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<title>08 September, 2023</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The COVID-19 Mortality Paradox (Africa versus USA &amp; Israel): An Egyptian Tale of Honor</strong> -
<div>
The sum of the ongoing COVID-19 mortality in 55 African countries, including the elderly and patients suffering from multiple co-morbidities, were almost 4.5x lower than USA despite that over 4.2x more people live in Africa. Moreover, this similar mortality paradox is quite evident when you compare the heavily populated (over 216 millions), poorly vaccinated, poorly “mandated” Nigeria to the small (less than 10 millions), highly vaccinated and strictly mandated Israel to find almost 4x lower COVID mortality in Nigeria. In this perspective, I explain how this paradox evolved from a personal point of view gained from my academic, clinical and social experience while perfectly using the Egyptian immune-modulatory Kelleni’s protocol to manage pediatric, geriatric, pregnant and immune-compromised COVID-19 patients including many suffering multiple comorbidities since April 2020. It’s very unfortunate that SARS CoV-2 is still evolving and COVID-19 losses are undergoing, however in Africa, we enjoy a life free of anxiety or mandates, and this perspective represents an Egyptian medical tale of honor explaining how we trusted science through adopting early treatment using safe, effective and generic repurposed drugs that saved all COVID-19 patients unless a minority previously managed with the westerly adopted protocols.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/5txdu/" target="_blank">The COVID-19 Mortality Paradox (Africa versus USA &amp; Israel): An Egyptian Tale of Honor</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Safety and Immunogenicity of XBB.1.5-Containing mRNA Vaccines</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<b>Background:</b> Subvariants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) omicron XBB-lineage have the potential to escape immunity provided by prior infection or vaccination. For Covid-19 immunizations beginning in the Fall 2023, the U.S. FDA has recommended updating to a monovalent omicron XBB.1.5-containing vaccine. <b>Methods:</b> In this ongoing, phase 2/3 study participants were randomized 1:1 to receive 50-µg doses of mRNA-1273.815 monovalent (50-µg omicron XBB.1.5 spike mRNA) or mRNA-1273.231 bivalent (25-µg omicron XBB.1.5 and 25-µg omicron BA.4/BA.5 spike mRNAs) vaccines, administered as 5th doses, to adults who previously received a primary series and 3rd dose of an original mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine, and a 4th dose of a bivalent (omicron BA.4/BA.5 and original SARS-CoV-2) vaccine. Interim safety and immunogenicity data 15 days post-vaccination are presented. <b>Results:</b> In April 2023, participants received mRNA-1273.815 (n=50) and mRNA-1273.231 (n=51). The median intervals from the prior dose of BA.4/BA.5-containing bivalent vaccine were 8.2 and 8.3 months for the mRNA-1273.815 and mRNA-1273.231 groups, respectively. Both vaccines increased neutralizing antibody (nAb) geometric mean titers against all variants tested at day 15 post-booster nAb compared to pre-booster levels. Geometric mean fold-rises from pre-booster titers after the monovalent booster were numerically higher against XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16 and SARS-CoV-2 (D614G) than those of the bivalent booster and were comparable against BA.4/BA.5 and BQ1.1 variants for both vaccines. The monovalent vaccine also elicited nAb responses against omicron XBB.2.3.2, EG.5.1, FL.1.5.1 and BA.2.86 that were similar to those against XBB.1.5 in a subset (n=20) of participants. The occurrence of solicited adverse reactions and unsolicited adverse events were overall similar to those previously reported for the original mRNA-1273 50-µg and omicron BA.4/BA.5-containing bivalent mRNA-1273 vaccines. <b>Conclusion:</b> In this interim analysis, XBB.1.5-containing monovalent and bivalent vaccines elicited potent neutralizing responses against variants of the omicron XBB-lineage (XBB.1.5, XBB.1.6, XBB.2.3.2, EG.5.1, and FL.1.5.1) as well as the recently emerged BA.2.86 variant. The safety profile of the XBB.1.5-containing vaccine was consistent with those of prior vaccines. These results overall indicate that the XBB.1.5-containing mRNA-1273.815 vaccine has the potential to provide protection against these emerging variants and support the Covid-19 vaccine update in 2023-2024 to a monovalent XBB.1.5-containing vaccine.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.22.23293434v2" target="_blank">Safety and Immunogenicity of XBB.1.5-Containing mRNA Vaccines</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The public health impact of Paxlovid COVID-19 treatment in the United States</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The antiviral drug Paxlovid has been shown to rapidly reduce viral load. Coupled with vaccination, timely administration of safe and effective antivirals could provide a path towards managing COVID-19 without restrictive non-pharmaceutical measures. Here, we estimate the population-level impacts of expanding treatment with Paxlovid in the US using a multi-scale mathematical model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission that incorporates the within-host viral load dynamics of the Omicron variant. We find that, under a low transmission scenario (Re~1.2) treating 20% of symptomatic cases with Paxlovid would be life and cost saving, leading to an estimated 0.26 (95% CrI:0.03, 0.59) million hospitalizations averted, 30.61 (95% CrI:1.69, 71.15) thousand deaths averted, and US$52.16 (95% CrI:2.62, 122.63) billion reduction in the US. Rapid and broad use of the antiviral Paxlovid could substantially reduce COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, while averting socioeconomic hardship.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.16.23288870v2" target="_blank">The public health impact of Paxlovid COVID-19 treatment in the United States</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 Sublingual Vaccine with RBD Antigen and Poly(I:C) Adjuvant: Preclinical Study in Cynomolgus Macaques</strong> -
<div>
Mucosal vaccine for sublingual route was prepared with recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) antigen and poly(I:C) adjuvant components. The efficacy of this sublingual vaccine was examined using Cynomolgus macaques. Nine of the macaque monkeys were divided into three groups of three animals; control (just 400 g poly(I:C) per head); low dose (30 g RBD and 400 g poly(I:C) per head); and high dose (150 g RBD and 400 g poly(I:C) per head), respectively. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a mild reducing agent losing mucin barrier, was used to enhance vaccine delivery to mucosal immune cells. RBD-specific IgA antibody secreted in pituita was detected in two of three monkeys of the high dose group and one of three animals of the low dose group. RBD-specific IgG and/or IgA antibodies in plasma were also detected in these monkeys. These indicated that the sublingual vaccine stimulated mucosal immune response to produce antigen-specific secretory IgA antibodies in pituita and/or saliva. This sublingual vaccine also affected systemic immune response to produce IgG (IgA) in plasma. Little RBD-specific IgE was detected in plasma, suggesting no allergic antigenicity of this sublingual vaccine. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 sublingual vaccine consisting of poly(I:C) adjuvant showed reasonable efficacy in a non-human primate model.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.21.508816v3" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 Sublingual Vaccine with RBD Antigen and Poly(I:C) Adjuvant: Preclinical Study in Cynomolgus Macaques</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The potential clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of the updated COVID-19 mRNA Fall 2023 vaccines in the United States</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objectives: To assess the potential clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines updated for Fall 2023 in adults ≥18 years over a 1-year analytic time horizon (September 2023-August 2024). Methods: A compartmental Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered model was updated to reflect COVID-19 in summer 2023. Numbers of symptomatic infections, COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths, and costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained were calculated using a decision tree model. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of a Moderna updated mRNA Fall 2023 vaccine (Moderna Fall Campaign) was compared to no additional vaccination. Potential differences between the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech Fall 2023 vaccines were examined. Results: Base case results suggest the Moderna Fall Campaign would decrease the expected 64.2 million symptomatic infections by 7.2 million (11%) to 57.0 million. COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths are expected to decline by 343,000 (-29%) and 50,500 (-33%), respectively. The Moderna Fall Campaign would increase QALYs by 740,880 and healthcare costs by $5.7 billion relative to No Vaccine, yielding an ICER of $7,700 per QALY gained. Using a societal cost perspective, the ICER is $2,100. Sensitivity analyses suggest that vaccine effectiveness, COVID-19 incidence, hospitalization rates and costs drive cost-effectiveness. With a relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of Moderna versus Pfizer-BioNTech of 5.1% for infection and 9.8% for hospitalization, use of the Moderna vaccine is expected to prevent 24,000 more hospitalizations and 3,300 more deaths than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Limitations and Conclusions: As COVID-19 becomes endemic, future incidence, including patterns of infection, are highly uncertain. Vaccine effectiveness of Fall 2023 vaccines is unknown, and it is unclear when a new variant that evades natural or vaccine immunity will emerge. Despite these limitations, the Moderna Fall 2023 vaccine can be considered cost-effective relative to no vaccine.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.05.23295085v1" target="_blank">The potential clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of the updated COVID-19 mRNA Fall 2023 vaccines in the United States</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Hydroxychloroquine and Zinc ameliorate interleukin-6 associated hepato-renal toxicity induced by Aspergillus fumigatus in experimental models</strong> -
<div>
In Nigeria, immunocompromised persons, particularly those living with HIV, are at an increased risk of developing invasive pulmonary aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. Interestingly, this condition produces symptoms that can be easily mistaken for those of COVID-19. To better understand the pathophysiology of Aspergillosis and determine the therapeutic and toxic effects of Zinc and HCQ, this study examined liver and renal functions in experimental models. This experimental study included 28 Albino rats, assigned into 7 Groups (n= 4 each); designated A to G. Group A received the standardized rat chow and distilled water only. Group B received a moderate dose of HCQ only. Group C received A. fumigatus suspension (AFS) without any treatments. Group D simultaneously received AFS and a low dose of HCQ. Group E simultaneously received AFS and a moderate dose of HCQ. Group F simultaneously received AFS and a high dose of HCQ. Group G simultaneously received AFS and a moderate dose of HCQ and Zinc. Serum levels of interleukins (IL)-6 and 10, liver enzymes, and renal parameters were measured accordingly. The lungs, liver, and kidneys were excited and weighed. Significance was set at p&lt; 0.05. Higher levels of serum alanine transaminase, creatinine, and urea and lower relative lung weight were observed in group C compared with other groups (p&lt; 0.001). Higher IL-6 levels and IL-6/IL-10 ratio were also observed in group C compared with other groups (p&gt; 0.05). In conclusion, this study revealed that HCQ and Zinc ameliorate oxidative stress and damage induced by A. fumigatus.