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538 lines
78 KiB
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<title>11 May, 2021</title>
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<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inside India’s COVID-19 Surge</strong> - At a hospital in New Delhi, supplies and space are running out, but the patients keep coming. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/inside-indias-covid-19-surge">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden’s Great Economic Rebalancing</strong> - The President is looking to correct a capitalist economy that has gone askew, and reclaim a lost vision of shared prosperity. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/joe-bidens-great-economic-rebalancing">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Facebook and the Normalization of Deviance</strong> - The trouble with waiting to address problems long after you know that they exist. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/facebook-and-the-normalization-of-deviance">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>India’s Epidemic of False COVID-19 Information</strong> - As patients and families frantically seek treatment, elected officials—and some physicians—have fuelled denialism and specious talk of miracle cures. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/indias-epidemic-of-false-covid-19-information">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Pennsylvania Lawmaker and the Resurgence of Christian Nationalism</strong> - How Doug Mastriano’s rise embodies the spread of a movement centered on the belief that God intended America to be a Christian nation. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/on-religion/a-pennsylvania-lawmaker-and-the-resurgence-of-christian-nationalism">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Buy now, pay later changed retail. Health care and rent are next.</strong> -
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<figure>
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<img alt="An image of a shredded dollar bill against a pink background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VhqOZ4sc4JWn5mTAfCKsURnxvQc=/440x0:7512x5304/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69267823/GettyImages_1219747209.0.jpg"/>
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<figcaption>
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Buy now, pay later providers Klarna, Afterpay, and Quadpay spent years slowly infiltrating the retail market. The pandemic has accelerated their popularity among all sorts of online brands. | Getty Images
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Thanks to Afterpay and Klarna, it’s easier than ever to buy in installments. Now, the model is coming for necessities.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xvLDnx">
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Last March, in the midst of a nationwide lockdown that left millions out of work, the residents of Wasatch Property Management’s apartment complexes were presented with a solution to the impending problem of rent. It came from a little cartoon woman named Penny featured on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WasatchPropertyManagement/videos/2835179679930279">Wasatch’s Facebook page</a>. Through an app called Flex, Penny explained, tenants could pay rent in installments throughout the month, rather than a lump sum at the month’s start.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rDEYMA">
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“Have you ever gotten yourself in a small financial pinch or maybe even had to pay a late fee on your rent?” Penny asked. “Because let’s face it, life happens!” The cartoon went on, explaining that her payday falls on the 15th of the month, and Flex allowed her to budget rent into “small, stress-free payments.” The downside, which was left out of the video, is that tenants are charged a $20 monthly fee to use Flex. Online, some have <a href="https://twitter.com/Krys_King/status/1388649696202219521">compared</a> the service to Afterpay, a point-of-sale lending service that provides shoppers the option to <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/14/18178772/afterpay-stores-installment-urban-outfitters">split their purchases across several payments</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VWvUpV">
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These buy now, pay later providers have spent years slowly infiltrating the retail market through partnerships with merchants, but the pandemic has accelerated their popularity among online retailers, from luxury brands to independent shops to fast-fashion sites. As a result, more consumers have grown familiar with these services, which have buzzy two-syllable names like Affirm, Klarna, Quadpay, and Sezzle.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2NnaOy">
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These startups sell the myth that shoppers are in greater control of their money, even while they’re fulfilling their consumerist desires. Customers, particularly those who are budget-conscious or financially constrained, are under the illusion that they’ve spent less, and able to hold onto their hard-earned cash for a few weeks longer. Meanwhile, for retailers, a service like Afterpay could theoretically increase the average value of a shopper’s order — encouraging them to spend money they don’t presently have to spend.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uA7y0J">
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It doesn’t end with retail, though. Emerging fintech apps are looking to apply this lending model to other sectors, from <a href="https://www.hellowalnut.com/">health care</a> to <a href="https://www.uplift.com/">travel</a> to <a href="https://getflex.com/">rent</a>. Sure, people are growing acclimated to dividing their purchases into four easy payments, even applauding the option to do so. But no matter how you frame it, the pitfalls of these plans seem to be, unfortunately, just more debt.
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</p>
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<h3 id="pwtiSg">
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“Buy now, pay later” sounds simple. The fine print is more complicated.
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</h3>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EgptkM">
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Iyahna Symonne has been in a complicated relationship with Afterpay since February. The 21-year-old’s spending habits were “already out of line,” so when faced with a $110 purchase from the fast-fashion retailer Shein, selecting the buy now, pay later option felt like a no-brainer. Since then, Afterpay has doubled her credit line from $600 to $1,200, extending her the possibility to buy more — and to be stuck in a cycle of repayments.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cWAlkN">
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As of late, Symonne’s impulse has been to split payments for most of her clothing purchases, even with less-expensive items like a $30 PacSun jacket. “If [a store] offers Afterpay, I’m going to use it. I don’t care if it’s $5,” she told me. “It makes me feel like I’m saving more money.” She is aware that isn’t true; in fact, Symonne is at risk of paying a small fee if she misses a payment.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z8QbRr">
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The trade-off with Afterpay is that she feels less guilty about shopping, even if it’s just a sticky reframing of expenses. If spending $100 is a splurge, then an upfront cost of $25 seems much more manageable, especially if no interest fees are involved, unlike with credit cards. Most providers offer no-interest payment plans if the buyer pays off the product within four installments or a fixed time period. But the fine print varies, as does the amount for late fees.
