based blocking ELISA for detecting SARS-CoV-2 exposure in animals</strong> - The global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a significant threat to public health. Besides humans, SARS-CoV-2 can infect several animal species. Highly sensitive and specific diagnostic reagents and assays are urgently needed for rapid detection and implementation of strategies for prevention and control of the infection in animals. In this study, we initially developed a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein….</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>Wes Moore Would Like to Make History</strong> - Maryland’s first Black governor talks about his surprise win, what working in banking taught him about power, his grandmother’s advice, and the importance of service. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-interview/wes-moore-would-like-to-make-history">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Alternative Facts of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.</strong> - The Democratic Presidential candidate talks about his right-wing admirers, his distrust of scientists and the media, and his belief that the C.I.A. was involved in J.F.K.’s death. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-alternative-facts-of-robert-f-kennedy-jr">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Conspiracies of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.</strong> - The anti-vaccine activist and litigator with a famous name and a long history of addiction has decided to run for President. David Remnick probes what his candidacy is all about. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/the-conspiracies-of-robert-f-kennedy-jr">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>To Save the Planet, Should We Really Be Moving Slower?</strong> - The degrowth movement makes a comeback. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/to-save-the-planet-should-we-really-be-moving-slower">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What Does California’s Homeless Population Actually Look Like?</strong> - Politicians and commentators spend a disproportionate amount of time talking about a small subset of the homeless population. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-does-californias-homeless-population-actually-look-like">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>How to learn something new every day</strong> -
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<img alt="A pink piece of paper is spread across a table. Two arms reach in from outside the frame and use watercolor paints and brushes to paint doodles on the paper." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SaBPNYLJ76NedYe5JnAnif_D5Rc=/374x0:6347x4480/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72437069/GettyImages_1372218037.0.jpg"/>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Teaching an old dog new tricks.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KNf0TA">
Many people consider learning to be an active endeavor, one that takes place in a classroom with a teacher and homework and tests. This intentional form of education is just one way to acquire knowledge. In fact, we absorb new information every day, often unintentionally: the best way to store tomatoes, the quickest way to get to work, the dog’s preferred chew toy. “It’s really important to give ourselves credit for the massive amount of information we learn without realizing it,” says cognitive scientist <a href="https://www.poojaagarwal.com/">Pooja Agarwal</a>, an assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YKE4V8">
There is a distinction between committing facts to memory and <em>learning</em>. Memory refers to the retention of information, whereas learning is the long-term acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, says <a href="https://www.vassar.edu/faculty/habergstrom">Hadley Bergstrom</a>, an associate professor of psychological science at Vassar College. We can memorize vocabulary words, but we learn how to speak a language.
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Learning changes the brain: Existing bonds between <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/public-education/brain-basics/brain-basics-life-and-death-neuron">neurons</a> — nerve cells that send messages signaling everything from breathing to thinking — are strengthened; <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221019172143.htm">new pathways</a> between neurons are developed. Repeated exposure to an activity, like knitting or driving a car, <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/inside-the-science-of-memory">strengthens these connections</a>, and thus, we learn. Over time, recalling these skills or memories becomes easier.
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As we get older and are no longer exposed to organized classroom settings, acquiring fresh knowledge holds value. Studies have suggested that learning later in life <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8424760/">may preserve cognitive function</a> — which refers to <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_426">the ability to acquire knowledge</a>, reason, and manipulate information — and those who have completed college had <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281139">higher levels of cognitive function</a> in their 50s than <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/protect-memory-education-key-new-science-suggests-rcna69400">those who did not</a>. “I think you can broadly say,” Bergstrom says, “that new learning over long periods of time is likely going to improve cognition as you age.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wXEKNn">
Learning new life skills in a technology-based world helps people remain independent, says <a href="http://callalab.com/team/">Rachel Wu</a>, an associate professor of <a href="https://www.vox.com/psychology">psychology</a> at the University of California, Riverside. “If you don’t know how to do online banking and you don’t live near a bank,” she says, “you have to rely on somebody else to handle your money for you. If you don’t know how to use a smartphone, a lot of options are closed to you, like rideshare apps.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UVexMY">
While learning has profound benefits, it can be intimidating to one day venture to pick up a new skill. What are the best ways to learn? How much will it cost? What if I suck at this? There are low-lift, no-cost ways to help facilitate learning in your everyday life — no classroom necessary.
</p>
<h3 id="jXjWSs">
Learning doesn’t need to happen in an organized setting
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="23VHAm">
Look outside the confines of classrooms and lecture halls for learning opportunities. While education can and does take place in these locales, learning can happen anywhere: when reading a Wikipedia page on your phone, while watching a <a href="https://www.vox.com/youtube">YouTube</a> video on how to build a table, after following along in a book for beginner guitar players. Be sure to <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23760823/what-is-good-advice">vet the creators</a> of whatever resources you use. Does the author have expertise in their subject matter? Is the YouTuber attempting to <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2023/3/30/23661712/influencer-online-course-class-miss-excel">push viewers into paying for a class</a> where they can learn how to make thousands in passive income? Many people online purport to be experts, but make sure they have the credentials to support their reputation.
</p>
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By adulthood, people usually have an idea of how and where they learn best, Wu says. Think back on your previous schooling or hobbies. Do you grasp concepts through trial and error? Did you feel a mastery over a topic when you were able to explain it to others? Maybe you prefer to learn at your own pace with a lot of practice along the way. Think about what will motivate you more, Agarwal says: learning on your own, or with an instructor. Some people favor self-guided instruction at their own pace; others are inspired when surrounded by fellow students.
</p>
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For low-cost and low-effort educational opportunities, look to your family or members of your community. Your neighbor may be a master gardener, and in return you can teach them how to make dumplings. If you lack time to dedicate to a ceramics class, try <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/20/well/family/parents-kids-learn-new-skills.html">learning alongside your children</a> at their various activities, says <a href="https://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/people/allyson-mackey">Allyson Mackey</a>, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. While considerably higher in both cost and time, Mackey also says traveling to locations with cultures different from your own is another way to learn outside of a classroom.
