Coronavirus & Monkeypox Tidbits #210 9/11/22
Announcements:
First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I'm getting.
Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don't be shy about that.
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Election volunteer opportunities:
NOPE Neighbors: https://www.nopeneighbors.org/volunteer
If you like calling and talking to voters, Power the Vote is assembling weekly volunteer opportunities. These are remote opportunities that you can do from home! Click on this link to find out more: https://docs.google.com/
News
Covid:
The U.S. has reported 3.4K COVID deaths in the first 8 days of this month.
— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) September 9, 2022
But hey, we don't need common sense public health measures like masking.
Kids' COVID cases rise in US
Though US COVID cases continue to fall, illnesses in children last week rose for the second week in a row, according to the latest update from the American Academy of Pediatrics. About 90,600 infections in kids were reported, up 14% from 2 weeks ago. Cases had plateaued since the middle of May, fluctuating between a low of 68,000 and 112,000 weekly cases.
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Study: Most COVID survivors had cardiac involvement nearly 1 year later
A study of 346 previously healthy COVID-19 survivors finds that 73% had cardiac signs and symptoms more than 3 months after infection, and 57% still had them at nearly 1 year.
..."Ongoing inflammatory cardiac involvement may, at least in part, explain the lingering cardiac symptoms in previously well individuals with mild initial COVID-19 illness," the researchers wrote.
Sep 5 Nat Med study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/covid-19-scan-sep-06-2022
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More than 10 million children were affected by COVID-19-associated parental and caregiver deaths
According to a new modeling study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, the number of children estimated to have experienced the death of a parent or caregiver as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has climbed to more than 10.5 million globally as of May 1, 2022.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-09-million-children-affected-covid-associated-parental.html?
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Vitamin D doesn't prevent COVID-19, other respiratory infections, studies find
Findings from two large clinical trials published yesterday in BMJ discount the notion that vitamin D supplements protect against COVID-19 or other respiratory-tract infections, although both had notable limitations.
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New Omicron subvariant mutation tied to kids' neurologic complications
Researchers in Taiwan have discovered a new mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.3.7 subvariant that they suggest may be responsible for severe neurologic complications observed in young children on the island. Their study was published yesterday in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
The team analyzed the medical records of five pediatric COVID-19 patients hospitalized with severe neurologic complications such as seizures, symptoms indicating involvement of the meningeal layer of the brain, and encephalopathy in May 2022, about a month after Omicron began circulating in Taiwan.
The patients were 1 to 5 years old and experienced neurologic symptoms within 1 or 2 days after the onset of respiratory symptoms and fever. All patients had elevated levels of several inflammatory biomarkers, but none of their cerebrospinal fluid samples tested positive for COVID-19.
Whole-genome sequencing revealed that all viruses were Omicron BA.2.3.7 and that they had a previously unidentified K97E mutation on the spike protein that differed from other BA.2.3.7 strains. Genome mapping of the mutation showed similar sequences in patients in Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States at roughly the same time.
One child died of acute cerebral edema, brainstem compression, and multi-organ failure. The other patients recovered fully and were released from the hospital after 4 to 9 days.
The authors said their findings suggest that the neurologic complications are related to mutation-triggered hyperimmune states rather than direct viral invasion of the central nervous system. They also noted that other mutations in the same area of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have been linked to immune evasion.
"The K97E mutation, which has not been observed in Taiwan previously, potentially explains the sudden increase in incidence of severe neurological symptoms in pediatric patients due to its possible effect on immune regulation," the researchers concluded.
Sep 7 Int J Infect Dis study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/news-scan-sep-08-2022
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Examining Long-Term Health Effects of COVID-19 and Implications for the Social Security Administration: Proceedings of a Workshop
'Long COVID' refers to the wide range of long-lasting symptoms experienced by some patients after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. The most common symptoms include fatigue, headache, brain fog, shortness of breath, hair loss, and pain. At this time, there are many knowledge gaps related to Long COVID, including the prevalence of the condition, the impact of the symptoms on survivors' ability to function, and the long-term course of the condition. While many individuals with Long COVID recover within one year, others experience little or no decrease in symptom severity over time.
