Two former Latin American presidents whose links to offshore dealings featured prominently in the Pandora Papers have been censured by different arms of the United States government this week over allegations of corruption.

On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Paraguay’s former president Horacio Cartes and four of his companies, and accused Cartes of engaging in corruption before, during and after his term as president.

“Cartes’ political career was founded on and continues to rely on corrupt means for success,” OFAC officials said in a statement, adding that Cartes has paid thousands of dollars to party members and public officials in exchange for loyalty and support. “Cartes continued to influence legislative activities after leaving office, targeting political opponents, and bribing legislators to direct votes in his interest.”

One of the sanctioned companies controlled by Cartes was revealed in ICIJ’s global investigation, the Pandora Papers. Dominicana Acquisition SA, owned by Cartes and his three children, was created in Panama in 2011 and owned an apartment in Miami and a bank account in a Paraguayan bank that belongs to the Cartes family. In 2021, Cartes’ legal advisor told ICIJ that the company was used to buy a Miami property and said that the company never had bank accounts. The advisor said the company was currently inactive after having sold the real estate. ICIJ partner ABC Color revealed that Cartes never included Dominicana Acquisition in his sworn statement of assets during the years he was president, from 2013 to 2018. He quietly amended his declarations in 2021, after journalists reporting on the Pandora Papers asked about the offshore entity.

His addition to the OFAC sanctions list means that Cartes’ is barred from entering the U.S., his assets in the country will be frozen and his companies have to cease operations in American territories. U.S. citizens are also prohibited from doing business with people included in the OFAC list. An attorney for Cartes said in a press conference that the sanctions were politically motivated and said the U.S. lacks evidence to sustain its allegations.

Paraguay’s current vice president Hugo Velázques was also sanctioned over his part in alleged corruption. U.S. ambassador to Paraguay Marc Ostfield said on Twitter that the actions aim to protect “our financial system and support Paraguay in its fight against corruption.”

Separately, on Wednesday, the U.S. barred former president of Panama Ricardo Martinell from entering the country, “for his involvement in significant corruption,” according to a designation by the Department of State.

The U.S. has accused Martinelli, who was in office from 2009 to 2014, of accepting bribes in exchange for improperly awarding government contracts during his presidency. “Such acts of public corruption diminish confidence in governance and reduce resources available for schools, hospitals, roads, and other government services,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.

Martinelli’s corruption designation happened the same day two of his sons were released from a U.S. prison, escorted from New York to Panama City by U.S. Marshalls, and handed to Panamanian authorities after serving a three-year sentence for their role in a massive bribery and money laundering case.

In December 2021, Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, who also featured in the Pandora Papers, pleaded guilty to laundering $28 million in bribes paid by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to a Panamanian official during their father’s presidency. Although federal court documents didn’t identify the Panamanian official by name, only saying the person was a “close relative” of the Martinelli brothers, a press release from the U.S. embassy in Panama identified Martinelli as the beneficiary of the bribes. A defense attorney for one of Martinelli’s sons told a federal judge in May that the brothers were “roped into this money laundering conspiracy … by their father … who was the recipient of the Odebrecht bribes,” according to a court transcript.

Martinelli and his sons Luis and Ricardo are among dozens facing Odebrecht-related charges in Panama. The former president is also expected to stand trial for accusations of money laundering in another corruption case. Despite his legal troubles, Martinelli is seeking a second presidential term at the 2024 general elections.

In a statement posted Thursday on Twitter, a spokesperson said Martinelli and his legal team denied there was evidence to prove the accusations against him.

The U.S. embassy in Panama suggested that more corruption designations should be expected. “I know how concerned Panamanians are about corruption and fighting it is one of our priorities as an embassy because corruption undermines the well-being of the population, the economy and democracy,” ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte said in a statement. “This will not be our last designation in Panama.”

Both Cartes and Martinelli were among more than a dozen current and former Latin American heads of states featured in ICIJ’s 2021 Pandora Papers investigation. Using a trove of nearly 12 million records leaked from 14 law firms and offshore financial advisers, reporters from Latin America exposed the largest contingent of public servants linked to offshore dealings of any region in the global investigation, including the sitting presidents of the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, numerous former heads of state and dozens of government officials and politicians.