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.05.556428v1" target="_blank">Hydroxychloroquine and Zinc ameliorate interleukin-6 associated hepato-renal toxicity induced by Aspergillus fumigatus in experimental models</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The anti-SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine suppresses mithramycin-induced erythroid differentiation and expression of embryo-fetal globin genes in human erythroleukemia K562 cells</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S-protein) plays an important role in the early phase of SARS-CoV2 infection through efficient interaction with ACE2. The S-protein is produced by RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, and has been hypothesized to be responsible for damaging cells of several tissues and for some important side effects of RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of the BNT162b2 vaccine on erythroid differentiation of the human K562 cell line, that has been in the past intensively studied as a model system mimicking some steps of erythropoiesis. We found that the BNT162b2 vaccine suppresses mithramycin-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. Reverse-transcription-PCR and Western blotting assays demonstrated that suppression of erythroid differentiation was associated with sharp inhibition of the expression of -globin and {gamma}-globin mRNA accumulation. Inhibition of accumulation of {zeta}-globin and {varepsilon}-globin mRNAs was also observed. In addition, we provide in silico studies suggesting a direct interaction between SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and Hb Portland, that is the major hemoglobin produced by K562 cells. This study thus provides information suggesting the need of great attention on possible alteration of hematopoietic parameters following SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.07.556634v1" target="_blank">The anti-SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine suppresses mithramycin-induced erythroid differentiation and expression of embryo-fetal globin genes in human erythroleukemia K562 cells</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The molecular reach of antibodies determines their SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation potency</strong> -
<div>
Antibodies play crucial roles in health and disease and are invaluable tools for diagnostics, research, and therapy. Although antibodies bind bivalently, we lack methods to analyse bivalent binding. Here, we introduce a particle-based model and use it to analyse bivalent binding of SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies in surface plasmon resonance assays. The method reproduces the monovalent on/off-rates and enables measurements of new parameters, including the molecular reach, which is the maximum antigen separation that supports bivalent binding. We show that the molecular reach (22-46 nm) exceeds the physical size of an antibody (15 nm) and that the variation in reach across 45 patient-isolated antibodies is the best correlate of viral neutralisation. Using the complete set of fitted parameters, the model predicts an emergent antibody binding potency that equals the neutralisation potency. This novel analytical method should improve our understanding and exploitation of antibodies and other bivalent molecules.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.06.556503v1" target="_blank">The molecular reach of antibodies determines their SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation potency</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a mutation found in BF.5 and BF.7 sublineages impacts its functions</strong> -
<div>
A feature of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants BF.5 and BF.7 that recently circulated mainly in China and Japan was the high prevalence of ORF7a: H47Y mutation. Here we evaluated the effect of this mutation on the three main functions ascribed to SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a protein. Our findings show that H47Y mutation impairs the ability of SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a to antagonize type-I interferon (IFN-I) response and to downregulate Major Histocompatibility Complex-I (MHC-I) cell surface levels, but had no effect in its anti-SERINC5 function. Overall, our results suggest that the H47Y mutation of ORF7a affects important functions of this protein resulting in changes in virus pathogenesis.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.06.556547v1" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a mutation found in BF.5 and BF.7 sublineages impacts its functions</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Japanese Encephalitis Virus: A pan-proteome analysis for aggregation propensities and in vitro validation with Capsid anchor and 2K peptide</strong> -
<div>
Japanese encephalitis infection is a vector-borne disease caused by the flavivirus Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). It is responsible for severe brain infections in humans worldwide. Given the ubiquitous nature of complications and tropism associated with Japanese encephalitis (JE) infection, a holistic understanding of its molecular mechanism is essential. The phenomenon of abnormal protein aggregation into pathogenic amyloids is now increasingly linked to multiple human diseases, also known as Amyloidosis. Most are neurodegenerative disorders, but amyloidosis is not restricted to a specific organ or tissue type. The overlap of viral protein aggregation with human pathologies remains limited, and it is gaining momentum, especially after the devastating Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, in this study, we have examined the likelihood of aggregation for the entire collection of proteins in JEV. Multiple independent web server tools were employed to scan for potential amyloid-prone regions (APRs), and it was followed by in vitro validation using two JEV transmembrane domains, Capsid anchor, and 2K peptides. These synthetic viral peptides were introduced to artificial aggregation-inducing conditions and then analyzed using different dye-based assays and microscopy methods confirming amyloid-like fibril structure formation. We found these aggregates cytotoxic to human neuronal cell lines and membrane damaging to human blood-derived RBCs. The aggregation kinetics of both peptides is enhanced in the presence of artificial membrane models and seeds of self and diabetes hallmark protein Amylin. Our findings thereby strongly suggest the possibility of JEV protein aggregation playing a vital role in its pathogenesis, opening up a broad scope of future study. Also, the interplay between JEV protein aggregation and initiation/progression of other proteopathies is possible and needs further exploration.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.06.556571v1" target="_blank">Japanese Encephalitis Virus: A pan-proteome analysis for aggregation propensities and in vitro validation with Capsid anchor and 2K peptide</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Immunogenicity and tolerability of a SARS-CoV-2 TNX-1800, a live recombinant poxvirus vaccine candidate, in Syrian Hamsters and New Zealand White Rabbits.</strong> -
<div>
TNX-1800 is a preclinical stage synthetic derived live chimeric horsepox virus vaccine that comprises an engineered SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) gene expression cassette. The objectives of this study were to assess the immunogenicity and tolerability of TNX-1800 administration in Syrian golden hamsters and New Zealand white rabbits. Animals were vaccinated via percutaneous inoculation and evaluated for dose tolerance and immunogenicity at three different dose levels. The 28-day study data showed that the single percutaneous administration of three TNX-1800 vaccine dose levels was well tolerated in both hamsters and rabbits. For all dose levels, rabbits had more dermal observations than hamsters at the same dose levels. Vaccine-induced viral load four weeks post-dosing was below the detection level for both species.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.06.556620v1" target="_blank">Immunogenicity and tolerability of a SARS-CoV-2 TNX-1800, a live recombinant poxvirus vaccine candidate, in Syrian Hamsters and New Zealand White Rabbits.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Transmissibility, infectivity, and immune resistance of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 variant</strong> -
<div>
In September 2023, the SARS-CoV-2 XBB descendants, such as XBB.1.5 and EG.5.1 (originally XBB.1.9.2.5.1), are predominantly circulating worldwide. Unexpectedly, however, a lineage distinct from XBB was identified and named BA.2.86 on August 14, 2023. Notably, BA.2.86 bears more than 30 mutations in the spike (S) protein when compared to XBB and the parental BA.2, and many of them are assumed to be associated with immune evasion. Although the number of reported cases is low (68 sequences have been reported as of 7 September 2023), BA.2.86 has been detected in several continents (Europe, North America and Africa), suggesting that this variant may be spreading silently worldwide. On 17 August 2023, the WHO designated BA.2.86 as a variant under monitoring. Here we show evidence suggesting that BA.2.86 potentially has greater fitness than current circulating XBB variants including EG.5.1. The pseudovirus assay showed that the infectivity of BA.2.86 was significantly lower than that of B.1.1 and EG.5.1, suggesting that the increased fitness of BA.2.86 is not due to the increased infectivity. We then performed a neutralization assay using XBB breakthrough infection sera to address whether BA.2.86 evades the antiviral effect of the humoral immunity induced XBB subvariants. The 50% neutralization titer of XBB BTI sera against BA.2.86 was significantly (1.4-fold) lower than those against EG.5.1. The sera obtained from individuals vaccinated with 3rd-dose monovalent, 4th-dose monovalent, 4th-dose BA.1 bivalent, and 4th-dose BA.5 bivalent mRNA vaccines exhibited very little or no antiviral effects against BA.2.86. Moreover, the three monoclonal antibodies (Bebtelovimab, Sotrovimab and Tixagevimab), which worked against the parental BA.2, did not exhibit antiviral effects against BA.2.86. These results suggest that BA.2.86 is one of the most highly immune evasive variants ever.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.07.556636v1" target="_blank">Transmissibility, infectivity, and immune resistance of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 variant</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Influenza A virus H1N1-derived circNP37 positively regulates viral replication by sponging host miR-361-5p</strong> -
<div>
RNA viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus and SARS-CoV-2, can generate viral circular RNAs (circRNAs), which may play important roles during viral infection. However, whether influenza A viruses have this ability to generate viral circRNAs remains unknown. In this study, we discovered that the negative-strand RNA of the H1N1 nucleoprotein (NP) gene can generate a circRNA, designated circNP37. Furthermore, we demonstrated that circNP37 positively regulated viral replication by competitively sponging host miR-361-5p which inhibited polymerase basic protein 2 (PB2) expression. These results were confirmed using in vivo experiments. Compared with wild-type virus, infection with circNP37 knockout virus resulted in a reduced viral load in the lungs. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the existence and biological function of H1N1-derived circNP37. These findings help us better understand the mechanisms of influenza virus replication and pathogenicity.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.04.556164v1" target="_blank">Influenza A virus H1N1-derived circNP37 positively regulates viral replication by sponging host miR-361-5p</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A Mixed-Effects Model to Predict COVID-19 Hospitalizations Using Wastewater Surveillance</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries and regions investigated the potential use of wastewater-based disease surveillance as an early warning system. Initially, methods were created to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Investigators have since conducted extensive studies to examine the link between viral concentration in wastewater and COVID-19 cases in areas served by sewage treatment plants over time. However, only a few reports have attempted to create predictive models for hospitalizations at county-level based on SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater. This study implemented a linear mixed-effects model that observes the association between levels of virus in wastewater and county-level hospitalizations. The model was then utilized to predict short-term county-level hospitalization trends in 21 counties in California based on data from March 21, 2022, to May 21, 2023. The modeling framework proposed here permits repeated measurements as well as fixed and random effects. The model that assumed wastewater data as an input variable, instead of cases or test positivity rate, showed strong performance and successfully captured trends in hospitalizations. Additionally, the model allows for the prediction of SARS-CoV-2 hospitalizations two weeks ahead. Forecasts of COVID-19 hospitalizations could provide crucial information for hospitals to better allocate resources and prepare for potential surges in patient numbers.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.14.23293945v2" target="_blank">A Mixed-Effects Model to Predict COVID-19 Hospitalizations Using Wastewater Surveillance</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COVFlow: phylodynamics analyses of viruses from selected SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences</strong> -