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</p>
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<div class="c-float-left">
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<div id="T7A89S">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
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I really buy everything with afterpay now, for no reason at all. Y’all gon get this $20 in 4 easy payments
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</p>
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— “High Melanin” (<span class="citation" data-cites="MissAmarisRose">@MissAmarisRose</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/MissAmarisRose/status/1390038273368678401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2021</a>
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</blockquote></div></div></li>
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</ul>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GFCBem">
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Jason Mikula, who writes the newsletter Fintech Business Weekly, separates these services into <a href="https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/p/buy-now-pay-later-vs-pos-lending">two distinct categories</a>: point-of-sale lenders (Affirm, PayPal Credit), which usually apply to larger purchases like Casper mattresses or Pelotons, are repaid over longer periods, require credit checks, and charge buyers interest; and pay-in-four services (Klarna, Afterpay), which charge no interest, require a 25 percent deposit, and operate without credit checks or reporting to credit bureaus. The rent service Flex markets itself as an opportunity to build tenants’ credit scores by <a href="https://help.getflex.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500006277081-Does-Flex-report-my-payment-data-to-credit-reporting-agencies-">reporting</a> payment behavior to credit agencies, which means late payments <a href="https://help.getflex.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500006277201-How-will-using-my-Flex-account-impact-my-credit-score-or-credit-report-">can affect</a> a person’s score.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IS0WET">
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According to Mikula, who has spent more than a decade working in consumer credit, the first option generally appeals to high-income shoppers, while the latter is geared toward younger or income-constrained people. “If I’m going to buy a Peloton and get 0 percent financing, why would I not take that? It’s essentially free money,” he said. “On the other hand, the split-pay option lowers the friction of making a purchase. It is debt, and it might not legally be a loan, but it’s money the consumer owes someone.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mVJ8KS">
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In a 2019 piece for Vox, reporter Susie Cagle <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/14/18178772/afterpay-stores-installment-urban-outfitters">likened</a> Afterpay to an inversion of layaway, a payment business model marketed primarily toward cash-strapped consumers. With layaway, shoppers could place a deposit on a big purchase and pay for the item in installments before taking it home. Twitter users joke that the buy now, pay later startups are a modern-day layaway “<a href="https://twitter.com/TMikaMouse/status/1384186168900681732">rebrand</a>” or a gentrification of the concept.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rqxtbL">
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Cagle’s reporting reveals how providers like Afterpay are essentially short-term lending services; because they operate outside of the legal definition of a loan product, they aren’t subjected to certain US consumer finance regulations, such as the Truth in Lending Act. (Afterpay co-founder and co-CEO Nick Molnar insisted to Cagle that the company functions as a budgeting tool, rather than a loan servicer.) Australian and European lawmakers have since taken steps to better regulate providers like Afterpay, but the regulatory optics in the US have been slow to change.
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</p>
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<div id="MzqBcX">
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<blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@brookehwr/video/6944378515861064965" class="tiktok-embed">
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<section>
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<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@brookehwr" target="_blank" title="@brookehwr"><span class="citation" data-cites="brookehwr">@brookehwr</span></a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Dunno what I’d do without it tbh x <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp" target="_blank" title="fyp">#fyp</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/hauls" target="_blank" title="hauls">#hauls</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/klarna" target="_blank" title="klarna">#klarna</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/clearpay" target="_blank" title="clearpay">#clearpay</a>
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</p>
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<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/the-real-sorority-check-6737698700086233861" target="_blank" title="♬ the real sorority check - elizabeth the first">♬ the real sorority check - elizabeth the first</a>
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</section>
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</blockquote>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OZCXhj">
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Despite concern from consumer advocates, many shoppers find the option to split payments useful, and some have developed brand affinity toward certain providers. Klarna and Afterpay, for example, frequently receive shoutouts from semi-viral TikTok videos of users glorifying the services, and have partnered with influencers and retailers to broadcast products and deals. As brands, these companies have adopted the tone of a <a href="https://twitter.com/AfterpayUSA/status/1390776792743653380">friendly beneficiary</a>: Customer service agents refer to user relationships as “<a href="https://twitter.com/Klarna/status/1352249340899811329">friendships</a>,” respond to comments with a suite of emojis, and assert the company’s mission of helping people buy what they love.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sYmjkv">
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Like Symonne, some consumers recognize how these services enable them to buy more, rather than spend less overall. The effort to stanch this behavior, though, remains largely individualized. “[A]fterpay & klarna have me in a damn chokehold,” <a href="https://twitter.com/leiifaye/status/1388512924034113537">one user tweeted</a>. “Somebody cancel my Klarna,” <a href="https://twitter.com/Jimmy_Mikey/status/1389896694347833346">wrote another</a>. “I’m gonna be making four small easy payments forever.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6YjunX">
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These tweets are, like most things on Twitter, probably made in jest, but they hint at worthwhile concerns held by consumer advocates: What’s helpful for one shopper could be predatory for another, so what regulations are in place to protect people as these services bleed into other sectors, like health care? “We need a standardized way to inform people about the features of these products,” said Chuck Bell, programs director at Consumer Reports. “Most consumers aren’t aware of the distinctions between Affirm or Afterpay, and whether they’re building credit when they make an on-time payment.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nsYnve">
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The prevailing concern is that consumers are being urged to take on more than they can afford. Some services operate without a credit check, or standardized mechanisms in place to limit overspending. But as the Atlantic’s Amanda Mull <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/01/jeans-now-pay-later/617257/">pointed out</a>, “buy now, pay later” services shouldn’t be vilified any more than credit cards, auto loans, or any financial product designed to encourage people to buy things they can’t afford. After all, consumerism is designed to keep churning the gears of American capitalism. And since the postwar era, the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4227616?seq=1">evolution of consumer credit</a> has sought to achieve one goal: encouraging people to spend beyond their means.
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</p>
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<h3 id="ARU49a">
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The evolution of buy now, pay later
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</h3>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PC5LKt">
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The modern consumer credit system was established by General Motors to sell cars. Very few people could pay full price for one, hence the creation of a loan financing model. Today, selecting buy now, pay later is a nearly instantaneous decision, and its proliferation within retail is in line with the decentralization of fintech and the direct-to-consumer boom, according to Larry Diamond, CEO of Quadpay’s parent company Zip. With Shopify, Stripe, and the growth of e-commerce, technology developments allowed merchants to bypass the <a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/stripe-teardown/">traditional, lengthy credit card integration process</a>. “The ability to plug and play is really powerful,” Diamond said. “A merchant can decide to offer an installment solution at checkout, and once they pass the brief accreditation period, it’ll immediately appear on their checkout screens.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Yo8TuV">
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Due to their novelty, these venture-backed startups are able to skirt strict regulation, although US consumer protection laws still generally apply. Among investors, Afterpay and its ilk have been touted as the future of consumer credit. Younger Americans are supposedly less trustful of traditional financial institutions, and up until 2019, were less likely to open up a credit card, compared to older consumers. But recent <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/select/gen-z-credit-habits/">surveys</a> suggest <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ronshevlin/2020/11/09/the-debit-card-explosion-is-going-to-fizzle/?sh=18f0de78275c">more than half</a> of millennials and members of Generation Z have at least one credit card.