The leaked documents showed that in 2012 Alcogal, a prominent Panamanian offshore services provider, created two shell companies that were later linked in media reports to the Martinelli brothers. In 2016, Alcogal severed ties with the companies and reported them to Panamanian authorities after a former Odebrecht executive-turned whistleblower claimed the companies were used to pay bribes to one of Martinelli’s sons in exchange for public contracts.

In addition to serving time in prison in the U.S., the Martinelli brothers were also ordered to forfeit more than $18 million worth of assets, including a condo in an exclusive area of Miami, pay $250,000 fine each and serve two years of supervised release.

The U.S. exclusion of Martinelli includes his immediate family members.

The Odebrecht cash-for-contracts corruption cases have rocked Latin America since 2014, toppling governments and sending public officials to prison.

In 2019, ICIJ’s Bribery Division investigation, based on a set of leaked Odebrecht communications, revealed the Brazilian construction conglomerate’s operation was even bigger than the company had acknowledged, and included bribes paid to officials in three successive governments in Panama.

SOPA Images/Getty Images

• BuzzFeed is reportedly set to use ChatGPT creator OpenAI’s technology in content creation.
• BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Perett told staff it would use tech to boost its quizzes and personalize some other content, per the WSJ.
• We asked ChatGPT generated a listicle in the style of BuzzFeed. 

BuzzFeed is reportedly set to use tech from OpenAI, the creator of the viral AI chatbot ChatGPT, to help create some content — which sent the media outlet’s stock surging 200% on Thursday. 

“In 2023, you’ll see AI inspired content move from an R&D stage to part of our core business, enhancing the quiz experience, informing our brainstorming, and personalizing our content for our audience,” CEO Jonah Peretti wrote in the staff memo, which was seen by Insider.

According to an example of AI usage BuzzFeed sent to Insider, BuzzFeed can write a romcom about you in 30 seconds after you specify an “endearing flaw” you have and choose a preset “trope,” such as a love triangle. It would then be able to generate a story based on the input.

A BuzzFeed spokesperson clarified to Insider the outlet will be not be using the wildly popular ChatGPT platform, but OpenAI’s publicly available API.

Buzzfeed — which won it’s first Pulitzer prize in 2021 for a series of articles exposing China’s vast infrastructure for detaining Muslims in the Xinjiang region — is popularly known for its quizzes and listicles, so we can reasonably expect the use of AI technology in the latter section as well. 

We put ChatGPT to the test by asking the platform to write a listicle based on “10 things that are better in other countries compared to the US” in BuzzFeed style. Buzzfeed’s Evie Carrick wrote a similar article back in October 2022.

ChatGPT’s response was nuanced. It qualified the report with a measured statement about how it isn’t fair to generalize, as all countries have “different strengths and weaknesses,” but it was still able to come up with a list of what’s “commonly perceived” as better in other countries compared to the US.

Here’s what ChatGPT came up with:

It’s worth noting that different countries have different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s not fair to make generalizations about a whole country, but as a listicle, here are some things that are commonly perceived to be better in other countries compared to the US.

1. Public Transportation: Cities in countries like Japan, Germany, and France have incredibly efficient and reliable public transportation systems, making it easy and affordable to get around.

2. Healthcare: Many countries, including Canada and most European countries, have universal healthcare systems that provide better coverage and lower costs for citizens.

3. Paid Parental Leave: Countries like Sweden and Canada offer generous paid parental leave policies, allowing new parents to take time off work without fear of financial strain.

4. Work-Life Balance: In countries like France, the concept of a 35-hour workweek is not only accepted but encouraged, leading to a better work-life balance for citizens.

5. Recycling and Environmental Sustainability: Many countries, including Germany and Switzerland, have implemented successful recycling programs and have a stronger focus on environmental sustainability.

6. Free College Education: Countries like Germany, Norway and some states in the US offer free college education to its citizens.