<div>
Phylodynamic analyses generate important and timely data to optimise public health response to SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and epidemics. However, their implementation is hampered by the massive amount of sequence data and the difficulty to parameterise dedicated software packages. We introduce the COVFlow pipeline, accessible at https://gitlab.in2p3.fr/ete/CoV-flow, which allows a user to select sequences from the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) database according to user-specified criteria, to perform basic phylogenetic analyses, and to produce an XML file to be run in the Beast2 software package. We illustrate the potential of this tool by studying two sets of sequences from the Delta variant in two French regions. This pipeline can facilitate the use of virus sequence data at the local level, for instance, to track the dynamics of a particular lineage or variant in a region of interest.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.17.496544v7" target="_blank">COVFlow: phylodynamics analyses of viruses from selected SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences</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>A 2nd Generation E1/E2B/E3-Deleted Adenoviral COVID-19 Vaccine: The TCELLVACCINE TRIAL</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: hAd5-S-Fusion+N-ETSD;   Biological: Placebo (0.9% (w/v) saline)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   ImmunityBio, Inc.<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>KAND567 Versus Placebo in Subjects Hospitalized With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: KAND567;   Drug: Microcrystalline cellulose<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Kancera AB<br/><b>Terminated</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>Additional Recombinant COVID-19 Humoral and Cell-Mediated Immunogenicity in Immunosuppressed Populations</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Immunosuppression;   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: NVX-CoV2372<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of Wisconsin, Madison;   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>Aerobic Training for Rehabilitation of Patients With Post Covid-19 Syndrome</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome;   Long-COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Aerobic Exercise Training<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of Witten/Herdecke;   Institut für Rehabilitationsforschung Norderney<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>Comparative Immunogenicity of Concomitant vs Sequential mRNA COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccinations</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Influenza;   COVID-19;   Influenza Immunogencity;   COVID-19 Immunogenicity<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Simultaneous Vaccination (Influenza Vaccine and mRNA COVID booster);   Biological: Sequential Vaccination (Influenza vaccine then mRNA COVID booster);   Biological: Sequential Vaccination (mRNA COVID booster then Influenza vaccine)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Duke University;   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;   Arizona State University;   University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center;   University of Pittsburgh;   Washington University School of Medicine;   Valleywise Health;   VA Northeast Ohio Health Care;   Senders Pediatrics<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>Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Recovered From COVID-19 Pneumonia</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Bronchoalveolar Lavage<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Procedure: Bronchoalveolar Lavage<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Mohamed Abd Elmoniem Mohamed;   Marwa Salah Abdelrazek Ghanem;   Mohammad Khairy El-Badrawy;   Tamer Ali Elhadidy;   Dalia Abdellateif Abdelghany<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>Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial of the Efficacy and Safety of Tianeptine in the Treatment of Covid Fog Symptoms in Patients After COVID-19.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Nervous System Diseases<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Tianeptine;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Military Institute od Medicine National Research Institute;   ABM Industries<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>Phase I Safety Study of B/HPIV3/S-6P Vaccine Via Nasal Spray in Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: B/HPIV3/S-6P<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID);   Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health;   National Institutes of Health (NIH)<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>Effects of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Nurses With Post Covid-19 Condition</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Cognitive Behavioral Therapy<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: cognitive behavioral therapy<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Tri-Service General Hospital<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Effectiveness of Natural Resources for Reducing Stress</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Distress, Emotional;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Combination Product: Balneotherapy plus complex;   Combination Product: Combined nature resources treatment;   Other: Nature therapy procedure<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Klaipėda University;   Research Council of Lithuania<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>Pre-probiotic Supplementation for Post-covid Fatigue Syndrome</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Long COVID<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Dietary Supplement: Dietary Supplement: Experimental;   Dietary Supplement: Dietary Supplement: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education<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>Long COVID Immune Profiling</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Long COVID;   POTS - Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome;   Autonomic Dysfunction<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Diagnostic Test: IL-6;   Diagnostic Test: cytokines (IL-17, and IFN-ɣ);   Behavioral: Compass 31<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Vanderbilt University Medical Center;   American Heart Association<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Study of Healthy Microbiome, Healthy Mind</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Critical Illness;   COVID-19;   PICS;   Cognitive Impairment;   Mental Health Impairment;   Weakness, Muscle;   Dysbiosis<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Fermented Food Diet<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Mayo Clinic<br/><b>Not yet 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>SARS-CoV-2 Nsp15 suppresses type I interferon production by inhibiting IRF3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), poses a significant threat to global public health security. Like other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 has developed various strategies to inhibit the production of interferon (IFN). Here, we have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 Nsp15 obviously reduces the expression of IFN-β and IFN-stimulated genes (ISG56, CXCL10), and also inhibits IRF3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation by…</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>Plasma tissue-type plasminogen activator is associated with lipoprotein(a) and clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19</strong> - CONCLUSION: High Lp(a) concentration provides a possible explanation for low endogenous tPA enzymatic activity, and poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Power of Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Their Applications to Discover Cysteine Protease Inhibitors</strong> - A large family of enzymes with the function of hydrolyzing peptide bonds, called peptidases or cysteine proteases (CPs), are divided into three categories according to the peptide chain involved. CPs catalyze the hydrolysis of amide, ester, thiol ester, and thioester peptide bonds. They can be divided into several groups, such as papain-like (CA), viral chymotrypsin-like CPs (CB), papain-like endopeptidases of RNA viruses (CC), legumain-type caspases (CD), and showing active residues of His,…</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 the Superiority of Chitosan/ D-alpha-tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol Succinate Binary Coated Bilosomes in Promoting the Cellular Uptake and Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity of Polyphenolic Herbal Drug Candidate</strong> - The evolution of a safe and effective therapeutic system to conquer SAR-CoV-2 infection deemed to be a crucial worldwide demand. Curcumin (CUR) is a phytomedicinal polyphenolic drug that exhibited a well-reported anti-SAR-CoV-2. However, the therapeutic activity of CUR is hindered by its poor intestinal permeability and diminished aqueous solubility. Therefore, this study strived to develop D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) bilosomes (TPGS-Bs) adopting 2³ full factorial…</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>Activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway by Anisodamine (654-2) for Inhibition of cellular aging and alleviation of Radiation-Induced lung injury</strong> - CONCLUSION: 654-2 can activate the Nrf2/ARE pathway, enhance cellular antioxidant capacity, and inhibit cellular senescence, thereby exerting a protective effect against RILI.</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>Evidence of a Sjögren’s disease-like phenotype following COVID-1 19 in mice and human</strong> - CONCLUSION: Overall, our study shows a direct association between SARS-CoV-2 and SjD. Hallmark features of SjD salivary glands were histologically indistinguishable from convalescent COVID-19 subjects.The results potentially implicate that SARS-CoV-2 could be an environmental trigger for SjD.</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>DNase analysed by a novel competitive assay in patients with complications after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination and in normal unvaccinated blood donors</strong> - Increased levels of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been detected in individuals with vaccine complications after the ChAdOx1 nCov vaccine with a correlation between the severity of vaccine side effects and the level of NETosis. DNases may disrupt NETs by degrading their content of DNA, and a balance has been reported between NETs and DNases. Because of this and since the inflammatory marker NETs may be used as a confirmatory test in diagnosing VITT, it is of interest to monitor…</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>Extracts of <em>Thesium chinense</em> inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and inflammation <em>in vitro</em></strong> - CONCLUSION: T. chinense can be a potential candidate to fight SARS-CoV-2, and is becoming a traditional Chinese medicine candidate for treating COVID-19.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Primary exposure to SARS-CoV-2 via infection or vaccination determines mucosal antibody-dependent ACE2 binding inhibition</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides new insights into the relationship between antibody isotypes and neutralization by using a sensitive and high-throughput ACE2 binding inhibition assay. Key differences are highlighted between vaccination and infection at the mucosal level, showing that despite differences in the quantity of the response, post-infection and post-vaccination ACE2 binding inhibition capacity did not differ.