</p>
<h3 id="0IoSBt">
Constantly challenge yourself
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8c9aaV">
As you settle into a routine in life, “you’ve built this perfect brain for your environment and for the types of tasks that you do,” Mackey says. You’re adept and efficient at the duties and hobbies you perform every day. To acquire new skills or knowledge, you have to be challenged. This isn’t to say you can’t enjoy what you’re learning, but you need to consistently level up. Once you have a grasp on a particular song on piano, for example, you’ll want to move on to another piece or practice more complex chord progressions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sqb88e">
For this reason, researchers are apt to liken learning to exercise. “What’s fundamental about exercising muscles is you don’t do the same thing every single day,” Bergstrom says. Learning a new skill or hobby, or making your current hobby more difficult, “potentially could slow down cognitive aging,” Bergstrom continues, “as opposed to doing [something] repetitive, like crossword puzzles. It’s kind of the same thing every day.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XSsOyx">
One way to ensure you’re advancing is through feedback. An instructor can correct your pronunciation; a tutor can show you where you went wrong on a math problem. Even self-guided learning has feedback built in, Wu says: If you start beekeeping with the help of YouTube, but produce no honey, that’s a clear sign something went awry. “Even with trial and error by yourself,” Wu says, “you would still get feedback. It’s just from the environment and a little bit slower than feedback from an instructor.” Struggle, mistakes, and “failure” are essential parts of the learning process, Wu says. These missteps are valuable forms of feedback you can learn from. In turn, you’ll improve your subsequent performances — and that’s learning. “Learning, in general, happens,” Wu says, “when you make a mistake, and then you change your behavior to adjust to that.”
</p>
<h3 id="YMmtNN">
Capitalize on the skills you already have
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3omh7w">
Learning in adulthood means relying on skills you’ve acquired in the past. For example, if you’re teaching yourself a new language, you don’t need to relearn the concepts of words and sentences and grammar like a toddler would as they babble through their first phrases. “If you already know how to play the violin, playing the piano might be a little bit easier,” Wu says, “because you can translate from one instrument to the other.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EuYsJG">
Because every task or hobby has its intricacies, you’ll stumble when your old skills don’t neatly translate to your new craft. Again, when using your knowledge of violin when learning how to play the piano, you might get confused reading two lines of music instead of one. While it’s not exactly easy, try to stay out of your own head and be flexible when acquiring new skills, Wu says.
</p>
<h3 id="RulpOx">
Get the information out of your head
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FCy75W">
Instead of trying to cram knowledge in, focus on verbalizing what you’ve learned, Agarwal says. Known as <a href="https://www.retrievalpractice.org/">retrieval practice</a>, simply recalling and reflecting on information can help you retain those details. Thinking back on what you read in a book yesterday, telling a friend something funny you heard on a podcast, mentioning what you ate for breakfast — that’s retrieval practice. An easy way to put retrieval practice to work is to write down — or tell your partner or roommate — one thing you learned at the end of every day. “That will boost your memory and your long-term learning,” Agarwal says, “without taking more than 30 seconds and without any cost at all.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0Swuoe">
Even if you think you didn’t learn anything that day, you most likely did, Agarwal says: how to get to work from your apartment without using GPS, in what aisle you can find olive oil in the grocery store, how to set up a projector.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="64gI2y">
Teaching what you just learned to someone else is also an effective way to learn, Mackey says. Organizing related thoughts into a narrative that makes sense to you is easier to remember.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Tt0eGS">
“Sometimes we focus on getting information into our heads, like watching videos, going to lectures,” Agarwal says. “Where the magic happens with learning is getting information out of our heads.”
</p></li>
<li><strong>How abortion bans will strain an already failing foster system</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="An illustration of a large eye peeking through a window into a family’s home, where laundry and overdue bills are strewn. In a shadowy corner, a mother stands holding her child, appearing to hide from the eye." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qGicuX09A3f6bkS0Wt95RUEoyJY=/240x0:1680x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72437004/Vox_FamilySeparation_PaigeVickers.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Paige Vickers/Vox
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Poor families are more likely to be separated by the government. The Dobbs decision will make it worse.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qTx20X">
When Michael’s mother called Maine’s primary welfare assistance hotline asking for help, she was a depressed and homeless 18-year-old single mother of three. It was the winter of 1996, and her boyfriend — her last source of additional support — had left her.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XQ5NQ3">
A social worker with Maine’s Child Protective Services offered assistance with finding an apartment, but there was a catch — Michael’s mother had to agree that her young children would be taken into foster care. In the state’s eyes, her poverty meant she didn’t have the resources to take care of her kids. But perhaps they could be reunited once she became more stable.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MIvndX">
This never happened.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sKmIGd">
Michael was 4 years old when he entered the foster care system. It took five years for him to meet Mary Callahan, the foster carer who eventually adopted him.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4O5S4t">
At first, Michael blamed his birth mother (whose name isn’t shared for privacy) for what happened — not because he felt she had neglected or abused him, but because she asked for help, and set off the process that would tear their lives apart.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UpQGgt">
​​“It took him a long, long time to get over being angry that she’s the one who made the phone call,” Callahan said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nBDGNJ">
Raising children in the US on a low income is already incredibly difficult, and parents have <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/weak-safety-net-policies-exacerbate-regional-racial-inequality/">limited support</a> from social safety net programs. Single <a href="https://datacenter.aecf.org/data/tables/55-families-with-related-children-that-are-below-poverty-by-family-type?loc=1&amp;loct=2#detailed/2/2-53/true/2048/994,1297,4240/346">parents</a>, <a href="https://www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/public/resources-and-publications/publication-1/0090.pdf">teen</a> parents, and <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/income-security/improvements-in-tanf-cash-benefits-needed-to-undo-the-legacy-of-historical">families of color</a> face particular disadvantages; states with high Black populations <a href="https://ncpolicywatch.com/2021/08/05/new-and-damning-report-black-women-with-children-excluded-from-federal-cash-assistance-program/">tend to have</a> the weakest <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/blog/despite-recent-tanf-benefit-boosts-black-families-left-behind">social assistance</a> programs, and welfare <a href="https://washingtonmonthly.com/2021/04/17/welfare-work-requirements-have-to-go/">work requirements</a> can trap parents in low-paying <a href="https://www.vox.com/labor-jobs">jobs</a>. Cash welfare benefits through the <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/temporary-assistance-needy-families-tanf">Temporary Assistance for Needy Families</a> (TANF) program, which provides cash payments and other services to low-income families with children, are often <a href="https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/TANF-Child-Care-Fact-Sheet-11.4.16.pdf">insufficient</a> to cover child care expenses. Nationwide, the average monthly payment is <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/families-cannot-afford-modest-rent-with-tanf">less than $500</a>, well below the poverty line and half the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment as of 2021.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dBCXg7">