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</p>
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<div class="c-float-right">
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<div id="QzAi5V">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
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With <a href="https://twitter.com/CapitalOne?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="CapitalOne">@CapitalOne</span></a> blocking BNPL tx on its credit cards, the credit risk of the product category is getting another look<br/><br/>Afterpay’s ~13% loss rate is in payday loan territory<br/><br/>BNPLs argue loan book loss % is wrong metric, as ‘loan’ term is ~30 days<br/><br/>Src: <a href="https://t.co/4Ncomen2Qw">https://t.co/4Ncomen2Qw</a> <a href="https://t.co/CICYFAhkCE">pic.twitter.com/CICYFAhkCE</a>
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</p>
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— Jason Mikula (<span class="citation" data-cites="mikulaja">@mikulaja</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikulaja/status/1336270523739893760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2020</a>
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</blockquote>
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</div>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qOD03Y">
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Providers like Afterpay position themselves as an alternative for the young and credit-averse. Users can link debit cards or bank accounts to the service, in addition to most credit cards (Capital One has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-capital-one-fin-payments/capital-one-stops-risky-buy-now-pay-later-credit-card-transactions-idUSKBN28H0OR">banned</a> such transactions on its cards). Regardless, these tools all rely on the concept of spending beyond one’s immediate means. And there’s plenty of market potential for growth, in retail and other sectors. A Bank of America report <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-seek-growth-now-in-paying-later-11607077800">predicted</a> that the global buy now, pay later space could annually process between $650 billion to $1 trillion by 2025, which is roughly 10 to 15 times the current market. PayPal launched a Pay in 4 option last fall, and banks and credit card companies are also eyeing the space.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BErlFg">
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“Existing credit card companies, like American Express and Chase, are trying to offer customers the ability to convert purchases on their cards into installment loans after the fact,” Mikula, of Fintech Business Weekly, told me. “But uptake on those services has been very low because it’s essentially extra work.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PJGgSm">
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However, Mikula thinks that the popularity of buy now, pay later services is currently overestimated, even as they partner with more merchants and digital payment companies. He cited a 2020 survey of about 3,000 consumers from <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ronshevlin/2020/11/22/the-24-billion-buy-now-pay-later-battle/?sh=658696822f53">Cornerstone Advisors</a>, which found that only 7 percent of respondents sought to split their payments. Another problem is brand loyalty, and whether providers are able to distinguish themselves in a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/buy-now-pay-later-isnt-winner-take-all-11613563215">competitive landscape</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NGbKxR">
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“Most users interact with these products as a convenience option when they’re checking out online,” he said. “There isn’t an infinite pool of people who would want to split an $80 Adidas purchase four ways. It’s clear that these companies are cognizant of the risk and are trying to develop product extensions to diversify or mitigate.”
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</p>
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<div class="c-float-right">
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<aside id="Ld6Vum">
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<q>“There isn’t an infinite pool of people who would want to split an $80 Adidas purchase four ways”</q>
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</aside>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NxOlN0">
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Affirm and AfterPay have launched debit cards with a built-in function to split payments at in-store retailers. But while buy now, pay later is most visible in the retail space, companies are considering an expansion into sectors where consumers frequently make big-ticket purchases, such as travel, home improvement, and even health care.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4p02jR">
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“Our goal is to be the first payment choice everywhere,” Diamond, of Quadpay, told me. “The use case can extend to all sorts of purchases. If you look at Australia, we do a huge amount through bills: mobile phone bill, utility bill, medical bills.” He added that health care is “a big focus” in the United States, since a lot of people don’t have private health insurance and out-of-pocket costs can be expensive.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sQyc29">
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The startup Walnut, for example, follows a similar point-of-sale lending model that breaks down patient payments with zero interest. <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/07/walnut-affirm-for-healthcare-seed/?tpcc=ECTW2020">TechCrunch</a> reported that the startup uses an “extensive underwriting model,” rather than a credit score, to figure out if a patient should qualify for a loan, and analyzes financial data points from a person’s spending habits to their side income. In March, Openpay became the <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexDruuuce/status/1371250338221584386">first buy now, pay later startup </a>to be offered in Australian hospitals, in partnership with St. John of God Health Care, the country’s largest Catholic health provider. The installment plan is specifically made for uninsured Australians without private health insurance, who might be faced with major costs for procedures like elective surgeries.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ve2enq">
|
||
Criticism toward these fintech developments is generally directed at their novelty and lack of regulation. Such products have, to put it bluntly, disrupted the traditional pathways of taking on debt by existing beyond the purview of traditional financial institutions. Some do serve a need by extending access to credit for <a href="https://www.vox.com/22367985/paypal-venmo-financial-inequality-unbanked-underbanked">underbanked people</a>, who also happen to be the most financially vulnerable. For example, a patient in need of a health care loan could theoretically rely on Walnut as a no-interest lending service, rather than take out a payday or high interest-rate loan.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YATkkp">
|
||
The unregulated gray area of this space, however, is concerning to Bell, the consumer advocate. While he didn’t mention any startup by name, he acknowledged that split-payment providers could complicate consumer relationships with retailers and merchants. “It might be difficult for consumers to work out disputes with retailers and sellers,” he said. “If a consumer gets into a travel dispute with a point-of-sale loan, they might have less leverage. It’s also confusing, because you’ve now invited a third company into the relationship that should be between you and American Airlines, or with Expedia.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z6nayp">
|
||
These services are marketing themselves as a stopgap to big problems that Americans face, like medical debt and the inability to build credit off of monthly rent payments. Still, they’re Band-Aid solutions to larger systemic problems that existing policy has yet to solve. It’s challenging to neutrally assess the use case of apps like Flex, Walnut, or Afterpay, as it ultimately leads one to consider philosophical arguments about the function of debt and credit in America.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yXgsJc">
|
||
“Debt has always played an important role in Americans’ lives — not merely as a means of instant gratification but also as a strategy for survival and a tool for economic advance,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/magazine/11wwln_lede.html">argued</a> the historian Jackson Lears in a 2006 New York Times Magazine piece. The country has never lived within its means. Being able to pay off debt has been made more valuable than avoiding it; it’s a kind of financial hazing that every American consumer must weather to ensure good credit.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Wr0Pvn">