</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>Outcomes of MIS-C patients treated with anakinra: a retrospective multicenter national study</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective cohort of severe MIS-C patients treated with anakinra we report favorable clinical outcomes with a low incidence of side effects. The simultaneous use of steroids ± IVIG in these patients hinders definitive conclusions regarding the need of IL-1 inhibition in MIS-C treatment.</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>Unleashing the link between the relaxation of the COVID-19 control policy and residents’ mental health in China: the mediating role of family tourism consumption</strong> - CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, the study proposes that government and policymakers should strengthen mental health intervention, improve access to mental health counseling, stimulate economic development, expand the employment of residents, and track the mutation of the novel coronavirus.</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>Alpha-1 antitrypsin protects against phosgene-induced acute lung injury by activating the ID1-dependent anti-inflammatory response</strong> - Phosgene is widely used as an industrial chemical, and phosgene inhalation causes acute lung injury (ALI), which may further progress into pulmonary edema. Currently, an antidote for phosgene poisoning is not known. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (α1-AT) is a protease inhibitor used to treat patients with emphysema who are deficient in α1-AT. Recent studies have revealed that α1-AT has both anti-inflammatory and anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of α1-AT in phosgene-induced…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of SARS-CoV-2 regulate host mRNA translation efficiency by hijacking eEF1A factors</strong> - The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NSP12) of COVID-19 plays a significant role in the viral infection process, which promotes viral RNA replication by cooperating with NSP7 and NSP8, but little is known about its regulation on the function of host cells. We firstly found that overexpression of NSP12 had little effect on host mRNAs transcription. Using iCLIP technology, we found that NSP12 can bind a series of host RNAs with the conserved binding motif G(C/A/G)(U/G/A)UAG, especially ribosomal RNA….</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>Antiviral Activity of Cinchona officinalis, a Homeopathic Medicine, against COVID-19</strong> - CONCLUSION: Based on this in silico and in vitro evidence, we propose CO-MT as a promising antiviral medicine candidate for treating COVID-19. In vivo investigation is required to clarify the therapeutic potential of CO-MT in COVID-19.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Betacoronaviruses SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 Infections in IGROV-1 Cell Line Require Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor</strong> - AbstractThe emergence of novel betacoronaviruses has posed significant financial and human health burdens, necessitating the development of appropriate tools to combat future outbreaks. In this study, we have characterized a human cell line, IGROV-1, as a robust tool to detect, propagate, and titrate betacoronaviruses SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43. IGROV-1 cells can be used for serological assays, antiviral drug testing, and isolating SARS-CoV-2 variants from patient samples. Using time-course…</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>Can Teachers and Parents Get Better at Talking to One Another?</strong> - Families are more anxious than ever to find out what happens in school. But there may be value in a measure of not-knowing and not-telling. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-education/can-teachers-and-parents-get-better-at-talking-to-one-another">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mark Thompson, CNN’s New White Knight</strong> - After a turbulent year under new ownership, the cable news network is hoping that Mark Thompson, a veteran of the Times and the BBC, can turn things around. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/cnns-new-white-knight-mark-thompson">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Virtual-Reality School as the Ultimate School Choice</strong> - The conservative education activist Erika Donalds envisions a world where parents unsatisfied with their public schools can opt out by putting their kids in a headset. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-education/virtual-reality-school-as-the-ultimate-school-choice">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Narendra Modi’s New New Delhi</strong> - A multibillion-dollar revamp of India’s capital complex reflects the Prime Minister’s vision for the country’s future—and what he wants to erase from its past. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/narendra-modis-new-new-delhi">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Did Authoritarianism Cause China’s Economic Crisis?</strong> - An erosion of trust between the government and its people now threatens the country’s decades-long boom. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/did-authoritarianism-cause-chinas-economic-crisis">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Trump and Biden are about tied for 2024. Is it too early to take those polls seriously?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ks737a3FwGljqJef55eOan_AOWk=/519x0:4684x3124/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72624634/GettyImages_1259078611__1_.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
President Joe Biden arrives at Fort Lesley J. McNair army post in Washington, DC, on June 25, 2023. | Julia Nikhinson/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Yes, things may change. But there are reasons to expect a close race.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J82yiG">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> may be facing 91 criminal counts across four separate indictments, but polls continue to show an extremely close 2024 contest between him and <a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dLH4i3">
A <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23940784-cnn-poll">CNN poll</a> released Thursday showed Trump ahead by one point. Other recent polls have shown a <a href="https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/WSJ_GOP_Primary_Poll_Aug_2023.pdf">tied race</a> or a narrow lead for either candidate. The <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/us/general-election-trump-vs-biden-7383.html">RealClearPolitics polling average</a> now shows Biden leading by a mere 0.4 percentage point margin — basically a pure toss-up. Polling in swing states has been more sparse this year, but most of the few that have been released have <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/az/arizona_trump_vs_biden-7907.html">shown</a> <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/pa/pennsylvania_trump_vs_biden-7892.html">close</a> <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/mi/michigan_trump_vs_biden-7953.html">contests</a> too.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hjsEUT">
Some Democrats have responded with <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/13/politics/biden-reelection-campaign/index.html">anxiety</a> about what the polls show or <a href="https://www.messageboxnews.com/p/why-the-2024-race-is-tied-right-now">cautious hope</a> that there’s still enough time for things to change. Others question whether particular polls <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/175387/wsj-poll-showing-trump-biden-evenly-matched-trump-helped-pay">are on the level</a> or simply argue it’s too early to read much into them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U78yZF">
It is early, and the polls will likely move around more in the next 14 months before the general election. Many things could happen: Trump could face criminal convictions, Biden’s age (or Trump’s age) could show more, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/economy">economy</a> could take a turn for the better or worse. But if we ignore small short-term fluctuations, over the past year, polls have been <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/us/general-election-trump-vs-biden-7383.html">telling a broadly consistent story</a> of a very close race that Trump has a real shot of winning if, as expected, he wins the GOP nomination.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aJUdil">
That meshes with some other things we know about the 2024 race. The same candidates ran in 2020 and it was very close then. And Biden has <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/">low approval ratings</a> — suggesting a significant number of people who voted for him aren’t thrilled with his presidency, and that his campaign has a good deal of work to do.
</p>
<h3 id="iLQmov">
It is early, but polls right now aren’t totally worthless
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xaVBWw">
The conventional wisdom is that polls this far ahead of the election aren’t worth very much, because much will change before Election Day. There’s truth to that — the campaigns will help better frame the choice for voters, less well-known candidates can become better known as the election gets closer (though that may be less of a factor this year since both likely nominees have run before), and events can change voters’ minds.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="23CXGU">
Polling also fluctuates, so looking at even an average of polls in any one week or month is often unrepresentative, as the numbers could shift afterward.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cVNQbK">
And yet, looking at the polling averages on <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/">RealClearPolitics</a> for recent presidential cycles for the year before the actual election year, they often aren’t so far off the mark.
</p>
<ul>
<li id="RSr7Fn">
<strong>2008</strong>: Barack Obama led most polls against John McCain throughout 2007, with a <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html">lead of about 5 points</a> on average. In December 2007, the race closed to a tie or a narrow McCain lead, but by February 2008, Obama was back on top. He’d remain leading for the rest of 2008, except for two very brief stretches, and ultimately won the popular vote by 7.
</li>
<li id="Q8zi57">
<strong>2012</strong>: Obama <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_romney_vs_obama-1171.html">led Mitt Romney</a> by about 4 points on average for much of 2011, though his lead shrank to 1 or 2 points by the end of that year, and there were brief stretches when the average showed a tie. He continued to lead throughout 2012, until the first general election debate, when Romney pulled narrowly ahead. But Obama regained a very slight poll lead in early November and ended up winning the popular vote by 4.
</li>
<li id="iGT4jt">
<strong>2016</strong>: <a href="https://www.vox.com/hillary-clinton">Hillary Clinton</a> <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html">started with a big lead</a> on Trump after he first entered the race in June 2015, but as he locked down more Republican support, he quickly gained a great deal of ground. By September 2015, Clinton still led consistently, but it wasn’t an enormous lead, just 3 or 4 points on average. In 2016, polls repeatedly see-sawed between showing a pretty big Clinton lead and a very close race. In the end, the close race scenario materialized, with Clinton winning the popular vote by 2 and losing the Electoral College.
</li>
<li id="7dbZeI">
<strong>2020</strong>: Biden<a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_biden-6247.html"> had big leads</a> on Trump in almost every 2019 poll, with his average lead fluctuating between 7 points and 10 points. From about December 2019 through June 2020, his average lead dropped to something close to 5 points. He regained his 7 to 10 point leads from summer 2020 through to the end of the race — but his actual popular vote victory ended up being 4.4 percentage points, with several key swing states being decided by less than 1 percentage point.
