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<title>12 July, 2023</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>A novel method to accurately estimate pathway activity in single cells for clustering and differential analysis</strong> -
<div>
Inferring which and how biological pathways and gene sets are changing is a key question in many studies that utilize single-cell RNA sequencing. Typically, these questions are addressed by quantifying the enrichment of known gene sets in lists of genes derived from global analysis. Here we offer a new method to first infer pathway activity in each cell. This allows more sensitive differential analysis and utilizing pathway scores to cluster cells and compute UMAP or other similar projections. We apply our method on datasets of COVID-19 and glioblastoma, and demonstrate its utility. SiPSiC analysis is consistent with findings reported by previous analyses in many cases, but also reveals the differential expression of novel pathways, enabling us to suggest new mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of these diseases and demonstrating SiPSiC’s high accuracy and sensitivity in detecting biological function and traits. In addition, we demonstrate how it can be used to better classify cells based on activity of biological pathways instead of single genes and its ability to overcome patient specific artifacts.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.27.534310v2" target="_blank">A novel method to accurately estimate pathway activity in single cells for clustering and differential analysis</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Effects of aluminum-salt, CpG and emulsion adjuvants on the stability and immunogenicity of a virus-like particle displaying the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD)</strong> -
<div>
Second-generation COVID-19 vaccines with improved immunogenicity (e.g., breadth, duration) and availability (e.g., lower costs, refrigerator stable) are needed to enhance global coverage. In this work, we formulated a clinical-stage SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate (IVX-411) with widely available adjuvants. Specifically, we assessed the in vitro storage stability and in vivo mouse immunogenicity of IVX-411 formulated with aluminum-salt adjuvants (Alhydrogel, AH and Adjuphos, AP), without or with the TLR-9 agonist CpG-1018 (CpG), and compared these profiles to IVX-411 adjuvanted with an oil-in-water nano-emulsion (AddaVax, AV). Although IVX-411 bound both AH and AP, lower binding strength of antigen to AP was observed by Langmuir binding isotherms. Interestingly, AH- and AP-adsorbed IVX-411 had similar storage stability profiles as measured by antigen binding assays (competitive ELISAs), but the latter displayed higher pseudovirus neutralizing titers (pNT) in mice, at levels comparable to titers elicited by AV-adjuvanted IVX-411. CpG addition to alum (AP or AH) resulted in a marginal trend of improved pNTs in stressed samples only, yet did not impact the storage stability profiles of IVX-411. In contrast, previous work with AH-formulations of a monomeric RBD antigen showed greatly improved immunogenicity and decreased stability upon CpG addition to alum. At elevated temperatures (25, 37{degrees}C), IVX-411 formulated with AH or AP displayed decreased in vitro stability compared to AV-formulated IVX-411and this rank-ordering correlated with in vivo performance (mouse pNT values). This case study highlights the importance of optimizing antigen-adjuvant interactions to develop low cost, aluminum-salt adjuvanted recombinant subunit vaccine candidates.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.10.548406v1" target="_blank">Effects of aluminum-salt, CpG and emulsion adjuvants on the stability and immunogenicity of a virus-like particle displaying the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD)</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>An ACE2 decamer viral trap as a durable intervention solution for current and future SARS-CoV</strong> -
<div>
The capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to evolve poses challenges to conventional prevention and treatment options such as vaccination and monoclonal antibodies, as they rely on viral receptor binding domain (RBD) sequences from previous strains. Additionally, animal CoVs, especially those of the SARS family, are now appreciated as a constant pandemic threat. We present here a new antiviral approach featuring inhalation delivery of a recombinant viral trap composed of ten copies of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) fused to the IgM Fc. This ACE2 decamer viral trap is designed to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry function, regardless of viral RBD sequence variations as shown by its high neutralization potency against all known SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB.1 and XBB.1.5. In addition, it demonstrates potency against SARS-CoV-1, human NL63, as well as bat and pangolin CoVs. The multivalent trap is effective in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings since a single intranasal dosing confers protection in human ACE2 transgenic mice against viral challenges. Lastly, this molecule is stable at ambient temperature for more than twelve weeks and can sustain physical stress from aerosolization. These results demonstrate the potential of a decameric ACE2 viral trap as an inhalation solution for ACE2-dependent coronaviruses of current and future pandemic concerns.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.10.548424v1" target="_blank">An ACE2 decamer viral trap as a durable intervention solution for current and future SARS-CoV</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Studies on the selectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease reveal the importance of the P2’ proline of the viral polyprotein</strong> -
<div>
The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro) is an antiviral drug target that catalyzes the hydrolysis of the viral polyproteins pp1a/1ab, releasing the non-structural proteins (nsps) 1-3 that are essential for the coronavirus lifecycle. The LXGG{downarrow}X motif found in pp1a/1ab is crucial for recognition and cleavage by PLpro. We describe molecular dynamics, docking, and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations to investigate how oligopeptide substrates derived from the viral polyprotein bind to PLpro. The results reveal how the substrate sequence affects the efficiency of PLpro-catalyzed hydrolysis. In particular, a proline at the P2'; position promotes catalysis, as validated by residue substitutions and mass spectrometry-based analyses. Analysis of PLpro catalyzed hydrolysis of LXGG motif-containing oligopeptides derived from human proteins suggests that factors beyond the LXGG motif and the presence of a proline residue at P2' contribute to catalytic efficiency, possibly reflecting the promiscuity of PLpro. The results will help in identifying PLpro substrates and guiding inhibitor design.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.11.548309v1" target="_blank">Studies on the selectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease reveal the importance of the P2’ proline of the viral polyprotein</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 incidence and deaths: cross-national natural experiment in 32 European countries</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Purpose: Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been the cornerstone of COVID-19 pandemic control, but evidence on their effectiveness varies according to the methods and approaches taken to empirical analysis. We analysed the impact of NPIs on incident SARS-CoV-2 across 32 European countries (March-December 2020) using two NPI trackers: the Corona Virus Pandemic Policy Monitor (COV-PPM), and the Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT). Methods: NPIs were summarized through principal component analysis into three sets, stratified by two waves (C1-C3, weeks 5-25, and C4-C6, weeks 35-52). Longitudinal, multi-level mixed-effects negative binomial regression models were fitted to estimate incidence rate ratios for cases and deaths considering different time-lags and reverse causation (i.e. changing incidence causing NPIs), stratified by waves and geographical regions (Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern, Others). Results: During the first wave, restrictions on movement/mobility, public transport, public events, and public spaces (C1) and healthcare system improvements, border closures and restrictions to public institutions (C2) reduced SARS-CoV-2 incidence after 28 and 35-days. Mask policies (C3) reduced SARS-CoV-2 incidence (except after 35-days). During wave 1, C1 and C2 reduced deaths after 49-days and C3 after 21, 28 and 35-days. During wave 2, restrictions on movement/mobility, public transport and healthcare system improvements (C5) decreased SARS-CoV-2 cases and deaths across all countries. Conclusion: In the absence of pre-existing immunity, vaccines or treatment options, the impact of NPIs on SARS-CoV-2 incidence and deaths varied by regions and waves but was consistent across components of NPIs derived from two policy trackers (CoV-PPM and OxCGRT).
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.07.11.22277491v2" target="_blank">Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 incidence and deaths: cross-national natural experiment in 32 European countries</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Warmth and competence perceptions of key protagonists are associated with containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from 35 countries</strong> -
<div>
It is crucial to understand why people comply with measures to contain viruses and their effects during pandemics. We provide evidence from 35 countries (Ntotal = 12,553) from six continents during the COVID-19 pandemic (between 2021 and 2022) obtained via cross-sectional surveys that the social perception of key protagonists on two basic dimensions – warmth and competence – plays a crucial role in shaping pandemic-related behaviors. Firstly, when asked in an open question format, heads of state, physicians, and protest movements were universally identified as key protagonists across countries. Secondly, multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses revealed that warmth and competence perceptions of these and other protagonists differed significantly within and between countries. Thirdly, internal meta-analyses showed that warmth and competence perceptions of heads of state, physicians, and protest movements were associated with support and opposition intentions, containment and prevention behaviors, as well as vaccination uptake. Our results have important implications for designing effective interventions to motivate desirable health outcomes and coping with future health crises and other global challenges.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/8xgb5/" target="_blank">Warmth and competence perceptions of key protagonists are associated with containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from 35 countries</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A Novel Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning-based scoring system for evaluating re-purposing potential of Valproic Acid drug in COVID-19.</strong> -
<div>
Background Despite widespread vaccinations and the introduction of many repurposed medications, the rise of COVID-19 reinfection due to the SARS-CoV Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant has presented a significant challenge to health authorities across the world. There is a critical need for novel healthcare medications. Valproic acid (VPA) has been reported to be a beneficial drug due to its excellent property to hinder enveloped viral multiplication. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have been used extensively to predict the repurposing potential of a drug by examining its past couple of years’ activity. The strategies for drug repositioning that will play a substantial role in this approach can be widely categorized into AI approaches, network-based models, and structure-based approaches. Methodology We have implemented a multimodal pipeline that operates on computational and machine learning strategies, namely molecular docking, molecular data, chemical information, clinical data, and gene expression to analyze the drugs for their sensitivity against covid-19. Here, we implemented the COV-DrugX pipeline to comprehend the physicochemical properties of VPA interactions with viral protein (targets), identify a place in the gene expression profile, additionally its potential role in human network databases. Result and Conclusion Here, we have analyzed the ML pipeline developed by our research group (Rawal et al., 2021) to identify the COVID-associated drug repurposing properties through AI and learning prediction module and use the COV-DrugX pipeline, that predicts the repurposing properties between different existing COVID-19 drugs. Nsp13 was found to have the highest binding affinity (-5.6 kcal/mol) with VPA. By using different modules, we have found that VPA displays physicochemical, biological, and other characteristics similar to existent COVID-19 drugs.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/adb82/" target="_blank">A Novel Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning-based scoring system for evaluating re-purposing potential of Valproic Acid drug in COVID-19.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>OpenSAFELY: The impact of COVID-19 on azathioprine, leflunomide, and methotrexate monitoring, and factors associated with change in monitoring rate.