Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, November 10, 2020:
COVID-19: PATH FORWARD
VAX STUNNER: Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine appears to be 90 percent effective, according to early findings released from the clinical trials currently underway. That level of efficacy would be “stunning” if it held, according to public-health experts, many of whom were hoping for something in the 50-70 percent effective range. A vaccine with 90 percent efficacy would be similar to the shots for measles, smallpox and chickenpox, and far better than seasonal flu shots that are 40 to 60 percent effective. Still, the results are not conclusive and trials will continue. The Pfizer vaccine also requires cold-storage transportation and a booster shot, which will make distribution challenging. STAT
ANTIBODY APPROVAL: The FDA has granted emergency use authorization for the first drug that has been shown to help treat people with mild to moderate symptoms. Eli Lilly’s antibody cocktail, called bamlanivimab, is given intravenously, but there’s not nearly enough of it to go around at the moment. REUTERS
NEW TASK FORCE: President-elect Biden announced a new pandemic task force that would be charged with coordinating the national coronavirus response with states on Day 1 of his presidency. The task force includes well-known names like Atul Gawande, the surgeon and writer, and Rick Bright, the vaccine chief who blew the whistle on the Trump administration in April. USA TODAY
TRANSFER OF POWER
For the first time in American history, an apparently defeated president has not recognized the outcome of an election. President Trump’s push to contest the vote has escalated with two important developments: Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump had every right to pursue legal challenges, giving cover to other Republicans to do the same. Then Attorney General Bill Barr told the Justice Dept. it could investigate allegations of voter fraud, despite a lack of evidence, leading the DOJ’s election crimes chief to resign overnight in protest. Meanwhile, David Bossie, the lawyer who was tapped to lead the legal challenges, has become the latest Trump appointee to test positive for coronavirus. LA TIMES
NAT SEC CHAOS
President Trump also fired Defense Sec. Mark Esper by tweet, and there’s speculation that the FBI and CIA directors will be next to go, creating a power vacuum in the national security bureaucracy at a volatile moment between administrations. Trump had reportedly wanted to fire Esper ever since he broke with the president on sending active troops to put down peaceful protests outside the White House back in June. NY TIMES
HURRICANE RECORD
It’s official. 2020 now holds the distinction, among many others, of being the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record. Subtropical storm Theta has formed way out in the ocean and does not pose any threats to land, but it becomes the 29th named storm of the year, breaking the record set in 2005. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Eta has shifted away from Florida and could either fall apart or regain strength in the Gulf over the next few days. CNN
WINNERS & LOSERS
The stock market greeted the news of a Biden presidency and a COVID vaccine frontrunner by soaring to new intraday highs. The Dow was up nearly 6 percent at one point, though the tech-heavy Nasdaq actually closed lower. That’s because investors sold off many of the “stay-at-home stocks” that have been ripping higher all year -- companies like Netflix, Peloton and Zoom -- and piled into pandemic-beaten stocks like Carnival and American Airlines. MOTLEY FOOL
MEATLESS MICKEY D'S
McDonald’s has been one of the most notable outliers in the plant-based burger craze of the last couple years. But at long last, the Golden Arches is getting in on the action. The fast-food chain has announced the McPlant, a meatless burger that it has co-developed with Beyond Meat. The McPlant will start rolling out next year. There's also a new chicken sandwich coming then, too. YAHOO FINANCE
REALITY TV DIVERSITY
CBS has announced a new diversity initiative that will radically change the face of reality TV. From now on, all its reality shows -- such as Survivor, Big Brother and Love Island -- will have casts that include at least 50 percent people of color. The move follows criticism from past Survivor contestants about a lack of diversity on the long-running show. EW
DEPP ON THE OUTS
Days after Johnny Depp lost his defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard, the one-time megastar was cut by Warner Bros. from the Fantastic Beasts franchise -- a sign that Depp, once among the most bankable stars in Hollywood, may now finally be radioactive for the studios, following years of PR headaches. Warner will eat Depp’s full salary even though he only shot a single scene of the upcoming Beasts film. THR
WHO WILL REPLACE TREBEK?
Alex Trebek has not even been laid to rest, but the jockeying for who will fill his shoes as host of Jeopardy! has already started. ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos is reportedly angling for the gig, but Ken Jennings is said to be the odds-on favorite to land it. Jennings was given a consulting producer role on Jeopardy! last year, reportedly as a way to groom him for the big job when the time came. SHOWBIZ411
LEFTOVERS: GERRYMANDERING WINS
Gerrymandering, the process by which the borders of House districts are manipulated to favor one party over another, was one of the big winners of this year’s election. Because Democrats failed to flip a single state legislature (though Arizona is still up in the air), the GOP will control the majority of redistricting efforts next year, and with them, an ability to redraw the Congressional map that could favor the party for a decade to come. CHEDDAR
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