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<title>27 December, 2022</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Do text messages increase voter registration? Evidence from RCTs with a local authority and an advocacy organisation in the UK</strong> -
<div>
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, text messages have become an increasingly attractive tool of voter registration. At the same time, in countries without automated registration, advocacy organisations play a more prominent role in supplementing the efforts of official bodies in registering voters. However, most available, robust evidence on whether voter registration campaigns work is based on campaigns conducted by official bodies charged with electoral registration. We present the results of two RCTs that aimed to increase voter registration in the UK using SMS-text messages, relying mainly on behavioural messaging. One was conducted by a local authority, while the other was implemented by an issue advocacy organisation that had no prior involvement in voter registration. In line with previous findings, the local authority’s text messages resulted in an increased registration rate of eight percentage-points, which translates into a three percentage-point increase in voter turnout. However, the advocacy organisation’s text messages neither increased voter registration, nor turnout, no matter whether the text message offered a personal follow-up conversation, or not. Given that many voter registration campaigns are run by advocacy organisations and text messages are an increasingly important mobilisation tool, this raises questions about the scope conditions of existing findings.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/adr9g/" target="_blank">Do text messages increase voter registration? Evidence from RCTs with a local authority and an advocacy organisation in the UK</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Impact of BA.1, BA.2, and BA.4/BA.5 Omicron Mutations on Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies</strong> -
<div>
The emergence of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariants (BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5) with an unprecedented number of mutations in their receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike-protein has fueled a new surge of COVID-19 infections, posing a major challenge to the efficacy of existing vaccines and monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics. Here, a thorough and systematic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study is conducted to investigate how the RBD mutations on these subvariants affect the interactions with broad mAbs including AstraZeneca (COV2-2196 and COV2-2130), Brii Biosciences (BRII-196), Celltrion (CT-P59), Eli Lilly (LY-CoV555 and LY-CoV016), Regeneron (REGN10933 and REGN10987), Vir Biotechnology (S309), and S2X259. Our results show a complete loss of binding for COV2-2196, BRII-196, CT-P59, and LY-CoV555 with all Omicron RBDs. REGN10987 also loses its binding against BA.1 but partially retains against BA.2 and BA.4/5. The reduction in binding is either significant for LY-CoV016 and REGN10933 or moderate for COV2-2130. S309 and S2X259 retain their binding strength against BA.1 but decrease against others. We introduce a mutational escape map for each mAb to identify the key RBD sites and critical mutation. Overall, our findings suggest that majority of therapeutic mAbs have diminished or lost their activity against Omicron subvariants, indicating the urgent need for a new therapeutic mAb, modifying current ones with a better mAb design, or seeking an alternative approach.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.25.521903v1" target="_blank">Impact of BA.1, BA.2, and BA.4/BA.5 Omicron Mutations on Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Amplification and extraction free quantitative detection of viral nucleic acids and single-base mismatches using magnetic signal amplification circuit</strong> -
<div>
Established nucleic acid detection assays require extraction and purification before sequence amplification and/or enzymatic reactions, hampering their widespread applications in point-of-care (POC) formats. Magnetic immunoassays based on magnetic particle spectroscopy and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are isothermal, extraction- and purification-free, and can be quantitative and benchtop, making them suitable for POC settings. Here, we demonstrate a Magnetic signal Amplification Circuit (MAC) that combines specificity of toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement with magnetic response of MNPs to a clustering/declustering process. Our MAC assays require neither amplification nor extraction of target nucleic acids, and reveal four times better sensitivity than that of a magnetic circuit without signal amplification. Using MAC, we detect a highly specific 43 nucleotides sequence of SARS-CoV-2 virus. The MAC enables sensing both DNA and RNA targets with varying lengths and resolving single-base mismatches. Our MAC can be a powerful tool for translating research of nucleic acids detection to the clinic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.24.521858v1" target="_blank">Amplification and extraction free quantitative detection of viral nucleic acids and single-base mismatches using magnetic signal amplification circuit</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A ferritin-based COVID-19 nanoparticle vaccine that elicits robust, durable, broad-spectrum neutralizing antisera in non-human primates</strong> -
<div>
While the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has been a scientific triumph, the need remains for a globally available vaccine that provides longer-lasting immunity against present and future SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). Here, we describe DCFHP, a ferritin-based, protein-nanoparticle vaccine candidate that, when formulated with aluminum hydroxide as the sole adjuvant (DCFHP-alum), elicits potent and durable neutralizing antisera in non-human primates against known VOCs, including Omicron BQ.1, as well as against SARS-CoV-1. Following a booster ~one year after the initial immunization, DCFHP-alum elicits a robust anamnestic response. To enable global accessibility, we generated a cell line that can enable production of thousands of vaccine doses per liter of cell culture and show that DCFHP-alum maintains potency for at least 14 days at temperatures exceeding standard room temperature. DCFHP-alum has potential as a once-yearly booster vaccine, and as a primary vaccine for pediatric use including in infants.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.25.521784v1" target="_blank">A ferritin-based COVID-19 nanoparticle vaccine that elicits robust, durable, broad-spectrum neutralizing antisera in non-human primates</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>In Vitro Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Bromhexine hydrochloride</strong> -
<div>
The world enduring the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, and although extensive research has been conducted on the issue, only a few antivirals have been approved up to date to treat patients with COVID-19. Bromhexine hydrochloride was previously identified as a potent inhibitor of TMPRSS2, an essential protease for ACE-2 virus receptor interactions. In the present study, we investigated whether bromhexine treatment could reduce SARS CoV-2 replication in vitro. To evaluates the effectiveness of bromhexine against SARS COV-2 infection, viral load was measured using Caco-2 cell lines that express TMPRSS2. Our molecular docking results indicate that bromhexine displays an affinity with the active site of TMPRSS2. The drug was able to significantly inhibit SARS CoV-2, both parental and P1 variant strains, infection in the Caco-2 cell line, reducing about 40% of SARS-CoV-2 entrance, and about 90% of viral progeny in the supernatant 48h post-infection. Furthermore, bromhexine did not exhibit any direct virucidal activity on SARS CoV-2. In conclusion, bromhexine hydrochloride efficiently disrupts SARS CoV-2 infection in vitro and has the potential to become an effective antiviral agent in COVID-19 treatment.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.521817v1" target="_blank">In Vitro Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Bromhexine hydrochloride</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 NSP10 highlight strong functional conservation of its binding to two non-structural proteins, NSP14 and NSP16</strong> -
<div>
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 protects its RNA from being recognized by host immune responses by methylation of its 5’ end, also known as capping. This process is carried out by two enzymes, non-structural protein 16 (NSP16) containing 2’-O-methyltransferase and NSP14 through its N7 methyltransferase activity, which are essential for the replication of the viral genome as well as evading the host’s innate immunity. NSP10 acts as a crucial cofactor and stimulator of NSP14 and NSP16. To further understand the role of NSP10, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of &gt;13 million globally collected whole-genome sequences (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 obtained from the Global Initiative Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) and compared it with the reference genome Wuhan/WIV04/2019 to identify all currently known variants in NSP10. T12I, T102I, and A104V in NSP10 have been identified as the three most frequent variants and characterized using X-ray crystallography, biophysical assays, and enhanced sampling simulations. In contrast to other proteins such as spike and NSP6, NSP10 is significantly less prone to mutation due to its crucial role in replication. The functional effects of the variants were examined for their impact on the binding affinity and stability of both NSP14-NSP10 and NSP16-NSP10 complexes. These results highlight the limited changes induced by variant evolution in NSP10 and reflect on the critical roles NSP10 plays during the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. These results also indicate that there is limited capacity for the virus to overcome inhibitors targeting NSP10 via the generation of variants in inhibitor binding pockets.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.521761v1" target="_blank">Emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 NSP10 highlight strong functional conservation of its binding to two non-structural proteins, NSP14 and NSP16</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A large-scale serological survey in pets from October 2020 through June 2021 in France shows significantly higher exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats</strong> -
<div>
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect many animals, including pets such as dogs and cats. Many studies have documented infection in companion animals by bio-molecular and serological methods. However, only a few have compared seroprevalence in cats and dogs from the general population, and these studies were limited by small sample sizes and collections over short periods. Our goal was to obtain a more accurate evaluation of seroprevalence in companion animals in France and to determine whether cats and dogs differ in their exposure to SARS-CoV-2. For this purpose, we conducted an extensive SARS-CoV-2 serological survey of 2036 cats and 3577 dogs sampled by veterinarians during medical examinations in clinics throughout France. Sampling was carried out from October 2020 through June 2021, a period encompassing the second and third waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans in the country. Using a microsphere immunoassay targeting receptor binding domain and trimeric spike protein, we found 7.1% seroprevalence in pets, in a subset of 308 seropositive samples, 26.3% had neutralizing antibodies. We found that cats were significantly more likely to test positive than dogs, with seropositivity rates of 9.3% and 5.9% in cats and dogs, respectively. Finally, data for both species showed that seroprevalence was lower in older animals and was not associated with the date of sampling or the sex of the animal. Our results show that cats are significantly more sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 than dogs, in line with experimental studies showing that cats are more susceptible than dogs. This study reinforces that pets are commonly infected or exposed to SARS-CoV-2, emphasizing the importance of a One-Health approach to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and raising the question of vaccination of companion animals in close contact with humans.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.521567v1" target="_blank">A large-scale serological survey in pets from October 2020 through June 2021 in France shows significantly higher exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Comparison of multiple whole-genome and Spike-only sequencing protocols for estimating variant frequencies via wastewater-based epidemiology</strong> -
<div>
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Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater provides a key opportunity to monitor the prevalence of variants spatiotemporally, potentially facilitating their detection simultaneously with, or even prior to, observation through clinical testing. However, there are multiple sequencing methodologies available. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of alternative protocols for detecting SARS-CoV-2 variants. We tested the detection of two synthetic RNA SARS-CoV-2 genomes in a wide range of ratios and at two concentrations representative of those found in wastewater using whole-genome and Spike-gene-only protocols utilising Illumina and Oxford Nanopore platforms. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to determine the predicted frequencies of variants and the error surrounding our predictions. We found that most of the sequencing protocols detected polymorphic nucleotide frequencies at a level that would allow accurate determination of the variants present at higher concentrations. Most methodologies, including the Spike-only approach, could also predict variant frequencies with a degree of accuracy in low-concentration samples but, as expected, with higher error around the estimates. All methods were additionally confirmed to detect the same prevalent variants in a set of wastewater samples. Our results provide the first quantitative statistical comparison of a range of alternative methods that can be used successfully in the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variant frequencies from wastewater.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.22.22283855v1" target="_blank">Comparison of multiple whole-genome and Spike-only sequencing protocols for estimating variant frequencies via wastewater-based epidemiology</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>EFFECTIVENESS OF CASIRIVIMAB-IMDEVIMAB AND SOTROVIMAB MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY TREATMENT AMONG HIGH-RISK PATIENTS WITH SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION: A REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can evade neutralizing antibodies, raising concerns about the effectiveness of anti-spike monoclonal antibodies (mAb). METHODS: This study reports a retrospective data analysis in Banner Health Care System. Out of 109,788 adult patients who tested positive for COVID-19, the study cohort was split into patients who received Casirivimab-Imdevimab (Cas-Imd) (N=10,836; Delta-predominant period 6/2021-11/2021) and Sotrovimab (N=998; Omicron-predominant period 12/2021-1/2022) mAb compared to propensity-matched control groups (N=10,836 and N=998), respectively. Index date was the date of mAb administration or the date of positive COVID-19 testing. The primary and secondary outcomes were the incidence of composite outcome (all-cause hospitalization and/or mortality) and ICU admission at 30-days following index date, respectively. RESULTS: Compared to the propensity-matched untreated control cohort, the Cas-Imd mAb reduced the composite outcome (from 7.5% to 3.7%; difference: -3.8% [95% CI: (-4.4%, -3.2%)], p &lt;0.01) regardless of their vaccination status, while Sotrovimab mAb did not (5.0% vs. 3.8%; difference: -1.2% [95% CI: (-3.1%, 0.7%)], p =0.22). In terms of the secondary outcome, similarly Cas-Imd mAb decreased ICU admission during the first hospitalization (from 1.5% to 0.5%; difference: -1.0% [95% CI: (-1.3%, -0.7%)], p &lt;0.01) compared to the control group, whereas Sotrovimab mAb did not (0.9% vs. 0.6%; difference: -0.3% [95% CI: (-1.2%, 0.6%)], p =0.61). Comparing the periods, the Omicron-predominant period was associated with lower composite outcome than that during the Delta-predominant period. CONCLUSIONS: Cas-Imd mAb was effective against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, however sotrovimab lacked efficacy in patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-predominant period.