Tuesday, December 8th, 2020
Vaccine Summit, Next Election Deadline & Airbnb Nonprofit
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Blinkist.com/news and Fitbod.me/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...
‘America First’ Vaccine Order
Today, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order to make sure Americans are given priority when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. The U.S. has promised to help other countries in vaccinating their populations too, but President Trump wants to make sure Americans come first. Trump is expected to sign the order after giving a speech at a COVID-19 vaccine summit. The White House event will feature talks with administration officials and drug distributors. The first vaccine could get authorization as soon as this week.
Read More: CNBC, Bloomberg, FOX News, Stat
UK Begins Vaccinating Public
The UK started vaccinating its citizens today. The first people to get the shots there are those over 80 years old, National Health Service employees, and home care workers. The first wave includes about 400,000 people in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. They're going to be getting Pfizer’s version of the vaccine since the UK became the first country to authorize it. Public health officials there are calling it the “largest-scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history.
Read More: NY Times, NPR, Business Insider, Bloomberg
Biden Chooses Defense Secretary
President-elect Biden reportedly picked his defense secretary. Sources say he selected a retired general Lloyd Austin to run the Pentagon. Biden feels Austin is crisis-tested and well-respected across the military. The Senate would need to sign off though and he’s expected to face some pushback since most of the time, defense secretaries don’t have career military backgrounds. They usually have more political backgrounds with a different set of skills. If confirmed, Austin would be the first Black defense secretary.
Read More: AP, Politico, NY Times, CNN, WSJ
Biden Chooses CDC Leader
Biden tapped Rochelle Walensky as the next CDC director. She is currently the chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital. She’s also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. However, Walensky has never run a government agency or an organization as large and complex as the CDC. She says she’s up to the task. On Twitter, she said, “I’m honored to be called to lead the brilliant team at the CDC. We are ready to combat this virus with science and facts.” She will not need Senate confirmation.
Read More: Stat, WSJ, Politico, Wallensky Tweet
2nd GA Recount Affirms Biden Win
Georgia once again confirmed President-elect Biden’s win in the state after counting votes for a third time. The first time was after Election Day. Next, the state ordered a manual hand recount because it was a close race. The third time happened because the Trump campaign requested a machine recount. That one was just completed and the result was the same as the last two. Joe Biden won. However, President Trump still isn’t accepting it. He said, without evidence, that if there weren’t issues with mail-in ballots, he would have won.
Read More: AP, Axios, AJC, Newsweek, Trump Tweet, Kemp Tweet
Safe Harbor Deadline
Today, December 8th, is known as the “safe harbor” deadline. It’s meant as a warning bell for states to resolve any disputes over who won. That said, some Trump lawyers have interpreted the law differently and some legal experts told the Wisconsin State Journal it’s not a “firm” deadline. In just six days, electors are expected to vote to make the election results official and experts say the December 14th deadline is more final. The Trump campaign and its supporters still have some lawsuits pending in Georgia and other swing states where the president lost.
Read More: NBC News, The Atlantic, Forbes, WI State Journal
California Launches Virus-Tracing App
California is rolling out a new contact tracing app this week, making it the largest state in the country to do so. It’s called CA Notify. Its main purpose is to let users know if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19. It does that by using Bluetooth to keep an anonymous log of all the phones around each other for 15 minutes or more. Then, when someone tests positive, an alert gets sent to those phones. CA Notify goes live Thursday.
Read More: Reuters, NY Times, LA Times
Uber Sells Self-Driving Unit
Uber is selling off its self-driving unit. The company’s Advanced Technologies Group, ATG, was sold to a self-driving vehicle startup called Aurora. As part of the deal, Uber is investing $400 million into Aurora. Uber’s CEO will also be on the startup’s board. Next, with the help of the new enterprise, Aurora will be working on a self-driving truck and eventually robo-taxis. The deal is supposed to close next year.
Read More: CNBC, Engadget, BBC
Spike in Pet Scams
Pet scams having been spiking in the U.S. That means people have been paying for animals online and never getting them. The Better Business Bureau says scams like this have more than doubled this year. Some people have lost thousands of dollars. The pandemic is likely behind this since it has people shopping for pets online. The BBB says if you want to adopt, consider checking out your local shelter first. Even if they’re closed, some will make appointments or let you look at pets on a live stream.
Read More: CNN, CBS News, BBB
Airbnb Launches Nonprofit
Airbnb has a new nonprofit that provides housing to people in need. It’s simple called Airbnb.org. It lets homeowners rent out their properties for free or at discounted rates. This is specifically to provide housing to frontline workers as well as refugees, people affected by natural disasters, or other crises. Homeowners who offer the service will also get a special badge on their profile that recognizes their generosity. The new nonprofit is live now.
Read More: The Verge, Engadget, Airbnb.Org
Bob Dylan’s Music Catalogue Sold
Music legend Bob Dylan sold his entire songwriting catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group. It includes more than 600 songs, including classics like “Blowin in the Wind”, “Shelter from the Storm”, and “Like a Rolling Stone.” No word yet on how much the deal is worth, but the AP says it could be as high as half a billion dollars. Universal will have the right to lease the songs for advertising, movies, television, video games, and more.
Read More: AP, NY Times, WSJ
Trivia Tuesday
Q: What is the world’s largest island?
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: What was Marilyn Monroe’s real name?
A: Norma Jeane Mortenson
Read More: History.com, Time, AP