Coronavirus Tidbits #203 7/31/2022
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.
Every week, as I work on compiling my #Coronavirus Tidbits newsletter, #GOP vindictiveness and cruelty inspires me to work harder to #GOTV and #Voter Protection efforts. drjudystone.com/coronavirus-ti Please everyone, work as if your life depends on it. It does!
You can find so many volunteer opportunities. I highly recommend NOPE Neighbors as a place to start.
News
Covid:
Nearly half of all states have now passed laws limiting authority to respond to public health emergencies https://t.co/0eEoGMF468 via @medical_xpress
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 30, 2022
Vaccine Summit:
...Operation Warp Speed proved it was possible to race from a newly identified virus to safe and effective immunizations in just 11 months—many times faster than ever before. Today, there are a few dozen fledgling efforts to create vaccines that protect against future SARS-CoV-2 mutants or take an even more “pan” approach in order to thwart unknown coronaviruses that have yet to jump into humans. But only a single candidate, developed by the U.S. Army, has made it into a phase 1 clinical trial.
“We want to start clinical trials tomorrow, but there are lots of barriers to getting there,” says Yale University immunologist Akiko Iwasaki, a panelist at the White House summit who has a vaccine candidate that’s administered as a nasal spray. For starters, funding remains far tighter than in the Warp Speed days: The Coalition for Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has invested a more modest $200 million in 11 efforts run by small companies and academics, and the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has committed just $43 million in four pancoronavirus vaccine programs. And efforts also face a dearth of materials needed to make vaccines, a shortage of nonhuman primates on which to test candidates, and uncertainty about how to assess new products in populations that already have immune response to SARS-CoV-2.
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Operation Nasal Vaccine—Lightning speed to counter #COVID19
— MicrobesInfect (@MicrobesInfect) July 23, 2022
There are at least 12 nasal vaccines that are in clinical development & 4 have reached Phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled trials.
- by @EricTopol @VirusesImmunity https://t.co/BrC7V5E69i
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Survey flags public health worker exodus due in part to COVID-19 impact
Over 40% of the US public health workforce plans to leave their jobs within the next 5 years, and 51% said more staff were needed to respond to COVID-19, according to findings from a 2021 survey published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
In response to being asked what was needed to respond to COVID-19, in addition to funding, 51% cited more staff, followed by more support from the community (30%) and elected leaders (26%).
"This finding is concerning, given a recent report that found approximately 80,000 additional full-time staff members are needed throughout the nation's public health agencies to provide foundational public health services,"
Jul 22 MMWR study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/07/news-scan-jul-22-2022
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Covid origin:
Where did the pandemic begin?
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) July 26, 2022
Was it from nature or a lab?
Since the start, this fundamental question has gone unanswered.
Until now.
Out in @ScienceMagazine: SARS-CoV-2 emerged into humans via the live animal trade at the Huanan Seafood Market.https://t.co/hnl9j3E6j6
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Monkeypox:
BREAKING: USA becomes the first country in the world to surpass 5,000 monkeypox cases after the CDC added 282 new cases. 30 days ago the USA had less than 400 cases.
— Monkeypoxtally (@Monkeypoxtally) July 29, 2022
~ ~ ~
We are two months into an outbreak of monkeypox across the world and I find it incredibly frustrating that we seem to be stuck on debating whether this virus is really overwhelmingly affecting MSM (and whether it is homophobic to point that out) or whether to call this an STD.
— Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) July 26, 2022
The pattern isn’t hugely surprising given that we have seen this with other pathogens. I tried to explain this weeks ago in this piece:https://t.co/kDwwpesPbc
— Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) July 26, 2022
Other:
‘The entire protein universe’: AI predicts shape of nearly every known protein
DeepMind’s AlphaFold tool has determined the structures of around 200 million proteins, from almost every known organism on Earth.
Nature Ewen Callaway 28 July 2022
From today, determining the 3D shape of almost any protein known to science will be as simple as typing in a Google search.
Researchers have used AlphaFold — the revolutionary artificial-intelligence (AI) network — to predict the structures of some 200 million proteins from 1 million species, covering nearly every known protein on the planet.
The data dump will be freely available on a database set up by DeepMind, Google’s London-based AI company that developed AlphaFold, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), an intergovernmental organization near Cambridge, UK.
“Essentially you can think of it covering the entire protein universe,” DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, said at a press briefing. “We’re at the beginning of new era of digital biology.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02083-2
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New theory on unusual hepatitis cases in kids points to three factors
There is a new theory about what may be causing puzzling cases of pediatric hepatitis of unknown origin — and it’s complex, STAT’s Helen Branswell warns us. In two new unpublished studies from U.K., scientists suggest these children may have been co-infected with two different viruses and had a genetic predisposition to an over-exuberant immune response. The prevailing hypothesis has said adenovirus 41 was causing the liver damage, although it had never been seen to do so in children with intact immune systems.