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.22283921v1" target="_blank">EFFECTIVENESS OF CASIRIVIMAB-IMDEVIMAB AND SOTROVIMAB MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY TREATMENT AMONG HIGH-RISK PATIENTS WITH SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION: A REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Pediatric Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Prescribing Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objective. This study was conducted to identify rates of pediatric nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) prescriptions overall and by patient characteristics. Methods. Patients up to 23 years old with a clinical encounter and a nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid, n/r) prescription in a PEDSnet-affiliated institution between December 1, 2021 and September 14, 2022 were identified using electronic health record (EHR) data. Results. Of the 1,496,621 patients with clinical encounters during the study period, 920 received a nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescription (mean age 17.2 years; SD 2.76 years). 40% (367/920) of prescriptions were provided to individuals aged 18-23, and 91% (838/920) of prescriptions occurred after April 1, 2022. The majority of patients (70%; 648/920) had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose at least 28 days before nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescription. Only 40% (371/920) of individuals had documented COVID-19 within the 0 to 6 days prior to receiving a nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescription. 53% (485/920) had no documented COVID-19 infection in the EHR. Among nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescription recipients, 64% (586/920) had chronic or complex chronic disease and 9% (80/920) had malignant disease. 38/920 (4.5%) were hospitalized within 30 days of receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Conclusion. Clinicians prescribe nirmatrelvir/ritonavir infrequently to children. While individuals receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir generally have significant chronic disease burden, a majority are receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescriptions without an EHR-recorded COVID-19 positive test or diagnosis. Development and implementation of concerted pediatric nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescribing workflows can help better capture COVID-19 presentation, response, and adverse events at the population level.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.22283868v1" target="_blank">Pediatric Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Prescribing Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Methodological approaches to optimize multiplex oral fluid SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay performance and correlation with serologic and neutralizing antibody responses</strong> -
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Background. Oral fluid (hereafter, saliva) is a non-invasive and attractive alternative to blood for SARS-CoV-2 IgG testing; however, the heterogeneity of saliva as a matrix poses challenges for immunoassay performance. Objectives. To optimize performance of a magnetic microparticle-based multiplex immunoassay (MIA) for SARS-CoV-2 IgG measurement in saliva, with consideration of: i) threshold setting and validation across different MIA bead batches; ii) sample qualification based on salivary total IgG concentration; iii) calibration to U.S. SARS-CoV-2 serological standard binding antibody units (BAU); and iv) correlations with blood-based SARS-CoV-2 serological and neutralizing antibody (nAb) assays. Methods. The salivary SARS-CoV-2 IgG MIA included 2 nucleocapsid (N), 3 receptor-binding domain (RBD), and 2 spike protein (S) antigens. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) swab saliva samples were collected before December, 2019 (n=555) and after molecular test-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from 113 individuals (providing up to 5 repeated-measures; n=398) and used to optimize and validate MIA performance (total n=953). Combinations of IgG responses to N, RBD and S and total salivary IgG concentration (μg/mL) as a qualifier of nonreactive samples were optimized and validated, calibrated to the U.S. SARS-CoV-2 serological standard, and correlated with blood-based SARS-CoV-2 IgG ELISA and nAb assays. Results. The sum of signal to cutoff (S/Co) to all seven MIA SARS-CoV-2 antigens and disqualification of nonreactive saliva samples with &gt;15 μg/mL total IgG led to correct classification of 62/62 positives (sensitivity [Se]=100.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI]=94.8%, 100.0%) and 108/109 negatives (specificity [Sp]=99.1%; 95% CI=97.3%, 100.0%) at 8-million beads coupling scale and 80/81 positives (Se=98.8%; 95% CI=93.3%, 100.0%] and 127/127 negatives (Sp=100%; 95% CI=97.1%, 100.0%) at 20-million beads coupling scale. Salivary SARS-CoV-2 IgG crossed the MIA cutoff of 0.1 BAU/mL on average 9 days post-COVID-19 symptom onset and peaked around day 30. Among n=30 matched saliva and plasma samples, salivary SARS-CoV-2 MIA IgG levels correlated with corresponding-antigen plasma ELISA IgG (N: ρ=0.67, RBD: ρ=0.76, S: ρ =0.82; all p&lt;0.0001). Correlations of plasma SARS-CoV-2 nAb assay area under the curve (AUC) with salivary MIA IgG (N: ρ=0.68, RBD: ρ=0.78, S: ρ =0.79; all p&lt;0.0001) and with plasma ELISA IgG (N: ρ=0.76, RBD: ρ=0.79, S: ρ =0.76; p&lt;0.0001) were similar. Conclusions. A salivary SARS-CoV-2 IgG MIA produced consistently high Se (&gt;98.8%) and Sp (&gt;99.1%) across two bead coupling scales and correlations with nAb responses that were similar to blood-based SARS-CoV-2 IgG ELISA data. This non-invasive salivary SARS-CoV-2 IgG MIA could increase engagement of vulnerable populations and improve broad understanding of humoral immunity (kinetics and gaps) within the evolving context of booster vaccination, viral variants and waning immunity.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.22.22283858v1" target="_blank">Methodological approaches to optimize multiplex oral fluid SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay performance and correlation with serologic and neutralizing antibody responses</a>
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<li><strong>Risk of Suicide Attempts and Self-Directed Violence after SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Outcomes from an Emulated Trial of a Nationwide Observational Matched Cohort of US Veterans</strong> -
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Importance: The negative health-related effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection may include increased risk for self-directed violence. Objective: To assess suicide attempts and other self-directed violence risk among US Veterans with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to matched uninfected Veterans. Design, Setting, and Participants: Using a target trial emulation design supported by comprehensive electronic health records from the US Veterans Health Administration, Veterans who had a positive PCR test between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 were matched with non-infected comparators. Monthly matching was anchored to first positive PCR test for each patient. Groups were followed for one-year thereafter. Exposure: Positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR. Main Outcomes and Measures: Suicide attempts and self-directed violence documented in electronic health records by a VHA provider. Hazard ratios (HR) for time to first suicide attempt and self-directed violence (separate models) for the infected versus comparator group were measured using Cox regression models. Analyses were performed for short-term (days 1-30), long-term (days 31-365) and one-year (days 1-365) and further stratified by age and prior self-directed-violence history. Sensitivity analyses included censoring to address comparators crossing over by later testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Results: Among the 1,190,974 Veterans included, during the one-year period after the index date; 3,078 (0.258%) had a suicide attempt and 2,887 (0.242%) had self-directed violence. Regardless of follow-up duration, the HRs for suicide attempts and self-directed violence were higher for the infected group. For suicide attempts, short-term HR=2.54 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 2.05 to 3.15), long-term HR=1.30 (CI: 1.19 to 1.43) and one-year HR= 1.41 (CI: 1.30, 1.54). For self-directed violence, short-term HR=1.94 (CI: 1.51 to 2.49), long-term HR=1.32 (CI: 1.20 to 1.45), and one-year HR=1.38 (CI:1.26, 1.51). Conclusions and Relevance: In matched cohorts, Veterans who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test had a higher risk of suicide attempt and self-directed violence that were greatest within the first 30 days and present for at least one year following. These findings highlight the importance of assessing patient experiences of suicide attempt and other forms of self-directed violence during different time periods post-infection to identify opportunities to augment prevention efforts and support those affected.
</p>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.22283902v1" target="_blank">Risk of Suicide Attempts and Self-Directed Violence after SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Outcomes from an Emulated Trial of a Nationwide Observational Matched Cohort of US Veterans</a>
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<li><strong>Comparative effectiveness of four COVID-19 vaccines, BNT162b2 mRNA, mRNA-1273, ChAdOx1 nCov-19 and NVX-CoV2373 against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) infection</strong> -
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There is limited data directly comparing the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. We compared rates of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1/2 infection in Australian adults during March to May 2022 who had received one of four COVID-19 vaccines in the last 14-63 days as either a primary course or a booster dose. As a primary course, compared to recipients of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, adjusted hazard ratios for SARS-CoV-2 infection were 1.03 (95%CI 0.82-1.30), 1.19 (0.95-1.49), 1.70 (1.46-1.97) for respectively mRNA-1273, ChAdOx-1 nCov-19 and NVX-CoV2373. For booster dose, respective adjusted hazard ratios compared to BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine were 1.02 (95%CI 1.00-1.04), 1.20 (1.10-1.32), 1.39 (1.20-1.60). Our findings suggest relatively higher effectiveness of ancestral strain mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection than viral vector and protein subunit vaccines, but further studies are required due to small numbers of recipients of ChAdOx-1 nCov-19 and NVX-CoV2373.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.22.22283869v1" target="_blank">Comparative effectiveness of four COVID-19 vaccines, BNT162b2 mRNA, mRNA-1273, ChAdOx1 nCov-19 and NVX-CoV2373 against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) infection</a>
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<li><strong>Unequal Recovery in Colorectal Cancer Screening Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Microsimulation Analysis</strong> -
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The aftermath of the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may contribute to the widening of disparities in access to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening due to differential disruptions to CRC screening. This comparative microsimulation analysis uses two CISNET CRC models to simulate the impact of ongoing screening disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term CRC outcomes. We evaluate three channels through which screening was disrupted: delays in screening, regimen switching, and screening discontinuation. The impact of these disruptions on long-term colorectal cancer (CRC) outcomes was measured by the number of Life-years lost due to CRC screening disruptions compared to a scenario without any disruptions. While short-term delays in screening of 3-18 months are predicted to result in minor life-years loss, discontinuing screening could result in much more significant reductions in the expected benefits of screening. These results demonstrate that unequal recovery of screening following the pandemic can widen disparities in colorectal cancer outcomes and emphasize the importance of ensuring equitable recovery to screening following the pandemic.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.22283887v1" target="_blank">Unequal Recovery in Colorectal Cancer Screening Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Microsimulation Analysis</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>No patient is the same; lessons learned from antibody repertoire profiling in hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients</strong> -
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Here, by using mass spectrometry-based methods IgG1 and IgA1 clonal repertoires were monitored quantitatively and longitudinally in more than 50 individual serum samples obtained from 17 COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units because of acute respiratory distress syndrome. These serological clonal profiles were used to examine how each patient reacted to a severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. All 17 donors revealed unique polyclonal repertoires and changes after infection. Substantial changes over time in the IgG1 and/or IgA1 clonal repertoires were observed in individual patients, with several new clones appearing following the infection, in a few cases leading to a few very high abundant IgG1 and/or IgA1 clones dominating the repertoire. Several of these clones were de novo sequenced through combinations of top-down, middle-down and bottom-up proteomics approaches. This revealed several sequence features in line with sequences deposited in the SARS-CoV-specific database of antibodies. In other patients, the serological Ig profiles revealed the treatment with tocilizumab, as after treatment, this IgG1-mAb dominated the serological IgG1 repertoire. Tocilizumab clearance could be monitored and a half-life of approximately 6 days was established in these patients. Overall, our longitudinal monitoring of IgG1 and IgA1 repertoires of individual donors reveals that antibody responses are highly personalized traits of each patient, affected by the disease and the chosen clinical treatment. The impact of these observations argues for a more personalized and longitudinal approach in patients diagnostics, both in serum proteomics as well as in monitoring immune responses.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.22283896v1" target="_blank">No patient is the same; lessons learned from antibody repertoire profiling in hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients</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 Study for Immunocompromised Patients for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis of COVID-19 With AZD5156.