</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented pressure on healthcare services. This study aimed to investigate if disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) safety monitoring was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted with the approval of NHS England, using the OpenSAFELY platform to access electronic health record data from 24.2 million patients registered at general practices using TPP9s SystmOne software. Patients were included for further analysis if prescribed azathioprine, leflunomide, or methotrexate between November 2019 and July 2022. Outcomes were assessed as monthly trends and variation between various sociodemographic and clinical groups for adherence with standard safety monitoring recommendations. Findings: An acute increase in the rate of missed monitoring occurred across the study population (+12.4 percentage points) when lockdown measures were implemented in March 2020. This increase was more pronounced for some patient groups (70-79 year-olds: +13.7 percentage points; females: +12.8 percentage points), regions (North West: +17.0 percentage points), medications (Leflunomide: +20.7 percentage points), and monitoring tests (Blood Pressure: +24.5 percentage points). Missed monitoring rates decreased substantially for all groups by July 2022. Substantial and consistent differences were observed in overall missed monitoring rates between several groups throughout the study. Interpretation: DMARD monitoring rates temporarily deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Deterioration coincided with the onset of lockdown measures, with monitoring rates recovering rapidly as lockdown measures were eased. Differences observed in monitoring rates between medications, tests, regions, and patient groups, highlight opportunities to tackle potential inequalities in the provision or uptake of monitoring services. Further research should aim to evaluate the causes of the differences identified between groups. Funding: None. Keywords COVID-19, electronic health records, general practice, primary health care, antirheumatic agents, methotrexate, azathioprine, leflunomide.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.23290826v3" target="_blank">OpenSAFELY: The impact of COVID-19 on azathioprine, leflunomide, and methotrexate monitoring, and factors associated with change in monitoring rate.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Characteristics and quality of studies pertaining to masks published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Importance: Because the MMWR has substantial influence on United States public health policy and is not externally peer-reviewed, it is critical to understand the scientific process within the journal. Mask policies during COVID is one topic that has been highly influenced by data published in the MMWR. Objective: To describe and evaluate the nature and methodology of the reports and appropriateness of conclusions in MMWR pertaining to masks. Design, Setting and Participants: Retrospective cross-sectional study of MMWR publications pertaining to masks from 1978 to 2023. Main outcome measures: Study date, design, disease focus, setting, population and location. Whether the study was able to assess mask effectiveness, if results were statistically significant, if masks were concluded to be effective, if randomized evidence and/or conflicting data was mentioned or cited, if causal statements were made about effectiveness, and, if so, whether they were appropriate. Results: 77 studies, all published after 2019, met our inclusion criteria. 75/77 (97.4%) studies were from the United States alone. All geographic regions and age groups were represented. The most common study design was observational without a comparator group 22/77 (28.6%). The most common setting was the community (35/77;45.5%). 0/77 were randomized studies. 23/77 (29.9%) assessed mask effectiveness, with 11/77 (14.3%) being statistically significant, but 58/77 (75.3%) stated masks were effective. Of these, 41/58 (70.7%) used causal language. Only one mannequin study used causal language appropriately (1.3%). 72/77 (93.5%) pertained to SARS-CoV-2 alone. None cited randomized data. 1/77 (1.3%) cited conflicting evidence. Conclusions and Relevance: MMWR publications pertaining to masks drew positive conclusions about mask effectiveness over 75% of the time despite only 30% testing masks and &lt;15% having statistically significant results. No studies were randomized, yet over half drew causal conclusions. The level of evidence generated was low and the conclusions drawn were most often unsupported by the data. Our findings raise concern about the reliability of the journal for informing health policy.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.07.23292338v1" target="_blank">Characteristics and quality of studies pertaining to masks published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COVID-19, Family Dynamics, and Perceived Mental Health Among Families in Singapore</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to the lives and well-being of families with underaged children. Although previous studies have documented COVID-related deterioration in well-being and identified protective and risk factors, the mechanisms under which the pandemic leads to worsened well-being remain unclear. In addition, from a policymaker’s perspective, it is important to differentiate between the effects of government-issued infection control measures (such as lockdown) and families’ voluntary responses when facing the coronavirus (such as self-quarantine) on well-being. Using Singapore as an example, we collected retrospective self-reports on the everyday activities, stressors, and well-being of parents and other caregivers at three timepoints: before local transmission (Pre-pandemic), after local transmission but before the “circuit breaker” (Pandemic), and during the “circuit breaker” (Lockdown). We estimated the effects of the pandemic itself and families’ voluntary responses to it by contrasting Pandemic against Pre-pandemic, and we estimated the additional effects of imposed lockdown measures by contrasting Lockdown against Pandemic. Results showed significant changes in jobs and income, childcare arrangement, family dynamics, and parents’ emotional well-being throughout the three timepoints. Both mothers and fathers reported to worry most about the health and safety of family members and self. Mothers’ time spent on housework partially mediated the effect of lockdown on their emotional well-being, and parents’ conflict with other adults in the household partially mediated the effects of both pandemic and lockdown on their emotional well-being. The effects of pandemic and lockdown were also moderated by parents’ age, education level, and fathers’ authoritarian values.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/b3cua/" target="_blank">COVID-19, Family Dynamics, and Perceived Mental Health Among Families in Singapore</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the perception of climate change in the UK</strong> -
<div>
Forthcoming in American Behavioral Scientist (ABS) The COVID-19 pandemic erupted during the climate change (CC) crisis, forcing individuals to adapt abruptly to a new scenario, and triggering changes in everyone’s lifestyles. Based on a representative sample of the UK population (N= 1013) this paper investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic invited/forced individuals to reflect upon a new sustainable way of life and to (re)consider the anthropogenic impact on the environment. The results show that age and education are negatively associated with skepticism relating to the human impact on CC, while other control variables such as income, gender and employment status, have a limited impact on this attitude toward CC. Secondly, findings indicate a clear separation between those with a minimal standard of education, who support the natural origin of CC, while individuals with a higher level of education believe that CC is caused by human actions. Finally, on average, younger and more educated individuals tend to associate the COVID-19 pandemic with an opportunity to promote an eco-friendly world and to adopt an eco-sustainable approach.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/46szu/" target="_blank">How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the perception of climate change in the UK</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Genomic Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Using Long-Range PCR Primers</strong> -
<div>
Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is crucial in the surveillance of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several primer schemes have been developed to sequence the ~30,000 nucleotide SARS-CoV-2 genome that use a multiplex PCR approach to amplify cDNA copies of the viral genomic RNA. Midnight primers and ARTIC V4.1 primers are the most popular primer schemes that can amplify segments of SARS-CoV-2 (400 bp and 1200 bp, respectively) tiled across the viral RNA genome. Mutations within primer binding sites and primer-primer interactions can result in amplicon dropouts and coverage bias, yielding low-quality genomes with 'Ns' inserted in the missing amplicon regions, causing inaccurate lineage assignments, and making it challenging to monitor lineage-specific mutations in Variants of Concern (VoCs). This study uses seven long-range PCR primers with an amplicon size of ~4500 bp to tile across the complete SARS-CoV-2 genome. One of these regions includes the full-length S-gene by using a set of flanking primers. Using a small set of long-range primers to sequence SARS-CoV-2 genomes reduces the possibility of amplicon dropout and coverage bias.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.10.548464v1" target="_blank">Genomic Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Using Long-Range PCR Primers</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Mora: abundance aware metagenomic read re-assignment for disentangling similar strains</strong> -
<div>
Taxonomic classification of reads obtained by metagenomic sequencing is often a first step for understanding a microbial community, but correctly assigning sequencing reads to the strain or sub-species level has remained a challenging computational problem. We introduce Mora, a MetagenOmic read Re-Assignment algorithm capable of assigning short and long metagenomic reads with high precision, even at the strain level. Mora is able to accurately re-assign reads by first estimating abundances through an expectation-maximization algorithm and then utilizing abundance information to re-assign query reads. The key idea behind Mora is to maximize read re-assignment qualities while simultaneously minimizing the difference from estimated abundance levels, allowing Mora to avoid over assigning reads to the same genomes. On simulated diverse reads, this allows Mora to achieve F1 scores comparable to other algorithms while having less runtime. However, Mora significantly outshines other algorithms on very similar reads. We show that the high penalty of over assigning reads to a common reference genome allows Mora to accurately infer correct strains for real data in the form of short E. coli reads and long Covid-19 reads.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.18.512733v3" target="_blank">Mora: abundance aware metagenomic read re-assignment for disentangling similar strains</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>High-resolution map of the Fc-functions mediated by COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies</strong> -
<div>
A growing body of evidence shows that Fc-dependent antibody effector functions play an important role in protection from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. To unravel the mechanisms that drive these responses, we analyzed the phagocytosis and complement deposition mediated by a panel of 482 human monoclonal antibodies (nAbs) neutralizing the original Wuhan virus, expressed as recombinant IgG1. Our study confirmed that nAbs no longer neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants can retain their Fc-functions. Surprisingly, we found that nAbs with the most potent Fc-function recognize the N-terminal domain, followed by those targeting Class 3 epitopes in the receptor binding domain. Interestingly, nAbs direct against the Class 1/2 epitopes in the receptor binding motif, which are the most potent in neutralizing the virus, were the weakest in Fc-functions. The divergent properties of the neutralizing and Fc-function mediating antibodies were confirmed by the use of different B cell germlines and by the observation that Fc-functions of polyclonal sera differ from the profile observed with nAbs, suggesting that not-neutralizing antibodies also contribute to Fc-functions. These data provide a high-resolution picture of the Fc-antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 and suggest that the Fc contribution should be considered for the design of improved vaccines, the selection of therapeutic antibodies and the evaluation of correlates of protection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.10.548360v1" target="_blank">High-resolution map of the Fc-functions mediated by COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Proteome profiling of nasopharynx reveals pathophysiological signature of COVID-19 disease severity</strong> -
<div>