Now another virus has been found in some affected children: adeno-associated virus 2 — a “dependoparvovirus” that cannot replicate in a host’s cells unless another virus is present. “If this is correct,” Angela Rasmussen of the University of Saskatchewan told Helen, “you need the combination of all three” — a helper virus, such as adenovirus 41, the adeno-associated virus 2, and the genetic predisposition. Read more.
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As pandemics collide, push to end AIDS stumbles
Few HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment goals are in reach, report documents
Science 28 JUL 2022 BYJON COHEN
...In a campaign to “end AIDS as a public health threat” by 2030, UNAIDS set targets for 2025 that the new report documents are far from being met. Last year, 1.5 million people became infected by HIV, 1 million more than the 2025 target. And although new infections fell from 2020, the decline of 3.6% was the smallest since 2016. Of the 38.4 million people living with the virus in 2021, 10 million are still not receiving lifesaving antiretroviral drugs, and last year saw the lowest number of new people starting treatment in a decade; most alarming to UNAIDS, 52% of infected children aren’t being treated. “If these trends continue, we could see 7.7 million additional AIDS-related deaths in this decade,” Byanyima said. “We have to sound the alarm.”
https://www.science.org/content/article/pandemics-collide-push-end-aids-stumbles
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Polio:
Around 70% of those infected with polio show no symptoms but can infect others.
— ProPublica (@propublica) July 27, 2022
About 5 in 1000 infected people develop irreversible paralysis.
At its peak in 1952, polio killed more than 3,000 Americans & paralyzed more than 20,000. https://t.co/GbnA7rZcKC
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Melioidosis Locally Endemic in Areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast
after Burkholderia pseudomallei Isolated in Soil and Water and Linked to Two Cases – Mississippi, 2020 and 2022
Summary
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei) for the first time in the environment in the continental United States. This bacterium causes a rare and serious disease called melioidosis. B. pseudomallei was identified through environmental sampling of soil and water in the Gulf Coast region of southern Mississippi during an investigation of two human melioidosis cases.
It is unclear how long the bacterium has been in the environment prior to 2020 or how widespread the bacterium is in the continental United States; modeling suggests that the environmental conditions found in the Gulf Coast states are conducive to the growth of B. pseudomallei [1]. Extensive environmental sampling is needed to answer these questions.
This Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory serves to alert clinicians and public health officials throughout the country to consider melioidosis in patients whose clinical presentation is compatible with signs and symptoms of the disease, regardless of travel history to international disease-endemic regions, as melioidosis is now considered to be locally endemic in areas of the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi.
(Note: I wrote about this fascinating US outbreak a few months ago:
CDC Sleuths Find Source Of Deadly Melioidosis Outbreak Is A Room Spray Sold At Walmart
Diagnostics:
Researchers invent accurate rapid #COVID19 antibody level test https://t.co/IMlDj4meCo via @medical_xpress #diagnostics
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 30, 2022
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Traveling or considering a night on the town? Best time to test for #COVID is right before you leave https://t.co/5FHqLfBIbc via @medical_xpress
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 30, 2022
Drugs and Vaccines:
Not that Vinay will see this now that I’m blocked but he likes to talk about the need for RCTs in children. So here’s your reminder this has been done. Seriously, if you’re on the fence about getting your kids vaccinated get it done. Protect your kids. https://t.co/m1hOO82fxs pic.twitter.com/lOtF0vZpzy
— Dr. John E. Canuck, MD (@TheCanuckMD) July 23, 2022
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Tens of millions of vaccine doses in the US are about to expire in the US and will be wasted.
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) July 27, 2022
2nd booster doses should be made available to all age <50 who want added protection now
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Can I Boost With #Novavax? https://t.co/STRiRv1E2O
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 30, 2022
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Why aren't there new drugs to protect people most vulnerable to Covid?
It’s a familiar — and sad — story. Immunocompromised people hoped first Covid vaccination and then antibody treatments would allow them to leave the lockdown they’ve been living under while the coronavirus cooks up new variants. This deep into the pandemic, they ask, why are there so few treatments in biopharma’s pipeline to thwart the virus? Several companies have announced plans for new Covid-19 antibodies, but they are all either still in animal studies or are being developed as therapeutics, despite the 7 million to 10 million immunocompromised Americans who might benefit.
