HHS Secretary: Coronavirus 'general vaccination' programs by spring
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar predicted Tuesday that there would be enough Covid-19 vaccine for general public vaccination campaigns by spring 2021.
In an appearance on the TODAY show, Azar outlined what he said would be the distribution schedule for Pfizer's and other companies' experimental vaccines, none of which are approved, but Pfizer said Monday its vaccine is over 90 percent effective at preventing coronavirus infection.
Azar said the pharmaceutical giant is ramping up to deliver 20 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine monthly by the end of November.
Azar forecasted that there would be enough of the vaccine to inoculate at-risk nursing home residents, health care workers and first responders by the end of January and that there should be "enough for all Americans by the end of March to early April to have general vaccination programs."
Some publishers cool to post-White House book by Trump
One of publishing’s most thriving genres of the past four years, books about President Donald Trump, is not going to end when he leaves office.
In 2021 and beyond, look for waves of releases about the Trump administration and about the president’s loss to Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Works already planned include the anti-Trump “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response,” by former Obamacare head Andy Slavitt. There’s a campaign book from New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns. And former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale is reportedly working on a memoir.
Expect detailed condemnations of the 45th president’s actions and rhetoric, from journalists and former associates, and also flattering accounts from White House allies and pro-Trump pundits. And there might well be a book from Trump himself, who received more than 70 million votes even as he became the first president in nearly 30 years to be defeated after one term.
“It was a very controversial presidency and the New York publishing world isn’t exactly packed with Trump fans,” says Matt Latimer of the Javelin literary agency, where clients have included former FBI Director James Comey, former National Security Adviser John Bolton and Fox host Tucker Carlson. “But there are tens of millions of Americans who look to the Trump presidency as an important time and are fans of his administration. At least some publishers will recognize that.”
There's a plan afoot to replace the Electoral College, and your state may already be part of it
Colorado voters have decided to join a growing list of states that will decide a president by popular vote, the latest move in a national chess match over the way the United States elects its presidents.
Called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, the agreement calls for states to award their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote.
So far, 15 states and the District of Columbia have approved the pact, covering 196 electoral votes of the required 270 to win the presidency.
Even with a vaccine, U.S. economy faces long path toward recovery
Despite news of a promising vaccine, the U.S. is still on track for a slow and grueling economic recovery, economists said.
"What we're seeing [in Monday's stock market rally] is a hope that a vaccine will return life to normal enough to favor those industries that have been heavily sold off," said Paul Christopher, head of global market strategy with the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
An end to the economic turmoil from the virus depends on the distribution of the vaccine, which comes with numerous risks and challenges, Pfizer told NBC News. For instance, the vaccine must be stored at below 94 degrees Fahrenheit, which requires specially designed refrigerators and vials.
Trump aides fret about damage from refusal to accept loss
As President Donald Trump continues to fight the presidential election results, numerous people close to him are expressing concern that he's spiraling into rage and hurting his own legacy, as well as the Republican Party.
Those concerns were exacerbated Monday when Trump blindsided officials throughout the White House and at the Pentagon by firing Secretary of Defense Mark Esper with a tweet, multiple people close to the president said. The hope, these people said, is that this week ends differently than the last, and that the president’s lawsuits challenging the election results in multiple states quickly run their course.
McConnell shrugs off Trump concession delay
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday hailed Republican victories in last week's election before saying President Donald Trump was right not to concede the presidential race because no states have certified their results yet.
"Obviously, no states have yet certified their election results. We have at least one or two states that are already on track to a recount, and I believe the president may have legal challenges underway in at least five states," McConnell said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the claims of widespread voter fraud by Trump and his supporters "dangerous" and "extremely poisonous."