</li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="viKloY">
Now, if we look back further in time, there are some bigger misses. For instance, George W. Bush <a href="https://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/03/05/president.2000/poll/">consistently</a> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/06/17/bush-gets-a-majority-over-gore-in-poll/953ae4c5-e899-4d44-b1f1-c55394140166/">had</a> a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/09/15/president.2000/poll/">double-digit</a> <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/3475/bush-gore-maintain-leads-races-republican-democrat-nominations.aspx">lead</a> on Al Gore <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-bush-gore-hold-leads/">throughout 1999</a>, when the election ended up being one of the closest in history.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2YXNpc">
Yet that may have been the last gasp of an old era when true landslide victories seemed possible. The 2000 election ended up establishing the basic “red state vs. blue state” map of solid partisan loyalties that has shown up in every presidential contest since.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8auEKB">
Since then, politics has been more polarized and party allegiances have been cemented for many more voters. So our starting assumption should probably be that the presidential election will likely be close — again. And right now, the polls back that assumption up.
</p>
<h3 id="0Rvvj6">
Will Trump retain his Electoral College advantage?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jImn18">
Another reason tied national polls might terrify Democrats is that, in both 2016 and 2020, Trump outperformed his national numbers in key swing states.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L2yAAF">
Though Hillary Clinton won the 2016 national popular vote by 2.1 percentage points, Trump won the “tipping point” swing state by 0.7 percentage points. In 2020, Biden won the popular vote by 4.4 percentage points, and the tipping point swing state by just 0.6 points.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gQa9JG">
So one way to think about this is that Clinton would have “needed” to win the popular vote by about 3 points to narrowly win the Electoral College. And Biden needed to win it by 4 points — which he only very barely did.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9659Fc">
If we assume that situation will repeat in 2024, national polls showing Trump about tied would seem to herald solid victories for him in swing states. However, it’s not necessarily clear that it will.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J1WzHg">
A notable feature of the 2022 midterm election map was that Democrats lost ground in solid blue states like New York and California, while generally performing well in the presidential swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia. Notably, those were states where “MAGA” candidates closely associated with Trump were on the ballot, and where they performed poorly.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LPf0y6">
Underperformance in blue areas ended up costing Democrats control of the House of Representatives. But for the Electoral College, it would be meaningless, since Biden is in no danger of losing New York or California. Holding on in the swing states is far more important, if he can manage it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g0Qenv">
But it’s too early to say for sure whether he can — midterm electorates are different from presidential year electorates, and infrequent voters inclined toward Trump could be more likely to turn out in these swing states next year. For now, the Electoral College situation should be considered an open question.
</p>
<h3 id="SKKO5x">
On “bedwetting”
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mmRNg2">
Since Obama’s first presidential campaign in 2008, there’s been a comforting refrain in some Democratic circles that any worry over troubling poll numbers is simply “<a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2023/09/06/an-obama-vets-message-on-biden-bedwetting-00114179">bedwetting</a>” — baby-like behavior, when really, mommy and daddy (your super-competent candidate and campaign professionals) have things under control. “Everyone chill the fuck out, I got this,” read the text over Obama’s picture <a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/411gHtwLJcL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg">in a famous meme</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yhlJ28">
Those assurances looked prescient for Obama’s two victories, but <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/obama-speechwriter-jon-favreau-wants-put-anxious-hillary-bedwetters-at-ease-942915/">when they were offered</a> days before Clinton’s 2016 defeat, they didn’t age well.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5YOv1P">
And though nearly the entire political world assumed Trump couldn’t win that year, in retrospect, the signs were there in the polls all along. Though Clinton had led Trump in polling averages consistently, that lead <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html">was often rather small</a>. And some analysts <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-is-an-underdog-but-the-electoral-colleges-republican-tilt-improves-his-chances/">pointed out in advance</a> that the Electoral College map was shaping up to have a Republican tilt that year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9h5Rpp">
There are reasons to bet on Biden rather than Trump next year. Perhaps some Democratic-leaning voters are unenthusiastic about the president and yearning for alternatives, but would show up when it becomes unmistakably clear that the election is between Biden or Trump. Perhaps criminal convictions really would be the last straw for some would-be Trump supporters.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QosEG8">
But there are danger signs for Biden too — like his erosion in support from nonwhite voters that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/upshot/biden-polls-black-voters.html">New York Times’s Nate Cohn has been writing about</a>. And the more those extremely close polls come in, the more it looks like we’re embarking on another grim slog toward an excruciatingly close election.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Why so many people are paying to get their paychecks</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Illustration of a person reaching for a paycheck that’s being snipped apart by scissors held in a giant pair of hands." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-0oKt3yRmg5vaRBym0PjL-qwVPo=/0x0:1440x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72624531/Vox_EarlyWageAccess_JanikSollner.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Janik Söllner for Vox
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Meet wage access apps — or payday loans by another name.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="72NVc9">
If you’re <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/files/other20230522a1.pdf">one of the more than a third of Americans</a> who couldn’t afford to cover a $400 emergency, waiting a week or two or longer for a paycheck is a pain, especially if an emergency upends your already tight budget.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5ZmkaK">
For some cash-strapped workers, the solution can be found in an <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/5/22/18636049/earnin-app-startup-payday-loans-fintech">earned wage access app</a> — an increasingly popular service that offers users early pay, often in exchange for a fee, for work they’ve already completed but haven’t yet gotten a paycheck for.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qA21Zm">
Earned wage access has become an umbrella term for apps that pay out earned wages early, though there are <a href="https://www.kansascityfed.org/research/payments-system-research-briefings/rise-earned-wage-access/">key distinctions</a> among different types of programs. Some of them are integrated directly into employers’ payroll systems to let employees get some of their wages in advance, leaving them with a smaller paycheck on their normal payday. These <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/states-set-collision-course-over-pay-on-demand-for-earned-wages">are</a> <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/personal-loans/what-is-earned-wage-access#:~:text=Companies%20like%20Walmart%2C%20Amazon%20and,deducted%20from%20your%20next%20paycheck.">offered</a> by some of the biggest employers in the country, including Amazon and Walmart.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LQwe12">
Direct-to-consumer early wage access programs, sometimes known as cash advance apps, on the other hand, function more like loans, giving workers their wages in advance based on what they report they’ll earn.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TPbLO5">
The market for both types of services appears to be growing rapidly. Workers accessed $9.5 billion via early wage access companies like EarnIn, MoneyLion, and DailyPay in 2020, up from $3.2 billion in 2018, according to <a href="https://aite-novarica.com/report/making-ends-meet-demand-pay-and-employer-based-loans">a report from the research firm Aite Novarica</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vJKx5Z">
The apps are popular across industries that employ low-wage workers, including food service, retail, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/gig-work">gig work</a>, <a href="https://advisory.kpmg.us/articles/2021/earned-wage-access-offers.html">according</a> to a 2021 report by the New York-based accounting and consulting firm KPMG. Employers such as Uber, McDonald’s, Burger King, Domino’s, and Chili’s have introduced earned wage access programs in some form, and KPMG predicts the sector will continue expanding and reach new classes of workers, including white-collar workers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ro51ey">
Early pay programs can spot workers who are short on cash, and some can be less costly compared to credit cards. But some apps charge service fees so high that many experts say they’re merely payday loans by another name, draining precious funds from already cash-strapped low-wage workers. Some programs’ fees are repaid by directly debiting workers’ bank accounts, which creates the risk of steep overdraft fees, said Lauren Saunders, <a href="https://www.nclc.org/people/lauren-saunders/">associate director of the National Consumer Law Center</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QvAjLP">
Between January 2016 and January 2023, workers filed more than 450 payday loan-related complaints against early wage access providers with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, citing issues including unexpected fees, an inability to stop withdrawals from their bank accounts, and problems paying the advances off at the end of a loan period, Vox’s analysis of CFPB data found.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bE2sJo">
Employers position earned wage access programs as a workplace <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/personal-loans/what-is-earned-wage-access">benefit</a> and personal finance tool that offers workers flexibility and control over when they’re paid. Yet these services also reflect and reinforce the <a href="https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/04/20/the-high-cost-of-being-poor-matthew-desmond/">high cost of being poor</a> in America: Rather than getting paid enough in the first place to cover everyday expenses and save for emergencies, workers are penalized for needing early access to wages that they’ve already earned.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z9SjAE">
“The biggest problem with these programs is they really end up [with] people paying to be paid, and that’s just wrong,” Saunders said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Nc25IG">
With their popularity surging, early wage providers are now facing intensifying regulatory scrutiny, which could limit their ability to extract high fees from their customers. But the industry is also working to head off regulation by carving itself out of laws that protect consumers from predatory lending.