An aberrant innate immune system caused by the beta coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is a characteristic manifestation of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we performed proteome profiling of nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs from 273 hospitalized patients with mild and severe COVID-19 symptoms, including non-survivors. We identified depletion in STAT1-mediated type I interferon response, retinol metabolism and NRF2 antioxidant system that are associated with disease severity in our patient demography. We found that the dysregulation of glucocorticoid signaling and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) contribute to the pathophysiology of COVID-19 fatality. Hyperactivation of host innate immune system was observed in severe patients, marked by elevated proteins involved in neutrophil degranulation and platelet aggregation. Our study using high-throughput proteomics on the nasopharynx of COVID-19 patients provides additional evidence on the SARS-CoV-2-induced pathophysiological signatures of disease severity and fatality.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.09.548285v1" target="_blank">Proteome profiling of nasopharynx reveals pathophysiological signature of COVID-19 disease severity</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Homologous Booster Study of COVID-19 Protein Subunit Recombinant Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: SARS-CoV-2 Subunit Recombinant Protein Vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   PT Bio Farma<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Role of Ivermectin and Colchicine in Treatment of COVID-19: Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Ivermectin Tablets;   Drug: Colchicine 0.5 MG;   Drug: Standared managment<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Ain Shams University<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Study to Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of A Recombinant Protein COVID-19 Vaccine as Booster Vaccines</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SCTV01E-2;   Biological: SCTV01E<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sinocelltech Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Counseling Intervention for Pharmacists</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Standard implementation webinar and online training;   Behavioral: Virtual facilitation<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill;   University of Arkansas;   University of South Carolina;   National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>LUSZ Treatment Efficacy in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Lopinavir / Ritonavir;   Drug: Remdesivir (RDV);   Drug: Tocilizumab;   Other: Corticosteroid Therapy-enhanced Standard Care (CTSC)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Lebanese University;   Hospital Saydet Zgharta University Medical Center<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Developing an Effective Intervention to Address Post-Corona-Virus-Disease-2019 Balance Disorders, Weakness and Muscle Fatigue in Individuals Aged 65+</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Device: Resistance Training<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Multimodal Long Covid19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Long COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Multimodal intervention in Long Covid19<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Universidad de Magallanes;   Teaching Assistance and Research Center of the University of Magallanes CADI-UMAG;   Clinical Hospital Dr. Lautaro Navarro Avaria<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Phase 1/2 Safety and Immunogenicity Trial of COVID-19 Vaccine COVIVAC (Phase 2)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: COVIVAC vaccine<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals, Vietnam;   National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), Vietnam;   Center for Disease Control of Thai Binh Province, Vietnam<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>Efficiency and Safety of Paxlovid for COVID-19 Patients With Severe Chronic Kidney Disease</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Renal Insufficiency, Chronic<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Chinese PLA General 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>Immunogenicity and Safety Study of SCB-2023 Vaccine as a Booster in Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SCB-2023 vaccine (trivalent), a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S-protein subunit vaccine for COVID-19; intramuscular injection;   Biological: SCB-2019 (monovalent), a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S-protein subunit vaccine for COVID-19; intramuscular injection<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Clover Biopharmaceuticals AUS Pty Ltd<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Safety and Immunogenicity Following a Heterologous Booster Dose of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine LYB002</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: LYB002V14;   Biological: LYB002V14A;   Biological: LYB002CA<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase 2/3 Heterologous Boosting Study With Different Dose Levels of Monovalent SARS-CoV-2 rS Vaccines</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: NVX-CoV2373 (5μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601 (5μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601(5μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601 (35μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601(35μg);   Biological: NVX-CoV2601(50μg);   Biological: Bivalent BA.4/5<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Novavax<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Immunogenicity and Safety Following a Heterologous Booster Dose of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine LYB001</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Vaccine Reaction<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: LYB001;   Biological: CoronaVac<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Efficacy of the Therapy With BRAINMAX® Using fMRI for the Treatment of Patients With Asthenia After COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Asthenia;   COVID-19;   Functional MRI;   Cognitive Impairment<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Structural and functional MRI;   Drug: Ethyl methyl hydroxypyridine succinate + Meldonium;   Drug: Placebo<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>Safety and Efficacy of Anakinra Treatment for Patients With Post Acute Covid Syndrome</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Placebo;   Drug: Anakinra 149 MG/ML Prefilled Syringe [Kineret]<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Hellenic Institute for the Study of Sepsis<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
</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>Structure-based discovery of thiosemicarbazones as SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors</strong> - Aim: Discovery of novel SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)) inhibitors using a structure-based drug discovery strategy. Materials &amp; methods: Virtual screening employing covalent and noncovalent docking was performed to discover M^(pro) inhibitors, which were subsequently evaluated in biochemical and cellular assays. Results: 91 virtual hits were selected for biochemical assays, and four were confirmed as reversible inhibitors of SARS CoV-2 M^(pro) with IC(50) values of 0.4-3 μM. They were also…</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 sulphonamide-tethered <em>N</em>-((triazol-4-yl)methyl)isatin derivatives as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the end of 2019 led to profound consequences on global health and economy. Till producing successful vaccination strategies, the healthcare sectors suffered from the lack of effective therapeutic agents that could control the spread of infection. Thus, academia and the pharmaceutical sector prioritise SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug discovery. Here, we exploited previous reports highlighting the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities of isatin-based molecules to develop novel…</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>Inhibition of phosphodiesterase 12 results in antiviral activity against several RNA viruses including SARS-CoV-2</strong> - The 2’,5’- oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) - ribonuclease L (RNAseL) - phosphodiesterase 12 (PDE12) pathway is an essential interferon-induced effector mechanism against RNA virus infection. Inhibition of PDE12 leads to selective amplification of RNAseL activity in infected cells. We aimed to investigate PDE12 as a potential pan-RNA virus antiviral drug target and develop PDE12 inhibitors that elicit antiviral activity against a range of viruses. A library of 18 000 small molecules was screened…</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>Mitochondria of lung venular capillaries mediate lung-liver crosstalk in pneumonia</strong> - Failure of the lung’s endothelial barrier underlies lung injury, which causes the high mortality Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Multiple organ failure predisposes to the mortality, but mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that mitochondrial Uncoupling Protein 2 (UCP2), a component of the mitochondrial inner membrane, plays a role in the barrier failure. Subsequent lung-liver crosstalk mediated by neutrophil activation causes liver congestion. We intranasally instilled…</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>Cereals as a Source of Bioactive Compounds with Anti-Hypertensive Activity and Their Intake in Times of COVID-19</strong> - Cereals have phytochemical compounds that can diminish the incidence of chronic diseases such as hypertension. The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) participates in the modulation of blood pressure and is the principal receptor of the virus SARS-CoV-2. The inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and the block receptors of angiotensin II regulate the expression of ACE2; thus, they could be useful in the treatment of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The inferior peptides from…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Recent advances in cholinergic mechanisms as reactions to toxicity, stress, and neuroimmune insults</strong> - This review presents recent studies of the chemical and molecular regulators of acetylcholine (ACh) signaling and the complexity of the small molecule and RNA regulators of those mechanisms that control cholinergic functioning in health and disease. The underlying structural, neurochemical, and transcriptomic concepts, including basic and translational research and clinical studies, shed new light on how these processes inter-change under acute states, age, sex, and COVID-19 infection; all of…</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 alpha-linolenic acid as a broad-spectrum antiviral against zika, dengue, herpes simplex, influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - Zika virus (ZIKV) has garnered global attention due to its association with severe congenital defects including microcephaly. However, there are no licensed vaccines or drugs against ZIKV infection. Pregnant women have the greatest need for treatment, making drug safety crucial. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a polyunsaturated ω-3 fatty acid, has been used as a health-care product and dietary supplement due to its potential medicinal properties. Here, we demonstrated that ALA inhibits ZIKV…</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>Mechanism of the Covalent Inhibition of Human Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 as an Original Antiviral Strategy</strong> - The Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 (TMPRSS2) is a human enzyme which is involved in the maturation and post-translation of different proteins. In addition to being overexpressed in cancer cells, TMPRSS2 plays a further fundamental role in favoring viral infections by allowing the fusion of the virus envelope with the cellular membrane, notably in SARS-CoV-2. In this contribution, we resort to multiscale molecular modeling to unravel the structural and dynamical features of TMPRSS2 and its…</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>Smoke and Spike: Benzo[a]pyrene Enhances SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Boosting NR4A2-Induced ACE2 and TMPRSS2 Expression</strong> - Cigarette smoke aggravates severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, they show that benzo[a]pyrene in cigarette smoke extract facilitates SARS-CoV-2 infection via upregulating angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2). Benzo[a]pyrene trans-activates the promoters of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 by upregulating nuclear receptor subfamily 4 A number 2 (NR4A2) and promoting its…</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>Garbage in, garbage out: how reliable training data improved a virtual screening approach against SARS-CoV-2 MPro</strong> - Introduction: The identification of chemical compounds that interfere with SARS-CoV-2 replication continues to be a priority in several academic and pharmaceutical laboratories. Computational tools and approaches have the power to integrate, process and analyze multiple data in a short time. However, these initiatives may yield unrealistic results if the applied models are not inferred from reliable data and the resulting predictions are not confirmed by experimental evidence. Methods: 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>Virtual high-throughput screening: Potential inhibitors targeting aminopeptidase N (CD13) and PIKfyve for SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus nearly 3 years ago, the world’s public health has been under constant threat. At the same time, people’s travel and social interaction have also been greatly affected. The study focused on the potential host targets of SARS-CoV-2, CD13, and PIKfyve, which may be involved in viral infection and the viral/cell membrane fusion stage of SARS-CoV-2 in humans. In this study, electronic virtual high-throughput screening for CD13 and PIKfyve was conducted…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Investigation of oxidative, inflammatory and apoptotic effects of favipiravir use alone and combined with vitamin C on brain tissue of elderly rats</strong> - Favipiravir is a nucleoside analogue antiviral drug and inhibits the replication of many RNA viruses, especially influenza viruses. Favipiravir has also been used to treat patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease. However, various side effects, including neurological side effects, have been reported related to the use of favipiravir. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the possible effects of favipiravir alone or in combination with vitamin C on aged rats’ brain tissue and…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong><em>In silico</em> identification of D449-0032 compound as a putative SARS-CoV-2 M<sup>pro</sup> inhibitor</strong> - The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic originated the urgency in developing therapeutic resources for the treatment of COVID-19. Despite the current availability of vaccines and some antivirals, the occurence of severe cases of the disease and the risk of the emergence of new virus variants still motivate research in this field. In this context, this study aimed at the computational prospection of likely inhibitors of the main protease (M^(pro)) of SARS-CoV-2 since inhibiting this enzyme leads to disruption of…</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>Synthesis of multivalent sialyllactose-conjugated PAMAM dendrimers: Binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and influenza hemagglutinin</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza viruses have spread around the world at an unprecedented rate. Despite multiple vaccines, new variants of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza have caused a remarkable level of pathogenesis. The development of effective antiviral drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 and influenza remains a high priority. Inhibiting viral cell surface attachment represents an early and efficient means to block virus infection. Sialyl glycoconjugates, on…</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>Nanobodies with cross-neutralizing activity provide prominent therapeutic efficacy in mild and severe COVID-19 rodent models</strong> - The weakened protective efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and antibodies caused by SARS-CoV-2 variants presents a global health emergency, which underscores the urgent need for universal therapeutic antibody intervention for clinical patients. Here, we screened three alpacas-derived nanobodies (Nbs) with neutralizing activity from twenty RBD-specific Nbs. The three Nbs were fused with the Fc domain of human IgG, namely aVHH-11-Fc, aVHH-13-Fc and aVHH-14-Fc, which could specifically bind RBD protein…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sotol and the Making of the Next Big Drink</strong> - The Mexican spirit has been called the next mezcal. But its newfound popularity has brought problems, too. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-southwest/sotol-and-the-making-of-the-next-big-drink">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What to Do with Climate Emotions</strong> - If the goal is to insure that the planet remains habitable, what is the right degree of panic, and how do you bear it? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/what-to-do-with-climate-emotions">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Wes Moore Would Like to Make History</strong> - Maryland’s first Black governor talks about his surprise win, what working in banking taught him about power, his grandmother’s advice, and the importance of service. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-interview/wes-moore-would-like-to-make-history">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Is It Hot Enough Yet for Politicians to Take Real Action?</strong> - The latest record temperatures are driving, again precisely as scientists have predicted, a cascading series of disasters around the world. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/is-it-hot-enough-yet-for-politicians-to-take-real-action">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Alternative Facts of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.</strong> - The Democratic Presidential candidate talks about his right-wing admirers, his distrust of scientists and the media, and his belief that the C.I.A. was involved in J.F.K.’s death. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-alternative-facts-of-robert-f-kennedy-jr">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>New York’s shark-infested waters are a good thing. Yes, really.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D0iIFeifapCExKfvhr3XTEVOycw=/0x0:3075x2306/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72445822/GettyImages_1213787081.0.jpeg"/>
<figcaption>
A sand tiger shark off the coast of North Carolina. | Gregory Sweeney/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Nature is healing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="84O2dD">
In most past summers, New York beaches were, at their worst, crowded, dirty, and loud. Now, however, beachgoers must contend with something slightly more unsettling: sharks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hKsdVJ">
Along the south shore of Long Island, on some of New York’s most popular beaches, shark attacks appear to be on the rise. Over the long July Fourth weekend, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/long-island-shark-drone-patrols-7b8be390a3272ea4e7bdfa6fa7d447ea">several people</a> reported being bitten, including <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/06/nyregion/shark-bites-safety-long-island.html">two 15-year-olds</a>. The bites were not fatal, and no one lost a limb.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LG9MSq">
These reports follow a <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/shark-bites-tied-for-10-year-low-in-2022-but-spiked-in-regional-hotspots/">record of eight confirmed shark bites</a> last summer, some of which may have been caused by sand tiger sharks. Prior to 2022, no year in at least the last three decades had more than two confirmed shark bites in New York, according to data shared with Vox from the University of Florida, which compiles statistics on shark attacks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PcwGp9">
Shark bites are, of course, frightening, but there’s actually a bit of good news behind the recent spate of attacks. A rise in bites typically points to a rise in sharks, and a rise in sharks indicates that the marine habitat is full of fish, i.e., shark food.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bqP3QN">
“Sharks are a sign of a healthy ecosystem,” said Chris Paparo, a shark expert at Stony Brook University in Long Island. “I look at that as a sign of successful conservation.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A drone flying over a crowded beach." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HQszeVo7luR-Rp-Z1BrC7lxsrrU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24782559/AP23187732126464.jpg"/> <cite>John Minchillo/AP</cite>
<figcaption>
A drone used to spot sharks returns from a flight at Jones Beach State Park in Long Island.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Two lifeguards on a personal watercraft in the ocean." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1kHw4O1jTX_uATQZj2KX4iVwn1I=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24782574/AP23187732838373.jpg"/> <cite>John Minchillo/AP</cite>
<figcaption>
Lifeguards patrol the water for sharks at Jones Beach in Long Island on July 6, 2023.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x3RPI7">
Globally, the abundance of sharks and rays has declined by <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03173-9">more than 70 percent</a> in the last 50 years, largely due to industrial fishing. Fishing vessels not only kill sharks directly — by harvesting them or catching them accidentally — but also by depleting their food supply.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ERQ5pb">
The US has tried to reverse this trend along the Eastern Seaboard. Over the last few decades, fisheries have adopted regulations designed to safeguard declining populations of sharks and their prey. New York, meanwhile, has cleaned up some of its rivers that flow into the ocean, reducing the amount of dirty water that reaches coastal seas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Yh8Llr">
At least some of these efforts appear to be working.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r6vvDn">
“Are there more sharks now than there were five or 10 years ago? Absolutely,” said Tobey Curtis, a fishery management specialist at NOAA Fisheries, a government organization that oversees fishing in the US. “We’ve been managing and conserving shark populations since 1993.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uM5tOR">
So there are more sharks by design, and scientists want this trend to continue. The challenge ahead is educating the public about <a href="https://www.vox.com/life">how to live</a> with them.
</p>
<h3 id="Hw8Eqn">
Sharks don’t want a taste of human flesh. They’re trying to catch fish.
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NY8DgT">
This may bring you some discomfort, but: The waters of coastal New York are very much shark habitat. In fact, the south shore of Long Island is a nursery for a variety of marine species including <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.643831/full">great white sharks</a>. This is where they grow up.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pkZ0O8">
Fortunately for us, these animals typically don’t want to eat people. The most common sharks in Long Island are dusky sharks, sandbar sharks, and sand tiger sharks (which are, confusingly, different than tiger sharks) and their diet is largely fish. Sand tiger sharks, for example, will go after schools of Atlantic menhaden (a.k.a. bunker), sleek sliver fish that have a distinct black dot behind their gills. Frightening as they may appear, the teeth of a sand tiger shark are not designed for ripping through human flesh.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5IjoOE">
Human bites are almost always accidental: A shark might confuse a person for marine life or simply snag them accidentally while trying to chomp down on some fish. Sharks hunt using organs on their face that sense electrical signals, relying only partially on smell and vision. Sometimes rowdy humans can mimic the signal emitted by schools of bunker, according to Gavin Naylor, a shark researcher at the University of Florida.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N5s1fWUg7VO4Rqk5bbwojYuCuGQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24782614/GettyImages_1289435359.jpg"/> <cite>Eliot Ferguson/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A blue shark (Prionace glauca) off the coast of Montauk in Long Island.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9Vitg9">
So that’s how bites can happen. The next question is: Why do they seem to be happening more often in New York?
</p>
<h3 id="QFufa2">
There are more sharks — and more shark food — in the water. Good.
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="s8InvY">
Sharks make headlines when they accidentally bite a single human. Severe human-caused declines of sharks draw far less attention.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1MWeTl">
Since the mid-20th century, fishing has utterly decimated populations of sharks. <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)01198-2">Nearly one-third</a> of shark species are threatened with extinction worldwide, and that number is much higher for those that live in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35091-x">coral reefs</a> and the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03173-9">open ocean</a>. Globally, the sand tiger shark — which has been linked to bites in New York — is <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3854/2876505">critically endangered</a>, meaning it’s at imminent risk of extinction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OU9ytD">
This is a problem for the oceans and for us. Like wolves that eat deer, sharks are apex predators that manage populations of prey, such as smaller fish and crustaceans. Those prey graze on seagrass and chow down on coral. If they aren’t being hunted by sharks, those ecosystems could suffer. “The loss of sharks has led to the decline in coral reefs, seagrass beds, and the loss of commercial fisheries,” according to the <a href="https://europe.oceana.org/importance-sharks-0/">nonprofit marine conservation organization Oceana</a>.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FvX9vnhMUODvPg3Pa6457gFCBnc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24782689/GettyImages_763164521.jpg"/> <cite>Ken Kiefer/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A sandbar shark near Jupiter, Florida.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OfetbR">
Yet at least along the East Coast, the populations of many sharks — which were once <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10947059_Collapse_and_Conservation_of_Shark_Populations_in_the_Northwest_Atlantic">freefalling</a> due to commercial fishing — are recovering.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5TxRlf">
In 1993, NOAA Fisheries introduced a regulation to protect sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, from Maine to Texas. Among its many provisions, the regulation restricted the kinds of gear fishermen can use and what species of sharks they can harvest. <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2216891120#fig01">One recent analysis</a> suggests that this management plan worked: All 11 species that the authors studied, from white sharks to great hammerheads, either increased or stabilized after 1993.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6WcIuf">
“Along the Atlantic coast, we’ve actually rebuilt or are in the process of rebuilding a lot of shark populations,” Curtis said, “including a lot of the sharks common off Long Island.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lzjysPcIIgLemqt4xMuGVWXRfEI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24782697/GettyImages_1098348216.jpg"/> <cite>Vicki Jauron/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A school of Atlantic menhaden fish near Long Beach, New York.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Oj3jv8">
It’s not only sharks that are recovering along the East Coast but some of the fish they eat, including bunker.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vPzYdY">
Bunker populations have followed a similar trend as sharks: In past decades they were in decline due to overfishing, but a number of regulations have revived their populations. In 2019, New York passed a bill that <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/S2317">restricts menhaden fishing</a> in state waters. The fish are also managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an organization that oversees fisheries along the eastern seaboard.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MAVJo1">
“Our Atlantic menhaden populations have been doing well over the last few years near shore,” Chris Scott, a marine biologist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), said at a press briefing last year. “This is bringing in predators such as striped bass, tuna, seals, dolphins, whales, and of course, sharks. It’s a really positive sign that we’re seeing these animals in our waters.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4525A4">
While bunker are more abundant today, it’s still not clear why they’re schooling so close to shore, scientists say. That’s ultimately what draws in the sharks. Rising ocean temperatures or cleaner water may affect their distribution, but “the exact cause is unknown,” a DEC spokesperson told Vox.
