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Monday, December 14, 2020

The AM Rundown: First Vaccine Shipments Delivered



U-S DEATHS ON BRINK OF 300,000: In an historic milestone in the coronavirus pandemic, the first shipments Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, the first approved by the Food and Drug Administration, went out on Sunday to distribution sites across the U.S. Vaccinations are expected to begin to be given to health care workers and nursing home residents starting today. The initial shipments were expected to contain about three million doses. The Moderna vaccine, which trials also showed to be very effective, will be reviewed by an expert panel on Thursday, and could soon after also be approved.



The happy news about the vaccines, however, comes as the U.S. is on the brink of 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus, a sobering mark we're almost certain to pass today. As of early this morning, there had been 299,177 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University's count. There were 109,000 people hospitalized with Covid-19 as of yesterday, according to The COVID tracking project, another single-day record.


➤ELECTORS MEET TODAY TO FORMALLY CHOOSE BIDEN AS NEXT PRESIDENT: Presidential electors will meet today in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., to cast their ballots that will formally choose Joe Biden as the next president. Those results will be sent to Washington to be counted in a January 6th joint session of Congress presided over by Vice President Mike Pence. Although this happens with every presidential election, it normally happens under the radar, but every step in the process has gotten a lot more attention than usual because of President Trump's refusal to concede the election and ongoing efforts to overturn the results. Dozens of legal challenges have failed, including a rejection by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday. Biden, who 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump, plans to address the country tonight, after the electors have voted. 

💲HACKERS BROKE INTO TREASURY, COMMERCE DEPARTMENT NETWORKS IN GLOBAL CYBERESPIONAGE PLOT: It was revealed Sunday that the networks of the Treasury and Commerce Departments were hacked into as part of a monthslong global cyberespionage campaign. In response, the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division gave an emergency directive calling on all federal civilian agencies to look through their networks for any compromises. The news, first reported by Reuters, came just days after prominent cybersecurity firm FireEye said it had been hacked into in an attack that experts said looked to have been done by Russia. The newly-revealed hacking of the government agencies apparently came from the same cyberespionage campaign. The hackers were apparently able to access the networks via server software called SolarWinds.

➤D.C. POLICE INVESTIGATING VANDALISM AT TWO BLACK CHURCHES DURING PRO-TRUMP MARCH AS POSSIBLE HATE CRIMES: After protesters in Washington, D.C., on Saturday for a pro-President Trump rally took Black Lives Matter signs off two historic Black churches and burned and destroyed them, D.C., police are investigating the incidents as possible hate crimes. The incidents took place at Asbury United Methodist Church, founded in 1836, and Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, where Frederick Douglass' funeral was held in 1895. Asbury's senior pastor, Reverend Ianther Mills, said the demonstrators removed their Black Lives Matter sign and, quote, "literally burned it in the street." He said, "It pained me especially to see our name, Asbury, in flames. For me it was reminiscent of cross burnings."

Four people were stabbed during Saturday's event, as pro-Trump supporters fought with counterprotesters. It wasn't clear what led to the stabbings, but a 29-year-old man, Phillip Johnson, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.




➤CHARLEY PRIDE DEAD AT 86 FROM COVID-19: County Music Hall of Fame member, Charley Pride died at age 86 on Saturday morning in Dallas, Texas from Covid-19. A post on his Facebook page announcing his death stated: “He was admitted to the hospital in late November with Covid-19 type symptoms and despite the incredible efforts, skill, and care of his medical team over the past several weeks, he was unable to overcome the virus.” Also added to the post: “Charley felt blessed to have such wonderful fans all over the world. And he would want his fans to take this virus very seriously.”

He charted 67 songs and 29 of them were #1’s. He earned CMA’s Entertainer of the Year in 1971 and was twice named Male Vocalist of the Year.

The Opry star gave his last public performance on the CMA Awards on November 11, he sang his cross-over hit, “Kiss An Angel Good Morning.” That night he also received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.



Following the announcement of his death, fans online started expressing concern that he may have contracted the virus during the CMA Awards show, (including Maren Morris, who later deleted the tweet.) 
 
The CMA released the following statement:

Despite the Country Music Association requiring artists, staff and other CMA Awards attendees to undergo rounds of testing and putting other planned safety measures in place, viewers of the awards show were surprised to see artists not wearing masks. Fans also remarked on the night's seating chart, all of which prompted the CMA to release a statement during the show, reiterating their protocols. "Everyone affiliated with the CMA Awards followed strict testing protocols outlined by the city health department and unions.