Long COVID symptoms can affect a person's ability to work and otherwise function in daily life, so people with the condition may need to utilize programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI). The Social Security Administration (SSA), which administers both of these programs, requested that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine host a public workshop to discuss research into the long-term health effects of COVID-19, their impacts on individuals and populations, and how the SSDI and SSI programs can support individuals who suffer disability as a result of Long COVID. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.
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New research initiative on #LongCovid root causes @research_long @polybioRF @microbeminded2 https://t.co/8BCJXXeL9D@rddysum https://t.co/Olx9gDzUYK @lukemmoney pic.twitter.com/VxAMtM0dgb
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) September 8, 2022
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Monkeypox
HIV, earlier STIs common in US monkeypox patients
Surveillance data from eight US jurisdictions found a high prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among people with monkeypox, a research team based at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today.
Live virus in anal and urethral swabs
Meanwhile, in another new research development, Italian researchers writing in Eurosurveillance today described their experience testing anal and urethral swab samples from confirmed cases by PCR testing and virus isolation.
The swabs were collected within 7 days of symptom onset. Replicating virus was found in 13 of 8 anal swabs and 11 of 15 urethral swabs. Two asymptomatic secondary cases had detectable monkeypox genetic material in urethral samples, with virus isolated from one of the patients, adding support for sexual transmission as a possible virus transmission route.
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US may expand monkeypox vaccine eligibility to men with HIV
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. officials are considering broadening recommendations for who gets vaccinated against monkeypox, possibly to include many men with HIV or those recently diagnosed with other sexually transmitted diseases.
Driving the discussion is a study released Thursday showing that a higher-than-expected share of monkeypox infections are in people with other sexually transmitted infections.
Currently, the CDC recommends the vaccine to people who are a close contact of someone who has monkeypox; people who know a sexual partner was diagnosed in the past two weeks; and gay or bisexual men who had multiple sexual partners in the last two weeks in an area with known virus spread.
Diagnostics:
Safety Communication from @FDA: At-Home COVID-19 Antigen Tests-Take Steps to Reduce Your Risk of False Negative. If you are asymptomatic after exposure, test again 48 hrs, then 48 hrs after the 2nd neg test, for a total of at least 3 tests. https://t.co/m7Ov4xtTPF
— Ben Lorenz, MD (@noblerzen) August 12, 2022
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Need for special diagnostic testing for blood clots in the lung:
https://twitter.com/drclairetaylor/status/1566178390285160448?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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CDC warns of testing challenges for Monkeypox testing
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report CDC officials and their state partners describe three case studies whereby patients with atypical signs and symptoms received false-positive real-time PCR monkeypox test results.
The patients—a pregnant woman, a child, and an infant—had no epidemiologic links to a monkeypox case or known risk factors.
"The initial diagnoses were followed by administration of antiviral treatment (i.e., tecovirimat) and JYNNEOS vaccine postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) to patients' close contacts," the authors wrote. "After receiving subsequent testing, none of the three patients was confirmed to have monkeypox."
The authors said these cases serve as a warning for clinicians, who could waste resources on patients with no need for monkeypox treatments.
"Because the positive predictive value in populations with low disease incidence is lower than that in populations with a higher disease incidence, laboratory results in persons with low pretest probability of infection should be carefully examined and reviewed, and other plausible diagnoses (e.g., hand, foot, and mouth disease; varicella; molluscum contagiosum) should be considered," they concluded.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/
Drugs and Vaccines:
Covid:
Neutralizing antibodies from single COVID-19 booster steadily decline
Neutralizing antibody levels against the original COVID-19 virus and omicron variants in vaccinated adults tend to decline by at least 15% per month after a single booster shot, a new study using serum from human blood samples suggests.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-09-neutralizing-antibodies-covid-booster-steadily.html?