And seeking out help comes with its disadvantages. Poverty is considered a contributing <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/kfong/files/fong_cysr_postprint.pdf">risk factor</a> for child neglect, which makes up the <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/media/press/2021/child-abuse-neglect-data-released#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20single%20maltreatment,commissioner%20of%20HHS'%20Children's%20Bureau.">majority</a> of Child Protective Services reports. And as such, CPS continues to <a href="https://www.futurity.org/child-protective-services-welfare-parents-poverty-2488042-2/">scrutinize</a> low-income families for neglect at a <a href="https://imprintnews.org/child-welfare-2/time-for-child-welfare-system-to-stop-confusing-poverty-with-neglect/40222">much higher rate</a> than those who are above the poverty line, even when the <a href="https://www.nyclu.org/en/news/how-so-called-child-welfare-system-hurts-families">resulting investigations</a> can be <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2022/11/17/if-i-wasnt-poor-i-wouldnt-be-unfit/family-separation-crisis-us-child-welfare">harmful rather than helpful</a> to vulnerable families. While child poverty rates have fallen, especially since the 2020 <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/09/record-drop-in-child-poverty.html">child tax credit</a> expansion, 12 million children still lived below the poverty line as of 2022, and the system meant to help them is <a href="https://www.penncapital-star.com/commentary/the-u-s-child-welfare-system-is-falling-short-because-of-persistent-child-poverty-opinion/">falling short</a>. When foster kids age out of the system, they face <a href="https://nfyi.org/51-useful-aging-out-of-foster-care-statistics-social-race-media/">higher rates</a> of <a href="https://nfyi.org/issues/homelessness/">homelessness</a> and <a href="https://jlc.org/news/what-foster-care-prison-pipeline">incarceration</a> and an increased likelihood of becoming <a href="https://www.fosterva.org/blog/what-percentage-of-girls-in-foster-care-are-pregnant-by-21#:~:text=A%20Utah%20study%20of%20children,higher%20than%20the%20general%20population.">teen parents</a> when compared with the general population.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HJAX5K">
After the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/5/3/23055125/roe-v-wade-abortion-rights-supreme-court-dobbs-v-jackson"><em>Dobbs</em> verdict</a>, 24 <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/2023/01/six-months-post-roe-24-us-states-have-banned-abortion-or-are-likely-do-so-roundup">states</a> are in the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/27/politics/states-abortion-trigger-laws-roe-v-wade-supreme-court/index.html">process</a> of banning or heavily restricting <a href="https://www.vox.com/abortion">abortion</a> access, and these laws will hit hardest for low-income families and young, single, or Black parents, who are less able to travel to access abortion care. These states, mainly in the South and Midwest, <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2022/public-health-paradox-states-abortion-laws-maternal-child-health-outcomes">already have</a> disproportionately bad maternal and child health outcomes, with higher rates of maternal death and low birth weight infants. To make matters worse, women denied an abortion end up at even higher <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-abortion-hardship/denial-of-abortion-leads-to-economic-hardship-for-low-income-women-idUSKBN1F731Z">risk of poverty</a> — and the <a href="https://reproductiverights.org/maps/abortion-laws-by-state/">abortion bans</a> are mostly in states with <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/weak-safety-net-policies-exacerbate-regional-racial-inequality/">limited</a> and <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/the-cruel-failure-of-welfare-reform-in-the-southwest">shrinking</a> social safety net programs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nJf6U2">
Although a year has passed since the <em>Dobbs</em> verdict, data collection is still limited; it takes time for local <a href="https://www.vox.com/health-care">health care</a> providers to report data at the state or national level, and for reports to be compiled. The Society of Family Planning’s <a href="https://www.societyfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/WeCountReport_April2023Release.pdf">#WeCount program</a> estimated a decrease of 32,260 in the number of abortions nationwide between July and December 2022. (To put that in perspective, the Guttmacher Institute <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/01/11/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-u-s-2/">estimated</a> that there were 930,160 abortions nationwide in 2020.) Texas alone — a state with a <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/02/09/texas-foster-care-lawsuit/">notoriously dysfunctional</a> child welfare system — saw an estimated 15,540 fewer abortions over the six-month period.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z94EOL">
It’s not yet clear how many additional births new restrictions will ultimately cause, or what fraction of those children will end up in foster care, but it’s a population at high risk of coming to the attention of Social Services. An <a href="https://www.cwdatasolutions.com/post/forecasting-the-impact-of-abortion-law-changes-on-state-foster-care-systems">October 2022 forecast</a> by data scientist Russ Clay predicts that the <em>Dobbs</em> verdict could mean an 8 to 11 percent increase, or an additional 3,600 to 4,400 children, in the Texas foster care system by 2040, relative to the baseline forecast.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BzeZXA">
“What the <em>Dobbs</em> decision has done is [that] it has continued to show that the government does not care about women who are trying to raise families,” said <a href="https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/fellows/emily-berger/">Emily Berger</a>, director of Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, the country’s largest legal nonprofit dedicated to representing parents in child welfare court cases.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WQdwCs">
As more infants are likely born to financially struggling parents in the wake of <em>Dobbs</em>, the foster care system will continue to be touted as a potential solution, as it was in the beginning of the <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2018/01/31/the-foster-care-system-was-unprepared-for-the-last-drug-epidemic-lets-not-repeat-history/">opioid epidemic</a>. Even before <em>Dobbs</em>, the foster care <a href="https://www.thewellnews.com/child-care/in-the-wake-of-dobbs-uncertainty-grows-for-foster-care-system/">system</a> was <a href="https://www.enewscourier.com/news/how-the-dobbs-decision-affects-women-and-children/article_0d4ef68c-078f-11ed-8c12-3795085e9586.html">already</a> strained and underresourced. It’s easy to fall back on imagining that more funding and more foster parents are the most urgent priority to prepare for surging numbers of neglected children.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ytJEWH">
But nearly everyone that Vox spoke with who works within the system itself thinks that foster care isn’t the answer and that the current child welfare system is one that traps families <a href="https://www.vox.com/poverty">in poverty</a> and then penalizes them for it. Even when the system functions at its best, separation is still a <a href="https://www.apodcastaboutabortion.com/episodes/why-adoption-isnt-an-alternative-to-abortion">traumatic experience</a> that can affect both the parent and the child for the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/opinion/foster-care-children-us.html">rest of their lives</a>. Nine out of 10 women who are <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/12/8/22822854/abortion-roe-wade-adoption-supreme-court-barrett">denied an abortion</a> want to <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-third-wave/201905/adoption-is-not-solution-abortion">raise their child</a> despite the hardships. Refusing them this opportunity damages communities and propagates a pattern of discrimination that harms the most vulnerable families.
