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<title>26 August, 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>Tensor decomposition reveals coordinated multicellular patterns of transcriptional variation that distinguish and stratify disease individuals</strong> -
<div>
Tissue- and organism-level biological processes often involve coordinated action of multiple distinct cell types. Current computational methods for the analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, however, are not designed to capture co-variation of cell states across samples, in part due to the low number of biological samples in most scRNA-seq datasets. Recent advances in sample multiplexing have enabled population-scale scRNA-seq measurements of tens to hundreds of samples. To take advantage of such datasets, here we introduce a computational approach called single-cell Interpretable Tensor Decomposition (scITD). This method extracts “multicellular gene expression patterns” that capture how sample-specific expression states of a cell type are correlated with the expression states of other cell types. Such multicellular patterns can reveal molecular mechanisms underlying coordinated changes of different cell types within the tissue, and can be used to stratify individuals in a clinically-relevant and reproducible manner. We first validated the performance of scITD using in vitro experimental data and simulations. We then applied scITD to scRNA-seq data on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 115 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 56 healthy controls. We recapitulated a well-established pan-cell-type signature of interferon-signaling that was associated with the presence of anti-dsDNA autoantibodies and a disease activity index. We further identified a novel multicellular pattern linked to nephritis, which was characterized by an expansion of activated memory B cells along with helper T cell activation. Our approach also sheds light on ligand-receptor interactions potentially mediating these multicellular patterns. As validation, we demonstrated that these expression patterns also stratified donors from a pediatric SLE dataset by the same phenotypic attributes. Lastly, we found the interferon multicellular pattern and others to be conserved in a COVID-19 dataset, pointing to the presence of both general and disease-specific patterns of inter-individual immune variation. Overall, scITD is a flexible method for exploring co-variation of cell states in multi-sample single-cell datasets, which can yield new insights into complex non-cell-autonomous dependencies that define and stratify disease.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.16.480703v2" target="_blank">Tensor decomposition reveals coordinated multicellular patterns of transcriptional variation that distinguish and stratify disease individuals</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Hydroxychloroquine: balancing the needs of LMICs during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
I want to thank the Editor for bringing attention to the effect of a potential shortage of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on existing patients with autoimmune diseases during the current COVID-19 crisis [1]. The drug has shown some promising results against SARS-CoV-2, although more testing needs to be done. However, hydroxychloroquine is also an effective medication for patients with autoimmune disorders like systemic lupus erythematosus [2].
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/4vubt/" target="_blank">Hydroxychloroquine: balancing the needs of LMICs during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Conspiracies will not pay you off</strong> -
<div>
Using a representative sample of 1682 Slovaks, the study investigated antecedents and negative consequences for personal finances of the endorsement of conspiracy theories. As a part of the first wave of a longitudinal study monitoring social and psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, participants responded to questions concerning their socio-demographic status, generic conspiracy mentality, COVID-related conspiracies, financial wellbeing, predictions about economic situation and willingness to change financial behaviour. The results show that people who experience more financial anxiety and consider their socio-economic status as lower endorse conspiracy theories more often. They are also more pessimistic about economic development in general and, unlike in models without conspiracy theories, less likely to make adaptive decisions that could alleviate precarious economic conditions they experience. By linking the endorsement of conspiracy theories with precarious economic conditions, the study offers a preliminary explanation of the uncontrollable spread of conspiracy theories in countries with high prevalence of economic insecurity such as Slovakia. The findings have far-reaching practical implications for developing tailored interventions protecting those most vulnerable from endorsing conspiracies and, consequently, from making decisions that would further perpetuate poverty and financial anxiety.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/snv7m/" target="_blank">Conspiracies will not pay you off</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>RCT-based Social Return on Investment (SROI) of a home exercise programme for people with early dementia comparing in-person and blended delivery before and during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Regular exercise and community engagement may slow the rate of function loss for people with dementia. However, the evidence is uncertain regarding the cost-effectiveness and social return on investment (SROI) of home exercise with community referral for people with dementia. This study aimed to compare the social value generated from the in-person PrAISED programme delivered before March 2020 with a blended PrAISED programme delivered after March 2020. Methods: SROI analysis was conducted alongside a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Of 205 patient participants and their carers who completed cost data, 61 completed an in-person programme before March 2020. Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, 144 patient participants completed a blended programme consisting of a combination of in-person visits, phone calls and video conferencing with multidisciplinary team (MDT) members. SROI analysis compared in-person and blended delivery formats. Five relevant and material outcomes were identified: three outcomes for patient participants (fear of falling, health-related quality of life, and social connection); one outcome for carer participants (carer strain index), and one outcome for the NHS (health service resource use). Data were collected at baseline and a 12-month follow-up. Results: The in-person PrAISED programme generated SROI ratios ranging from 0.58 Great Britain Pound (GBP) to 2.33 GBP for every 1 GBP invested. In-person PrAISED patient participants gained social value from improved health-related quality of life, social connection, and less fear of falling. In-person PrAISED carer participants acquired social value from less carer strain. The NHS gained benefit from less health care service resource use. However, the blended PrAISED programme generated lower SROI ratios ranging from a negative ratio to 0.08 GBP : 1 GBP. Conclusion: Compared with the blended programme, the PrAISED in-person programme generated higher SROI ratios for people with early dementia. During the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, a blended delivery of the programme and the curtailment of community activities resulted in lower SROI ratios during this period. An in-person PrAISED intervention with community referral is likely to provide better value for money than a blended one with limited community referral, despite the greater costs of the former.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.25.23294408v1" target="_blank">RCT-based Social Return on Investment (SROI) of a home exercise programme for people with early dementia comparing in-person and blended delivery before and during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Risk factors for SARS-Cov-2 infection at a United Kingdom electricity-generating company: a test-negative design case-control study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objectives Identify workplace risk factors for SARS-Cov-2 infection, using data collected by a United Kingdom electricity-generating company. Methods Using a test-negative design case-control study we estimated the odds ratios (OR) of infection by job category, site, test reason, sex, vaccination status, vulnerability, site outage, and site COVID-19 weekly risk rating, adjusting for age, test date and test type. Results From an original 80,077 COVID-19 tests, there were 70,646 included in the final analysis. Most exclusions were due to being visitor tests (5,030) or tests after an individual first tested positive (2,968). Women were less likely to test positive than men (OR=0.71; 95% confidence interval=0.58-0.86). Test reason was strongly associated with positivity and although not a cause of infection itself, due to differing test regimes by area it was a strong confounder for other variables. Compared to routine tests, tests due to symptoms were highest risk (94.99; 78.29-115.24), followed by close contacts (16.73; 13.80-20.29) and looser work contacts 2.66 (1.99-3.56). After adjustment, we found little difference in risk by job category, but some differences by site with three sites showing substantially lower risks, and one site showing higher risks in the final model. Conclusions Infection risk was not associated with job category. Vulnerable individuals were at slightly lower risk, tests during outages were higher risk, vaccination showed no evidence of an effect on testing positive, and site COVID-19 risk rating did not show an ordered trend in positivity rates.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.25.23294609v1" target="_blank">Risk factors for SARS-Cov-2 infection at a United Kingdom electricity-generating company: a test-negative design case-control study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Mucosal antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination and breakthrough infection</strong> -
<div>
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have saved millions of lives. However, variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have emerged causing large numbers of breakthrough infections. These developments necessitated the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses. It has been reported that mucosal antibody levels in the upper respiratory tract, especially for secretory IgA (sIgA), correlate with protection from infection with SARS-CoV-2. However, it is still unclear how high levels of mucosal antibodies can be induced. In this study, we measured serum IgG, saliva IgG and saliva sIgA responses in individuals who received COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccinations or who experienced breakthrough infections. We found that mRNA booster doses could induce robust serum and saliva IgG responses, especially in individuals who had not experienced infections before, but saliva sIgA responses were weak. In contrast, breakthrough infections in individuals who had received the primary mRNA vaccination series induced robust serum and saliva IgG as well as saliva sIgA responses. Individuals who had received a booster dose and then had a breakthrough infection showed low IgG induction in serum and saliva but still responded with robust saliva sIgA induction. These data suggest that upper respiratory tract exposure to antigen is an efficient way of inducing mucosal sIgA while exposure via intramuscular injection is not.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.24.554732v1" target="_blank">Mucosal antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination and breakthrough infection</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>An After-Action Review of COVID-19 Cases and Mitigation Measures at US Mission India, March 2020-July 2021</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction Between March 2020-June 2021, over 30 million COVID-19 cases were reported in India. We assessed the COVID-19 response across the US Mission India (US Embassy New Delhi, US Consulates – Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata) to plan future mitigation efforts and fill gaps in knowledge about COVID-19 transmission in a unique community like the US Mission. Method We described COVID-19 mitigation activities undertaken by the five US Mission India posts and conducted a secondary analysis of case investigation and contact tracing program data collected by the Health Unit from March 2020–July 2021. Results US Mission in India, in collaboration with multiple internal agencies, initiated COVID-19 mitigation activities in March 2020. Activities included educational sessions, training for infection prevention and control, health and safety assessments, and the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs). The Health Unit and US CDC India office initiated COVID-19 case investigations and conducted contact tracing. Between March 2020-July 2021, 636 COVID-19 cases (72% males), including 48 clusters (size range 2-10 cases), were reported. Overall case fatality rate was 1.5%. Of case patients, 82% (523) were Indians, and 18% (113) were Americans. On presentation, 22% (138/625) of cases were asymptomatic. The median time from symptom onset to notification to the Health Unit was three days (Interquartile range 1-5). The Health Unit identified 2,484 contacts (positivity rate 25%). Frequency of case presentation in the US Mission India closely resembled the pattern of COVID-19 waves in India. The attack rates ranged over the time period between 10-19%, the highest at 19% in Delhi. Conclusions COVID-19 mitigation strategies were implemented in collaboration with multiple agencies and helped prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and large COVID-19 clusters in the US Mission India.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.24.23294557v1" target="_blank">An After-Action Review of COVID-19 Cases and Mitigation Measures at US Mission India, March 2020-July 2021</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Host behaviour driven by awareness of infection risk amplifies the chance of superspreading events</strong> -
<div>
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We demonstrate that heterogeneity within host populations in the perceived risks associated with infection can amplify the chance that superspreading occurs during the crucial, early stages of an epidemic. Under our behavioural model, individuals who are less concerned about the risks of infection are more likely to be infected and to attend larger sized events. For directly communicable diseases, such as COVID-19, this leads to infections being introduced at rates above the population prevalence to events that are most conducive to superspreading, for fixed overall transmission levels. We develop a computational framework for evaluating within-event risks and derive a small-scale reproduction number to measure how introductions and transmission heterogeneities determine the number of infections resulting from an event of given duration. This generalises earlier frameworks and both quantifies and clarifies how event-scale dynamics depend on population-level characteristics. As event duration and size increase, our reproduction number converges to the widely used basic reproduction number, R0. We show that even moderate levels of heterogeneity in the perceived risks associated with infection can substantially increase the risk that disproportionately large numbers of infections are generated at larger events, as compared to assuming homogeneous perceptions of risk across the host population. Behavioural dynamics, which remain understudied in the context of epidemiological modelling, are essential to consider when assessing the risk posed by an invading pathogen in the early stages of an infectious disease epidemic.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.25.23294423v1" target="_blank">Host behaviour driven by awareness of infection risk amplifies the chance of superspreading events</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Protection conferred by COVID-19 vaccination, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, or hybrid immunity against Omicron-associated severe outcomes among community-dwelling adults</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction: We assessed protection conferred by COVID-19 vaccines and/or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection against Omicron-associated severe outcomes during successive sublineage-predominant periods. Methods: We used a test-negative design to estimate protection by vaccines and/or prior infection against hospitalization/death among community-dwelling, PCR-tested adults aged &gt;50 years in Ontario, Canada between January 2, 2022 and June 30, 2023. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the relative change in the odds of hospitalization/death with each vaccine dose (2-5) and/or prior PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (compared with unvaccinated, uninfected subjects) up to 15 months since the last vaccination or infection. Results: We included 18,526 cases with Omicron-associated severe outcomes and 90,778 test-negative controls. Vaccine protection was high during BA.1/BA.2 predominance, but was generally &lt;50% during periods of BA.4/BA.5 and BQ/XBB predominance without boosters. A third/fourth dose transiently increased protection during BA.4/BA.5 predominance (third-dose, 6-month: 68%, 95%CI 63%-72%; fourth-dose, 6-month: 80%, 95%CI 77%-83%), but was lower and waned quickly during BQ/XBB predominance (third-dose, 6-month: 59%, 95%CI 48%-67%; 12-month: 49%, 95%CI 41%-56%; fourth-dose, 6-month: 62%, 95%CI 56%-68%, 12-months: 51%, 95%CI 41%-56%). Hybrid immunity conferred nearly 90% protection throughout BA.1/BA.2 and BA.4/BA.5 predominance, but was reduced during BQ/XBB predominance (third-dose, 6-month: 60%, 95%CI 36%-75%; fourth-dose, 6-month: 63%, 95%CI 42%-76%). Protection was restored with a fifth dose (bivalent; 6-month: 91%, 95%CI 79%-96%). Prior infection alone did not confer lasting protection. Conclusion: Protection from COVID-19 vaccines and/or prior SARS-CoV-2 infections against severe outcomes is reduced when immune-evasive variants/subvariants emerge and may also wane over time. Our findings support a variant-adapted booster vaccination strategy with periodic review.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.24.23294503v1" target="_blank">Protection conferred by COVID-19 vaccination, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, or hybrid immunity against Omicron-associated severe outcomes among community-dwelling adults</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Should Health Communication During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Emphasize Self- or Other-Focused Impacts of Mitigation Behaviors? Insights from Two Message Matching Studies</strong> -