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Study finds Omicron hospital risk 10 times higher in unvaccinated
After the emergence of the Omicron variant, the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States was 10.5 times higher in unvaccinated adults and 2.5 times higher in those who were vaccinated but received no booster than in booster recipients, according to a new study.
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COVID boosters safe and well tolerated in pregnant and lactating women
COVID vaccine boosters or third doses after an initial two-dose series are well tolerated in pregnant and lactating women, according to a large cohort study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.
A team at the University of Washington conducted a US-based online survey in January 2021 to examine patterns in adults who were pregnant, lactating, or planning pregnancy at the time of COVID vaccination. They noted that, although earlier studies showed that the primary vaccine series was well tolerated and safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women, not much was known about their experiences with boosters.
The authors wrote that the frequencies of local and systemic reactions after the booster or third doses in all three groups was similar to those reported in vaccine trials for the general population, as well as for levels found in national safety surveillance systems for booster doses. They also noted that for pregnant participants, obstetric symptoms were lower after the extra vaccine dose than for the second dose in the primary series.
Sep 8 JAMA Netw Open study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/news-scan-sep-09-2022
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Researchers have identified antibodies that may eliminate the need for repeated booster vaccinations https://t.co/oRB0qEsMkq via @medical_xpress
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 10, 2022
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Health System Warns Exemptions to COVID Vaccines May Expire With New Options #Novavax https://t.co/8bbKZaQ4sa
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 10, 2022
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Providers report dozens of errors giving #Pfizer's COVID vaccine. Experts worry new boosters will fuel more https://t.co/MNWKGSOJQG via @medical_xpress
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 10, 2022
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https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1566806817639804928?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
Monkeypox:
Tpoxx found to be well-tolerated, safe in US monkeypox patients
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided data on safety outcomes on 369 patients who receiving the monkeypox antiviral drug tecovirimat (Tpoxx), noting that few adverse events were reported.
In related news, a study spotlighted neurologic complications such as encephalitis and seizures in monkeypox patients, Los Angeles County is investigating the death of an infected person, and federal officials are considering widening the vaccine pool to include people with HIV.
Devices:
Surprised to see DIY Corsi-Rosenthal box kit now on Amazon $69.51 Prime https://t.co/yNpYcBa1tv cc @CorsIAQ @JimRosenthal4
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 10, 2022
Epidemiology/Infection control:
Covid:
100 days after a mild Covid infection, 73% still have cardiac symptoms! Can we PLEASE just mask-up already?! 🙏🏼😷
— Nwiss 🇸🇪🇪🇸🇺🇸🇬🇧🇪🇺 (@Gronnet) September 8, 2022
Long-term cardiac pathology in individuals with mild initial COVID-19 illness | Nature Medicine https://t.co/g87jiyb58X
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Monkeypox:
COMMENTARY: No question monkeypox is an STI
Whether or not monkeypox (MPX) should be labeled a sexually transmitted infection (STI) isn't much of a debate among STI experts.
So far, more than 95% of cases in the United States have been acquired during sexual contact among men who have sex with men (MSM). To not call it an STI is nearly equivalent to saying syphilis isn't an STI because exceptions to sexual transmission are common in some settings.
Pragmatically, MSM should be advised that certain sexual practices and lifestyles put them at very high risk of MPX. As well as its opposite: That modified sexual exposures can be nearly 100% protective.
Just yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report documenting an intimate association between MPX and other STIs in MSM in the United States. The CDC has long advised screening patients who have newly diagnosed STIs for other STIs, and it recommends STI screening all persons evaluated for MPX, implicitly recognizing MPX as an STI.
Recently reported cases of MPX in persons other than MSM is similar to the course of HIV transmission in the early years of HIV/AIDS in industrialized countries. But the dominant sexual transmission of HIV among MSM, and its characterization as an STI in them, remains valid.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/commentary-no-question-monkeypox-sti
Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate.
Mask.
Vax.
