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Daily Archives: June 4, 2020

SEC is plugged into the potential pitfalls of making Covid-19 vaccines

Via Quartz: SEC filings tell us a lot about the potential pitfalls of making Covid-19 vaccines. Companies working on vaccines detail how unlikely it is for a trial to fail, and it underscores how vaccines aren’t a magic bullet—total public health must be considered if we’re going to make progress….Enter 8-K forms. Publicly-traded companies are required to submit this paperwork to the US Securities and Exchange Commission whenever something exceedingly positive—or negative—happens within the company. Companies like Moderna filed them recently as their Covid-19 vaccines have entered some form of clinical testing. Included in most of these forms is a forward-looking statement, which essentially serves as a legal caveat. Their language usually includes an assessment of risks like this, which was taken from Moderna’s 8-K filed in mid-May…Novavax (8-K filed in May, referencing its 10-A form filed in March)…Inovio (8-K filed in June)…These 8-Ks aren’t the only places that companies state risks; sometimes, they’re in the initial registration paperwork companies have to file to the SEC, or regular quarterly reports…”

Congress and Law Enforcement Reform: Constitutional Authority

CRS report via LC – Congress and Law Enforcement Reform: Constitutional Authority, June 4, 2020: “In May and June 2020, protests erupted nationwide after the publication of video footage of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, leading to his death. That incident and its aftermath have sparked heightened… Continue Reading

All Facebook users can now access a tool to port data to Google Photos

TechCrunch: “Facebook’s photo transfer tool is now available globally half a year on from an initial rollout in Europe, the company said today. The data portability feature enables users of the social network to directly port a copy of their photos to Google’s eponymous photo storage service via encrypted transfer, rather than needing to download… Continue Reading

Contact Tracing With Your Phone: It’s Easier but There Are Tradeoffs

The New York Times – “Lots of new app ideas are emerging to track Covid-19, but each has issues around privacy, location accuracy and how much appeal it will have to the public and to health officials…The handshake came first. Then the high-five, fist bump and more recently, the elbow touch. Canadian researchers are now… Continue Reading

Black Lives Matter Suing Trump, Fed Govt Over Force Used Against Protesters Outside WH

BussFeedNews: “The DC chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing federal law enforcement officers of violating the constitutional rights of peaceful demonstrators who were forcibly cleared from a park north of the White House so President Donald Trump could walk through for a photo op earlier this week. The… Continue Reading

Survey of the 50 richest Americans – pandemic is testing the generosity of billionaires

Washington Post – “America’s love-hate affair with billionaires took an uncomfortable twist this spring: As the coronavirus spread across the country, both fans and critics wondered what these titans of capitalism would do to address this devastating health and economic crisis. The answer so far: Not much, when accounting for their vast personal fortunes. A… Continue Reading

In Changing U.S. Electorate Race and Education Remain Stark Dividing Lines

“Republicans hold wide advantages in party identification among several groups of voters, including white men without a college degree, people living in rural communities in the South and those who frequently attend religious services. Democrats hold formidable advantages among a contrasting set of voters, such as black women, residents of urban communities in the Northeast… Continue Reading

How to secure your phone before attending a protest

The Verge: “People are taking to the streets to organize for justice and protest against systemic racism and police brutality. If you’re attending or even just watching the protests, then be aware: not only is your phone a trove of information about you and the people you communicate with, it also functions as a tracking… Continue Reading

How to Dispose of Live Ammo Left by Police

Gizmodo: “On Tuesday [June 2, 2020], Washington, DC, resident Ed Felten tweeted an image of a black bulb resembling a Christmas ornament, lying in a patch of spring grass. “Very relieved that the unexploded flash-bang grenade that my daughter found and innocently picked up this morning didn’t explode in her face,” Felten, former White House… Continue Reading

ACLU files class action suit on behalf of journalist targeted during protests

ACLU: “We are facing a full-scale assault on the First Amendment freedom of the press. As people take to the streets to demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and too many other Black people who have been killed by police in recent years, journalists have joined them to bear witness.… Continue Reading