The number of COVID-19 cases is hitting a record high all across the U.S., suggesting the second coronavirus wave is underway. President-elect Joe Biden said fighting the pandemic will be his top order of business, but with his inauguration more than two months away, there is concern the fight against the virus could be insurmountable by then.
Among those vying for immediate action to be taken is Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif. 7th District), who worked as a doctor before he was elected to Congress.
"We all know the outcome of this presidential election. I would hope the career scientists and others at the FDA, at the CDC, would start working with the Biden administration. And you're seeing some of that messaging change a little bit, but Donald Trump's unpredictable," Bera told Cheddar.
It's not just Americans' health at stake; it is also the health of the U.S. economy Bera is concerned about. Last week 709,000 Americans applied for first-time unemployment benefits. While that number better than expected, jobless claims are still exceedingly high across the U.S., a sign that relief for Americans should remain a priority, Bera said.
"I don't think we can wait until January 20th. I think we've got to get something done in this Congress, in the lame-duck session," he continued.
Getting the Vaccine Out
The California congressman suggested that the Biden administration will provide a "180-degrees difference" when it comes to strategizing the country's way out of the pandemic and will be led by science. Still, he believes there will be difficulty in distributing a vaccine once it becomes widely available.
"This is going to be a major logistical lift here in terms of how you get that out there, particularly if it is the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine because of the cold storage issues. They have to be kept at very cold temperatures," he explained.
When it comes to distributing the vaccine, Bera said workers on the frontlines of the pandemic, those at high risk of infection, and people in the hardest-hit communities should be tended to first.
With the holidays just weeks away, the pandemic is only expected to worsen and until a vaccine is ready, Bera said Americans must do their part and move responsibly.
"Everyone really should take the caution, wear a mask, avoid big gatherings, particularly big indoor gatherings," he said.
The government should also prepare the public for a vaccine, if and when it becomes available. "Between now and when that vaccine's available, let's have positive messaging and reassure the public that the science is going to drive when that vaccine is ready," he said
A bill to legalize recreational marijuana use in New Jersey passed a panel vote, and now heads to a full vote and governor's desk. State Sen. Gerald Cardinale of New Jersey, explains why he's against it when it comes to traffic accidents and youth usage in this week's episode of Cannabiz.
Since a Supreme Court ruling in May, seven states have legalized sports betting ー and Adam Small, the CEO of gambling magazine USBets thinks Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Louisiana may be next.
Richard Allan, Facebook's vice president of public policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, answered inquiries from representatives of nine countries, sitting next to an empty chair left open for Zuckerberg. Early on, Allan, who is a former member of the British Parliament, admitted that the chief executive's absence was "not great."
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018.
British Prime Minister Theresa May finally garnered European Union support for her Brexit plan, but unrest at home threatens to dismantle negotiations ー and lawmakers have warned there is no plan B. "The worst case scenario for many, particularly for anyone who is a 'Remainer,' is that we leave the EU without a deal in place at all," Ayesha Javed, Deputy Editor of The Wall Street Journal's WSJ City, told Cheddar on Monday.
Former wide receiver Walter Powell Jr. played for three NFL teams over a span of four years. But now, a year into his retirement, he's decided to tackle a new challenge ー creating a more informed electorate. The athlete created a new an app, Politiscope, to educate political newcomers like Powell with a tool that "broke down politics so people like me could understand it," he told Cheddar Monday.
Just days after releasing a chilling report on climate change, the Trump administration is trying to bury its own findings. The White House released a statement trying to diminish the severity of the report's findings, saying the report is based on the most extreme possible scenario. Andrew Light, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute and one of the report's co-authors, and Matt Daily, Reporter at Politico, join Cheddar to discuss the details surrounding the report.
Ohio officials will allow businesses to pay taxes in Bitcoin as of this week. While limited in scope, the move represents an important tacit admission by a government body that Bitcoin is an acceptable currency, according to Jimmy Song, a Bitcoin developer.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Nov. 26, 2018.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