|
||
Increasingly, the country’s taxing relationship with debt has come to the fore, spurred by conversations about <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22324143/student-debt-forgiveness-loan-cancellation-economy">student debt forgiveness</a>. As shocking as our national debt figures are ($1.7 trillion in student loans), forgiveness has been, for the most part, written off as too politically radical. This failure to forgive — by the federal government and a subset of Americans — betrays a general perception of debt as an individualized failure. Whether it be consumer, student, or mortgage debt, the act of owing money has been positioned as a conscious and individual choice, rather than the inevitable result of complex social and economic forces.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E7EYQR">
|
||
The 2008 financial crisis briefly soured consumers’ perception of debt and credit cards. Yet, in the wake of a pandemic-induced recession, credit cards and split-payment services continue to thrive. It’s impossible to entirely avoid credit (and therefore debt) as an American consumer, especially when financial products are crafted to serve the same function: ease people into buying more under the guise of convenience or flexibility.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3kRrGv">
|
||
Social media and Amazon have <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22412098/social-commerce-explainer">coaxed shoppers</a> into a state of frequent, mindless consumption. With tools like buy now, pay later, the act of buying can be divorced from one’s bank account balance. As Mull writes in <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/01/jeans-now-pay-later/617257/">the Atlantic</a>, a service like Afterpay “removes the psychological friction that can force people to stop, consider their choices, and decide whether they can really afford to buy that one fabulous thing.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p5we4S">
|
||
What happens, though, when the option to break down payments is applied to rent or a new kidney, rather than a coat or a vacation? In those instances, there is no option but to pay up. The difference is how.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0WRndd">
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RJslQB">
|
||
</p>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><strong>Got the vaccine? You can relax about your Covid-19 risk now. Really.</strong> -
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img alt="A person wearing latex gloves inserts a syringe into a vaccine vial." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Wo_bt9yXNhwPiBG6a2SF88UqXd4=/314x0:5325x3758/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69267738/1231208086.0.jpg"/>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Robert Gilbertson, a medical worker, prepares a Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. | Apu Gomes/AFP/Getty Images
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
I asked experts about their post-vaccination lives. Most no longer worry about their own risk of Covid-19.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cEOPmC">
|
||
White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-how-behavior-activities-changed-after-covid-19-vaccination-2021-4">said</a> he will <em>not</em> go into restaurants or movie theaters, even though he’s vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html">says</a> vaccinated people should continue masking up indoors and avoiding large gatherings. News outlets have reported on “<a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/22379922/covid-19-breakthrough-infections-after-vaccination-explained">breakthrough infections</a>” of Covid-19 among the fully vaccinated.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i2yuXc">
|
||
All of this can make it seem like getting vaccinated may not be enough to liberate people from the fear of getting sick and the precautions they’ve taken to avoid the coronavirus in the past year. So I posed a question to experts I’ve talked to throughout the pandemic about Covid-related precautions: How worried are you about your personal safety after getting vaccinated?
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oQWUVI">
|
||
They were nearly unanimous in their response: They’re no longer worried much, if at all, about their personal risk of getting Covid-19. Several spoke of going into restaurants and movie theaters now that they’re vaccinated, socializing with friends and family, and having older relatives visit for extended periods.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3zq4PA">
|
||
“I’m not particularly worried about getting ill myself,” Tara Smith, an epidemiologist at Kent State University, told me. “I know that if I do somehow end up infected, my chances of developing serious symptoms are low.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Dv3rsS">
|
||
Instead, experts said they mostly remain cautious to protect others who aren’t yet vaccinated. The vaccines are extremely effective — dramatically cutting the risk of any symptoms, and driving the risk of hospitalization and death to nearly zero. There’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22291959/covid-vaccines-transmission-protect-spread-virus-moderna-pfizer">some</a> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0329-COVID-19-Vaccines.html">evidence</a> that these vaccines also reduce the risk of transmission, but we’re still learning how much they prevent someone who is vaccinated from infecting another person. When experts are still taking precautions, it’s this concern for others that primarily drives them.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tDd54g">
|
||
But, over time, they see even those concerns for others becoming less necessary, too.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3BrIaB">
|
||
“It’s about protecting others. Vaccination makes me essentially safe,” William Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard University, told me. “There’s accumulating evidence, too, that breakthrough cases are less likely to transmit (they have lower viral loads), so by being vaccinated I’m already helping protect others. But I’m also going to continue with behaviors consistent with lower contact rates in the community overall. As more and more are protected through vaccination, I’ll feel less and less of a need for that.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fawRH4">
|
||
As vaccination rates climb and daily new cases and deaths drop, experts said that people should feel more comfortable easing up on precautions, shifting the world back to the pre-pandemic days. That might happen sooner than you think — <a href="https://www.vox.com/22400322/vaccines-herd-immunity-coronavirus-israel">Israel’s experience</a> suggests that cases could start to sustainably plummet once about 60 percent of the population is vaccinated, a point that could be just a month or two away in the US. And with <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations">46 percent</a> of Americans getting one dose so far, cases in the US <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2019-12-31..latest&pickerSort=asc&pickerMetric=location&Metric=Confirmed+cases&Interval=7-day+rolling+average&Relative+to+Population=true&Align+outbreaks=false&country=USA~EuropeanUnion">have already started to decline</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hYpi0E">
|
||
As more of the population gets the vaccine, it’s prudent to keep masking and avoiding large gatherings, and for people who’ve been vaccinated to share their stories and encourage their friends and family to get vaccinated, too. But that’s not because those who are vaccinated are in any trouble. Even with the spread of the variants, the consensus among experts is that vaccinated people shouldn’t worry much about their own risk of Covid-19.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="C3NCdU">
|
||
The vaccines really are that good for your personal safety
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zP5m1D">
|
||
The clinical and real-world evidence for the vaccines is now pretty clear: They are extremely effective at protecting a person from Covid-19.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Wy6PcM">
|
||