7. Food and Cuisine: Many countries, including Italy, Spain and Japan, are known for their delicious and diverse cuisines, which often feature fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.

8. Vacation Time: In countries like France, the legal minimum number of vacation days is 30, which allows citizens to have more time to travel and relax.

9. Gender Equality: Countries like Iceland, Norway and Finland are consistently ranked as some of the most gender-equal countries in the world.

10. Housing: In some countries like Germany, rental prices tend to be more affordable and stable, making it easier for citizens to find and afford housing.

Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

• Three schools in Florida sold 7,600 fake credentials to nursing license applicants, officials said.
• The faux diplomas and transcripts qualified applicants for the national nursing board exam.
• They would have allowed buyers to potentially skip thousands of clinical trainings, prosecutors said.

Up to 7,600 people across the US may be using fake nursing credentials from a scheme run by Florida nursing schools selling diplomas, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Employees and owners of three accredited schools — Palm Beach School of Nursing, Siena College, and Sacred Heart International Institute — are accused by the Justice Department of selling 7,600 diplomas and transcripts to people seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses and practical or vocational nurses.

The fake credentials wouldn’t have given the buyer a nursing license, but it would qualify them to sit for the national nursing board exam. They’d only become licensed nurses upon passing that exam.

Still, the bogus diplomas and transcripts, which cost as much as $15,000 each, would have helped candidates skip “hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of clinical training,” Markenzy Lapointe, the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, told ABC News.

In a Justice Department statement, officials said “recruiters” would approach potential buyers and conspire with employees, managers, or owners at the schools to create and distribute the fraudulent documents.

The diplomas would state that the buyer had attended the respective school’s nursing program, when they never took classes there, prosecutors said.

A total 25 people are being charged with wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy for taking part in the scheme, and each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.

All three schools have been closed, officials said. Siena College and Sacred Heart International Institute are in Broward County. Palm Beach School of Nursing is in Palm Beach County.

“What is disturbing about this investigation is that there are over 7,600 people around the country with fraudulent nursing credentials who are potentially in critical health care roles treating patients,” said Chad Yarbrough, an acting special agent for the FBI in Miami.

Authorities said they haven’t yet heard of cases where a patient was harmed because they received care from someone who bought a faux license through this scheme.

But the scale of the fraud operation has officials worried about the potential for patient harm, especially as the US faces a nurse shortage that’s worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Not only is this a public safety concern, it also tarnishes the reputation of nurses who actually complete the demanding clinical and course work required to obtain their professional licenses and employment,” said Lapointe in the Justice Department statement.

The US attorney’s office for the Southern District of Florida and the office of the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.

Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones, killing at least 11 people, according to officials, after Western allies promised to supply tanks to help Ukraine fight Russia’s invasion.

Air raid alarms sounded across Ukraine on Thursday as people headed to work. In the capital, Kyiv, crowds took cover in underground metro stations.

“Not a single room is left intact, everything got hit,” said Halyna Panosyan, 67, surveying twisted sheets of corrugated metal, crumpled masonry and a big missile crater outside her ruined house in Hlevakha near Kyiv.

“There was an extremely loud strike that made me jump up. I was in the bedroom … I was saved by the fact that the bedroom is to the other side of the house.”

Russian forces trained tank, mortar and artillery fire on more than 60 towns and villages in an arc of territory extending from Chernihiv and Sumy regions in the north through Kharkiv region in the northeast and in the focal points of Russian attempts to advance in Donetsk region in the east – Bakhmut and Avdiivka.

Ukraine’s military said it shot down 47 of 59 Russian missiles – some fired from Tu-95 strategic bombers in the Russian Arctic. Russia also launched 37 air strikes, 17 of them using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. All drones were downed, the military said.

Eleven people were killed and 11 wounded in the drone and missile strikes, which spanned 11 regions and also damaged 35 buildings, a State Emergency Service spokesperson said.

Japan on Friday tightened sanctions against Russia in response to its latest wave of missile attacks in Ukraine.