Charley was tested prior to traveling to Nashville. He was tested upon landing in Nashville, and again on show day, with all tests coming back negative," a new statement from the CMA, issued on Saturday night, says. "After returning to Texas following the CMA Awards, Charley again tested negative multiple times.

🎅THE BUSIEST TRAVEL DAYS FOR CHRISTMAS 2020 WILL HAVE YOU RETHINKING HOLIDAY PLANS: Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged in recent weeks and continue to climb, and experts have advised against any non-essential holiday travel. But if you insist on traveling you may want to take into account the fact that Expedia reports the busiest travel days (in terms of flight demand) for Christmas will be Saturday, December 19th, and Wednesday, December 23rd, while the busiest return flight day (for now) is Saturday, December 26th.The TSA reports that they do not expect as many people to travel over Christmas as did over Thanksgiving (when more than one million airline passengers went somewhere.) Also, experts say if you must travel you should try to do so during off-peak times such as Christmas Eve (Thursday, December 24th), Christmas Day (Friday, December 25th), and New Year’s Day (Friday, January 1st.) You should also plan to wear a mask, implement distancing when possible, and plan to sanitize your hands and airplane seat—and you should get a COVID-19 test before the trip, as well as a flu shot.

⚾'N.Y. TIMES': CLEVELAND INDIANS CHANGING THEIR NAME: The New York Times reported last night (December 13th) that MLB's Cleveland Indians are changing their name, one of several Native American-related names in sports that have long been criticized as being racist. The Indians, who have used the name for 105 years, have been internally discussing a possible change for months, according to the Times, which said a formal announcement could come later this week. Not known yet is when the change will take effect or if a new name has been chosen. Cleveland removed the controversial Chief Wahoo logo from its caps and jerseys last year, but continued to sell merchandise with the logo on it.




🏈NFL SCORES -- WEEK 14:
  • Chicago Bears 36, Houston Texans 7
  • Dallas Cowboys 30, Cincinnati Bengals 7
  • Kansas City Chiefs 33, Miami Dolphins 27
  • Arizona Cardinals 26, New York Giants 7
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26, Minnesota Vikings 14
  • Denver Broncos 32, Carolina Panthers 27
  • Tennessee Titans 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
  • Indianapolis Colts 44, Las Vegas Raiders 27
  • Seattle Seahawks 40, New York Jets 3
  • Green Bay Packers 31, Detroit Lions 24
  • Philadelphia Eagles 24, New Orleans Saints 21
  • Los Angeles Chargers 20, Atlanta Falcons 17
  • Washington Football Team 23, San Francisco 49ers 15
  • Buffalo Bills 26, Pittsburgh Steelers 15
Tonight's Monday Night Football game on ESPN:
  • Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns (8:15 pm ET)
Philly Inquirer 12/14/20

🏈HURTS GETS WIN FOR PHILLY IN FIRST START, REPLACING WENTZ: Philadelphia's rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts led the Eagles to a 24-21 upset win over the New Orleans Saints in his first career start yesterday, as he filled in for a struggling Carson Wentz. Hurts went 17-for-30 for 167 yards and a touchdown and ran 18 times for 106 yards. His rushing yards were the second most by a quarterback in his first career start since 1950, behind only the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson's 119 yards in 2018. ESPN cited sources as saying the quarterback job is Hurts' for the rest of the season.

🏀NBA PRESEASON UNDERWAY: Two months to the day after the NBA's coronavirus-disrupted season ended with the L.A. Lakers winning the championship, players were back on the courts Friday  for the start of the preseason for 2020-21. The regular season will begin on December 22nd and be shortened to 72 games. Players will be traveling as usual, not playing in a bubble environment like that used when play resumed after the coronavirus suspension last season. There will also be a play-in tournament after the regular season that will involve the teams with the seventh through 10th-best records in each conference, who will play for the final two playoff spots in the East and the West.

🏌FINAL ROUND OF U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN POSTPONED ONE DAY DUE TO RAIN: The final round of the U.S. Women's Open was postponed Sunday to today because of drenching rain at Champions Golf Club in Houston. Japan's Hinako Shibuno is currently leading by one-shot. The tournament, one of women's golf majors, was postponed from June because of the pandemic.

🏀FLORIDA FORWARD JOHNSON IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER COLLAPSING ON COURT: Florida forward Keyontae Johnson remained in critical but stable condition yesterday, according to the team, one day after he collapsed on the court during a game at Florida State. No information has been released about what might have caused Johnson to collapse as the teams came out of a timeout early in the game. Johnson, a 21-year-old junior, tested positive for Covid-19 during the summer.

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