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID 19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Placebo;   Biological: AZD5156;   Biological: AZD7442 (EVUSHELD™)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   AstraZeneca<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>101-PGC-005 for the Treatment of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: 101-PGC-005;   Drug: Dexamethasone<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   101 Therapeutics<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Clinical Study to Assess Preliminary Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of HH-120 Nasal Spray in COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19)<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: HH-120 Nasal Spray<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Beijing Ditan Hospital<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>COVID-19 Booster Study in Healthy Adults in Australia</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Bivalent Moderna;   Biological: Novavax<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Murdoch Childrens Research Institute;   Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations;   The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity<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>Effect of N-Acetylcysteine on Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio And Length of Stay In COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: N-acetyl cysteine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Universitas Sebelas Maret<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>Baldachin: Ceiling HEPA-filtration to Prevent Nosocomial Transmission of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Device: Baldachin<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University Hospital Inselspital, Berne<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>Efficacy and Safety of Ambervin® and Standard Therapy in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Tyrosyl-D-alanyl-glycyl-phenylalanyl-leucyl-arginine succinate intramuscularly;   Drug: Tyrosyl-D-alanyl-glycyl-phenylalanyl-leucyl-arginine succinate inhaled;   Drug: Standard of care<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Promomed, LLC<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity and Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine in Population Aged 18 Years and Above（Negative Antibody Against COVID-19）</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: One dose group;   Biological: Two doses group;   Biological: Aged 18-59 years;   Biological: Aged 60 years old and above<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study of GST-HG171/Ritonavir Compared With Placebo in Patients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: GST-HG171/Ritonavir;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Fujian Akeylink Biotechnology Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A PhaseⅡ Study to Evaluate the Safety &amp; Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha/Beta/Delta/Omicron Variants COVID-19 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SCTV01E;   Biological: Placebo (normal saline)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sinocelltech Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The COPE Study: Pilot Intervention to Improve Symptom Self-management and Coping in Adults With Post COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post COVID-19 Condition;   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: 6-Week Self-Management Group<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Washington<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>ICBT for Psychological Symptoms Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic Remaining After Societal Opening</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Linkoeping University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ARVAC - A New Recombinant Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Vaccine<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: ARVAC-CG vaccine (recombinant protein vaccine against SARS-CoV-2)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Laboratorio Pablo Cassara S.R.L.;   Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM);   National Council of Scientific and Technical Research, Argentina<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>Effectiveness of Supportive Psychotherapy Through Internet-Based Teleconsultation on Psychological and Somatic Symptoms, Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio, and Heart Rate Variability in Post Covid-19 Syndrome Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Supportive Psychotherapy<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Indonesia University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Graphene Photothermal Adjuvant Therapy for Mild Corona Virus Disease 2019: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Device: Graphene spectrum light wave therapy room<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Southeast University, China;   Hohhot First Hospital<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Infectivity of pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in different human cell types and inhibitory effects of recombinant spike protein and entry-related cellular factors</strong> - Since the report of the first COVID-19 case in 2019, SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have continued to emerge, manifesting diverse infectivity, evasion of host immunity and pathology. While ACE2 is the predominant receptor of SARS-CoV-2, TMPRSS2, Kim-1, NRP-1, CD147, furin, CD209L and CD26 have also been implicated as viral entry-related cofactors. To understand the variations in infectivity and pathogenesis of VOCs, we conducted infection analysis in human cells from different organ…</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 prediction of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibition with filtering by position of ligand</strong> - The paper analyzes a set of equations that adequately predict the IC50 value for SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors. The training set was obtained using filtering by criteria independent of prediction of target value. It included 76 compounds, and the test set included nine compounds. We used the values of energy contributions obtained in the calculation of the change of the free energy of complex by MMGBSA method and a number of characteristics of the physical and chemical properties of the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Impacts of video communication on psychological well-being and cosmetic surgery acceptance</strong> - Video communication via platforms such as Zoom has been routinely used as a communication tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific evidence has suggested that constant video communication can have detrimental consequences such as “Zoom fatigue”, inhibiting collaboration, and new information exchange. The current study focuses on the effects of using video communication technology on self-esteem, affect, and image perception under the framework of objective self-awareness (OSA). We…</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 new intracellular targeting motif in the cytoplasmic tail of the spike protein may act as a target to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 assembly</strong> - Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a threat to global public health, underscoring the urgent need for the development of preventive and therapeutic measures. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2, which mediates receptor binding and subsequent membrane fusion to promote viral entry, is a major target for current drug development and vaccine design. The S protein comprises a large N-terminal extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and a short…</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>Regulatory role of endoplasmic reticulum resident chaperone protein ERp29 in anti-murine β-coronavirus host cell response</strong> - Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) involving astrocytes is important for proper CNS homeostasis. As determined in our previous studies, trafficking of the predominant astrocyte GJ protein, Connexin43 (Cx43), is disrupted in response to infection with a neurotropic murine β-coronavirus (MHV-A59). However, how host factors are involved in Cx43 trafficking and the infection response is not clear. Here, we show that Cx43 retention due to MHV-A59 infection was associated with increased…</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>Cenicriviroc for the treatment of COVID-19: first interim results of a randomised, placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated, double-blind phase II trial</strong> - CONCLUSION: Our interim analysis provides proof-of-concept data on CVC for COVID-19 patients as intervention to inhibit CCR2/CCR5. Further studies are warranted to assess its clinical efficacy.</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>Mammalian hybrid prophagophore is a precursor to autophagosomes</strong> - SUMMARYThe precursors to mammalian autophagosomes originate from pre-existing membranes contributed by a number of sources, and subsequently enlarge through intermembrane lipid transfer, then close to sequester the cargo, and merge with lysosomes to degrade the cargo. Using cellular and in vitro membrane fusion analyses coupled with proteomic and biochemical studies we show that autophagosomes are formed from a hybrid membrane compartment referred to as a prophagophore or HyPAS (hybrid…</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>Booster shot of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induces potent immune responses in people living with HIV</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: PLWH receiving booster shot of inactivated vaccines generate higher antibody responses than the second dose, but lower than that in HCs. Decreased anti-BA.4/5 responses than that of WT impede the protective effect of the third dose on Omicron prevalence. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.</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 novel poly (4-methyl-1-pentene)/polypropylene (PMP/PP) thin film composite (TFC) artificial lung membrane for enhanced gas transport and excellent hemo-compatibility</strong> - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a technique that provides short-term supports to the heart and lungs. It removes CO(2) from the blood and provides enough oxygen, which is a huge help in the fight against COVID-19. As the key component, the artificial lung membranes have evolved in three generations including silicon, polypropylene and poly (4-methyl-1-pentene). Herein, we for the first time design and fabricate a novel poly (4-methyl-1-pentene)/polypropylene (PMP/PP) thin film composite…</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>Identification of Human miRNA Biomarkers Targeting the SARS-CoV-2 Genome</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 poses a great challenge toward mankind, majorly due to its evolution and frequently occurring variants. On the other hand, in human hosts, microRNA (miRNA) plays a vital role in replication and propagation during a viral infection and can control the biological processes. This may be essential for the progression of viral infection. Moreover, human miRNAs can play a therapeutic role in treatment of different viral diseases by binding to the target sites of the virus genome, thereby…</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>Dual-Reporter System for Real-Time Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Activity in Live Cells Enables Identification of an Allosteric Inhibition Path</strong> - The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is an ongoing threat to global health, and the continuing emergence of contagious variants highlights the urgent need for additional antiviral therapy to attenuate COVID-19 disease. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CL^(pro)) presents an attractive target for such therapy due to its high sequence conservation and key role in the viral life cycle. In this study, we designed a fluorescent-luminescent cell-based reporter for the detection and quantification of 3CL^(pro)…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Desire to stay shorter time at the shopping mall: insight from protection motivation (PMT), behavioral inhibition system (BIS), reactance, and expectancy theories</strong> - After withdrawing the movement control order (MCO), new variant (Omicron) of COVID-19 returns as an outbreak again. Therefore, consumers are very much informed by various media to be more cautious in visiting shopping malls and spend less time in there. The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors influencing the desire to stay shorter at the shopping mall. This study was conducted in Malaysia, with the application of three psychological theories and one behavioural theory. This is…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Repurposing BCL-2 and Jak 1/2 inhibitors: Cure and treatment of HIV-1 and other viral infections</strong> - B cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) family proteins are involved in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and are key modulators of cellular lifespan, which is dysregulated during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and other viral infections, thereby increasing the lifespan of cells harboring virus, including the latent HIV-1 reservoir. Long-lived cells harboring integrated HIV-1 DNA is a major barrier to eradication. Strategies reducing the lifespan of reservoir cells could significantly impact…</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>Protective role of engineered extracellular vesicles loaded quercetin nanoparticles as anti-viral therapy against SARS-CoV-2 infection: A prospective review</strong> - Quercetin (QCT) is a naturally occurring phenolic flavonoid compound with inbuilt characteristics of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune protection. Several recent studies have shown that QCT and QCTits nanoparticles have therapeutic potential against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Novel therapeutics also include the implication of extracellular vesicles (EVs) to protect from SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. This article highlighted the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Comparison of ribavirin degradation in the UV/H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> and UV/PDS systems: Reaction mechanism, operational parameter and toxicity evaluation</strong> - Residues in surface water of ribavirin, which used extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic, have become an emerging issue due to its adverse impact on the environment and human health. UV/H(2)O(2) and UV/peroxydisulfate (PDS) have different degradation effects on ribavirin, and the same operational parameter have different effects on the two processes. In this study, the reaction mechanism and degradation efficiency for ribavirin were studied to compare the differences under UV/H(2)O(2) and…</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>From Climate Exhortation to Climate Execution</strong> - The Inflation Reduction Act finally offers a chance for widespread change. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/from-climate-exhortation-to-climate-execution">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kirk Douglas, the Guitarist for the Roots, Revamps the Holiday Classics</strong> - A bona-fide guitar hero puts a fresh spin on some holiday classics. And the former United States Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith on reading poetry across the political divide. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/kirk-douglas-the-guitarist-for-the-roots-revamps-the-holiday-classics">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Water Wranglers of the West Are Struggling to Save the Colorado River</strong> - Farmers, bureaucrats, and water negotiators converged on Caesars Palace, in Las Vegas, to fight over the future of the drought-stricken Southwest. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-southwest/the-water-wranglers-of-the-west-are-struggling-to-save-the-colorado-river">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Devastating New History of the January 6th Insurrection</strong> - The House report describes both a catastrophe and a way forward. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/american-chronicles/the-devastating-new-history-of-the-january-sixth-insurrection">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Volodymyr Zelensky’s Critical Visit to Washington, D.C.</strong> - The Ukrainian President’s trajectory is often cast as surprising, but what makes him compelling as a political leader is the former comic’s talent for exposing the crux of the matter. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/volodymyr-zelenskys-critical-visit-to-washington-dc">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Big Tech’s Big Flops of 2022</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A drawing of a hand making a “stop” gesture toward a computer console." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p8ejFFgPWa4_rMh32FoX-NZHniU=/225x0:3425x2400/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71795708/GettyImages_131666106cc.0.jpg"/>
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Vox; Getty Images/CSA Images RF
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
We bid adieu to moonshots, Portals, and ad-free Netflix.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kv2HuO">
This was not a great year for Big Tech. In 2022, the economy slumped, stocks fell, inflation skyrocketed, and belts tightened. Silicon Valley was one of the hardest-hit places, partly because some of its companies had experienced such explosive and sustained growth for so long that it almost didn’t seem possible for that growth to stop or even slow down. And yet, <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/10/29/23429085/big-tech-boom-over-wall-street-stock-meta-amazon-google-alphabet-apple">here we are</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PCaFGv">
As quarterly earnings calls began to use ominous phrases like “<a href="https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/big-tech-stocks-stumble-as-economic-headwinds-weigh-on-earnings-72745440">economic headwinds</a>” and business models <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/21/22738940/snap-q3-2021-earnings-ios-ad-tracking">were</a> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-17/iphone-data-changes-are-biggest-cause-of-meta-meta-woes?sref=qYiz2hd0">upended</a>, tech companies realized it might be time to cut back on a few money-losing projects and initiatives. Some of them were <a href="https://x.company/moonshot/">big projects</a> that companies put a lot of resources into, hoping that a few might pay off, and, in Google’s words, “redefine humanity.” With those resources drying up, efforts that might never come close to seeing the light of day became obvious targets for cuts. Some of what got cut were much less ambitious products or services that just weren’t profitable and the worsening economy made the runway to get them there much shorter.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E8nlL1">
And then there’s Meta, which is continuing to invest a <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/12/19/23513429/meta-test-lifetime-metaverse-mark-zuckerberg-reality-labs-andrew-bosworth">tremendous amount of money</a> into the metaverse — something that may never pay off — because Mark Zuckerberg insists it’s the future of his company and also the internet. But even those funds now have to come from somewhere else in the company.