Russia responded with fury to news on Wednesday that Germany and the United States would send dozens of modern tanks to Ukraine. More tanks will come from Canada, Poland, Britain, Finland and Norway while several more allies including France, Spain and the Netherlands were considering sending tanks too.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who visited Ukraine last week, said IAEA monitors reported powerful explosions near Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station and renewed calls for a security zone around the plant.

But Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the head of Rosenergoatom, the company operating Russia’s nuclear plants, said the comments were unfounded and called it a “provocation”.

Russia has in the past reacted to Ukrainian successes with massed air strikes that left millions without light, heat or water.

On Thursday, it appeared to follow that pattern. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia’s attacks targeted energy plants.

“I held an urgent meeting today about the energy situation – about the shortages that are occurring and repair work after the terrorists’ strikes. Repair teams are working in those sites,” President Volodomyr Zelenskiy said in an evening video address on Thursday.

The Kremlin said it saw the promised delivery of Western tanks as evidence of growing “direct involvement” of the United States and Europe in the 11-month-old war, something both deny.

Western allies have committed about 150 tanks while Ukraine has said it needs hundreds to break Russian defensive lines and recapture occupied territory in the south and east. Both Moscow and Kyiv, which have relied on Soviet-era T-72 tanks, are expected to mount new ground offensives in the spring.

After being promised modern tanks, Ukraine is now seeking Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the U.S. F-16, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister said.

In Odesa, the Black Sea port designated a “World Heritage in Danger” site on Wednesday by the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, Russian missiles damaged energy facilities, authorities said, just as French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna was arriving.

“What we saw today, new strikes on civilian Ukrainian infrastructure is not waging war, it’s waging war crimes,” she said.

The United States on Thursday formally designated Russian private military company the Wagner Group a transnational criminal organization, freezing its U.S. assets for helping Russia’s military in Ukraine.

Since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, Russia has shifted the focus of its rhetoric from “denazifying” and “demilitarising” its neighbour to confronting what is says is an aggressive and expansionist U.S.-led NATO alliance.

Mykola Sunhurovskiy, director of military programmes at the Razumkov Centre think-tank in Kyiv, said Russia’s war was turning into a protracted campaign that would require greater sacrifice by its people.

“It will require mobilisation of the economy and a move to new principles of mobilisation for the country’s people,” Sunhurovskiy said.

“This all means the war is entering a protracted phase and martial law will probably be declared in Russia.”

Russia’s invasion has killed thousands of civilians, uprooted millions and reduced cities to rubble.

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• Trump will soon be allowed on all the major social media platforms he was previously banned from.
• But his supporters often complained that they wished he’d put down his phone more.
• If Trump started posting like he used to, that could push more Republicans to DeSantis.

More than two years after the Capitol attack, former President Donald Trump will soon have access to all the major social media platforms he was banned from — but returning to Facebook or Twitter could ultimately hurt his chances of winning back the presidency in 2024.

“You could say Trump is going to win by getting back on because his voice will be heard louder,” Alison Dagnes, a political science professor at Shippensburg University and expert in political media, told Insider. “But doesn’t he also sort of lose when his voice is heard louder?”

After being banned from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Trump founded Truth Social last year and has exclusively posted on it since, even after Twitter reinstated his account in November following Elon Musk’s takeover.

Rolling Stone reported this week that Trump may be planning a return to Twitter after his exclusivity deal with Truth — which requires him to post on the platform first and wait six hours before posting to another — comes up for renewal in June. And on Wednesday Meta announced it would allow Trump back on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

It’s still unclear if Trump will return to Facebook or Twitter, but his use of social media has always been polarizing, even among his own supporters. There are countless lists compiling Trump’s most “outrageous” or “offensive” tweets. While some were amused by the unpredictability, many of Trump’s fans would say they just wanted him to stop tweeting.

Dagnes said that when people are not seeing Trump’s posts on social media, they can forget how shocking and appalling he can be, but Trump returning to those platforms could remind them. She added that even though his behavior on social media appeared to work for him in 2016 — Trump himself even suggested he would not have gotten elected without Twitter — it’s unlikely to play out the same way this time around.

“There’s an exhaustion factor that has settled in,” Dagnes said. “It was new once, but you can’t be new again.”