</p>
<h3 id="Ea9EZ1">
<strong>Surveillance agencies, not service providers </strong>
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jroskr">
The US child welfare system is <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/cpswork.pdf">complex</a>, with programs run at the state or even local level. The federal <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/about/organization-structure">Children’s Bureau</a> works with these local agencies, following the <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/about.pdf">Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act</a> of 1974. CPS isn’t a single organization but refers to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_protective_services#:~:text=Child%20protective%20services%20(CPS)%20is,of%20child%20abuse%20or%20neglect.">many different</a> state departments — though sometimes, as in <a href="https://dcfs.lacounty.gov/">Los Angeles County</a>, child welfare is instead run by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). All of these agencies in theory follow the same federal guidelines, but implementation and specific programs vary massively.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fCAswd">
In the communities that <a href="https://talkpoverty.org/2018/11/16/poverty-neglect-state-took-children/">need support</a> the most, <a href="https://uk.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-assets/40606_book_item_40606.pdf">trust in</a> the child welfare system is low. Families are — quite reasonably — concerned that accepting support services will mean more oversight and monitoring. The ultimate worry for families is that, at some point, a worker in the system will report them to CPS or DCFS for perceived neglect. Because neglect is so <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/define.pdf">broadly defined</a> by both federal and state law, parents fear that resource limitations, like not being able to afford child care or medical care, might be seen as grounds to place their children in foster care.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Kindergarten-aged children wearing colorful backpacks, including a pink backpack featuring several Disney princesses, walk down a linoleum-floored hallway." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dPGjaKPySI3XRXWXSV8W5uE0KTs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24773863/1242680484.jpg"/> <cite>Craig Hudson/The Washington Post via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Students line up during a kindergarten orientation at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy in Alexandria, Virginia, on August 19, 2022.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OLILr1">
If a mandated reporter, like a teacher or a <a href="https://www.vox.com/child-care">day care</a> worker, notices a child coming in hungry or with worn-out clothing, they often have few options other than to call a Child Protective Services hotline. In <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/canstats.pdf">more than half</a> of cases, this leads to a CPS investigation, even if the intent of the call is for <a href="https://sites.utexas.edu/contemporaryfamilies/2020/08/11/cps-brief-report/">additional support</a>. As a result, <a href="https://imprintnews.org/child-welfare-2/nearly-half-of-children-experience-cps-investigations/57396">one in three</a> kids could experience a CPS investigation at some point by age 18, said Kelley Fong, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California Irvine. These are mostly children in working-class and <strong>low-income</strong> <strong> </strong>communities, particularly <a href="https://www.risemagazine.org/item/facing-race-in-child-welfare/">communities of color</a>. “Once that process gets in motion, it’s a train that’s on the tracks,” Fong added, “and they start turning over stones.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MXnTCs">
According to Fong, the <a href="https://sites.utexas.edu/contemporaryfamilies/2020/08/11/cps-brief-report/">vast majority</a> of CPS reports <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/07/in-a-year-child-protective-services-conducted-32-million-investigations/374809/">don’t lead</a> to family separation, but this doesn’t mean that such encounters are harmless. CPS cases can drag on for months, if not years, and <a href="https://www.bryanfagan.com/family-law-blog/2017/july/child-protective-services-investigation-what-to-/">touch on</a> all elements of a family’s life, not just what was initially reported. It can be another way to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7758/rsf.2019.5.1.03#metadata_info_tab_contents">police</a> <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/womens-rights/family-surveillance-by-algorithm-the-rapidly-spreading-tools-few-have-heard-of">families of color</a>, playing out a pattern of <a href="https://theappeal.org/black-families-matter-how-the-child-welfare-system-punishes-poor-families-of-color-33ad20e2882e/">racial disparities</a> in the US justice system. “They will ask your children how they are disciplined,” Fong said. “They can ask you to complete a <a href="https://www.rosenblumlawlv.com/can-cps-drug-test-me/">drug test</a>. They will walk around your home and kind of assess your private domestic space.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UqfaZA">
While CPS workers can make referrals for therapy or <a href="https://www.vox.com/parenting">parenting</a> classes, the services they offer generally don’t address poverty directly — and the offers can easily feel coercive, given that case workers and therapists can and will report on parents to the state. “Child welfare agencies are not service agencies,” said Mishka Terplan, an OB-GYN who works with <strong>pregnant </strong><strong>patients with addiction</strong> in San Francisco. “They’re like surveillance agencies. … They can make services part of an equation, [where] the solution of the equation is either keeping or losing your kid.” When families are afraid of CPS attention, it stands in the way of asking for help.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HImwFd">
The ultimate goal of any child welfare system is to keep children safe. It’s critical to have <em>some </em>kind of support to call in if there are concerns that a child is abused or neglected. But the current system is set up in a way that fails many families, even when individual case workers are trying their best to help.
</p>
<h3 id="aOojGT">
<strong>The realities of separation</strong>
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2YbcPt">
Foster care can include “kinship” care by other relatives, often considered the best option, but this isn’t always available or pursued. Across the US, about <a href="https://datacenter.aecf.org/data/line/6243-children-in-foster-care?loc=1&amp;loct=1#1/any/true/2048,574,1729,37,871,870,573,869,36,868/asc/any/12987">400,000 children</a> are in foster care with strangers, under a system that moves them frequently between caregivers, and often <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264125328_Contact_visits_between_foster_children_and_their_birth_family_The_views_of_foster_children_foster_parents_and_social_workers">fails to prioritize contact</a> with birth parents who many children miss desperately.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xibnPM">
The backdrop for the current foster care system lies with the <a href="https://adoptioninchildtime.org/bondingbook/summary-of-the-adoption-and-safe-families-act-of-1997-pl-105-89">Adoption and Safe Families Act</a>, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1997. This law came in response to a reasonable criticism of the child welfare system, <a href="https://sci-hub.wf/10.2307/1228098">repeated</a> over the <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/her/article-abstract/43/4/599/30987/Foster-Care-In-Whose-Best-Interest?redirectedFrom=PDF">years</a>: too many children were spending multiple years in foster care without any long-term plan. The proposed solution — to create a clear process and timeline for determining whether a child could return to live with their birth parents or be adopted — was an understandable goal.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IWMLC7">
But while the goal may have been to more quickly reunite families, the actual result <a href="https://imprintnews.org/opinion/we-dont-need-adoption-and-safe-families-act-shorten-foster-care/53970">created</a> rigid and often impossible timelines for families: <a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/private/pdf/265036/freeing-children-for-adoption-asfa-pt-1.pdf">18 to 24 months</a> in most cases, or for children under 3, as little as <a href="https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/careers/child-welfare-social-work/">six months</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ikdj8f">
During this period, parents are still closely and invasively supervised, can be required to attend parenting classes or therapy, and are responsible for traveling to regularly visit their children. For parents who need to take public transit, often over long distances, this can be nearly impossible — and according to experts Vox spoke with, missing a contact visit, even due to bad weather, is seen as a mark against parents’ commitment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uzB4t3">
Two years may seem like a long time for parents to meet the expectations laid out and prove they can care for their children, but in an overstrained system, where<a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/case_work_management.pdf"> social workers</a> often have heavy caseloads, delays add up. Missing and needing to reschedule a court-ordered medical appointment can add months to an already tight timeline.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0huCm0">
