Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020
UK Approves Vaccine, New Stimulus Plan? & Rockefeller Tree Lighting
All the news you need in 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by CastleGrade.com (listen for discount) and Ritual.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 reading about the latest happenings…
UK Approves Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine
The UK announced early this morning that it gave emergency approval to the Pfizer vaccine and plans to make the first doses available as soon as next week. This makes the UK the first Western country to authorize a COVID-19 vaccine, and it's the first coronavirus vaccine in the world backed by rigorous science. Of course, other countries, including the U.S., aren't far behind (read on...)
Read more: AP, CNBC, WSJ, NYT
CDC Panel on Vaccine Priority
The CDC could decide as soon as today which Americans should get first dibs on COVID-19 vaccines. Already, a panel of independent experts that advises the CDC made its recommendation yesterday, telling the federal health agency that it should be healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. The CDC usually follows the advisory panel’s recommendations. If that happens this time, the CDC guidelines will be shared with states, though they aren’t required to follow them. Remember: this still depends on the FDA approving the vaccines for emergency use. The FDA is already reviewing both the Pfizer and Moderna options and a decision is expected soon.
Read more: WSJ, NY Times, CBS News, Facebook
New Study Suggests COVID-19 in U.S. Earlier
A new CDC study shows the new coronavirus may have been circulating in the U.S. (undetected) as early as last December -- weeks earlier than officials thought. Researchers looked at blood donations from the American Red Cross during that time and found antibodies to COVID-19 in a small percentage of samples.
Read more: USA Today, ABC News,
$908B Coronavirus Stimulus Plan?
A bipartisan group of lawmakers rolled out a new possible coronavirus economic relief package, but it's still unclear if it'll get Congress to compromise and pass the bill before they leave for Christmas break soon. The proposal is a $908 billion plan that would give aid to state and local governments, small businesses, the unemployed and more. It would not, however, include another round of stimulus checks for the majority of Americans.
Read more: Politico, CBS News, USA Today, Fox News
AG Barr: No Evidence of Widespread Voter Fraud
U.S. Attorney General William Barr told the AP that the Justice Department has not uncovered any evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Even though Barr is usually known as a close ally to President Trump, his latest comments contradict the president's ongoing claims of fraud. Trump and his lawyers criticized Barr and said the Justice Department hasn't looked close enough at the evidence.
Read more: AP, WSJ, NY Times, WaPo
AG Barr Names Special Counsel
Speaking of Attorney General William Barr, he also revealed this week that he appointed a special counsel to review the origins of the Russia investigation. This essentially allows Connecticut US Attorney John Durham to continue the work he started last year, but with added protections to avoid getting fired by the Biden administration. So far, his investigation charged one former FBI lawyer for altering an email, but the case did not claim any broader conspiracy.
Read more: AP, NPR, FOX News
Salesforce to Buy Slack
Cloud computing giant Salesforce is buying the workplace chat app, Slack, in a $27.7 billion deal -- making it Salesforce's biggest acquisition ever. Together, they'll form one of the biggest players in business software.
Read more: WSJ, CNBC, Fox Business, The Verge
Uber Completes Postmates Deal
Uber has now completed its purchase of food delivery service, Postmates. The deal was first made back in July, but now it's official. Postmates will reportedly continue operating separately, although they may share resources and drivers behind-the-scenes. Together, Uber Eats and Postmates will form the second largest food delivery platform in the U.S. behind DoorDash.
Read more: TechCrunch, Engadget, The Hill, Uber
Cyber Monday Sets Record
Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. Americans spent $10.8 billion this year, beating last year's tally by more than 15 percent. People not only bought from their computers, but also their smartphones as social media shopping becomes more popular. Still, the record-setting sales were below original expectations.
Read more: CBS News, NBC News, Axios, CNBC
“Juno” Star Announces He’s Transgender
The Oscar-nominated star of the movie Juno has come out as transgender. Elliot Page announced the news on Instagram, saying he's trans and uses pronouns he/they. As Ellen Page, he starred in several critically-acclaimed films, including two X-Men movies, Inception, and again, Juno. He'll continue playing the role of Vanya Hargreeves in the current Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy. He says he feels lucky to be able to share his authentic self, while also acknowledging the abuse and violence trans people face.
Read more: NY Times, Variety, Elliot Page
Most Streamed, Trending of 2020
Spotify unveiled its most streamed artists of 2020, and this year, the singer and rapper Bad Bunny came out on top. The Puerto Rican artist racked up more than 8.3 billion Spotify streams in 2020 -- showing how popular Latin music is getting worldwide. Meanwhile, YouTube released its top ten trending videos from the year, with a monologue by Dave Chappelle landing the number one spot.
Read more: Engadget, CNN, Billboard, Time, Vulture, YouTube
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
Tonight is the 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting. The ceremony will include 50,000 multi-colored lights and a star-studded performance list. However, in-person crowds are not allowed this year due to the pandemic, but you can watch it all on NBC starting at 8pm. Starting tomorrow, visitors can see the tree in-person if they follow certain safety protocols.
Read more: Rockefeller Center, E!, USA Today
Work Wednesday: Companies Invent Holidays
Some companies are inventing 'holidays' to get their employees to take time off. For example, some companies have rolled out so-called 'recharge' days, where the company closes and everyone must take the day off. The reason? Studies have shown workers are struggling more during the pandemic. For example, a global survey shows two-thirds of employees have reported higher stress levels, and more than half said they were emotionally exhausted. Yet, guilt or fear may stop employees from using their vacation days right now. So these invented 'holidays' are meant to get everyone to prioritize their mental health. However, this practice is still a rarity at workplaces -- at least for now.
Read more: WSJ