She said Trump tapped into a deep-seated anger among conservatives, but now there are plenty of lawmakers and right-wing media outlets tapping into that grievance. Republicans who were put off by Trump’s approach have other options to turn to, and are less likely to put up with the things about him that they didn’t like.

“Trump in 2016, to me, unleashed feelings that people have had that they had kept quiet,” she said. “And now that you don’t have to keep it quiet, there can be policies affected in dominant Republican states.”

One of the most prominent examples is another potential candidate for 2024: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Dagnes said she believes DeSantis’s star rose so quickly in the GOP because he picked up that anger that Trump tapped into and ran with it in a policy way.

Unlike Trump, DeSantis is rarely, if ever, making headlines for something he wrote on Twitter. He’s not unpredictable on social media and large swaths of his supporters are not calling for him to put down his phone. He has, however, enacted policies that directly impact the issues many Republicans feel strongly about.

He supported and signed a bill that banned discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity from classrooms. He spent taxpayer dollars flying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard as a response to illegal immigration. And his administration has banned “critical race theory” from schools as well as an AP African American studies course.

Essentially, DeSantis has tapped into the same exact grievances as Trump but does so through policies instead of constant tweeting. And if Trump were to return to posting on Facebook and Twitter, he could remind some conservatives that they can have much of what they like about him, but without the tweeting — with DeSantis.

Tidbits is a weekly feature of easy news briefs in Yiddish that you can listen to or read, or both!

If you read the articles and don’t know a word, just click on it and the translation appears. You’ll also find the link to the article in English after each news brief.

Listen to the report here:

הערט די „טשיקאַוועסן“ אויף אוידיאָ דאָ:

דער ערשטער האָטעל אין תּל־אָבֿיבֿ עפֿנט זיך ווידער; 50% אַמעריקאַנער ווייסן ווייניק וועגן דעם חורבן

דער ערשטער האָטעל אין תּל־אָבֿיבֿ, וואָס האָט זיך געשלאָסן אין די 1940ער, האָט מיט עטלעכע וואָכן צוריק זיך ווידער געעפֿנט.

דער „אלקונין“, וואָס געפֿינט זיך אין דער היסטאָרישער געגנט נווה צדק, איז פֿאַרלייגט געוואָרן אין 1913 דורך מלכּה און מנחם אלקונין. מנחם אלקונין, וואָס איז געבוירן געוואָרן אין רוסלאַנד אין מיטן 19טן יאָרהונדערט, האָט זיך באַזעצט אין ארץ־ישׂראל אין 1911 און האָט אין איינעם מיט זײַן פֿרוי אָנגעשטעלט דעם באַקאַנטן אַרכיטעקט שמואל ווילסאָן צו בויען אַ האָטעל אינספּירירט פֿון דער אייראָפּעיִשער אַרכיטעקטור.

צווישן די חשובֿע געסט פֿונעם האָטעל במשך פֿון די יאָרן  זענען געווען דוד בן־גוריון, אַלבערט אײַנשטײַן און אַפֿילו עמיר אַבדולאַ וואָס איז שפּעטער געוואָרן דער קיניג פֿון יאָרדאַניע. מע האָט געזאָגט אַז דער קעניג האָט אויסגעקליבן דווקא דעם האָטעל ווײַל אַ געוויסע פֿרוי וואָס איז דאָרט אײַנגעשטאַנען איז אים געפֿעלן געוואָרן.

To read the news in English, click here.

כּדי צו לייענען די נײַעס אויף ענגליש גיט אַ קוועטש דאָ.

•

לויט אַן אַנקעטע פֿונעם אַמעריקאַנער ייִדישן קאָמיטעט, ווייסן נישט אַ העלפֿט פֿון די אַמעריקאַנער וויפֿל ייִדן זענען אומגעקומען אינעם חורבן.