</p>
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While the end of certain things probably won’t do much for the future of our planet, the end of some of these humanity-redefining moonshots might be a bigger loss. Then again, none of them, with the possible exception of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/30/waymo-self-driving-experience-mostly-peaceful-and-productive.html">Waymo</a>, ever really panned out. At least one of them — <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/12/21513353/alphabet-google-x-lab-moonshot-computational-agriculture-mineral-revealed">an Alphabet project called Mineral</a> that wants to make food production more sustainable — is now being used by a berry grower to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-15/google-s-moonshot-lab-is-now-in-the-strawberry-counting-business">examine strawberries</a>, which seems like the kind of thing that will help the berry grower and Google more than the rest of us.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DHCadZ">
Here are a few of the ambitious gambles and more grounded projects that didn’t pay off in 2022:
</p>
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Meta had some big problems in 2022. The app privacy changes that Apple rolled out in 2021, which allowed users to opt out of being tracked across apps, cost the company billions. Meta relies on some of that data to target ads to you and to be able to tell businesses how those ads performed, thus enabling them to sell more ads for more money.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Meta’s Portal video calling device." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xHgrjedqV08WRI9a04Y9JQ1Xte8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24312001/GettyImages_1169036996.jpg"/> <cite>Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
In 2022, we will say good-bye to Meta’s Portal.
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V1cCBi">
Meta <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/11/10/23451038/silicon-valley-layoffs-meta-facebook-jobs-work-identity">laid off more than 11,000 employees</a> in November as its stock continued to plummet to historic lows. That reduction also meant saying goodbye to some of its non-metaverse hardware, a division that has <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/3/20753041/facebook-building-8-portal-device-hardware-report">never done much</a> for Meta anyway. RIP <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-parent-meta-winding-down-some-non-core-hardware-projects-2022-11-11">Portal</a>, the camera Facebook put in your kitchen. Also the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-09/meta-halts-development-of-apple-watch-rival-with-two-cameras?sref=qYiz2hd0">smartwatch</a> that never got a chance to see the world. Could Meta’s <a href="https://qz.com/why-meta-s-ray-ban-smart-glasses-haven-t-caught-on-a-ye-1849519087">smart sunglasses</a> be next? Also getting cut was the newsletter service <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22518571/facebook-substack-bulletin-newsletter-launch">Bulletin</a>, which never caught on like Substack did (Twitter <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-shut-down-newsletter-product-revue-next-year-2022-12-14/">cut its own newsletter</a>, Revue, although it’s not clear if the economy is to blame for that or whether Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, is). Meta’s experimental product arm is now <a href="https://www.platformer.news/p/facebook-shrinks-its-experimental">reportedly</a> shrinking to focus just on short videos (very TikTok!) and it recently <a href="https://www.lightreading.com/big-tech/meta-kills-facebook-connectivity/d/d-id/782257">shut down</a> its connectivity division, which developed or improved ways to access the internet.
</p>
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Google and its parent company, Alphabet, fared better than Meta in 2022. But things still weren’t great, and there are rumors that Google is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-employees-worried-about-layoffs-after-tense-all-hands-2022-12">due for some</a> layoffs soon, too. Its famed “moonshot factory,” X, has a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alphabets-google-x-killed-over-100-moonshot-projects-in-2015-2016-2">track record</a> of flops even in the best of times. One X project, Loon, which tried to use weather balloons to beam internet to remote areas and was shut down in 2021, was spun off into an independent company. Area 120, Google’s incubator where employees got to work on experimental ideas for the company, has been <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/09/google-cuts-half-of-its-experimental-area-120-division-projects/">scaled back</a>. The Pixelbook, Google’s attempt to make an expensive Chromebook, has been <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/15/23354745/google-pixelbook-chromebook-chrome-os-canceled">discontinued</a>. There are <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/report-google-doubles-down-on-pixel-hardware-cuts-google-assistant-support/">big cuts</a> in the Google Assistant team. And Stadia, Google’s cloud gaming service, will be <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/29/23378713/google-stadia-shutting-down-game-streaming-january-2023">shutting down</a> in January. Google also <a href="https://www.startribune.com/google-pulls-out-of-deal-to-build-600m-data-center-in-becker/600237773/">just pulled out</a> of building a long-planned data center (Meta has also <a href="https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/meta-facebook/meta-stops-planned-342-million-data-center-expansion-denmark">canceled work</a> on data centers).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YbCGnN">
Amazon has also facing some problems. Layoffs are <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/12/8/23498824/amazon-layoffs-voluntary-buyouts-rescinded-offers-reputation">looming</a>, and its stock price is <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/10/27/23427318/amazon-stock-down-earnings-q3-2022-recession">down</a> 50 percent in 2022 alone. The company <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/14/map-of-amazon-warehouse-closures.html">is</a> closing up or not going forward with plans to build several warehouse and delivery facilities. There are also product cutbacks, including the reported scaling back of <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/11/amazon-alexa-is-a-colossal-failure-on-pace-to-lose-10-billion-this-year/">Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa</a>, which costs a lot and doesn’t make much (much like Google Assistant). Glow, a video calling device for children, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-04/amazon-is-killing-the-glow-calling-device-for-kids?sref=qYiz2hd0">is done</a> just a year after its debut. Telehealth service Amazon Care <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/24/amazon-is-shutting-down-amazon-care-telehealth-service.html">will end</a> when 2022 does — though Amazon also <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/7/21/23273207/amazon-one-medical-merger-telehealth-antitrust">spent billions</a> to acquire another primary care and telehealth service, One Medical, this year. The Grand Challenge lab, Amazon’s moonshot-like arm, reportedly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-layoffs-10000-employees-grand-challenge-team-dramatic-changes-2022-11">shut down</a> three out of five of its projects in October. And Wickr, an end-to-end encrypted messaging app Amazon acquired <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/25/22550361/amazon-wickr-aws-secure-messaging-encryption">just last year</a>, will end its free version at the end of 2023, which will also see the end of cloud storage service <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/29/23283743/amazon-drive-cloud-storage-shutting-down-2023">Drive</a>.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A Google Stadia controller." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BGzVp6dWx4v4OQo_CnK3dEx6noI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24312010/GettyImages_1185152068.jpg"/> <cite>Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Imag</cite>
<figcaption>
A controller for Google’s cloud gaming platform, Stadia, which is closing up shop in a few weeks.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="taZsGG">
And then there’s Apple and Microsoft. They’ve been around longer and so have more experience with economic downturns, which might be why they’re both faring better than their rivals. Apple’s take on the VR headset is still <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-glasses/">reportedly</a> on the way in 2023, though the mysterious Apple Car has <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-06/apple-scales-back-self-driving-car-and-delays-launch-until-2026?sref=qYiz2hd0">apparently</a> been scaled back (it won’t be fully autonomous) and delayed another year. That might have more to do with the technology not being there than the economy. Apple is <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/12/22/23513061/apple-iphone-app-store-ads-privacy-antitrust">expanding</a> its ad offerings, though, which might be a way to bring in extra revenue at a time when people are cutting back, possibly including on their purchases of Apple devices. As for Microsoft, it had <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/18/microsoft-layoffs-latest-tech-firm-cuts">some layoffs</a> in 2022 and seems to be putting its efforts to move back into the consumer market <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/10/23299499/microsoft-layoffs-modern-life-win-back-consumers-team">on pause</a>. Its HoloLens VR headset also seems to be having <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/microsoft-mixed-reality-headsets-nauseate-soldiers-in-us-army-testing/">some</a> <a href="https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-reportedly-killed-plans-for-hololens-3-080308825.html">issues</a>. But the company has been through much worse times and had far more expensive flops over the years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i1lEMP">
There are also a few Big Tech-adjacent cuts. Snap, which was particularly hard hit by <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/9/28/23375164/advertising-slow-growth-economy-digital-facebook-apple-snap-peter-kafka-column">changes in the advertising industry</a>, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/snap-kills-pixie-selfie-drone/">discontinued</a> its short-lived selfie drone, Pixy, as its <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/30/23329301/snap-layoffs-20-percent-employees-snapchat">stock tanked</a> and it laid off thousands of employees. Snap is also getting <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/7/23496982/snapchat-ar-lens-purchases-creator-monetization-lensfest">more aggressive</a> about monetizing its AR arm. Kitty Hawk, a Larry Page-backed attempt to create flying cars, made an emergency landing into reality and <a href="https://www.engadget.com/kittyhawk-is-shutting-down-214542598.html">shut down</a>. Twitter was decimated, but we can safely blame that on <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23423341/elon-musk-buy-twitter-deal-social-media">other factors</a>.
</p>
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Some streaming platforms are struggling, too. Netflix, once one of the biggest success stories in the business, is <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23032705/netflix-subscriber-loss-streaming-wars">losing subscribers</a> and has had to <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/10/13/23402662/netflix-ads-7-subscribers-streaming-peter-kafka-column">introduce ads</a>, which was a longtime no-go for the company. Disney+ just <a href="https://www.theverge.com/23502068/disney-plus-basic-ads-price-worth-it-netflix">rolled out</a> its own lower-priced ad tier while bumping up the price of its ad-free offering. The Warner Media-Discovery merger led to some major changes and cuts. CNN+ was live for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/business/cnn-plus-shutting-down.html">less than a month</a>, while HBO Max shut down several projects that were in the works and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/08/19/1118344173/hbo-max-cuts-shows">removed</a> other shows from the platform entirely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D6Fr4y">
So, yeah, not a great year for Big Tech, Big Tech-adjacent companies, and cool experiments that needed many years and dollars to have a chance of success. The buzzwords that promised to be the future of the industry at the beginning of this year — <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22907072/web3-crypto-nft-bitcoin-metaverse">Web3</a>, the metaverse, crypto — have flamed out for now, if not forever. We’re only just seeing the potential of generative AI, an effort that’s led not by a tech giant but by a relatively new company called OpenAI. For all of its money-burning moonshot projects, Big Tech might have missed the boat on its own future. At least until the next big thing comes along.
</p></li>
<li><strong>The 15 most read Future Perfect stories of 2022</strong> -
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5EFM6e_6vgMI8tic_IVla7TdizY=/157x0:2824x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71795643/mostread.0.jpg"/>
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Amanda Northrop/Vox; Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
SBF and EA, animal welfare and economic growth, and why we’re running short of people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fcpzdt">
Roughly a year ago, I joined Future Perfect as its lead editor. The decision was a no-brainer for me. Where else could I be deeply involved in directing, editing, and occasionally writing stories about the most important yet undercovered topics in the world?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sbFLTS">
Looking back on my first year through our most read stories in 2022, I can say that our coverage definitely hit important subjects, but not always ones that were undercovered. That’s because this was the year that effective altruism — the philosophical and philanthropic movement that helped inspire this section — went from background to foreground.