It’s not difficult to isolate new antibodies that powerfully neutralize Omicron and its various children, James Crowe, the Vanderbilt immunologist who in 2020 first isolated the antibodies in Evusheld, told STAT’s Jason Mast. “It becomes more of a business question than a medical question.” Read more on the challenges at STAT+ (paywalled).
https://mailchi.mp/statnews/tk-tncyc6de8v-617636?e=5c09ee46b1
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Evusheld Effective Against Emerging BA.x Variants
Recent data published in the peer-review New England Journal of Medicine show that AstraZeneca's Evusheld monoclonal antibody (mAbs) retains neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants, including Omicron BA.5, BA.4, and BA.21.
The FRNT50 levels reported for Evusheld in the study were higher for Omicron BA.1 than BA.5 (351 ng/ml compared to 192 ng/ml), meaning that neutralization activity for BA.5 was greater.
https://www.
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Every moderately to severely immunocompromised person should know about Evusheld, a preventive Rx. It's uncommonly prescribed by doctors and there's a general lack of awareness. Still works vs BA.5
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) July 25, 2022
An excellent patient page @JAMA_current https://t.co/Exn82D8712 @AnuMalaniMD pic.twitter.com/Rpdhcgg33h
~ ~ ~
Monkeypox Vaccine Manufacturing Receives Approvals
Denmark-based Bavarian Nordic A/S announced today that U.S. and EU regulatory authorities issued approvals to manufacture JYNNEOS® (IMVANEX®) smallpox and monkeypox vaccines at the Company's fill and finish facility in Copenhagen.
And the U.S. FDA conducted an expedited pre-approval inspection at Bavarian Nordic's facility at the beginning of July 2022. With these approvals, Bavarian Nordic can now deliver drug products to the U.S. and EU markets.
In the USA, there is overwhelming consumer demand for this monkeypox vaccine.
As of July 23, 2022, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response had delivered 310,385 Jynneos vaccines. The U.S. government has ordered about 5.9 million Jynneos vaccines.
There are only 16 million doses of the MVA-BN (known as Jynneos in the United States) vaccine globally, however.
~ ~ ~
Prescribing Tecoviramat (TPOXX) being simplified:
clinicians now able to prescribe the antiviral via telemedicine and required safety reporting of serious adverse effects only. No pictures of rashes, samples for testing, or patient diaries are now required for treatment.
Some health officials are postponing some second doses of monkeypox vaccine in a strategy to give first doses to more people.
In an update on vaccine distribution, at least 240,000 doses of Jynneos are reported to have been distributed to states, and the Department of Health and Human Services anticipates making approximately 1.9 million doses available in 2022 and another 2.2 million doses in the first half of 2023.
Devices:
Face shields don't give high-level COVID protection, study shows https://t.co/UFvHGl1XlR via @medical_xpress
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 30, 2022
Epidemiology/Infection control:
Dear @CDCDirector @CDCgov, some members of my family said I could leave isolation on day 5. Most ppl, like them, don't know the science. We need better communication and guidelines that give clear guidance on use of RATs to end isolation. This is my day 8 and 10. pic.twitter.com/YKp68VhX5j
— CMDoran (@TheFebrileMuse) July 24, 2022
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https://twitter.com/Globalbiosec/status/1551679576765788161?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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Friendly skies? Study charts COVID odds for plane flights https://t.co/oX4GX4fYa9 via @medical_xpress
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 30, 2022
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At least 27 million COVID patients may have long-term smell and taste problems
About 5% of adults may develop long-lasting changes to their sense of smell or taste after COVID-19 infection, suggests research published by The BMJ today.
With more than 550 million confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, this means that at least 15 million and 12 million adult patients may experience long-term smell and taste deficiencies, respectively.
Given the huge impact that loss of smell and taste can have on quality of life and general health, this could contribute to the rising burden of long COVID, warn the researchers.
Change in the sense of smell and taste is common in patients with COVID-19, with 40-50% of people on average reporting these symptoms globally. But little is known about the clinical course of these symptoms or how many patients develop persistent problems.
To address this knowledge gap, an international research team trawled databases for studies of adults with COVID-19 related changes to smell or taste and studies that described factors associated with these changes and time to recovery.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07-million-covid-patients-long-term-problems.html
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Nearly 6% of children suffer from #COVID19 symptoms three months later, eight-country study finds, by @BillGraveland https://t.co/oSOCPVRIsQ via @globeandmail #LongCOVID
— André Picard (@picardonhealth) July 24, 2022
Monkeypox:
Nice interactive map you might bookmark: https://map.monkeypox.global.health/country
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Hell of a thread on how someone acquired monkeypox: From Mei Rito @mei_rito:
Yesterday I was diagnosed with monkeypox. No, I haven't participated in any sex party as the WHO says, nor have I gotten a tattoo... You're going to freak out when you find out how I caught it #ViruelaDelMono
Three weeks ago I decided to park my bike due to the high temperatures and I contacted a guy on Wallapop who was selling an electric scooter. We agreed to meet.