</p>
<h3 id="mW3vU2">
Early wage access, explained
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2NhD95">
Some companies <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/personal-loans/what-is-earned-wage-access">cover</a> their workers’ fees for early wage programs, so they can get their pay earlier at no extra charge, while others pass the costs onto employees and contractors. Employer-based programs generally charge fees of a few dollars per transaction, depending on the amount of money that’s requested, while cash advance app fees can range from less than a dollar to over $20, <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/personal-loans/what-is-earned-wage-access#:~:text=Companies%20like%20Walmart%2C%20Amazon%20and,deducted%20from%20your%20next%20paycheck.">according</a> to Nerdwallet.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P5QNIa">
That may not sound like much, but the costs can add up. Uber, for example, offers an early wage access service that lets drivers <a href="https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/driver-app/instant-pay/">cash out their earnings up to five times per day</a> for $0.85 per transaction. If a driver does this every day for five days, it’ll cost them $21.25 in fees. Multiply that over four weeks, and it totals $85. <a href="https://dfpi.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/337/2023/03/2021-Earned-Wage-Access-Data-Findings-Cited-in-ISOR.pdf?emrc=08148f">A recent report</a> from California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation found that fees for early wage access programs, including both employer-backed and direct-to-consumer programs, averaged an eye-popping annual interest (APR) of more than 300 percent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4El50l">
“Employers often claim that these programs are a benefit. If they’re a benefit, then the employer should pay for it,” Saunders said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lvr5tg">
Some cash advance apps push customers to pay a “tip” to the app to be able to access their funds. The term “tip” is effectively a way for apps to disguise fees, said Yasmin Farahi, deputy director of state policy and senior policy council at the Center for Responsible Lending. Consumers often don’t know that these fees are optional and cannot figure out how to opt out of them, she added.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2hmKQt">
Employer-backed early wage services don’t ask for tips, but they may begin to if regulators allow it in the future, Andrew Kushner, policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, told Vox.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ncQ6Re">
The fees can push low-wage workers into a vicious cycle of reborrowing. “Any time there’s a fee involved in that — even a small one — that’s going to add up. And at the end of the day, all you’ve done is added more fees to your budget rather than have any greater ability to handle expenses,” Saunders said. “For low-wage workers, even a few dollars are a meal.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RjRlCK">
In theory, early wage access programs are best used as a one-off, to cover an unexpected expense or budget shortfall. But once workers start using it, they tend to start needing it for every paycheck, trapping them in a cycle of needing a cash advance every pay period, Farahi said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6PWWUS">
Some research suggests that wage access users repeatedly turn to these services after they’re introduced. <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/FinTech%20to%20the%20Worker%20Rescue%20-%20Earned%20Wage%20Access%20and%20Employee%20Retention_2d9994e9-705d-499c-8d27-6ffb98d5ee14.pdf">A March 2022 paper by Harvard and Yale researchers</a>, examining data from the Mexican fintech firm Minu, found that 40 percent of workers who began using early wage access continued to use it afterward.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FVE1Xr">
Another <a href="https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/214_AWP_final_2.pdf">June 2023 survey from Harvard</a> researchers found that only a quarter of respondents used direct-to-consumer early wage access apps to cover emergencies or unexpected expenses, while three-quarters rely on such services to pay for regular expenses like groceries, rent, gas, and childcare.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HDxg2r">
Of the survey respondents who used early wage access apps in the past year, a third said they used them a few times a year, while 21 percent said they used them once a month and 16 percent used them twice a month or twice a week.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T4a4j2">
“Because people are likely to have to keep taking these out, then what sounds like a really short-term loan can end up being a longer-term loan, [a] longer-term cycle. And that’s where we see the similarities of payday loans,” Farahi said.
</p>
<h3 id="xr0QEc">
Regulators are eyeing the earned wage industry
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vSvHWq">
Because early wage access apps are so new, financial regulators haven’t settled on how to classify and govern them. Many states have lending laws, such as interest rate limits or disclosure regulations, that may apply to wage access services if they’re legally considered loans. “Lending laws have a lot of important protections to protect people against problems that credit can create,” Saunders said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="miGh48">
In 2019, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), along with financial regulators from 10 other states and Puerto Rico, <a href="https://www.dfs.ny.gov/reports_and_publications/press_releases/pr1908061">launched a multi-state probe into the payroll advance industry</a> to investigate allegations that it was collecting illegally high interest and fees, as well as improperly triggering overdraft fees on users’ bank accounts. When asked about the status of the inquiry, a spokesperson for DFS said it cannot comment on ongoing investigations.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fArikO">
In Pennsylvania, the company Activehours, Inc., better known as the early wage access app EarnIn, is facing a lawsuit alleging that its interest rates, fees, and other charges exceed the state’s maximum <a href="https://www.dobs.pa.gov/Documents/Statutes/Loan%20Interest%20and%20Protection%20Law.pdf">interest rate of 6 percent.</a> The suit also <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1W1hKua6JdYOKNyICfWDXVLZ8oH2OQ4Dj">alleges</a> that customers can’t figure out how to opt out of tipping the company for its services. Activehours did not respond to Vox’s request for comment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sGZY1N">
Meanwhile, the earned wage access industry is trying to head off regulatory scrutiny. Last year, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a prominent conservative lawmaking group that writes draft legislation for state governments, <a href="https://alec.org/model-policy/earned-wage-access-act/">created the “Earned Wage Access Act,”</a> a proposed law intended to soften regulation of the wage access industry. It would exclude early wage access services from the definition of credit and prevent them from requiring credit scores or reporting customers’ payment history to credit bureaus, essentially exempting them from lending laws that protect consumers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V7IxPk">
ALEC didn’t respond to Vox’s request for comment about which states it’s trying to push the bill in, but Missouri and Nevada have passed legislation modeled on the bill, and a handful of mostly red states are considering similar laws, Bloomberg Law <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/states-set-collision-course-over-pay-on-demand-for-earned-wages">reported</a> last month.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oDanh1">
For the early wage industry, it’s critical to avoid being defined as credit because that would make it subject to state and federal credit regulations, such as caps on fees or interest rates, Saunders said. The ALEC bill would create “a gigantic loophole” in state lending laws, she said, enabling a new form of payday loan available at the click of a button that comes with predatory annual interest rates of 150 percent to 500 percent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I1aHfk">
Connecticut has passed legislation defining early wage services as loans, and California is working on rules that would do the same, Bloomberg Law <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/states-set-collision-course-over-pay-on-demand-for-earned-wages">reported</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CVxV8v">
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has begun taking enforcement actions in the early wage space. Last year, the agency <a href="https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-rescinds-special-regulatory-treatment-for-payactiv/">rescinded</a> a provisional approval order that had safeguarded the early wage provider Payactiv, which partners with employers, from liability under the Truth in Lending Act, a federal law that protects consumers from unfair credit practices. A CFPB spokesperson did not say whether the agency would take more enforcement actions in this area, but told Vox it intends to clarify what is considered credit under current laws.
</p>
<h3 id="PXX89k">
Just pay people enough to live
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xb01sZ">
The early wage access industry has emerged because so many Americans aren’t paid enough, and they aren’t paid quickly enough. There’s frequently a lag of several days between when employees complete their work and when they get paid, making many workers reach for early pay apps.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wy9Ec0">
The US still largely lacks the ability to make instant, real-time payments between bank accounts — a technology that’s widely <a href="https://www.frbservices.org/financial-services/fednow/instant-payments-education/trending-world-faster-instant-payments.html">available</a> in many other countries — which means it can take longer for workers to get paid. Slow bank payments “have very significant wealth effects for low-wage workers,” said Elena Botella, <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520380356/delinquent">author of <em>Delinquent: Inside America’s Debt Machine</em></a>. Fintech companies have stepped in to fill that void with early wage apps, offering workers faster access to their earnings for steep fees.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sa3zbg">
The Federal Reserve launched its <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/fednow_about.htm">own US instant payments system, called FedNow</a> on July 20, which could speed up the delivery of paychecks to workers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WRbnkl">
Though a faster payment system would benefit workers, the financial services sector has benefited somewhat from America’s slow payments system through bank overdraft fees and check-cashing services. Banks with more than $1 billion in assets generated $1.4 billion in overdraft-related fees in Q1 2023, <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/us-banks-overdraft-fee-income-shrank-again-in-q1-as-regulatory-pressure-grows-75834315">according to an S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Report released in May</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="12GlPh">
Banks can also ease the burden on low-income people by not clearing low-wage workers’ paychecks at a slower pace than higher earners, said Botella, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-botella-62834228/">who formerly worked at Capital One and now is principal at Omidyar Network</a>. If a customer has overdrawn their account in the past, some banks will delay how soon they can access the funds as part of their fraud mitigation efforts — but this ultimately can push low-income workers toward alternatives, like wage access apps, that will get them paid faster, Botella added.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="74Xkhc">
The more obvious, more permanent solution is to pay workers a living wage, Saunders said. Early wage access shouldn’t be viewed as an “escape hatch” that makes it easier for employers to pay subpar wages. “Employers have a moral imperative to pay their workers a living wage to enable the essential workers that support us all to live on what they’re being paid,” she said. “Giving people the opportunity to borrow from next week’s paycheck because this week is not enough — it’s not a substitute for a living wage.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EWYLjy">
<em>The reporting for this story was supported by the </em><a href="https://economichardship.org/"><em>Economic Hardship Reporting Project</em></a><em>.</em>
</p></li>
<li><strong>The era of easy flying is over</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A photo illustration shows an airport info panel displaying departures for flights, one of which is delayed, one is canceled, and three are on time." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/C6ayV_0yfMMOtnqfupVC_la9lgE=/298x0:1587x967/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72624442/Lavanya_Departures_01.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Olga Kurbatova/iStock/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Lessons from a summer of hellish flights.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hzc40d">