</p>
<h3 id="aT2ziO">
4 simple rules to follow to avoid a shark bite
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hAq1mP">
Even if you regularly swim at Long Island beaches, you are almost certainly not going to be bitten by a shark. As you might imagine, you are far more likely to die in a car accident than even see a shark in New York, let alone be injured by one. (Last year, 255 people died in traffic incidents, compared to just eight confirmed shark bites.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jwkNxJ">
“The disconnect that sometimes drives me nuts is that we do so many things in our daily lives that are so much more dangerous than going swimming in the ocean,” Paparo said, and yet so many people are terrified of sharks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WYpiCm">
If you want to further shrink the chance of a shark encounter, here’s what Paparo and other experts suggest:
</p>
<ol>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IHT0Rz">
Avoid swimming in areas where you see lots of fish or seals, or where people are actively fishing. Sharks might confuse you for prey.
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="44BEUx">
Don’t swim at dusk or dawn, or at night. That’s when sharks are most likely to be hunting.
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SD3TIY">
Try to avoid swimming in murky water. Sharks will have a harder time telling you apart from a fish. (They rely on their eyes to an extent.)
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U6HBMi">
Only swim when there’s a lifeguard on duty. Lifeguards are trained to spot marine animals and communicate the risk to swimmers.
</li>
</ol>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2VXNIj">
Most of all, remember that having sharks around is a rare victory for conservation and — as we learn to live with them — human communities. These animals help sustain the ecosystems that support us all.
</p></li>
<li><strong>What loving Barbie says about us</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Robbie is mid-clap during a dance number at a big party at the Barbie Dreamhouse, surrounded by other guests in party outfits." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2rafCE-V4rO5SsvZpd170K7Y2B8=/799x0:3610x2108/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72445673/rev_1_BARBIE_TP_0006_High_Res_JPEG.0.jpeg"/>
<figcaption>
Margot Robbie as Barbie in <em>Barbie</em>, a movie about Barbie | Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A Barbie aficionado and certified doll expert explains why life in plastic has suddenly become so fantastic.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nt0wHF">
This summer belongs to<em> </em>Barbie<em>. </em>Thanks to the Margot Robbie-led movie and the inescapable marketing surrounding it, Mattel’s 64-year-old doll has once again become America’s sweetheart. <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/barbie-posters-internets-new-favorite-meme-rcna78348">Everyone wants</a> a Barbie. Everyone wants to be a Barbie. And everyone wants to <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/06/barbie-oppenheimer-box-office-projection-1235427370/">go see <em>Barbie</em></a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xl551X">
It raises the question: When did life in plastic become so fantastic? And further: Is this love for Barbie something that’s always existed? Is it just brilliant marketing? Why <em>Barbie</em> and why now?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AUYeX2">
Barbie’s moment is one of those rare things that feels both like a fiery overnight phenomenon and a long-simmering success. To better understand Barbie culture, Barbie’s history, and what we mean when we talk about Barbie, I spoke to <a href="https://www.mariateresahart.com/">Maria Teresa Hart</a>, a Barbie expert and author of <em>Doll</em>, which she describes as a “non-fiction pop-culture feminist critique of dolls, doll history, and doll culture.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uSOINK">
Loving Barbie, she explains, isn’t as simple as it seems.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5Gk96Y">
<strong>I want to get your vibe on this movie. Are you excited for it?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UotPUU">
I am elated about this movie. Which might be a little bit of a surprise because in my book I do have criticisms. I’m sort of like a mother that wags her finger at a beloved child — in this case Barbie — being like, you could do better, you know? But I do love Barbie. My criticism is an act of love.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mYVaJd">
<strong>Does the fanfare surrounding the movie surprise you?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HDzDLv">
I mean, it’s this moment where you recognize that you’re not alone — there’s so many other people that are just desperate to get back into their toy box and want to relive their moments they had in their childhood bedroom. You know, walking Barbie up and down the plastic stairs and having her jump into the Corvette and drive off into the sunset.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qSk9TY">
There’s an entire wave of people that have grown up with this toy that feel this attachment and want to have this giddy moment. I see people planning their outfits or, what you saw last summer which you’re seeing again, which is the Barbie-core stuff coming — not just the clothes, but also the interiors, and really anywhere where you can have that moment of exuberant girliness.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1UoBy9">
When I’ve been on book tour, there are people that will come up to me and they’ll tell me their favorite Barbie. It’s almost like they’re telling you what their sign is astrologically. Like, when they say, “I was a Peaches ’n Cream Barbie,” “I was a Day-to-Night Barbie,” they’re giving you their personality. They’re giving you this, like, key piece of themselves. They still identify that way as an adult.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6SaGt3">
<strong>I want to stop you there. What kind of Barbie are you?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pJ0KzD">
I’m very much a <a href="https://barbie.fandom.com/wiki/Day-to-Night_Barbie_Doll">Day-to-Night Barbie</a>, I guess. I’m a working gal. But that doesn’t really suit my fantasy because I would prefer to be something a little more glamorous, more frivolous, you know?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dEyjBS">
<strong>Wait. Back up. What is the Day-to-Night Barbie? Is it just a Barbie that has a job and then goes out?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HZeCO5">
No, she’s actually better. She is a Barbie that wears a little pink suit, and the outfit is reversible. You know how a mullet is business in the front and party in the back? That was her. Her pink business suit — you would essentially reverse it. You take off the jacket and turn the suit skirt into this party skirt, and she’d be ready for a night on the town.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Rae, dressed in a pink jumpsuit and wearing a sash that says president, is raising one arm and appears mid-speech, while other women dressed in pink jumpsuits cheer from behind her in an all-pink room" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GDKMcm18IdJovdhBwd5t2LUF9QA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24781794/rev_1_BARBIE_TP_0004_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg"/> <cite>Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures</cite>
<figcaption>
Issa Rae (center) as a Barbie who is president in <em>Barbie.</em>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mwlz1A">
<strong>Does Day-to-Night Barbie like espresso martinis?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eSOibT">
I don’t think she did, but I’m pretty sure she came with a giant brick of a cellphone and a little plastic business briefcase. Funnily enough, she also had a kind of boater hat that had a ribbon around it, which is very strange. I don’t know what kind of business Barbie was supposed to be in, but apparently that’s what Mattel thought businesswomen were wearing to the office.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2ezkho">
<strong>Oooh. On that note — I wanted to ask you about criticism. I’m an old millennial, and I think when you see this excitement toward </strong><em><strong>Barbie</strong></em><strong>, it feels a little weird because, in my adult life, I think I’ve seen several different iterations of Barbie and Mattel criticized for being sexist.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j0qRCT">
<strong>Like I remember multiple stories about how Barbie’s proportions are actually </strong><a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/barbie-real-womaan-anatomically-impossible-article-1.1316533"><strong>anatomically impossible</strong></a><strong>.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n7SUIv">
In the ’70s, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/29/archives/feminists-protest-sexist-toys-in-fair.html">there was a protest</a> of the New York Toy Fair, where people were protesting, in part, against Barbie and how sexist she was. It’s like what you said, there’s historically been a wave of articles critiquing her body and calling out these unrealistic proportions and the expectations they put on young girls.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BzpzRU">
<strong>Those critiques weren’t necessarily wrong.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iWsBIG">
Not at all. Barbies in the early days really doubled down on both unrealistic beauty standards and on diet culture. One of them was <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/slumber-party-barbie-diet-book_n_2245556">Slumber Party Barbie</a>. I believe she came with a scale and had these little diet books with the “diet advice” in them that was like, “Don’t eat.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3yMHWm">
That was the advice!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T4LqXU">
<strong>Oh my god.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3TPE9V">
Right, it’s really damaging and damning stuff to put into a little girl’s head. The scales were set to a certain number, I think it was like 110 or something like that. The point is these toys were like an instruction manual, and you’re giving them to a little girl saying, “Do this.” And with these toys, you’re really starting them down this lifetime path of potential body dysmorphia and issues with weight. Barbie is definitely complicit in that historically, and I think we have to remember that Barbie, she has all these incredible careers now — but her very first career was teen model.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4G0oVL">
<strong>Everyone needs a first job! </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="86xLKX">
So like, the very early history of Barbie is that she was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barbie-history-bild-lilli-mattel-ruth-handler-german-comic-strip-2023-5">a cartoon in a saucy German tabloid</a>, called Bild Lilli. That character was very much for the male gaze. She was created for men. The original prototype was a novelty toy that was sold in gag gift shops for bachelors. She came with all of that baggage, but then her world, the world that she exists in, is where so much of what we consider patriarchal norms gets subverted. So this is very much a world where women are centered, their needs are centered, their aesthetics are centered. And it is about kind of entering this fantasy world where a lot of patriarchal norms are completely reversed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ufRSxh">
<strong>Right, like the Barbie paradox. She’s capable of everything in her world — even if that world hasn’t always been a “great” place. </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eKOgb0">
<strong>In your book, you mention that Barbie’s world is a utopia or a fantasy, and on the one hand, it’s great. But on the other hand, the woman who gets to experience that power fantasy has to be a beautiful, blonde, skinny woman.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eZlXxo">
I think Barbie represents the pinnacle of womanhood and an achievement of that — and so she’s always going to be a mixed bag. We can think about supermodels or you know, young A-list starlets that are walking the red carpet or what have you. They are existing within the patriarchy and they are reflecting some of those values the Barbie does too.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Young girls look up to a giant-sized Barbie in a striped swimsuit standing in the desert, in a still from the Barbie movie." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VubDGkvsH8rvubriXSatqWjFOmE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24781798/rev_1_BARBIE_TP_0001_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg"/> <cite>Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures</cite>
<figcaption>
This Barbie is the “pinnacle of womanhood.”
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ji8Tzn">
I do mention this in one of my chapters, but there are women who take that as 100% prescriptive and they think, “If I can achieve this ideal, then doors will open for me.” And so it becomes this goal that they’re trying to attain through plastic surgery, through extreme dieting, through whatever means in order to have access to the things that Barbie portrays. And it’s not necessarily wrong, because we know that we live in a society that is patriarchy-based and is shaped with those issues.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7qoY0J">
<strong>Obviously, I don’t think Slumber Party Barbie and her scale are making the cut in Greta Gerwig’s </strong><em><strong>Barbie</strong></em><strong> movie. I want to ask you where you think this all turned. Like everyone seems genuinely excited about this movie. How do we go from “Barbie is problematic” to now?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rX61e9">
I know for me, it turned out quite some time ago. I think I came to a place in kind of my own feminist journey where I was embracing a lot of the things that I had rejected.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gpd28f">
I think that there’s been this feminist adjustment that’s been happening for some time. I see my own femininity and hyper-femininity as things that shouldn’t be villainized, or things that should be considered like a tool of the patriarchy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T0PGXu">
They are genuine aspects of myself and my own joy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vdxfWv">
And you know … oh, here we go [sighs].
