Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, December 4, 2020:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
New infections, hospitalizations and single-day deaths are now at a record in the U.S. California, the first state to issue a lockdown back in March, is preparing to institute new regional stay-at-home orders. If hospital ICU capacity drops below 15 percent in any of the five state regions, a strict lockdown order will follow. That is very likely to happen in the next week. President-elect Biden said in an interview that he will ask all Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days after he takes office, adding that he plans to keep Dr. Fauci in his administration. CNN
RACE FOR A VACCINE
Pfizer has had to cut its initial worldwide vaccine rollout in half after running into supply-chain issues, but the company says it is still on track to provide one billion vaccines in 2021. Government officials are planning to issue wallet-sized cards for people to keep track of their first and second shots, and many places will offer the option of getting a text alert when the booster shot is due. The New York Times has analyzed where you’d be in line to get the vaccine, based on a short questionnaire: TAKE IT
GEORGIA RUNOFFS
President Trump will visit Georgia tomorrow for his first post-election rally, in support of the two Republicans running in the state’s Jan. 5 Senate runoffs. State GOP leaders are said to be excited but nervous about the president’s trip, worrying that his continued claims that the election was a fraud will depress turnout among the party’s base. New polling shows the Republicans in those races -- Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler -- are slightly behind their respective Democratic challengers, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. If the Democrats were to win both seats, the party would control the Senate. 11ALIVE
4-DAY WORKWEEK
The push for shortening the regular workweek is accelerating around the world in the wake of the pandemic. Unilever New Zealand just became the most prominent company to say it will allow all employees to work one fewer day a week as part of a one-year pilot (and, crucially, their pay won’t change). Spain’s deputy PM also said this week the government is actively considering shortening the working week to four days as a way to juice employment. Productivity experts believe the abrupt change in how many people are working this year represents a new opportunity to get traction for an idea that’s been around since the 1960s. BLOOMBERG
HOME BOX OFFICE
In a tectonic shift for the entertainment industry, Warner Bros. will put its entire 2021 slate of movies -- 17 in all -- on HBO Max the same day the films premiere in theaters. The Matrix 4, Godzilla vs. Kong, Dune and other blockbusters will be available on the streaming app for a 31-day window on the day of their U.S. theatrical debuts. Warner says this is a one-time deal, and even if that’s true, it’s still a body blow to the movie theater industry -- especially if other studios follow. CHEDDAR
FACEBOOK VAX POLICY
Facebook will take down posts that contain claims about the COVID-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health officials. In the past, Facebook has mostly steered clear of actively removing vaccine misinformation, but is taking a much more aggressive stance here -- in line with how the platform has been treating broader coronavirus conspiracy theories. NPR
FAKE MEAT MILESTONE
For the first time anywhere in the world, consumers in Singapore will soon be able to buy and eat meat that was grown entirely in a lab. The U.S. startup Eat Just has been granted the first regulatory approval for its cultured chicken to be used in “chicken bites.” Unlike plant-based meat, lab-grown meat (or “clean meat,” as the industry wants to be known) is made by literally growing cell tissues in a petri dish. There’s a long way to go before the technology becomes cost-effective, but the approval is a major first step. CHANNELNEWSASIA
KID OF THE YEAR
Time will announce its Person of the Year later this month. In the meantime, the magazine has named its first-ever “Kid of the Year”: 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao from Colorado. Rao is a scientist and inventor who created a device that can identify lead in drinking water. She has also tackled issues like cyberbullying and opioid addiction. Nickelodeon will air a special about Rao tonight: SEE THE COVER
SPOTTED...
… Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, seen together in NYC for the first time since their relationship was revealed: SEE PICS
LEFTOVERS: OPERATION SANTA
The USPS’ annual Operation Santa charity launches today. Typically, you have to go to the post office to read a child’s letter to Santa and then choose to “adopt” the gift request. This year, for the first time nationwide, the initiative is going virtual. The Postal Service is uploading letters every day to its Operation Santa website, where anyone can read them and then pick out which letter(s) to adopt. Some letters from past years -- by turns heartbreaking, funny and touching -- have already been posted: READ THEM
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