<div>
Mask-wearing, social distancing, and vaccination remain effective ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Yet, many hesitate to enact some or all these preventive behaviors. We created three persuasive messages—framed to promote benefits to either 1) oneself, 2) close-others, or 3) distant-others—to determine whether the effectiveness of these messages varied based on personality differences (specifically independent/interdependent self-construal and chronic construal level). In two online experiments (N = 862), we measured individual differences and showed participants one of the three messages. Consistent interactions between interdependent self-construal and message conditions showed that those high in interdependent self-construal responded most positively to the self-focused messages promoting mask-wearing, social distancing, and COVID-19 vaccination. Those low in interdependent self-construal responded most negatively to the self-focused messages. Although no interaction effect was observed for independent self-construal, and inconsistent evidence emerged for construal level, other-focused messages performed either better or equally well to the self-focused messages for most participants and may thus be promising for future public health communication efforts.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/2ysn5/" target="_blank">Should Health Communication During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Emphasize Self- or Other-Focused Impacts of Mitigation Behaviors? Insights from Two Message Matching Studies</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Respiratory symptoms after coalmine fire and pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the Hazelwood Health Study adult cohort</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background Extreme but discrete fine particle &lt;2.5μm (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) exposure is associated with higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms. It is unknown whether these effects abate, persist, or worsen over time, nor whether COVID-19 exacerbates PM<sub>2.5</sub> effects. Methods We analysed longitudinal survey data from a cohort residing near a 2014 coalmine fire in regional Australia. A 2016/2017 survey included n=4,056 participants, of whom n=612 were followed-up in 2022. Items include questions about 7 respiratory symptoms, history of COVID-19, and time-location diaries that were combined with geospatial models of fire-related PM<sub>2.5</sub>. Associations were examined using logistic and mixed-effects logistic regressions. Results PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure predicted higher prevalence of chronic cough and current wheeze 2-3 years post-fire. At the 2022 follow-up, PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure was associated with worsening prevalence of chronic cough and possibly current wheeze. While were no detectable interaction effects between PM<sub>2.5</sub> and COVID-19, participants with a history of COVID-19 exhibited more significant associations between PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure and respiratory symptoms. Discussion Short-term but extreme PM<sub>2.5</sub> may increase the long-term prevalence of chronic cough, while COVID-19 may exacerbate the effect on other respiratory symptoms.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.23.23294510v1" target="_blank">Respiratory symptoms after coalmine fire and pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the Hazelwood Health Study adult cohort</a>
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<li><strong>The Risk of Mpox (Monkeypox) Importation and Subsequent Outbreak Potential in Mainland China: A Retrospective Statistical Modelling Study</strong> -
<div>
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The 2022 mpox outbreak has spread rapidly across multiple countries in the non-endemic region, mainly among men who have sex with men (MSM), while China only has limited recorded importation and no local outbreak. We constructed probabilistic models to simulate the risk of mpox importation in mainland China, with the help of reported monkeypox cases during this multi-country outbreak and the international air-travel data. And we further evaluated the mpox outbreak potential given that undetected mpox infections were introduced into men who have sex with men, considering different transmissibility, population immunity and population activity. We found that the reduced international air-travel volume and stringent border entry policy decreased about 94% and 69% mpox importations respectively. Once a mpox case is introduced into active MSM population with almost no population immunity, the risk of triggering local transmission is estimated at 42%, and would rise to &gt;95% with over six cases. Our study demonstrates the key role of the reduced international air-travel volume and stringent border entry policy during the COVID-19 pandemic on reducing mpox importations, and the subsequent risk of triggering local outbreaks among MSM.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.24.23294530v1" target="_blank">The Risk of Mpox (Monkeypox) Importation and Subsequent Outbreak Potential in Mainland China: A Retrospective Statistical Modelling Study</a>
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<li><strong>Serological surveillance reveals a high exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and altered immune response among COVID-19 unvaccinated Cameroonian individuals</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background Surveillance of COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 dynamics is crucial to understanding natural history and providing insights into the population’s exposure risk and specific susceptibilities. This study investigated the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, its predictors, and immunological status among unvaccinated patients in Cameroon. Materials and Methods A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted between January and September 2022 in the town of Douala. Patients were consecutively recruited, and data of interest were collected using a questionnaire. Blood samples were collected to determine Immunoglobin titres (IgM and IgG) by ALFA, CD4+ cells by flow cytometry, and interferon gamma (IFN- γ) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by ELISA. Results A total of 342 patients aged 41.5 ± 13.9 years were included. Most participants (75.8%) were asymptomatic. The overall prevalence of IgM and IgG was 49.1% and 88.9%, respectively. Ageusia and anosmia have displayed the highest positive predictive values (90.9% and 82.4%) and specificity (98.9% and 98.3%). The predictors of IgM seropositivity were being aged 60 – 70 years (aOR = 0.54, p = 0.02) and ageusia (aOR = 9.31, p = 0.01), whereas those of IgG seropositivity included health facility (aOR = 0.23, p = 0.02) and ageusia (aOR = 0.21, p = 0.04). CD4+, IFN-γ, and IL-6 were impaired in seropositive individuals, with a confounding role of socio-demographic factors or comorbidities. Conclusion Although the WHO declared the end of COVID-19 as a public health emergency, the findings of this study indicate the need for continuous surveillance to adequately control the disease in Cameroon.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.24.23294559v1" target="_blank">Serological surveillance reveals a high exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and altered immune response among COVID-19 unvaccinated Cameroonian individuals</a>
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<li><strong>Modelling the Interplay between Responsive Individual Vaccination Decisions and the Spread of SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
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The uptake of COVID-19 vaccines remains low despite their high effectiveness. Epidemic models that represent decision-making psychology can provide insight into the potential impact of vaccine promotion interventions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We coupled a network-based mathematical model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Georgia, USA with a social-psychological vaccination decision-making model in which vaccine side effects, post-vaccination infections, and other unidentified community-level factors could “nudge” individuals towards vaccine resistance while hospitalization spikes could nudge them towards willingness. Combining an increased probability of hospitalization-prompted resistant-to-willing switches with a decreased probability of willing-to-resistant switches prompted by unidentified community-level factors increased vaccine uptake and decreased SARS-CoV-2 incidence by as much as 30.7% and 24.0%, respectively. The latter probability had a greater impact than the former. This illustrates the disease prevention potential of vaccine promotion interventions that address community-level factors influencing decision-making and anticipate the case curve instead of reacting to it.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.24.23294588v1" target="_blank">Modelling the Interplay between Responsive Individual Vaccination Decisions and the Spread of SARS-CoV-2</a>
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<li><strong>COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy beliefs in Togo: Findings from two cross-sectional surveys</strong> -
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Togo is a low-income country in West Africa. Estimates suggest that only 25% of the Togolese population have received at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine by June 2023. Whilst the early phase of the pandemic vaccine rollout across 2021 was dominated by higher-income countries taking much of the available supply, there have long been sufficient supplies for all nations. Thus, there remains a need to understand reasons for low uptake in countries such as Togo. Two cross-sectional telephone surveys of Togo residents were conducted in December 2020 and January 2022. These surveys asked questions around perceptions of COVID-19, trust in public health messaging, belief in conspiracy theories, and hesitancy around COVID-19 vaccination. Analyses here focus on unvaccinated respondents. Across Survey 1 (N = 1430) and Survey 2 (N = 212), 65% of respondents were men, 47% lived in Lomé (capital city of Togo), 25% completed higher education, 67% were married, and 69% were Christian. Between Surveys 1 and 2, overall hesitancy (33.0% to 58.0%) and beliefs in conspiracy theories (29% to 65%) significantly increased. Using logistics regression, governmental mistrust was the strongest significant predictor of hesitancy (OR: 2.90). Participants who indicated agreement or uncertainty with at least one conspiracy belief also predicted greater vaccine hesitancy (OR: 1.36). Proactive approaches to public health messaging, that better understand reasons for hesitancy across different demographics, can support uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations within Togo. This includes health promotion campaigns that use locally and nationally trusted knowledge providers (e.g. the health service or religious leaders) for greatest effectiveness at reducing impact of misinformation. Key future research should focus around knowledge gaps and areas of mistrust created by the pandemic, such as the impact of misinformation upon routine immunisation uptake.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.24.23294554v1" target="_blank">COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy beliefs in Togo: Findings from two cross-sectional surveys</a>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>THE EFFECT OF ARGININE AND GLUTAMINE ON COVID-19 PATIENTS OUTCOME: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: Neomune<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Universitas Sriwijaya;   M. Djamil General Hospital<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>Study of Obeldesivir in Children and Adolescents With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Obeldesivir<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Gilead Sciences<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>KAND567 Versus Placebo in Subjects Hospitalized With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: KAND567;   Drug: Microcrystalline cellulose<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Kancera AB<br/><b>Terminated</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity and Safety of AdCLD-CoV19-1 OMI as a Booster: A COVID-19 Preventive Vaccine in Healthy Volunteers</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Vaccines<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: AdCLD-CoV19-1 OMI;   Biological: Comirnaty Bivalent 0.1mg/mL (tozinameran and riltozinameran)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Cellid Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Pilot Clinical Evaluation of Astepro® Nasal Spray for Management of Early SARS-CoV-2 Infection</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Experimental: Primary Cohort;   Other: Placebo Comparator: Primary Cohort - Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Chicago<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>Using Text Messages to Boost COVID-19 Vaccine Booking Rate</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Vaccination Hesitancy;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Behavioural science-informed text messages;   Behavioral: Control<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   The Behavioural Insights Team;   Public Health England;   Department of Health and Social Care;   NHS England and NHS Improvement<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>Digital Health Literacy on COVID-19 for All: Co-creation and Evaluation of Interventions for Ethnic Minorities and Chinese People With Chronic Illnesses in Hong Kong</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Digital Health Literacy;   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Digital health literacy intervention<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   The Hong Kong Polytechnic University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ivermectin to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Hospitalisation in Subjects Over 50</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Ivermectin;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Insud Pharma<br/><b>Terminated</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Methylprednisolone in Patients With Cognitive Deficits in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome (PCS)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Methylprednisolone<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Charite University, Berlin, Germany<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 Vaccination Hesitancy in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Sickle Cell Disease;   COVID-19 Vaccine;   Vaccine Hesitancy<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: SCD-specific COVID-19 vaccination information (SCVI) video<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Duke University;   American Society of Hematology<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>Leveraging Community Health Workers to Combat COVID-19 and Mental Health Misinformation in Haiti, Malawi, and Rwanda</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Mental Health;   COVID-19;   Misinformation<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Card-Sorting Activity (Pre-intervention design);   Behavioral: SMS Crafting (Pre-intervention design);   Behavioral: SMS Messaging<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Harvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM);   Partners in Health<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>Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Among Post-COVID-19 Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Pulmonary Pathology<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Pulmonary Rehabilitation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh<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 Study to Learn About New COVD-19 RNA Vaccine Candidates for New Varients in Healthy Individuals</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: BNT162b2 (Omi XBB.1.5)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   BioNTech SE;   Pfizer<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>Pulmonary Artery Pressure in COVID-19 Survivors</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Pulmonary Hypertension Secondary<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Diagnostic Test: right heart catheterization (RHC).