Politics:
Covid:
7/ The average cost of educating a child in the US is $13K/year. The cost of reducing inhalation dose of a child in school by 67-75% with a CR-box is between 0.027% and 0.036% of the cost of educating a child. Think about that. Huge benefit @ a smidgeon of the cost of education.
— Richard Corsi, PhD, PE (Texas) (@CorsIAQ) September 3, 2022
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University COVID-19 contingency plans in 2022-23: pic.twitter.com/WKnhq7nOPD
— Jimmy Ivory (@jivory) September 4, 2022
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Vaccines alone do NOT fully protect against #LongCOVID!
— Myra Batchelder #VaccinePlus #WearAMask (@myrabatchelder) September 6, 2022
"Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 lowers the risk of long COVID after infection by only about 15%, according to a study of more than 13 million people"https://t.co/xmo79CuwQG
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Absurd "You do you" while Covid is still raging, but Hochul declares polio a public health emergency:
Starting today, masks will be optional in some places where they had previously been required, including on mass transit. pic.twitter.com/5zTT4uRB6h
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) September 7, 2022
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While US keeps lowering mitigations and acts as if covid is like any other virus, we still have 500 deaths daily (3000 in the world). That is 17% of global deaths despite having only 4% of global pop. We are clearly not doing this pandemic thing right.
— Ida Bergstrom, MD (@DCDoc33) September 6, 2022
ACA/Health:
Judge invalidates parts of the ACA that mandate health coverage of many preventive services and drugs https://t.co/deiiScPvbE via @statnews
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 10, 2022
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An American diabetic who makes minimum wage has to work more than 40 hours a week to afford a single vial of $300+ insulin that lasts about a week.
— Laura Marston (@Kidfears99) September 5, 2022
Happy Labor Day.
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A terrifying, important story via @marilynt2004 Et al about what happens when politics dictates public health policy. "The Human Psyche Was Not Built for This” https://t.co/c0zImsLeXy
— kimberly kindy (@kimberlykindy) September 6, 2022
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BREAKING: US District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas rules that requiring employers to provide coverage for PrEP drugs (preventing the transmission of HIV) violates the religious rights of employers under federal law (RFRA). pic.twitter.com/d85C3izqSF
— Chris “Subscribe to Law Dork!” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) September 7, 2022
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Just seeing this, and I’m confused. What religion believes in allowing people to get a preventable infectious disease, and what employer thinks it’s fiscally prudent to allow employees to contract a disease which will cost them $1/2- 1 million? 🤔 https://t.co/D1lZnJlvEE
— Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) September 7, 2022
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The United States will soon drop out of the Top 50 nations in terms of life expectancy.
— John Green (@johngreen) September 7, 2022
Every country above us has a public option for health insurance of a publicly funded healthcare system. Not some. Not most. Every single one. https://t.co/DpR5L7zhki
Abortion/Reproduction/Pregnancy:
Telemedicine can give vulnerable women access to safe medical abortions
A new study published in The Lancet shows that medical abortion can be carried out both safely and effectively via telemedicine, without a routine ultrasound examination. The study, which is a collaboration between researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Cape Town in South Africa, highlights the opportunities to provide safe and effective abortion services in low-resource settings. [like half of the u.s.]
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-09-telemedicine-vulnerable-women-access-safe.html?
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This county is Etowah, the subject of a blockbuster investigation a few years back that its sheriff had personally pocketed money meant to feed people in its jail to buy a beach house. AND THAT THIS WAS LEGAL.
— Taniel (@Taniel) September 7, 2022
(This is no longer the current sheriff.)https://t.co/BVTOpzPEgE
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2/ ... all implying that they're making a choice when they're really not. Another woman, just after getting the devastating news that the umbilical cord had detached from her pre-viable fetus, had to do the same things. She waited 14 hours for the heartbeat to stop.