In her work representing parents with Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Emily Berger believes that, again, this system penalizes low-income parents. “In Los Angeles, for example, [the county] is not paying for court-ordered programs that parents need to do to get their children back,” Berger said. “So if you are a person with a history of mental illness or drug use or abuse, you’re in a position where you need to be paying out of pocket for programs.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y4q6YL">
And once children are in foster care, reuniting families can be an uphill battle, one where parents need to perfectly toe the line, submit to ongoing supervision, and meet any requirements that social services asks of them — or risk fully losing their parental rights and having their children placed for adoption. These visits are often supervised by a social worker — in Berger’s area, monitored visits are the default — and parents may be ordered to follow an exact script, even though this can sometimes be upsetting for children.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FcGDMu">
Dominic Benavides, a parent representative with the Washington State Office of Public Defense, says that tension and mistrust can build up between social workers and parents who don’t feel that the system is on their side. “It doesn’t mean that they don’t love and want the best for their children,” Benavides said. “It’s just really hard to constantly come back to a room and negotiate with people who say that you’re untrustworthy or that you’re a bad parent.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eOdc8g">
Inadequate funding and a shortage of foster homes means that, rather than being placed within a family, children often <a href="https://thehowleronline.org/2072/viewpoint/no-place-like-home-the-us-foster-care-system-is-broken/">end up</a> in group homes, institutions, or even sleeping on the floors of social work offices — which could be considered a more damaging form of neglect than just empty fridges and unwashed clothing. According to Richard Villasana, founder of the nonprofit organization <a href="https://foreverhomesforfosterkids.org/">Forever Homes for Foster Kids</a>, it’s exceptionally hard to find suitable homes for <a href="https://www.davidandmargaret.org/blog.html/article/2021/07/14/disability-among-youth-in-foster-care">children with disabilities or mental health issues</a>. “The ones who are sleeping on office floors are the ones who have the greatest need … either because they were born with a particular issue or because of the trauma they’ve experienced,” he said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZsXlWz">
The same resource constraints mean that children who spend over a year in foster care — which is unfortunately <a href="https://www.aecf.org/blog/child-welfare-and-foster-care-statistics">more than 60</a> percent of cases — are often moved <a href="https://www.casey.org/placement-stability-impacts/">repeatedly</a> between foster homes. In addition to the trauma and instability of repeatedly losing their new attachment figures, Villasana believes that these <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/every-time-foster-kids-move-they-lose-months-of-academic-progress/284134/">frequent moves</a> are part of why <a href="https://nfyi.org/issues/higher-education/">only about 50</a> percent of former foster youth graduate from high school — <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/coi/high-school-graduation-rates">compared to 87 percent</a> for the nation as a whole — and only 1 in 25 will complete a four-year college degree. “Some of these kids take the same course two to three times,” Villasana said; with frequent moves, children can end up having to change schools multiple times mid-school year. “If you don’t complete it … they can’t count it.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6z3Lmo">
In unlucky cases, foster homes can be <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2021/03/18/foster-care-children-starved-beaten-molested-florida-reports-show/6782615002/">actively abusive</a>. And because the system is overburdened, the processes for supervising foster parents aren’t always carried out, and cases of abuse or neglect by foster carers are very likely <a href="https://www.biometrica.com/gaps-in-an-overburdened-system-mean-that-children-in-foster-care-are-too-susceptible-to-abuse/">underreported</a>. Callahan saw this with many of her foster children. “Kids were removed from chaos but put into hell,” she said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="roS6FV">
Fortunately, this degree of abuse is a worst-case scenario. In Callahan’s experience, despite stereotypes that describe foster carers as “either saints or just horrible people in it for the money,” most foster parents she knew were dedicated “but had no idea how hard it was going to be.” But even if a foster home offers safety and three meals a day, it may not provide the same emotional security as a biological family member.
</p>
<h3 id="cu9kn4">
<strong>Moving forward </strong>
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Vq4oph">
Obviously, in an ideal world, no child would ever be homeless, go hungry, or be left alone while a parent worked due to lack of child care. Unfortunately, the <em>Dobbs</em> verdict likely means that thousands more children will be born into homes where this is a real risk. Rather than providing support to keep families together, the current child welfare system is quick to take children into a foster care system that lacks the resources to consistently keep them safe<em>, </em>let alone provide them with a consistent, supportive, and loving home.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="go1AhL">
Not all families can be reunified. While child abuse makes up a minority of CPS cases, even parents who are motivated to reunite with their child and are trying to do their best may have challenges, like drug addiction, that are incompatible with healthy parenting. But given how badly the overburdened system is already failing many children in foster care, this only makes it more important to keep families together in any cases where there is no evidence of abuse, and where material support is enough to let a parent meet their child’s needs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VpWo2z">
Case workers can end up feeling that once a child is in a foster home — often, as Benevides points out, “situations with quite wealthy parents, who are very privileged in their access to resources” — returning them to live with a low-income single parent means depriving them of opportunities. This perception can hold even if there are no other parenting concerns, and the need is for material support. As Berger put it, workers can “impose their own ideas about what families should look like. … And sometimes they forget that there is an absolutely priceless benefit a child gets from being raised with their families and communities of origin.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D5hSc2">
Preventing this at the source would mean giving the people who so often flag concern about children, like teachers, day care workers, or family doctors, more options for supporting families in need without triggering a process that results in an invasive — and expensive — investigation. There are <a href="https://nccpr.org/the-evidence-is-in-foster-care-vs-keeping-families-together-the-definitive-studies/">already studies</a> indicating that <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B291mw_hLAJsV1NUVGRVUmdyb28/view?resourcekey=0-tBFng8I-FIQ13H7kkC871A">keeping families together</a> likely has better outcomes for children; ideally, this would be built into child <a href="https://www.vox.com/social-programs">welfare programs</a>, with support workers able to <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B291mw_hLAJsbnZTbE5xNjZsd1U/view?resourcekey=0-SSFy4Q1WRxSsqunD27-bbg">work closely</a> and build trust with parents.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="H5EWCq">
“There’s too much concern about how they are going to get on the bus and get them to a doctor,” Benavides said. “Or they don’t have a car — are you sure that they’re going to get to school on time? But they present those issues, and far too often don’t present a remedy.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XAXTSe">
The remedy starts with a focus on prevention; if a teacher or day care worker is concerned about a child’s well-being at home, they should have options other than a CPS investigation and potential removable to foster care. Given the mistrust toward child welfare services in many disadvantaged populations, <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/famcentered/communities/">community-based initiatives</a> that aren’t directly run through CPS might be better. There are <a href="https://www.casey.org/media/community-based-family-support.pdf">dozens</a> such programs, including Oregon’s <a href="https://ccswv.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/FHIbrochure_sm.pdf">Fostering Hope Initiative</a>, which has a leadership council open to anyone in the community and provides financial support, help finding affordable housing, and tangible goods like food boxes or diapers to families.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qWxKsD">
If foster care is necessary to keep a child safe, a child’s attachments will be less disrupted if they can still see their parent or parents, an opportunity that Michael was never given until Callahan went above and beyond for him. Under the <a href="https://creatingafamily.org/foster-care/co-parenting-in-foster-care-establish-relationship-with-birth-parents/">co-parenting</a> approach, birth parents work together with the foster parents and share parenting responsibilities. This can go as far as <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/supporting/support-services/familycare/#shared%20family">Shared Family Care</a>, or whole family foster care, where the parent and child live in the same home with the foster parents, who can support and mentor them and help them develop parenting skills. It’s also important to investigate options for <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/placement.pdf">kinship care</a>, including with “fictive kin” — the term for a close family friend not related by blood but with whom a child already has a relationship — and to make sure that the relative has the support they need.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lBY9L2">