More than 240 million people in the US flew somewhere between June and Labor Day, according to the <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-volumes">Transportation Security Administration</a> — about 7 million more than in summer 2019.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ShDFs0">
Air travel is back. But it’s most definitely not back to normal.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hszPCr">
Horror stories of interminable delays and vacation-wrecking cancellations came from every corner of the country this summer — caused not just by storms and extreme heat, but also labor shortages. Befuddlement at how much pricier it has become to fly mounted, too.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FtjnYy">
For travelers, taking to the skies feels like it has reached a nadir. Not only were there bigger crowds and more delays to contend with at airports, but when delays happened, they caused more stress than usual. A recent <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/summer-travel-problems/">Forbes Advisor survey</a> of 2,000 travelers found that 61 percent had experienced a flight delay or cancellation this summer, and most of that 61 percent lost some money due to the delay — cash lost on prepaid hotel rooms, missed cruises, parking fees, and even kenneling pets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="83DpCw">
Some of the problems are a temporary bump in the runway as the industry gets used to high numbers of travelers again, but some of the most deep-seated causes of passenger disgruntlement might be here to stay.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vC4nt5">
“Things that may not have upended the entire system in the past — thunderstorms on the East Coast in the afternoon — now seem to have ripple effects throughout the entire system,” says John Breyault, who is the vice president of fraud policy at the National Consumers League and leads its airline advocacy program. “I think that’s symptomatic of a system that is really overtaxed in every way.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ggjc5y">
Here’s what we learned from this summer’s travel debacles:
</p>
<h3 id="WurR70">
Climate change is straining a fragile industry
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iGWEK3">
Mass flight delays and cancellations happen because of bad weather. Thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, or even extreme heat aren’t new, but <a href="https://theweek.com/in-depth/1021278/2023-extreme-weather">record-breaking temperatures</a> and <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/stories/july-2023-brought-record-high-temperatures-devastating-floods-across-us">more frequent weather disasters</a> in the past year added stress on the air travel industry. In December 2022 and July 2023, a series of storms across the country caused a torrent of flight delays that stranded thousands of passengers during busy holiday seasons. Last month, as Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida, more than 1,000 flights were delayed across the South.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z2Mvft">
The weather this summer did more than create delays; it laid bare just how unprepared the aviation industry is for handling any shocks. Weaknesses that might have gone unnoticed by passengers before — like aging, sparse fleets, or difficult conditions for workers, such as <a href="https://www.vox.com/23844420/extreme-heat-work-labor-osha-climate-change">extreme heat</a> — suddenly became glaringly obvious, adding to the cascading effects of bad weather and creating disruptions lasting for days. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics says that <a href="https://www.bts.gov/newsroom/air-travel-consumer-report-consumer-complaints-against-airlines-rise-more-300-percent">consumer complaints against airlines</a> have soared by more than 300 percent since 2019. (The most common type of complaint was not getting the refund for canceled flights, which airlines are required to give. The second most common was flight delays and cancellations.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VYjPCk">
A single hour-long delay might not seem like a huge deal, but the problem is amplified when airlines are overscheduled — one late flight bumps all the others after it — and when there aren’t enough planes or staff across various airports to accommodate a sudden change in plans. In its most recent <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4618513-united-airlines-holdings-inc-ual-q2-2023-earnings-call-transcript">earnings call</a>, United Airlines said that its thousands of <a href="https://www.vox.com/travel/23777457/summer-air-travel-delays-weather-canceled-delayed-flights">delays and cancellations in the leadup to the Fourth of July holiday</a> had cost the company 1 point of profit margin for the entire quarter. According to trade association <a href="https://www.airlines.org/who-we-are/">Airlines for America</a>, flight delays in 2022 likely cost the industry billions of dollars.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JpbkYu">
“We are getting a very real preview of what our new normal will be like for summer travel,” says Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group. “The first storm tosses Humpty Dumpty off the wall, but sequential storms make it harder to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”
</p>
<h3 id="vOn6XH">
The labor shortage is sky high
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="s9THR6">
There’s still a widespread <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/19/airlines-flights-staff-shortages-delays-summer-vacation">shortage of workers</a> in the industry, including pilots, flight attendants, airport workers, and air traffic controllers. <a href="https://www.transtats.bts.gov/Employment/">Airline employment data</a> from June 2023 shows higher numbers than June 2019, but the industry is still clamoring for more workers. Currently, according to one estimate, US airlines need <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/13/the-us-has-a-pilot-shortage-heres-how-airlines-are-trying-to-fix-it.html">8,000 more pilots</a> to fulfill demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be more than 16,000 job openings for <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/Transportation-and-Material-Moving/Airline-and-commercial-pilots.htm">pilots</a> and <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/flight-attendants.htm">flight attendants</a> each year between now and 2032.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BIncar">
A labor shortfall becomes especially apparent when something goes wrong: When there aren’t enough people to fill crucial jobs, everything has to slow down, or else risk disaster. A recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/21/business/airline-safety-close-calls.html">New York Times report</a> revealed that near-crashes between planes taking off and landing have become more common because of mistakes by air traffic controllers, who are overstrained amid chronic staff shortages. The Federal Aviation Administration has hired <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-hits-1500-controller-hiring-goal-2023">1,500 air traffic controllers</a> this year, but still wants to hire 1,800 more next year.
</p>
<h3 id="QrvG9M">
Flight delays weren’t just more common. They were more irritating.
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tl78mY">
While there have been more delays this year than usual, cancellations are actually down. According to data from the <a href="https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homedrillchart.asp">Bureau of Transportation Statistics</a> (which currently only has numbers through May), 20.8 percent of flights were delayed so far in 2023, compared to 18.8 percent in 2019. The average length of delay in 2023 is 53 minutes, just 3 minutes longer than in 2019, according to flight tracking site Flight Aware.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SmBgRU">
So what’s creating such horrid air travel vibes? One possibility is that there are more travelers now than in 2019, but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fewer-flights-bigger-planes-plan-to-avoid-summer-travel-chaos-2023-5">fewer commercial aircraft are flying</a>, meaning passengers have fewer chances to reroute or get on the next flight when delays happen, leaving them stuck in limbo longer. When over 15,000 flights were axed during the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/27/business/southwest-flights-canceled-travel.html">infamous Southwest cancellations last winter</a>, not only outdated tech, but also <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/transportation-department-probe-will-look-whether-southwest-overschedu-rcna67556">aggressive overscheduling</a> created a huge domino effect on the system. Delays can have serious consequences for travelers, not just causing people to miss important life events, but in some cases limiting their access to food and water while they’re stuck on a plane for hours. American Airlines was recently fined a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-airlines-fine-for-keeping-passengers-on-tarmac/">record $4 million</a> for hours-long tarmac delays during which it did not allow passengers to deplane.
</p>
<h3 id="Z86kmC">
Extra fees feel unavoidable, and they’re here to stay
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xS3ZDv">
Over 22 million more travelers crowded the airports this summer than last — some of them flying for the first time in years — and many were freshly reminded of what’s now the industry standard of nickel-and-diming passengers for checking bags and choosing seats. In the early 2000s, it was mostly ultra-low-cost carriers charging extra to check luggage. But since then, even full-service US carriers are creating basic economy fares that tack on bag and seat fees.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tBG5zl">
“Drip pricing” for services that used to be included with airfare only piles onto the exasperation travelers feel. According to an <a href="https://ideaworkscompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Airlines-Assign-Big-Revenue-Priority-to-Seat-Selection.pdf">analysis by the airline consultancy IdeaWorks</a>, top US airlines demand $33 on average for a preferred seat (which is usually closer to the front of the plane), $48 for an exit-row seat (where there’s more leg room) and $18 for a last-row seat. These are “junk fees” to consumers and <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/15/president-biden-recognizes-actions-by-private-sector-ticketing-and-travel-companies-to-eliminate-hidden-junk-fees-and-provide-millions-of-customers-with-transparent-pricing/">the White House</a>, but to airlines, they’re a cash cow. Take United, which made a record $1 billion in revenue just from bags and seats fees from April to June. Having multiple types of seat upgrades “is a key driver of our revenue growth,” United executive Andrew Nocella said in the company’s most <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4618513-united-airlines-holdings-inc-ual-q2-2023-earnings-call-transcript">recent earnings call</a>. And just look at <a href="https://www.bts.gov/baggage-fees">baggage fees</a>: Last year, top airlines made about $6.7 billion in baggage fees, a spike from the $5.7 billion they made in 2019, despite more flyers that year.
</p>
<h3 id="Wl7sdl">
Airline perks and deals were harder to come by
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0EuOmW">
The race to the bottom isn’t going unnoticed by travelers. Flying is becoming more stratified; class divisions feel more heightened than ever, and having frequent flyer status with an airline is more valuable. Airlines know this too, and in response to an <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/08/airlines-scale-back-frequent-flyer-perks.html">inundation of passengers attaining “elite” status</a>, many have upped the threshold to join, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/holiday-travel-customer-service-airports-hotels-rcna61059">limiting airport lounge access</a> to higher membership levels or raising lounge fees.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RT2c62">
“I have spoken with airline managers and executives who have said that part of the reason that the standard coach product is so bad is intentional,” says Harteveldt. “They want to get more people paying extra and trading up to a better product. America can claim to be egalitarian, but that claim ends at the airport door.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lYzQOI">
Airfare has dropped since reaching new highs last summer, but is still elevated. “This has been one of the worst years I can ever remember for flight deals,” says Ben Mutzabaugh, senior aviation editor at The Points Guy, a popular travel site. Meanwhile, leisure travelers with disposable income have shown a surprising willingness to spend. “A lot of times they’re willing to just buy business-class tickets — we see much more of that now than we did before the pandemic.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W82NEn">
The stark contrast in travel experience between the haves and have-nots may be fomenting resentment on one end and arrogance on the other. Airports and even flights are becoming an all-too-common setting for viral videos of travelers losing their tempers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uG5RHO">
Reports of “unruly passengers” — people airlines report for causing a disturbance on flights — skyrocketed amid mask mandates in 2021, almost reaching <a href="https://www.faa.gov/unruly">6,000 reports</a>, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. In 2019, there were just 1,161.