</p>
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First, earlier this year, new waves of money and a new focus on longtermism made EA as close to a household name as anything with roots in esoteric reaches of utilitarian philosophy can be. And then the source of much of that money — FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried — saw his company collapse amid allegations of fraud that culminated in his arrest in the Bahamas earlier this month. (Disclosure: This August, Bankman-Fried’s philanthropic family foundation, Building a Stronger Future, awarded Vox’s Future Perfect a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/1/7/21020439/support-future-perfect">grant</a> for a 2023 reporting project. That project is now on pause.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FdwA9C">
But if EA itself was the single biggest story Future Perfect covered this year, it was far from the only one. From the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic to the mysteries of economic growth to the fate of billions of farm animals, our most read stories in 2022 hit every corner of Future Perfect’s interests.
</p>
<h3 id="D9aK6w">
<ol type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23462333/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-cryptocurrency-effective-altruism-crypto-bahamas-philanthropy">Sam Bankman-Fried tries to explain himself</a>” by Kelsey Piper
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QlQUNO">
This story from mid-November — a late-night interview conducted by Twitter DMs with perhaps the most newsworthy person of 2022 — wasn’t just the most read story on Future Perfect. It was the most read story of the year on Vox, period.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XEkH09">
Though Bankman-Fried would go on to conduct a wide-ranging and legally baffling media tour in the weeks that followed his company’s shocking implosion, he would never be as candid as he was to Kelsey, answering questions on what went wrong and what he was thinking. It’s hard to pick the most eyebrow-raising answer, but I’ll go with this one, in response to a question about the real motivations behind his pre-collapse campaign to beef up cryptocurrency regulations: “Fuck regulators. They make everything worse.”
</p>
<h3 id="M4KcaN">
<ol start="2" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23428166/college-enrollment-population-education-crash">The incredible shrinking future of college</a>” by Kevin Carey
</li></ol></h3>
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Supply and demand are the twin forces that rule our world. And for decades, the American higher education system benefited from both — a generally rising supply of college-age young people, and growing demand for the benefits of a college degree.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p4F7TL">
But as Kevin Carey of New America wrote in this November piece from Future Perfect’s edition of The Highlight, colleges are grappling with an existential turnaround in both supply and demand. Demographic shifts mean that the number of college-age Americans will continually dwindle, while the declining economic value of the average college degree is denting demand, especially among men. That means we’ll likely see college after college vanish in the years ahead, with grim implications for the small towns that depend on them.
</p>
<h3 id="2fzOM5">
<ol start="3" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22872159/omicron-exposure-testing-masking-quarantine-cdc">Omicron is exploding. Here’s what to do if you’ve been exposed</a>.” by Sigal Samuel
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vhXng0">
It says something about how long the Covid-19 pandemic has been with us that I was almost surprised to see this story from early January in our number three spot. But omicron, which only began spreading in the US a little more than a year ago, took the pandemic to an entirely new level. While vaccines still provided robust protection against hospitalization and death, especially for younger people, they were far less effective against infection — which made the tips Sigal highlighted in this story incredibly valuable.
</p>
<h3 id="V1cxJb">
<ol start="4" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23447596/artificial-intelligence-agi-openai-gpt3-existential-risk-human-extinction">AI experts are increasingly afraid of what they’re creating</a>” by Kelsey Piper
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bxBl9I">
When we look back on 2022 in 10 or 15 or 20 years’ time, we may decide that the most important topic of the year wasn’t inflation or the Ukraine war or, god forbid, Elon Musk buying Twitter, but rather the astounding developments that occurred this year in the field of artificial intelligence, as ChatGPT became the first AI language product to really hit the masses. That, of course, assumes we’ll still be around in 10 or 15 or 20 years’ time. In this piece from Future Perfect’s November Highlight edition, Kelsey explained why some of the people who best understand the bleeding edge of AI are also the people who are more worried about what their creation may do.
</p>
<h3 id="JhL7uB">
<ol start="5" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22824620/predicting-midterms-covid-roe-wade-oscars-2022">22 things we think will happen in 2022”</a> by Dylan Matthews, Kelsey Piper, and Sigal Samuel
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8BHSsl">
When the name of your section is Future Perfect, predictions about the future are hard to avoid. But we’ve made it an annual habit at the start of the year not just to put our divination in writing, but to append probabilities to those forecasts — and to check back in a year’s time to see how we’ve done. We think this epistemic honesty should be less unusual in our line of work. You can look later this week for our piece reviewing how those predictions turned out, but let me just say that I hope that Dylan — who was relatively sure Kenneth Branagh’s quickly forgotten film <em>Belfast</em> would win Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year — <a href="https://pitchfork.com/news/coda-wins-best-picture-at-2022-oscars/#:~:text=CODA%20has%20won%20Best%20Picture,in%20which%20it%20received%20nominations.">didn’t wager his salary at the office Oscar pool</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="tWoEIe">
<ol start="6" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/7/13/23188455/inflation-paul-volcker-shock-recession-1970s">How the Fed ended the last great American inflation — and how much it hurt</a>” by Dylan Matthews
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="krFxJt">
2022 will be remembered as the year that the long-vanquished demon of inflation came roaring back with a vengeance. In fact, it had been so long since rising prices were a major drag on the US economy that Dylan had to go back decades to find the last time the Federal Reserve had to take extreme measures to curb inflation. (How long ago? Then-Fed Chair Paul Volcker is depicted in the story’s main photo smoking a cigar while testifying to Congress.) There’s a lot to learn from this piece, but here’s my main takeaway: The policy cure to runaway inflation is only slightly better than the disease.
</p>
<h3 id="hpIs8m">
<ol start="7" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/6/1/23138463/how-the-world-became-rich-industrial-revolution-koyama-rubin">About 200 years ago, the world started getting rich. Why?</a>” by Dylan Matthews
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eAmXrH">
At Future Perfect, we like our stories to take a wide scope, but it’s not every piece that begins 300,000 years ago, as Homo sapiens<em> </em>began our long, slow crawl to the top of the planetary food chain. How we got here is, at root, the story of economic growth, and like a ponderous movie with a fantastic climax, it really only takes off in the last few pages. In an interview in June with the economists Jared Rubin and Mark Koyama, the authors of the excellent economic history <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-the-world-became-rich-the-historical-origins-of-economic-growth-jared-rubin/17484998?ean=9781509540228"><em>How the World Became Rich</em></a>, Dylan explored the story of what changed around 200 years ago, when, after millennia of little more than flat lines, economic growth skyrocketed. And in doing so, it did more than anything else to make the world we live in today.
</p>
<h3 id="oIa2hg">
<ol start="8" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23207301/costco-rotisserie-chicken-poultry-farming-inflation">Costco’s inflation-proof $4.99 rotisserie chicken, explained</a>” by Kenny Torrella
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="et73ok">
Call me an out-of-touch East Coast elite, but I’ve never actually had Costco’s famous $4.99 rotisserie chicken (though I did get a steady supply of Costco diapers and baby wipes delivered during my son’s infancy). Turns out it’s a whole thing — it even has its own Facebook fan page. But in a penetrating story in July, Kenny showed how Costco’s dirt-cheap chicken — purposely sold at a loss to get customers through the door — is a symbol of an industrialized food system that damages the environment, harms workers, and causes untold suffering to farm animals, all in the name of a low-cost dinner.
</p>
<h3 id="n0NoVP">
<ol start="9" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22891636/biden-free-mask-n95-respirator-covid-omicron">How you can get free N95 masks from the US government</a>” by Muizz Akhtar
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iZiXXP">
How intense was the fear around the omicron variant a year ago? Strong enough that a straightforward explainer from January about how to get the free N95 masks the Biden administration was providing easily made our top 15 for the year. Though 400 million masks were made available, as the omicron wave waned and vaccines held up against death, fewer and fewer of them were put to use. That may not be the case for much longer, though — earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/05/cdc-encourages-people-to-wear-masks-to-prevent-spread-of-covid-flu-rsv.html">once again encouraged</a> Americans to wear masks in crowded indoor areas, this time to protect themselves and others against the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/10/27/23421344/covid-19-flu-rsv-symptoms-vaccines-2022">tridemic of Covid, flu, and RSV</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="GxTFpZ">
<ol start="10" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23141405/violence-crime-cbt-therapy-cash-shootings">A study gave cash and therapy to men at risk of criminal behavior. 10 years later, the results are in.</a>” by Sigal Samuel
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mcXLdn">
Violent crime returned as a social scourge during the pandemic, though for some parts of the world, like the West African nation of Liberia, it never left. But while American politicians were debating gun laws and sentencing practices, the University of Chicago economist Chris Blattman was hard at work on another option: offering direct cash benefits and targeted therapy to men in Liberia who were most at risk of violent behavior. Research published by Blattman and his colleagues in May found that these twin interventions reduced the future risk of crime and violence, with effects still seen 10 years after the fact. Blattman is now at work importing those practices to Chicago, where <a href="https://graphics.suntimes.com/homicides/">more than 600 people were killed in 2022</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="EbsFiP">
<ol start="11" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/9/7/23332699/economic-growth-brad-delong-slouching-utopia">Humanity was stagnant for millennia — then something big changed 150 years ago</a>” by Dylan Matthews
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RftuTy">
How’s this for an opening line: “The 140 years from 1870 to 2010 of the long twentieth century were, I strongly believe, the most consequential years of all humanity’s centuries.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="So0aNA">
It comes from the brilliant book <a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/j-bradford-delong/slouching-towards-utopia/9780465019595/"><em>Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century</em></a> by historian Brad DeLong, whom Dylan interviewed for this piece in September. The conversation is full of fascinating historical nuggets, like the fact that the average number of years that a woman spent either pregnant or breastfeeding declined from 20 in 1870 to just four today. Collected together, they make a compelling case that the turbocharged economic growth that began in the late 19th century fundamentally changed human life for the better, though not without caveats. It’s a fact that we, living in the aftermath of DeLong’s long 20th century, too often fail to appreciate.
</p>
<h3 id="1GWbJQ">
<ol start="12" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/10/9/23393017/supreme-court-pork-pigs-prop-12-california-animal-welfare">The Supreme Court is about to decide the fate of millions of pigs</a>” by Kenny Torrella
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PysWeM">
It wasn’t the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/24/23181720/supreme-court-dobbs-jackson-womens-health-samuel-alito-roe-wade-abortion-marriage-contraception">most historic case</a> on the Supreme Court’s docket this past year, but few legal battles have ever affected this many living beings. As Kenny described in his piece from October, <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/21-468.html"><em>National Pork Producers Council v. Ross</em></a> “hinges on a simple question: Can California set its own standards for how pigs are treated on farms, even when they’re raised in other states?” Yet the legal questions that were argued before the Court went to the heart of what the meat industry should be permitted to do to the millions of pigs on its farms — and what individual states are allowed to do to change that often horrific system. We won’t know the Court’s ruling until next year, but we know its decision will resonate from farm all the way to table.
</p>
<h3 id="PQgCqf">
<ol start="13" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23402638/mental-health-psychiatrist-shortage-community-care-africa">Poor countries are developing a new paradigm of mental health care. America is taking note.</a>” by Sigal Samuel
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bjV4tA">
A default question behind both international news coverage and international philanthropy is this: What can rich nations do to help poor nations? But in this November story from Future Perfect’s edition of the Highlight, Sigal turns the question on its head.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M4fENl">
Like the US, many nations in the Global South are suffering through mental health crises, a problem compounded by the fact that they have far fewer mental health professionals per capita than rich nations. But, as Sigal shows, the future of sustainable mental health care could take the form of the kind of community-based approaches being pioneered in countries like Ghana, featuring a “therapy that teaches people the skills to devise their own solutions to the problems they face.”