There’s also the element of cost. Nearly everyone I spoke to, from social workers to family law representatives, believes that higher cash benefits for families — enough to actually cover living expenses — would make a huge difference. In fact, the Covid stimulus tax credits brought child poverty to a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/9/14/23352022/child-poverty-covid-tax-credit">record low</a>, but this progress was <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/09/14/1122895313/child-poverty-is-at-a-historic-low-according-to-the-census-bureau">quickly reversed</a> when the program ended.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fgPxpK">
<a href="https://wehavekids.com/adoption-fostering/What-does-being-a-foster-parent-really-pay">Monthly payments</a> to foster parents are usually significantly more than the cash welfare benefits available to low-income parents. Given the other costs for child welfare agencies, like staffing time, the <a href="https://talkpoverty.org/2019/08/23/government-more-foster-adoption-reuniting/">actual cost</a> to the state is much higher. Child welfare funding is a complicated mix of federal, state, and local, with significant state discretion on how to spend it. But in <a href="https://cms.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ChildWelfareFinancingReport_ChildTrends_March2021.pdf">2018</a>, it came to a total of $33 billion; on average, $450 was given per child per year, or $2,800 for each of the approximately <a href="https://firstfocus.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/FF_2018-Snapshot-of-Children-in-Poverty.pdf">12 million</a> children living below the poverty line. Forty-five percent of funds <a href="https://cms.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ChildWelfareFinancingReport_ChildTrends_March2021.pdf">go toward foster placements</a>; only 15 percent are spent on preventive services.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cRT3Gj">
But from the perspective of children in the foster care system — not to mention their parents — the best scenario is one where they were never separated at all.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MWS63x">
Since leaving the foster care system a decade ago, Michael has tried to move on with his life. “ I haven’t paid too much attention to what currently needs to change,” he says. But the effects of his family’s separation are still permanent, and he thinks all of it could have been avoided with a few simple interventions. “She was given a deadline to meet, and when she didn’t meet that deadline, my siblings and myself were lost to the system. Had DHS offered tools to help her, such as a babysitter, I think my mom could have managed and been able to raise us.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vEZ5k4">
Michael’s birth mother is now a foster carer herself.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rgsad6">
<em>Miranda Dixon-Luinenburg is a freelance writer and former Future Perfect fellow based in the Bay Area.</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Hsn1zV">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vwrAdk">
</p></li>
<li><strong>The future of affirmative action in the workplace</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="People pay respects as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose under the Portico at the top of the front steps of the US Supreme Court building, in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2020. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/16uNU6hp8MpxHAMJ75eJEGuE-yA=/374x0:6347x4480/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72436972/1228672779.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Aurora Samperio/NurPhoto via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions could embolden actors to challenge the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of employers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eynC2V">
Corporations have already <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/diversity-roles-disappear-three-years-george-floyd-protests-inspired-rcna72026">scaled back the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts</a> they launched in 2020 amid an ultimately stunted racial reckoning. Now the question is whether the Supreme Court’s ban on race-conscious admissions will lead them to further rein in these programs to avoid potential legal challenges.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ybnGe0">
One thing<strong> </strong>is clear: The laws surrounding affirmative action in employment haven’t changed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WDNABM">
Federal contractors have been required to take affirmative action, steps to ensure applicants are treated fairly, since 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/executive-order-11246/regulations#:~:text=Executive%20Order%2011246%2C%20signed%20by,part%20of%20U.S.%20government%20contractors.">signed Executive Order 11246</a>. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IG8xtx">
Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s <a href="https://www.constangy.com/affirmative-action-alert/increase-diversity-without-violating-the-law">guidelines on voluntary affirmative action</a>, employers are encouraged to take voluntary steps to “correct the effects of past discrimination and to prevent present and future discrimination” such as expanding their applicant pools to ensure a diverse body of applicants for any given position.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EuylH5">
As the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission noted in a statement after the decision, the cases do not “address employer efforts to foster diverse and inclusive workforces or to engage the talents of all qualified workers, regardless of their background,” clarifying that it is still legal for “employers to implement diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs that seek to ensure workers of all backgrounds are afforded equal opportunity in the workplace.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8TiIHX">
Still, legal threats from right-wing organizations that have already spent years trying to get organizations, including Starbucks and McDonald’s, to end their DEI programs could increase.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FqxMUk">
The Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-conscious measures in college admissions is likely to encourage more lawsuits against race-conscious policies in employment, said Pauline Kim, an employment law expert at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DmBhfy">
I talked to Kim about the future of diversity in the workforce and workplace and why affirmative action in college admissions and workplace hiring aren’t completely unrelated. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="9hUSqX"/>
<h4 id="fEnkds">
Fabiola Cineas
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LpriIA">
What are the implications of the higher education affirmative action decision on employment?
</p>
<h4 id="KLUj7U">
Pauline Kim
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jmgpDe">
The legal answer is nothing. The <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/6/14/23761092/supreme-court-affirmative-action-college-admissions-race"><em>Harvard</em> and <em>UNC</em> cases</a> were decided under the equal protection clause of the Constitution, which does not apply to private employers. When it comes to affirmative action or discrimination in the workplace, private employers are covered by Title VII. It’s a different source of law. It’s not just a technical matter of being a different source of law, but there are actually differences in what Title VII holds compared to the equal protection clause precedents of the court. So on the purely legal technical level, there’s no direct implication.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MT8fIo">
On the other hand, the Court in the higher ed affirmative action cases has expressed hostility to race-conscious efforts to improve racial equity. At that broad level, it may make employers worried about their own DEI programs. And that may encourage people who are ideologically inclined to challenge any kind of race-conscious or race-remedial efforts to try to bring lawsuits to challenge what employers are doing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uHKbxI">
There’s also a practical connection for employers, and I think it’s why so many of them <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23405267/affirmative-action-supreme-court-ruling-race-harvard-unc-chapel-hill">weighed in on the university admissions case</a> in favor of affirmative action. They are interested in hiring diverse workforces to meet the demands of their business in a global economy. They are worried about the pipeline of diverse candidates that are going to be available to them for hiring. Since affirmative action in higher ed is something that primarily affects the most elite schools, it could mean that employers may need to move beyond looking at the status of a college or university that somebody attended. They’ll need to look more broadly at students coming from varied educational backgrounds who may have the skills and ability to do the work.
</p>
<h4 id="5WvdAt">
Fabiola Cineas
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xncUu2">
What’s the history behind Title VII?