The clinical trials put the two-shot <a href="https://www.vox.com/21569425/moderna-vaccine-effective-side-effects-temperature-covid-19">Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines’ efficacy rates</a> at 95-plus percent and the one-shot <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/health/covid-vaccine-johnson-and-johnson.html">Johnson & Johnson vaccine’s</a> at more than 70 percent. All three vaccines also drove the <a href="https://www.vox.com/22273502/covid-vaccines-pfizer-moderna-johnson-astrazeneca-efficacy-deaths">risk of hospitalization and death</a> to nearly zero.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YitoYs">
|
||
The real-world evidence has backed this up. In Israel, the country with the most advanced vaccination campaign, the data <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/11/pfizer-covid-vaccine-blocks-94percent-of-asymptomatic-infections-and-97percent-of-symptomatic-cases-in-israeli-study.html">shows</a> that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been more than 90 percent effective at preventing infections, with even higher rates of blocking symptomatic disease, hospitalization, and death. You can see this in the country’s overall statistics: After Israel almost fully reopened its economy in March, once the majority of the population had at least one dose, <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2019-12-31..latest&pickerSort=asc&pickerMetric=location&Metric=Confirmed+cases&Interval=7-day+rolling+average&Relative+to+Population=false&Align+outbreaks=false&country=EuropeanUnion~ISR">daily new Covid-19 cases</a> fell by more than 95 percent. And <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2019-12-31..latest&pickerSort=asc&pickerMetric=location&Metric=Confirmed+deaths&Interval=New+per+day&Relative+to+Population=false&Align+outbreaks=false&country=EuropeanUnion~ISR">daily deaths</a> are now in the single digits and, at times, zero.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PF3048">
|
||
The research also shows the vaccines <a href="https://www.vox.com/22385588/covid-19-vaccine-variant-mutation-n440k-india-moderna-pfizer-b1617">are effective against the coronavirus variants</a> that have been discovered so far. While some variants seem better able to get around immunity, the vaccines are so powerful that they still by and large overwhelm and defeat the variants in the end.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gGXv1P">
|
||
It’s this evidence that’s made experts confident the vaccines let them stop worrying about their own Covid-19 risk. “I am fully vaccinated and have resumed normal activities,” Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases doctor at the University of California San Francisco, told me. “I have gone indoor dining, went to my first movie theater, and would go to a bar if there was an opportunity!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n3mZAv">
|
||
The diminished concern applies to others who are vaccinated, too. Smith spoke of having her fully vaccinated in-laws visit this coming weekend — “the first time we’ve seen them in person since December 2019.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2kh4vV">
|
||
There have been some breakthrough Covid-19 cases among those who are vaccinated. But they <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/22379922/covid-19-breakthrough-infections-after-vaccination-explained">tend to be</a> milder infections, less likely to transmit, and far from common. “This is less than 0.01 percent of the vaccinated,” Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at the Yale School of Medicine, told me, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html">citing CDC data</a>. “So extremely rare!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6GnApC">
|
||
To the extent that some experts are still playing it safe for themselves, they cited an abundance of caution — and a lack of interest in certain activities.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wLxmet">
|
||
“I go out to eat, but still only outdoors. I want to be fully relaxed for a restaurant dining experience. For me, with people I don’t know eating with masks off, I feel safest outside,” Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist at UC San Francisco, told me. “I haven’t been to bars, concerts, theaters, but that probably reflects the fact that I’m a rather boring person.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jKQCHx">
|
||
Some acknowledged that their continuing caution was a habit that needed to be broken: After a year of worrying about the virus, it takes a bit of time to go back to a pre-pandemic mentality. “I am not too concerned about my own safety,” Jorge Salinas, an epidemiologist at the University of Iowa, told me. “I think it is mostly a matter of habits. I think it is okay to go back to restaurants but have continued getting takeout. But whoever is vaccinated and feels ready, I think it is safe for them to do so in most places.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="LpytxI">
|
||
Continuing precautions are really about protecting others
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="94kmfP">
|
||
The one reason experts consistently cited for continued precautions: the need to protect those who are unvaccinated. “We’ll probably be holding off on any indoors activities for now, since we have an unvaccinated 7-year-old at home,” Smith said. “The risk is low for us to catch and transmit anything to him, but after all this time avoiding indoor venues and being careful, a movie theater or dinner at a restaurant just doesn’t seem worth it when we still have great options with home theater and takeout meals. Once everyone is vaccinated, those will be back in our rotation.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="02EZk8">
|
||
Some recent research found that the vaccines can reduce the chances of a vaccinated person spreading the virus to others. The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0329-COVID-19-Vaccines.html">summarized</a> one such real-world study for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, showing the vaccines stop not just symptoms but overall infections and, therefore, transmission:
|
||
</p>
|
||
<blockquote>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eNTilo">
|
||
Results showed that following the second dose of vaccine (the recommended number of doses), risk of infection was reduced by 90 percent two or more weeks after vaccination. Following a single dose of either vaccine, the participants’ risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 was reduced by 80 percent two or more weeks after vaccination.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</blockquote>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="anFHdS">
|
||
But in the typically cautious worlds of science and public health, experts want to see a bit more research and data before they declare that vaccinated people can throw out their masks and gather in large numbers indoors. (Some experts also said they may continue masking and avoiding crowded indoor spaces during flu season, after such measures <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/22272237/flu-cases-down-historic-what-does-it-mean">seemed to crush</a> the flu in the past year.)
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dgQGQA">
|
||
Even if the vaccine proves to reduce transmission, it would still be safer for every person who can get vaccinated to get the shot. And as more people get their shots, it’s also safer to stick to some precautions for their sake.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vOh1Wa">
|
||
To that end, experts recommended watching a few figures going forward: the vaccination rate, and daily new cases or hospitalizations. As vaccination rates go up and surpass 50 or 60 percent at a local level, a vaccinated person can feel much more confident going out without worrying about potentially infecting others. And as cases and hospitalizations go down, a vaccinated person can also have confidence that there’s not much virus out there — further shrinking their chances of getting infected and spreading it.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MIRMAl">
|
||
In the meantime, those who are already vaccinated can help speed up the process by encouraging their friends, family, and peers to get the shot. Surveys <a href="https://osf.io/j5hf2/">consistently</a> <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-april-2021/">show</a> that around 1 in 3 unvaccinated people are waiting for others around them to get vaccinated first before they do so. Sharing vaccination stories, then, could give people the push they need.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uJPmc3">
|
||
“I’m very cognizant that while I’m vaccinated, many still are not,” Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at George Mason University, told me. “So I’m still vigilant in wearing my mask while out in public running errands, or when interacting with servers [and] other patrons if I go to an outdoor restaurant, even though I’m not really concerned for my own risk of getting sick.”