בײַ די 1,004 מענטשן וואָס מע האָט אויסגעפֿרעגט האָבן בלויז 53 פּראָצענט געוווּסט אַז זעקס מיליאָן ייִדן זענען געשטאָרבן אינעם חורבן. 2 פּראָצענט האָבן געמיינט אַז ווייניקער ווי 1 מיליאָן ייִדן זענען געשטאָרבן. 11 פּראָצענט האָבן געזאָגט אַז מער ווי צוועלעף מיליאָן זענען אומגעקומען. 20 פּראָצענט האָבן געזאָגט אַז זיי ווייסן נישט.

די באַטייליקטע אין דער אַנקעטע האָט מען אויך געשטעלט דרײַ אַנדערע פֿראַגעס: ווען איז דער חורבן פֿאָרגעקומען? ווי אַזוי איז היטלער געוואָרן דער דײַטשישער פֿירער? און וואָס איז אוישוויץ?

בלויז אַ פֿערטל האָבן ריכטיק געענטפֿערט אויף אַלע פֿראַגעס. אַ פֿערטל האָבן אויך געזאָגט אַז זיי האָבן אַ מאָל באַזוכט אַ חורבן־מוזיי אָדער דענקמאָל.

To read the news in English, click here.

צו לייענען די נײַעס אויף ענגליש, גיט אַ קוועטש דאָ.

The post Tidbits: First hotel  in Tel Aviv re-opens; 50% Americans know little about the Holocaust appeared first on The Forward.

In a unanimous decision, all 21 voting members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) vaccine committee recommended that the U.S. start using the same COVID-19 virus strain in all of the COVID-19 vaccines, including primary and booster doses.

That means the bivalent booster dose, which targets both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the Omicron BA.4/5 strains, would soon become the only type used for all primary shots and boosters.

The decision reflects a turning point in the pandemic. Until now, vaccine makers have tried to keep up with constantly evolving variants, but they’ve always been a few steps behind. The variants targeted in the bivalent booster, for instance—which the FDA only authorized in September—have since been eclipsed by the newer Omicron variants BQ.1.1, XBB.1, and XBB.1.5. Standardizing all vaccines to target the same strains—then evaluating whether they should be updated on a regular cadence, an approach the committee seemed enthusiastic about—would make variant-chasing a thing of the past.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The committee heard data from FDA scientists, scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and vaccine makers. The research they presented all suggests that the bivalent booster generates stronger (albeit not dramatically higher) levels of antibodies against even the latest virus variants.

The data included early looks at how the bivalent booster protected against the latest variants BQ.1.1, XBB.1, and SBB.1.5. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech showed that the bivalent boosters still provided some protection against these new variants, in the form of antibodies that were several fold higher than levels generated by the original vaccine when used as a booster. Antibodies are the first line of immune defense, and are primarily focused on blocking the virus from infecting cells. Citing previously reported data, Moderna showed that its bivalent booster generated levels of antibodies to neutralize the BQ.1.1 and XBB.1 that were several times higher than those produced by the original vaccine, while Pfizer-BioNTech referenced a recently published study in the New England Journal of Medicine showing responses of a similar magnitude.

This data, plus the appeal of a simpler immunization regimen, persuaded the panel. “Simpler is better, and we saw evidence today that closer is better,” said committee member Dr. Michael Nelson, professor of medicine at University of Virginia, referring to the fact that the BA.4/5 in the bivalent vaccine is a closer match to the currently circulating Omicron variants than the virus in the original vaccine. “I’m hoping that the momentum for simplification, along with the efficacy and safety data, spurs additional vaccination and acceptance of these vaccines in all age groups.”

Dr. Ofer Levy, director of the precision vaccines program at Boston Children’s Hospital and member of the committee, agreed. “As we turn the corner from the pandemic to endemic phase, today’s vote marks a big practical win for the American people,” he said. “It’s going to really simplify things and benefit public health.”

Lingering questions

The experts noted that there are still gaps in what health officials know about how the bivalent vaccine is providing immunity. Data presented at the meeting showed that the additional benefit in protecting against infection is still short-lived, while the protection from the original vaccines in keeping people from getting severely ill appears to be more durable. At future meetings, the committee will consider whether to continue including the original SARS-CoV-2 virus in future immunizations, in so-called multivalent shots, or whether vaccines should contain multiple new variants that better match whatever new forms the virus might take.