</p>
<h3 id="7rkWEX">
<ol start="14" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/8/28/23322006/climate-change-heat-wave-phoenix-drought-housing-population">Americans keep moving to where the water isn’t</a>” by Bryan Walsh
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JPRjjv">
Hey, I know that guy! I was inspired to write this story in August by a simple question: Why, as the effects of climate change like heat waves and droughts became ever more apparent, do Americans keep moving to those parts of the country most vulnerable to warming?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NY4cHT">
Ten of the 15 US counties that saw the most population growth in 2021 were in the water-starved Southwest, while the 50 US counties with the least vulnerability to climate change lost more people than they gained. As it turns out, the desire for relatively cheap housing, a robust local economy, and as many weeks of sunshine as you can find outweighs climate fears for most Americans, in a perfect illustration of what economists would call “<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/revealed-preference.asp#:~:text=Key%20Takeaways-,Revealed%20preference%2C%20a%20theory%20offered%20by%20American%20economist%20Paul%20Anthony,assumption%20that%20consumers%20are%20rational.">revealed preferences</a>.”
</p>
<h3 id="e4hBM7">
<ol start="15" type="1">
<li>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/1/5/22867184/us-census-population-growth-slowdown-migration-birth-death">The great population growth slowdown</a>” by Bryan Walsh
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2Bcl5j">
This story from January was the first one I published on Future Perfect, and it just made the top 15. (Maybe I should have quit while I was ahead.) It was also the first of several I wrote this year about what I believe is one of the most important trends facing the US and the world: slowing population growth.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UUS79I">
As I noted, the US population grew by just 0.1 percent in the year between July 2020 and July 2021 — the lowest growth rate in the nation’s history. There are multiple explanations, but they boil down to this: fewer people having fewer babies, and, in the US at least, fewer immigrants arriving on our shores. Both trends <a href="https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/the-us-is-in-the-midst-of-a-mini-baby-boom#:~:text=Despite%20it%20all%2C%20a%20new,continuing%20well%20into%202022%20too.">have</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/05/us/immigration-census-population.html#:~:text=As%20of%20December%2C%20immigrants%20represented,from%20vessels%20at%20Ellis%20Island.">improved</a> a bit over the past year, which I’d argue is welcome news. Slow population growth is a recipe for economic sluggishness and cultural sclerosis. And if you’d like to know more, you can read the 4,568 words I <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23436211/overpopulation-population-8-billion-people">published on the subject in November</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jbMgRq">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TxEEpj">
</p></li>
<li><strong>The Trumpiest court in America</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A photo of James Ho." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0MhLGrVFHaxitnaYHaVd2dQqvqg=/303x0:5130x3620/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71795577/874614596.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
James C. Ho, judge for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, testifies during his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on November 15, 2017. | Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is where law goes to die.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HahgAp">
Trent Taylor says his cell, in a Texas psychiatric unit operated by the state’s prison system, was <a href="https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/05/03/he-spent-six-days-in-a-cell-covered-in-feces-the-supreme-court-says-he-can-sue-his-jailers">covered in human excrement</a>. Feces smeared the window and streaked the ceiling. Someone had painted a shit swastika on the wall, alongside a smiley face. According to <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9092851310003449866&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr">Taylor’s allegations in a federal lawsuit</a>, there was such a thick layer of dried human dung on the floor of the cell that it made a crunching sound as he walked naked across the cell.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MzAJtg">
Taylor alleged that he was kept in this cell for four days, where he neither ate nor drank due to fears that the excrement, which was even packed inside the cell’s water faucet, would contaminate anything he consumed. Then, on the fifth day, he was moved to a bare, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9092851310003449866&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr">frigid cell with no toilet, water fountain, or bed</a>. A clogged drain filled the new cell with choking ammonia films. With nowhere to relieve himself, Taylor held his urine for 24 hours before he could do so no longer. And then he had to sleep alone on the floor while covered in his own waste.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VWU3Yr">
The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-1261_g3bh.pdf">eventually ruled 7–1</a> that Taylor’s lawsuit against the corrections officers who forced him to live in these conditions could move forward, and that lawsuit settled last February. But the Supreme Court had to intervene after an even more conservative court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, attempted to shut down these claims against the prison guards.
</p>
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A unanimous panel of three Fifth Circuit judges held that it was unclear whether the Constitution prevents prisoners from being forced to remain in “<a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9092851310003449866&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr">extremely dirty cells for only six days”</a> — although, in what counts as an act of mercy in the Fifth Circuit, the panel did concede that “prisoners couldn’t be housed in cells teeming with human waste for months on end.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EIvv9n">
This decision, in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9092851310003449866&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr"><em>Taylor v. Stevens</em></a>, is hardly aberrant behavior by the Fifth Circuit, which oversees federal litigation arising out of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The Fifth Circuit’s <em>Taylor</em> decision stands out for its casual cruelty, but its disregard for law, precedent, logic, and basic human decency is ordinary behavior in this court.
</p>
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Dominated by partisans and ideologues — a dozen of the court’s 17 active judgeships are held by Republican appointees, half of whom are Trump judges — the Fifth Circuit is where law goes to die. And, because the Fifth Circuit oversees federal litigation arising out of Texas, whose federal trial courts have become a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/10/23296841/supreme-court-biden-judiciary-republicans-texas-judge-shopping-immigration-obamacare">pipeline for far-right legal decisions</a>, the Fifth Circuit’s judges frequently create havoc with national consequences.
</p>
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The Fifth Circuit has, in recent months, <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/10/20/23414311/cfpb-unconstitutional-fifth-circuit-supreme-court-trump-community-financial">declared an entire federal agency unconstitutional</a> and stripped another of its authority to enforce <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/5/19/23130569/jarkesy-fifth-circuit-sec">federal laws protecting investors from fraud</a>. It permitted Texas Republicans to effectively <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/9/19/23361050/supreme-court-texas-twitter-facebook-youtube-social-media-fifth-circuit-netchoice-paxton">seize control of content moderation</a> at social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Less than a year ago, the Fifth Circuit <a href="https://www.vox.com/22965738/supreme-court-navy-seals-vaccine-covid-joe-biden-commander-mandate">forced the Navy to deploy sailors</a> who defied an order to take the Covid vaccine, despite the Navy’s warning that a sick service member could sideline an entire vessel or force the military to conduct a dangerous mission to extract a Navy SEAL with Covid.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UitpOi">
As Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote when the Supreme Court restored the military’s command over its own personnel, the Fifth Circuit’s approach wrongly <a href="https://www.vox.com/22996799/supreme-court-biden-navy-seal-vaccine-austin-covid">inserted the courts “into the Navy’s chain of command</a>, overriding military commanders’ professional military judgments.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qty2Y9">
And this is just a small sample of the decisions the Fifth Circuit has handed down in 2022. Go back just a little further, and you’ll find things like a decision <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/4/2/23004674/black-lives-matter-first-amendment-cancel-culture-deray-mckesson-doe-protest-supreme-court">endangering the First Amendment right to protest</a>, or another that <a href="https://www.vox.com/23032702/supreme-court-remain-in-mexico-texas-biden-trump-immigration">seized control over much of the United States’ diplomatic relations</a> with the nation of Mexico. In 2019, seven Fifth Circuit judges joined an opinion that, had it been embraced by the Supreme Court, could have <a href="https://www.vox.com/22106497/supreme-court-collins-mnuchin-124-billion-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-unitary-executive-housing">triggered a global economic depression unlike any since the 1930s</a>.
</p>
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Its judges <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/12/18/20858157/fifth-circuit-obamacare-texas-united-states">embrace embarrassing legal theories</a>, and flirt with long discredited ideas — such as the since-overruled 1918 Supreme Court decision <a href="https://www.vox.com/22820378/trump-biden-supreme-court-judiciary-sabotage">declaring federal child labor laws unconstitutional</a>. They abuse litigants and even each other. During a 2011 oral argument, the Court’s then-chief judge, Edith Jones, <a href="https://archive.thinkprogress.org/during-court-hearing-conservative-fifth-circuit-chief-judge-shouts-down-progressive-colleague-ad84572dd825/">told one of her few left-leaning colleagues to “shut up.”</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TQEUD9">
And while the Fifth Circuit is so extreme that its decisions are <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/6/17/22538462/supreme-court-obamacare-california-texas-stephen-breyer-standing-individual-mandate-constitution">often</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/4/26/23042653/supreme-court-remain-in-mexico-trump-biden-texas-immigration-border-asylum">reversed</a> even by the Supreme Court’s current, very conservative majority, its devil-may-care approach to the law can throw much of the government into chaos, and even <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/8/24/22637775/supreme-court-texas-biden-remain-in-mexico-trump">destabilize our relations with foreign nations</a>, before a higher authority steps in. Worse, the Fifth Circuit’s antics could very well be a harbinger for what the entire federal judiciary will become if Republicans get to replace more justices.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fqn0Uc">
The median Fifth Circuit judge is very far to the right — more so than the Court’s current median justice, Brett Kavanaugh. But the typical Fifth Circuit judge would also be quite at home alongside a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/4/23/21228636/alito-racism-ramos-louisiana-unanimous-jury">Republican stalwart like Justice Samuel Alito</a>, or a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22431044/neil-gorsuch-nihilism-supreme-court-voting-rights-lgbt-housing-obamacare-constitution">more nihilistic justice like Neil Gorsuch</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="6cITKY">
How the Fifth Circuit became a far-right playground
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i71gJO">
Two generations ago, the Fifth Circuit was <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/fifth-circuit-four/">widely viewed as a heroic court</a> by proponents of civil rights, handing down aggressive decisions calling for public school integration and protecting voting rights — even in the face of opposition from other, prominent judges.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="minobm">
Very soon after <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/347/483/"><em>Brown v. Board of Education</em></a> (1954) determined that racially segregated public schools violate the Constitution, a panel of federal judges in South Carolina handed down an influential opinion, in <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/132/776/1454854/"><em>Briggs v. Elliott</em></a> (1955), that effectively strangled <em>Brown</em> in its cradle. <em>Brown</em>, the court claimed in <em>Briggs</em>, “has not decided that the states must mix persons of different races in the schools or must require them to attend schools or must deprive them of the right of choosing the schools they attend.” To comply with <em>Brown</em>, <em>Briggs</em> suggested, a state must merely offer Black children the choice to attend white schools — and if those children choose to remain in segregated classrooms, that’s not a constitutional problem.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="65QEAh">
As a practical matter, these “freedom to choose” plans led to very little integration, in no small part because African American families knew full well what the Ku Klux Klan might do to them if they volunteered to send their children to a historically white school. Ten years after <em>Briggs</em>, the Fifth Circuit noted in <a href="https://openjurist.org/372/f2d/836/united-states-v-jefferson-county-board-of-education"><em>United States v. Jefferson County Board of Education</em></a> (1967), the South Carolina school system at the heart of the <em>Briggs</em> case was “still totally segregated.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z40suq">
<em>Jefferson County </em>was authored by Judge John Minor Wisdom, arguably the greatest of the Fifth Circuit’s judges, whose name <a href="https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/john-minor-wisdom-us-court-appeals-building-new-orleans-la">adorns the court’s building in New Orleans today</a>. After watching <em>Briggs</em>’s approach fail Black children for 10 long years, Wisdom wrote a lengthy, statistics-laden opinion savaging <em>Briggs</em> and insisting that “the only school desegregation plan that meets constitutional standards is one that works.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AXVKu2">
“The <em>Brown</em> case is misread and misapplied when it is construed simply to confer upon Negro pupils the right to be considered for admission to a white school,” Wisdom wrote. “The Constitution is both color blind and color conscious,” he wrote, anticipating <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23403021/supreme-court-affirmative-action-race-ketanji-brown-jackson-colorblind-originalism">modern-day attacks on affirmative action</a>. It must be read “to prevent discrimination being perpetuated and to undo the effects of past discrimination.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V79hkI">
At the time, the Fifth Circuit’s jurisdiction extended over six Southern states, stretching from Texas to Florida (the court was split in half and three of these states were <a href="https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/about-the-court/circuit-history/circuit-history#:~:text=The%20Fifth%20Circuit%20Court%20of,Florida%20as%20the%20Eleventh%20Circuit.">reassigned to a new Eleventh Circuit by a 1980 law</a>), so the aggressive approach to desegregation laid out in Wisdom’s <em>Jefferson County </em>opinion bound many of the states where the need for public school integration was most urgent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qNj6Ez">
Beginning in the 1980s, however, Wisdom’s influence within his court began to fade. Republican President Ronald Reagan appointed a total of eight judges to the Fifth Circuit — one of whom was Edith Jones, a thirtysomething former general counsel to the Texas Republican Party. President George H.W. Bush added another four judges. The result was that, by 1991, Wisdom complained that his court’s approach to race in education was so harsh that it would <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=1111379487578235364&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr">even violate the separate-but-equal approach</a> announced in the Supreme Court’s infamous <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16038751515555215717&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6,47&amp;as_vis=1"><em>Plessy v. Ferguson</em></a><em> </em>(1896) decision.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j64tEH">
If any one decision captures the spirit of the post-Reagan, but pre-Trump Fifth Circuit, it’s that court’s decision in <a href="https://casetext.com/case/burdine-v-johnson-4"><em>Burdine v. Johnson</em></a> (2000). In that case, a man was convicted of murder and sentenced to die after his court-appointed lawyer slept through much of his trial. One witness recalled that the lawyer <a href="https://casetext.com/case/burdine-v-johnson">fell asleep as many as 10 times</a>. Another testified that the lawyer “was asleep for long periods of time during the questioning of witnesses.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mrhkbD">
And yet, a panel of Fifth Circuit judges that included Judge Jones initially voted to let this death sentence stand because it was unable to determine whether the lawyer “slept during the presentation of crucial, inculpatory evidence,” or merely through portions of the trial that the panel deemed unimportant. Eventually, the full Fifth Circuit reheard <em>Burdine</em> and held that the death row inmate at the heart of the case must be retried — but it did so <a href="https://casetext.com/case/burdine-v-johnson">over the dissents of five Fifth Circuit judges</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S8o2hw">
And the Fifth Circuit has only grown more conservative since these five judges determined that it was no big deal that a capital defendant’s lawyer couldn’t even remain awake throughout his trial.