The transaction was great. A pretty nice guy, he explained everything he had to know about the scooter and let me try it for fifteen minutes on the street to see if it really met my needs. Once the decision is made, we make the exchange and say goodbye.
A week later I start to have a fever and muscle aches. I immediately thought of Covid and had up to 3 PCR tests in the next 48 hours, all negative. Anyway, I ask to work from home for what might happen.
Without feeling much better, two days ago I decided to return to the warehouse where I work and when I go to pick up the scooter, I see that the pressure in the wheels has dropped, so I write to the seller to ask him how often I should fill them.
A few minutes later he calls me. He gives me all the information I needed and, speaking of other topics, he tells me that, SURPRISE, a few days ago he was diagnosed with monkeypox after several days with symptoms. That's where my alarm goes off.
Could it be that I was infected in a 15-minute contact in which we only greeted each other by shaking hands? Contact with a medical friend who tells me about contagious sores on the face and hands. The boy confirms that he has had small injuries even before being diagnosed.
That same day I go to the ER and they do tests. Positive for monkeypox. The most probable contagion, according to what they tell me, given that my sexual life has not changed, is that the virus ended up on my mucous membranes after impregnating me with it on the handles of the scooter.
I'm still hallucinating with the bizarreness of the whole story. I recommend caution, it is not a gay disease as the WHO says, you catch it by buying a wallapop article. And recycle those popular disinfectant gels, they can be key to your health.
Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate.
Mask.
Vax.
Politics:
Covid:
Conservatives skeptical of covid vaccines battle to lead a hospital https://t.co/yYTnIGwZeq
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 30, 2022
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Here's what people in Wakayama, Japan receive when they test positive and have to isolate. (This is for two kids). In North America, we're all about how people are cool if they shrug it off and keep working. pic.twitter.com/A7mDz2Ic44
— T. Ryan Gregory (@TRyanGregory) July 23, 2022
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In the US, >2.5 million doses of Paxlovid have been given and it "is one of the fastest selling medicines in history, with Pfizer forecasting annual sales of $22bn this year" https://t.co/aR08RMPgYe
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) July 25, 2022
—is that enough profit @Pfizer?
—what happens when we develop resistance?
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CDC guidance for working class pic.twitter.com/QTK6dFWJ0U
— Aaron Wells (@Aaron__Wells) July 24, 2022
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Notice anything else? Look at our vaccination numbers compared to the other countries.
— Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) July 24, 2022
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Also, any piece on Covid which doesn't mention the risk, harm, and prevalence of #LongCovid is an irresponsible/disingenuous piece.
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 22, 2022
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@weese_scott and co. showed that ~1/2 of dogs and cats in an infected home seroconvert. Dogs seem less likely to show symptoms. Mild disease in cats. Cats can transmit to other cats and humans. Less is known about dog transmission. I would try to isolate.https://t.co/V3Cld2WxIt
— Steve Valeika DVM PhD (@zoonotic1) July 27, 2022
Monkeypox:
A reminder that — after the most disruptive disease outbreak in at least 100 years — the US still spends more on the Coast Guard than the CDC. https://t.co/5OQMhD7C8n
— Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) July 24, 2022
~ ~ ~
Infuriating that “300,000 doses of a ready-to-use vaccine owned by the United States sat in a facility in Denmark. American officials had waited weeks as the virus spread in New York and beyond before deciding to ship those doses to the United States”https://t.co/M3sNdNGfHD
— Dr Kathleen Bachynski (@bachyns) July 26, 2022
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For Monkeypox there are vaccines that work (the Smallpox vaccines). Treatments that work (designed for Smallpox). Techniques that work (contact tracing as if it was Smallpox). It is not hyper-virulent.
— Nicholas Weaver (@ncweaver) July 24, 2022
And they have failed, completely and utterly, to prevent this growing.
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Not held or housed, incarcerated -- many without any actual conviction.
— Charlene A. Carruthers (@CharleneCac) July 26, 2022
We know that monkeypox is spread between people who contact the same surfaces. How many move in and out of Cook County Jail a day? How many people are up on each other, with nowhere to go?
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This isn't from the Babylon Bee. This is straight from the CDC on how to have safe sex with monkeypox. I'm shocked they didn't recommend masking while having sex. https://t.co/XCTYYzutWJ pic.twitter.com/MtDU6ZH4Qw
— Garret Lewis (@GarretLewis) June 17, 2022
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The CDC issued guidance on how to have safe sex with monkeypox, including by keeping your clothes on during the act and masturbating 6 feet apart from each other.