<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Mansoura University Hospital<br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Preliminary Efficacy of a Technology-based Physical Activity Intervention for Older Korean Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Cardiovascular Health;   Physical Function<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Golden Circle<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign<br/><b>Completed</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>Efficacy of Andrographis paniculata extract treatment in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients being treated with favipiravir: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study (APFaVi trial)</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: APE treatment did not demonstrate additional clinical and virological benefits in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 being treated with favipiravir. Early reduction of IL-1β with APE may be advantageous in preventing cytokine storms in severe COVID-19 and requires further study.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Unveiling the Etiopathogenic Spectrum of Hypophysitis: A Narrative Review</strong> - Hypophysitis, a rare inflammatory disorder of the pituitary gland, has seen an uptick in reported cases in recent years. Our objective is to summarize the most recent research on the etiopathogenesis, molecular mechanisms, and genetics of both primary and secondary hypophysitis. Primary autoimmune hypophysitis (PAH): During the acute phase of the disease, the pituitary gland in enlarged due to the infiltration of T and B lymphocytes. The chronic phase is characterized by progressive 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>Recent Advances in Quantum Dot-Based Lateral Flow Immunoassays for the Rapid, Point-of-Care Diagnosis of COVID-19</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred demand for efficient and rapid diagnostic tools that can be deployed at point of care to quickly identify infected individuals. Existing detection methods are time consuming and they lack sensitivity. Point-of-care testing (POCT) has emerged as a promising alternative due to its user-friendliness, rapidity, and high specificity and sensitivity. Such tests can be conveniently conducted at the patient’s bedside. Immunodiagnostic methods that offer the rapid…</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 computational approach for designing and validating small interfering RNA against SARS-CoV-2 variants</strong> - CONCLUSION: The study contributes to the possibility of designing and developing an effective response strategy against existing variants of concerns and preventing further.</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 contribution of Australian fathers in getting food on the table among families with young children</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the need to consider father-specific strategies to overcome time barriers and opportunities to enhance their capabilities for healthy home food provisioning.</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>Reducing airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by an upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation system in a hospital isolation environment</strong> - Upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) technology can potentially inhibit the transmission of airborne disease pathogens. There is a lack of quantitative evaluation of the performance of the upper-room UVGI for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) airborne transmission under the combined effects of ventilation and UV irradiation. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the performance of the upper-room UVGI system for reducing SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission in…</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>Dexamethasone attenuates interferon-related cytokine hyperresponsiveness in COVID-19 patients</strong> - CONCLUSION: We describe the anti-inflammatory impact of dexamethasone on the pathways contributing to cytokine hyperresponsiveness observed in severe manifestations of COVID-19, including type I/II IFN signaling. Dexamethasone could have adverse effects in COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms by inhibiting IFN responses in early stages of the disease, whereas it exhibits beneficial effects in patients with severe clinical phenotypes by efficiently diminishing cytokine hyperresponsiveness.</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 Iminosugars as Antiviral Agents against SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease: Inhibitor Design and Optimization, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Studies to Explore Potential Inhibitory Effect of 1-Deoxynojirmycin Series</strong> - CONCLUSION: The present findings confer opportunities for compounds 17a, 7, and 8 that could be developed as new therapeutic agents against COVID-19. These compounds are suggested on the basis of pharmacokinetic parameters as well as therapeutic importance and hence could be tested in-vitro.</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 complement atlas identifies interleukin-6-dependent alternative pathway dysregulation as a key druggable feature of COVID-19</strong> - Improvements in COVID-19 treatments, especially for the critically ill, require deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving disease pathology. The complement system is not only a crucial component of innate host defense but can also contribute to tissue injury. Although all complement pathways have been implicated in COVID-19 pathogenesis, the upstream drivers and downstream effects on tissue injury remain poorly defined. We demonstrate that complement activation is primarily mediated by the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The S1’-S3’ Pocket of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Is Critical for Substrate Selectivity and Can Be Targeted with Covalent Inhibitors</strong> - The main protease (Mpro) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a well-characterized target for antiviral drug discovery. To date, most antiviral drug discovery efforts have focused on the S4-S1’ pocket of Mpro; however, it is still unclear whether the S1’-S3’ pocket per se can serve as a new site for drug discovery. In this study, the S1’-S3’ pocket of Mpro was found to differentially recognize viral peptidyl substrates; for instance, S3’ in Mpro strongly favors Phe…</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>Cyclotheonellazoles D-I, Potent Elastase Inhibitory Thiazole-Containing Cyclic Peptides from <em>Theonella</em> sp. (2131)</strong> - Six new thiazole-containing cyclic peptides, the cyclotheonellazoles D-I (1-6), were isolated from the Australian marine sponge Theonella sp. (2131) with their structures assigned by comprehensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic and MS spectrometric analyses, Marfey’s derivatization studies, and comparison with time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculated ECD data. The Type 2 azole-homologated peptides herein comprise up to five nonproteinogenic amino acids, including the protease…</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>Assessment of efficacy and safety of endoscopic lung volume reduction with one-way valves in patients with a very low FEV<sub>1</sub></strong> - CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the potential efficacy of one-way valves, even in patients with very low FEV(1), as these patients experienced significant improvements in FEV(1), 6MWD and quality of life. No death was reported, suggesting a good safety profile, even in these high-risk patients.</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>Prevalence of oral complications in the course of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection under mechanical non-invasive ventilation</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 hospitalised patients with severe symptoms crossing with poor oral health-related conditions. This may exacerbate a response for COVID infection, and play a role in cytokine storm. For Covid-19 management, to inhibit extraoral/intraoral complications, it is recommended to adjust oral hygiene procedures, including antibacterial, protective, moisturising agents after individual oral health assessment.</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 Possible Mechanisms of Cu and Zn in the Treatment and Prevention of HIV and COVID-19 Viral Infection</strong> - Due to their unique properties and their potential therapeutic and prophylactic applications, heavy metals have attracted the interest of many researchers, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19. Indeed, zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) have been widely used during viral infections. Zn has been reported to prevent excessive inflammatory response and cytokine storm, improve the response of the virus to Type I interferon (IFN-1), and enhance the production of IFN-a to counteract the antagonistic…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein inhibits the PKR-mediated integrated stress response through RNA-binding domain N2b</strong> - The nucleocapsid protein N of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enwraps and condenses the viral genome for packaging but is also an antagonist of the innate antiviral defense. It suppresses the integrated stress response (ISR), purportedly by interacting with stress granule (SG) assembly factors G3BP1 and 2, and inhibits type I interferon responses. To elucidate its mode of action, we systematically deleted and over-expressed distinct regions and domains. We show that…</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>Trump’s Mug Shot Is His True Presidential Portrait</strong> - He might be angry in the mug shot; he might even be scared. But he damn sure doesn’t look surprised. Nobody is. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-appearances/trumps-mug-shot-is-his-true-presidential-portrait">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What a Heat Wave Does to Your Body</strong> - The human body is a remarkably effective cooling machine—but it has a limit. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/what-a-heat-wave-does-to-your-body">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Vivek Ramaswamy Is Not the Next Trump</strong> - Many in the press have declared the entrepreneur and political novice “Trump’s heir.” The comparison sells the former President short. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/vivek-ramaswamy-is-not-the-next-trump">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“Braiding Sweetgrass,” and a Lesson in Extreme Heat</strong> - Parul Sehgal visits Robin Wall Kimmerer, who set out to bridge the gap between Western science and Indigenous teaching. Plus, Dhruv Khullar looks at extreme heat and the body. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/braiding-sweetgrass-and-a-lesson-in-extreme-heat">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Harsh Glare of Justice for Donald Trump</strong> - On the ex-President’s snarly mug shot from the Fulton County Jail and a 2024 reality of Trump, Trump, and more Trump. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/the-harsh-glare-of-justice-for-donald-trump">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The edgelord of the federal judiciary</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="James Ho sits on a panel speaking as video of him is projected on a screen behind him at the Federalist Society’s 2022 National Lawyers Convention in Washington, DC." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u28kEh6XfwVP8aQ0poj-3av_MOc=/0x0:2667x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72580724/1255657354.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Trump Judge James Ho speaks at a 2022 event hosted by the Federalist Society. | Shuran Huang/Washington Post via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Imagine a Breitbart comments forum come to life and given immense power over innocent people. That’s Judge James Ho.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sE1ICL">
If you could breathe life into 4chan, the dark corner of the Internet where shitposters, edgelords, Groypers, and trolls of all kinds thrive, and then appoint this new lifeform to the federal bench, you would have created Judge James Ho.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tTnGvo">
Ho, appointed by former president Donald Trump in 2018 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, recently argued that anti-abortion doctors may seek a court order banning a commonly prescribed abortion medication, because “doctors delight in working with their unborn patients — and <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca5.213145/gov.uscourts.ca5.213145.506860229.1.pdf">experience an aesthetic injury when they are aborted</a>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MYhAhF">
He’s written that a federal law prohibiting gun possession by people that a court has determined to be a “<a href="https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-rahimi-13">credible threat to the physical safety of [their] intimate partner</a>” is unconstitutional. Among other things, Ho claimed that this law “should give us pause” because women getting a divorce sometimes seek such court orders as “a tactical leverage device” in their divorce proceedings.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h3ybLc">
Ho’s very first opinion as a judge, a <a href="http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/16/16-51366-CV1.pdf">dissenting opinion in a case he did not even hear</a>, claimed that <a href="https://archive.thinkprogress.org/james-ho-campaign-finance-hack-70a2ce3477bc/">all laws limiting the amount that wealthy donors may give to political campaigns are unconstitutional</a>. Under Ho’s understanding of the Constitution, nothing prevents Harlan Crow, the billionaire Republican donor <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tuition-scotus">famous for lavishing gifts on Justice Clarence Thomas</a>, from funding an entire presidential campaign.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="400xXK">
Also, speaking of Harlan Crow, Ho held his official ceremony swearing him in as a federal judge <a href="https://jezebel.com/judge-set-to-hear-abortion-pill-case-was-sworn-in-at-bi-1850416283">in Crow’s personal library</a>.
</p>
<div id="mFSeoE">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Honored to attend Jim Ho’s swearing in to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals today, alongside Justice Clarence Thomas &amp; Judge Jerry Smith. I am confident my good friend Jim will be an extraordinary appellate judge and a principled jurist faithful to the law. <a href="https://t.co/s1tWYu2j2c">pic.twitter.com/s1tWYu2j2c</a>
</p>
— Senator Ted Cruz (<span class="citation" data-cites="SenTedCruz">@SenTedCruz</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/949083663915995136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2018</a>
</blockquote></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="arqRRl">
Ho’s work, in other words, is often indistinguishable from that of a professional <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll">troll</a>. He revels in taking deliberately provocative positions. He often joins a fairly extreme opinion written by a colleague, and then writes separately to take an even more extreme position. His judicial opinions mingle Fox News talking points, men’s rights activism, Federalist Society fantasies, and discredited legal doctrines that are now taught to law students to warn them of the Supreme Court’s worst mistakes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JomZ3d">
Ho seems to never miss an opportunity to weigh in on a political controversy. When he’s not writing concurring opinions arguing that the Supreme Court should <a href="https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/znvnbdrbwvl/11082022golden_covid.pdf">bring back the <em>Lochner </em>era</a>, an age when conservative justices <a href="https://www.vox.com/21497317/originalism-amy-coney-barrett-constitution-supreme-court">imposed their own laissez-faire<em> </em>ideology on the rest of the nation</a>, he can often be found <a href="https://taxprof.typepad.com/files/judge-ho-article.pdf">lecturing law schools on the evils of “cancel culture.”</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4TuMr1">
(That said, Ho did not respond to a request to be interviewed for this piece.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PZGqt7">
When I speak to other judges, I often hear them use a derisive word to describe this kind of behavior: “<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/12/9/20962980/trump-supreme-court-federal-judges">auditioning</a>.” It’s an increasingly common practice among Republican judges itching for a promotion.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M5MthX">
In his final years as a lower court judge, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote several opinions laying out his plans to shift power from federal agencies to the judiciary — a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22276279/supreme-court-war-joe-biden-agency-regulation-administrative-neil-gorsuch-epa-nondelegation">high-priority issue for the Federalist Society</a>, which played a key role in picking Trump’s judges and justices. These opinions reportedly “<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/12/9/20962980/trump-supreme-court-federal-judges">proved decisive</a>” in the Trump White House’s decision to give Gorsuch a big promotion.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ksf2Qi">
Similarly, in his final year as a lower court judge, Justice Brett Kavanaugh — who previously had a thin record on abortion — went out of his way to convey both in a published opinion and in a speech to a conservative think tank that <a href="https://archive.thinkprogress.org/brett-kavanaugh-said-he-would-kill-roe-v-wade-last-week-and-almost-no-one-noticed-c0e98494b06d/">he opposed <em>Roe v. Wade</em></a>. Trump picked Kavanaugh for the next seat to open up on the Supreme Court.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A4Klmp">
The most alarming thing about Judge Ho, in other words, isn’t his penchant for trolling. It is the very real possibility that he will be rewarded for it. No judge in America has auditioned harder for a Supreme Court appointment in a Republican administration. And, if the next president is Donald Trump, Trump has already shown that he prefers judges who go out of their way to show their loyalty to Republican causes.