</p>
<h3 id="IozrFB">
Trump’s appointees turned the Fifth Circuit into a farce
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MYkZH6">
When former President Donald Trump took office, the Fifth Circuit was already one of the most conservative courts in the country. It also had two vacancies due to a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/12/9/20962980/trump-supreme-court-federal-judges">boneheaded decision</a> by former Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to give Republican senators a veto power over anyone nominated to a federal judgeship in their home state — thus preventing President Barack Obama from filling these seats during his time in office.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QlX8SK">
To the first of these two seats, Trump appointed Don Willett, a libertarian provocateur known for speckling his opinions with the kind of platitudes that one might hear from a member of the John Birch Society, a member of the Tea Party, or a participant in the January 6 putsch. Sample quote: “<a href="http://www.txcourts.gov/media/1008502/120657c1.pdf">Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.</a>”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lZH0XB">
And then there was James Ho, the former law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas who labeled abortion a “<a href="http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/18/18-50484-CV0.pdf">moral tragedy</a>” in one of his first opinions as a judge. Ho’s very first opinion sought to implement a proposal he first announced in a 1997 op-ed to <a href="http://civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/policy/letters/2017/James-Ho-serious-concerns-letter-12.6.17.pdf">“abolish all restrictions on campaign finance</a>.” The opinion declared that “big money in politics” was a “necessary consequence” of “big government in our lives.” It also claimed that our current government “would be unrecognizable to our Founders” because the Affordable Care Act exists.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LYD7Dj">
Another Trump judge on the Fifth Circuit, Cory Wilson, published a series of columns in Mississippi newspapers that raise serious questions about his ability to apply the law impartially to Democrats and to LGBTQ Americans. Among other things, Wilson claimed that <a href="https://www.afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Wilson-Attachments-p202-203.pdf">“intellectually honest Democrat[s]” are “very rare indeed.”</a> He called President Obama a “<a href="https://www.afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Preserving-the-Republic.pdf">fit-throwing teenager</a>” because he opposed a Republican proposal to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/4/10/5601462/house-passes-paul-ryans-budget">slash Medicaid funding and repeal Medicare</a> and replace it with a voucher program. He wrote that “<a href="https://www.afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Wilson-Attachments-p200-201.pdf">gay marriage is a pander to liberal interest groups</a> and an attempt to cast Republicans as intolerant, uncaring and even bigoted.” And he also had a Twitter feed that often resembled Trump’s.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YNNUtVS-4_0vqXgVTyzMoIaFQ_A=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24276402/temp.png"/> <cite>Internet Archive Wayback Machine</cite>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xw6gWz">
Another Trump judge on the Fifth Circuit, Kyle Duncan, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/1/17/21067634/trump-judge-transgender-cruel-kyle-duncan-united-states-varner">spent much of his career as an anti-LGBTQ lawyer</a>. He may be best known for an opinion he authored as a judge, which <a href="http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/19/19-40016-CR0.pdf">refused a transgender litigant’s request</a> that Duncan use her proper pronouns.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rqGbAy">
Duncan also joined an opinion, authored by Trump-appointed Judge Kurt Engelhardt, which blocked a Biden administration rule requiring most workers to either get vaccinated against Covid-19 or take weekly Covid tests. The Supreme Court eventually struck this rule down under a legally dubious, judicially created legal doctrine <a href="https://www.vox.com/22883639/supreme-court-vaccines-osha-cms-biden-mandate-nfib-labor-missouri">called “major questions.”</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZSyLUh">
But Engelhardt’s opinion makes this Supreme Court look sensible and moderate. Although <a href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/oshact/completeoshact">federal law permits</a> the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue emergency rules to protect workers from “exposure to substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful,” Engelhardt made the <a href="https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/21/21-60845-CV0.pdf">extraordinary argument</a> that the novel coronavirus — which has <a href="https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/us">killed over a million Americans</a> — does not qualify as a “substance or agent” that is “physically harmful.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MTsWxl">
Nor did Engelhardt stop there. His most aggressive argument implies that the federal government’s power to regulate commerce does not extend to the workplace, which is the same argument the Supreme Court used in a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22820378/trump-biden-supreme-court-judiciary-sabotage">discredited 1918 decision striking down federal child labor laws</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="06639X">
Trump, in other words, took a court that was already a reactionary outlier among the federal courts of appeal, and filled it with judges from the fringes of the legal profession. And those judges gleefully sow chaos throughout the law.
</p>
<h3 id="Fz8T5Y">
Why the Fifth Circuit in particular can cause so much chaos
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="npmeRr">
One reason why the Fifth Circuit’s decline is so harmful to the nation as a whole is that it oversees federal litigation arising out of Texas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GwmE4O">
That’s one part of a perfect storm: Texas’s Republican attorney general and other conservative litigants frequently bring challenges to Biden administration policies in Texas’s federal trial courts. And because those courts often <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/10/23296841/supreme-court-biden-judiciary-republicans-texas-judge-shopping-immigration-obamacare">permit plaintiffs to choose which judge will hear their lawsuits</a>, these challenges frequently go before highly partisan judges who issue nationwide injunctions blocking that policy. And then those decisions, which frequently have <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/12/13/23505459/supreme-court-birth-control-contraception-constitution-matthew-kacsmaryk-deanda-becerra">glaring legal errors</a> that would be obvious to many first-year law students, go to the Fifth Circuit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="577TOK">
This practice has been a particular thorn in the side of the Department of Homeland Security, as Texas has repeatedly obtained orders from Trump judges <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/11/27/23464741/supreme-court-ice-drew-tipton-texas-united-states-immigration">blocking the Biden administration’s immigration policies</a>. One even forced the United States to <a href="https://www.vox.com/23032702/supreme-court-remain-in-mexico-texas-biden-trump-immigration">change its diplomatic posture regarding Mexico</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1aFozg">
One of the federal appeals’ courts most important roles is to keep a watchful eye over federal trial judges, and make sure they don’t issue disruptive, idiosyncratic decisions — or, at least, to make sure that those decisions don’t remain in effect for long. But the Fifth Circuit almost always operates like a rubber stamp for the Trumpiest judges, blessing even the most extreme decisions by trial judges who hope to sabotage Biden’s policies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ps4lWN">
Just as often, the Fifth Circuit hands down decisions that seem to come out of nowhere, embracing legal theories that few lawyers have ever even heard of before, and that threaten to shut down much of the federal government and disrupt the nation’s economy. Consider, for example, <a href="https://aboutblaw.com/5mY"><em>Community Financial Services v. CFPB</em></a> (2022), a decision by three Trump judges (Willett, Engelhardt, and Wilson), which declared the entire Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unconstitutional.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jpfVIa">
The Fifth Circuit’s opinion, by Wilson, claims that the agency is unlawful because of the unusual way that it is funded — rather than receiving an annual appropriation from Congress, the CFPB <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/10/20/23414311/cfpb-unconstitutional-fifth-circuit-supreme-court-trump-community-financial">receives a portion of the funds raised by the Federal Reserve</a>. Wilson claims that this funding structure “violates the Constitution’s structural separation of powers.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Uj7W59">
But he’s just plain wrong about that, and his legal reasoning was explicitly rejected by the Supreme Court more than eight decades ago. Wilson relied on a provision of the Constitution stating that “no money shall be drawn from the Treasury, <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/article-1/section-9/clause-7/appropriations-clause">but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law</a>.” But, as the Supreme Court held in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/301/308/"><em>Cincinnati Soap Co. v. United States</em></a><em> </em>(1937), this provision “means simply that no money can be paid out of the Treasury unless it has been appropriated by an act of Congress.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NoXWFG">
Because there is an Act of Congress creating the CFPB and its funding structure, the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/dodd-frank_title_x_-_bureau_of_consumer_financial_protection">Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010</a>, the CFPB is constitutional. Wilson’s opinion relies on a fantasy constitution that does not exist.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7CDgWA">
Three years before its CFPB decision, seven Fifth Circuit judges signed onto another opinion that would have destroyed another entire federal agency — and <a href="https://www.vox.com/22106497/supreme-court-collins-mnuchin-124-billion-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-unitary-executive-housing">potentially triggered a worldwide economic depression in the process</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pCbgLd">
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) was created in 2008 to deal with the mortgage crisis that triggered a historic recession, and that very well could have led to a second Great Depression if the FHFA had not acted. Over the course of the next several years, the FHFA presided over tens of billions of dollars worth of transactions intended to prop up the US mortgage system and <a href="https://www.vox.com/22106497/supreme-court-collins-mnuchin-124-billion-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-unitary-executive-housing">ensure that the American housing market did not collapse</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8G9rxJ">
About a dozen years after the FHFA was created, however, the Supreme Court determined that federal agencies may not be led by a single individual who <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/6/29/21307083/supreme-court-cfpb-seila-law-chief-justice-john-roberts-unitary-executive">cannot be fired at will by the president</a>. By law, the FHFA director enjoyed some protections against being fired, and there’s no question that this decision required her to be stripped of these protections.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jCcApd">
But in <em>Collins v. Mnuchin</em> (2019), seven Fifth Circuit judges joined an opinion by Judge Willett, which argued that this minor constitutional violation — a violation the Supreme Court didn’t even recognize until years after the FHFA was established — renders everything the FHFA has ever done invalid. When a plaintiff who is injured in any way by one of the FHFA’s actions files a federal lawsuit challenging that action, Willett claimed, the “<a href="https://casetext.com/case/collins-v-mnuchin-4">action must be set aside</a>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="alGhk8">
The immediate impact of Willett’s opinion, had it taken effect, would have been to force the FHFA to <a href="https://www.vox.com/22106497/supreme-court-collins-mnuchin-124-billion-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-unitary-executive-housing">unravel more than $124 billion worth of transactions</a> it undertook to rescue the US housing market — more than the <a href="https://www.vox.com/22106497/supreme-court-collins-mnuchin-124-billion-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-unitary-executive-housing">gross domestic product of the entire nation of Ecuador</a>. But Willett’s opinion would have gone even further than that, because it would have permitted suits invalidating literally anything the FHFA had ever done since its creation in 2008.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BfXNXj">
In any event, the <em>Collins</em> case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, where the justices <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/6/24/22547545/supreme-court-collins-yellen-124-billion-housing-unitary-executive-samuel-alito-neil-gorsuch">voted 8 to 1 to reject Willett’s approach</a>. Only Justice Neil Gorsuch thought that toying with an economic depression was a good idea.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="InvU4x">
But even when the Supreme Court does step in, eventually, to reverse the Fifth Circuit, it often drags its feet. When a notoriously partisan federal trial judge ordered the Biden administration to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/30/23189965/supreme-court-biden-texas-remain-in-mexico-john-roberts">reinstate much of Trump’s border policy</a>, and the Fifth Circuit rubber stamped that decision, the Supreme Court waited 11 months to intervene — leaving the lower court’s decisions imposing a defeated president’s policies on the nation in place the entire time. A <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/11/29/23484335/supreme-court-united-states-texas-ice-immigration-drew-tipton-trump">similar drama</a> played out over immigration enforcement.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KZ6zQn">
