The Rundown: Vaccine Shows Hoped-For Results

CORONAVIRUS VACCINE READY FOR FINAL TESTING: The first coronavirus vaccine tested in the U.S, developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health, has shown hoped-for results and is now ready for key final testing, the most important step to determine if it's effective and safe, in about two weeks. Researchers reported Tuesday that the first 45 volunteers who were injected with the experimental vaccine developed antibodies at levels comparable to people who'd survived a case of COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, told AP, "No matter how you slice this, this is good news." It's hoped that results of the final testing will be available by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Florida passed its daily record for coronavirus deaths yesterday, reporting 132 and raising the state's seven-day average to 81 deaths per day, more than double what it was two weeks ago, and bringing it to the second-highest in the U.S., behind only Texas. In Arizona, another coronavirus hot spot, the state reported a record number of hospitalized coronavirus patients, 3,517, and an additional 92 deaths. There have been more than 136,400 deaths in the U.S. as of early this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's count, and more than 3,431,000 confirmed cases.

Hospitals Told to Send Coronavirus Data to Gov't. Database, Not CDC: U.S. hospitals have been told by the administration that as of today, they must start sending coronavirus patient reports, with information including the number of patients and the number of available beds, to a Health and Human Services database instead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where it's usually sent, the New York Times reported yesterday. Administration officials say this will make it easier to know what supplies are needed in different areas, but the database isn't open to the public, and health experts are concerned this new system could lead to data becoming politicized or hidden from researchers, modelers and others.

➤ANOTHER FEDERAL INMATE SET FOR EXECUTION TODAY: After a federal inmate was executed for the first time in 17 years yesterday morning, another is set to be executed today. Wesley Ira Purkey, who was found guilty in a 1998 murder of a 16-year-old girl in Missouri, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at a U.S. prison in Indiana, where Daniel Lewis Lee was executed yesterday. Attorneys for the 68-year-old Purkey are pushing for a ruling from the Supreme Court on his competency, since he suffers from dementia and they argue he can no longer understand why he's scheduled to be executed.

➤EPSTEIN ASSOCIATE MAXWELL DENIED BAIL: British socialite Ghislaine [Gee-lane] Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime close associate of Jeffrey Epstein, was denied bail Tuesday by a judge as a flight risk, meaning she'll remain jailed until her trial on charges that she recruited girls for the late Epstein to sexually abuse. Federal prosecutors had cited her wealth, international ties, and citizenship in two other countries, the U.K. and France, in addition to the U.S, as reasons for why she was a risk to flee if freed on bail. The 58-year-old Maxwell pled not guilty to the charges during a video court hearing in Manhattan, at which the judge set a trial date of July 2021. Maxwell was arrested on July 2nd at a luxury New Hampshire estate that she secretly bought.

➤ADMIN. RESCINDS RULE THAT FOREIGN STUDENTS WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE U.S., TRANSFER IF CLASSES ONLINE DUE TO PANDEMIC: The Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule it had issued last week requiring foreign students in the U.S. to leave the country or transfer to another school if their college or university holds classes entirely online because of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision came as eight federal lawsuits had been filed against the rule by schools and states, including by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and hundreds of colleges and universities had opposed it.

President Trump tells @CBS_Herridge that “more White people” are dying at the hands of police than Black people. Watch excerpts on CBSN, more tonight on @CBSEveningNews and tomorrow on @CBSThisMorning https://t.co/NeBLT0LG0p pic.twitter.com/XIwyARJBBl

— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 14, 2020

➤TRUMP SAYS MORE WHITES KILLED BY POLICE THAN BLACKS, DEFENDS CONFEDERATE FLAG: President Trump yesterday pushed back on a question about Black people being killed by police by saying that police kill more white people, and also defended the Confederate flag. In the CBS News interview, Trump was asked why African Americans are still being killed by police, and he said, "And so are white people. So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people, by the way. More white people." AP cited research that shows that more whites, who make up a larger percentage of the population, are killed by police, but Black people are disproportionately killed by police. Trump also defended the use of the Confederate flag, saying, "My attitude is freedom of speech. Very simple. Like it, don’t like it, it’s freedom of speech." When asked if he understood that the flag is a painful symbol to many as a reminder of slavery, Trump said some, quote, "people love it," adding, "And I know people that like the Confederate flag and they’re not thinking about slavery."

➤AFTER 3-MONTH DELAY, INCOME TAXES DUE TODAY: After the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. just about one month before the usual April 15th tax filing deadline, it was pushed back three months to give people more time to get their taxes done amid the turmoil and upheaval of the pandemic and its severe economic fallout. But now the new deadline, July 15th is here, and if you haven't filed your taxes yet, they are due today. Taxes must be filed by today or an extension granted in order to avoid a penalty, but if you do get an extension and you owe money, you still have to pay by today. There about eight million people who left it to the last minute, with the IRS expecting about 150 million returns from people this year, and having so far received almost 142 million, according to AP.

➤PUIG REACHES DEAL WITH BRAVES: Rightfielder Yasiel Puig has reached a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves, pending a physical, according to media reports yesterday (July 14th). The 29-year-old Puig was the last big-name free agent from the offseason who still hadn't signed with a team. Puig played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians last season, after being with the L.A. Dodgers for the first six years of his MLB career.

➤CHRIS JONES AGREES TO FOUR-YEAR EXTENSION WITH CHIEFS: Defensive tackle Chris Jones has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs that could be worth up to $85 million, according to reports yesterday (July 14th). The extension for Jones by the Super Bowl champion Chiefs comes after a record-setting 10-year extension for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Jones has spent his four-year NFL career with the Chiefs.

➤SACRAMENTO'S BARNES HAS CORONAVIRUS: The Sacramento Kings' Harrison Barnes revealed Tuesday (July 14th) that he has the coronavirus, saying that he'd tested positive last week. He wrote on social media, "I've been primarily asymptomatic and am doing well. I'm quarantined and am abiding by the safety protocol until I’m cleared for action. I hope to join my team in Orlando when it is safe to do so!" Barnes is the only Kings' player to have started all 64 of the team's games this season before the coronavirus suspension. The NBA season is set to restart on July 30th.

➤REPORT: 10 MLB UMPS WON'T WORK SEASON DUE TO CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS: About 10 Major League Baseball umpires have decided not to work during the coronavirus-shortened season because of concerns about the virus, the Associated Press reported Tuesday (July 14th). There are 76 full-time umpires, and with some 10 of them out, many Triple-A umpires will work MLB games, most of whom have done it before as fill-ins. About a dozen MLB players have also opted out of playing this year because of coronavirus concerns. The season will begin on July 23rd.

SHAQ HELPS STRANDED DRIVER: Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal helped out a driver on a Florida highway Monday after she was left stranded when her tire blew, according to a Facebook post Tuesday (July 14th) by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office. O'Neal, who lives in the Orlando, was driving on Interstate 75 near Gainesville when he saw the woman pull onto the side of the road. He pulled off the road himself and stayed with her until deputies arrived. The sheriff's office thanked O'Neal in the Facebook post, which showed video of what happened after deputies arrived. The post said of Shaq: "He fist-bumped Deputies Purington and Dillon before going on his way."