</p>
<h3 id="LwmKc9">
What does Jim Ho’s version of the Constitution look like?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nv9vAG">
<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/198/45/"><em>Lochner v. New York</em></a><em> </em>(1905) is one of a handful of decisions that legal scholars refer to as the “<a href="https://www.vox.com/23180634/supreme-court-rule-of-law-abortion-voting-rights-guns-epa">anti-canon</a>” — a list of cases taught to law students as examples of how judges must never, ever behave. The list also includes the pro-slavery decision in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/60/393"><em>Dred Scott v. Sandford</em></a> (1857) and the segregationist decision in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/163/537/#tab-opinion-1917401"><em>Plessy v. Ferguson</em></a> (1896).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hTKtwV">
Ho wants to bring back <em>Lochner</em>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bOsOst">
<em>Lochner </em>stuck down a New York state law that limited, to <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23219138/supreme-court-roe-wade-substantive-due-process-samuel-alito">60 hours a week</a>, the amount of time worked by bakery workers. At the time, these workers were typically paid by the day or by the week, so the law had prevented these workers from being forced to work extraordinarily long shifts for no extra pay.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K1n6qZ">
Other cases applying <em>Lochner</em>’s reasoning struck down <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/261/525/">minimum wage laws</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3072585965506695672&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr">stripped workers of their right to unionize</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j0PHRZ">
<em>Lochner</em> was grounded in what it described as the “right of the individual to … <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/198/45">enter into those contracts in relation to labor</a> which may seem to him appropriate or necessary for the support of himself and his family.” The idea was that, if a worker entered into a contract to work long hours for little pay, then the law could not alter this contract — even if the contract was itself the product of exploitation or desperation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I6SZaP">
<em>Lochner</em>, in other words, not only stripped the government of much of its power to protect workers, it did so on the dubious ground that, by insisting that workers adhere to whatever exploitative employment contracts their bosses imposed upon them, the Court was actually defending the rights of those workers. The Court ultimately abandoned <em>Lochner</em> in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/300/379/"><em>West Coast Hotel v. Parrish</em></a> (1937).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Bao27N">
Ho picked an inauspicious case, <a href="https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/znvnbdrbwvl/11082022golden_covid.pdf"><em>Golden Glow Tanning Salon v. City of Columbus</em></a>, to offer his love letter to <em>Lochner</em>. In it, a Mississippi tanning salon claimed that Covid era lockdowns violated the salon owner’s “right to work,” a common argument made by modern day libertarians who <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/gmlr23&amp;div=25&amp;id=&amp;page=">seek to revive <em>Lochner</em></a>. (A “right to work” is synonymous with <em>Lochner</em>’s so-called right to “enter into those contracts in relation to labor which may seem to him appropriate.”)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CEzwiz">
Though all three judges who heard <em>Golden Glow</em> agreed that the Supreme Court’s decisions repudiating <em>Lochner</em>ism prevented them from ruling in the tanning salon’s favor, Ho wrote a <a href="https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/znvnbdrbwvl/11082022golden_covid.pdf">brief concurring opinion</a> that relied heavily on scholarship by right-wing lawyers arguing that <em>Lochner</em> should be revived. He suggested that the anti-worker right recognized in <em>Lochner</em> has a “better historical grounding than more recent claims of right that have found judicial favor.” And he urged the Supreme Court to <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/tiwari-v-friedlander/">take up a pending case</a> seeking to revive <em>Lochner</em> (the justices declined to do so).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RgGz7W">
Ho’s passion for the sorts of economic “rights” favored by Gilded Age robber barons is matched by his disdain for abortion. He wrote about the “<a href="http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/18/18-50484-CV0.pdf">moral tragedy of abortion</a>” in one of his judicial opinions. And he’s urged his Fifth Circuit — which is already the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca5.213145/gov.uscourts.ca5.213145.506860229.1.pdf">most right-wing federal appeals court in the country</a>, and is typically hostile towards reproductive freedom — to be even more aggressive in quashing abortion rights.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eSNndQ">
Just last week, for example, a three-judge panel that includes Ho <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/8/16/23834926/supreme-court-abortion-mifepristone-fifth-circuit-alliance-hippocratic-medicine-fda">attempted to ban the drug mifepristone</a>, which is used in more than half of all US abortions. That decision will have no effect, because the <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/4/21/23686788/supreme-court-abortion-pill-ruling-mifepristone-fda-alliance-hippocratic-medicine">Supreme Court preemptively blocked it last April</a> — a pretty clear sign that even this very conservative Supreme Court thinks that the legal arguments against mifepristone are weak.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f5TCFP">
But Ho didn’t just join this attempt to ban the drug, in a case called <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca5.213145/gov.uscourts.ca5.213145.506860229.1.pdf"><em>Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA</em></a>, he wrote a separate opinion arguing that his colleagues were insufficiently hostile to abortion rights.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BIIo2U">
Technically, the Fifth Circuit’s majority opinion in <em>Alliance</em> did not purport to ban mifepristone outright, it merely ordered the FDA to reinstate restrictions on the drug that the agency abandoned in 2016. As a practical matter, this order would <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/8/16/23834926/supreme-court-abortion-mifepristone-fifth-circuit-alliance-hippocratic-medicine-fda">prevent the drug from being marketed in the United States for at least a few months</a>, because it would take a long time for government regulators and the drug maker to comply with the pre-2016 rules. But Ho would have gone even further, ordering the FDA to rescind its decision to approve the medication way back in 2000.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Hh9pks">
There are <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/3/16/23642927/supreme-court-abortion-matthew-kacsmaryk-mifepristone-texas-trump">so many errors in Ho’s legal reasoning</a> that it would be tedious to list them all here. One of them is that the statute of limitations to challenge an FDA approval of a drug is six years. While there are legitimate reasons that time period can sometimes be extended, Ho can’t rescue a lawsuit that was filed more than two decades after mifepristone’s approval.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Oio71d">
On guns, Ho joined the Fifth Circuit’s decision in <a href="https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-rahimi-13"><em>United States v. Rahimi</em></a> (2023), a decision the Supreme Court is <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/23742547/supreme-court-united-states-gun-policy-rahimi-domestic-abusers-spouses-second-amendment">likely to reverse in its upcoming term</a>, holding that people who violently abuse their romantic partners or their partner’s child have a Second Amendment right to own a gun — even after a court proceeding determines that the abuser is “<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2023/2/2/23583377/supreme-court-guns-domestic-abuse-fifth-circuit-second-amendment-rahimi-united-states">a credible threat to the physical safety of such intimate partner or child</a>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ERFzMn">
<em>Rahimi</em> is another case where Ho joined an alarming decision written by one of his colleagues, and then wrote separately to argue for an even more extreme position.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="47kDBY">
Ho argues that one reason his court should be skeptical of a law seeking to disarm people subject to domestic violence restraining orders is that women who are not victims of abuse allegedly obtain these orders to “secure [favorable] rulings on critical issues such as [marital and child] support, exclusion from marital residence and property disposition.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QuP1a1">
As evidence that this is a real problem that actually exists, Ho cites a handful of court decisions — including a <a href="https://casetext.com/case/murray-v-murray-107#p986">1993 decision by a court in New Jersey</a> that invalidated a restraining order because of a lack of evidence that the man subjected to it was violent, and a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/letterman-restraining-order-tossed/">2005 incident</a> where comedian David Letterman was briefly subject to a restraining order before a court tossed that order out.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qHakrD">
The fact that Ho had to rely on decades-old cases in faraway jurisdictions to show that judges sometimes issue domestic violence restraining orders for invalid reasons is a sign that, maybe, this isn’t as big of a problem as Ho makes it out to be. Nevertheless, Ho would potentially arm hundreds of men who have murderous intentions in order to save someone like Letterman from having to go without a firearm for a couple of weeks.
</p>
<h3 id="qk6ZFV">
Ho could be the future of the federal judiciary
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jYP2P2">
Ho’s penchant for tacking to the right of his already quite reactionary colleagues marks him as an outlier, even within a conservative federal judiciary. But he’s hardly an extreme outlier, <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/12/27/23496264/supreme-court-fifth-circuit-trump-court-immigration-housing-sexual-harrassment">especially on the far-right Fifth Circuit</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QLqz22">
In <a href="https://casetext.com/case/collins-v-mnuchin-4"><em>Collins v. Mnuchin</em></a> (2019), for example, Ho signed onto an opinion by Judge Don Willett that threatened to invalidate every single action taken by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which was created in 2008 to stabilize the US housing market during a historic recession. Had Willett’s approach prevailed in the Supreme Court, it could have potentially collapsed the US housing market and <a href="https://www.vox.com/22106497/supreme-court-collins-mnuchin-124-billion-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-unitary-executive-housing">triggered a global economic depression</a> (the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/6/24/22547545/supreme-court-collins-yellen-124-billion-housing-unitary-executive-samuel-alito-neil-gorsuch">voted 8-1 against Willett’s approach</a>).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dbqhzE">
Notably, however, Ho was one of a total of seven judges who signed onto Willett’s attempt to burn down more than a dozen years of work by a federal agency. There is no shortage of judicial arsonists on the Fifth Circuit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5b6eWf">
Similarly, the Supreme Court will hear several cases in its upcoming term in which it is likely to <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/8/20/23835730/supreme-court-optimism-democracy-moore-milligan-talevski">reverse similarly aggressive decisions by the Fifth Circuit</a>. Those most likely include the <em>Alliance</em> case about mifepristone, as well as the <em>Rahimi</em> guns case, and two decisions declaring the entire <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/10/20/23414311/cfpb-unconstitutional-fifth-circuit-supreme-court-trump-community-financial">the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unconstitutional</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/5/19/23130569/jarkesy-fifth-circuit-sec">gutting the federal government’s power to enforce securities law</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IddjJO">
The leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination are already signaling that they want to pick justices who are well to the right of the three already very conservative justices Trump placed on the Supreme Court. In his infamous speech before the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, Trump said that he is “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966396848/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial">not happy with the Supreme Court</a>” because they supposedly “love to rule against me.” (When Trump was president, the Court often <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/12/29/23530842/supreme-court-arizona-mayorkas-title-42-mexican-border-immigration">manipulated its own procedures to rule in Trump’s favor</a>, but the Court rejected his bid to overturn the 2020 election.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ISearY">
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attacked Trump’s justices in June, claiming that “<a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/06/supreme-court-worse-than-kavanaugh-barrett-gorsuch-trump.html">none of those three are at the same level of Justices Thomas and Justice Alito</a>,” two justices who fairly consistently vote like Fifth Circuit judges.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zHdTR4">
Ho, meanwhile, is auditioning harder than anyone in the judiciary to catch Trump or DeSantis’s eye. And, even if the next Republican president decides to pick someone less flamboyant for the high court, they will have no shortage of candidates who are eager to light decades’ worth of settled law — along with entire federal agencies — on fire.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>A visual guide to the 19 defendants in the Trump Georgia case</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani mugshots side by side." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XYWd8Nis30ulYei6hL7pplbLGtw=/100x0:1700x1200/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72578889/headshots_1692981432976.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
The defendants in the Georgia case will all receive mugshots. | Fulton County
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The mugshots and the charges they face, briefly explained.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F8WnCO">
Former <a href="https://www.vox.com/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a> was arrested August 24 in Fulton County, Georgia, on charges related to his attempts to overturn the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election">2020 election</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tDzPAu">
The Georgia charges come from the largest of the four serious criminal cases Trump faces; one of several unique things about <a href="https://www.vox.com/trump-investigations/2023/8/7/23823113/trump-investigations-georgia-election-interference-case-live-updates">Trump’s Georgia indictment</a> is the number of defendants who are named in it. While the US government’s January 6 case against Trump largely focuses on the former president, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is pursuing a case not only against Trump, but 18 additional defendants who were attorneys, staffers, and local officials allegedly working with the former president.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nfTNem">
Willis charged such a large group because she argues that the Trump campaign was at the center of a criminal enterprise and that many of the individuals named in the case helped assist in the organization’s attempt to overturn the Georgia 2020 election results.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J1ANy4">
Establishing that Trump and his allies were part of an enterprise — a person, group, or business engaged in legal or illegal behavior — is key to Willis’s assertion that the defendants violated Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. To do so, prosecutors will need to convince a jury that all the defendants are guilty of racketeering, or organizing an enterprise to systematically plan and commit crimes, and using coercion, manipulation, and intimidation as needed to advance their goals.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iKYP8Q">
The list of people Willis says were part of that enterprise is a lot to keep track of, and includes high-profile familiar faces — such as former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows — as well as less-well-known individuals like false electors David Shafer and Shawn Still.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XDPBaz">
Below, we have a visual guide of the 19 defendants’ mugshots, the charges they face, and their connection to this indictment. (Some mugshots have yet to be released and will be added when they are. Defendants have until Friday, August 25, at noon to turn themselves in to Georgia officials.)