— Dylan Housman (@Dylan_Housman) June 17, 2022
Happy Fridayhttps://t.co/IqJWYX8KxW pic.twitter.com/9zO3S2FGWj
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I called 811 asking where you can get tested for monkeypox. Was told you had to visit an STI clinic to be tested.
— Dr. Kristopher Wells (@KristopherWells) July 27, 2022
Monkeypox is NOT an STI. This is incredibly stigmatizing and entirely inappropriate care.
What's going on @CMOH_Alberta?! #abhealth #abpoli #ableg
Jan 6/Coup:
And … the DHS inspector general’s office took the unusual step — antithetical to the purpose of the office — of stopping efforts to recover deleted messages potentially relevant to an ongoing investigation.https://t.co/lcR6fhWkFL
— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) July 30, 2022
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Why does Ginni Thomas still hold a position in the government she tried to overthrow?https://t.co/Z5yw38q77S
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) July 26, 2022
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Why on earth is the MSM not treating the erased secret service messages from January 5th and 6th with as much vigor as they covered @HillaryClinton’s deleted muffin recipe emails?
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) July 26, 2022
Abortion:
Incoming medical students walk out at University of Michigan’s white coat ceremony as the keynote speaker is openly anti-abortion pic.twitter.com/Is7KmVV811
— Scorpiio (@PEScorpiio) July 24, 2022
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In one month, 43 US clinics have stopped offering abortions: study https://t.co/veDhGbmk0j via @medical_xpress
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 30, 2022
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https://twitter.com/0liviajulianna/status/1552125690220355586?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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https://twitter.com/0liviajulianna/status/1553357234356224001?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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https://twitter.com/shaindelr/status/1550877263469498368?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
Sex trafficking:
The 20 Republicans who voted against reauthorizing an anti-sex-trafficking law pic.twitter.com/bJo39UsAM1
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) July 28, 2022
LGBTQ:
https://twitter.com/StrictlyChristo/status/1552279325067468801?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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Anti-LGBTQ politicians are coming after the USDA free lunch program due to a new mandate prohibiting discrimination against gender identity or sexual orientation.
— ACLU (@ACLU) July 27, 2022
It's unfathomably cruel to threaten children's lunch money solely for being who they are. https://t.co/foKHcRQs3n
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This evil shitweasel is telling us what's next: Getting the right-wing propaganda machine to whip up hysteria over "Queer Theory" in K-5.
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) July 30, 2022
It worked with "Critical Race Theory" and now Christopher Rufo's demonic ass is preparing to get GOP lawmakers in line on this bullshit. pic.twitter.com/nEPwlYnB7T
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Hey everyone! If you have ever asked "what can I do to help trans rights," I have something for you.
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) July 28, 2022
Biden's title IX change protecting trans people in schools is open comment.
It is getting FLOODED by TERF comments.
GO MAKE A COMMENT IN SUPPORT!https://t.co/Y4pKrCngAZ
SCOTUS:
BREAKING: Clarence Thomas quits his teaching post at George Washington University in DC after student protests, even after the university said it supported Thomas still coming to teach.
— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) July 27, 2022
Apparently Thomas couldn’t handle any dissenting opinions.
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Hakeem Jeffries is fucking done with Clarence & Ginni Thomas. pic.twitter.com/ta5GupxAEb
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) July 25, 2022
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We still want to know who donated $48.1 million to the dark money group that poured millions of dollars into helping former President Trump swing the Court sharply to the right. https://t.co/fOrLoyzXpu
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) July 29, 2022
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https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1552043044295380994?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
Guns:
Did you know? When Bill Clinton banned assault weapons in 1994, mass shootings dropped by 43%. After George W. Bush and the GOP let the assault weapons ban expire in 2004, mass shootings increased by 245%. — These numbers tell a story.
— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) July 29, 2022
~ ~ ~
Breaking News: Leading makers of assault rifles collected over $1 billion in revenue in the past decade as U.S. mass shootings surged, a House panel found.https://t.co/P0MTWp9Ib7
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 27, 2022
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https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1551260583227494400?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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A House Oversight investigation has found five major gun manufacturers collected more than $1 billion dollars from the sale of assault rifles over the last decade.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 27, 2022
The probe found "dangerous marketing tactics," including marketing to children and appealing to white supremacists.
~ ~ ~
Pretty big update, since Gov. Abbott claimed in a press conference the day after the Uvalde shooting that he just stopped in for a few moments to tell those at the fundraiser he could not stay: https://t.co/QfhGhx6jAu
— Christian Flores (@CFloresNews) July 29, 2022
Immigration:
Joe Biden is building the wall.