|
||
</p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>The Supreme Court considers an important showdown over abortion this week</strong> -
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qOTHAflaMZXlRbJ4C955466-fcQ=/92x0:2719x1970/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69267620/1297441111.0.jpg"/>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett arrive at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the US Capitol on January 20, 2021. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The Court has been surprisingly hesitant to weigh in on abortion. But a pending case is likely to force its hand.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SooOt1">
|
||
The Supreme Court has been sitting on a potentially very significant abortion case for the last two months, one that the Court’s rules say it should dismiss. We’re likely to find out this week whether the Court will dismiss this case, however, and that decision could tell us a great deal about how fast the Court plans to move in rolling back abortion rights.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L9qgHY">
|
||
In February, about a month after President Joe Biden took office, the Supreme Court announced that it would <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/american-medical-association-v-cochran/">hear three consolidated cases</a> challenging a Trump administration policy targeting abortion clinics.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dtqkyZ">
|
||
A 1970 federal law, often referred to as Title X, provides federal grants to health providers who offer “family planning” care such as birth control and infertility treatments. In 2019, the Trump administration <a href="https://casetext.com/case/mayor-v-azar">imposed several strict limits</a> on providers who receive Title X grants.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TNBusd">
|
||
Among other things, these providers are forbidden from referring any patient to an abortion provider. Title X grant recipients may provide a list of health providers to a patient, but only a minority of the providers on this list may perform abortions — and the list may not “identify which providers on the list perform abortion.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rsk2R2">
|
||
Additionally, Title X grant recipients that also perform abortions must impose a “clear physical and financial separation” between any program funded by Title X and abortion services. Planned Parenthood estimated that the cost of complying with this “physical separation” requirement would be “<a href="https://casetext.com/case/mayor-v-azar">nearly $625,000 per affected service site</a>.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h4CPLN">
|
||
Many providers, including Planned Parenthood, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/08/19/752438119/planned-parenthood-out-of-title-x-over-trump-rule">dropped out of the Title X program altogether</a> because they considered the Trump administration’s rules too burdensome.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qBHPR7">
|
||
The Supreme Court’s decision to hear these cases, which are consolidated under the case name <em>American Medical Association v. Becerra</em>, was somewhat surprising because President Biden had already begun the process of repealing the Trump-era policy when the Court announced that it would take up this case. Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “review” Trump’s policy and to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/28/memorandum-on-protecting-womens-health-at-home-and-abroad/">“consider, as soon as practicable, whether to suspend, revise, or rescind” it</a> a little over a week after taking office.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JHLLQ6">
|
||
Though repealing this Trump-era effort to reduce access to abortion will take months — the Biden administration must complete a lengthy process known as “notice and comment” — the current administration predicts that it will <a href="https://affordablecareactlitigation.files.wordpress.com/2021/05/20210503144133267_20-429-am-med-20-454-and-20-539.pdf">complete this process in the early fall</a>, rendering <em>American Medical Association </em>moot long before the Court is likely to decide the case.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z9FNwB">
|
||
Indeed, in March, the Biden administration filed a joint request alongside the various parties challenging the Trump administration’s Title X rule, which <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/20/20-429/171851/20210312191711724_20-454%20-%20Cochran%20v.%20Baltimore%20-%20Stipulation%20to%20Dismiss.pdf">asked the Court to dismiss <em>American Medical Association</em></a>. That should have been the end of the case, as the Supreme Court’s rules provide that “whenever all parties file with the Clerk an agreement in writing that a case be dismissed,” the Court “<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/ctrules/2019RulesoftheCourt.pdf">will enter an order of dismissal</a>.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VkNiR1">
|
||
And yet, the Court has held onto the case — at least for now — even though the Court typically does not agree to hear cases that it knows will become moot before the case can be briefed, argued, and decided. And it rarely holds onto a case after all the parties have asked for the case to be dismissed.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cAkADB">
|
||
We’re likely to learn very soon what the justices plan to do with <em>American Medical Association</em>. In late April, the Court <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/american-medical-association-v-cochran/">called for briefs</a> explaining whether the Biden administration plans to enforce the Trump administration’s rule until the new regulations rescinding that rule are finalized. The last of these briefs is due this week, so the justices are likely to rule very soon on whether they will dismiss the case.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IoAf46">
|
||
If the Court does hold onto the case, that would be a deeply worrying sign for supporters of abortion rights. It would suggest that the justices may race to hand down a decision upholding the Trump administration’s rule before the Biden administration can rescind it. And it may also allow the Court’s 6-3 conservative majority to expand the government’s ability to restrict abortion.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="Qf6djE">
|
||
A brief history of Title X and the anti-abortion “gag rule”
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a4s3j7">
|
||
Title X provides about <a href="https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/archive/title-x-program-funding-history">$286 million in funding every year</a> for “comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services, with “priority […] given to persons from low-income families.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Jro9Xz">
|
||
According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and advocacy group that supports broad access to reproductive care, Title X “supports nearly 4,000 service sites nationwide, <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2019/03/title-x-under-attack-our-comprehensive-guide?gclid=Cj0KCQjws-OEBhCkARIsAPhOkIYzqTMEEK97L0SghQjRon3SroguWSYXX0T2hlKRZoEN99yyIWjNPyAaArk3EALw_wcB">serving approximately four million people per year</a>.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rl6lf6">
|
||
By law, no Title X grant money “<a href="https://casetext.com/case/mayor-v-azar">shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning</a>,” so the money cannot be used directly to provide abortion care. But past administrations have disagreed on just how much separation must exist between health providers who receive Title X funds and abortion providers or facilities.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZMppCC">
|
||
In 1988, the Reagan administration handed down some <a href="https://casetext.com/case/mayor-v-azar">fairly strict restrictions on Title X providers</a> — including that projects funded by Title X “may not provide counseling concerning the use of abortion as a method of family planning or provide referral for abortion as a method of family planning.” This 1988 rule was often referred to as the “gag rule,” and the Supreme Court upheld it in<strong> </strong><a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17204544980901899735&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr"><em>Rust v. Sullivan</em></a> (1991).