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Trump, in a blue suit and red tie, scowls at the camera, his eyebrows furrowed." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DmD9wbMZPmYF9iimcjoQ1r8YAFc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873441/1621335357.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former President Donald Trump poses for his booking photo at the Fulton County Jail on August 24, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aiwqjX">
<strong>Former President Donald Trump</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EsXXkN">
<strong>Role: </strong>Former president and charged as head of the criminal enterprise
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jA9elL">
<strong>Charges: </strong>13, including racketeering, soliciting a public official to violate their oath of office, and making false statements
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h4hbKT">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>The indictment describes Trump as the leader of the criminal enterprise that sought to overturn the 2020 Georgia election results.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="27bsjN">
Among other things, it accuses him of planning, alongside allies, of misleading the public about the election in speeches, repeatedly lying to elected officials in key states to get them to back his push to overturn the election, pressuring many officials to tamper with the electoral process, working to disrupt <a href="https://www.vox.com/congress">Congress</a>’s certification of the electoral vote, and using social media to foment conspiracy theories.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ltVl5z">
It also claims that Trump knew he had not won the election and that the activities his allies undertook to overturn it were done with Trump’s implicit, and often explicit, approval.
</p>
<h3 id="hMhVSu">
Trump’s post-election legal team
</h3>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Giuliani, in a navy suit and red and blue striped tie, wears a neutral expression while looking at the camera in a grainy digital photo." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BOJx1m5sODiHvhdXqGykUGIaZjQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873449/1619649891.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Rudy Giuliani, former personal lawyer for former President Donald Trump, poses for his booking photo on August 23, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YwpSy4">
<strong>Rudy Giuliani</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UxlEF2">
<strong>Role: </strong>Former Trump attorney
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AFkTje">
<strong>Charges: </strong>13, including racketeering, making false statements, and conspiracy to commit forgery
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Wg5HJx">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Giuliani, formerly New York City’s mayor, became a close Trump ally over the course of the former president’s administration, and eventually served as Trump’s personal lawyer. He was a prominent figure in the days following the election, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/3/23/22346333/sidney-powell-dominion-defamation-lawsuit-trump">appearing on television</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/11/8/21555022/four-seasons-landscaping-trump-giuliani-philadelphia-press-conference">holding press conferences</a> falsely arguing Trump won.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yBS4N3">
He is accused of pressuring legislatures in multiple states, including Georgia, to name electors that would award the election to Trump even though multiple recounts had confirmed his loss.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Eastman, white haired and clean shaven, looks with a neutral expression at the camera." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2BsS1xqTYAJIOKxbPqTj_G_smeI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873450/1632749696.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
John Eastman, former lawyer to President Donald Trump, poses for his booking photo on August 22, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hFysvr">
<strong>John Eastman</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nAgROC">
<strong>Role: </strong>Former Trump attorney
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SCRezV">
<strong>Charges: </strong>nine, including racketeering, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, and filing false documents
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9m4vRG">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Eastman is a longtime fixture in the conservative legal scene and was <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/17/1105600072/who-is-john-eastman-the-trump-lawyer-at-the-center-of-the-jan-6-investigation">previously the chair of the Federalist Society</a>. He began advising Trump in earnest following the 2020 election and composed a memo that was central to the former President’s efforts to pressure Vice President <a href="https://www.vox.com/mike-pence">Mike Pence</a> to reject the 2020 election results.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S4Q9qA">
The indictment accuses Eastman of working with Trump to coordinate an alternative slate of electors in several states and of filing false documents that allege unfounded claims of election fraud in Georgia, including that thousands of felons and underaged people voted illegally.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Powell, dark blonde in a white blouse, smiles faintly as she stares at the viewer." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YaykHgHeOO9EBBEP_f6HW3FzeiU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873453/1619649802.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Attorney Sidney Powell poses for her booking photo on August 23, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CNMtCB">
<strong>Sidney Powell</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="saJH5b">
<strong>Role: </strong>Former Trump attorney
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="InsgSS">
<strong>Charges: </strong>seven, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit election fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the state
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kywaDg">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Powell was a Trump campaign attorney who became one of the most visible faces of the effort touting unfounded election fraud claims, famously saying at one point that she would “release the Kraken” of evidence. Powell also vocally spread lies about how <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/3/23/22346333/sidney-powell-dominion-defamation-lawsuit-trump">Dominion voting machines favored Biden versus Trump</a>, an allegation that later played a role in the defamation lawsuit Dominion filed against <a href="https://www.vox.com/media">Fox News</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GWLlKu">
The indictment accuses Powell of hiring a forensic data firm to acquire data from Dominion voting machines across the country, including in Coffee County, Georgia. It also alleges that Powell tampered with electronic ballot markers and machines in Coffee County.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Clean shaven, with gelled salt and pepper hair, Chesebro frowns slightly in his mugshot." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9jlgtlGTPUmmwmIvKdxOXNmUZrs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873465/1619648640.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro poses for his booking photo on August 23, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UnwiKW">
<strong>Kenneth Chesebro</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hHAbsH">
<strong>Role: </strong>Former Trump attorney
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dJtrQT">
<strong>Charges: </strong>seven, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit forgery, and conspiracy to commit filing false documents
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a2HxS3">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Chesebro, a lawyer who has worked with conservatives in recent years, is one of the lesser-known Trump attorneys who played a major role in advancing the idea of the fake electors scheme. As part of his argument, Cheseboro suggested that multiple states could have false electors put forth votes for Trump and send them to Washington, sowing doubt around Biden’s win.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N8YeKK">
The indictment accuses him of several offenses, including conspiracy to commit filing false documents by submitting a document about the Georgia electors in court that contained false statements. His memos allegedly helped fuel the plan to secure a slate of alternative electors in each state that could be sent to Congress to cause confusion and distrust.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Her long blonde hair covering her dark suit, Ellis smiles broadly while looking into the camera." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y_aVDGIQAWPxC-9pQTfH9jgsRzk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873476/1619649699.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis poses for her booking photo on August 23, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CnrMky">
<strong>Jenna Ellis</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NKvkhR">
<strong>Role: </strong>Former Trump attorney
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="brssh4">
<strong>Charges:</strong> two, including racketeering and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qzkI7q">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Ellis is a conservative lawyer and a former deputy district attorney from Colorado. Ellis allegedly coordinated Georgia hearings that helped perpetuate unfounded claims of election fraud and is said to have participated in meetings and hearings related to overturning the vote in other key states as well.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3GQPJC">
The indictment accuses her of writing memos making the legal case that a vice president can intercede during the congressional session meant to certify the electoral vote and can stop that vote from happening. These memos supposedly helped form the basis of the pressure campaign Trump publicly waged to try to get his vice president, Mike Pence, to help overturn the election.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Dressed casually in a blue polo, a clean shaven Smith, his black hair falling into his face, looks grave." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1656rwQiO8oMzvDEh9H-itOnSwA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873451/GettyImages_1619648904.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Georgia lawyer Ray Smith poses for his booking photo on August 23, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="juaoSI">
<strong>Ray Smith</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KWNG4b">
<strong>Role: </strong>Former Trump 2020 campaign attorney in Georgia
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TbgqdS">
<strong>Charges: </strong>12, including racketeering, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, and false statements
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UoJddh">
<strong>Connection to the case:</strong> Smith was previously a staffer in the Georgia Attorney General’s office and served as Trump’s local attorney in Georgia during the 2020 campaign. Smith is named for testifying at a Georgia state Senate hearing and perpetuating election lies there, as well as participating in an election challenge in Georgia state court. Additionally, he is accused of pressuring Georgia House members to appoint alternative electors.
</p>
<h3 id="hMe4N3">
Government and campaign officials
</h3>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="In a blue suit and blue tie, a silver-haired Meadows smiles slightly." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/azcR_W_mdTN37_d-3EzUaq8IUUA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873456/GettyImages_1620723958.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in his August 24, 2023, Fulton County mugshot.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gownYT">
<strong>Mark Meadows</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zs3Uhe">
<strong>Role: </strong>former White House chief of staff
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9Oo1YM">
<strong>Charges: </strong>two, including racketeering and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FxXQik">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Meadows was Trump’s fourth (if you count acting chief Mick Mulvaney) and final chief of staff and was a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22834084/mark-meadows-criminal-referral-january-6">key member of his inner circle in the final days of his administration</a>. In all of the January 6 investigations, there have been many questions about how much Meadows knew about Trump’s state of mind during his attempts to overturn the election.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4buAol">
<strong>The indictment mostly casts him as a facilitator, </strong>allegedly helping coordinate communications between Trump and Georgia election officials, coordinating legal strategies, and spreading false theories about election fraud.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="In a dark suit, a balding Clark wrinkles his forehead, a half smile on his lips." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ivCGpRKcxUBnqcnS2dExcjCGDqo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873464/GettyImages_1622942809.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark in his August 25, 2023, Fulton County mugshot.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xCUxCD">
<strong>Jeffrey Clark</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IFd0TU">
<strong>Role:</strong> former acting assistant attorney general at the DOJ
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ANZBHr">
<strong>Charges: </strong>two, including racketeering and attempt to commit false statements and writings
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aOYuVj">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Clark became known during the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/6/23/23179173/jeffrey-clark-doj-january-6">January 6 investigation</a> as a DOJ official said to have tried to use the chaos unfolding at the end of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/trump-administration">Trump administration</a> to catapult himself into the role of acting attorney general, and then, to use the power of that office to force key states to acknowledge Trump’s false electors, handing the election to Trump.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yeNrry">
The indictment details Clark’s communications with acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen and other key officials, including a false letter intended for Georgia officials that suggested the DOJ had observed concerns with the state’s election results that could have required the reevaluation of the outcome and the appointment of new electors. It suggests that he was a key part of the effort to use the government as a tool to overturn the election.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Clean shaven, his blonde hair in a crew cut, a large silver Windsor knot at his neck, Roman frowns slightly." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Mw1ntAHuAjB2SAsWhdyBon-JEKI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873475/GettyImages_1623095739.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former Trump campaign staffer Michael Roman in his August 25, 2023, Fulton County mugshot.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AWkdHS">
<strong>Michael Roman</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6RmlWJ">
<strong>Role:</strong> Senior Trump campaign staffer
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ul16AK">
<strong>Charges: </strong>seven, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, and conspiracy to commit forgery
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j5al6S">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Roman had a low-profile role in the Trump campaign as its <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/mike-roman-georgia-donald-trump-indictment-pennsylvania-20230815.html">director of Election Day operations</a>. That job required coordination with local election officials, lawmakers, and campaign members. The indictment suggests Roman used contacts made during the campaign to help coordinate the plan to set up a slate of fake electors and alleges that he provided organizational support for that plan in Georgia, including setting up meetings.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Dressed in a pink crew neck top, her brown hair pulled back, Hampton smiles, her lips pressed together." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2oPV-_lPZdGl8Iwyhk2fFz5AM7g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873474/1622931899.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former Coffee County elections supervisor Misty Hampton poses for her August 25, 2023, Fulton County mugshot.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2EhoMZ">
<strong>Misty Hampton</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xU8T6p">
<strong>Role: </strong>Former Coffee County, Georgia, election supervisor
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x5l7hQ">
<strong>Charges: </strong>seven, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit election fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the state
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gzreWa">
<strong>Connection to the case:</strong> In the weeks after the election, Hampton publicly questioned the results of the election and advanced the conspiracy theory that there was something amiss with Dominion Voting Systems machines, including by posting a video popular among the right meant to show that the machines could easily be tampered with. She <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/05/13/coffee-county-misty-hampton-election/">told the Washington Post</a> she allowed businessman Scott Hall, one of the other defendants, and others access to the Coffee County elections office to help prove to the world “that this election was not done true and correct.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E3waYH">
The indictment accuses her of improperly accessing and sharing the Coffee County machine’s data and of aiding Trump supporters who were trying to get data.