— RAICES (@RAICESTEXAS) July 29, 2022
His closest advisors are immigration hard-liners, who think that being tough on immigrants will win influence over Republicans.
It's a shame that Biden has continued to carry out the worst of Trump's immigration policies.https://t.co/GQ8LsELDBi
Antisemitism:
Longstanding adviser to Viktor Orbán resigns over ‘pure Nazi speech’—shows good judgement on her part https://t.co/vEngLb3DFK
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 26, 2022
Note that CPAC visited Budapest recently and Orban is going to Texas to speak.
~ ~ ~
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Says GOP 'Should Be Christian Nationalists' Party
— Roshan Rinaldi (@Roshan_Rinaldi) July 25, 2022
Just like Germany in the 1930s and Early 1940s.https://t.co/8LI1tFTEsi
Book bans:
https://twitter.com/QueenOfRats/status/1550554147253932032?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
Vets:
This is the fist bump everyone needs to be talking about.
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) July 29, 2022
Ted Cruz and fellow Republicans celebrating after blocking a bill to help toxin-exposed veterans survive. pic.twitter.com/wJvRseE7B4
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55-42: Senate BLOCKS the House-passed bill expanding access to VA healthcare and disability benefits for veterans exposed to toxins during their military service (PACT Act) from advancing to final passage. 60 votes were needed. pic.twitter.com/JEn6hOZMs5
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) July 27, 2022
~ ~ ~
Senate Republicans just blocked the PACT Act – critical veterans’ healthcare legislation that they supported just weeks ago.
— Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) July 27, 2022
You need to watch @SenatorTester’s response. pic.twitter.com/Z1GNDHF7jO
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Stewart: There are real people who face tragic consequences for their parliamentary fuckery pic.twitter.com/02hrwAu50f
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 28, 2022
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https://twitter.com/BillPascrell/status/1552646501595332609?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1552723591300612097?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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“Congress” is not blocking health care for veterans who are victims of burn pits. Republicans are.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) July 29, 2022
Trump:
Correct me if I'm wrong.
— Bill Berube (@Wickedgoodguy) July 29, 2022
The PGA stopped playing at Trumps courses.
The Saudis start a new tournament and play at Trumps courses.
Could this just be another way to launder money to Trump?
~ ~ ~
NEW: Jan. 6 committee member Elaine Luria releases unseen video of depositions and exhibits showing Trump crossed out line in prepared remarks on 1/7 that he would call on DOJ to prosecute Capitol attack rioters — via @RepElaineLuria: pic.twitter.com/nRVsnnFBOc
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) July 25, 2022
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The LA Times editorial board has joined The Boston Globe in calling for Trump to be prosecuted for crimes he committed in office. Which editorial board is next? https://t.co/cHnGo9p7IR
— Abdallah Fayyad (@abdallah_fayyad) July 25, 2022
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Hey Putin - give us back Brittney Griner and we'll give you back Trump.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) July 27, 2022
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This just in … the RNC is warning Trump it will stop paying his legal bills if he launches a presidential campaign.
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) July 27, 2022
That’s right. They are still paying his personal legal bills — more than $1.7 million since October. https://t.co/UG9zGArZP8
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Trump budget bill INCREASED the deficit by $4 TRILLION.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) July 28, 2022
Biden budget bill (announced last night) DECREASES the deficit by $300 BILLION.
There’s only one fiscally responsible party.
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Trump plan for the homeless: Open up large parcels of inexpensive land in the outer reaches of the city… create thousands and thousands of high quality tents pic.twitter.com/Jj3VNSIdBq
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 26, 2022
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I've never asked you for a penny and I never will.
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) July 28, 2022
But I need your retweet.
I'm asking for a retweet of this important video.#7YearsNoIndictment pic.twitter.com/yIGH5rTxPj
JD Vance:
Ohio US Senate candidate JD Vance says women are obligated to stay in “violent” marriages.