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lWDWkb">
<strong>Hahaha. Go on!</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sLUU2x">
Okay, so there was this <a href="https://www.vox.com/internet-culture">meme</a> years ago going around. It’s this classroom of young girls that were having their photo taken, and it might have been costume day because they were all dressed like princesses. And then there’s one little girl that was dressed as Darth Vader. And then the caption was something like, “Be the Darth Vader you wish to see in the world or something like that.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n1f8DZ">
It was like, let’s reject princess culture as being foolish and silly and like, and embrace the fact that, you know, this one little girl was being a rebel and was dressing up as Darth Vader. It was very cute!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HVCtey">
<strong>Was it “cute” though?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pw4yKo">
Hahaha! Right? At the same time, I was like, this feels like corporate feminism. It was like, “Hey, instead of being a girly girl, why don’t you be a person that owns an evil empire?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iKDdmp">
Like, that’s the message. Instead of dressing up in pink and a bunch of bows, what if you ran a completely horrible corporation? This current moment that we’re living in now, I think we’ve been looking back, saying we’re wrong about these things, and reevaluating.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ddQ4GR">
<strong>I think it’s also if you’re gonna go back to that meme, I think the whole binary of like, running an evil empire or being a princess, I think the Barbie line would now be like, “Why can’t I do both?”</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EFnq9c">
Be the princess that runs an empire!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tVJRcY">
<strong>The </strong><em><strong>Barbie</strong></em><strong> tagline would be “This Barbie runs an evil empire!”</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aCXHus">
Absolutely. It totally would. She would get her own poster!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RxIh7d">
<strong>It’s funny that we’re talking about death and destruction because </strong><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/greta-gerwig-barbie-vs-oppenheimer-margot-robbie-foot-1235531801/"><em><strong>Barbie</strong></em><strong> is going up against </strong><em><strong>Oppenheimer</strong></em><strong>,</strong></a><strong> which is probably the most guy-coded movie this summer — a movie about mass death and destruction. And the way the two </strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/movies"><strong>movies</strong></a><strong> have been positioned seem like diametric opposites.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yBcGUZ">
I love it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TLQvyF">
<em>Barbie</em> is the type of movie that I think gets overlooked. Like it’s not created to be Oscar bait. That’s very much an <em>Oppenheimer</em> thing — you know, vehicles that are this hyper-masculine, very tortured, and have a dark and sinister type of vibe to it. That appeals to Oscar voters.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DL7861">
And <em>Barbie</em> is one of those things where the more feminine something is, the more discredited it can be. <em>Barbie</em> feels like the underdog. So the movie and its press tour have been this message that “Hey femininity matters too and this is also worth your attention, your awards, and your rave reviews.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TMaTt6">
<strong>Thematically,</strong><em><strong> Barbie </strong></em><strong>vs.</strong><em><strong> Oppenheimer </strong></em><strong>also feels like opposing forces. </strong><em><strong>Barbie</strong></em><strong> seems to be about creation, imagination, and finding a new world, and </strong><em><strong>Oppenheimer</strong></em><strong> is about massive destruction.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iIW1Sg">
I still have my criticisms of Barbie. I know she exists in this gray space. But I think with <em>Barbie</em>, I hope it acknowledges she has this exuberance, this feminine joy that comes with her. I don’t want to diminish that by saying yes, okay, there can be improvements that are made, there are things that Barbie gets wrong, very wrong and historically extremely wrong.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ufGI2E">
But there’s also a freedom that comes with Barbie.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N8yqvL">
<strong>If Barbie can be anything, why not let her be everything? That’s sort of beautiful.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EhY0LG">
There’s freedom to be able to throw on the sequins and the marabou feathers. To saying here I am, and like feeling that Barbie’s world is something that’s made for this — to validate and to amplify this feminine energy.
</p></li>
<li><strong>The next wave of abortion rights ballot measures looks different from the last</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/P_LLwFgBbybqxw2X9p3RWzUqp_Y=/240x0:1680x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72445591/AbortionRights_Vox.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Joan Wong for Vox; Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How the tactics and arguments are changing ahead of 2024.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yQOIdU">
Last election cycle, <a href="https://www.vox.com/abortion">abortion</a> rights won in <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23451074/abortion-ballot-measure-midterms-kentucky-montana-michigan">all six states</a> with abortion ballot measures, including in red states like Kentucky and Montana that otherwise elected Republican lawmakers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="usNho5">
Now, this fall and in next year’s election, national liberal groups are planning to invest more heavily in ballot measure campaigns, seeing them as vehicles both to protect access to abortion care and to amplify their broader political message that abortion bans are out of step with voters.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cV1MKt">
Advocates in at least 10 states are considering ballot measure campaigns over the next two years to codify abortion rights. In some states — including<strong> </strong>Florida, South Dakota, Ohio, Arizona, and Missouri — the measures could help restore rights that have already been lost. In other states, such as Nevada, Maryland, Colorado, and New York, voters could enshrine existing state protections.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CDwkzG">
Anti-abortion activists, in turn, have vowed to spend millions more dollars to defeat them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7M7aAK">
The results last year were “a wake-up call that taught us we have a ton of work to do,” Kelsey Pritchard, the state public affairs director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/19/abortion-on-the-ballot-not-if-these-republican-lawmakers-can-help-it-00087688">told Politico in March</a>. “We’re going to be really engaged on these ballot measures that are often very radical and go far beyond what <em>Roe </em>ever did.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XAwYyD">
Some abortion rights activists do hope to codify protections beyond what <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/5/3/23055125/roe-v-wade-abortion-rights-supreme-court-dobbs-v-jackson"><em>Roe </em>v. <em>Wade</em></a><em> </em>guaranteed — sparking internal debates among reproductive rights advocates about tactical ballot measure language.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OJEWEt">
Most of these measures would be on the ballot in 2024. The exception is Ohio, where reproductive rights advocates are organizing <a href="https://ohioansforreproductivefreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/OhioansForReproductiveFreedom-TheRightToReproductiveFreedomWithProtectionsForHealthAndSafety-SummaryAndFullTextOfProposedAmendment_2023-0303.pdf">for a new constitutional amendment</a> to protect abortion rights during the upcoming election this<strong> </strong>November.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VBFJAX">
As campaigns to get abortion on the ballot begin, fights are also brewing about ballot measures themselves, which provide voters with opportunities to weigh in directly on state policy changes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="An8TdS">
In some states, citizens can collect petition signatures to get measures on the ballot; in others, lawmakers have to first approve the proposals. The recent success of abortion rights measures has catalyzed <a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/03/07/as-abortion-measures-loom-gop-raises-new-barriers-to-ballot-initiatives/">efforts by Republican lawmakers to restrict these<strong> </strong>voter initiatives</a>. As of late June, according to the <a href="https://ballot.org/attacks-threats/">Ballot Initiative Strategy Center</a>, a progressive group that supports state referendum campaigns, 14 states are considering a total of 50 pending measures that raise new hurdles for ballot measures.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wEEB2Q">
Republican lawmakers in Arkansas, for example, <a href="https://www.thv11.com/article/news/politics/measure-triples-signatures-needed-arkansas-ballot-measures/91-2300c21f-7481-4710-b06b-b6f1236bb4ad">recently passed new requirements</a> for ballot measures to have signatures of support from 50 counties, rather than just 15. (Three years ago, Arkansas <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_Issue_3,_Initiative_Process_and_Legislative_Referral_Requirements_Amendment_(2020)">voters had rejected</a> a similar requirement.) Republican lawmakers in other states are seeking to raise the number of votes needed for a ballot measure to pass.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ARq6kX">
GOP elected officials say they want to protect the integrity of the ballot initiative process, which they argue is too easily influenced by out-of-state interests.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fxqdtb">
But abortion rights advocates see a direct response to their past victories. In <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-kentucky-constitutional-amendment-2-no-right-to-abortion.html">Kentucky</a>, <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Kansas_No_State_Constitutional_Right_to_Abortion_and_Legislative_Power_to_Regulate_Abortion_Amendment_(August_2022)">Kansas</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-michigan-proposal-3-constitutional-right-to-reproductive-freedom.html">Michigan</a>, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-montana-legislative-referendum-131-born-alive-infants-regulation.html">Montana</a> in 2022, between 52 and 59 percent of voters cast their ballots in support of reproductive rights. If their referendum thresholds had been 60 percent, as some states now propose, all those initiatives would have failed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gPeW8B">
While Republicans mostly deny their proposed changes to ballot initiatives <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/open/2023/03/proposal-to-make-it-harder-to-amend-ohio-constitution-could-make-august-ballot-pre-empting-abortion-rights-amendment-in-november.html">are motivated by opposition to abortion rights</a>, some of their less guarded remarks and contradictory behavior have suggested otherwise.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ugmTit">
The fight over abortion rights and access to the ballot is playing out right now in Ohio. Advocates are organizing there <a href="https://ohioansforreproductivefreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/OhioansForReproductiveFreedom-TheRightToReproductiveFreedomWithProtectionsForHealthAndSafety-SummaryAndFullTextOfProposedAmendment_2023-0303.pdf">for a new constitutional amendment</a> to protect abortion rights, and last week filed more than 700,000 signatures to place it on the upcoming November ballot. They’ll need <a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/07/05/ohio-abortion-measure-backers-to-submit-signatures-to-make-nov-ballot/70356717007/">413,487 valid signatures</a> to qualify.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="48jvQ1">
It’s not yet clear how many votes the referendum will need to pass. State Republican lawmakers, who <a href="https://woub.org/2023/03/29/ohio-secretary-of-state-august-elections/">voted last year to repeal August special elections</a> as low-turnout wastes of money, recently authorized one anyway: This August, Ohio voters will determine whether to raise the vote threshold for passing future constitutional changes from a simple majority, as has been the case for 100 years, to 60 percent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l5vjhZ">
For months, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose <a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/06/05/ohio-sec-of-state-larose-admits-making-constitution-harder-to-amend-is-100-about-abortion/">denied</a> he had switched positions on August special elections because of abortion rights. In June, though, video footage reported by News 5 Cleveland and the Ohio Capital Journal<strong> </strong>showed LaRose admitting abortion was motivating his stance. “Some people say this is all about abortion. Well, you know what?” he was <a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/06/05/ohio-sec-of-state-larose-admits-making-constitution-harder-to-amend-is-100-about-abortion/">recorded saying</a>. “It’s 100 percent about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution — the left wants to jam it in there this coming November.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3HQAxR">
Ohio Republican<strong> </strong>state Senate President Matt Huffman separately <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/03/spoiling-abortion-rights-amendment-a-great-reason-to-have-august-special-election-ohio-senate-president-matt-huffman-says.html">went so far as to say</a> that holding a $20 million August special election would be worth it “if we save 30,000 lives as a result.” (There were <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/10/ohio-department-of-health-nearly-87-of-abortions-in-state-last-year-were-performed-in-first-trimester.html">21,813</a> abortions performed in Ohio in 2021.)