</p>
<h4 id="K4IXMM">
Pauline Kim
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ORA7EI">
Title VII<strong> </strong>is part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was the groundbreaking legislation that Congress passed in the wake of the civil rights protests of the ’50s and early ’60s. Under Title VII, it’s unlawful for an employer to take an adverse action against an employee or an applicant because of their sex, national origin, religion, or color. Title VII was intended to protect Black workers as well as women and other ethnic minorities. Prior to 1964, employers were free to make employment decisions on any of those bases if they wanted to.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KTIFJn">
After Title VII was passed, in addition to prohibiting intentional discrimination, the Court also made clear that if an employer has a practice that has a disparate impact on disadvantaged groups, then that’s a form of discrimination as well, unless the employer can justify it for business reasons. So a lot of employers realized they had a problem.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="03wluD">
Some employers were sued, and they entered into either consent judgments or there were court judgments entered, and then there were permanent affirmative action plans put into place. Other employers realized they needed to voluntarily adopt traditional kinds of affirmative action plans.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uQmUOZ">
Over time, as discrimination became latent, employers moved away from affirmative action plans that involved any kinds of racial quotas. They have really shifted their focus to examining their policies and moving towards what’s now called DEI initiatives.
</p>
<h4 id="h4gARd">
Fabiola Cineas
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1dmzQa">
Can we take a step back to first even define affirmative action in the workplace context? Does affirmative action in workplace hiring look the same as affirmative action in higher education admissions?
</p>
<h4 id="giKnPY">
Pauline Kim
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bUgjWh">
Part of the problem is affirmative action, both within the employment space but also more generally, means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. So there’s often confusion about what exactly it entails.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="peHucF">
In some of the older cases, affirmative action literally meant that a spot might be reserved, for example, for somebody from a racial minority group. That practice has long since been abandoned by universities and employers. Affirmative action also could refer to a program or policy, where the effort is to diversify either the university class or the workforce, where race or sex is taken into account as a positive.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i6PWhR">
Sometimes people also use the term affirmative action to mean taking any kind of step that will help to improve racial equity or to improve the diversity of a pool. A lot of firms now refer to that as DEI initiatives rather than affirmative action. So part of the confusion that comes in is that people think that they’re the same thing. There are people on the right who attack DEI programs, equating them with something like a racial quota, when they are completely different. They don’t involve the use of race in individual decisions at all.
</p>
<h4 id="qltHLl">
Fabiola Cineas
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IJr0pP">
What are some concrete examples of DEI initiatives that you don’t consider to be affirmative action?
</p>
<h4 id="EuOG5U">
Pauline Kim
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zZ2gYk">
A really easy example is a law firm that has always been recruiting at the local state flagship university and decides to start recruiting at HBCUs, realizing that by only going to one or two traditional universities to recruit they’re narrowing their pool.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f0nbla">
Another example is how some employers in the past wouldn’t formally post jobs. They would rely on word of mouth. That tends to reproduce the existing workforce. If you have a racially homogenous workforce, it’s going to reproduce that. An employer might instead realize that that’s the effect of this practice and choose to formally post their positions and criteria in advance. Instead of just hiring an employee’s cousin, they choose to use rubrics to judge candidates.
</p>
<h4 id="wCiVXD">
Fabiola Cineas
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lYmN6O">
What is legal and what is illegal when it comes to diversity practices or affirmative action in the employment context? Where does the law draw the line on what is allowed in hiring?
</p>
<h4 id="GhNGTm">
Pauline Kim
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LVeArK">
One of the original Supreme Court cases that dealt with affirmative action in employment was <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1978/78-432"><em>United Steel Workers v. Weber</em></a> in 1979. That involved a steel plant that had never hired Black workers in the skilled craft positions. They required skilled craft workers to already be trained. Training was done through the unions, and the unions did not admit Black workers at that time. So they recognized after Title VII was passed that they had a problem. They entered into a voluntary agreement with the union that they would create a training program that they would admit trainees on a 50 percent Black to white ratio. In other words, if they had 10 openings, five of them went to Black employees and five went to white employees.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kzCXDB">
That was a rigid racial quota, but the Supreme Court actually approved that, as it was done in the context of a history of racial segregation where there was a complete absence of Black workers in that job category. And at the same time, the particular program didn’t completely block white workers from moving forward.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hFmdlJ">
The ratio was challenged by a white worker who didn’t get into the program the first year. The Supreme Court upheld it, because it was intended to address this manifest imbalance due to former racial segregation. That kind of a program would be very difficult to justify today, in part because that sort of enforced racial segregation is much harder to prove now. But on the other hand, no employers are doing anything like that today, either.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C45f4Z">
If an employer had a program that said, “We plan to hire 25 percent workers of color out of all of our hires for the next year,” that’s a racial quota. That’s not something that would be permissible.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GxXCAs">
If an employer says they value diversity and that they’re going to be looking for diverse candidates and examining their practices to make sure they promote equity and inclusion, and are fair to everybody, that is not a basis for anybody who doesn’t get hired to say, “Oh, I wasn’t hired because of my race.” That’s because there’s no evidence that that individual person was disadvantaged because of their race. The employer is just making a broad aspirational statement in terms of overall goals in their hiring processes.
</p>
<h4 id="ONQlDF">
Fabiola Cineas
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DbFWft">
And when such challenges do get filed, what do they tend to look like? For example, I’m thinking of Stephen Miller’s organization that’s trying to stop “woke organizations” from engaging in DEI.
</p>
<h4 id="RMBAMZ">
Pauline Kim
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P62zpK">
When somebody challenges an “affirmative action program” what they are alleging is that the employer has discriminated against them based on their race.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YsYE7b">
There have been a handful of cases in the lower courts. They didn’t get a lot of attention because they weren’t big blockbuster cases. They have involved white candidates or male candidates who have sued and said, “I wasn’t hired” or “I wasn’t promoted” and “The person you hired was a woman or a person of color, or a woman of color. And I think I was discriminated against.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E0CBE0">
In trying to prove discrimination, they would point to the fact that the employer maybe had a diversity statement, or maybe the employer did something like announce that they were going to expand to a nationwide search instead of just a local search to ensure a diverse group of candidates. The courts have pretty much thrown those out because those plaintiffs were not able to show that the reason they were not hired was because of their race, or because of their sex, as opposed to because the employer changed their practices and found a more qualified candidate.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Twb4P0">
So what would a lawsuit look like? Well, under Title VII, it should be an individual who can show that they suffered an adverse action, that they weren’t hired or promoted because of their race or sex. They would have to show that the fact that the employer had a DEI policy meant that in their individual case, that their race was the reason they didn’t get the job.
</p>
<h4 id="2AG3Vf">
Fabiola Cineas
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B9SOUY">
Can you say more about hyper-compliance? Is it true that employers, out of fear, will take it upon themselves to rein in their DEI practices?