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yGwU54">
|
||
But a few months after the Supreme Court decision, President George H.W. Bush backed away from the gag rule, writing in a 1991 memo to HHS that referrals “may be made by Title X programs to full-service health care providers that perform abortions,” provided that abortion wasn’t the provider’s “principal activity.” Then, in 1993, President Bill Clinton took office, and he swiftly rescinded the Reagan era “gag rule.” In 2000, the Clinton administration issued a final rule that required Title X programs to provide “information and counseling” about “pregnancy termination,” and to <a href="https://casetext.com/case/mayor-v-azar">provide a referral to an abortion clinic “upon request” by the patient</a>, a rule that stayed in place throughout the George W. Bush and Obama administrations.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t88Udg">
|
||
Then, in 2019, the Trump administration implemented its rule, which imposed strict limits on Title X recipients similar to the ones imposed by the Reagan-era gag rule.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="qu9skq">
|
||
The legal arguments in <em>American Medical Association</em>, briefly explained
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2C3sUE">
|
||
The plaintiffs in <em>American Medical Association</em> and the consolidated cases raise several challenges to the Trump administration’s rule.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hblugD">
|
||
Congress enacted two laws in the years following <em>Rust</em> which arguably limit the government’s power to reinstate the 1988 version of the gag rule. The first was a 1996 budget rider which clarified that Title X funds “shall not be expended for abortions,” but that also provided that “all pregnancy counseling shall be nondirective” — directing patients neither toward abortions nor away from them. And a provision of the Affordable Care Act, which President Barack Obama signed in 2010, provides that HHS “shall not promulgate any regulation that … interferes with communications regarding a full range of treatment options between the patient and the provider.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GhLYPe">
|
||
The plaintiffs argue the Trump rule violates both the 1996 “nondirective” requirement and the Affordable Care Act’s requirement.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XrpBBj">
|
||
They also argue that the Trump administration didn’t provide an adequate justification for many parts of its rule. Under the “notice and comment” process, an agency that intends to hand down a new regulation typically must announce its proposed regulation in advance and give members of the public an opportunity to comment on it. While the agency isn’t required to scrap a proposal simply because some of these comments disagree with it, federal agencies do have some obligation to provide a response to commenters and an explanation for any concerns raised by the commenters.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5ibRVH">
|
||
Several commenters expressed concerns that the Trump administration’s requirement that abortion services be physically separated from Title X programs would impose unreasonable costs on providers — as mentioned above, Planned Parenthood estimated that it would have to pay an average of $625,000 per facility to comply with this requirement.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J9caTa">
|
||
Yet the Trump administration claimed, without any apparent justification, that it would only cost Title X providers $30,000 to comply with the physical separation requirement. As a lower court explained in striking down this requirement, “there is no justification in the Final Rule for the $30,000 amount,” and a lawyer for the Trump administration was only able to offer a vague explanation for where this number came from. “For all we can tell,” the lower court concluded, “<a href="https://casetext.com/case/mayor-v-azar">this number was pulled from thin air</a>.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Wj1cxG">
|
||
The court also concluded that, in relying on this seemingly arbitrary $30,000 estimate, the Trump administration did not meet its obligation to explain why it was implementing the new rule and to offer a reasoned response to commenters.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lOLggF">
|
||
So there are strong legal arguments against the Trump-era rule. Nevertheless, lower court judges have largely split along party lines when asked to answer whether this rule should be upheld.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QWbLBL">
|
||
A <a href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/02/24/19-15974.pdf">conservative 11-judge panel</a> of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, for example, upheld the Trump-era gag rule — largely relying on the argument that <em>Rust</em> remains good law and that it wasn’t displaced by the 1996 or 2010 laws governing the relationship between providers and patients. The four Democratic members of this panel dissented.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NFmsxB">
|
||
Similarly, the left-leaning Fourth Circuit <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/abortion-md.pdf">split entirely along party lines</a> in its decision striking down the Trump rule — with every Democratic appointee joining that result and every Republican appointee in dissent.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="MuxZYq">
|
||
So what’s at stake in <em>American Medical Association?</em>
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8pVBd7">
|
||
Given this partisan divide among lower court judges, it’s not hard to guess how the Supreme Court — where Republicans hold six of the nine seats — is likely to decide <em>American Medical Association</em> if given the opportunity to do so. The uncertain question in <em>American Medical Association</em> isn’t how these justices will view the legal issues presented by the case, it’s whether the Supreme Court will honor the parties’ request to dismiss the case.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BzxWR7">
|
||
If the justices do not honor that request, that could set off an unseemly race where the Court rushes to hand down its decision before the Biden administration rescinds the Trump-era rule and renders the case moot.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sEeRBm">
|
||
Under the Court’s ordinary procedures, the earliest the justices could hear this case is next October — not nearly soon enough to win the race if the Biden administration is correct that its new rule will be finalized in early fall. So the Court would need to depart from its ordinary procedures, either by scheduling a rare summer oral argument or bypassing oral arguments altogether, in order to decide this case before it becomes moot.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X2HFfe">
|
||
Because it remains unclear whether the case will be dismissed or not, the parties have not even briefed the case. Indeed, it’s not even clear who the Court would appoint to argue in defense of the Trump administration’s rule, although a <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/20/20-429/172367/20210319081851347_SCOTUS%20Motion%20for%20Leave%20to%20File%20Supp%20Brief%20re%20Intervention.pdf">coalition of Republican state attorneys general</a> and another <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/20/20-429/171959/20210315161031026_20-429%20Motion%20for%20leave%20to%20file%20a%20supplement%20brief%20in%20support%20of%20intervention%20and%20proposed%20supplemental%20brief_FINAL.pdf">coalition of conservative and religious health groups</a> seek the right to do so.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Cx9W3z">
|
||
Without full briefing, it’s also not entirely clear what’s at stake in the case; we don’t yet know what the rule’s defenders will ask for in their briefs. At the very least, however, the Court could firmly reject the various legal arguments against the gag rule and permit a future Republican administration to reinstate the Trump-era rule shortly after taking office.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5cttb6">
|
||
The Court could also potentially include language in its opinion <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/7/8/21317323/supreme-court-obamacare-little-sisters-clarence-thomas-pennsylvania-birth-control">suggesting that the gag rule is <em>required</em> by federal law</a>. In a 2020 opinion concerning the Trump administration’s interpretation of a provision of Obamacare, Justice Clarence Thomas’s majority opinion included a bunch of gratuitous language <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/7/8/21317323/supreme-court-obamacare-little-sisters-clarence-thomas-pennsylvania-birth-control">suggesting that several important provisions of Obamacare are unconstitutional</a>. The Court could repeat this performance in the <em>American Medical Association</em> case, effectively using it as a vehicle to limit access to abortion during Democratic administrations.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ceUv5V">
|
||
In the worst-case scenario for abortion rights, the Court could even include some language in its opinion suggesting that both the states and the federal government have broad authority to restrict abortion.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3DGdIC">
|
||
In any event, the obvious course of action is that the Court should dismiss this case. That’s what the Court’s rules call for, and dismissal is especially appropriate because the case is about to become moot.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dBpiFu">
|
||
If the justices decide not to take this obvious course of action, that could be a very worrisome sign about the future of abortion rights.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GL5gUA">
|
||