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 25, 2022
Each month, 70 women are fatally shot by intimate partners in the US, and 1 million women alive today have been shot or shot at by intimate partners. #ohsen https://t.co/urBMhjhfDO
I promised to tweet this out during today’s show. Not one has weighed in on where it stands about funding a candidate who believes women should stay in violent marriages. pic.twitter.com/Tig0WZJ5Jh
— Nicolle Wallace (@NicolleDWallace) July 30, 2022
Josh Hawley/Missouri
This is important to get out to as many people as possible. pic.twitter.com/XTneio6WPO
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) July 23, 2022
Big Biz:
Today, the CFPB took action against U.S. Bank for illegally accessing its customers’ credit reports and opening checking and savings accounts, credit cards, and lines of credit without customers’ permission. https://t.co/pPSjtdzGCC
— consumerfinance.gov (@CFPB) July 28, 2022
~ ~ ~
Nursing homes are suing friends and family to collect on patients' bills https://t.co/ugFssnVWc6
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) July 29, 2022
Alabama:
Alabama executes a prisoner with mental illness after the victim's family begged the governor to stop it. Reporters say a member of the media was almost excluded because...her skirt was too short? Is this Catholic school? Did they bring out a ruler? https://t.co/UPsJNILifJ
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) July 29, 2022
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In other news… pic.twitter.com/hoSlZJTCys
— Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara (@IvanaSuzette) July 29, 2022
Florida:
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1550926009775669249?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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Nazi flags displayed outside Turning Point USA summit attended by Trump condemned as 'pure hatred' by the Florida Holocaust Museum https://t.co/USdciYe7zP
— Politics Insider (@PoliticsInsider) July 24, 2022
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2. The law, known as the STOP Woke Act, prohibits employers from discussing WHITE PRIVILEGE or MALE PRIVILEGE or ANY KIND OF SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION in employee traininghttps://t.co/k1bU1ksFhT
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 27, 2022
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) claims elementary school workers are "instructed to tell" kids to switch genders:
— The Recount (@therecount) July 27, 2022
"That is happening in our country. Anyone that tells you it's not happening is lying to you." pic.twitter.com/QSeBcYKL50
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/lesleyabravanel/status/1552390425092186112?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
~ ~ ~
I'm Nikki Fried, the first Jewish woman elected statewide in Florida. Yesterday, Nazis were standing here. Today, I was — to reject, condemn, and call for a united Florida against antisemitism.
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) July 25, 2022
Stand united with me. pic.twitter.com/YMRSCYobWz
~ ~ ~
Doug Mastriano consultant and Gab CEO Andrew Torba made yet another video attacking Jews, claiming that people are “done” with them and they won’t be “told what we're allowed to do in our own country by a 2% minority.” https://t.co/kofYi4AGpv pic.twitter.com/OE84QxgINi
— Eric Hananoki (@ehananoki) July 27, 2022
Georgia:
Monica Poole was eager to vote in Georgia's May primary. But new restrictions on drop boxes made it difficult for Poole to access them, who had limited mobility and a rigid work schedule.
— NPR (@NPR) July 29, 2022
She is one of the millions in Georgia affected by new voting laws. https://t.co/xoQbpHYEvE
Illinois:
28 women held at an Indiana jail are suing after guards gave the keys to their cells to incarcerated men in exchange for a $1000 bribe, allowing the men to rape and assault the women. https://t.co/jw6rQIN4Uy
— Gillian Branstetter (@GBBranstetter) July 26, 2022
Iowa:
Former IA Congressman Jim Leach, who served three decades alongside Chuck Grassley as a Republican, is breaking with his party to endorse Grassley’s Dem opponent https://t.co/Lsvq1Autt0
— Rebecca McCray (@rebeccakmccray) July 29, 2022
Leach, who represented southeastern Iowa in Congress for 30 years changed his party registration to Democrat ahead of June 7 primary. “Today, GOP that I spent so many years with has let the country down.” I’ll lean toward the Dem. Party as long as excellent people are running.
Kansas:
NOW: A Kansas sheriff reportedly lied when he said his office “has received more than 200 tips” from people claiming 2020 election fraud. In response to a public records request, the office could only produce ONE offense since 2020. Whoops.
— Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) July 29, 2022
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Mississippi:
On July 11, Brad Pigott, an attorney the State hired to attempt to recover millions in misspent TANF funds, filed a subpoena seeking information on how $5 million in TANF dollars went to build a volleyball stadium.
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) July 28, 2022
On July 22, the State fired Pigott.https://t.co/yPjkw7fp8E
General voter intimidation: (and New Mexico)
https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1552076702586748928?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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As I wrote elsewhere: “This is how Republicans are planning to steal elections”https://t.co/G30WATuqce
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) July 30, 2022
Pennsylvania:
Absolutely despicable thing to read on its face, but especially when it's about your state's nominee for *governor* https://t.co/p14f4bNJqd pic.twitter.com/HpBisGYG9z
— Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) July 27, 2022
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1552324950773710848?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
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NEW: #PASen candidate Dr. Oz has a secret, previously undisclosed condo in NJ.
— Ursula Perano (@UrsulaPerano) July 27, 2022
And his tenants, well, are his buddies and Turkish nationalists who are linked to groups that have denied the Armenian genocide.
With @WillBredderman for @thedailybeast https://t.co/XYXryH1ekb
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1551344219968704514?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
Texas:
A federal lawsuit out of Texas could end access to free lifesaving preventive health care services for nearly 168 million people in the United States with private insurance, a new report suggests.