— Marty Schladen (@martyschladen) September 7, 2022
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The risks of #student #surveillance amid abortion bans and LGBTQ restrictions. #privacy https://t.co/lXzi1RbhYM
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 9, 2022
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Airlines:
https://twitter.com/bgolus/status/1567256514687303680?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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Forced birth in a country with:
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) September 7, 2022
—No universal healthcare
—No universal childcare
—No paid family & medical leave
—One of the highest rates of maternal mortality among rich nations
This isn't about "life." It's about control.
CNN, media:
Here is more about the influence of John Malone: https://t.co/NR2m0DlHEn
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 2, 2022
(Malone also now owns a large swath of Maine)
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Media priorities: ABC, CBS, and NBC are covering King Charles speech live today; none of them carried President Biden’s primetime address on threats to our democracy.
— Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) September 9, 2022
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Meta/Facebook:
TROUBLING: @Meta is currently running ads created by an organization that was banned from Twitter after its founder suggested the "rounding up" LGBTQ people. The ads baselessly call people pedophiles. Meta has allowed these ads to reach thousands of people. pic.twitter.com/x6HgwpIPUB
— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) September 3, 2022
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Jan 6/TFG/Jared:
1923: Hitler’s coup failed. No real consequences, no changes. 10 years later, he and his co-conspirators took over Germany.
— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) September 4, 2022
2021: Trump’s coup failed. No real consequences, no changes. 20 months later, he is holding hate rallies and his co-conspirators are still in Congress.
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NEW: FBI agents who searched Mar-a-Lago found a document describing a foreign government's military defenses — including its “nuclear capabilities.” There it is. Trump stole classified nuclear information & lied to the DOJ about having it. He is guilty of Obstruction & Espionage.
— Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) September 7, 2022
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Worthwhile thread if you need a refresher about Trump's 9/11 lies:
OK, this is important. So let's go thread. And remember: I'm from New York; I volunteered in the recovery afterward; I wouldn't lie about this shit ... [1] https://t.co/NlkOnmIMy0
— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) September 4, 2022
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The judge who just granted Trump’s special master request was appointed by him and has been a member of the far-right Federalist Society since 2005.
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) September 5, 2022
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The Justice Dept confirmed in a filing this week that the have “video evidence” the classified and top secret documents Trump stole and been moved in order to conceal them. Trump was hiding them from the FBI.
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) September 4, 2022
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https://twitter.com/TRUMP4FEDPRISON/status/1566956716700213249?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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This is delicious in its detail! https://t.co/ih7IgR97az
— Drew Lewis (@drewlewismd) September 5, 2022
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Rand Paul:
Rand Paul called on Congress to repeal the Espionage Act — which only helps foreign adversaries. He’s attacked the FBI which has led to an uptick in death threats against them. And Ukraine’s FM listed Rand as a Russian Propagandist. But Rand is even more dangerous than you think:
— Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) September 3, 2022
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Scotus:
Revealed: Ginni Thomas’s links to anti-abortion groups who lobbied to overturn Roe https://t.co/IbCfq4AggR
— Steven Hassan, PhD (@CultExpert) September 9, 2022
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Amy Coney Barrett will rule on a LGBT case whose anti-LGBT lawyers paid her 5 times for speaking engagements
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) September 9, 2022
She voted to overturn Roe though she is part of a Christian cult & said “the end of a legal career is building the kingdom of God”
The conflict of interest is horrifying
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Ginni Thomas exchanged 29 text messages with Mark Meadows in the lead up to January 6th, urging him to block Joe Biden’s victory. And her husband was the only member of SCOTUS to vote against sharing White House records with the @January6thCmte. We’re not moving on from this.
— Andrew Wortman VOTED BLUE (@AmoneyResists) September 9, 2022
LGTBQ:
Florida’s largest school system blocks LGBTQ History Month declaration https://t.co/BVN8A30hip
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 9, 2022
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They are currently trying to bring this law back in Texas through court battles. If it comes back, this will start up again. This is part of a growing genocide against trans people and we cannot let it come back into effect.https://t.co/1NxbhEiVkl
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) September 9, 2022
Racism:
Interactive map of sundown towns with, often, some very specific historical details about how racism played out in that place. https://t.co/VKcmUVlWHg
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) September 2, 2022
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Here is the list and research of the Oath Keepers’ please membership list that was compiled by the Anti-Defamation League: https://t.co/acHKvcQrUG. If you support my work exposing racists through tweets and memes, please RT and follow me. I’m the founder of @OccupyDemocrats.