</p>
<h3 id="XMiIhr">
Anti-abortion groups are casting Ohio’s abortion rights amendment as about parents’ rights and youth transgender health care instead
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QxbQh5">
Ohio’s is the only abortion rights referendum battle expected this year, which means the messaging and campaign tactics for and against reproductive rights are being closely watched by leaders nationwide.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w0HMJL">
Since polling continues to suggest the proposed amendment for reproductive freedom has popular support — a poll last month found <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/e/2PACX-1vTmJm0hqJPaeo0TAlYWqiQIH8rmmDzJ46JdPqN02qi662u_nntNHoCR_cDCNibAROSMAJEo0gJVOYDx/pubhtml?gid=1434668642&amp;single=true">nearly 60 percent of Ohioans support</a> the idea — opponents have been working to change the subject to <a href="https://www.vox.com/health-care">health care</a> for <a href="https://www.vox.com/lgbtq">transgender youth</a>, something they hope voters will find more politically objectionable.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SKb1yL">
Ohio’s proposed amendment would affirm that “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion.” Opponents claim the language is so broad that it would create a new right to gender-affirming surgery, and therefore invalidate the state’s current requirement for parental consent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yPaqtA">
Opponents organizing under the banner of “Protect Women Ohio” have made the trans youth health care argument central to their strategy, spending <a href="https://protectwomenohio.com/2023/04/protect-women-ohio-launches-two-new-ads-to-defeat-extreme-anti-parent-amendment/">over $5 million on TV and digital advertising this past spring</a>. They are regularly referring to the measure as an <a href="https://protectwomenohio.com/2023/07/protect-women-ohio-releases-statement-on-aclus-submission-of-signatures-for-anti-parent-ballot-initiative/">“anti-parent”</a> amendment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N5xCD6">
Jonathan Entin, a constitutional law professor at Case Western University, <a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/04/12/fact-check-no-mention-of-transgender-parental-rights-in-abortion-amendment/">said it’s a “bogus” and “dishonest” interpretation</a> of the amendment, noting that many things can have bearing on one’s ability to reproduce. “If you drink too much alcohol, if you ingest certain drugs, if you drive too fast — all of those things could have shorter or longer term implications for your ability to reproduce,” Entin <a href="https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/politics/ohio-politics/fact-check-ohio-abortion-amendment-says-nothing-about-transgender-or-parental-rights-contrary-to-ads-claims">told News 5 Cleveland</a>. “That doesn’t mean that speed limits and drug laws and alcohol regulations are somehow going to be affected by this amendment if it’s adopted.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="De6z6Y">
Other experts say it <a href="https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/both-sides-disagree-on-parental-control-on-proposed-abortion-amendment/2BWAUVXJRBFVTFK6FVOIHB736E/">could only affect</a> parental consent laws if someone were to successfully challenge the rules as unconstitutional, though opponents allege that is the long-term goal of the ACLU. The civil liberties group <a href="https://www.aclu.org/documents/laws-restricting-teenagers-access-abortion">has long</a> <a href="https://www.aclu.org/documents/aclu-ad-illustrating-dangers-requiring-teens-tell-their-parents-obtaining-abortion">opposed</a> parental consent laws, and an ACLU Ohio lawyer in February said existing laws that conflict with a constitutional amendment <a href="https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2023-03-15/foes-of-planned-ohio-abortion-amendment-launch-effort-to-discourage-voters-from-signing-petitions">“should not be enforced.”</a> Andrew Everett, an ACLU spokesperson, told Vox they “currently have no plans to challenge parental consent laws in Ohio.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WvFGv7">
Coalition leaders pushing for the abortion rights amendment say the focus on transgender issues is a desperate attempt to distract from the unpopularity of abortion bans, and that <a href="https://www.brouse.com/when-can-minors-consent">Ohio case law generally requires parental consent</a> for youth medical care.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CiSB7n">
Nationwide, activists organizing for other abortion rights measures are preparing for similar opposition campaigns.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9oBFjZ">
In May, activists in Florida <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-group-launches-initiative-abortion-constitutional-amendment-2024/story?id=99192847">launched a new campaign</a> to place a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights on the ballot in 2024. To preempt some of the attacks being deployed in Ohio, activists kept their proposed wording more narrowly tailored to abortion, and explicitly say that their proposed amendment “does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6MA9Q7">
In Arizona, where <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2023/02/24/with-abortion-challenges-heating-up-arizona-advocates-turn-their-focus-to-2024/">activists are considering</a> launching a constitutional ballot campaign to protect abortion rights in 2024, leaders are strategizing on how to word their proposal in light of the kinds of attacks being fired elsewhere. “We expect all those tactics in Ohio and other states to be exported here,” said Susan Shapiro, the director of Indivisible Northern Arizona.
</p>
<h3 id="TohJkS">
Abortion rights leaders are debating whether to codify <em>Roe v. Wade </em>standards or push beyond them
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RZaXma">
The major ballot campaigns that have launched so far are mostly seeking to restore the rights that existed under <em>Roe </em>v. <em>Wade, </em>where women could end pregnancies up to 24 weeks, or the point at which a fetus could survive outside the womb — known as the “viability standard.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EejBD7">
<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/ss/ss7110a1.htm#T10_down">More than 90 percent of</a> US abortions occur within the first 13 weeks of a pregnancy, and those occurring later are typically due to a fetal complication, a life-threatening risk to the pregnant person, or an inability to pay. The ballot measures so far have generally sought to preserve exceptions for abortion beyond viability if a doctor recommends it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zU6qIv">
In Florida, for example, activists are collecting signatures <a href="https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/initiatives/initdetail.asp?account=83927&amp;seqnum=1">for an amendment</a> that would ban restrictions on abortion “before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” In Ohio, the <a href="https://ohioansforreproductivefreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/OhioansForReproductiveFreedom-TheRightToReproductiveFreedomWithProtectionsForHealthAndSafety-SummaryAndFullTextOfProposedAmendment_2023-0303.pdf">amendment says</a> “abortion may be prohibited after fetal viability” except in cases when “the pregnant patient’s treating physician” deems it necessary to protect their life or health.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aii4nn">
And in South Dakota, a state that has a long track record of winning progressive ballot measures, a group of activists who formerly led a winning campaign to expand Medicaid are now looking to <a href="https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/2024CARickWeilandabortionpetition.pdf">pass a referendum</a> that would ban restrictions on abortion during the first trimester, and allow regulation beyond that in consultation with the medical judgment of the pregnant patient’s physician. They are calling their campaign an effort to <a href="https://www.dakotans4health.com/codify-roe-v-wade">“restore <em>Roe</em>.”</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="miD7aR">
But some advocates say it’s not worth investing time, money, and energy into codifying the viability framework that existed under <em>Roe </em>v. <em>Wade, </em>given that the exceptions to abortion often proved too difficult for women to use in practice. Many activists see an opportunity to fight for stronger protection now that the overturn of <em>Roe </em>has wiped the slate clean, similar to what activists <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Vermont_Proposal_5,_Right_to_Personal_Reproductive_Autonomy_Amendment_(2022)">passed on the ballot in Vermont</a> last fall, which added language about reproductive autonomy to the state’s constitution, and made no mention of viability or restrictions at stages of pregnancy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Pq7Y7p">
These tensions are evident in Missouri, a state that bans <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-missouri-government-and-politics-7bb5798bae32c3f15abad3a10941dfb5">nearly all abortions</a>. Activists have filed 11 versions of a proposed initiative petition to codify abortion rights in the state’s constitution. All versions would permit restrictions after fetal viability, or 24 weeks of gestation. (Some also make clear the state can enact parental consent laws for minors; others make no mention of that.) The precise version advocates might rally behind is not yet clear, but back in March, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/04/divisions-threaten-abortion-rights-ballot-campaigns-00090021">withdrew its support</a> due to the proposals’ language around viability.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6KXcWr">
The Planned Parenthood affiliate <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/09/group-files-ballot-measures-adding-abortion-protections-to-missouri-constitution/#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20the%20memo%20panned%20the,and%20it%20did%20not%20work.%E2%80%9D">argued</a> in a memo that viability “is not a medical construct and has no relevance to clinical care. It is a political construct set under <em>Roe v. Wade</em>. We now know that the viability standard tried and failed to balance state and personal interests, and it did not work.” Pamela Merritt, the Missouri-based executive director of Medical Students for Choice, likewise <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/04/divisions-threaten-abortion-rights-ballot-campaigns-00090021#:~:text=Adopting%20a%20viability%20limit%2C%20however,and%20Medical%20Students%20for%20Choice.">told Politico</a> in April her group would never advocate for a viability limit. “It’s a legacy of <em>Roe</em> that we don’t need to resurrect,” she said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wjfS20">
Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, told Vox they believe people deserve abortion access “locally where they are,” but that “we can not forget that the <em>Roe </em>framework did leave so many people behind.” On whether they would support a constitutional ballot measure if one emerged from the 11 proposed, McNichols said the group will “continue to stay engaged and will reassess our engagement every step of the way.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pBcl1Y">
Supporters of using the viability standard say advocates need to be practical about politics. According to Pew, just 22 percent of adults say abortion should be legal <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/05/06/americans-views-on-whether-and-in-what-circumstances-abortion-should-be-legal/">after the fetus can survive outside the womb</a>, though most say there should be exceptions if the pregnant person’s life is in danger or the baby would be born with severe disabilities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QXcDPZ">
The ambivalence over these questions has led to muted support from national organizations for the ballot campaign in South Dakota — a red state with a real shot at overturning its abortion ban. A poll last year found <a href="https://www.sdnewswatch.org/stories/new-poll-majority-of-south-dakotans-oppose-total-ban-on-abortion-and-want-voters-not-lawmakers-to-make-the-rules/">65 percent of South Dakotans</a> thought their state’s restrictions on abortion were too strong, and that the question should be decided at the ballot box. In the last decade activists have won voter referendums on <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_Revision_of_State_Campaign_Finance_and_Lobbying_Laws,_Initiated_Measure_22_(2016)">campaign finance</a>, <a href="https://www.governing.com/archive/gov-south-dakota-payday-lending-ballot-measures.html">payday lending</a>, <a href="https://listen.sdpb.org/politics/2022-10-28/south-dakota-focus-initiated-measure-27">medical and recreational marijuana</a>, and most recently, <a href="https://www.vox.com/health-care/2022/9/30/23377495/medicaid-expansion-states-south-dakota-ballot-initiative">Medicaid expansion</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sVQosP">
Planned Parenthood North Central States, which represents Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota, has also not issued any public statements on the campaign, and did not return requests for comment.