</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>MCC rejects Bamboo bats, says it will be illegal</strong> - The Guardians of the Laws of Cricket, however, said they will deliberate on the matter during their laws sub-committee meeting.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Checkmate COVID: Viswanathan Anand, four other Grandmasters to play exhibition matches to raise COVID-19 relief fund</strong> - All the proceeds from the exhibitions will go to RedCross India and the Checkmate COVID initiative of the All India Chess Federation</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>England players unlikely to be available for re-scheduled IPL: ECB</strong> - There were 11 Englishman in various franchises in the suspended IPL</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>Coach Baig returns after a tough but rewarding stint</strong> -</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hamilton hopes to have ‘clear picture of future’ by summer</strong> - Speculation still there over Mercedes contract renewal.</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>Reputation of Brand Modi very much on minds of BJP leaders</strong> - Lack of anticipation of second wave has made much of defence pretty hard going, admit senior leaders</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>Centre can cut GST rates on COVID-19 vaccines, critical supplies, say experts</strong> - Finance Minister had said GST exemption to vaccine would be counterproductive without benefiting consumer</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>He enriched Malayalam literature and cinema</strong> - Madampu Kunjukuttan, who died in Thrissur at the age of 79, was as a writer of exceptional skills</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>Oxygen cylinders seized</strong> - Six cylinders (of 10.6 litres capacity) were present in the firm.</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>26 COVID-19 patients die at Goa hospital; Minister Vishwajit Rane seeks HC probe</strong> - Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said these fatalities occurred between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., but remained evasive about the cause</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>Russia school shooting: Children and teacher killed in Kazan</strong> - Seven children and a teacher are killed in a shooting in the Russian city of Kazan, officials say.</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>Vesuvius ancient eruption rescuer identified at Herculaneum, says expert</strong> - A body found at Herculaneum may have been part of Pliny the Elder’s team sent to rescue residents.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>French soldiers warn of civil war in new letter</strong> - Members of the military accuse the French government of granting concessions to Islamism.</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>Portugal border guards jailed for beating Ukrainian to death</strong> - A Ukrainian jobseeker was beaten and asphyxiated by officers after refusing to board a flight home.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Forests the size of France regrown since 2000, study suggests</strong> - Conservation groups say naturally restored forests can help in the fight against climate change.</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>A new book, Amazon Unbound, reveals Jeff Bezos’ envy of SpaceX</strong> - Bezos tried to hire Gwynne Shotwell to run Blue Origin in 2016. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1763718">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>FDA authorizes Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds</strong> - The CDC’s advisory committee will meet Wednesday to vote on recommending use. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1763967">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Apple invests $45 million more in Gorilla Glass-maker Corning</strong> - Investment follows millions more that produced the iPhone 12’s ceramic shield. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1763824">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Amazon “seized and destroyed” 2 million counterfeit products in 2020</strong> - Counterfeit products sent to Amazon warehouses are destroyed to prevent resale. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1763878">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s the battle of the alien symbiotes in Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer</strong> - “I’ve been thinking about you, Eddie, because you and I are the same.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1763740">link</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><strong>Irish daughter had not been home for over 5 years. Upon her return her Father cursed her heavily.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“Where have ye been all this time, child? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn’t ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old Mother through?”<br/> <br/> The girl, crying, replied, “Dad... I became a prostitute.”<br/> <br/> “Ye what!? Get out a here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You’re a disgrace to this Catholic family.”<br/> <br/> “OK, Dad... as ye wish. I only came back to give mum this luxurious fur coat, title deed to a ten bedroom mansion, plus a 5 million savings certificate. For me little brother, this gold Rolex. And for ye Daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition convertible that’s parked outside plus a membership to the country club ... (takes a breath) ... and an invitation for ye all to spend New Year’s Eve on board my new yacht in the Riviera.”<br/> <br/> “What was it ye said ye had become?”, says Dad.<br/> <br/> Girl, crying again, “A prostitute, Daddy!”<br/> <br/> “Oh! My Goodness! Ye scared me half to death, girl! I thought ye said a Protestant! Come here and give yer old Dad a hug!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Roni7823"> /u/Roni7823 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n9t2oh/irish_daughter_had_not_been_home_for_over_5_years/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n9t2oh/irish_daughter_had_not_been_home_for_over_5_years/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>A pirate walked into a bar.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
He had a wooden leg, an eye patch and a hook for a hand. The bartender was curious. “How did you get that wooden leg?” he asked.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The pirate took a swig of ale. “’Twas a terrible sea battle. I stood bravely, directly facing 12 cannons.All they managed to hit was my leg.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The bartender said “What about your hook?”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The pirate took another long swig. “Arrrr, twas the day the British navy caught me. They tied me to the mast, I escaped by gnawing my own hand off.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The bartender was growing sceptical. “And how did you get that eyepatch?”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The pirate took another swig. “Twas a mutiny. Me own crew left me marrooned on a desert island. But I had no fear. I lay down on the sand to wait to be rescued. As i looked up, a seagull flew over and pooped in me eye.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The bartender said “That’s ridiculous, no one loses an eye from bird muck.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The pirate finished his ale in one gulp, and grimaced. “Twas the first day with the hook.”
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ExtraSure"> /u/ExtraSure </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n9sfgi/a_pirate_walked_into_a_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n9sfgi/a_pirate_walked_into_a_bar/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><strong>What is the scientific name for anti-vaxxers during a pandemic?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The control group.
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/traverlaw"> /u/traverlaw </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n9rx3e/what_is_the_scientific_name_for_antivaxxers/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n9rx3e/what_is_the_scientific_name_for_antivaxxers/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><strong>I never get school shooting jokes.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Maybe they’re aimed at a younger audience.
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/TheWillOf-D"> /u/TheWillOf-D </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n99wb2/i_never_get_school_shooting_jokes/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n99wb2/i_never_get_school_shooting_jokes/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>A woman gives birth to her first child and is laying in bed waiting for some test results to come back.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Eventually after a lengthy wait the doctor arrives and says:
|
||
</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“Ma’am, I have good news and bad news, which would you like first?”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Startled, she exclaims to get the bad news out of the way first.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“Well ma’am, the bad news is that your child is a ginger.”
|
||
</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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Relieved that this isn’t as bad as she feared, the woman asks for the good news to which the doctor replied:
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“It’s dead.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
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|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/aDrlw"> /u/aDrlw </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n9lgwv/a_woman_gives_birth_to_her_first_child_and_is/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n9lgwv/a_woman_gives_birth_to_her_first_child_and_is/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
|
||
|
||
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