</p>
<h3 id="be5pDD">
Local operators and Trump supporters
</h3>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="His silver blonde hair reflecting the ceiling lights and blotting out part of his face, Cheeley looks ahead, his face inscrutable." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wA3G5WwM5Bm0-qqh3rhmbWSLgUc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873466/1622931794.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Lawyer Robert Cheeley poses for his booking photo at the Fulton County Jail on August 25, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tFK9sj">
<strong>Robert Cheeley</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="whpIFw">
<strong>Role: </strong>trial attorney in Georgia
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Vyvdr7">
<strong>Charges: </strong>10, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, and conspiracy to commit false statements
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="17PIUP">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Cheeley is a local lawyer who represented Trump, a fake elector, and other GOP figures. He is best known for testifying at a Georgia legislative hearing making false allegations of miscounting and election fraud, including under oath.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="His silver hair swept back over his head and a short, neat beard covering his face, Hall poses without a readable expression on his face, his shirt open and a dark jacket over his shoulders." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dOUSUK5Lvo3LSHpk-SC4fPSPh80=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873463/1632749697.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Bail bondsman Scott Hall poses for his booking photo on August 22, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wnCw7C">
<strong>Scott Hall</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F0hH1M">
<strong>Role: </strong>Atlanta-based Trump supporter
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3wbiUK">
<strong>Charges: </strong>seven, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit election fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the state
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y3AWfs">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Hall is a local bail bondsman and Trump supporter. Hampton <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/05/13/coffee-county-misty-hampton-election/">told the Washington Post</a> that he and others visited Coffee County’s election offices but that she wasn’t sure exactly how they spent their time there, telling the paper, “I’m not a babysitter.” The indictment alleges he illegally accessed data from a voting machine in Coffee County, Georgia.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="In a priest’s black and white habit, his face red, Lee frowns, an expression that perhaps seems upset on his face." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/njMqvAxTGOdeYJ2Bx4yPjJKhTEg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873458/1623095846.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Lutheran pastor Stephen Cliffgard Lee poses for his booking photo at the Fulton County Jail on August 25, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mrWSmm">
<strong>Stephen Lee</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iookbD">
<strong>Role: </strong>Illinois pastor and Trump supporter
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0dviUJ">
<strong>Charges:</strong> five, including racketeering, attempting to influence witnesses, and conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kwGZA9">
<strong>Connection to the case:</strong> Before the 2020 election, Lee was a traveling pastor who specialized in ministering to law enforcement post-crisis. A Trump supporter, he went to the home of election worker Ruby Freeman, whom pro-Trump conspiracy theorists accused of helping to illegally swing the election for Biden.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MySZOc">
When the police came to the house, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/08/from-columbine-to-the-coup.html">Lee told them</a>, “I’m a pastor and I’m also working with some folks who are trying to help Ruby out and also get to some truth of what’s going on.” He went on to connect with codefendant Harrison Floyd, asking for his assistance in talking to Freeman, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/08/from-columbine-to-the-coup.html">reportedly believing that Freeman</a>, a Black woman, would respond more positively to Floyd, a Black man.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mgVmmF">
Lee’s efforts, the indictment claims, constitute intimidation of Atlanta election officials and illegal influencing of witnesses.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Bald, in a blue sports coat and shirt, Floyd looks into the camera, his lips pressed together." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/P5hp9BGMI_s7I1pa0ryWYruSmak=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873454/1620723887.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former leader of Black Voices for Trump Floyd Harrison poses for his booking photo on August 24, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eFpGCD">
<strong>Harrison Floyd</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Tct0IE">
<strong>Role: </strong>former leader of Black Voters for Trump
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xmwbT3">
<strong>Charges: </strong>three, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit to false writings, and conspiracy to influence witnesses
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gMJdVi">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Floyd had long been a Trump supporter but became involved with the other defendants after responding to a call from Lee. He then reportedly recruited defendant Trevian Kutti’s assistance in trying to talk to Ruby Freeman, the Atlanta election worker pro-Trump forces accused of fraud. The indictment claims he participated in an intimidation scheme.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Her wavy black hair in a high pony and wearing a camouflage coat, Kutti smiles broadly, her eyebrows raised." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0vlhICYkE5kfrwG0p_9UHP055uo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873452/1623095709.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Publicist Trevian Kutti poses for her booking photo at the Fulton County Jail on August 25, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qrgjuB">
<strong>Trevian Kutti</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SD6zft">
<strong>Role: </strong>Trump supporter and former publicist for celebrities like Kanye West
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i3ERtv">
<strong>Charges: </strong>three, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements, and conspiracy to influence witnesses
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AqZpHU">
<strong>Connection to the case:</strong> Kutti traveled from her base of operations in Chicago to Atlanta after speaking with Floyd. Once there, she <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/kanye-west-publicist-pressed-georgia-election-worker-confess-bogus-fraud-charges-2021-12-10/">reportedly went to Freeman’s home</a>, told her she’d been sent by an unnamed “high-profile individual,” and gave Freeman an ultimatum: Confess to election crimes or go to jail. Freeman called the police and was ultimately told by the FBI to relocate for her own safety.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hrQJ9o">
Kutti, like Floyd and Lee, is now accused of being involved in Freeman’s intimidation and of influencing a witness.
</p>
<h3 id="fS439D">
False electors
</h3>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="His face a bit blown out by flash or ambient light, Shafer smiles as if laughing in a blue sportscoat and Oxford shirt." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-edVPcLkQEV00fkETbKRTq4C2Bg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873448/1619648883.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former Georgia State Sen. David Shafer poses for his booking photo on August 23, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z6tPTV">
<strong>David Shafer</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B2uxvR">
<strong>Role: </strong>Georgia false elector and former chair of the state’s Republican Party
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9cDc6i">
<strong>Charges: </strong>eight, including racketeering, impersonating a public officer, and forgery
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rOihZM">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Shafer allegedly helped coordinate the false elector scheme in the state and signed documents suggesting that he was one of 16 qualified electors declaring Trump’s victory. According to the indictment, he asked the fake electors to quietly gather at the Georgia state Capitol on December 14, 2020, to “avoid drawing attention to what we are doing.” He then signed a <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-DOC-CTRL0000037944/pdf/GPO-J6-DOC-CTRL0000037944.pdf">letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp</a> asking him to approve the fake slate of electors.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Q8ltSO">
Shafer has asked that the case against him be moved to federal court and has tried to pin the blame for any wrongdoing on those with more power and influence: “Mr. Shafer and the other Republican Electors in the 2020 election acted at the direction of the incumbent President and other federal officials,” Shafer’s attorney wrote in the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.gand.310324/gov.uscourts.gand.310324.2669.0.pdf">petition</a>. Trump’s attorneys had argued to Shafer that assembling the fake electors was necessary for the former president to win Georgia’s electoral votes if he was able to win his court challenges to the results, and Shafer has provided evidence that he was closely coordinating with them.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="In a gray suit jacket and blue shirt, Still wears a half smile on his face, his crew cut held down by gel." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9mmydcfkh_uva6deisvStd93W6g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873445/1623095998.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still poses for his booking photo at the Fulton County Jail on August 25, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QsSvol">
<strong>Shawn Still</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZywL4B">
<strong>Role: </strong>false elector and Georgia state senator
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T10y7r">
<strong>Charges: </strong>seven, including racketeering, impersonating a public officer, and forgery
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SS0ksQ">
<strong>Connection to the case: </strong>Still, the secretary of the Georgia 2020 Electoral College Meeting, was among 16 Republicans who signed a certificate falsely claiming that they were “duly elected and qualified” electors for the state and that Trump had won the election. He then signed a <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-DOC-CTRL0000037944/pdf/GPO-J6-DOC-CTRL0000037944.pdf">letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp</a> asking him to approve the fake slate of electors.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="84Zy2c">
He has also asked that the case against him be <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/24/co-defendant-georgia-trump-indictment-00112932">transferred to federal court</a> because he was acting at the direction of Trump’s attorneys, whom he argues were effectively agents of the federal government at that point.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Lit such that her skin seems to glow, Latham, in a floral print dress, looks straight ahead, her lips slightly parted." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8vdruCbAvV9gaDGL-zsNDzuKLm0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873440/1619648841.jpg"/> <cite>Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Former Coffee County GOP chair Cathy Latham poses for her booking photo on August 23, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EwyDJx">
<strong>Cathy Latham</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qViaj6">
<strong>Role: </strong>false elector and former head of the Coffee County Republicans
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sYVebd">
<strong>Charges: </strong>eleven, including racketeering, impersonating a public officer, and forgery
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nCEQV5">
<strong>Connection to the case:</strong> Latham was among 16 Republicans who signed a certificate falsely claiming that they were “duly elected and qualified” electors for the state and that Trump had won the election. Based on phone calls and text messages procured by Georgia prosecutors, she was also charged in connection to a voting system breach in Coffee County allegedly orchestrated by Hampton and other Trump allies who sought to provide evidence that the 2020 election was fraudulent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GoidGz">
The indictment alleges that Latham and others tampered with electronic ballot markers and tabulating machines and took official ballots outside of a polling location without authorization.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The confusing Scooter Braun exodus, explained</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Scooter Braun, smiling slightly, wears a black baseball cap and a small headset microphone." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uWD5hAjz4bfEH-_6k57rI-eGlwI=/257x0:2480x1667/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72572188/1253330960.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Scooter Braun in Hamburg, Germany, at the 2023 OMR Festival. | Marcus Brandt/dpa via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Sorry, Swifties, Scooter Braun probably isn’t about to be arrested.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vi0VG1">
Within a matter of days, music mogul Scooter Braun’s empire of pop stars has apparently collapsed, with one celebrity after another reportedly departing his studio — but no one knows what’s going on with Braun and his company, what prompted the exits, or even exactly which celebrities are bailing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xmlWci">
Braun, perhaps most famous for discovering Justin Bieber and pushing Taylor Swift to <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22278732/taylor-swift-re-recording-1989-speak-now-enchanted-mine-master-rights-scooter-braun">rerecord all her masters</a>, formed powerful partnerships with major artists. His management company, SB Projects (SBP), became a music industry powerhouse overseeing a wide range of artists, from the Black Eyed Peas to Carly Rae Jepsen. In 2021, Hybe, the South Korean studio that gave the world <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/6/13/17426350/bts-history-members-explained">BTS</a>, acquired Braun’s umbrella company Ithaca Holdings in a <a href="https://variety.com/2021/music/news/hybe-merges-ithaca-holdings-scooter-braun-bts-1234943092/">billion-dollar merger</a>. The deal should have spelled good things for Braun and his clients — especially Braun, who became CEO of Hybe America.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zy3Y7P">
But now, a messy spate of reported departures has caused gossip and speculation to swirl about the reasons for the mass exodus: shady deals, abusive behavior, and (of course) conspiratorial Taylor Swift lyrics about white-collar crime.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vCLMVD">
Is any of it true? Let’s look at what we know.
</p>
<h3 id="F0XHCK">
Reports of several high-profile client departures suggest there’s trouble in Braunville
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y2XA9c">
On August 18, Puck News’s Matthew Belloni <a href="https://puck.news/justin-bieber-and-scooter-braun-havent-talked-in-months/">reported</a> that Justin Bieber was looking for new management after a silent split from Scooter Braun. According to multiple sources, per Belloni, the duo hadn’t been in contact for months, and Bieber was looking for an exit despite still being under contract.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wCBxkx">
No sooner did the scoop break than confusion followed. “Reps for all parties” promptly rebutted the rumors to multiple outlets, including <a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/demi-lovato-leaves-manager-scooter-braun-sb-projects/">Billboard</a> and <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/08/18/justin-bieber-shuts-down-rumors-hes-splitting-from-longtime-manager-scooter-braun/">Page Six</a>, albeit with zero details. Bieber is <a href="https://scooterbraun.com/music">currently still listed</a> on SBP’s client list, but that website lists “past and present work” without distinguishing which is which — and its client list has apparently fallen into, shall we say, disarray.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xg4GMh">
On Monday, August 21, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/demi-lovato-leaves-manager-scooter-braun-sb-projects/">news broke</a> that Demi Lovato was seeking new management after an “amicable” split with Braun. No reason for the split materialized, and <a href="https://variety.com/2023/music/news/demi-lovato-parts-ways-manager-scooter-braun-1235701406/">Variety noted</a> Braun had wished Lovato a happy birthday on Instagram just the day before.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Rccx2w">
Hard on the heels of that surprise came another: Just hours after the news about Lovato, Belloni and Billboard each reported that Ariana Grande, one of Braun’s longtime clients, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/ariana-grande-leaves-scooter-braun-management/">is also reportedly walking away</a> from SBP. A source <a href="https://people.com/why-ariana-grande-is-leaving-scooter-braun-source-exclusive-7775438">later told People</a> that like Lovato, Grande left on “friendly” terms, and that her decision to leave was just about trying “something new.” Both Page Six and Variety, however, disputed that intel, with an insider source <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/08/22/scooter-braun-claims-justin-bieber-and-ariana-grande-are-still-his-clients/">insisting</a> Grande was still under contract with SBP.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RYWiuq">
As if all this wasn’t enough, the Hollywood Reporter broke the news on August 22 that Broadway’s Idina Menzel, who you probably didn’t even realize was a Scooter Braun gal, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/idina-menzel-no-longer-being-managed-scooter-braun-1235572089/">had departed SBP back in January</a> after signing with Braun in 2019. This would apparently make Menzel the first of Braun’s high-profile clients to walk away; Latin superstar J Balvin <a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/j-balvin-signs-roc-nation-management/">previously left SBP in May</a> to join management company Roc Nation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RO0jAt">
Then, on August 24, the Associated Press threw things into even greater chaos with the following line in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/scooter-braun-what-to-know-d5669e8b0fe641dd268c2e2cf88b0e24">its piece</a> about the departures: “Representatives for Carly Rae Jepsen, BabyJake, and Asher Roth confirmed to AP that those artists no longer work with Braun and haven’t for quite some time.” So far, no further details have manifested about when these artists walked away from Braun. And as vague as that news is, just to muddy the waters even further, the allegedly departed and/or departing artists are all currently still listed on the SBP website.