</p>
<h4 id="hH8HM0">
Pauline Kim
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oVRGqA">
I think that it’s a concern because already there have been advocacy groups on the right who have announced they plan to sue employers and try to challenge their DEI programs. For the reasons I said earlier, I think, overwhelmingly, as far as what I’m aware of, most employers are doing things that are perfectly legal under established law. But sometimes, just the fear of a suit can inhibit them from pursuing these types of policies. That would be unfortunate because it’s really the threat or the fear of being sued, rather than compliance with the law that would be driving it.
</p>
<h4 id="UWz6N1">
Fabiola Cineas
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b0P2eq">
Ultimately, what responsibility do employers have right now?
</p>
<h4 id="9sAcOq">
Pauline Kim
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sJJGvP">
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission put out a statement saying nothing’s changed in the law, that employers should continue to exhibit their policies and make sure that they are not inadvertently racially exclusionary. Employers do have a responsibility to make sure that they are not using arbitrary practices that disadvantage racial minority groups or other previously disadvantaged groups. It’s not like they can just run away from this completely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pjDThQ">
They have a duty under the law to eradicate practices that may not be intentionally discriminatory, but have the effect of harming groups that have been excluded in the past. So, to that extent, I think the EEOC’s statement is right, that employers should continue to develop a very diverse and inclusive workforce.
</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>Athletics | We have to create a pipeline from junior to senior, says AFI president Adille Sumariwalla</strong> - NIDJAM has undergone a significant change with the Athletics Federation of India making it robust with an aim to make it a supply line and produce more champions</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>Bangladesh women vs India women first T20I | Harmanpreet, spinners star in easy Indian win</strong> - Opting to bowl, the Indian spinners used the conditions to their advantage and restricted Bangladesh to a meagre 114 for 5.</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>Canada Open badminton | Lakshya Sen sails into final, Sindhu suffers semifinal loss to Yamaguchi</strong> - The 21-year-old Indian, who claimed a bronze at the 2021 World Championships, will face China’s Li Shi Feng in the final.</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>Snowfall, Floyd and Doc Martin 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>Shot putter Karanveer Singh fails dope test, out of Asian Championships</strong> - The 25-year-old Karanveer had won a bronze in the Federation Cup in May with a throw of 19.05m</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>Create more awareness on Consumer Protection Act, forum urges Andhra Pradesh government</strong> - ‘Several celebrities were acting in misleading advertisements’</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>Kotagiri History Group launched in the Nilgiris</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>Inner Wheel Club to set up baby feeding cabins at public places</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>Had BJP respected pre-2019 polls decision, its workers wouldn’t have required to carry ‘carpets’ of others: Uddhav</strong> - Thackeray reiterated his claim that sharing of the Chief Ministerial post was “decided” between him and senior BJP leader Amit Shah before the 2019 State Assembly elections</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>India, Tanzania agree to explore new areas of cooperation to boost bilateral ties</strong> - External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday met Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Stergomena Tax at the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting in Dar es Salaam</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>Cluster bombs: Unease grows over US sending cluster bombs to Ukraine</strong> - Washington is supplying the weapons to Kyiv, but they are outlawed in more than 100 countries.</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>Twitter Blue accounts fuel Ukraine War misinformation</strong> - False and misleading claims about the war in Ukraine are being widely shared.</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>France bans buying fireworks for Bastille Day after riots</strong> - The move comes after rioting sparked by last month’s killing of a 17-year-old by police in Nanterre.</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>What are cluster bombs and why is US sending them to Ukraine?</strong> - Cluster bombs are banned by more than 100 countries - so the move will likely draw intense criticism.</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>Georgia Pride festival in Tbilisi stormed by right-wing protesters</strong> - Up to 2,000 protesters stormed a gay pride festival, in a country where anti-LGBT prejudice is common.</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>Probing the mysteries of neutron stars with a surprising earthly analog</strong> - Ultracold gases in the lab could help scientists better understand the universe. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1952152">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Guidemaster: PC games to keep the dream alive in a cross-platform world</strong> - Only modest computer hardware is required to play these favorites. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1952005">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Threads’ privacy policy compares to Twitter’s (and its rivals’)</strong> - Here’s what is collected by Threads, as well as by Twitter, Bluesky, Mastodon, Spill, and Hive Social. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1952168">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>In-space manufacturing startup aces pharma experiment in orbit</strong> - One more big test remains for Varda’s first-of-its-kind “space factory.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1952343">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Rare case of green hairy tongue is pure nightmare fuel</strong> - The man fully recovered after extra tongue brushing. But you might not. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1952298">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>12 Panties</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A husband buys his wife 12 panties, all the same color. The wife asks “Why the same color? People will think I don’t change my panties”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Husband: Which people???
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/TheJaseFiles"> /u/TheJaseFiles </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14uk5c6/12_panties/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14uk5c6/12_panties/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>One Christmas morning, a cop on horseback is sitting at a traffic light and next to him is a little girl on her brand-new bike..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The cop says to the young girl, “Nice bike you got there sweetheart. Did Santa bring that to you?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yes, he did,” she replied sweetly.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
With a smile on his face, the cop says “Well, next year, tell Santa to put a taillight on that bike,” and he proceeds to hand the girl a $20 ticket.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Before the cop rides off she says “By the way, that’s a nice horse you got there. Did Santa bring that to you?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Playing along the cop says, “Yeah, he sure did.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Well, next year, tell Santa the dick goes underneath the horse, not on top.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/HelpingHandsUs"> /u/HelpingHandsUs </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14unjeq/one_christmas_morning_a_cop_on_horseback_is/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14unjeq/one_christmas_morning_a_cop_on_horseback_is/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>My grandfather knew the exact time, date, and year that he was going to die.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He wasn’t psychic. The judge told him.
</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/14un4qd/my_grandfather_knew_the_exact_time_date_and_year/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14un4qd/my_grandfather_knew_the_exact_time_date_and_year/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A friend in need.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I’m not going to say who…. but a friend just called and asked if I would loan her $400 to help pay her rent. Those who know me, know that I’m always willing to help out if I can. I told her to give me some time to think about it and I would call her back. Before I called her back, her brother called to let me know that she was lying and not to give her the money !! He went on to say that the real reason she wanted the money was to get her boyfriend out of jail so she could be under the same roof as him for his birthday I thought about it for a minute and decided to give her the money anyway because we all need help at times. A couple of hours later I get a call from the police station. It was her - crying, screaming and asking why I gave her counterfeit money My response…. so you and your boyfriend could be under the same roof for his birthday!
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Dia-De-Los-Muertos"> /u/Dia-De-Los-Muertos </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14uq1ff/a_friend_in_need/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14uq1ff/a_friend_in_need/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I’ll admit it, I have a tremendous sex drive.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
My girlfriend lives 40 miles away.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/holyhotmess13"> /u/holyhotmess13 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14um7jd/ill_admit_it_i_have_a_tremendous_sex_drive/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14um7jd/ill_admit_it_i_have_a_tremendous_sex_drive/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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