Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, December 8, 2020:
COVID-19: 'V' DAY
FIRST VACCINATION: Today marks the beginning of what is almost certain to be the largest mass vaccination drive in human history. Healthcare workers in the UK have started inoculating the first patients with Pfizer’s approved coronavirus vaccine. A 90-year-old woman named Margaret Keenan became the first person to get the first of two shots, administered by May Parsons of Britain’s NHS. Keenan, rolling up the sleeve on her blue Merry Christmas t-shirt, said she felt “so privileged” to be the first: “I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the new year after being on my own for most of the year.” SEE PIC
WHAT NOW? Now comes the hard part. The logistical challenges involved in vaccinating billions of people may be the most difficult since WWII, and will include major tests for the pharmaceutical, shipping, trucking and air cargo industries. It would take 8,000 Boeing 747s to deliver just a single dose of a vaccine to all 7.8 billion people on Earth, though herd immunity would be reached much earlier than that. The FDA is expected to release data on the Pfizer vaccine today, ahead of a meeting later this week that could end with the vaccine’s approval. Americans could begin getting shots as soon as this weekend. WSJ
BIDEN PICKS SEC DEF
President-elect Biden has chosen the recently retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to be secretary of defense, according to multiple outlets. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would become the first Black person to run the Pentagon. He was in charge of the Iraq troop drawdown during the Obama administration and is widely respected in military circles -- but he would also require a waiver given that he hasn't been a civilian for long. Before President Trump chose Gen. Jim Mattis as his first secretary of defense, there was a longstanding tradition of civilian control of the armed forces (broken just once, by President Truman for Gen. George Marshall). POLITICO
SAFE HARBOR DEADLINE
Today is the deadline under federal law for states to resolve any outstanding legal challenges to their election results ahead of next week’s electoral college meeting. Put another way, Congress is legally obligated to count the electoral votes from the states that meet today’s safe harbor deadline. Put another way, after today, President Trump’s legal challenges to the vote will have an even harder time gaining traction in court. Still, the president reportedly called the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives twice in the last week to ask for help reversing the state’s results, the third state in which he has personally intervened in an attempt to overturn the election. WASH POST
INDIA MYSTERY ILLNESS
More than 300 people are hospitalized in southeastern India with an unknown illness. Doctors have ruled out COVID-19 and there’s no evidence of any viral infection in the patients, one of whom has died. The symptoms appear to be seizures, nausea and loss of consciousness. Indian officials are now testing local water samples for signs of a bacterial contamination. CNN
TURNING THE PAGE
The annual Ikea catalog is being discontinued after 70 years. The Swedish home retailer says the time has come for the printed version of the catalog to go as more shoppers browse online. Ikea’s e-commerce sales have gone through the roof this year, like many furniture and home-goods stores. According to the BBC, the Ikea catalog was at one time the largest publication on Earth, with more copies printed than either the Bible or Quran. THE VERGE
GOLD MEDAL IN BREAKDANCING
Breakdancing is coming to the Olympics in 2024. The International Olympic Committee has added breakdancing as an official medal event starting with the Paris summer games, part of a strategy by the IOC to lure in younger audiences. Skateboarding, surfing and “sport climbing” have also been added to the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for next year. ESPN
THE DYLAN CATALOG
Bob Dylan has sold his entire songwriting catalog to Universal Music for a reported price of more than $300 million. It’s thought to be the biggest deal ever for the music rights of a single artist. The Dylan catalog, probably the most prized in rock ‘n roll after The Beatles, comprises some 600 songs, from The Times They Are A-Changin to Blowin’ in the Wind to the newer stuff. The deal means Dylan won’t control who licenses his music, though he is notorious for not passing up many of those opportunities as it is. AP
SPOTTED…
… Olivia Jade Giannulli, sharing a clip from an interview in which she publicly addresses the college admissions scandal for the first time. The full interview, on the Red Table Talk podcast, drops today: LISTEN
... a pair of SpaceX Dragon capsules, parked side-by-side at the International Space Station. It’s the first time two SpaceX crafts have been at the ISS at the same time: SEE PIC
LEFTOVERS: OUT OF OFFICE
Hawaii’s tourism board is offering free round-trip tickets to Oahu for out-of-staters working remotely. The first round of the promotion goes until Dec. 15; applicants just have to prove they are working from home and they must agree to move within a month and stay in the state for at least 30 consecutive days. The initiative is a way to “nurture talented professionals to help build a resilient economy.” PEOPLE
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N2KEd. Note: We incorrectly referred to the media outlet mentioned as the Red Table Top podcast. It’s Red Table Talk, and it’s a show on Facebook Watch. We regret the error.