</p>
<h3 id="pXXWHx">
Some pro-choice states are looking to ballot measures to strengthen abortion rights further
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bPJwsK">
Following on the heels of Michigan, Vermont, and California in 2022, more blue and purple states are considering ballot measures as ways to both<strong> </strong>protect existing abortion rights and expand them further.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QdMdgB">
Maryland lawmakers <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/30/maryland-abortion-vote-referendum/">have already voted</a> to put abortion rights on their 2024 general election ballot, in a constitutional amendment that affirms every person has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to decide to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy. A poll from last year <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/30/maryland-abortion-vote-referendum/">found 78 percent</a> of Maryland voters supported the idea of a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="raVagh">
New York lawmakers also plan to put before voters an amendment to the state’s equal protection amendment that would bar discrimination based on “pregnancy outcomes” or “gender expression.” While they could put it on the upcoming November ballot, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/24/lawmakers-to-codify-abortion-rights-in-state-constitution-sending-it-to-voters-00079246#:~:text=New%20York-,New%20York%20lawmakers%20ask%20voters%20to%20codify%20abortion%20rights%20in,as%20early%20as%20this%20November.&amp;text=ALBANY%2C%20N.Y.,-%E2%80%94%20The%20next%20decision">lawmakers are holding it until 2024</a> to boost its chances.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lJ5iXr">
Nevada is a third state that is likely to place an amendment on the ballot to protect abortion rights, though not until 2026. A majority vote is required by the Nevada legislature in two successive legislative sessions, and a proposed abortion rights measure received its first round of approval <a href="https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/lawmakers-pass-abortion-protections-putting-them-one-step-closer-to-nevada-constitution">this past spring</a>. The next time lawmakers could vote on it would be in 2025. An April Nevada Independent poll <a href="https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/poll-majority-of-nevadans-back-lottery-gun-control-abortion-protections-in-constitution">found 62 percent</a> of respondents said they’d support adding the right to obtain an abortion to the state’s constitution.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Hi6Hyv">
Whether Colorado activists will pursue an abortion rights ballot measure remains an open question, though leaders have been exploring the idea for the last nine months. “A decision has not been made about pursuing it,” Olivia Cappello, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told Vox. In 2020 Colorado voters <a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2020/10/26/colorado-initiative-would-further-limit-access-in-middle-americas-abortion-desert/">rejected a ballot initiative</a> that would have banned abortion after 22 weeks, and last year Colorado lawmakers enacted <a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/landmark-bill-affirming-abortion-rights-colorado-polis/">the Reproductive Health Equity Act</a>, a statutory right<strong> </strong>to abortion.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xFR0yW">
Meanwhile, anti-abortion activists in Colorado <a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2023/06/19/abortion-ban-ballot-initiative-colorado-ballot/">are eyeing the ballot box once again for their own ends</a>. Last month, the Colorado Life Initiative <a href="https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/filings/2023-2024/26Original.pdf">filed an amendment</a> for 2024 that would define a “living child” as “any living human being during any developmental stage.” The proposal adds that anyone who intentionally causes the death of a “living child” would be held to “equal penalties” as those for “causing the death of any other living child.”
</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>Duleep Trophy final, Day 1 | Bowlers help West Zone gain command over South Zone</strong> - Captain Hanuma Vihari offered a lone battle while making 63 off 130 balls for South; West Zone pacers Arzan Nagwaswalla, Chintan Gaja and Atit Sheth should be lauded for maintaining a tight leash</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>Imperial Gesture, Raisina Star, Touch Of Grey, Champions Way, Ruling Dynasty and Northern Lights catch the eye</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lord And Master and Champagne Smile show out</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>My wife thought I was probably joking, says Kumble on bowling with broken jaw</strong> - The former India captain said that even after breaking his jaw he felt it was his responsibility to get some wickets for the team</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>MCC recommends extra funding for Test cricket and women’s game, significant reduction in ODIs after 2027</strong> - They emphasised the need for additional funding to sustain the five-day format and requested ICC member boards to support and strengthen women’s cricket globally</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Three capitals case: Supreme Court adjourns hearing of SLP filed by A.P. govt. to December</strong> - The Andhra Pradesh government had challenged the impugned order of the High Court, which ruled that the State had no legislative competence to decide on the capital issue, and it should develop Amaravati as the capital in a time-bound manner</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>Hassan resident attempts to end life, dies in Bengaluru hospital</strong> - Vinay had circulated a video accusing his wife and her relatives as being responsible for his death</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>Man makes an attempt to abduct girl in vain</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>India’s retail inflation jumps to 4.81% in June due to surging food prices</strong> - The country’s industrial output picked up some pace in May to grow 5.2% compared to 4.46% in April</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Stalin inaugurates housing units in Vellore</strong> - The 400 sq.ft. housing units have a living room, bedroom, kitchen and attached washroom, each costing ₹10.91 lakh</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>G7 to announce long-term Ukraine security package at Nato summit</strong> - It comes after Nato refused to provide Kyiv with a timeline for joining the alliance.</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>French to get bonus to make do and mend clothes</strong> - In a bid to tackle fast fashion, consumers will get a discount worth up to €25 (£21) per repair.</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>Missing German man’s remains found in Thailand freezer</strong> - The Pattaya-based businessman’s dismembered body turned up after he had gone missing for a week.</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>Far-right Finnish leader Riikka Purra sorry in racist posts uproar</strong> - Riikka Purra admits making the comments in 2008, while the PM vows no tolerance of racism.</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>Wimbledon 2023: Elina Svitolina says war has made her stronger after reaching semis</strong> - Ukrainian Elina Svitolina says war in her homeland has made her mentally stronger after she reaches a surprise Wimbledon semi-final.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>NASA decides not to launch two already-built asteroid probes</strong> - The Janus asteroid probes will remain on Earth. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1953108">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>One Ukrainian soldier had six extensively drug-resistant bacterial infections</strong> - One soldier’s horrifying collection of superbugs highlights hidden war. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1953090">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s Amazon Prime Day—and here are links to everything awesome we could find</strong> - We’ll be adding deals throughout the day, so check back when you can! - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1949667">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>We get our first good look at Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka trailer</strong> - “War is inevitable. One must destroy in order to create.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1952878">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>No more NUC: Intel’s weirdly named mini PCs seem to be going away</strong> - Intel has exited several side-businesses as it tries to stop losing money. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1952999">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man answered an ad that read “Hiring welders $18-$24 per hour”..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When he arrived he was told he’d have to take a welding test.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He turned in 2 sets of welds. One was a great weld, the other was a mess.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When the boss asked him why he did this he replied “One is $18/hr, the other is $24/hr”.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/HelpingHandsUs"> /u/HelpingHandsUs </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14x7ayp/a_man_answered_an_ad_that_read_hiring_welders/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14x7ayp/a_man_answered_an_ad_that_read_hiring_welders/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I hate when people don’t know the difference between “you’re” and “your”..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
There stupid.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/kiefferray"> /u/kiefferray </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14xabk6/i_hate_when_people_dont_know_the_difference/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14xabk6/i_hate_when_people_dont_know_the_difference/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Famed pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read would board ships with their tits out to distract and intimidate enemy sailors.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It had no effect on their own crew because pirates only care about booty.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/2Scarhand"> /u/2Scarhand </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14xbus8/famed_pirates_anne_bonny_and_mary_read_would/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14xbus8/famed_pirates_anne_bonny_and_mary_read_would/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man went to the doctor.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A man went to the doctor.<br/> He said, “Doc, you gotta check my leg. Something’s wrong. Just put your ear up to my thigh, you’ll hear it!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doctor cautiously placed his ear to the man’s thigh only to hear, “Gimme 20 bucks, I really need 20 bucks.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I’ve never seen or heard anything like this before, how long has this been going on?” The doctor asked.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“That’s nothing Doc. put your ear to my knee.” The doctor put his ear to the man’s knee and heard it say “Man, I really need 10 bucks, just lend me 10 bucks!!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Sir, I really don’t know what to tell you. I’ve never seen anything like this.” The doctor was dumbfounded.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Wait Doc, that’s not it. There’s more, just put your ear up to my ankle,” the man urged him.<br/> The doctor did as the man said and was blown away to hear his ankle plead, “Please, I just need 5 bucks. Lend me 5 bucks please if you can.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I have no idea what to tell you,” the doctor said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“There’s nothing about it in my books,” he said as he frantically searched all his medical reference books.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I can make a well educated guess though. Based on life and all my previous experience I can tell you that your leg appears to be <strong>broke</strong> in three places.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/naturalizedcitizen"> /u/naturalizedcitizen </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14x6tet/a_man_went_to_the_doctor/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14x6tet/a_man_went_to_the_doctor/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A holocaust survivor goes to heaven</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A holocaust survivor dies of old age and goes to heaven. When he gets there he meets God and tells him a holocaust joke.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
God says, “That’s not funny.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
And the man says, “I guess you had to be there. “
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/biplane_curious"> /u/biplane_curious </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14x1n6u/a_holocaust_survivor_goes_to_heaven/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14x1n6u/a_holocaust_survivor_goes_to_heaven/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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