Kelley v. Becerra seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement that health plans cover preventive health services at no cost.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07-texas-court-case-threaten-americans.html?
~ ~ ~
The atrocities committed by Nazi Germany were legal because the Nazi movement spent years chipping away at laws that would have prevented their plans.
— Alex Wild (@Myrmecos) July 25, 2022
When highly partisan officials like those at Carroll ISD remove protections from groups they openly disparage, be worried. https://t.co/N3Nym7rLSd
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"Former associates of Dunn and Wilks who spoke to CNN said the billionaires are both especially focused on education issues, and their ultimate goal is to replace public education with private, Christian schooling." https://t.co/mMtZgkvv35
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) July 24, 2022
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https://twitter.com/Globalbiosec/status/1551679576765788161?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
~ ~ ~
Warning: Texas' former solicitor general — who helped write part of the state's six-week abortion ban — is challenging the Affordable Care Act's requirement that HIV preventative medication be fully covered by insurance. https://t.co/wFW4WTua8q
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 27, 2022
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/AltSpaceForce1/status/1552307446907289602?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
Virginia:
I am 4 years younger than John Lewis, 2 years younger than Emmett Till and 10 years older than Ruby Bridges, so when @GovernorVA tries to whitewash our history, he is really trying to erase my life and the story of all African Americans. He messed with the wrong woman this time.
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) July 27, 2022
Russia/Ukraine:
We really are back to the USSR: the Russian government wants to close down Sokhnut, an organization that helps Jews emigrate to Israel, charging it with "brain drain." https://t.co/i4VzupfeaW
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) July 28, 2022
~ ~ ~
Trump just said as president he told European NATO allies that he would not come to their defense if they were invaded by Russia. “That’s right, I will not come to your defense,” he says he told our allies. The audience cheered.
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) July 24, 2022
Feel good du jour:
Remember Christopher Cooper, the man who was birdwatching in New York in 2020, when a woman called the police on him to say he was threatening her (a viral video showed otherwise)...well, he'll be hosting a 2023 National Geographic birdwatching show called "Extraordinary Birder" pic.twitter.com/i5cGWnqKXn
— Megha Mohan (@meghamohan) July 28, 2022
~ ~ ~
A diver in Belize has made friends with an octopus. She named him Egbert and brings him treats in his own jar.
— Weird Animals (@Weird_AnimaIs) July 23, 2022
(Video Elora Kooistra) pic.twitter.com/xEUG4uQKLV
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Named after Peanuts’ Franklin and cartoonist Robb Armstrong, Peanuts has launched The Armstrong Project to foster opportunities for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, starting with endowments at Howard University and Hampton University!
— PEANUTS (@Snoopy) July 22, 2022
~ ~ ~
Bo Jackson, the former sports superstar flew to Texas on May 27th, & handed over a check for $170,000, to cover the funeral expenses for all Uvalde victims.
— The Jewish Ginger Resister (@JewishResister) July 23, 2022
"It's just not right for parents to bury their kids.”
Greg Abbott didn’t even bother to attend a single funeral. pic.twitter.com/JL4JGwXZDU
~ ~ ~
Beautiful turtles. Thank you universe. pic.twitter.com/ZmTDXimxL2
— jim rose circus (@jimrosecircus1) July 8, 2022
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The Banff Wildlife Crossings Project was implemented in Banff, Alberta. Combined with fencing to keep the animals off the road, the structures have reduced animal-vehicle collisions in the area by more than 80% (>96% for elk and deer alone) [read more: https://t.co/9oPSR7OjuD] pic.twitter.com/pCYuQrBvEI
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) July 26, 2022
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just watching a dog be a dog will fill you with endless happiness pic.twitter.com/TBjNbiTrxN
— theworldofdog (@theworldofdog) July 27, 2022
Perspective/Poem
Wealth of Elon Musk
— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) April 14, 2022
2012: $2,000,000,000
2022: $273,600,000,000
Wealth of Jeff Bezos
2012: $18,400,000,000
2022: $181,300,000,000
Wealth of Mark Zuckerberg
2012: $17,500,000,000
2022: $76,800,000,000
U.S. Minimum Wage
2012: $7.25
2022: $7.25
Three words: tax the rich.
~ ~ ~
If Jeff Bezos gave away 0.7% of his wealth, he could give every Amazon employee $1,000.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 28, 2022
With 1.9% of his wealth, we could pay for pre-k for every US child for a year.
With 8.7%, we could pay for a year’s supply of insulin for diabetics.
This is why we need to tax billionaires.
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https://twitter.com/JoseHernandezDz/status/1550690575438909443?s=20&t=YkcttwKynSSdiDBm8KRuMA
Bits of beauty:
