Tuesday, November 10th, 2020
Vaccine 90% Effective, Obamacare Future & Hyperloop Human Test
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by HelloFresh.com/NEWSWORTHY90 and ButcherBox.com/NEWSWORTHY
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want to read the latest happenings...
Pfizer Vaccine is 90% Effective
Early analysis from drugmaker Pfizer shows its vaccine candidate is more than 90% effective. That means it worked to block or prevent infections 90% of the time. That’s far higher than the 50% bar set by the FDA. Also, Pfizer said it didn’t see any serious safety concerns or side-effects. More research and analysis is still needed, but there’s reason to be hopeful. A senior adviser with the World Health Organization says Pfizer’s vaccine could “fundamentally change the direction of this crisis” by March.
Read More: NY Times, AP, WaPo, Stat, Pfizer
FDA Authorizes Antibody Treatment
The FDA issued an emergency use authorization to an antibody treatment from Eli Lilly. It’s meant to help coronavirus patients who are at-risk for serious complications. Studies have shown people who are over 65 or obese benefit most from this treatment. It does need to be given to patients within 10 days of developing symptoms. Eli Lilly says it expects to have enough treatments to distribute it to a million people by the end of the year.
Read More: Reuters, CNN, NBC News, FDA
Biden Names Coronavirus Task Force
President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his new COVID-19 task force. He called it a transition advisory board. In a speech, Biden introduced the 13 health experts who will take part. He also pleaded with people to wear face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Biden said, “it doesn’t matter your party, your point of view. We can save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months.”
Read More: NPR, CNBC, USA Today, FOX News
Trump Election Challenges Cont.
The Trump campaign and a conservative legal group are now asking judges to stop Michigan and Pennsylvania from certifying election results. In Pennsylvania, the lawsuit says poll watchers were kept too far away from vote counters and that mail-in voters were given preferential treatment. In Michigan, the lawsuit argues that Detroit elections officials counted ineligible absentee ballots and also didn’t poll watchers close enough to watch the process. Officials from both states have defended and praised their voting systems.
Read More: WSJ, The Hill, AP, FOX News
Sen. McConnell Defends Trump
More of Trump’s closest allies in Congress are urging him to keep up the fight in court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is now one of them, saying Trump is “100% within his rights” to file legal challenges. He says if Democrats feel confidently there was no voter fraud, they shouldn’t fear any extra scrutiny by the courts. Many Democrats argue Trump is casting unnecessary doubt on America’s elections process.
Read More: Politico, Axios, Reuters
DOJ Election Crimes Chief Resigns
U.S. Attorney General William Barr told federal prosecutors to investigate fraud if there are clear and credible allegations of issues that could impact the outcome of the election. Barr calls the old policy. That told prosecutors to wait until votes were certified, “outdated”. However, hours after Barr’s memo went out, the Justice Department’s top election crimes prosecutor quit in protest. So far, there’s no word on if there’s a new investigation underway.
Read More: NBC News, CNN, NPR
Trump Fires Mark Esper
President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper. This is the third defense secretary in the Trump administration to get the boot. This time, it wasn’t surprising. Esper has publicly disagreed with Trump on a couple of issues in recent months and some reports had said he was thinking of resigning. President Trump tweeted that Christopher Miller, who’s been the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is taking over.
Read More: AP, NY Times, WaPo, Reuters, Trump Tweet
Supreme Court Hearing Obamacare Case
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin to hear the most significant challenge to Obamacare yet. 21 Republican state officials brought the lawsuit to the highest court, hoping to get rid of the landmark Obama-era healthcare law for good. The suit points to when Congress got rid of the “individual mandate” that required most people to have health insurance or pay a penalty. Republicans say if that part of the law is invalid, so is the rest of it. Democrats disagree. Justices will hear both sides on a teleconference today. A decision is not expected until June.
Read More: AP, FOX News, NBC News, NY Times
Virgin Hyperloop Transports Passengers
For the first time, a hyperloop was tested with passengers on board. Hyperloops are basically vacuum tubes with pods that zip along at about 600 miles per hour. Over the weekend, Virgin Hyperloop tested one out at its 500-meter test track in Nevada with two passengers. This is a major milestone because these pods could eventually haul humans and goods all over the globe. Virgin Hyperloop is hoping to launch a 45-minute trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco without emissions, but that’s probably several years away.
Read More: Axios, USA Today, Engadget, Virgin
Apple’s “One More Thing” Event
Apple has another big reveal coming up. Apple will reportedly be showing off its new Macbook Air and Macbook Pro laptops at a virtual event today. These will no longer be powered by computer chips made by Intel. Instead, Apple will use its own chips and they’ll be a lot like what’s used in the company’s iPhones and iPads. The event is slated for 10 a.m. PT and you can stream it on Apple’s website.
Read More: USA Today, Engadget, Cnet, Watch Event Live
Woman Makes History in El Capitan Climb
Emily Harrington has become the first woman to free-climb El Capitan in a single day. El Capitan is a 3,000-foot granite wall in California’s Yosemite National Park. Harrington had ropes to catch her if she fell, but she wasn’t using them to help her ascend the rock wall. It took her 21 hours, 13 minutes, and 51 seconds to get to the top. Before her, only three people have ever done it in less than 24 hours. They were all men.
Read More: NBC News, ABC News, NY Times, Instagram
Man with Down Syndrome Finishes Triathlon
For the first time, someone with Down’s Syndrome has completed the Ironman triathlon. It consisted of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon. They’re all done back-to-back. On Saturday, 21-year-old Chris Nikic completed the race in Florida. He finished in 16 hours, 46 minutes, and 9 seconds, becoming the first person with Down’s Syndrome to do this. He earned himself Guinness World Record for the finishing race and his milestone was considered a "historic achievement" by the Special Olympics.
Read More: CBS News, Fox News, CNN
Trivia Tuesday
Q: What was Google’s original name?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories Quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer
Q: How many U.S. presidents have been elected for a 2nd term?
A: 21
Read More: Britannica, White House, White House History