Thursday, October 21 top stories
It is Thursday, October 21. Here are today’s top stories.
Surgeons in New York were able to attach a pig kidney to a human patient for an organ transplant and found that the kidney worked. The kidney came from a genetically altered pig and the patient was a brain-dead individual who was kept alive by machines. The family of the patient provided consent for this experiment. The kidney test lasted 54 hours.
This type of pig-to-human transplant won’t be available for widespread use because the idea is still in very early stages and there are also ethical and scientific concerns that need to be resolved. But if scientists and other leaders are able to figure it all out, pig organs could be the answer to thousands of Americans who are on transplant waiting lists. Pigs could provide organs such as hearts, lungs, and livers.
CNBC News reported that its poll of President Biden’s approval rating among 800 Americans shows that only 41% approve of his job performance. The top two concerns for Americans are the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation. The declining approval rating shows that Americans who were once supportive and excited about a new presidency may be growing frustrated with the Biden administration.
Donald Trump announced that he would develop a new social media app called “TRUTH Social.” The holding company for the app is called “Trump Media & Technology Group” or TMTG for short. Trump hopes the app will rival other social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook, where he is currently banned. TMTG also plans to launch a subscription streaming channel that would deliver conservative-leaning news stories. Preorders for the app are available in the App Store. There are doubts about the viability of the app, but we’ll see if it gains traction.
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The NFL has agreed to end its practice of race-based adjustments in dementia testing for retired players who file concussion claims.
The NFL has a fund to provide financial payouts for players who suffer from brain injuries from playing days, but the NFL has used a test that assumes Black individuals have a lower cognitive function compared with white players or other races. It means that Black players would have a harder time proving brain injuries and are less likely to get financial support. Hundreds of NFL players may have missed out on payments that average $500,000 or more.
Two former players filed a lawsuit against the NFL last year. Now the NFL has reached a $1 billion settlement with lawyers representing thousands of retired NFL players, has agreed to stop giving out tests based on a player’s race, and will allow Black retirees to be rescored or undergo new tests.
The FDA approved “vaccine mixing” — allowing Americans who received either the Moderna or J&J vaccines to get the Pfizer booster shot. The FDA also approved booster shots for Moderna and J&J with the Moderna booster dose being half the dose used for the first two shots and the J&J vaccine being a second dose that is the same as the first single-dose vaccine. The FDA’s approval for mixing vaccines means there’s greater flexibility and access to booster shots for everyone. The CDC will now meet to finalize official recommendations on who should get boosters and when.
Two In-N-Out restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area are refusing to check the vaccination status of indoor diners. There are government requirements that say restaurants can only serve people indoors if they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 or show a negative test.
A restaurant in Pleasant Hill was fined $250 and then $500 for not checking vaccination status.
A restaurant in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf was briefly shut down after people reported that the restaurant was not checking vaccination status. That restaurant is now open again, but only for takeout orders.
In-N-Out’s chief legal and business officer said they “refuse to become the vaccination police for any government” and that it is “unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into these who may be served and those who may not, whether based on the documentation they carry, or any other reason.”
That is all the top stories for today. Check out our other videos on “The Daily Moth.” See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/19/health/kidney-transplant-pig-human.html
https://apnews.com/article/nfl-sports-football-health-philadelphia-f9c8c931467c815099dce0ed42652379
https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article255170477.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/in-n-out-san-francisco-fined-vaccine-guidelines-contra-costa-county/