</p>
<h3 id="5z5Hq4">
Each artist might have different reasons for leaving
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T8RGwl">
Because Braun is such a high-profile industry figure himself, what might otherwise have been niche industry news became a major media sensation as people all across social media wondered what triggered the string of departures.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sfK7YN">
However, it’s important to take a step back and look at what we actually know. Bieber, despite kicking off this whole news cycle, has yet to confirm he’s leaving, and SBP sources have repeatedly insisted he’s not. Indeed, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/justin-bieber-manager-scooter-braun-years-left-contract/">Billboard recently reported</a> that Bieber has about four years left on his contract with Braun, though he may be “exploring all [his] options.”<strong> </strong>Menzel left Braun’s management almost nine months ago, so her exit seems unconnected to what’s happening now. Same with Balvin, who left in May. If it’s true that, as the AP reported, Jepsen, BabyJake, and Roth haven’t been managed by Braun in “quite some time,” that also implies they may have left at various times and for various reasons.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AaVWdq">
That leaves us with Lovato and Grande as the only currently confirmed (or semi-confirmed) recent exits from the company. Lovato joined SBP in 2019, and released two studio albums under Braun, <em>Dancing with the Devil</em> (2021) and <em>Holy Fvck</em> (2022). Lovato’s personal life during that time had been intense; according to the 2021 documentary <em>Dancing With the Devil</em>, Braun explained that he signed Lovato shortly after they’d finished a long period in rehab. Lovato has since returned to rehab <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/demi-lovato-secretly-returned-to-rehab-it-was-their-decision/">at least once more</a> since then; they’ve also <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/demi-lovato-explains-only-using-they-them-pronouns-was-exhausting-1234771153/">come out as nonbinary</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x0dQfu">
They’re currently promoting their upcoming album, <em>Revamped</em>, featuring new versions of previous Lovato tracks. Because the album is something of a reset — Lovato seems to be turning their old pop sound into a harder rock vibe — it makes sense that they might want a different manager for a different phase of their life and career.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TAvPLi">
Grande has a longer history with Braun. She first joined SBP in 2013 and has released all of her albums under Braun’s management. Any way you look at it, the timing of Grande’s departure is frankly wild: She’s right in the middle of promoting the 10th anniversary rerelease of her debut album <em>Yours Truly</em>, which drops August 25. To make things even more discombobulating, SBP <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwOMNiHICjd/">was promoting</a> Grande’s album on social media mere minutes before the news of her departure leaked.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pR0BNv">
Yet Grande has also recently undergone a heavily scrutinized split from her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez. <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/07/17/ariana-grande-dalton-gomez-separated-divorce-ring-seperated/">TMZ leaked the news</a> barely a month ago that the couple had been on the outs since January. Just three days after sources <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/07/17/ariana-grande-dalton-gomez-divorcing-after-2-years-of-marriage/">confirmed the split</a>, TMZ followed up with reports that <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/07/20/ariana-grande-dating-wicked-costar-ethan-slater-split-husband-dalton-gomez/">Grande had been dating</a> her <em>Wicked</em> co-star Ethan Slater. Slater <a href="https://people.com/ariana-grande-new-boyfriend-ethan-slater-separated-wife-lilly-jay-after-baby-7563559">reportedly also separated</a> from his wife and longtime partner Lilly Jay, who gave birth to their son in August 2022, though it’s unclear exactly when their separation began.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kSplX1">
The affair, which allegedly <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellendurney/ethan-slater-filed-for-divorce-amid-ariana-grande-dating">left both</a> jilted spouses “<a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/07/19/dalton-gomez-devastated-by-ariana-grande-split-report/">devastated</a>,” has fully overshadowed Grande’s forthcoming album. A new story is a good antidote to negative press coverage, and even if Grande is moving on from Braun, it might not reflect on the manager. After all, she <a href="https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/scooter-braun-fired-by-ariana-grande-justin-bieber-kanye-west-1202990231/">fired him</a> once before, in 2016, before changing her mind several months later.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SspQZt">
As for Bieber, if indeed he’s leaving Braun, that would be the biggest scandal yet — but not entirely a shock. The Beebs has come a long way since the days of his heady teenage stardom; more recently, he’s become <a href="https://aleteia.org/2022/09/21/justin-bieber-brings-powerful-message-of-faith-to-rock-music-festival/">more and more focused</a> on his religious life, while also battling health concerns. A year ago he <a href="https://pagesix.com/2022/09/06/justin-bieber-cancels-justice-tour-amid-health-concerns/">canceled his most recent world tour</a> shortly after it began, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeorE9OjqX9/">revealing</a> that he’d been struggling with a rare viral condition, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can cause facial paralysis. If Bieber has moved on from Braun, it could be that it’s toward an entirely new phase of his career.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sVGUJF">
It seems just as, if not more, likely, however, that Braun has moved on from Bieber. One source <a href="https://people.com/justin-bieber-hasnt-talked-scooter-braun-months-working-new-album-without-him-exclusive-7749937">confirmed to People</a> that Belloni’s initial report of radio silence between Braun and Bieber was accurate. According to the insider, “Justin’s been working on his new record for the last six months. Scooter and SB Projects have not set up one session or done one thing for this [new] record.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2Q1UQZ">
But while that sounds dire, it could just be business. And by “business,” we mean the unexpected ripple effects of BTS.
</p>
<h3 id="YH91Qv">
This could all just be about K-pop
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gCxOJu">
Hybe, formerly Big Hit, is one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment studios, but its success is inextricably tied to that of its superstar K-pop band, BTS. Unfortunately for Hybe, BTS is currently on an extended hiatus <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3213650/bts-military-service-slowing-global-growth-k-pop-bands-label-hybe-says">due to South Korea’s mandatory military service requirements</a>, which has led to declining global profits for the company.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wf8kuA">
In a March press conference, Hybe founder and chair Bang Si-hyuk, also known as Bang PD, stressed that the company’s rebound strategy depends heavily on Braun, who became sole CEO of Hybe America in January. Thanks to the merger, Hybe owns all of Braun’s companies including SBP and all its client contracts as well as other subsidiary entertainment companies, like Swift’s former record label Big Machine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pQpugJ">
Hybe isn’t resting on these laurels, however — it plans on expanding. “We will announce a substantial number of acquisitions and investments within this year as part of our efforts to widen our presence in the US,” <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/bts-agency-hybe-seeks-us-deals-after-withdrawing-bid-sm-entertainment-2023-03-15/">Bang said</a>. He also expressed interest in expanding Hybe’s role in the global Latin music industry.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8lspfh">
Braun has subsequently been busy carrying out Hybe’s mission. He recently <a href="https://www.billboard.com/business/management/ozuna-signs-scooter-brauns-sb-projects-management-1235364144/">entered into a partnership</a> with Latin star Ozuna and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/08/arts/music/quality-control-hybe-scooter-braun.html">acquired</a> Atlanta-based hip-hop factory Quality Control, the label that brought the world Migos and Lil Yachty.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xZGZMB">
As overseer of all these operations, Braun would likely find one-on-one management of even longtime clients like Bieber difficult. Thus, multiple sources told Variety on Tuesday, <a href="https://variety.com/2023/music/news/scooter-braun-justin-bieber-ariana-grande-management-1235702184/">Braun is stepping back</a> from hands-on management in order to focus more on his role as sole CEO of Hybe America, which began in January. “Scooter’s team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana as they work through what this new structure looks like,” one source said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zai91Q">
It makes sense, then, that multiple clients who’ve been long-used to personal caretaking from Braun might have soured on the prospect of a less one-on-one approach and want to move on. Another factor might be that while Hybe’s acquisition of Ithaca Holdings spelled a hefty profit for Hybe, the merger yielded uneven dividends for Braun and his clients. Per Variety, while some clients like Bieber and Grande walked away with $11 million in shares from the deal, others like Balvin and Lovato received much less; Lovato received just $1 million. The unequal payouts <a href="https://www.laineygossip.com/demi-lovato-ariana-grande-dump-scooter-braun-on-same-day-leading-to-speculation-of-scandal/74638">have fueled speculation</a> that perhaps money disputes drove the walkouts, though so far no sources have confirmed this.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3y6zWs">
So far, the likelihood is that all these exits are pure coincidence, a quirk of timing brought about by unpredictable individual life circumstances and the vicissitudes of South Korean boy bands.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sjaN5i">
Of course, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from spinning wildly. That’s because Braun’s storied career has generated plenty of its own entertainment industry lore — not all of it positive.
</p>
<h3 id="6s8wuG">
Everyone loves to hate Scooter Braun. That’s probably because Swifties rule the internet.