</p>
<h3 id="EP6U35">
This is the new normal — unless airlines are forced to change
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mbk8Pw">
Some of the annoyances travelers experienced this summer will remain unavoidable in coming months. Increasingly frequent bad weather will keep <a href="https://www.vox.com/travel/23777457/summer-air-travel-delays-weather-canceled-delayed-flights">walloping flights</a>; that’s the reality of the climate crisis.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AkaqFu">
Airlines have learned <em>some</em> lessons<strong> </strong>from this summer’s onslaught of demand. The biggest are to hire more workers and have more spare planes on the ground in case of emergencies, but also to leave more slack in scheduling flights. Airlines have been on a hiring spree, and experts say the worst of the pilot shortage will probably be over by next summer.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nCseTM">
But some of the other bugbears of air travel — like airlines’ worst anti-consumer practices — aren’t likely to go away without antitrust action. Much of what we hate about taking to the skies today can be blamed on industry consolidation after the airlines were deregulated in the late 1970s. A handful of airlines — United, Delta, American, and Southwest — control <a href="https://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/page1-econ/2018/11/01/the-economics-of-flying-how-competitive-are-the-friendly-skies">about 80 percent</a> of the domestic market. “Since the government let the industry become a permanent oligopoly, there is zero risk that competition will discipline fee increases,” Hubert Horan, a transportation analyst, told Vox in an email.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BHDyXP">
The Biden administration has signaled a desire to rein in airlines’ worst practices, voicing support for a policy requiring airlines to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/15/president-biden-recognizes-actions-by-private-sector-ticketing-and-travel-companies-to-eliminate-hidden-junk-fees-and-provide-millions-of-customers-with-transparent-pricing">disclose all fees</a> from the beginning of a fare search rather than showing a deceptive base fare that will significantly rise as seat and bag fees are added. The administration has also urged Congress to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/13/biden-administration-urges-congress-to-ban-airline-family-seating-fees.html">mandate airlines to seat families</a> together for free. But these rules don’t actually exist yet. (A <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-family-seating-dashboard">few airlines</a> have voluntarily offered free family seating.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ov13tl">
Under Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the Department of Transportation has revved up its enforcement actions; not only did it order American to pay up, the department has also been levying millions in fines to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/business/transportation-department-airline-fines.html">airlines that didn’t refund customers</a> in a timely manner. Breyault, of the National Consumers League, says that these are steps in the right direction but that the DOT hasn’t used the full force of its authority. By the NCL’s accounting, the frequency of enforcement and the amount of money fined has decreased over the years. Breyault calls even the historic $4 million fine “a rounding error to a company the size of American.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h615cu">
A flight delay doesn’t have to entirely ruin a vacation, and maybe we don’t have to pay an arm and a leg just to have a pleasant flying experience. But if flying during the high season continues to be awful, that could turn off customers and ultimately dampen demand.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EAjeZ2">
“I don’t think that this is sustainable,” says Breyault.
</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>Phenom shines</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>Dear Lady, Aldgate, Tehani, King Louis and Ebotse shine</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Asian TT Championships: India’s Manav Thakkar bows out in pre-quarterfinals</strong> - With Manav’s exit, India’s presence in the continental championships came to an end</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>ACC adds reserve day exclusively for India-Pakistan ‘Super Four’ clash on September 10</strong> - There will not be a reserve day for any of the other Super 4 matches in Sri Lanka</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>Nitin Menon, Kumar Dharmasena to be on-field umpires for World Cup opener</strong> - Sixteen umpires will officiate the 13th edition of the tournament, including all 12 of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and four members of the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel.</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>Two-day international workshop on scholarly writing</strong> - Fatima Mata National College organises workshop on ‘Art and Craft of Scholarly Writing and Publishing Process in the Social Sciences’ on September 7 and 8</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>Chandrayan an engineering marvel: Startup mission</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>After Chandrayaan success, Midhani is ready for ISRO’s Gaganyaan</strong> - The company has already transferred the entire Gaganyaan project sets of materials for making rockets, engines, crew modules and others sufficient for “five launches”</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>Stalin unveils statue of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Chennai</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>Here are the big stories from Karnataka today</strong> - Welcome to the Karnataka Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated by The Hindu Bureau.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine condemns ‘sham’ elections in Russian-occupied regions</strong> - Many taking part in early polling have been asked to vote in the presence of armed Russian soldiers.</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>Luis Rubiales: Spanish prosecutor files complaint with high court</strong> - A Spanish prosecutor files a complaint with its high court against suspended football federation president Luis Rubiales for sexual assault.</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>Russia’s Ukraine Danube attacks threaten Kyiv’s economic lifeline</strong> - Attacks on Danube River ports have intensified recently, destroying large amounts of grain.</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>Greek floods: Austrian honeymooners missing after holiday home swept away</strong> - Rescuers are searching for the couple after torrential rains swept away their holiday home.</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>Outrage over Abbas’s antisemitic speech on Jews and Holocaust</strong> - German and Israeli officials condemn the Palestinian leader’s remarks about the mass murder of Jews.</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>Rocket Report: Japan launches Moon mission; Ariane 6 fires up in Kourou</strong> - Japan’s mission will attempt to make a precise landing on the Moon next year. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1966391">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Gun deaths among US kids continue to rise; Southern states have worst rates</strong> - Guns remains the leading cause of death among American children and teens. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1966436">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Apple patches “clickless” 0-day image processing vulnerability in iOS, macOS</strong> - “BLASTPASS” bug can install malware without user interaction. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1966414">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Google gets its way, bakes a user-tracking ad platform directly into Chrome</strong> - Chrome now directly tracks users, generates a “topic” list it shares with advertisers. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1966378">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>North Korea-backed hackers target security researchers with 0-day</strong> - Google researchers say currently unfixed vulnerability affects a popular software package. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1966395">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>Husband and wife…………..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A husband and wife who work for the circus go to an adoption agency looking to adopt a child, but the social workers there raise doubts about their suitability.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the couple produces photos of their 50-foot motor home, which is clean and well maintained and equipped with a beautiful nursery.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The social workers are satisfied by this but then raise concerns about the kind of education a child would receive while in the couple’s care.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The husband puts their mind at ease, saying, “We’ve arranged for a full-time tutor who will teach the child all the usual subjects along with French, Mandarin, and computer skills.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Next though, the social workers express concern about a child being raised in a circus environment.
</p>
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This time the wife explains, “Our nanny is a certified expert in pediatric care, welfare, and diet.”
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The social workers are finally satisfied and ask the couple, “What age child are you hoping to adopt?”
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The husband says, “It doesn’t really matter, as long as the kid fits in the cannon.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MercyReign"> /u/MercyReign </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16cuqyh/husband_and_wife/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16cuqyh/husband_and_wife/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man’s wife dies young</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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The funeral is heartbreaking. The poll bearers pick up the casket and are moving through the hallway of the funeral home when the casket hits a corner and opens, the body falling out. Miraculously the woman stands up, alive and well!
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40 years later, the wife dies again. The funeral is heartbreaking, again. The poll bearers pick up the casket and are moving through the hallway of the same funeral home when they get up to the same corner. The husband yells out “watch out for that corner”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/teddyblues66"> /u/teddyblues66 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16cyw6m/a_mans_wife_dies_young/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16cyw6m/a_mans_wife_dies_young/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Jewish guy and a Chinese guy or sitting in the bar when all of a sudden the Jewish guy walks over and punches the Chinese guy in the face.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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“What the hell, man?” “That was for Pearl harbor, asshole.” “That was the Japanese. I’m Chinese!” “Japanese, Chinese, same thing.” The Jewish guy shrugged his shoulders and sat back down to his beer.
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A few minutes ago by, when the Chinese guy walks over and punches the Jewish guy right in the throat." “What the fuck!?!” “That was for the Titanic.” “But that was an iceberg!” “Iceberg, Goldberg, same thing.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/2BallsInTheHole"> /u/2BallsInTheHole </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16crsdu/a_jewish_guy_and_a_chinese_guy_or_sitting_in_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16crsdu/a_jewish_guy_and_a_chinese_guy_or_sitting_in_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What do they call Miley Cyrus in Europe?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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Kilometery Cyrus
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/HeAtcryst"> /u/HeAtcryst </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16d5cpi/what_do_they_call_miley_cyrus_in_europe/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16d5cpi/what_do_they_call_miley_cyrus_in_europe/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Jesus goes to Led Zeppelin concert in hell</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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Jesus hears there is a led zeppelin concert in hell and really wants to go. He asks God if he can go and after some negotiations God agrees but only if saint Peter goes along.
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So Jesus and Peter go, they have a blast and on the way back Jesus says to Peter:
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Wouldn’t it be great if we could get them to sing in Heaven also? Can you call them and ask?
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Peter dials the number, asks, nods a few times, a few “yes”, " ok" , " I understand" and hangs up.
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Jesus anxiously asks:
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So, what did they say?
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Peter:
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They said they don’t sing for 4 people…
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/grumazu"> /u/grumazu </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16coook/jesus_goes_to_led_zeppelin_concert_in_hell/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16coook/jesus_goes_to_led_zeppelin_concert_in_hell/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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