— Omar Rivero (@OmarRiverosays) September 7, 2022
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https://twitter.com/UREssien/status/1567860959204544512?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1567515298479149057?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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Happy 68th Birthday to Ruby Bridges, who at the age of 6 desegregated the New Orleans public schools.
— Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) September 8, 2022
She is younger than 41 senators and only 7 years older than Barack Obama.
The past isn’t past. pic.twitter.com/Qx6sUQifZt
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Florida:
Charlie accepted this debate invite because he believes all Florida voters deserve to see their choices this November in a fair, non-partisan way. And Charlie did this debate in 2014. /2
— Samantha Ramirez (@Sam_RamirezQ) September 3, 2022
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Don’t let this story disappear. Ron DeSantis physically threatened Dr. Fauci — and asked his MAGA fans to “grab that little ‘elf’ and chuck him across the Potomac.” Dr. Fauci is an 81 year old man. It is illegal to threaten Government Officials. Ron DeSantis is a violent Fascist.
— Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) September 9, 2022
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Kentucky:
NEW: Louisville police included multiple lies in request for Breonna Taylor search warrant, former detective admitshttps://t.co/wvMmRmzwbs
— Jason Riley (@JasonRileyWDRB) September 6, 2022
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Maryland:
Baltimore discovers E. coli in water on Saturday, doesn’t tell public until Monday and answers very few questions on Tuesday. https://t.co/6LUaxnNWjq
— Bryn Stole (@brynstole) September 7, 2022
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Michigan:
This is not a typo. It is September 2022 and the GOP has filed a new lawsuit in Michigan to overturn the results of the 2020 election. https://t.co/C5P8RAwpQW
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) September 7, 2022
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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A special prosecutor in Michigan has been appointed to investigate whether the Republican candidate for attorney general and others should be criminally charged for their attempts to gain access to voting machines after the 2020 election.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 9, 2022
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Leaked video shows GOP leaders in Michigan urging poll watchers to break local rules in the quest to show voter fraud. The justification? Dems inevitably cheat. This is the reverse-justification scam that drives the entire right wing assault on democracy.https://t.co/hBkv1u9r8Y
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) September 9, 2022
New Mexico:
First time in more than a century:
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 6, 2022
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico judge disqualifies Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin from public office for engaging in insurrection.
North Carolina:
“My daughter calls me from the school and says, ‘Mama, can you bring me some dry clothes? I got baptized today,’” the parent of an 11-year-old told the Fayetteville Observer. “I said, ‘WHAT?’” https://t.co/2qN5NhUaLa
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) September 3, 2022
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Ohio:
https://twitter.com/duty2warn/status/1567653031595970569?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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Oklahoma:
Seniors in high school in Oklahoma can carry an AR-15 without a permit but are banned from reading To Kill a Mockingbird.
— Jennifer Joy (@JenniferJoyOK) September 7, 2022
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Pennsylvania:
Dennis + Lee Horton, who were wrongfully convicted, are two of the kindest, hardest working people I know.
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) September 2, 2022
Fighting for their release was one of the proudest moments of my career + I'm honored to have these good men on our team. https://t.co/Bb0BeIPZAB
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https://twitter.com/TheOneFromOne/status/1566234968237477888?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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https://twitter.com/KylaInTheBurgh/status/1567641763803693056?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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“What I can do as governor, I get to appoint the Secretary of State.
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) September 9, 2022
And then of course, I have direct control over the, the elections and how they’re executed.”