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yDlsbq">
You can’t talk about Braun without discussing the two tentpoles of his career: his discovery of Justin Bieber and his alienation of Taylor Swift. Both are inextricably linked.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w9Sbi7">
Braun began his career as a local Atlanta party promoter, working his way into marketing for the So So Def label before striking out on his own to form SBP in 2007. A year later, Braun discovered a 13-year-old Bieber, singing hip-hop covers during the still-nascent era of early YouTube. Braun <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/fashion/03bieber.html">persuaded Bieber’s family</a> to invest in his career and relocate him from Ontario to Atlanta, where he worked with Usher and joined the Island Def Jam label.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EBM0xT">
Braun’s management of Bieber, who was just 15 when <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/justin-bieber-baby-video-ludacris-3-billion-views-youtube-1235389995/">his 2010 megahit “Baby</a>” was released, was <a href="https://nypost.com/2010/08/15/bringing-up-bieber/">more of a mentorship</a> than a professional relationship, and the persona of loving friend and advice-giver to clients would be one that he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scooter-braun-profile-manager-bieber-ariana-grande-kanye-taylor-swift-2022-2">adopted frequently</a> over the years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K6e9eh">
You wouldn’t know that, however, from the internet’s general opinion of Braun — mainly due to Taylor Swift.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mxY4mS">
As my colleague Constance Grady has <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/7/1/20677241/taylor-swift-scooter-braun-controversy-explained">extensively detailed</a>, the rift between Braun and Swift dates back to around 2016, when Bieber posted a fateful Instagram post with the since-deleted caption “Taylor Swift what up.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c8lk8s">
That post included a photo of Bieber flanked by Braun and noted Swift foe <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23400851/kanye-west-antisemitism-hitler-praise">Kanye West</a>, with whom Braun previously worked, and Swift used it to argue that Braun had bullied and mocked her. She continued to hold that view three years later, when Braun acquired Swift’s former record label Big Machine, and with it all of Swift’s albums.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="py7hFQ">
In a now-famous Tumblr post, Swift wrote that the acquisition was “my worst case scenario” and that Braun was “an incessant, manipulative bully.” Multiple people have disputed Swift’s version of events as well as her assessment of Braun’s character. A <a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/scooter-braun-wanted-sell-taylor-swift-masters/">deep investigation</a> by Music Business Worldwide (MBW) found evidence that Braun <em>wanted</em> to sell Swift’s masters back to her, and had been trying to do so, only to be stymied over conflicts regarding the accompanying non-disclosure agreement. Swift’s representation called the deal “a one-sided gag order” which Swift <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1328471874318311425/">characterized</a> as “an ironclad NDA stating I would never say another word about Scooter Braun unless it was positive.” The MBW investigation seemed to suggest Swift’s characterization of the NDA was distorted, and implied her real goal was to rerecord her masters all along in order to avoid having to pay $300 million for the originals.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="umJ738">
The saga of Swift’s masters has followed Braun and largely determined what the average person thinks about him and his reputation. For his part, Braun has <a href="https://variety.com/2021/music/news/scooter-braun-hybe-taylor-swift-justin-bieber-ariana-grande-1235000658/">stated he “regrets”</a> the fiasco and wishes Swift the best. Bieber likewise issued a lengthy apology to Swift <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzWYdS9Hj5R/">via Instagram</a> in response to her allegations against Braun, claiming that Scooter had been the one advising Justin not to shade Swift on that fateful 2016 Insta. But Bieber also castigated Swift for her hostility toward Braun, insisting that “Scooter has had your back since the days you graciously let me open up for you.!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="H3IWGB">
Despite the disputes, Swift’s narrative that Braun is a manipulative bully has become accepted wisdom on the internet. In the wake of the news of the departures, Swifties circulated <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-vigilante-shit-scooter-braun.html">an infamous lyric</a> from Swift’s <em>Midnights</em> (2022) track “Vigilante Shit”: “While he was doin’ lines and crossin’ all of mine / Someone told his white-collar crimes to the FBI.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hyEKOk">
There’s no evidence that Braun is facing any federal charges, though he did face a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/scooter-braun-hit-with-fraud-suit-private-equity-firm-1234962451/">$200 million lawsuit</a> in 2021 over allegations of fraud. That case seems to have since been handled privately, so its outcome has left no lasting stain on Braun’s industry reputation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LdU6VF">
Just what that reputation is, however, is also disputed. Despite the mystique that seems to accompany Braun, and his penchant for filming documentaries about his stars that double as promos for himself and his good-guy image, Braun has plenty of enemies who’ve shaded him after working with him — albeit usually anonymously. A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scooter-braun-profile-manager-bieber-ariana-grande-kanye-taylor-swift-2022-2">2022 Insider profile</a> quotes a source depicting Braun as “one of the most cutthroat people in the business.” The profile suggests Braun is consumed with his own legacy and reputation, to the exclusion of his day-to-day management of clients.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hseaeX">
Variety’s breakdown of the current situation goes a step further: “He’s imploding,” a source <a href="https://variety.com/2023/music/news/scooter-braun-justin-bieber-ariana-grande-management-1235702184/">told</a> the outlet. “You just can’t be an asshole like that anymore.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="swRtWP">
Be that as it may, rumors of Braun’s demise seem to have been greatly exaggerated — so much so that Braun <a href="https://twitter.com/scooterbraun/status/1694054822281125962?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">joked</a> about the entire debacle. In the weeks and months to come, the proof will be in Braun’s ability to acquire new artists and generate excitement — and profit — for Hybe. So far, Braun has done just that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kSUWRw">
If this moment truly is an implosion, then Braun has a better shot than just about anyone in Hollywood of surviving the blast.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="svjSHi">
<em><strong>Update, August 25, 12:30 pm</strong></em><em>: This piece has been updated to reflect additional information about the reported exits of Carly Rae Jepsen, BabyJake, and Asher Roth from Braun’s agency.</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2cDxxy">
</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>FIFA provisionally suspends Spanish football president Rubiales</strong> - FIFA took this action amid uproar after he kissed player Jenni Hermoso after Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup</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>Virat Kohli is perfect for No. 4 spot: AB de Villiers</strong> - India has struggled to find a suitable No.4 ever since Yuvraj Singh retired from cricket</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>Women’s World Cup-winning Spain side refuses to play until federation chief resigns for kissing player</strong> - The president of Spain’s football federation has defiantly refused to resign for kissing a female player on the lips after the Women’s World Cup final</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Top Indian shuttlers pull out of Grand Prix Badminton League</strong> - Player withdrawals come in the face of relentless pressure exerted by the Badminton Association of India on Indian players to not participate in a League which it deems as “unrecognised”</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>Forever well-prepped to deliver in the feature event</strong> -</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>EU waiting for India’s ‘counter proposal on investment court system’: Dombrovskis</strong> - Such a trade dispute settlement mechanism is likely to include a permanent court and appeals tribunal; EU Trade Commissioner says Ukraine war will not hurt EU’s prospects as world’s largest market</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>ISRO shares video showing Pragyan rover roaming around Shiv Shakti point</strong> - This comes hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the touchdown spot of the Vikram lander on the lunar surface would be known as the ‘Shiv Shakti’ point.</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>Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma asks DGP to study High Court acquittal in 2004 Dhemaji blast</strong> - The outlawed ULFA had owned responsibility for the explosion that killed 13 people, including 10 children</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>CMC Vellore, XLRI ink agreement to develop, offer, management courses for healthcare professionals</strong> - The programmes will help develop cutting-edge management practices that are relevant to the country’s health sector, a press release said</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>Sharad Pawar using guerrilla tactics to fight NCP rebels: Sanjay Raut</strong> - ‘Sharad Pawar will never align with the BJP; he is an important leader of the MVA and INDIA,’ the Shiv Sena UBT MP said</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>Luis Rubiales: Fifa suspends Spanish FA boss over Jenni Hermoso kiss</strong> - Luis Rubiales, president of Spain’s football federation, is provisionally suspended by world governing body Fifa.</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>Spain Hermoso: Fans and players protest over Rubiales kiss</strong> - Protesters rallied at the Spanish Football Federation HQ to demand the resignation of Luis Rubiales after he kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips.</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>Wagner mercenaries must swear allegiance to Russia - Putin</strong> - The presidential decree is aimed at employees of Wagner and other private military contractors.</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>Bodies and flight recorders recovered at Wagner boss Prigozhin’s jet crash site</strong> - Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and nine other people are presumed to have died in the crash.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>France to spend €200m destroying wine as demand falls</strong> - A cocktail of problems has hit the wine industry, including demand falling as more people drink craft beer.</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>Study: Carbon offsets aren’t doing their job, overstate impact</strong> - Cambridge study says carbon offsets are not nearly as effective as they claim to be. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1963543">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Renegade certificate removed from Windows. Then it returns. Microsoft stays silent.</strong> - The certificate, originally spawned by Symantec, was scheduled to be banished years ago. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1963549">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hands-on with Cherry MX2A switches: A lot less wobble, a little more confusion</strong> - Cherry fights mechanical switch copycats with a new, yet familiar, lineup. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1963225">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trump’s mug shot was on the Wii News channel, thanks to RiiConnect24 devs</strong> - RiiConnect has been offering Wii online services for longer than Nintendo. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1963387">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Global COVID monitoring is crashing as BA.2.86 variant raises alarm</strong> - “This is on the shoulders of governments right now.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1963498">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>Two deer walk out of a gay bar. One says to the other…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I can’t believe I blew 40 bucks in 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/Camctrail"> /u/Camctrail </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/161jsos/two_deer_walk_out_of_a_gay_bar_one_says_to_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/161jsos/two_deer_walk_out_of_a_gay_bar_one_says_to_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Am I wrong?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I discovered a month -old text on my wife’s phone. It said, “Babe, I’ve sent you $300. Give your husband $100 and keep the rest for your sexy self.” I texted him back: “Hi, this is her husband. I never got my money. Please talk to her.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/prlugo4162"> /u/prlugo4162 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/161a1t9/am_i_wrong/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/161a1t9/am_i_wrong/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>[NSFW]I Was Surprised When My deadbeat roommate actually had rent money on time</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yeah, man, I got a job.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Doing what?,” I asked.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I hang out in the alley and give blow jobs.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Sounds like a hard way to make money.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Nah, man, my very first night I made $300.05”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I scoffed, “Who paid you a nickel?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He said, “They all did.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Woodentit_B_Lovely"> /u/Woodentit_B_Lovely </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/161sriu/nsfwi_was_surprised_when_my_deadbeat_roommate/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/161sriu/nsfwi_was_surprised_when_my_deadbeat_roommate/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>This is a joke I wrote myself. It’s long, but I think it’s pretty good, personally…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
This is a story about three friends who had known each other their whole lives.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
They did everything together. You could not find one without the other two nearby. But, as so often happens, after graduation, they all went their separate ways. One of the friends went on to become a very successful defense attorney. Top of his class at Harvard Law, opened his own firm, made everyone back home very proud. Second friend went to business school, did alright, works a pretty standard white-collar office job. Last friend kind of became a burnout. Doesn’t really do anything except smoke, drink, and live in his mom’s basement. We’ll call them Lawyer, Business School, and Burnout.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Well, ten years have passed, and then their school throws a High School reunion. For the first time since high school, all three are going to be in the same town at the same time. So, naturally, they decide to get together. The plan is to go grab some drinks the night before the Class Reunion, but in ten years they have become very different people, with very different tastes. Lawyer only wants to drink wine. Business School only wants to drink beer. And Burnout, true to form, only wants to drink spiked punch.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So, they first go to a bar. The bartender has beer, but no wine, and no spiked punch. Then they go to a lounge. The lounge has beer and wine, but no punch to drink. They drive all over town, but no matter where they go, no business has the combination of all three. After about two hours of this, Burnout has an idea. He thinks they should find a college party to crash, since there is bound to be all sorts of alcohol there. It takes some hemming and hawing, but eventually he convinces the other two. After all, it’s the first time in ten years they have seen each other. Why not?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So, they drive to the college district, and they find a frat house with an insane party going on. This thing is so crazy people are lining up out the door just to get in. They know this is the one. So they get in line, and after a while, they make it inside the house.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The inside is even crazier. People everywhere, lights and music, guys hanging from chandeliers. This is DEFINITELY the right place. They are really excited to finally live it up after a night of searching. Thing is, there are so many people here that there are queues just to get the drinks. The Lawyer still wants wine, so he gets in the wine line. Business School still wants beer, so he gets in the beer line. And Burnout still wants punch, but there is no punch line.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Edit: I’m upvoting every comment on here just to help make up for the time you committed to this. Sorry all!
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Jdkeyes182"> /u/Jdkeyes182 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16145hy/this_is_a_joke_i_wrote_myself_its_long_but_i/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16145hy/this_is_a_joke_i_wrote_myself_its_long_but_i/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mr. Johnson goes to the doctor because he’s having trouble performing in the bedroom…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doctor does a physical exsm and finds nothing wrong. He takes some blood to send to the lab and tells Mr Johnson he’ll call with the results in a few days.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When the doctor calls 3 days later, he informs Mr Johnson that his blood work came back fine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Oh please doc, what else can we do to fix this? My wife and I will do whatever we need to” pleads the man.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“OK Mr Johnson. I want you and your wife at my office first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll figure this out” says the doctor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So first thing the next day, woody and willomina Johnson arrive at the office of Dr. Richard Checker. They are escorted into an exsm room and soon joined by the Dr. “Thank you for helping Mrs Johnson” says the Dr. 
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I’ll do anything to help my woody”, she says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Good, because I need your help”, states the Dr. “This will sound strange, but can you please fully disrobe?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She is taken aback by this request. “Dr, I couldn’t possibly do that”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I understand your concern” says the doc. “But I promise you this is a safe space. This is purely for medical purposes to help your husband.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“It’s OK Willie” says her husband with a nod.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So Mrs Johnson removes all her clothes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Hmm” says the doc. “Now Mrs Johnson, can you please slowly turn around”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She again protests, but is assured again by the doctor it’s for the benefit of her husband. After being reassures by her husband, she slowly turns in a complete circle.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Hmm, ok. Now I need you to jump up and down a few times. 3 or 4 jumps should suffice” says the Dr. 
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Again, Mrs Johnson slightly protests. But she is again assured by the Dr and encouraged by her husband. So she does 4 little hops in place.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Hmm, ok. I see. Thank you so much for your help Mrs Johnson. You can get dressed and have a seat in the waiting room.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So Mrs Johnson collects her things, gets dressed, gives her husband a kiss on the cheek, and heads to the wiring room.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“We’ll doc, whats going on with me?” asks Mr Johnson.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doctor takes his glasses off and has a seat on his stool. He looks at the patient and says, “You are perfectly healthy Mr Johnson. She doesn’t do anything for me either”!
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Spaceace91478"> /u/Spaceace91478 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/161bfej/mr_johnson_goes_to_the_doctor_because_hes_having/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/161bfej/mr_johnson_goes_to_the_doctor_because_hes_having/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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