Tuesday Scoop: HIV Remission

The big story…

Second Patient in London Possibly Cured of HIV

A second patient has seen sustained remission from HIV-1, leading some scientists to believe the “London patient” has been cured of the viral infection which affects around 37 million people across the world. CNN reports, “The new case report comes more than 10 years after the first case, known as the ‘Berlin patient.’ Both patients were treated with stem cell transplants from donors who carried a rare genetic mutation, known as CCR5-delta 32, that made them resistant to HIV. The London patient has been in remission for 18 months since he stopped taking antiretroviral drugs.” Lead author of the study Ravindra Gupta said that by achieving remission in a second patient using similar methods, the Berlin patient is not just an anomaly and the treatment was the cause for remission. The London patients will continue to be monitored as it’s too early to say he’s cured.

In national news…

Arizona State Legislator Calls Mandatory Vaccines Communist

A Republican Arizona state legislator recently called mandatory vaccinations for children “communist” in the midst of a measles outbreak across the country. Arizona’s Republican majority legislature recently passed bills allowing for a personal religious and philosophical exemption for required vaccinations; however, Republican Governor Doug Ducey said on Wednesday, Feb. 28, that he would veto these proposals for the sake of public health concerns. Read more in Duane Paul Murphy’s report for CMN.

In global news…

Estonia Elects First Female Prime Minister

Estonia elected its first female prime minister as a result of national elections held on Sunday, March 3. Kaja Kallas, leader of the center-right classic liberal Reform Party and former member of European Parliament, will become the Baltic country’s head of government as a result of her party gaining more than 28% of the popular vote. The center to center-left social liberal Centre Party, led by former Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, came in 2nd place with about 23% of the popular vote. The right-wing to far-right populist Conservative People’s Party got more than 17% of the popular vote in 3rd place, compared to about 8% of the popular vote it received in the last election back in 2015. Read more in Duane Paul Murphy’s report for CMN.

In higher education…

Trump to Deny Federal Research Money to Schools that Do Not Protect Free Speech

Over the weekend, President Trump announced plans to issue an executive order cutting off federal research funds to higher education institutions that do not support free speech. The president did not say how this standard would be defined nor when the executive order would be signed, just saying that it would happen soon.

Trending today…

#PIVOT

This Friends star throws back to an iconic moment in the show.

Last but not least…

Album Review: Atticus Lane ‘There’s Nothing Wrong With Me Pt.1’

Based out of Greensboro N.C, Goat City Records is a label mostly correlated with various rap acts. Hidden amongst a talented group of admittedly less divergent musicians is a genre transcending gem. The 21 year old alternative artist Atticus Lane (Benjamin Radford) has been carving himself a niche spot amongst his label mates with a unique union of influences ranging from rap to hardcore. Enter the Charlotte natives debut full length There’s Nothing Wrong With Me, Pt.1. Read more in Cody Ayres report for CMN.

Today’s Morning Scoop was made possible by Natalia Kolenko, Cody Ayres, Duane Paul Murphy, and the CMN Staff. Yesterday was Italy’s ‘Battle of the Oranges,’ in which thousands of people gathered for a three-day food fight. Orange you glad you aren’t there? P.S. Was this newsletter forwarded by a friend? Subscribe here to get the Morning Scoop straight to your inbox every day.