The result is that the Fifth Circuit, though it does not have the final say, often decides what US policy should be for months at a time. And that’s assuming that the Supreme Court actually reverses the Fifth Circuit — sometimes the Fifth Circuit’s most legally dubious decisions are <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/12/10/22827899/supreme-court-texas-abortion-law-sb8-decision-whole-womans-health">embraced by a Supreme Court dominated by Republican appointees</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="DwaynU">
If the Fifth Circuit behaves this badly when powerful litigants are before them, imagine what it is like for the powerless
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DVQBnD">
One of the few good things that can be said about the Fifth Circuit is that it does not have the last word about what the law says. When its judges strike down a federal law, or attempt to destroy an entire federal agency, or declare a national policy unconstitutional, the Supreme Court almost always steps up to hear that case. And the justices do frequently reverse the Fifth Circuit’s most outlandish decisions — even if they take their sweet time before they do so.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FkHUd0">
But the Supreme Court only hears a tiny percentage of the cases decided by federal appeals courts, and it almost never hears cases brought by extraordinarily vulnerable litigants like Trent Taylor. Indeed, it hears these cases so infrequently that, when the Court decided to intervene on Taylor’s behalf, Justice Samuel Alito wrote a <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-1261_g3bh.pdf">brief opinion</a> complaining that Taylor’s case “which turns entirely on an interpretation of the record in one particular case, is a quintessential example of the kind that we almost never review.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QSGI4v">
The Fifth Circuit hears a steady diet of ordinary immigration cases, which will often decide whether an individual immigrant can remain with their family in the United States or whether they must be deported to a nation they may barely know, or where they may fear for their physical safety. These cases are now heard by judges like Andrew Oldham, Trump’s sixth appointment to the Fifth Circuit, who spent much of his time <a href="https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/21/21-10806-CV1.pdf">both on</a> and <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/red-states-seek-to-enjoin-u-s-on-immigration/">off the bench</a> seeking to make federal immigration policies harsher to immigrants.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BafH89">
Similarly, the court hears a steady diet of employment discrimination cases. These cases are heard by judges like Edith Jones, who dissented in a 1989 case ruling in favor of Susan Waltman, a woman who experienced the kind of sexual harassment that would <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8950809936593328301&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=2&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr">make any normal person’s skin crawl</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="07raza">
During the summer of 1984, an IPCO employee told a truck driver that Waltman was a whore and that she would get hurt if she did not keep her mouth shut. Later, in the Fall of 1984, several other incidents occurred. A Brown and Root employee, who was working at the mill, grabbed Waltman’s arms while she was carrying a vial of hot liquid; another Brown and Root worker then stuck his tongue in her ear. In a separate incident, an IPCO employee told Waltman he would cut off her breast and shove it down her throat. The same employee later dangled Waltman over a stairwell, more than thirty feet from the floor. In November 1984, one employee pinched Waltman’s breasts. In another incident, a co-worker grabbed Waltman’s thigh.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CYTAIk">
Jones claimed that Waltman’s employer “did not have actual or constructive notice that Waltman was subjected to a pervasively abusive and hostile work environment,” but Waltman complained multiple times to her supervisors, met with senior managers about the harassment she faced, and announced her intention to resign after a shift meeting where her coworkers made comments that “<a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8950809936593328301&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=2&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr">women provoke sexual harassment by wearing tight jeans</a>” in front of her supervisor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5VHJP5">
And then, after determining that these conditions do not amount to actionable sexual harassment, Jones spent the next 33 years hearing other cases brought by workers alleging employment discrimination.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="am0ohA">
The Fifth Circuit has created a void in the law, where judges ignore horrific violations in between writing opinions claiming that entire federal agencies are unconstitutional. And, barring legislation adding additional seats to the court, things are unlikely to get better anytime soon. Currently, Republican appointees hold 12 of the 17 active judgeships on this benighted court — and nearly all of them are ideologically similar to Jones.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="stEDgv">
That said, there are <a href="https://www.vox.com/23186373/supreme-court-packing-roe-wade-voting-rights-jurisdiction-stripping">reforms that Congress or the Supreme Court could implement</a>, which would diminish both the Fifth Circuit’s power and the power of litigants to channel political lawsuits to highly ideological judges. Congress, for example, may strip the Fifth Circuit of its jurisdiction over certain cases, or require certain suits to be filed in a federal court that is not located in the Fifth Circuit. It could also add seats to the court, which would then be filled by President Biden.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NW2A4J">
A <a href="https://blog.harvardlawreview.org/an-old-solution-to-the-nationwide-injunction-problem/">less radical reform</a>, proposed by former Fifth Circuit Judge Gregg Costa, would prevent litigants like the Texas AG’s office from handpicking judges who are likely to rule in their favor — and whose decisions are equally likely to be affirmed by the Fifth Circuit. Costa proposed having all lawsuits seeking a nationwide injunction against a federal law or policy be heard by three-judge panels, rather than a single judge chosen by the plaintiff. These panels’ decisions would then appeal directly to the Supreme Court, bypassing the Fifth Circuit (although a single Fifth Circuit judge might sit on some of these panels).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O9088n">
Realistically, however, systemic reforms to the problem of judge-shopping — and to the problem of a lawless court of appeals — are unlikely to happen anytime soon. The House of Representatives will soon be controlled by Republicans, who are unlikely to support legislation that reduces the power of their partisan allies on the bench. And the Supreme Court has six justices appointed by Republican presidents.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bByMWS">
And so the Fifth Circuit will continue to hand down its decrees, confident that no one with the power to stop them is likely to do so.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uQtkVL">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8i23LB">
</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>Still I Rise, Sheer Rocks, Dominant and Prince Of Windsor impress</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>Tyrone Black shines</strong> -</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Invincible, Crown Consort, Princeless Gold, Zuri, Forest Flame and Double Scotch 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>Sankar Muthuswamy makes badminton top 100</strong> -</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Akhilesh Yadav, Jayant Chaudhary unlikely to attend Bharat Jodo Yatra in Uttar Pradesh</strong> - The BSP is still waiting for the Congress invitation for the Yatra and any call on participation in it will be taken by party president Mayawati</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>Hailstorm hits Assam; over 500 houses damaged</strong> - Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that due to a severe hailstorm, several houses under Moran and Tingkhong revenue circles have been reportedly damaged.</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>Major terror attack averted in Udhampur, 15-kg IED defused: J&amp;K cops</strong> - The IED was safely defused on Tuesday.</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>Taekwondo coach held for sexual harassment of minor students; Perambalur District Sports Officer booked for inaction</strong> - The 33-year-old coach was arrested by Perambalur All Women Police based on a complaint by Child Welfare Committee. The District Sports Officer ws booked under POCSO Act for failing to act on complaints from the girl students</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>President wants youth to build upon the foundations laid by forefathers</strong> - President inaugurated a photo exhibition on ‘Hyderabad Liberation Movement’ showcasing contributions of regional freedom fighters</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>Kosovo: Serbia puts troops on high alert over rising tensions</strong> - Sabre-rattling grows amid claims an attack is being planned on the territory’s ethnic Serb areas.</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>Russian sausage tycoon Pavel Antov dies in Indian hotel fall</strong> - Meat millionaire Pavel Antov, who recently denied criticising the war in Ukraine, had just turned 65.</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>Seven die in coach plunge horror in Spain</strong> - The body of a woman is found two days after a bus falls from a bridge into a river in the Galicia region.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Five ways conflict could go in 2023</strong> - As the conflict enters its second calendar year, experts predict what could happen on the ground.</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>Melanie C pulls out of Poland NYE gig in solidarity with ‘communities I support’</strong> - The singer says she has been made aware of issues “that do not align with the communities I support”.</p></li>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Let it snow: Scientists make metallic snowflakes out of nanoparticles</strong> - Different metals produce differently shaped crystals that self-assemble in liquid gallium - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1906711">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Apple’s business under growing threat from China’s Covid wave</strong> - Outbreak following reversal of zero-Covid curbs creates uncertainty for iPhone maker. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1906707">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“Please slow down”—The 7 biggest AI stories of 2022</strong> - Highlights from a year when generative AI went mainstream. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1905480">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Video games in 2022: Massive mergers and peculiar portables</strong> - 2022 also saw the death of Stadia and the birth of gaming labor unions. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1906214">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Experts debate the risks of made-to-order DNA</strong> - Advances may make it easier to build dangerous biological materials from scratch. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1906453">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>One day, Hitler went to a fortune teller.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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He asked her, “when will I die?”
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She replied “You will die on a day that is a Jewish holiday.”
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stunned, he asked “What? How come?”
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and she said “Any day that you die will be a Jewish holiday.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/TheCooKieKingdom"> /u/TheCooKieKingdom </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zw7q2n/one_day_hitler_went_to_a_fortune_teller/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zw7q2n/one_day_hitler_went_to_a_fortune_teller/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>To the man in the wheelchair that stole my camouflage jacket…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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You can hide but you can’t run!
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Trevor965"> /u/Trevor965 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zw1m0g/to_the_man_in_the_wheelchair_that_stole_my/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zw1m0g/to_the_man_in_the_wheelchair_that_stole_my/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Looked down and saw $80 on the sidewalk. Being the good Christian that I am, I thought, what would Jesus do?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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So I went to the liquor store and turned it into wine
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/BlueRaider731"> /u/BlueRaider731 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zvptvq/looked_down_and_saw_80_on_the_sidewalk_being_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zvptvq/looked_down_and_saw_80_on_the_sidewalk_being_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Putin thought that taking Kyiv was just a matter of painting letters on tanks.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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It was easier Z than done.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/kwan_e"> /u/kwan_e </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zwa5kp/putin_thought_that_taking_kyiv_was_just_a_matter/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zwa5kp/putin_thought_that_taking_kyiv_was_just_a_matter/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I’ve been stuck in Rome for the past 3 weeks</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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All their roads have this weird design flaw.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Ko_oK_24685"> /u/Ko_oK_24685 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zwbpqk/ive_been_stuck_in_rome_for_the_past_3_weeks/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/zwbpqk/ive_been_stuck_in_rome_for_the_past_3_weeks/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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