Substack.
‘V Day’ Arrives in the UK
Robert Massimi.
Doses of a coronavirus vaccine developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will be distributed in the United Kingdom today, the first shots of an approved treatment rolled out by a Western country. Front-line healthcare workers and the elderly will be prioritized — 90-year-old Margaret Keenan was the first to officially receive the drug.
Health officials have emphasized the first shots do not result in immediate immunity. The treatment has been estimated to be 95% effective — but not until one week after the second dose, which is administered three weeks after the first dose. The US is scheduled to consider the same vaccine for approval Thursday.
Meanwhile, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order prioritizing distribution to Americans ahead of efforts to assist other countries. The White House is also set to host a vaccine summit today, with manufacturers, pharmacies, logistics companies, and others.
In related news, members of the incoming Biden administration health team were announced yesterday. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will be nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services; if confirmed, Becerra would become the first Latino to lead the agency. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the current head of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, will head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while Dr. Vivek Murthy will reprise the surgeon general role he held from 2014 to 2017. Track all of Biden’s selections here.
The US has reported 14.95 million cases and 283,743 deaths as of this morning. See rolling averages here and here.
Venezuelan Elections
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s socialist party claimed two-thirds of the seats in the country’s National Assembly yesterday, amid an election widely boycotted by opposition lawmakers. While international groups decried the vote as illegitimate, the outcome effectively gives Maduro control of all three branches of government. The government estimated voter turnout near 30% (opposition observers estimated around 20%), less than half of the 70% turnout seen in the previous 2015 election.
Most notably, Juan Guaidó — formally recognized as interim president by 54 countries including the US — did not participate and will lose his seat. Guaidó has led a two-year campaign to oust Maduro, failing to generate sufficient momentum despite the country being mired in the world’s worst peacetime economic crisis. It is unclear what strategy opposition leaders will pursue outside of the National Assembly.
Funding and Stimulus
Congress appears likely to pass a one-week government funding extension this week, an effort meant to give negotiators extra time to hammer out details of a fourth coronavirus package. The deadline to pass a funding bill — and avoid a government shutdown — is Friday at midnight, but lawmakers believe the best chance of passing more stimulus is to attach it to the larger $1.4T spending bill.
Negotiators may build on a $908B proposal spearheaded by a bipartisan group from both chambers. Not included are another round of individual direct payments, a component that would add $300B to the total cost. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) lobbied President Trump to reject any proposal that does not include direct checks. In the background, nearly 14 million people are expected to lose added unemployment benefits provided under the $2.3T CARES Act just after Christmas.
In related news, a new analysis found millions of Americans visited food banks for the first time amid the pandemic, with the amount of food provided increasing by roughly 50%.
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IN THE KNOW
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Bob Dylan sells entire song catalog, more than 600 songs covering a span of nearly 60 years, to Universal Music Group for reportedly more than $300M (More) | … and hear some of the best 21st-century covers of Dylan’s songs (More)
> Dick Allen, seven-time MLB All-Star and 1972 American League MVP, dies at 78 (More) | “B.A.P.S.” and “Eve” actress Natalie Desselle Reid dies of colon cancer at 53 (More)
> MSNBC taps Rashida Jones as its next president, succeeding Phil Griffin who will step down in January; Jones will be first Black executive of a major US cable news network (More)
Science & Technology
> Potential universal flu vaccine shows early promise in Phase I clinical tests; drug would protect against all common influenza strains, with immunity lasting for years (More)
> Six volcanoes off Alaska’s southern coast may be part of single, massive supervolcano complex, new study suggests (More)
> Engineers demonstrate flexible, rechargeable battery capable of providing five to 10 times more power than the current state-of-the-art technologies (More)
Business & Markets
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> Uber to sell autonomous driving unit to self-driving vehicle startup Aurora; company will also invest $400M and will own roughly a quarter of the business (More)
> China announces record $75B surplus in November as exports surge, only major economy on track to grow in 2020 (More)
> Shares of Stitch Fix, the popular online personal shopping service, soar 30% as consumers shop for attire online amid pandemic (More)
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Politics & World Affairs
> Georgia recertifies its election results following second recount; Biden maintains lead of about 12,000 votes (More) | Today marks the safe harbor deadline, by which states must finalize selection of their electors to participate in the Dec. 14 Electoral College (More)
> More than 300 people hospitalized in southern India after an outbreak of “mystery” disease with epilepsy-like symptoms; patients tested negative for COVID-19 and other common viruses (More)
> General Lloyd Austin to be nominated as Biden administration secretary of defense, sources say; would become the first Black defense leader (More) | Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, dies at 97 years old (More)
IN-DEPTH
The Social Life of Forests
New York Times | Ferris Jabr. Trees appear to communicate with each other via underground networks of fungi. What are they chatting about? (Read, $$)
The Cytokine Storm
New England Journal of Medicine | David Fajgenbaum, Carl June. An in-depth look at the not-entirely-understood immune system phenomenon at the center of many severe COVID-19 cases. (Read)
The Substackerati
Columbia Journalism Review | Clio Chang. Over the past three years, Substack — the online newsletter distribution platform — has offered a home to journalists who’ve fallen victim to the demise of the traditional news industry. But has it recreated many of the same problems? (Read)
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ETCETERA
Watch the funniest news bloopers of 2020.
Ranking America’s friendliest cities.
The 10 best history books of the year.
Mario Lopez to play a suave Colonel Sanders.
Man who found Forrest Fenn’s treasure reveals his identity.
Kangaroo Island’s tiny pygmy possums survive brushfires.
How you can help conserve bees.($$, NYT)
Breakdancing to become an Olympic sport.
Clickbait: Former Israeli space security chief says aliens do exist.
Historybook: Mary, Queen of Scots born (1542); US declares war on Japan (1941); Musician Jim Morrison born (1943); John Lennon murdered outside his residence in New York City (1980); North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, signed into law (1993); RIP astronaut and senator John Glenn (2016).
“We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves.”
- John Glenn
Jim Morrison, Chuck Yeager, Covid Vaccine, NAFTA, Hot Mail, UK, SubStack, HubSpot, Duck Duck Go, Gab News, CNN.