The committee discussed, but was not tasked to resolve, other issues. The most notable were about whether to move to an annual COVID-19 booster schedule and conduct yearly reviews each June to better match vaccines to whatever version of the coronavirus will likely be circulating the following winter. (The U.S. takes this approach with influenza shots.) The committee members were in favor of these strategies and will make more concrete decisions about them at a meeting in June. Those decisions also require coordination with global health bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), to sync immunization strategies to ensure that vaccines are targeting the viruses that are causing the most health issues.

Novavax, which makes a COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use as both primary immunization and a booster in the U.S., also presented data at the meeting. Its shot uses a different technology based on a recombinant form of the spike protein on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, along with an adjuvant to wake up the immune system. Novavax reported that its vaccine generated similar protection as that of the mRNA bivalent boosters. Based on that data, the company argued that because its technology targets more conserved portions of the viral spike protein, it could generate broader protection that might include even future variants of SARS-CoV-2. However, Novavax added that it would take about six months to update its vaccine with any new variant targets, while the mRNA manufacturers estimated that it would take roughly half that time to update theirs.

The experts also raised questions about some cases of stroke that CDC scientists are continuing to investigate to determine if the bivalent vaccine raises risk of these events. “The evidence is not sufficient to conclude a safety problem with respect to stroke,” said Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, deputy director of the H1N1 vaccine task force in the immunization safety office at the CDC. “The CDC recommendations are that everyone who is eligible should get a bivalent booster. We’ll continue to do more work on this, through more formal epidemiological investigations, and make the information available as it becomes known to us.”

Next steps

Today’s vote to make all COVID-19 vaccines the same bivalent formulation did not specify a date by which this should happen. But the FDA will now take the committee’s advice under consideration as it formulates a revised vaccination plan for COVID-19, including whether to move to a yearly or more regular immunization schedule, and which strains to include. “I’m curious about the next stage of discussions involving choosing the [virus] strain,” said Dr. Steven Pergam, medical director of infection prevention at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and a member of the committee. “That’s where the rubber meets the road.”

I can’t even remember when or how I became a Democrat. I grew up addicted to politics, with the innermost knowledge that I would always be a Democrat. I bet it was that way for many of you as well. Sometimes who we are – our chosen identity — is with us from childhood or even birth. It is ingrained in us, and we do not remember how it got there. We just know it’s a part of us.

And Democrats equal democracy. Democrats equal fairness, doing good, and helping the less fortunate. We all share the knowledge that we want to do good. Some people don’t. Some people, in fact, are the opposite. They never perhaps developed moral fiber or a little thing called a conscience. They never perhaps saw women as equal to men. Perhaps they were born that way. We’ll never know.

What we do know is who they are NOW. And the GOP is the party of doing cruelty. As much good as we want to do? The GOP would like to sabotage these efforts. Case in point: Abortion. The GOP can’t let the subject go because their hostility toward women is a part of them. They cannot let it go even when they know it’s a losing issue.

Just ask United State Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma because he has revealed himself and others in the GOP. During a speech on Tuesday, Lankford made clear what the ambitions are for some members of the GOP. And those ambitions are to make abortion: “unthinkable.”

Lankford, in this speech, equated abortion — ALL abortions — to murder. He did not seem to worry about ten-year-old girls who were victims of gang rape. He did not seem to worry about women and what THEY believed at all. The floor was his, and the revelations poured from his lips like the most poisonous cocktail.

“I’m working on making abortion unthinkable,” Lankford said flatly. “At its most basic level” he continued, “there is no difference between any one of us in this room and when we were at this stage right here in our mother’s womb.”

It’s horrifying, isn’t it? It’s horrible to hear this smug, sanctimonious disdainful man speak. This man obviously sees women as mere objects. These stories serve as highlighters about who the GOP is and who they will always be. They are the party of cruel intentions. Perhaps they were born that way.

They are a warning that we keep abortion in the spotlight. Because as much as we may have known who we were from an early age, I suspect folks like Lankford did as well. That’s the true danger in all of this.

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