— Doug Mastriano, yesterday
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Revealed: Republican Doug Mastriano prayed for Jan. 6 success during call with Christian Nationalists https://t.co/vx6l8Xq6rD
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 9, 2022
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Cited and fined for conducting cruel and painful experiments on dogs while working at Columbia University---> @DrOz #AnimalAbuse pic.twitter.com/vqSabyuIfn
— Lorenzo The Cat (@LorenzoTheCat) September 9, 2022
South Carolina:
CW: Rape and Incest
— Phillip J. Ford (@phillipjford) September 2, 2022
Listen to SC House Rep Gilliam say that a 12 year old rape victim had “choices” and “options” and could take an ambulance to Walmart to get Plan B.
Please make calls to your Senators to stop this bill. Link below. #StopTheBanSC pic.twitter.com/lotKFXKdW4
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Texas:
A so-called "trigger" law that was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last year and went into effect on Aug. 26 prohibits nearly all abortions in the Lone Star State, with no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. https://t.co/qoDq8hJg2X
— Chron (@chron) September 2, 2022
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Greg Abbott appears to have just blamed Texas rape victims for the state forcing them to give birth, saying if they don’t want to give birth to their rapist’s baby they could have taken a birth control pill. https://t.co/hOuW4Qf6SZ
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) September 3, 2022
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Another threat? This one doesn't get enough attention, I think: the spread of what are effectively *private* militias (in some cases informally backed by state officials) that are ostensibly going around 'investigating' fraud while intimidating people. https://t.co/zvQINKEBbH
— Taniel (@Taniel) September 2, 2022
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Oh no: Uvalde police confirm an active shooter scene in downtown’s Memorial Park with injured victims. The worst part about this is that the entire country warned Greg Abbott another shooting would occur if he took no action on gun legislation. He failed. And it happened again:
— Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) September 8, 2022
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Queen Elizabeth:
https://twitter.com/judyhamomd/status/1567965279145295878?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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One of my all time favorite Queen Elizabeth happenings! It’s hysterical. He assumed she had a driver and nearly fainted when QE got behind the wheel! She drove military trucks during WW2 so she was a great driver. She drove at the speed of sound all over her grounds!Go Elizabeth!
— Anne Bay (@AnneBay4) September 8, 2022
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Other:
MacKenzie Scott just donated 2 mansions in Beverly Hills worth $55 million to a non-profit that will sell them and use the money to make affordable housing. It really says a lot about society that the most superior member of the billionaire class is the Amazon founder's ex-wife.
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) September 9, 2022
Feel good du jour:
#Ukraine In Kharkiv, a chimpanzee escaped from a zoo. It was walking around the city while zoo employees tried to convince it to return. Suddenly it started to rain, and the ape ran to a zoo employee for a jacket and then agreed to return to the zoo. pic.twitter.com/4AGiAHw1wf
— Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) September 6, 2022
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https://twitter.com/its_jessi_grace/status/1566895632425566210?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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Just learned that baby elephants suck their trunks for comfort, just like baby humans suck their thumbs. Everyone look at this pic.twitter.com/VWXNQyfL1G
— Today Years Old (@todayyearsoldig) September 8, 2022
Comic relief:
Skills.. pic.twitter.com/djF4NiyGm1
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) September 5, 2022
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Zoom meeting, circa 1300. pic.twitter.com/9uPTlvLA6g
— Incunabula (@incunabula) September 4, 2022
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1568610344263716864?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1568342438833528832?s=20&t=t6CJSqYRU8l_Y3chX8FTtA
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Perspective/Poem
RIP Barbara Ehrenreich pic.twitter.com/sr5rbjktQq
— Clayton Cubitt (@claytoncubitt) September 2, 2022
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#History is not a procession of illustrious people. It’s about what happens to a people. Millions of anonymous people is what history is about.
— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) September 1, 2022
JAMES BALDWIN#amwriting #writing #writingadvice pic.twitter.com/GWLionK7m4
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"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
— Maria Popova (@brainpicker) September 4, 2022
the world offers itself to your imagination"
Hear Mary Oliver read hear beloved poem "Wild Geese" https://t.co/czFYmzZHWv
Bits of beauty:
